University of Georgia Magazine September 2015

GEORGIA The University of

September 2015 • Vol. 94, No. 4

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AROUNDTHE

ARCH GEORGIA MAGAZINE Allyson Mann, MA ’92, Editor Margaret Blanchard, AB ’91, MA ’98, Managing Editor Lindsay Robinson, ABJ ’06, MPA ’11, Art Director Pamela Leed, Advertising Director Fran Burke, Office Manager Peter Frey, BFA ’94; Robert Newcomb, BFA ’81; Rick O’Quinn, ABJ ’87; Andrew Davis Tucker; and Dorothy Kozlowski, BLA ’06, ABJ ’10; UGA Photographers Daniel Funke, Editorial Assistant PUBLIC AFFAIRS Janis Gleason, Interim Director of Communications Alison Huff, Director of Publications ADMINISTRATION Jere W. Morehead, JD ’80, President Pamela Whitten, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Ryan Nesbit, MBA ’91, Vice President for Finance and Administration Kelly Kerner, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Rahul Shrivastav, Vice President for Instruction David C. Lee, Vice President for Research Jennifer Frum, PhD ’11, Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Victor Wilson, BSW ’82, MEd ’87, Vice President for Student Affairs J. Griffin Doyle, AB ’76, JD ’79, Vice President for Government Relations Timothy M. Chester, Vice President for Information Technology Change your mailing address by emailing information to records@uga.edu or call 888-268-5442.

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FINE PRINT Georgia Magazine (ISSN 1085-1042) is published quarterly for alumni and friends of UGA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: University of Georgia, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602 In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military service in its administration of educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. In addition, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation consistent with the University non-discrimination policy.

Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the director of the Equal Opportunity Office, 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-5422822.

Alessandra Marinelli (left), an exchange student from Italy, and Justin Simone, a fourth-year veterinary medicine student, care for 4-year-old miniature poodle Gigi in the small animal emergency room at the new Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

The University of

GEORGIA Magazine

September 2015 • Vol. 94, No. 4

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Take 4

6

Around the Arch

An interview with President Jere W. Morehead

Campus news and events

Closeups 12 Return to the Arch

Food for thought is on the menu at UGA’s alumni seminar

14 Veterinary Medical Center

Bigger, brighter spaces for animals and people alike

Features 18 Marsh to marine—and everything in between

Students dive in to new coastal summer program

24 Sweet!

UGA’s Crop & Environmental Quality Lab helps Georgia growers build a better Vidalia

28 Grooming future students

The Georgia Journalism Academy gives high school students a glimpse into media careers and college life

Class Notes 32 Alumni profiles and notes ON THE COVER Spanish moss hangs from live oaks that welcome UGA students to summer study programs on Sapelo and Skidaway islands on the Georgia coast.

Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

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GRADUATED?

STAY CONNECTED!

SHARE YOUR SUCCESSES WITH YOUR ALMA MATER: 4

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/UGAAlumniAssociation GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

UGAAlumniAssoc

University of Georgia Alumni Assoc. Group

TAKE

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— An interview with President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80)

Q: UGA recently announced an experiential learning initiative. How will this new initiative transform undergraduate education?

A: This initiative—which will go into effect for incoming freshmen in fall 2016—will provide all undergraduate students with a high-impact learning experience outside of the traditional classroom environment. Our schools and colleges will define the specific courses and activities that fulfill the experiential learning component for their academic programs, ensuring seamless integration into existing curricula without increasing hours required for graduation in any major. This initiative builds upon the university’s already numerous undergraduate research, study abroad, servicelearning and internship opportunities. To offer a tailored learning experience to every student at a major public research university is extraordinary.

Q: What other innovations are occurring at UGA right now?

A: As a land-grant institution, UGA takes seriously its responsibility to promote economic growth in our state. To that end we are increasing opportunities for students to learn about entrepreneurship, giving them the skills they need to start a small business, gain employment with a startup company or become an entrepreneur in the public or nonprofit sector. Bob Pinckney (BBA ’82), a Terry College alumnus and former CEO of EvoShield LLC, one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports apparel companies, was recently named director of entrepreneurial programs at UGA. He brings a wealth of experience from the private sector and will build on several programs and learning opportunities to make the University of Georgia a national hub of entrepreneurship.

Q: The university has launched a major hiring initiative to recruit outstanding faculty in informatics. What impact will these new faculty members have on the university?

A: The faculty who join the institution through this initiative will impact instruction and research in multiple disciplines on campus and will increase opportunities for outreach across our state.

Informatics is a rapidly growing field involving massive data sets in disciplines as diverse as political science, business, humanities, biological sciences and engineering. The new faculty members will build on cutting-edge research being conducted by current UGA faculty members like Jessica Kissinger in genetics, who directs the Institute of Bioinformatics, Liming Cai in computer science and Russell Malmberg in plant biology, among others. This initiative signals our commitment to ensuring that UGA is a leader in using complex data sets to address some of the world’s most significant challenges.

Q: Are there any other faculty hiring initiatives in the works?

A: Yes, the university is hiring additional faculty to reduce class sizes for undergraduate students.

This initiative will create more than 300 new course sections in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Terry College of Business, College of Engineering, School of Public and International Affairs and College of Public Health in order to reduce class sizes in critical instruction areas.

Reducing class sizes will help ensure that students receive even more personalized attention from their professors. This endeavor comes on the heels of last fall’s hiring initiative through which we hired additional faculty to teach 80 high-demand course sections, facilitating students’ timely progress toward graduation.

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ARCH AROUNDTHE

JONATHAN LEE

UGA College of Pharmacy students assisted migrant workers and their families with medical records and pharmacy services during a two-week service-learning trip to southwest rural Georgia in June. Above, pharmacy student Michelle Morales (center) and Thania Gonzalez (left), a nursing student at Emory University, consult with Anthony Velasquez, a farm worker. In its 21st year, the Farm Worker Family Health Program is an interdisciplinary partnership between six regional colleges with students from pharmacy, nursing, dental hygiene, physical therapy and psychology. Multimedia: photo.alumni.uga.edu/mediapg/detail/106/farmfh

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UGA IS TOP 100 IN PATENTS

Donors continue to break records

The university ranks among the top 100 universities worldwide for the number of U.S. utility patents granted in 2014, according to a list compiled by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

The list, based on data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recognizes the important role patents play in moving university research discoveries into the marketplace.

UGA patents issued in 2014 included those covering antimicrobial coatings for textiles, a candidate HIV treatment, a biomarker that may enhance early detection of breast cancer, two poultry vaccines and a method for neutralizing munitions residue. The university has more than 500 active patents protecting its inventions.

A record-breaking number of individual contributors gave UGA its best fundraising year in history in fiscal year 2015.

As of June 30, more than 63,000 donors gave nearly $144.2 million in new gifts and commitments. The number reflects a 14 percent increase over last year’s record total of $126.4 million.

President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80) praised donors for their unprecedented level of support. “I am grateful to our generous and loyal alumni and friends for their significant contributions; to the UGA Foundation board of trustees, to the development team, and to the senior leadership across our schools, colleges and other units for their hard work and dedication; and to our outstanding faculty, staff and students, who continue to make UGA the very special place that it is,” he says.

The final tally of 63,784 donors represents a 12 percent increase over fiscal year 2014, in which 56,897 donors contributed to the institution. The increase continues a trend of rising levels of support from individual donors, with no single major gift having a disproportionate impact on the total.

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Experiential learning gets gift, scholarship UGA’s new experiential learning initiative received two significant donations in support of the program. The UGA Athletic Association will establish a $1 million endowment, and President Morehead will give $100,000 for a scholarship fund.

Although UGA has a strong history of providing handson learning opportunities—particularly through study abroad, service-learning, research and internships—the new policy makes such experiences a graduation requirement starting in fall 2016 for incoming freshmen.

The $1 million gift brings the Athletic Association’s contribution to academics to a total of $5 million for fiscal year 2015.

The gift supports a cornerstone of undergraduate life, says Greg McGarity (ABJ ’76), J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics. “It’s also another way we can integrate academics and athletics on our campus, continuing the strong partnership around programs that benefit the university,” he says.

Morehead’s contribution will establish a scholarship fund designed to help undergraduates participate in experiential learning programs.

“I believe I have a special obligation to give back to this great institution, which has given so much to me,” he says. “The experiential learning initiative will further enhance the worldclass learning environment at UGA, and I am pleased to be able to support this initiative personally through the establishment of a scholarship fund.”

LAW GIFT BENEFITS FIRSTGEN COLLEGE GRADS The School of Law received a $500,000 gift to create a scholarship fund for first-generation college graduates attending the school. The gift was made by state Rep. Stacey Godfrey Evans Stacey Godfrey Evans (AB ’00, JD ’03) of Atlanta.

Born and raised in Ringgold, Evans is the daughter of mill workers who struggled to make ends meet.

She is the first person in her family to earn a college degree. After graduation, she attended Georgia Law and fulfilled her dream of becoming an attorney in 2003.

“I cannot—and do not want to—imagine my life without my degrees, and I know how close I was to being without them,” she explains. “The financial resources simply weren’t there … With this gift, I hope to take some of the financial stress off of the shoulders of bright and accomplished students who are shooting beyond expectations and working to obtain their law degrees.”

The first Evans Scholar will be named this fall.

SCHUSTER STEPS DOWN

Barbara Schuster

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

Barbara Schuster, founding campus dean of the Georgia Regents University/ University of Georgia Medical Partnership, stepped down at the end of the academic year.

Approximately 200 people attended a May reception held in her honor, where Sen. Bill Cowsert (JD ’83) and Rep. Chuck Williams (BSA ’77) presented Schuster with a proclamation from the state legislature. She also received a key to the city of Athens from Mayor Nancy Denson (BBA ’90) and a clock— the traditional gift given to senior administrators when they depart—from UGA President Morehead. Farris Johnson, a local physician, announced the establishment of a scholarship created in her honor. The Barbara L. Schuster Medical Partnership Scholarship will be awarded to a student attending the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership. At press time, more than $40,000 in gifts and pledges had been secured.

As founding campus dean of the medical partnership, Schuster was charged with hiring faculty and staff, overseeing building renovations to house the program and developing curriculum. During her seven-year tenure she worked to integrate the partnership into the community and northeast Georgia—building relationships with UGA faculty, medical professionals and practitioners as well as recruiting potential students. Today, the program has more than 450 community physicians teaching more than 160 medical students.

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ARCH BEST IN SHOW A

More faculty = smaller classes

BARK OUT TO

… Mary Ann Johnson, the Bill and June Flatt Professor in Foods and Nutrition, who was voted vice president-elect of the American Society for Nutrition. … M. Keener Scott, associate director for staff development and student conduct in University Housing and adjunct professor of counseling and human development services, who received the Parthenon Award from the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International.

M. Keener Scott

… Deryl Bailey, professor of counseling and human development services and founder and executive director of Empowered Youth Programs, who received the Liberty Bell Award from the Western Circuit Bar Association.

… Lauren Herring, UGA student and tennis player, who won an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. … Craig Osenberg, professor of ecology, who was elected a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. … Scotty Smith, a civil engineering student, who was awarded the Baker Student Fellowship by the American Concrete Institute Foundation. … Jane Mutanga-Mutembo, a physician and doctoral student in epidemiology, who was awarded the 2015-16 Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship.

Craig Osenberg

… Bob Schmitz, assistant professor of genetics, who was named a Pew scholar in the biomedical sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts. … Milton Masciadri, Distinguished University Professor of music, who won the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts from the World Cultural Council. … UGA swimmer Maddie Locus (AB, BS ’14), who was named the H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year 2014-15 by the Southeastern Conference. … Jordan McLeod (MS ’14) who took the top prize in the 2014-15 WxChallenge, a yearly national collegiate weather forecasting competition.

Maddie Locus

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… Laura Early, Jennafer Malek and Yuntao Wang, graduate students in ecology and marine science, who each received a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

UGA is investing $4.4 million to reduce class sizes by hiring faculty and creating more than 300 new course sections.

The first wave of faculty hires will begin teaching this fall, and a total of 56 will be hired in the coming year. Plans also call for an additional 319 new course sections in 81 majors by fall 2016, the majority of which will have fewer than 20 students. UGA’s current student/faculty ratio is 18-1.

The push to decrease class sizes at UGA builds on a series of academic enhancements the institution has implemented in recent years. Last fall, the university hired 10 new faculty to teach in 80 high-demand course sections.

EXEC MBA PROGRAM SOARS WORLDWIDE The Executive MBA Program at the Terry College of Business was ranked 14th worldwide by The Economist. The EMBA program previously ranked 22nd. The Economist ranks EMBA programs around the globe according to two broad categories: personal development/education experience and career development. Terry’s EMBA program was the highestranked program in Georgia and eighth among those based solely in the U.S. The 18-month program, geared toward mid- to senior-level managers, combines weekend classes with interaction using distance-learning technologies.

For more information, see terry.uga.edu/mba.

Avian flu expert joins vet med Daniel R. Pérez, an influenza researcher who focuses on the interspecies transmission and pathogenesis of the virus, was named Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator and Caswell Eidson Chair in Poultry Medicine. The position is based in the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center within the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Pérez’s work on influenza A viruses dates back to the early 1990s when he was pursuing his Ph.D. in veterinary and biomedical sciences at the University of Nebraska. He later worked Daniel R. Pérez as a research associate in infectious diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and was involved in developing the first influenza H5N1 vaccine.

In 2003, he joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, where he built and directed the Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in the U.S. research network, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to coordinate research, education and outreach at 17 institutions.

W. Dale Greene

SPECIAL

NEW FORESTRY DEAN W. Dale Greene, a long-serving faculty member and administrator in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, was named dean of the school in June.

Greene, a professor of forest operations who joined Warnell in 1986, previously served as associate dean for academic affairs and had been interim dean since January.

During his career, Greene has received all three teaching awards given by the school and was honored by the Georgia Forestry Association for his service. His research focuses on enhancing the productivity and sustainability of the wood supply system.

Budget surplus supports academics SPECIAL

UGA graduate student Marshall Mosher won a $30,000 scholarship to an intensive 10-week program at Singularity University, a Silicon Valley ideas incubator.

The quadruple graduate (above, hiking in the Havasupai Indian Reservation near Grand Canyon National Park) co-founded Vestigo, an online outdoor fitness and adventure-sharing network. Vestigo, meaning to follow or explore in Latin, was started as a way to improve the mental and physical health of customers by instilling a passion for the outdoors and activities that are both physically demanding and intellectually stimulating. Mosher was one of 80 students chosen to work on their business models with researchers, entrepreneurs and inventors in the Singularity University program, held at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. UGA is one of only two U.S. universities to hold competitions for the program, and Mosher is the fourth graduate student from the university to attend.

A native of Duluth, he received his master’s degree in public administration along with undergraduate degrees in biology, economics and psychology in May. Mosher returned to UGA this fall to continue his graduate studies.

The University of Georgia Foundation allocated a budget surplus from fiscal year 2015 to several important academic initiatives. The board designated $1 million to needbased scholarships and $500,000 for study abroad scholarships, both existing endowments. An additional $200,000 was earmarked to support Professional School Scholarships in law, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. The funding is above and beyond approximately $50 million provided annually by the foundation in support of the institution’s academic mission.

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ARCH DUAL DEGREE A FIRST FOR UGA AND EMORY

New German/engineering degree

UGA’s School of Social Work and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University have partnered to offer a dual master’s degree in social work and divinity. The innovative, cross-disciplinary degree—the first to be offered between the two universities—will develop professionals uniquely equipped to deal with issues related to aging, addiction and other stressors.

“Students will learn to balance pastoral skills such as spiritual counseling with social work practices such as family therapy and community assessment, strengthening their endeavors with individual clients as well as in the public policy arena,” says Maurice Daniels, dean and professor in the School of Social Work.

Coursework will be split between the two institutions, beginning and ending at Emory. Students must complete requirements for the social work portion in four consecutive semesters at UGA.

This fall UGA began offering a dual degree in German and engineering. Students in the five-year course of study may select one of six engineering fields: mechanical, biological, agricultural, civil, electrical or computer systems.

The program includes spending one year abroad in the fourth year, during which students will complete a semester at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, a top technical university, followed by a semester-long internship with a German company.

An interdisciplinary team in the College of Engineering and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies developed the program.

Martin Kagel, head of Germanic and Slavic studies, says the program is designed with a strong emphasis on intercultural competence. “It will be unique in that it includes the extensive reflection on cultural difference in addition to the language proficiency students will acquire,” he says.

Language skills are especially advantageous given that Germany is one of the top five trading partners in Georgia.

More than 450 German companies—including 80 engineeringrelated firms—do business in the state. These companies employ more than 21,000 Georgians while Georgia exports to Germany exceed $1 billion.

UGA makes Forbes Top 25 The University of Georgia was ranked No. 18 on the Forbes “Top 25 Public Colleges 2015” list released in August.

Schools were ranked using factors the publication says favor “output over input. Our sights are set directly on return on investment: What are students getting out of college.”

The only other SEC school on the list is the University of Florida at No. 14. Georgia Tech also was ranked in the top 25 at No. 15. The United States Military Academy was No. 1 on the Forbes list of publics.

Forbes teamed with the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity to rank the schools. They used five general categories: student satisfaction, post-graduate success, student debt, graduation rate and academic success.

TORTOISE TIME! Georgia’s gopher tortoise population got a bump when 153 young ones were released at the Yuchi Wildlife Management Area near Waynesboro in June. The effort to replenish the state reptile was a collaboration between the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, St. Catherines Island Foundation, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Reed Bingham State Park.

Scientists hope that introducing young gopher tortoises to Yuchi—a wildlife area covering 7,800 acres—will keep the species from becoming a candidate for the federal Endangered Species Act.

PHARMACY’S SAVANNAH CAMPUS ACCREDITED UGA’s College of Pharmacy received accreditation for the doctoral program offered at its extended campus at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah.

The campus is the third accredited location for the college’s 2+2 program, where doctoral students attend the first two years in Athens followed by two years of training in one of four geographic areas: Athens or extended campuses in Savannah, Augusta or Albany.

The Savannah program began in May with 21 students completing their fourth and final clinical year. Six third-year students started the program in August.

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

LINDA LEE

Ecology introduces new degree

SPECIAL

Dustin Orvin (left), a third-year pharmacy student from Jesup, was named the first UGA Pharmacy Fellow to serve in the D.C. office of Congressman Buddy Carter (BSPh ’80).

Rx for success New fellowship takes pharmacy students to D.C. UGA pharmacy student Dustin Orvin spent the summer on Capitol Hill, thanks to a fellowship program created by Congressman Buddy Carter (BSPh ’80). Carter is the only pharmacist in Congress, and he created the UGA Pharmacy Fellowship Program to share his experience with the next generation of pharmacists.

“I know firsthand that decisions made in Washington will directly impact the future of their careers, and they need to be aware and educated,” he says.

“There is no better place to educate themselves on the policies that directly impact pharmacy than Capitol Hill.”

Orvin is the inaugural fellow for the program, the first of its kind. The third-year pharmacy student came to Capitol Hill having extensively studied the FDA’s drug approval process and drug development guidelines in his coursework on campus. While in Carter’s office, Orvin was charged with analyzing key pharmaceutical and health care policy initiatives from the perspective of a practitioner.

Carter, who’s serving his first term with the U.S. House of Representatives, brings a breadth of experience in pharmacy and health care policy. He has owned and operated a community pharmacy for more than 30 years, and commonsense pharmacy has been a hallmark of his career. Carter was mayor of Pooler before serving in the Georgia General Assembly, where he advocated for smarter laws to tackle Georgia’s prescription drug problem through the creation of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

He joined the 114th U.S. Congress in January, representing Georgia’s 1st Congressional District. During his short time in the House, Carter has become co-chair of the Community Pharmacy Caucus as well as a member of the Republican Study Committee’s Health Care Task Force.

“While I’m the only pharmacist in Congress now,” he says, “I hope that is not true for long!”

UGA’s Odum School of Ecology launched a new Bachelor of Arts degree in ecology this fall. Designed to meet the needs of students interested in the interface of ecology and society, the new degree builds on the existing Bachelor of Science degree with a more interdisciplinary approach.

The program emphasizes problem-solving and communication skills by focusing on ecological principles and environmental issues in their social context.

“Environmental issues are increasingly recognized as affecting not just the environment itself, but human health, the economy and global security,” says John Gittleman, dean of the Odum School. “The new Bachelor of Arts in ecology program will give students the tools they need to become leaders in addressing these 21st century challenges.”

GRADY RESTRUCTURES DEPARTMENTS UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication has been restructured, creating a single, digitalfirst journalism department and another solely focused on entertainment and media studies. No changes were made to advertising/public relations.

The new departments were developed to provide more flexible and comprehensive education in multiple platforms, as well as a more focused curriculum in narrative storytelling and media studies.

“We have done much more than simply rearrange the departments,” says Dean Charles Davis. “We have instead merged the broadcast, newspaper, magazine and online journalism faculty and asked them to create a curriculum reflective of that merger.

This places Grady squarely ahead of the curve, and allows us to continue to adapt to changing dynamics in the news business.”

The new curriculum began this fall in the entertainment and media studies department; the journalism department will follow suit in spring.

For more information, see www.grady. uga.edu.

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

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CLOSE UP

Return to the Arch Food for thought is on the menu at UGA’s alumni seminar

by Allyson Mann (MA ’92) Alton Brown (AB ’04) thinks he knows why we’re all so fascinated with food—it’s the last thing we have in common.

“We no longer hold a certain number of truths to be self evident—we don’t believe in the same god, we don’t believe in the same politics. We fight about everything, but everybody in this room really likes food,” he says. “And you know what? Even supermodels in New York like food. They don’t eat it, but they talk about eating it.”

The chef and TV host, known for “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Iron Chef America” and “Good Eats,” made these remarks during his keynote address that kicked off Return to the Arch: Food for

Thought, a three-day seminar centered around food that was planned by the Office of Academic Programs and other campus units. The event brought alumni and friends of UGA back to campus for lectures, tours and interactive seminars showcasing the best the university has to offer.

About 75 alumni—traveling from their homes in Georgia, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin—attended this year’s event, the second time it’s been held, in May. After Brown’s keynote, attendees spent the next day at sessions led by UGA faculty on topics like food safety, breeding blueberries and fighting

childhood obesity. They ate lunch at Bolton Dining Commons, UGA’s newest dining hall, and then chose to tour either the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries or UGArden.

At the 4-acre UGArden, David Berle, associate professor of horticulture, explained how 3,000-plus student volunteers grow vegetables, fruits, shitake mushrooms and herbs using organic practices.

A few hours later, attendees took buses to UGA’s historic Herty Field, formerly a football field and a parking lot before it was converted in 1999 into a public plaza with a green lawn and cascading fountain. Dinner was a farm-to-table affair featuring seasonal ingredients sourced through local growers. At the fountain, young women and men in formal wear—most likely local high school students heading to prom—posed for photos while Carol Clark (AB ’73, JD ’76), Lee Waddell McCarthy (AB ’70) and Jim Sommerville (BS ’77) enjoyed dinner nearby and discussed the sessions they attended.

Sommerville was torn when choosing between attending the session on blueberries and the one on food safety taught by Michael Doyle, Regents Professor and director of UGA’s Center for Food Safety.

“It was a tough decision,” he says.

“Dr. Doyle is internationally known.”

Food Network star Alton Brown (AB ’04) discusses UGA’s caviar cultivation research with (left to right) Chantel Dunham, Margaret Wagner-Dahl and Doug Peterson, professor of fisheries research, at the Return to the Arch seminar. The caviar was served at a reception preceding Brown’s keynote address.

PETER FREY

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Mark your calendar for next year’s event: April 29-May 1, 2016

But Sommerville chose blueberries and enjoyed learning from Scott NeSmith (BSA ’83, MS ’86), professor of horticulture at the Griffin campus, about how UGA research played an important role in helping Georgia become the nation’s top producer of blueberries. He also gained an appreciation for the painstaking pace of research.

“You may not see the results of … basic research for years,” Sommerville says, “but you have to do the basic research in order to get …”

“You have to have something to build on,” McCarthy says, finishing his sentence.

Clark is impressed by today’s blueberry varieties, some developed at UGA, that are bigger and ripen faster.

“We have some that are drought resistant, that are moisture resistant so they don’t crack open,” she says.

Tomorrow these three will attend more sessions with faculty—exploring health messages about food and the science and economics of UGA’s caviar production—and enjoy lunch on D.W. Brooks Mall, a wide swath of green on South Campus converted in 2003 from a former roadway. They’ll also consider the future of food at the concluding session led by Peter Dale (ABJ ’99), owner/chef of The National in Athens and Food & Wine’s People’s Best New Chef Southeast for 2012.

But tonight, McCarthy is marveling at how campus seems the same yet different. It’s her first visit in 40 years, and she’s glad to see that the buildings she spent much of her time in—Moore College and Soule Hall—look better than ever.

She has a special connection to Waddel Hall—it was named for her great-great-great-grandfather, Moses Waddel, UGA’s fifth president.

“I am just blown away by the upkeep and how everything looks,” she says.

McCarthy heard about last year’s Return to the Arch seminar after it happened, so she was sure to mark her calendar for this year.

“It’s been wonderful,” she says.

“I’m delighted I came.”

ALLYSON MANN

UGA grad student Noelle Fuller (BSFCS ’15) (center) speaks with Vickie Henry (MEd ’74) and Reginald Henry (right) during a tour of UGArden, a 4-acre, studentrun farm centered on a sustainable food system.

RICK O’QUINN

On Saturday night, the Return to the Arch seminar featured a farm-to-table dinner held under a tent on Herty Field.

ALLYSON MANN

Before dinner, attendees sampled products from the annual Flavor of Georgia contest.

Austin Johnson (left) showcased Sinclair’s Sauce, which he developed as a student. “I’m a sauce man,” Johnson (AB ’15) says. “I actually made a sauce for sandwiches originally, but then I found out it went great on everything.”

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CLOSE UP

Veterinary Medical Center Bigger, brighter spaces for animals and people alike photos by Andrew Davis Tucker

T

he university’s new Veterinary Medical Center opened its doors in March. The center, located at 2200 College Station Road in east Athens, is home to almost all hospital services, clinical faculty and staff, third- and fourth-year students and clinical pathology laboratory services.

Encompassing 300,000-plus square feet, the complex includes a new state-of-the-art hospital for both small and large animals, a covered equine performance arena, a building dedicated to Field Services and a building for teaching and continuing education courses.

The Veterinary Education Center features a 160-seat auditorium, an 80-seat technology-enabled active learning classroom and two smaller classrooms. Students, faculty, staff and visitors can also grab a bite to eat at a cafeteria and dining area.

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Improvements at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital— which last year handled more than 26,000 visits—include separate access areas for small and large animal emergencies, expanded diagnostic imaging capabilities, more parking, multiple waiting areas and rounds rooms where students and professors can interact in between examining and treating animals.

Years in the planning, the $97 million project was funded with $65 million from the state and the remainder from private sources.

www.vet.uga.edu/hospital

The Equine Performance Arena provides different surfaces on which to examine a horse’s gait. Horse Handler Elizabeth Bays exercises Daring Isaac, owned by Corrie Land of Macon, for doctors and students to observe.

Fourth-year veterinary medicine student Jed Darden uses his stethoscope to listen to Socks, a Nigerian Dwarf goat. The expanded Veterinary Teaching Hospital has more than 50 stalls for large animals and 20 exam rooms for small animals.

Cameron Glass (left) of Atlanta waits with her 8-year-old Lab, Charlie, while 9-year-old dachshund Penny takes a stroll with owner Tommy Brooks (middle) of Newnan and Client Support Coordinator Cheryl DePaolo welcomes patients at the hospital entrance.

Left, Karen Cornell demonstrates proper shaving techniques to fourth-year veterinary medicine student Paty Rodriguez. Cornell is professor of small animal surgery and associate dean for academic affairs. The small animal section of the hospital includes a separate, covered ER entrance and waiting area as well as specialty diagnostic and treatment rooms.

$

32 million

in private support from UGA alumni and friends helped make the Veterinary Medical Center possible.

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Above, fourth-year veterinary medicine student Katy Mayhew helps a newly born foal nurse from its mother, Nancy, in the Hodgson Intensive Care Unit of the Large Animal Hospital. The climate-controlled wing includes nine stalls, three of which can be divided into separate areas for mare and foal.

Left, Assistant Professor Koichi Nagata (right) works with Radiation Therapy Technician Jamie Mimbs to prepare 12-year-old miniature schnauzer Skittles for radiation therapy using the hospital’s new linear accelerator, or LINAC machine. The upgraded equipment allows for a higher dosage of radiation to be delivered in a more precise manner to the tumor site to minimize side effects.

Below, left, the UGA Veterinary Medical Center is located on 115 acres off College Station Road in east Athens. The location was chosen for its accessibility, flexibility and potential for growth.

26,000+ PETER FREY

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Number of cases in 2014-15 at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s previous facility.

Above, horse owner Vikki Paese (left) of Toccoa walks with her paint mix Romeo and Bays down a long hallway inside the large animal wing of the hospital, which handled more than 2,000 equine visits in 2014. The new facility features improvements for equine care including separate receiving, intensive care and isolation areas.

Left, Intern Silvia Pryor listens during grand rounds as Resident Andrew Woolcock presents a lecture in Alumni Hall, a 160-seat auditorium within the Veterinary Education Center. The hospital has 13 rotating interns and 31 specialty interns and residents.

Below left, CT Technician Dana Duncan (left) and Anesthesia Technician Dixy Phillips prepare Maggie, a 4-year-old dachshund, for CT imaging. The hospital’s new 64-slice CT scanner provides improved image sharpness and clarity as well as shorter scan times, which reduces sedation time for patients.

187,000 square feet

The new Veterinary Teaching Hospital is about twoand-a-half times larger than its predecessor and includes expanded areas for small and large animals.

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Students Haley Haynes (left) and Dylan Ward collect marine samples from a dock at Sapelo Island during UGA’s first coastal summer semester program, held in June. Students split their time between the Marine Institute at Sapelo Island and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

PHOTO BY DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

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MARSH TO MARINE

— a n d ever y t hin g in b et we e n

Students dive in to new coastal summer program

by Rebecca McCarthy

I

t’s a sunny June day on Sapelo Island, and the sound of bugs whirring fills the air. Mary Ann Moran, UGA Distinguished Research Professor of marine biology, walks along a dirt road shaded by live oaks and chats with two young men, both UGA students. She scans the trees, searching for a path, and finally pushes through some brush and scrambles down a bank. A narrow boardwalk extends out across the marsh. Two planks wide, it looks like a pair of black shoelaces stretched across an endless expanse of green.

Teacher and students slowly walk a few yards out onto the boards before T.J. Krunkosky jumps into the marsh and Moran follows. It’s low tide, and the black mud swallows their shoes. They jam sticks in among the blades of dry Spartina grass, measure the distance between the sticks using a yardstick, and then square them up. Back on the boardwalk,

Malcolm Barnard closes his eyes as he translates inches into centimeters for Moran. She wraps orange DayGlo tape around each stick, setting up test plots.

Krunkosky, Barnard and other students are enrolled in UGA’s new coastal summer semester program, spending four weeks exploring the Georgia coast—marshes and beaches as well as the ocean waters out along the continental shelf. Working out of UGA’s Marine Institute (UGAMI) at Sapelo Island, off the coast of Darien, and Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO), near Savannah, the students are learning about the plants, animals and microbes found in these environments. And they’re picking up some practical advice, as well.

“One of the most valuable things I’ve learned?”

Krunkosky says. “How to get out of the mud when it’s up to your thighs.”

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M

ore than a year in the making, the coastal summer semester program was developed by the Marine Sciences Department, with teaching duties shared by faculty based at the main campus and at SkIO. A dozen students are enrolled—11 from UGA plus one from Old Dominion University. Ten of the students are biology and ecology majors.

The exceptions are Barnard, who’s simultaneously working toward an undergraduate degree in ecology and a master’s in forestry, and Old Dominion’s Michaela Britt, a geology major.

All are expected to conduct field research using scientific methods of discovery, according to Moran (PhD ’87). “They each design and carry out research,” she says. “They are allowed to go wherever their interests and curiosity take them.”

Whether looking at water quality, soil makeup or fish habitats, each student will come away with a deeper understanding of what constitutes sound research. They also learn that it isn’t done on banker’s hours and that some projects have to be monitored around the clock.

Three or four hours after Moran and her students set

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

During a rainy day at Sapelo, students Taylor Faulk (left) and T.J. Krunkosky observe a marine organism found at a dock.

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Faculty member Mary Ann Moran leads students on an educational nature walk on Sapelo Island.

“

DOROTHY KOZLOWSKI

They each design

and carry out research.

They are allowed to go wherever their interests and curiosity take them.”

—Mary Ann Moran

up the plots in the marsh, the tide starts coming in. Britt and student Kerra Herrell walk along the boardwalk to the DayGlo tape, one carrying a notebook and the other, a yardstick. Britt lies on her stomach as she places the yardstick on the damp mud and measures how far snails in the plot have climbed up the grass, while Herrell records the distance and the time.

Another pair of students will return a few hours later to take more measurements. And others will rise in the middle of the night to gather yet more data. Time and tide wait for no student, even those conducting a group research project.

That’s just one part of the investigation. In a nearby laboratory, buckets are filled with marsh mud, vegetation and snails. Here, too, students measure how high the snails climb.

In the marsh they climb to stay ahead of the rising tide—and the blue crabs that will eat them. Will they climb as high in the lab, where there’s no tide? The students’ results will help illuminate how the tidal influence in marsh ecosystems is reflected in animal behavior and adaptation.

Naturalist Dale Bishop (PhD ’95), an environmental consultant and expert in invertebrate ecology, is serving as a visiting instructor for the course.

“Dr. Dale basically knows everything,” says student Dylan Ward. “He knows all the plants, the animals, the ecosystem and everything about Sapelo there is to know.”

Bishop helped Ward design his research project on water

quality. After taking water samples from several sites around the island, Ward is evaluating which critical nutrient in the water—nitrogen, phosphorus or carbon—is limiting the growth of the bacterial populations.

Other areas of study include researching dune structure and analyzing soil composition. Britt, the geology student, pounded PVC pipe into a dune eaten away in a recent storm, taking a core sample. The core shows the history of the dune, she says—the color of the sand reveals storm evidence. She estimates the dune is 200 to 300 years old.

Student Jack Owen has joined Britt in the lab at Sapelo and is processing samples of soil cores, preparing them for a drying furnace. He’ll examine the percentage of organic matter in the core and look for a link between plant diversity and distance from water.

“This whole course has been pretty awesome,” he says. “I’ve been going to the beach my whole life, but this is learning how it works.”

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week later, the research vessel Savannah is making its way along the Skidaway River toward the coast, passing countless docks and houses on the water’s edge. The students are starting the SkIO-based second half of their semester with a research cruise.

Associate Professor Jim Nelson and Research Coordinator Charles Robertson (MS ’86) are showing the students examples of shipboard oceanographic methods. They’re getting exposed to basic instrumentation and sampling as well as to life aboard a ship large enough to feed and accommodate 16 people, plus a crew, for weeks at a time.

The gentle rocking has affected a few students, who’ve moved away from the lab’s sophisticated instruments— including an acoustic Doppler system that profiles ocean currents—and onto the back deck. There, they prepare for sample collection and watch dolphins racing in the wake and flying fish skimming the waves.

The pitching of a ship is familiar to student Sarah Gardner, who has been scuba diving with her father since she was 15. She prefers being out on the water to being in a lab. “I like the microscope, but I don’t want to look at it 24/7,” she says.

When the ship stops, the professors and student Taylor Faulk take sediment samples off the back deck, dropping a coring device, a weighted canister, down to the ocean floor. Later, back at SkIO, the students will analyze the samples in a lab—part of a former 700-acre Angus cattle farm gifted to the state, which has converted the original buildings and constructed new ones.

There’s more sampling to do when the ship stops again. A winch controlled by a crew member lifts a CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) profiler, a large carousel carrying 10 8-liter sampling bottles, from a side deck. With students Haley Haynes and Sarah Gardner, Robertson guides the

cluster of bottles over the water and the crane lowers it. Throughout the day, the carousel goes in and out of the ocean, retrieving samples from a little more than 3 feet below the surface and near the bottom, about 40 to 60 feet deep on the inner shelf waters sampled during the cruise.

In the lab on board the Savannah, Robertson supervises students as they take and label samples from each bottle, add various chemicals, take measurements and then store them in liquid nitrogen. On shore the next day, Robertson will walk students through the steps of the Winkler Method, which measures dissolved oxygen in the water, an indicator of the health of an ecosystem. Devised by Ludwig Winkler, the test dates back to 1888.

“We could be aboard a wooden ship,” Robertson says, laughing, “and I could be doing this test wearing an eye patch and a wooden leg.”

While at the Skidaway Institute (SkIO), students spent a day on the research vessel Savannah, learning about instrumentation and sampling. Kerra Harrell (left) uses a syringe to push a water sample through a filter and into a bottle held by Sarah Gardner.

MIKE SULLIVAN

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Lizzy Wesley (left), Ruth Pannill (center) and Krunkosky use a Van Dorn water sampler during their research at SkIO. PHOTO BY PETER FREY

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D

—Rebecca McCarthy is a writer living in Athens.

ugami.uga.edu skio.uga.edu Multimedia on another UGA program at Sapelo: photo.alumni.uga.edu/mediapg/ detail/107/gafish

In the SkIO lab, Sarah Gardner (right) prepares a seawater sample for analysis while Maggie Shiffert (left) and Haley Haynes observe.

UGA ON THE COAST

uring the first week of the coastal summer semester program, the students were on Nanny Goat Beach learning about invertebrates when they ran into Arden Anderson, a Georgia Department of Natural Resources employee. Arden monitors turtle nesting sites and had found a loggerhead turtle that was stuck on a sand bar. The students helped her free the animal and point it toward the ocean.

“Dr. Dale has seen most everything on Sapelo, but he’s never seen a sea turtle,” says Lizzie Wesley, a student who’s part of a group research team focusing on fiddler crab dispersal. “But we got to see one! We even got to help rescue one, and it was so cool!”

Such hands-on experiences in the field, plus lectures and lab work, integrate to create a powerful learning experience. The program also aligns with the university’s recent initiative to require experiential learning for all students.

“If anyone has the opportunity to take this class, they should do it, because it gives you the chance to do so much more than just sit in a classroom,” Haynes says.

Ecology student Maggie Shiffert lauded the combined fieldwork and research focus—especially the experience of walking in a marine scientist’s sometimes mud-covered shoes.

Faulk, a Savannah native, says the research cruise was his favorite part.

“My family’s house is there on the marsh, and I’m out there all the time,” he says. “But it’s so cool to learn the science behind all of this. I want to be a doctor, and I think this is going to help me when I do research.”

PETER FREY

The Marine Institute at Sapelo Island The Marine Institute (UGAMI) is located on Sapelo Island, a mostly undeveloped barrier island situated between the Atlantic Ocean and pristine salt marshes. UGAMI has a long history of coastal research and has made significant contributions to understanding the links between uplands, salt marshes and estuaries. UGAMI is located within the NOAA Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. There are fewer than 100 residents on the island.

Skidaway Institute of Oceanography The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary research institution located on a 700-acre campus on Skidaway Island, 16 miles southeast of Savannah. SkIO sits on the banks of the Skidaway River, with direct access to a diverse range of estuarine and coastal habitats. Created in 1967 by a commission of the Georgia General Assembly, it is mandated to conduct research in all fields of oceanography and marine sciences. In 1971, SkIO was transferred to the University System to serve as a base of operations and central facility for marine interests. SkIO merged with UGA in 2013.

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Georgia-grown Vidalia onions are tested annually at UGA’s Crop & Environmental Quality Lab, one of the Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories that are part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Extension.

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SWEET! UGA’s Crop & Environmental Quality Lab helps Georgia growers build a better Vidalia

by Rebecca McCarthy photos by Andrew Davis Tucker

I

t’s a good thing Daniel Jackson likes onions, because during the harvest season for Vidalias he can’t get away from them. Once a week for five or six weeks, he travels to South Georgia and brings a carload of onions back to the Crop & Environmental Quality Lab in Athens for testing. The aroma of 2,000 pounds of onions, even mild Vidalias, could be overwhelming, but Jackson doesn’t notice.

He’s focused on getting back to his facility, one of three labs within the UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories. The lab tests the quality of numerous crops, but during May and June, onions dominate. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and about 100 Vidalia growers help fund the lab, in its third year of operation, and they’re counting on Jackson and his technicians to provide them with guidance on how to grow a better onion. With Vidalias representing a multimillion dollar market, Georgia farmers want to continue growing onions that consistently out-perform challengers including Texas Sweets and Walla Walla Sweets—gently dismissed by Vidalia enthusiasts as adequate but not great. And certainly not as sweet.

A

one-story building on College Station Road houses the lab, where three technicians—UGA students Alex Debese, Caleb Stephenson and Adam Gresham—spend their days prepping and sampling onions. The onions come from test plots at the UGA Vidalia

Onion and Vegetable Research Center, in Toombs County, as well as individual Vidalia growers and seed companies.

Growers want to learn best practices for producing onions, while plant breeders and seed companies want to know which varieties are sweetest.

Daniel Jackson, a research professional at the Crop & Environmental Quality Lab, loads onion samples into a gas chromatography instrument that measures methyl thiosulfinates— the compound that coats the tongue and causes “onion breath.”

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T

Technicians Alex Debese (left) and Caleb Stephenson process onions grown at the UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center in Toombs County. They also test other crops at the lab, but onions dominate in May and June.

In a small room the size of a galley kitchen, the three young men process 300 pounds of onions a day, five days a week. They test about 10 onions from each bag. After cutting the ends off, they crush a core sample from each onion in a special hydraulic press, squeezing the juice into a test tube with chemicals. They work quickly because some volatile compounds in Vidalia juice can break down rapidly, Jackson says.

“The smell of the onions bothered me at first, but now I don’t even notice it,” Debese says. “You get used to it. I gave my mother a bag of Vidalias for Mother’s Day.” On the other side of the building, high-tech equipment provides a detailed analysis. The spectrophotometer tells the level of pyruvic acid, which indicates pungency. The HPLC machine measures the glucose, fructose and sucrose molecules that give the onion its sweetness.

The gas chromatography machine assesses the lachrymatory factor—what causes some people to cry when an onion is cut. A second gas chromatography machine measures methyl thiosulfinates, the compound that coats the tongue and causes “onion breath.” Onions with high levels of lachrymatory factor and methyl thiosulfinate are hot, while sweet onions like the Vidalia have low concentrations of these intense flavor compounds.

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hose who work with Vidalias love to tell how the beloved allium came to be: by chance. In 1931, with cotton played out and soils depleted, Toombs County resident Moses Coleman (M ’23), like other farmers, planted vegetables. He harvested onions that were—surprise!—sweet instead of pungent. Initially, consumers were skeptical, but Coleman persisted and soon his 50-pound bags of onions, priced at only $3.50 a bag, began to sell. Other farmers followed, and the onions were stocked at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Vidalia. Gradually they became a springtime staple, gracing the tables and grills of Georgians in May and June.

Despite technological advancements, growing the sweet onions remains labor intensive. The majority are both planted and harvested by hand, as well as graded and loaded, says Cliff Riner (BSA ’06), coordinator of the UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center.

Over the past 20 years, controlled atmosphere storage facilities have allowed growers to continue selling into the fall, with as many as 125 million pounds of onions going into storage. The longer selling season means an industry worth about $120 million annually.

“Even with 12,000 acres [planted], some years we just run out of onions,” Riner says. “We own the market for major summertime holidays—Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. And the nicer the weather, the more onions people eat because they’re grilling out.”

A federal marketing order specifies that only 20 counties in Georgia can grow and sell onions labeled as Vidalias: Appling, Bacon, Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, Jeff Davis, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen and Wheeler as well as portions of Dodge, Jenkins, Laurens, Long, Pierce, Screven and Wayne counties.

Full county Partial county

GRA PHIC BY LIN

DSAY ROBINSON

Technicians process up to 300 pounds of onions a day during testing at the Crop & Environmental Quality Lab. They begin by cutting off the ends and taking a core sample. The sample is crushed in a special hydraulic press to capture the juice, which is collected and pipetted into a test tube with chemicals. From there, the samples are processed using a variety of high-tech equipment to determine pungency, hotness and sweetness. Results generated at the lab are being compared to tasters’ preferences as part of a two-year study.

W

hile a machine can do a good job of determining whether onions have a high sugar or sulfur content, Daniel Jackson believes there’s no substitute for the human taste bud. The Crop & Environmental Quality Lab is involved in a two-year study correlating tasters’ preferences with lab results.

In 2014, the test was conducted at the U.S. Department of Agriculture facilities in Athens, where a dozen people learned “how to eat an onion,” Jackson says. “They had to be able to taste the subtle flavors and identify the compounds.”

For 14 days the testers nibbled pieces of Vidalias, grown at the UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center, to help researchers determine what they could taste, Jackson says. What they found was that the test panel could determine only whether an onion was hot and whether it could make them cry. They didn’t taste the sugar content.

This spring, the onion tasting took place on UGA’s Griffin campus. Over four weeks, 146 participants ate pieces of three Vidalia onions and filled out a survey about which one they liked best and which one was the sweetest.

The objectives of the tests were different, according to Jackson. The first year, the research team wanted to learn if people really can taste the compounds being measured in the lab. For example, if an onion has a high glucose reading, can a consumer taste the high sugar content?

Well, no. Jackson found that “people aren’t able to taste sugars because other compounds are overpowering them,” he says.

“So, it’s what you don’t taste that makes the onions sweet, not what you do taste.”

This year, the taste panel is trying to determine at what point a sweet onion is no longer sweet, a determination that “could have an enormous impact on this industry and on sweet onions everywhere,” Jackson says.

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here are only so many varieties of onions—currently 26—that growers are permitted to raise and label as Vidalias, Cliff Riner says.

Unlike other crops in Georgia, the raising and distributing of Vidalias is governed by a federal marketing order that subjects growers to various rules and regulations. Since 1989, the name Vidalia has been trademarked, and the area where onions can be labeled as such has been restricted to counties in southeast Georgia circling out from Toombs and Tattnall counties, where 90 percent of Vidalias are grown.

The 20 Vidalia-growing counties— sometimes just slivers of a county—have sandy, loamy soil with low sulfur content plus mild winter weather, making them ideal for growing sweet onions, says Bob Stafford of the Vidalia Business Council.

Sometimes called the Vidalia Onion Sheriff, Stafford makes sure growers

comply with all the rules involving packaging and accountability associated with the Vidalia trademark.

Susan Waters serves as executive director of the Vidalia Onion Committee, a government-sanctioned regulatory panel in charge of researching and marketing the onions.

“We want good, hard evidence when we say our Vidalias are sweet,” she says.

“We want data.”

The committee has given more than $1 million in research grants and support to the UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center since it opened in 1999.

Waters promotes and markets the squatty, disc-shaped onions around the country, and happily says that today more people can distinguish Vidalias from yellow, Spanish, white or red onions.

For years, private seed companies have been testing Vidalia varieties for their sugar content, hotness and lingering onion-y flavor, Stafford says. Vidalia onion growers and the Georgia Department of Agriculture turned to the university for help in analyzing their products because they wanted “an unbiased third party to do impartial testing.”

“And it’s really working for us,” he says, “because we’re putting out better varieties.”

aesl.ces.uga.edu

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GROOMING FUTURE STUDENTS The Georgia Journalism Academy gives high school students a glimpse into media careers and college life

by Lori Johnston (ABJ ’95)

S

anford Stadium is empty as more than 20 high schoolers look onto the hallowed hedges and field from the outdoor press box, perched halfway up the stands.

“Wow,” mutters Adam Kovel, a senior at North Cobb High School in Acworth. “I’ve only been to one game, and I was at the very top, the second-tolast row. You can feel the atmosphere, even though there’s nobody actually here right now.”

The behind-the-scenes tour is one of the perks of attending the annual Georgia Journalism Academy.

The students put themselves to work, though, during the hourlong stadium visit. Armed with cameras, phones and notebooks, they gather information and shoot from the press box, broadcast booths, team interview rooms and at field level.

The weeklong camp, hosted each June by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and in its 32nd year, is hard work for students and a key recruiting tool for Grady.

“This is my top in-state college,” says Kamryn Oliver, a sophomore at Union Grove High School in McDonough.

The 2015 camp hosted 72 students from 10 states, with 40 percent receiving scholarships from a $10,000 annual grant

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from CNN/Turner and funding from Grady’s Department of Advertising and Public Relations.

“Having them here for this immersive experience, for a lot of them, makes a key difference in decisions,” says Grady Dean Charles Davis (MA ’92).

C

ampers focus on a core area— broadcasting, writing (editorial, sports and features) or advertising. With guidance from instructors, students learn production skills working on the Academy publication, website, broadcast or advertising campaign.

This summer, the students conducted interviews at a homeless shelter, filmed from the Arch, wrote scripts and quizzed Dean Davis on topics such as texting while driving and diversity at UGA. Each camper works on a project, with some students producing multiple stories under rigorous deadlines.

“It’s truly experiential, hands-on craftsmanship,” Davis says.

Campers experience college life by staying in residence halls, eating in the dining commons and exploring downtown Athens. The attendees and UGA student counselors participate in

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

nighttime activities, from a scavenger hunt to battling with Nerf guns (fitting with the “Grady Games” theme, inspired by “The Hunger Games”).

Students in 2015 learned from seven instructors with industry experience, including Grady grads Mary Jessica Hammes (ABJ ’99), who taught feature writing, and Sue Myers Smith (MMC ’01, BFA ’09), who taught photojournalism.

The Academy set Laynie Rose (ABJ ’14) on a trajectory to UGA and eventually to New York, where she is assistant editor of MORE magazine. The Grady staff and professors she met wrote recommendation letters and introduced her to industry pros.

“After I went to the Academy, I was going to UGA, and basically every school I looked at was a backup,” she says.

JOE DENNIS

Above, Grace Pepple from Jensen Beach High School in Jensen Beach, Fla., sets up a shot for her broadcast story. Pepple is one of 72 students from 10 states who attended the Georgia Journalism Academy at UGA’s Grady College in June.

Left, Madison Powers and Anna Herzler (center) review their digital images as Sue Myers Smith, photography instructor, watches.

Powers attends Lambert High School in Suwanee, and Herzler attends Dunwoody High School.

ROBERT NEWCOMB

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he Academy’s parent organization, the Georgia Scholastic Press Association, was founded at Grady in 1928. The GSPA provides an annual conference and a competition for high school media programs and students, among other resources.

Joe Dennis (MA ’07), Academy co-director and Grady’s director of diversity and high school outreach, says the camp is known for its handson experience and diversity. LSU and Mercer have modeled their programs after UGA’s, and student response also is overwhelming—98 percent of 2015 participants rated their experience as “excellent” or “good.”

“It has a strong reputation among high school journalism camps across the country,” he says.

Dennis has broadened efforts to reach at-risk students through efforts such as publicizing the Academy to high schools with a large portion of minority students.

Since CNN/Turner began providing a $10,000 annual grant in 2008, more than 100 attendees, mostly minorities, have received full or partial Academy scholarships. The Georgia Press Association and Hispanic Scholarship Fund also have provided funding. Minority participation in the Academy has spiked, from 31 percent in 2008 to an average of 48 percent in recent years, just as Grady’s minority enrollment has increased.

This year 10 students received full scholarships, and 14 students received scholarships to cover a portion of the $595 tuition. Grady’s Department of Advertising and Public Relations also pays tuition for two students in the advertising class, who created a humorous campaign for a lock on ice cream containers.

“They’re essentially in a newsroom or in an agency for the week,” Dennis says. “By the end of the week, the idea is you will have elevated your knowledge and experience level.”

The camp also shows potential firstgeneration college students that higher education is possible, Davis says. Since 2008, nearly all Academy participants have pursued higher education, with roughly 25 percent in journalism and mass communication.

Erin Parks (AB, ABJ ’10), a former Academy student, remembers serving as a counselor and encouraging other minority students interested in attending college and working in media.

“What was really rewarding was when it did come full circle,” she says.

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ome students enjoy the Academy so much that they return for two or three summers before their senior year in high school.

“When you go to something like this, where everybody’s so passionate, and the people that you talk to are successful with journalism, and they

Right, Amanda Morris (center) and Willie Daniel interview UGA student Marva Bagher about the UGA Arch.

Morris attends Johns Creek High School in Alpharetta, and Daniel attends Colonial Hills Christian School in Lithia Springs.

Below, Ana Gonzalez from Pope High School in Marietta records ideas during a brainstorming session in advertising class.

love what they do, you just know it’s worth it,” says Kovel, editor-in-chief of his high school news website. “You hear the ‘Journalism is dead’ spiel all the time, but here it’s ‘Journalism isn’t dead; it’s evolving.’”

During a standing-room-only awards ceremony in Grady’s new Peyton Anderson Forum, instructors praised students, calling them a “star editor,” “spectacular” and “tenacious.” When talking about one student, Hammes tells the crowd of about 150 students and family members: “She’s like a ninja. She has these secret stunt journalism skills.”

JOE DENNIS

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Former attendees say the camp taught crucial skills such as persistence, leadership and teamwork.

“No one is going to hand you a story. No one is going to hand you an interview. That’s the biggest lesson that I learned,” says Parks, who worked at media companies in New York including HBO and TV Land and now is a digital media consultant in Denver.

A survey of 2015 attendees showed that 75 percent are more likely to pursue a journalism career because of their Academy experience. Karen Andrews (ABJ ’03, MA ’11), Academy co-director and Grady’s senior event coordinator, sees students gain confidence.

“The students are so happy to showcase their work, to show their paper or their article or broadcast,” she says.

R

eceiving a full Academy scholarship showed Ashley Soriano, a senior at Ola High School in McDonough, that financial aid is possible for college. UGA also tops her list, and 81 percent of the 2015 campers said they were “more likely” interested in attending UGA and Grady

ROBERT NE

WCOMB

because of their Academy experience.

“If you think to yourself, ‘Oh, I’m not going to apply because I don’t have enough money or I’m not outgoing enough,’ you don’t know the chances you’ll have or the doors that will open for you if you just try,” she says.

Standing by Uga IX’s doghouse at Sanford Stadium, Kovel and fellow campers listen to journalists and sports information staff talk about attending UGA and working in media.

“I want to find a way to get here, no matter what, whether it’ll be getting in straight out of high school or transferring,” Kovel says. “Grady is just such a great place to be.”

—Lori Johnston is a writer living in Bogart.

JONATHAN LEE

georgiajournalismacademy.com News website produced by the Academy: the13thdistrict.org

Maddie Balfe (left), from Brookwood High School in Snellville, and Whitney Weiss, from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, take a selfie at the Grady College.

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

31

NOTES CLASS

Hitched between the Hedges

BLANE MARABLE

Cara Kliefoth (BBA ’00, MBA ’10) married Cameron Matthew Banks (BSHP ’10) April 19 on the 50-yard line in Sanford Stadium. Despite some rain, it was the perfect location for their elopement—the two are die-hard UGA fans, with dogs named Sanford and Dooley and a house full of red and black. The couple lives in Tampa, Fla. Cameron works at Spinal Correction Centers, and Cara does business development and compliance for a private medical practice based in Atlanta.

CLASS NOTES

Compiled by Daniel Funke and Allyson Mann

1935-1939

Don Carter (ABJ ’38) of Sea Island received the Dean’s Medal from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication for his lifetime achievements in the journalism industry, including serving as vice president at the media company Knight Ridder.

1955-1959

Earl Leonard (ABJ ’58, LLB ’61) of Atlanta was named to the Grady Fellowship class of 2015 by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

He is the retired senior vice president for corporate affairs of The Coca-Cola Company.

32

1960-1964

Glenda Elliott (AB ’62, MEd ’66) of Birmingham, Ala., has been selected as an Icon of the Alabama Counseling Association in recognition of her contributions to the profession of counseling. A previous recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award granted by Equality Alabama, she was awarded the Billy Jack Gaither Humanitarian Award by Equality Alabama for her advocacy of behalf of LGBT youth in the schools of Alabama. Don Grantham (BBA ’62) of Augusta serves as the chairman of the Georgia Department of Transportation, where he has been a member of the board since 2011. He was chairman of the Georgia Ports Authority from 1972-84.

Samuel Adams Jr. (BSA ’63, MS ’65, DVM ’73) of Buford was recognized with a service award by the College of Veterinary Medicine in April for his work with both the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

vention and the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, where he was a professor and director of the Division of Comparative Medicine until he retired in 2014.

1965-1969

Remer Tyson (ABJ ’66) of Harare, Zimbabwe, retired after a long career in journalism, including positions as the political editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, chief political correspondent for the Detroit Free Press and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Tyson also was named to the Grady Fellowship class of 2015 by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Harry Chapman (ABJ ’67) of Franklin, Tenn., is director of special projects and major gifts at Belmont University. In 2004, he received the John Holliman Jr. Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Grady College for his career

as a news anchor. This year he was named to the Grady Fellowship class of 2015. Edgar Land (BBA ’67) of Ellijay was elected worshipful master of the Grand Lodge of Georgia Masons in 2013 and served until Oct. 29. Cecil B. Cornwell (MSW ’68) of Newnan was named Artist of the Month by the city of Newnan, which displayed his work at city hall in May 2013. Cornwell, who is retired, specializes in landscape painting and wood carving. Mary “Larry” Young Hines (AB ’68) of Raleigh, N.C., was profiled by The News & Observer (Chapel Hill) in April for her 13-month stint as a “Donut Dolly,” a group of female college graduates that the Red Cross sent to boost soldiers’ morale during the Vietnam War.

1970-1974

Bobby (AB ’70) and Tommy (AB ’70) Cannon of Savannah were inducted into the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame in May. The brothers were honored for their achievements in baseball.

Douglas Garrison (BSA ’70, MS ’72) of Winder is now president-elect of the Walton-Barrow Board of Realtors and vice president of the Norton Commercial Group. Wade L. McKinnon Jr. (BS ’70, BSPh ’76) retired from Walgreens at the end of 2013. He and his wife split their time between homes in Reston, Va., and Sarasota, Fla. McKinnon enjoys gardening, photography and model trains. G. Ronnie Best (MS ’71, PhD ’76) of Hiawassee is retired after a career including nearly 20 years at the University of Florida as a faculty member in the Environmental Engineering Sciences Department and as director of the Center for Wetlands and Water Resources. In 1995, Best became branch chief for the Wetlands Ecology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, La. In 1997, he moved to South Florida to become coordinator of the USGS Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystems Science Programs. There he created the first Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Conference, held in 2000. Best retired from USGS in 2014. Joseph Culpepper (AB ’71) of Bloomington, Ill., completed a 2,917-mile cycling trip from Missoula, Mont., to Denali National Park in Alaska in summer 2014 as part of Adventure Cycling’s North Star tour group.

ALUMNI PROFILE

A passion for public service Atlanta alumnus focuses on green space and education

by Daniel Funke For Ceasar Mitchell (JD ’95), an Atlanta native, public service isn’t just part of the job—it’s in his blood.

Mitchell, who was elected Atlanta City Council president in 2009, has no shortage of inspiration for projects that could improve the city he loves. He only has to listen to JOSHUA GWYN Ceasar Mitchell the stories people share when they find out he is an elected official.

“Nine times out of 10 that story is going to be a story you have not heard before, and in most cases that story will be instructive enough for you to take it back to the ‘lab,’ as they say, and create a community initiative or thoughtful policy to help citizens or otherwise improve our city,” he says.

Projects have included installing benches at a long-neglected city park after hearing complaints from local residents and turning a dangerous unpaved road into a walking trail after a little girl died there in a bike accident before he was in office.

One of Mitchell’s most notable efforts was advocating the passage of legislation supporting the Beltline Project, an urban redevelopment endeavor that aims to turn a 22-mile historic railroad corridor into mixed-use trails, transportation and public parks.

“One of the simplest things we can do as elected leaders who love parks and understand the importance of parks and green space is to ensure that those parks are not only used, but they become a value add for all our citizens regardless of their age,” he says.

The son of an Atlanta Public Schools teacher, Mitchell also prioritizes education. In order to increase college access for high school students, he coordinates the semi-annual College Prep Series, a program he launched nearly 10 years ago that helps prepare college applicants for admissions tests. He says keeping universities like UGA and Morehouse strong ultimately will help to further develop Atlanta as a “global-class city.”

“If you have a commitment to your community, if you have a commitment to Atlanta, there is no greater issue to be focused on right now than education,” Mitchell says. “Our city will not be a great city, our region—which includes the University of Georgia—will not be a great region if we don’t focus on education.

“When I think about what makes our city so special, it is in fact how dynamic we are and how quickly we move at the speed of opportunity,” he says. “That’s part of what really drives me, it’s a part of why I have a desire to serve and will continue serving this city for as long as I can. It’s in my DNA.”

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

33

Alumni Association The UGA Alumni Association proudly supports the academic excellence, best interests and traditions of Georgia’s flagship university and its alumni worldwide.

GET INVOLVED Bartlett becomes president On July 1, Ruth Bartlett (BBA ’76) began her two-year term as president of the UGA Alumni Association. Bartlett graduated magna cum laude with a degree in accounting and has been an audit partner at Frazier & Deeter for more than 25 years. She is a past president of the Terry College of Business’ Alumni Board and received Terry’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. The following year, she joined the UGA Alumni Association board of directors.

CONNECTIONS

All UGA graduates are members of the Alumni Association with the following benefits and resources:

ALUMNI CHAPTERS Alumni, friends and family members are invited to participate in programs hosted by UGA’s more than 120 alumni chapters.

CAREER SERVICES The UGA Career Center provides resources to help alumni find meaningful careers via its office in the Atlanta Alumni Center in Buckhead.

ONLINE ALUMNI DIRECTORY View contact information for fellow graduates and share your own. gail.uga.edu

Women of UGA Scholarship Fund The Women of UGA Steering Committee is raising $25,000 to provide scholarship support for students who have participated in philanthropic/ community service, shown a commitment to advancing the interests of women and possess strong leadership qualities. Email alumni@uga.edu or call (706) 542-2251 for more information or to host a Women of UGA gathering.

JAMIE LEWIS (AB, AB ’12)

(Left to right) Annie Bacha (BSEd ’14) and Adam Lewites (BBA, BSEd ’12) mingled with 2014 40 Under 40 honoree Keysha Lee (ABJ ’97) at Fado in Buckhead on June 4 during the 2015 40 Under 40 Nominee and Past Honoree gathering.

34

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Update us!

Have you recently moved?

Gotten married? Keep your record up to date at www.alumni.uga.edu/myinfo.

EVENTS Game Watching Parties Throughout the 2015 football season, alumni chapters around the world will host gamewatching parties for local fans. www.alumni.uga.edu/gamewatchings

CONNECTIONS

THURSDAY, SEPT. 10

40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon Help recognize 40 of UGA’s most outstanding alumni during the fifth annual luncheon at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta. www.alumni.uga.edu/40U40

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

UGA Parents & Families Weekend The Parents & Families Association will host its fall gathering for the families of students. dar.uga.edu/parents_families

THURSDAY, OCT. 15

UGA Costa Rica: Diez Años The university’s campus and research center in Costa Rica turns 10 years old this fall.

To celebrate, a fiesta will be held for faculty, program alumni and prospective students at Ciné in Athens.

SATURDAY, OCT. 17

SARAH FREEMAN

(Left to right) Baron Brown (AB, ABJ ’09), Jessica O’Neal (AB, ABJ ’09), Diane “Deedee” Sulmers (ABJ ’13) and Lindsay Jean-Louis (ABJ ’14) attended an alumni networking reception in New York City on June 1.

SOCIAL MEDIA Stay connected with @ugaalumniassoc on Instagram!

Homecoming Weekend Alumni and their families are invited to return to campus to reconnect with their school/ college and participate in activities including the annual Homecoming Parade and football game against the University of Missouri.

FRIDAY, DEC. 11

Atlanta Economic Outlook Luncheon The Terry College of Business will host the first of its 2015-16 Economic Outlook Luncheons at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Registration opens Oct. 1.

For more events, visit www.alumni.uga.edu/calendar.

@hrdadams: It’s been more than 15 years since these two @aoiiuga pledge sisters have been together. I can’t even handle how happy I am to run into Kelly at the #40u40 @ugaalumniassoc event!

For more information: alumni@uga.edu • (800) 606-8786 • www.alumni.uga.edu

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

35

CLASSNOTES

I

WHY give Hope for the future

The Russ family endows a scholarship for at-risk kids

by Emily Williams For one lucky high school student, the future suddenly will look brighter. That’s because Ashley and David Russ endowed a UGA scholarship that will help high-achieving students from Georgia who are orphaned, in foster care, under legal guardianship or homeless change their lives through education.

Ashley and David Russ grew up in Atlanta. The high school sweethearts didn’t attend UGA, but a love for their home state university was engrained SPECIAL (Left to right) Harrison, Ashley, David and Sterling Russ from birth. From a young age, they attended Bulldog football games and watched many of their family and friends earn UGA degrees. including the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer “Georgia becomes part of your family,” Ashley says.

Research.

“Everyone loves Georgia.”

“We give to our church that supports community,” They graduated from Vanderbilt—with David also David says, “but we also believe in giving that directly earning an MBA from Duke—and then moved to New York, impacts an individual’s life, and what better way than where David worked in corporate finance and Ashley as providing an education? An education has a lasting effect a professional photographer. In her spare time she gave that will impact generations to come.” back by providing free photography to people in difficult life The Russes will encourage their children to contribute situations. to the scholarship as they are able.

“Every time I looked into those beautiful eyes I saw “It is a tradition of giving,” Ashley says. “Our hope for their future,” Ashley says. “It was heart wrenching children identify with that. Every little bit can make a big to realize these children living in shelters did not have difference.” money for food or clothing. So they certainly did not have “We know we can’t help everyone, but we really wanted money to get pictures made. It was incredible to see the to help make a difference for one,” David says. “The confidence they gained from their keepsake photographs.”

University of Georgia would be a great start to life—to It made such an impression that she wanted to do position themselves to become something that they want something to help change their life situations forever. to be in the future.”

“They all have wonderful attitudes; they are high achieving,” Ashley says. “A lot of these children have

—Emily Williams is the former senior director of mentally overcome their situations, but then they are communications for the division of development and alumni confined by financial limitations.” relations.

Five years ago, the couple moved back to Georgia with their children, Sterling, 13, and Harrison, 12. The family continues to give back by volunteering to help giving.uga.edu disadvantaged children and families through charities

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Friend of 4-H Tom Poland (ABJ ’71, MEd ’75) of Columbia, S.C., started a column titled “Life Down South” in March for the Edgefield Daily. Philip Lee Williams (ABJ ’72) of Watkinsville retired as an assistant dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in 2012. Williams also was named to the Grady Fellowship class of 2015 by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Cheryl Gosa (ABJ ’73) of Atlanta is managing director and associate broker at KW Commercial Atlanta Midtown. She has worked in real estate for 13 years and is a retired Presbyterian minister. A proud alumna of the Redcoat Marching Band, Gosa also spent 20 years as a film and video producer. Bill Bryant (ABJ ’74) of Alpharetta, manager of executive communications at UPS, won a Cicero Award for a speech he wrote for UPS President of U.S. Operations Myron Gray. Presented by Vital Speeches of the Day, the Ciceros are considered the nation’s most prestigious speechwriting awards.

Mary Green (BSEd ’74, MEd ’75, EdS ’77) of Alpharetta competed on the game show “Jeopardy!” in May, landing in third place and winning $1,000. The longtime fan attributes her 33-year career as an educator and administrator for landing her on the show. Green worked in K-12 education for Gwinnett and Cherokee counties, retiring in 2008 from Woodstock High School. She joined Kennesaw State University in 2009, teaching online and traditional courses in leadership studies and composition.

1975-1979

Roz Dimon (BFA ’75) of Shelter Island, N.Y., presented Artifacts II, a digital art exhibition, in June. Jim Dove (BSEd ’75, MPA ’82) of Nicholson was elected president of the Georgia Association of Regional Commissions. Neill Slaughter (BFA ’75) of Southampton, N.Y., gave a lecture about his experiences during a 1992 Fulbright Fellowship to India at the Art League of Long Island on April 18. Joel Babbit (ABJ ’76) of Atlanta received the John Holliman Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in March.

He is the CEO and co-founder of Mother Nature Network, an online platform for environmental and social responsibility news. Deborah Blum (ABJ ’76) assumed the role of director of the Massachusetts

Roger C. “Bo” Ryles, former state 4-H leader and director, is the recipient of the 2015 Georgia 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award. He was honored Aug. 8 at the Georgia 4-H Gala, an event that celebrates the UGA Extension youth development program. Ryles (BSA ’80, MAEx ’88, EdD ’96) began his career as a McDuffie County Extension agent then moved to Athens-Clarke County and became the animal science specialist for the state 4-H staff, later becoming the district agent. He was appointed to head of Georgia 4-H in 1994. Under the leadership of “Dr. Bo,” SPECIAL Georgia 4-H flourished and gained the reputation of being one of the nation’s leading 4-H programs. Over the next 15 years, the organization grew by acquiring more than $20 million in public and private funding, expanding the environmental education program to being the largest of its kind, and expanding and improving 4-H center facilities. Ryles retired in 2009.

Institute of Technology’s Knight Science Journalism Program in June. Previously she was a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Blum also was named to the Grady College’s Fellowship class of 2015. Gretchen Erwin (ABJ ’77) of Taylors, S.C., is co-founder of Erwin Penland, an advertising agency in Greenville, S.C., and New York City, N.Y. She and her husband established the Erwin Center for the Study of Advertising and Communication at Clemson University. Erwin also was named to the Grady College’s Fellowship class of 2015. Kevin Marsh (BBA ’77) of Irmo, S.C., received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Terry College of Business in April. Marsh is chairman and chief executive officer of the SCANA Corporation, an energy provider in the Southeast. Steve Jones (BBA ’78, JD ’87) of Atlanta delivered the keynote address at the School of Law’s Commencement ceremony in May. Jones has served as U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Georgia since 2011. Kessel Stelling (BBA ’78) of Columbus was named treasurer and an executive committee member of Financial Services Roundtable in April. He is the CEO and chairman of Synovus Financial Corp.

Rick Hull (BSA ’79, MS ’85) of Jefferson is co-founder of IsoAge Technologies, an Athens-based food manufacturing company that received the inaugural Supplier of the Year Award for Advancements in Food Safety from Tyson Foods in April. Martha Mitchell Zoller (ABJ ’79) of Gainesville

joined David Perdue’s campaign staff in September 2014 as senior policy adviser and is now the state policy director for the office of Sen. Perdue.

1980-1984

Nancy Bryan (BSW ’80) of Tifton was named executive director of Ruth’s Cottage, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, in May 2013. Earl “Buddy” Carter (BSPh ’80) of Pooler is serving his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the only pharmacist in Congress and is co-chair of the Community Pharmacy Caucus. Previously, Carter served as mayor of Pooler and in the Georgia General Assembly. Editor’s note: In the June issue of Georgia Magazine, Carter was identified incorrectly as a state senator. GM regrets the error. Mack Guest (BSEd ’80) of Watkinsville was elected to the Oconee State Bank board of directors in March. He is founder and president of LAD Truck Lines, which launched a records management division in May. Thomas Stovall (BSA ’80) of Suwanee is now the human resources manager for the surgical equipment services company Paces Medequip LLC. John Myers (AB ’81) of St. Marys was elected Georgia chair of the St. Marys River Management Committee.

Stephanie Ramsey (BSA ’81) of Chamblee is the deputy branch chief for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nancy Wright Whatley (BBA ’81) of Atlanta was named executive director of the Georgia Business Success Center, a new business

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

37

CLASSNOTES

Curtis receives

hospitality award Carlton Curtis (ABJ ’72) received the 2015 Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award in April. The award honors extraordinary achievement and exemplary leadership in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Curtis was recognized at a national industry awards gala dinner, hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, during the National Restaurant Association’s Public Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. He SPECIAL is vice president of industry relations for The Coca-Cola Company. He has spent more than four decades with the company while volunteering his time and expertise to restaurant operators and retailers around the world. He has served as chairman of the board of the NRAEF, serves on the board of directors of the International Franchise Association, serves as chair of IFA’s Diversity Institute and is a member of the Hall of Fame of the Distinguished Restaurants of North America. He is an emeritus trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation and a past president of the UGA Alumni Association.

incubator and education project, by Kennesaw State University and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. She is the vice president of entrepreneurial development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Carole Munroe (ABJ ’82) of Orlando received the 2015 Patricia L. Tobin Media Professional Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Munroe is director of public relations for the Walt Disney World Resorts. Her career at Disney spans 25 years. Marvin J. Nunnally (AB ’82) of Watkinsville received the Leslie K. Bates Medal of Excellence, awarded for commitment to UGA’s multicultural community, during the Multicultural Services and Programs Senior Leader Reception in April. Nunnally was honored for his work with several Athens groups, including the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation and the Georgia African American Male Experience. Victor Wilson (BSW ’82, MEd ’87) of Athens was honored as Faculty Member of the Year by the Black Male Leadership Society in April. Wilson has served as UGA’s vice president of Student Affairs since 2013.

Sally Quillian Yates (ABJ ’82, JD ’86) of Washington, D.C., was confirmed as U.S. deputy attorney general in May. She is a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and has been serving in an acting capacity in the No. 2 post at

38

the U.S. Department of Justice since being nominated by President Barack Obama late last year. Douglas Brown (BS ’83) of Columbus was promoted to vice president of application services at Aflac Inc. He is responsible for software development and quality assurance. Elisha Wade Finney (BBA ’83) of Hillsborough, Calif., received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Terry College of Business in April. Finney is vice president/finance and chief financial officer of Varian Medical Systems in Palo Alto, Calif., a company that specializes in integrated radiation therapy systems. Scott Murphy (BBA ’83) of Marietta was named vice president and chief financial officer of Birch Communications. Steve Smith (BBA ’83) of Cochran is superintendent of Bleckley County Schools. Previously he served as superintendent of the Wilcox County School System. Julie Dampier Culhane (BBA ’84, JD ’87) of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., transferred from the Law and Regulation Department to the Regulatory Compliance Department of Allstate Insurance Co. in November to work as a senior manager.

1985-1989

Don Bonura (BS ’85) of Norcross is now selling Mercedes-Benz cars at the dealership RBM of Atlanta. Joe Peragine (BFA ’85) of Atlanta displayed his work

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

“Kingdom Under Glass,” a series of paintings and mixed media that depict animals, in the Moon Gallery at Berry College in April. James E. Wallace (AB ’85) of Atlanta, managing director-Wealth Management, Global Corporate and Institutional Advisory Services at Merrill Lynch, was recognized on The Financial Times’ Top 400 Financial Advisers list.

Misty Overman (BSEd ’86, MEd ’98, EdD ’02) of Montgomery, Ala., was named head of the Alabama Christian Academy in April. Previously she served as vice president of learning initiatives at the Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross. Condace Pressley (ABJ ’86) of Marietta is now the assistant program director for Cox Media Group, where she has worked since 1993. She is a former president of the National Association of Black Journalists and received the John H. Drewry Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1992. Pressley also was named to the Grady College’s Fellowship class of 2015. Scotty Reiss (ABJ ’87) of Greenwich, Conn., was elected president of the International Motor Press Association in January. She is also the founder of SheBuysCars.com, a digital magazine about cars written for women. Jody Danneman (ABJ ’88) of Marietta is the founder, executive producer and president of the production company Atlanta ImageArts and serves on the Grady College board of trust. Danneman also was named to the Grady College’s Fellowship class of 2015. Nanci Bowen (ABJ ’89) of Greenville, S.C., will be inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in January. She was a two-time All-America selection at Georgia and the individual runner-up at the 1987 SEC Championships. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1990 and won her first professional victory at the Nabisco Dinah Shore in 1995. Wendy Cope (AB ’89, MEd ’92) of Kennesaw received the 2015 Cherokee County School District Media Specialist of the Year Award for her work at Woodstock Middle School.

Denise DeLorme (ABJ ’89, MA ’91, PhD ’95) of Baton Rouge, La., received the Distinguished Alumni Scholar Award from the Grady College in March. She is now a professor in the environmental sciences department at Louisiana State University after 19 years of teaching advertising in the

Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida. Chris Dixon (ABJ ’89, MMC ’95) of Charleston, S.C., was a presenter at TEDxUGA on March 27, where he talked about his book Ghost Wave: The Discovery of Cortes Bank and the Biggest Wave on Earth. Dixon also was named to the Grady College’s Fellowship class of 2015. Natasha Trethewey (AB ’89) of Decatur is now a columnist for The New York Times Magazine and will select and discuss a poem every week. She is also an English and creative writing professor at Emory University. Carla Williams (AB ’89, MPA ’91) of Watkinsville was honored as the 2015 Athens Woman of Distinction in May by the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia. She is executive associate athletic director at the UGA Athletic Association.

GEAR UP FOR

AT THE

Next to Tate Center • 706-542-3171

1990-1994

Pam Carnes (BSHE ’90) of Woodstock received the Liberty Bell Award, given by the Blue Ridge Bar Association since 1965. She is president and CEO of the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce. Amy Glennon (ABJ ’90) of Atlanta is the first female publisher of The Atlanta JournalConstitution, where she has worked for more than 20 years. In 2013, she received the Henry W. Grady Mid-Career Alumni Award from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

This year Glennon was named to the Grady College’s Fellowship class of 2015.

Laura Reese (ABJ ’90) of Buford was promoted to director of digital and media at Church’s Chicken. Melanie Sigler (BSFCS ’90) of Watkinsville was named Georgia’s middle school principal of the year in May. Sigler has been principal at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School since 2008, serving as assistant principal for the two years prior. She also taught at Clarke Central High School, WashingtonWilkes Comprehensive High School and Elbert County Comprehensive High School. Robert “Trey” Thompson III (BBA ’90) is president of the Savannah Bar Pilots and master pilot for the Savannah Pilots Association, which guides nearly all commercial vessels into and out of the Port of Savannah. Thompson lives in Savannah with wife Erin and daughters Macy, 13, and Brooke, 10. Kristin Skelly (BSFCS ’91) of Newnan was named head of school at The Heritage School in March. Previously

www.ugabookstore.com

/UGABookstore

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

39

CLASSNOTES

ALUMNI PROFILE

Great Scott Artist takes contemporary approach to classical painting

by John W. English Richard T. Scott (BFA ’05) is an artist with a 21st century sensibility, strikingly different from the stereotype of earlier generations.

He has an elaborate Web presence that not only showcases paintings he has for sale, but also gives visitors insights into his working process and philosophy of art.

“Collectors want a relationship with an artist whose work they admire,” he says. “Yet they no longer want a gallery as a middle man. They want direct connection.

Nearly 70 percent of my art is now sold online.”

Scott uses social media for political activism, citing his staunch opposition to Facebook’s censoring of classical nude paintings.

He also embraces sustainability.

“The sustainability movement affects my life and my work,” he says. “I mainly eat produce I grow in my garden.

In my studio, I use earth pigments—basically oil and dirt— which is less toxic and creates the dark palette I prefer.”

Scott created an apprenticeship program so that he no longer paints alone in his studio.

“I think artists do their best work in a community setting where they share but also compete. In my program, called the Berkshire Painting Residency, classical painters apply to spend six months working and living with me in my studio and home in the small New York town of Millerton.

“I want to have conversations with artists about art and build a community of figurative painters,” he says. “It’s not enough just to sell paintings; I want to contribute to society.”

Scott says he gained huge benefits from two apprenticeships—a two-year stint in Neo-Pop artist Jeff Koons’ Chelsea studio and three years working with classical painter Odd Nerdrum in Norway and Paris.

Scott appreciates his undergraduate training at the Lamar Dodd School of Art.

“I learned classical figure painting from Margaret Morrison and rigor and distillation from Joe Norman. My study-abroad trip to Cuba with Professor Norman was a life-changing experience.”

During the past decade, Scott has been prolific, producing paintings for 30 exhibitions in New York and Europe. He’s finishing work for a group show in Barcelona and a gallery in Paris, as well as writing a book on aesthetic theory.

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Richard T. Scott

SPECIAL

Scott acknowledges that his painting is influenced by the Old Masters, especially Rembrandt and Vermeer.

“My work is classical,” he says. “I’m always chasing timeless quality. In some ways, it’s a reaction to esoteric elitism in the art world; it simply doesn’t shy away from sentiment and beauty.

“Representational art is having a renaissance these days. This emerging movement is called ‘postcontemporary’ because it isn’t contemporary art, just as post-modern art moved beyond modern art.”

Scott imbues his paintings with layers of emotional and spiritual meaning.

“Metaphors are important to me,” he says. “For example, dead birds represent transcendence, the flight of human spirit, rebirth beyond death.

“I have an inherent need to create things and become totally entranced working. I can’t imagine doing anything but creating. It adds richness to my life.”

—John W. English, professor emeritus of journalism, is a frequent contributor to GM.

she served as both interim head of school and middle school head of school. Michael Giarrusso (ABJ ’92) of New York City received the Henry W. Grady Mid-Career Alumni Award from the Grady College in March. He has been the global sports editor for the Associated Press since 2013, a position in which he oversees more than 100 journalists covering international events like the Olympics. Tripp Penn (AB ’92, MEd ’96) of LaGrange received the inaugural Howard Park Leadership Council Service Award from the LaGrange College Leadership Council in March for his six years of involvement in the organization. He is the vice president of support services at West Georgia Health.

Mark Hodges (ABJ ’93) of North Augusta, S.C., received the Media Award from the Greater Augusta Arts Council in March for his work as creative services director at the WRDW-TV news station. Keith Woodward (BSA ’93) of Douglas is now the supply chain manager for Optima Chemical Group LLC. Brian Wright (ABJ ’93) of Charlotte, N.C., is now an analysis and command center leader for Wells Fargo’s enterprise social media.

Carl Campbell (BBA ’94) of Chatsworth is the new executive director of economic development for the Dalton-Whitfield County Joint Development Authority. He will also serve as vice president of economic development for the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce. Scott Grant (ABJ ’94) and his wife Lisa Wilbanks Grant (BSEd ’02) of Gainesville celebrated the birth of their first son, Samuel Gary Grant, on Aug. 2. They also have two daughters named Anna and Rebecca. Chuck Reece (ABJ ’94) of Atlanta was named on Georgia Trend’s 2015 “Notable Georgians” list for his work as founder and editor of the online publication The Bitter Southerner.

1995-1999

Jonathan W. Brown (BS ’95) of Buffalo, N.Y., has been named a senior partner at the law firm Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria. He is a member of the firm’s intellectual property and commercial litigation practice areas, with a practice focusing on intellectual property. Bradford Turner (BBA ’95, JD ’98) of Atlanta was appointed senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Newell Rubbermaid in March. Eric Williamson

(ABJ ’95) of Charlottesville, Va., and his colleagues in the communications office at the University of Virginia School of Law won a 2015 Council for Advancement and Support of Education Silver Award for media relations efforts promoting the law school’s involvement in the Peabody Award-winning “Serial” podcast. Stuart Holmes (BSA ’96) of Temecula, Calif., is now vice president of partner development at the financial firm CarFinance Capital LLC. Sasha Zullo-Gorospe (ABJ ’96, MMC ’98) of San Francisco, Calif., was promoted to vice president of business development for CBS Interactive, a role in which she will oversee business strategy for CBS’ technology and games websites. Todd Counter (ABJ ’97, BLA ’10) of Nashville, Tenn., is now director of admissions at Oak Hill School, an independent institution in Nashville with students ranging from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. Marc Lancaster (ABJ ’97) of Dumfries, Va., is now deputy sports editor at The Washington Times, which relaunched its sports section in March after a 15-month hiatus. Keysha Lee (ABJ ’97) of Lithonia was recognized by The Champion newspaper for her TV show “Lessons with Mrs. Lee,” which airs on education access channel PDSTV-24. Ashley Griggs Duren (AB ’98) of Aiken, S.C., was named publisher of Augusta Magazine in March. She has been with Morris Communications for 15 years. John Sewell (ABJ ’98) of Brookhaven is now director of global marketing at GT Software. Jason Shepherd (AB ’98) of Marietta was chosen by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office to be a part of their Young Leaders Delegation, a five-day tour of Taiwan’s government, economic and cultural centers that took place at the end of May. Chad Warner (ABJ ’98) of Rome became a vice president at River City Bank in May. Previously he was head men’s basketball coach at Shorter University. Shelle Glover (BS ’99) of Cedartown joined the Floyd Primary Care Network as a doctor in March. Ross Pritchett (BSFR ’99) and Andrea Dombrowski Pritchett (ABJ ’99) of Roswell welcomed their second child, Lilla Grace, on Feb. 25. Sara Robertson (ABJ ’99) of Austin, Texas, was promoted to vice president of production and technology at KLRU-TV, Austin’s PBS station, in March.

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

41

Reading list Books by UGA Alumni

They Call Me Alexandra Gastone Full Fathom Five (2015)

By T.A. Maclagan (PhD ’08) Alexandra isn’t really a 17-year-old American high school student— she’s a sleeper agent for the fictional country of Odessa, and she’s just been activated.

Hoochy Koochy: A Jake Eliam ChickenBone Mystery CreateSpace Independent Publishing (2015)

By Cliff Yeargin (ABJ ’75) In the second of the ChickenBone series, private investigator Jake Eliam searches for a missing guitar player from a “one-hit wonder” Athens band.

Sand in Your Sandpile: Facing Life’s Stresses Balboa Press (2014)

By Deborah A. Kearney (MS ’80, PhD ’82) This workbook uses stories and metaphors to examine how to build emotional reserves through nurturance and comfort, self esteem and empowerment.

A Rabbit Runs In A Circle Old Fan Press (2012) (available at frankhamrick.com)

By Frank Hamrick (BFA ’00) A handmade book of black-andwhite photos made while the author taught at UGA’s study abroad art program in Cortona, Italy.

42

Lighten Up, Y’all: Classic Southern Recipes Made Healthy and Wholesome Ten Speed Press (2015)

by Virginia Willis (AB’88) The fifth cookbook from the French-trained, Georgia-born chef is a collection of easy-to-make recipes for Southern favorites.

Scripture Power Poems Shoppe Foreman Publishing (2014)

By Donald J. Banks (PhD ’63) Eighty-five poems on different subjects that tie key words to pertinent Bible scriptures through footnotes.

Wealth Made Simple (yes, really.)

IRC Wealth (2014)

By David M. Ragland (BBA, MAcc ’86) The author, president of IRC Wealth, shares strategies to help readers get on the path to financial freedom.

Coco and Dean: Explorers of the World Warren Publishing (2015)

By Emily Scofield (MS ’99) This children’s book is the first in a series written to educate children in environmental awareness.

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

A Trojan Feast: The Food and Drink Offerings of Aliens, Faeries, and Sasquatch Anomalist Books (2015)

By Joshua Cutchin (MM ’09, MA ’11) The world’s first survey and analysis of offerings that are not always what they appear—some liquids have healing or aphrodisiac qualities, some foods expand awareness and there are ointments that reveal an invisible world.

Science and Pseudoscience in Social Work Practice Springer Publications (2015)

By Bruce A. Thyer (MSW ’78) and Monica G. Pignotti This book evaluates commonly used scientific and pseudoscientific practices in social work today, with the goal of promoting critical thinking among social workers and related professionals.

Martin the Guitar Centerstream Publications (2012)

By Harry Musselwhite (BMus ’75) This illustrated children’s book tells the story of Martin, the smallest guitar in a New York music shop, and his wish to win a nightly music contest.

Fried Chicken Ten Speed Press (2015)

By Rebecca Dopson Lang (ABJ ’99) Lang’s fifth cookbook includes more than 50 recipes, from classic to internationally inspired.

The Great Patterdale Terrier Thunderbolt Island (2014)

By Jennifer Miller (AB ’95) and Michael Miller A guide that explains the history of the Patterdale Terrier, explores what makes them tick and provides activities to share with these amazing creatures.

Amos Like to Jump Matter (2015)

By Margaret Lowder with illustrations by Ellen Davis (BFA ’11) This first-in-a-series book lets children explore the world with Amos the dog, while learning that “being me is the best way to be!”

Election 2014: Why the Republicans Swept the Midterms University of Pennsylvania Press (2015)

By Ed Kilgore (JD ’79) Political commentator Kilgore strips down conflicting and biased political narratives to present an accessible account of how and why Republicans triumphed.

Alpine South: Plants and Plant Communities of the High Elevations of the Southern Appalachians Terra Incognita Books (2014)

By L.L. “Chick” Gaddy (PhD ’85) A pictorial guide to plants and plant communities of the high elevations (over 4,000 feet) of the Southern Appalachians, from West Virginia to Georgia.

Submit new books written by UGA alumni to gmeditor@uga.edu. Please include a brief description of the book and a hi-res cover.

The Three Governors Controversy: Skullduggery, Machinations, and the Decline of Georgia’s Progressive Politics University of Georgia Press (2015)

By Charles S. Bullock III, Scott E. Buchanan (AB ’92) and Ronald Keith Gaddie (MA ’89, PhD ’93) An examination of Georgia’s constitutional crisis—three active governors at once, each claiming that he was the true elected official—that resulted after the 1946 death of governor-elect Eugene Talmadge.

Silver’s Odyssey: A Novel of Survival in 17th Century Spanish Colonial Florida from the Shipwrecked Atocha Galleon CreateSpace Independent Publishing (2013)

By Henry C. Duggan III (BBA ’64) A historical fiction survival story from the Atocha silver galleon, shipwrecked off the Florida Keys in 1622.

The Dead Reckoning of the Heart AuthorHouse (2013)

By Thomas A. Reis (MSW ’85) The story of Reis’ 1981 solo, 58-day bicycle trip from Oregon to Virginia—a journey involving chance encounters, unexpected snowstorms, a near death experience and much inward reflection.

Counterinsurgency: What the United States Learned in Vietnam, Chose to Forget, and Needs to Know Today McFarland (2015)

By Terry T. Turner (BSA ’67, MS ’72, PhD ’75) (pen name David Donovan) The author’s personal experiences in Vietnam inform this discussion of counterinsurgency as a policy and in the field.

Joe T. Patterson and the White South’s Dilemma: Evolving Resistance to Black Advancement University Press of Mississippi (2015)

By Robert E. Luckett Jr. (PhD ’09) As Mississippi’s attorney general from 1956-69, Joe T. Patterson molded a newly dominant and intransigent brand of white political hegemony.

Living in Fear: Race, Politics and the Republican Party in South Carolina Frontline Press (2015)

By Will Moredock (ABJ ’74) A selection of columns written by Moredock between 2002 and 2012 for Charleston City Paper, with a focus on the way that racial fear has shaped state politics.

Hidden Ripples: Life’s Unspoken Language Lemuel’s Ink (2013)

By Lemuel LaRoche (BSW ’02, MSW ’03) This collection of short stories explores a deeper connection between man and nature while inspiring readers to discover the unspoken patterns and languages that exist in the world around them.

I Woke Up Back In High School Palmer and Jaffe (2015)

By Greg McCollum (ABJ ’75) In this satirical novel, a wealthy boomer hires his high school class to return to their small town and participate in a reality TV show.

Enhancing Children’s Cognition With Physical Activity Games Human Kinetics (2015)

By Phillip D. Tomporowski, Bryan A. McCullick (PhD ’98) and Caterina Pesce This book shows how to tailor physical activity games specifically to enhance children’s cognitive abilities.

Under the Umbrella: A Resource for Families With Alzheimer’s Athens Publishing (2015) (contact gafla2@tds.net)

By Rosemary Kromidas Hendrix (AB ’84, MEd ’85) and Floyd F. Hendrix Jr. This resource book, based on the authors’ experiences, describes how to keep your loved one at home for as long as possible.

The Xerces Factor Black Rose Writing (2015)

By Rodney Page (ABJ ’69) Writer Charles Arrington had planned to abandon his unfinished book about corruption in national security, but then a bomb leaves him maimed and his wife dead.

Archaeological Perspectives on the Southern Appalachians: A Multiscalar Approach University of Tennessee Press (2015) Edited by Ramie A. Gougeon (PhD ’02) and Maureen Meyers This book brings together a dozen archaeologists to delineate multiscalar approaches to Native American sites throughout southern Appalachia.

The Accidental Texan: A Coming of Age Story Amazon Digital Services (2015)

By Sandra L. Pirtle (MA ’95) This first novel in the Dead Reckoning Saga introduces Alexis Archie, who should have been born in New York City but instead is growing up in a small East Texas town.

The Invitation to Love Aviva Publishing (2015)

By Darren Pierre (PhD ’13) A compilation of short stories illustrating the power of love and chronicling one man’s journey in practicing forgiveness and recognizing love.

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

43

CLASSNOTES

ALUMNI PROFILE

I see London, I see France Chad Leathers’ charity race encourages runners to drop trou

by Mary Jessica Hammes (ABJ ’99) The Cupid’s Undie Run is just what it sounds like: Running in your underwear for about a mile, right around Valentine’s Day, in your pick of almost 50 cities in the world. Runners typically wear a lot of red and pink, goofy costumes, silly smiles and not much else.

SPECIAL

The atmosphere of Runners in Minneapolis, Minn., line up to start the race day is a lighthearted Cupid’s Undie Run, founded by Chad Leathers (right). contrast to the reason it exists—to raise funding for

Running in the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) and awareness for underwear was a way neurofibromatosis (NF). to get attention, fast.

Chad Leathers (BFA ’07), executive director of Cupid NF is a rare disease, Charities and CTF board member, remembers when and Schwannomotosis his younger brother, Drew, had his first tumor removed is the rarest type, at age 11. NF causes tumors to grow throughout the affecting 1 in 40,000 nervous system from head to toe. These tumors can people worldwide (according to the CTF). cause blindness, deafness, learning disabilities and

“I thought, if we have 50 people show up, that’d be severe chronic pain and may become cancerous. At 16, good,” says Chad. They had 600.

Drew became one of the earliest patients diagnosed with

And the race has only grown. Around 18,000 runners Schwannomatosis, a particularly rare kind of NF with a participated in the 2015 races; some 50,000 runners have hallmark of chronic pain. participated overall. So far, Cupid’s Undie Run has raised

“Drew’s road has been a very bumpy one,” says more than $8 million for NF research.

Chad, who lives in Denver, Colo. “The kid has had 20-plus

“Cupid’s passion for growth is driven by the need for surgeries. … He spent 180 days in the hospital in 2009 research dollars today,” Chad says. “The fastest way for and the majority of the following year in a bed.”

Cupid’s to end NF is to raise as much as possible, as soon

Luckily, Drew’s doctor at Johns Hopkins prescribed a as possible. These families need our help, and we’re driven cancer medicine that “took him from his bed to pushing to provide it.” his own wheelchair in a few months,” Chad says.

As for Drew, he’s continuing to face the challenges

The Leathers hail from Lilburn, where they grew up of NF—including treatment for malignant tumors in his “die-hard Dawg fans” thanks to a family legacy including abdomen—with his typical sense of humor, Chad says. cousins Matt (BBA ’98) and Jon (BS ’02) Stinchcomb,

“Drew has got the funniest sense of humor I know,” he both UGA football players. And it was childhood friend says. “Half of his jokes you couldn’t print. No pun intended, Brendan Hanrahan, who was living in D.C. while Drew he just kind of rolls along with it. He represents the NF family was undergoing treatment, who suggested the idea of a as a whole. The road doesn’t end here. It just gets bumpy.” fundraising run. With mere weeks of preparation, he and Chad called on friends and organized the first Cupid’s —Mary Jessica Hammes is a freelance writer in Athens.

Undie Run in D.C. in 2010.

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

2000-2004

Stephanie Carroll Carson (AB, ABJ ’00) of Asheville, N.C., is now the co-owner of Superfly Fabulous Events. Scott Hunter (BBA ’00) is managing director-investment officer for Wells Fargo Advisors. For the fifth consecutive year, Hunter has been designated a member of the firm’s Premier Advisors Program. He has been a financial advisor with WFA for nine years. Hunter and wife Jessica (ABJ ’04) live in Albany with their son, Will. E. Wycliffe Orr Jr. (BBA ’00, JD ’03) of Atlanta was appointed to the board of directors of Rand Capital Corp., a business development company based in Buffalo, N.Y. Matt Pollard (BBA ’00) of Boulder, Colo., was promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing at the business development company IntelliSource. Kevin Wuzzardo (ABJ ’00) of Leland, N.C., is news director at WWAY NewsChannel 3, the ABC affiliate station in Wilmington, N.C. Previously he served as both news content manager and a morning news anchor. Joey Lancaster (BBA ’01) of Madison was named senior advisor with LongView Wealth Management. The firm opened its Madison office in January. Todd Lowther (BBA ’01) of Houston, Texas, was named on Super Lawyers’ 2015 “Rising Stars” list for his work as an attorney at the Thompson & Knight law firm. Corey Smith (BSEd ’01) of Jefferson released his 10th album, “While the Gettin’ is Good,” in June. Chevazz Brown (AB ’02) of Houston, Texas, was named on Super Lawyers’ 2015 “Rising Stars” list for his work as an attorney at the Jackson Walker law firm. Adam Fouche (ABJ ’02) of Commerce graduated in May 2014 with a master of public safety administration degree from Columbus State University and now works at the UGA Police Department. Mandi Harris (BBA ’02) of Roswell was hired as marketing director at Environmental Pest Service in April. Ryan Hoyt (BBA ’02) of Atlanta was NAIOP Georgia’s Top Producer for 2015 with production over $52 million dollars. NAIOP is the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. Lemuel LaRoche (BSW ’02, MSW ’03) of Athens self-published a collection of short stories titled Hidden Ripples: Life’s Unspoken Language in July 2013. He was also the subject of a January 2014 documentary titled “Life the Griot,” which focuses on LaRoche’s life as a poet, activist

and director of the nonprofit group Chess & Community. Hillary Meeler (BSEd ’02) of Monroe was hired as principal of Honey Creek Elementary School in Rockdale County in March. Previously she served as an assistant principal at Davis Middle School. Campbell Kirbo (BSA ’03) of Albany is now an attorney with the law firm Kirbo & Kirbo. Jacob Lindsey (BLA ’03) of Charleston, S.C., was named to digital outlet Charlie’s list of the 50 most forwardthinking people making a positive impact on the future of Charleston. Lindsey is director of the city’s design division. John Loftis (AB, AB ’03) of Athens was hired as vice president and commercial leader at First American Bank & Trust in March.

Heather Jones McElroy (BSFCS ’03) and her husband, Jon McElroy, of Athens welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Avery Grace McElroy, on Oct. 19.

Travis Moore (BSA ’03) of Dallas is now a senior brewmaster for Anheuser-Busch InBev. Kate Quinlan-Laird (BBA ’03) of Little Rock, Ark., is the new director of the Acansa Arts Festival. Steve Sanders

(ABJ ’03) of Augusta was named on Augusta Magazine and the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s “Top 10 in 10” list, which recognizes 10 successful young professionals aged 25-35 in the Augusta area, for his work as an associate attorney at the Fulcher Hagler law firm. Clay Talton (BSA ’03, MS ’06) of Comer is now the District 2 field representative for Georgia Farm Bureau. Previously he worked for UGA Extension. Greg Bluestein (AB, ABJ ’04) of Atlanta was named on The Washington Post’s 2015 list of the best state political reporters in January. He also received the John E. Drewry Young Alumni Award from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2014 for his work as a political reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Dawn Brun (ABJ ’04) of Decatur received the John E. Drewry Young Alumni Award from the Grady College in March. She is a vice president for the public relations firm Porter Novelli’s Atlanta office, where she helps develop communications programs for clients.

Jan Forrest Kent (BSFR ’04, MFR ’07)

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

45

CLASSNOTES

ALUMNI PROFILE

The voice Alumna is in demand for her vocal talents

by Rebecca McCarthy Chances are, even if you’ve never seen her, you’ve heard Kelley Buttrick in a commercial.

Hers is the confident voice telling you that a particular bank, airline or car is best for you. Bursting with cheer, she directs you to sales at Toys “R” Us during the Christmas season or to can’t-be-beat discounts at furniture or flooring stores. The calm voice that’s guiding you through a company training session?

That’s Buttrick (ABJ ’94) as well.

“I just love what I do, I love my clients, I love everything about my industry,” she says. She has a collection of vintage equipment, and even has custom jewelry created out of microphone parts. “It took me until I was 40 to realize that this is what I should be doing.”

After graduating from UGA, Buttrick worked at WDDK, a radio station in Greensboro, where fellow Grady grad Chip Lyness (ABJ ’78) “introduced me to my career.” She worked in public relations and broadcasting while her husband was with the U.S. Air Force, and in Tucson, Ariz., she began recording commercials. Later, when the family moved back to Georgia, she drove to Atlanta for lessons with the late Paul Armbruster, a renowned voiceover coach.

Buttrick’s crisp Midwestern accent is easy to listen to. The voice you hear while she’s sipping coffee is the same one that has made her a go-to person in the voiceover business. She doesn’t sound like a professional radio announcer—she sounds like the new-to-the-neighborhood mom who could become your trusted best friend.

Buttrick has done radio and commercials and narrations for thousands of regional, national and international customers, including Home Depot, Pampers, IBM and numerous fast-food restaurants.

She welcomes travelers aboard the Amtrak Acela and speaks to people using UPS lockers in Chicago. She’s so dedicated to her clients that when going on vacation, she packs a microphone and portable recording equipment “because when my clients need something, I want to be able to give it to them immediately.”

She sometimes travels to Atlanta to record, but Buttrick works primarily from her rural Oconee County home, where she and her husband, Brian, built a recording studio in the basement. Like a music studio,

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Kelley Buttrick

SPECIAL

a voiceover studio has no electronic peeping, no soft clicking, no ambient noises of any kind. And it has less resonance.

“It’s basically a padded cell,” she says with a laugh.

Wedged against earth on three sides to kill any noise, it has a room within a room, a recording booth that she ordered from Spain. The booth has foam insulation that further muffles sound. All of this means that when she’s working, there’s no sound besides her voice. To cope with being inside—really inside—she gets out early and kayaks on Lake Oconee or goes running. And then, it’s just her and the microphone for five or six hours.

of Waverly Hall was selected as one of five Outstanding Educators by Project Learning Tree, the national environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. She is assistant director at Columbus State University’s Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center. Allison Mawhinney (AB, AB ’04) of Lakeland, Fla., joined the GrayRobinson law firm in March as a senior associate in the litigation practice group. Charles Rapp (BLA ’04, MEPD ’11) of Charlottesville, Va., is director of planning and community development for Culpeper, Va. Rapp had been principal planner for the town since 2011.

2005-2009

Latinda Dean (AB ’05) of Cordele was a finalist for the Dougherty County School System’s 2015-16 Teacher of the Year. David Fischer (BBA ’05) of Atlanta received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the Terry College of Business in April. Fischer is director of the AloStar Bank of Commerce; he served as underwriter, assistant vice president and vice president before becoming director.

Anna Ferguson Hall (ABJ ’05, MA ’11) of Brunswick was named associate editor and social media director for The Darien News, a publication that covers several counties along the Georgia coast. Charlotte Lucas (BSFCS ’05) of Charlotte, N.C., was featured in a Lonny Magazine article titled “The Six Interior Designers We Can’t Stop Talking About” in March. John Peters Jr. (BSA ’05) of Moultrie is the regional lending manager of six AgGeorgia Farm Credit offices in Southwest Georgia.

Kathleen Raven (ABJ ’05, MS ’12, MA ’13) of Staten Island, N.Y., is now a reporter covering oncology treatments for BioPharm Insight, an online guide to the global life sciences community produced

by Infinata Inc. J. Ashley Sawyer (AB ’05) of Alpharetta was named on Super Lawyers’ 2015 “Rising Stars” list for her work as an associate attorney at the family law firm Hedgepeth, Heredia & Rieder. Todd Taranto (BBA ’05) of Mandeville, La., was appointed as a delegate from the 22nd Judicial District to the house of delegates of the Louisiana State Bar Association. He will serve a two-year term. Phillip Blume

(AB, ABJ ’06) of Watkinsville was profiled by the My Athens blog for he and wife Eileen’s successful wedding photography company. Jason Norman (BSFR ’06, DVM ’11) and Jennifer Harper (DVM ’12) of Appling were married. Norman is now a veterinarian at Hammond Hills Animal Hospital in North Augusta, S.C. Emily Brown Rushton (BSFR ’06, MS ’08) and her husband, Cliff Rushton (BSFR ’06), of Locust Grove welcomed the birth of son Connor William Rushton on May 9, 2014. Laura Adams (BSA ’07, MPH ’11, DVM ’12) of Talking Rock was profiled by Pickens County Progress for her involvement with Ebola response efforts in Liberia in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Norman L. Barnett (AB ’07, JD ’10) was named an assistant district attorney in Douglas County. T.J. Callaway (BBA ’07) of Atlanta served as commencement speaker for his alma mater, Thomasville’s Brookwood High School, in May. The founder of Onward Reserve opened his sixth and seventh storefronts this summer, including one in the Georgetown area of

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CLASSNOTES ALUMNI PROFILE

Colors of Connection Alumna helps transform lives through art

by Denise H. Horton (ABJ ’83, MPA ’11) When Laurie Reyman (MSW ’09) and Christina Mallie launched Colors of Connection in 2011, their efforts to bring art to war-torn Liberia were met with skepticism.

The country was still recovering from its own civil war, which ended in 2003, and refugees were pouring across the border from the Ivory Coast, escaping the civil unrest that had begun in that country.

“Generally there are other international NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] providing the basic services—food, shelter, clothing, medicine and health care, education, etc.,” Reyman says. “It is SPECIAL essential that these needs be met, but we A mural in Harper, Liberia, created through Colors of Connection, cobelieve that creative energy and expression founded by Laurie Reyman (right). is just as important to individuals and communities in order to find some meaning, self-expression and dignity again.”

“We work in conflict

She and Mallie have focused on enabling youth to and post-conflict areas, create large murals that are centrally located in towns and and we try to go where refugee camps. Reyman, however, is quick to explain that there are little opporher expertise does not include holding a paintbrush. tunities for youth to be

“I, unfortunately, am not an artist, hard as I tried in my involved in creative high school classes!” she says. “Christina is the artistic programs,” she says. heart of Colors of Connection. I bring the community

Thirty-six teenage girls who are not attending school building, project management and nonprofit development will be the artists for “Courage in Congo,” murals on two side.” prominent walls that will promote girls’ rights, preventing

COC murals have been created with Liberian, Ivorian sexual and gender-based violence and supporting survivors and Malian youth living in refugee camps in Liberia and of violence.

Burkina Faso, in addition to a project at a Liberian university

Reyman hopes that someday she’ll be able to devote that focused on teaching new educators ways to integrate all of her efforts to Colors of Connection. For now, the drawing and painting into their classes. project is a labor of love while she works at a full-time job

Although they research the target populations before in London. each project, themes for the murals are developed by

During a recent visit to Harper, Liberia, Reyman was community leaders. thrilled to find that the first COC murals are still in fine

“We’ve had challenges,” Reyman says. “People don’t shape. However, permanence is not the point. necessarily see the value because many of them have

“Their purpose is to inspire, heal and encourage the never experienced a similar project.” individuals involved and the community in general to value

But, as the murals begin to develop—featuring the arts and to find their own creative energy,” she says. images of people like themselves and messages ranging

from the importance of human rights and education to —Denise H. Horton is a frequent contributor to GM. representations of important cultural traditions—opinions tend to change.

Earlier this summer, Reyman was busy establishing a partnership with UGA’s School of Social Work and Institute for Nonprofit Organizations, as well as fundraising for the www.colorsofconnection.org newest project in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Washington, D.C. Jean Pembleton (AB ’07) and her husband, Will Waterman (BSEd ’07), moved from Chicago, Ill., to Menlo Park, Calif., where Pembleton works as a fundraiser at Stanford University’s law school and Waterman is a physical therapist at Stanford Hospital. Susannah Darrow (AB ’08) is executive director of ArtsATL, which provides coverage of the arts in metro Atlanta. Previously she was cofounder and executive director of Burnaway, a nonprofit that covered arts in and from Atlanta and the South. Lauren Ezell (AB, ABJ ’08) of Marietta was the associate producer for “United States of Secrets,” a PBS “Frontline” documentary about how the U.S. government came to monitor the communications of people around the world after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The documentary won a 2014 Peabody Award.

Alissa Heil (BSFCS ’08, MSW ’11) of Athens was named Caseworker of the Year by the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services in November 2013. As a supervisor within the Walton County Department of Family and Children Services, she was selected from more than 1,600 caseworkers statewide. Chris Kirk (BSEd ’08) of St. Simons Island finished 33rd in the 2015 Masters golf tournament.

He was one of a record six UGA alumni that participated in the event. Tom Presley (BBA ’08, MAcc ’09) of Marietta was promoted to wealth adviser at Brightworth, an Atlanta-based financial planning and wealth management firm. Caleb Rich (BBA ’08) of New York City, N.Y., joined VICE Media Group as a senior accountant in March. Jackie Wonder ( BSEd ’08) of Smyrna is founder of Wondermade Brands, a health and wellness startup that launched Doc’s Drinks and Doc’s Gummies nationally in more than 200 stores in May. Ward Black (BSA ’09, MS ’11) of Valdosta now works in industry affairs and business development at Langdale Industries Inc. Mark Magnuson (BBA ’09) of Athens was promoted to the rank of captain and named division commander for the downtown unit and traffic unit with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in April. He oversees the planning and implementation of special events that occur in the downtown district. Joe McKnight (ABJ ’09) is editor-in-chief of Briefing, a new media startup based in Washington, D.C., that sends out free, daily emails

with news stories and analysis. Anthony David Tilton (AB ’09), a construction law associate at Tampa, Fla.-based Trent Cotney, earned safety certifications and training from the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Association. Tilton completed the two-day asbestos competent person and onsite roofing supervisor course. He also gave a presentation to the Manasota Air Conditioning Contractor’s Association in Sarasota.

2010-2014

Paige Varner Benton (ABJ ’10) of Kirkland, Wash., received the 2011 Chandler Award for Student Religion Reporter of Year from the Religion Newswriters Association for her work at The Red & Black.

Ashley Hart (BSA ’10) married David Ellis (BSFCS ’07) in April. The two live in Minneapolis, Minn., where Hart is a food scientist at General Mills, and Ellis is executive chef at Barrio restaurant.

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SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

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CLASSNOTES

ALUMNI PROFILE

Tank Town USA Alumnus creates a heavy equipment playground in northern Georgia

by Allyson Mann (MA ’92) Todd Liebross (AB ’97) was a little surprised to learn that women enjoy driving tanks. When he conceived of Tank Town USA—where customers can drive tanks and even use one to crush a car—he figured that he’d get a lot of guys.

“My assumptions originally were all wrong,” he says.

In fact, Liebross’ first car crusher was a woman whose husband bought the experience as a gift. The couple ALLYSON MANN drove up in a Subaru with kayaks, Todd Liebross (above center, and right) and her post-crush reaction—“This guides George Zurbuchen (above right) as is the most awesome thing I’ve ever he drives over a Ford Explorer. Son Barry done”—told Liebross that he was on to Zurbuchen watches from a seat mounted something. on the rear.

“That’s where the trajectory changed,” he says. “This is something for everybody. If kayaking Subaru business in England drivers can enjoy it, then it’s going to be [fun for] anybody that offered tank and everybody.” driving. He continued

Located outside of Blue Ridge, the 5-acre Tank to sail on commercial Town site looks like a combination of war zone, ships, but began construction site and junkyard. Muddy hills and valleys planning and opened are interspersed with military vehicles, construction Tank Town in April equipment and cars in pre- or post-crush states. There 2013. He thought he’d are seven tanks—technically they’re British FV 432 operate the business only in summers and keep sailing in armored personnel carriers—imported from England. winters, but it hasn’t been necessary.

Liebross’ playground is one of two places in the

“I’ll never be a millionaire, but I can make a living at it country—the other is in Minnesota—that offers this kind so it’s been pretty cool,” he says. of experience. Some customers come for occasions like

Liebross spends his days riding on tanks, instructing birthdays, anniversaries or bachelor parties, and others customers how to navigate the terrain and guiding their because they want to understand what their grandfather approach to a car they’re about to pulverize. It takes experienced during World War II. (The oldest car crusher several tries to completely decimate a car; if customers so far has been a 91-year-old veteran of the Allied still have an appetite for destruction after that, they can invasion of Normandy.) Crushing a car is the ultimate take a sledgehammer to what’s left. Liebross also takes experience, but customers also can drive a tank or photos for customers and guides spectators to the best operate an excavator. spots for watching.

Although he has experience with large machinery,

“Everything’s kind of military, but I’ve tried to make Liebross hadn’t worked on tanks. He graduated from it to where it’s just a good time,” he says. “It’s not UGA with a history degree and taught school for a year, intimidating.” but discovered it wasn’t a great fit. He then joined the merchant marine, sailing around the world on large commercial ships where he worked in engine rooms and as an electrician and a refrigeration engineer. In 2010 he tanktownusa.com started a family, and he also saw a Yahoo article about a

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GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Joel Kight (ABJ ’10) of Athens joined the Jacksonville-based newspaper The Florida Times-Union in November 2013 as digital director. Previously he was director of digital content and head of social media at the Athens Banner-Herald.

Marcia Newby (BSA ’10) graduated from the University of Texas Medical School as co-valedictorian. The former Gym Dog is married to former UGA football player Demiko Goodman (BSFCS ’08).

Benjamin Ray (AB ’10, MA ’13) of Athens was hired by the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau as a sales manager in April. Previously he worked as an event planner for The Classic Center. Allison Rohan (BSHP ’10) and Cory Yost (BBA ’14) of Atlanta were married Aug. 2, 2014. Rohan is now a registered nurse at Northside Hospital, and Yost works at CNA Financial Corp. Annie Truax (ABJ ’10) of Baltimore, Md., is now an associate executive with Planit, a Baltimore-based marketing communications agency. Bob White (BSFR ’10, MS ’12) and his wife, Sherri Metzger White (BSFCS ’10),

of Cincinnati, Ohio, welcomed the birth of their son, Lincoln James White, on June 11, 2014. Hunter Blair (BSA ’11) of Monroe is now operations manager at the alternative fuel company ESCOGO, a sister company of Down to Earth Energy.

Russell Henley (BSFCS ’11) of Macon finished 21st in the 2015 Masters golf tournament in Augusta, marking his third year of participation. Cassie Nichols (BLA ’11) of Louisville, Ky., was appointed a member of the Louisville Energy Alliance board of directors. She is a LEED Certified landscape design professional. Rebecca Todd (BSFR ’11, MS ’13) and Jack Pearl (BSFR ’11) of Rio Grande City, Texas, were married March 15, 2014. Pearl is a Texas game warden, and Todd works at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Brian Volker (BBA ’11) married Lauren Mitchell (ABJ, BS ’11) on May 30. Kristin Braddy (BSA ’12) of Lilburn was promoted to East Coast lean leader at Dot Foods Inc., a role in which she will educate employees on project efficiency and continuous work improvement. Ayan Hussein (BS ’12) of Lancaster, Pa., received

a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans in April. She now studies neuroscience as a Ph.D. student at Yale University. Aaron Mathys (BSFR ’12) of White Sands Missile Range, N.M., and his wife, Anna Mathys, welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Celeste Magnolia Mathys, on July 5, 2014. Lauren Ninke (BSFR ’12, MNR ’13) of Twin Falls, Idaho, and Aaron Hildreth were married Aug. 30, 2014, in Augusta. She works with the U.S. Forest Service. Josh Paine (BSA ’12) of Athens is a marketing specialist with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Jeffrey Poston (BSFR ’12) and his wife, Rebekkah Poston, of Cartersville welcomed their first child, Carter Poston, on May 11, 2014. Jeffrey is now the distribution forestry specialist for the northwest region at Georgia Power Co. Lauren Anderson (AB ’13) of Macon was chosen for the inaugural John Lewis Fellowship, a newly created Humanity In Action program in partnership with The National Center for Civil and Human Rights. She will begin Ph.D. coursework

SEPTEMBER 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE

51

CLASSNOTES

at the University of California-Irvine this fall. Heather Hatzenbuhler (BSES ’13) of Lawrenceville is an environmental public involvement coordinator with the environmental planning firm Adrian Collaborative in Duluth. Kristen Kacmar (AB ’13) of Bogart was named vice president of the Red Dress Boutique in Athens, a position in which she will oversee the creative team. Madison Lamar (BSFCS ’13) of Sale City was selected to join the Association for Prevention, Teaching and Research Paul Ambrose Scholars Program.

She is an osteopathic medical student at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Kathy Riordan (BSFR ’13) of Kennesaw and Alex Vann (BSFR ’13) of Acworth are engaged. Valerie Rodriguez (BSFR ’13) of Midland, Texas, married Adam Rodriguez on Dec. 13, 2013, in Lubbock, Texas. She is the education program coordinator at the Sibley Nature Center and is working on a master of education degree in science education at the University of Arlington.

Brooke Davidson (BFA, BFA ’14) of Alpharetta was profiled by the My Athens blog for her patterned artwork and textiles.

In April, she traveled to Uganda with the Archibald Project to help serve local citizens and orphans.

GRAD NOTES

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Vahe Heboyan (MS ’01, PhD ’11) of Evans is now an assistant professor of health and behavioral economics at Georgia Regents University in Augusta. Maureen McFerson Hadden (MS ’13) of Singapore was promoted to Asia Pacific technical supervisor at Leprino Foods LLC. She and her husband, Luke Hadden (BSES ’08), relocated to Singapore in August 2014.

Arts and Sciences

Bonnie Vierthaler (MFA ’72) of Freeport, Maine, was profiled by the Binghamton, N.Y., Press & Sun-Bulletin for her lifelong career as a multimedia artist and her recent body of work titled “Prayers Made Visible,” a collection of paintings and photographs inspired by prayers. Charlotte Headrick (PhD ’82) of Corvallis, Ore., got a rave review in the London Times for Irish Women

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Dramatists 1908-2001, a book she co-edited.

John Blair (PhD ’87) of Manhattan, Kan., was elected a fellow of the Ecological Society of America, a program that recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement or application of ecological knowledge. Keith Gaddie (MA ’89, PhD ’93) of Norman, Okla., was selected to serve as master of one of the two new residential colleges that are set to open at the University of Oklahoma in fall 2017. In this role, he will assemble a team of faculty that will work to promote the academic and social lives of students in the college.

Dana Bottenfield (MA ’94) of Memphis, Tenn., was named vice president of human resources at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she has worked for nearly two decades. Lisa Comita (PhD ’06) of New Haven, Conn., was elected a fellow of the Ecological Society of America, a program that recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement or application of ecological knowledge.

Business

Buck Wiley III (MBA ’92, JD ’92) of Atlanta was recognized on Barron’s “America’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisers: 2015 State-by-State” list for his work as a private wealth adviser in the Private Banking and Investments Group at Merrill Lynch. Scott Williams (MBA ’98, JD ’00) of New York City launched S. Williams Capital LLC, a boutique investment firm that specializes in risk arbitrage and value investing. Gregory Michaud (MBA ’07) of Woodstock was promoted to managing director and head of real estate at Voya Investment Management.

Ecology

Peter Groffman (PhD ’84) of Millbrook, N.Y., was elected a fellow of the Ecological Society of America, a program that recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement or application of ecological knowledge. Jianguo “Jack” Liu (PhD ’92) of Okemos, Mich., was elected a new member of the American Philosophical Society. Liu is Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability, University Distinguished Professor of Fisheries and Wildlife, and director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University. John Kominoski (PhD ’08) of Miami, Fla., helped author

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

the article “Reclaiming freshwater sustainability in the Cadillac Desert,” which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December 2010. He also coauthored an editorial in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution titled “Entire Southeast needs a new strategy for conserving water.” John Davis (PhD ’09) of Athens was the lead author of the article “Long-term nutrient enrichment decouples predator and prey production,” which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December 2009.

Education

Janet Buckworth (MSW ’79, MA ’84, PhD ’93) of Athens is a co-author of the secondedition textbook Exercise Science. She is an associate professor of exercise science at Ohio State University. Barry Joyner (PhD ’92) of Statesboro was named dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia Southern University in April.

He first came to the university in 1992 as an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, of which he became professor and chair in 2005. Eddie J. Howard Jr. (MEd ’95) of North Augusta, S.C., is associate vice president for student experience at Youngstown State University.

Previously he served as vice president for student affairs at Augusta Technical College. Melissa Varley (EdD ’01) of Chatham, N.J., was hired as superintendent of the Florham Park School District in March. Previously she served as assistant superintendent of the Sparta Township School District in Sparta, N.J. Jennifer Stephens (PhD ’13) of Suwanee was named a 2015-16 fellow by the American Council on Education. She is an associate vice president of public affairs at Georgia Gwinnett College.

Family and Consumer Sciences

John McNamara (PhD ’82) of Pullman, Wash., is emeritus professor of animal sciences at Washington State University and was elected a fellow in the American Dairy Science Association. This summer he received the ADSA Zoetis Physiology Award for sustained research contributions to understanding metabolic efficiency of the cow. His textbook, Principles of Companion Animal Nutrition, is in its second edition and is used all over the United States and in Canada and Europe.

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CLASSNOTES

Reducing tick borne disease

Journalism and Mass Communication

In the spring, summer and early fall months, lone star ticks, the most common type of tick in Georgia, spike in activity and may transmit pathogens that could cause disease in humans. According to research conducted by Elizabeth Gleim (PhD ’13), tick populations can be managed through a technique called prescribed burning.

Gleim, co-author of the PLOS One article published last fall, performed the research over several SPECIAL Elizabeth Gleim (PhD ’13) stands in front of years. During that time, she visited a prescribed burning site used to reduce tick 21 plots in Georgia and Florida to populations. collect tick samples monthly. Most of those plots had been subjected to long-term prescribed burning, a way to manage and control the growth of plant and animal species on a specific area of land.

She found that prescribed burning over a long period of time effectively reduced tick populations and changed the landscape of the burned areas.

“At the end of the day, prescribed fire on a long-term basis decimated tick populations,” says Gleim, now a visiting assistant professor at Emory University’s Oxford College. “It’s exciting because by reducing tick populations, the technique indicated that it was reducing risk of tick-borne disease in humans while also enhancing ecosystem health.”

Lone star ticks are known for transmitting a number of human pathogens that can cause disease. They include southern tick associated rash illness, known as STARI, and ehrlichiosis. Although ticks are present in Georgia and Florida year-round, they are a greater danger in the spring, summer and early fall when they are active.

Forestry and Natural Resources

Bill Mahan (MS ’73) of Smithland, Ky., has been retired from his job as a regional wildlife biologist at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for more than 10 years and now co-owns a farm on the lower Ohio River, which he manages for waterfowl. Ed Lebetkin (MS ’74) of Chapel Hill, N.C., retired from his job at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in 2008 and now owns an antique woodworking hand tools store in Pittsboro, N.C. Gaylon Cook (MS ’75, PhD ’77) of Blackshear is a professor of biology at South Georgia State College.

He has taught at several intitutions over the years, including Utah State University, Plymouth State College, Merrimack College and Utah Valley State College. Peter Cumbie (PhD ’75) of York, S.C., retired from his job as a part-time biology profes-

54

sor at Winthrop University in 2011. Neal Eichholz (MS ’75) of Crawfordville, Fla., retired from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2004. Kent Kammermeyer (MS ’75) of Clermont is now a wildlife consultant with more than 55 clients in the Southeast. Previously he worked at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for 30 years. Terry Kile (MS ’75) of Leesburg retired from his job as a biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 2003 and now maintains a small farm. Hilburn Hillestad (PhD ’84) of Marietta is retired after working as an environmental consultant for both Law Engineering and Environmental Services Inc. and Jacoby Development Inc. Ben Carswell (MS ’12) of Jekyll Island was named on Georgia Trend’s 2014 “40 Under 40” list for his work as director of conservation at the Jekyll Island Authority.

GEORGIA MAGAZINE • www.ugamagazine.uga.edu

Scott Williamson (MMC ’92) of Alpharetta is now vice president for public affairs and communication at the CocaCola Co., where he has worked for 22 years. He also serves on the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication board of trust. Willliamson was named to the Grady College’s Fellowship class of 2015. Danielle Underferth (MMC ’97) of Spring, Texas, is now the communications manager for the city of Beaumont, Texas, a role in which she oversees communications such as the city website, video, media relations, public service announcements and newsletters. Davia Mosley (MA ’06) of Powder Springs is now the marketing manager for the College of Continuing and Professional Education at Kennesaw State University. Previously she worked as copy desk chief at The Marietta Daily Journal and as lifestyle editor at the Cherokee Tribune newspaper.

Law

Charlie Hunnicutt (JD ’75) of Athens received the Distinguished Service Scroll Award from the School of Law in March for his work as senior counsel at the law firm Thompson Hine in Washington, D.C. Joey Loudermilk (JD ’78) of Ellerslie received the Distinguished Service Scroll Award from the School of Law in March for his work as a judge with the Juvenile Court of Georgia’s Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. Daisy Hurst Floyd (JD ’80) of Macon was appointed dean of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. She served as Mercer’s law school dean from 2004-10 and as interim dean since February 2014. William Terry Turner (JD ’80) of Baxley was named 2015 Solicitor-General of the Year, an award that recognizes outstanding leadership and dedication in the field of prosecution.

Turner was honored during the Georgia Association of Solicitors-General conference hosted by the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia in May. He is solicitor-general for Appling and Jeff Davis counties. Darren Penn (AB ’90, JD ’94) of Atlanta was named president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association at the organization’s annual meeting in Atlanta.

Robbie Kamerschen (JD ’94) and Becca McWalters (AB ’06) of Atlanta were married April 12. Jackson Cox II (JD ’95) of

Waynesboro was named judge of the Burke County State Court in the Augusta Judicial Circuit by Gov. Nathan Deal in March.

Jean-Paul “J.P.” Boulee (JD ’96) was appointed Superior Court judge of the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit by Gov. Nathan Deal in May. Boulee is a partner with Jones Day in Atlanta. Autumn Rierson Michael (JD, MHP ’99) of Davidson, N.C., was hired as half-time director of the Davidson Lands Conservancy in March. Mike Jacobs (JD ’03) was appointed State Court judge of DeKalb County by Gov. Nathan Deal in May. Jacobs operates a solo law practice in Sandy Springs and previously served as the District 80 representative in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Public Health

Rebecca Dallas (MPH, MSW ’13) of Decatur is now a child and family therapist at Pathways Transition Programs Inc.

Public and International Affairs

Brian Gamsey (MPA ’09) of Athens was profiled by the My Athens blog for the success of his local cookie business, Always Baked.

Social Work

Cecil Cornwell (MSW ’68) of Newnan was named Artist of the Month by the city of Newnan in May 2013 for his landscape painting and woodworking. Eugene Wigelsworth (MSW ’74) of Brandon, Miss., is director of religious programs and volunteer coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He served as the main speaker for the spring meeting of the Woodville Ministerial Alliance, held at the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility in Woodville, Miss. Wigelsworth has more than 30 years of experience in prison ministry. Bruce Thyer (MSW ’78) of Tallahassee, Fla., was elected fellow of the Association for Psychological Science in January 2014. He also joined the inaugural class of fellows of the Society for Social Work and Research and is a professor in the College of Social Work at Florida State University. Thyer published two books this year: Program Evaluation: An Evidence-based Approach, now in its sixth edition, and Science and Pseudoscience in Social Work Practice.

David Talley (MSW ’85) of Alpharetta was named auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta by Benedict VXI, the pope

emeritus. Randall Bramblett (MSW ’89) of Athens wrote and recorded the album “The Bright Spots,” which AllMusic.com named among its favorite rock albums of 2013. Christina “Cris” Adams (MSW ’95) of Port St. Lucie, Fla., was interviewed on the Sue-Ellen Sanders radio talk show on WPSL 1590 for her work as vice president of community impact for United Way of St. Lucie County. Evelyn Wynn-Dixon (MSW ’95) of Riverdale was the subject of the March/April 2013 cover story of Southern Journal Magazine for her work with United Way. Samson Chama (MSW ’03) of Madison, Ala., co-authored a study of young people’s perceptions of group home efficacy that was published in the June 2014 issue of Residential Treatment for Children and Youth. Jane Skinner (MSW ’09) of Menlo Park, Calif., coauthored a scholarly article on retirement communities that was published in the April 2013 issue of The Journal of Housing for the Elderly.

Skinner is an adult programs coordinator at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center in Foster City, Calif. Chris Papadopoulos (MSW ’11) of St. Augustine, Fla., joined the St. Francis House homeless shelter as a lead case manager in July 2013. Fenwick Broyard III (MSW ’13) of Ellenwood was named executive director of the nonprofit organization Community Connection of Northeast Georgia in July 2013. Tamara Hurst (PhD ’13) of Purvis, Miss., joined the University of Southern Mississippi as an assistant professor in August 2013.

Veterinary Medicine

Claude Kidd Jr. (DVM ’64) of Greensboro, N.C., was recognized with a service award by the College of Veterinary Medicine in April for his lifelong work with the Greensboro Science Center. John C. Sundstrom (DVM ’67) retired from Animal Medical Care in Gainesville on Dec. 31, after nearly 48 years in the practice of veterinary medicine. Patricia Hill (DVM ’84) of Simpsonville, S.C., was recognized with a service award by the College of Veterinary Medicine in April for her work with the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians, where she has served in every executive position. Natasha Jones (DVM ’07) was appointed the managing doctor of veterinary medicine of National Veterinary Associates’ Animal Hospital of Signal Mountain in Signal Mountain, Tenn.

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BACK PAGE

“If you get into journalism because you want to be a storyteller, what better place to do it than sports?

People want to hear those stories.

They connect with athletes and sports figures in a way that they don’t connect with other people.

Once I realized that, it really appealed to me. The other piece of it that really appealed to me was I realized I was one of very few women doing this, and that it was something I could contribute to the planet in some way—I could go and be good at this, and that could encourage other women to do it.”

Vicki Michaelis John Huland Carmical Distinguished Professor in Sports Journalism and Society grady.uga.edu/directory/profile/michaelis Photo shot by Andrew Davis Tucker in the Nalley Multipurpose Room in the Butts-Mehre Athletic Heritage Hall.

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