Ole Miss Alumni Review - Spring 2012

Leadership issue Ole Miss Alumni Review Sprin g 2012 Vol. 61 No. 2

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The Manning Way Why Oxford remains Eli’s home

Alumnus called to lead state National Guard Stories of nine former Rebels who became World Series champions

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Vol. 61 No. 2

features

20 The Home Team Nine former Rebels achieve World Series glory

By Patrick Ochs

28 The Manning Way on the cover

Why Oxford remains Eli’s home

departments 6 From the Circle

The latest on Ole Miss students, faculty, staff and friends

By Charlie Mitchell

16 Calendar

32 Call to Lead

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense

Alumnus tapped as first African-American to head Mississippi National Guard

by Steve Mullen

38 Designing Woman Alumna builds upon, preserves part of Sunshine State

by Tina H. Hahn

42 sports

Perfect-season Rebels to reunite Spirit squads cheer at championships

46 arts and culture 48 Rebel Traveler 52 alumni news

On the cover: Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning is one example of the many Ole Miss graduates who have become leaders in their fields.

Photo courtesy of New York Giants

Ole Miss Alumni Review Publisher Timothy 91) TimothyL.L.Walsh Walsh(83, (83) Editor Jim Urbanek II (97) jim@olemiss.edu Associate Editor and Advertising Director Steve (92) Tom Mullen Speed (91) steve@olemiss.edu tom@olemiss.edu Contributing Contributing Editor Editor Benita Whitehorn Whitehorn Benita Art Director Editorial Assistant John McCustion Brandon Irvine Editorial Assistant Designer BritSummers Stack Eric Contributors Correspondents Kevin (98), Kevin Bain (98),Bain Tobie Baker (96), Rebecca (97),Combs, Rebecca Lauck Lauck Cleary Cleary (97), Lexi Mitchell Diggs (82), Jay Ferchaud, Mitchell Diggs (82), Jay Ferchaud, Tina H. Hahn, Robert Jordan (83), Michael Harrelson, Robert Jordan (83), Barbara Lago (82), Nathan Latil, Nathan Latil, Jack Mazurak, Jenny Kate Luster (06), Jack Mazurak, Deborah Purnell (MA 02) Charlie Mitchell (86), Patrick Ochs (08), Edwin Smith (80), Matt Westerfield Elaine Pugh, Edwin Smith (80,93), Dabney Weemsof(97), Westerfield Officers The Matt University of Mississippi Alumni Association Officers of The University Bill Alumni May (79),Association of Mississippi president Richard Noble (68, 73) Richard Noble (68), president president-elect Larry Bryan (74) Larry Bryan (74), president-elect vice president Jimmy Brown (70) Mike (77), viceGlenn president athletics committee member Mike Glenn (77) Sam Lane (76), athletics committee member athletics committee member Sam Lane (76) athletics committee member Alumni Affairs Staff, Oxford Timothly L. Walsh (83), executive director Alumni Affairs Staff, Oxford Joseph Baumbaugh, systems analyst III Timothy L. Walsh (83, 91), Clay Cavett (86), director associate director executive Martha systems JosephDollarhide, Baumbaugh, systemsprogrammer analyst III Clay Cavett (86),IIassociate director SheilaDollarhide, Dossett (75), senior associate II Martha systems programmer director Sheila Dossett (75), senior associate director Julian Gilner (04), assistant director Julian Gilner (04, 07), assistant director Sarah Kathryn M. Hickman (03), Sarah Kathryn M. Hickman (03, 05), assistant director for marketing assistant director for marketing Port Kaigler (06), alumni assistant and Port Kaigler (06), alumni assistant club coordinator and club coordinator Annette Kelly accountant Annette Kelly (79), (79), accountant Tom Mullen Speed (91), Steve (92),publications publicationseditor editor ScottThompson Thompson(97, (97), Scott 08),assistant assistantdirector director Jim JimUrbanek Urbanek(97), (97),assistant assistantdirector directorfor forcommunications communications Rusty RustyWoods Woods(01), (01),assistant associatedirector directorfor forinformation informationservices services James Butler (53), director emeritus James Butler (53, 62), director emeritus WarnerWarner Alford Alford (60), executive (60, 66),director emeritus executive director emeritus The The Ole Ole Miss Miss Alumni Alumni Review Review (USPS (USPS 561-870) 561-870) is published quarterly by The University of Mississippi Alumni Association and the Office of Alumni Affairs. Alumni Association offices are located at Triplett Alumni Center, 651 Grove Loop, University, MS 38677.

Telephone 662-915-7375.

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Chancellor Dear Alumni and Friends,

It has been said that good leaders are made, not born.

Although some people take charge with such ease that they seem to be natural-born leaders, we know that truly great leaders develop over time through a constant process of self-evaluation, education, training and experience.

We have a long tradition of producing leaders at Ole Miss, one that stretches all the way back to the earliest days of the university. For generations, our faculty has worked to attract the state’s brightest minds to campus and then mentor them and provide opportunities for growth. All universities do this to a degree, but we have enjoyed tremendous success, producing a parade of civic, business, political, sports and military leaders. Several of them are profiled in this magazine.

Others are on campus, waiting for their turn to change the world. In the meantime, they’re showing us their potential.

In February, the Rebel Battalion of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program was named one of the nation’s best, winning one of eight MacArthur Awards presented annually.

Weeks later, the battalion took first place at the Joint Field Training Exercise, outranking 16 schools from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Across campus, a small group of students from the Lott Leadership Institute has been busy this semester with conquests of its own. The forensics team has traveled across the country for competitive events, returning home with an impressive collection of trophies. Two members took on Wiley College in an event dubbed “The Great Debate” and emerged as the winners.

One characteristic of a good leader is a willingness to serve others, and our students – along with our faculty and staff – have again distinguished themselves in this area, completing more than 450,000 hours of community service in 2011.

When tornadoes struck communities across Mississippi and Alabama, many of our students organized supply drives, helped with cleanup and repair efforts, and even donated blood.

Last year, hundreds of Ole Miss and community volunteers packed more than 140,000 meals for Feed the Hunger, an organization that assists underprivileged children in Africa. Earlier this year, volunteers gathered again to continue the annual Pack-a-Thon. In late March, more than 3,000 students signed up for the Big Event, an annual, campuswide day of service for the Oxford-Lafayette County community. This year’s Big Event included nearly 300 individual projects and was the largest student-driven day of service in the state of Mississippi. More importantly, it was life-changing for some of the people who benefited from the efforts.

Because of the willingness of our students, faculty and staff to roll up their sleeves and help others, the university has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the second consecutive year. The honor is a testament to the leadership and compassion of our students who work hard to make our community a better place.

Their willingness to step up and work to help others is a tremendous example for all of us, and it’s yet another example of their leadership and passion to make this a better world. Please join me in saluting them.

Sincerely,

Daniel W. Jones (MD 75) Chancellor

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President Dear Rebels,

For the past several months, it has been a labor of love to represent the Ole Miss Alumni Association on the search committee for our new athletics director. While I was the official Alumni Association representative, our committee included Alumni Association officer T. Michael Glenn (BBA 77), and fellow active members Archie Manning (BPA 71) and Cal Mayo (BAccy 86). Needless to say, our alumni were well represented. Professors Ronald Rychlak and Ethel Young-Minor represented the Ole Miss faculty.

The committee worked diligently, reviewing an outstanding list of candidates.

Our major criterion was deceptively simple: We wanted the person we thought would be the best fit for Ole Miss. As we expected, this was not a simple task. We evaluated candidates with widely varied backgrounds.

In the end, we found the best fit for Ole Miss. We unanimously recommended, and the chancellor hired, Ross Bjork, who was at the time athletics director for Western Kentucky University. With him, just like with head football Coach Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss got the best of the best. We all expect great things from this youthful, energetic and talented leader, and he will no doubt lead our Athletics Department and represent Ole Miss with integrity and class. I thank Chancellor Jones for the opportunity to serve on the committee.

Rebels everywhere will soon have the chance to meet Bjork. He and Coach Freeze will be hitting the road with us on our Rebel Road Trip—a weeklong, nonstop series of meetings across Mississippi and the region, April 23-28. We will be visiting 16 cities in six days. What a way to introduce our new leaders to alumni and friends of Ole Miss! Be a part of the excitement. Come out and join us as we begin this journey. We hope you’ll be a part of what is shaping up to be the most exciting series of Ole Miss Club meetings ever.

As we move into the summer, Ole Miss alumni activities increase both on and off campus. If you are on campus or attend your club meeting, make sure you are involved. There are so many ways to stay connected to Ole Miss—the events in the calendar section of this issue of the Alumni Review only scratch the surface of how you can be an active part of the future of our wonderful school. If you are not an active member, you need to be a part of THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI. Laurie and I will be attending as many events as we can, and we look forward to meeting many of you. Watch out—Ole Miss is coming, and you don’t want to miss it.

A Rebel always,

Richard G. Noble (BBA 68, JD 73)

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We’re here for the ones who hope for a miracle.

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The latest on Ole Miss students, faculty, staff and friends

Medieval Medicine

TWO UMMC PHYSICIANS TREAT REALITY SHOW JOUSTERS

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says he saw some tremendous impacts.

“This is the only sport I know of, where there is no defensive tactic that you can offer,” he says. “Whether you’re playing football, rugby, boxing or mixed

martial arts, there’s some type of defensive tactic that you can employ.

“With this, you’re basically upright on a horse, not able to dodge, and you’re just going to have to grit your teeth.” AR Photo by Zach Dilgard/History

ot a whole lot of health care providers can say they have experience with removing armor from an injured jouster, but Dr. Andy Anderson (MD 03) has had some practice.

In fact, that was the emergency physician’s initial concern when volunteering for a new reality TV series last fall centering on competitive jousting.

“I’m used to dealing with sports injuries,” Anderson says. “We actually did a study comparing two methods for removing a football helmet. But I’ve never removed armor, and my first question to the safety people was, ‘How quickly can you gain access to the airway if need be?’

“The second question was, ‘Will these guys even fit on an ambulance stretcher?’”

It was all part of the learning curve that Anderson and fellow emergency physician Dr. Jonathan Jones faced when they volunteered to be consulting physicians on the set of “Full Metal Jousting.”

Depending on how you look at it, “full-contact” jousting is either history’s original extreme sport or the modern world’s newest. The goal is to strike the opponent’s grand guard—a target bolted to the breastplate.

The challenge pits contestants against each other in weekly matches, and the last man riding wins $100,000. The series airs Sunday nights on the History Channel. It was filmed near Jackson last fall and premiered earlier this spring.

Anderson and Jones had never heard of competitive jousting but were intrigued.

During his time on location, Anderson

A member of the black team takes a practice run on the Mississippi set of ‘Full Metal Jousting’ last fall.

Manufacturing Excellence ASSOCIATION COMMEMORATES 60 YEARS WITH SCHOLARSHIP

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MMA scholarships will be attractive to students considering the program, which has already enrolled 58 students in its second full year of operation.

As the voice of industry in the state, MMA represents more than 2,100

members in the Mississippi Legislature and U.S. Congress. In addition, MMA promotes a strong manufacturing environment within the state and is a central source of information and assistance in industrial management. AR Photo by Nathan Latil

n commemoration of its 60th anniversary, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association has contributed $60,000 to build a scholarship endowment at Ole Miss, assisting students enrolled in the Center for Manufacturing Excellence.

The university and the state of Mississippi, in association with the construction of the Toyota Motor Corp. plant in Blue Springs, created the CME. The center brings together the schools of Accountancy, Business Administration and Engineering to teach students the skills needed to be effective managers and engineers in manufacturing industries. Manufacturing-related research support is an important component of the program, as well as industrial extension services to provide training to the state’s manufacturing community.

The MMA Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide two academic scholarships to students majoring in areas of study within the CME. MMA has endowed scholarship funds at three other Mississippi universities.

James Vaughan, CME director and F.A.P. Barnard Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, says the

Jay C. Moon (left), president and chief executive officer of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association; James Vaughan, director of the University of Mississippi Center for Manufacturing Excellence; and UM Chancellor Dan Jones visit after Moon presented a $60,000 gift from MMA to the university. The gift is designated to create an endowed scholarship fund that assists students enrolled in the new center, which is the first of its kind in the nation.

PMBA RANKED ONE OF TOP PROGRAMS IN THE NATION

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.S. News & World Report has named the Professional MBA program at The University of Mississippi one of the top 14 in the nation.

According to U.S. News, a strong online master’s degree in business program performs well across all of its indicator rankings for online education. A program made the Top Online Business Degrees honor roll if it was ranked in the top one-third of three out of four indicators: admissions selectivity, faculty credentials and training, student engagement and accreditation, and student services and technology.

“This is quite a wonderful accolade for us,” says Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration and professor of finance. “One thing we’ve tried to do with the online program is

to make it as close as possible to our own classes, and this ranking bears out that we’ve been successful.”

“This is really exciting and shows the quality of our online MBA,” says Bethany L. Cooper, director of corporate relations and MBA/MHA (Master of Health Care Administration) services. “We are competing nationally at a strong level.

I give credit to our faculty [members] and all the effort they put into teaching the online classes, and the caliber of our students, who come from so many different areas and industries.”

The Professional MBA employs alternate methods of delivering course content, including Internet learning systems, telephone conference calls, video conferencing and interactive CDROM/DVD technology. AR Spring 2012 7

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Panel discussions at the recent Music of the South symposium included topics of teaching music, how music fits with religion and creativity, and Elvis.

Elvis and More CENTER CELEBRATES SOUTHERN MUSIC, M.A. PROGRAM ANNIVERSARY

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ust as the South has produced musicians, so has the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, and this spring both were celebrated with a special event.

The Music of the South symposium, held in Oxford in March, focused on the 25th anniversary of the center’s Master of Arts degree program. It recognized the varied and rich tradition of music research explored by students in the program.

The interdisciplinary nature of the M.A. program makes it particularly suited to the study of music and music’s role in history and the culture of the 8 Alumni Review

region. While trained as scholars, a number of graduates are also musicians with local, regional and even national recognition in different genres.

The symposium kicked off March 1 with a special Thacker Mountain Radio Show that featured Southern studies alumni. Music at various venues around town ended the evening.

The event panels included discussions about teaching music, how music fits with religion and creativity, and Elvis.

The day’s big event was a 25th anniversary concert at the Lyric Theatre on the

Square. Musicians included the Tim Lee 3, Adam Gussow, the Archibalds, Maybelle’s Lovers, Jay Lang and the Devil’s Due and Double Date.

The Blues Symposium, Living Blues, Highway 61, the Music of the South Conference, the Elvis Presley Symposium and the role of Southern studies in the Thacker Mountain Radio Show are all good examples of work done by or around the center, says Ted Ownby, CSSC director.

“Studying music and making music have been crucial to the center’s history,” Ownby says. AR

Of Rats and Men STUDY LINKS TESTOSTERONE SUPPLEMENTS, BLOOD PRESSURE

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Since men’s bodies reduce testosterone output with obesity, which accompanies metabolic syndrome, the researchers wondered if adding supplements would protect against hypertension and cardiovascular disease or speed their progression.

The scientists dosed seven obese male rats and seven lean male rats with testosterone for 10 weeks, time enough to be considered chronic exposure. Two control groups received no testosterone.

The treated obese rats’ weight decreased by 21 percent, insulin resistance improved by 40 percent, and their fasted blood-glucose levels were down compared to the untreated obese group.

However, blood pressures in the treated obese rats rose on average 10 mm Hg. Blood pressures in the lean rats

treated with testosterone didn’t change.

In humans, 10 mm Hg can represent enough change to push a person from normal categorization into hypertension.

Beyond the obvious liability of comparing rats to humans, Reckelhoff says the recent study needs another caveat.

“We increased testosterone levels by tenfold in our rats. That’s well past the level you’d see in a normal-weight, middle-aged rat,” she says, indicating doctors wouldn’t prescribe patients such a high dose of supplements.

“Because androgens are illegal in athletics, there are very few studies done in humans on their chronic effects,” she said. “The NIH needs to do more safety studies on the long-term effect of testosterone, particularly on obese men with regard to their cardiovascular status.” AR Photo by Jay Ferchaud

ith weight gain, testosterone levels drop in many men, leading doctors to prescribe supplements of the sex hormone.

Testosterone supplements improve feelings of well-being, turn up libido and help prevent osteoporosis. They also help the body gain muscle mass.

But the lack of safety data on those supplements, particularly about cardiovascular effects after chronic exposure, prompted researchers at the UMMC Women’s Health Research Center to organize an experiment with rats.

The study found testosterone helped unlace several detrimental knots of obesity. Leptin, glucose and cholesterol levels all fell in the testosterone-treated group of obese rats, as did insulin resistance. But blood pressures shot up.

“What it suggests is that obese men who have less testosterone would benefit from testosterone supplements but that their blood pressures should be monitored carefully,” says Dr. Jane Reckelhoff, distinguished professor of physiology and biophysics and the center’s director.

The alarming increase in Americans’ waistlines the past decade means millions of people are in or headed for a condition known as metabolic syndrome.

Characterized by fat in the midsection, poor insulin sensitivity, elevated blood pressure and constant lowlevel inflammation, metabolic syndrome essentially edges a person toward more serious chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Dr. Jane Reckelhoff is one of a group of UMMC researchers whose study links testosterone supplements to increased blood pressure in men.

Spring 2012 9

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Circle Great Debaters FORENSICS TEAM IMPRESSIVE AT COMPETITIONS

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oman orator Cicero said, “The aim of forensic oratory is to teach, to delight, to move.” For The University of Mississippi forensics team, it might also be said that the aim is to win.

Since January, the Ole Miss forensics team has traveled across the nation and returned with numerous accolades. At Lewis and Clark College, the team won three first places and two top novices; at the University of Alabama, it was a finalist in extemporaneous, prose and dramatic interpretation; at Suffolk University, it won two firsts and had multiple finalists; and at

Marshall University, it was the top novice in two events and had numerous finalists and a sixth-place sweepstakes winner.

“This activity is, by nature, laborintensive, and that is probably why we have a small, but mighty, team,” says JoAnn Edwards, director of forensics in the Lott Leadership Institute.

The team is coached and prepped

by Edwards and Debra Yancy, assistant director. Preparation for becoming tournament-ready is time-consuming, but the students are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to be involved.

“This group of students has done amazing things in light of [its] other activities,” Edwards says. “I am competing with [these students’] academics and other leadership activities to get them on the road.”

“JoAnn Edwards is why we have forensics at The University of Mississippi, why we are known on the national circuit for a classy representation of rhetoric and finesse in speaking, and why we give up our weekends to keep doing this activity,” says Elizabeth Tettleton, team member and hospitality management major. AR Photo by Rachel Tettleton

The University of Mississippi forensics team includes Elizabeth Tettleton (left), Evan Kirkham, Angelica Spence, Justin Charles, Victoria Jones, Austin ‘Woody’ Wood and Jackie Watson. Robert Gore is not pictured.

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HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PUT THEMSELVES TO THE TEST

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ournalism 101. Engineering 100. Politics 101. Math 121.

The list sounds like a sampling of freshman classes Ole Miss students take every year. These, however, are summer courses offered to a select group of students who wander the campus and are not the traditional students. These students are still in high school.

The Summer College for High School Students program offers rising juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn college credit and experience university life. The summer 2011 program had a total enrollment of 308 students over the two sessions offered. With academic programs including legal studies, health professions, engineering and computer sciences, the students who are accepted into the program put themselves to the test as they explore possible majors for when they enter college as freshmen. Students also participate in community service projects with their academic program “community.”

Cass Dodgen (BBA 08) is the director of Pre-College Programs and organizes the SCHS, which is one of four programs run by his office. He says the program is important for those high school students who participate for several reasons. They are exposed to college in that they are taking courses worth college credit and participating in campuswide events. They are also not just regurgitating information in class and on tests. They think about and debate the “why” of the material they are learning.

The high school students also are exposed to different cultures

through the program.

“We have a large contingent of international students who come from all over the world to this program,” says Dodgen. “So it’s a very cultural experience not only for the international students but also [for] the domestic students.”

The program organizers try to room as many international students with American students as they can to heighten the cultural experience. The 2011 program had students from Venezuela, Greece, Ecuador, Colombia and Afghanistan.

J.P. Ordonez, a freshman business major, is one of the international students who participated in SCHS 2010. He is originally from Quito, Ecuador. He says that, thanks to his “Americanized” high school, he is rather fortunate for not having too much of a culture shock. He is also happy because he gained some independence.

“My favorite part would be pretty much being able to overcome all the issues I had by myself,” Ordonez says. “Back in high school, you always have the support of your family. Here you had to do it by yourself. If you had a problem, you could ask for help from the counselors, but it’s not always the same as having the support of your family there for your ups and downs.”

The deadline for U.S. applicants to send in their application to the SCHS is May 1 for the first session and May 15 for the second session. For more information, contact the Office of PreCollege Programs at 662-915-7621. AR

Bright New Investigator FACULTY MEMBER’S AWARD WILL HELP FUND AUTISM RESEARCH meaningful research data and also provides them with the initial funding they need to approach other potential funders to support their research,” says Vincent Lau, vice president of research and graduate education at AACP. “Our pharmacy school is known nationally for providing our talented and promising young faculty members with the resources and mentoring they need to become highly successful,” says David D. Allen, UM pharmacy dean. “It’s extremely rewarding to see one of them take the initiative to seek external funding for his research, and I have little doubt that Dr. Khanna will soon be contributing significantly to maintaining our school’s No. 1 ranking (among 125 U.S. pharmacy schools) for extramural funding.” AR

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School of Pharmacy professor is among 18 recipients of New Investigator awards given by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Rahul Khanna, assistant professor of pharmacy administration and research assistant professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, will use the award to study the relationship between the health and well-being of caregivers of autistic children and the emotional and physical stress they experience.

The AACP awards support new faculty research in such areas as biological sciences, chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy practice, and the social and administrative sciences.

“The award supports new faculty [members] interested in generating

Khanna Spring 2012 11

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Classrooms in the new School of Pharmacy building in Jackson are tailored to the school’s educational model of problem-based learning. The rooms fit small groups of students, who use flat-screen monitors to study patient cases.

All Together Now NEW PHARMACY BUILDING PROVIDES MUCH-NEEDED HOME

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niversity of Mississippi pharmacy students have the opportunity to stay in closer touch with classmates when they relocate to Jackson, thanks to a new facility at the UM Medical Center. The School of Pharmacy dedicated its new education and research building in February.

Instead of dividing their time among the Jackson Medical Mall, Thad Cochran Center, the School of Medicine and other locations at UMMC, pharmacy students and faculty are all housed under the same roof in the new structure on the Medical Center campus.

After three years of pre-professional training and two years of professional

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training in Oxford, pharmacy students switch to the Medical Center for their third year of professional instruction, as do a large number of fourth-professional-year students—although many are on clinical rotations around Mississippi and Tennessee for that year.

Leigh Ann Ross, associate dean for clinical affairs in the pharmacy school, says the building provides a muchneeded home and sense of community for the school.

The building’s cutting-edge amenities also promise to enhance learning and research, thanks to fully equipped research laboratories and classrooms outfitted with videoconferencing technology.

The two-story building includes 17 classrooms, three research laboratories and a 173-seat auditorium.

The basic science laboratories on the second floor will be geared toward investigating patient-care problems largely concerning pharmacotherapy and pharmacogenomics. The building’s classrooms, meanwhile, are tailored to the school’s educational model of problem-based learning. The rooms fit small groups of students, who use flatscreen monitors to study patient cases and other issues.

The number of classrooms and other building advantages will aid in the goal of boosting the school’s class size to 115. AR

Two in a Row MOOT COURT TEAM WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE NATIONAL TITLE

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he University of Mississippi School of Law took first place for the second consecutive year at the 24th Annual National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition at Pace Law School in White Plains, N.Y. The team includes third-year law student Dreda Culpepper of New Orleans, and second-year law students Kimberly Thompson of Orlando and Brian Whitman of Waveland. Ole Miss is only the third law school to win multiple titles in the 24-year history of the event.

David Case (BA 85, JD 88) and Stephanie Showalter Otts, both Ole Miss law professors, serve as team coaches.

Case is a nationally recognized scholar on environmental regulation and management topics. Otts is the director of the National Sea Grant Law Center, which works to ensure the wise stewardship of marine resources.

“The Pace competition is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious law school moot court competitions

in the country,” Case says. “Winning consecutive national championships demonstrates that students of the Ole Miss law school can compete at the very highest level nationally.”

The team won many awards including Best Brief—Intervenor-Appellee, one of three awards for the highest scoring briefs given annually at the competition.

Culpepper and Thompson, who defeated the University of Denver and

seven-time champion Lewis & Clark Law School in the final round, secured the title.

“The entire law school community is proud of the team and coaches who won the Pace Environmental Law Moot Court Competition,” says Richard Gershon, UM law school dean. “The fact that they won this prestigious competition two years in a row is a testament to the outstanding students and faculty we have at The University of Mississippi School of Law.” AR

UM STUDENT WINS HEARST AWARD FOR EXCELLENT WRITING assignment was to cover the rise and fall of the towboat industry in the Mississippi River town.

Her diligence does not surprise her professors.

“Marianna is not only a good writer and reporter, she is also one of those remarkable students who gives everything she has to a course,” says Bill Rose, adjunct instructor, who entered his students’ essays in the Hearst competition.

“She also brought a great attitude— always enthusiastic and positive—to the class.”

About the Delta Project, Breland says, “I definitely learned to never judge an assignment until the end. Now, a year later, I have a Hearst Award and a thesis topic.” AR

Photo by Kevin Bain

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arianna Breland of Forest won fifth place in the 2012 Hearst Enterprise Reporting Competition.

Ninety-three students from 53 universities participated in the program’s second writing competition of the academic year.

Breland received a $1,000 scholarship, and a matching grant goes to the Meek School of Journalism and New Media. Of the five scholarship winners, she is the only one from Mississippi and the SEC. Breland’s winning entry is traced to last spring semester, when students enrolled in the Delta Project, a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College journalism class, spent their spring break reporting in Greenville. They generated two dozen in-depth essays. Breland’s

Breland Spring 2012 13

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MissiON: Possible IT SWITCH BOOSTS DATA CAPABILITIES TENFOLD

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le Miss is the first entity to begin using the new Mississippi Optical Network, referred to as MissiON. MissiON has been a dream of the chief research and information officers at Mississippi research universities for many years. All struggle with acquiring affordable bandwidth.

This dream became a reality when the need came to the attention of former Gov. Haley Barbour ( JD 73), who negotiated a solution with AT&T. The network serves the Mississippi Research Consortium, which includes UM, Mississippi State University, the University 14 Alumni Review

of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University.

“Scientific discovery is undergoing a major shift, a shift marked by exponential increases in the amount of data scientists collect and use,” says Alice Clark (MS 76, PhD 78), UM vice chancellor of research and sponsored programs. “The MissiON high-speed network allows our researchers to share abundant data with one another and with the world, providing vital infrastructure for the kind of work Mississippi’s researchers do.”

The new network gives more than 10 times its previous network capacity and increases the total bandwidth available to

UM students, faculty and staff.

“Students are now coming to campus with as many as four wireless devices: a laptop, an e-reader, one or more gaming devices and a smart phone,” says Kathy Gates (PhD 98), UM chief information officer. “Their browsing habits are changing as video streaming becomes more popular.”

The planning process for the cutover began well over a year ago. The network will allow Mississippi universities to aggressively pursue grant opportunities to support academic research, former Gov. Barbour said at the time of the announcement. AR

Photo by Kevin Bain

Home Again JAZZ LEGEND’S ALBUMS FIND A HOME AT OLE MISS

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ose Allison’s son, John, has donated 40 records to the Blues Archive at The University of Mississippi.

The 83-year-old composer, poet, pianist and vocalist Mose Allison (49) of Tippo in Tallahatchie County, is a major influence on many musicians over the last 50 years and is known as “the William Faulkner of Jazz.”

John Allison (BBA 70), who had not been to campus in two decades, told colorful stories about his father at a recent informal presentation at the J.D. Williams Library. He brought with him the albums that spanned his father’s lifetime.

Mose Allison’s songs have been recorded by, among others, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Diana Krall, John Mayall (with Eric Clapton) and Elvis Costello. After a 12-year recording hiatus, he also released 2010’s “The Way of the World.”

Greg Johnson, blues curator at the J.D. Williams Library, was grateful for the gift and said the addition is helping to round out the Mose Allison collection.

John Allison said that since his father spent time in the area, it was time for the collection to reside at Ole Miss.

Mose Allison spent a year at UM before joining the U.S. Army in 1946 and playing in the Army Band in Colorado Springs, Colo. Returning to Ole Miss, he joined the dance band as arranger, pianist and trumpet player but left to form his own trio.

He later graduated from Louisiana State University and moved to New York City.

He recently returned to Mississippi to perform at Delta State University and was honored in Jackson, where he was presented with a Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mississippi Arts Commission. The Mississippi Blues Commission also unveiled a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail honoring him. AR John Allison, son of jazz legend and Mississippi native Mose Allison, recently donated a collection of albums to the Blues Archive in the University of Mississippi’s J.D. Williams Library.

Spring 2012 15

Calendar April

19

-22 SEC Women’s Tennis Tournament: Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. Call 662-915-7411, or visit www.olemisssports.com.

19

Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet: 7 p.m., Ole Miss Indoor Practice Facility. Call 662-915-7411, or visit www. olemiss.edu/depts/tickets.

20

Baseball: Rebels vs.

Arkansas, 6:30 p.m., O-U Stadium. Call 662-9157411, or visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

20

Free Concert in the Grove: with Gavin DeGraw and special guest Craig Morgan, 8:30 p.m., Grove Stage.

20

-21 Law Weekend 2012: Law Alumni Chapter. Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom, The Inn at Ole Miss. Price varies. Call 663915-7375.

Free Concert in the Grove April 20

21

Ole Miss Women’s Council Philanthropy Legacy Award: Presentation and Brunch, Overby Auditorium and Gertrude Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss, 10 and 11:30 a.m., $100 for brunch.

Call 662-915-7273.

21

NFL Panel Discussion: featuring Eli Manning and other former Rebels, 11 a.m., Grove Stage.

Visit www.olemisssports.com.

21

BancorpSouth Grove Bowl: spring football game, 1 p.m.,

16 Alumni Review

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Call 662-915-7411, or visit www.olemisssports.com.

21

Baseball: Rebels vs.

Arkansas, 4 p.m., O-U Stadium. Call 662-9157411, or visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

22

Baseball: Rebels vs.

Arkansas, 1:30 p.m., O-U Stadium. Call 662-9157411, or visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

23

23

23

23

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Holiday Inn, Meridian, 7:30-9 a.m., $10 per person. Visit www.rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 601479-2769.

Rebel Road Trip 2012: First Baptist Church Family Center, Waynesboro, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $10 per person. Visit www.rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 601-433-0001.

Rebel Road Trip 2012: The Dock, Gulfport, 5:30-7:30 p.m., $10 in advance/$15 at door.

Visit www.rebelroadtrip12. com, or email sktonkel@ gmail.com.

UM Gospel Choir Spring Concert: Gertrude Castellow Ford Center, 6:30 p.m. Call 662915-2787.

23

Communiversity: Chinese Cuisine

Cooking, 6-8 p.m., Ole Miss-Oxford Depot. Visit www.outreach.olemiss.edu.

24

Rebel Road Trip 2012: B.B. King Museum, Indianola, 7:30-9 a.m., $10 per person. Visit www.rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 662-569-5057.

24

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Vicksburg Convention Center, Vicksburg, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. $15 per person. Visit www. rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 601-218-1783.

24

Rebel Road Trip 2012: The South, Jackson, 5:30-7:30 p.m., $15 per person. Visit www. rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 601-829-2272.

25

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Old Waverly Golf Club, West Point, 7:30-9 a.m., $10 per person.

Visit www.rebelroadtrip12. com, or call 662-251-5006.

25

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Vulcan Park & Museum, Birmingham, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $15 per person.

Visit www.rebelroadtrip12. com, or call 205-979-4452.

26

-28 Accountancy Weekend 2012: Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss, $150 per person. Call 662-915-7375.

26

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Fernwood Country Club, McComb, 7:30-9 a.m., $10 per person.

Visit www.rebelroadtrip12. com, or call 601-983-9418.

26

Rebel Road Trip 2012: The Bank, Clarksdale, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $15 per person. Visit www.rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 662-902-0375.

26

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Landers (formerly DeSoto Civic) Center, Southaven, 5:30-7:30 p.m., $15 per person. Visit www. rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 601-946-5823.

27

May

27

3

Rebel Road Trip 2012: The Dinner Bell Steak and Fish Restaurant, Corinth, 7:30-9 a.m., $10 per person. Visit www. rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 662-210-5100.

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Loews Hotel, Nashville, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $15 in advance/$20 at door.

Visit www.rebelroadtrip12. com, or call 615-319-6354.

27

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Memphis Botanical Garden, Memphis, 5:307:30 p.m., $15 per person.

Visit www.rebelroadtrip12. com, or call 901-647-1286.

28

Rebel Road Trip 2012: Double Decker Arts Festival—Main Stage, Oxford, 3:30-4 p.m. Visit www.rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 662-915-7375.

1

Baseball: Rebels vs.

Murray State, 6:30 p.m., O-U Stadium. Call 662-9157411, or visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

-6 Academic Traveler: Museums West. Visit www.outreach.olemiss.edu.

4

Baseball: Rebels vs. LSU, 6:30 p.m., O-U Stadium.

Call 662-915-7411, or visit www.olemisssports.com.

4

-5 Fifty-year Reunion Weekend: Classes of 1961, 1962, 1963. $150 per person. Call 662-915-7375.

5

2012 Ole Miss MBA Golf Classic: Ole Miss Golf Course, $125 per golfer.

Call 662-915-7375.

Baseball: Rebels vs. LSU May 4

25

Rebel Road Trip 2012: BancorpSouth Conference Center, Tupelo, 5:30-7:30 p.m., $15 per person. Visit www.rebelroadtrip12.com, or call 662-401-0030.

25

Communiversity: BECENTSABLE strategies for saving time and money, 6-8 p.m., Ole MissOxford Depot. Visit www. outreach.olemiss.edu.

Spring 2012 17

Calendar 5

Baseball: Rebels vs. LSU, 2 p.m., O-U Stadium.

Call 662-915-7411, or visit www.olemisssports.com.

8

Club Season: Jackson/ George County Ole Miss Club annual meeting. Time and location TBD. Call 228547-7850.

11

Baseball: Rebels vs.

Tennessee, 6:30 p.m., O-U Stadium. Call 662-9157411, or visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

12

Commencement: Convocation with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, 9 a.m., the Grove. For a full schedule of Commencement activities, visit www.olemiss.edu.

12

Graduation Day Brunch: Gertrude Ford Ballroom, The Inn at Ole Miss, $17.95 per adult/$10.95 per child. Call 662-915-7375.

12

Baseball: Rebels vs.

Tennessee, 4 p.m., O-U Stadium. Call 662-9157411, or visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

13

Baseball: Rebels vs.

Tennessee, 1:30 p.m., O-U Stadium. Call 662-9157411, or visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

June

8

Club Season: New York City Ole Miss Club meeting. Time and location TBD. Call 662-915-7375.

9

Mississippi Picnic in New York Central Park: Join alumni and friends for the 33rd annual picnic. Central Park Bandshell, 72nd Street at Fifth Ave. Visit www.nymspicnic.com.

13

Reception: School of Pharmacy reception at MPhA Convention in

Destin, Fla. Time TBA. Call 662-915-7375.

21

Club Season: Washington, D.C., Ole Miss Club meeting. Time and location TBD. Call 662915-7375.

23

Mississippi on the Mall: Washington, D.C., Henry Bacon Ball Field, 3-7 p.m. Call 662915-7375.

30

Atlanta’s Mississippi in the Park: Chastain Park, Atlanta, Ga. Visit www. mssocietyofga.org.

July

7

-11 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference: “Fifty Years after Faulkner” will gather writers, teachers and literary scholars for five days of lectures and discussions reflecting on the author’s life, art and achievement from the vantage point

of the half century since his death in 1962. Visit www. outreach.olemiss.edu/events/ faulkner.

9

-14 Alumni Events: School of Law and Lamar Order events at the annual Mississippi Bar meeting in Destin, Fla. Includes presentation of the school’s Law Alumna/Alumnus of the Year award. Call 662-915-7375.

10

The Rebel Reunion: Jackson Convention Center, 5-8 p.m. Call 662915-7375, or visit olemiss­ alumni.com.

12

-14 Southern Writers: Southern Writing Graduate Conference. Visit www.outreach.olemiss.edu.

19

-28 Academic Traveler: Kenya Family Safari. Visit www.outreach. olemiss.edu.

Commencement May 12

18 Alumni Review

THE

20 Alumni Review

Nine former Rebels achieve World Series glory

By Patrick Ochs

Photo by Robert Jordan

Spring 2012 21

Photo by Nathan Latil 22 Alumni Review

Much has changed since the first World Series in 1903, which also happens to be the same year the Wright brothers made their historic first flight.

One constant in the years since has been the boyhood dream of one day storming the baseball diamond in triumph, having just won the modern World Series. It has often been argued that the series is the most difficult professional championship to achieve and the most prestigious to attain.

A select few can call themselves World Series champions, and of those, nine have also called themselves Ole Miss Rebels.

The lineage of former Rebels playing in the Fall Classic began in 1920, when Joe Evans’ Cleveland Indians bested the Brooklyn Robins 5 games to 3. Evans (MCert 18) went 4-for-13 at the plate for his team.

Then, Gee Walker (30) and Hub Walker (30), brothers from Gulfport, each helped the Detroit Tigers claim separate World Championships, albeit 10 years apart.

Gee’s Tigers bested the Chicago Cubs in 1935, while Hub’s 1945 Tigers also knocked off the Cubs in the Fall Classic.

On that same ’45 team, James Laverne “Skeeter” Webb (BA 48) aided the Tigers’ cause by scoring four runs and playing in all seven games.

Fifteen years later, Joe Gibbon’s (BSPhE 57) Pittsburgh Pirates did the almost unthinkable, when the team defeated a powerful New York Yankees lineup in 1960.

The Yankees, aided by the call-up of former Ole Miss football and baseball standout Jack Reed (55), rebounded the following season, when they defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games.

Since 2000, the Ole Miss fan base has been able to watch three more Rebels hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Four years after being selected in the 1997 Expansion Draft, David Dellucci (95) helped guide the Arizona Diamondbacks to the franchise’s first world title over the New York Yankees.

As announcer Joe Buck said during his monologue prior to Game 7, the series pitted “something old against something new.”

Three years after the Red Sox ended the “Curse of the Bambino,” Bobby Kielty (98) helped Boston win a second World Championship in a clean sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

Last fall, former Rebel ace Lance Lynn (08) put a storybook ending on his rookie season by helping the St. Louis Cardinals to its 11th World Series title.

While some played larger roles than others, all nine Rebels have unique stories that at one point or another include a chapter that took place in Oxford.

Could Have Been a Celtic

Joe Gibbon had a perfect view when Bill Mazeroski shocked baseball fans by swatting the 1-0 offering from Yankees hurler Ralph Terry over the left field wall at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

“It was the second pitch of the inning, and he was the leadoff hitter. All of a sudden … boom,” Gibbon, now 76 and living in Hickory, recalls of his view from the bullpen in right field. “I remember Yogi Berra was playing left field; he turned his back to the wall and watched it go over. I just saw it clear the fence, and I took off for the clubhouse.

“All the people came out onto the field and mobbed Mazeroski before he got to home plate, but I had gone back to the clubhouse.”

While Gibbon only made two appearances in the ’60 Series, he considers himself lucky to have earned the right to pitch in the postseason for the Pirates.

“I played 13 years in the big leagues and never got on another World Series team,” he says. “A lot of superstars play a lifetime and don’t get in the World Series. I at least got in one.”

Gibbon had originally been recruited to play basketball at Ole Miss. And while Gibbon was good enough to be drafted by Spring 2012 23

the Boston Celtics after finishing second in the nation in scoring in 1957 with 30.1 points per game—decimal points ahead of legends Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain—he says he always felt like baseball was his calling.

Following the ’57 Ole Miss season, Gibbon opted to sign with the Pirates instead of several other suitors.

As time would eventually prove, Gibbon made the correct decision.

By the time Gibbon retired in 1972, the small-town boy from Mississippi had gone on to compile a 61-65 record with a 3.52 ERA while playing for the Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros.

“I dreamed of being a big league ball player. There’s thousands and thousands of kids that do that and don’t get their dreams fulfilled,” Gibbon says. “I’m a country boy, and I got to see the world. I had never been away from home until I went to Ole Miss. Then I started traveling, and I’ve been traveling ever since.”

Mickey Mantle’s ‘Caddy’

Ole Miss fans have former baseball coach and football assistant Tom Swayze (BA 33) to thank for bringing World Series champion Jack Reed to Oxford.

Had it not been for Swayze, the namesake of the current field, Reed might be calling Starkville home.

Reed, the son of a farmer in Silver City, planned on attending

Mississippi State because of his father’s allegiances—at least until Swayze came to town for a visit. After MSU said it only wanted Reed because of his football talents, Swayze said the Rebels would allow him to play both baseball and football.

“I told my dad that was the best offer I had, so I wound up at Ole Miss,” Reed says, looking out his kitchen window at the patch of land that used to house the baseball diamond he grew up on.

At Ole Miss, Reed excelled on both the diamond and the gridiron, and following an All-SEC baseball campaign in ’53, he made a decision that would alter the rest of his life.

“I always wanted to be a baseball player. I enjoyed football, but playing major league baseball was always my dream,” Reed says. “I had a real good junior year, and the Cardinals offered me to sign with them. And then, I don’t know, I guess at the time I think the Yankees were the place to be.”

After spending the better part of seven seasons in the Yankees’ minor leagues, Reed finally got the call he had dreamed of as a kid. He was headed to the big leagues.

During his three seasons in Yankees pinstripes, Reed was, as he put it, Mickey Mantle’s “caddie.”

Because of his superior athleticism—he was once clocked at 10.2 seconds in the 100-yard dash—Reed was the ideal lateinning defensive replacement and pinch runner for Mantle in the outfield.

After being bested in seven games by Gibbon’s Pirates the

Player Stats DAVID DELLUCCI Dellucci was named to the All-SEC second team in 1994 and AllSEC first team in 1995.

He was also named a first-team All-American by the NCBWA* in 1995. Dellucci was a four-year letter winner at Ole Miss from 1992-95. As a senior in 1995, he hit .410 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1995 and made his major league debut in 1997. Dellucci led the National League in triples in 1998 with 12. During his 13 seasons in the major leagues, Dellucci played for the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. Dellucci won the World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. During his career, he batted .256 with 101 home runs and 398 RBIs. JOE EVANS Evans was bor n in Meridian, and he died Aug. 9, 1953, in Gulfport. Evans debuted with the Cleveland 24 Alumni Review

Indians on July 3, 1915. He hit .259 in parts of 11 major league seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns. He also collected 210 RBIs, 67 stolen bases and 529 hits.

JOE GIBBON Gibbon was born and raised in Hickory. He led his 1953 Hickory High basketball team to the state title. Gibbon helped Ole Miss finish third in the 1956 College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Neb. In 1957, he was named an AllAmerican on the hardwood by Helms Foundation after averaging 30 points per game, second nationally and ahead of basketball legends Elgin Baylor (29.7) and Wilt Chamberlain (29.6). Despite being told Gibbon wanted to play baseball, the Boston Celtics selected him in the ninth round (pick No. 69) of the 1957 National Basketball Association draft; Gibbon was a 1957 All-SEC selection at pitcher. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1957 and played in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and

Houston Astros. Gibbon retired in 1972 with a career record of 61-65 and an ERA of 3.52.

BOBBY KIELTY Kielty is originally from Fontana, Calif. After briefly attending Southern Cal in 1994-95 and Riverside City College in 1996-97, Kielty played at Ole Miss in 1998 before signing with the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1999. Kielty played parts of seven seasons in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox. Kielty made the most of his one at-bat in the 2007 World Series for the Boston Red Sox, hitting a solo home run off of Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Brian Fuentes in the decisive Game 4 of the best-of-7 series. Kielty’s home run ended up being the difference in the 4-3 victory.

LANCE LYNN Lynn was born in Indianapolis, Ind. He was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2005 MLB Draft but

year before, the Yankees returned to the Fall Classic in 1961.

With Reed as Mantle’s “caddie,” the Yankees took four of five games from the Cincinnati Reds.

Reed appeared in three games in the series, each time as a late-inning defensive replacement for either Mantle or Reed’s buddy Johnny Blanchard.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. You don’t get that kind of chance with it being something like that (often),” Reed says.

“It was a great moment in my life and a dream come true for me.

The World Series is a great spectacle.

“Of course, it was a great honor to get to play in it.”

Sweet Redemption

Few players can call themselves World Series champion. Those who can say they played with a club from its inception until it won a title are even sparser. David Dellucci is one of the latter.

Selected in ’97 from the Baltimore Orioles, Dellucci was literally one of the cornerstones of the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise, which made topping the Yankees in 2001 all the sweeter.

“We were the guys that were made fun of in 1998 for being the Diamondbacks, wearing teal and playing in a stadium that looked like an airplane hangar, and losing almost 100 games,” Dellucci says. “We were the laughing stock of baseball and, in four years, to go from that to World Series champs, it was a sense of redemption and a sense of relief that we went from the very

opted to go to Ole Miss instead of sign a professional contract. Lynn played at Ole Miss from 2006 to 2008. He was the 39th overall selection of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. During his rookie season in 2011, Lynn appeared in 18 games and posted a 1-1 record with a 3.12 ERA. Lynn struck out 40 and walked 11 in 34.2 innings. As a member of the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, Lynn was 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 10 appearances. The Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers 4 games to 3.

JACK REED Reed grew up in Silver City and was a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals in large part because of the team’s radio broadcasts on KMOX. Reed even went to St. Louis and worked out for the Cardinals for a week when he was in high school. He played for Ole Miss in 1952-53 and was an AllSEC center fielder in 1953. He signed with the New York Yankees in 1953 and was part of the 1960 New York Yankees team that defeated the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 3.

Reed hit .233 in 129 career major league at-bats spanning three seasons. Reed is one of four athletes to play in a major college

bottom to the pinnacle of baseball faster than any other sports franchise had ever done.

“It was much more meaningful for the guys who went though the tough times we went through in 1998.”

After its inaugural season, the Diamondbacks almost immediately started winning games, thanks to an all-star lineup that included Matt Williams, Randy Johnson and, later, Curt Schilling.

Heading into the 2001 season, Dellucci thought Arizona had a chance to make history.

“I looked around the clubhouse and thought if there was ever a team to go to the World Series, this was it,” the current Baton Rouge, La., resident says.

Dellucci’s instincts proved to be spot on when, nine months later, Arizona stormed through the playoffs.

“As we went into the playoffs, the momentum kept rolling and rolling, and we were winning the first round and second round, and that was great,” Dellucci says. “We celebrated and popped Champagne corks, but our ultimate goal was winning the World Series. It was never a blowout celebration like there was no tomorrow because there was always going to be a tomorrow.”

The chance to knock off a team as historic as the Yankees was just icing on the cake.

“When you’re a kid playing a Wiffle Ball game in the backyard, pretending to play in the World Series, you’re not playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, you’re playing against the Yankees

football bowl and the World Series; the others are Chuck Essegian, Jackie Jensen and Deion Sanders.

GEE WALKER Walker was born in Gulfport and made his major league debut with the Detroit T igers on April 14, 1931; Walker was a regular for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds from 1931 to 1945. He has a career batting average of .294 with 124 home runs, 997 RBIs and 223 stolen bases. He also recorded 1,991 hits and 954 runs scored.

Walker was an All-Star in 1937. In 1934, Walker’s Detroit Tigers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3. In the final game of the 1935 Series, Walker was 1-for-2 and scored the Tigers’ second run of the game in the fourth inning on a Tommy Bridges groundout. Walker died in 1981.

HUB WALKER Walker was born in Gulfport. He played for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds for five seasons, stemming

from 1931 to 1945. He hit .263 in 779 career at-bats; Walker was 1-for-2 with a double and run scored in the 1945 World Series for the Detroit Tigers. He played with his brother, Gee, with the Tigers for parts of the 1931 and 1935 seasons; Walker died in 1982.

JAMES “SKEETER” WEBB Webb was born in Meridian and played at Ole Miss from 1929 to 1931. He made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on July 20, 1932. Webb played in all seven games of the 1942 World Series with the Detroit Tigers against the Chicago Cubs. He only hit .185 in the series, but he went 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in the deciding Game 7. Webb also recorded the last out of the 9-3 game.

He spent parts of 12 seasons in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics. Webb had a career batting average of .219 in 2,274 career at-bats.

Webb also had three home runs, 166 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. *National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Spring 2012 25

and Derek Jeter and (Jorge) Posada and Bernie Williams,” Dellucci says. “Man, who else would you want to beat?”

As expected, the game went down to a decisive Game 7. In the bottom of the ninth, Arizona rallied from a 2-1 deficit.

With the game tied 2-2 and the bases juiced, Luis Gonzalez, the perfect D-back for the moment, according to Dellucci, was able to get just enough on a pitch from Rivera to clear the drawnin infield and score Jay Bell.

Pandemonium ensued.

“It was pure joy and relief. Everything that we had done during the course of that year to get to that spot was just ... we screamed it out of our lungs,” says Dellucci, who went 1-for-2 in the series and appeared in two games. “I don’t think anybody that was a part of that will ever forget that. I remember jumping over the railing and looking for somebody to pile on.

“I had so much adrenaline in my system that when I went to jump on (Craig) Counsell and Luis Gonzalez, I swear, if you see a picture of it, it looks like I jumped 6 feet in the air. I remember flying in the air to get onto the pile and then begging for people to jump on top of me because you see it happen so many times that you want to be a part of it, so why not go all the way?”

Memorable Rookie Season

This past fall, Lance Lynn not only became the ninth Rebel to win a World Series, and the third to do so during his rookie season, but he also became somewhat of a poster child for Ole Miss’ baseball program.

Lynn was selected out of high school in the sixth round of the 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Seattle Mariners but opted to honor his commitment and attend Ole Miss.

After three seasons in Oxford, where he was named to the 2008 All-SEC second team while also collecting 22 career wins and 332 career strikeouts, the Indiana native was selected 39th overall in the 2008 draft.

This time around, Lynn signed, and after spending parts of four seasons in the minors, he made his major league debut on June 2, 2011.

“There’s a kid that’s just a great representative of our school because he’s done it the right way,” Ole Miss Coach Mike Bianco says. “Turned down a lot of money out of high school, came here and worked his tail off, made himself a first-rounder, worked his way through the minor leagues, married his college sweetheart and has done a great job in professional baseball.

“He was a guy that believed in Ole Miss, believed in us, and we’re fortunate for that. We’re fortunate he chose us rather than professional baseball his first time through.”

After posting a 1-1 record and 3.12 ERA in 18 appearances as both a reliever and a starter, Lynn proved to be valuable enough that he earned a spot on the Cardinals’ postseason roster.

“His command was real good last year. He utilized all of his bullets,” former Cardinals bullpen coach and current pitching coach Derek Lilliquist said in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Yes, he can sink it. Yes, he’s got a good curveball. Can he throw them for strikes? Yes. Can he elevate it and get punch outs up in the strike zone? Absolutely.

“So, he’s got this arsenal of weapons, and he put himself in a situation where he was able to execute.”

During the Cardinals’ improbable playoff run, Lynn had a 3.27 ERA after 10 appearances and was put in several highpressure situations in the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

“I’m just super proud of him,” Bianco says. “Anytime you see the former players have success, and then when you talk about on baseball’s biggest stage, that’s really neat.”

In large part because of his rookie success, Lynn has positioned himself to be a major arm in the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2012. AR

Photo by Nathan Latil

26 Alumni Review

STUDENTS

the state’s most important investment

A D VA N C I N G O U R S TAT E T O G E T H E R

Today’s economy. Jobs of tomorrow. The future prosperity of Mississippi’s communities. All are built on the success of our state’s university students. That’s why investing in higher education is critical.

of business, government, and community leaders, Mississippi’s public universities are committed to our students’ success.

Our graduates are prepared for any career. And in every Mississippi community, they’re proving they make a difference

From providing opportunities for first-generation and nontraditional students to ensuring the skills for a new generation

in moving our state forward. The return on investing in higher education? Mississippi’s future.

ADVANCING OUR STATE TOGETHER Alcorn State University | Delta State University | Jackson State University | Mississippi State University Mississippi University for Women | Mississippi Valley State University | The University of Mississippi | The University of Southern Mississippi

www.mississippi.edu

28 Alumni Review

The

An Essay by Charlie Mitchell

anning Wa Why Oxford remains Eli’s home

Photo courtesy of New York Giants

he dawn following this year’s Super Bowl broke gray and chilly on the Ole Miss campus.

International journalist Curtis Wilkie (BSJ 63), also a knower of all-things-Mississippi, was in his Overby Center office near the Grove. As coffee brewed, a comment was made that Eli might bring “home” the souped-up Corvette that came with his second Most Valuable Player trophy.

“I don’t think we’ll ever see that Batmobile on the streets of Oxford,” Wilkie observed.

There was a pause. “He’ll still drive that damned old truck.” And there were nods.

News reports said 100 million people—one in three Americans—had watched Eli Manning (BBA 03) orchestrate the New York Giants’ comeback win the evening before. Eli was already a household name almost anywhere on the planet before dominating the biggest game of the professional football season. But the

performance did nothing to change his stature on the University of Mississippi campus and in Oxford. Here, he has long been a superstar. But he’s a local, and, as Wilkie indicated, he is what the old folks call “grounded.”

Eli runs his own errands to the Walmart not too far from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium without an entourage. “Grounded” people don’t need constant adulation. Anyway, it’s not like Eli would be mobbed or hounded. That’s because most around here are grounded, too.

Yes, there are Ole Miss “eli”tists. There are youngish social climbers who feel compelled to present overly energetic public facades. And many live in the hope that the actual gates of hell will open wide and swallow Louisiana State University in its entirety. But by far, Oxford-University community residents are calm, comfortable in their own skin. They respect and admire Eli and his accomplishments, but they show it with a friendly smile, Spring 2012 29

a wave or nod—and by giving him and his young family their space.

So, the laid-back personality of one of America’s most successful athletes and the tenor of the town and campus where he played during his college career are complementary. Is there more to be said?

Yes. There’s a case to be made for symbiosis. Oxford and Ole Miss nurture Eli. Eli nurtures Oxford and Ole Miss.

Look at how he plays the game. It takes brains. It takes prowess.

Each Super Bowl culminates an NFL season. One of the two teams navigating the season and the playoffs leaves the field in glory. The other doesn’t.

From another perspective, each Super Bowl is the capstone event in the evolution of the game. Every known alignment on defense and every possible play on offense has been tested and retested. Every method and tactic leading to peak conditioning has been employed. The consolidated expertise of dozens if not hundreds of people, whose careers and livelihoods have been based on studying the intricacies of

pass routes and pass coverage and all other aspects of the game, is on display.

The athleticism, too, is like nothing that has come before in human history.

Ole Miss fans have witnessed the evolution. Eli’s father, Archie, thrilled fans at

game today.

So it has fallen, first to older brother Peyton and now to Eli, to perfect the position their father reinvented. To anticipate with precision. To endure, as Eli did through the season, being blindsided

Oxford and Ole Miss nurture Eli. Eli nurtures Oxford and Ole Miss.

Vaught-Hemingway, redefining the position of quarterback for his generation. The elder Manning would lope from sideline to sideline. He would duck, weave, circle and sprint to avoid a sack, all the while peering downfield for friendly jerseys.

But even in his pro career, largely with the New Orleans Saints, Archie (BPA 71) didn’t have to contend with linemen as speedy and nimble or defensive backs with the sheer agility of those playing the

several times every Sunday and drilled into the turf. To have the split-second timing to see and then hit the hands of a receiver 38 yards away with such accuracy that anything more than a few inches in any direction would have spelled the difference between victory and defeat. The super play of the Super Bowl was a Manning-Mario Manningham connection. The Giants were pinned deep with less than four minutes in the game. The throw and the Photo by Nathan Latil

Eli and wife Abby McGrew Manning (BSFCS 05) maintain busy lives in New York, but return to Oxford to relax and recharge at their home near Ole Miss.

30 Alumni Review

Photo by Robert Jordan

catch will be replayed for generations.

A lucky break? Hardly. It was the product of focus. It was the product of uncounted repetitions all designed to get it right during the one time it would count the most.

Essential elements of such concentration are the ability to know what’s important and to avoid being distracted by that which is not. To be focused is to realize that while others have influence, for good or ill, individual potential is an individual matter.

Credit for the character of the Manning sons—Cooper (BA 96), Peyton and Eli—goes to Archie and to their mother, Olivia. While the sons grew up in a New Orleans household with a superstar daddy, Archie and Olivia (71) grew up in small-town Mississippi, Archie in Drew and Olivia in Philadelphia. Many melodic and eloquent phrases have been written about small towns, but the simplest truth is that it’s hard to get lost in them. The Manning parents instilled in their sons that the person they see in the mirror is who they are, without regard to what others may say or think. As the gentlemen who frequent Williams Brothers, the general merchandise store Olivia’s family still operates in Neshoba County, might put it, “the Manning boys were raised right.”

It’s entirely possible for students, including student athletes, to become distracted at Ole Miss. That didn’t happen when Eli played for the Rebels, mostly due to the person he was when he arrived.

But being at a smaller university in a small town didn’t hurt.

Oxford was a good fit for Eli. People here embrace life. Some party hard, and most pray even harder. Eli’s coaches, the Ole Miss faculty, his fellow players and students value integrity, honesty, courage, forthrightness, family.

The next season and, perhaps, a third Super Bowl MVP award, will require more discipline, more focus, more concentration, more precision. That Eli and his wife and child continue to call Oxford home is their choice, but not as a refuge or hiding place. It’s a place where Eli can energize.

It’s a place where he can build and maintain roots. It’s a foundational place where, free of commotion, he can anchor.

And the community’s benefit?

Eli is not an industry, not a major employer and certainly not an attraction.

No billboards with his sly grin have been

No. 10 jerseys in youth (and adult) sizes, be they the Ole Miss Rebel or New York Giant variety, are common, local reminders of the Eli effect.

put up to draw tourists to town. No tour buses pass his home.

His role, instead, is to be an inspiration and affirmation. We have witnessed his life and his career. We have seen the challenges he has faced and how he has met them. We see what he values, and what he doesn’t.

His story informs every townsperson, every teacher, every administrator, every student. We know fate may deal with us as it will, but we do have a role to play.

The more we expect of ourselves—in any

setting—the more we will accomplish.

And, thanks to Eli, we define our own success and the freedoms that come with it—including driving an old truck—if that’s what makes us happy. AR Charlie Mitchell is a longtime Mississippi journalist now working as assistant dean of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi. Email reaches him at cdmitch1@olemiss.edu.

Spring 2012 31

call to

Lead Alumnus tapped as first African-American to head Mississippi National Guard

H

by Steve Mullen

e can be found, quiet and unassuming, in the Alumni Association’s membersonly area on football-game weekends, clad in the requisite red Ole Miss Rebels gear, munching on popcorn before joining the throng headed to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for kickoff.

Leon Collins (BBA 82) looks just like the rest of us—just another fan in his game-day uniform of polo and khakis.

But he isn’t just like the rest of us. On most other days he wears a different uniform—that of U.S. Army brigadier general, newly emblazoned with the insignia of adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard. At this very moment stand more than 12,500 men and women, ready for him to call them into action on land, sea and sky, at the behest of the governor of Mississippi or the president of the United States.

His latest command is stateside work, 32 Alumni Review

but Brig. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins knows what it is to stand close to danger.

He knows what it is to lead a mechanized brigade of men and tanks into Iraq’s Triangle of Death and out the other side. He knows what it is to equip and send soldiers to battle in defense of our freedom, and to expect them to pay the ultimate price.

‘Echelon Above Reality’

More than 30 Ole Miss graduates have held flag rank—that of general or admiral—in the U.S. armed forces, an impressive number for a school known more for its liberal arts curriculum than for graduating general officers into the U.S. military. Nearly 20 of those graduates came through Ole Miss’ ROTC program, which was started in 1936. Flag officer rank is the pinnacle of military leadership; many thousands more have been commissioned officers or have filled the noncommissioned ranks of our fighting forces.

Few, if any, graduate with the expecta-

tion of becoming a general or admiral, no matter where they complete their degrees.

“I am told there are people who do that; I’ve met a couple of them,” says Maj. Gen. William D. Razz Waff (BM 76), commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve 99th Regional Support Command at Joint Base McGuire-Dix in Lakehurst, N.J. “But folks are doing well if they can make it to major or colonel; that’s a successful career.

Full colonel, or captain in the Navy or Coast Guard, is an extremely successful career. Flag officer rank—that’s kind of an echelon above reality.”

Waff was a music major in the ROTC program at Ole Miss, with aspirations only to command an Army band. Today, he is a two-star general, commanding 51,000 Army Reserve soldiers at 229 locations in 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Collins, another product of the Ole Miss ROTC program, also lives in that echelon above reality—maybe an echelon even above that. His single star represents a brigadier general’s rank, but it could stand

Photo courtesy of Brig. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins

Collins

Spring 2012 33

34 Alumni Review

way for Iraq’s first three elections, which established a new constitution and its first freely elected leaders.

Amid all these numbers, the hardest for Collins is the number 14: the number of soldiers the 155th lost in Iraq. Most were killed by roadside bombs.

“In the field, that is the most difficult, when you lose a soldier in combat,” he says.

“There is nothing more difficult than that.

That makes you work harder, to try and perfect your plan, do more—try and do everything you can to complete the operation but to also make those soldiers safe.”

By all measures, Collins did leave a country safer and more stable than when the 155th was called to active duty. In all, roughly $100 million in infrastructure projects were under way in the 155th’s area of operations when the unit left Iraq, sowing the seeds of reconstruction in the country’s most savage war zone.

“The thing that I got the most satisfaction out of was stabilizing that part of the country,” he says. “We were able to reduce the number of attacks, we were able to create an environment where the citizens of that area actually felt safe; they weren’t being intimidated by insurgents that would come in and threaten them if they were working with the coalition forces.

“Just the idea that you would see a lot of new construction by the time we were leaving told me that there were a lot of successes throughout the year that we were there,” he says. “That’s one of the ways that you can always tell if the economy is doing better anywhere, if you see a lot of new construction. So the most satisfying part was to see the citizens in Iraq start to take control of their own country.”

Another Call to Lead

Collins retired from service following this tour and resumed a civilian role: that of corporate executive. He was executive vice president of Minact Inc., a contractor that trains workers through the U.S. Job Corps program and places them in industrial sites, including Mississippi’s Nissan plant in Canton.

Then, newly elected Gov. Phil Bryant called, and Collins was again an active brigadier general on his current mission: commanding not just the 155th but the entire 12,500-member Mississippi National Guard.

“The men and women of our National

Photo courtesy of Maj. Gen. William D.R. Waff

for many firsts. Among them: first AfricanAmerican leader of the 155th Brigade Combat Team, which he led to Iraq in 2005, one of the bloodiest years of the Iraq War. The 155th brigade predates even the state of Mississippi. At its root is the 155th Infantry Regiment, which was formed in 1798. Over the next 200 years, the 155th would be involved in every conflict from the War of 1812 to the Persian Gulf War. It would count among its notable leaders Andrew Jackson and Jefferson Davis.

And then newly minted Gen. Leon Collins, who in 2005 commanded more than 4,000 troops in the single largest mobilization of the 155th since World War II. The modern 155th is an armored division, bristling with the Army’s most sophisticated tanks, artillery and fighting vehicles.

Ask Collins what the 155th did in combat. He doesn’t use the terms “Triangle of Death” or the “Throat of Baghdad,” the monikers given to the deadliest provinces of the country, which the 155th helped choke free of insurgents. The war saw some of its single deadliest days in 2005, in the provinces patrolled by the 155th.

“We were doing it all. I will say that in 2005, in the country of Iraq, you were never in a position where you could take time and relax, because there were always attacks on American forces,” Collins says. “Whether they were mortar attacks, whether they were IED (improvised explosive device) attacks, whether they were small-arms attacks, those were happening almost daily. Even small victories over there were short-lived, because you had to make sure your mind was back on the things at hand. There was no time for celebration.”

This was an Iraq turned upside down.

Free elections had yet to be held. A constitution wasn’t in place. And the country’s insurgency was taking a deadly toll on civilians and soldiers.

Yet Collins speaks calmly, methodically, of bringing order to chaos.

“That meant finding weapons caches, finding insurgents—high-payoff targets and insurgents—and capturing them, locating and finding [IEDs],” he says. “And also training the Iraqi police force, and the Iraqi army, and the Iraqi government in those four provinces that had been elected.”

In fact, the 155th is credited with helping capture more than 1,500 terrorists, seizing 28,000 weapons, and destroying 18,000 pounds of munitions and explosives. The 155th helped clear the

Maj. Gen. William D.R. Waff

Guard support our state during times of emergency and defend our nation during times of war, so it’s crucial that our commanding officer be someone of great character,” Bryant said upon Collins’ appointment. “Brig. Gen. Collins has demonstrated great leadership both in his military career and in his work with young adults, and I am confident that he will guide Mississippi’s armed forces with great integrity.”

Collins doesn’t wax much on his place in history: that the first black commander of Jefferson Davis’ 155th is now Mississippi’s first black adjutant general.

Instead, these days he is best caught on cell phone, in between an endless assault of meetings and speaking engagements.

This man who was trained to guide tanks into war finds it hard to describe a typical day as head of the Mississippi National Guard. The short answer, he says: There isn’t a typical day.

“Obviously there are meetings, there are phone calls, emails,” he says, rattling off his everyday flotsam and jetsam. “There are meetings with my staff to discuss future plans, there are calls to subordinate commanders that I have, talking about readiness, and training for the units coordinating with the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., on funding.”

He also monitors actions overseas. In addition to training and deploying troops stateside for natural or man-made disasters, Collins is mindful at this moment that 1,700 Mississippi Guard troops are deployed in combat, with some returning and others preparing to mobilize.

“We’re trying to make sure they still have all the necessary things that they

need to do their job, preparing other units that have been alerted but haven’t gone overseas yet, preparing to receive some of the guys who have been overseas, when they get ready to come back in the next few months,” he says.

Ahead of the U.S. militar y lies Afghanistan, a different challenge from what the U.S. faced in Iraq, Collins says.

But, he says, progress is being made.

“I think it’s better,” he says. “Obviously, Iraq and Afghanistan are two really different countries. It’s a little more difficult within the country of Afghanistan, I believe, but I do think things are better now than they were, and I think that’s largely due to the result of the efforts of the coalition forces over there.”

Leadership Lessons

When he is not inspiring troops, Collins is inspiring future leaders at Ole Miss. A member of the Alumni Association Hall of Fame and a member of the Association’s executive committee, Collins is a regular speaker at Alumni Association events including Bridging the Gap, a program that connects graduating seniors with alumni leaders.

He gives back to Ole Miss, he says, because he owes the university for providing him the education he has used on the battlefield and in the boardroom.

“Ole Miss provides as good an education as any college in this country,” he

says. “Regardless of what you might see in rankings or whatnot, when it comes down to it, you look across the board and you see graduates from Ole Miss, and they have been very successful. They compare very well to people who graduated from other colleges, even some of the Ivy League schools.

“Because you have such good leaders among the instructors, you know the leadership that’s fostered in the classroom at Ole Miss is something that you can take away and apply it to other areas. I was able to apply a lot of that in my military life.”

Retired Brig. Gen. Lee Davis Thames Sr. (BA 58, LLB 60), who is now an attorney in Ridgeland, served as assistant deputy chief of staff of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command, the wing of the active Army in charge of training all troops and planning Army tactics. Like Collins, he traces his leadership skills to his days at Ole Miss.

“The Army ROTC program was exceptional, but the high academic standards gave me both the knowledge that every leader must have and also a real sense of accountability that is an integral part of the military ethos,” Thames says. “That sense of service permeated the Ole Miss that educated and nurtured me. Student organizations volunteered for a myriad of important service projects. The ASB, fraternities, sororities and other organizations engendered in all of us an awareness of the responsibilities of being a good citizen.”

Waff, who was inducted into the Ole Miss ROTC Alumni Hall of Fame last year, echoes Collins and Thames when he talks about Ole Miss, singling out the ROTC instructors he looked up to as a student. “[Ole Miss instructors] really helped guide me and provide me some excellent role models and aim points of, ‘Gosh, that’s the sort of leadership that I want to be able to embody as I go through my Army career,’” Waff says.

And the greatest lesson from that instruction? The belief that great leaders, above all else, take care of the people they command, the generals say.

“A good leader is someone who always puts the care and welfare of his subordinates first,” Collins says. “Any decision that you make, you’ve always got to determine, ‘Is it going to be in the best interest of those who have been placed in my command, and will we be able to accomplish the mission if we go with this particular plan?’ Obviously you’ve got to accept some risk, but you’ve always got to make sure that you’re putting the care and welfare of the subordinates first.”

“The No. 1 concern is making sure the people under me are protected and cared for,” Waff says. “The tradition in the Army is, you always feed your troops and house your troops first, and officers go last.

And that’s been a strong tradition in the American military going back to Valley Forge. It’s still alive and relevant today.” AR Photo courtesy of Brig. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins

Brig. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins (right) talks with Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, during Collins' tour in Iraq.

Spring 2012 35

Army ROTC program merits prestigious MacArthur Award

T

he Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program at The University of Mississippi has a proven track record of developing leaders, including 20 graduates who have attained the honor of becoming generals and other positions of distinction. So when the program won one of eight MacArthur Awards earlier this year, the honor was not a total surprise.

The prestigious awards, presented by the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation, recognize the ideals of “duty, honor and country” as advocated by MacArthur.

The award is based on a combination of the achievement of the school’s commissioning mission and its cadets’ performance and standing on the command’s national Order of Merit List and its cadet retention rate.

“The degree of excellence the Rebel Battalion has achieved in total training performance, recruiting and achievement of mission will make [a] visible and enduring contribution to our command’s mission—to commission the very best young men and women America has to offer,” said Maj. Gen. Mark McDonald, commanding general of the U.S. Army Cadet Command in a congratulatory letter to Lt. Col. John Abruscato, the unit’s commander.

This is the third consecutive year that the battalion has grabbed national honors.

Also this year, the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program won first place during the Joint Field Training Exercise at Camp McCain near Grenada. Ole Miss ROTC outranked 16 schools from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

In 2010, 11 cadets captured high honors at the Ranger Challenge Team Competition, placing second out of the field of 45 teams from colleges and universities in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana. Last spring, the Rebel Battalion was selected as second best in the nation in the annual Order of the Founders and Patriots of America “Outstanding Army ROTC Unit Award.”

The number of students enrolling in the Ole Miss Army ROTC program has doubled over the last three years. In 2010, the program commissioned 27 officers, the most since the 1970s, when ROTC was required.

This year, the program will commission 26 new lieutenants into

the Army. Fifteen will enter active duty. Additionally, seven of those cadets are Distinguished Military Graduates, indicating that they are in the top 10 percent of cadets nationally as a result of their academic and military performances while in ROTC. “Most people think ROTC is similar to boot camp, but nothing could be further from the truth. The most important aspect of ROTC is academic excellence,” says Maj. Walt Vinzant, ROTC recruiting officer.

“We really try to ensure that cadets are successful in their undergraduate studies.

More than 1,600 officers have been commissioned through the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps ROTC programs on campus.

They have fought honorably through six wars, including World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq.

ROTC at UM was established on March 11, 1936, and traces its history back to the University Greys, which was formed in 1861.

For more information about UM’s ROTC program, visit Army, www. olemiss.edu/orgs/arotc; Navy/Marines, www.olemiss.edu/depts/ naval_science; and Air Force, www.olemiss.edu/orgs/afrotc.

Raising the Flag

Photo by Robert Jordan

Alumni who have attained the rank of general or admiral in the U.S. armed forces include the following: • Adm. Lee Baggett (46)* • Rear Adm. James A. Barnett Jr. (BA 76, JD 84) • Lt. Gen. Robert M. Bond (50)* • Maj. Gen. Grover C. Brown Jr. (31)* • Gen. James M. Coleman (MEd 53) • Brig. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins (BBA 82) • Brig. Gen. Peter B. Collins, USMC (BBA 81) • Lt. Gen. Charles G. Cooper (45)* • Lt. Gen. Franklin Dale Cox (BSME 95) • Maj. Gen. James E. Donald (BA 70) • Maj. Gen. Robert E. Eaton (27)* • Maj. Gen. James E. Edmonds (BA 54)* • Maj. Gen. William L. Freeman Jr. (BBA 67) • Maj. Gen. B.L. Harrison (BA 52) • Maj. Gen. Alton H. Harvey (BA 56, LLB 58)* • Gen. Paul V. Hester, USAF (BBA 69, MBA 70) • Rear Adm. Robert P. Hilton (BA 48)* • Brig. Gen. W.G. Holmes (32)* • Maj. Gen. Walter G. Johnson (40)* • Brig. Gen. Albert G. Love (BA 1899)* • Rear Adm. Edward “Sonny” Masso (BAEd 77) • Brig. Gen. James E. Mitchell (BSHPE 68) • Brig. Gen. John H. Napier III (BA 49) • Gen. John T. Pegg (BA 28)* • Maj. Gen. Martha T. Rainville (BA 79) • Maj. Gen. Guy N. Rogers Sr. (BA 48, LLB 50)* • Brig. Gen. Claude Sanders Jr. (BA 39)* • Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III (BA 65) • Maj. Gen. W.H. Sistrunk (BSGE 60)* • Brig. Gen. Lee Davis Thames Sr. (BA 58, LLB 60) • Maj. Gen. George E. Tomlinson (BA 26, MA 27)* • Maj. Gen. William D.R. Waff (BM 76) *Indicates deceased

36 Alumni Review

By Tina H. Hahn

Alumna builds upon, preserves part of Sunshine State 38 Alumni Review

Pat and Charlene Neal, from left, and Manatee County Commissioner Donna Hayes welcomed guests at the opening of Neal Communities’ River Sound, a development close to downtown Bradenton. With an emphasis on an environmentally friendly philosophy, Neal Communities designed River Sound with a nature walk, an observation deck on the Braden River and two parks.

Spring 2012 39

T

he sun shines brightly over Bradenton—a city in southwest Florida between Tampa and Sarasota surrounded by glittering blue-green water, both fresh and saltwater, and Australian pine-lined beaches. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto landed here in 1539 to begin his 4,000-mile expedition.

More recently, Bradenton’s spectacular scenery inspires interior designer Charlene L. Neal’s nationally acclaimed work as well as her quest to preserve this environment for future generations.

As vice president of design for Neal Communities, the largest and most established regionally owned and operated private builder in the area, Neal (BA 75) plays an integral leadership role in the company founded four decades ago by her husband, Patrick, and his father, in addition to serving as president of Charlene Neal PureStyle, an interior design firm. Long the recipient of honors and accolades, Neal Communities just garnered the prestigious 2012 America’s Best Builder honor by Builder magazine based on its high-quality building and design, and outstanding customer and community service.

Investing in the Future

In addition to quality building, Neal Communities promotes an environmentally friendly philosophy. Roads in the company’s developments are planned to preserve trees and wetlands, and “green” construction techniques are practiced. This legacy is expanding with the new Patrick and Charlene Neal Nature Preserve, created when the Neals committed to Manatee County 106 acres of pristine mangrove wetlands that support a rich and varied ecosystem and another 13 acres of uplands with native plants, trees and wildlife. The Neal Preserve also holds archaeological treasures from native tribes that occupied the area as early as 1000 B.C. The Neals made the decision to preserve the natural beauty of this 119-acre tract located on the southern tip of Perico Island in Manatee County instead of pursuing development options. Not only were they thinking of their two granddaughters, Betsy and Caitlin, but also generations of young people to come. The couple donated nearly $7 million of the land’s total value as well as time and resources to the more than seven-year restoration project.

“Pat and I believe that the key to our 40 Alumni Review

success in Florida is to assure that we keep what brought people to Florida and to our community as a whole,” she says. “It all goes back to relationships and the place you are in your life. We are at a point to give of our time and resources, but as usually is the case, when you give of yourself, you get more in return.

“The Neal Preserve is a bayfront area just west of Bradenton on the intercoastal canal. Right now, it’s being replanted to completely restore the natural environment. It will have a nature interpretive trail, a three-story overlook and an archaeological demonstration project that describes the lives of the Timucuan Indians that lived here in the pre-Columbian era.”

Pat Neal, a former Florida senator and representative, adds, “Our family has always been in the real estate development business. We derive our living by attracting people to the natural wonders of Florida. It stands to reason that we should preserve those things that bring people to Florida—clean water and air, beautiful shorelines and preserved habitats.

“Our firm had this acreage [that] remained from our Perico Bay Club development, having enormous value (approximately $17 million), which we contributed to Manatee County … to be enjoyed by future generations.”

Carol Whitmore, chair of the Manatee County Board of Commissioners, echoes the Neals, saying, “Charlene and Pat have been instrumental in preserving the environment surrounding their home. As a result, the public will be blessed to enjoy the preserve forever.”

Will to Succeed

The Neals have achieved quite a feat by sustaining a successful business in land development and new home construction—particularly through challenging economic downturns and in a part of the country known for its vacation and retirement homes. Neal Communities, which has impacted the region’s landscape by building more than 8,000 customized homes during its history, closed 403 home sales in 2011 and should reach its goal of constructing another 500 this year, many in communities the company has planned and developed in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The company’s enduring market presence speaks both to a commitment to its community and the ability to adapt to

changing economic conditions, not to mention what Charlene Neal describes as “lots of hard work and a great, talented team.”

Previously, the average house built by Neal Communities—which purchases land when prices are low and currently holds almost 6,000 lots—was approximately 2,400 square feet with a price tag of $550,000. When the housing bubble burst, Neal Communities adapted its customized product to first-time home buyers and families that were downsizing, which meant offering 1,700-square-foot homes for $230,000.

“Pat is a very analytical person and generally makes conservative financial decisions,” Charlene Neal says. “At the bottom of the housing crash in 2006, he actually invested a large amount of money to retool our product offerings to bring a more valueconscious home offering to the market. It was a challenge, but it has been interesting and rewarding to have persevered. We both love what we do and are very persistent.”

Family Business

Neal’s passion and interest in preservation and interior design blossomed after earning a political science degree at Ole Miss and marrying. Sarasota attorney Roger Lutz (JD 74) and Sherry Winn Howell, daughter of then-Ole Miss economics professor Ed Winn, introduced the Neals. Charlene Neal had grown up watching her parents in the home-building business, so it was natural for her to join her husband in Neal Communities, where she took charge of interior design for the company, after studying with other designers, and recently oversaw creation of the company’s 6,500-square-foot Design Gallery for Neal customers.

“I love our company because everyone in my family works there. We leave early and come home late,” says Pat Neal.

“Charlene and I have worked together for 34 years, and she is an enormous asset to our homebuilding firm. She is very creative and has a style that connects to both our buyers and the public. People often come through our models to look at her designs.”

Two years ago, Charlene Neal decided to expand her division of the company, PureStyle, to customers outside the circle of Neal Communities.

“Our company currently has 43 standing model homes, and we kept receiving requests to do outside design. It seemed like a great opportunity to grow my business,

Neal Communities principals Leisa Weintraub (left), vice president of marketing; Pat Neal, president; Michael Storey, president of construction; Charlene Neal, vice president of design; and Kathy Forinash, director of design, gathered for the groundbreaking of another development in southwest Florida.

Neal Communities received a prestigious 2012 America’s Best Builder honor by Builder magazine, based on its high-quality building and design, and outstanding customer and community service.

and I am fortunate to have a team of very talented, enthusiastic designers. The designers are different ages, and I enjoy mentoring young women, who offer different perspectives. The differences make it fun to come to work every day,” she says.

“We are surrounded by lots of sunshine and light. I love where I live and thus like the use of color. I personally enjoy doing transitional interiors, but I keep the architectural details simple and classic. Most of my clients enjoy a coastal element in their homes.”

The Neals’ son John is the land development specialist for Neal Communities.

Son Michael, a student at Boston College, is planning to join the family business, which makes one wonder what dinner conversations are like at the Neal home.

“The conversation always involves some amount of business,” says Charlene Neal, laughing at the question. “We all love what we do, so we look at it as great fun. But there are plenty of opinions in our house.”

Building a Solid Foundation

Neal, whose maiden name is Lovingood, graduated high school in Sarasota, Fla., when the Vietnam conflict was ongoing and hundreds of American college campuses became sites for “teach-ins”: mass public demonstrations to place pressure on leaders setting public policy.

“I wanted to go to a school where I could actually go to class,” says Neal about her decision to pursue a political science degree at Ole Miss. “I enjoyed the culture, the people and the physical campus, and I ended up exploring Mississippi. I learned a lot about relationship building, which I think is extremely important in life and in business. For all these years, seven of my (Pi Beta Phi) sorority sisters and I have made it a point to get together each year.

We are all different and have had varied life experiences, but we still just pick up where we left off during our last visit.”

Neal also has been devoted to building relationships in her community, giving her time and resources to strengthen many areas.

“I have known Charlene as a friend, mother, businesswoman and volunteer for 20 years,” says Jayne Giroux, the director of communications with Suncoast Communities Blood Bank. “As a friend, she is loyal and protective. As a mother, she is loving, devoted and amazingly unbiased. As a businesswoman, she is a perfectionist who highly values her clients. As a volunteer, she utilizes all of these attributes as a passionate supporter of the education, health and welfare in our community.”

Last year, Neal was tapped by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to serve a four-year term on the board of trustees of the State College

of Florida.

“SCF is an open-enrollment college and provides opportunities to both young people and individuals returning to retool their skills for the job market,” she says. “Just like in business, the college has lots of financial challenges with the current economy, and I feel it’s important to focus on making the most of the available financial resources in our service to students.”

In addition, the Neals have supported academic, athletic, cultural, environmental and other philanthropic programs that give back to the arts, nonprofits and educational organizations. Among these is My Favorite Home Arts Program, an annual art and design contest founded by the Neals 10 years ago as a way to encourage elementary school students’ creative thinking. The contest helps promote the importance of home, family and community.

The Neals also provided the initial financial underwriting and have remained a financial and in-kind supporter since 1993 of the Ward Temple A.M.E. Church and its Summer Community Outreach Program of Enrichment. To date, around 1,000 children have been served by SCOPE. AR Tina H. Hahn is the communications specialist for the Office of University Development and The University of Mississippi Foundation.

Spring 2012 41

Sports A Perfect Reunion REBELS TO CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF 10-0 SEASON

T

he late John Vaught, who coached the Ole Miss Rebels for almost a quarter-century, referred to his 1962 football team as “one of the most courageous in the history of the game.”

The team was his 16th at The University of Mississippi, and it accomplished what no Ole Miss team has done before or since—a perfect record, including a 17-13 victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.

As plans proceed for the 50-year reunion, memories abound among the players, not only about the season and the 10-0 final record but also about the turmoil that surrounded the events on campus that year.

Senior All-America quarterback Glynn Griffing (BBA 65) and senior All-SEC wingback Louis Guy (BA 63) served as co-captains of the 1962 squad. Their leadership would play an important role as Vaught’s Ole Miss team would have to maintain its focus during events surrounding the admittance of James Meredith (BA 63) as the first African-American to attend The University of Mississippi.

“There was a lot of confusion on campus after President John F. Kennedy ordered U.S. marshals and 20,000 Army troops to campus six days before we were to play Houston,” Griffing says. “It was hard just trying to find a place to practice.

The Army took over our practice fields, so we had to use Hemingway Stadium, while about 2,000 soldiers sat around watching the practices.”

The Homecoming game with Houston had originally been scheduled to be played on campus in Oxford, but a midweek decision switched the game to Memorial Stadium in Jackson.

Larry Leo Johnson (BBA 63, MS 64), who was a junior wingback on the team, remembers most vividly the leadership of the team captains and seniors.

“Glynn and Louis called a playersonly team meeting on the field after our Thursday practice in Hemingway,” Johnson says. “That was the day before

42 Alumni Review

Ole Miss will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its 1962 perfect football season Sept. 14-15, and (from left) Louis Guy (BA 63), Larry Leo Johnson (BBA 63, MS 64) and Glynn Griffing (BBA 65) will return to campus for a special reunion with their teammates. Guy and Griffing were co-captains of the team, which finished 10-0, winning the SEC and Sugar Bowl titles, while earning a share of the national championship.

we were to travel to Jackson for Saturday’s game. Glynn and Louis both told us how important it was for all of us to play the best game of our lives. With the entire nation focused on Ole Miss, we had to do our part to uphold the pride of Ole Miss.

“The seniors all supported what was being said, and when the meeting was over, with helicopters flying all around and troops moving all over the practice fields, our team was welded together in a solidly focused group,” Johnson says.

“We had to show the country we were together, which we did by beating Houston 40-7,” says Guy, now a successful orthodontist in Jackson. “We were both undefeated, and it was a pivotal game for us. The win boosted our confidence and showed Coach Vaught we meant to give the season our best effort.”

Many stories will be told when the team gets together on campus Sept. 14-15 as Ole Miss plays host to the Texas Longhorns. While the teams have met six times previously, this visit will mark the first to

Oxford for the Texas football program.

“Many things happen in a period of half a century, and the stories get bigger and bigger as some of the details blur or fade,” Johnson says. “However, two things will remain the same. The 1962 Ole Miss team had a perfect season, and Coach Vaught always believed that squad was one of the most courageous teams in football history.”

That 1962 team captured the fifth of six Southeastern Conference titles for Ole Miss, and the 10-0 record was good enough to earn a share of the national championship as three different rating systems tabbed the Rebels No. 1 in their final rankings.

The “Walk of Champions” arch, located at the entrance to the Grove near the Student Union plaza, provides a lasting reminder of the accomplishments of the 1962 team. The site is the route for the current football team’s traditional walk through the Grove on game days.

Those associated with the 1962 team provided the funds for the arch, which was dedicated in fall 1998. AR

VIDEOGRAPHERS AWARDED FOR BEHIND-SCENES LOOK AT FOOTBALL

“T

he Season: Ole Miss Football 2011” was honored with an AVA Gold Award for outstanding achievement by creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design and production of media.

The weekly show, produced by Ole Miss Sports Productions, went behind the scenes to tell the story of Ole Miss football through the eyes of the players. The award-winning creative team includes J. Stern, producer/writer; Shane Sanford, producer/editor; Micah Ginn (BA 96), producer/videographer; and Darrias Thomas (BA 10), videographer.

There were more than 1,700 entries from throughout the United States, Canada and several other countries in the 2011 competition. Entrants included digital

professionals from audio, video and film production companies; Web developers; advertising agencies; PR firms; corporate and government communication departments; and independent creative professionals such as designers, producers, directors and editors.

The AVA Awards is sponsored and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The international organization consists of several thousand production, marketing, communication, advertising, public relations and freelance professionals. AR

Something to Cheer about SPIRIT SQUADS ENJOY SUCCESS AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

T

he Ole Miss Spirit Squads took three routines to the 2012 UCA/ UDA (Universal Cheerleaders Association/Universal Dance Association) College National Championships at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., and were happy with the results.

The squads competed at the Division I level with the Rebelettes contending in hip-hop and jazz, while the cheerleaders competed in the co-ed classification. Classification is based on the division in which each school’s football program competes.

“I felt like Nationals was a success this year,” says spirit coordinator Amanda Hoppert. “After the injuries we suffered in competition last year, it was a great feeling to go out there and have hit routines. I am so proud of the Rebelettes, the cheerleaders and everyone who helped us get there.”

The Rebelettes finished the competition ranked 13th nationally in the hip-hop division, while taking home an eighth-place finish in the jazz division.

The cheerleading squad took home a sixth-

place finish in the national competition.

The finish in hip-hop matched the squad’s previous best finish at the UCA/ UDA competition, while the eighth-place finish in jazz and sixth-place finish in the national competition for the cheerleaders matched the best finish for both squads.

The cheerleading squad also competed in the World University Cheerleading Championships, claiming the title in the

first year of the competition for the large co-ed division.

“We were excited to win the first World University competition,” said cheerleading coach Trey Griffin. “It was a great experience for the team to be out there to perform again.”

Fans can watch the routines online at www.Varsity.com and select competition videos from College Nationals. AR

The Rebelettes Spring 2012 43

Sports A First for the M-Club GOLFER MAKES HISTORY IN 1958

O

ne day in 1958, a group of elite athletes known as the M-Club was meeting on the Ole Miss campus. The group primarily consisted of football, basketball and baseball lettermen—some of the most celebrated athletes in the state.

Into the room walked another athlete, Gene Van Cleve (BBA 60), who was a member of the golf team. A golfer was a rare sight at M-Club meetings at the time—in fact, it was a first. Van Cleve was seeking to become the first golfer ever to be initiated into the prestigious organization.

Van Cleve learned to play golf as a boy growing up in the small Mississippi Delta town of Indianola.

“I started golf at an early age, probably age 8,” he recalls. “It is just a game that I love.”

As a boy, he also spent numerous Saturdays on the Ole Miss campus, going to football games, and developed a love for Ole Miss early in his life. When the time came to select a college to attend in 1953, it was an easy decision.

Van Cleve did not play on the golf team his freshman and sophomore years. At the end of his sophomore year in 1955, he left school to join the military. He served for two years as a member of the 38th AAA Missile Battalion in Norfolk, Va., helping to fortify the East Coast during the Cold War. When he returned to Ole Miss, he looked to get back to the game he loved. With three years of eligibility remaining, Van Cleve made the golf team, coached by the late Junie Hovious, and earned his first letter for the 1958 season.

Upon receiving their letters, Van Cleve and his teammates were presented with the option of joining the M-Club.

An organization comprising almost exclusively athletes from the major sports teams, the M-Club seemed like no place for a 165-pound golfer. Members of the golf team had received letters before, but never had one been initiated into the M-Club.

Nervously, Van Cleve accepted the offer—the only one on his team to do so. He knew the road to initiation would be a rough one.

“Sometimes, I kind of felt a little guilty because I was out there playing and having fun,” he jokes. “But I was asked to join.

I worked hard. I had a letter in a sport—just like them. It was just a different kind of sport.”

Van Cleve recalled his initiation in the freezing January temperatures. Initiation activities concluded with the new initiates running across campus covered in red and blue paint—only red and blue paint.

“Fortunately, it was 2 in the morning, and nobody saw us,” Van Cleve laughs. “I would do it all again,” he adds. “I was treated the same as anyone else after the initiation and had many friends in the M-Club. It is a privilege to be a part of the M-Club with a university as great as Ole Miss. I’ve always felt blessed to have been invited.”

44 Alumni Review

He would prove himself worthy of being the first golfer initiated into the M-Club. His career was highlighted by a senior season that saw the Rebels post an 8-3 mark with Van Cleve as its No. 1 player.

“We beat Mississippi State twice,” notes Van Cleve. “That was probably the highlight of the season for me.”

After graduating with a degree in business administration, Van Cleve moved back to Indianola to work with his father at the family’s insurance agency. Now 75 years old, he still works there with his son. AR

Gene Van Cleve

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arts &

Culture suspicions that a plaintiffs’ firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit. All Finley & Figg has to do is find people who have had heart attacks while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune.

It almost seems too good to be true.

And it is.

When he’s not writing, John Grisham (JD 81) devotes time to charitable causes, including his Rebuild the Coast Fund, which raised $8.8 million for Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also keeps up with his greatest passion: baseball. He lives in Virginia and Mississippi.

The Litigators by John Grisham, 400 pages, $28.95 (Hardcover), ISBN: 9780385535137 The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as a “boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective and prosperous. They are none of these things. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in.

After 20-plus years together, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg somehow continue to scratch out a half-decent living from their seedy bungalow offices in southwest Chicago.

Then change comes their way. David Zinc, a young but burned-out attorney, walks away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender and finds himself at their doorstep. With their new associate, F&F is ready to tackle a really big case, one that could make the partners rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. A popular drug, Krayoxx, the No. 1 cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, has come under fire after several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks.

Online research confirms Figg’s 46 Alumni Review

Y’all Twins? by Margaret and Katherine King, 260 pages, $19.95 (Paperback), ISBN: 9781937565169 In 1950s Oxford, identical twin sisters Katherine and Margaret King got away with everything. Why? Because they could. Their stories begin at age 6, when they hopped a ride on the back of a wagon driven by, unbeknownst to them, William Faulkner.

Follow the King twins from first grade to sixth grade, and experience the kind of antics that only t w i n s c a n s h a re .

These stories will have you laughing with them and at them as they take advantage of looking exactly alike. From the first time they swapped classes, they never looked back. Join Katherine (the mastermind) and Margaret (the co-conspirator) for their nostalgic trip down memory lane!

Katherine (BA 70, MEd 71) and Margaret (BA 70) King are very involved in the Oxford community. Both belong to the Oxford Exchange Club and contribute to Backpacks for the Homeless, which Margaret founded in the Oxford area. Katherine founded Santa Cause at Northwest Community College and

teaches at the NWCC Oxford campus.

Margaret is currently semiretired.

James Z. George: Mississippi’s Great Commoner by Timothy B. Smith, 256 pages, $55 (Hardcover), ISBN: 9781617032318 “When the Mississippi school boy is asked who is called the ‘Great Commoner’ of public life in his State,” wrote Mississippi’s premier historian Dunbar Rowland in 1901, “he will unhesitatingly answer James Z. George.” While George’s prominence, along with his white supremacist views, has decreased through the decades since then, many modern historians still view him as a supremely important Mississippian, with one writing that George (1826-1897) was “Mississippi’s most important Democratic leader in the late nineteenth century.”

James Z. George: Mississippi’s Great Commoner seeks to rectify the lack of attention given to George’s life. In doing so, this volume primarily uses a large collection of George’s letters held by his descendants and never used by historians.

Ti m o t h y B .

Smith (BA 96) is a lecturer of history at the University o f Te n n e s s e e Martin. He is the author of several books, including Mississippi in the Civil War: The Home Front; The Untold Story of Shiloh: The Battle and Battlefield; and Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg.

Information presented in this section is compiled from material provided by the publisher and/or author and does not necessarily represent the view of the Alumni Review or the Ole Miss Alumni Association. To present a recently published book or CD for consideration, please mail a copy with any descriptions and publishing information to: Ole Miss Alumni Review, Ole Miss Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677. AR

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o f

M i s s i s s i p p i

2012

rebel

raveler T

T

he Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a number of spectacular trips for 2012.

Alumni and friends obtain group rates and discounts. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change until booking. Airfare is not included unless noted. For a brochure or more information, contact the Alumni office at 662-915-7375. You also can find the most current and complete listing of trips and prices on the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s website at www. olemissalumni.com.

SPRINGTIME IN PARIS MAY 1-8, 2012 Paris is a city of glamour, romance and culture whose very name conjures up a multitude of wondrous images. Experience its fabulous restaurants, street cafés, colorful markets and spectacular haute couture shops. Marvel at the majestic Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame and the impressive Louvre Museum. Go behind the scenes at the world-famous Eiffel Tower, and tour the Palais Garnier, Europe’s largest opera house. Enjoy another view of the city’s attractions as you cruise the Seine, one of the world’s most romantic rivers, or while dining at 58 Tour Eiffel, taking in spectacular panoramas of the city below. Explore the magnificent Palace of Versailles and Claude Monet’s beloved garden estate in Giverny, or journey to the famous beaches of Normandy, a special landmark in American history. The City of Light, one of the world’s most exciting destinations, is filled with wondrous treasures for you to enjoy. Enhance your visit with an optional three-day extension to Bordeaux, the elegant city at

48 Alumni Review

Paris, France

the center of the famous wine region in southwest France.—From $3,549 THE KENTUCKY OAKS AND THE KENTUCKY DERBY MAY 3-6, 2012 The Kentucky Derby is run annually in Louisville, Ky., on the first Saturday in May. This one-and-a-quarter-mile race at the famed Churchill Downs is known as the “most exciting two minutes in sports” or the “Run for the Roses,” named for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. The attendance at the Kentucky Derby ranks first in North America and usually surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races. Travel packages are available for the Kentucky Derby and can be paired with the Kentucky Oaks, scheduled for the day prior, to give you

access to both events. Room packages include three nights of hotel accommodations at the Hampton Inn, Country Inn & Suites or Holiday Inn Express; lounge access and celebrity jockey meet and greet; food and bars provided from morning to sundown; as well as transportation to and from the track on Oaks and Derby days.—From $1,299 VILLAGE LIFE IN ENGLAND’S COTSWOLDS MAY 12-20, 2012 For one full week, immerse yourself in England’s Cotswolds, the quintessential English countryside. Enjoy accommodations in the stately 19th-century Queen’s Hotel, ideally located on the tree-lined promenade of splendid Cheltenham and an acclaimed spa destination since the 18th century, still defined by its

dignified Regency houses, immaculate gardens and quaint family-owned shops. By special arrangement, meet Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill, Sir Winston Churchill’s cousin and brother of the present Duke of Marlborough, for a guided tour of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a private lunch. This exclusive itinerary also features visits to the Norman Gloucester Cathedral, the fabled quads of Oxford, the fairy tale castle of Broughton, the impressive Hidcote Manor and Garden, and the storybook villages of Bibury, Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Campden. A specially arranged village forum with local residents provides a personal perspective on daily life in the Cotswolds. Unpack just once, and experience charming villages that time has left unchanged, stunning natural beauty, rich cultural traditions and grand historic landmarks at an exceptional value.—From $3,495, including taxes UNDISCOVERED ITALY: APULIA MAY 22-30, 2012 Kissed by the Adriatic sun, Apulia has witnessed the comings and goings of numerous peoples. Settle into Polignano a Mare, a town with a decisively Greek feel with a spectacular coastal setting and sparkling white architecture. Travel along the Puglian Coast, and visit hilltop towns perched above aquamarine seas.

Sample simple but exquisite cuisine crafted from the region’s seafood, meat, olive oil, pasta and wine. See Apulia’s architectural treasures from the sassi cave houses to the conical trulli, from Norman castles and churches to southern baroque monuments. It’s easy to see why this sun-bleached land of olive trees has been settled, and contended for, since time immemorial.—From $2,645 HISTORIC REFLECTIONS— ATHENS TO BARCELONA MAY 25-JUNE 5, 2012 History comes to life on this extraordinary voyage that reflects the heart and soul of the Mediterranean. Uncover cultural and historical treasures as you sail the shores of Greece, Turkey, Italy and France aboard the new Oceania Cruises’ Riviera,

an elegant vessel replete with breathtaking services and amenities. Beginning in the ancient capital of Athens, sail to the Greek isle of Santorini, whose whitewashed hilltop towns overlook the sea, and onward to Turkey, where the ancient ruins of Ephesus await. Explore the lovely hill towns of Sicily, walk the romantic shores of Amalfi and Positano, and revel in the rich history and architectural wonders of Rome and Florence. Leaving Italy behind, sail west to colorful Marseille, and explore the renowned countryside of Provence before your journey ends in Barcelona, Spain. From the famed Library of Celsus in Ephesus to Amalfi’s 12th-century Capuchin monastery, from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in Rome to Florence’s fabled Renaissance architecture, old-world history comes alive on this seafaring adventure.—From $8,598 LIVING ABROAD IN ECUADOR—CUENCA JUNE 3-JULY 3, 2012 The Alumni Association, though AHI Travel, is pleased to present a different concept in educational travel: an authentic, extended introduction to living abroad. This exceptional opportunity is in Cuenca, Ecuador, one of South America’s most alluring and captivating colonial cities. Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been anointed

by International Living magazine as one of the top places to retire. Cuenca is a modern city with historic flair. Reside in your own apartment in Cuenca’s historic center for four weeks with AHI staff always available to support and enhance your experience. Enjoy individual language instruction combined with an immersion in the lifestyle, customs, history and cuisine of the city, courtesy of your own accomplished and experienced lifestyle guide from the eminent Simón Bolívar Spanish School. An excursion to the villages of Gualaceo is also included, featuring a lively Sunday morning market, and Chordeleg, noted for its ceramics, gold and silver filigree jewelry, Panama hats and pre-Inca ruins. Discover more of Ecuador’s treasures—magnificent Cajas National Park, the fascinating Ingapirca Ruins and the beautiful Pacific coast—during optional excursions. An added convenience: Ecuador’s official

currency is the U.S. dollar. Don’t miss this opportunity to indulge in this independent travel program.—From $3,245 ANTEBELLUM SOUTH: STEAMBOATING ALONG THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI ABOARD THE AMERICAN QUEEN June 19-28, 2012 From Memphis to New Orleans, enjoy seven nights aboard the American Queen, the only overnight paddlewheel steamboat cruising American rivers. The itinerary includes a two-night pre-cruise stay in a luxury hotel in Memphis, Tenn., and exciting shore excursions to river towns and cities.—From $1,995 CRUISING ALASKA’S GLACIERS AND THE INSIDE PASSAGE JUNE 21-28, 2012 Join this magnificent seven-night cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia, through the pristine waters of the Inside Passage, to Seward, Alaska, aboard the sixstar, all-suite M.V. Silver Shadow, providing an unmatched small-ship experience.

This splendid opportunity offers free airfare from 22 gateway cities, and a host of complimentary features aboard ship is included: all onboard gratuities; port taxes; complimentary personal butler service; complimentary beverages in your suite, with every lunch and dinner, and throughout the cruise; and even complimentary fitness classes. Pass towering mountains and untouched coastlines, and watch for whales, harbor seals, porpoises, sea lions, sea otters and eagles in their natural habitat. Cruise up close to the Sawyer and Hubbard glaciers. Call at the historic towns of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka, where you will step back into the Gold Rush era and discover the living heritage of the Tlingit people. A pre-cruise option to Vancouver and Victoria and a post-cruise option to Fairbanks and the heart of the great Denali National Park are offered.—From $10,195, including airfare COASTAL LIFE ALONG THE ADRIATIC SEA: VENICE, DALMATIAN COAST, DUBROVNIK June 24-July 2, 2012 Explore the Adriatic Sea’s stunning, island-dappled Dalmatian Coast on this seven-night cruise aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe M.S. L’Austral, which Spring 2012 49

2012 rebel

Traveler launched in 2011 and features Gen. Wesley Clark, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1997-2000). Visit six UNESCO World Heritage sites, fortified walled cities, ancient Roman ruins and pristine blue waters. Stroll through Emperor Diocletian’s vast retirement palace in the lively and historic center of Split; explore the walled city of Korčula, birthplace of Marco Polo; walk along the medieval fortifications of Kotor in Montenegro, one of the world’s newest nations; step back into the 15th century on the winding streets of Dubrovnik’s perfectly restored Gothic and Romanesque quarters; tour the historic city of Mostar or the pilgrimage site of Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and walk in the footsteps of emperors and gladiators in the great Roman Arena in Pula. To further enhance your experience, this comprehensive itinerary includes an exclusive village forum with local residents, a folk music performance onboard and a specially arranged lecture by a leading expert on the restoration of Dubrovnik. Experience the art and romance of Venice on the two-night pre- or post-cruise options offered.—From $5,195 ALASKAN DISCOVERY CRUISE AUG. 8-15, 2012 Travel to a place of stunning landscapes and unspoiled wilderness, a place where nature reigns supreme—spectacular Alaska. Discover America’s last frontier from the elegant decks of the Seven Seas Navigator, a remarkable cruising experience where everything is included. From the deluxe suites, gratifying luxuries and unsurpassed service to world-class cuisine and a myriad of shore excursions—it’s all included so relax and enjoy.

Depart from cosmopolitan Vancouver and on through the scenic Inside Passage to Ketchikan, the former “Salmon Capital of the World.” Pass through Tracy Arm, a breathtaking fjord with icy-blue tidewater glaciers and soaring granite cliffs, to Juneau, the capital and former gold-mining hub of Alaska, before 50 Alumni Review

stopping in historic Skagway, a town known in earlier days as the gateway to the gold fields. Follow the Alaskan coast to Sitka, the former Russian capital of North America, whose pristine waters are filled with otters and whales. Continue to the immense Hubbard Glacier, the longest of its kind in Alaska, before ending your cruise in the picturesque harbor of Seward. This Alaskan cruise is truly an unforgettable adventure.—From $11,998, including airfare BLACK SEA SERENADE AUG. 17-30, 2012 A stunning array of treasures awaits your discovery as you sail the beautiful shores of the Black Sea aboard Oceania Cruises’ elegant Regatta. Depart from Athens, and travel through the scenic narrow straits into the Black Sea, stopping first at Nessebar, Bulgaria’s lovely Byzantine town. Explore archaeological and folk museums in the Romanian city of Constanta, then continue to Ukraine and the lovely city of Odessa, home to a stunning five-domed cathedral and remnants of Catherine the Great’s Odessa fortress.

Head to the port city of Sevastopol, where ancient Greek walls and a fascinating theater still stand, then continue to Yalta and its summer palaces of czars Alexander III and Nicholas II. Experience the bustling city of Sochi, Russia’s venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and visit Georgia’s semitropical resort city of Batumi, whose leafy, low-rise streets lined with 19th-century buildings are absolutely charming. Head to Turkey, and see historical buildings such as the Hagia Sophia and the stunning Sumela Monastery, built into the face of a cliff, in Trabzon. Discover more of Turkey with a stop in Sinop, once a prosperous, fortified Greek colony that lays claim to a wealth of religious structures and an excellent archaeological museum. This amazing cruise concludes in the magnificent city astride two continents: Istanbul.—From $5,799, including airfare

EUROPEAN MOSAIC CRUISE: LISBON TO ROME SEPT. 13-24, 2012 Uncover the cultural and historical riches along the coasts of Portugal, Morocco, Spain, France, Monaco and Italy while cruising aboard the new and regal Oceania Cruises’ Riviera. Set off from Lisbon, first stopping in Gibraltar, home to the massive limestone “rock” that towers dramatically over the landscape, and then to legendary Casablanca, a fascinating Moroccan city blessed with a scenic coastline. Head to Spain, beginning with Granada and its renowned Alhambra, followed by the coastal city of Valencia, home to both medieval and futuristic architecture. Continue exploring Spain in Barcelona, where Antoni Gaudí’s unique architectural structures grace the city, before sailing for France and the colorful city of Marseille, gateway to the Provençal countryside. Next is Monte Carlo, where a drive down the Grand Corniche offers stunning views, then onward to Italy with a visit to Florence, a Renaissance town steeped in history, art and architecture, where wonders await at every turn. Bustling markets, lush gardens, stunning architecture and world-renowned museums create a colorful European mosaic you won’t soon forget.—From $8,998, including airfare IRELAND: KILKENNY, KILLARNEY AND DUBLIN SEPT. 14-22, 2012 Ireland is a country unlike any other in the world—a land of magnificent and varied landscapes, of folklore and legend—where the genuine warmth and friendliness of the local people will leave a lasting impression. We invite you to experience it for yourself from the exciting destinations of Kilkenny, one of Ireland’s loveliest inland cities; Dublin, Ireland’s capital rich in Georgian architecture, described as being “as intimate as a village and as friendly as a pub”; and Killarney, a colorful Camelot-like town surrounded by mystical lakes and

majestic mountains. Visit spectacular Kilkenny Castle, and take the opportunity to see the renowned Waterford C r y s t a l Fa c t o r y w h i l e s t a y i n g i n Kilkenny. From Killarney, see beautiful Bantry Bay, and experience breathtaking coastal scenery as you travel the Dingle Peninsula. While in Dublin, see some of its famous attractions such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College, home to the magnificent Book of Kells, and visit the northern Ireland capital of Belfast, a city adorned by Victorian architecture.

Discover this beautiful land, where a hundred thousand welcomes await you.—From $3,249

the exquisite artistic and architectural legacy of great Italian Renaissance masters and the centuries-old secrets of world-renowned wine and olive oil.

Walk through the streets of Florence, the “cradle of the Renaissance” and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Discover hidden gems such as the ancient hill towns of San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Montalcino and Chianti, known for their worldfamous wines. Meet local residents during an exclusive village forum for a personal perspective of daily life in Tuscany. This highly popular program is an exceptional value.—From $3,495

PARIS AND VINEYARDS OF FRANCE SEPT. 14-24, 2012 Discover the bucolic countryside, picturesque vineyards and charming towns of Champagne and Burgundy on a special program that combines the history and charm of these famous regions with the sophistication of the nation’s capital.

Begin your exploration in Reims, once the coronation site of French kings and your gateway to the idyllic landscape and renowned champagne houses in the area. In Dijon, walk in the footsteps of Burgundy’s dukes as you wander along its bustling streets. Visit the town of Beaune, the jewel in the region’s crown, and travel the legendary Route des Grands Crus. Conclude with three nights in Paris, the City of Light, and discover the highlights of this cosmopolitan capital.—From $4,495 ($4,745 after May 15, 2012)

VILLAGE LIFE IN DORDOGNE SEPT. 20-28, 2012 Experience the authentic provincial character of Dordogne for one full week in Sarlat-la-Canéda, one of the most beautiful and well-preserved medieval villages in France. Stay in the family-owned Plaza Madeleine Hotel, formerly a grand 19thcentury townhouse. This unique travel

TOWN AND COUNTRY LIFE IN FLORENCE AND SIENA SEPT. 15-23, 2012 Experience la dolce vita di Toscana (Tuscany’s sweet life) for one full week in one of Italy’s most fabled and timeless provinces. Stay in the charming Hotel Athena ideally located in medieval Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage site, within walking distance of the spectacular Piazza del Campo. This delightful sojourn introduces you to the authentic traditions and culture of Tuscany, with specially arranged excursions and cultural enrichments highlighting the region’s Etruscan and medieval history,

program introduces you to the region’s charming villages, medieval castles and prehistoric treasures through specially arranged excursions and cultural enrichments—the medieval pilgrimage site of Rocamadour and the fascinating prehistoric cave paintings of Rouffignac, Lascaux and Cap Blanc, all UNESCO World Heritage sites; a specially arranged performance of French folk music and dance; Sarlat’s famous open-air market; the English-style Gardens of Eyrignac; a specially arranged gabare cruise on the Dordogne River; and an exclusive village forum with a local resident who will share candid insights into daily life in Dordogne. Complement your exploration of France’s rich culture with the two-night Bordeaux pre-program option, featuring an excursion into one of France’s world-famous wine regions and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Early-booking savings are available. This exceedingly popular travel program sells out quickly every year!—From $3,695

Dordogne, France Spring 2012 51

News alumni

T

Sustaining Life Membership Program

he Sustaining Life Membership program is a voluntary way for current Life Members to provide additional annual support to the Ole Miss Alumni Association at one of several tax-deductible levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Blue and Red. These contributions are used to support necessary programs to engage Ole Miss alumni and friends and to help create future alumni leaders through student involvement, scholarship and leadership programs.

Fiscal Year 2012 Members Platinum $1,000+ Mr. Louis K. Brandt Mr. and Mrs. David E. Brevard Mrs. Melissa Pace Callero Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Clark Mr. Gerald A. “Chip” Cook Jr. Dr. Fred G. Corley Jr. Mr. W.M. Elliott Dr. Dewey D. Garner Jr. Mr. Charles G. Gates Dr. W. Robert Hudgins Mr. Julius W. King Mr. and Mrs. David O. McCormick Mr. and Mrs. John A. McKinney Mr. H. Dixon Montague Dr. Paul H. Moore Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Mullins Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Sean A. Tuohy

Gold $500-$999 Mr. W. Hinton Andrews Mr. and Mrs. Larry H. Bryan Mr. Thomas L. Conner Mr. W.M. Dalehite Jr. Mrs. Georgia McKenzie Ellison Mr. and Mrs. S. Lawrence Farrington Mr. and Mrs. T. Michael Glenn Mr. and Mrs. William Walton Gresham III Mr. William H. Howard III Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Maloney Mr. and Mrs. William T. May Dr. and Mrs. John C. Stitt Mr. Michael C. Torjusen Dr. and Mrs. James M. Tucker Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Walman Mr. and Mrs. H.L. Williams Jr.

Silver $250-$499 Mr. Martin C. Becker Ms. Kathryn B. Black Mr. Jeff J. Bounds

52 Alumni Review

Mr. James Lance Butler Ms. Angela D. Carney Dr. and Mrs. Eric C. Clark Mr. Henry D. Colotta Ms. Pamela J. Cox Mrs. Elisabeth B. Culbertson Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Galey Mr. and Mrs. John H. Geary Mr. Mitchell S. Golding Dr. George J. Heard Jr. Mrs. Dewey Hickman Mr. Hardy M. Hill Mr. and Mrs. Charles V. Imbler Mr. and Mrs. Donald D. Jones Mrs. Shirley Sneed Keith Mr. Carroll A. Kemp Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Lane Mr. and Mrs. William T. Mays Jr. Mr. and Mrs. G. Terrell Morgan Mr. William T. Moroney Dr. Lee D. Morris and Mrs. Dorothy J. Pennington Mr. and Mrs. George L. Price Col. and Mrs. James W. Rice Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Seibels III Mr. William H. Street Jr. Dr. Chris Tate Mr. and Mrs. James Timothy Threadgill Mr. and Mrs. Jon C. Turner Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. White Jr. Mrs. Jennifer Ingram Wilkinson

Blue $100-$249 Mr. Samuel F. Alexander Mr. and Mrs. Warner Alford Dr. Antrece Lynette Baggett Mr. and Mrs. Harris Barnes III Mrs. Allison Pope Barton Mr. Cornelius H. Block Dr. John W. Bowlin Mr. and Mrs. James N. Butler Ms. Inez O. Cameron Mr. Mark J. Chaney Sr. Mrs. Patricia P. Cooke Mr. Roderick V. Draper

The Hon. and Mrs. Robert W. Elliott Sr. Dr. Charles Farris Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Jay Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Brooke Ferris Lt. Col. Robert B. Gann, USMC (Ret.) Dr. and Mrs. Walter M. Gorton Mr. Karl D. Gottschalk Mr. and Mrs. Douglas J. Gunn Mr. Robert S. Hancock Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Charles Harbison Mr. and Mrs. Van E. Hedges Mrs. Gayle G. Henry Mr. Joseph M. Hinshaw III Mr. R. Huston Hollister Mrs. Clarice T. Ivy Mr. and Mrs. William M. James Mr. J.T. Keeton Jr. Ms. Martha R. Lakes Mr. and Mrs. John B. Laney Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Preston H. Lee Jr. Mrs. Barbera H. Liddon Dr. Scott F. Long Mr. C. Matthew Lusco Dr. and Mrs. Presley D. Mallett Mrs. Ashley Anderson Mattei Mr. Prentiss C. McLaurin Jr. Dr. Fred L. McMillan Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey C. Mitchell Dr. Charles E. Moore Jr. and Dr. Judy T. Moore Mr. Charles A. Neale Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Noble Mr. and Mrs. Mike Overstreet Mr. and Mrs. Henry Paris Mrs. Dartha L. Parker Mrs. Sue M. Pearson Mr. James A. Peden Jr. Mr. Clarence Albert Pierce Jr. Mr. Floyd E. Pruden Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William M. Renovich Dr. Robert E. Ringer Mr. William Jeffrey Roberson

Mr. John R. Schwalje Mr. Raymond A. Smith Capt. Jack F. Speed Jr. Mrs. Mary Ann S. Stefancik Ms. Jennifer M. Studebaker Dr. Ancel C. Tipton Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James B. Tucker Mr. Stanley J. Viner Mrs. Margaret M. Ward Dr. Elizabeth C. Washburne Mrs. Ann T. Watson Ms. Mary Virginia Watson Mr. Lewis A. West III The Hon. Thomas Frederick Wicker Dr. Ben R. Williams Mrs. Marsha D. Williams Mr. Jerome W. Wilson Jr. Mr. Michael W. Wright and Ms. Vickie M. Cook Mr. and Mrs. Willis E. Young Jr.

Red $1-$99 Mr. Jason V. Calvasina Mr. Edward G. Covington III Mr. and Mrs. John M. Crossman Mrs. Tyler McCutchen Easterling Mrs. Judy Davis Ellis Mr. Joseph W. Gex II Dr. and Mrs. Ed J. Grisham Mr. Joseph A. Haley III Mr. Augustus R. Jones Mrs. Dawn Noel Noble Mathews Mrs. Angela W. Smith Mrs. Janet M. Webb Dr. and Mrs. Travis W. Yates

New Faces

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS

T

he new members of the Alumni Association board of directors are involved in a wide range of careers and community organizations. One-third of the board is appointed each year by the Ole Miss Alumni Association president and serves a three-year term.

Richard Barrett (BA 91) is a

lawyer at his own firm, Barrett Law Group, PA. He practices in the areas of contract fraud, insurance litigation, oil and gas law, class actions, personal injury and environmental torts. He is a member of the American Bar Association and serves on its toxic tort subcommittee. He resides in Oxford with his wife, Stephanie, and their son and two daughters.

Al Bell (BA 99) is vice president of lending at M&F Bank in Oxford. He serves as chapter adviser and chairman of the board of trustees for Alpha Tau Omega at Ole Miss. He also is

vice president and president-elect of the Rotary Club of Oxford and has been named a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Foundation. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce.

Kimsey O’Neal Cooper (BSPh

94) works for CVS Pharmacy as a district pharmacy supervisor overseeing pharmacy operations within the state of Mississippi. She is a member of the East Central Junior College board of trustees, past president of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association, on the Leake County Boys and Girls Club board of directors and member of the Ole Miss Pharmacy

alumni board. At Ole Miss, she earned All-SEC basketball honors all four years and was elected Miss Ole Miss. She resides in Carthage with her two children.

Chip Crunk (BS 87) is presi-

dent and CEO of the RJ Young Co. While at Ole Miss, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and he currently serves on the Ole Miss School of Business advisory board. He is a member and past president of the Copier Dealers Association and serves on both the Canon USA and Ricoh Corp. copier dealer counsels. He and his wife, Gina, reside in Nashville with their two children, Caroline and Trey.

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Spring 2012 53

News alumni

William Wade Dowell (BA 78, MD 82) practices at the medical office he opened in Indianola in 1985. He is past president of Delta Medical Society and a past district director for the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians. He serves as booster club president and team physician for Indianola Academy as well as team physician for Mississippi Delta Community College. Dowell has assisted the Ole Miss training staff since 1983 with sports physicals for incoming athletes. He is married to the former Angela Roberts of Moorhead.

They have four children.

Will Galtney (BA 74, MPA

76) is president of Galtney Enterprises in Houston, Texas. While at Ole Miss, he was a member of the varsity tennis team and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He previously served on the Univer-

54 Alumni Review

sity of Mississippi Foundation board and was inducted into the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame. In Houston, he serves as chairman of the board of trustees of Episcopal High School and as a director of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. He has four sons.

Doug Hederman (BA 93) is

president and CEO of Hederman Brothers Printing and Direct Mail, the largest sheet-fed commercial printing company in Mississippi. He is the fourth-generation owner of the business.

Hederman serves on the boards of Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, Greater Jackson Partnership, Belhaven University, Powers and Lake Foundation, Jackson Heart Foundation, Young Life of Mississippi and Lantern Medical Clinic.

He and his wife, Blair, have two children, Holt and Sara.

Jamie Holder (BBA 85) is pres-

ident and COO of Hol-Mac Corp. in Bay Springs. While at Ole Miss, he was a member of the football team and served as team captain two consecutive years. He served as secretary in the M-Club and received the John Howard Vaught Award of Excellence his senior year. He was named Top 40 Under 40 in 1996 by Mississippi Business Journal. He is chairman of the board of directors of Sylva Bay Academy. He and his wife, Alison (BSN 84, MSN 94), reside in Bay Springs and have two sons, Bradley and Jordan.

Trentice Gooch Imbler (BS

78) is a 31-year State Farm insurance agent in Tupelo.

While at Ole Miss, she was a member and vice president of Kappa Delta sorority. She currently serves as president of the Tupelo Kiwanis Club. Imbler is past president of the

Tupelo Life Underwriters Association and Mississippi Life Underwriters Association. She is a member of First United Methodist Church, Tupelo. She is married to Charles V. Imbler Jr. (BBA 79, MBA 80), and they have two children, Mallie and Carrol Trent.

Deano C. Orr (BA 93) is exec-

utive director of the International Paper Foundation, where he manages global giving and Memphis community relations. He annually assists with the coordination of the 1990s Ole Miss football reunion. While at Ole Miss, he was a four-year football letterman and M-Club officer. He is active in the local Memphis community through the MidSouth United Way, Race for the Cure and volunteer work at the National Civil Rights Museum. He and his wife, LaSheka, reside in Bartlett, Tenn.

Glenda Jenkins Simmons (BA

Lenoir Wadlington Stanley

82) works at The Simmons Network, which she and her husband established in 1992.

The Simmons Network is a lobbying and consulting business that specializes in planning and economic and community development. She is also the author of African American Heritage Pictures, Puzzles and Word Games, which was published in 2004. She lives in Biloxi.

(BS 73) is a native of Corinth.

While at Ole Miss, she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority. After graduating, she married John Stanley (BBA 70) and returned to Corinth, where they raised their two sons. She is a life member of the Junior Auxiliary and has served on the School of Applied Sciences alumni board.

She is also the proud grandmother of four.

J o h n B. “ S h or t y ” Sn e e d

Mitzi Johnson Whittington

(BAccy 67, MAccy 68) is president of Stewart Sneed Hewes, a division of BancorpSouth Insurance Services Inc. He is a member of the UMAA Foundation, Vaught Society, Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, and Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi. He lives with his wife, Patti, in Gulfport.

They have two children, Johnny and Lori.

(BA 77, MSP 78) is a retired speech-language pathologist.

She is a past member of the alumni board for the School of Applied Sciences. She and her husband, Lynn (BS 77, MD 80), live in Montgomery, Ala., and have one son, Brian. She is an active member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, where she serves as a Stephen Minister. AR

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Spring 2012 55

News alumni

Class Notes ’60s

Jim Barksdale (BBA 65) of Ridgeland was appointed interim executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority by Gov. Phil Bryant.

George Byers (BA 69, MURP 75) of Lakewood, Colo., received the President’s Award and Life Member Award from the Northwest Mining Association for outstanding leadership and years of service. Byers is vice president of Rare Element Resources.

Sid Davis (BBA 67) of Mendenhall was reelected chairman of the board for Peoples Bank at its 2011 shareholders meeting.

Eugene Love Fair Jr. (BA 66, JD 68) of Hattiesburg was appointed to the state Court of Appeals by former Gov. Haley Barbour. He succeeds William Myers, who retired from the court on Dec. 31.

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Charles L. Overby (68) of Washington,

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D.C., was awarded the Baylor Medal of Service for Media Arts. The new award honors someone whose influence in media communications and the arts has made a noteworthy impact on society.

’70s

Fay e C a ro l e C l e v e l a n d (BAccy 79) of Jackson joined Eubank Betts Hirn Wood PLLC. Joe Durastanti (BSPh 76) of Jackson is filling an at-large position for the Mississippi Pharmacists Association executive committee. He is the lead pharmacist at the state Department of Health pharmacy for the tuberculosis program.

James H. Heidelberg (JD 77) of Pascagoula was named a Super Lawyer by Mid-South Super Lawyers in the category of medical malpractice defense in 2011. He is a shareholder with Heidelberg, Steinberger, Colmer & Burrow, PA in Pascagoula.

Daniel Quon (BA 72, DMD 79) of Madison was named 2011 Alumnus of the Year for the School of Dentistry. His office is in Jackson.

Richard C. Roberts III (BA 73, JD 76) of Jackson was named Family Law Lawyer of the Year for 2012 in Jackson by peer-review publication Best Lawyers. He was also named a Super Lawyer by Mid-South Super Lawyers.

He practices law in Jackson.

Steve Rogers (BA 76) of Jackson retired from Parkway Properties, where he served as CEO for the past 15 years. He has opened Rogers & Associates, a real estate consulting practice in Jackson.

’80s

John Baker (BBA 89) of Boone­ville was elected to serve as president of the TriState Rebel Club for 2012.

Michael J. Bounds (BPA 83) of Jackson was appointed deputy marshal of the Supreme

Court of Mississippi after recently retiring from the U.S. Marshals Service as senior inspector for judicial security for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Carl J. Chaney (BBA 83, JD 86) of Biloxi was appointed to the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s New Orleans branch. He is president and CEO of Hancock Holding Co. Brig. Gen. Augustus “Leon” Collins (BBA 82) of Madison was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant as the leader of the Mississippi National Guard. He is the first African-American to be named to the position.

Michael Crockett (BSW 88) of Norfolk, Va., is working as a federal civilian supervisor for the Navy and helps deliver integrated and emergency management training solutions.

He retired as a naval officer in 2008 after 20 years of service.

Hu Meena (BSPHE 80) of Ridgeland was named one of the 25 most powerful people in wireless today by Fierce Wireless, a leading wireless industry trade publication. He is president and CEO of C Spire Wireless.

James Sullivan (BSCvE 86) of Madison was appointed state traffic engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Ruston Webster (BSPHE 85) of Nashville, Tenn., was named executive vice president and

general manager of the Tennessee Titans. He previously served as vice president of player personnel for two seasons.

’90s

Jamey Diggs (BPA 94) of Arlington, Tenn., was named general sales manager for Central Florida with Ferguson Enterprises Inc. He also has worked for Ferguson Enterprises in Richmond, Va., and Memphis, Tenn.

Joe D. Nosef III (BAccy 91, MAccy 94) of Jackson was elected chairman for the Mississippi Republican Party. He practices law at Watkins & Eager PLLC in Jackson.

Curtis Simon (MED 95) of Trussville, Ala., joined Chelsea Therapeutics as a regional sales director.

Dr. William D. Sumrall III (BA 93) of New Orleans was named chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology for Ochsner Health System in New Orleans.

Melissa A. Swetland (BA 95, BAccy 96) of Oxford was promoted to supervisor with BKD LLP. She has worked at BKD’s Oxford office since 2010.

his wife, Diana (BAEd 06), of Water Valley opened Rebel Grocery Getter in Oxford.

The business is a grocery delivery service and shopping concierge for groceries and goods.

Cory T. Wilson (BBA 92) of Madison was selected to serve on the character and fitness committee of the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions. Wilson manages the Jackson office of Heidelberg, Steinberger, Colmer & Burrow PA.

’00s

Charles Carr (BBA 03) of Tishomingo was elected treasurer of the TriState Rebel Club for 2012.

Katherine Cliburn (BBA 09, BAccy 09, MAccy 10) of Ridgeland was awarded the 2011 Fred T. Neely Gold Medal by the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants for achieving the highest score in Mississippi on the CPA exam in 2010.

Hayward Dykes Jr. (JD 01) of Destin, Fla., was chosen as the attorney for Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla. He is a partner at Conerly, Bowman & Dykes in Destin.

Bradley B. Vance (BA 97) of Brandon was named a Rising Star by Mid-South Super Lawyers. He practices business litigation at the Jackson office of Burr & Forman LLP.

Jillian Foster (BSPh 02, PharmD 04) of Oxford is filling an at-large position for the Mississippi Pharmacists Association’s executive council. She is the director of pharmacy at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi.

Robert R. Wells (BSCvE 91, MS 95) and

Rebecca Gray (BBA 02) of Iuka was elected

Spring 2012 57

News alumni

I

Ole Miss Club Spotlight: Charlotte, N.C.

ts official name is the Charlotte Ole Miss Club, but the North Carolina Ole Miss alumni organization is much bigger than Charlotte alone. Home to about 1,000 Ole Miss alumni, the club’s boundaries encompass 15 counties in North Carolina and another four in South Carolina along the state border.

Current club president James Guptill (BBA 92) says one of the larger events the club regularly hosts is a crawfish boil. The last boil was held at Stowe Manor in Belmont, N.C., complete with live music and games.

While the crawfish boil draws many people, the club’s biggest event is its annual golf tournament, which raises funds for scholarships to Ole Miss. This year’s 10th Annual Scholarship Golf Classic is scheduled for June 11 at the Raintree Country Club. The event hosts teams of four at a fee of $400 per team.

Guptill says usually between 100 and 125 golfers participate, and this year’s goal is to raise $15,000. To date, the club has raised more than $75,000 for its scholarship endowment.

Charlotte club member Pepper

Pounds (BSME 90) is credited with helping the tournament become a popular event year after year. In fact, Pounds has done so much for the scholarship endowment that the name was officially changed to the Pepper Pounds Charlotte Region Scholarship.

“Pepper has been the main coordinator of the golf tournament from its inception,” Guptill says. “At the time, we were looking at ways to give back to Ole Miss and make it an option for graduating seniors from our area. There are around five to six people on our core team who help put the tournament together with Pepper’s direction.”

Pounds finds enjoyment in the end result of the golf tournament—the money raised for the Charlotte club scholarship that allows students to attend and enjoy Ole Miss. Currently, three female students receive the scholarship, and one student who had the scholarship already has graduated.

“It gives me a lot of joy when I get emails or letters

from them, saying ‘thank you for your contribution and for your assistance that allows me to attend Ole Miss,’” Pounds says.

Guptill says choosing the scholarship recipient is based on many criteria but rests heavily on a written essay.

“The essay is the big qualifier,” he says. “It lets us know who they are, what they do and shows they really care.”

Students also must have a B average and be from one of the 19 counties that make up the Charlotte Club. There is no ACT or SAT required score.

Pounds says the scholarship is for $1,000 a year and can be renewed for four or five years, depending on the student’s GPA and community involvement. AR

(above) Current Pepper Pounds Charlotte Region Scholarship award recipients Lisa Clark (left), Sophie Smith and Stacy Joseph. (left) The Pounds family recently donated $25,000 to the scholarship. From left: Parker, Pepper, Lynn and Peyton. The scholarship endowment now exceeds $95,000, which was raised through nine annual scholarship classic golf tournaments and the Pounds donation.

The 10th Annual Scholarship Classic is scheduled for June 11.

58 Alumni Review

secretary of the TriState Rebel Club for 2012.

Historic Preservation Foundation.

Jacob Haralson (BBA 04, MBA 05) of Jackson joined Ross & Yerger Insurance Inc.

Kirk Sims (BA 06) of Jackson is chief of staff for Gov. Phil Bryant.

TyShun Hargrove (BBA 07, BA 08) of Memphis was named transportation planner for the Center for Transportation Excellence at International Paper in Memphis.

Tyler Wilson (BBA 09, MA 10) of Boone­ ville was elected vice president of the TriState Rebel Club for 2012.

Sterling Kidd (BA 07, JD 10) of Jackson joined Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell as an associate in the advocacy department.

Kidd’s focus is general business litigation and product liability matters.

Rob Krause (BA 04) of Midland, Va., was named chief preservationist and executive director of the Prince William County (Va.)

Richard Wood (BBA 09) of New Orleans accepted a position as a relationship banker with New Orleans’ main branch of Capital One Bank.

’10s

Alexandra Yates (BBA 10) of Nashville joined Avenue Bank as a concierge banker at its Cummins Station branch.

WEDDINGS Ann Christopher Peacock (BSN 08) and Bryant Collins Trotter (BA 07), Dec. 10, 2011.

Kathryn Grace Poynter and Clifton Randall Taylor (BBA 07), Oct. 29, 2011.

BIRTHS Ellis James Bush, son of Kathryn Roberts Bubrig and Dennis L. Bubrig II (BA 96, MA 98), Sept. 26, 2011.

Kate Roberts, daughter of Tisha Oglesbee Cox (BS 97) and Adam Roberts Cox, Dec. 20, 2011.

Olivia Grace, daughter of Bethany Caulfield Hembree (BA 03) and James Robert Hembree III, June 2, 2011.

John Thomas Jr., son of Laura Lefler Herzog and John Thomas Herzog (BA 04), Jan. 14, 2012.

Beeland Brooks, son of Alinda Guynes Allen McGowin (BA 03) and Sumpter Milligan McGowin II (BBA 04), Nov. 13, 2011.

Leighton Reese, daughter of Misty Mayes Murphy (BBA 08) and Benjamin David Murphy (BBA 04, JD 06), Dec. 28, 2011.

Laurel Lee, daughter of Virginia Lee Pierce (BSJ 95) and Markham Pierce, Sept. 23, 2011.

Elise Kate, daughter of Kristi Estes Robison (BA 99) and Micah C. Robison, May 9, 2011.

Jackson Matthew, son of Jennifer Jones Taylor (BA 97, MA 99) and Matthew L. Taylor (BA 99), Nov. 14, 2011.

Madeline Lucille, daughter of Katherine Muller Thornton (BA 02) and Christopher Thomas Thornton, Jan. 9, 2012.

Alexander Smith, son of Allison Pruitt Wyckoff (BA 01) and Smith McMullan Wyckoff (BA 02), Oct. 12, 2011.

IN MEMORIAM 1930s Ava Louise Haney Commer (BA 37) of Lyon, Jan. 10, 2012 Elliott Raleigh Danzig (BA 36, LLB 39) of San Diego, Calif., Sept. 27, 2011 Harper Johnson Jr. (36) of Greenwood, Jan. 1, 2012 Marguerite Smith Webb (BA 39) of Sumner, Jan. 19, 2012

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News alumni

1940s Marshall Carruth Adams (43) of Belden, Nov. 12, 2011 Doris Allred Bane (48) of Brookhaven, Nov. 12, 2011 Mary Hill Barron (BAEd 41) of Booneville, Jan. 7, 2012 James Edwin Brown (LLB 49) of Starkville, Feb. 12, 2012 Ben Brevard Buchanan (BSChE 40) of Gainesville, Fla., Dec. 4, 2011 Louise Miller Burwell (MA 49) of Clinton, Feb. 23, 2011 Carroll Lee Busby (MedCert 45, BS 45) of Plainview, Texas, Feb. 12, 2012 Lillian Hutton Cheatham (41) of Columbia, S.C., Dec. 31, 2011 Danella Raworth Conway (BA 42, MLS 74) of Vicksburg, Dec. 17, 2011 Caroline Harrison Danforth (46) of Spokane, Wash., Dec. 1, 2011 Cherie Friedman (BA 48, MedCert 53) of Oxford, Jan. 17, 2012 Ruth Spivey Gray (48) of Jackson, Dec. 15, 2011 Walter D. Gunn Sr. (BS 49, MedCert 49, BA 49) of Lake Village, Ark., Jan. 31, 2012

Golda Decell Minor (BA 41) of Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 18, 2011 Dorothy Starnes Mize (40) of Oxford, Dec. 13, 2011 Forrest Marvin Morris Jr. (47) of Purvis, Jan. 20, 2012 Calvin Philip Poole Sr. (BSHPE 48, MA 49) of Natchez, Nov. 18, 2011 Mary Payne Porterfield (MA 44) of Glade Spring, Va., Jan. 31, 2012 Mary Carolyn Robertson (BA 48) of Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 9, 2011 Stella O’Neal Schmalzel (MA 44) of Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 9, 2012 Wanda Tinsley Smith (48) of Philadelphia, Dec. 6, 2011 Jodie Dwight Sneed (BAEd 49, MEd 51) of Oxford, Dec. 31, 2011 William Granville Tabb Jr. (MedCert 41) of Ridgeland, Feb. 8, 2012 Sara Felton Tatum (48) of Thibodaux, La., Dec. 28, 2011 Angelo Vic Varallo (44) of Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 25, 2011 Lester E. Wilkes (LLB 49) of Bossier City, La., Dec. 1, 2011

Dawn Littlepage Herring (BA 47) of Hattiesburg, Jan. 24, 2012

1950s Theodore William Ammon (BM 52) of Pearl, Dec. 22, 2011

John Harold Hinman Jr. (BBA 47) of Pensacola, Fla., Nov. 14, 2011

Robert Dale Atkins (BBA 56) of Humboldt, Tenn., Dec. 9, 2011

Frank Wilsford Johnston (41) of Hammond, La., Nov. 19, 2011

Sharp William Banks Jr. (BAEd 50, MEd 53) of Mandeville, La., Dec. 9, 2011

Ruth Hall Jones (BA 42) of Canton, Feb. 11, 2012

Numancia Martinez Batchelor (MA 55) of Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 2, 2012

Edward Earl Lawler Sr. (48) of Ridgeland, Dec. 15, 2011

Lee Laverne Bray (MBEd 53) of Sacramento, Calif., Dec. 20, 2011

Claude Milton McBryde (BBA 48) of Oakland Park, Fla., Jan. 8, 2012

Joseph D. Brown Jr. (BSPh 53) of North Richland Hills, Texas, Nov. 24, 2011

HERE’S YOUR LICENSE TO BRAG! Now you can sport the official University of Mississippi license plate!

For an additional $50 a year — $32.50 of which returns to Ole Miss for educational enhancement — you can purchase this “license to brag” about your alma mater. When it’s time to renew your license plate, simply tell your local tax collector you want the Ole Miss affinity license plate. It’s an easy way to help your University.

This particular tag is available to Mississippi drivers only. Some other states, however, offer an Ole Miss affinity license plate. Check with your local tax collector for availability.

60 Alumni Review

Claude W. Caldwell (BBA 56) of Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 15, 2012

Joseph Tod Benz (BAEd 67) of Jonesboro, Ga., May 21, 2011

Thomas Humphreys Campbell III (BA 54, LLB 58) of Ponce Inlet, Fla., Dec. 19, 2011

Edward B. Bond (BA 63) of Yazoo City, Dec. 8, 2011

Jimmy Harold Chaney (59) of Germantown, Tenn., Dec. 25, 2011

John William Clark (BBA 61, MEd 78) of Olive Branch, May 13, 2011

Wennie Wai Ling Yuen Chow (52) of Los Angeles, Calif., Aug. 26, 2011 Milam S. Cotten (MD 59) of Madison, Feb. 2, 2012 Omar D. Craig (LLB 55) of Oxford, Dec. 1, 2011 Joe Cook Crumbley (BSPh 55) of Enterprise, June 27, 2011 Maurice J. Dantin (BA 51, LLB 55) of Columbia, Jan. 10, 2012 Hindman Doxey Jr. (BA 54) of Jackson, Jan. 16, 2012 James McDonald Edwards (BSPh 53) of Dyersburg, Tenn., Aug. 30, 2011 Henry Grady Fuller (BAEd 52, MEd 53) of Oxford, Jan. 14, 2012 Donald Warren Goad (BBA 56) of Flower Mound, Texas, Nov. 11, 2011 John Mitchell Gullick Jr. (BSHPE 50, MEd 51) of Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 13, 2012 Francis Van Dyke Hagaman (BA 59, MD 63) of Shreveport, La., Nov. 12, 2011 Bart Ferguson Harris (54) of Bloomfield, N.J., Jan. 13, 2012 William Holmes Holland Jr. (56) of Bastrop, Texas, Jan. 23, 2012 Alton Lavon Hollis (LLB 52) of Jackson, Tenn., Dec. 8, 2011 Bobbye McIntyre Horne (BA 50) of Brandon, Dec. 20, 2011 Alfred Hume Jones (BSCvE 58) of Jackson, Feb. 5, 2012 David Eugene Jones (54) of Sacramento, Calif., Dec. 2, 2011 John Anthony Kelahan (BA 51) of Syracuse, N.Y., Dec. 4, 2011 Martin Thomas King Jr. (MEd 55) of Cleveland, Feb. 3, 2012

Phillip Davis Bryant (BSJ 63, JD 66) of Oxford, Feb. 2, 2012 Michael E. Clark (BA 69, MA 72) of Elmira, N.Y., Jan. 1, 2012 Willie Harold Cooper (BAEd 60) of Ridgeland, Feb. 3, 2012 Jo Caldwell Cross (MCS 65) of Sardis, Dec. 31, 2011 Cleveland Donald Jr. (BA 66) of Bethel, Conn., Jan. 26, 2012 Catherine Ingram Doyle (BAEd 68) of Dallas, Texas, Nov. 12, 2011 Louis James Fagan Jr. (60) of Cordova, Tenn., Nov. 15, 2011 Guy Robert Farmer Sr. (MD 61) of Calhoun City, Jan. 19, 2012 Robert Louis Field (BA 64, JD 73) of Vicksburg, Nov. 14, 2011 Randall Leon Ford (BA 61) of Oakton, Va., Dec. 18, 2011 William Watkins Ford III (BBA 61, JD 69) of Pensacola, Fla., Dec. 28, 2011 Wayne Kendall Fortenberry (MEd 65) of Riviera Beach, Fla., Feb. 6, 2012 Mamie Breazeale Franks (MEd 67, EdD 69) of Oxford, Feb. 15, 2012 Billy James Funderburk (JD 66) of Fulton, Jan. 31, 2012 William Thomas Harbour (MD 64) of Tomball, Texas, Dec. 18, 2011 Polly Coleman Harris (MS 60) of New York, N.Y., Dec. 31, 2011 Jerry Frank Hiers (MS 65) of Shreveport, La., Jan. 17, 2012 Judith Joyner Hodges (BA 69) of Tupelo, Jan. 31, 2012 Kathleen Dabney Johnson (BAEd 65, MA 67) of Brownwood, Texas, Sept.

28, 2011

Billie Smith Kortz (51) of Oak Lawn, Ill., July 27, 2011

Paul Hayne Johnson III (BBA 66) of Oxford, Feb. 3, 2012

Ralph E. Kyte Jr. (BBA 54) of Carrollton, Feb. 14, 2012

George Thomas Lovelady (BBA 66) of Oxford, Dec. 24, 2011

Joe Ann Shearer Lever (BA 57, MA 59) of Spartanburg, S.C., Nov. 23, 2011

Hollis F. Martin (BSME 68) of Sardis, Dec. 8, 2011

Alvin Clark Maples (BSHPE 51) of Millington, Tenn., Dec. 12, 2011

Joseph Kinloch McCollum Jr. (BA 69) of Middleburg, Fla., July 11, 2011

Jane Savage Morgan (BA 50) of Morgan City, Jan. 13, 2012

Odis Tindell McCord (BSHPE 69) of Southaven, Jan. 16, 2012

Warren Busby Nation (MBA 50) of Tallahassee, Fla., Jan. 4, 2012

James Maxie Medders (MCS 66) of Crossett, Ark., Jan. 22, 2012

Joseph Edward Pless (54) of Franklin, Tenn., Aug. 8, 2011

Marvel Jones Myers (BAEd 64) of Fort Myers, Fla., Dec. 18, 2011

James Wallace Ridgway (MS 51) of Little Rock, Ark., Jan. 6, 2012

Jeffrey Edward Newman (MD 69) of Seattle, Wash., Jan. 22, 2012

Ralph R. Ross (BSHPE 54) of Tupelo, Dec. 13, 2011

James Wesley Ouzts Sr. (MA 63) of Cleveland, Nov. 17, 2011

James Beeman Strange (BBA 51) of Celina, Texas, Nov. 19, 2011

Richard Wayne Parker (BBA 64, JD 68) of Ridgeland, Jan. 6, 2012

Charles Arnold Thomas (BSPh 54) of Fairhope, Ala., Nov. 20, 2011

William Allen Pepper Jr. (BA 63, JD 68) of Cleveland, Jan. 24, 2012

Pepper Thomas (55) of Oxford, Dec. 15, 2011

Phillip A. Reynolds (BA 63) of Crystal River, Fla., Feb. 3, 2011

William Lowe Waller (LLB 50) of Jackson, Nov. 30, 2011

Terry Luther Rutherford (BSHPE 65) of Falkner, Jan. 9, 2012

Mildred Young Walls (BS 56) of Houston, Nov. 10, 2011

Jimmy Ray Scafidel (MA 66) of Jackson, Jan. 24, 2012

William Lester Watt (BBA 58) of Batesville, Dec. 21, 2011

Charles A. Sisson Jr. (MD 61) of Aberdeen, Nov. 14, 2011

John William Wilks (54) of Roanoke, Va., Jan. 18, 2012

Beverly Eugene Smith Jr. (BA 61, MA 64) of Oxford, Nov. 21, 2011

John Owen Williams Sr. (BBA 58) of Jackson, Jan. 13, 2012

Samuel Wayne Waller Jr. (BSPh 67) of Oxford, Dec. 22, 2011

Ruth Wright Williams (MEd 53) of Grenada, Jan. 11, 2012

William Emmett Ward (MEd 63) of Shreveport, La., Dec. 18, 2011

Ouida Murray Yawn (56) of Fulton, Jan. 10, 2012

Alvie Forrester White (BAEd 67) of Carriere, Nov. 13, 2011 David Lawrence Whitley (BBA 64) of Cincinnati, Ohio, Jan. 21, 2012

1960s Norris Sylvester Achee Jr. (BBA 65) of Elizabeth, Colo., Dec. 11, 2011

Samuel Houston Wilkins (JD 66) of Flowood, Dec. 16, 2011

Leonard D. Ball III (BA 63, MD 67) of Granger, Ind., Jan. 5, 2012

1970s Connie Garrett Atkinson (BA 72, MCD 73) of Conway, Ark., Dec. 3, 2011

Stanley Charles Benigno Sr. (60) of Hattiesburg, Jan. 3, 2012

Spring 2012 61

News alumni

Ronald Max Beeson (78) of Mannford, Okla., Nov. 15, 2011

Susan Barksdale Howorth (JD 95) of Oxford, Feb. 5, 2012

Carolyn Roberts Benson (JD 76) of Fulton, Dec. 2, 2011

Paul D. Johnson (PhD 97) of Brookhaven, Jan. 17, 2012

Linda E. Bounds (BAEd 72) of Columbus, Nov. 29, 2011

Michael Kevin Lemmons (BBA 95) of Oxford, Nov. 15, 2011

Gean Gale Bratton (BSHPE 75) of Abbeville, Dec. 18, 2011

Jean Cappadonna Nichols (MFA 96) of Fort Myers, Fla., Dec. 17, 2011

Tim Lam Chow (BBA 79) of Clarksdale, Dec. 6, 2011

Jenny Rebecca Roberts (BSN 97) of Brandon, Nov. 11, 2011

Virginia Cunningham Crump (BAEd 74) of Tupelo, Nov. 30, 2011 Matthew Benjamin Dyer Jr. (73) of Greenwood, Jan. 20, 2012 Donald Clark Falkner (BAEd 72, MEd 75) of Thaxton, Feb. 2, 2012 Kathryn Rogers Houston (MEd 70) of Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 26, 2011 Patrick James Hovatter (BSME 74) of Havelock, N.C., Jan. 2, 2012 Margaret Nelson Irvine (BAEd 72) of Schleswig, Iowa, Jan. 23, 2012 Omar Benjamin Jones (BAEd 79) of Baldwyn, Feb. 3, 2012 Charlotte Siegel Kaplan (EdD 72) of Cleveland, Jan. 29, 2012 Laura Davis Maxwell (BA 71, MCD 73) of Clarksdale, July 2, 2011 Noble Glen Moore Jr. (BBA 71) of Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 12, 2012 Thomas Graddy Morrison (BBA 74) of Los Angeles, Calif., Dec. 23, 2011 Roy Robert Moylan (MLS 74) of Malden, Mo., Feb. 7, 2011 David L. Mullen (BSPh 75) of Oxford, Nov. 18, 2011 Steve Nichols (BS 76) of Olive Branch, Dec. 28, 2011 Klein Daniel Noel Jr. (BBA 77) of Olive Branch, Dec. 25, 2011 Richard Tyler Reynolds (BAEd 77) of Scottdale, Ga., Nov. 30, 2011 William W. Salmon (BBA 74) of Charleston, W.Va., March 4, 2011 Barry Charles Scott (MD 70) of Baton Rouge, La., Dec. 6, 2011 John Murray Therrell (MM 75, BSME 86) of Paragould, Ark., Nov. 28, 2011 Kaye Graves Walton (BAEd 71) of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Jan. 29, 2012 Larry Douglas Watts (BBA 76) of Ridgeland, Feb. 14, 2012 Michael Ward Welford (78) of Baton Rouge, La., Dec. 12, 2011 Carol Catherine West (JD 70) of Jackson, Dec. 5, 2011 Jimmie Lee Williams III (MA 70) of Conway, Ark., Feb. 11, 2012 1980s Mark Cohn Bradley (82) of Virginia Beach, Va., Jan. 14, 2012 Daniel Louis Denning (85) of Southaven, Dec. 9, 2011 John Edward Franetovich (BA 80) of Bel Air, Md., Nov. 21, 2011 Jerry Hugh Frizzell (BBA 88) of Crystal Springs, Nov. 21, 2011 Martis D. Ramage Jr. (BBA 80) of Belden, Nov. 28, 2011 Curtis G. Underwood Jr. (BBA 84) of Canton, Nov. 28, 2011 Thomas King Ware (BBA 81) of Pontotoc, Nov. 23, 2011 Russell Mae Wortham (BAEd 86, MEd 93) of Taylor, Feb. 12, 2012 1990s Geri Alison Ashburn (BA 95) of Hernando, Feb. 5, 2012 Jeffrey Mark Cook (90) of Boston, Mass., Nov. 8, 2011 William Todd Gates (MAccy 93) of Shreveport, La., Feb. 7, 2012 Don Oliver Gleason Jr. (BA 96, JD 99) of Saltillo, Jan. 12, 2012 John Robert Goff (BA 97) of Jackson, Jan. 25, 2012 Billie Gene Hollowell (98) of Grand Saline, Texas, Jan. 18, 2012 62 Alumni Review

2000s Jo Ann Enochs Brown (PhD 06) of Radford, Va., Feb. 8, 2012 Amanda Cossey Price (MS 05) of New Albany, Dec. 5, 2011 April Nichelle Reithel (08) of Oxford, Dec. 15, 2011 2010s Lee Taylor Harrington (12) of Thomasville, Ga., Feb. 5, 2012 David Mikel Pryor (12) of Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 15, 2012 Faculty and Friends Stoney Gerson Ainsworth of Florence, Dec. 20, 2011 William Russell Chastain of Windermere, Fla., Jan. 30, 2012 Albert Wallace Conerly of Terry, Jan. 10, 2012 Frank Eugene Cooper of Starkville, Dec. 9, 2011 Olon Hudgins of Oxford, Jan. 11, 2012 Stuart McIlwaine Irby Sr. of Jackson, Jan. 17, 2012 Viola Polly King Moore Jones of Greenwood, Dec. 11, 2011 Dana Tillman Lamb of Clinton, Nov. 11, 2011 Thomas M. McGee of University, Feb. 6, 2012 Katherine Burlingame McKenzie of Batesville, Feb. 6, 2012 Priscilla Parker Melton of Bruce, Jan. 7, 2012 Peter G. Morfesis of Charleston, S.C., Nov. 27, 2011 Fredna C. Mullins of Monticello, Nov. 23, 2011 Thomas Victor Murphey III of Brandon, Jan. 26, 2012 Robert Lee “Pat” Patterson Jr. of Oxford, Jan. 27, 2012 Marie Chapman Pickens of Mooreville, Feb. 5, 2012 H. David Roberts of Hattiesburg, Jan. 25, 2012 Fred C. Smith of Grenada, Dec. 27, 2011 Jane Phillips Stewart of Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 31, 2011 George Rea Walker Jr. of Leland, Dec. 24, 2011

Due to space limitations, class notes are only published in the Alumni Review from active, dues-paying members of the Ole Miss Alumni Association. To submit a class note, send it to records@alumni.olemiss.edu or Alumni Records Dept., Ole Miss Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 386771848. Class notes also may be submitted through the Association’s website at www.olemissalumni.com. The Association relies on numerous sources for class notes and is unable to verify all notes with individual alumni. AR

Serving Oxford, Lafayette County and the University of Mississippi

TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2010

142ND Year, No. 169 — 50 CENTS

Run-off solution sought E-Edition booming

INSIDE

Erosion problems wash away county officials’ patience

BY ALYSSA SCHNUGG Staff Writer

The Lafayette County Planning Commission has ordered the owners of Williams Equipment Co. to

produce a plan of action on how it intends to solve erosion issues once and for all at its construction site located across from the Cumberland subdivision.

“I need a schedule of how this is going to progress with a time frame I can put my hands on by June 1,” County Engineer Larry Britt said at Monday’s Planning Commission meeting.

Williams Equipment started con-

struction in the summer of 2008 on its new home for the commercial business on 4.3 acres of land located on Highway 6 West. Since construction began, neighbors have complained the runoff from the graded property has caused silt to run onto their lawns, destroying grass and bushes, as well as cause local flooding.

A year ago, a cease and desist order was issued until erosion problems were handled.

“We have had some problems with erosion out there that we’ve been dealing with for a year and a half,” Britt said.

When 3 inches of rain fell in Oxford within 30 minutes last week, the issue resurfaced when silt and water caused erosion on some of the adjoining landowners’ property.

See SOLUTION on Page 2

Oxford schools set budget hearing

GRADUATION CELEBRATION

POMERANZ HONORED

ONLINE

Ole Miss left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz was named as the recipient of the 2010 Cellular South Ferriss Trophy given to the top collegiate baseball player in the state of Mississippi. For more details on the honor, see Page 6.

The Oxfo rd Eagle E-Edition helps you keep up w ith your home awa y from ho me Complete Coverage o Ofocuses le Monisother BP probe companies’ workf s Sp orts

BUSINESSMAN ARRESTED A local businessman who has been on the lam from the law was arrested last week. Get the details on Page 2.

EDUCATION NEWS Turn to Pages 6 and 7 of Education to find out what’s happening with local teachers and students.

UM GRADS

BRUCE NEWMAN

Many of the students graduating from the University of Mississippi earlier this month were from the Oxford area.

Turn to Pages 5 and 10 to read the names of the locals who picked up a diploma.

Brittney Deonna Jeffries (from left), Wesley Lane Carroll and Kimberly Annette Wilson throw their caps at the Scott Center’s graduation ceremony on Monday afternoon. Also graduating were Laura Leeann Brower and Dillon Lee Hopkins.

Report: Oversite workers accepted gifts from oil companies

Number 1 Daily in Mississ ippi (Circula

INDEX

Classifieds 12-13 Local 2-3 Comics 14 Obituaries 2 Editorial 4 Sports 8-9 Education 6-7 Weather 2

BY GREG BLUESTEIN AND

MATTHEW DALY

Associated Press Writers

Guinness finds Minn. man is tallest in US

also owned the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

The other three areas of focus for the investigation involve the cementing and casing of the wellhead, which was Halliburton Inc.’s responsibility.

COVINGTON, La. — Oil giant BP said its internal investigation of Assessing decisions the unchecked Gulf oil spill In BP’s release, Chief is largely focused on work Executive Tony Hayward done by other companies as stopped short of assigning a new government report responsibility. President today showed workers at the Barack Obama has blasted federal agency that oversees executives from the compaoffshore drilling accepted nies for blaming each other sports tickets, lunches and during Congressional hearother gifts from oil and gas ings this month. companies.

“A number of companies BP PLC said in a release are involved, including BP, that an initial investigation and it is simfound mulply too early tiple control “...it is simply — and not mechanisms too early — and not up to us — should have to say who p r e v e n t e d up to us — to say who is at fault,” the accident is at fault.”

Hayward that started said. with an oil — TONY HAYWARD G e n e rig explosion Chief Executive, BP Beck, a April 20 off petroleum the coast engineer of Louisiana that killed 11 at Texas A&M at College workers.

Station who worked in the Seeking the cause drilling industry for two BP, the largest oil and decades, said the list of gas producer in the Gulf, Gulf problems BP is investigating listed seven areas of focus appears exhaustive. But he as it hunts for a cause. Four said the company also needs involve the blowout pre- to look at decisions made by venter, venter a massive piece of people on the rig. machinery that sits atop the “That needs to be inveswellhead and should have tigated: Why did they do acted as a safety device what they did?” Beck said. of last resort but did not.

“They need to ask themThat was manufactured selves that very very, very serious

by Cameron International question: ‘Why did we make Corp. and owned by these choices?”’

Transocean LTD, which

Subscribe to the E-Edit io n Only $5 p er month

PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar (center) speaks at a press conference in Galliano, La., Monday. Standing behind Salazar are Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Meanwhile, a new Interior Department report released today found that staffers in the Louisiana office of the Minerals Management Service violated a number of federal regulations and agency ethics rules, including accepting gifts from oil and gas companies and using government computers to view pornography. pornography The report by the department’s acting inspector general follows up on a 2007 investigation that revealed what then-Inspector General Earl Devaney called a “culture of ethical failure” and conflicts of interest at the minerals agency. agency

Staff Writer

Worst-case scenario

tion Belo w 9,000)

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — Guinness World Records has recognized a Minnesota man as the tallest man in the United States.

The Guinness World Record Association measured Rochester’s Igor Vovkovinskiy (voh-kov-IN’-ski) at 7 feet, 8.33 inches tall during NBC’s “The Dr. Oz Show” on Monday. He edged out Norfolk, Va., sheriff’s deputy George Bell by a third of an inch.

The 27-year- old Vovkovinskiy is originally from Ukraine but moved to Minnesota with his mother when he was 7 years old for treatment at the Mayo Clinic for a pituitary disease that spurred his rapid growth.

Vovkovinskiy now attends the Minnesota School of Business and is pursuing a degree in paralegal studies.

Guinness says the world’s urkey’s Sultan tallest man is Turkey’s Kosen. He measures in at 8 feet, 1 inch tall.

BY MELANIE ADDINGTON

Members of the Oxford School Board set a public hearing for June 14 at 5 p.m. for the public to discuss the district’s 2010-2011 budget.

Despite continued budget cuts from the state during the past several months, the Oxford School District has put together a budget for the coming school year that ensures no jobs will be cut.

The school board has a proposed $29 million budget that, while not yet finalized, won’t cut jobs and won’t raise the tax rate.

On Monday, Gov. Haley Barbour signed the FY 2011 education funding bills, House Bill 1622 and House Bill 1059, Mississippi Department of Education Superintendent Tom Burnham said.

“HB 1622 is the primary funding bill that we recommend (districts) develop the FY 2011 budget around,” Burnham said. “HB 1059 is contingent upon the passage of federal legislation that would extend the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage provided for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.”

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called the latest report “deeply disturbing” but stressed that it only covered a period from 2000 to 2008. He said he wants the investigation expanded to include agency actions since he took office in January 2009.

BP filed its site-specific exploration plan for the Deepwater Horizon in February 2009.

The Obama administration has come under increasing pressure as frustrations build, oil washes up in delicate Louisiana wetlands, and efforts to cap the well prove unsuccessful.

City school officials are basing their budget on the funding equation that provides Oxford the lowest amount of state funds.

The board will not request any increase to the city’s tax rate, but the district still expects to experience an increase in revenue collections due to the additional taxes it projects to increase from new homes.

Revenue is expected to be up about $420,000 from 2009-2010 for a total of $29.5 million. Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding is slightly down to $12.54 million from $12.56 million the year before. Ad valorem tax collections will go up from $14.1 million to $15.4 million. With athletic admission tickets expected to be down about $10,000, the district may have to dip deeper into its reserve funds.

After the hearing, the board will vote on the budget.

In other business, the school board: — Approved salary scales for employees, teacher assistants and administrators.

— Approved a resolution in memory of the late Patricia P Aschoff SPED teacher at Aschoff, Oxford Learning Center.

Marcia Cole accepted the plaque and resolution on family behalf of the family.

—melanie@oxfordeagle.com —melanie@oxfor

www.oxfordeagle.com 662-234-2222 www.oxfordeagle.com

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First Class

MEMBER OF FIRST DENTAL SCHOOL CLASS NAMED ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

D

r. Daniel Quon (BA 72, DMD 79) was named 2011 Alumnus of the Year last spring at the annual Dental Alumni and Friends dinner.

A native of Hernando, Quon lives in Madison and leads his practice in Jackson that he began in 1984. He also joined the Medical Center as clinical professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery and serves on the staff of St. Dominic/Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was ENT/oral and maxillofacial surgery section chief from 1994-95.

Quon has served as president of District IV of the Mississippi Dental Association and is a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He is also a member of the UMMC Guardian Society and helped

raise funds for the dental simulation lab.

He credits the education he received from the School of Dentistry for much of his success.

“Being in a specialization program with other students gave me an idea of how broad my education was. I realized I really was afforded a quality education for a first-time school,” he says. “The students here receive a well-rounded education.”

Quon is married to Wanda Jong Quon, and they have a 27-year-old son, Jason Daniel. AR Dr. Daniel Quon

GOAL: 25,000 ACTIVE MEMBERS Only you can help your Ole Miss Alumni Association reach this important milestone!

Make your Alumni Association the strongest in the nation by renewing your membership each year and encouraging classmates and other Ole Miss supporters to also join and remain active.

Even fans who didn’t graduate from Ole Miss can join as Associate Members.

Single Membership __$40 Annual __$800 Life __$850 Life Plan ($170 x 5 years) Joint Memberships __$50 Annual __$995 Life __$1,050 Life Plan ($210 x 5 years)

64 Alumni Review

Last Name:________________________First:___________________________ Middle Name:__________________Maiden Name: _______________________ Address: _________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip, Country: ____________________________________________ E-mail: ____________________________Phone:_________________________ Visa___ MasterCard___ American Express____ Card Number_______________________________ Expiration_______________ Print name on card__________________________________________________ Window Decal Preference: Inside _____ Outside _____ Renew or join online at www.olemissalumni.com, or fill out this form and mail to Membership, Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677,915-7375. Make check payable to Ole Miss Alumni Association.

CODE: REV

The University of Mississippi Alumni Association P.O. Box 1848 University, MS 38677-1848 (662) 915-7375 www.olemissalumni.com

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