CLASS NOTES

CLASSNOTES

Grange and Terry inducted into Army ROTC Hall of Fame

Two retired generals who are UNG alumni are among the 2021 Army ROTC Hall of Fame inductees.

Retired Brig. Gen. David Grange, ’69, and retired Lt. Gen. James Terry, ’78, both pointed to their time at UNG as the foundation for their long and decorated Army careers. Each commissioned into the Army’s infantry branch from UNG. “You learn how to lead when you’re in the Corps of Cadets,” Terry said. “You can’t help but do so. That set me on the course I’m on today.” Grange, who served in Vietnam, said his time in Dahlonega reaped tangible benefits for his soldiers in the midst of war. “In Vietnam, what I learned at UNG helped keep me and my soldiers alive,” Grange said.

The ROTC Hall of Fame was established in 2016 as part of the ROTC Centennial celebration. The Hall of Fame honors graduates of Army ROTC who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits.

UNG now has six inductees, including retired Lt. Gen. Burton Patrick, ’57, Mr. Bob Mathews, ’71, retired Maj. Gen. Alan “Bud” Thrasher, ’72, and retired Col. James “Tom” Palmer, ’73.

Retired Brig. Gen. David Grange Retired Lt. Gen. James Terry

1980s

Mark Landon, ’86, was appointed deputy director of the Office of Professional Development for the Georgia Department of Corrections. He began his career with the department as a public safety training manager in 2015.

Joey Pirkle, ’86, retired from the Forsyth County School System after 35 years. He started teaching at Orwell Middle School in Cumming, Georgia, in 1986 after earning his education degree from UNG.

1990s

Charity Clark, ’98, was appointed director of the Personnel Services Department for Forsyth County. Previously, she served as the risk and safety manager and was named Risk Professional of the Year in 2018 by the Georgia Public Risk Management Association.

2000s

Robert Fowler, ’03, was presented with the Guardian of Ethics award by the Gainesville Rotary Club. He also was named Man of the Year. Fowler is CEO of Turner Wood & Smith Insurance and currently serves as chair of the North Georgia Community Foundation.

Jason Brock, ’07, was named the director of school improvement and data analytics for Floyd County Schools. He previously worked in school systems in Whitfield and Gordon counties.

Allison Grubbs, 07, was named the new director of the Broward (Florida) County Library. She had served as the interim director since February 2021. Prior to that, Grubbs had been the assistant division director since joining the library in 2019.

Alumni serving in command earn new assignments, promotions

Katelyn Morton is one of the numerous UNG alumni who were either promoted or assigned a command post in 2021.

Navy Lt. j.g. Katelyn R. Morton, ’17, recently earned a promotion as an emergency trauma nurse currently assigned to Camp Lemonnier Expeditionary Medical Facility, Djibouti, Africa. She supports joint-service Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines as the role II emergency/trauma nurse and joint trauma program manager for the East African area of responsibility.

Army Lt. Col. Kitefre Oboho, ’02, assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia, in July. The Ranger Regiment is one of the elite special operations forces of the U.S. military.

Marine Lt. Col. Buck Perry, ’04, recently earned a promotion. He is an AH-1Z pilot assigned to the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, New Orleans. He supports the Marine Corps Reserves.

Coast Guard Commander Chris Presnell,

’97, recently earned a promotion. He serves at the Coast Guard’s Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama. After commissioning from UNG, he served nine years in the Army before joining the Coast Guard in 2006.

Army Col. Greta Railsback, ’99, took command of the Soldier Recovery Brigade National Capital Region at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, in June. She previously was the director of the Center for the Army Profession and Leadership at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Christopher J. Watkins, ’07, has joined Cheeley Law Group. Previously, he served as an attorney who handled wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases.

Earl “Chico” Porter

III, ’09, is hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness of veteran suicide. Porter was a Distinguished Military Graduate and the No. 1 cadet in the nation as a senior at UNG. A former Army Ranger, Porter established Something Outta Nothing, a project of the nonprofit Toughest Kids Inc. to help raise support for the effort. Porter hopes to raise $1 million to empower a multi-disciplinary fight against veteran suicide.

2010s

Emmy Lawalin, ’10, who goes by “Emmy Law” in the music industry, released “Bitter Heart,” in May. It is her second extended play album. Lawalin earned a music education degree from UNG and was a member

of the cross-country team. She earned All-Peach Belt Conference (PBC) honors in 2007 and PBC AllAcademic recognition in 2008.

Avram Allen, ’15, is the new girls’ soccer coach at Gainesville High School. Previously, he served as the assistant coach of the men’s soccer team at UNG. The native of Kingston, New York, also played for the Nighthawks for two years.

Truett Adams, ’19, was named the assistant coach of the Buford High School baseball team.

Williamson wins NSF’s graduate research fellowship award

UNG alumna Jasmine Williamson, ’18, knows without a doubt “if at first you don’t succeed, try again.”

After her third attempt, the former McNair Scholar won the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program award in March 2021.

“It’s an amazing graduate scholarship and one of the best,” Williamson said.

Thanks to the highly competitive and prestigious honor, she will receive up to $138,000 in funding for research. Williamson plans to design a research project featuring wildlife, which stems from her original research at UNG. She was involved in several projects with Jessy Patterson, lecturer of biology at UNG and one of her mentors.

“I will probably conduct research on salamanders or fish,” Williamson, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, said. “And I want it to feature conservation and management strategies.”

The 24-year-old from Cornelia, Georgia, credits UNG for her achievement. She said her membership in the Honors Program was instrumental.

“Jessy Patterson said I needed to apply again, because I would get feedback every time and I could improve,” Williamson said. “And I knew I wanted it.”

2020s

Jacob Smith, ’20, became editor of the Dawson County News in August. The weekly newspaper is based in Dawsonville, Georgia. Smith joined the news staff in March 2020. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a concentration in multimedia journalism.

Heather Luther, ’20, has joined the Gilmer Chamber as tourism and events manager. Luther earned a marketing degree from UNG. She provides social media management and tourism marketing for a variety of events, including Apple Blossom Festival, Georgia Mountain Warbird Weekend, Taste of Ellijay, Pick Ellijay and the Georgia Apple Festival. She is also the assistant manager for the Georgia Apple Festival.

Camile Dunn, ’21, joined Global Poultry as a field technician. She earned degrees in poultry science and business management from UNG. While in college, she interned with several poultry companies and gained valuable experience.

Weston McArthur, ’21,

joined the coaching staff at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas as assistant coach for athletic performance. Prior to his new job, he served as a graduate assistant strength coach at UNG where he oversaw the baseball, softball, men’s golf and rifle teams. McArthur also assisted with men’s and women’s basketball and women’s soccer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a master’s degree in kinesiology at UNG.