Ole Miss Alumni Review - Summer 2010

Ole Miss Alumni Review Summer 2010 Vol. 59 No. 3

Summer 2010

What Lies Beneath UM scientists at forefront of Gulf oil spill

Alumna riding high with youth equestrians Pharmacy school paves way for life-changing research

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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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Summer 2010

Vol. 59 No. 3

features

22 What Lies Beneath on the cover

How UM scientists are at the forefront of assessing the impact of the Gulf oil spill. by tom speed

departments 6 From the Circle

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

14 Calendar

18Riding High

Alumna’s stable life is anything but boring.

by Jim Urbanek

30 Taking It

to the Next Level Pharmacy School leads nation in outside funding to advance industry, research.

By Dabney Weems

34 sports

Powe leads Rebs with preseason honors

42 arts and culture 44 travel 48 alumni news

On the cover: The oil spill is threatening marine life in the Gulf of Mexico, and UM researchers are studying the impact of the disaster.

Photo by Island Effects/iStockPhoto

Ole Miss Alumni Review P ublisher ublisher P Warner L. Alford (60) Timothy Walsh (83) Editor Editor Jim Urbanek II (02) Jim Urbanek II (97) jim@olemiss.edu jim@olemiss.edu Creative Director SabrinaEBrown A ssociate ditor and A dvertising Director Designers Tom Speed ? (91) tom@olemiss.edu ditorial A ssistant CEontributing Editor Macaulay Knight Benita Whitehorn

C orrespondents Designer ?

Eric Summers C orrespondents Kevin Bain (98), Tobie Baker (96), Mitchell Diggs (82), Jennifer Farish (01), Jay Ferchaud, Tom Fortner, Tina Hahn, Robert Jordan (83),RNathan Latil, Elaine A dvertising epresentative Pugh,Cristen Janis Quinn, Edwin Smith Hemmins (MA 96) (80), 662-236-1700 Jennifer Southall (92), Aaron Spencer, Dabney Weemsof(97), Westerfield, Officers TheMatt University Ryan Whittington (09) of M ississippi A lumni A ssociation Chance Laws (63), Officers of The University president of M ississippi A lumni A ssociation David McCormick (77), Charles Clark (72), president-elect president Rose Jackson Flenorl (79), Bill (79), viceMay president president-elect John T. Cossar (61), athletics committee member Richard Noble (68), vice president Roger Friou (56), athletics committee member Sam Lane (76), athletics committee member A lumni A ffairs Staff, O xford Karen Leeexecutive (73), director Warner Alford (60), athletics committee member Wendy Chambers Carmean (97), assistant director for marketing A lumni A ffairs Staff, O xford Clay Cavett (86), associate director Timothly L. Walsh (83), executive director Josh Davis (99), assistant director Joseph Bambaugh, system analyst I Martha Dollarhide, systems programmer II Clay Cavett (86), associate director Sheila Dossett (75), assistant director Martha Dollarhide, systems programmer II Annette Kelly (79), accountant Sheila Dossett (75), senior associate David Gilmore, systems analyst I director manager, JulianRobert GilnerRadice, (04), assistant director The Inn at Ole Miss Sarah Kathryn M. Hickman (03), Scott Thompson (97), alumni assistant, assistant director for marketing club coordinator Port Kaigler (06), alumni assistant and Jim Urbanek II (02), club coordinator assistant director for communications Annette Kelly (79), accountant Tim Walsh (83), senior associate director Tom Speed (91), publications editor Rusty Woods (01), Scott Thompson (97), assistant director assistant director for information services Jim Urbanek James Butler(97), (60),assistant directordirector emeritusfor communications Herbert E. Dewees Jr. (65), Rusty Woods assistant director for executive(01), director emeritus information services A lumni A ffairs taff, Jackson James Butler (53), Sdirector emeritus Geoffrey Mitchell (70), alumnidirector director Warner Alford (60), executive Ginger Roby Daniels (77), assistant director emeritus The Ole Miss Alumni Review (USPS

The Ole Miss Alumni Review (USPS 561-870) 561-870) is published quarterly by is published quarterly by The University of The University of Mississippi Alumni Mississippi Alumni Association and the Office Association and the Office of Alumni of AlumniAlumni Affairs. Alumni Association offices Affairs.

Association offices are are located at Triplett Alumni Center, located at Triplett Alumni Center, Room 651University, Grove Loop,MS University, 38677.

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Chancellor Dear Alumni and Friends, In the past few months, The University of Mississippi has been named to three of the nation’s top rankings lists by national publications. Earlier this spring, we were chosen as the safest campus in the Southeastern Conference. In the summer, we were included in the “best colleges to work for” rankings, and Ole Miss was named “most appealing flagship college” in an article by two higher education leaders in the Chronicle of Higher Education. This most recent accolade echoes what all of us— our students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors have known for years—that Ole Miss offers an amazing experience.

The authors of the Chronicle article, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, have spent the past several years researching challenges in higher education. Their book, Higher Education?

How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids—and What We Can Do About It, came out last month. They provided a synopsis in the July 11, 2010 Chronicle of Higher Education.

After noting the challenges facing higher education and some potential solutions (none of us will agree with all their ideas), the authors list 11 colleges or universities they think are doing their job well. First on their list is The University of Mississippi. They note, “… of all the flagship colleges we visited, we have found Ole Miss the most appealing.”

The authors highlight a transformation over the past few years at Ole Miss and appropriately attribute much of the progress to the leadership of Chancellor Robert Khayat. Early in his tenure as chancellor, he noted that “The University of Mississippi should strive to be and be perceived as a great American public university.” In many ways, this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education fulfills that vision.

Many people have contributed to the progress at our university. Our faculty has worked to create a unique atmosphere of learning. The authors relayed to me in a personal conversation how impressed they were with our students, and that student learning is the main priority of our university. I am grateful for the high quality of teaching done by our outstanding faculty and for the leadership and scholarship of our dedicated students.

Generous contributions from our alumni and donors have provided the opportunity to enhance our learning environment and create unique academic programs such as the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, the Croft Institute for International Studies and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Each and every person who generously has supported this university should feel a sense of pride and accomplishment from this recognition.

Our progress has come despite a relatively difficult external environment over the past few years. Today’s economic circumstances especially are challenging. But, all of us can be reminded that the opportunities for the future are large and important. Our mission is crucial. Students of today and tomorrow need to transform their lives and the lives of others. The opportunities for us to influence the community and world around us through our service are immeasurable.

Thank you for your role in this recognition. Our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are doing amazing things. It is wonderful that others are taking notice.

Sincerely,

Daniel W. Jones Chancellor

The UniversiTy of Mississippi

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President Dear Fellow Alumni and Friends,

2010-11 SEASON Upcoming Performances The Berlin philharmonic Wind Quintet Amy Grant Strega Nona, the Musical Rhythm of the Dance Lar Lubovitch Dance Company Fiddler on the Roof A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Aquila Theatre Company Oklahoma!

Christopher o’riley synergy Brass Quintet Gingerbread and Brass for Kids synergy Brass Quintet Gingerbread and Brass Urban Bush Women emerson string Quartet Forever Plaid Charlotte’s Web Swan Lake russian national Ballet A Chorus Line The Ugly Duckling starring Pinky Flamingo Chris Brubeck’s Triple play The Aluminum Show

With the close of a successful alumni club meeting season, we have turned our attention to one of the most exciting times of the year at Ole Miss: fall and the beginning of football season!

I suspect many of you, like me, cannot wait to enjoy the fellowship of family and friends in the Grove and take your seats in Vaught-Hemingway for what certainly promises to be another exciting year for the Rebels.

My wife, Ginger, and I have had an absolute blast participating in so many alumni events these past few months. From New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Montgomery, Birmingham, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, the Golden Triangle, Waynesboro, Jackson and Memphis to many points in between, we have met many wonderful people and have enjoyed the unparalleled brand of Ole Miss hospitality at every turn. I thank the local alumni clubs’ officers for their hard work and leadership in making the club meetings so successful. I also thank Chancellor Jones, Pete Boone and our coaches for their participation and commitment. Finally, I thank the Alumni Association staff members for their absolutely critical role.

One of my most exciting experiences happened when I had the opportunity to participate in the 2010 Commencement in the Grove. Chancellor Jones had forewarned me that when I rose to the podium to deliver my remarks and looked out over the virtual sea of graduates in their caps and gowns, along with their families and friends, set among the most beautiful grounds on this earth, I would be overwhelmed with emotion and “goose bumps.” He was right—I was. I wish all of you could experience what I did that beautiful morning in May. It was truly magnificent!

As you have no doubt noticed, many visible and exciting projects are in progress on campus, several of which are nearing completion, including the Luckyday Residential College, the Khayat School of Law building and, of special interest to me, the renovation of the Triplett Alumni Center (TAC), which was rededicated in a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 3. I thank all of you who have supported this project through your generous gifts. We do, however, need additional support to complete the funding for this renovation, and I ask for your help. We look forward to enjoying the rededicated TAC this fall and hope you will come by and visit. As a reminder, the Alumni Association will be hosting game-day receptions in the TAC’s Butler Auditorium again, with free pizza, popcorn, soft drinks and televised football games for active Alumni Association members.

Homecoming is scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 5-6. The Alumni Hall of Fame banquet will take place on Friday evening in the Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss. The annual meeting of the Alumni Association with the election and installation of officers will be held on Saturday morning at the Inn, followed by our game with University of Louisiana-Lafayette. I hope you will make it to all of the football games this year, but I especially hope you will return to campus for Homecoming 2010 and participate in the exciting events and activities.

Again, thank you for the honor and privilege of serving as your Alumni Association president. I look forward to seeing you on campus this fall.

662.915.7411 olemiss.edu/fordcenter fordcenter.blogspot.com myspace.com/fordcenterperformingarts friend us on facebook® 4 Alumni Review

Charles C. Clark (BBA 72)

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

Dr. Robert Hester, professor of physiology and biophysics at the UM Medical Center, shows UM students Kendra Schneider and John Montgomery an example of the effects of obesity on microcirculation. Photo by Jay Ferchaud

Setting the Standard Fellowship gives students experience with ethical issues in medicine

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wo University of Mississippi humanities students are making the rounds at The University of Mississippi Medical Center this summer, observing both patients and physicians while getting an up-close look at emerging ethical issues in modern medicine.

“The idea is to develop a population of humanities scholars who have a meaningful exposure to the modern biomedical enterprise and who will help us better understand health care in a broad socio-cultural context,” says Dr. Ralph Didlake (BS 75), director of the Medical Center’s Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities.

The Student Fellowship in Bioethics is a collaboration between UMMC and the College of Liberal Arts. Senior Kendra Schneider of Meridian, a double 6 Alumni Review

major in philosophy and religious studies, and sophomore John Montgomery of Shreveport, La., a double major in philosophy and public policy leadership, began the immersion experience in June.

“Medical ethics is probably the most real-world application of philosophy,” says Schneider, an aspiring clinical psychologist. “One day I’ll likely face many of the same ethical dilemmas facing medical doctors, so this fellowship will expose me to the practical application of the philosophy I’ve been learning in college.”

With rapid medical discoveries and technological advancements, bioethical issues are becoming more prominent in society, Montgomery says.

“Our lives are affected now and in the future by the bioethical standards

set by our health care system and our government,” says Montgomery, who is contemplating a political or legal career.

“The unique understanding and perspective provided by this fellowship will enable me to make informed decisions and arguments about bioethical issues in either of these fields.”

Using a gift from the Bower Foundation, UMMC established the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities in 2008 to recognize the importance of ethics, professionalism and an understanding of the social context in which health care is delivered. The center strengthens the Medical Center’s education, service and research missions by providing a renewed emphasis on ethical integrity, moral reasoning and a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between medicine and society. AR

Sarah Faggart of Lincolnton, N.C., a rising senior at Ole Miss, arrived at her spring-semester study abroad destination, Liverpool, England, in early January, greeted by a new snowfall and the area’s coldest winter in 30 years.

Window to the World Study abroad provides students with valuable experiences

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hile Sarah Faggart of Lincolnton, N.C., had taken trips outside the United States before, her recent University of Mississippi study abroad experience topped them all.

A senior communication sciences and disorders major, Faggart spent the spring semester enrolled at Liverpool Hope University in Liverpool, England. Besides earning 12 credit hours toward her UM degree, the experience added even greater value to her college education.

“I love to travel, and Liverpool became my gateway to so many other places,” she says. “I also gained a strong sense of independence and came to appreciate many other cultures.”

She was among 109 Ole Miss students participating in UM Study Abroad programs this spring. Each year, the Study Abroad Office sends around 600 students abroad, offering programs in more than 80 countries covering Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

Faggart’s Liverpool classes included International Tourism Management, Mentoring Young People, Political Psychology and Memory. She found the learning experience to be quite different. There’s no homework, and, instead of quizzes and tests throughout the semester, assessment is based on “huge papers and presentations,” she says, and each class meets only once a week for two hours.

Evaluating her semester-long experience, Faggart says, “I feel that I have a more open mind about people from other cultures, and I think my unique experiences—that can only take place in another culture— will set me apart from other students. It really allows you to figure out who you are as a person and grow up.

“I also learned what it’s like to slow down and enjoy life as the Europeans do, in contrast to the American fast-paced way of living.”

Faggart is scheduled to receive her bachelor’s degree at UM in May 2011. She wants to attend graduate school in further preparation for a career as a speech-language pathologist in a clinic or private practice. AR

Katie Wilson

National institute’s new leader passionate about child nutrition

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school nutrition director for the past 22 years, Katie Wilson is poised to lead the institute that is the country’s authority on child nutrition programs.

Tapped as executive director of the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) at The University of Mississippi, Wilson’s appointment started July 1.

Becoming NFSMI’s director is “a dream come true for me,” she says. “Here I can be at an executive level, have impact nationally and still be involved with child nutrition. I’m so passionate about training; that’s what makes this a great fit.”

Wilson and the NFSMI already are exploring some innovative changes, including expanded opportunities for graduate education. Although NFSMI remains fully funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the institute merged with UM’s School of Applied Sciences in March.

“Dr. Wilson is known for her ability to build coalitions with allied organizations on schoolnutrition issues,” says Linda Chitwood, dean of the School of Applied Sciences. “She is the ideal person to lead our institute as we assume a stronger role in policy formation and education, not only for school food-service directors but also for the general public.” AR

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University of Mississippi professor is serving as the principal investigator for a $1 million astronomy outreach project.

“Astronomy’s New Messengers: Listening to the Universe with Gravitational Waves” was presented in New York in June in conjunction with the World Science Festival and is funded by the National Science Foundation and the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) Scientific Collaboration.

“The LIGO scientific endeavor is motivated by the same desire for exploration, the curiosity for the unknown and the awe of nature which motivated humankind throughout millennia of history,” says Mark Cavaglia, principal investigator for Astronomy’s New Messengers and UM assistant professor of physics and astronomy. “In this respect, science and art are two facets of the same human quest for beauty and truth.”

The interpretive exhibition offers an up-close look at the work of a dynamic group of more than 800 physicists and astronomers from across the globe. These scientists have joined together to search for gravitational waves from the most violent astrophysical events in the universe.

According to a LIGO press release, the LIGO telescope is revolutionary in its ability to observe, for the first time, ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by massive cosmic events. The interactive exhibit, which opened June 2, features a model interferometer with laser, a space-time curvature simulation, a light sculpture representing the universe, games to find the hidden gravitational wave in the static universe and a mirror from the real LIGO. The exhibit was the beginning of a two-year innovative outreach project on art and science to be administered by The University of Mississippi. AR 8 Alumni Review

Max Hipp (left), president and CEO of the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, watches as Morris Stocks, UM provost; Alice Clark, UM vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs; Syd Spain, Insight Park executive director; and UM Chancellor Dan Jones break ground on the Insight Park complex. William Nicholas, Insight Park assistant director, looks on. Photo by Kevin Bain

Insightful New facility to be incubator for innovation, economic growth

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efore turning ideas into innovations, The University of Mississippi first must turn the ground.

UM officials conducted a groundbreaking ceremony on June 9 for the university’s Insight Park.

Construction on the first Insight Park building, which will be north of Highway 6 behind the Gillom Sports Center, is scheduled to be complete next summer. The state-of-the-art facility, which aims to help businesses benefit from the intellectual environment of the university, includes a 12,000-square-foot built-out incubator called the Innovation Center.

“The university’s Insight Park is a place where the best thinkers in business and the university will come together, work side by side and share ideas and innovative thoughts on how to create unique technologies, valuable services and new jobs in Mississippi,” says Syd Spain, executive director for Insight Park.

The university has been committed to the development of a world-class research park for more than a decade, and the investment in the state’s economic future could not come at a more critical time, Spain says. Together with the UM Innovation Center, the research park will help turn ideas into innovations.

To better connect ideas and people who have the entrepreneurial drive and resources to make things happen, the research park will capitalize on emerging UM researchers’ intellectual propery, projects and expertise.

“The purpose of Insight Park is to ensure research outcomes are put into action—transforming what we know and how we do things,” says Alice Clark (MS 76, PhD 78), vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs. AR

Legal Eagle New dean selected for School of Law

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. Richard Gershon, founding dean of the Charleston (S.C.) School of Law, is the new dean of The University of Mississippi School of Law. Gershon’s appointment began July 1. Before working at the Charleston law school, he served as dean and professor at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, associate dean and associate professor at Stetson University College of Law, and assistant professor at Ohio Northern University College of Law. “I am extremely pleased that Richard Gershon has agreed to serve as the next dean of the UM School of Law,” says Morris Stocks, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs. “He is an experienced dean, a respected scholar and proven leader. His impressive record demonstrates his commitment to students, faculty, alumni and his profession.”

Gershon says he is excited and humbled.

“I applied because the law school and the university both have great reputations,” Gershon says. “I was honored to have been selected.”

The new dean also says he is looking forward to working with law school faculty, staff, students and alumni to move the program to the next level.

“The primary mission of any law school is to prepare students for entry into the legal profession, but legal education is changing and so is the legal profession,” Gershon says. “The UM School of Law must maintain its traditions of teaching excellence, outstanding scholarly production and services to the community while adapting to these changes. It is essential for the law school to be creative and entrepreneurial so that we can provide the best professional education and training for our students and members of the profession in the 21st century.

“My responsibility to the alumni is to increase the value of their degrees by making sure that practicing lawyers, judges and the academic community know about the law school’s many accomplishments.” AR

Tony Seaman. Photo by Kevin Bain

Printing expert chosen as president-elect of trade organization

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nthony Seaman, director of Rebel Graphics at The University of Mississippi, was named 2010 president-elect for the InPlant Printing and Mailing Association, a professional organization for in-house corporate publishing, printing and distribution operations.

Seaman began his three-year term on the IPMA board at the group’s annual conference in June in Albuquerque, N.M. He is to become president next summer.

“I am looking forward to Tony joining the board,” says John Sarantakso, IPMA president. “I have known Tony for a long time, and he will be an awesome addition to the leadership team.”

Seaman, who joined the UM staff in 1996, is a certified graphic communications manager.

Before coming to Ole Miss, he worked as a production control manager for J.W. Moore Inc. in Memphis.

“It is a great privilege to be able to represent the university in an in-plant organization that has a lot of influence in the industry,” Seaman says.

“This will help us get the university’s name in publications that go to IPMA members around the world, and it also ensures that the university’s interests are represented among those of all the member universities.” AR

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Population experts sort out census data

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henever researchers need information to apply for a federal grant or lawmakers need figures to redistrict the Mississippi Legislature, the Center for Population Studies at The University of Mississippi provides the U.S. census data necessary to accomplish the tasks.

“People use census data for all kinds of projects,” says Clifford Holley (BA 83), the center’s director. “And the role of the center is constantly changing.”

Probably the largest share of the center’s data requests comes from people applying for federal grants, Holley says.

“Over $400 billion a year are allocated based on funding formulas that require some census data.”

The census has had a significant effect on Mississippi, Holley says. For example, Mississippi lost its fifth congressional seat in 2000, and census data were used to redistrict the state Legislature, as well as cities and towns.

“This gave Mississippi the highest number of black elected officials in the nation,” Holley says.

Though Internet access allows most people to look up basic information online, the center continues to provide technical advice, computer assistance and simple analysis (such as sorting data, computing indices and some thematic mapping), Holley says. Private companies create detailed tables for a fee from the Census Bureau’s raw data. AR 10 Alumni Review

School of Rock

Former professor returns as dean of School of Education

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avid Rock, dean and professor of mathematics education at Columbus State University, has been appointed as the new dean of The University of Mississippi School of Education.

Rock served six years as professor of mathematics education and curriculum and instruction in the UM education school from 1998 to 2004. Education dean at CSU since 2006, he developed CSU Internet Math Contests, the No. 1-ranked educational website that challenges students to solve demanding mathematical problems from across the globe.

Rock says he envisions that the UM School of Education will provide the highest quality programs at a state and national level using innovation and advanced technology that are grounded in quality research.

In his new post, Rock will assist with fundraising, resource management and faculty development, as well as research and curriculum matters.

“We must ensure that faculty and staff support a student-centered atmosphere that enhances the quality of programs at the undergraduate level and increases the strength of our graduate programs on a national level,” Rock says. “Our goal is to achieve national recognition and become one of the top 50 schools of education in the country.”

Created in 1903, the UM School of Education is dedicated to preparing students for effective leadership and service in increasingly diverse schools, homes and communities. Its mission is to provide exemplary instruction, relevant research and effective service through collaboration with schools, businesses, community organizations and the public. AR

Staying Power Nurse satisfaction, retention efforts pay huge dividends at UMHC

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he nursing shortage that was part of life at The University of Mississippi Medical Center for so many decades has quietly and without much fanfare dissolved.

The nursing turnover rate at Universit y of Mississippi Hea lth Care (UMHC), which comprises the university hospitals, physicians and health system, is 6.8 percent, down from 22 percent in 2006-07.

Christina (Tina) Higgins, manager of the Office of Nursing Excellence, says it’s difficult to say “what one stone tossed into the pond made the most difference.” But the fact is, nursing satisfaction and retention have been the focus of several major efforts in the last few years.

“It’s all about empowering staff to reach their potential,” Higgins says.

“When nurses feel as though they can have a real inf luence in the care of their patients, patient care improves. If nurses know they’re doing what they were trained to do and are respected for it, they will rarely go across town for a 50-cent raise in hourly pay.”

The much-improved turnover rate at UMHC isn’t reflected either statewide or nationally. The national average, according to the American Nurses Association, is 14.2 percent. The UMHC turnover rate is even better than the national benchmark of 9.5 percent. The initiatives stem from what nursing administration calls “The Journey to Magnet.”

“There are only 367 magnet hospitals in the United States and none in Mississippi,” says Michelle Burns (BSN 99), nursing workforce specialist. And it’s not just about nursing now. Although born in nursing, the magnet concept has guided a multidisciplinary culture

UMHC RNs Christina Murphy (left), Brittani Davis and Deidra Morgan.

Photo by Jay Ferchaud

“where every member of the health-care team is empowered to make meaningful contributions to patient care and clinical outcomes,” Higgins says.

One of the key magnet initiatives implemented here is shared decision making—giving nurses the ability to make decisions at the staff-nurse level to have an impact on patient care, Burns says.

“One of the biggest problems in large hospitals is that staff nurses may have great ideas about how to improve care but may have limited resources to accomplish the innovation,” she says.

The first step in applying for magnet designation is data collection, which began in 2002.

“You have to address every area that is the province of nursing, such as fall rate, pressure ulcers, infection rates and pain assessment,” Higgins says.

Each of these pivotal issues is scrutinized, and a comparison is made between benchmarks and UMHC. W hile having a lready surpassed many magnet benchmarks, including nurse retention, UMHC must complete the long and arduous documentation— two years of data and narrative examples showing how UMHC meets all the magnet criteria.

“We will have our application and documentation ready to submit in 2012,” Higgins says. AR

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Circle Online MBA program named ‘Best Buy’

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he online Master of Business Administration program at The University of Mississippi was ranked a “Best Buy” by GetEducated.com’s national editorial review team. The program, accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, was ranked 13th out of 133 competing online MBAs nationwide in the national survey. The award designation indicates the university offers a high-quality distance MBA to a national audience at a cost well below the $32,926 national average.

“To be recognized nationally as a great value is an honor,” says Bethany Cooper, director of corporate relations and MBA services. “We hope this recognition attracts students from around the country who may not have thought of The University of Mississippi otherwise.”

The 36-semester-hour MBA program is entirely online and taught by top research faculty with the flexibility to meet working professionals’ needs. Students may enter in the spring, summer or fall. Mississippi residents pay just over $12,500 for the program, while nonresidents pay just under $23,500.

“We are pleased that GetEducated.com has recognized our MBA program,” says Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration. “Our graduates go on to lead successful careers, and this award is indicative of the quality and affordability of the program. We encourage success-oriented individuals to join us and see what a real value our degree is.”

Founded in 1989, GetEducated.com is a consumer group that reviews and ranks online university programs using criteria of cost, quality and credibility. The group then provides data to the public as a service to help students locate high-quality, low-cost online education options. Almost a million online learners visit the site annually, seeking advice on which of the 406 online MBA degrees reviewed best meet their needs. AR 12 Alumni Review

Good Coverage School of medicine among nation’s best at providing physicians to rural areas

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he University of Mississippi School of Medicine is among the best in the country at producing rural physicians.

That’s according to a study reported in the April 2010 issue of Academic Medicine, which lists the school at The University of Mississippi Medical Center as the second-highest M.D.-granting school in the country in the percentage of its graduates practicing primary care in rural areas. An osteopathic medical school, of which there are 26 in this country, ranked first with 41 percent of its graduates in rural medicine.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth, which was established to provide physicians for rural Minnesota and Native-American populations, ranked second with 36 percent of its graduates practicing in rural areas.

The data used in the paper looked at medical school graduates from 1988 through 1997 who were practicing in rural areas in 2005.

According to the report, 32 percent of UMMC graduates during that period were practicing in rural areas of the state.

Dr. Steven T. Case, UMMC associate medical school dean for admissions, thinks “we may be bucking a national trend” in the declining number of students going into family medicine and primary care. Among this school’s 2010 graduates, 53 percent (33 percent without the students who chose general internal medicine) have chosen a primary-care residency—family medicine, OB-GYN and pediatrics—and primary care is the postgraduate medical education path that takes most medical school graduates to rural areas.

Information from the Academic Medicine report correlates— given the difference in the time periods—to that provided to medical schools from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). It allows medical schools to see how they stand in relation to other medical schools in complying with one of several AAMC benchmarks.

UMMC ranked in the 90th percentile of medical schools in the percentage of its graduates (25.7) in rural practice. The AAMC looked at medical school graduates from five classes, 1995 through 1999. AR

Kick Start Business school honors couple for entrepreneurial spirit

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an (BAEd 65) and Lawrence (BBA 58) Farrington embody the entrepreneurial spirit. They not only establish businesses, but they also help others launch their dreams.

The University of Mississippi School of Business Administration honored the Ridgeland couple with the Farrington Distinguished Entrepreneur Award. The Farringtons were surprised to receive the award and stunned to learn that it was named in their honor.

“We asked if they dialed the right number,” Lawrence Farrington says with a chuckle.

“We’re deeply honored,” his wife adds. “It was a shock, and we’re humbled by it.”

The award is named after Jan and Lawrence Farrington because they have helped others to start and expand businesses, explains Ken Cyree, dean of the business school.

“It’s also their love for helping young people to start businesses.

The Farringtons have made and continue to make great impacts on the state and The University of Mississippi.”

The recipient of the new award, which is to be presented annually, will be someone who embodies the entrepreneurial spirit for the benefit of Mississippi, the region and Ole Miss. The award is a fitting accompaniment to the new entrepreneurship minor that starts this fall in the School of Business Administration, Cyree says.

“Mississippi small businesses and new businesses are the ones that are poised to lead us out of the recession and create a dynamic economy for the state,” Cyree says. “It is our desire in the School of Business to partner with knowledgeable entrepreneurs, such as the Farringtons, to help our students achieve success in their careers and businesses.”

Lawrence Farrington agrees, saying that people who venture into risky, imaginative opportunities are important to the economic future of the state and country.

“Entrepreneurs are a part of the American business scene and business world, and we need to encourage that,” he says.

The Farringtons also offered their individual advice for future business adventurers.

“We certainly have had ventures that failed, but the best lesson is to get up and try again,” Jan Farrington says. “Don’t give up. Keep going and plug away at the next venture.”

So many entrepreneurs don’t make it, Lawrence Farrington says.

“Invest in someone else’s project, then take your earnings and invest in your own imaginative ideas. If it doesn’t work, then learn why.” AR

Charles Reagan Wilson (left) and Chancellor Dan Jones. Photo by Robert Jordan

History professor wins Research Award

C

harles Reagan Wilson’s list of achievements spans decades, continents and organizations. Most recently, the Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Chair of History and professor of Southern studies became the third recipient of The University of Mississippi’s Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award.

The award was presented on May 8 during the university’s commencement ceremony.

Formerly director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, Wilson is co-editor of the first important scholarly collection on religion during the Civil War, a revised edition of The Encyclopedia of Religion in the South and the forthcoming Mississippi Encyclopedia project. Wilson was also a primary scholar in the Religion and Region series and Southern Spaces online documentary project.

“I haven’t received other research awards, thus making this especially meaningful,” Wilson says. “Receiving this award is a humbling experience because there is so much excellent research going on across campus in so many departments and programs.”

“Charles Wilson has been active and influential as an essayist, a great organizer and editor,” CSSC Director Ted Ownby says. “Collaborative works can be frustrating and time-consuming, but he has kept up an impressive record of publishing his own work and always having time for students and colleagues.” AR

Summer 2010 13

Calendar september

T

hrough Oct. 2 University Museum Art Exhibit: Mitchell Wright: The Reconstruction. University Museum, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Visit www.olemiss.edu/ depts/u_museum/.

24

-25 Fall Family Weekend: Various locations. Reception: Sept.

24, University Museum, 5-7 p.m. Call 662-915-1136.

24

Reception/Dinner: M-Club Hall of Fame. The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Call 662-915-7375.

Invitation only.

24

Board Meeting: Pharmacy Alumni Board. Thad Cochran Building. Call 662-9157375.

24

Ole Miss Outdoors: Rock Climbing Clinic. Tishomingo State Park. Pre-trip meeting, Sept.

21. $50. Call 662-915-6736.

25

Pharmacy Tailgate: Faser Hall Lawn.

Sponsored by Walgreen’s.

Call 662-915-7375.

30

RebTalk with Coach Houston Nutt: The Inn at Ole Miss, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-5424. October dates also include Oct. 14, 21, 28.

30

Key City Reception: Jackson Hilton, 5:30 p.m. Call 662-915-1868.

30

-Oct. 1 Meeting: Engineering Advisory Board. The Inn at Ole Miss. Call Lynda at 662915-7375.

October

1

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Luckyday Residential College.

1

Discussion: “Election Outlook.” Overby Center Auditorium, 5 p.m.

Free. Call 662-915-1692.

1

Reunion: Spirit Squad Alumni. The Inn at Ole Miss, 5:30 p.m. Call 662-915-1806.

1

Symposium: Business and Finance Symposium. The Inn at Ole Miss, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Call Lynda at 662-915-7375.

1

Continuing Legal Education: “How to be a More Effective Advocate of Mediation.” E.F. Yerby Conference Center. Call 662-915-7283.

2

Pharmacy Tailgate: Faser Lawn. Sponsored

by Top Rx. Call 662-9157375.

3

Communiversity: Beginning Sushi Rolling Class. Sponsored by the Division of Outreach, course also includes Oct. 10, 17, 24. Two Stick Restaurant, Oxford. Call 662-915-1299.

4

Communiversity: Knitting: Beginning.

Sponsored by the Division 14 Alumni Review

OMOD: Rock Climbing sept. 24 of Outreach, also on Oct. 11. E.F. Yerby Conference Center. Call 662-915-1299 for details.

6

Reception: School of Business. Birmingham, Ala., 5:30-7 p.m. Call Lynda at 662-915-7375.

6

UM Artist Series: Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m. Cost: $20-$28. Call 662-915-2787.

8

Ole Miss Outdoors: Caving and Spelunking. Raccoon Mountain, Ga. Pre-trip meeting, Oct. 5. Cost: TBA. Call 662-9156736.

8

Ford Center Concert: Amy Grant. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m. Cost: $36-$50. Call 662-915-2787.

9

Academic Competitions: Chess Invitational. Hume Hall. Call 662915-3034.

11

-18 Academic Traveler: Florence: A Culinary Adventure. Call 662-915-6511.

12

Political Debate: First District Congressional Candidates.

Overby Center Auditorium.

5 p.m. Free. Call 662-9151692.

13

18

Southern Studies Brown Bag Lunch and Lecture Series: Old School Blues. Barnard Observatory, noon-1 p.m.

Free. Call 662-915-5993.

Communiversity: Backyard Astronomy: The Cosmics. E.F. Yerby Conference Center.

Call 662-915-1299.

14

18

15

20

Communiversity: “Backyard Astronomy: Sky Lore of the Fall Constellations.” E.F. Yerby Conference Center, 6-10 p.m. Cost: $40. Call 662915-1299.

Communiversity: Computers for Adult Beginners I. Sponsored by the Division of Outreach, Weir Hall. Call 662-915-1299.

Ole Miss Outdoors: River Canoeing.

Buffalo River, Arkansas, 1 p.m.-midnight. Pre-trip meeting, Oct. 12. Call 662915-6736.

16

Family Friendly Series: “Strega Nona, the Musical.” Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 3 p.m. Cost: $5-$10.

Call 662-915-2787.

16

Southern Studies Brown Bag Lunch and Lecture Series: Traveling the Mississippi Leg of the BBQ Trail. Barnard Observatory, noon-1 p.m.

Free. Call 662-915-5993.

22

-24 Ole Miss Outdoors: Rock Climbing. Horspens 40 Nature Park, Steele, Ala. Cost: $80.

Pre-trip meeting, Oct. 19.

Call 662-915-6736.

Academic Competitions: Math Tournament. Hume Hall. Call 662915-3034.

23

Ford Series: “Rhythm of the Dance.” Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m.

Cost: $32-$42. Call 662915-2787.

Ford Center Concert: Amy Grant Oct. 8

23

Communiversity: Beer Tasting. The Depot. Call 662-915-1299.

25

Communiversity: Microsoft Access I. Weir Hall. Call 662-9151299.

26

Reception: School of Business. Nashville, Tenn., 5:30-7 p.m. Call Lynda at 662-915-7375.

26

UM Artist Series: Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m. Cost: $20-$28.

Call 662-915-2787.

27

Southern Studies Brown Bag Lunch and Lecture Series: “Shape Note Singing: Where Everyone Has a Sacred Harp.” Barnard Observatory, noon-1 p.m. Free. Call 662-915-5993.

28

Luncheon: School of Accountancy.

Belo Mansion, Dallas Texas.

Call Lynda at 662-9157375.

29

Discussion: “The Scruggs Case.”

Overby Center Auditorium, 5 p.m. Free. Call 662-9151692.

Continuing Legal Education: “DUI.” Embassy Suites, Ridgeland.

Call 662- 915-7283.

29 29

Bridging The Gap. The Inn at Ole Miss, 3:30-5 p.m. Call 662-9157375.

29

Ole Miss, 5:30-7 p.m. Call Lynda at 662-915-7375.

29

Reception: Political Science O-U Club, Oxford.

30

Reunion/Reception: 1960 Football Team. Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Call 662-915-7365.

30

Journalism Board Meeting: Time: TBA. Call 662-915-8816.

30

Pharmacy Tailgate Faser Lawn. Sponsored by Harvard Drug Group. Call 662-915-7375.

31

Reunion: 1970 Football Team.

M-Club Room. Time: TBD. Call 662-915-7375.

31

Reunion: Football Teams of the 1980s.

Triplett Alumni Center Lawn. Pre-game. Call 662915-7375.

November

1

Communiversity: Microsoft Access II. Weir Hall. Call 662-9151299.

1

Lecture: “Judging Higher Ed.” Overby Center Auditorium, 4 p.m.

1

and 8 Communiversity: Crocheting: Beginning. E.F. Yerby Conference Center. Call 662915-1299.

Reception: Business School. The Inn at Summer 2010 15

Calendar 1

5

and 8 Communiversity: Afghan Hook Basics. E.F. Yerby Conference Center. Call 662 -9151299.

Ceremony: Alumni Hall of Fame Awards Reception. The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m.

5

Homecoming Parade.

From the UM Circle to the Oxford Square. 5:30 p.m.

3

Academic Competitions: Student Council Workshop. Tad Smith Coliseum. Call 662-9153034.

5

Reunion: Band Alumni. Johnson Commons, 8 p.m. Call 662915-7375.

3

Southern Studies Brown Bag Lunch and Lecture Series: “Green Living for Everyday People: Small Changes Towards a More Sustainable Life.” Barnard Observatory, noon-1 p.m. Free. Call 662-9155993.

5

Fundraiser: Square Toast for Scholarships. Oxford Square, 6-9 p.m. Cost: $50 advance/$60 door. Call 662-915-1848.

6

Reunion: Homecoming Queens. Call 662915-7375.

4

RebTalk with Coach Houston Nutt. The Inn at Ole Miss, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-5424.

7

10

8

10

Communiversity: Sushi: Intermediate Class. Course also includes Nov. 14, 21, 28. Two Stick Restaurant, Oxford. Call 662-915-1299.

Communiversity: Backyard Astronomy: The Planets. E.F. Yerby Conference Center. Call 662-915-1299.

9

Ford Series: “Fiddler on the Roof.” Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m. Cost: $32-$42.

Call 662-915-2787.

9

Reception: School of Business. Atlanta, 5:30-7 p.m. Call Lynda at 662-915-7375.

Oral Histories Presentation. Faulkner Room, J.D. Williams Library. All-day event. Free.

Call 662-915-7933.

Southern Studies Brown Bag Lunch and Lecture Series: “Between Party and Principle: James Eastland, the Democratic Tradition and the Southern Way of Life.”

Barnard Observatory, noon-1 p.m. Free. Call 662-9155993.

11

RebTalk with Coach Houston Nutt. The Inn at Ole Miss, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-5424.

12

Continuing Legal Education: “Estate Planning.” Tunica. Call 662915-7283.

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MS-SW100509 OleMissAlumniReview.indd 16 Alumni Review

1

5/26/10 4:35 PM

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We ask more of an Academic Medical Center.

We ask them to invent new ways to diagnose and treat disease.

To lead the medical research that gives us all better lives.

To teach the next generation of leading physicians.

We ask more of University of Mississippi Health Care.

We ask their nationally recognized physicians to continue setting new standards of excellence.

We ask their caregivers to offer the highest level of medical care to every patient, every day.

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This is University of Mississippi Health Care.

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888.815.2005

Summer 2009 17

Riding High A l u m n a’ s s ta b l e l i f e is anything but boring

By jim urbanek | Photos by robert jordan

O

n a summer morning just five miles outside of Oxford, a

small group of girls from all over the world sit atop horses

as they await instruction on which jumps to take and how to adjust their form. The Mississippi summer is the hottest in more than half a century, and any hopes of beating the heat have long since vanished. But not one face in the riding arena seems sullen. A combination of determination, fervor and tranquility exudes from the students. A similar expression can be seen on the face of their instructor as she strides around the course pointing, correcting and encouraging. Laura Peddle Sale (BAEd 80, MEd 88) is, for lack of a better word, home.

18 Alumni Review

Laura Sale (right), who says she got her love for horses from her dad, Frank Peddle (BA 51, MEd 57), relishes in teaching the art of horseback riding and jumping on her farm.

Summer 2010 19

Girls of varying ages and skill levels come from all over the world for riding camps and instruction offered at Oak Hill Stables, located just outside Oxford.

Sale’s home is nestled in the middle of 500 acres of rolling hills of pastures and forests. Visitors might feel the history of the area as they enter the double iron gates of Oak Hill Stables and make their way down the winding road to the picturesque Victorian house where Laura Sale and her husband, Owen Sale (PhD 88), reside.

But it’s much more than just a place to live. The Sales not only operate a summer riding camp on the farm but also run a bed and breakfast and host weddings, social functions and corporate events there. The house overlooks a wedding chapel, set between a pool and pastures where 100 horses roam freely.

“We can sleep 62 people, so a lot of times people will put up their entire wedding party out here,” says Laura Sale, a teacher of gifted elementary school students by day.

Sale purchased the first 120 acres of land in the mid ’70s with her first husband and built her house in 1994 with her second, but the most dramatic changes have happened in the past five years.

Some of those changes include a major renovation and expansion of the home and the addition of a swimming pool, pool house, chapel, log cabin, carriage house and bunkhouse. The bunkhouse was previously a stable, where the former horse stalls were converted to bedrooms with sliding doors with the original resident horses’ names on them. The bunkhouse also boasts a dormitory-size bathroom and sleeps 30.

“There were a lot of things that weren’t done right with the original house, and that was a good opportunity for [contractors]

20 Alumni Review

to renovate and add while we weren’t here,” Sale says. “They had to redo plumbing, electrical, exterior, everything.”

When those renovations began, Sale had stopped teaching to take care of her late husband, Charlie, who was undergoing cancer treatments in Jackson. The couple temporarily moved to Madison to be closer to the doctors, which gave the contractors free rein to work on the Oxford home.

“Charlie and I got married at a bed and breakfast in Virginia, and we thought having one would be fun and something different,” Sale says. “That first fall, we had a couple from Florida who wanted to get married, and they asked if they could have their wedding here.”

Sale admits she hadn’t even thought about the chapel at that time, but the pieces of the puzzle continued to come together.

Sale’s youngest daughter was the first married in the chapel in spring 2008, and Sale herself married Owen that same year in the chapel. The couple got back together 25 years after first meeting in graduate school.

“Everything we’ve started doing was because somebody gave us the idea … saying there was a need for it,” Sale says. “That is how our catering business started last fall. I have a lot of drive, which you have to have to motivate yourself to want to do all these things.”

Though Sale undoubtedly enjoys hosting and entertaining at the bed and breakfast and for weddings and parties of all kinds, her true passion is teaching. Having taught elementary school for more than 23 years and given horse-riding lessons for

almost 40, she says she knew long before she reached high school that she wanted to be a teacher. And in her typical fashion, Sale made those two forms of teaching complement each other.

Sale gave lessons and worked with Oxford City schools while she was going to Ole Miss part time and raising her two daughters. When her youngest daughter began first grade, Sale finished her degree and started to teach at Oxford Elementary.

“A lot of the kids I taught came home from school with me,” she says. “We would do riding lessons after school, and their parents would pick them up after work.”

Back in her early years of teaching riding lessons, one of Sale’s students was Allison Estes (BA 84). Estes continued to ride at Sale’s until she graduated from Ole Miss and moved to New York, where she has lived ever since. With the experience and training she received from Sale, Estes got a job at Claremont Riding Academy in Manhattan where she taught for 18 years.

Though it closed in 2007, Claremont was the oldest public working stable in the nation.

“To be living in NYC and working with horses was a dream job,” says Estes. “I didn’t have to sit at a desk or work in a store.

I was riding horses around Central Park.”

While teaching at Claremont, Estes saw an opportunity to share some of her own cherished experiences at Oak Hill Stables with her students. After inviting Sale to a riding holiday in Ireland in 1999 and to France in 2000 with a group of her students, the two teachers decided to bring New York to Oxford.

“Laura had always said she wanted to run a riding camp,” Estes says. “I brought 10 of my best students down to stay for two to three weeks. We had a great time, so we continued it the next summer.”

Estes would travel to Oxford and Oak Hill with her students and teach in that camp, which is for girls from ages 7-19, allowing the students a learning opportunity they couldn’t get elsewhere in the country.

“Between her excellent facility and the horses she had, and my experience with the kids, they really had a great time,” Estes says. “There is no other camp in the nation where kids get that kind of opportunity to work with young horses.”

Despite the closure of Claremont, Sale and Estes are working to build the number of students in Oak Hill’s summer riding camp back up as its longtime participants graduate from high school and move on.

“It’s a great program for kids,” Estes says. “They love it.

Besides letting them train young horses, I wanted them to have what I was lucky enough to have—the freedom to gallop a horse bareback through the pasture in the summer rain.”

Sale also ensures the kids learn more than riding and jumping horses during their visits to Mississippi as well, taking the girls on a field trip every weekend to places such as Rowan Oak. “The kids who stay four weeks or stay the whole summer get exposed to a lot more than just horses,” she says. “We ride three hours in the morning, then they have lunch. Afterward, they can swim if they want or watch a movie or write home.

Then we have an early dinner, and they ride again after dinner.”

Sale returned to teaching elementary school last year.

Laura and Owen Sa le in their chapel at Oak Hill Stables Bed and Break fast.

There is no other camp in the nation where kids get that kind of opportunity to work with young horses.

—Allison estes

Owen Sale had been working with the university through a yearlong grant. The same month his grant ran out, the superintendent for Benton County School District offered Laura Sale a position, teaching gifted students in second through sixth grades.

“So we switched roles,” Sale says. “Owen is the innkeeper now, while I go to school. He answers the phone, shows people around and helps set up for parties.”

If the Sales’ lives were not busy enough, the spouses are now preparing their home for twins. A surrogate mom is carrying the babies, who have a due date in late January.

“We wanted two, so they would have each other,” she says.

“Obviously we won’t have the stamina of younger parents, but I just hope they love horses more than soccer.” AR For more information on Oak Hill Stables Bed and Breakfast, call 662-801-2084 or visit www.oakhillstablesbedandbreakfast.com.

Summer 2010 21

How UM scientists are at the forefront of assessing the impact of the Gulf oil spill

By Tom Speed

22 Alumni Review

Summer 2010 23

Ray Highsmith is a bit flustered, which is not his usual state. But even when flustered, Highsmith is calmer than many of us.

24 Alumni Review

Acronym Glossary

W

ith a scientist’s methodical grace, he greets me in a large conference room, offers a bottle of water and presents a well-prepared stack of material. Then he explains the current concern that has caused him to be ever so slightly disconcerted.

As the executive director of the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST) at Ole Miss, he oversees a federally funded project that receives multimillion grants. On the day that I meet him at the UM Field Station, just outside of Oxford, his annual funding proposal is eight weeks late, and $5 million is on the line. But for the last several weeks, he’s had little time for budgets and proposals. Instead, he’s been working 14-hour days, leading the scientific consortium that is in the best position to analyze the effects of one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of mankind.

THE SPILL Three thousand feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, a winding web of electronic sensors and monitoring equipment grips the seabed. Reaching a diameter measured in kilometers, the technological tendrils stretch in all directions to analyze microbes, gases, ambient noise and seismic activity.

This complex is the Seabed Technology Research Center’s (STRC) hydrate observatory, and it is the only facility of its kind in the entire Gulf. STRC is one of the three research arms that make up NIUST, which is a collaboration among The University of Mississippi, The University of Southern Mississippi and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NIUST program was started in 2002, incorporating research that had begun under the auspices of the National Center for Natural Products Research and the Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute (MMRI). Its mission is to develop and apply new technologies that enhance undersea research.

The main offices for NIUST are housed at the UM Field Station near the Oxford campus.

The Field Station is a sprawling environmental laboratory, home to countless species of flora and fauna being studied by a variety of researchers from the UM campus. It is home to various ponds, gardens, a turkey aviary and abundant wildlife.

Out in the ocean, the STRC facility occupies an area known as Mississippi Canyon 118.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy, Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), the federal regulatory agency until recently known as the Minerals Management Service, divides the Gulf into lease blocks, which are leased to oil companies for drilling and exploration. Of all the designated blocks, only the STRC block is set aside for scientific research. Thus, the scientists at this facility are in a unique position to study the makeup of marine life and underwater activity and how it has, and will be, affected by various environmental factors.

In April, those environmental factors changed dramatically. A mere eight miles from the research center, BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded. While drilling a mile below the surface of the sea and three miles into the seabed, a critical piece of safety equipment called a blowout preventer failed to prevent a blowout. An immense amount of oil and natural gas rushed to the surface where it was ignited by electrical equipment on the oil platform. Eleven crew members died. The fire raged on for days. The leakage of oil and gas lasted months.

At the time, two of NIUST’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) were preparing for a new mapping and photo mission. They were already loaded on the Pelican, a ship based out of Cocodrie, La. It soon became clear that the spill was worse than imagined and, even worse, no one knew what to do about it. So Highsmith altered the mission. He had the AUVs taken off the ship, replaced them with a large winch and special sediment-gathering equipment, and sent the ship full of scientists right up to the disaster site.

For two weeks, the Pelican was the only research vessel in the area. As massive amounts of oil and methane gas spewed into the sea and BP attempted several unsuccessful procedures to stem the flow, NIUST researchers were gathering data. Because they had baseline data on the area, they have a unique perspective from which to study the effects the tragedy has on the Gulf.

“The rig was still on fire when we got there,” says Matt Lowe, a research systems specialist for MMRI. Lowe was part of the Pelican crew that took water samples and, using a tool that functions as a giant claw not unlike the

In the world of federally funded scientific organizations, the number of acronyms can be stupefying. Here’s a handy guide to sort out the various organizations and terms: AUV: Automated Underwater Vehicle. These unmanned submersibles, which fly above the seafloor like airplanes above the earth, are capable of sophisticated seafloor mapping and data collection. NIUST owns and operates two AUVs, the Eagle Ray and the smaller and more nimble Mola-Mola.

BOEMRE: The Bureau of Ocean Energy, Management, Regulation and Enforcement is the new name for what used to be the Minerals Management Service (MMS). It is the governing body that regulates oil and gas exploration and set aside the Mississippi Canyon 118 site for scientific research.

MMRI: Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute. Funded in part by NIUST, the MMRI works in conjunction with STRC. MMS: Minerals Management Service. See BOEMRE. NIUST: National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology. A collaboration among The University of Mississippi, The University of Southern Mississippi and NOAA that is charged with scientific discoveries in the ocean.

NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A federal agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere. It is the primary funding source for NIUST. STRC: Seabed Technology Research Center. The STRC is a division of NIUST and operates a permanent research facility in the Gulf of Mexico. Its location in Mississippi Canyon 118 is roughly eight miles from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

Summer 2010 25

To date, the extent and volume of the escaped oil and gas from the Deepwater Horizon rig are unknown.

Estimates have varied wildly, complicated by the application of the chemical dispersant agents designed to keep more oil from reaching the surface and, thus, harder to find. But the total amount of oil and gas gushed into the Gulf is staggering.

kind found in video arcades, sediment samples from the seafloor.

“We were looking for oil on the seabed,” Highsmith says. “We were trying to get early oil samples or samples of the floor before the oil settled to the bottom. Our evaluation of looking at those samples was that oil hadn’t gotten to the bottom yet. So, in a sense, we got a pre-spill sample.”

After taking the sediment samples, the group began searching for oil at various depths in the water column. It’s a common misconception that oil simply floats to the surface, following the old adage that “oil and water don’t mix.” But that’s not entirely true. Oil rushes out because it is under such incredible pressure, but it doesn’t just go to the surface.

Some mixes with the cold, dense bottom water to form an emulsion that finds its own density level in the water column. Some of the gas combines with seawater to form ice-like crystals that also may rise to certain depths. These layers then spread horizontally in deep ocean currents.

While international headlines and photographs focused on oil-soaked birds, shrimp boats with oil-collecting booms and tar balls washing up on beaches, beneath the surface, the oil and gas mixture was creating its own problems.

To date, the extent and volume of the escaped oil and gas from the Deepwater Horizon rig are unknown. Estimates have varied wildly, complicated by the application of the chemical dispersant agents designed to keep more oil from reaching the surface and, thus, harder to find. But the total amount of oil and gas gushed into the Gulf is staggering.

“The dispersant is supposed to be neutrally buoyant,” Highsmith says. “It’s supposed to break oil into tiny droplets, but then it becomes a different sort of thing, like an emulsion. It looks like the mixture rises and finds its own density level and makes its own layer, which [is] what we call plumes.”

These plumes appear as a cloud would in the sky. According to Highsmith and his team, the plumes of oil and chemical mixture found their own density about 1,000 and 2,000 feet off the seafloor (3,000 to 4,000 feet deep), where they stay, potentially impacting the marine life found therein.

Though far-reaching and increasingly complicated geo-political and economic issues need to be addressed in the spill’s aftermath, this much is clear: it is already the worst ecological disaster in U.S. history, and the Gulf of Mexico may never be the same again.

SECRET OF THE SEA GRASS Marc Slattery has been studying marine life for a long time. He also has dealt with the environmental effects of disasters both natural and man-made for

26 Alumni Review

a long time. He started his environmental research career as a graduate student in California, analyzing samples from Alaska to determine the effects of the Exxon Valdez spill. He has spent years examining the repercussions of Hurricane Katrina’s invasion of the Gulf Coast. Now this.

Slattery heads up the Ocean Biotechnology Center and Repository, which also is an arm of NIUST. He says the long-term implications of the spill on sea life likely will be devastating to certain species.

Slattery spends much of his time studying coral reefs, where sponges and coral may hold the key to advanced medical discoveries.

Many of these coral reef formations are in more tropical climates than most of the Gulf of Mexico affords. But he also studies the areas of the Gulf that are characterized by sandy seafloors, where sea grasses supply shelter and nutrients to a wide array of marine life. He focuses on an area of coastline that stretches across Mississippi and halfway across the Alabama coastline. Like the MC-118 scientists, he has a great deal of baseline data from before the spill, so he’ll be able to assess just what kind of damage can be attributed to the disaster, just like he’s done since Katrina.

“We’ve been down at the coast for months, getting water samples, getting the last healthy pictures of the sea grass community,” Slattery says. “We’ll want to see how the sea grass system deals with stress, how it varies from what we saw with Katrina. [It] normally deals with natural stress, but now we are looking at stress piled on by humans.”

In addition to providing the human benefit of being a buffer for the coastline, the sea grass community provides various nutrients and habitats for sea life.

“The beds are nursery grounds for a lot of important fish and other marine species,” Slattery says. “Many of them are important, threatened and endangered species like manatees and turtles. The loss of these sea grass systems—these large tracts of grasslands in the ocean—is a huge loss to biodiversity in broader ecosystem services.”

Evidence from prior oil spills shows that oil does indeed have a toxic effect on sea grasses. For one thing, it affects the very process of photosynthesis that turns sunlight into energy. Additionally, the oil spill occurred during the middle of the sea grass growing season. It will be a matter of months before he has hard data, but Slattery expects that the sizes of the sea grass beds will be greatly diminished. That means, of course, less habitat and less food for the organisms that depend on them.

This part of the cycle is also when some larval fish settle and grow in sea grass patches. If these shelters are wiped out, Slattery says that in the next

Modern Marvels:

The AUVs of NIUST A crucial element to the mission of undersea exploration at NIUST is the use of two Autonomous Undersea Vehicles (AUVs)— the Eagle Ray and the Mola Mola. Each contraption is a marvel of advanced electronics and navigation.

The mechanisms by which these vehicles operate may be elaborate, but their flights are graceful. They glide mere meters above the seafloor like an airplane flying above a mountain range. They are each totally automated and untethered. Between the two of them, they help provide a complete picture of the seafloor for scientists.

Eagle Ray, the larger of the two, provides mapping via sonar from about 20 to 50 meters (about 65 to 165 feet) altitude above the seafloor. It is powered by 18 large lithium ion batteries that are not unlike those found in hybrid automobiles. The navigation system is like that of a cruise missile. It also can detect obstacles and avoid them, adjust its position and even go back and correct a mistake.

It’s programmed on the surface, but then the Eagle Ray is on its own.

“It basically goes down and makes its own decisions,” says Arne Diercks, senior electronics technician for the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST). “Eighteen hours later, it comes back—very close to where we expect it to be.”

In an effort to detect methane gases, a device called a mass spectrometer was recently fitted in the unit. It analyzes chemicals and measures the molecular amounts of dissolved gases.

Using the Eagle Ray, NIUST was able to detect evidence of methane gas leaking naturally from the seabed just about eight miles from the Deepwater Horizon, before the oil spill. Now, it will be able to detect differences in methane levels.

The smaller, more nimble Mola Mola flies a bit lower—a mere three meters (about 10 feet) from the seafloor—than the Eagle

The two Autonomous Undersea Vehicles operated by NIUST, the Eagle Ray (pictured above) and the Mola-Mola (below), are capable of sophisticated underwater mapping missions that utilize technology similar to that of a cruise missile and are able to detect and analyze chemicals and gasses (such as methane) in the ocean.

Ray and houses a digital camera. Where the Eagle Ray provides a large overview map, the Mola Mola generates a more detailed representation and can assemble a mosaic from many photographs.

“It’s like taking an X-ray and a photograph,” says Ray Highsmith, executive director of NIUST. “Each of them is great but when you put the two of them together, you know a lot more than you would know otherwise.”

Though both are preprogrammed and move autonomously, the scientists on the ship still can communicate with the vehicles via acoustic communication, “pings and chirps,” that can pinpoint the location and provide small amounts of information.

“We’re up in the boat with our computers all the time, listening to the chirps and the buzzes,” says Max Woolsey (BSEE 05) an electrical engineer with NIUST. Occasionally, nearby dolphins will chirp back.

Flying above the ocean floor at a depth of up to 7,000 feet, these machines are true marvels that are essential tools in searching for what lies beneath.

Summer 2010 27

few years, we just wouldn’t have fish of a certain age or size range. Entire species also could be wiped out locally because of it.

[Methane hydrate] gas holds great potential as an energy source, but this volatile property has hindered the exploitation of it thus far. Major hydrocarbon deposits in the form of methane hydrates are in the ocean floor—more, it is thought, than in all known petroleum and coal reserves in the world.

Opportunity in Tragedy After this extensive briefing, Highsmith and I leave the confines of the boardroom, and he takes me to visit the third arm of NIUST, the Undersea Vehicles Technology Center (UVTC). In an indistinct aluminum shed up the hill from NIUST headquarters, scientists are working on millions of dollars worth of technological equipment. This is where they program NIUST’s two automated undersea vehicles (AUVs) [see sidebar], the Eagle Ray and the Mola Mola.

We then board a four-wheel-drive vehicle that is a cross between an ATV and a golf cart on steroids.

We drive nearly all of the 740 acres of the field station, through mud puddles, up rocky hills and over earthen dams. All the while, Highsmith speaks of the many experiments going on there with an almost giddy fascination about what might be learned. Everything is a learning opportunity. He shows me a pond where researchers are working on plants such as stevia, figuring out new ways that it can provide erosion control, feed catfish and provide a usable product all at the same time. He is able to see the big picture in the smallest details.

Even in a picture as big as the oil spill, opportunity lies in tragedy, and for Highsmith and his team, the coming months and years will provide a valuable opportunity to study the reaction of gas hydrates, sea grasses, oil plumes, water columns and all manner of life beneath the sea. The disaster raises new scientific questions that will take years, maybe decades, to understand and explain. AR Photo by Deborah Gochfeld

28 Alumni Review

UP FROM THE DEEP One of the key research goals of STRC is the study of gas hydrates—crystal-like formations that contain methane gas. Such hydrates may affect the stability of the seafloor. They also may be a potential energy resource if scientists ever figure out a way to harness the energy contained in them.

The hydrate gases are also potent greenhouse gases many times more powerful than carbon dioxide. And that gas currently is bubbling to the surface at an alarming rate.

Methane hydrates are what prevented BP’s “top kill” method of capping the leak from working. Because the temperature on the ocean floor is only about 4 degrees centigrade, the methane gas immediately forms into these ice-like crystals when it contacts seawater. So while hydrates like this exist in some measure throughout the Gulf, the incredible rush of more methane into the cold water is creating more and more small hydrate particles. Eventually, microbes start growing on them. Then they divide and grow.

“If they have a doubling rate of every few hours,” says Highsmith, “you can imagine you’d get millions from one cell in just a few days. So the population grows and when they metabolize hydrocarbons, it involves using up oxygen.”

With all of these microbial organisms seeking oxygen, the available oxygen for other species is reduced. At a certain level, the oxygen concentration becomes so low that there’s not enough for fish and other sea life to live.

This is the case in the so-called “hypoxic zone,” an area at the mouth of the Mississippi River where the onslaught of agricultural chemicals and runoff belching into the Gulf causes excessive plankton blooms that decay and rob the area of oxygen, rendering an 8,500-square-mile swath of Gulf uninhabitable. If methane hydrates and the resultant microbes reproduce at the rate Highsmith thinks they might, such a hypoxic zone could come to characterize an even larger portion of the Gulf of Mexico.

“The methane hydrate is not a compound,” Highsmith explains. “It’s an association. The ice forms a crystal latticework and traps the gas molecules inside. It’s stable under high pressure and low temperatures.”

This gas holds great potential as an energy source, but this volatile property has hindered the exploitation of it thus far. Major

hydrocarbon deposits in the form of methane hydrates are in the ocean floor—more, it is thought, than in all known petroleum and coal reserves in the world. The continental shelf near the Arctic Circle contains one of the largest deposits of methane hydrates. Extracting the gases intact is the challenge.

“If a piece of methane hydrate is suddenly warmed up and the gas came out of it, [then] the volume of gas would be about 160 times larger than the hydrate was,” Highsmith says. “If this happens rapidly enough, it would be more like an explosion.

If the oil spill has produced layers of gas-hydrate crystals in the water column and they begin to rise, [then] the closer they get to the surface, the faster the hydrate and gas want to rise and expand.”

Under normal circumstances, seawater will dissolve much of the methane that seeps out from the ocean floor, but, if in large quantities, the methane can create an explosion. If large enough, this grand injection of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere almost certainly would impact global climates.

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Taking It to theNext Level Pharmacy school leads nation in outside funding to advance industry, research

By Dabney Weems

T

hough the principal goal of any institution of higher learning is education, academic bodies are also in a unique position to transform industry and push the boundaries of scientific research. One leading indicator of such consequential contributions is the extent to which a school attracts extramural funding—money provided under the aegis of various governmental, philanthropic and industrial sources.

The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has captured the No. 1 ranking among the nation’s pharmacy schools for total extramural funding and is paving the way for life-changing research and innovative pharmacy education. The school is leading the way in transforming the role of pharmacies from that of dispensary to one more involved in patient care. Extramural funding also has allowed the school to undertake important construction projects that will enhance the student experience.

According to annual rankings produced by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the Ole Miss school earned the premier placement with $33.3 million in extramural funding for fiscal year 2009. The pharmacy school consistently has made an impressive top-five finish in the pursuit of all-important research dollars during the last decade.

“The School of Pharmacy has achieved a remarkable momentum over the past decade,” says Alice M. Clark (MS 76, Ph.D 78), vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs.

“This is the result of having a creative faculty and research staff, talented students, outstanding facilities and an environment that fosters creativity and rewards productivity.”

30 Alumni Review

The school’s extramural funding total boasts $4.7 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Also included are grants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Department of Defense, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Health Resources and Services Administration. All funds are specified for research and construction projects.

Following UM in the top five are the University of California at San Francisco, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of North Carolina and University of Kansas. Ole Miss is the only Southeastern Conference school in the top 15 and one of only two SEC schools in the top 25. (The University of Florida was listed at No. 17.)

“The No. 1 ranking for total extramural funding speaks to the extraordinary abilities of our faculty and research scientists,” says School of Pharmacy Dean Barbara G. Wells. “Just as they are dedicated to excellence in professional and graduate education, they are also deeply committed to improving the health of citizens worldwide through their basic, translational and clinical research.”

Leigh Ann Ross, associate dean of the School of Pharmacy (third from left), reviews plans for the new pharmacy school building on the UMMC campus with Lauren Love Compton, the school’s first community pharmacy resident, and Class of 2010 pharmacy graduates Travis King and Wes Pierce. Photo by Jay Ferchaud



Summer 2010 31

Dr. Jane Cross, clinical pharmacist, works with Jimmie Cottone of Oakland.

Improving Health in the Delta

One of the grants awarded to the School of Pharmacy focuses on maximizing pharmacists’ long-term impact on the overall health and quality of life for their patients. That impact is part of a transition the practice of community pharmacy is undergoing, and the grant puts the citizens of the Mississippi Delta on the frontlines of the shift.

“The primary mission of the School of Pharmacy is education, but we also have critically important service and research missions,” says Dr. Leigh Ann Ross, associate dean for clinical affairs in the School of Pharmacy. “Since the late 1960s, pharmacy’s practice model has been evolving from solely a dispensing role to more involvement in direct patient care. This project helps us move toward that goal.”

Citizens of the Mississippi Delta have phenomenal healthcare needs and very little resources for meeting them, Wells says.

“The Delta Pharmacy Patient Care Management Project, funded through the Delta Health Alliance, is specifically designed to improve clinical and economic outcomes.”

Wells says the school is working with community pharmacists already practicing in the Delta to help them develop their practices to better meet health needs through Medication Therapy Management (MTM) and disease-specific education.

32 Alumni Review

The project is now beginning its third year.

Ross, the principal investigator of the study, says MTM is a concept aimed at achieving positive outcomes through the effective use of medications, patient education and the prevention of drug complications or interactions. In other words, it’s a more comprehensive approach to patient care.

In 2008, the first year of the project, faculty members visited participating community pharmacies in Batesville, Clarksdale and Yazoo City, providing Medicaid patients with MTM services and education specifically relating to asthma and diabetes.

Year two saw the inclusion of more counties in the Delta and targeted a range of patients beyond Medicaid recipients.

Coordinators added a health literacy and cultural competency component and created a new community pharmacy residency program, which will undergo accreditation later this year.

Ross says the project will grow to address other health concerns and chronic diseases in the coming year. “Expanding into additional disease states such as obesity, implementing an employer-based diabetes program, and incorporating prevention measures such as smoking cessation and immunizations are planned for year three,” she says.

Artist’s rendering of the School of Pharmacy building on the UMMC campus. (inset) Dr. Barbara G. Wells, dean of the School of Pharmacy.

Enhancing Student Interaction

Extramural funding also is helping to support needed construction for the School of Pharmacy. The school will soon have a new home on The University of Mississippi Medical Center campus. The two-story, 29,500-square-foot structure will bring pharmacy students, faculty and staff into the education corridor of the main Medical Center campus. The school’s leadership believes the new building will increase student interaction with pharmacy faculty and the Medical Center as a whole, advance student learning and provide greater opportunities for interprofessional education.

“We are the newest school on [the UMMC] campus,” Ross says. “And I believe having a designated place will increase our visibility and heighten awareness of our program.”

Pharmacy students split the seven-year program between Oxford and Jackson. In Oxford, they spend three years in prepharmacy courses and two in pharmacy school. They complete a year of study on the UMMC campus followed by a year of advanced practice rotations at clinical sites throughout the MidSouth.

Plans for the new building include 17 rooms for small-group learning, offices, and laboratory and clinical research space. An attached 160-seat auditorium will be equipped to allow lecturers

to share live video with the Oxford campus.

Construction on the building began in February, with the price tag coming to approximately $10 million. The lion’s share of the funding is being provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration, in addition to a commitment from the university. A capital campaign, called Promises to Keep, has garnered private gifts from alumni, friends and the corporate sector.

The push for the new building came after the most recent assessment from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the school’s accrediting body. The ACPE strongly encouraged the school to narrow the gap between the School of Pharmacy facilities—most at the Jackson Medical Mall—and the rest of the Medical Center. The ACPE’s concerns mirrored those of School of Pharmacy leadership. Administrators had realized pharmacy students were becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of the campus and other health-care professionals and facilities.

“This new building will truly take our clinical teaching and research programs to the next level of accomplishment,” Wells says. AR Aaron Spencer and Matt Westerfield contributed to this feature.

Summer 2010 33

Sports Players to Watch

Powe leads Rebs with preseason honors

C

oming off back-to-back Cotton Bowl wins, the Ole Miss Rebels football squad charges into the 2010 season with a healthy respect from the sports media.

While most prognosticators highlight the loss of two-dozen seniors, especially the prolific offensive stars Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge, many organizations cited a bevy of players with preseason honors.

Senior defensive tackle Jerrell Powe leads the charge with an all-American pick from Phil Steele (3rd team) and allSEC nods from the Birmingham News (1st team), Phil Steele (1st team), The Sport-

Jerrell Powe

34 Alumni Review

ing News (1st team), Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook (1st team), Athlon (2nd team) and Lindy’s (2nd team).

Powe has been named to watch lists for some of college football’s top awards, including the Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award.

Fellow defensive lineman Kentrell Lockett was named all-SEC by Lindy’s (1st team), Athlon (1st team), Phil Steele (2nd team) and the Birmingham News (2nd team). Linebacker Jonathan Cornell was selected as all-SEC by Phil Steele (2nd team). Senior safety Johnny Brown earned

all-SEC from the Birmingham News (2nd team) and Phil Steele (3rd team), and linebacker Allen Walker was named 4th team all-SEC by Phil Steele.

On the offensive side of the ball, junior left tackle Bradley Sowell was named allSEC by Phil Steele (4th team), and sophomore right tackle Bobby Massie was named all-SEC by Lindy’s (2nd team).

Kick returner Jesse Grandy was named 4th team all-SEC by Phil Steele.

The Rebels opened the 2010 season at home versus Jacksonville State on Saturday, Sept. 4. AR

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Sports Bigger Is Better

Quarterback Club membership increases exponentially

T

he Ole Miss Quarterback Club heads into the 2010 football season with more energy and excitement than one might expect. First established in 1978, the club’s leadership has transformed the group over the past two years from a primarily local club of 120 members to an international club with more than 1,100 members.

Club President Lee Meek (BBA 71) says its sole purpose is to support the football program, with 100 percent of the raised funds going to that goal. This year, the club received tax-exempt status, and it also launched a new website to betterRandy serveReed its members and inform potential members.

Membership is one of the primary ways in which the club raises money for the program, and the club offers many levels for fans of all kinds, ranging from a $15 student membership to the $1,000 Winners Circle membership.

The club now boasts members from 37 states and two foreign countries. With the increasing demands to keep pace with the strong football programs in the SEC, the club hopes to double its membership in the next year or two.

Meek says many Ole Miss football fans don’t realize how much the team needs that it isn’t able to purchase on its own.

“It’s amazing how many things are not in the budget that they need,” says Gerald Morgan (BBA 59), club board member. “It has been good that we’ve been able to give them approximately 85-90 percent of the things they ask for.”

From vitamins to weight room equipment to computers, the football staff gives the club a wish list of needed items for the program.

“They only ask for things that aren’t in the budget,” Meek says. “The club has given approximately $200,000 to the foot36 Alumni Review

Coach Houston Nutt

ball program since March of 2008.”

Some of the larger annual events the club hosts include the Signing Day Party, where the head coach introduces the signing class; the Kickoff Meeting, which was held in July and features the entire Rebel coaching staff; and the Ole Miss Quarterback Club Golf Tournament at the Ole Miss Golf Course.

During football season, a weekly meeting of the Ole Miss Quarterback Club is held at The Library Sports Bar with a guest speaker each week. These meetings may include either former football players, coaches and even referees, and the main

speaker is often Coach Houston Nutt. Previously, Nutt has spoken at all home-game meetings, and the assistant coaches have spoken at the away-game meetings. The meetings take place just before the weekly radio show with Nutt, which is held each Thursday night at The Inn at Ole Miss.

Attendees at the meetings must be members of the Ole Miss Quarterback Club and can join at the door.

For more information about the Ole Miss Quarterback Club or to join, visit the club’s new website at http://theole missquarterbackclub.com. AR

That’s the Ticket

Student all-sport passes sold out

I

t took just eight days for Ole Miss to sell out of its new student all-sport season passes. A total of 2,000 season passes first became available on July 1, and on Thursday, July 8, the Rebels’ ticket office sold its final all-sport ticket. The season pass highlights an initiative to make the student ticketing process more convenient, using online purchasing and student ID card scanning.

Students who were unable to secure an all-sport pass still may order from the remaining football season tickets. A total of 5,500 football season tickets will be sold at a recommended price of $84 each. There is a maximum of one season ticket per student.

Each of the seven qualifying student groups (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, law, pharmacy, graduate) will be allocated a maximum number of football season tickets it can purchase. After Aug. 27, any unsold football season tickets were made available to all qualifying students who have not already purchased a season ticket.

All student tickets sold are general admission and will be downloaded to each student’s ID card. This ID card must be presented for proper scanning of the unique barcode at the student entrance of the stadium. AR

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Summer 2010 37

Sports Men’s Basketball Schedule Announced OLE MISS SET TO HOST 17 GAMES AT TAD SMITH COLISEUM

H

eadliner conference and nonconference matchups fill the 201011 Ole Miss men’s basketball schedule, announced by head Coach Andy Kennedy in August.

Ole Miss’ slate of opponents includes nine teams that advanced to postseason play and 10 teams that won at least 20 games last season. Among them are NCAA Elite Eight teams Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as NIT champion Dayton, all of which will be visiting Tad Smith Coliseum in 2010-11.

A minimum of five contests will be featured on national television, and at least 12 more are slated for live regional TV coverage. Every league game will be televised live.

The Rebels will host a total of 17 regular-season games in Oxford. Following a Nov. 5 exhibition game against Delta State, Ole Miss will open the season on Nov. 12 against former LSU coach John Brady and the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Marquee nonconference matchups at home include Murray State (Nov. 17), which won last year’s Ohio Valley Conference title and nearly upset eventual NCAA runner-up Butler in the second round of the Big Dance, an NIT semifinals rematch with Dayton (Nov. 20), Penn State (Nov. 26) of the Big Ten and Southern Miss (Dec. 4, ESPNU).

Ole Miss also will be tested away from home with road games at ACC foe Miami (Nov. 30), UALR (Dec. 11) and SMU (Jan. 5). The team will be soaking in the sun over the holidays with an appearance in the inaugural Cancun Governor’s Cup, hosted by ESPN in Cancun, Mexico. The Rebels will square off with Texas State there on Dec. 22 and then advance through a bracket-style format with two more games on Dec. 23 and 24.

“Our nonconference schedule will tell us a lot about the makeup of our

38 Alumni Review

team,” Kennedy says. “We have a number of quality opponents set to come to Oxford this season, which I hope will excite our fans. This schedule will test our team and inevitably prepare us for the rigors of SEC play.”

The Rebels open Southeastern Conference play at Florida on Jan. 8, which will mark the 10th time in the last 13 years for the Rebels to play its SEC opener on the road and the second time in three years against the Gators.

The 2011 SEC home schedule is filled with teams expected to be among the nation’s best. The SEC home opener will be against in-state rival Mississippi State

(Jan. 13, ESPN or ESPN2), followed by a matchup with upstart Georgia (Jan. 15).

Other home games include Tennessee (Jan. 29), defending SEC champion Kentucky (Feb. 1, ESPNU), LSU (Feb. 9), Auburn (Feb. 16), Alabama (Feb. 26) and Arkansas (March 5).

Ole Miss will make in-conference visits to Vanderbilt (Jan. 19), LSU (Jan. 22), Arkansas (Feb. 5, ESPN or ESPN2), Alabama (Feb. 12), Mississippi State (Feb. 19), South Carolina (Feb. 22, ESPNU) and Auburn (March 2).

For ticket information for the 201011 hoops season, call the Ole Miss Ticket Office at 662-915-7167. AR Senior guard Chris Warren

Sports Broadcast News ‘RebTalk’ moves to The Inn

T

he weekly call-in radio show “RebTalk with Coach Houston Nutt” will be broadcast live from The Inn at Ole Miss for the 2010 football season. It will broadcast from 7-8 p.m. each Thursday night before the first 11 games during football season. The show will not be broadcast on Thanksgiving night before the Mississippi State game.

The show, hosted by “Voice of the Rebels” David Kellum, features an hour of interviews and questions from fans in the live audience and via Internet.

Coach Nutt offers comments on the previous week’s game as well as upcoming opponents.

Fans may submit questions via the Internet at http://www.olemisssports.com/ rebtalk.

A total of 23 affiliates on the Ole Miss Radio Network will air RebTalk. The show also is streamed live via Rebel Vision.

Attendance at the live broadcast is free.

Food and drinks will be available as well.

“We’re thrilled to have the call-in show move to campus, and we’re very happy to be able to host it at The Inn at Ole Miss,” says Alumni Association Executive Director Tim Walsh.

“Our location is the hub of activity for visiting alumni and friends, and our ample ballroom space will provide an excellent venue for this weekly event. We expect a great turnout each week.” AR

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Culture Every Dog Has a Gift by Rachel McPherson, 272 pages, $23.95 (Hardcover), ISBN: 1585427950 In Every Dog Has a Gift, Rachel McPherson (BAEd 74) tells the stories of dogs doing inspirational work to help humans cope with a wide range of physical, mental and emotional problems. McPherson is the founder of The Good Dog Foundation, the largest dog-assisted therapy organization on the East Coast. These stories pay homage to the gift that each and every dog possesses: the ability to bring the healing power of unconditional love into our lives.

McPherson is also founder and coordinator of the Way Up North in Mississippi Picnic, held annually in New York’s Central Park. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, three dogs and a rabbit.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: Echoes of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer by A.E. Elmore, 280 pages, $32.95 (Hardcover), ISBN: 0809329514 A.E . Elmore ( JD 79) offers chapter-andverse e v idenc e t h at the King James Bible inf luenced Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. He offers specific examples from the Bible as well as the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer to illustrate how Lincoln borrowed these sources to imbue his speech with meanings that would resonate with listeners. He further reveals how Lincoln used and transformed the language of his political enemies to promote his antislavery agenda and to advance the gospel of equality. Many overlooked themes and ideas are fo-

42 Alumni Review

cused on in Elmore’s book . It prov ide s fresh answers to old questions and poses new ones.

A former prosecutor, public defender and law professor, Elmore has taught at Athens State University since 1987 and previously was selected for National Endowment for the Humanities seminars at California-Berkeley and the University of Chicago.

Somebody Stole the Cornbread from My Dressing by Elizabeth Gourlay Heiskell and Susanne Young Reed, 128 pages, $21.95 (Hardcover), ISBN: 9781935692003 Anyone who has traveled from the South to the North (or vice versa) can attest to the many cultural differences between the two. In this book, Susanne Reed (BAEd 91, MEd 94, PhD 01) presents a humorous comparison between these regions through her own experiences and misfortunes. She worked with her longtime friend, Chef Elizabeth

Heiskell, to develop great menus and recipes for any occasion. These recipes are versatile, easy to prepare and perfect for the beginner or gourmet.

The beautiful images by internationally accomplished photographer Caroline Allison complement the narrative and recipes. This is more than a cookbook—it is a primer on adapting to a new culture and thriving within it.

The Time of Eddie Noel by Allie Povall, 195 pages, $13.99 (Paperback), ISBN: 9781935361046 In January 1954, a young black man named Eddie Noel shot and killed a white honky-tonk operator. This event led to the formation of perhaps the largest posse in Mississippi history. Noel took on elements of the posse in two gunfights, killing two more white men and wounding three others.

Noel was never caught, never tried, never convicted and never went to prison. The Time of Eddie Noel is a rich history filled with colorful details of a time and a place when the Deep South stood at the threshold of the civil rights movement, which wou ld forever change both the region a nd t he social system that governed the lives of its people.

A native of Lexington, Miss., Al Povall (BA 63, JD 77) grew up there during the racially charged 1950s. After graduation from Ole Miss, Povall served as a naval officer during the Vietnam conflict. He practiced law in five states before his retirement. Povall has three grown children and lives with his wife in Oxford. AR

At Last.... an affordable real estate opportunity in Oxford, MS. information and ForFor more information and availability, contact: availability, contact: Adam Quick, Project Manager Joanna Morgan, Project Manager Office: 662.513.0058 Office: 662.234.8718 Mobile 662.832.5051 Mobile: 662.816.78.73 adam@themarkofoxford.com joanna@themarkoxford.com

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1 mile South of Highway 6 21 Private Road 3057 Oxford, MS 38655

With Liberty Mutual, Ole Miss alumni can get more from their auto and home insurance.

Savings of up to $327.96 or more a year on auto insurance*

with a special group discount and other discounts**

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unlike the six-month policies that some other insurers offer

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This organization receives financial support for allowing Liberty Mutual to offer this auto and home insurance program. *Figure based on a February 2008 sample of auto policyholder savings when comparing their former premium with those of Liberty Mutual’s group auto and home program. Individual premiums and savings will vary. **Discounts and credits are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; except in Massachusetts, not all applicants may qualify. †Accident Forgiveness coverage subject to terms and conditions of Liberty Mutual’s underwriting guidelines and is not available in all states. Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA. A consumer report from a consumer reporting agency and/or a motor vehicle report, on all drivers listed on your policy, may be obtained where state laws and regulations allow. Please consult a Liberty Mutual specialist for specific details. © 2008 Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. All Rights Reserved.

Travel planner 2010-11

T

he Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a number of spectacular trips for the remainder of 2010 and 2011.

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 listing of trips and prices on the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s website at www.alumni.olemiss.edu.

Burgundy and Provence Sept. 25-Oct. 3, 2010 Cruise through Burgundy and Provence on the M.S. Rembrandt, and experience firsthand the true character, traditions and daily rhythms of the charming and historic villes of Beaune, Cluny, Lyon, Boucieu-le-Roi, Avignon and Arles.

Experience the hospitality and charm of a typical French village during a private reception hosted by the nuns of the Convent of the Blessed Sacrament in

Boucieu-le-Roi. Also, sample Burgundy’s world-renowned wines and local cheeses and sausages during a private tasting at the exquisite Château Montmelas. On this seven-night cruise, enjoy comfortably appointed outside cabins with individual climate control and private bathroom facilities, as well as three meals a day, featuring continental cuisine made from the freshest local ingredients.—From $4,195 per person River Life along the Elbe in Saxony Oct. 8-16, 2010 Cruise along the River Elbe aboard the deluxe M.V. Swiss Coral from the medieval river villages of “Saxon Switzerland” to the captivating beauty of Bohemia and the splendid castles of Prague. Immerse yourself in the incomparable treasures and the timeless traditions of the Elbe River on this fascinating journey to Germany and the Czech Republic. Walk in the footsteps of Martin Luther along the streets of historic Wittenberg, marvel at the Baroque splendors of Dresden, and tour the imposing fortifications of Albrechtsberg Castle.

Special enhancements include a private beer tasting, a demonstration of porcelain craftsmanship in Meissen and an exclusive village forum with local residents.—From $3,995 per person Treasures of South Africa Oct. 12-26, 2010 A land of rich biological diversity and fascinating culture, the wonders of South Africa exceed the imagination. Experience historic cities, scenic highlights and exciting game drives during this program that encompasses the best of this storied country. Tour cosmopolitan Cape Town, ascend flat-topped Table Mountain for breathtaking panoramic views, and cruise to historic Robben Island, site of Nelson Mandela’s incarceration. Admire the natural beauty of Cape Point and the Kirstenbosch Gardens, and observe the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. Travel aboard the luxurious Rovos Rail to Matjiesfontein and the charming town of Kimberly. In Johannesburg, explore Soweto and the Apar theid Museum. Finally, enjoy a game-viewing safari at world-renowned Thornybush Game Reserve, where you can see the Big Five—lion, elephant, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo and leopard—as well as zebra, giraffe, kudu and more.—From $6,145 per person Crossroads of the Classical Mediterranean Oct. 24-Nov. 1, 2010 Journey with us to the azure waters of the ancient Mediterranean, where the rhythms of daily life can be traced to the days of Alexander the Great and magnificent temples, palaces and cities reveal the origins of history itself. While sailing from Venice to Nice aboard the state-of-the-art M.S. Le Boreal, a program of attractively priced shore excursions will be offered, including opportunities

Bruges, Belgium 44 Alumni Review

to explore the Roman legacy of Split, soak in the Renaissance ambiance of Old Dubrovnik, delight in the Greco-Roman architecture and spectacular riches of Magna Graecia in Taormina, and marvel at the breathtaking vistas from the cliffs of Corsica.—From $3,895 per person Belgium and Germany Jan. 13-22, 2011 Join us as we visit Belgium and Germany, specifically the areas around Bruges and Mainz, which will be the two bases for our trip. Like Florence in the south, Bruges flowered during the Renaissance and was once the chief commercial center of the world. Its wealth enabled the city to afford the finest architecture and art, leaving the legacy of a UNESCOdesignated historic city center. Arranged like Venice along canals, Bruges features many notable buildings and landmarks dating from the 13th and 14th centuries.

Mainz, located on the west bank of the Rhine at its confluence with the river Main, was a fort city at the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire. Mainz has been a wine-growing region since Roman times and is now the hub of the German wine economy. Travelers also have the opportunity to visit Antwerp, Gent, Brussels, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Koblenz and Rudesheim.—From $2,295 per person, including airfare Tanzania Safari during the Great Migration Jan. 16-26, 2011 Travel on the journey of a lifetime into the wilds of Tanzania, Africa’s premier safari destination. While in Tanzania you will travel through Arusha, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Every morning at daybreak you will experience a game drive and witness nocturnal animals ending their foraging as the grazers of the plains begin theirs. Also, in the late afternoon, enjoy a second game drive and, as the day gives way to night, watch the radiant glow of an African sunset. In the legendary Serengeti National Park, you will observe

Tanzania

some of the more than two million animals on a mere 5,400 square miles of savannas and woodlands, and you may have the opportunity to gain an aerial perspective of the Serengeti’s herds on an optional hot-air balloon flight.—From $5,195 per person by early booking date Expedition to Antarctica Feb. 15-28, 2011 Arrive in beautiful Buenos Aires, and tour the city for two days before taking off on a nine-night cruise to Antarctica on the M.S. Le Boreal. Aboard the ship enjoy views from the panoramic lounge, nightly entertainment in the main lounge, and lectures, cultural performances and film screenings in the state-of-the-art theater.

Also, a library, Internet salon, sun deck, swimming pool and other top-of-the-line amenities are aboard the ship. While visiting Half Moon Island, observe the antics of the island’s colony of chinstrap penguins, and enjoy the lingering twilight of the Antarctic summer. Also you will visit Paradise Bay, which is an ideal sanctuary for marine wildlife, including humpback whales, crabeater seals and Cape petrels.

During this luxury cruise, all meals, including afternoon tea and late-evening snacks, are included, as well as a souvenir red parka given to you on your trip to Antarctica.—From $6,595 per person by early booking date

Mayan Mystique Cruise Feb. 15-25, 2011 With 10 nights on Oceania Cruises’ Regatta and ports of call such as Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Maya, Mexico and Key West, this voyage will be one to remember. Oceania Cruises has smaller, more intimate ships, providing access to more exotic ports. On board, enjoy a large heated pool, three whirlpool spas and a state-of-the-art fitness center. While on land, enjoy swimming and snorkeling with shy and gentle stingrays in George Town, and discover Honduras’ natural wonders on a horseback ride along the beach and through a tropical forest past spectacular volcanic rocks. Enjoy diving to fabulous reefs or exploring the jungle with an ATV in Cozumel, and climb among the ruins in Costa Maya, many of which are still being excavated, and look for toucans in the trees.—From $1,499 per person by early booking date Swiss Winter Escapade Feb. 28-March 7, 2011 Visit Switzerland, the roof of Europe.

With its stunning mountain peaks, this country offers most everything your heart desires in spectacular scenic variety.

Even though this is a paradise for skiers, the Jungfrau Region also offers a wide Summer 2010 45

The Great Sphinx, Egypt

range of activities for nonskiers, such as skating, tobogganing, romantic horsedrawn sleigh rides and magnificent winter walks. On this trip, you will spend six nights in the picture-postcard village of Interlaken in the snow-covered Alps. This trip through Switzerland offers a stunning winter landscape, excellent skiing, great shopping and cultural opportunities throughout some of the country’s most famous towns and cities. Every morning, start your day off with a traditional Swiss breakfast buffet. Also, during the days you will have the opportunity to gain important insight into skiing in the Alps from local experts, walk along the town’s most fashionable promenade, admire the stunning Alpine scenery or visit the local museums.—From $2,195 per person Cruising the Lesser Antilles: St. Barts, Antigua, Grenada, Dominica, St. Kitts & San Juan March 15-22, 2011 Join us for this seven-night cruise of the Lesser Antilles islands aboard the sixstar, all-suite M.V. Silver Cloud of the Silversea fleet, voted “World’s Best Small Ship Cruise Line 2008” by Travel and Leisure. Fly free from one of 22 gateways, and enjoy a selection of complimentary wines, spirits and nonalcoholic beverages served throughout the cruise, included onboard gratuities, gourmet dining, 46 Alumni Review

24-hour room service, personal butler service and complimentary fitness classes.

Port calls include charming Philipsburg, St. Maarten; sophisticated Gustavia, St. Barts; colonial St. John’s, Antigua; historic Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe; and magnificent Castries, St. Lucia. A Barbados pre-cruise option will be offered.—From $2,798 per person Celtic Lands—France, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales May 6-15, 2011 Discover the living heritage of the Celtic people on this eight-night cruise from the ancient Norman port of Honfleur past the misty islands of the Celtic and Irish Seas to Scotland’s historic capital of Edinburgh aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe M.S. Le Boreal. By special arrangement, enjoy enriching lectures

by President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s grandson and Sir Winston Churchill’s granddaughter. Walk along Normandy’s D-Day landing beaches, admire the lavish artistry of the ninth-century Book of Kells in Dublin, and visit the impregnable 700-year-old Caernarfon Castle. Drive through the breathtaking Snowdonia Mountains, and find serenity in the stark beauty of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides and Orkney Islands. A Paris pre-cruise option and Edinburgh post-cruise option are offered.—From $4,995 per person

Cradle of History—Egypt, Israel, Greece and Turkey May 9-22, 2011 Sail through thousands of years of history as you cruise the Mediterranean on the elegant Oceania Cruises’ Nautica. Lose yourself at sea in the comfort and luxuries of fine cuisine, upscale amenities and lavishly appointed staterooms. Immerse yourself in the ancient legends, traditions and cultures of Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey, each destination with a different story to tell. From pyramids to palaces, discover the cradle of history.— From $4,299 per person Mediterranean Inspiration Cruise June 2-13, 2011 Discover some of the Mediterranean’s most fascinating ports of call while sailing on the beautifully appointed Oceania Cruises’ Nautica. Depart from enchanting Venice, a city of weaving canals, with your first ports of call in the countries of Croatia, Montenegro and Greece.

Behold the Venetian-tinged architecture of Dubrovnik, stroll the pink-paved streets of medieval Kotor, and revel in the glorious scenery of Corfu. Departing Greece, sail along the beloved and scenic west coast of Italy, stopping in some famous ports of call, including the ancient Sicilian town of Taormina, Amalfi and Positano with their charming harbors

from one of 22 gateways, and enjoy complimentary beverages throughout the cruise, gourmet dining, included onboard gratuities and personal butler service. Pass towering mountains, and watch for whales, sea lions and eagles. See Sawyer and Hubbard glaciers and call at the historic towns of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka. Join the two-night Vancouver pre-cruise option and/or the extraordinary five-night Denali National Park and Fairbanks post-cruise option. *Subject to change and availability.— From $3,558, including airfare from 22 major gateways

and brightly colored fishing boats, and Florence with Brunelleschi’s extraordinary Duomo and its world-renowned artwork. Admire the picturesque Italian towns of Cinque Terre before your voyage makes a stop in glamorous Monte Carlo, then concludes in legendary Rome via Civitavecchia.—From $3,699 per person, including airfare Cruising the Baltic Sea and the Norwegian Fjords June 9-20, 2011 Experience the cultural rebirth of the Baltic States and the magnificent imperial riches of St. Petersburg while cruising for 10 nights under the spectacular “White Nights of Summer” aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe M.S. Le Boreal.

By special arrangement, enjoy enriching speeches by former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and former president of Poland Lech Walesa. Sail across the Baltic Sea from cosmopolitan Stockholm, Sweden, to the magnificent fjords of Norway, with shore excursions in Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga, Gdan’sk and Copenhagen. A Stockholm pre-cruise option and Bergen post-cruise option are offered.—From $6,995 per person Great Journey through Europe June 11-21, 2011 Cruise along the fabled Rhine River aboard a deluxe vessel of the Amadeus Premium Fleet, ride aboard three legendary railways, and visit four UNESCO World Heritage sites on this unique 11-day journey. Wind through Holland, Germany and France—walk the streets of medieval Heidelberg, stand before the twin spires of Cologne Cathedral, and enjoy a refreshing glass of Riesling in Strasbourg. Travel the Swiss countryside in the shadow of the Matterhorn, cross the mountainous backbone of Switzerland aboard the Gornergrat Bahn and the Glacier Express, stroll along Lucerne’s covered bridges, and take in panoramic Alpine vistas from Mount Pilatus. An Amsterdam pre-program option is offered.—From $3,495 per person ITALY—TUSCANY, CORTONA AND FLORENCE JUNE 28-JULY 7, 2011 From the innovations of the Etruscans

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

to the enlightenment of the Renaissance, Tuscany is a region steeped in history and human achievement. Let the charming village of Cortona be your base as you travel through the surrounding Tuscan hill country, admiring the beauty of the land. In Siena, navigate narrow cobblestone streets lined with Gothic buildings, visit the magnificent Duomo, and stroll the Piazza del Campo, one of the loveliest squares in Italy. In the Umbria region, explore medieval Assisi, home to the exquisite Basilica of St. Francis, and Perugia, an ancient Etruscan city-state.

Then, journey to tiny Montepulciano, set in the heart of Chianti country, and the delightful town of Pienza. Conclude with two nights in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, and experience its brilliant artistic and architectural heritage.—From $2,795 per person CRUISING ALASKA’S GLACIERS AND THE INSIDE PASSAGE JULY 7-14, 2011 Join this magnificent cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia, through the pristine Inside Passage, to Seward, Alaska, aboard the six-star, all-suite M.V. Silver Shadow of the Silversea fleet, voted “World’s Best Small Ship Cruise Line 2008” by Travel and Leisure. Fly free*

DANUBE RIVER AND THE CULTURAL TREASURES OF CENTRAL EUROPE JULY 14-27, 2011 This exclusive 14-day journey through the heart of Central Europe, once the glorious realm of Habsburg emperors, features visits to five UNESCO World Heritage sites on your way from Passau to Budapest, Prague and Kraków. In Passau, embark a deluxe vessel of the prestigious Amadeus Premium Fleet, and cruise the Danube River, stopping in Budapest, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; Spitz, Vienna, and Melk, Austria. This comprehensive itinerary includes time in the medieval gems of Prague (three nights), Ceský Krumlov and Kraków (two nights), as well as a scenic rail journey across the Czech Republic and into Poland.

A two-night Munich pre-program and a two-night Warsaw post-program are available.—From $3,495 per person

ALASKAN ADVENTURES AUG. 24-31, 2011 Set sail on the elegant Oceania Cruises’ Regatta to some of Alaska’s most captivating attractions. This deluxe vessel comes complete with upscale amenities, exceptionally attentive service, lavish staterooms and the finest cuisine at sea.

Explore some of the last frontier’s most stunning sights, and revel in the rugged splendor of an unspoiled land as you visit the historic towns of Wrangell, Skagway, Kodiak, Sitka and Ketchikan, and savor the majestic beauty of ancient glaciers, icy-blue fjords, soaring granite cliffs and unique wildlife. Let Alaska’s unrivaled landscapes enchant you.—From $3,499 per person AR Summer 2010 47

News alumni

Class Notes 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 38677-1848. 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.

’50s

Dr. Robert Edward Crowe (BA 59) retired from dentistry practice after 41 years in Corinth.

Lawrence Farrington (BBA 58) and his wife, Jan (BAEd 65), were honored by The University of Mississippi School of Business Administration in May with the Farrington Distinguished Entrepreneur Award, named for them.

Barry Gerald (MD 58) was appointed professor emeritus upon his retirement in 2009, after serving 40 years as an active member of the faculty of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and 20 years as chair of radiology.

Freshmen ’41

48 Alumni Review

’60s

’70s

Trent Lott (BPA 63, JD 67) was honored in March at the dedication ceremony of the Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship in Hattiesburg.

Victoria Johnson Hoggatt (JD 78), director of the Current Constitutional Applications Project, was hired as a legal commentator and journalist for LegalNewsline, a Chicago-based, Internet-based newswire dedicated to 24/7 coverage of state supreme courts and state attorneys general.

Jan Farrington (BAEd 65) and her husband, Lawrence (BBA 58), were honored by The University of Mississippi School of Business Administration in May with the Farrington Distinguished Entrepreneur Award, named for them.

Tom Rice (BBA 66) was inducted into the Mississippi Private School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009.

T

Lydia Chassanoil (BAEd 72) was chosen as a recipient of the 2010 Arts Advocacy Award by the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education. She is the first recipient of this award.

Jere T. Humphreys (BM 71), a professor of music at Arizona State University, was awarded

he University of Mississippi Freshmen of 1941 held their annual get-together in June at the Rivers Hills Club in Jackson. Front row: W.G. Mize (left), Cliff Maxwell, David Stuart, Bubber Fletcher; back row: Ken Foose (left), George Thatcher, Bill Threadgill, William Winter, Leigh Adkins, Harold James, Bob Bobo, Ellis Salloum, Joel Varner. AR

a Fulbright Specialists grant for two trips to Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt, in part to present the keynote speech at an international conference.

John E. Milner (BA 75, JD 78) was inducted into the American College of Environmental Lawyers, an invitation-only organization. Milner is a member of the Jackson law firm of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes.

Donna Hild Russell (BBA 76) was elected president of the Jackson Symphony League.

Sharon Scibilia Salter (BAEd 70) was promoted to senior vice president of meetings and events at the Financial Services Roundtable in Washington, D.C.

’80s

Phil Ayers (BSPh 84, PharmD 96) was appointed to serve a three-year term on the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties Nutrition Support Council in Washington, D.C.

Michael J. Cravens (BSCS 84), of Washington, D.C., and Louisville, Miss., was named as U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper’s chief of staff in 2009.

Harper (JD 81) serves Mississippi’s Third Congressional District.

Jimmy Crocker (BBA 87) joined Iberia Bank as senior vice president and director of trust.

Crocker holds a Juris Doctor from Birmingham School of Law and a master’s degree in financial planning from the University of Alabama. He lives in Mountain Brook, Ala. James Cross (BA 86) accepted a position as an associate professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He was named director of the John S. Dunn Sr. Burn Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

Philip W. Gaines (JD 86) of Jackson was elected to serve as vice chairman of the Lamar Order, an organization established by The University of Mississippi School of Law Alumni Chapter.

Glen Gourley Jr. (MFA 85), professor of theatre and speech at Francis Marion University, was presented the Shared Governance Award, sponsored by the FMU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The award recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates commitment to the principles of shared governance between the faculty, administration and board of trustees.

Stark Harbour (BBA 84), a partner at William Adams & Associates and president of the AdamsHarbour Agency in Atlanta, was elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, Inc. in June.

Kenneth Johnston (BBA 88, JD 91), a director at Kane Russell Coleman & Logan PC in Dallas, co-authored the article, “Ponzi Schemes and Litigation Risks: What Every Financial Services Company Should Know,” North Carolina Banking Institute.

Vicki R. Leggett (BBA 81, JD 84) of Hattiesburg was selected to serve as the first female to chair the Lamar Order, an organization established

by The University of Mississippi School of Law Alumni Chapter.

Scott Long (BSPh 84, PhD 94) won the Bernhardt Academic Excellence Award for 2010 during the annual Bernhardt banquet held at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford. The award goes to an outstanding faculty member who exhibits exceptional achievement in teaching, scholarship and service.

Mark Mazzanti (BSCvE 80) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was appointed to the federal government’s Senior Executive Service. The SES is a group of executives selected for their leadership qualifications who serve in key positions just below presidential appointees. Mazzanti will serve as director of programs for the Mississippi Valley Division/Mississippi River Commission.

Pat Thomasson (BAccy 85, MAccy 87), president of Thomasson Co. of Philadelphia, was elected president of the Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Association.

Raymond “Danny” Toma (BAEd 86, JD 89), a career foreign service officer, is serving in Iraq until June 2011 as an Iraqi provincial affairs officer at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Barsa.

Newell Turner (BA 82) was named editor-inchief of House Beautiful, a Hearst Magazines publication, in April. He was previously style director of the publication.

Rob Tyson (JD 87) was selected to serve a term in the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates. Tyson was appointed to the House in 2008 and 2009 as a representative of the Government Law Section.

’90s

Josh Davis (BBA 99) accepted a position as the first director of institutional advancement of the Delta Health Alliance. He previously served as assistant director of alumni affairs at the Ole Miss Alumni Association and was named campus-wide Overall Outstanding Staff Member for 2010. bryan Keith Parker (BBA 92) announces the launch of his own brand and a new line of bedding, bryan keith, available at Macy’s stores nationwide. The bedding features two collections: Portland and Aspen.

Summer 2010 49

News alumni

Sustaining Life Membership Program

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

— 2009 Members — Platinum $1,000+ Mr. Edwin W. Barnett Mr. James W. Barnette Mr. and Mrs. David E. Brevard Ms. Angela D. Carney Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Clark Mr. David F. DeRoode Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Galey Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Jackson Mr. Dewitt M. Lovelace Sr. Mr. and Mrs. William T. May Mr. and Mrs. David O. McCormick Dr. and Mrs. Paul H. Moore Sr. Mr. Ronald M. Nichols Mr. and Mrs. Knox Ridley Jr. Mr. Terry G. Robinson

Gold $500-$999 Dr. Gilbert Alexander Mrs. Callie S. Brandon Dr. Charlie H. Bridges Dr. Fred G. Corley Jr. Mrs. Sarah S. Davidson Dr. and Mrs. Barry Gerald Mr. and Mrs. William W. Gresham III Ms. Jocelyn A. Hallaron Dr. and Mrs. W. Briggs Hopson Jr. Mr. William H. Howard III Mr. and Mrs. John A. McKinney Dr. Shannon P. Patterson Mrs. Martha A. Pembroke Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Pendleton Jr. Mr. Andrew E. Stepp Mr. and Mrs. Trammell P. Wells II Dr. and Mrs. Lynn K. Whittington Mr. and Mrs. H.L. Williams Jr.

Silver $250-$499 Dr. Antrece Lynette Baggett Ms. Barbara K. Beckman Mr. Benny W. Bender Ms. Kathryn B. Black Mr. and Mrs. J. Robert Booth Mr. William E. Brent Jr. Mrs. Bessie F. Chisum Mr. and Mrs. William D. Coleman Mr. Giles A. Coors III Mrs. Margaret S. Fair Mr. and Mrs. S.L. Farrington Mr. John H. Geary

50 Alumni Review

Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Gholson Mrs. Carolyn H. Green Mr. G.O. Griffith Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles V. Imbler Dr. Jesse Blake Kellum Mr. Jon Vincent Lewis Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. McMillan Jr. Dr. Timothy A Mitchener Drs. Charles E. Moore Jr. and Judy T. Moore Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth C. Rakow Jr. Mrs. Donna Ruth Roberts Mr. and Mrs. Robert Seibels III Mrs. Lisa Puckett Sinders Dr. Ancel C. Tipton Jr.

Blue $100-$249 Mr. Robert H. Alexander Jr. Mrs. Barbara K. Beckmann Mr. and Mrs. Henry Beneke III Mr. and Mrs. Kevin A. Brooks Mr. Mark J. Chaney Sr. Dr. Eric C. Clark Ms. Cheryl D. Conlee Mr. Sid Davis Mr. John B. Dubberly The Hon. Robert W. Elliott Sr. and Mrs. Anne S. Elliott Dr. Charles Farris Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Brooke Ferris Mrs. Marilyn C. Flowers Mr. Chris N. Fox Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Gardner Mr. Harry R. Garner Mr. Tyrus C. Gibbs Mr. and Mrs. Ben Griffith Mr. George Hilliard Mr. Joseph M. Hinshaw III Mr. R. Huston Hollister Mrs. Dana D. Horner Mr. and Mrs. John W. Jabour Mr. William M. James Mrs. Shirley Sneed Keith Mr. and Mrs. John B. Laney Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Preston H. Lee Jr. Mr. and Mrs. R.K. Leedham Jr. Mrs. Barbera K. Liddon Mrs. Bae K. Magruder Mr. Frank P. Marascalco Mr. Vernon B. Mathias Mr. George F. Maynard III

Mr. Richard K. McInnis Dr. Fred L. McMillan Jr. Mr. and Mrs. G. Terrell Morgan Mr. H. Kirk Moore, Jr. Dr. Lee D. Morris Mr. and Mrs. Lee Notestone Mrs. Sue M. Pearson Mr. Guy W. Pickle Mr. Lee Randall Col. and Mrs. James W. Rice Jr. Dr. Tommie L. Robinson, Jr. Mr. Bernard L. Royce Mr. Ben B. Sayle Mr. and Mrs. R.S. Shaw Mrs. Jean M. Taylor Mr. Frank L. Tindall Mr. and Mrs. William C. Trotter The Hon. William L. Waller Mr. Gregory P. Ware Ms. Mary N. Watson Dr. and Mrs. Donald Q. Weaver Dr. Kimberly Leigh Webb Mr. J.R. White Mrs. Anne J. WIlbourne Dr. and Mrs. Travis W. Yates Mr. and Mrs. Willis E. Young Jr. Mr. Michael A. Zullo

Red $1-$99 Mr. and Mrs. John Warner Alford Jr. Mr. George R. Barnes Mr. Jason V. Calvasina Mr. Edward G. Covington III Mr. Alfred Gent Mr. Joseph W. Gex II Mrs. Leslie Fay R. Heard Mrs. James C. Hebert Jr. Dr. and Mrs. John C. Holder Mr. Augustus R. Jones Dr. and Mrs. Eric A. McVey III Mrs. Katherine Tackett Mills Mr. Thomas Munoz Jr. Mr. Spencer L. Neff Mrs. Sue G. Riggins Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Riley Dr. Robert E. Ringer Rep. Margaret Ellis Rogers Mr. James H. Shoemaker Mr. and Mrs. Jon C. Turner Mrs. Susan Wilber-Mustard Mr. Larry D. Word AR

FroMThe GuysWho BroughtYou City Groceryand Bouré Gordon “Sandy” Sanford (BAccy 94) joined the Willoughby Law Group. He previously served as special counsel to AT&T Mississippi. His principal areas of practice are business litigation, business counseling, intellectual property and utilities law.

Carter Smith (BAccy 95) of Jackson joined the Ridgeland firm of Matthew Cutrer & Lindsay PA as a staff accountant.

’00s

Greta Kemp (BSCJ 07) received the John M. Colette Award from Mississippi College School of Law during its annual Law Day ceremony.

Joseph Kilgore (BBA 00, JD 03) of Philadelphia was appointed chancery judge in the Sixth District, Place One, effective July 1, by Gov. Haley Barbour (JD 73).

Meg McElwain (BA 01), president of Magnolia Marketing in Charlotte, N.C., received the 2010 Women in Business Achievement Award.

Sidney Allen Jr. (BBA 04), state government affairs director at Comcast in Jackson, was named to the Top 40 Under 40 list by the Mississippi Business Journal.

Ryan C. Perkins (BA 08), of Shreveport, La., was elected president of the Executive Council of the Student Body at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, La.

Sarah Elizabeth Budslick (BBA 08), of Bobden, Ill., received the Phi Delta Phi award from Mississippi College School of Law for the highest grade in Ethics.

Rachel Pierce (JD 01) joined the Tupelo firm of Waide and Associates, PA.

Lesley Camponova (MEd 01), of Clarksdale, was named Teacher of the Year by the Mississippi division of the Council for Exceptional Children. She works for the Coahoma County School District.

Shirley James Hanshaw (PhD 03) edited the book Conversations with Yusef Komunyakaa.

Komunyakaa is one of America’s most prolific and acclaimed contemporary poets. Hanshaw is assistant professor of English at Mississippi State University.

Andrew Smith (BBA 02), systems analyst IV with The University of Mississippi Foundation, joined BC Real Estate LLC as an agent for the Oxford area.

Cliff Taylor (BBA 07) successfully met all requirements to become a certified financial planner. He is an independent planner with TrustCore Financial in Brentwood, Tenn.

Leigh Taylor White (JD 05) was named to the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. White practices civil and criminal litigation for Glankler Brown PLLC.

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english professor picked for prestigious award

The perfect place for cocktails, conversation and food.

L

ee University has chosen Associate Professor of English Kevin Brown (PhD 96) as the recipient of the Excellence in Scholarship Award for 2010.

This annual award is one of three faculty excellence awards recognizing teaching, scholarship and advising. The awards are considered the highest honors bestowed on Lee faculty each year.

Lee President Paul Conn congratulated Brown for “this wonderful recognition” from faculty colleagues, stating that Brown “has created already, at this early point in his career, an impressive body of work which includes both poetry and nonfiction prose, as well as scholarly presentations of various types.”

Lee is a private, comprehensive university located in Cleveland, Tenn. AR

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News alumni

Georgia on My Mind atlanta’s 2nd annual mississippi in the park held in june

T

he Mississippi Society of Georgia hosted the second annual Atlanta’s Mississippi in the Park on June 26. Ken Stewart, the Georgia commissioner for economic development, greeted the crowd of more than 500 and recognized the unique connection between the two states. Representatives from most of the 14 Mississippi universities/colleges were on hand, and Ole Miss alumni and friends enjoyed an afternoon of catfish plates and sweet tea. Music was provided by Carrollton’s own gospel-country band Homegrown; Bobbye Doll Johnson from Meridian, Miss.; and The Electromatics from Atlanta, Ga. AR Arabella Ochiltree Montgomery (BA 06) and James Walter Moore III, Oct. 17, 2009. weddings Tammie Denise Alexander (BBA 98) and Kurt Mack Khambatta, Oct. 16, 2009.

Mary Ann Barrett (BBA 06) and Hamilton McInnis Bridges, Feb. 6, 2010.

Melissa Leigh Deibler (BBA 07) and Benjamin Joseph Salentine (BBA 07), Nov. 7, 2009.

Rhonda Lee Erickson and Vicente Rodriguez (BSEE 94, MS 96, PhD 99), April 30, 2010.

Lauren Leslie Hughes (BBA 06) and Jack William Smith (BBA 06), April 17, 2010.

Lindsay Christine Klimek (BA 05, JD 09) and Jason Brian Jones, Nov. 7, 2009.

Allison Nell Lott and James Evans Miller (BA 09), May 29, 2010.

Jamie R. Moore and Zachary Aaron Adams (07), May 22, 2010.

Ashley Nicole Phillips (BSGE 02, MS 08) and Decker Richard Housley, Oct. 24, 2009.

Adelyn Marie Stone (BSPhSc 09) and Jonathan Michael Dinkins (BA 07), May 15, 2010.

Christina F. Wells and Andrus Gareth Ashoo (BA 07, BA 08), Dec. 26, 2009.

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52 Alumni Review

births

Traveler’s Return

Miller Jane, daughter of Emily Megginson Addison (BBA 03) and Michael Alden Addison (BBA 03), Feb. 9, 2010.

accountant rejoins firm after successful stint abroad

Andrew Laster, son of Salley Laster Agnew (97) and Sam Agnew, Aug. 26, 2009.

Katherine Ruth, daughter of April Walker Andrews and Nolan S. Andrews (BBA 01), May 6, 2010.

B

utler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada, PLLC, announced that Kurt G. Rademacher (BAccy 95, MTax 96) rejoined the firm as a partner following six years of international legal work in Hong Kong and London.

Rademacher moved to London in 2004 and was named as a partner in a large, multinational law firm, where he advised clients on complex tax and trust issues. In 2008, he was one of the founding partners of a new office in Hong Kong. He was also listed in Chambers Asia as a leading individual in private client/wealth management. While practicing in London and Hong Kong, he was a sought-after speaker, making presentations at more than 20 conferences in Hong Kong, Singapore and London.

He will be based in Butler Snow’s Ridgeland office, primarily working with clients within the firm’s Business Services Group. AR

Milam Robert, son of Meg Milam Arnold (BA 01) and Jason Arnold, Feb. 5, 2010.

Cooper Arrington, son of Jill Emerson Bell (BAEd 06) and William Joel Bell (BE 98), March 28, 2010.

Corrie Mae, daughter of Jennifer Curtis Bennett and Zachary Lawrence Bennett (BAccy 01, MAccy 02), March 29, 2010.

Kathryn Louise, daughter of Mollie Cannon Carby (BSPh 02, PharmD 04) and Gaston Chalk Carby (BBA 96, MBA 97), Jan. 4, 2010.

Grady Jameson, son of Mary Ann Ford (BSPh 02, PharmD 04) and Nathan G. Ford (BA 01, MA 02), Feb. 10, 2010.

Carlos Rafael Samuel, son of Nikki Ann Griffin and Rafael Samuel Griffin (BA 95), March 2, 2010.

Kurt G. Rademacher

K a t he r i ne A d e le , d a u g ht e r of L or i W. Haberkamp and Robert E. Haberkamp III (BA 00), Jan. 6, 2010.

Hugh Hollingsworth, son of Ann Powers Haymans (BA 06) and George Stouton Haymans IV (BA 01, JD 06), Dec. 26, 2009.

Summer 2010 53

News alumni

Good Writing, Better Health pharmacy resident wins literature award

D

r. Joshua T. Swan, (BSPhSc 07, PharmD 09), received the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Research and Education Foundation’s 2009 Student Research Award.

The award is one of five that are bestowed annually as part of the ASHP Foundation’s Literature Awards Program.

The Literature Awards Program honors important contributions to the literature of pharmacy practice in hospi-

tals and health systems. All Literature Award recipients exemplify excellence in research and writing that fosters improvements in the medication-use process, pioneers new uses of technology and pharmacy personnel, and promotes the pharmacist’s role in patient care.

Swan is a pharmacy resident at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas.

AR Joshua T. Swan

Bryson Franklin, son of Laura Shirley Hodges (BBA 04) and Michael Paul Hodges, Feb. 28, 2010.

Marley Evelynn, daughter of Melissa Holmes Jones (BA 01, JD 04) and Thomas Dale Jones, April 16, 2010.

James Rhett, son of Kara Ligon Houston (BSFCS 00) and David W. Houston IV (BPA 97, JD 00), March 31, 2010.

Rowan Olivia, daughter of Kelley Ford Kaigler (09) and Scott D. Kaigler (06), Jan. 9, 2010.

Meg ha n A nniston, d aug hter of Gerra L. Johnston-Bigham (BSW 96) and Joseph Scott Bigham, April 13, 2010.

Carolyn Elise, daughter of Marjorie Britt Kilgore (BSPh 04, PharmD 06) and Steven Simeon Kilgore (BBA 03, JD 06), Jan. 28, 2010.

Hannah Leigh, daughter of Karen Smith Loden

(BBA 01) and Jeremy Ryan Loden (BA 02), April 24, 2010.

Anna Caroline, daughter of Jana Jones Long (BSFCS 98) and Robert Craig Long (BSPh 97, PharmD 99, MD 05), Jan. 19, 2010.

Smith McKenzie, daughter of Laney Smith Maxey and Stuart Mahon Maxey (BAccy 97, MAccy 99), March 5, 2010.

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Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

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International Representation landman joins dyslexia board

M

eredith Veda Matthews (BA 06) was selected to serve a threeyear term on the Louisiana Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (LaBIDA) Board. The board strives to increase awareness of dyslexia among members of the public and to secure provision for dyslexia statewide curricula.

Matthews, of Bogalusa, La., is employed as a landman for Exploration Land Services, LLC, and is a member of the American Association of Professional Landmen. AR

Stacy Bare

Meredith Veda Matthews Sarah Catherine, daughter of Lori S. McKee and Christopher A. McKee (BAccy 89), Nov. 6, 2009.

Joseph Hines, son of Jamie Hines McKinley (BSPh 99, PharmD 01) and Eric Crawford McKinley (BSPh 99, PharmD 01), Sept. 25, 2009.

Bailey Grace, daughter of Lindsay Davis Murphy (BAccy 06, MTax 09, JD 09) and James Andrew Murphy (BM 05, MM 08), Feb. 11, 2010.

Waters Sloan, son of Emily Norris and Brock Eugene Norris (BBA 01), Feb. 9, 2010.

William George, son of Whitney Wilt Paulowsky (BBA 00) and Ryan George Paulowsky, March 6, 2010.

Jackson Roberts, son of Jessica Boggan Pressgrove (BAcc y 05, M Acc y 06 ) a nd Jason Edward Pressgrove (BBA 02), June 12, 2009.

John Price, son of Lindsey Horne Renovich (BBA 99) and William Robert Renovich (BBA 99), Dec. 29, 2009.

Joh n H a r t we l l “Ja c k ,” s on of K at her i ne Cunningham Rogers and Lee Hartwell Rogers (BA 97), April 5, 2008.

John Michael II, son of Ann Marie Stuart and John Michael Stuart (BBA 81), Sept. 18, 2009.

1940s Edna Lunceford Allday (BAEd 41), May 16, 2010 Fred L. Beard (BSC 42), April 7, 2010 Billie Sepich Bennett (BAEd 49), Feb. 24, 2010 William Van Brewer (MA 48), March 15, 2010 James Allen Caples (BAEd 49, MEd 50), Nov. 21, 2009 Robert Sidney Cooper (BBA 49), May 7, 2010 Arch Dalrymple III (BA 47), March 15, 2010 Ruby Crain Folk (BA 41), May 21, 2010 Carolyn Ellis Franklin (BAEd 46), Jan. 18, 2010 Lloyd H. Gates Jr. (BBA 48, BSPh 54), May 4, 2010 Alice Pittman Gill (47), Jan. 30, 2010 John Wesley Gordon Jr. (BSPh 41), May 29, 2010 William W. Gresham Jr. (BA 48), Feb. 23, 2010 Joe Sanders Haney Jr. (BA 42, MedCert 48), Feb. 11, 2010 Suzanne Harris Holmes (BSC 45), April 24, 2010

Redding Jason, son of Heather Russell Wilson (BA 02) and Roger Neil Wilson, May 3, 2010.

Joyce Hale Hudson (BA 49), March 21, 2010

In Memoriam

Rachel Tillman Laney (MA 41), April 27, 2010

1930s

Jean Lewis Lindsey (BAEd 49), June 15, 2010

Warren Leighton Carlson (BA 38), April 23, 2010

James Dermont Lisenbee (BBA 47), Feb. 24, 2010

William Thomas Crawford (36), Feb. 6, 2010 Rosalie Bryant Neilson (38), June 11, 2010 Bessie Short Sant (BSC 37), Dec. 18, 2009

Bettye Bridgeforth Jenkins (BSC 44), Feb. 27, 2010

Elizabeth Wiygul Long (BBA 49), April 29, 2010 Celeste Roberson Luckett (47), March 3, 2010 George Weston Maddox (BM 40), May 13, 2009

Summer 2010 55

News alumni

Club Spotlight: Rebel Club of Memphis events always attract crowds

S

ituated in one of the most heavily populated areas in the region and boasting one of the largest concentrations of Rebel alumni anywhere, the Rebel Club of Memphis commands large crowds at their events throughout the year.

The biggest is the Summer Football Coaches Meeting and Silent Auction, where hundreds hear coaches speak and bid on silent auction items at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

Last year, the meeting attracted more than 1,000 attendees.

The auction items include various Ole Miss memorabilia and other gifts, which are usually donated by local Ole Miss alumni. The group raises as much as $13,000 in some years.

Recently, some of the auction items have become more extravagant.

“This year we had a lot of vacations,” says Club President Paul Gould (BA 02). “We had a trip to Sonoma Valley in California, a trip to Hawaii and a trip to Paris.”

The club reconvenes at the Botanic Garden near the start of each football season to hear Ole Miss Spirit publisher Chuck Rounsaville give his annual prognostications on the upcoming season.

In the spring, the group hosts a golf tournament, which varies in location from year to year. Since the tournament includes members of the Ole Miss coaching staffs, the schedule has to be flexible. “Some places won’t let you rent out the whole course on certain days,” explains Gould. “We just see when the coaches come up and go from there.”

When the Ole Miss baseball team plays its annual game against the Memphis Tigers at AutoZone Park, the Rebel Club of Memphis will rent an outfield pavilion and provide free hotdogs and soft drinks to club members. “We usually have more fans there than they do,” notes Gould.

The club also sponsored a downtown pep rally prior to the football contest with Memphis last year. Gould says past president Paul Pennebaker (BBA 70) provided invaluable service in tackling logistics for the event. The festivities included a party on Beale Street on Friday night, then a pep rally and parade down Beale with The Pride of South Marching Band prior to the game.

The club has an active mailing list of about 1,300 people. But Gould, whose tenure started in the spring, wants to increase the number of events throughout the year to keep people connected and drive membership even more. He cites longtime board member Doug Berry (BBA 87, MBA 89) as being an important force behind maintaining the group’s rising membership and improving communication. Berry has been on the board for 20 years and served as president in 1995. His is the longest tenure on the board other than Jo Ann Harris (MCD 73), who has served more than 30 years.

Berry currently serves as the club’s treasurer, a post he

56 Alumni Review

has held for a number of years. He says due to the group’s embracing of technology, membership has grown.

“We’re trying to more readily inform people about events that are going on. If we decide get the word out, we’ve found Facebook and Twitter to be an effective tool,” Berry says.

The group will also coordinate a bus trip to the Alabama game this year and is considering bus trips to Ole Miss home games, starting with Fresno State this year.

Proceeds from all of these events help fund the group’s philanthropic activities. The Rebel Club of Memphis is organized as a nonprofit organization, and its revenues are used for an endowment for academic and athletic scholarships.

Each year, it also purchases 20 football season tickets for underprivileged youth from Shelby County to attend home football games, working with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis, the Baddour Center, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and other organizations. AR

Jo Ann Harris and Doug Berry

Fashion Forward professor joins college in new york city

R

ick Lester (PhD 85) joined LIM College as dean of academic affairs.

LIM College, located in New York City, is the nation’s only college focused exclusively on the study of business and fashion.

Prior to working for LIM College, Lester was with the University of North Alabama for more than 25 years. Most recently, he was a professor of management, coordinator of the College of Business Honors Program, director of its Small Business Development Center and a university ombudsman.

In his new role, Lester will provide leadership for LIM College’s academic departments to ensure the development of appropriate measurements for learning outcomes as well as continuous improvement to meet learning goals.

He also will be responsible for the professional development of department chairs, the administration of academic policies, curriculum development and improvement, faculty workload management, and the assurance and assessment of academic standards. AR Rick Lester

Annie Reed McGuire (BA 41, MEd 59), April 22, 2010

Harold Ray Burcham (BSME 56), March 26, 2010

Bessie Gregory Millender (BSC 44), May 20, 2010

Roger Lewis Burford (BBA 56, MA 57), March

Theodosia Porter Mounger (BAEd 46, MEd 50), Feb. 26, 2010 Euphus Edward Murray Jr. (BSC 46), Feb. 23, 2010 James Franklin Noble Jr. (LLB 48), April 16, 2010 Ruthie LaRue Owen (42), May 27, 2010 Julian Franklin Potter (BA 49), April 23, 2010 Thomas B. Scott Jr. (LLB 48), Feb. 16, 2010

17, 2010 Richard Lewis Carrington (BSHPE 55), April 13, 2010

Waterfront ProPerties

The Highlands A PrivAte

LAke Community

Where Families Belong

Perry Marshall Simmons (41), Feb. 14, 2010 William A. Talbot (42), May 18, 2010 Thomas Walton Talkington (MedCert 45), April 25, 2010 Sarah Delp Van Arsdall (42), June 4, 2010 Ernest Winfield Walker (MBA 48, BBA 48), April 2, 2010 1950s Charles Clyde Beall Jr. (BBA 57, MBA 61), Feb. 7, 2010 Joan Sullivan Berry (BSN 58), April 4, 2010 Mary Lloyd Betts (BBA 55), March 25, 2010 Willis W. Black (54), April 16, 2010 Curtis Carl Blomquist (BSPh 50), Oct. 8, 2009 Charles Harold Bobo (BBA 57), March 22, 2010 Gideon L. Brown Jr. (BBA 52), March 16, 2010

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For more information or to schedule a personal pontoon tour, call or visit our website today: 662-816-8187 or www.highlandsoxford.com Summer 2010 57

News alumni

Elwin Williams

Stacy Bare

Bright Lights, Big City picnic in the park

O

le Miss alumni and friends celebrated the 31st annual Mississippi Picnic in Central Park on Saturday, June 5. The picnic featured many of Mississippi’s most talented artists displaying and selling their artwork, Mississippi writers signing their books and the ever-popular Southern cuisine for The Tastes of Mississippi. The Mississippi Catfish Cooking Team served up Simmons farm-raised fried catfish and McAlister’s Deli featured its famous sweet tea. AR

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) 58 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

Edward P. Connell Sr. (BBA 58, LLB 61), March 3, 2010

Thomas Irving Hawkins Jr. (BBA 56), May 19, 2009

Frank Allison Reynolds (BSC 52), March 21, 2010

David W. Cowart (BBA 58), March 6, 2010

Geraldine Robinette Huggins (BAEd 58), Feb. 11, 2010

Robert P. Richardson Jr. (BA 52), March 8, 2010

Ruth Tolson Kelly (BAEd 57, MEd 69), April 16, 2010

Paul Lamar Sizemore (MEd 59), May 2, 2010

Alvin William Crain (BSPh 57), Feb. 26, 2010 Lawrence W. Curbo (MBA 50, BBA 50), April 11, 2010 Paul V. Draughn Jr. (BA 51), May 14, 2009 Robert A. Fant (BSPh 58), March 19, 2008 Jack Gordon Ferguson (BSPh 51), Jan. 12, 2010 Ernest Gray Flora Jr. (BBA 54), May 10, 2010 Ralph Doyle Ford (MedCert 50), March 10, 2010 Margaret Holman George (BAEd 50, MEd 52), Feb. 22, 2010 E. J. Goddard Jr. (BAEd 51, MEd 55), April 19, 2010 Richard A. Goldhammer (BA 53), March 27, 2010 Opal Boxx Gore (BAEd 59), March 23, 2010 Ben Tom Griffin (MEd 52), Feb. 22, 2010 James Robert Hahn (BBA 58), April 5, 2010

Ralph L. Landrum Jr. (BA 55), Aug. 8, 2009 Marjorie Waters Lawson (BSC 58), Feb. 19, 2010 Frank LaRoy Leggett (MedCert 52), Feb. 22, 2010 Gordon Livingston MacAulay (BBA 51), Dec. 3, 2009

Carolyn Williams Roberts (50), May 26, 2010 Miriam A. Skinner (BA 51), Sept. 19, 2009 Samuel Chester Stanley Jr. (BA 53, MA 54), April 16, 2010 Robert Minson Taylor (BA 52), Feb. 12, 2010 Nell Henry Thomas (MA 52), March 30, 2010 Doyle H. Waldrop Jr. (BA 56), March 2, 2010

Mary McCall MacAulay (BM 51), March 26, 2010

Clinton Elton Wallace (MedCert 51), March 6, 2010

James E. Maher (BAEd 51), April 12, 2010

Leland R. Waters Jr. (MBA 50), May 4, 2010

Horace Lowry McCool (MEd 59), March 23, 2010

1960s

Lewis Bond Morrow Jr. (BA 51), March 6, 2010 Rowland M. Murphy (BSCvE 51), Sept. 25, 2009 Betty Rasberry Nester (54), May 6, 2010 Henry G. Orsborn Jr. (BBA 59), Dec. 16, 2009 Charles R. Patrick (BA 53), April 13, 2010

Fine Dining Overlooking the Historic Oxford Square

Jimmy Lynn Arrington (BSHPE 65, MEd 71), May 28, 2010 Sherry Owen Avenmarg (BSN 68, MN 74), June 11, 2010 Douglass T. Baker (JD 68), March 22, 2010

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Summer 2010 59

News alumni

Allison Dossett

Capitol Idea mississippi on the mall

T

he Mississippi Society of Washington, D.C., hosted the 20th annual Mississippi on the Mall on June 19. In the shadow of the Washington Monument, Ole Miss alumni and friends enjoyed catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw and McAlister’s sweet tea. The event also featured music by George McConnell and the Nonchalants. AR

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

Tommy Jack Bates (MCS 67), June 5, 2009

Albert Ray Lee Jr. (MD 63), June 14, 2010

Robert Berry Jr. (MCS 68), March 4, 2010

James Robert Madson (BA 66), Sept. 16, 2009

Edwin Moore Best (BSCvE 69), April 18, 2010

Shirley Godbold McCauley (BAEd 66, MEd 75), Feb. 26, 2010

James David Blackburn (BBA 68), Nov. 14, 2009 Janice Owen Brown (BA 65), June 2, 2010 Frederick William Bush (BA 67), May 5, 2010 William Montgomery Champion (LLB 61), March 12, 2010 Sue Black Dillard (BBA 60), April 7, 2010 Bruce Dillingham Jr. (BBA 68), May 26, 2010 Olis Duane English (MEd 61), June 4, 2010

Doyce Stallings Mitchell (MLS 65), April 16, 2010 Lanie Davis Morris (BAEd 62, MEd 70), May 9, 2010 Neal D. Rogers Jr. (BSPh 64), Dec. 26, 2009 Frances Cook Rutledge (MEd 67), Nov. 22, 2009 Augustin L. Saunders Jr. (BSPh 60), Feb. 16, 2010

James M. Ferguson Jr. (BBA 62), May 11, 2010

Ben Barrett Smith (BPA 64, JD 67), April 18, 2010

Charley W. Green (BPA 67), Dec. 23, 2009

Paul T. Souval (BA 60), April 15, 2010

Max Harold Greenlee (BBA 67), March 9, 2010

Guy Leonard St. Paul (MEd 64), Feb. 21, 2010

Craig Miller Harris (BA 69), April 7, 2010

William Ernest Sugg III (BBA 62), March 1, 2010

Roy Gene Hill (BBA 67), May 2, 2010

James Alfred Sweeney (BS 68), March 31, 2010

Constance Britt Holland (BAEd 62), May 21, 2010

Harrison Griffin Taylor (BBA 65), Feb. 26, 2010

Pauline Montgomery Jackson (MBEd 63), June 14, 2010

Frank H. Tucker Jr. (MD 61), April 23, 2010

Helen Ward Kellum (MA 63), April 2, 2010

Mary Lindsey Tidwell (BAEd 62), May 19, 2010 Richard E. Van Houten (BBA 60), April 25, 2010

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News alumni

Claude Chadwick Williams Sr. (MCS 63), Dec. 11, 2009 1970s William J. Antonini (MEd 70), March 6, 2010 Ruth S. Ingram Bader (MEd 76), May 5, 2010 Fred Howard Benjamin (MCS 72), May 15, 2010 Susan Fabian Cameron (BA 75), March 10, 2010 Robert Doyle Childers (BPA 72), March 23, 2010 Richard Chow (BSPh 70), Dec. 4, 2009 Judy Wolfe Curtis (BA 76), March 11, 2010

Sister Act young named foundation president

S

andra Williams Young (BM 68) was elected to a second term as president of the Delta Delta Delta Foundation. The foundation funds programming for Tri Delta, including undergraduate and graduate scholarships and emergency assistance to collegiate and alumnae in financial crisis.

Young has devoted many years of volunteer service to Tri Delta and was elected the Southern California Alumnae Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Woman of the Year in 2006. She also has co-authored The Colony Chapter Manual, a guide for navigating the first several years in Tri Delta colony chapters.

Young lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Dr. E. Dixon Young, and their daughter, Catherine. AR

John Corbett Davis Jr. (BSPh 72), Aug. 24, 2009 James Michael Economos (EdD 72), May 12, 2009 Eugenia Russell Falkner (BAEd 79), April 15, 2010 Robert Bowman Fuchs (BA 70, JD 73), March 9, 2010 Marilyn Blakeslee Grist (BAEd 71), March 31, 2010 Teresa Chaffin Heberling (BA 78), May 6, 2010 Elaine Lowery Hines (BA 77, MAud 78), April 14, 2010 James Avery Holder (MD 78), Jan. 23, 2010 Billie David Kennedy (76), May 13, 2010 Howell Dickson Levy (BS 74), April 9, 2010 Ann Tays Lindsey (MEd 76), March 29, 2010 Rex Stanley Martin (BBA 78), March 15, 2010

62 Alumni Review

Walton Louis Moore (BSPh 72, MD 78), March 14, 2010 Wilma Barkley Reeves (MA 73), March 4, 2010 Charles E. Reichel (PhD 77), April 5, 2010 Jennie Ellis Schmitz (71), March 6, 2010 Sandra Adams Smith (MLS 72), June 15, 2010 William P. Smith III (MA 70), June 10, 2010 Ray Clifford Smithers (BBA 78), May 6, 2010 Calvin E. Thomas (MEd 72), April 3, 2010 Maurice Rutz Van Norman (BS 75), April 20, 2010 Dickie Harrison Walters (MURP 76), March 22, 2010 Thomas Edward Whitten (BSME 71, MS 72), May 15, 2010

1980s Conrad C. Barnes Jr. (DMD 80), March 4, 2010 Althea Tipler Coleman (MEd 88), May 3, 2010 Mona James Dickey (BBA 86), March 6, 2010 Robert Daniel Finch (BPA 84), March 3, 2010 Rita Irene Kabban (BS 84), April 27, 2010 C.W. Maris Jr. (JD 80), Feb. 18, 2010 Harold Jerome May (MA 80), April 6, 2010 Deborah Fowler Murphy (BAccy 84), March 31, 2010 Kenneth Robert Nowicki (BAEd 87, MS 99), March 15, 2010 Timothy Wayne Smith (BA 88), Feb. 5, 2010 Betty McCulley Swearengen (BAEd 80), March 28, 2010

Serving Oxford, Lafayette County and the University of Mississippi

TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2010

142ND Year, No. 169 — 50 CENTS

Run-off solution sought E-Edition booming

INSIDE

Erosion problems wash away county officials’ patience

BY ALYSSA SCHNUGG Staff Writer

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

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

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

Williams Equipment started con-

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

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

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

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

See SOLUTION on Page 2

Oxford schools set budget hearing

GRADUATION CELEBRATION

POMERANZ HONORED 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.

ONLINE

BY MELANIE ADDINGTON Staff Writer

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.”

The Oxfo rd Eagle E-Edition helps you keep up w ith your home awa frcompanies’ om howork BP probe focuses onyother me Report: Oversite workers accepted gifts from oil companies daily loc al news & Compreh ensive Guinness finds Ole MIss sports co Minn. man is verage tallest in US EDUCATION NEWS

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

UM GRADS

BRUCE NEWMAN

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

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

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

INDEX

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

BY GREG BLUESTEIN AND

MATTHEW DALY

Associated Press Writers

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 tallest man is Turkey’s urkey’s Sultan 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

Worst-case scenario

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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

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

Marcia Cole accepted the plaque and resolution on family. behalf of the family —melanie@oxfordeagle.com —melanie@oxfor

www.oxfordeagle.com 662-234-2222

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News alumni

1990s

2010s

Joanne Melton Palmer, March 13, 2010

Patricia Edwards Aschoff (MEd 97), April 1, 2010

Bennie F. Abram III (10), Feb. 19, 2010

Glenda Gill Perkins, Jan. 6, 2010

Johnathan Carlos Casey (BPA 96), Dec. 28, 2009

Faculty and Friends

Harrell Gene Rushing, April 15, 2010

Janice Thompson Downs (MEd 91), April 16, 2010

James Timothy Allred, June 11, 2010

John Jackson Schuster, April 11, 2010

Gail Philip Anderson, June 8, 2010

Patti Sullivan Scott, March 13, 2010

Cynthia Jaggers Drummond (BSPh 91), Feb. 28, 2010

Denver Lee Anding, June 9, 2010

James Carlton Smith Sr., Feb. 15, 2010

Barbara Rogalla Arnold, April 7, 2010

Jane Johnson Smith, March 15, 2010

Norman L. Hand (95), May 14, 2010

Frank R. Ashley Jr., May 6, 2010

Lynn Phillips Smith, March 20, 2010

Betty Washington Patterson (MEd 98), May 26, 2010

Eddie Paul Beck, June 5, 2010

Betty Bowen Taylor, April 8, 2010

Beatrice Nabors Bratton, June 14, 2010

Jessie Welsh Thomas, March 19, 2010

Bill Cloud, April 28, 2010

William Kohler Trimble Jr., Dec. 21, 2009

Flora Martin Cole, May 27, 2010

Paul Urban Jr., March 6, 2010

Benjamin Rushing Shellabarger (BS 97), Dec. 13, 2009

Gisela Sauerberg Covington, March 21, 2010

Sarah Ann Alexander Varner, June 11, 2010

Ralph Crum, April 25, 2010

Leona Ridgway York, Feb. 25, 2010

Elizabeth McClatchy Sparks (BBA 91), March 19, 2010

David L. Edwards, Feb. 19, 2010

Joey Lynn Raper (BAEd 93), March 10, 2010 Jane Allen Sessions (BA 91, MS 94), May 2, 2010

Melvin H. Rademacher, May 9, 2010

Patsy Alexander Elmore, Feb. 19, 2010

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.

Orene Boots Farese, April 10, 2010

2000s

Elmore D. Greaves Jr., June 12, 2010

DeTeena R. Bender (07), April 22, 2010 Paul Easton Bruening (BFA 06), May 24, 2010 Harry Davison (BAEd 03), April 30, 2010

Dalton Jarrett, June 7, 2010 Eleanor Culver Launius, April 29, 2010

Brian Conrad Stauffer (BA 02), Oct. 3, 2009 Sylvia White Wallace (DA 02), March 18, 2010 Paula Lynn Wood (BAccy 00), April 20, 2010

H. Barry Hannah Sr., March 1, 2010

Rachel Gerdes Lewand, March 4, 2010 Mary McCalla Long, June 5, 2010 Jane Herndon Magruder, Oct. 21, 2009 Sue Crouch Millender, May 5, 2010

H

A SSISTED L IVING

•

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.

A LZHEIMER ’ S /M EMORY C ARE

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