Alumni Carillon, Spring 2017 by Oglethorpe University

ALUMNI NEWS

SPRING 2017

A PROUD ATHLETICS TRADITION

CARILLON A L U M N I N E W S

OU ATHLETICS Celebrating a proud history of sports

EDITOR: Mary Rinaldi Winn

SPRING 2017

PETREL PROFILES Student-athlete alumni share memories and life lessons

CLASS NOTES News and notes from classmates

CONTRIBUTORS: Eli Arnold ’06, Barb Henry ’85, Renee Vary Keele, Stuart Levenson ’67, Kristen Obaranec, Chelcie Juliet Rowell ’09, Chris Rylands ’01, Eric M. Scharff ’63, Mary Rinaldi Winn PHOTOGRAPHY: Tawni Blamble, Henry Bradley DESIGN: Niki Walker Design PRINTING: Standard Press

ON THE COVER: Angela Huynh ‘03, and husband Richard Bakare ’03, enjoy Alumni Weekend on campus. Learn more about Richard’s experience on the OU soccer team, page 13. THIS PAGE: 100th anniversary of Oglethorpe’s basketball and baseball programs were celebrated in February and April 2017, respectively.

Bill Carter ‘59 passed away January 24, 2017, on his 80th birthday after a seven-year battle with myeloma. At Oglethorpe, Bill was a gifted basketball player and coached the team in the late ‘60s following in the winning footsteps of his mentor Coach Garland Pinholster. Bill remained a passionate Stormy Petrel throughout his life and encouraged many of his former teammates and players to also get involved. Professionally, Bill was an accomplished businessman, real estate company owner and attorney. In 2016, the Athletic Department renamed its top student athlete award in his honor. The Bill Carter ‘59 Stormiest Petrel Award is given each year to a student-athlete who most exemplifies the qualities of a Stormy Petrel.

AN OLYMPIAN IN OUR MIDST

LETTER FROM ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT

Read it online! oglethor.pe/2pxEs2s

By Chris Rylands ’01 President, Oglethorpe University Alumni Board

OU’S PETREL PRIDE

ersonally, I’m not that much of an athlete. I love baseball, by which I mean, I really enjoy watching baseball or listening to it on the radio. The closest I came to being a college athlete was playing Ultimate Frisbee on the academic quad. However, I have always appreciated those with athletic gifts. To be a good athlete takes some degree of natural talent, of course, but for those with any meaningful success, it is always augmented by practice and determination. Without those elements, talent invariably withers to little more than a memory.

For the last 100 years, Oglethorpe has had a strong tradition of athletics, which is important for current students and alumni. This academic year alone, we celebrated both the 100th anniversary of basketball and the 100th anniversary of baseball.

I think this is why sport fills us with such a sense of pride. We know (even if sometimes we don’t admit it) that those who have athletic talent can only be truly great if they work at their craft. And when we see them doing it for our University, we want to cheer, recognize their work and, hopefully, spur them on to achieve all they can. In that small way, we feel as though we have participated with them. For the last 100 years, Oglethorpe has had a strong tradition of athletics, which is important for current students and alumni. This academic year alone, we celebrated both the 100th anniversary of basketball and the 100th anniversary of baseball. This year, like virtually every Alumni Weekend, we had alumni games in other sports like soccer in addition to basketball and baseball. And of course, we recognized those who entered our Athletic Hall of Fame. In this issue of the Carillon Alumni News, we want to continue our celebration of Petrel athletic pride by profiling those from a variety of sports to showcase the diversity of our athletic history. In this way, we hope to continue to extend that sense of pride that we felt as students and recognize those who have contributed to our rich athletic tradition.

Carillon Alumni News is published twice a year for alumni of Oglethorpe University. Oglethorpe, founded in 1835, is a private liberal arts college.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OU ATHLETICS The Oglethorpe student newspaper, Oglethorpe Times, covered the first athletic competition on campus, a 1916 basketball game that was described as “a hot scrap… which made the dust fly.”

World War II marked the end of the football team and temporary suspension of all sports at Oglethorpe. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the men’s basketball team won two conference championships and made it into the Final Four in 1963.

CARILLON Alumni News | Spring 2017

The Oglethorpe baseball team brought home a conference championship in 1930 and repeated this achievement in 1994. One player was Luke Appling, who had a 30-year career with the Chicago White Sox and was a 1964 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Since the late ’90s, the Oglethorpe men’s golf program has dominated conference and national play. Under long-time coach Jim Owen, the teams earned 12 conference championships and two national championships.

2009 2016

The first years of Oglethorpe athletics were dominated by football. During the early 1920s, the Stormy Petrels won back-to-back conference titles.

1963 1995

From 2006-2009, the women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA tournament. The team enjoyed Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2008 and 2009, finishing fourth in 2009.

of OU students are student-athletes

1923 1930

ATHLETIC RANKINGS & ACCOLADES

33%

1916 1920

During the first decade of the Oglethorpe athletic program, basketball, baseball, and track teams—all male, of course—competed nationally in addition to football. (Oglethorpe fielded its first women’s basketball team in 1923.)

By Eli Arnold ’06, Head of Reference Services, Philip Weltner Library

Men’s soccer claimed conference championships in four of the last six years.

The Oglethorpe men’s cross country was named an AllAcademic Team by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in February 2017.

Oglethorpe’s Petey the Stormy Petrel, was named one of the most memorable college mascots of all time by ESPN.

NCAA Div. III men’s & women’s teams

Oglethorpe women’s tennis was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) AllAcademic Team at the end of the 2016 season.

Student-athletes earn higher GPAs overall

OU Athletic Director Rebecca “Becky” Hall pushes her coaches to take an active role in mentoring and being a resource in all aspects of their athletes’ college experience. “Having veteran coaches on staff, 10 or more years, has really helped develop a culture of success on and off the field,” Hall says. These veteran coaches— Jon Akin, Dan Giordano ‘02, Peter Howell, Jim Owen, and Phil Ponder—have coached at Oglethorpe for a collective 100 years!

SHOW YOUR PETREL PRIDE! Get your official OU athletic gear, gifts and accessories from the online team store at stormypetrelsteamshop.com.

The Oglethorpe Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held a 2016 Toy Drive and delivered the donation to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite Hospital before the holidays.

Student-athletes named to the Southern Athletic Association’s 2016 Fall Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll

4th

College Factual’s 2017 National Student-Athlete Ranking for Oglethorpe Men’s Golf OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

PETREL PROFILES

LIFE LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH By Stuart Levenson ’67

glethorpe’s golf team came to stardom in the late ’90s by winning their first conference championship in 1998, which sent them to the national competition that year. Much of the team’s success was due to the talent of Tolliver Williams ’99. Tolliver won the SCAC Men’s Golfer of the Year in 1996 and 1998 and was the first golfer to be inducted into the Oglethorpe Hall of Fame (in 2009).

OU GOLF him to pursue his chosen career, and he credits Oglethorpe classes and the golf team. “My experience at Oglethorpe had a huge influence over the course of my life and professional career,” Tolliver said. “I have always been attracted, and performed best, in career roles where there is a team dynamic,” Tolliver said.

Coach Jim Owen was conference coach of the year in 1998. “Tolliver Williams’ decision to attend Oglethorpe set in motion the events that built the foundation of the Oglethorpe golf dynasty,” he said. “Tolliver was near accepting a walk-on spot at a Division I school when I was able to sell him on building our program together. I knew he would become our first All-Conference, All-Region and AllAmerican, and he hit perfectly on all three.” The 1998 trio of seniors—Williams, Harrell “Hal” Robinson ’98 and Ben Hanes ‘98—led Oglethorpe to their first of 18 NCAA appearances over the last 20 years. “Tolliver’s imprint on Oglethorpe golf and the university made a difference in countless lives of studentathlete golfers who came behind him,” Owen said. “His legacy will continue to grow Oglethorpe golf. I am so proud of the man my friend Tolliver has become.” Tolliver was an accounting major which led him into the real estate business in one of the world’s greatest cities, New York. He finds the strong foundation and skills he learned as a student enabled

CARILLON Alumni News | Spring 2017

“On a golf team, that’s having a mix of consistent and predictable players who can provide confidence to others that there will be solid scores in the books. On a professional team, that means diverse backgrounds and perspectives that can unlock solutions to problems better than a group of identical thinkers.”

Beyond the tournament wins and other accolades, what I remember most clearly in hindsight, is the camaraderie, the day-in day-out practice, and the travel together that enabled our golf team to break through. The relationships forged with my teammates continue today.” — Tolliver Williams ’99

Tolliver Williams tees off at the legendary Pebble Beach golf course.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT By Chelcie Juliet Rowell ’09

erensa Shoemake Wing ’91 played basketball and ran track in high school. When she arrived at Oglethorpe, there was not yet a women’s basketball team. She sought an opportunity to compete and asked Coach Jim Owen if there was room for another volleyball team member. In the spring, she played tennis and continued to run track. From volleyball newbie as a freshman to tournament MVP by the time she graduated, Kerensa secured her place in Oglethorpe athletic history. Thinking back to the moment when Kerensa popped into his office, Owen recalled her saying, “I have to warn you I haven’t played volleyball … ever!” “I tried out, and they taught me how to play,” Wing laughed. “Watching tryouts, I thought they’d never let me onto the court. I remember one girl, a sophomore, who was so good I thought she must be a senior.” That player was the late Mary Jane Stuart Kohler ’90, who became Wing’s friend and roommate. Coach Owen remembers her first season a bit differently. “During scrimmages, an athlete began to emerge with more power, quickness, and raw athletic ability than we had seen at Oglethorpe,” Owen said. “Kerensa may have been a born athlete, but she also put in the work to learn a new sport. She came early to practice, stayed late, wanted to understand and ‘see’ the game of volleyball as it unfolded.”

Kerensa Wing stands to the right of Coach Jim Owen with her 1989 Volleyball teammates at the 2016 Oglethorpe Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony where the team was inducted; at the far right stands the sister and neice of Mary Jane Stuart Kohler.

Kerensa and Mary Jane were members of the 1989 women’s volleyball team inducted into the Oglethorpe Hall of Fame in 2016. The team finished the season with a 28-3 record and took first place at the Atlanta Phoenix Cup Volleyball Championship. For Coach Owen, the ’89 team stands among the most significant teams in the history of women’s sports at Oglethorpe.

Kerensa is the principal at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia.

The Mary Jane Stuart Kohler Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by Mr. and Mrs. Aurel Stuart Jr. in loving memory of their daughter, Mary Jane ‘90. An excellent student, Mary Jane was a fun-loving and involved participant in campus life, a superior athlete, and a special friend to all who knew her. The scholarship is awarded to a rising junior or senior female student who best exhibits these distinguishing characteristics.

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

PETREL PROFILES

THE HILLIER, THE BETTER

FOR CROSS COUNTRY ALUM DON HENRY ’83

OU ATHLETIC PROGRAM GROWS UNDER ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BECKY HALL’S DIRECTION

By Chelcie Juliet Rowell ’09

o this day,” Don Henry ’83 jokes, “I am one of the few members of the human race who loves to run—the hillier the course, the better.” While at Oglethorpe, Don ran cross country and track, and competing as a runner was one of the highlights of his college experience. Reflecting on his years as a student-athlete, Don says, “It’s so easy to be involved at Oglethorpe, and it really defines your college experience.” For Don, it was the camaraderie of the team and the way the student body supported athletes during sporting events, such as the Oglethorpe Invitational, which brought 20 teams and 100 runners to campus. The cross country meet’s five-mile route traced two loops from the quad to woodsy trails beyond the soccer fields and back, “starting and finishing at the heart of the university,” as Don recalls. Each year the event brought Oglethorpe students out of the classrooms and dorms to cheer on their fellow students.

took many accounting courses, Don devoted every free slot in his course schedule to a literature class with Dr. Brightman, who, as Don puts it, “challenged students to articulate deep truths.” In fact, watching how Dr. Brightman ran his classroom became the template for how Don leads business teams, intellectually challenging his colleagues to do things they didn’t believe they could accomplish. Don’s Oglethorpe athletic and academic experiences continue to shape his life today. Now Chief Executive Officer for Gemini Rosemont, a commercial real estate company, Don works closely with investors and the company’s executive leadership team. In both his professional and personal lives, he says “running unlocks creativity, revealing solutions to problems plaguing you.” The broad-ranging interests Don developed as an undergraduate still animate his curiosity. On his Kindle you’ll find novels by Haruki Murakami alongside

Running may seem like an individual sport, but Don says that whether the competitions were on-campus or off, “it was not the races won, but the celebration on the team level and the campus level” that made his cross country experience at Oglethorpe so special. Competing and training throughout the year instilled discipline, and Don believes he became a better student thanks to his experience as a studentathlete. A psychology major who also

CARILLON Alumni News | Spring 2017

mathematical investigations of infinity and countless nonfiction works on political affairs. As rewarding as it was to be a studentathlete, however, Don says unequivocally that “the best thing about Oglethorpe was meeting my wife,” Barbara Bessmer Henry ’85. This year, they celebrate 32 years together.

Don Henry ’83, shown competing in OU cross country and track, and with his wife, Barbara Bessmer Henry ’85.

s Oglethorpe director of athletics, Rebecca “Becky” Hall elevates OU athletic programs, builds a winning tradition, and develops scholar-athletes who are successful on and off the playing fields, courses and courts.

It is imperative that we teach our scholar-athletes how to be well-rounded ambassadors of OU in all they do. They are students, athletes, and leaders on this campus, and the athletic staff should be preparing them for such.” — Athletic Director Becky Hall

Excelling on campus and in the community To help improve the student-athlete experience at Oglethorpe, Hall uses an initiative called GA2MES PLAN, (pronounced “Games”). GA2MES is an acronym for global/national experience, academic success, athletic success, mentoring, engagement and sportsmanship, and incorporates these six goals to foster growth and involvement among athletics and other parts of campus. “One of the pieces of this that excites me most is our march to academic excellence and the mentoring piece,” Hall says. “We have extremely bright students who are leaders.” All OU teams participate in global and/or national experiences through out-of-region competitions, international travel and community service. These trips focus on multicultural experiences, giving student-athletes the opportunity to learn and grow. In recent years, the OU men’s and women’s basketball teams traveled to Costa Rica for two exhibition games, a community service project at a children’s center, and various cultural experiences and adventures. OU’s men’s tennis works with the Atlanta Tennis Youth, teaching

fundamentals of the sport during the off season. Women’s tennis volunteers with PATH Academy, an elementary school adjacent to campus. Baseball devotes time to the Northside Youth Organization Christopher League, a league for kids with special needs. Coaching for academic success and beyond At the collegiate level, the role of the athletics coach extends far beyond the locker room, and even beyond sport. “Today, coaches are responsible for our student-athletes’ physical and mental well-being and their athletic and academic success,” says Hall. “We’re as interested in how they’re doing in class and in their future after college as we are in their commitment to the team.” Head Coach Dan Giordano ‘02 gets a chance to play at the Alumni Weekend alumni game.

To learn more about current student-athletes, check out Stormin’ the Nest with AD Hall. Oglethorpe Athletic Director Becky Hall talks with Stormy Petrel student-athletes about their exploits on and off the playing field. A different Oglethorpe student-athlete is featured each week. Go to gopetrels.com/Stormin_the_Nest.

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

CLASS NOTES 1960s

1970s

1990s Lawley Burnette ’91

Recently accepted the position of National Field Director at the Distinguished Young Women’s National Office in Mobile, Ala.

1980s Debbie Morgan Foresman ’83 relocated

to Richmond, Va., this past September to work as an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. Joseph A. Soldati ’61,

Emeritus Professor of English, Western Oregon University, recently published his sixth poetry collection, SACRIFICES; RETOLD & UNTOLD STORIES FROM THE BIBLE [Poems]. Available from the publisher, www.outskirtspress.com/ bookstore, or from Amazon.com—hard and “e” (Kindle formatted) copies.

Bob Amick ‘72, owner

and founder of Concentrics Restaurants, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Restaurant Association on November 13, 2016, at their 10th annual GRACE Awards Gala held at The Delta Flight Museum. Tom Cioffi ’71, recently

joined the OU Alumni Board. Tom lettered in baseball, basketball, tennis and soccer at Oglethorpe, the only four sports at the time. He now is involved in two nonprofits: Family Promise and Just One Africa. Tom travels nationally for Family Promise, helping to start programs for the organization which provides aid for homeless children and families.

Drew Findling ’81

was sworn in as First Vice President of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) at the Association’s 59th Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., on August 13.

Adam T. Petty ‘86, venture

capitalist and stock market magnate, was appointed as President and CEO of both Sunshine Capital and DIB Funding in September 2016.

Jenifer Parks ’96 is currently an associate professor of history at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont. Her book, “The Olympic Games, the Soviet Sports Bureaucracy, and the Cold War” was published in January 2017 by Lexington Books.

Carletta Hurt ‘98

welcomed her baby boy, William Gregory David Jackson, to the world on December 27, 2016.

Anne Nachvatal ‘99

On Saturday, March 4, Head Baseball Coach Dan Giordano ’02 was recognized for a milestone victory (200th win) in coaching. President Schall presented Dan with a commemorative bat. Dan’s 200th win occurred February 19.

recently won the honor of Cherokee County School District 2017 Media Specialist of the Year.

2000s Michael Eis ‘01 was elected

to serve as the Georgia Symphony Orchestra Board Chair.

as a candidate by the American Saddlebred Horse Association to serve on the Board of Directors.

Within the past few years,

Meiyen Bell Kennedy ‘03

Deb Thompson Cook ‘82

demonstrated the technique of en plein air at “Art at the Fountain” at the Smyrna Jonquil Festival this past October.

Cameron Bready ‘94

Stephanie Ervin Szalkowski ‘89 was

featured in a local article that captured the 2016 Boar’s Head celebration.

To submit news for future class notes via ePetrel please visit: alumni.oglethorpe.edu, call us at 404.364.8893 or write us at Office of Alumni Relations, Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30319

CARILLON Alumni News | Spring 2017

elected as Vice Chairman and Industry Director of the APEC Board. APEC is a nonprofit organization which was set up by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation to develop automated solutions for the PEO (professional employer organization) industry.

2016 to Assistant Chief of Materials Management at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Susan Gebhardt Shepherd ‘82 was selected

Hugh Thompson ‘66

concluded his career as a Georgia Supreme Court Justice in December.

Britt Landrum III ‘92 was

Aimee Thrasher-Hanson ‘98 was promoted in July

was recently promoted by Global Payments Inc. to the role of Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Jane C. Perkins ‘96

recently published a children’s book, “Read. Write. Evacuate.”

Adam Polakov ’98 and his wife, Leslie, welcomed a new baby boy, Elliot, to their family on March 8, 2016.

Angie Baldwin Roda ‘01 and her husband, Tim,

are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Noah Lynette Roda, born January 3, 2017. “Noah Lyn” joins her big brothers, Caleb (8) and Levi (2), and her big sister Jordan (4).

and Daniel Kennedy have had two daughters, Bridgett and Olivia; and Shaniece Broadus Criss ‘02 and Demond Criss have had one daughter, Sage. Meiyen and Shaniece, freshman roommates, recently had their girls meet up to play and plan for their futures as Oglethorpe roommates. Mary Straub Doellman ‘04 and her husband

recently welcomed a new baby boy, Bennett, to their family.

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

CLASS NOTES David-Matthew Barnes ‘06 won the award for

Best Short Screenplay at the 2017 Amsterdam New Renaissance Film Festival on March 5.

PETREL PROFILES Chelcie Rowell ’09

2010s

Nelson Davis ‘08 and Alyson Adkisson Davis ’04 welcomed their third

son, Caleb Timothy Davis, June 15, 2016. He weighed 7 lbs., 3 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He has two proud big brothers, Luke and Isaac.

MAKING A LIFE

began a new position this past January as Digital Scholarship Librarian & History Liaison at Boston College, where she will work closely with history faculty to perform digitally inflected research and pedagogy.

Amy Russ ‘10 received a commendation award from the Korean Times for her translation of Hwang Jeongeun’s “Where No One Had Ever Been.” Amy worked with Kim You-jeong to translate the piece. This year marks the 47th Year of the Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards.

Shanelle Ebanks ‘10

recently joined the Hopewell, Va., municipal staff as the city’s first youth coordinator. Marinella Taoushiani ‘10 recently won a DAAD

Fellowship. The fellowship is a training program to become an expert on the Global Refugee Crisis.

LESSONS LEARNED AT OU

By Stuart Levenson ’67

John Burke ‘11 was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best New Age Album.

Chloe Edwards ’10 and Christopher Stowe were married November 10, 2016, in Kaneohe, Hawaii, following an aufruf held at Congregation Beth Israel in Jackson, Miss. The ceremony was officiated by the bride’s sister.

Bonny Wagener ‘16

Kimberly O’Dell Meneghel ’10 and Matheus

Meneghel married at the Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah, Ga., on September 3, 2016. Joining them were many OU alums, including Megan VanDoran ’09, Jessica Fuson Young ’10, and Rebecca McAlister McConnell ’11. The Meneghels live and work in Atlanta.

Aaron Walker ‘12

joined the 2017 roster of FC Cincinnati, a team in the United Soccer League club.

ALUMNI CAN PLAY INTRAMURALS Oglethorpe’s intramurals program offers an opportunity to enjoy and participate in team sports and outdoor activities. All Oglethorpe University alumni are welcome to join students, faculty and staff for fun, competition and fitness. Men’s, women’s, co-ed leagues, and tournaments accommodate everyone who wants to participate.

CARILLON Alumni News | Spring 2017

The friendships Richard made as a member of the soccer team continue to stay strong. Richard says these friendships are the most important ones he has made. “There is a resilience that comes from sharing pre-season, traveling, winning, and losing that becomes part of the relationship among teammates,” he says. “It is an enriching experience to be part of an athletic team, because all team members must work together to gain the ultimate end: winning the game, race or match.” Richard says the shared Oglethorpe experience enriched the bond with his wife, Angela Huynh ’03, and is the greatest thing he gained from his time at Oglethorpe. While playing soccer at Oglethorpe, Richard learned time management, and this life skill helps him with his career and family. “Our lives become more and more complicated with every year,” Richard explains. “Kids, jobs and hobbies make time management harder.” Learning to be part of a team and managing all of life’s demands are two important lessons Richard gained from his Oglethorpe experience.

Kathryn Aquino ‘15 recently traveled to

Shanghai and Beijing as a Young Leader representative from the World Affairs Council of Atlanta. Anthony Maccaglia ‘15

recently won the Biggs Cadillac-Buick-GMC Classic at Albemarle Plantation.

Check out the latest intramural news or join in the fun. Visit http://sel.oglethorpe.edu/intramural-sports/.

husband, Jordan Poer, happily welcomed Miss Kennedy Ivy Poer to their family November 28 at 11:59 a.m. Their new addition weighed 6 lbs., 3oz. and measured 20 inches long.

Kati Galli ‘15 created the podcast Keep Moving Forward. In the broadcast, she “interviews inspiring individuals from all walks of life who will undoubtedly prove to you that giving up is for rookies.”

had her work published in the Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research.

Brickford L. Faucette ‘08, and his wife, Emily

Rhoades Faucette, welcomed a new baby boy to their family on March 12 at 8:52 p.m. Brickford Lee Faucette Jr. was 7.9 lbs. and 20 1/4 inches.

Alexandria “Lexi” Vassell Poer ‘12 and her

Camaraderie and the ability to organize life’s events are two important lessons Richard Bakare ’03 learned from his days on and off the field at Oglethorpe.

Donald Warden ‘16

married Lindsey Hancock on July 9, 2016, in Franklin, Tenn. The couple currently resides in Mississippi, where Donald is employed by IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.

Submit your class note via ePetrel:

Richard Bakare and his wife Angela Huynh at the Big Kahuna Half Ironman in 2013 and as a student at Oglethorpe

alumni.oglethorpe.edu OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

By Kristen Obaranec

n 1982, Isaac W. “Ike” Cousins ‘27 was inducted into the Oglethorpe Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a three-sport athlete: a standout baseball player who also excelled in football and played one year of basketball just as OU’s team was getting off the ground in the ’20s. While at Oglethorpe, Ike was very involved, participating in campus organizations such as the “O” Club, Tech High Club and Alpha Lambda Tau Fraternity. Ike passed his love of athletics and Atlanta onto his family. Ike’s son, Tom Cousins H’07, was a swimmer and track and field athlete at the University of Georgia. As a young Atlanta businessman in 1958, Tom asked his father to join him in the real estate development business he was starting. Three generations of Cousins—Ike, Tom and Ann Cousins, and their daughter Lillian Giornelli—created a family legacy of giving and have contributed much to our city’s progress. Cousins is known for his desire to help local neighborhoods through community redevelopment. In 1995 he purchased the historic East Lake Golf Club with the intent that its profits would go back to help revitalize the East Lake community. Today, Cousins’ East Lake model of community redevelopment is implemented in cities across the country through Purpose Built Communities, a nonprofit he founded.

OU’s President Schall reflects on the Cousins’ deep and long-standing connection to Oglethorpe: “Tom and Ann, as well as their daughter Lillian Giornelli, have been extraordinarily generous to Oglethorpe. For the last decade, they have been our lead supporter in our commitment to service and civic engagement. I have been fortunate to work alongside the family in their more than 20year commitment to the East Lake community where I serve as Chair of the East Lake Foundation Board. They are beacons of our community and serve as an inspiration to all of us committed to making Atlanta a more inclusive and prosperous city for all its citizens.” Throughout Atlanta, the philanthropic efforts of the Cousins’ family are focused on long-term solutions by giving to organizations that provide paths to opportunity and prosperity. Oglethorpe is proud to be a recipient of the Cousins’ generosity, in memory of Ike, an OU student-athlete. For his dedication, ideas, efforts, and generosity to Atlanta, Tom Cousins received an Oglethorpe University Doctor of Humane Letters in 2007.

CARILLON Alumni News | Spring 2017

Ike Cousins was a three-sport athlete at OU. Today, his family contributes to OU in memory of Ike and continues a legacy of giving throughout the city of Atlanta.

Jeannette Moon ’38 February 21, 2017 William R. Brown ’50 March 18, 2017 John “Jack” Woodrow Strouss, Jr. ’51 October 15, 2016 Martha Z. Bator ’51 November 6, 2016 Frank Leslie Jenkins Jr. ’51 November 15, 2016 Ruth Vaught ’53 November 8, 2016 Roy W. Johnson ’53 February 3, 2017 Polly Fales Christie-Hinde ’54 January 19, 2017 Doris E. Lynch ’58 January 28, 2017 Bill “Billy” Carter ’59 January 24, 2017 Nancy Schaller Simmons ’60 December 18, 2016 Frederick C. Bonner ’60 February 26, 2017 Ellen Bressler Mills ’61 February 10, 2017 Dr. Robert Wynn ’61 March 28, 2017 Hon. Robert Mallis ’62 October 31, 2016 Douglas Roger Mote ’62 November 29, 2016 Jo Folds ’64 November 30, 2016 John Singletary ’66 February 20, 2017 William Cason ’66 March 15, 2017 Geraldine “Jerri” Abbott ’69 December 26, 2016 Stanley McDonald ’70 March 2, 2017 Mary-Phyllis Harvey ’71 January 29, 2017 Margery Greene Roberts ’76 October 25, 2016 Kathleen Lundquist Kopp ’87 October 2, 2016 Dr. Reed Seligman ’89 January 6, 2017 Kevin F. Welch ’02 December 12, 2016 Harald R. Hansen ’08 (Honorary) March 16, 2017 Sean Casey Smith ’12 December 14, 2016 Dr. T. Lavon Talley Retired Education Faculty February 9, 2017

IN MEMORIAM

THE COUSINS FAMILY LEGACY AT OGLETHORPE, IN ATLANTA

SPECIAL STORMY PETREL ATHLETIC BONDS SHARING FRIENDSHIPS AND MEMORIES By Eric M. Scharff ’63

f you’ve ever played a team sport, you know you get to know your teammates rather well because of the time you spend together and the common goals you have. However, there seems to be something especially magical about OU athletes and their supporters. Under the leadership of Coach Garland Pinholster, most of those who played ball for him and others on the OU coaching staffs, went on to become successful coaches, educators and productive leaders after Oglethorpe. However, their friendships have endured throughout the past 40, 50 or 60 years. Over those years, there were gatherings of various members of this “Pinholster group.” Shortly after 2000, Billy Carter, ’59 Wayne Dobbs, ’61 and Coach Pinholster started a luncheon gathering by inviting more fellow players and supporters to join together to keep in touch, share memories and merely catch up with each other. And what started as a small gathering of OU basketball players evolved into a regular luncheon meeting of friends over these many years.

build the base for OU athletic programs. Alumni from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s have recently joined us, and their stories are equally enlightening and interesting. The common thread is that we all played a sport (intercollegiate or intramural) at Oglethorpe or are in some way associated with the Stormy Petrel Athletic program and want to see it continue to prosper and grow.

If you attended the 100th anniversary celebrations of Oglethorpe Basketball or Baseball, you would have experienced the comradery. It’s hard to believe I have been attending OU basketball games for almost 60 years and always look forward to the next time I can share time with my Oglethorpe family.

It is an honor and privilege to have the responsibility of communicating with my OU friends and coordinating our meetings. Email me at eric.scharff1@gmail.com for the next luncheon gathering date or other information.

OU alumni, many of whom were student-athletes, meet on campus several times a year to share friendships and memories.

We now meet three times a year on the OU campus. This includes athletes who have played various sports, anyone who was an active supporter of the Stormy Petrel athletic programs (basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer, golf, and others) and their guests. Not surprisingly, many spouses attend so they can hear the stories about our OU years. We share friendships and memories, and just enjoy being with each other. Current OU coaches also regularly attend, and we take that time to learn about today’s teams. In return, these coaches learn more about the unwritten athletic history from those who helped OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

Non-Profit Organization US. POSTAGE PAID Atlanta, GA 30319 PERMIT No. 523

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4484 Peachtree Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30319 www.oglethorpe.edu

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