Ole Miss Alumni Review - Fall 2011

Fall 2011 Ole Miss Alumni Review

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Current Event Ole Miss friends kayak Mississippi for a good cause

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer joins faculty Hall of Fame inductees announced

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Fall 2011 Vol. 60 No. 4

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Fall 2011

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Vol. 60 No. 4

features

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Literary Giants Pulitzer Prize-winning author joins creative writing faculty

By Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Career 24 When Paths Diverge Some Ole Miss alumni find their true calling outside their degrees

By Steve Mullen

30 Current Event on the cover

Adventurers kayak mighty Mississippi to raise money for homeless

By Rick Hynum

36 Highest Honors Alumni Association to recognize groundbreakers at homecoming by jim urbanek

departments 6 From the Circle

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

14 Calendar 41 arts and culture 42 sports

Forward Together campaign Construction begins on golf center

46 Rebel Traveler 50 alumni news On the cover: Ole Miss senior Bowman Hitchens, Rob Treppendahl (BA 11) and friend Max Zoghbi reach Minneapolis during their 2,300-mile kayaking trip on the Mississippi River.

Photo by Max Zoghbi

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 Editorial Assistant Contributing Editor CallieWhitehorn Daniels Benita Contributing Editor Editorial Assistant Benita Whitehorn Brandon Irvine Art Director Designer John EricMcCustion Summers Correspondents KevinBain Bain(98), (98),Tobie Harry Briscoe, Kevin Baker (96), Pablo Corona, LauckLexi Cleary (97), Rebecca LauckRebecca Cleary (97), Combs, Mitchell Diggs (82), Jay Ferchaud, Patrice Guilfoyle, TinaJordan Hahn, (83), Michael Harrelson, Robert Rick Hynum, Robert Jordan (83), Nathan Latil, Jack Mazurak, Nathan Latil, Erin Parsons Deborah Purnell (MA 02)(11), Elaine A. Purnell (02), EdwinPugh, SmithDeborah (80), Matt Westerfield Edwin Smith (80) Officers of The University of Mississippi Association Officers ofAlumni The University of Mississippi Alumni Association Bill May (79), president Bill May (79, 82), president Richard Noble (68), Richard Noble (68, 73), president-elect president-elect Larry Bryan (74), Larry (74), vice Bryan president vice president Mike Glenn (77), Mike Glenn (77), athletics committee member athletics committee member Sam Lane (76), Sam Lane (76), athletics committee member athletics committee member Alumni Affairs Staff, Oxford Timothly L. Walsh (83), executive director Alumni Affairs Staff, Oxford L. Walsh (83,analyst 91), III JosephTimothy Baumbaugh, systems executive director director Clay Cavett (86), associate JosephDollarhide, Baumbaugh, systemsprogrammer analyst III Martha systems Clay Cavett (86),IIassociate director Martha systems programmer SheilaDollarhide, Dossett (75), senior associate II director Sheila Dossett (75), senior associate director Julian Gilner (04), assistant director Julian Gilner (04, 07), assistant director Sarah Kathryn Hickman (03), Sarah Kathryn M.M. Hickman (03, 05), assistant director for marketing Port Kaigler (06), alumni assistant and Port Kaigler (06), alumni assistant club coordinator and club coordinator Annette Kelly (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 executiveemeritus director emeritus The Ole Miss Alumni Review (USPS 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,

Several national publications have taken notice of The University of Mississippi’s impressive academic and cultural programs in recent years, including the university in rankings and lists of the best. Of course, such praise comes as no surprise to those of us who love Ole Miss, but the acknowledgement is truly gratifying for our faculty and staff, who work hard to ensure our students have access to the best education and opportunities possible.

The fall semester has brought a fresh batch of accolades, including two nods in the September issue of Reader’s Digest. In an article titled “10 Things Every Parent Should Know about College,” the writer listed Ole Miss as the country’s No. 1 “Unsung School.” Elsewhere in the feature, the author praised our Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College as one of three nationwide offering “as fine an education as the Ivy League.”

About the same time, Tailgater Monthly magazine ranked Ole Miss at No. 1 on its list of the top 20 college tailgating sites. The cover of the magazine’s September issue features the Grove, and our tailgating traditions are detailed in a two-page photo spread. “Tailgating on the Grove is the South all wrapped up with a bowtie in Oxford, Mississippi,” the article says. The Grove also is ranked as the nation’s finest tailgating location in a recent Parade magazine cover story, and the university will be featured as one of the five best tailgating spots in upcoming segments on The Weather Channel and ESPN. At first glance, these honors don’t seem to be on par with the hefty praise for academics handed out by Reader’s Digest. But they’re important all the same. In some ways, our game-day activities in the Grove are a reflection of who we are as a university family. We welcome all comers, even fans of opposing teams, with the same warmth we use to greet old friends. It’s the right thing to do, and others notice.

Executive editor Mitch Clarke of The Gainesville (Ga.) Times visited campus for the Ole Miss-Georgia game and wrote a column about the experience. Calling Oxford and Ole Miss a “home office of Southern hospitality,” he recounts getting friendly greetings and respect at almost every street corner. Clarke pledges to emulate our civility by warmly greeting opposing fans in Athens and inviting them to share his tailgate fare. “To the people of Oxford, it’s called Southern hospitality,” he writes. “To me, it’s just plain common decency. And it’s a lesson we should all take to heart.”

Perhaps that is part of the reason for our other ranking this fall. Newsweek chose the university “Most Beautiful” for our campus and student body, and, of course, we all agree that we have great physical beauty here in Oxford. But look carefully and you’ll see a beauty in our students, faculty, staff and alumni that goes deep beneath the surface. The Ole Miss Creed affirms our “respect for the dignity of each person” and our belief “in fairness and civility,” and we take these values seriously. This mindset is as much a part of the Ole Miss experience as a world-class education and cultural opportunities, and it’s the responsibility of us all to help maintain it.

Sincerely,

Daniel W. Jones (MD 75) Chancellor

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President

Dear Alumni and Friends,

I am honored and privileged to serve as president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association for 2011-12. My wife, Laurie, and I look forward to a great year for Ole Miss.

The Alumni Association works each year to raise money for scholarships and generate support for the university by holding annual events on campus and in cities throughout Mississippi and the nation. The Association consistently has worked to increase attendance at events both on and off campus and to increase active membership in the Association. My goal is to continue that work. I am committed to staying involved in the life of Ole Miss, an institution and place that has given me so much. I hope as president to encourage all alumni and friends to reconnect with the university, attend local meetings, visit our beautiful campuses, become dues-paying members of the Alumni Association and, most of all, encourage high school and community college students to attend Ole Miss.

I must commend my predecessor, Bill May, and his wife, Judy, for their leadership, as well as all former presidents who have served our Association. Bill is an untiring supporter of Ole Miss and has set a strong course for the Alumni Association. He and Judy served with grace and style. To the Alumni Association board and staff, I ask for your support to promote Ole Miss and thank you for your service.

Always a highlight for the Association is honoring the year’s distinguished alumni award recipients, as well as the outstanding inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame. They reflect great credit upon Ole Miss through their accomplishments and their devotion for and support of our alma mater. More about the 2011 award recipients can be found in this edition of the Alumni Review.

Ole Miss needs all of us to participate in its many activities, which will lead to even more growth and recognition. Volunteer to take a leadership role in your local Ole Miss alumni club. Get connected, stay connected and be a Rebel for life.

I can’t wait to get started!

Yours for Ole Miss,

Richard G. Noble (BBA 68, JD 73)

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IT’S BIGGER THAN A GAME. IT’S BIG SAVINGS. Liberty Mutual’s Coach of the Year Award celebrates college football coaches who best demonstrate the qualities of responsibility, integrity, and excellence.

Four winning coaches each receive $20,000 for the school’s alumni association and $50,000 for the charity of his choice. So support your school and vote for your coach today!

Did you know Liberty Mutual partners with more than 700 alumni associations to offer exclusive savings on auto and home insurance? Just by being an Ole Miss alum, you could save hundreds of dollars on our quality coverage.* Show your school spirit! Visit coachoftheyear.com to vote for Coach Nutt—and see how much you could be saving on auto and home insurance!

Snap it and vote.

Get the free reader mobile app at http://i-nigma.mobi

This organization receives financial support for allowing Liberty Mutual to offer this auto and home insurance program. *Savings available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify.

Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA. ©2011 Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

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The latest on Ole Miss students, faculty, staff and friends Photo by Jay Ferchaud

UM Chancellor Dan Jones thanks Carl and Nancy Herrin for their gift to fund need-based scholarships.

Thumbs Up Businessman who hitchhiked way through Ole Miss aids future students

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uccessful businessman Carl Herrin (BBA 49) of Jackson remembers that, for more than three years, he hitchhiked the 115 miles from his hometown of Durant to The University of Mississippi to earn a college degree. So to help students who may be experiencing financial hardships, Herrin and his wife, Nancy, have created a scholarship endowment with a gift totaling more than $1 million.

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The Carl and Nancy Herrin Scholarship Endowment will provide 10 need-based scholarships annually in the amount of $5,000 each to Mississippians. Longtime supporters, the Herrins previously made a $1 million gift to Ole Miss athletics to strengthen programs for student-athletes and have provided resources to other UM initiatives.

“I relate to poor students who need

scholarships,” says Carl Herrin. “My family was very poor, and I accelerated my studies at Ole Miss in order to graduate early. Those were different times, and I could go anywhere by setting down my suitcase with its Ole Miss sticker and thumbing a ride. After graduation, I sought a job with a company that furnished a car and joined General Motors in its insurance division.”

Herrin’s astute business sense and education not only provided him his first car but also transported him on a career path that has focused on building business holdings of multiple auto dealerships and oil and gas interests.

However, he has always “come home” to his alma mater.

“I love Ole Miss,” Herrin says. “It is part of me, and it truly is a unique institution. The important thing about this scholarship endowment is that it will go on long after we’re gone. The costs associated with attending college keep increasing each year, and it seems the government may be cutting back on assistance. Education is critical to families and to our state.”

The $1,015,000 Herrin Scholarship Endowment will be held permanently, with the annual interest income funding the scholarships.

“Carl and Nancy Herrin have given the gift of education and opportunity—tremendous resources that will dramatically change lives and move our state and region forward,” says Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75). “Significant numbers of Mississippi families simply are unable to cover the costs of higher education, and our university is working to address access and affordability issues. We are profoundly grateful to the Herrins for their vision for young people and their willingness to help impact this issue. Providing assistance to current and future generations is a powerful legacy.”

Carl Herrin began his long association with UM after his three-year service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He attended UM during a time of change for the Oxford campus. The GI Bill paid the way for Herrin and many other students to study at UM, which sent enrollment soaring to approximately 3,200. Enrollment for the 2010-11 academic year was 19,536.

When Herrin completed his business degree at Ole Miss and had worked for General Motors, he and his brother opened a Dodge-Plymouth dealership in Lexington. Herrin was hired in 1952 to join the team of the new Milner Chevrolet dealership in Jackson. Within a decade, he had moved from service salesman to general manager and was

responsible for implementing sales and marketing programs that produced record-breaking results.

A few years later, Dumas Milner—a noted Mississippi businessman—opened a Cadillac dealership in Jackson and sold his Chevrolet dealership to Herrin and George Gear.

Today Herrin and his son, Ole Miss business alumnus Jack Herrin (BBA 76), own a number of auto dealerships in Jackson, including those for Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Toyota and Chevrolet. Jack Herrin, president, directs day-to-day business operations of the companies, and Carl Herrin serves as chairman of the board.

“Carl credits The University of Mississippi as giving him the foundation needed for his career,” says Nancy Herrin, a Durant native who also attended the university. “He wants to give back to the school that gave him so much. I’m glad we are able to do this for students who are less fortunate so that they can earn college degrees at our university. There’s no other place in the world quite like Ole Miss.”

The Herrins, who have been married for 59 years, not only have supported the university but also return to campus for events, including football games. In

addition to the Herrins’ son, the couple’s daughter and son-in-law, Holley (77) and Don Noblitt Jr. (BBA 75), and their son and daughter all pursued business degrees at Ole Miss.

“We thank Carl and Nancy Herrin, extraordinary people, who care deeply about future generations and our university,” says UM Chancellor Emeritus Robert Khayat (BAEd 61, JD 66). “The Herrins understand that educational opportunities are absolutely critical to our state. We believe students as well as other alumni and friends will be inspired by this incredibly successful and generous family.”

Warner Alford (BBA 60, MA 66), executive director emeritus of alumni affairs, director emeritus of intercollegiate athletics and a consultant to the UM Foundation, worked with the Herrins on their gift.

“Carl and Nancy Herrin have been special friends of mine for more than 40 years and have been devoted members of the Ole Miss family for even longer,” Alford says.

“This couple is always reaching out to help people. We are pleased that their names will be permanently and appropriately linked to The University of Mississippi through this scholarship endowment.” AR

UMMC program helps cancer patients navigate the health care system

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he American Cancer Society has launched its Patient Navigator Program at The University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Institute, the first such program in Mississippi to assist cancer patients in negotiating the health care system.

“Our Patient Navigator Program helps patients focus on getting well by providing support every step of the way, from explaining what to expect during treatment to making sure patients have transportation to and from appointments,” says Angel Strange, quality of life director for the American Cancer Society Mid-South Division.

“Fighting cancer is a difficult, challenging journey, but with the help of trained American Cancer Society patient navigators, people don’t have to go through it alone.”

The Patient Navigator Program directly connects patients to a cancer education and support specialist, who serves as a personal guide to patients and caregivers as they face the psychosocial, emotional and financial challenges that cancer can bring. The service is free and confidential, and places an emphasis on assisting the medically underserved.

“The American Cancer Society Patient Navigator Program at UMMC will enable us to assist patients with personalized community resources and support,” says Beth Feisel, UMMC’s patient navigator. “This program proactively reaches patients who are most in need of specialized services and support, providing the critical link to local resources that will improve their outcomes and quality of life.” AR

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or the third consecutive year, The Chronicle of Higher Education selected The University of Mississippi as one of the top 10 Great Colleges to Work For among colleges with more than 10,000 students.

“This ranking is a tremendous honor for the entire university family because it reflects the hard work and dedication of all our employees,” says Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75). “By pulling together and focusing on a common goal, our faculty and staff have helped make The University of Mississippi not only a great place to work but also a great place for our students to begin the rest of their lives.”

The Chronicle’s 2011 Great Colleges to Work For program recognizes colleges for specific practices and policies based on enrollment size. Now in its fourth year, the Great Colleges program has become one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country.

“We are in a truly elite group of institutions [that] have garnered this level of recognition for the past three years,” says Clay Jones (BA 95), UM director of Human Resources and Contract Services. “This award speaks to the passion and commitment that our employees have for our institution. It is also a reflection of the administration’s commitment to fairness and openness, which truly makes this a wonderful place to work.”

For more information and to view all the results of the survey, visit The Chronicle’s website at http://chronicle.com/ academicworkplace. AR

Kidney, liver transplant surgeon joins UMMC

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Photo by Jay Ferchaud

r. Chris Anderson, who specializes in adult and pediatric liver and kidney transplants, joined The University of Mississippi Medical Center Aug. 1 with clear plans to offer Mississippians liver transplants within a year.

Anderson treads new medical ground in Mississippi. The Lucedale native returned to the state from Washington University in St. Louis, where he worked to 8 Alumni Review

lead the transplant division and to start a liver transplant program. Anderson also wants to launch Mississippi’s pediatric abdominal transplant program by offering transplant surgery to children with kidney disease.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m excited about it. I like a good challenge,” he says.

Anderson says it would likely take six months to a year for the liver program to begin because key staff members need to be recruited to the team.

He says he has no doubt that the program will succeed.

“I didn’t come here just to come home. The institution is committed to this growth from top to bottom. There’s support here to make this happen. Our goal is that no one should leave the state to get excellent transplant care,” he says.

Dr. Marc Mitchell, chair and professor of surgery, says as many as 70 Mississippians travel out of state annually for liver transplants. “[Anderson is] going to provide a service we haven’t been able to provide for our citizens. It is our mission and our responsibility to provide comprehensive transplant care to patients who need it.” AR

Record-breaking class pushes enrollment past 20,800 students Photo by Harry Briscoe

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nyone who has driven around Oxford or waited in line at one of the Square’s popular restaurants the past few weeks already knows what University of Mississippi officials announced Sept. 2. This year’s enrollment has shattered all previous records.

Preliminary enrollment figures show a total unduplicated headcount on all the university’s campuses of 20,824. That’s up 1,278 students from last fall, a 6.5 percent increase.

Furthermore, enrollment has skyrocketed an astounding 45.8 percent over the past decade, growing from 14,284 in 2001.

“The best news about the enrollment growth is that it will result in more graduates for our state and region,” Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75) says. “The future of our state is directly tied to our success in education. More graduates from the fine academic programs at The University of Mississippi will mean a stronger,

healthier state and a more robust economy in the future.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to transform the individual lives of those who trust us with the decision to attend this great American university and for

how this will transform our state and the world beyond.”

The student body includes 3,571 new freshmen, an increase of 15.6 percent over last fall, when UM enrolled the largest freshman class in Mississippi history. AR

Photo by Kevin Bain

Lights, Camera, Sparky Dean of Students appears in ‘The Help’

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hough it’s highly doubtful he’ll receive an Oscar nomination, Thomas “Sparky” Reardon (BAEd 72, PhD 00) is still excited about his brief appearance in the movie “The Help.”

The University of Mississippi dean of students plays a nameless “fat cat politician” who walks down the Capitol steps in Jackson in one scene.

“No one will recognize who I am unless they know me and know exactly where to look,” says Reardon, who went to Beverly Hills, Calif., for the premiere.

“I had to walk up and down those steps 14 times to be sure that they got a take they could use. It got pretty hot in that wool suit last August.”

Based on the 2009 best-selling novel of the same name by Jackson native Kathryn Stockett, “The Help” is about

African-American maids working in white households in Jackson during the early 1960s.

The novel was adapted for the screen and directed by Jackson native and Ole Miss alumnus Tate Taylor (BBA 91).

“One day he called me up and said he had a role in ‘The Help’ just for me and asked me if I would accept it,” says Reardon. “So I did.”

Though his appearance is brief and he has no lines, it is a credited part. And knowing that his scene may go unnoticed by viewers, Reardon takes it all with a grain of salt.

“I’m bound to be in one of the deleted scenes included when the movie comes out on DVD and Blu-ray disc,” he says. “Or, maybe I’ll make the director’s cut.” AR Fall 2011 9

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Circle Double Threat Twins continue family legacy in engineering, athletics

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European Aeronautic Defense and Space North America scholar and co-op intern in the university’s National Center for Physical Acoustics. “I love Oxford, and Ole Miss is a great school from which to earn a degree.”

Both Sam and Tom will take a

required engineering graphics course taught by their mother, who is known to be rigorous in the classroom.

“We had Dad for our coach for six years, so we should be able to take instruction from Mom for a semester,” Sam says with a laugh. AR Photo by Nathan Latil

cott and Marni Kendricks always hoped that their twin sons, Sam and Tom, would one day attend The University of Mississippi as they did decades earlier. What the couple didn’t anticipate is that each of the brothers would enter his parents’ alma mater with stellar achievements in academics and athletics.

The 18-year-old brothers graduated from Oxford High School in May. Sam set school and state records in polevaulting, earning honors as the Gatorade Mississippi Boys Athlete of the Year and Mr. Track and Field in Mississippi. Tom won the Robert Youngblood Award for having the most varsity letters of any graduating senior in track, cross-country and soccer during his high school tenure.

“We are thrilled that our boys will be continuing the family legacy in engineering and in athletics,” says Marni Kendricks (BE 90, MSESc 10), assistant dean in the School of Engineering. “I think that this is exactly the right fit for each of them to earn their degrees and launch successful career paths.”

A champion high school runner and founding member of the Ole Miss track program under Coach Joe Walker, Scott Kendricks (BA 83) has been coaching OHS teams for years.

“I am particularly pleased that Sam will now be coached by Joe Walker, who also coached me so many years ago,” he says.

Both brothers say they are eager to begin their engineering studies.

“I’ve visited several other universities, but for me, Ole Miss is still the best,” says Sam, a general engineering major, Army ROTC student and athletics scholar.

“Ole Miss is whatever you make it to be.

I’m going to spend a lot of my time here between ROTC and the track team.”

“I feel like engineering is the major I’ve been guided to my whole life,” says Tom, a mechanical engineering major,

Freshmen twins Tom (left) and Sam Kendricks aim to continue their family legacy at Ole Miss.

Forbes ranks UM among nation’s 20 best college buys

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he University of Mississippi has in supporting our university on the pathway picked up a new accolade for its to remarkable progress.” academic programs, placing in the The Center for College Affordabiltop 20 of Forbes’ “Best Buy Colleges.” ity and Productivity, in conjunction with The list is part of the annual America’s Forbes, compiled the list using five genBest Colleges section, which includes eral categories: student satisfaction, several rankings and data on which includes freshman-toAMERICA’S 650 colleges and universities. sophomore retention rates After being ranked No. 24 last and faculty evaluations; postyear, Ole Miss moved up to No. COLLEGES graduate success, which mea20 on this year’s list.

2011 sures alumni job placement, pay “It’s gratifying to receive and professional achievement; this significant recognition,” UM Chancel- student debt with penalties for high debt lor Dan Jones (MD 75) says. “This affirms loads and default rates; four-year gradwhat students from around the country are uation rate; and competitive awards, discovering about The University of Missis- including prestigious scholarships such sippi. I am grateful to our fine faculty, our as the Rhodes, Truman and Marshall. The committed staff and every person involved rankings are designed to assist families

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in choosing a college based on getting the most quality for their tuition dollars.

As state funding for higher education has declined over the last two decades, college tuition and fees have soared nationwide.

Ole Miss has several programs to help ease the costs of higher education for families. For example, the university annually awards hundreds of Luckyday Scholarships, ranging from $2,000 to $7,000 a year. And the Ole Miss Opportunity Scholarship program, launched in 2010, provides financial aid for tuition, housing and meals.

For more information on the Forbes report, go to www.forbes.com/ top-colleges. AR

Witness to History Integration-era editor donates memorabilia to alma mater

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censure was rescinded. to the [state] of Mississippi.”

“I was shocked and really touched,” Mitchell’s editorial attracted national attention and a flood of responses vary- Mitchell says. “That had to be one of the ing from hate mail to admiration, and most emotional days of my life.”

After graduating, Mitchell interned it eventually garnered a Pulitzer Prize with World-Telegram and Sun in New nomination.

Her UM donation, which is sheltered York and UPI in London. She owned sevin the J.D. Williams Library’s Depart- eral weekly newspapers with her husband ment of Archives and Special Collections, in New Jersey for 25 years, and she retired includes letters to the editor, photographs, as deputy director of the New Jersey clippings, old newspapers and other Council on Affordable Housing. AR ephemera, some pulled from her Pulitzer Prize scrapbook.

Reminiscing about her Ole Miss experience, Mitchell says, “I was at the right place at the right time in terms of confirming my beliefs, standing up for Mississippi and being prepared to face the consequences.”

Because of her editorials, Mitchell was censured by the Campus Senate some two months after Meredith’s enrollment. Mitchell’s donation is sheltered in the Department of Archives Almost 40 years later, the and Special Collections.

Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections

lumna Sidna Brower Mitchell (BA 63), who was editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian when James Meredith (BA 63) enrolled as the university’s first African-American student in 1962, has donated her memorabilia to The University of Mississippi.

On the evening of Sept. 30, 1962, some students joined outsiders in riots to protest Meredith’s enrollment, turning the campus into a battlefield. Mitchell, a senior journalism major from Memphis, witnessed the rioting, heard gunshots and saw federal marshals resort to tear gas to back off the crowds.

As head of the student-run campus newspaper, she wrote an editorial against the violence and published it in a special edition of the newspaper delivered the following day.

Her 228-word commentary, titled “The Violence Will Not Help,” read in part: “This is an appeal to the entire student body and to anyone concerned with the present situation. Not only do the students chance forfeiting their education by participating in riots, but they are bringing dishonor and shame to the university and

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Jim Morrison (BBA 03) (left), director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, discusses the Zipcar network with a Zipcar representative.

A New Way to Ride UM launches Zipcar and Zimride

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he University of Mississippi has added the car-sharing services Zipcar and Zimride to its multiple transportation options on campus.

Zipcar, a popular car-share network, provides vehicles to its members hourly or daily. Rates cover gas, maintenance, insurance and even roadside assistance.

“It’s really convenient and reasonable,” says Anne McCauley, project coordinator for the Office of Campus Sustainability.

People affiliated with the university can join Zipcar for a $35 annual fee.

Hourly rates start as low as $8 Mondays through Fridays and $9 on weekends.

Daily costs start at $66 on weekdays and $72 on weekends.

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Registration is available for all students, faculty and staff ages 18 and older as well as to members of the local community ages 21 and older. Those interested in joining can do so by visiting http://zipcar.com/olemiss.

Cars can be reserved for as short as an hour or for multiple days, and reservations can be made minutes in advance or up to a year ahead. Zipcar even offers mobile applications for both iPhone and Android users that honk the horn to help locate a Zipcar and unlock the doors.

“With The University of Mississippi offering both Zipcar and Zimride, the university now has one of the most comprehensive campus transit programs in the country with convenient and accessible

bike-share, car-share, ride-share programs, along with the increasingly popular Oxford-University Transit bus system,” says Jim Morrison (BBA 03), director of the Office of Campus Sustainability.

Zimride is a private online social networking site devoted to establishing rides.

Free for the Ole Miss community, the site allows users to connect with others who are looking to carpool in the area.

Students can use it to get back and forth to campus or connect with rides going to the airport or a special event such as an away game.

The site is up and running at http:// zimride.olemiss.edu. Users can create a profile or log in through their Facebook account. AR

Film Presence ‘True Blood’ screenwriter joins English faculty department and the approval of a new minor in cinema in the College of Liberal Arts, it is only natural that we start offering classes in s c re e n w r i t i n g ,” Kamps says.

Offutt says he grew up in a “very small, rural” part of eastern Kentucky and is looking forward to “coming home to the South.”

“Since leaving K e n t u c k y, I ’v e lived all over the c o u n t r y, i n b i g cities and small towns, and really learned a lot. The biggest thing I learned was that I really love the South and miss it. I’ve been trying to get back for a long time,” he says.

Offutt first visited Oxford in 1994 for a book tour. Since then, he has visited Photo courtesy of Kyle Medina

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ward-winning author and screenwriter Chris Offutt joined the faculty of The University of Mississippi this fall as assistant professor of English and screenwriting.

Offutt, who wrote two screenplays for HBO’s hit series “True Blood,” is writing a screenplay for the HBO series “Treme.” He is also the author of several novels and memoirs, and his upcoming work, “Luck,” will be his third short story collection.

Ivo Kamps, chair of the Department of English, says the faculty is “extremely pleased to add to its rank a screenwriter, novelist and nonfiction writer” of Offutt’s caliber.

“With the growing importance of film and media studies in the English

several times and says that he loves the town and the school.

“Oxford is the literary center of the South, a town where it’s OK to be a writer,” Offutt says. “I’ve never experienced such warmth and hospitality and acceptance anywhere else.”

While Offutt admits that writing a screenplay is a lot of work, it is also fun. It’s something he wants his students to learn.

“You can’t learn to write a screenplay just by watching movies and TV,” he says. “Read novels and short stories and plays. And the most important thing of all—if what you really want to do is write screenplays, don’t let anyone or anything get in your way.”

Offutt, who was named one of the 20 best young American fiction writers

by UK literary magazine Granta, has received awards from the Lannan Foundation, Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Endowment for the Arts and the Whiting Foundation. AR

National magazine ranks UM No. 1 for college tailgating

T

wice in one week, The University of Mississippi scored a No. 1 national ranking.

In September, Newsweek ranked the university “Most Beautiful” for its campus and student body. And just a week later, Tailgater Monthly magazine put Ole Miss at No. 1 on its list of the top 20 college tailgating sites. The listing is the cover story for the publication’s September issue, which came out Sept. 8.

“Tailgating on the Grove is the South all wrapped up with a bowtie in Oxford, Mississippi,” the article says. The twopage spread includes several photos of tailgating in the Grove and mentions game-day fashion and food.

The magazine staff spent “countless days and weeks of research” while developing the listing, says Beth Anthony, the magazine’s managing editor. The

research included interviews with many avid tailgaters, including fans of opposing teams who have tailgated at opponents’ campuses.

“That’s important because I’m sure most Ole Miss fans think their campus has the best tailgating,” Anthony says.

“But when the opposing fans come in and say the tailgating in the Grove is really great, that carries a whole lot of weight.”

Tailgater Monthly, which celebrates its fifth birthday with its October issue, features food, equipment and tips for “anything that can be a tailgate,” Anthony says. Previous issues have featured people tailgating at concerts, baseball games and NASCAR events. The magazine also includes articles about camping gear because many tailgaters camp for days at the venues they visit.

Tailgater Monthly is available only by

print subscription or online, but copies of the September issue are on sale at the Ole Miss Bookstore. To see the online edition of the magazine, go to www.tailgatermonthly.com. AR

Fall 2011 13

Calendar Photo by Nathan Latil

Homecoming: Ole Miss vs.

Louisiana Tech Nov. 12

NOVEMBER

3

Square Toast for Scholarships: Charity wine and food tasting. Oxford Square, 6-9 p.m., $50 in advance/$60 at the door. Call 662-915-5993.

3

Business Alumni Reception: with Dean Ken Cyree. The Club, Birmingham, Ala. Call 662-915-7375.

4

Continuing Legal Education: Communication as an Art Form. Natchez.

Call 662-915-1354.

14 Alumni Review

5

8

14

5

Saving Political History: An Election Day program on past Mississippi politicians.

Overby Center, 11 a.m.noon. Call 662-915-1692.

12

14

12

15

Alumni Hall of Fame Awards Reception: The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Call 662-915-7375.

Brain Brawl Tournament: Division of Outreach Office of Pre-college Programs. Call 662-915-3034.

5

Communiversity: eBay Selling for Profit, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Yerby Auditorium. Call 662-915-1299.

5

Out of the Darkness Community Walk: The Circle, 9 a.m. Call 888333-2377, or visit www.outofdarkness.com.

Football: Ole Miss vs. Louisiana Tech.

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, time to be announced. Visit www.olemisssports.com.

Miss Ole Miss and Colonel Reb Reunion: 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m., hosted by the Ole Miss Alumni Association. Call 662-915-7375.

Communiversity: The Secrets of Orion astronomy session, 7-8:30 p.m., Yerby Auditorium. Call 662-915-1299.

Communiversity: Learning the Computer, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Weir Hall. Call 662-915-1299.

Reviewing the Returns: A Look Back and a Look Forward: Democrat Jere Nash and Republican Andy Taggart debate. Overby Center, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Call 662-9151692.

17

The Producers: Talent agent Sam Haskell and other Ole Miss alumni discuss television and film production. Overby Center, 4-5 p.m. Call 662915-1692.

17

Communiversity: Glazing Basics for Ceramics. The Clay Canvas in Oxford, 6-9 p.m. Call 662-915-1299.

17

Ford Series: “South Pacific.” Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-1217, visit www.olemiss.edu/fordcenter, or email fordcent@ olemiss.edu.

DECEMBER

1

Communiversity: Advanced Knitting, 6:308:30 p.m., Yerby Upstairs Conference Room. Call 662915-7847.

2

-3 Theatre Oxford: “A Christmas Presence.” The Powerhouse. Visit www. theatreoxford.ticketleap.com.

5

8

5

10

Pharmacy Alumni and Friends Reception: at the ASHP Exhibition, Hilton Riverside Hotel, New Orleans, La. Call 662-9157375.

-6 Continuing Legal Education: CLE by the Hour. Memphis, Tenn. Call 662-915-1354.

Communiversity: Advanced Knitting, 6:308:30 p.m., Yerby Upstairs Conference Room. Call 662915-7847.

Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi Valley State. Tad Smith Coliseum, 2 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.

Ford Series: “South Pacific” Nov. 17

18

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. South Alabama, 4:30 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www. olemisssports.com.

18

Young Alumni Reception: All graduating classes of 2002-11 are invited. The Oxford Depot, 5-7 p.m. Call 662-915-7375.

19

Football: Ole Miss vs. Louisiana State.

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, time to be announced. Visit www.olemisssports.com.

19

Pharmacy Alumni Tailgate: before the game, front lawn of Faser Hall. Sponsored by Cardinal Health. Call 662-915-7375.

25

Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Miami, 3 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum.

Visit www.olemisssports.com.

Fall 2011 15

Calendar 11

Ford Season Extra: “Sounds of the Season.” Tupelo Symphony Orchestra hosted by Emmywinning actress Doris Roberts. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 3 p.m. Call 662-915-1217, visit www. olemiss.edu/fordcenter, or email fordcent@olemiss.edu.

11

-14 Academic Traveler: The Biltmore Estate. Educational travel program on the 8,000-acre estate near Asheville, N.C. Call 662-915-6511, or visit www.outreach.olemiss.edu.

14

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Central Michigan, 2:30 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www. olemisssports.com.

14

Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Louisiana-

Lafayette, 6 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www.olemisssports.com.

19

11

27

15

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Murray State, 5 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www.olemisssports.com.

-Jan. 6, 2012 Academic Traveler: Galápagos Explorer. Eleven-day educational cruise through the remote Pacific islands.

Call 662-915-6511, or visit www.outreach.olemiss.edu.

Women’s Rifle: Ole Miss vs. The Citadel, Oxford. Visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

18

JANUARY

1

18

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. LSU, 2 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www.olemisssports.com.

2

-14 Wintersession: Call 662-915-7847, or visit

Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State, 8 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www. olemisssports.com.

19

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State, 8 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www. olemisssports.com.

22

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Georgia, 2 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum.

Visit www.olemisssports.com.

27

Continuing Legal Education: Social Security/Disability Law. Jackson. Call 662-915-1354.

28

Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. South Carolina, 6 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www.olemisssports.com.

29

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Auburn, 2 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum.

Visit www.olemisssports.com.

Photo by Robert Jordan

16 Alumni Review

Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m., Tad Smith Coliseum. Visit www.olemiss­ sports.com.

-20 Continuing Legal Education: Winter Conference of the Mississippi Municipal Attorneys Association. Jackson.

Call 662-915-1354.

Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs.

Auburn JAn. 29

www.outreach.olemiss.edu/ wintersession.

The University of Mississippi Foundation

Thank you

for his future and yours Your gifts to the University of Mississippi Foundation to support Ole

Miss academics are ensuring

not only that our current students have the resources they need to excel, but also that

future generations of Rebels will receive an exceptional education.

Your gifts also increase the value of your own degree, by strengthening

our reputation as a premier public university.

Whether you give through the mail, through our phonathon or online,

your gift matters.

Annual Giving

To give now, visit umfoundation.com/makeagift or call 800-340-9542.

Among Literary Giants

By Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Pulitzer Prize-winning author joins creative writing faculty

18 Alumni Review

Richard Ford, who has joined the M.F.A. in creative writing faculty, sits among literary classics at Square Books in Oxford.

Photo by Robert Jordan

Fall 2011 19

The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program at Ole Miss, which is celebrating its 10th year, has been ranked as one of The Atlantic Monthly’s “Top Five Up and Coming Programs” and is listed among the top 50 M.F.A. programs by Poets & Writers magazine. The program is shining even brighter this fall with the addition of Pulitzer Prizewinning author Richard Ford as a faculty member.

20 Alumni Review

Ford is teaching a graduate fiction seminar in the fall and a graduate class on form, craft and influence during the spring 2012 semester.

The Jackson native, who has lived in East Boothbay, Maine, for 12 years, says he is thrilled to return to his home state.

“I need Mississippi much more than Mississippi needs me,” Ford says. “Mississippi has a reputation and a history of being a place of good writers, and it seems to me to be wonderfully worthwhile to carry that pennant further.

“I hope the students can see that I, who have been writing for 40 years, am their colleague. I am in the world as they are, I’ve just been doing it longer,” Ford says. “Writing fiction is a vocation as opposed to a profession—there is not a professional ladder whose rungs you climb. I want to encourage them to set the bar high for their efforts and shoot for the moon, as Barry Hannah used to say.” (Hannah, who died last year, previously held the position as senior fiction writer.)

Three students, who are pursuing the M.F.A. in creative writing and are in Ford’s fiction workshop this semester, say Ford runs an organized and focused workshop. They also say he is as fine a professor as he is a writer and does inspire them to set the bar high.

“Ford has said occasionally that he has always tried to write about the most important things in the world,” says one of the students, Rachel Smith. “This mandate is inspiring to me as a young writer, and it makes me think, ‘Yes— that’s what I want to do too.’ In fact, it sets a certain stake, after which one can’t very well aspire to do anything else. In a practical sense, thinking about story writing in these terms has freed me up in some ways to engage subject matter I’ve perhaps lacked the courage to fully take on in the past.”

Another student, Tom Bennitt, says that Ford treats his students like peers, and his critiques of stories are tough but fair, but he offers more than that.

“What I admire about Ford is that he is a great student of literature,” Bennitt says. “And not just American literature.

For example, he can talk about 19th-century Russian or French or Irish writers and show how they’ve influenced modern American writers, and he can trace the roots of certain styles of fiction like realism or experimentalism.”

Bill Boyle, who is in his final semester before he graduates with the M.F.A., says he feels lucky to have the chance to learn from not only Ford but also the other creative writing faculty.

“The program was already so strong, and Ford’s addition to the faculty skyrockets our reputation,” Boyle says. “I look around at other programs, and they’re lucky to have one or two truly great writers. Here we have Richard Ford, Chris Offutt, Tom Franklin, Beth Ann Fennelly, Jack Pendarvis, Ann Fisher-Wirth, Gary Short, and I was lucky enough to get to take a class with Barry Hannah, too. Amazing.”

Looking at the work of Ford alone, his 1995 Independence Day was the first novel to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. In the same year, Ford was chosen as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story.

His other novels include A Piece of My Heart (1976), The Ultimate Good Luck (1981), The Sportswriter (1986), Wildlife (1990) and The Lay of the Land (2006).

Photo by Robert Jordan

Kristina and Richard Ford, who have been married for more than 40 years, lean on the balcony of Square Books. Kristina Ford has also joined the UM faculty as a visiting professor of public policy leadership.

Ford has also served as editor for The Granta Book of the American Short Story (1992), The Granta Book of the American Long Story (1999) and The New Granta Book of the American Short Story (2007).

He also edited Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar: Stories of Work (Harper Perennial, 2011), an anthology exploring themes of employment, service and daily obligations in America.

Beth Ann Fennelly, an acclaimed poet and UM associate professor of English who chaired the search committee, says that the literary reputation of Oxford and the M.F.A. program itself helped attract a strong pool of applicants. But when the committee members discovered that Ford was interested, it was obvious which way they hoped the search would lead.

Fennelly says Ford is at the top of his game—vibrant, lively, charismatic and incredibly generous to his students.

“Richard has taught at Trinity College [in Dublin, Ireland] and at Princeton, and he certainly could teach anywhere in the world. But he wanted to give something back, and he felt he had something to give to Mississippi, so he chose to come here,” she says.

Ivo Kamps, chair of the English department, says he is happy about having one of the country’s foremost novelists on faculty.

“Ole Miss and the town of Oxford, already known for their many talented and

successful writers, have just landed one of the true giants on the American literary scene, and we couldn’t be happier about it,” Kamps says. “The English faculty is enormously excited and deeply honored to have Richard Ford as its new colleague; he is a writer whose novels and stories we have all read, enjoyed and admired.”

Joining Ford at Ole Miss is his wife of more than 40 years, Kristina, who is serving as a visiting professor of public policy leadership. The assistant deputy mayor of New Orleans, Kristina Ford is a distinguished city planner, academician and author. She was the executive director of the New Orleans city planning commission for eight years and has written three books on community planning issues, including The Trouble with City Planning: What New Orleans Can Teach Us (Yale University Press, 2010).

Richard Howorth (BA 72), former mayor of Oxford and owner of Square Books, has known both Fords since the 1980s. He remembers when Ford gave a reading from his short story “Communist” at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Soon afterward, the Fords moved to Jonestown, just outside of Clarksdale, while he penned The Sportswriter. The Fords also lived in Oxford for a year, while Kristina taught in the political science department at Ole Miss in the early 1990s.

Ford’s voice is one of the most striking

The program was already so strong, and Ford’s addition to the faculty skyrockets our reputation.”

— Bill Boyle

Fall 2011 21

aspects of his writing, Howorth says.

“I think he’s a brilliant writer,” he says. “Richard has a strong, appealing narrative voice that has a way of making you feel as an ally as a reader—you feel like you’re in on a lot of things that you otherwise wouldn’t be in on. His characters are credible and strong, and his stories are rife with insight about the human condition and what’s going on in our world.”

Ford’s presence in the community, to teach and help students at this time in his life, is a happy occasion, especially in the absence of Barry Hannah.

“No one could replace Barry, but at least with Richard, once again we’ll be privileged to have a master of modern literature walking among us, not to mention a friend and a person who, like Barry, is generous and kind and is also a little bit unpredictable and sometimes scary, which is a good thing,” Howorth says.

H a v i n g b o t h Fo r d s b r i n g s acclaim, recognition and personal passion to the university.

Bob Haws, recently retired chair of the Department of Public Policy Leadership and associate professor of history, says he hopes Kristina Ford’s experience and wide range of contacts will help identify internships for students in government.

“I think it is serendipitous that the university had an opportunity to have both of the Fords—Richard in creative writing and Kristina in our department. Everyone is better off,” Haws says.

Kamps adds that since the Fords have both enjoyed immensely successful careers, for them to come to Ole Miss at this time is a genuine boon to the institution, the faculty and the students.

“Kristina will bring the type of real-world experience that our students need and crave, and forge closer ties between academia and other communities; Richard will continue to write wonderful novels and stories and help shape the next generation of young writers to come through Ole Miss,” Kamps says. AR

22 Alumni Review

Meet the M.F.A. faculty Beth Ann Fennelly Director of the MFA Program and Associate Professor of English

Ann Fisher-Wirth Professor of English and Director of the Environmental Studies Minor

Tom Franklin Assistant Professor of English

Chris Offutt Assistant Professor of English and Screenwriting

Jack Pendarvis Writer in Residence

Gary Short Visiting Poet

Josh Weil Grisham Writer in Residence 2011-12

There’s not another child like yours.

Or another hospital like ours in Mississippi.

We dedicate our lives to helping your child grow up happy and healthy. As the state’s only hospital just for kids, we offer the expertise, specialized technology and compassionate care that babies, children and teens need. And as part of Mississippi’s only Academic Medical Center, we also give your child comprehensive care for everything from extraordinary needs to ordinary checkups.

Because your kids are our world.

Learn more at umhc.com/childrens or call 888.815.2005.

24 Alumni Review

When Career paths

Diverge Some Ole Miss alumni find their true calling outside their degrees

By Steve Mullen

Fall 2011 25

For

Heidi Tickle (BA 92, MEd 94), an A Splash of Tickle Sauce education in psychology and a

career in banking led her to the bottle—a bottle of hot sauce, that is.

When Will Hopkins (BPA 99) enrolled in Ole Miss, he fancied himself walking a career path with a badge and gun. Instead, he found his true calling in a woodworking shop. Likewise, his wife, Missy (BA 92), entered school with dreams of a performing arts career, not managing the couple’s small business.

Like Tickle and the Hopkins, some Ole Miss graduates find their life’s calling after they’ve

Photo courtesy of Heidi Tickle

trained for and worked in entirely different

The road “less traveled by” took Tickle to a little spice shop just off London’s Portobello Road. She wasn’t dreaming of launching her own hot sauce business—that would come years later. The New Orleans native, who was working in London at the time for Paine Webber, was merely looking for something hot.

“I said to the woman [in the shop], ‘What’s your spiciest thing?’ and she pointed me to this bottle,” Tickle says.

On the shelf was a small Coke bottle filled with a yellow sauce, a label slapped on the side. “It didn’t look very intimidating,” she says.

But the shopkeeper told Tickle, “Don’t be fooled, it’s really hot.” And it was.

The sauce was made by a man from Jamaica, who grew his own peppers locally and walked his sauce to that little shop. Tickle later returned to New York, but she was hooked and would continue to order the spicy Jamaican sauce by way of the shop in London.

“It was hot, but it was really flavorful,” Tickle says.

Eventually the man, and the sauce, disappeared after a hurricane destroyed his Jamaican family’s home. Tickle, on her last bottle, began experimenting to recreate the sauce.

What she ended up with was something entirely different—a sauce of her own.

“I start[ed] mixing things and playing with recipes,” she says, lending her grandmother’s shrimp stew and other flavors to the mix—roux, onions, garlic.

“I didn’t get it right the first few times, but then what I started to make was a sauce that was not his—it was mine—and it was flavorful,” she says.

She started bringing the result to the bankers at work.

careers. As in Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” where “two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” some alumni take the road “less traveled by” and find “that has made all the difference.”

Heidi Tickle (BA 92, MEd 94) pursued a career in banking but has launched her own line of hot sauce in New York.

26 Alumni Review

“And they’d say, ‘When are you bringing more of the Tickle sauce in? I love it. Here’s my container, refill it.’”

Tickle, who had grown up cooking with her mother in her New Orleans kitchen, had found her true calling—and it wasn’t behind a desk.

That was 2004. Now, Tickle is still a banker, but she hopes not forever. Tickle Sauce is up and running, and she’s creating more flavors. Her sauce is stocked in several shops in New York, including one in Grand Central Station in Manhattan.

“In 2004, I didn’t have the self-confidence to say, ‘I’m ready to walk away from banking and start my own company,’” she says.

“Now? I absolutely would. And I’m working to make that happen.”

Opening ‘The Green Door’

Photo by Robert Jordan

Will and Missy Hopkins were destined to meet. The couple, both Ole Miss grads, didn’t meet in school but afterwards. Their football season-ticket seats in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium were nearby, and they’d “make eyes at each other,” as Will Hopkins puts it.

He already had taken a path that diverged from his college major—criminal justice—long before.

“I wanted to be a U.S. marshal,” he says. “My best friend’s dad was a U.S. marshal, and I thought going to work with jeans, boots and a gun was the way to go.”

But by the time he was a junior at Ole Miss, he says, “I knew I wasn’t going to be in that field. It was a pretty strict lifestyle, and I wasn’t very strict.”

He found himself “getting a degree to get a degree.” He entered sales after college. He sold Yellow Pages ads, went into the mortgage-refinance industry and eventually went to work at

his current job, selling furniture, appliances and electronics to furniture stores.

But during that time, he was stoking the embers of a different calling: woodworking and furniture building. Like Tickle, he had an urge to launch his own business.

Missy Hopkins’ career was winding along a different path.

The Jackson native knew she would go to Ole Miss. Her mother, father and siblings are all alumni, but, like most freshmen, she was a little unsure of what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

“I really wanted to do something with performing arts,” she says. “I enjoyed writing as well.”

She settled into English as a major and, upon graduation, ended up managing a retail store in Dallas. She soon worked her way into marketing and worked at The Godwin Group in Jackson, among other firms.

Eventually, mutual friends set up Will and Missy on a blind date. Romance and marriage soon followed. The couple decided they wanted to make their home and future in Oxford.

With a little help and encouragement from friends and family, the pair embarked on starting their own small business, selling imported furniture at booths in local stores. Months later, they had their own store in north Oxford and called it The Green Door Co. Among the high-end furniture pieces rests the green door itself, a wedding present that the couple had intended to be the front door of their dream home in Oxford.

They scaled back plans for the home and instead scaled up plans for their business.

The booths are gone, and the couple’s new 12,000-squarefoot space has been open a few months.

“We’ve surpassed our monthly goals so far, so we haven’t got much to complain about,” Will Hopkins says.

The Green Door Co. offers both imported furniture and handmade furniture that he makes with his father.

“My most enjoyable times are in my workshop with my dad,” he says. “If I could do that every day and make the money that I make now, I would do it.

And we’re getting there.”

Formulate a Plan

Will Hopkins (BPA 99) and wife, Missy (BA 92), trained for different careers but have started their own furniture business in Oxford.

Hot sauce and imported furniture seem to have very little, if anything, in common.

But Tickle and the Hopkins are on the same road—that of startup small businesses.

The path can be a dangerous one, with potential “mistakes at each and every step along the way,” says James Carden (BA 82, MA 10), a businessman who now teaches economics and advises others as director of the Small Business Development Center at The University of Mississippi.

Carden isn’t advising Hopkins and Tickle. But they’re following a basic concept from business guru Stephen Covey, which Carden preaches to his own students: “Begin with the end in mind.”

“A lot of folks start businesses and have Fall 2011 27

no clue about what they want out of that business or what they should expect from that business. And I think that is probably the most fundamental mistake that entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs make,” he says.

Successful startups must have a business plan, Carden says.

“I tell my students that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” he says and adds that a business plan should answer nine fundamental questions.

“The first three are ‘Who are you?’ ‘What do you do?’ and ‘Who do you do it for?’” he says. “The second three are marketing-oriented questions: ‘Can you do it?’ ‘Does anybody want it?’ and ‘Will they pay for it?’ And then the three fundamental finance questions: ‘How much money do you need?’ ‘How will you use that money?’ and ‘How will you pay it back?’”

Above all, Carden says, seek advice, and know your education doesn’t end with a college degree.

“I tell my children, their first job is to find a mentor,” he says.

“Find somebody doing something that they think they would love doing. And then learn all you can about it.”

Will Hopkins says he has such mentors in his parents. His father was a successful small businessman, and his mother worked at First National Bank for years. Both not only helped Will and Missy develop their business plan but also invested and work in the business.

“They helped us with the business plan and helped us with the financing, and we’ve done all of this without us borrowing a dime,” Will Hopkins says.

Tickle, the New York transplant, sought guidance from nearby Cornell University, which gives help to entrepreneurs developing food products.

“The Cornell materials helped me puzzle out components of my business plan and with food services, some of the things I needed to have in place before I could even get off the ground,” Tickle says.

She also found support from a friend who owns a business called Beer Table in Brooklyn, where she lives. A year ago, he told her, “I’m getting ready to open a store in Grand Central. I love your sauce. Get it together; I want it on the shelf.”

“So I called Cornell,” Tickle says, “puzzled out how to get my sauce from a kitchen to a store, put together a business plan by June, by August had a tax ID and a bank account, by September I had a website, by October I had insurance and a co-packer … and January I had my first batch.”

No Regrets

Tickle isn’t looking back. Her life in banking allowed her the savings to start her business, but she knows she wants to leave corporate life behind and pursue her dream of being a culinary entrepreneur.

Still, she says she wouldn’t change a thing about her choice of major at Ole Miss. In fact, she says the choice was essential to her success.

“I don’t have any regrets about the route I took because I think it all happened to get me where I needed to be,” she says.

“Had I not gone that route, I would not have stretched myself out of my comfort zone to be able to have the dexterity that I have today. I don’t regret it at all.”

Will and Missy Hopkins, who started out majoring in criminal

28 Alumni Review

justice and English, respectively, and who now make and sell furniture, also have no regrets.

“I’d decidedly take the same academic path,” Missy Hopkins says. “English, as a major, has benefited me an immeasurable amount of times and still does, not just from a communications standpoint but also from a cultural standpoint.

“I’ve been very grateful for that academic path,” she says.

“Even though it seems to be a disjointed and winding road, it was my road. And that’s the way it was supposed to pave itself.” AR

Travel Advice Thinking of branching down your own road? Alumni who’ve done it offer this advice:

Find a Mentor

“Surround yourself with people who can show you favor: family members that have run businesses, a good accountant, a good CPA, a good attorney, a good business counselor,” says James Carden, director of UM’s Small Business Development Center.

Start asking questions, says UM alumna Heidi Tickle. “If you have something that you want to do, like start a hot sauce company, I just started asking questions. And people have done the same thing with me.”

Devise a Plan

Write a detailed business plan, says Carden, who likes to remind his students of Christopher Columbus. “When he left Europe he didn’t know where he was [going], when he got here he didn’t know where he was, and when he got back he didn’t know where he had been, but he was able to repeat it three more times because he had a map and a plan.”

Test the Market

“When we began the booths, it wasn’t a market research project, it was just something for me to find a way in a new place,” says UM alumna Missy Hopkins. But, it was a “good foundation of market research that we could base a lot of our business plan upon. We did see consumer reaction to the product, established a business name and had a business card. ... From that we learned a great deal.

“Listen to your customers, and listen to your potential customers,” she says. “Really try to get someone else’s perspective.”

Possess Capital

Don’t rely on grant money or other government sources for financial help, Carden warns.

“Essentially, you have to have your own resources, or you have to be able to generate your own resources,” he says.

“Borrow as little as possible,” UM alumnus Will Hopkins advises.

Do What You Love

“It all boils down to doing something that you like to do and hoping that you can create an income source from it, so you can end up loving what you do and doing what you love,” Tickle says. AR

30 Alumni Review

event Adventurers kayak the mighty Mississippi to raise money for homeless

Fall 2011 31

By Rick Hynum Photos by Max Zoghbi, Loupe Theory Studios

As the first European to travel

the full length of the Mississippi River in 1682, the French explorer Sieur de La Salle made the arduous trek in the name of King Louis XIV for riches, territory and glory.

When Ole Miss senior Bowman Hitchens and alumnus Rob Treppendahl (BA 11) duplicated La Salle’s perilous feat this summer, they did it in the name of God—and on behalf of Oxford’s homeless population.

Hitchens, a 22-year-old double major in history and religion, enlisted his buddy Treppendahl, 23, and another friend, Max Zoghbi of Baton Rouge, to embark on the downriver, cross-country journey as a fund­raiser in part for Oxford-based Interfaith Compassion Ministry (ICM), a nonprofit organization that assists Oxonians with basic needs such as housing, rent, utility bills and prescription medicines. The three young men, all dedicated Christians and accomplished outdoorsmen, hatched their plan in 2010 and set off in kayaks from the river’s source, Lake Itasca in Minnesota, on June

Bowman Hitchens (left), Max Zoghbi and Rob Treppendahl (BA 11) began their adventure in Lake Itasca in Minnesota on June 21 and reached New Orleans on Aug 20.

32 Alumni Review

21, 2011, completing the 2,300-mile trip in 61 days.

The project, which they call A Wake in the Current, has raised more than $40,000, half of which went to ICM and the other half to another cherished cause, the Gardere Community Christian School in Baton Rouge. By selling merchandise and marketing an upcoming documentary film about their trip, the men hope to raise a total of $100,000 for the two institutions.

During their expedition, they camped outdoors every night and braved electrical storms, tornadoes, intense heat, fierce headwinds and treacherous currents. They spotted otters, beavers, bald eagles, even a lone wolf in the wilds of Minnesota. They navigated the upper river’s complex system of locks and dams, portaged shallow areas with 300-pound kayaks on their backs and once feasted on a 30-pound soft-shelled turtle they caught with their bare hands.

“It was a life-changing experience,” says Hitchens, a Charlotte, N.C., native, who also founded the UM Homeless Outreach organization and has done extensive volunteer work for ICM. “We learned a lot about faith, about brotherhood, about trusting God and each other. And we learned that, if God calls you to do something, He is going to get you through it.”

Heeding the Call Hitchens hit upon the idea while hiking the Colorado Trail in the summer of 2010.

He says the 500-mile, 33-day hike was a spiritual experience that led him to consider how he could better serve Oxford’s homeless population, which, according to recent estimates, numbers around 300, including families with children.

“During that time, I prayed a lot about my role in helping out ICM the next semester,” Hitchens says. “I felt like God put it in my heart to do a fundraiser. The biggest thing they needed was money. It felt like I was given the green light to step out and work on something bigger than myself.”

When Hitchens approached Treppendahl to join him on the trip, the latter hesitated for only one reason.

“As soon as Bowman told me about it, I wanted to go on the trip,” Treppendahl recalls. “A friend had done the same thing in 2005, so I’d wanted to do it for any reason for a long time. But I needed to make sure I was doing it for the right reason,

for homeless people, not just to go on an adventure. I had to think and pray about it for two months to make sure it was something I was being led to do by God.” A v i s i t t o h i s h o m e t ow n o f St .

Francisville, La., and a reunion with his pal Zoghbi, a Louisiana State University student, quickly helped Treppendahl make up his mind.

“Bowman and I hadn’t told anyone what we were thinking about doing at this point,” he says. “Then, out of nowhere, Max told me, ‘I’ve got this crazy idea that we’re supposed to canoe or kayak down the Mississippi River.’ And I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s what I needed to know!’

Now it was starting to feel ordained.”

In addition to several months of preparation on local lakes and gym training to firm up their shoulders, abs and back muscles, the three men worked to solicit pledges and corporate sponsorships from individuals and businesses. They

Martin had little doubt her husband-tobe and his friends would make the trip successfully. “I wasn’t too worried about their safety because I really trust their judgment, all three of them, especially Bowman. I knew he wouldn’t get in a situation where he’d endanger himself and not come home in one piece.”

The River Wild Even in summertime, Lake Itasca in northwestern Minnesota has a certain glacial and pristine quality, flanked by towering pines that teem with beavers, porcupines and black bears. Setting off on June 21, Hitchens, Treppendahl and Zoghbi paddled through 350 miles of rugged northern wilderness and camped along the shore during the dark, chilly nights.

“It was really cold those first three days, so cold your hands got numb on the paddle,” Hitchens says. “Luckily, we had adrenalin and were so excited we didn’t care.”

I felt like God put it in my heart to do a fundraiser.

The biggest thing [ICM] needed was money.”

developed a website (www.awakeinthecurrent.com) and sold T-shirts and other merchandise online.

“I’m not a businessman, but I sure learned how to run one,” Hitchens says. “We even got a lawyer involved. It was a well-oiled machine by the time it was all done.”

Procuring funds and working on his rotator cuffs weren’t Hitchens’ only preoccupations. He had also recently proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Kylie Martin (BA 11), and the lovebirds had a wedding to plan.

“We got engaged on the weekend of the Double Decker Festival (in 2011),” Martin says. “The hard part was putting the engagement on hold in a sense, but it was also really exciting to be able to tell people we were engaged and to tell them about the trip Bowman was planning at the same time.”

An avid outdoors adventurer herself,

—Bowman Hitchens The spectacular scenery of the upper river made the drudgery worthwhile for Treppendahl.

“The bluffs, marshes, lakes and wildlife were amazing,” he says. “You don’t see a lot of bald eagles where I’m from in Louisiana, but we’d see 12 or 15 bald eagles a day.

Around every bend there’d be ducks, egrets and great blue herons. I caught a baby swan and just scooped it up into my lap. It was a really cool experience.”

Minnesota’s tamer denizens—the vacationers and boaters who play and frolic along the river—also made the sojourners feel at home. Friendly strangers greeted them from the shoreline, offered food and drinks, welcomed them onto yachts and houseboats, even took them into their homes for showers and meals.

“One group invited us to a child’s birthday party with fish tacos, coconut Fall 2011 33

34 Alumni Review

shrimp, ice cream and rhubarb pie,” Treppendahl says. “They built a fire for us down by the lake that night and served us breakfast at 6 a.m. These were strangers, but we looked like we could use a hot meal, and they took us in. That kind of random generosity happened a lot.”

Farther south, the locks and dams— designed to subdue the wild river and support commercial traffic—posed logistical challenges, but even more problematic was the fierce heat that settled in over Illinois.

“We were dealing with a 120-degree heat index while sleeping outside,” Hitchens says. “I remember, right near the Illinois/Iowa border, the heat index was 105 degrees at midnight. I’ve never been so miserable sleeping in my entire life. We shared a three-man tent, but Max is 6 feet 4 inches so it felt more like a two-man tent. We had to quickly learn to address any personal-space issues.”

Treppendahl agrees. “It seemed like everything happened at one time (in Illinois)—the current slowed, there were really strong headwinds, black flies. Physically, when you’ve got no current and a 25-mph headwind, the body gets tested.”

The rigors of nature—including a powerful storm, golf ball-sized hail and 60-mph winds that nearly wrecked their tent at Lake Pepin in Wisconsin—proved a challenge to morale, but the adventurous trio overcame those adversities with faith.

“Our faith is paramount and instrumental in our lives,” Hitchens says. “We would pray every morning before we hit the river, asking for strength to overcome obstacles. We’d start singing—we sang the blues a lot—to lighten the mood. We knew turning back was not an option. If God was calling us to do this, He’d get us over the obstacles.”

St. Louis marked a turning point in the journey as the Mississippi’s current— no longer impeded by the locks and dams of the upper river—sped up and spirited the men swiftly south towards Memphis.

There, they enjoyed an evening with Hitchens’ fiancée and her family before

continuing downriver to the Big Easy.

Now, Hitchens says, the river began to lose some of its scenic glory, thanks to heavy industrialization.

“We’d seen the river where it was clean and clear and near-virgin, but about 100 miles north of New Orleans, that’s where it got really industrialized. That was hard for us—to see it go from such a beautiful natural wonder to this industrialized, commercialized highway.”

But the sight of family members and friends—and one cherished fiancée, who greeted them on the wharf at Jackson Square on Aug. 20—eased their sore eyes considerably.

“They threw a huge party for us at a theater in downtown New Orleans,” Hitchens says. “My parents flew in from North Carolina, and Kylie was there. The hardest part, I think, was being away from her for so long.”

limited extent, the difficulties endured by homeless people. Sporting unshorn hair and shaggy beards, Hitchens says he and his friends “were discriminated against in multiple situations. We realize we could never truly put ourselves in the shoes of (homeless people), but it gave us a better understanding of their situation. Some people would look at us like we were the scum of the earth. ... We learned humility in a lot of ways.”

Lena Wiley, director of ICM, praised the trio for their dedication to the cause.

“We were in dire straits with the unemployment rate being so high, so it was just a miracle that they raised so much money for us,” she says.

“To be young people, what they did was just awesome,” Wiley adds. “It was a mission for them. This was something that God put into their hearts, and they are so dedicated to assisting those in need and the homeless. They don’t just look at their own needs and say, ‘We’re doing OK.’ They truly care about the less fortunate, and that’s not that common in young people today.”

Kylie Martin, who will marry Hitchens on March 31, says she believed —Kylie Martin in her fiancé and his friends from the start. “ T h e y ’r e v e r y A Lesson in Humility driven and not willing to just sit around The plight of homeless people is a deeply and talk about doing something—they personal cause for Hitchens. As a high really wanted to do it,” she says. “And the school junior, he became a Christian thanks thing I really admired was how hard they to a homeless woman in Biloxi who’d lost all worked on raising awareness, the fundher possessions to Hurricane Katrina. raisers, creating the website and the video “My dad had made me go on a mis- logs, the T-shirts. They decided to do it, sion trip there,” he recalls, “and we were and they did it well. They saw a problem, helping this lady who said, ‘I’ve lost and they acted on it.” everything: my car, my house, my TV, Treppendahl says he and his two my dog passed away ... but I thank God companions also came away from the for my life and that my family is safe.’ For experience with a greater faith in God and me, coming from an affluent background, a conviction that they could overcome that really rocked my world. She led me to any obstacle.

Christ, and now I have such a deep respect “A lot of things went wrong, but we for homeless people. You can never really were flexible, and the Lord provided,” he understand the situation they’re in, and says. “I learned that opposition will always you should never pass judgment.” be out there, and the bigger the dream, By sleeping outside every night during the harder you’ll have to fight for it. This their trip, Hitchens, Treppendahl and gave me the confidence and faith to shoot Zoghbi wanted to experience, if only to a for the stars.” AR

They decided to do it, and they did it well.

They saw a problem, and they acted on it.”

Fall 2011 35

Highest Honors by jim urbanek

alumni association to recognize groundbreakers at homecoming the ole miss alumni association will award eight distinguished individuals with its highest annual honors during homecoming 2011.

Five of the award recipients will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

Created in 1974, the Hall of Fame honors alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their country, state or The University of Mississippi through good deeds, services and dedication that have perpetuated the good name of Ole Miss.

Inductees into the 2011 Alumni Hall of Fame are James H. Creekmore (BBA 59, JD 68) of Jackson; Wade 36 Alumni Review

H. Creekmore Jr. (BBA 56, JD 67) of Jackson; Winfield Dunn (BBA 50) of Nashville, Tenn.; Jim Weatherly (64) of Brentwood, Tenn.; and Scott Wegmann (BBA 80) of Houston, Texas.

Mike Ely (BBA 77) of Oxford will receive the Alumni Service Award for service to the university and the Alumni Association over an extended period.

Patrick Krutz (BBA 01) of Novato, Calif., will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni who have shown exemplary leadership throughout their first 15 years of alumni status in both their careers and dedication to Ole Miss.

Frederick W. Smith of Memphis, Te n n . , w i l l r e c e i v e t h e i n a u g u r a l Honorary Alumni Award. This award was established to honor outstanding

individuals who, though not graduates of The University of Mississippi, have consistently demonstrated extraordinary commitment, moral and financial support, dedication, loyalty, leadership or service that have enriched the substance and contributed to the advancement of the university’s or its Alumni Association’s missions, reputation or prestige.

The Alumni Association will host a reception for the honorees on Friday, Nov. 11, in the Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss. A dinner for the award recipients will follow the reception. Those interested in attending the dinner should register in advance by calling the Alumni Association office at 662-915-7375 before 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 28. Cost of the dinner is $50 per person, or tables of 10 are available for $450. Seating is limited.

J

james h. creekmore is vice president and director of Telapex Inc., the parent

company of C Spire Wireless, formerly Cellular South. A Jackson native, Creekmore began work as manager of Delta Telephone Co. after graduating from Ole Miss in 1959 with a degree in business administration. He worked seven years in the Louise, Miss., commercial telephone office and, while managing the company, worked in repair and construction in several towns in the Mississippi Delta.

Creekmore was involved in building new telephone and cable telephone systems in those areas. In 1966, he married Meredith Wilson (BAEd 64, MEd 68). They returned to Oxford that year, where he earned a Juris Doctor at The University of Mississippi School of Law. For the past 40 years, Creekmore has been involved in the management of the family telecommunications business. The Creekmores have two children, Dolly and Hiram, and three grandchildren, Hugh, Meredith and Catherine.

wade h. creekmore jr. is president and director of Telapex Inc., the parent

company of C Spire Wireless, formerly Cellular South. Creekmore has been employed in the telecommunications business since 1960, when he became vice president and general manager of Franklin Telephone Co. Inc., headquartered in Meadville. He is presently an officer and director of C Spire Wireless and various affiliates.

He has been responsible for managing and operating those companies since they were founded. He holds business administration and law degrees from The University of Mississippi, has practiced law in both Meadville and Jackson, and has served as a special assistant attorney general for the state of Mississippi.

He is married to the former Betsy Salisbury and has three daughters and nine grandchildren.

Fall 2011 37

winfield dunn is a former governor of Tennessee and received his bachelor’s

degree in business administration from Ole Miss in 1950 and his D.D.S. from the University of Tennessee Medical Units in Memphis in 1955. Dunn served with the U.S. Navy in the AsiaPacific Theater during World War II. He was also a reserve lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.

Dunn established a dental practice after completing dental school and became involved in the grassroots politics of the Shelby County Republican Party in the early 1960s.

After winning the Republican nomination for governor in 1970, Dunn became the first Republican governor of Tennessee in half a century, serving from 1971-75.

In 1975, Dunn joined the board of directors and executive department of Hospital Corporation of America. He has served on numerous corporate boards and presidential commissions. His presidential appointments include the advisory committee to the director of the National Institutes of Health and the National Committee on Highway Safety. He has been active with the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Heart Association, Nashville Conference of Christians and Jews, United Way and was three times named Tennessee’s Man of the Year by the state’s newspaper editors, television news directors and heads of chambers of commerce. He served two terms as crusade chairman of the Nashville chapter of the American Cancer Society and four years as chairman of Character Counts! Nashville.

Today, Dunn serves on several boards of directors including Franklin American National Mortgage Co., Polaris Hospital Co., Centennial Hospital and the YMCA Foundation. In 2007, he completed his political autobiography, From a Standing Start—My Tennessee Political Odyssey.

Dunn and his wife, the former Betty Pritchard, are members of First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, where he serves as an elder.

Singer/songwriter jim weatherly attended Ole Miss on a football scholarship, where he was an All-SEC quarterback and honorable mention All American in 1964. He was a member of the only unbeaten and untied National Championship Rebel football team in Ole Miss history in 1962 and SEC champions in 1962 and 1963.

Gladys Knight and the Pips recorded 12 of Weatherly’s songs, most notably the No. 1 pop and R&B hits “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “Neither One of Us” and No. 2 pop and No. 1 R&B song “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” which was also a No. 1 country record for Ray Price, who recorded 38 of Weatherly’s songs. Weatherly’s songs have been recorded by B.J. Thomas, Neil Diamond, Charlie Pride, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Hall & Oates, Indigo Girls, Vince Gill, Peter Cetera, Kenny Chesney and others.

Weatherly won a Dove Award for Glen Campbell’s “Where Shadows Never Fall.” He was nominated for a Grammy for “Midnight Train to Georgia,” and Gladys Knight and the Pips won Grammys for “Midnight Train” and “Neither One of Us.” Weatherly was ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1974 and served on the board of directors for the Nashville Songwriters Association International for five years. In 2006, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. In 1999, “Midnight Train to Georgia” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2001, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America selected the 365 Songs of the Century. “Midnight Train to Georgia” was No. 29. And it was also selected as one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Weatherly and his wife, Cynthia, now live in Brentwood, Tenn., with their daughter, Brighton, and their son, Zack.

38 Alumni Review

scott wegmann is executive vice president and co-managing director in the Houston, Texas, office of Cushman & Wakefield, the largest privately held commercial real estate services firm in the world.

Wegmann specializes in tenant/user representation. For almost 30 years, he has represented numerous companies in Houston and across the country. He has completed transactions totaling more than 20 million square feet in more than 75 cities in the U.S. and in Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada and South America.

E&Y/Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group honored Wegmann with the 1991 and 1997 Legacy Award, “The Deals That Make a Difference,” for his representation of Apache Corp., in its 223,000-square-foot corporate headquarters relocation to Houston, and Continental Airlines Inc., in its Houston corporate headquarters relocation/consolidation.

Among his recognitions, Houston Business Journal honored Wegmann as a “Most Valuable Player” in citywide office brokerage for 2004 and 2005, along with the Landmark Awards as its “Project Sale” category honoree for the 2006 sale/leaseback of the BMC Software headquarters. The NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association honored Wegmann as “Office Broker of the Year” in 1997 and 2005. Cushman & Wakefield selected him as one of two Managers of the Year for 2007.

Wegmann has served in leadership roles in numerous associations including the Houston Office Leasing Brokers Association, The Children’s Fund, the advisory board of Amegy Bank of Texas, St. Luke’s Methodist Church and Episcopal High School.

Wegmann resides in Houston with his wife, Loraine, and their two daughters, Jennifer, Class of 2011, and Julie, Class of 2015, at Ole Miss.

Alumni Service Award

mike ely is a native of McComb and a 1977 graduate of the School of Business at The

University of Mississippi. During his years at Ole Miss, he was a student manager for the Ole Miss Rebels football team and a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

Upon graduation from Ole Miss, he joined Allstate Insurance Co. as an operations supervisor in the Jackson regional office. During his 34-year career with Allstate, he has held many positions including field product manager and regional underwriting manager. In 1995, he was transferred to Nashville as regional underwriting manager for the Southern Region and remained there until his retirement from Allstate in June 2011.

Ely earned the Chairman’s Award for his organization and design of the Auto Revitalization Program and completed the Executive Leadership Program at Vanderbilt University.

He is a past president and board member for the Middle Tennessee Ole Miss Alumni Club, past vice president and member of the executive board of the M-Club Alumni Chapter, life member of the Ole Miss Alumni Association and M-Club Alumni Chapter, a member of the Business Order for the UM School of Business, and a longtime member and vice president of the UM School of Business Insurance Advisory Council.

Ely was an integral part of the Middle Tennessee Ole Miss Alumni Club’s scholarship fundraising events at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The inaugural Mississippi at the Ryman and the Mississippi Rocks the Ryman with 3 Doors Down events generated more than $90,000 for the Middle Tennessee/Chris Bonds Ole Miss Alumni Chapter Scholarship Endowment.

Ely is married to Peggy Davis Ely. They have two daughters, Julie Ely Cropp and Laura Katherine Ely, both Ole Miss graduates, and they make their home in Oxford.

Fall 2011 39

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

patrick krutz (BBA 01) is owner of Krutz Family Cellars in Sonoma County, Calif. After graduating from Ole Miss, Krutz intended to pursue a graduate degree or even follow in his father’s footsteps and get a law degree. Meanwhile, he decided to take some time off to see the world. His backpacking travels with friends took him to New Zealand, Fiji, Thailand and Australia.

During summer 2002, Krutz decided to see what the wine business would be like. Upon returning to Mississippi, he packed his car with his possessions and headed to California to work for a family friend at The Cheese Shoppe in Carmel, Calif. Not only was this the beginning of what has turned into Krutz’s passion, but he also received the equivalent of a “postgraduate degree” that would prepare him to become a winemaker.

After beginning in 2003 with about 50 cases of wine, Krutz now produces about 2,000 cases per year. Krutz Family Cellars’ wines have received national accolades, including 97 points (No. 33 among Top 100 Wines of 2010) from Wine Enthusiast for his 2006 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon; 95 points for his 2007 Stagecoach Vineyard; 94 points (No. 40 among Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2010) for his 2007 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah; and 94 points (Editor’s Choice) for his 2007 Krupp Malbec.

Steve Heimoff of Wine Enthusiast noted that Krutz’s 2007 Malbec was “among the greatest Malbecs ever produced in California.” A bottle of that Malbec was featured on the cover in the 2011 spring edition of nationally distributed Touring and Tasting magazine. His 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon also graced the cover of the February 2011 Wine Enthusiast.

Krutz and his wife, the former Rebecca Kuchar, have two children, Patrick Jr. and Ellie Jayne.

Honorary Alumni Award

frederick w. smith is chairman, president and chief executive officer of FedEx

Corp., a $39 billion global transportation, business services and logistics company.

Smith founded FedEx in 1971, which now serves more than 220 countries and territories with operations that include 688 aircraft and more than 90,000 vehicles. More than 290,000 team members worldwide handle more than 8.5 million shipments each business day.

FedEx Express was the first service company to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1990. FedEx consistently has been ranked on Fortune magazine’s industry lists, including “World’s Most Admired Companies,” “100 Best Companies to Work For” and is on Fortune’s “Blue Ribbon Companies List.”

Smith has served on the boards of several large public companies, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Mayo Foundation. He is the current chairman of the FrenchAmerican Business Council.

Among his honors, Smith received the George C. Marshall Foundation Award, the Circle of Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and the Lone Sailor Award from the U.S. Navy Memorial.

He is a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame, served as co-chairman of both the U.S. World War II Memorial Project and the campaign for the National Museum of the Marine Corps, was named among the world’s best CEOs by Barron’s magazine and was Chief Executive magazine’s 2004 “CEO of the Year.”

Born in 1944 in Marks, Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1966. He served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966-70. AR

40 Alumni Review

arts &

Culture period, the eight years during which he taught himself to write publishable fiction.

The book examines Brown’s years as a writer: the stories and novels he wrote, his struggle to acclimate himself to the fame his writing brought to him, and his many trips outside Yocona, where he spent the last 30 years of his life. The book concludes with a discussion of his posthumous fame, including the publication of A Miracle of Catfish, the novel he had nearly completed just before his death.

Larry Brown: A Writer’s Life by Jean W. Cash, 400 pages, $35 (Hardcover), ISBN: 1604739800 Larry Brown (1951-2004) was unique among writers who started their careers in the late 20th century. Unlike most of them—his friends Clyde Edgerton, Jill McCorkle, Rick Bass, Kaye Gibbons, among others—he was neither a product of a writing program, nor did he teach at one. In fact, he did not even attend college. His innate talent, his immersion in the life of North Mississippi and his determination led him to national success. Drawing on excerpts from numerous letters and material from interviews with family members and friends, Larry Brown: A Writer’s Life is the first biography of the landmark Southern writer.

Jean W. Cash (PhD 83) explores the cultural milieu of Oxford and the writers who influenced Brown, including William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Harry Crews and Cormac McCarthy. She covers Brown’s history in Mississippi, the troubled family in which he grew up, and his boyhood in Tula and Yocona and in Memphis, Tenn.

She relates stories from Brown’s time in the Marines, his early married life—which included 16 years as an Oxford firefighter— and what he called his “apprenticeship”

Return to the Southern Wild: A Photographic Journey by Joe Mac Hudspeth Jr., 139 pages, $40 (Hardcover), ISBN: 1450755429 The new book from Joe Mac Hudspeth (BBA 75), a self-taught photographer, is a stunning collection of images of wildlife and scenery taken over the past 30 years throughout Mississippi. Included are full-color plates of spring waterfowl, gallinules, bitterns, moorhens, turkeys, rooks, whitetails and wood ducks.

In 1993, Hudspeth received national recognition when his image of an immature least bittern was awarded the “Grand Prize for Wildlife” by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute for Natural History.

Since 1997, his photographs have graced the Mississippi duck stamp and Mississippi sportsman’s licenses.

On his website, Hudspeth explains the book is “a collection of images I’ve taken over the past 30 years: some from a stationary blind in Lafayette County, some from a poke boat in Madison County, some from the window of my truck in the Mississippi Delta, some just walking around in Noxubee County and some from my wife’s bathtub!”

Pain Unforgiven by Randy Pierce, 358 pages, $24.95 (Hardcover), ISBN: 0615459323 Pain Unforgiven, the debut novel by Randy Pierce (JD 97), looks at the life of Grant Hicks, a successful Atlanta attorney from rural Greene County in Mississippi.

Hicks, 37 years old and a partner in an Atlanta law firm, has managed to escape his past—almost.

While preparing for an upcoming trial, his longtime secretary interrupts him with a phone call.

It is Elsie Smallwood calling from Hicks’ hometown.

Greene County is a place to which Hicks vowed never to return. For nearly 20 years, he has been successful in avoiding his past. However, Smallwood’s unexpected phone call sends him back to the place that harbors painful memories.

When he arrives, he finds a community in need of healing and a dying friend’s desire for the pain of others to be released.

Hicks’ journey is a testament to individual and communal redemption and to the good—and bad—within all people.

Through lovable characters and unexpected twists of events, Hicks is finally able to confront the painful past. And by doing so, he comes face to face with pain unforgiven.

Pierce grew up in Greene County.

A CPA, he has served in the Mississippi House of Representatives and as a chancery court judge. He is an associate justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court.

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 Fall 2011 41

Sports So Long Tad Pad, Hello New Arena CAMPAIGN AIMS TO TRANSFORM ATHLETICS

T

he UMAA Foundation announced in early October that the Forward Together campaign for Ole Miss Athletics had raised $40 million. The announcement came as the campaign approached the early reward deadline for commitments.

“We have more and more CGAs (capital gift agreements) coming in every day,” says Danny White, executive director of the UMAA Foundation.

Similar to a personal seat license, commonly found in professional leagues, the CGA provides donors some ownership over their seats. With benefits such as transfer rights and donation guarantees for 10 years, CGA holders acquire rights that are not common in college athletics.

“Since the launch of the campaign, we’ve seen a spike in Vaught Society gifts and received substantial increases in commitments by longtime members,” White says. “In addition, we have had many conversations with individuals and corporations interested in an array of naming opportunities. People are excited about the longterm impact of this campaign on Ole Miss athletics.”

“We have received a tremendous amount of support for the campaign, not only through financial contributions, but also through folks offering words of encouragement and enthusiasm for the vision we put forth,” says Pete Boone (BBA 72), director of Ole Miss Athletics. “People understand the impact this campaign will have on the future of our program, and they understand that facilities are critical to our efforts to compete not only in the SEC but also for national championships. We have a long way to go, but we’re extremely pleased with how far we have come in such a short time.”

The new basketball facility will feature an exclusive student entrance with adjoining pre-game tailgate patio, more than 1,500 premium seats from floor seats to club seats to loge seating, two exclusive club areas, and a Hall of Fame exhibiting the rich history, tradition and achievements of Ole Miss Athletics.

Arena and stadium FAQs How long will it take to build the new arena?

Construction of the new arena will take about two years to complete. If construction begins according to plan in 2013, the new arena will be open prior to the 2015 season.

What will be the capacity for the arena? Expanded stadium?

The exact capacity has not been determined because the final architectural plans are yet to be complete. However, it is estimated that the arena will have a capacity of around 10,000, and the expanded Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will have a capacity of more than 70,000.

Will the campaign use public funding?

No. 42 Alumni Review

The proposed expansion to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will bring capacity over 70,000 and will feature additional club seats and suites as well as a north endzone plaza. The north endzone will be a mirror image of the south endzone, providing additional endzone seating, club seats and suites.

How much philanthropic giving will it take to be successful?

About $50 million. About $100 million will come from seatrelated revenue.

Will this campaign be a joint project between Athletics and the university?

The project will be funded by Athletics, and Athletics will explore using university financing opportunities.

How close will the renderings be to the actual finished project?

These renderings are initial designs and will serve as a vision for the architectural plans.

Why are we not renovating Tad Smith Coliseum?

As part of the feasibility study, architects conducted an evaluation of Tad Smith and concluded that due to ADA compliance issues and other problems resulting from the age of the facility, it would not be costeffective to renovate the coliseum.

Where will the new arena be located?

The university’s master plan calls for the new arena to be located behind the Turner Center, where the tennis courts and parking lot are currently located.

What will happen to Tad Smith Coliseum?

Tad Smith Coliseum will continue to be used until the opening of the new arena.

Once the new arena has been completed, Tad Smith will be torn down, and the area will be converted into a green space, providing an appealing landscape between the new arena and Robert C. Khayat Law Center.

Why is the arena Phase I and the north end zone Phase II? It has been determined that the current, most pressing need for Ole Miss Athletics is the construction of a new home for the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

The sooner the initial Phase I goal of $100 million is reached, the sooner the construction on the north end zone can begin.

What will happen to the FedEx Center and Starnes?

By the time construction begins on the north end zone, the FedEx Center and Starnes will be due for a major renovation.

Plans have not been finalized, but the functions of these buildings will be included in the new project. Athletics says it will do everything it can to preserve the historical nature of these buildings.

For more information, visit www.

ForwardTogetherRebels.com, call 662915-7159, or email umaa@olemiss.edu. AR Fall 2011 43

Sports In Full Swing golf center Construction begins

G

ood things are happening on and off the course for the Ole Miss men’s and women’s golf teams, and the fortune continues with construction of the Herrington Golf Center.

The Clay and Elinor Herrington Charitable Remainder Trust provided a gift to construct the 3,600-square-foot, indoor-outdoor practice facility with hitting and video bays that will enable the collegiate golfers to continue their practices regardless of weather conditions.

The facility is expected to be completed by Christmas, and both coaches are looking forward to the opportunity to be able to practice in all kinds of weather.

“The indoor-to-outdoor hitting bays will allow us to maximize the teaching potential our coaching staff has and help us develop our players to their best,” Rebel men’s golf Head Coach Ernest Ross (BBA 74) says. “The SEC is such an ultra-competitive conference, and we are working hard to stay at the top with our golf programs. With the help of the Herrington family, we are closer to our dream of being a perennial power in the SEC.” Rebel women’s golf Head Coach Michele Drinkard agrees, saying, “We are very fortunate and grateful for the opportunity provided by the Herringtons to house our state-of-the-art, computerized video equipment that will directly lead to improving our team’s performance. The new facility will allow us to continue our day-to-day activities when the weather becomes too inclement to be outside. We will be able to monitor and train daily with the best resources, continually elevating our programs.”

The Herrington Center will add to the existing Whitten Golf House, driving range and short-game facility that both teams already enjoy. AR Construction on the 3,600-square-foot practice facility is expected to be completed by Christmas.

44 Alumni Review

You dream it, we'll create it.

When it comes to planning your perfect day look no further than The Inn at Ole Miss. Our team of wedding specialists will assist in creating memories to last a lifetime.

www.BanquetsAtTheInn.com

The Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services Needs Your Help!

Do you have children or grandchildren that you’d like to attend Ole Miss? If so, help us get them here!

ole miss needs YOU

T h e

U n i v e r s i t y

Visit http://olemiss.edu/admissions/ VIPLauncher.html, click the link that applies to your students, and complete the form. We’ll add them to our VIP mailing list, and they’ll create a personalized website tailored to their interests.

Visit www.olemiss.edu/admissions or call us at 662-915-7226 or 1-800-OLEMISS (in Mississippi) to learn more about the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services.

o f

M i s s i s s i p p i

2011-12

rebel

raveler T

T

he Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a number of spectacular trips for 2011 and 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. alumni.olemiss.edu.

ROME—AN INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE NOV. 14-22, 2011 Travel back in time with a walk through the Coliseum and Roman Forum, marvel at the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, and examine the amazing network of the catacombs. Travel to Orvieto for a cooking class and the chance to explore this vibrant hill town.

The Coliseum, Rome 46 Alumni Review

Delve into unexpected Rome with a special visit to Studio Cassio, which has restored ancient mosaics for more than 100 years. Travel to the ancient port of Ostia to view its impressive shrines and temples, all remarkably well-preserved.

A unique program of planned excursions and free time, plus centrally located accommodations for a seven-night stay, gives you the opportunity to discover the Eternal City’s treasure trove of must-see sights at a relaxed pace.—From $2,745 AROUND THE WORLD BY PRIVATE JET JAN. 7-29, 2012 Climb the terraced steps, and touch the seamless walls of the ancient Inca citadel Machu Picchu. Feel the protective gaze of the Easter Island moai statues. Bask in the radiant beauty of lush tropical Samoa. Immerse yourself in the underwater splendor of the Great Barrier Reef. Welcome the sun among Angkor Wat’s astoundingly beautiful temples,

and watch it set amid Africa’s greatest concentration of wildlife in Tanzania.

Stand enthralled before the majesty of the Taj Mahal. Come face-to-face with the Great Sphinx in the company of the ancient Pyramids. Explore the colorful souks and treasures of Berber kings in the celebrated medina of Fez. To learn more about this extraordinary expedition or to make a reservation, please call our tour operator, TCS & Starquest Expeditions, at 800-454-4149 or 206-254-0228.— From $64,950 PARIS, FRANCE JAN. 13-21, 2012 Situated on the river Seine and known as the City of Lights, Paris is one of the world’s foremost centers of business and culture. Paris is known for its famous buildings and works of art, its chic fashion scene and its modern literary, artistic and intellectual ideals, and is a must for anyone wishing to experience the best of both contemporary and age-old European culture. Innumerable monuments built to reflect the glory of France and its rulers stand testament to the city’s rich history and have led Paris to be the world’s most popular tourist destination.

Famous sites and landmarks include the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Bastille and the Luxembourg Gardens.

Immediately south on the Ile de la Cite is Notre Dame Cathedral. West along the river you will find the city’s trademark, the Eiffel Tower.—From $4,280 CRUISE TO THE LESSER ANTILLES JAN. 27-FEB. 3, 2012 Explore the most beautiful natural features of the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles aboard the six-star Silversea Small Ship

while providing 21st-century comforts.

This custom-designed itinerary also includes two nights in historic Lima, Peru, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the choice of an overnight stay in a tented camp. Cruise into one of the Earth’s most exotic natural realms and our planet’s largest rainforest ecosystem, where the number of butterfly species climbs into the thousands and other species have yet to be classified or even discovered. Led by expert Peruvian naturalists, seek rare indigenous flora and fauna—delicate orchids, towering ceiba trees, pink river dolphins and slow-moving sloths. Visit local villages to observe the traditional way of life of the ribereños (river people), and see a shaman perform an ancient ritual of purification.

Continue with the special post-program option to legendary Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. This unique program is an exceptional value, and space is extremely limited.—From $4,895 Dominica

M.V. Silver Cloud. Cruise from San Juan to the coral reefs of Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands, to Philipsburg, St. Maarten, the newly independent Dutch side of the smallest island in the world shared by two countries. Call at Gustavia, St. Barts, where street signs appear in French and Swedish, and be on deck as you approach St. Lucia for a picturesque glimpse of its twin mountain peaks, the Gros and Petit Pitons. You will find picturesque stone and wooden Victorian townhouses as well as fascinating volcanic geology in Roseau, Dominica, and discover elegant 18th-century sugar plantation estates near Basseterre, St. Kitts. If your schedule permits, plan to join the two-night, attractively priced pre-cruise option in San Juan, a vibrant and historic city.—From $7,795, including airfare from 23 major cities AMAZON RIVER EXPEDITION FEB. 3-12, 2012 Join us for this unforgettable 10-day journey featuring six nights cruising the mysterious Amazon River Basin aboard one of the Jewels of the Amazon. These impeccably crafted riverboats evoke the 19th century’s great age of discovery

VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY: WONDERS OF THE GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS FEB. 24-MARCH 3, 2012 This incredible journey introduces you to the remarkable Galápagos Archipelago, a nature lover’s dream destination and UNESCO World Heritage site, with a four-night cruise aboard the state-of-theart M.V. Santa Cruz. This exploration vessel is fully equipped with everything necessary to make your Galápagos experience complete, from a fleet of Zodiacs and a glass-bottom boat to a highly qualified team of certified naturalists and complimentary snorkeling gear. Visit seven islands and see the exotic birds, animals and plants that inspired Charles Darwin, including species unknown elsewhere in the world. With few natural predators on the islands, the abundant wildlife is nearly fearless and accepts human company up close. On mainland Ecuador, enjoy deluxe hotel accommodations in Quito and Guayaquil. See the magnificent colonial churches of Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and visit the colorful Andean market of Otavalo. The six-night post-program option features Peru’s legendary “lost city” of Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and the historic cities of Lima and Cuzco.—From $3,595

SAMBA RHYTHMS FEB. 25-MARCH 9, 2012 Travel where pulsating rhythms, natural beauty and colorful traditions thrive along South America’s east coast while cruising on the elegant Oceania Cruises’ Insignia, a haven of superb accommodations, exceptional service and the finest cuisine at sea. Enjoy spectacular views of Sugarloaf Mountain or Rio de Janeiro’s famed beaches before setting sail for Buzios, the St. Tropez of Brazil, and the beautiful island of Ilha Grande.

Stroll past charming Portuguese colonial architecture in Parati, visit vibrant São Paulo, savor the beautiful Emerald Coast of Porto Belo, and wander the gracious old squares in lovely Rio Grande. Leaving Brazil behind, spend a day in the chic beach resort of Punta del Este, and explore charming Montevideo before concluding your voyage in the elegant city of Buenos Aires. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, each with something distinctive to experience.—From $6,598 CRUISING THE WATERWAYS AND CANALS OF HOLLAND AND BELGIUM APRIL 10-18, 2012 There is no better way to experience the beauty, history and culture of Holland and Belgium than by cruising their legendary waterways. Travel into the heart of one of Europe’s most colorful and fascinating regions with a unique educational program that creatively combines learning, recreation, relaxation and remarkable fellowship aboard a stylish and modern vessel, the M.S. Amadeus Diamond. Explore Amsterdam, a beguiling city of canals and contrasts. Step into The Hague and feel the reverberations of political history.

Glimpse the scenes Vermeer immortalized in the picture-perfect vistas of Delft. See the renowned Zeeland coast. In Belgium, admire the amazing architecture and art of Bruges and the unrivaled charm of the important port city of Antwerp. Cruise the magnificent waterways and canals of Holland and Belgium, and enrich your life with an educational adventure you will never forget! Call the alumni office for additional dates. —From $2,920

Fall 2011 47

2011-12 rebel

Traveler LONDON—AN INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE APRIL 18-24, 2012 London, one of the world’s oldest cities, still begets new chapters in history, breakthroughs in science, an ever-blossoming arts community and an eternal fascination from this side of the pond. Even today, a new vitality is palpable as the city prepares to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. This specially planned journey allows you to discover London behind the scenes. Relax in stylish accommodations at The Lansdowne Club, one of London’s exclusive private clubs. Learn about life inside the palace walls from Ken Wharfe, a former bodyguard of Princess Diana and her sons. Explore historic Windsor Castle, the world’s largest occupied castle. Go behind the cameras at the BBC during a tour of the vaunted network’s studios. Discover the tools of the trade at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and venture behind the scenes at the National Theatre. Visit Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s birthplace. Then travel through the Cotswolds en route to Oxford. Experience Dickens’ London during an excursion that takes you to the sites associated with this beloved author’s novels.—From $2,770 CELTIC LANDS APRIL 22-MAY 1, 2012 Cruise for eight nights aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe M.S. Le Boréal from Honfleur, France, to Ireland, Wales and Scotland. By special arrangement, University of Pennsylvania professor Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and historian Celia Sandys, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, will join you to provide exclusive lectures and personal insights. Enjoy guided excursions in each port of call, including three UNESCO World Heritage sites: the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy; Caernarfon Castle in Holyhead, Wales; and the Neolithic Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae on the Orkney Islands. View treasures of rich Celtic heritage in Dublin, including the 48 Alumni Review

Book of Kells; walk in the footsteps of medieval princes in North Wales; and lose yourself in the austere beauty of Scotland’s Highlands and the Inner Hebrides isles of Iona, Mull and Skye. Complement your cruise with the Paris two-night pre-cruise option and the Edinburgh two-night post-cruise option.—From $5,395 PARIS, FRANCE 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 and 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

Paris

Lights, 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 the center of the famous wine region in southwest France.—From $2,299 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, 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

Chipping Campden House

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 $3,195 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, spectacular coastal setting and sparkling white architecture. Travel along the Puglia Coast, and visit hilltop towns perched above aquamarine seas.

Sample simple but exquisite cuisine crafted from the region’s seafood, meats, olive oil, pastas 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 $2,540 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 $3,799 CHANGING TIDES OF HISTORY— CRUISING THE BALTIC SEA JUNE 4-15, 2012 Experience the cultural rebirth of the Baltic States and the magnificent imperial riches of St. Petersburg on this 11-night program, cruising for 10 nights under the spectacular “White Nights of Summer” aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe M.S. Le Diamant, launched in 2010. By special arrangement, enjoy

a rare opportunity to hear enriching speeches by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and former Polish President Lech Walesa. Spend one night in the cosmopolitan Swedish capital of Stockholm, then, in the tradition of ancient Viking mariners, sail across the Baltic Sea. En route to the historic Hanseatic port of Bergen, Norway, discover the stunning architecture of Helsinki, Finland, and Copenhagen, Denmark; revel in the medieval charms of Tallinn, Estonia, and Riga, Latvia; immerse yourself in the cultural renaissance of Gdansk, Poland; and cruise through the fjords of Norway. This enlightening cruise features one night in regal St. Petersburg, including an early-opening tour of the world-acclaimed State Hermitage Museum and a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress. A post-cruise option in Bergen is offered.—From $5,995 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 six-star, 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 are 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 $4,384, including airfare from 22 major gateways Fall 2011 49

News alumni

Class Notes ’50s

Laurin Fields Stamm (BA 55) published her first cookbook, From the Kitchen of the Cypress House, a collection of recipes she wrote as food editor of The Vicksburg Post from 1977-2009.

’60s

Louis F. Allen (LLB 64) was elected by co-workers at Glankler Brown, PLLC, in Memphis, Tenn., as a contestant for Best Lawyers in America 2012.

John David Baylock (LLB 64) was nominated for Best Lawyers in America 2012 by his peers at Glankler Brown, PLLC, in Memphis, Tenn.

David W. Houston III (BBA 66, JD 69) was awarded the 2010-11 Judicial Excellence Award at the Mississippi Bar’s 2011 annual meeting.

James A. Peden (BA 66, JD 70), a senior member of the Jackson law firm of Stennett, Wilkinson & Peden, was listed for the fifth consecutive year in Best Lawyers in America in the fields of land use and zoning law. Mississippi Business Journal also listed him among the top 10 Mississippi attorneys.

Ike S. Trotter (BA 69, JD 72), of the planning firm Ike Trotter Agency, LLC, in Greenville, was a focus session speaker at the Million Dollar Round Table annual meeting in Atlanta. The conference is an international financial services gathering attended by more than 6,000 people from 75 countries.

’70s

Keith Hale (BBA 79) opened Padgett Business Services in Austin, Texas. The business provides services including financial reporting, payroll and tax consulting for owner-operated small businesses.

William N. LaForge (JD 75), a lawyer in Washington, D.C., completed an assignment as a Fulbright Specialist at Perm State University in Russia. He taught a special course on U.S. business-government relations and lobbying.

George Nassar Jr. (BBA 77, JD 79) was nominated by co-workers at Glankler Brown, PLLC, of Memphis, Tenn., for Best Lawyers in America 2012.

William N. Reed (BA 72, JD 77) was named

50 Alumni Review

a fellow shareholder at the Baker Donelson office in Jackson.

Lee Wilson (BS 78) published a novel, Once a Southern Soldier, based on his great-grandfather’s experiences in the first two years of the Civil War.

’80s

Ronnie Agnew (BA 84) was appointed executive director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting. He was formerly executive editor of The Clarion-Ledger.

Sharon Dickey (BSPh 85, PharmD 95) received the Bowl of Hygeia Award at this year’s Mississippi Pharmacists Association Convention in Destin, Fla. David A. Guyton (BBA 88) was appointed president of Oxford University Bank by the bank’s board of directors.

Kevin Holman (BA 86, DMD 90) is the president of the Mississippi Dental Association for 2011-12. He practices in Tupelo.

Jay A. Lesemann Jr. (BAccy 83) was named 2011-12 chair-elect of the North Carolina Association of CPAs. He is the managing member of Lesemann and Associates, PLLC, in Huntersville, N.C. William T. Mays Jr. (BBA 81) was nominated by co-workers at Glankler Brown, PLLC, of Memphis, Tenn., for Best Lawyers in America 2012.

Llewellyn Powell (DMD 86) accepted a position as associate professor of dental medicine at Roseman University of Health Sciences’ College of Dental Medicine in South Jordan, Utah.

JoAnne Nelson Shepherd (BA 84, JD 89) was elected to the board of directors of the National School Boards Association’s Council of School Attorneys. She is the in-house counsel for the Jackson Public School district.

She also was elected president of the Mississippi Council of School Board Attorneys.

Pat Thomasson (BAccy 85, MAccy 87) is the CEO of the Thomasson Co. of Philadelphia, which was selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration as Mississippi’s small

business exporter of the year for 2010-11.

Nick Wilson (PhD 83) traveled to Saudi Arabia for the third time this year to consult with hospitals on their technology, health care delivery and accreditation. He owns and operates Healthcare Consulting and Education, Wilson and Associates, in Jacksonville, Fla.

’90s

Dennis A. Ammann (BBA 91), president and CEO of People’s Bank in Mendenhall, was profiled in The Clarion Ledger’s business section on June 5.

Joel Bell (BE 98) was recognized at the Leaders level by New England Financial in Memphis, Tenn.

Eric S. Bubrig (BAccy 97, MBA 00, JD 01), chief operating officer and director of compliance for Strategic Financial Partners in Memphis, Tenn., was named one of “Memphis’ Finest” young professionals by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

William P. Fortenberry (JD 96) was promoted to executive vice president and secretary of Mississippi Valley Title Insurance Co. of Jackson.

Walter Grant (BAccy 97) earned Strategic Financial Partners’ premier professional credential, chartered financial consultant. He also was awarded New England Financial’s Master’s-level recognition at the company’s office in Memphis, Tenn.

Demondes Haynes (BA 95, MD 99) was named Teacher of the Year at The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Medicine.

Chris Latil (BBA 90) was named senior director of finance for the Isle Casino Hotel. He was also named senior vice president of planning and analysis for Trump Entertainment Resorts.

David F. Maron (JD 95) was named a fellow shareholder at the Baker Donelson office in Jackson.

Stuart Maxey (BAccy 97, MAccy 99) was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. He is a partner with Maynard, Cooper & Gale in Birmingham, Ala.

A Mississippi First

ALUMNA ELECTED SOUTHERN REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SORORITY

C

heryl W. Turner (BS 79, MPA 90) of Jackson was elected Southern regional director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Turner was elected from a field of five canCheryl Turner didates during the sorority’s 43rd Southern Regional Conference in Memphis, Tenn.

She is the first Mississippian to be elected to lead the sorority’s Southern region since the inception of regional conferences in 1926. The Southern

region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Bahamas.

As Southern regional director, she will be a member of the sorority’s National Executive Board and will have responsibility for 211 chapters in the Southern region.

Turner was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta in 1975 through the Lambda Sigma chapter at The University of Mississippi. Since her initiation, she has served in the offices of chapter president, vice president and committee chair or member in Lambda Sigma Chapter, Oxford Alumnae Chapter

and Tupelo Alumnae Chapter. She is currently an active member of the Jackson Alumnae Chapter.

Turner holds a Bachelor of Science in forensic chemistry and a Master of Public Administration from Ole Miss.

She is director of special programs for the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Insurance. In that role she is a key member of the management team that administers the state’s self-insured workers’ compensation trust, the state employees’ wellness program, life insurance program and the children’s health insurance program. AR

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Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Job no: 6047 Size: 7 x 4.75”

Fall 2011 51

News alumni

Kirk Purdom (BA 93) was named vice president for advancement at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky.

Zac Greene (JD 05) with Miller & Martin, PLLC, served as East Tennessee co-chair of the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society.

Gordon Sanford (BAccy 94) joined Adams and Reese after leaving his position as special counsel for AT&T Mississippi. He will be practicing law in the Jackson office as special counsel in the Special Business Services Group.

Eric McCully (MBA 04) earned New England Financial’s Leaders level of recognition for his work at Strategic Financial Partners.

Jeffrey C. Smith (BBA 90, JD 93) was named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the Tennessee Justice Center. He is a partner in charge of the Memphis, Tenn., office of Adams and Reese, LLP. Cory T. Wilson (BBA 92) joined Heidelberg Steinberger Colmer & Burrow, PA, and opened its Jackson office.

’00s

Andrew Coffman (JD 07) joined the Nashville office of the law firm King & Ballow.

Jane Harrison Chapman Fisher (MA 08) was inducted into the Sewanee Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2011 in Sewanee, Tenn. She holds 11 individual Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference swimming titles, more than anyone in conference history.

Andrew Nail (BBA 09, MBA 11) joined AutoZone Inc. in Memphis, Tenn., as an associate financial analyst in the Financial Reporting and Planning Department.

Kimberly Jones Stevenson (BBA 06) was promoted to employee relations specialist with the University of Memphis.

Meg McElwain Turner (BA 01) was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Charlotte, N.C., by The Mecklenburg Times. She is owner and president of Magnolia Marketing and president of the Charlotte Rebel Club.

Richard Wood (BBA 09) was named assistant front office manager of The Westin Canal Place in New Orleans, La. Due to space limitations, class notes are only published in the Alumni Review from active, dues-paying members of the Ole Miss Alumni Association.

Thank You, Mr. Speaker

TIM FORD HONORED WITH DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD im Ford (BA 73, JD 77), former speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, was awarded The University of Mississippi Distinguished Alumni Award in Public Service.

“We are proud to recognize Tim Ford,” says Richard Forgette, chair of the Department of Political Science.

“Tim has had a long, distinguished career in state government.”

After obtaining his law degree, Ford served as a law clerk for the presiding justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court and then as an assistant district attorney. He was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1980 and was elected speaker of the House in 1988. He served as speaker until his retirement in 2004.

Today, Ford is a partner with Balch & Bingham LLP, which pledged to give a donation to the Department of Political Science that will create a scholarship for a legislative internship.

“I hope that the internship will 52 Alumni Review

Photo by Mary Stanton

T

Tim Ford (left) and Richard Forgette

help students better understand how the state Legislature works,” Ford says.

“It is a complex set of rules and committee work that, I’ll be honest, before I went I had no idea how it operated.

It is difficult to teach it in a classroom setting without the exposure that the internship will provide.”

Ford encourages other alumni members to stay involved with the university.

“If you don’t stay involved, you are really missing out on so many activities and fun things that are going on in your university,” he said. “Just coming back to this campus and seeing it reinvigorates your interest in it. You visit other campuses, and they just aren’t as manicured and stately as this university. I’m probably prejudiced, but that’s still the way I feel.” AR

Southern Hospitality with a French Flair • After Hurricane Katrina, the only home that was salvageable from the Biloxi Light House east to the Ocean Springs Bridge is now known as Chateau Blessey. It is named after Katherine & Walter (BBA 1961, JD 1964, M-Club) Blessey.

• A full gourmet breakfast is included with the room rate. Breakfast menu features locally caught seafood, traditional country style meats, local farm eggs and produce.

• Located on beach front, close to museums, restaurants and casinos.

• Available for weddings, beach weddings, private parties & special events.

• Nominated as one of the top B&Bs in Mississippi by Mississippi Magazine.

•Ole Miss Alumni Discount, Military Discount.

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MS-SW100509 OleMissAlumniReview.indd 1

5/26/10 4:35 PM

News alumni

WEDDINGS Brittany Anne Bailey (BSFCS 05, BSN 08) and Joshua Duncan Bryant (BAPRM 03), July 2, 2011.

Ashley Michelle Smith (BBA 08) and Thomas Bradley Baker (BA 05, MA 10), June 25, 2011.

Mary Shellie Bailey (BS 09) and Patrick Louis Carr (BA 08), April 30, 2011.

Sara Lovelady Swaney (JD 07) and James Whitney Rawlings Jr. (BBA 02), May 29, 2011.

Mary Beth Boler (BSPhSc 08, PharmD 10) and Creighton Rodgers Hardy (BBA 09), June 25, 2011.

Melissa Irene Webster (BBA 06, BSPhSc 09, PharmD 11) and Joshua Clay Goe (BA 04), June 11, 2011.

Amanda Elizabeth Bullard (BA 05) and Robert Edward Krause (BA 04), May 7, 2011.

Alexandra Kathleen Cowart (BBA 10) and Trent Meek Yates (BBA 03, JD 06), Aug. 6, 2011.

BIRTHS Andrew Richard Ray Jr., son of Nancy Margaret Ray Adler (BBA 01, BA 01) and Andrew Richard Adler, March 6, 2011.

Mary Cooper Cummings (BAEd 09) and Edward Irvine Adams III (BBA 08), May 28, 2011.

Battle Cayden, son of Lorrin J. Pruitt Anderson (BBA 04) and Ryan Scott Anderson (BBA 04), March 9, 2011.

Kimberly LaShawn Jones (BBA 06) and Cedric Demarcus Stevenson (BA 03, MEd 06, SpecEd 06), June 4, 2011.

McCord Pryor, son of Hilarie Pryor Bain (94) and Stewart Kevin Bain (BA 98), June 10, 2011.

Olivia Mead Kaigler (MOT 10) and David V. Smitherman (BBA 06), Aug. 6, 2011.

Holly Eileen, daughter of Dorothy E. Barlow and Michael S. Barlow (BAccy 87), May 10, 2011.

Lauren Paige McFall (BSFCS 04) and Denson Braswell Hollis (BA 01), Aug. 20, 2011.

Mary-Katherine Lee, daughter of Elizabeth Hammett Branscum and Austin Kyle Branscum (BBA 04), June 1, 2011.

Elizabeth Lyle Parkes (BBA 09) and William Thomas Jones (06), July 30, 2011.

Moriah Grace, daughter of Rachel Eller Bremner and Joel Hall Bremner (MM 08), June 19, 2011.

Mary Mitchell Purvis (BA 09) and William Gardner Todd IV (BA 05), Aug. 13, 2011.

Ann Scarbrough and Matthew Miles Williams (BA 04), May 7, 2011.

Rachael Elaine Shook (BA 08) and Matthew Allen Durham, May 7, 2011.

54 Alumni Review

Eric Stephen Jr., son of Jennifer Hayes Bubrig (BAEd 97, MEd 98) and Eric Stephen Bubrig (BAccy 97, MBA 00, JD 01), July 8, 2011.

Harper Maryn, daughter of Angie Whittington Doss and Burton M. Doss (BBA 98), July 5, 2011.

Hunt Calhoun, son of Kelly K. Fleming and Gorden Ware Fleming III (BBA 99), April 28, 2011.

Robert Weeks, son of Jill Morgan Holland (BA 03) and Robert Harris Holland Jr. (BBA 02), Oct. 28, 2010.

Sloan William, son of Sarah Sloan Hollis (MA 04) and Jeffrey L. Hollis, June 2, 2011.

Mason Matthew, son of Janie Meck Maddox and John Andrew Maddox (BA 93), Aug. 3, 2011.

Karly Anne, daughter of Keri Byars Purcell (BBA 95) and Drew D. Purcell, June 2, 2011.

Catherine Alice, daughter of Nedra Rice and William Thomas Rice (BBA 91), July 26, 2010.

Evelyn Margaret, daughter of Gretchen Wagner Roberts (BA 97, MA 99) and Christopher Lynwood Roberts (BSCS 97), March 29, 2011.

Lillian Jane, daughter of Jennifer Dodson Robertson (BA 98) and Kenneth C. “Rob” Robertson (BA 98), May 2, 2011.

John Charles, son of Catherine Conlon Sanders (BA 04) and Joshua Phillip Sanders (BBA 05), Dec. 22, 2010.

Liam Braden, son of Deidra Blakely Schmidt (BSPh 99, PharmD 01) and Bradford Schmidt, July 20, 2011.

Margaret Ansley, daughter of Heather H. Tisdale (BAEd 95) and James T. Tisdale (BA 94), Feb. 23, 2011.

Sara Neely, daughter of Sara Lammel Trammell (BSFCS 02) and Scott Anderson Trammell (BBA 01), Dec. 15, 2010.

Mason William, son of Deanna Riley Turner (BBA 98) and Jason Forrest Turner (BBA 98), Aug. 12, 2010.

Elizabeth Magee, daughter of Julia Givens Williams (BA 06, JD 09) and Oliver Williams (BAccy 06, MAccy 07), Feb. 20, 2011.

Houston Steele, son of Laurie Gore Wissman (BAccy 00, MAccy 01) and Eric Wissman, Jan. 2, 2011.

Stop the Presses

GRAD STUDENT NAMED TOP COLLEGE JOURNALIST IN SOUTHEAST

A

lex McDaniel (BA 10) of Marion, Ark., looks back on a frightening childhood experience and her take-charge reaction to it as the possible moment that focused her career as a journalist.

A 2010 B.A. in journalism graduate and journalism graduate student at Ole Miss, McDaniel was recently named the 2010 College Journalist of the Year by the Southeast Journalism Conference.

Alex McDaniel She was recognized at the SEJC conference in Troy, Ala., as winner of the Best of the South contest, giving her the opportunity to share her story of a harrowing incident that occurred when she was 6 years old. A teenager lost control of his pickup and smashed into the wall of McDaniel’s playroom, prompting her father to run screaming to her room to make sure she was OK. The incident attracted a newspaper reporter who interviewed the McDaniel family and misquoted Alex in the published article.

“As I read the article, proudly searching for my quote, I realized that this particular reporter had gotten it all wrong—my age, my name and my answer to the question,” McDaniel says. “I spent the remainder of the day rewriting the article to my liking, and I seem to remember asking my mother if she’d send the corrected version to the newspaper to be reprinted. That should have been a sign.”

McDaniel’s nomination for journalist of the year cited her spring 2010 tenure as editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian, UM’s student-run newspaper, as well as her outstanding writing, multimedia, editing and design skills, and her service to the Meek School of Journalism and New Media, and Student Media Center.

McDaniel was editor of the Ole Miss yearbook for the 2010-11 academic year. She accepted a fellowship position with Parade magazine that began in September. AR Fall 2011 55

News alumni

IN MEMORIAM 1930s Jack Quintus Galbreath (BA 38) of Hernando, Aug. 19, 2011 Hazel Wilson Holliday (BA 39) of Canton, July 11, 2011 Martha Chase Holt (BA 36) of Knoxville, Tenn., July 9, 2011

James Edwin Lewis (41) of Tyler, Texas, July 19, 2011 Jack Milton McLarty (BBA 48) of Ridgeland, Aug. 20, 2011 Arthur M. Merrell Jr. (BBA 47) of Meridian, Nov. 11, 2010 James Keith Muskelley (BA 49, MEd 50) of Germantown, Tenn., Aug. 6, 2011 Anita Jackson Nash (42) of Marks, June 8, 2011

Bless Roy Rusk (BSPh 39) of Peoria, Ariz., June 28, 2011

Martha Perkins Pearson (43) of Batesville, July 15, 2011

1940s Robert Lafayette Alexander (BBA 49, MBA 50) of El Dorado, Ark., June 28, 2011

James Franklin Skinner (47) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., July 9, 2011

Orpal Trammell Armstrong (BSC 42) of Oklahoma City, Okla., June 3, 2011 Jane Lowry Bowles (BA 48) of Winona, May 26, 2011

Bette Mahoney Rice (BA 45) of Starkville, Aug. 8, 2011 Ada Atkinson Stubbs (BA 42) of Pickens, June 3, 2011 Katherine Netterville Welch (BAEd 45) of Jackson, Aug. 3, 2011

Webster Cleveland Jr. (MedCert 45, BS 74) of Booneville, Aug. 14, 2011

1950s Billy Dean Benoist (BBA 57) of Coffeeville, May 30, 2011

Virginia Newell Cole (BM 42) of Amory, Aug. 7, 2011

William Earl Bexley Jr. (51) of Vicksburg, Aug. 22, 2011

William Dewitt Coleman (LLB 48) of Jackson, May 28, 2011

James Edward Booth (MedCert 52) of Eupora, June 17, 2011

James Huron Dorroh (49) of Hernando, Aug. 4, 2011

Margurette Brinkley Bridger (BSC 52) of Memphis, Tenn., June 23, 2011

Walter Richard Hager (BSCvE 49) of Rancho Viejo, Texas, Aug. 19, 2011

John Henry Capistran Sr. (BA 55) of La Mesa, Calif., June 26, 2011

Jane Becker Heidelberg (41) of Hattiesburg, Aug. 2, 2011

Otho Merritt Chance Jr. (BBA 50) of Brandon, Aug. 21, 2011

Ruth Sneed Holcombe (BAEd 44) of Senatobia, June 18, 2011

Jim McRae Criss (LLB 56) of Grenada, July 10, 2011

Anne Gilliam Hord (43) of Hattiesburg, June 18, 2011

William E. Davis (BBA 59) of Water Valley, Aug. 22, 2011

Seymour1-2page.pdf Edward Levinson of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 12, 2011 1 (42) 9/2/11 4:15 PM

Kathleen Ann Drude (MA 59, PhD 72) of Hammond, La., June 22, 2011

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56 Alumni Review

Jack Minter Dubard (MA 58, LLB 60) of Dacula, Ga., May 26, 2011 John Charles Duck (BA 51) of Scottsdale, Ariz., Aug. 19, 2011 Gerald Lee Dunaway (BBA 58, MBA 59) of Hot Springs Village, Ark., May 12, 2011 Charles Mims Edwards (BA 58, BS 59, MD 62) of Madison, Aug. 17, 2011 Elizabeth Cox Elliott (50) of Madison, July 1, 2011 Ignatius Alexander Fafinski (LLB 54) of Richmond Hill, N.Y., Aug. 15, 2010 Joseph P. Ford (BSPh 52) of Pensacola, Fla., July 17, 2011 Matthew Thomas Ford Jr. (BBA 57) of Aiken, S.C., June 12, 2011 William Samuel Fox (54) of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., June 19, 2011 William Vincent Gillen (BPA 59) of Fairfax, Va., Sept. 23, 2010 Robert George Haik (LLB 54) of New Orleans, La., July 3, 2011 Sara Campbell Hubeli (BA 52) of Tulsa, Okla., Nov. 5, 2010 Katherine Wright O’Cain Hunt (51) of Pascagoula, May 29, 2011 Billy Lowery James (MedCert 51) of Petal, July 17, 2011 Robert Earl Joiner (50) of Waynesboro, July 26, 2011 Sam Fielding Lamensdorf Jr. (BBA 55) of New York, N.Y., June 21, 2011

Tagged in Texas

NEW OLE MISS LICENSE PLATE JOINS TAGS IN MISSISSIPPI, TENNESSEE

O

le Miss students, alumni and fans in Texas have a new way to show their Rebel pride—and raise University of Mississippi scholarship funds—with a new specialty license plate that went on sale at the end of September.

Ole Miss Club members across the Lone Star State rallied to petition Texas lawmakers to offer the specialty plate. Texas joins Tennessee and Mississippi as states that offer an Ole Miss plate.

“The Ole Miss Alumni Association offers assistance and coordinates the effort, but the impetus is on the state’s clubs,” says Port Kaigler (BA 06), alumni assistant and club coordinator in the Association’s office at Ole Miss. “We are here to help get the ball rolling.”

Some states allow specialty tags from outside universities, while others, such as Alabama, currently only allow in-state schools to have license tags. Ole Miss alumni in Georgia have started the process to get an Ole Miss tag there, Kaigler says.

Proceeds from the car tags in the different states help fund Alumni Association scholarships that send students to Ole Miss.

The Mississippi Legislature has also authorized a specialty car tag for The University of Mississippi Medical Center. AR More info on Ole Miss plates: • Georgia: www.atlantaolemissclub.com • Mississippi: www.dor.ms.gov/mvl/availabletags.html • Mississippi (UMMC): http://giveto.umc.edu/car_tags.html • Tennessee: http://tennessee.gov/revenue/vehicle/licenseplates/collegiate • Texas: www.myplates.com/go/olemiss

Fall 2011 57

News alumni

Above the Curve ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CONGRATULATES 2011-12 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS*

T

he Alumni Association held a reception in September to honor all recipients of the Herb Dewees Alumni Association Scholarship, the Ben Williams Minority Scholarship, the Wobble Davidson M-Club Scholarship, the Clay Waycaster Student Alumni Council Scholarship, the Alumni Association Band Scholarship and the Grove Society Scholarship. For more information on alumni scholarship opportunities, visit www.olemissalumni.com. AR

Wobble Davidson M-Club Scholarship

Herb Dewees Alumni Association Scholarship

Randle Bane, Catherine Berry, Alice Blackmon, Lauren Briscoe, Sarah Brown, Hannah Burson, April Cameron, Myers Carpenter, Kacie Childers, Casey Chinn, Lisa Clark, Sally Clark, Houston Cofield, David Collier, Rachel Crim, William Crim III, Sarah Crites, Jasmine Cromartie, Samuel Davidson, Clayton Durfey, John Austin Durfey, David Dye, Nathan Dye, Reed Ellis, Mary Love Fair, Sally Farrington, Asheton Fearing, Anna Claire Freeman, Alyssa Green, Kelsey Griffin, Stephen Haltom, Leslie Hamm, Sam Harris, Mary Van Haynes, Ben Hewitt, Tess Hill, Ann Peyton Hooper, Hillary Howell, John James, Beau Jefcoat, Bret Jefcoat, Allie Johnson, Caitlin Kalfayan, Caroline Kidder, Mary Allen Langford, Rachel Lee, Annie Leech, Luke Love, Ian Mallett, T.J. Mallette II, Natalie May, Virginia Mayo, Elizabeth Mazzanti, Myles McGuire, Casey McManus, Claude McRoberts IV, Meredith Meadows, Margaret Anne Moore, Sanford Moore, Bryan Nickle, David Palmer, Sarah Parkes, Anna Peterson, Mary Ward Pollard, Paige Russell, Rachel Shaw, Will Shirley, Jake Sisson, Kellie Skinner, Sarah Ellen Southern, Susanna Southern, Caldwell Starnes Jr., Eleanor Starnes, Mary Wesson Sullivan, Barney Thompson, Jake Thompson, Tyler Touchstone, Eleanor Valentine, Patrick Valentine, Elizabeth Wade, Anne Webb, Jordan Wilkie, Ben Williams, DeeAnn Williams, Betsy Woodhouse, Coury Zachary, Kate Zachary

Chris Ables, Mary Allen Bailey, Joslyn Cartlidge, Sara Frances Chisholm, Kacy Coleman, Jasmine Cromartie, Cary Joe Davis, Teressa Davis, Matt Herring, Beau Jefcoat, Bret Jefcoat, August Malouf, Matt Malouf, Stella Malouf, Catron Matthews, Jessica Miller, Brea Rich, Rebekka Rich, Detrick Rodgers, Regan Thames

Ben Williams Minority Scholarship

Taylor Carnes, Lucus Jackson, J’Undra Pegues

Grove Society Scholarship

Christopher Agnew, Rhett Dixon, Brandy Medders, Jessica Miller, Sarah Morris

Alumni Association Band Scholarship Julie Cook, Kurt Davis

Clay Waycaster Student Alumni Council Scholarship Sumner Abraham IV, Jessica James, Cheyenne Stovall

*All scholarship recipients are listed, but some were not present for the photos.

58 Alumni Review

Betty Stennis McKay (BA 55) of Birmingham, Ala., July 23, 2011 George Nervig Mitchell (BA 50) of Silver Spring, Md., March 14, 2011 Betty Holland Parsons (BAEd 56) of Wiggins, June 3, 2011 Joe Gray Phillips (BBA 57) of Hernando, July 4, 2011 Rubel Lex Phillips (LLB 51) of Jackson, June 18, 2011 Adrian B. Rhodes Jr. (BAEd 59) of Palmetto, Fla., Aug. 2, 2011 George Bernard Richardson (BAEd 54, MEd 60) of Yazoo City, July 9, 2011 Rosalyn Reese Rose (BS 59, MS 68) of Oxford, June 3, 2011 James W. Salley (BSHPE 51) of Church Hill, Tenn., March 26, 2011 Stephen Joseph Sanford (BA 52) of Medford, Ore., June 6, 2011 William Franklin Selph Jr. (BBA 50, LLB 54) of Summit, May 26, 2011 Billy Wyte Shelton (BBA 56, LLB 59) of Saltillo, Aug. 15, 2011 Earl Sievers Solomon Jr. (BA 58, LLB 61) of Greenville, June 18, 2011 Gail Hood Sullivan (BBA 59) of Magee, July 23, 2010 Virginia Seal Wagner (BA 51) of Bay Saint Louis, July 4, 2011 James Lester Watts (56) of Slidell, La., Aug. 7, 2011 Dean Faulkner Wells (BA 58, MA 75) of Oxford, July 27, 2011 Thomas Leroy Wiggers Jr. (MBA 51) of Brandon, Aug. 11, 2011 Herbert Drexler Young (57) of Haymarket, Va., July 3, 2011 1960s Peter Albano (MEd 61) of Temple Terrace, Fla., June 24, 2011 John Coston Autry III (BBA 63) of Maryville, Tenn., June 28, 2011 Donald Banks (BBA 61) of Amory, July 11, 2011 Elizabeth Davis Batton (MS 65) of Lake Providence, La., Aug. 18, 2011 Gerald Edward Belue (MD 68) of Niceville, Fla., June 4, 2011 Johnny L. Brewer (61) of Vicksburg, May 27, 2011 Sara Caroline Cheshire (BAEd 64) of Nashville, Tenn., July 12, 2011 Terrianne Walters Dickson (BAEd 68, MEd 70) of Memphis, Tenn., June 16, 2011 Judy Reed Diener (BFA 62) of North Stonington, Conn., Aug. 8, 2011 Mitchell Orvis Driskell Jr. (BBA 65) of Greenville, July 18, 2011

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Cora Matheny Economos (MLS 65, PhD 72) of Hot Springs National Park, Ark., June 16, 2011 Gregory Alan Fagan (69) of Laurel, July 1, 2011 Ruth Beasley Farr (BSN 64) of Edwards, June 10, 2011 Frances Berry Frazier (MLS 68) of Gulfport, Aug. 8, 2011 Frank Marshall Freeman Jr. (BBA 61) of Greensboro, N.C., July 25, 2011 Kenneth Roy Gleason (BBA 62) of Overland Park, Kan., Aug. 5, 2011 William Grady Greer (67) of Delray Beach, Fla., July 2, 2011 Anthony John Herrera (BA 68) of New York, N.Y., June 21, 2011 James Harold Jones (BBA 67, MAccy 68) of Falls Church, Va., June 17, 2011 George Kelly (65) of Clinton, July 5, 2011 George Louis Krupicka (MS 67) of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 19, 2011 Leslie Lawrence Ladner (61) of Terry, June 10, 2011 Adron Keith Lay Sr. (MD 63) of Bay Springs, June 25, 2011 Billy Eugene Lee (EdD 63) of Starkville, June 30, 2011 Janet Gould Matson (BA 66) of Morgan, Vt., May 29, 2011 William Ronald McMurray (MEd 64) of Houma, La., Feb. 18, 2011

Offering medical & non-medical care An employee-based company with customer protections

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1-800-310-2462 primecarems.com Fall 2011 59

News alumni

James Neil O’Neill (BA 62) of Palmetto, Fla., July 22, 2011

Marvin Lee Costin (BAEd 77, MEd 78) of Big Creek, May 31, 2011

Elizabeth Davis Posey (60) of Brandon, June 18, 2011

Robert L. Denton Jr. (73) of Brandon, July 4, 2011

Mary Parker Rhodes (BSC 64) of Augusta, Ga., July 27, 2011

Patrick Wiltz Edwards (BBA 72) of Memphis, Tenn., June 23, 2011

John William Shelton (BBA 63, JD 66) of West Palm Beach, Fla., Aug. 6, 2011

Jerry Curtis Fowler Sr. (BSHPE 70, MEd 77) of Blue Mountain, Aug. 2, 2011

Allison Powell Shoemaker III (BBA 67) of Gautier, June 17, 2011

Aurelius Bernard Gibson Sr. (MEd 76) of New Albany, May 26, 2011

Sandra Schillinger Thompson (BAEd 63) of Searcy, Ark., July 7, 2011 Thomas Newell Turner Jr. (BBA 60) of Belzoni, June 27, 2011 Miriam Wilson Weems (BA 63, BFA 86) of Jackson, Aug. 20, 2011 Bruce L. Whitsitt (MEd 62) of Galesburg, Ill., July 2, 2011 John Richard Wood (BA 61) of Macon, Aug. 11, 2011 Mannie C. Wooley Jr. (BSChE 60) of Lake Park, Ga., June 18, 2011 William Elisha York Sr. (BSCvE 63) of Holly Springs, May 28, 2011 William Rice Zimmerman Jr. (BBA 60) of Tulsa, Okla., Oct. 13, 2010 1970s Sandra Kay Akins (BAEd 73) of Holly Springs, Aug. 22, 2011 Maila Patrick Barlow (BSN 77) of Star, Aug. 6, 2011 James L. Boswell (MD 73) of Memphis, Tenn., June 25, 2011 Deborah Gaddis Buckhannon (BA 77) of Tallahassee, Fla., June 30, 2011 Ernest Lott Cameron (BA 75, BSPh 78) of Mount Juliet, Tenn., July 29, 2011 Cynthia Fields Cook (BAEd 74) of Germantown, Tenn., June 20, 2011

Alton Carter Gaston (AMEd 72) of Little Rock, Ark., July 26, 2011 Hugh C. Griffis III (75) of Luthersville, Ga., June 10, 2011 Marvin Douglas Gurner (BSEE 79) of Decatur, Ala., July 4, 2011 James H. Henderson (BA 78) of Meridian, Aug. 1, 2011 Douglas Gordon Holt (MA 74, PhD 87) of Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 3, 2011 Jacqueline Mills Huch (BAEd 77) of Marietta, Ga., June 4, 2011 Dunnica Ott Lampton (BAEd 72, JD 75) of Jackson, Aug. 17, 2011 Louise Montjoy Lathem (BAEd 76) of Dallas, Texas, June 26, 2011 Michael Martin McMaster (BBA 71) of Cordova, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2011 George McDonald Morse (BBA 74, JD 76) of Gulfport, June 1, 2011 Joseph Thompson Myers (BAEd 70, MA 71) of Ellisville, July 31, 2011 Deborah Thomas Reed (BAEd 76) of Katy, Texas, July 11, 2011 Lloyd Thomas Roberts II (EdD 73) of Johnson City, Tenn., June 2, 2011 Charles Richard Rosamond (BA 75) of Grenada, July 30, 2011 Edwin Earl Searcy (MD 73) of Cleveland, June 17, 2011 William Gray Shockley (BA 74) of Vicksburg, Aug. 13, 2010

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

The Highlands A PRIVATE

Melvon Taylor (BBA 73) of Jackson, July 4, 2011 Van Carlton Temple Jr. (JD 71) of Lumberton, July 22, 2011 Thomas F. Wagner (BPA 78, MURP 80) of Picayune, June 13, 2011 Michael Kit Walshock (BA 77) of Jackson, July 30, 2011 Gordon Thaxton Whitten (BA 74) of Sumner, Aug. 15, 2011 1980s Robert Edward Edge (BPA 80) of Milton, Fla., Aug. 2, 2011 Wendell Wayne Goudelock (BBA 80) of New Albany, July 23, 2011 Everett Harold Jones Jr. (BBA 85) of Nettleton, July 20, 2011 Kevin Daniel Lightner (BA 80) of D’Iberville, Aug. 3, 2011 John Wilson Lipscomb Jr. (PhD 84) of Hattiesburg, Aug. 22, 2011 Larry Thomas Loden (BSN 82) of Tupelo, June 16, 2011 Misty Murray Mayo (BFA 81) of Chattanooga, Tenn., July 25, 2011 Kermie Faust Sloan (BSB 82, MBEd 83) of Austin, Texas, Aug. 20, 2011 George Randle Thomas (BBA 86, JD 89) of Chandler, Ariz., June 21, 2011 1990s Leila Hull Cochran (BSHEc 93) of Houston, Texas, Aug. 6, 2011 Lynette Williamson Fuller (BA 93) of Vicksburg, Aug. 11, 2011 Jason Todd Goff (BS 91) of Moscow, Tenn., May 30, 2011 Michael Duane Graves (BPA 97) of Denison, Texas, July 14, 2010

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Fall 2011 61

News alumni

Michael Robinson Haynes (BBA 96) of Germantown, Tenn., June 6, 2011

Judith Allen Koehle of Tupelo, July 14, 2011

Teresa Ellis Jarnagin (BSN 93, MSN 96) of Clinton, Aug. 6, 2011

Howard Maer Lenhoff of Oxford, July 12, 2011

Christopher White Webster (JD 91) of Washington, D.C., July 20, 2011

Frances Cooper Miles of West Point, Aug. 20, 2011

2000s Benjamin Israel Brown (08) of Pontotoc, July 21, 2011 Kevin Kenta Cunningham (MEd 06) of Memphis, Tenn., June 25, 2011 Joshua Ryan Ekes (BBA 08) of Corinth, June 20, 2011 Sharon Patterson Graham (BBA 02) of Corinth, April 7, 2011 John Hollis Pearce (BBA 04) of Gainesville, Ga., July 11, 2011 Ariel Mitchell Rodgers (07) of Oxford, June 20, 2011 Lawrence Daniel Tillman (Cert 00) of Florence, Aug. 15, 2011 Wayne Hardy Wolfe (08) of Oxford, June 19, 2011 FACULTY AND FRIENDS Henry Clairborne Carroll of Madison, Aug. 17, 2011 Frances Rivers Clark of Little Rock, Ark., July 26, 2011 Rena Noel Everett of Oxford, July 20, 2011 Cindy Leigh Farrar of Oxford, Aug. 17, 2011 Nancy Higgins Fowler of Oxford, July 7, 2011 Don G. Harris of Magee, June 8, 2011 Claudette Kimmons of Sardis, July 23, 2011

George Dewey Purvis of Jackson, July 2, 2011 Buddy Ramage of Belden, June 25, 2011 Jo Donald Rosier of Madison, July 25, 2011 Pamela Ables Shurley of Cordova, Tenn., June 19, 2011 Minnie Eubanks Smith of Jackson, July 8, 2011 Julius V. Spann of Tupelo, Aug. 15, 2011 William L. Springer of Jasper, Ala., Dec. 4, 2010 Frederick E. Tatum of Hattiesburg, Aug. 25, 2011 Hershel Wilbourn of Byram, July 20, 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.

GOAL: 24,000 ACTIVE MEMBERS Only you can help your Ole Miss Alumni Association reach this important milestone!

Make your Alumni Association the strongest in the SEC and the nation by renewing your alumni membership each year and encouraging classmates, friends, neighbors, fans and Ole Miss supporters to also join and remain active.

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

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)

62 Alumni Review

Last Name: ________________________First:_______________________ Middle Name: __________________Maiden Name: ___________________ Address: ______________________________________________________ City, State, Zip, Country: ________________________________________ E-mail: ________________________Phone:_________________________ Window Decal Preference: Inside _____

Outside _____

Go online to renew your membership and update your contact information at <www.olemissalumni.com> or fill out this form and mail to Membership, Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677. Phone 662-915-7375 CODE: REV

Serving Oxford, Lafayette County and the University of Mississippi

TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2010

INSIDE

Run-off solution sought E-Edition booming 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

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.

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

Gifts bridal

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

UM GRADS

www.oxfordfloral.com

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

ONLINE

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 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.

INDEX

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

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

BY GREG BLUESTEIN AND

MATTHEW DALY

Associated Press Writers

Guinness finds Minn. man is tallest in US

1103 Jefferson Avenue Oxford, MS 38655 662-234-2515

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-

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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.

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

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

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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

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Out in Force

ALUMNI RALLY AT CLUB MEETINGS AND PICNICS IN 2011

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lot of stump speeches took place this spring and summer—and we’re not talking about election candidates.

Ole Miss officials and coaches—including Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75), Athletics Director Pete Boone (BBA 72) and football Coach Houston Nutt—crisscrossed the state and nation, rallying thousands of Ole Miss alumni and friends at club meetings.

The message from the pulpit to the Rebel faithful: Yes, we had a disappointing athletics season last year. But this is a temporary setback, not a trend—and heights greater than the Rebels’ recent back-to-back Cotton Bowl football victories are yet to come.

Ole Miss Club luncheons and meetings, organized by local clubs with assistance from the Ole Miss Alumni Association, were held everywhere from San Antonio, Texas, in the west to New York City in the east, from the Twin Cities of Minnesota to the north to sunny Orlando, Fla., to the south. Rebels gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and in New York’s Central Park. They congregated in Memphis, Atlanta, Nashville, Houston and Denver.

And, of course, thousands of Ole Miss alumni and friends gathered at meetings across Mississippi to hear Boone, Nutt and other coaches and officials.

“We were pleased at the turnout this club season,” says Alumni Association Executive Director Tim Walsh (BPD 83, MED 91). “Attendance at most of our club meetings was excellent. I was particularly delighted that the TriState Rebel Club, in only its second year of existence, had more than 650 at its meeting in Iuka.”

Other speakers during the summer club season included head basketball Coach Andy Kennedy, head baseball Coach Mike Bianco and women’s basketball Coach Renee Ladner (BSHPE 82). Football assistant coaches David Lee, Derrick Nix, Tyrone Nix, Gunter Brewer (MED 89), Mike Markuson, Terry Price and Keith Burns also preached to the masses.

UMAA Foundation Executive Director Danny White was on hand at several meetings. Other Athletics Department officials, including John Hartwell, senior executive associate athletics director, and Michael Thompson (BBA 01), senior associate athletics director for communications and marketing, also gave Rebel fans a taste of what to expect this season. Ole Miss Spirit editor Chuck Rounsaville also lent his expert voice to Ole Miss Club events.

See photo galleries from spring and summer club meetings at the Alumni Association’s website, www.olemissalumni.com. AR 1) Georgia Rebels rally at Atlanta’s Mississippi in the Park; 2) 2011 SEC Picnic in Austin; 3) The TriState Rebel Club meeting in Iuka featured a replica Walk of Champions arch; 4) 2011 SEC Picnic in Denver; 5) 2011 Mississippi Picnic in the Park in New York 64 Alumni Review

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

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Left to Right: *Scott A. Trammell, CFP® V.P. Training & Development Ole Miss ‘01 *Eric McCully, MBA Financial Advisor Ole Miss ‘04 *Eric S. Bubrig, JD, MBA Chief Operating Officer Ole Miss ‘97, ‘00, ‘01 *Walter Grant, ChFC Financial Advisor Ole Miss ‘97 *Frederick C. Schaeffer Jr. Financial Advisor Ole Miss ‘92 *Hampton A. Holcomb Executive Vice-President Ole Miss parent *Webb Sabin, MBA Financial Advisor Ole Miss ‘05 *W. Joel Bell, CFP® Financial Advisor Ole Miss ‘98

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