Mississippi State Alumnus Winter 2004

Feedingthe Dragon A RT P R O F E S S O R

Robert Long is constructing an IN N O VAT I V E K I L N that will take much of the drudgery out of the C E R A M I C S - F I R I N G process.

Mississippi State Fall 2004 | Volume 80 | Number 3 USPS 354-520

President J. Charles Lee

Vice President for External Affairs Dennis A. Prescott

Alumni Association Executive Director John V. Correro (’62)

Mississippi State Alumnus is published three times a year by the Office of University Relations and the Mississippi State University Alumni Association at Mississippi State, Miss. Send address changes to Alumni Director, P.O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526; telephone 662-325-7000; or access by Web browser at http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/ alumni/alumni.htm.

Editorial offices: 102 George Hall, P.O. Box 5325, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325.

Telephone 662-325-3442; fax, 662-325-7455; e-mail, snowa@ur.msstate.edu www.msstate.edu

Editor Allen Snow (’76)

Associate Editor

features

Invasion of the aliens | page 2 If Southerners think the now-omnipresent kudzu—a Japan native—is a nuisance, they haven’t seen anything yet. Researchers in biological sciences, wildlife and fisheries, and MSU’s GeoResources Institute are seeking ways to predict and minimize the spread of potentially more devastating invasive plant species.

Kay Fike Jones

Designers Becky Smith Erin Norwood (’98)

Photographers Russ Houston (’85) Megan Bean

Mississippi State University Alumni Association National Officers Keith Winfield (’70), national president; Joe L. Bryan (’63), national first vice president; Betty L. Black (’74), national second vice president; David W. Jones (’81), national treasurer; Gary A. Blair (’81), immediate former national president.

To your good health | page 8 Mississippi State scientists are making significant contributions to the health and well-being of Americans everywhere with their cutting-edge research in such specialty areas as diabetes detection, artificial hearts for children, environmental causes of West Nile Virus, and the spread of tick-borne diseases.

Gina Holland’s supreme assignment | page 12 Gina Lyn Holland, a 1989 Mississippi State communication graduate, has been assigned by the Associated Press to one of the wire service’s major beats—a place many acronymaddicted bureaucrats refer to as SCOTUS, the Supreme Court of the United States.

Feeding the dragon | page 16 When the art department’s ceramics students tired of the arduous task of firing up their old log-consuming kiln, art professor Robert Long had the answer. To make wood-fired glazing more enjoyable, Long recently abandoned the kiln he built by hand 10 years ago and constructed a larger replacement that uses wood chips for fuel instead of the hated logs.

Cover photo and above photo by Megan Bean.

alien

invasion The South is vulnerable to the devastation caused by non-native plants.

By Maridith Walker Geuder

Sailing into the port of Mobile in the early 1920s, cargo ships from around the world sometimes carried a seemingly innocuous guest: a grass native to Southeast Asia that often was used as a packing material.

Once on land, the plant took root and thrived in the rich Alabama alluvial soil, and it began a relentless, steady move northward.

Subsequently promoted as an ornamental by unsuspecting nursery owners, cogongrass today is considered one of Mississippi’s 10 worst invasive plant species and one of the seven “worst weeds” in the world. It infests more than 1.2 billion acres worldwide.

Unless scientists identify a way to stop cogongrass, its destructive march in the South only will get worse, promising in its wake a host of environmental and economic problems.

If folks think the now-omnipresent kudzu—a Japan native—is a nuisance, they haven’t seen anything yet, says John Byrd, MSU Extension weed specialist.

Cogongrass is right behind kudzu and privet in its reach and spread, and it presents an environmental nightmare. “We can’t control cogongrass,” Byrd says simply.

“We can temporarily suppress it using chemicals, but my concern is that we don’t have economical, selective control tactics for a wide variety of invasion sites.”

Byrd and colleagues in biological sciences, wildlife and fisheries, and MSU’s GeoResources Institute are seeking ways to predict and minimize the spread of cogongrass and other invasive plant species. Their work is funded by a variety of state and federal agencies, including the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, the

Above: Kudzu can grow more than a foot a day during the summer. Photo by Lana Lancaster.

Facing page: Patches of cogongrass have an otherworldly look as they invade pasture land. Photo by Russ Houston.

state Department of Environmental Quality, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Coping with cogongrass In Mississippi, the invasion is cause for concern. Cogongrass crowds out native vegetation, is inhospitable as a forage plant for animals, and drives away ground-nesting species such as bobwhite quail and turkey. Until it became listed as a Mississippi noxious weed in 2003, cogongrass was sold as an ornamental under the names Japanese bloodgrass or Red Baron bloodgrass. Only too late did homeowners discover that it overwhelms surrounding vegetation.

Blooming in the spring with a distinct white, fluffy seed head, cogongrass in 1979 was found in only 19 of Mississippi’s 82 counties. By 2004, it had spread into 53 counties. Based on moisture, temperatures, and other conditions, scientists predict cogongrass has the potential to cover the entire eastern United States to Chicago, Byrd said.

“It is a hardy plant and tolerates drought,” Byrd explained.

Cogongrass spreads much like Bermuda grass—by extending its dense

“

root system, or rhizomes. It produces 80-90 plants per square foot,

Every

and the rhizomes can inadvertently be spread through topsoil moved

habitat

in the

state

has invasive

“

plants.

from one place to another.

Byrd, who has tracked and studied the weed for years, said he’s discovered it can’t be controlled by mechanical means such as mowing. “For the past five seasons, we’ve mowed it back to the ground weekly, and we still have 30 plants per square foot,” he said.

Currently, he’s also looking at the impact commercial fertilizers have on the weed’s spread, and with MSU professor Jeanne Jones of wildlife and fisheries, is beginning a study to gauge the impact of “cropping.” “We’re looking at whether we can use a crop like corn to attract wildlife and shade cogongrass to impede its growth,” Byrd explained.

The top 10 troubles Cogongrass is only one of a host of plants native to other areas that have been introduced into the South with devastating results.

“The top 10 weeds in the world occur in Mississippi,” said John Madsen, research professor with the MSU GeoResources Institute and a former research biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The institute, which includes units specializing in remote sensing, water resources, geospatial technologies, and visualization analysis, has a focus on research applications in natural resources. It is headed by weed scientist David R. Shaw, a Giles Distinguished Professor at MSU.

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Brian Burns, left, and Matt Myers, both graduate students in weed science, use GPS technologies to map the spread of cogongrass.

Photo by Russ Houston.

alien

seedling Above: The fluffy seed head of cogongrass.

Photo courtesy of Debbie McBride.

To address current natural resource issues, the GeoResources Institute has pulled together nearly 100 MSU faculty members from 22 academic departments.

“We have funding from a number of federal sources, including NASA and USDA,” Shaw explained. A $1 million grant from the U.S. Geological Survey is supporting research that is developing new methods for early detection and rapid response to emerging invasive species, as well as evaluating the potential for future encroachments.

For Mississippi, the issues are significant, Madsen explains. “Every habitat in the state has invasive plants,” he said. “They are changing the face and the ecology of Mississippi.”

To illustrate his point, Madsen poses a hypothetical scenario: “Imagine losing Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson,” he said. “Imagine the impact on water supply, industry, recreation, and potential flooding.”

One of the state’s current invasives—water hyacinth—is in that 33,000-acre body of water, and while the threat isn’t yet extreme, there is cause for concern. “We’re currently looking at some management practices that could minimize the impact,” Madsen said.

The state’s top 10 invasive weeds contain some perhaps familiar faces: • Alligatorweed, which first appeared in the United States around

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1890, now occupies large areas of wetlands in South

including the Federal Noxious Weed Act—but not a coordi-

Mississippi. It grows as a mat of interwoven plants.

nated approach,” Shaw noted. “A number of different

• Chinese privet, first introduced as an ornamental shrub in the 1850s, crowds out native plants and is a particular

agencies at the state and federal level are putting a lot of resources into invasive species.”

threat to hardwoods. It is found throughout the South in

At Mississippi State, the GeoResources Institute is

dense stands of shrubs that can reach 10-20 feet heights.

increasing its research efforts to help solve the problem.

• Chinese tallow tree, imported to South Carolina in the

“Remote sensing provides the technologies both to detect

1700s from its native Eastern Asia. It reproduces so easily

where invasive varieties are occurring and to develop deci-

and spreads so quickly that it has become a major problem

sion support systems—to decide where to put resources to

in wetlands from Texas to Florida. Several states are consid-

look for invasives,” Shaw said.

ering banning the tree.

• Cogongrass, which arrived accidentally in the early 1900s.

• Japanese honeysuckle, first introduced to Long Island, N.Y., in 1862, is now common to the South, where it crowds out native vegetation and can stunt or kill native trees.

• Johnsongrass, native to the Mediterranean, was imported in the early 1800s as a forage plant. It is a signifi-

Using space-based platforms and infrared technologies, remote sensing offers the opportunity to analyze an area as small as a few square miles or one as large as a hundred square miles, the research team says.

“We can extract features to get a digital map and detect a patch of invasives the size of a room, perhaps before it can be seen by the human eye,” Madsen said.

Armed with early detection of what currently exists and

cant weed problem in row crops, can limit visibility on

where potential invasion zones might occur, Mississippi

highways, and under certain growing conditions can cause

State hopes to be part of a holistic approach to addressing

cyanide poisoning in animals.

the challenges posed by invasive species.

• Kudzu, a native of Asia, was first showcased as an

“Drawing on the resources the GeoResources Institute

ornamental plant at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition

has put together, we want to expand our understanding of

in 1876. Growing more than a foot a day during the sum-

where we might have problems, predict the extent of them,

mer, the vine has caused more than $100 million in damages.

and suggest the best management approach,” Shaw said.

• Purple loosestrife, introduced from Eurasia in the

“Remote sensing is giving us techniques that can be

1800s as an ornamental, now covers nearly four million

incorporated by state and federal agencies and laying the

wetland acres nationally. It is just reaching Mississippi.

groundwork for interagency cooperation,” he said.

• Tropical sodaapple, introduced in 1988 in Florida, from its native South America. Within seven years of arriving, it invaded more than one million acres and is a serious threat

What you can do

for vegetable growers, livestock producers and land managers.

• Water hyacinth, native to the Amazon Basin, was

Even as Mississippi State research is applied to an ever-

imported in the 1880s as an ornamental. While it has beauti-

expanding problem, research scientists say individuals can

ful flowers, it now is considered the world’s worst aquatic

take action to help stop the invasion.

weed, displacing native plants, fish and wildlife and blocking water intakes at hydroelectric power-generating dams.

Their top advice: don’t plant the top 10 weeds. As attractive as they may be, their long-term impact is devastating. You can help by incorporating only nursery-raised native plants into your landscape plans. For landowners,

Seeking solutions

scientists suggest removing the noxious vegetation, perhaps in consultation with an Extension specialist.

One issue in solving the economic and ecological bur-

With non-native species causing up to $137 billion in

dens of out-of-control invasives is that currently there is no

damage annually, resisting an alien invasion is in everyone’s

comprehensive national approach to address the problem.

best interest.

“There are a variety of state, agency and federal laws—

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To your Mississippi State scientists are making significant contributions to the health and well-being of Americans everywhere with their cutting-edge research in such specialty areas as diabetes detection, artificial hearts for children, environmental causes of West Nile Virus, and the spread of tick-borne diseases.

By Phil Hearn

an Bean.

Photo by Meg

good health A high-tech sensory device that can detect the early symptoms of diabetes in a person’s breath—invented by John Plodinec and Chuji Wang—recently drew notice in the New York Times, USA Today and other national media.

The two scientists have developed a prototype and applied for a patent. Now, they are seeking a commercial partner to help them move their unique diabetes breath analyzer from the university laboratory into the marketplace.

Plodinec, director of MSU’s Diagnostic Instrumentation and Research Laboratory—called DIAL—said the breath analyzer utilizes Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy to detect concentration levels of acetone in a person’s breath gas. The level of acetone in one’s breath can indicate whether that person has diabetes.

“You blow your breath into the instrument one time and you receive a number indicating your status, whether you are diabetes-free or in the early or severe stages of the disease,” said Wang, a native of China and assistant research professor

Assistant research professor Chuji Wang, left, and professor/director John Plodinec of MSU's Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory—called DIAL—display an early prototype of the diabetes breath analyzer, which they have invented and hope to move from the university lab into the marketplace. Photo by Megan Bean.

at DIAL. “Potentially, in the future, you could install one of these devices in a mall.”

Plodinec pointed out that in addition to detecting new

Established in 1980, DIAL is a research unit in the Bagley

cases of diabetes, the breathalyzer might be used to flag the

College of Engineering. The research lab is a national leader

ineffective treatment of known patients or serve as a breath

in the development of monitoring, testing and control

marker for other diseases, ranging from cancer to the flu and

techniques to solve energy, environmental, infrastructure and

the common cold.

industrial problems.

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Greg Burgreen of MSU’s Computational Simulation and Design Center is playing a key role in a national research effort to develop an artificial heart small enough for use in children and infants.

A mechanical engineer and authority in computational fluid dynamics, Burgreen is concentrating on the “complexities of blood flow” as part of a Jarvik Heart/University of Maryland project to design implantable ventricular assist devices for children.

“You may have the most efficient pump in the world, but if it’s damaging the blood, you have to start over,” said Burgreen, an associate research professor at the SimCenter, located at the ERC—formerly called the Engineering Research Center.

New York City-based Jarvik Heart Inc. recently received a $5 million contract from the National Institutes of Health to develop a heart pump for children. Heading up the five-year research project is its namesake, Dr. Robert Jarvik, who developed the well-known Jarvik 7 blood pump. Dr. Bartley Griffith

Associate research professor Greg Burgreen of MSU's Computational Simulation and Design Center is playing a key role in a national research effort to develop an artificial heart small enough for use in children and infants.

Photo by Deanna Burgreen.

of the University of Maryland is co-director of the project.

“You may have the most efficient pump in the world, but if it’s damaging the blood, you have to start over.”

Burgreen, a former colleague of Griffith’s at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, is participating in the project through a $100,000 subcontract. He is utilizing the computer simulation resources and high-quality grid generation technology of MSU’s SimCenter, which is directed by mechanical engineering professor David Marcum.

Burgreen said the latest Jarvik heart pumps used in adults are only the size of D-cell batteries, but still create blood-flow problems in children because of their smaller body size and limited blood volume.

“Our aim is to miniaturize an adult-size pump for use in a child or infant,” he added. “However, at that size, the rotor of a turbine inside the pump would have to turn at 24,000 RPM, just like a (food) blender. You want to make sure the blood is not being damaged.”

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Bill Cooke, an Extension specialist at MSU’s

Over in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Lora

GeoResources Institute, also located at ERC, is taking a

Ballweber hopes her hot pursuit of ticks across Mississippi

close look at environmental factors that might promote the

will help people evade life-threatening diseases carried by

spread of West Nile virus, a potentially life-threatening

the bloodthirsty parasites, while heading off another poten-

disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.

tial risk for cattle farmers.

The assistant professor of geosciences is utilizing a

The veterinary scientist not only wants to know what

$15,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to

makes ticks tick—but where they tick, when they tick and

assess the dangers West Nile poses for individuals—particu-

why they tick.

larly sportsmen, natural resources managers, recreation

Armed with two U.S. Department of Agriculture grants

employees, and others whose outdoor activities make them

totaling nearly $75,000, Ballweber is conducting research

more vulnerable to mosquito attacks.

aimed at preventing the tick-borne spread of cattle-killing

“West Nile virus can be fatal (to humans), depending on the seriousness of the infection,” said Cooke. “The elderly

Heartwater fever from the Caribbean area to U.S. shores.

The project is conducted within Advanced Spatial

and people with immune system deficiencies are more at

Technologies in Agriculture, a USDA program administered

risk. We need to be looking at environmental causes in

by Mississippi State. Endemic to the Caribbean islands,

Mississippi.”

Africa and some other parts of the world, Heartwater does

With expertise in remote sensing and GIS—Geographic

not yet occur in the United States. Ballweber said, however,

Information Systems—Cooke is using automated computer

the Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum Koch), found

software to model geographic and climatic conditions asso-

in Mississippi, “is quite capable of transmitting this disease.

ciated with the spread of vectored diseases, those passed

“We want to determine the distribution of this tick in

from one host to another. Mosquitoes get West Nile from

Mississippi so we can identify the highest areas of risk,” she

birds and pass it on to humans.

added. “It has the potential of devastating cattle herds.”

The MSU project—supported by the geosciences department, GRI and MSU Extension Service—is part of a broader NIH research program administered by East Carolina University’s Southern Coastal Agromedicine Center. Second-year funding is being sought, Cooke said.

Lora Ballweber, above, a scientist in MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, is conducting research aimed at preventing the tick-borne spread of cattle-killing Heartwater fever from the Caribbean area to U.S. shores. Photo by Phil Hearn.

Bill Cooke, left, an Extension specialist at MSU's GeoResources Institute and assistant professor of geosciences, is utilizing a $15,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study environmental factors that might promote the spread of the deadly West Nile virus. Photo by Megan Bean.

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By Sammy McDavid

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Photo by Megan Bean.

With determination, energy, and a communication degree from Mississippi State, Gina Holland has worked her way through the journalistic ranks to a coveted position covering the U.S. Supreme Court with the Associated Press.

In 1989, Gina Lyn Holland graduated from Mississippi State with a bachelor’s degree in communication/journalism and inclusion in Who’s Who among Students at American Colleges and Universities. During her senior year, she capped several years on The Reflector staff by serving as editor of the student newspaper.

Holland had come to the university out of Pascagoula High School, where she also was student newspaper editor. With her MSU degree in hand and considerable journalistic experience under her belt, she was hired by the Jackson bureau of The Photo by Russ Houston.

Associated Press international wire service.

After two years covering general news assignments, she became the bureau’s statehouse reporter. Her 1991-2000 coverage of the Mississippi Legislature also incorporated the gubernatorial administrations of Ray Mabus, Kirk Fordice and Ronnie Musgrove, as well as five congressional campaigns and the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

In 2001, Holland accepted the wire service’s offer to join its Washington, D.C., bureau. After six months on general assignment, she became one of two reporters assigned to one of AP’s major beats—a place many acronym-addicted bureaucrats refer to as SCOTUS, the Supreme Court of the United States. Recently, Holland discussed with Alumnus magazine her still-evolving journalistic career.

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As far as the world of news gathering and reporting is concerned, you had an advantage over many others by coming from a newspaper-focused home.

Your father, Gary, was the longtime editor of the Mississippi Press newspaper in Pascagoula. How did that family background influence and shape you and your future craft?

My dad gave me my first job when I was a teenager. I

Were there any particular benefits you can cite in which your Mississippi upbringing, education and journalistic training helped to carry you through the transition of reporting in what can be argued is the “news capital of the world?”

Generally, I think Mississippians are pretty warm people who are able to relate to others. I also think Mississippians, despite their friendly natures, are pretty tough and gritty. Maybe

photographed ribbon-cuttings, parades, ball games, and even

it has something to do with being told that we’re last in the

used cars. On weekends, I listened to a police scanner and

nation in so many things and refusing to let that get us down.

raced to accidents and crime scenes. I enjoyed being where things were happening. And I still do.

My dad’s the same. He covered every big news event on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for three decades. He always

I expected fierce competition when I got here. But, like my folks, I’m a little bit feisty when it comes to my background. I’m proud to be from Mississippi and am happy to compete with anyone from anywhere.

stayed when hurricanes struck and was up every election night. Even after his retirement as editor, he’s still writing, but now for the Sun Herald (in Biloxi).

I learned the traits of a good journalist from him: work hard every day, treat people courteously, ask lots of questions, really listen to the answers, and get the facts right.

Where legislative bodies, whether at state or national levels, generally are perceived as often frenzied and occasionally raucous places to cover news, the U.S. Supreme Court presents a very, very different perception. Exactly how different is it?

Reporters don’t get the chance to quiz Supreme Court

How is it that you chose Mississippi State to continue your education after graduating from high school?

I had considered the journalism program at Ole Miss, but I got a scholarship from MSU in the name of Turner

justices about why they ruled a certain way. Because decisions by the justices have such a broad impact, I miss that interaction.

At the same time, it becomes very competitive covering

Catledge, the former New York Times executive editor who

arguments and rulings at the high court when more than 100

had graduated from Mississippi A&M. Also, I visited

reporters are working the big cases. Outside the court can

Starkville and liked the relaxed atmosphere.

be even crazier, like last year when about 7,000 demonstrators were debating the issue of affirmative action in colleges.

How big were the personal and professional adjustments in making the move from Mississippi to Washington?

What is an “average” day like covering the court?

The Supreme Court building is across the street from the

Professionally, the transition was easy. Initially, the

U.S Capitol and next door to the Library of Congress. On

toughest part was getting used to city life. At first, I lived in

days when the justices are meeting, I arrive about 8:30 a.m.

a small basement apartment on Capitol Hill with another

to get ready for the 10 a.m. session. The press room where I

reporter. Another was the transition to using a subway

have an office is on the first floor; the courtroom itself is on

system, because it’s impossible to drive and park in the

the second floor.

Reporters sit on benches at the front and just to the left

district.

One pleasant surprise, personally, was how many

of the justices. The first seat on the front row traditionally is

people there are here from Mississippi and other Southern

reserved for The Associated Press, a nice spot competitively

states, including several of my Delta Gamma sorority sisters

so the reporter can make a mad dash out of the courtroom if

from MSU and even a friend from elementary school in

there is an announcement or a retirement or big decision.

Pascagoula.

The second seat is held by National Public Radio’s Nina Totenberg.

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When the court issues decisions, my job is to figure out within a couple of minutes exactly what the justices have done and what the real-life impact will be. That can be tricky in some cases when the justices splinter and there are five, six or seven written opinions.

The court does not have a lawyer or other employee to clarify technical issues for journalists.

Most of the justices’ work is done during regular hours. There are exceptions, including last-minute appeals from death-row inmates and rare emergency cases like Bush v. Gore (that settled the 2000 presidential election).

What, if any, are the professional work relationships that develop between the Supreme Court justices and news reporters who cover the institution?

A couple of the justices will not grant any interviews or have anything to do with reporters. On the other hand, several are friendly, like Justice John Paul Stevens, who, at 84, is the oldest. He has made a point to ask me about visiting Mississippi. And there is Justice Stephen Breyer, who, at 10 years on the bench, is the newest member. He always stops by the reporters’ table in the cafeteria to chat.

Does AP have any set rule regarding the time period its reporters can cover a particular beat, particularly one like the Supreme Court, Congress or the White House?

There is no hard and fast rule for beat assignments. The Supreme Court is among the technical assignments, however, where experience really is an asset. Several reporters for other news organizations have been covering the court for more than 20 years.

Obviously, you enjoy news reporting and are very good at it.

That said, have you ever contemplated an employment challenge in another field?

If I hadn’t followed my dad as a journalist, I would have been a teacher like my mom Ann. It’s incredible to see how she’s made a difference in the lives of a number of high school dropouts.

She has been an adult education teacher in the Pascagoula school system for about 25 years, helping people who need someone to believe in them and their potential. Her students have included inmates, persons on government assistance, and men in an addiction recovery program.

Last year, she was named Teacher of the Year in South Mississippi by the Mississippi Association of Adult and Community Education.

Marital status was another thing that changed for Holland after arriving in Washington. In May 2002, she and Arkansas native George Shelton, a political consultant she first met in Jackson, became husband and wife. Asked how they met and how they now maintain two demanding Washington careers, she encouraged Shelton to respond.

Gina and I met in 1999 when she was AP’s legislative reporter and I was working as a press secretary for the Ronnie Musgrove gubernatorial campaign.

As a journalist, she was bound by strongly held canons of ethics. As a political consultant, I was not. I asked her out to lunch four times and each time she declined. She said it was the “ethics thing,” but the truth is, she didn’t like me.

Though I moved to Washington after the campaign, I persisted in my efforts and finally wore her down. After dating for a year, she accepted the AP promotion to Washington and we got married about a year and a half later.

Our No. 1 rule at home: we don’t talk politics. I am a fiercely partisan person and she is uniquely unbiased, which she has to be in her job. Hectic times in our jobs seem to come in waves and, like most in Washington, it often feels like we live for our jobs rather than work so we can live.

At some point in the future, we agree it would be nice to coach Little League, join the PTA, things like that. In other words, lead a more “traditional” life.

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Feeding thedragon

By Kay Fike Jones Photos by Megan Bean

Ceramics professor Robert Long once called the Department of Art’s wood-fired kiln a “fire-breathing dragon,” both for its

hearty appetite high temperatures. for logs and its

The 100-cubic-foot kiln is cranked up once a semester to fire ceramics students’ artwork. And while the wood-firing is valued because of the distinctive glaze the ash produces, the process is arduous enough to make a potter change majors.

“We average four cords of wood for one firing, which can last for a few days,” Long said. “It’s a big ordeal to acquire that much wood, and the students don’t like to cut and stack the heavy logs.”

They’re not too fond of stoking the 2,000-plus degree fire for several nights and days either.

To make wood-fired glazing a little more “enjoyable,” Long decided to abandon the kiln he built 10 years ago and is constructing another, larger one on campus. But this one won’t burn logs—its fuel is wood chips.

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“While wood chips are used often in industry for fuel, I can’t think of one example in the ceramics field,” the associate professor said.

One reason he decided on wood chips is because a local mill closed, making it more difficult to get hardwood.

However, wood chips are readily available in the Mississippi State area.

Of course, loading a kiln with wood chips is a bit different from tossing another log on the fire. Long has this covered, too. He is designing a conveyor system with hoppers to dump the chips in the firebox. He’s hoping, ultimately, that this will make the wood firing less of a hassle for students and their professor.

The 15-year MSU veteran also has another reason for building a new kiln, in addition to the new fuel source and its larger capacity.

“I wanted a kiln I could stand up in,” Long admits.

“By the time you spend a day and a half loading it with art pieces, being able to stand up straight becomes important.”

The new brick kiln has plenty of headroom and is about twice the size of the old one, allowing some 400 clay pieces to be fired each time. Its walls are nine inches thick and it also features a door on the side.

The side door is an improvement over the front-opening door on the old kiln. That one was located next to the firewall—bagwall in ceramics lingo—a very hot location in the oven. As a kiln works, once the clay pieces are loaded on shelving, they literally are bricked in and the fire is built behind the resulting wall. Once the firing is over—the duration varies—the fire is allowed to burn itself out, the kiln cools off, and the bagwall is taken down to remove the artwork.

A side door, Long said, will allow for quicker and cooler access to the pieces once the firing is complete.

As for the process itself, Long said pieces can’t be

Robert Long poses with one of his creations in front of the new and improved wood kiln.

exactly duplicated because “certain areas will get more ash or collect it in different places. Each firing is a once in a lifetime situation.”

Of course, this uncertainty about the finished product is what wood-fired kiln users love over the electric ones.

For now, Long is optimistic about the new kiln and its wood-chip fuel. “I think it’s going to work great!”

He’s pragmatic, as well, though. The new kiln will have a place to stoke it with logs—just in case.

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Research vice president earns international award The vice president for research and graduate studies has earned an international award for contributions to developing nations.

Dr. Colin G. Scanes, who joined MSU in June, received the 2004 Bouffault International Animal Agriculture Award from the American Society of Animal Science.

It recognizes distinguished service to animal agriculture in developing areas of the world over a period of five or more years. Specifically cited were Scanes’ efforts in countries with transforming economies and work to increase access to U.S. exports by encouraging science-based regulation.

Scanes was a professor of animal science since 1995 at Iowa State University until joining MSU in June. He served there as interim director of the Center for Designing Food for Human Nutrition, interim director of the Plant Sciences Institute, and executive associate director of the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station.

Fulbright Scholar takes solar energy skills to native Nigeria George Adebiyi wants to use his expertise in solar energy to help farmers in his native Nigeria find a better way to dry their crops for storage.

Adebiyi “It’s a country with a huge potential to make life good for everybody, yet there’s so much

pain,” said the longtime Mississippi State mechanical engineering professor.

Adebiyi journeyed to his homeland as a Fulbright Scholar this past summer to help colleagues at the West African nation’s Bowen University begin developing a solar crop dryer for use in rural communities.

“The people there dry their crops in the open, but it’s not very effective,” he explained.

“Flies and other things intrude.

We want to do it in a controlled environment, utilizing the sun to heat the air before it is passed through stacks of grains.

“If we can find a more efficient and affordable way for average farmers to dry their crops, it will be a big step toward improving storage,” he continued. “Without proper storage, they have to sell their crops early. Then, down the road, they don’t have anything to sell.”

Adebiyi is a specialist in the areas of heat transfer, thermodynamics and fluids, advanced energy systems, solar energy applications, and engineering analysis.

Following his early education in Nigeria, he earned bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Manchester, England, in 1969 and 1973, respectively.

Sociologist named to NSF review panel A sociology professor is a new appointee to a National Science Foundation panel that evaluates and recommends funding for a variety of research and educational proposals.

Frank M. Howell is joining the NSF’s Review Panel on Human and Social Dynamics.

The group works to bring together proposals related to technology—including its

Campus News impact on society, various technical approaches that enhance its social value, and such specific areas as humancomputer Roger Smith, interaction and surrounded by scientific MSU’s information Maverick systems. supercomputer Howell’s previous work in information technology prompted the NSF appointment. In the 1980s, he pioneered the use of large-scale computer networks for professional interaction by establishing SocNet and PoliNet. He also began at MSU the application of geographical information systems in social research and co-founded the journal Social Science Computer Review, among other activities.

‘Maverick’ among most powerful U.S. supercomputers Mississippi State’s newest supercomputer is 16th among American universities in highperformance computing power, according to the latest “Top500 Supercomputing sites” list.

Located at the ERC— formerly the Engineering Research Center—the IBM system dubbed “Maverick” also is identified as the world’s 158th most powerful unit in June rankings by the universities of Tennessee and Mannheim (Germany).

Maverick represents the world’s largest diskless InfiniBand supercomputer, an IBM clustered system that uses InfiniBand technology to speed communications between 192 servers and 384 processors.

The advanced connectivity technology is provided by Bedford, Mass.-based Voltaire Inc. While a normal desktop computer network processes 100 million bits or 100 megabits per second, the InifiBand network processes 10 billion bits or 10 gigabits per second, said ERC senior systems administrator Roger Smith. The Maverick can perform 1,389 billion calculations per second compared to 366 billion calculations per second by the ERC’s previous system.

Sociologist provides research on effects of drug courts When sociologist Gregory Dunaway talks about diversionary programs, he doesn’t mean entertainment.

Head of the Crime and Justice Research Unit at MSU’s Social Science Research Center, Dunaway is an expert who uses the term to describe alternatives to incarceration. He’s particularly interested in the diversionary potential of drug courts to

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CAMPUS News reduce prison populations and Expenditures.” The report rehabilitate offenders. released July 30 is based on Now in the third year of a data for fiscal year 2002. study funded by the state Mississippi State had total Department of Public Safety research expenditures of $158.7 and Planning, he and an MSU million in all science and research team are investigating engineering fields in FY2002. the impact of drug courts in That resulted in an overall three Southwestern Mississippi ranking of 83rd among all U.S. counties—Pike, Walthall and universities and 57th among Lincoln. public institutions.

The MSU research team, which has tracked more than 200 participants in the three counties under study, is assessing the effectiveness of program evaluations and program outcomes— whether those Sociologist Gregory Dunaway is studying the completing effectiveness of drug courts in keeping offenders the treatment from serving time behind bars. court remain drug-free. The MSU accounted for 56 study includes a survey of the percent of research and state’s judges and district development expenditures attorneys to determine their among Mississippi’s public and attitudes toward the courts, as private universities and colleges well as surveys and personal in FY2002, according to NSF interviews with participants figures. and court personnel.

The NSF report is online at www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf04330/.

MSU among nation’s top 25 in engineering research

Mississippi State now ranks 24th among the nation’s universities in engineering research and development expenditures, according to a new report from the National Science Foundation.

MSU climbed from 32nd in engineering research in the previous edition of the NSF publication, “Academic Research and Development 20

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MSU survey: Most forest landowners ‘underserved’ A new Mississippi State study finds that nearly 75 percent of Mid-South forest landowners fail to take advantage of available educational and professional resources.

MSU HELPING CREATE MINORITY BUSINESS DATABASE Senior software engineering major Terry L. Dickerson of Magnolia previews a searchable computer database of minority-owned businesses he and another MSU student, Anthony M. McDowell, a computer science and engineering major from Biloxi, are designing for implementation later this year. The database is a joint project of MSU, the Jackson-based Mississippi Minority Business Alliance and the Minority Business Enterprise Division of the Mississippi Development Authority.

A recent survey by the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center focused on individuals owning 10 or more acres of forestland in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. MSU researchers identified as “underserved” all those whose responses indicated they do not consult with a professional forester, use forestry-related educational programs or were not members of a forestry-related organization.

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Southern Regional Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

Food science prof to lead international professionals A professor of food science and technology is leading a major unit of a Chicago-based international professional association.

Douglas L. Marshall is the new chair of the Institute of Food Technologists’ food microbiology division. He will be responsible for programming that reflects the organization’s interests and goals and articulating policies to national and international audiences.

With a worldwide membership of 28,000, IFT is the largest organization for professionals working in food science, food technology and related professions in industry, academia and government. The more than 1,400 members in its food microbiology division are focused on areas in which bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and parasites play a role.

At Mississippi State, Marshall has concentrated his research in the areas of marine and aquaculture seafood. He recently has been working to develop methods for rapidly detecting food-borne pathogens in muscle foods.

MSU ranked 62nd in AfricanAmerican bachelor’s degrees In the latest ranking by a national publication, Mississippi State is 62nd among all U.S. institutions of higher learning in awarding bachelor’s degrees to AfricanAmericans.

According to a report in Black Issues in Higher Education magazine, the university also is listed by discipline as being seventh in education and 25th in engineering among all institutions awarding AfricanAmerican baccalaureate degrees.

Information in the June issue is drawn from U.S. Department of Education data based on 2002-03 school-year figures.

MSU awarded 392 degrees to African-Americans in 200203, representing 14.5 percent of the university’s total. The number was up from 377 the previous year.

MSU ranked ‘best value’ for out-of-state students Mississippi State is the 12th best value in the nation among public universities for students attending college outside their home state, according to Consumer’s Digest magazine.

The magazine uses a ranking formula that considers tuition and room and board costs, along with quality measures such as graduation rates, student-faculty ratio, and test scores of entering freshmen. The resulting calculation indicates which

institutions offer “the most academic value per dollar.”

Only non-resident tuition fees for public universities were considered because “attending a public school in the state where you reside will almost always offer the best value for your education dollar,” magazine editors said.

The MSU ranking was based on 2002-03 data.

MSU hits record $150 million in research grants for FY2004 Mississippi State collected a record total of more than $150 million in externally funded contracts and grants for a variety of major research and education programs during the past fiscal year.

Representing a significant increase over the previous year’s total of $143 million, the FY2004 awards included $80.8 million from federal agencies, $36.9 million from Mississippi state agencies, and another $32.3 million from a diverse combination of private and other governmental sources.

MSU engineering programs led the way with $46.3 million in external funding, followed closely by a total of $45 million collected through a variety of university centers and institutes. The university’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences received $22.3 million during the year.

The record total of external funding supported more than 2,600 sponsored projects during the fiscal year. The $150 million figure does not include another $17.7 million in federal sponsored scholarships and other student financial aid.

Campus News Psychology faculty member to lead honors program An associate professor of psychology who is an awardwinning classroom instructor is the new head of the Mississippi State Honors Program.

Nancy G. McCarley succeeds Jack H. White, the long-time UHP head who retired in June. In 1996, she was honored with the Outstanding Honors Faculty Member Award.

Like White, she also will lead the university’s Distinguished Scholarship Program that helps interested students prepare for national competitive scholarships such as the Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater, and Mitchell.

MSU has been recognized as an honor university by the Truman Foundation, and the university has produced eight Goldwater Scholars since 1999.

McCarley Founded in 1968, MSU’s honors program is a charter member of the Southern Regional Honors Council. Offered in every academic discipline, UHP classes typically seat fewer than 20 students and provide more rigorous and individualized instruction.

McCarley, who received a doctorate from Mississippi State in 1993, is a John Grisham Master Teacher at the university. She also has earned teaching honors from the MSU

Alumni Association, as well as academic advising honors from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Kirk Schulz joins engineering accreditation commission The director of the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering is a new appointee to a prestigious commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Kirk H. Schulz, who also holds the Earnest W. Deavenport Jr. Chair (endowed professorship) in the Bagley College of Engineering, has been named to Schulz ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission.

The EAC is tasked with providing leaders in the engineering profession to lead accreditation teams on visits to universities in the United States. The 54-member group represents 23 different engineering professional societies.

Schulz is one of only four members representing the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Growth in federal research funds among nation’s highest Federal funding for research at Mississippi State grew by 18.4 percent in fiscal year 2002 over the previous year, compared with a 13.6 percent growth rate among all

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CAMPUS News universities, the National Science Foundation has reported.

MSU had the 18th highest percentage increase in expenditures of federal research funds among the more than 600 institutions surveyed by NSF. Federal support grew from $65.5 million for MSU projects carried out in FY 2001 to $77.5 million for research done in FY 2002. The numbers come from NSF’s newly released report, “Academic Research and Development Expenditures: FY 2002.” The report is online at http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/ nsf04330/.

MSU sees increase in new students, slight decline overall Mississippi State is enrolling more new freshmen, more new transfer students, and more new graduate students this fall as part of a total unduplicated headcount of 15,934 students.

The university has 1,753 first-time freshmen this fall, up from 1,688 last year. New transfer students total 1,548, up from 1,480 last fall. New graduate and professional students number 855, up from 826.

The growth in newcomers was offset by a smaller number of returning students, attributed largely to last year’s record number of graduates. Last year’s unduplicated headcount was 16,173.

MSU is enrolling 33 new freshman National Merit Scholars this fall, up from 24 last year.

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Neurocognitive research will aid pilots, submariners MSU’s Institute for Neurocognitive Science and Technology is using digital eye-tracking technology to help the U.S. Navy better understand how humans process information and adapt to complex, constantly changing circumstances— particularly in crucial aviation and submarine operations.

The Navy is computerizing tests and wants to find a way to assess how individual cognitive and social abilities impact team performance in a real-time, dynamically changing environment.

With four current Office of Naval Research grants totaling more than $1.7 million and an additional $82,000 from the Navy Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, the MSU institute utilizes a digital eyetracking headpiece—with camera, mirrors and computer interface—to measure how a human’s cognitive skills relate to learning and performance.

The MSU institute, directed by psychology professor Stephanie Doane, was established to conduct multidisciplinary research, teaching and service in the areas of cognitive science and medical systems.

Berries, honey help club members sweeten resources Using more than three tons of Mississippi-grown blueberries and native muscadines, a group of enterprising Mississippi State students is turning jams and jellies into improved

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY A day of ceremonies in September commemorated the College of Forest Resources 50th anniversary. Speakers discussing the impact of the college and the future of natural resources included, from left, Bob Karr, interim college dean and dean and director of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center; Richard Porterfield, former MSU faculty member who now is dean of the Warnell School of Forest Resources at the University of Georgia; Paul Winistorfer, head of the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products at Virginia Tech University; and Carlton Owen, MSU alumnus and president of Environmental Edge in South Carolina. Also commemorating the event were Sen. Thad Cochran, college Dean Emeritus Warren Thompson, and vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine Vance Watson. The university’s former School of Forestry was established in 1954 and became a college in 1996.

It has graduated more than 3,000 majors in forestry, forest products and wildlife and fisheries.

professional skills—and funds for their activities.

Approximately 40 members of the university’s Food Science Club annually produce 8,000 individual jars of muscadine and blueberry jellies and preserves, as well as Mississippi raw honey. The eight-ounce jars are sold through campus retail outlets, as well as online at www.msstate.edu/org/ food_sci_club/.

The sales fund club speakers and member attendance at professional meetings, said incoming club president Neil A. Bogart of Starkville.

Jelena Stojanovic, a native of Serbia-Montenegro and last year’s president, said the students are “learning firsthand about industrial food production on a small scale.”

For more information, telephone Neil Bogart at (662) 325-8764.

MSU Food Science Club officers Neil Bogart and Jelena Stojanovic with some of the jellies, jams and honey members produce annually.

Athletic News

University responds to NCAA release of infractions The NCAA Committee on Infractions announced its findings on October 27 in a case related to violations within the MSU football program following an investigation begun three years ago.

President Charles Lee delivered the following statement at a press conference that day: We are happy to be here today to bring closure to what has been a difficult time for our university. We now have the opportunity, thankfully, to put questions and uncertainty about our football program behind us, and look to the future with a renewed commitment both to competitiveness and to compliance with the rules.

We are very pleased that the NCAA report on infractions found no lack of institutional control, and that there are no findings related to academic misconduct. The only violations that the Committee on Infractions found creditable are related to recruiting practices. We have taken the appropriate corrective actions, and we will redouble our efforts to ensure that there is no recurrence of such lapses.

The actions of the Committee on Infractions have been appropriate and fair. We accept the committee’s findings and the sanctions that have been imposed. We can continue to make progress toward our goals on and off the field while the restrictions are in effect.

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My colleagues and I appreciate the professionalism and the fairness that the Committee on Infractions brought to our case. They listened to us, they understood our concerns, and in many cases they concurred with the findings of our own investigation. They have given us the opportunity to put the past behind us and to put our focus on the future.

Coach Sylvester Croom, who joined us just under a year ago, has brought with him a new attitude about how we conduct ourselves—on the field, in the classroom, and in our interactions beyond the

campus. I am grateful that we can now give him the opportunity to move forward with rebuilding our football program in a way that will inspire pride in all true Bulldogs.

The success of our programs in all sports depends on a commitment to integrity, to playing by the rules, and to confining our rivalries to the playing fields, rather than the realm of unfounded rumor and malicious gossip. That is what we expect of our coaches, athletes and fans.

That is an approach that we also urge the supporters of all athletic programs to adopt and

emulate. We at MSU intend to do our part to bring more civility and a greater sense of fair play to our intense rivalries in the Southeastern Conference.

We have a new coach, a new direction, and a new sense of purpose. We also have a renewed commitment to 100 percent compliance with the rules, and to zero tolerance for activities by athletics staff, athletes, alumni, or fans that may jeopardize our programs.

As a repeat violator, we cannot afford any deviation from this standard in any sport.

Mississippi State penalized for violations in football The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s penalties include: • Mississippi State University shall be publicly reprimanded and censured.

• The university is placed on four years of probation beginning June 12, 2004, and concluding on June 11, 2008, (four years from the date of the infractions hearing).

• The football team will end its 2004 season with the playing of its last regularly scheduled, in-season contest and is not eligible for postseason competition.

• The university is limited to 81 scholarships in football for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years. The NCAA limit on football scholarships is 85. The university imposed a limit of 83 scholarships for 2005-06 only.

• The university is limited to 45 expense-paid visits to campus for recruits in football in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years. The university may not “bank” any unused visits from those academic years and use them in subsequent years. NCAA rules allow up to 56 paid visits per year in football.

• Two former assistant coaches are subject to the “show cause” procedures in NCAA bylaws for a twoyear period from June 12, 2004, to June 11, 2006. If they seek employment or affiliation in an athletically related position at NCAA member institutions during this two-year period, they and the involved institution must appear before the Committee on Infractions to determine if their athletically related duties should be limited.

Athletic News

MSU ranks at top of SEC in graduation figures Mississippi State ranked first in the Southeastern Conference in student-athlete overall graduation rate and AfricanAmerican graduation rate, as announced by the Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics at Texas A&M University recently.

The graduation rates are a reflection of how student-athlete graduation compares to that of the student body as a whole. MSU

was the only school in the SEC to graduate a higher percentage of athletes than the student body average over the past two years. State graduated 9.5 percent more student-athletes during that time than the university average.

MSU also ranked at the top of the league in African-American student-athlete graduation rate as it relates to the school’s African-American student body graduation

MacDonald takes over reins of soccer program Mississippi State assistant coach Neil MacDonald was named as the Bulldogs’ third head soccer coach this summer.

Having joined the Mississippi State soccer staff as a volunteer assistant coach prior to the 2003 spring campaign, MacDonald was instrumental in helping lead the Bulldogs to their fourth winning season in school history this past season.

The Bulldogs finished the season with a 9-8-3 clip, including a 6-2-2 mark at home.

“I am both very excited and honored to be named head coach at Mississippi State,” MacDonald said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to work with the girls on our team because we have a great core of seniors coming back and others willing to do what it takes to be successful. It is inevitable that we will have a very smooth transition as I am blessed to have such great players, as well as a great staff, to work with.

“We worked very hard in the spring to get to the position at which we are right now. We must now work even harder, both on the field and in the classroom, in order to obtain the success that we want to achieve. I am confident that everyone associated with the Mississippi State Soccer program is willing to do that.”

Prior to his stint in Starkville, MacDonald skippered both the men’s and women’s programs at Iowa Central Community College, where he led the Lady Tritons to five consecutive regional

championships, including an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2002. During his fiveyear tenure in Fort Dodge, MacDonald collected an impressive 149-34-5 coaching record.

At the conclusion of the 2002 season, he was honored with NJCAA Region Coach of the Year accolades, along with being named one of three finalists for NSCAA Region Coach of the Year. He was also honored with the Who’s Who of America’s Teachers national award.

As a player at Augusta State, MacDonald was a four-year starter with the Jaguars and captained the team during his junior and senior seasons (1996-97).

He played and started all but one game during his career in Augusta and left the university as the career record holder in games started.

Following his collegiate playing career, MacDonald joined the ICCC program where he helped lead both the men’s and women’s programs to regional championships and national rankings in 1998. MacDonald took over the reins of the program in 1999.

MacDonald holds a 1977 bachelor’s degree in history from Augusta State and is currently working on his master’s degree in the same subject at MSU. He currently holds his “C” coaching license from the Union of European Football Association.

rate. MSU was one of only two schools whose athletes finished ahead of the university average, and its 29 percent advantage in comparing those numbers far exceeded No. 2 Vanderbilt (8 percent).

Additionally, the study ranked MSU favorably in operating efficiency (fourth in the SEC), in gender equity substantial proportionality (sixth in the league) and gender scholarship allocations (fifth in the league).

Overall, Mississippi State finished sixth in the SEC in the Excellence in Athletics Cup standings for 2003-04. The A&M study sought to identify those schools who exhibited a “broad and sustained national and conference excellence” on the playing field and in the classroom, while recognizing positive strides in gender equity and financial efficiency.

MSU places 33 on 2004 SEC freshman academic honor roll A total of 33 Mississippi State freshmen student-athletes were named to the Southeastern Conference freshmen academic honor roll for 2004.

According to the league office, MSU ranked sixth among all conference schools.

The University of South Carolina led all schools with 56 honorees, while Florida placed 47. A total of 427 first-year athletes made the honor roll.

The list is based on grades from the 2003-04 academic calendar.

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ALUMNI News

Alumni Fellows serve as mentors, role models

Cuicchi

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Sponsored and organized by the MSU Alumni Association, this year’s 15th annual Alumni Fellows Program featured eight graduates of distinction who share with students specific competencies, attitudes and efforts needed to succeed.

Chosen by each college, they carry the honorary title permanently. John V. Correro, alumni association executive director, said the fellows program recognizes the ultimate measure of a university—the quality of its alumni.

“Alumni Fellows enrich the university experience for students by exposing them to outstanding professionals,” Correro said.

This year’s MSU Alumni Fellows and the academic units that selected them are: Dr. Paul M. Cuicchi of Starkville, College of Education, holds four degrees from Mississippi State: bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist’s, and doctorate. A physics teacher at Starkville High School, Cuicchi has won countless awards for his work in the classroom. His honors include: 10-time selection as a Star Teacher, member of the Starkville Area Education Hall of Fame, 2002 Mississippi Teacher of the Year, 2003 Mississippi

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Science Teacher’s Association Outstanding High School Teacher, Star Teacher Hall of Fame, and the two-time Mississippi winner for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching.

Anne Marie Decker of Jackson, College of Architecture, Art and Design, is a 1994 graduate. During her senior year, she received the AIA Henry Adams Medal for the highest standards of design quality throughout the five-year study program.

She also won the college’s Academic Achievement Award for maintaining the highest grade-point average for the entire five years. Now a principal and architect with Duvall Decker Architects in Jackson, she is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Sigma Delta honor societies, as well as the American Institute of Architects. This spring, Decker became an adjunct instructor in the university’s College of Architecture, Art and Design, where she previously visited as a guest critic.

Dr. Ronald Greeley of Tempe, Ariz., College of Arts and Sciences, received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MSU in 1962 and 1963, respectively. Greeley is

Johnson

a Regent’s Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at Arizona State University and director of the NASA Regional Planetary Image Facility. After earning his doctorate in 1966, he worked for NASA, helping select landing sites for the Apollo missions to the moon. He also served in a leadership role in crafting the scientific foundation of the current Mars exploration program. His current research at Arizona State is focused on understanding planetary surface processes and geological histories of the solar system. Greeley has received numerous awards and commendations from NASA and national and international geological associations. Last year, he was named a National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences.

Rodger L. Johnson of Atlanta, Ga., Bagley College of Engineering, is a 1971 graduate and president and chief executive officer of Knology Inc., a leading provider of interactive communications and entertainment services in the Southeast.

Headquartered in West Point, Ga., Knology serves both residential and business customers with one of the most

ALUMNI News

Kubena

technologically advanced broadband networks in the country. Johnson joined Knology in April 1999 and also serves on its board of directors. In addition, he serves as president and CEO of Communications Central Inc. He also spent time with Brock Control Systems Inc., a sales and marketing software automation concern, and guided the company through a successful initial public stock offering. His early career was spent with AT&T, where he worked in several departments.

Dr. Karen S. Kubena of College Station, Texas, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, received a master’s degree at MSU in 1976. In addition to her duties as associate dean for academic affairs at Texas A&M University, she is a professor of human nutrition and food science in the university’s Department of Animal Science.

Kubena has held her current administrative position at Texas A&M since 1995 and has taught nutrition there since receiving her doctoral degree in 1982. She is the author of numerous academic papers and presentations and has worked tirelessly on behalf of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.

Masters

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Dr. Barbara Henning Masters of Shenandoah Junction, W.V., College of Veterinary Medicine, is a 1987 Mississippi State graduate. As acting administrator for the Food Safety and Inspection Service, she is responsible for managing the U.S. Department of Agriculture agency’s food safety activities. She joined the FSIS in 1989 has served in her current position since March. In addition to her studies at MSU, she has furthered her education with advanced training in science and technology at Texas A&M University and served a food animal internship at Kansas State University.

Roderick A. Moore of Brandon, College of Business and Industry, is a 1967 accounting graduate of Mississippi State.

His first professional position was with the national CPA firm Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. A certified public accountant, Moore is now executive vice president and chief executive officer of Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co. He joined the firm in 1972 and in his current and previous capacities, he has helped grow the company from $60 million in surplus to almost $1.5 billion. Moore is president of

the board of directors of the Mississippi State University Foundation and is an officer or member of several other boards.

He also is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Economic Climate in Mississippi.

Willie H. Tomlinson Jr. of Vicksburg, College of Forest Resources, received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MSU in 1972 and 1977, respectively.

Now president of Wildlife Technical Services Inc. of Vicksburg, a natural resources and environmental management consulting firm, Tomlinson began his career as an urban forester in Alabama.

He later worked as a wildlife specialist for International Paper Co. in South Carolina and as wildlife manager for AndersonTully Co. in his hometown of Vicksburg.

While at MSU, he was involved in various activities, clubs and academic honor societies, and shared academic/research experiences with fellow students.

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ALUMNI News Alumni Association maintains strict e-mail policy The Mississippi State University Alumni Association has a strict and simple e-mail privacy policy, the essence of which is that the association does not sell or otherwise distribute alumni e-mail addresses or any other personal information. In addition, alumni have the option of hiding any or all personal information from other alumni in the online community section of the association’s Web site. The complete privacy policy can be viewed at www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu/harris_use.pdf.

The association’s monthly electronic newsletter, E-Bark, is distributed to everyone for whom the association has a valid e-mail address—currently almost 40,000 Bulldogs. The newsletter contains both university and alumni association news. The association also distributes information to local alumni chapters via e-mail and sends e-mails on behalf of colleges or affinity partners. However, the association never provides e-mail listings to these groups.

The association also will post alumni e-mail addresses online at the alumni Web site upon request.

Alumni who are not receiving E-Bark or other e-mails from the association do not have a current e-mail address on file with the association, or their e-mail provider is filtering out messages from addresses unknown to it.

If you haven’t received an E-Bark newsletter or if you’re unsure whether the association has your current information, log on to the MSU Online Directory at www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu/directory.htm. By registering, you can search for friends, obtain a permanent e-mail forwarding address, post wedding and birth announcements, list job promotions and awards, or simply update your information. You also may choose to hide any or all personal information in the online community.

If you know that the association has your correct e-mail address, it’s possible that your inbox settings need to be updated, as your Internet service provider may be blocking e-mail from the association. Following are detailed instructions for changing inbox settings for three major e-mail providers, which will allow you to receive e-mails from the association and other credible sources.

For more information or assistance, visit www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu/staff.htm for a list of contacts.

2005 Travel Program Realize a travel dream with one of the 2005 travel opportunities listed below.

Share with us the incomparable beauty from around the world, whether by air, motorcoach or a luxury cruise ship.

You’ll feel comfortable and confident traveling with experienced tour guides who will attend to all of your needs.

Trans-Panama Canal January 26-Feb. 26, 2005 Passage of Peter the Great aboard M/S Repin June 18-30, 2005 Alumni Campus Abroad in Scotland (Stirling) July 20-28, 2005 For more information, contact Dianne Jackson in the Alumni Association at djackson@alumni.msstate.edu, 662-3253444, or see our Web page at www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu/travel/ travel.htm.

To receive e-mail from the alumni association using AOL: —Check your “Custom Sender List” to be sure @alumni.msstate.edu is not on a list that is being blocked.

—Check your Spam Folder periodically. Highlight any messages from the alumni association and press the “This is Not Spam” button.

If using Hotmail, you can create a safe list of e-mail addresses and domains. To add @alumni.msstate.edu to the safe list: —Click on “Options”; —Click on “Mail Link” on the left side of the screen; —Click on “Junk E-Mail Protection”; —Click on “Safe List”; —Add @alumni.msstate.edu to your safe list.

If using Yahoo!: —Go to the Welcome page; —Click on “Mail Options”; —Click on “Filters”; —Follow directions to create a customized folder.

To receive e-mail from the alumni association: —Add a filter where the “From header” field contains “@alumni.msstate.edu”; —Select a folder to move the message to.

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Alumni have new e-mail forwarding option The Mississippi State University Alumni Association is proud to offer a new service: free, permanent e-mail forwarding.

Via the MSU Online Community, alumni can now sign up for a permanent email forwarding address. The address never changes, and is affiliated with Mississippi State University. Even when alumni change jobs or e-mail providers, their MSU e-mail address remains the same.

When alumni change e-mail providers, all they have to do is log on to the MSU Online Community and change their forwarding e-mail address.

It’s as simple as that. Go to https:// www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/ MIU/register.html to sign up today!

ALUMNINews ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CALENDAR OF EVENTS NOVEMBER 20

MSU vs. Arkansas; Alumni Association pre-game open house, Hunter Henry Center, begins two and one-half hours prior to game.

Refreshments served.

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MSU vs. Ole Miss (in Oxford)

JANUARY 26

Trans-Panama Canal trip, sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association, Jan. 26-Feb. 6. For details, contact Dianne Jackson at 662-325-3444 or djackson@alumni.msstate.edu.

FEBRUARY 11

Alumni Association Executive Committee meeting, Hunter Henry Center Alumni Association Board of Directors meeting, Hunter Henry Center Alumni Awards Banquet; Hunter Henry Center

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Alumni Association Annual Business Meeting; Hunter Henry Center, 8 a.m.

Alumni Association Leadership Conference, Hunter Henry Center; immediately following the business meeting.

Check for other alumni events at www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu/ce.htm.

Show your pride in MSU! Alumni and friends of Mississippi State can support the university and show their Bulldog pride at the same time by ordering an MSU license plate through their county license office. Proceeds from the sale of the MSU collegiate tags fund priority programs at the university.

Promoted by the Mississippi State University Alumni Association P.O. Box AA Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526 662-325-7000 www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu

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ALUMNI News

A taste of home in the Big Apple Mississippi State was well-represented at the 25th annual Mississippi Picnic in Central Park in June. Mississippians living in New York make the down-home gathering a regular part of welcoming summer. Fried catfish, blues music, and booths set up by a number of Mississippi universities highlighted this year’s event.

Mississippi State’s first lady Pat Lee, left, presented a T-shirt to Gov. and Mrs. Haley Barbour.

The Mississippi State booth was a popular spot.

Winners of the watermelon seed-spitting contest are announced.

Bulldogs were out in force for the picnic.

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University launches State of the Future campaign Mississippi State University proudly announced its new capital campaign, State of the Future: The Mississippi State Campaign, as part of October Homecoming festivities on the Starkville campus.

The State of the Future campaign is working to ensure Mississippi State’s future by seeking $400 million in private support for four key areas: endowed scholarships and fellowships, endowed faculty chairs and professorships, facilities, and educational program enhancements.

In the “silent” phase, the MSU Foundation, assisted by a volunteer steering committee led by alumnus Richard C. Adkerson, sought large, leadership-level gifts to ensure a successful start for the campaign. Through these early efforts, the university has been able to pass the halfway mark, raising more than $200 million since campaign counting began July 1, 2001.

The State of the Future theme was selected because it conveyed to the campus community, as well as to alumni and friends of the institution, the progress Mississippi State hopes to achieve through this effort.

The MSU Foundation offers a variety of ways to make a Campaign chair Richard Adkerson and wife Nancy usher in the public phase of State of the Future with MSU President Charles Lee, prior to the campaign gift. Any contribution to the university through Homecoming football game at Scott Field.

December 2008, regardless of designation, is a commitment to State of the Future. All gifts to the Bulldog Club and other athletic programs will count toward the campaign goal, as well. Donors to State of the Future will be recognized at the appropriate giving level for their generosity to Mississippi State.

Major commitments in the form of five-year pledges or planned gifts are needed to fulfill many of the campaign’s goals. However, annual support designated for a specific college, school or area through the Fund for Excellence annual giving program also is needed.

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The following individuals, corporations and foundations have made commitments of more than $50,000 from the beginning of the campaign through June 30, 2004.

3M Center ; William A. Adams Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Adkerson; Richard C. Adkerson Family Foundation; ADTRAN Inc.; ALCOA Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Alexander; American Furniture Manufacturing Association; AmFed Companies LLC; AmSouth Bank–Starkville; AmSouth–Jackson; Scarvia B. Anderson and Mr. John Helmick; Asbury Foundation; The Ayco Charitable Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. James Worth Bagley; J.W. Bagley Foundation; James T. Baird Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Johnny H. Baker III; BancorpSouth; Mrs. Viola Bardsley; Mr. and Mrs. Rober t B. Barker ; BASF Corp.; Bayer Crop Science; BellSouth; John Bentinck-Smith Trust; Mark W. Bentley Estate; *Mr. M. Hays Biggs and Mrs. M. Hays Biggs; Mr. and Mrs. Clarence D. Blaine; Mr. and Mrs. Gary A. Blair; Mr. Peter E. Blum; The Bower Foundation; Edwin B. Bridgforth Estate; Mrs. W.W. Brunson; Bryan Foods Inc.; Miriam Bryant Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Bullock; Mr. and Mrs. William Bunker Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Parker Burke; Burlington Resources Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Fred E. Carl Jr.; Cellular South; Ms. Renee Chandler; Dr. Robert B. Channell; Mr. and Mrs. Hollis C. Cheek; ChevronTexaco Corp.; Citicorp; Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Clark; Dr. and Mrs. William M. Cobb; Mr. and Mrs. Lamar A. Conerly Jr.; Kelly G. Cook Sr. Foundation, Inc.; Dr. Fred G. Corley Jr.; Mr. Rubel P. Cowar t Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Crane; CREATE Foundation; Jack Cristil Golf Classic; Mrs. Barbara H. Criswell; Mr. Steve Davenport; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lynn Davis; The Day Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Earnest W. Deavenport Jr.; Delaney Foundation Inc.; Delta Gamma Foundation; Delta Lambda of Delta Gamma; Delta Rice Services Inc.; Bonnie DeMent Estate; Design Integrations Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Glen S. Deweese; Dow Chemical Co.; Mr. and Mrs. John N. Dowdle; Mr. Richard Draudt; Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Dulaney; Durward Dunn Inc.; The Dupont Energy Co.; Eastman Chemical Co.; Dr. and Mrs. John P. Elliott Jr.; Mr. Robert T. Elmore; Mr. Ray B. English; Entergy Corp.; Ergon, Inc.; Mrs. Maxine Cole Estess; Ethicon Endosurgery, Inc.; Exxon Education Foundation; ExxonMobil Corp.; Mr. and Mrs. John S. Ferretti; Mrs. June Files; W.D. Fisher Estate; FoilWyatt Architects and Planners P. A.; Mr. James C. Forbes; Mr. and Mrs. Hassell H. Franklin; Mr. and Mrs. W. Bruce Franklin; Mary E. Frederic Estate; Freeport McMoRan Foundation; Furniture Brands International; Mr. James R. Gaines; Gallagher Farm

Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Frank F. Gallaher Jr.; Charles K. Garmon Estate; Mr. and Mrs. James E. Garrison; Mr. and Mrs. E.M. Gipson; Gipson Steel Inc.; Goodman Associates; Mr. and Mrs. Bryce Griffis; Dr. and Mrs. Larry R. Grillot; Mr. and Mrs. John R. Grisham Jr.; The Hall Foundation Inc.; Hancock Bank; Phil Hardin Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. T.H. Harris Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Robert V.M. Harrison; Mrs. Winifred Hartwig; Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Harold Heaster; Mr. and Mrs. Hunter W. Henry Jr.; Mrs. Winafred M. Herndon; Mr. and Mrs. Mickey Holliman; Mr. and Mrs. Larry E. Homan; Mr. and Mrs. Tad Honsinger ; Hood Farms & Gin; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hopper; Wallace J. Hosmer Estate; Hotel Chester; Mr. and Mrs. Billy W. Howard; Ms. Louise Howell; Drs. William and Karen Hulett; Mr. and Mrs. Alvis T. Hunt; Mr. Louis A. Hurst; Mr. and Mrs. John L. Hyland III; ITT Industries Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Bill R. Job; Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Johnson; Col. Kenneth “K.D.” Johnson and Mrs. Catherine Johnson; Johnson Bailey Henderson McNeel Architects; Mr. and Mrs. Mark S. Jordan; Mr. and Mrs. M.F. Kahlmus; Mr. and Mrs. George P. Kappler Jr.; W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Doris S. Lacey Estate; Lane Furniture; Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Linder; Mr. Steve Lindsay; Mr. Malcolm Mabry Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Lewis F. Mallory Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Bobby P. Martin; Mr. and Mrs. Ernest B. Martin; Bryant Mather Estate; Dr. and Mrs. R. Burt Maxcy; Mr. Charles Maxwell; MBNA; Mr. and Mrs. Curtis E. McCollough; Mr. and Mrs. William T. McGuire; Mr. Fred K. McNeel; Mr. and Mrs. John W. McPherson Sr.; Mr. and Mrs. James L. McRae; Merial Limited; Michael Bowen PA; Mississippi Power Foundation; Mitchell Distributing Co.; Henry Mize Foundation; Molitor Angus Ranch; Monsanto Co.; Mr. and Mrs. Roderick A. Moore; Morgan Keegan Inc.; Ms. Jane Moring; Mr. and Mrs. Alton C. Morris; Mr. and Mrs. H. David Morris; Dr. and Mrs. Niles R. Moseley; MSU Alumni Association; Georgia Murphy Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Naylor ; National Bank of Commerce; Mr. Richard T. Norman; Eloise, Enoch and Margery Norton Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Nusz; Dr. Shirley F. Olson and Mr. Walter J. Olson III; Mr. and Mrs. R. Hal Parker Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Claude Parker ; Parker and Associates; Jane T. Perry Estate; Mr. Henry C. Pilkinton III; Plum Creek Technologies; Emily Jones Pointer Trust; Mr. Ronald G. Polk; Mr. and Mrs. W. Stanley Pratt;

Premier Ford, Lincoln, Mercury Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Pritchard; Procter and Gamble; R W Distributors Inc.; Dr. J.M. Randle and Mrs. Kristi Randle; Revit Technology Corp.; The Riley Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Ritter Jr.; Mr. Bob G. Roberts; Mr. and Mrs. Joe D. Robison Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. I. Alfred Rosenbaum; Mr. and Mrs. James J. Rouse; Charles H. Russell Estate; Mr. Michael J. Ryan; Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Sanders; Mr. and Mrs. Joe F. Sanderson Jr.; Mr. William R. Sanderson; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sanford; Ms. Helen Sawyer; J. R. Scribner Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Leo W. Seal Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Bobby S. Shackouls; Shady Brook Angus; Dr. Kay R. Shirley; Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Shoemaker ; Dr. and Mrs. Allen K. Sills Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Wilson D. Simmons; Mr. Harry Simrall Estate; Mr. and Mrs. James B. Skewes; Mrs. Lorena J. “Rockie” Smith Estate; Southeast Chapter APCA; Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co.; Southern Ginners Association; Spirco Manufacturing; Dr. and Mrs. John Walter Starr Jr.; Charles E. Steele Estate; Charles E. Strahan Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Quentin Stringer ; Structural Steel Services Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Dave C. Swalm; Syngenta Crop Protection; Charles and ZonaDale Taylor; Mr. Rowan Taylor ; James M. and Luvie C. Thomas Foundation; Mr. William L. Thomas; Mr. and Mrs. J.F. Thompson Jr.; Three Trees Ranch, Inc.; Tigrett & Williams; Tippah County Alumni Chapter; Tower Loan of Mississippi Inc.; Trim Joist Corp.; Dr. and Mrs. Glover B. Triplett Jr.; Trustmark National Bank; Twin Hills Farm; Van Zyverden Inc.; Vicksburg Hospital Medical Foundation; Viking Range Corp.; Floyd D. Wade Sr. Charitable Lead Trust; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cullis Wade; Mr. and Mrs. Wenton R. Walker; Dr. Clinton E. Wallace; Walton Family Foundation, Inc.; Mrs. Joe Ann W. Ward; Mr. Joseph Whiteside; Mr. and Mrs. James T. White; Dr. and Mrs. A. Randle White; Mr. and Mrs. Rober t M. Whitehead; Mr. H. Lewis Whitfield; Mr. and Mrs. Frederick A. Wile; Dr. R. E. Williams; Mrs. Daphine Williamson; Mr. and Mrs. Randy Wilt; Mr. Ben Wilt; Mr. and Mrs. Dean K. Wingo; W.G. Yates and Son Construction Co.; and Dr. Oskar H. Zernickow. *deceased

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PHILANthropy

Bobby Shackouls leads by example

by Jeremy S. Robbins

For many high-profile corporate executives, there never seems to be enough time to complete each day’s obligations at the office, let alone make a lasting impression and lifelong commitment to their community.

Similarly, Bobby Shackouls has his hands full with daily “to-dos” at work. But what sets him apart is a plethora of personal obligations outside his Houston, Texas, office.

Shackouls, a 1972 MSU chemical engineering graduate, is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Burlington Resources, one of the world’s

“We encourage all of our employees to participate in things that they are personally interested in, whether it’s humanities, social services or the health-care field.”

largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies.

“We have four cornerstone values at Burlington Resources that we all buy into, and one of those is community,” Shackouls says. “We encourage all of our employees to participate in things that they are personally interested in, whether it’s humanities, social services or the healthcare field.

“I couldn’t possibly advocate that community value as a CEO without participating in it myself, and that’s how we encourage our people to act,” he said. continued next page

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PHILANthropy “Even though we didn’t know it at the time,” he said, “they were teaching leadership. As we watched the scoutmasters with our troop, they were teaching us how to motivate people and lead through example.”

In 1965, along with his three closest friends, Shackouls was pinned as an Eagle Scout, one of the most prestigious Shackouls with wife Judy. rankings a Scout In 1993, Shackouls accepted an can achieve. Three years later, he took opportunity with Burlington Resources. A those leadership skills to college with him year later, he was named president and chief at Mississippi State. executive. He became chairman of the Upon graduation, he found his first job board in 1997. as a petroleum engineer with Exxon, where And when it seemed as though this Eagle he worked in New Orleans Scout had reached the pinnacle of his and Grand Isle, La. career, he was honored yet again.

Meanwhile, he was a “Even though we didn’t know it at the time, He’s been awarded the Silver Beaver, a reservist in the Army, recognition given by the Boy Scout’s serving his “Weekend they were teaching leadership.

National Court of Honor for distinguished Warrior” duties as a medic As we watched the scoutmasters with our troop, service to youth. at Charity Hospital in New And most recently, Shackouls was Orleans. they were teaching us how to motivate people named a Distinguished Eagle Scout, an His duties there, he and lead through example.” honor reserved for Eagle Scouts of 25 or said with a chuckle, “were more years who have made significant akin to changing bedpans.” contributions to their community.

From there, Shackouls High on his list of philanthropic projects moved to Houston Oil and is involvement with his alma mater.

Minerals, where he began Currently, he serves as a member of the his training for corporate executive ago when he was only a child, growing up MSU Foundation board of directors and as a leadership. in Greenville in the Mississippi River member of the Dean’s Development Council He was first-in-charge of building a Delta. for the Bagley College of Engineering. He vital offshore production platform along His father, David, was a mechanic with supports various areas of the university the Texas Gulf Coast. All the while, he the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and that through his gifts. was performing marketing presentations kept him away from home for long periods Recently, Shackouls took on an even and networking with investment of time. It was during this time that he more active role at MSU. He sits on a constituents. turned to the Boy Scouts for leadership. steering committee that is the driving force “That was my real-world MBA,” he “My scoutmasters were really surrogate behind the university’s multi-year fundsaid. fathers whenever dad was gone,” he said. raising effort, State of the Future: The Later, when Houston Oil and Minerals Throughout his childhood and Mississippi State Campaign, which was sold, he started a new company, adolescence, Shackouls participated in Boy launched this fall. And one can only Benton Resources, with a former boss. He Scout camping trips and weeklong summer imagine what Mississippi State’s future will next served as president and chief operating camps. be with men like Bobby Shackouls leading officer at Torch Energy. the way.

“We get great participation from our employees.”

His work schedule is hectic, but thanks to modern technology, he says he is able to do many of the same things from home that would normally require him to be at work.

That allows him to devote more time to wife Judy and three grown sons, Andy, Todd and Scott.

In his “spare” time, Shackouls works hand-in-hand with the Texas Heart Institute, part of one of the largest comprehensive health-care centers in the world, the Texas Medical Center. He currently serves as vice chairman of its board of trustees.

And, among other things, Shackouls is chairman of the National Petroleum Council, a group of individuals appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to provide advice regarding energy issues to President George Bush and his cabinet.

Shackouls also is a strong proponent of the Boy Scouts of America. The story of his love for this organization began long

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PHILANthropy

Pet owner helps to establish CVM cancer fund Lulu was just over 13 years old when a cancerous tumor first appeared—and began to grow rapidly—in her right hind leg.

Having befriended her as a pup, Malcolm H. Mabry Jr. was not prepared to let the dog go to heaven—not yet.

Mabry, along with neighbor David Cook, first discovered Lulu on the way home from his farm outside Dublin, sitting near the edge of a wheat field. There were no houses nearby, and it was obvious someone had abandoned her.

Mabry took the dog—cold, frightened and too weak to run away—home with him, bathed her and provided a meal of warm milk and bread.

Thus, man and best friend were joined.

Mabry and Cook shared the responsibility of raising Lulu, and during the day, she would ride with Mabry back to the farm from which she had been rescued.

Resting in the shade of a tree, she would watch Mabry as he drove the tractor through the fields.

When the tumor was discovered in July 2002, Lulu was taken to Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine to undergo surgery. Although successful, the surgery could not remove all of the cancerous cells.

“Until you actually deal with a sick pet, you don’t really come to appreciate how competent and compassionate the people at the MSU veterinary school are.”

Mabry and LuLu

As a result, it was necessary to take Lulu to Auburn University for a month of radiation therapy—a form of treatment unavailable at Mississippi State.

Mabry and Cook spent every weekend that month visiting their beloved pet. And on Saturdays and Sundays, they spent continued next page A Fall 2004

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Dr. Andrea Balch, left, and Dr. Ellen Tan discuss Lulu’s treatment with David Cook and Malcolm Mabry.

hours riding around the countryside— Lulu’s favorite pastime.

“Taking animals to Auburn for radiation treatments is a long way to travel, and people hate to leave their pets and not see them for a month,” Mabry said, emphasizing the need for a cancer center located closer to home.

Now, more than 15 years after Lulu was first found, she still rides to the farm with Mabry almost every day. And thanks to the

close friends with many of the doctors and staff at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“Until you actually deal with a sick pet, you don’t really come to appreciate how competent and compassionate the people at the MSU veterinary school are,” he says.

Although the college is now 30 years old, it does not have the capabilities and conveniences of a modern radiation therapy unit. But that will not always be the case.

A generous bequest from Mabry, along with his annual contributions, will one day “Mr. Mabry’s generosity and commitment to helping provide partial funding for a state-of-the-art radiation the College of Veterinary Medicine establish a top oncology unit at MSU’s rate oncology unit is a true testament to his veterinary school. The gift will allow for research compassion for companion animals and their and treatment of tumors owners.” and cancerous cells that, as in Lulu’s case, cannot be surgically removed Keith Gaskin because of their location director of development within the animal.

College of Veterinary Medicine “My dream is to have a miracles of modern medicine, that’s how he radiation oncology unit here,” Mabry says, intends it to be for many years to come. “so that anyone in this area—and that “She wouldn’t be alive today had we not would include not just Mississippi, but killed the cancer cells deep within her leg parts of Arkansas, Tennessee and using radiation therapy,” he said Alabama—could bring their pets to fight Mabry is still a regular visitor around cancer without having to travel long the MSU campus as Lulu returns for her distances.” scheduled check-ups, and he has become 38 38

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A similar radiation program at Auburn University, where Lulu was treated, allows for the treatment of animals ranging in size from kittens to adult horses. Side effects to the radiation therapy have been minimal, since the treatments are limited to the area immediately surrounding the tumor.

“Cancer is so widespread, it’s almost a plague in the world today, and our pets have it just like humans,” said Mabry. “So often, chemotherapy and surgery can’t complete the job, but radiation therapy is another powerful weapon in the fight against cancer in our pets.”

Mabry served in the Mississippi Legislature for 24 years, first in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate.

He was in office when the Legislature decided that a College of Veterinary Medicine should be established at Mississippi State University. In March 1974, then-Gov. William Waller signed the bill into law.

“Mr. Mabry’s generosity and commitment to helping the College of Veterinary Medicine establish a top-rate oncology unit is a true testament to his compassion for companion animals and their owners,” said Keith Gaskin, director of development for the college.

“He was a strong supporter of the college during his long tenure as a Mississippi legislator, and he continues to work hard for us today,” Gaskin added.

Mabry says he also has high hopes that, through research on the effects of radiation therapy, “some of what we learn through treating cancer in animals might one day be translated into human use.”

Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 27 fully accredited veterinary schools in the nation. MSU veterinary researchers have saved Mississippi producers of beef, catfish, poultry, and pork tens of millions of dollars through disease prevention and nutrition improvements since its founding.

For more information on this and other giving opportunities, contact the MSU Foundation at 662-325-7000.

Since this article was written, Lulu has passed away. Malcolm Mabry’s wish is that her legacy will be to motivate other pet owners to contribute to this worthy cause.

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No Dawghouse should be without one!

The 2005 edition of the popular Mississippi State University calendar is ready for holiday orders. The 14-month, 9”x12” hanging wall calendar features an exciting new design, beautiful photos of campus scenes by awardwinning photographers Russ Houston, Megan Bean, and others, as well as listings of holidays and important university events.

This colorful and useful calendar is a great holiday gift for the MSU faithful.

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To order by credit card online via our secure Internet transaction server, go to https://www.ur.msstate.edu/calendar, or call the MSU Foundation at 662-325-7000.

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Class News 41 Harris Barnes of Clarksdale has published a new book of photographs, The Beauty of Southern Agriculture.

56 James Fred Abel Jr. (M.S. ’58) of Brandon has retired from Land O’ Lakes Inc. M. Selby Parker Sr. of Clinton has had his first novel, The Man From Bandera, published. Parker is retired from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

58 Fred W. Beaufait, a nationally recognized leader in engineering education, has retired as president of the New York City College of Technology.

61 Vernon Ricks of Greenwood has been inducted into the National Association of Flight Instructors’ Hall of Fame. He is one of only 15 instructors ever to receive the honor.

63 Jim Corley of Lucedale has received a special certificate award from the Mississippi Library Association for his “Storytime” statue at the Lucedale Library.

66 Eugene Columbus (M.S. ’71) of Starkville, a senior research associate with the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at MSU, has received the American Society of Agricultural Engineers’ Mayfield Cotton Engineering Award for his work in air pollution Columbus abatement and fiber quality optimization in cotton ginning.

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Kenneth L. Ramsey, a Starkville dentist, has received the Academy of General Dentistry’s Fellowship Award.

70 Joseph H. Bouton, Ramsey an internationally recognized forage breeder and geneticist, has been named director of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation’s Forage Improvement Division in Ardmore, Okla.

Carol J. Levy of Richardson, Texas, has received a silver service pin for 500 hours of volunteer work for the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations.

Malcolm Wall of Lexington, Ky., executive director of Kentucky Educational Television, has been elected chair of the board of trustees of American Public Television.

Charles L. Warner, a patent attorney, has joined the Atlanta, Ga., law firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy and will focus on intellectual property law.

71 Judy Sanders of Liberty, a writer and former librarian and newspaper reporter and editor, has received a $4,000 Literary Arts Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission to support her work as a fiction writer.

Prentice McKibben Jr. (M.B.A. ’74) of Kingsport, Tenn., has been named vice president for corporate development and strategic planning at Eastman Chemical Co. He previously was vice president and assistant to McKibben the chairman and CEO. Edith Street of Gulfport, a sixth-grade teacher at Westminster Academy, has received the Civil Air Patrol’s A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year award. She also has been named to the Civil Air Patrol Crown Circle for Aerospace Education Leadership.

Judy Shelton Woods (Ph.D. ’01) has been named director of the Office of Institutional Research at Itawamba Community College in Fulton.

74 Clay Campbell of Pace, Fla., general manager of Escambia River Electric Cooperative, has been named chairman of the board of trustees for Alabama Electric Cooperative.

Susan R. Purser (Ed.S. ’77) has been named superintendent of schools for Moore County, N.C. She previously was superintendent of Pontotoc City Schools.

T.E. Walker of Forest, chairman of the board and CEO of the Bank of Forest, has been elected president of the Mississippi Bankers Association for 2004-05.

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Say ‘CHEESE’ Mississippi State Alumnus is pleased to publish photos of our graduates in Class News, along with word of their accomplishments.

To ensure that your photo submissions for Class News are usable, please provide us with studio-quality prints or electronic files in JPEG or TIFF format. Electronic submissions (via e-mail or CD) should be 300 dpi minimum and generated on PC-based equipment. We cannot use Macintosh files, laser prints, or photos clipped from newspapers, magazines, or other publications.

77 Arthur Eugene Goldman of Madison, Ala., has been named manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project in NASA’s Space Shuttle Propulsion Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. He previously was deputy manager for the project.

80 Robert E. Luke of Meridian, vice president, treasurer and managing partner for Luke & Kaye Architects, has been elected second vice president of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Luke

81 Melvis B. Lovett (M.S. ’83) of Augusta, Ga., a counselor at Glenn Hills Elementary School, recently arranged for the University of Georgia Ballroom Performance Dance Team to visit her school and perform with the Glenn Hills Elementary Ballroom Dancers, a group she co-founded in 2000.

Keith Parker (Ph.D. ’86) has joined the University of Georgia as associate provost for institutional diversity.

He previously designed and managed recruitment programs for minority graduate students at the University of Nebraska.

Lea Ivey Stone has Stone joined Hancock Bank of Gulfport as a trust officer and retirement plan specialist.

83 Angela Wilson Cyrus, a commander in the U.S. Navy, has been appointed commander of Navy Recruiting District Philadelphia (Pa.). She is a fleet support officer with a subspecialty in information systems, logistics and shore management.

Class News Cyrus also is completing a doctoral degree in public administration and urban management at Old Dominion University.

Lesley Whitten Morton of Raymond is director of admissions at Jackson Preparatory School and is community vice president of the Junior League of Jackson.

Rhonda Newman Keenum of Alexandria, Va., has been named assistant secretary for trade promotion and director general of the Commerce Department’s United States and Foreign Commercial Service.

84 Lisa Foster of Anaheim, Calif., has been named vice president of SteriPro Services for Sterigenics International in Corona, Calif.

Tommy J. Martin has been named a senior project manager in the Nashville, Tenn., office of Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc.

85 James E. Newsome of Arlington, Va., has been appointed president of the New York Mercantile Exchange by President George Bush. He previously was commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

87 Ennis Bailey (M.Ed. ’89. Ph.D. ’99) of Philadelphia, assistant professor in the MSU Meridian Division of Education and 30-year military veteran, has received a Bronze Star for recent service with Special Forces during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

James E. Prince III of Ridgeland has been named to the board of directors of the Mississippi Press Association and Mississippi Press Services. He is president of Prince Newspaper Holdings, which publishes the Madison County Journal, The Neshoba Democrat, and the Kemper County Messenger.

89 Stephen Edward Clanton of Huntsville, Ala., an engineer working with NASA, has received that agency’s Silver Snoopy Award for outstanding performance. The award is presented by astronauts to support personnel.

90 David Dallas, an actor and writer, has been named executive director of the Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University in Cleveland. Dallas is author of a critically acclaimed play, A Gentleman from Mississippi, about the last years of Sen. John C. Stennis.

Tim Parenton of Hoover, Ala., head baseball coach at Samford University, has been named the Ohio Valley Conference’s Coach of the Year.

92 Spencer J. Flatgard of Ridgeland, an attorney and partner in the law firm of Smith Reeves & Yarborough, has completed the seven-month Leadership Mississippi program sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Council’s M.B. Swayze Educational Foundation.

Thomas Hunt Shipman has been named executive vice president of government affairs and communications for the National Food Processors Association.

John David Wicker of Pullman, Wash., has been named assistant athletic director-event and facility operations at Washington State University.

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Donna L. Collier of Norman, Okla., senior manager of the Oklahoma State University Bookstore, has received the Follett Higher Education Group’s P.R. Litzsinger Manager of the Year Award of service and operational excellence.

Aubert Kimbrell of Alexandria, Va., has been promoted to legislative director in the office of Rep. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

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Michelle Barlow of Washington, D.C., has been promoted to deputy chief of staff for Rep. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

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95 Matt Bryan, golf course superintendent at Mountain Brook Club in Birmingham, Ala., has been recognized as a member of the 2003 class of newly certified Golf Course Superintendents by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

Susan B. Atkinson of Starkville has received a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education. She formerly was director of the Presbyterian Church USA campus ministry at MSU. Thomas Michael Bryson of Leland has enrolled at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga.

Barry Crosby, a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, has set the poem “High Flight” to music. Crosby has dedicated the arrangement to Mississippi State and to Columbus Air Force Base, where he received flight training. The poem was written in 1941 by Pilot Officer John Magee Jr. an American serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Jason Kelly (M.S. 03) of Athens, Ohio, has been named assistant director of academic services for the Ohio University Athletics Department.

Justin Markham has been promoted to assistant vice president at Citizens National Bank in Kosciusko. He is a 13Markham year employee of the bank.

Thomas A. Upchurch has had his first book, Legislating Racism: the Billion Dollar Congress and the Birth of Jim Crow, published by the University of Kentucky Press.

WHERE COTTON IS KING—While alliances are often formed to benefit a cause, the alliance between Mississippi State graduates who farm cotton is especially strong. At a recent Cotton Board/Cotton Incorporated joint meeting in Dallas, Texas, Edmondson, Ark., cotton producer and 2004-05 chairman of Cotton Incorporated Bill Weaver corralled a number of directors and alternates who are State alumni for a photo to illustrate the depth of tradition MSU has within the farming community.

Back row, from left: Scott Fullen (’89), Bill Weaver (’61), Hugh Summerville Jr. (’68), Coley L. Bailey Jr. (’94), Warren W. Sullivan (’67). Middle row, from left: Miller W. Bush (’58), William Edward Harris (’63), William T. Robertson Jr. (’68), Robert A. Denton (’77). Front row, from left: John W. King (’86), Bernard A. Jordan Jr. (’78), (dark blue jacket), Harry E. Patton III (attended). The Cotton Board, based in Memphis, Tenn., oversees the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. The program includes setting broad policy for the program, reviewing and approving Cotton Incorporated’s annual plan and budget, collecting a per-bale assessment that funds the program, serving as industry liaison with USDA, and informing growers and importers of program results.

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02 Jason R.W. Weir (M.S. ’04) has been promoted to first lieutenant in the U.S. Army at Forward Operations Base Patriot in Mosul, Iraq. A battalion medical officer, Weir has received the Army Combat Medical Badge and the Unit Combat Patch for rendering medical service to infantry troops under enemy fire.

03 Christopher Michael Cahill of Carpinteria, Calif., has been promoted to account executive for FedEx Services of Santa Barbara.

Class News Engineering Associates Inc. of Jackson as a junior civil engineer.

Kerri Ware of Lexington has joined Engineering Associates Inc. of Jackson as a junior transportation engineer.

Colin McDoniel of Eads, Tenn., has been named an associate with Archimania, a Memphis architectural firm.

04 John Granberry of Yazoo City has joined

Ware Granberry

BIRTH Announcements David Joseph Boyd, Feb. 24, 2004, to Michael E. Boyd II (’93) and Karen Osteen Boyd (’93) of Leander, Texas.

Davis Wright Brown, March 13, 2004, to Mark Brown (’96) and Julie Johnson Brown (’98).

Matthew Payne Bryan Jr., June 30, 2004, to Sarah Portera Bryan (’95) and Matthew Payne Bryan (’95) of Birmingham, Ala. Thomas Lee Bush, April 12, 2004, to Adrianne Morgan Fountain Bush (’87) and husband Matthew of Madeira Beach, Fla.

Alethia Estelle Dobson, Dec. 9, 2003, to Duane Dobson (’94) and Amy Parker Dobson (’00) of Ocean Springs.

Christina Nicole Domingue, May 5, 2004, to David Domingue (’94) and Lora Nelson Domingue (’94) of Carrollton, Texas.

Robert Kellis Hubbard IV, March 7, 2004, to Stephanie Castelli Hubbard (’93) and Robert K. Hubbard III (’88).

Kamau Lee Njendu and Gikonyo Lee Njendu, May 15, 2004, to Charles Njendu (’97) and wife Aini of Quincy, Mass.

Macy Logan Thornton, March 8, 2004, to Rob Thornton (’90, M.B.A. ’91) and wife Melissa of Madison.

Jason Bane Weir, Aug. 12, 2004, to Charlotte Ellison Weir (’04) and Jason R.W. Weir (’02, M.S. ’04) of Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Anna Paige Williams and Thomas Wesley Williams II, July 27, 2004, to Brian Thomas Williams (’98) and Kristy Simpson Williams (’97) of Nesbit.

IN Memoriam Rudolph O. Monosmith (’29)—94, Orinda, Calif.; retired state director of 4-H Clubs in California and World War II veteran, May 28, 2004.

William P. Gearhiser (’31)—93, Starkville; retired director of utilities at MSU, retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Distinguished Fellow of MSU’s College of Engineering, and World War II veteran. Gearhiser was well known as “Keeper of the Bells” for his programming and maintenance of the Chapel of Memories carillon.

Lynn Hubert Webb (’31)—94, Madison; retired U.S. Army colonel and World War II veteran, July 19, 2004.

J. Dudley Watson Jr. (’32, M.S. ’39)— 93, Rock Hill, S.C.; former teacher and director of a U.S. Air Force pilot training school and World War II veteran, July 17, 2004.

Jack C. Treloar Jr. (’38, M.Ed. ’51)— 87, Jackson; former head of Agriculture Department at Hinds Community College, cattleman and World War II veteran, May 13, 2004.

Edward Real Lloyd (’40, M.S. ’47)— 85, Pontotoc; retired agency manager for Farm Bureau Insurance Co. and World War II veteran, March 2, 2004.

Nathaniel Murry Whitten (’40)—86, Brandon; retired assistant chief of engineering for the Memphis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and World War II veteran, July 9, 2004.

Robert Ingram Leach (’42)—85, Clinton, N.Y.; retired woodworker, aeronautical engineer and former plant manager for Bendix Aviation, May 20, 2004.

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IN Memoriam William Theodore Milton Roberts (’44)—Los Angeles, Calif.; retired space program aeronautical engineer for RockwellDowney, Dec. 23, 2003.

Charles Germany (’47)—83, Chappell Hill, Texas; retired from Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., July 2, 2004.

Troy L. King (’48)—86, Pelahatchie; retired manager of Dairyman Inc. of Mississippi, dairy farmer and World War II veteran, July 8, 2004.

Carl William Carlson (’49)—81, Kingston, Tenn.; retired professor of electrical engineering at MSU and World War II veteran, June 20, 2004.

Earl Estelle Nail (’49)—85, Madison; retired U.S. Soil Conservation Service employee and World War II veteran, April 29, 2004.

Richard Crofton Sloan (’49)—81, Eutaw, Ala.; retired civil engineer for the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg and World War II veteran, May 21, 2004.

William Fredrick Appleton (’50)—79, Perkinston; retired engineer for Mississippi Power Co. and World War II veteran, March 18, 2004.

Earl Walker Lundy Sr. (’50)—77, Summit; retired president and chief executive officer of First National Bank in Vicksburg, May 30, 2004.

Eva Jewell Peterson Gaddis (’53, M.Ed. ’55)—78, Starkville; retired assistant professor of industrial education at Mississippi State, April 28, 2004.

Bibb Maples (’53)—73, Broom; retired engineer for Amoco Oil Co. and farmer.

Jodie McCown Alinder (’54)—95, Columbus; retired teacher.

Lewis T. Gilardoni (’54)—74, Hoover, Ala.; retired GMAC employee, June 23, 2004.

Smiley Eugene Johnson (’56)—69, Canadian, Texas; retired pastor and pilot for American West Airlines, May 28, 2004.

John Hamilton McCaskill (’56)—70, Indianola; retired county agent for Sunflower County, July 26, 2004.

Stan Gregg (’57)—68, West Point; accountant and former director of finance for the General Services Administration in Washington, D.C., May 13, 2004.

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Walter G. Mize (’57)—69, Jackson; partner in Mize and Mize Certified Public Accountants, June 13, 2004.

Raymond Lane (’58)—90, Ethel; retired school teacher at Ethel schools and World War II veteran, June 3, 2004.

James Edwin Roberson (’58)—69, New Albany; owner and president of CMT Inc. truck line, July 15, 2004.

Mason Grantham Sumrall (’59)— Gautier; retired Chevron employee, June 27, 2004.

Garland G. Watson (’59)—67, Chattanooga, Tenn.; retired technical sales director for Impreglon Inc. of Atlanta, Ga., May 28, 2004.

Bessie Joy Steverson Langston (’65)—60, Prentiss; retired from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Office in Monticello, July 12, 2004.

Nannette P. McIntire (’67)—60, Brandon; homemaker, July 15, 2004.

Hugh Odom (’67)—58, Bolton; owner and operator of Odom Refrigeration, May 27, 2004.

Jobie T. Melton (’71)—55, Jackson; certified public accountant, partner with Horne CPA Group, and member of MSU’s School of Accountancy Advisory Board, July 28, 2004.

Jerold B. Erikson (’72)—54, Brandon; certified public accountant and senior manager of Mississippi Operations of Tax Recovery Associates, May 30, 2004.

Hal Davis Robison (’73)—53, Louisville; controller for Taylor Machine Works, June 30, 2004.

Katherine Williams Trapp (’73)—87, Philadelphia; retired school teacher and principal of Pearl River High School, June 4, 2004.

Wanda Marie Bills Belk (’74)—52, Boyle; owner of the Caramel Factory, June 18, 2004.

Jesse C. Sawyer (’75, Ed.D. ’78)—63, Georgetown, Texas; vice president for communication, development and public affairs for Georgetown Healthcare System and former university administrator, July 2, 2004.

Nancy M. Corey (’76)—68, Kansas City, Mo.; July 29, 2004.

Robert Earl McClain (’81, M.S. ’85, M.B.A. ’93, Ph.D. ’01)—45, West Point; engineer for Smithfield Foods in Smithfield, Va., July 19, 2004.

Daryl T. Amos (’82)—45, Gulfport; retired electrical engineer, May 27, 2004.

Terri Ashford Atterberry (’87, B.S. ’99)—Starkville; social worker for the Mississippi Department of Social Services, June 15, 2004.

Kelly Byrd Mitchell (’92)—33, Louisville; elementary school teacher and homemaker, May 17, 2004.

D. Clayton James (former employee)—73, Moneta, Va.; professor emeritus of history at Mississippi State, author and authority on World War II military strategy, August 4, 2004.

Warren A. Land (former employee)—75, Columbus; professor emeritus of curriculum and instruction at Mississippi State, July 23, 2004.

Walter Everett Sistrunk (former employee)—84, Starkville; professor emeritus of education at Mississippi State and World War II veteran, July 29, 2004.

Blanche Green Baker (friend)—81, Madison; homemaker, March 22, 2004.

Mary Frances Gaddis (friend)—82, Forest; homemaker, April 26, 2004.

Margie Lee Ray Hamill (friend)— 71, Starkville; retired branch manager for Deposit Guaranty National Bank, May 3, 2004.

William W. Hunsberger (friend)— 55, Ridgeland; publisher of The ClarionLedger in Jackson, June 13, 2004.

Allison Evans Russell (friend)—76, Starkville; school teacher and former editor for the Curriculum Lab at Mississippi State, July 27, 2004.

Frances M. Shanks (friend)—81, Madison; homemaker, April 11, 2004.

Lucille Stennis-Montgomery (friend)—98, Starkville; June 5, 2004.