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CLASS NOTES
UNG held a scaled-back version of Alumni Weekend April 16-18. The UNG Alumni Association awards banquet was held outdoors Friday, April 16. Memorial Retreat and Reunite on the River brought alumni together on Saturday, April 17, and UNG cadets were honored at the Military Awards Review on Sunday, April 18.
CLASSNOTES
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1980s
John Prosch Jr. ’80, retired in Virginia after 45 years of continuous Army active and civilian service. He and his wife, Jemma, attend and serve at Grace Baptist Church in Woodbridge, Virginia, volunteering for the community and various veteran’s organizations. Campbell Hawkins, ’84, has joined Southern Maryland Electric cooperative as senior vice president and chief strategy and innovation officer. He has more than 20 years of utility experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in management from UNG and a master’s degree from Webster University School of Business and Technology. Louie S. Williams Jr., ’86, was awarded the International President’s Medal from Lions Clubs International, the organization’s highest honor, for outstanding service to the community. He currently serves as Lions of Georgia District 18-I (Northeast Georgia) Global Membership Team Coordinator, responsible for helping Lions Clubs recruit and retain members. He is active in his local Lions and Toastmasters Clubs in Cumming. Doug Collins, ’88, has joined Oliver & Weidner law firm in Clarkesville, Georgia. Collins, who previously represented the 9th Congressional District of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, will specialize in civil and criminal litigation.
Smith joins ILSS advisory board
Retired Col. John L. Smith,
’82, is the newest member of the advisory board for UNG’s Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies (ILSS). The ILSS advisory board is composed of accomplished experts in leadership and strategic issues who also have a deep understanding about the value of the Corps of Cadets.
Smith commissioned from UNG in 1982 and served as a soldier for more than 30 years. Smith has master’s degrees in education leadership from Florida A&M University and in international strategic studies from the Air War College.
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Jamesa Broome, ’92 and ’94, was named Teacher of the Year for Richmond Hill Middle School and 2020-21 Teacher of the Year for Bryan County Schools. She has been teaching and working with students for 28 years. Broome holds a bachelor’s degree in special education, a master’s degree in interrelated special education, and a specialist degree in curriculum and learning from UNG.
Kevin Tanner, ’95, has been named Forsyth County manager. Tanner most recently served four terms as state representative for District 9, which includes Lumpkin County and parts of Dawson and Forsyth counties. His more than 30 years of public service includes five years as Dawson County manager.
2000s
Montez Robinson, ’02, is serving as interim head coach of the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball program. Robinson earned a degree in criminal justice from UNG and a master’s degree in transformative leadership from Bethune-Cookman College.
Cass Mooney, ’03, was sworn in as Suwanee, Georgia, police chief. Mooney has spent 23 of his 26 years in law enforcement working for the city of Suwanee.
Sarah Bell, ’03, is the new president and chief executive officer of the Elachee Nature Science Center. The Gainesville, Georgia, resident has served the Gainesville City School System for 29 years.
Sam Donley, ’05, is the senior vice president and business banking manager for the new City National Bank in Buckhead, Georgia, and is responsible for the overall success of the business banking group in the Atlanta market. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management from UNG. Michael Faass, ’13, was recently hired as the new town administrator of Dresden, Maine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in public administration from UNG. Sam Abrahart, ’13, founder and CEO of the Mayfair Group, has pivoted the company to an e-commerce platform, and a sought after fashion brand. The company’s fashion wear has been seen on celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, L.A. Laker Dwight Howard, Bella Hadid, and Sophie Turner. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from UNG and also was on the UNG soccer team. Allison Jones, ’17, was chosen as one of seven finalists for the 2021 Teacher of the Year Award for Forsyth County Schools. Jones is a teacher at Cumming Elementary School.
Harrison Murdoch, ’19, is a new officer with the Dalton Police Department. Officer Murdoch earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UNG and is currently serving in the Georgia National Guard.
[L to R]: Honoree Capt. (Ret.) Edward “Rusty” Hightower, ’66; Carey Mitchell, ’66; Col. (Ret.) Jeff Dill, ’85; honoree Col. (Ret.) Wayne Dill, ’62; Col. (Ret.) Paul Wingo, ’78; Col. (Ret.) Gerald Lord, ’61
Retired Col. Wayne Dill, ’62, and retired Capt. Edward “Rusty” Holman Hightower, ’66, are the two latest UNG alumni inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame. Dill and Hightower served in Vietnam, and each is an inductee in the valor category.
Dill earned the Army Commendation Medal with “V” and Silver Star in 1966, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star with “V” device in 1969. He also serves on UNG’s Board of Trustees and has served on the Alumni Association board and the Corps Advisory Council.
Hightower was a Distinguished Military Graduate from UNG. His awards included the Silver Star, Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
UNG now has 15 of the 131 inductees in the Hall of Fame since its inception in 2013.
