CLASS NOTES

As provided to the College from February–September 2022

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1960s

Ed Nichols, 1960, has published another fiction book, We’ll Talk Some More, A Collection of Southern Short Stories. The stories are set in the rural south, primarily Georgia. Each story captures the lives of ordinary people who find happiness, sorrow, revenge, job loss, death, and sometimes new beginnings. From the Civil War to present day, the stories describe vivid portraits of individuals, their homes, and their small towns. The book is for sale on Amazon and at local bookstores.

Kenneth Robbins, 1964, is pleased to announce that his latest novel, Three Hiroshimas, is available from Adelaide Books, NYC/ Lisbon, along with his collection of short stories, Christmas Brittle. Mostly retired, Ken currently holds the rank of Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Louisiana Tech University, where he teaches within the Honors Program. He lives with his wife, Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins, Charlotte Lewis Endowed Professor of English at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.

1970s

Terry Brown, 1974, commissioned a clay bust manufactured in India of Judge Young L.G. Harris, the College’s founder. His grandson, Ian Warwick, 2025, delivered it to campus where it is on display in the Zell B. Miller Library. It is Brown’s desire to have a granite bust of Judge Harris commissioned as well.

Phil Jones, 1976, is the author of the recently published book A Little Boy in Utopia, Georgia, comprised of 27 true episodes told from the eyes of a young boy who grew up in South Georgia in the 60s and attended YHC. Contact Phil at ptrain8@yahoo.com for the free sequel!

Marsha Begin Lewis,

1976, and husband Mike Lewis, 1977, co-owners of IPCO, Inc., have retired after 32 years of self-employment selling European auto parts. They plan on road tripping and cruising as much as possible!

Michael Landers, 1979, is now retired. He and his wife recently sold their house in Georgia, bought an RV, and moved to Lancaster, Ohio.

1980s

Michael Thomas, 1980, recently performed and completed a four-month Department of Defense deployment in support of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and the United States Embassy in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Thomas was also competitively selected for and attended the Harvard University Senior Executive Fellows (SEF) executive education program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mike was awarded a certificate of completion for the Senior Executive Fellows Program on April 29, 2022, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Executive Education.

Marlan Wilbanks, 1981, an accomplished attorney and philanthropist, was recognized with Habersham Central High School’s Lifetime Achievement Award more than 43 years since he graduated in 1979.

1990s

Mark Hodges, 1991, is now the Marketing & Communications Manager for Shriners Children’s Texas, a pediatric specialty hospital located in Galveston, Texas. Mark is also a Certified Tourism Ambassador for Galveston Island.

DJ Carter, 1996, married Amber Fender on January 15, 2022.

2000s

YHC Trustee Jason Norton, 2002, is in his 18th year as a professional in the financial services industry. In 2022, Norton was inducted into the LPL’s Chairman’s Club, an elite award presented to less than 5% of Norton Financial’s more than 19,000 financial advisors nationwide.

Nathan Hughes, 2013, graduated from Clemson University with a Master’s in Business Administration

Gina Dropp, 2015, returns as Adjunct Professor of Theatre at Young Harris College after serving as the department’s guest artist last spring. This semester, Gina is directing this fall’s drama, Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” and is joined by fellow alumna, Ashley Shepherd, 2013, who is the show’s costume designer. After graduating from YHC, Gina studied improvisation and sketch writing with The Second City and The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, and then she went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in Playwriting from Spaulding University. Soon after graduating, Ashley made her way to Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where she taught theatre and music. At BHS, Ashley directed, assistant directed, and costumed many plays, musicals, and variety shows. Gina and Ashley are grateful for the opportunity to give back to the department, students, and audiences of Theatre Young Harris, where they once performed and grew their lifelong love of theater. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to return to the Valley and collaborate as professional colleagues,” said Shepherd. “A Doll’s House” ran November 10–12 in Dobbs Theatre.