Alumni Carillon, Winter 2016

ALUMNI NEWS

WINTER 2016

A LEGACY OF SERVICE

CARILLON A L U M N I N E W S

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PETREL PROFILES OU alums reflect on their public service and how they became involved as students

WINTER 2016

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OUR UNIVERSITY See how students engage in public service today

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CLASS NOTES News and notes from classmates.

EDITOR: Mary Rinaldi Winn CONTRIBUTORS: John Carr, Barbara Bessmer Henry ‘85, Renee Vary Keele, Kristen Obaranec, Iona Wynter Parks, Chris Rylands ‘01

LETTER FROM ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT

OU’S SPIRIT OF SERVICE

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PHOTOGRAPHY: Debbie Aiken ‘12, Henry Bradley, Max Hannon ‘19, Amy Oliver, Dr. Lucie Viakinnou-Brinson, Mary Rinaldi Winn

uring my time at Oglethorpe, I recall quite a variety of service learning opportunities outside the classroom. There was the annual Trick or Treat in Traer, hosted by service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, which brought children onto campus for a bit of fun.

Some enterprising fellow students also re-established a chapter of the Circle K International organization. And, the sororities and fraternities were always engaged in various service projects, including Delta Sigma Phi’s “See Saw for Cancer,” where various members of the fraternity spent hours on the quad on, as the name suggests, a see saw to raise money to fight cancer.

DESIGN: Niki Walker Design PRINTING: Standard Press

From James Edward Oglethorpe himself, to today’s Civic Engagement Scholarship and Orientation Days of Service, the name Oglethorpe remains synonymous with serving others.

ON THE COVER: Today, civic engagement at Oglethorpe is part of the Atlanta Laboratory for Learning. The A_LAB bridges classroom theory and hands-on experiences through internships, research opportunities, study abroad, and civic engagement and service-learning. Sixty years ago, Oglethorpe students first volunteered in Atlanta through Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity. Organized on campus in 1956 and chartered in 1958, the fraternity’s motto – Be a leader. Be a friend. Be of service. – continues to be carried out by the Mu Mu chapter.

Most early APO members studied Humanics, a program that prepared students for professional careers working with youth. Many became Boy Scouts executives.

Membership ebbed and flowed in the ’60s and ’70s until women were admitted in 1975. APO alums gathered in 2008 to celebrate the fraternity’s 50-year anniversary.

The chapter remains a strong presence on campus today, thanks to its long-standing commitment to service.

The Fall 2016 Orientation Day of Service was the university’s 9th annual and engaged 368 students.

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

In September 1999, the University also hosted an environmental symposium called Eco-Talk: Environmental Strategies for the 21st Century. This watershed event (pun intended) featured panel discussions, breakout sessions on environmental issues,

By Chris Rylands ’01 President, Oglethorpe University Alumni Board

an environmental quiz bowl and the memorable keynote speech by (and perhaps more memorable Q&A with) Ted Turner. To quote from the 2000 Yamacraw, “He told about his early days of sleeping in his office to save money. He also showed guests the finger that best expresses his views on people littering on the highway.”

(As an aside, it turns out there was a woman who was at Eco-Talk on behalf of the Army Environmental Policy Institute who would, in her next job, meet this 2001 graduate and eventually decide he was worth marrying.)

These experiences, along with a great many others through the years, have fostered a spirit of service among Oglethorpe students. From James Edward Oglethorpe himself, to today’s Civic Engagement Scholarship and Orientation Days of Service, the name Oglethorpe remains synonymous with serving others. In some cases, we alumni serve our communities in various fashions (including serving on the OU Alumni Board!). Many alumni have this so ingrained from their time at Oglethorpe that they have taken career paths that make them a living and make a direct difference in the lives of others. In this issue, we share some of their stories.

Do you have a favorite OU service memory or experience? Share it on Facebook with #OUservice or fill out our Story Form online at moments. oglethorpe.edu.

Becoming a global citizen for life

PETREL PROFILES

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: ALUMNI IN PUBLIC SERVICE HOW SERVING IN THE PEACE CORPS MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES Washington Monthly‘s annual College Guide & Rankings “measures schools based on what they are doing for the country—by improving social mobility, producing research, and promoting public service.”

Oglethorpe University ranked #103 among the top U.S. liberal arts colleges and #96 in service, based on student military service, alumni Peace Corps service, and the percentage of federal work-study grant money spent on community service projects.

Across the decades, OU students have been encouraged to engage in the community through public service, from the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity to the Center for Civic Engagement. Community engagement often changes the lives and stories of students and alumni. Meet several alumni who shared their experiences of serving in the Peace Corps after graduation.

volunteers in countries like Zaire. She experienced a dramatic exit as she was airlifted out by French helicopters.

Even with the shortened service time, Jennifer felt her experience was a dream come true. She wanted to join the Peace Corps since age 12 and studied French at Oglethorpe with Dr. Jay Lutz because she intended to serve in francophone Africa.

Jennifer DuBose ’90 takes time for fun during her service in Zaire in 1991.

Realizing lifelong dreams

Unfortunately, Jennifer’s service was cut short after 8 months because of civil unrest, often a consideration for

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CARILLON Alumni News | Winter 2016

As an Early Childhood Education major, Emily was assigned to a Teacher Collaboration and Community Outreach program. She worked with a school board to conduct teacher trainings on student-centered teaching and worked with two teachers in their classrooms to implement this curriculum. Emily said this was very challenging in a system that often is in opposition to individual thought, creativity, and student-centered classrooms. By working with great teachers, however, she exposed the group to some new ideas, like using theater to reinforce and teach English.

“The Peace Corps is a difficult experience which requires you to move outside of yourself, adapt to a culture very different from your own, and see the world differently,” explained Emily.

“In my case, cultural values were very different from my personality.

Of course, much of Peace Corps work is simply being present, kind, and a positive U.S. representative. I

Jennifer’s interest in African culture remained as she studied for a master’s degree in public policy back in the United States. Her thesis was on sustainability and agricultural development in Africa. Today, Jennifer works at the Georgia Tech College of Design researching ways to improve people’s lives and how the environment affects us. Her current research focuses on how light contributes to healing environments in hospitals.

Jennifer DuBose ’90 served in the Peace Corps in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1991. After graduating from Oglethorpe with a degree in Philosophy and French, she set off for Zaire, just as the first Gulf War was beginning.

With many international students and friends at Oglethorpe, Emily Lawson ’03 says her curiosity and interest in other countries grew as a student. A good friend, Jackie McSparron ’02, applied to the Peace Corps and directly influenced her decision. Emily served in Thailand from 2005-2007.

I wanted to know what it was like to be human out of the context of my own culture … who is the real me? What is the common human element that transcends the boundaries of cultures?

think everyone should be required to experience another culture: it would reduce racism, prejudice and war.”

Emily continues to serve as a global citizen. She leads builds with Habitat for Humanity International, and she met her international husband while traveling. Today, Emily is a Certified Nurse Midwife, a calling that began in the Peace Corps. The cultural competency she gained overseas is vital as she works with people from other cultures.

Connecting through shared experiences Shaniece Broadus Criss ’02 and her husband Demond Criss served 2008-2010 in Georgetown, Guyana, South America. Shaniece worked at the Ministry of Health and focused on national health issues. A communications major at OU, she had the opportunity to host a live, weekly health television show on the national channel.

Gaining perspective by living abroad Patrick Mulhearn ’96 served in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, in 199798. Most of West Africa has a hungry season which starts in early summer when food reserves are expended but new food crops are not yet ready for harvest. As an agriculture extension volunteer, Patrick was deployed to teach techniques for improving crop output, diversification, food storage techniques, and other more sustainable agricultural practices.

Oglethorpe nurtured Patrick’s proclivities towards internationalism.

A history major, he spent a year abroad and interned at CNN International upon his return to OU. Those experiences shaped his drive to live and work abroad and gave him the tools to carry out those plans.

“The Peace Corps really put the world into perspective for me,” Patrick said.

“Living abroad will always do that, but the Peace Corps gave me profound insights into what it means to be an American. Being a white man in an African village deep in the bush forced me to confront the accidental privilege I’d been born into. The genuine affection people showed me reminded me of my inherent humanity and helped me to develop tools for crossing cultural chasms.” Currently, Patrick is a local government public policy analyst in the Bay Area, Calif.

— Jennifer DuBose ‘90 Patrick Mulhearn crosses cultural boundaries while serving in West Africa in the late ’90s.

Shaniece meets with colleagues at the Ministry of Health during her service in Guyana.

While a student at Oglethorpe, Shaniece took advantage of several opportunities the university offered to explore new and different experiences, which built her confidence in finding success in unfamiliar situations.

She interned at CNN, and the Rich Foundation Urban Leadership program provided her with practical skills and new viewpoints. The Core Curriculum immediately challenged her thinking. “You don’t have to take the typical pathway with liberal arts education,” said Shaniece. “You can be different in order to make a difference.”

Because of her OU courses and the commitment of the faculty, Shaniece decided while an undergrad that she wanted to become a professor at a liberal arts college. Today, she lives in her hometown of Greenville, S.C., and is an Assistant Professor in the Health Sciences Department at Furman University. A Peace Corps representative recently visited the campus and showed a video which featured her time in the Peace Corps.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/ kxR8XZOeV-s.

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

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PETREL PROFILES

HISTORIC TRAILS: STEVE OLIPHANT ’84 SERVES SMOKY MOUNTAINS HIKING COMMUNITY

By Barbara Bessmer Henry ’85

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rom his earliest memories as a child, Steve Oliphant ’84 learned to appreciate the history and topography of the Southeastern Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. His parents met just after World War II while working on the Manhattan Project in nearby Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Some of Steve’s earliest memories of bumping along the back roads of Cumberland Mountain with his father, studying maps and listening to stories about the history of the area. You could say the mountains have always been in his blood.

Steve and Libby Kephart Hargrave, the daughter of Horace Kephart. A travel writer in the early 1900s, Kephart is memorialized as one of the fathers of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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2016 SUMMER OF SERVICE: THE ATLANTA ADVANTAGE

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By Renee Vary

To truly learn something, you have to observe it yourself, first hand.

— OU History Professor Leo Bilancio

Years later, following completion of the 3/2 engineering program at Oglethorpe and Georgia Tech, Steve realized his days of playing competitive basketball had taken a toll on his body and sought exercise he could enjoy throughout his life.

Hiking, he discovered, also helped him reduce work-related stress from his busy role with Cryovac Food Packaging as a Global Director for that division of Sealed Air Corporation, a leader in the food supply chain industry.

several hiking enthusiast websites and his own personal blog. When he retires, Steve hopes to turn his writingand-hiking hobby into a book.

Steve returned to his family’s beloved Smoky Mountains and began hiking the trails he loved as a boy. What initially began as a quest to improve his health, became a full-blown passion and may eventually become his retirement gig, too. Over the last 30 years, Steve has logged more than 10,000 miles hiking trails mainly in the Southern region and typically hiking alone. After endless pleading from friends and family, he now invites others along for a series of group hikes he plans 4-5 times a year. Once planned, the group hikes fill up within a day or two.

For the moment, Steve is content with sharing his knowledge with whomever is interested in the fascinating history of the trails and the people who lived in the area long before the mountains were named a National Park. If you’re lucky, he may even invite you to join him on the trail, however, as he jokes, his typical hikes are 20-30 miles in a day, so there are not many others who enjoy such a hobby.

Along the way, Steve began chronicling the history of the mountains and publishing his engaging stories on

CARILLON Alumni News | Winter 2016

Steve currently is an administrator for Hike the Smokies Facebook page, and he also is active with posting on the 900 Miler Club website, www.900miler.club, for those serious enthusiasts who have hiked every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Steve will soon celebrate hiking every trail twice.)

Steve remembers fondly something that OU History Professor Leo Bilancio told him. It sticks with him on the trail: “To truly learn something, you have to observe it yourself, first hand.” Steve already has observed over 10,000 trail miles with many more, happy miles to go.

glethorpe students don’t have far to go for a world of opportunities in service-oriented organizations.

Here’s how a few of them took advantage of all Atlanta has to offer: Heather Johnston ’17, a communications and rhetoric studies major, was accepted into a Summer Teach-In at the International Human Trafficking Institute (IHTI), a program of The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta to help fight human trafficking.

Heather Johnston (right) with Deborah Richardson, executive vice president of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

“We focused on human trafficking and an overall understanding of social change in society and how student leaders can work for and towards this social change differently from service learning,” said Heather. She cited the Teach-In’s focus on “the three C’s” of social change: connect, collaborate, and collective action.

Heather and other attendees also heard from inspiring speakers, including Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams and Derreck Kayongo, CEO of the National Center for Civil

and Human Rights. An honorary degree recipient at Oglethorpe’s 2016 Commencement, he challenged them to learn to recognize social injustice and to begin their own journey to right those injustices.

Biopsychology major Kelsey Hurt ’16 will graduate in December, and used her final summer break to intern at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta. Kelsey, who spent last fall studying neuropharmacology at Oxford University (U.K.), is gaining experience in behavioral coding and researching brain structures through histological tissue processing.

“I submitted an abstract (of the research I’m working on) to the Society for Social Neuroscience to present at the conference and represent OU!” said Kelsey, who is now a member of that professional organization.

“Interning at Yerkes National Primate Research Center is the most impactful educational experience I have had. Now, I am an animal research ambassador with a strong understanding of how important animal research truly is.”

American Studies major Olivia Reingold ’17 spent her summer interning at Georgia Public Broadcasting. She also was accepted into GPB/NPR’s Next Generation Radio digital media workshop. In the Next Generation Radio program, students learn specialized audio skills. The week-long workshop gives students interested in radio and journalism the skills and opportunity to report and produce their own radio story.

The Yerkes National Primate Research Center, where Kelsey Hurt interned.

Olivia produced several GPB segments, including, “The #BankBlack Movement: Atlantans Respond to Police Brutality.” Olivia conducted onsite interviews with some customers of Citizens Trust Bank, an Atlanta-based black owned and operated institution.

They responded to a call to action from the #BankBlack movement to transfer their accounts to the bank. Olivia learned first-hand how economic boycotts can lead to social change.

Olivia Reingold interviews new Citizens Trust Bank customers.

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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Left: Professor Wynter Parks with a group of student authors proudly displaying their books.

Q: How do students benefit?

A: They have something tangible for

their language and culture learning efforts. Students are excited to know their books will be enjoyed by the students in Benin. They cannot wait for photos showing the children reading their books to come back to them from the professor who delivers the books in Benin.

Teaching approaches that expose students to real-world experience help prepare our students to better adapt to the demands of the communities they will serve. It is a more complete way of knowing. The understanding gained is joined by confidence in having made real connections – that have translated into job opportunities – and in a taste of working and serving in the world.”

— Professor Iona Wynter Parks

Q: As the instructor, what did you learn from developing this project?

A: It confirmed for me the power

OUR TREE OF KNOWLEDGE FRENCH SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT WHERE REALWORLD EXPERIENCES ENHANCE TEXTBOOK EDUCATION

of having a purpose. At this level of language learning, grammar exercises and repetition are a must. Contentbased learning with a purpose provides that extra motivation. The idea of the service learning project being the ‘text’ is stimulating, and the end result is rewarding from the perspective of the cultural awareness levels of the students, their increased linguistic skills, and the tangible product of a book. It now is very difficult for me to teach only with a textbook.

Q: What is the impact in Benin?

A: The communities have many

The Books for Benin project is Oglethorpe University’s Service Learning Intermediate French 201 course taught by Iona Wynter Parks which incorporates a storytelling book- writing project for schoolchildren from an underserved school community near Cotonou, Benin. Oglethorpe students learn about Benin and other francophone cultures as well as narrative technique, editing and production deadlines and have the opportunity to create and give. We sat down with Professor Wynter Parks to learn about the impact of the project on her students.

Q: How do you use service learning projects in teaching?

A: In my French 201 class, the

service learning project is a children’s storybook written in French for an underserved school community in Benin, West Africa. Students deepen their French language skills and learn how to construct a simple story. They become conscious of specific grammar elements in these stories, like the use of the imperfect tense for relating in the past. Students are more motivated to master grammatical structures when they understand their use and have the opportunity to apply the structures creatively. Students end the semester with a completed storybook that is visually appealing

and appropriate to the language level and receiving culture.

textbooks donated in their language, but storybooks and literature are hard to come by. The communities have

an oral storytelling tradition, but that tradition is slowly being eroded with elder members of their villages dying.

The professor, who originally is from Benin, says one of the first things the kids do is turn to the photograph of the book’s author, because they are so thrilled and appreciative that Oglethorpe students are taking the time and effort to make stories for them in French. French is Benin’s official language but not necessarily the mother language of these children, so these stories make learning fun and add some real life connections.

Q: Final thoughts?

A: I was not prepared for how

emotionally fulfilled I would be when I actually saw their level of engagement and the results. I am so proud of these students. Also, I got to know the students a lot better than in a traditional class format. Incorporating service learning into the Intermediate French course provided valuable student learning outcomes as well as the children’s storybooks. Their deeper understanding of the language and cultural components validated the work.

Students use the entire semester to create their storybook. Service learning meetings outside of class include work with the online digital platform to create the stories. They may choose to illustrate their own stories or collaborate with a friend who can illustrate their text. The final project is the completed book, which they present orally in class. Hardcover copies of the book, destined for Benin, are paid for by the students. At last year’s Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium, students presented their books along with their reflections on the learning experience.

Children in Benin proudly display and enjoy their books.

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CARILLON Alumni News | Winter 2016

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

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CLASS NOTES

Stacey Chavis ’07

1960s

Yetty Levenson Arp ’68

(Oglethorpe Trustee Emerita) was recently selected to join the Board of Trustees at the Lovett School in Atlanta, Ga. Yetty is a member of the Lovett Class of 1964.

1970s

1990s

Gregory Adams ’79 has been selected to lead all Kaiser Permanente regions as EVP and Group President of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan, Inc.

1980s

Leah Miranda Hughes ’88 was honored to be

Valorie Spence ’92 was honored by the American Society for Interior Design (ASID) with the specific distinction of Design Excellence Award. She earned this accolade for her re-design of a Wailea Point unit in 2015. The award was presented Oct. 1, 2016, at the Pacific Club in downtown Honolulu.

among the few accepted to the 2016 summer writing conference at Bread Loaf in Middlebury, Vt. Founded in 1926 by Robert Frost and Willa Cather, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference is the oldest, most prestigious literary conference in the nation.

Jackie Estes ’96, former school teacher, signed on with a Mount Pleasant, S.C. realty agency.

Charles Nelson ’71

retired after 38 years in the funeral industry, the last 14 at A. S. Turner and Sons as Senior Embalmer in charge of Technical Services.

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was accepted to serve as a member of the 2016/17 class for Young Gamechangers Augusta.

Young Gamechangers is a program sponsored

by GeorgiaForward, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that works to improve Georgia by engaging young professionals and business, political, academic, and civic leaders.

Elizabeth Parra Dang ’98 and Hoang Dang are

happy to announce the birth of their son, Edmond Charles, on Feb. 25, 2016.

The family lives in Atlanta, and Elizabeth and Hoang continue to work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where they met in 1998.

T. Geronimo Johnson ’99 is the newest recipient

of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.

2000s Mr. Brad Mitchell ’00,

President of TelePacific Communications, was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for FTE Networks, Inc., a leading networking infrastructure service solutions provider in the technology and telecommunications vertical.

Brian McNulty ’98 has been named the Chief Financial Officer for the Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA).

CARILLON Alumni News | Winter 2016

Carol Flammer Morgan ’89 recently received the

Woman of the Year award, which represents the highest level of recognition presented by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Professional Women in Building Council (PWB).

Kathryn Brooks ’98 was recently named to the Board of Visitors for the Georgia Gwinnett College School of Business.

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

Reagan Fisher Wyssbrod ’01 and Mark Wyssbrod,

weighing in at a healthy 8 pounds, 6 oz. She is thriving! Mommy, Daddy, and big brother, Lawrence, are excited. Additionally, Reagan and Mark are celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary in 2016. They will be spending it with their 4-year-old and brand new baby girl!

Josh Caray ’04, grandson

Matt Pazdernik ’01 and Kate Harrison Pazdernik ’03 proudly welcomed their

Rose-Gaëlle Belinga ’07

of famed Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray, is now calling games for the minor league Hudson Valley Renegades. The Renegades are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays and play in Fishkill, N.Y. Ryan Williams ’04 and his wife Kim Leung Williams ’03 welcomed son Rory Michael Williams on July 26, 2016, at 10:01pm.

Sherry Rosen ’85 was

recently selected to display her photography at International Exhibition.

Her work will be on display in San Antonio, Texas, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Jan. 8-10, 2017.

Julia Elaine Wyssbrod was born Sept. 16, 2016, to

was inducted into the Computer Science & Software Engineering Industrial Advisory Board at Auburn University, where she completed her dualdegree. She is the first woman on the council since its establishment and currently works at Morgan Stanley in New York City.

Zack Parris ’08 began a new job in May 2016 as a Supervisor for the City of Smyrna Community Center, working with the Parks & Recreation department for the city.

daughter Eloise Josephine on April 14, 2016.

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

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CLASS NOTES

IN MEMORIAM Erica Taylor ’11 joined a new law firm: Thompson, Sweeny, Kinsinger & Pereira P.C. She has been practicing law for two years.

Carlos Carthen ’10 and wife Beth Weeks Carthen ‘13 welcomed a new baby

Jordan Poer ’08 and Alexandria Vassell ’12

were married March 5, 2016, at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Ga. Jordan and Alexandria met in 2013 through mutual friends.

Several OU Alumni attended the nuptials and reception at King Plow Arts Center and also were members of the bridal party.

The Poers reside in Smyrna, Ga. Cory Ruth ’08 was reappointed to the Board of Directors of the Georgia Technology Authority. Ruth is a founding partner of Mergence Global, a project management firm. He and his wife, Kathleen, have two children and reside in Atlanta.

Laura Braddick ’09 and her husband John Cochran had a beautiful baby boy, Henry Sawyer, Dec. 2, 2015.

welcomed a new baby girl, Marlow, to their family.

2010s

James W. Koontz ’52

James P. Rippy ’65

June 16, 2016

September 17, 2016

August 28, 2016

John R. Smith ’49

Cynthia May Spann Nattrass ’54

L. Wayne Johnson ’66

June 1, 2016

May 13, 2016

September 9, 2016

Gordon C. Bynum, Sr. ’50

Eleanor Milner Newland ’63

Ashley Cheryl Taylor ’01

July 1, 2016

September 7, 2016

July 15, 2016

Norman J. Arnold ’52

Dorothy Smith Sharp Morris ’65

James R. Magbee, Sr.

August 16, 2016

June 16, 2016

July 22, 2016

Jessica Belen Rodriguez ’15 recently found

fulfillment in helping others through volunteer trips overseas. She worked with the group Missionaries of Charity to travel to Jamaica and Costa Rica. On her trips, Jessica offered basic medical services and trained volunteers in povertystricken communities.

Kira Carr Burr ’09 and Josh Burr ’06 recently

Riley Cerone ’13, a career specialist with Briggs & Associates, works closely with individuals with disabilities on various facets of their employment needs.

Reviewing Your

ESTATE PLAN Many financial planners recommend that you review your estate plan at least every five years or any time there is a major life event. Here are some of the triggers for a review of your estate plan: • A change in marital status • A change in residence • A new addition to the family

Nelson Marsh ‘14 made

Mary Claire Gillis Denney ’10 married

Michael Denney June 4, 2016, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marietta. The reception was at her parents’ house. Michael works in health information technology for Epic, and Mary Claire is a teacher at East Cobb Middle School. A number of OU alums were in attendance, including Madison Bopp ’11, Colin Gillis ’04, Miranda Atnip Gillis ’06, and Austin Gillis ’01.

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girl to their family in September 2016.

Charlotte G. Ramage ’40

CARILLON Alumni News | Winter 2016

a strong run in the recent Opelika, Ala., City Council race. He finished third in the race, only 11 votes behind Oscar Penn at 162.

•A significant change in your or a family member’s health Deirdre Duncan ’16

recently finished third at the USA National Bobsled Push Championships, sponsored

by BMW.

•A life change with a planned executor, guardian, or trustee • Retirement • The sale of a business • Receiving an inheritance

Here are some questions to keep at the forefront of your planning: •A re the beneficiaries of my will, retirement plans, and life insurance all current?

•A re my powers of attorney and healthcare directives up to date?

•A re my executors, guardians, and trustees still capable and willing to perform their duties?

•H ave I sold or purchased assets, or has the value of any of my assets changed significantly?

•A re the business ownership arrangements and titles of real estate still properly set up?

•H ave there been tax law changes that change my plans?

•D o I have sufficient life insurance to meet my family’s needs?

Submit your class note via ePetrel: alumni.oglethorpe.edu

•H ave I made appropriate plans for the charities I intend to support?

Oglethorpe University’s Office of Planned Giving stands ready to assist you in reviewing your estate plan. Contact our Director of Major and Planned Gifts, John Carr, to learn how Oglethorpe can help. You can reach John at 404-364-8439 or jcarr1@oglethorpe.edu.

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

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OU CELEBRATES FIRST ANNUAL PHILANTHROPY WEEK: NOV. 14–18

#OUGIVINGISGREAT Gratitude abounded within our campus community in November. The Development and Alumni Relations department, under the leadership of VP Robyn Furness-Fallin, sought to raise awareness of the philanthropic gifts and talents of our many alumni, staff, faculty students, and friends.

Activities included: •T he Alumni Association hosted “Eggs and OU: Making a Difference” featuring a panel discussion with Doug Ammar of the Georgia Justice Project, Bill Bolling of Atlanta Community Food Bank, Tina Fernandez of Achieve Atlanta, and Danny Shoy of the East Lake Foundation. Facilitated by Oglethorpe’s President Schall, the panel focused on how to make a difference in systems that historically have promoted inequality or injustice.

•D evelopment and Alumni Relations hosted a Lunch & Learn Workshop for faculty and staff, “Steps to Living a Life That Makes a Difference.”

•O U Thanksday, an afternoon gratitude party for the OU community, included snacks on the Upper Quad, a Charity Fair with organizations supported by Greek Life, signs decorated by participants, and a showing of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”

• Alumni Annual Fund Ambassadors shared why they give back to OU. •M embers of The Coca- Cola Foundation visited with OU students named Coca-Cola Foundation scholars.

•T he Planned Giving Council hosted a reception and program for current and potential Nescit Cedere Society members focused on estate planning.

•S cholarship recipients wrote personal thank you notes to donors in Thanksgiving cards.

• “ OU Giving is Great” social media scavenger hunt promoted philanthropy education for students.

In this season of giving and gratitude, the campus community collectively learned about individual styles of philanthropy and the importance of philanthropy on our campus, in our community, and in our city.

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CARILLON Alumni News | Winter 2016

RANKINGS & ACCOLADES The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education World University Rankings place Oglethorpe University in the

MEET YOUR ALUMNI BOARD OFFICERS

Chris Rylands ’01 President

TOP 40%

of institutions worldwide, and

Mark DeLong ’03 VP of Admissions

TOP 29%

Brian Findley ’99 VP of Advancement

of U.S. colleges and universities.

Oglethorpe University is once again ranked among Best National Liberal Arts Colleges in the annual U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking.

Misty Hood Whitlock ’00 VP of Awards & Recognition Christina Vinluan Heda ’04 VP of Career Services Stacey Chavis ’07 VP of Communications

Washington Monthly rankings:

#103

among the top U.S. liberal arts colleges

#88

“Best Bang for the Buck” in the Southeast

#96 for service

#75

in community service

In the latest USA TODAY college rankings, Oglethorpe earned an

“A”

in overall diversity and came in

#1

in Biopsychology and English, with 7 other academic programs in the top

15%

Oglethorpe University has been named to the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.

Oglethorpe is the only college in Georgia to make the honor roll every year since its inception in 2006.

Kirsten Hanszek Schutt ’95 VP of Events Jillian Martin ’05 Secretary MEMBERS

Richard Bakare ’03 James Battle ’11 Mike Deckert ’99 Courtney Roberts Disalvo ’06 Ron Fannon ’71 Austin Gillis ’01 Emily Treuman Heend ’07 Carol A. Jones ’94 Christopher J. Lenz ’91 Stuart C. Levenson ’67 Deborah Love ’08 Mike J. Lyons ’05 Kevin Mende ’73 Sarah Phaff ’10 Derek Rasmussen ’02 Tom Reilly ’67 Chelcie Rowell ’09 Harry Schroeder ’01 Scott Soloway ’87 Hoyt Wagner ’64

OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

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

We have many exciting events scheduled including: • • • •

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Annual Alumni Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner Singers Reunion Tri-Sigma 30th Anniversary party 100th Anniversary of Baseball Celebration of retiring professors: Dr. Irwin Ray, Music; Dr. Dean Tucker, Economics and Marketing Class Reunion Dinner! Class hosts needed for all classes ending in 7s and 2s: 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012

ALUMN E I RP

KEND EE W

Petrels of a feather flock back to Alumni Weekend!

OGLETH O

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

Quadfest, Stomp the Lawn, Petrel Pints & Vines, Athletic Alumni Games and much, much more!

SAVE THE DATE!