01_Berry Magazine - Summer 2009

Summer 2009

BERRY a magazine for alumni and friends of Berry College

On top of the world The adventures of mountaineer Josh Garner (04C)

Rider up Denise Wright (07C) helps through horses

Great promise Research scientist Susanna Fletcher Greer (94C) targets cancer

COVER PHOTO BY TERRY ALLEN

BERRY

Summer 2009 Volume 95, Number 3

Features 12

On top of the world Josh Garner (04C) chooses a life of adventure

16

Rider up Denise Wright (07C) turns unique degree into dream job

18

16

Great promise Susanna Fletcher Greer’s (94C) cancer research recognized, supported

Departments 2

News of Note • Commencement 2009: Barry Griswell takes podium with bestselling book • $4 million gift launches Gate of Opportunity Scholarship program • Student-operated campus enterprises are up and running

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• Former NFL coach Tony Dungy puts “super” in Shatto Lecture

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President’s Essay Experiencing work firsthand

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Always Berry • Audrey B. Morgan joins ranks of great women in Berry history • Give and get: Charitable gift annuities provide life income

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Class Notes • Maurice Thompson (40c) conquers 5K race at age 92

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Gifts

The summit ridge of Alaska’s Mount McKinley as seen through the lens of mountaineer Josh Garner.

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News

of

Note

BERRY magazine Published three times per year for alumni and friends of Berry College Editor

Karilon L. Rogers Assistant Editor

Rick Woodall (93C) Always Berry

Debbie Rasure Design and Production

Shannon Biggers (81C) Photography

Paul O’Mara and Alan Storey Class Notes and Gifts Listings

Justin Karch (01C) and Rose Nix

’09

Contact Information

E-mail: krogers@berry.edu Mail: Berry magazine, P.O. Box 490069, Mount Berry, GA 30149 Class Notes and Change of Address:

E-mail to alumni@berry.edu; via online community at www.berry.edu/alumni; or mail to Berry Alumni Office, P.O. Box 495018, Mount Berry, GA 30149.

Berry Alumni Association

President: Frances Richey-Goldby (83A, 87C) Past President: Bill Roseen (78C) Vice Presidents: Alumni Events, Patrick Carter (91C); Association Awards, Clara McRae (60C); Berry Heritage, Allyson Chambers (80C, 84G); Financial Support, Barbara Pickle-McCollum (79C); Young Alumni and Student Relations, Andrew Landis (91C) Parliamentarian: Bart Cox (92C) Secretary: Kimberly Terrell (04C, 06G, FS) Chaplain: Valerie Loner (91C) Director of Alumni Relations

Chris Watters (89C) Assistant Vice President for Public Relations and Marketing

Jeanne Mathews Vice President for Advancement

Bettyann O’Neill President

Stephen R. Briggs #692/08-09

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Spring commencement D uring spring commencement 2009, 278 new Berry graduates had the opportunity to hear words of advice and encouragement from a fellow alumnus who not only is known for his business acumen and commitment to community service, but who also has become a best-selling author. Commencement speaker Barry Griswell’s (71C) new book, The Adversity Paradox, An Unconventional Guide to Uncommon Business Success, debuted at No. 8 on the Wall Street Journal’s business bestseller list.

Mr. Griswell is board member, former chair and retired CEO of The Principal Financial Group, as well as president of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines (Iowa). The 2003 Horatio Alger Association

Distinguished American Award winner has achieved a high level of business and personal success because of – not in spite of – the adversity in his life. He co-authored The Adversity Paradox with Bob Jennings to share the stories of a wide variety of successful businessmen and women who have channeled lessons learned from difficulty into high levels of success.

Mr. Griswell’s volunteer service has been varied and extensive, resulting in such honors as the 2004 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the 2004 Central Iowa Philanthropic Award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser and the 2008 Americans for the Arts’ Corporate Citizenship in the Arts Award. In May 2009, he was inducted into the Boys and Girls Club Alumni Hall of Fame.

Mr. Griswell is a member of the Berry College Board of Trustees and a winner of the Berry Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award; his wife, Michele Irwin Griswell (70C), is a former member of the college’s Board of Visitors. Both are generous, active supporters of college initiatives.

Dickey, Sibley awarded honorary doctorates Honorary doctorates were bestowed during the commencement ceremony on two very special, longtime friends of Berry: Dr. Ouida Word Dickey (50C, FFS) and Trustee Emeritus James M. Sibley.

Dr. Dickey’s career has been defined by distinguished service

PHOTOS BY ALAN STOREY

Honorary doctorates were bestowed on Dr. Ouida Word Dickey (50C, FFS), left, and Trustee Emeritus James M. Sibley.

ALAN STOREY

to her alma mater. During her 43 years on the faculty, she made a name for herself as an awardwinning educator, mentor and administrator. Her accomplishments are numerous and include helping to initiate the study of computer science at Berry, establishment of Berry’s Executive Round Table and serving as founding director of the Center for Economic Education. Today, she holds the honorary title of professor of business and dean of academic services emerita in recognition of her many achievements.

Since her 1999 retirement,

Dr. Dickey has continued to support her alma mater in many ways. She has edited, authored or co-authored four books about Berry and has served two years as president of the Berry Alumni Association.

Dr. Dickey’s husband, the late Garland Dickey, pioneered Berry’s athletic programs with his brother, Ed. Her daughters, Angela and Jennifer, attended both high school and college at Berry before going on to successful careers in their own right, Angela as a foreign services officer and Jennifer as a historian and college professor.

Mr. Sibley is a retired law partner of King & Spalding, Atlanta, and a Berry College trustee emeritus. He was appointed to Berry’s board in

1967, succeeding his father, the late John A. Sibley, who served from 1935 to 1967. Together, the two men have been integral to the leadership of the college for 74 of Berry’s 107 years.

Mr. Sibley was one of the board’s most active members and one of Berry’s most energetic advocates. Throughout his tenure, he gave his time and resources to ensure the advancement of Berry’s threefold mission of academic excellence, practical work experience and service to others.

He vigorously supported Berry’s emphasis on work and special outreach to academically qualified students with financial need. In 1973, he became vice chairman of the board; from 1983 to 1990, he served as chair.

Even after leaving active board service, Mr. Sibley has remained a critical adviser to Berry’s leaders.

Few Georgians have as distinguished a record of business leadership and civic service as does Mr. Sibley. He has served as a director for The Coca-Cola Co., Sun-Trust Bank and many other businesses and has been a trustee of such organizations as the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation and the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation.

His leadership and advisory assistance to non-profit organizations is extensive.

Mr. Sibley and his wife of 67 years, Karen Norris Sibley, have five children. They reside in Atlanta.

$4 million pledge launches Gate of Opportunity Scholarship program

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udrey B. Morgan, an Atlanta philanthropist and member of the Berry College Board of Visitors, has made one of the largest individual gifts to scholarships in Berry’s 107-year history. She has pledged $4 million, the bulk of which has launched the new Gate of Opportunity Scholarship initiative at Berry.

The remainder is directed to the Cage Center project, which remains the college’s No. 1 funding priority.

Mrs. Morgan’s generosity has placed her among a special circle of women who have been

transformational benefactors for the institution. To honor her, one of the two new residence halls soon to be completed adjacent to the Ladd Center will bear the name Audrey B. Morgan Hall.

“Audrey Morgan understands the value of Berry’s distinctive educational approach, and she shares our values,” said Berry President Stephen R. Briggs.

“We are grateful beyond words for her commitment and her investment in the future of deserving students.”

The Gate of Opportunity Scholarship initiative targets students willing to work hard in exchange for a first-rate education and the chance to graduate debt free. Rooted in the rich history of Berry, the scholarships are designed to meet

the needs of students entering a difficult economic environment in the 21st century.

The scholarships represent partnerships among students and their families, Berry College, and often, donors with a deep belief in Berry’s mission. All contribute to the cost of the student’s education, with the student portion generated through participation in Berry’s premier work experience program.

(Please see the President’s Essay on page 10.)

Mrs. Morgan’s generous pledge was announced during the February Scholarship Night dinner; a student-focused on-site naming ceremony for the residence hall was held earlier that day. For more about this special friend of Berry, please see our full coverage on page 21.

SUMMER 2009

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Students get firsthand experience running campus enterprises

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erry’s work experience program took a major step forward recently thanks to a new strategic initiative focused on developing student-operated business enterprises on Berry’s campus. Nine pilot projects already are under way, according to Rufus Massey (75C), assistant vice president for enterprise development.

Rufus is charged with overseeing the new program and helping students get their enterprises off the ground.

“This new initiative adds a

complementary layer of depth to our students’ work experience options,” Rufus said. “It has grown out of the college’s strategic plans for enriching the uniqueness of a Berry education, strengthening and growing campus business enterprises, and building the nation’s premier work experience program.”

Students already have begun to develop, manage and/or comanage pilot projects, and a student team of business support “consultants” has been formulated. Positions available to

students range from project manager to marketing manager and from accountant to Web designer.

Pilot projects in various stages of development include the sale of Angus beef, Jersey beef and Jersey milk, as well as an organic garden and a bike repair and rental operation.

In addition, students are developing an online store of Berry alumni merchandise as part of the Oak Hill Gift Shop, comanaging the Cottages at Berry and creating a business around

the sale of embryos produced by the Berry Dairy’s award-winning herd.

Much more about this exciting new initiative is planned for the next issue of Berry.

ALAN STOREY

Half-marathon a smashing success

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he second-annual Berry Half-Marathon drew 1,550 participants March 7, nearly doubling the number who took part last year.

Runners and walkers, ranging in age from 5 to 93 and representing 17 different states and Canada, began arriving well before dawn for the day’s events.

Included were the signature half-marathon, 10K and 5K road races, and a children’s fun run. See page 27 for a story about senior participant Maurice Thompson (40c).

If you missed this year’s races, mark your calendar now: the third-annual Berry Half-Marathon is set for March 6, 2010.

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Berry

people Honoring excellence r. Kay Gardner and Alan Storey were recognized with this year’s prestigious Martindale Awards of Distinction, which were endowed by Larry and Susan Byrd (73C) Martindale to recognize superior contributions in advancing the college’s mission.

Kay is retiring assistant professor and chair of foreign languages, who also served as Berry’s first director of international programs. Alan has served Berry in numerous positions, including director of public information and executive assistant to the president. Currently, he is director of photographic services and community relations.

Others receiving 2008-09 awards included: •Dr. Todd Timberlake, associate professor of physics, Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award •Dr. Martin Goldberg, senior lecturer, animal science, David and Lu Garrett Award for Meritorious Teaching •Dr. Michael Cooley, professor of English, rhetoric and writing and director of the Honors Program, Eleana M. Garrett Award for Meritorious Advising and Caring •Dr. Christine Anton, associate professor of foreign languages and director of the Language Resource Center, Mary S. and Samuel Poe Carden Award for

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No “Ordinary Man”

outstanding teaching, scholarship and service •Dr. John AzarDickens, visiting assistant professor of psychology, and Recipients of the 2009 Martindale Awards Dr. Eric Sands, are Dr. Kay Gardner and Alan Storey. assistant professor Michael Willis Thompson of government and (87C), managing partner for international studies, Faculty the accounting firm of Members of the Year (awarded Duggan & Massey in Atlanta; by the Student Government and Elena Droutzkoy Corso of Association) New York City, •Lindsey Taylor, coordinator of granddaughter of the late residence life, Staff Member of Princess Eugenia Ruspoli, the Year (awarded by the Martha Berry’s sister.

Student Government Association) Faculty Promotions •Andrea Jones, horticultural and Tenure technician, John R. Bertrand he following promotions Superior Work-Supervisor and tenure were Award recommended to and Six new members join approved by the Board of Board of Visitors Trustees in February. he Berry College Board of Promoted to full professor Visitors welcomed six new •Dr. Mary Clement, teacher members during its annual education meeting in April. The group •Dr. Frank Stephenson, includes five Berry alumni and economics one Berry family member.

Tenure and promoted to New to the board are John associate professor Duggan Eadie (83C), executive •Dr. Brian Carroll, vice president of wealth communication management services at Frost •Dr. Jeffrey Lidke, religion National Bank in San Antonio; and philosophy R. Jeffrey Field (81C), an •Dr. Michael Morgan, biology attorney with Jeff Field & •Dr. Julee Tate, foreign Associates in Scottdale, Ga.; languages Carlos A. González (79A), a Tenure partner with the legal firm of •Dr. Tommy Carnes, Vaughan & Evans in accounting and finance Cartersville, Ga.; Fred J. Tharpe Emerita faculty status (68A), senior project manager •Dr. Kay Gardner, foreign for Turner Properties in Atlanta; languages

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aul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager whose story provided the inspiration for the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda, will speak in the Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center on Sept. 29 as part of the Conson Wilson Lecture Series.

Rusesabagina sheltered more than 1,200 people during the 1994 bloodbath in Rwanda that resulted in the slaughter of 800,000 people. In his memoir, An Ordinary Man, Rusesabagina recounts the story of his life and the terror of the Rwandan genocide.

Rusesabagina’s book is the focus of Berry’s 2009 First-Year Reading Program for incoming students. All new students will receive a copy of An Ordinary Man at June orientation. In August, they will join their firstyear seminar classmates for a dinner discussion of the text. His appearance on campus is in conjunction with Rome/Floyd County’s 2009 One Book/Many Voices literacy initiative. Watch future issues of the Alumni Accent for more details.

SUMMER 2009

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ALAN STOREY

Natasha Trethewey

Marsha Norman

Southern Women Writers Conference returns Sept. 24-26

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ome of the top names in Southern literature will converge on the Berry campus Sept. 24-26 for the Eighth Biennial Southern Women Writers Conference.

The theme for this year’s event is “Many Souths: Remembering, Sustaining, Creating.”

Headliners include two Pulitzer Prize winners: poet Natasha Trethewey and playwright Marsha Norman. Also in attendance will be renowned Flannery O’Connor expert Sarah

Gordon, whose presentation is made possible through a generous lecture endowment established by Barbara (61C) and Bowen H. “Buzz” McCoy. Other scheduled participants include Judith Ortiz Cofer, Allison Hedge Coke, Natalie Daise, Thulani Davis, Connie May Fowler, Melissa Fay Greene, Sharyn McCrumb and Mab Segrest.

Online registration is available at www.berry.edu/ swwc2009.

Reason to celebrate! Berry magazine among region’s best

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or the fifth time in its six-year history, Berry magazine has been lauded as one of the best alumni publications in the Southeast by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Berry captured the top award given in its category this year, sharing Award of Excellence honors with the Duke University Divinity School, University of Richmond and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The magazine competes with publications of colleges, universities and schools within universities with enrollments of 5,000 or fewer students.

The magazine award was one of three claimed by Berry staff in 2009. Also honored were two invitations designed by Shannon Biggers (81C).

Follow us on Twitter!

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n a continuing effort to strengthen ties with Berry alumni and friends, college news is now available via Twitter. To receive our “tweets,” simply go to http://twitter.com/berrycollege.

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ALAN STOREY PAUL O’MARA

You have to be prepared for adversity. You have to expect those challenges to come up.

ALAN STOREY

Former NFL coach speaks to capacity crowd at the Cage

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ll roads led to Berry on April 16 as a crowd of 2,000 packed the Cage Center for the third-annual Gloria Shatto Lecture featuring former NFL head coach and bestselling author Tony Dungy.

Students, faculty, staff and alumni were joined by hundreds of off-campus guests, some of whom drove from as far away as Anniston, Ala., and Knoxville, Tenn., to hear Dungy speak.

The history-making coach did not disappoint, inspiring laughter and applause during an hour-long presentation that included a lengthy question-and-answer session.

In his opening, Dungy noted of Berry, “You’re more famous than you might think,” while recounting stories of people he had met around the country who knew he would be speaking on campus.

Using stories from his playing and coaching days to illustrate the critical role perseverance plays in living a winning life, the first black coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory stressed the importance of having a worthy goal, preparing for adversity, relying on others and, most of all, possessing a strong faith in God. During his visit, Dungy also took the time to interact with students through a special forum moderated by Dr. Bob Frank, associate professor and department chair of communication.

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UT O Green is the thing

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erry College ranked 6th out of 293 competing schools in the “Per Capita Classic” category of the national Recyclemania competition. The category ranks institutions based on the amount of acceptable recyclables collected per person.

Berry also performed well in the “Grand Championship” category, which measures each school’s recycling rate as a percentage of its overall waste generation, ranking 55th out of 206 schools with a recycling rate of 35 percent.

Participation in Recyclemania is just one of many ways Berry faculty, staff and students are helping the college move toward carbon neutrality.

Never too young to

make a difference F

reshman Brin Enterkin made the cover of Fayette Woman magazine last fall after raising funds to establish a school in rural Cambodia. Inspired by a television news report about the impoverished conditions in that country, Brin was able to raise $17,000 to help fund a school in the village of Kon Trac.

In June 2008, she flew with her family to Cambodia for the official dedication of the school, which she named after her parents, Steve and Mary Enterkin.

“Anyone anywhere is capable of helping somebody,” Brin told the Fayette Daily News. “I hope people will see that if I can do something like this, anyone can.”

Brin’s sense of service followed her to Berry, and this summer she is in a rural village of Uganda teaching women microfinancing, a concept through which loans of less than $50 can help individuals build their own businesses and become self-supporting. As part of her Berry-funded service trip, she also spends two days a week providing comfort to patients in an AIDS/HIV clinic.

Berry’s Bell is “university teacher”

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r. Steven Bell, professor of psychology, has been awarded the Rotary Foundation’s District 6910 Grant for University Teachers and will spend spring semester 2010 teaching in Israel. He will be with the teacher-education program in the West Bank’s Birzeit University. In addition, Steve will be working at the Holy Child School in Bethlehem with children who have suffered trauma.

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ope Stallings (09C) capped a memorable year for the Berry College Forensics Union with a performance for the ages at the Interstate Oratory Contest. Dr. Randy Richardson, lecturer of communication and director of forensics, credited Hope’s “impeccable research and engaging delivery” with helping her to overcome all challengers and win the nation’s oldest and

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most prestigious intercollegiate speech competition, held this year on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Hope was the only finisher in the top six who did not represent a major state university.

Hope’s national championship was the third won

by Berry speakers in 2009. Earlier, sophomore Joshua Roye and senior John Hall claimed individual titles while also pacing a top-five team performance at Novice

Nationals. Berry also sustained its dominance at the state level, winning the Georgia Intercollegiate Forensics Association tournament for the 15th consecutive year.

Not to be outdone, the Campus Carrier won seven awards in this year’s Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest, including five staff honors in the Senior B Division (for schools with enrollments under 8,000) and two individual accolades, which came in competition with fouryear institutions of all enrollments.

ALAN STOREY

Spectacular speaker! Berry student wins national oratory crown

!

STANDING Meeting the (dairy) challenge

role in the education of countless students by developing horticulture curriculum and teaching materials, as well as establishing greenhouses at many schools.

Artist in any medium

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arry Musselwhite earned semifinalist honors in Hollywood’s Kairos Prize screenwriting competition for Martha Berry, a biopic screenplay. The longtime faculty member is senior lecturer of music and director of choral activities for Berry’s fine arts program and also serves as executive director of the Rome (Ga.) International Film Festival.

Editor of editors

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r. Kim Powell (87C) has been appointed editor of Communication Studies, a regional communication journal that is regarded as one of the top five journals in the field. She will serve in this position from 2010-13. Kim is professor of communication studies at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, her academic home for 17 years. She is the author of Living Miracles: Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies, has served as editor of the award-winning Iowa Journal of Communication for the last nine years, and recently taught and studied under a Fulbright Fellowship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

tudents representing the Berry College Dairy once again solidified their reputation as some of the nation’s best with their performance in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge Regional Competition in Statesville, N.C. Competing alongside dairy science majors from large universities across the Southeast, two Berry students earned platinum rankings – the highest distinction possible – in recognition of their efforts.

Other institutions represented in the competition included the University of Florida, Clemson, Louisiana State, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech.

Peer Educators without peer

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or the third consecutive year, Berry College Peer Educators have received the Outstanding Chapter Award for Area 9 of the BACCHUS/Gamma Peer Education Network for their efforts to provide information and insight to their fellow students on such topics as substance abuse and prevention.

Other schools in the region include the University of Georgia, Clemson, the University of Miami and Florida State.

Agricultural honor

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ilbert Underwood (53C) has been inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Education Hall of Fame in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished service.

Gilbert blazed new trails as the first area horticulture teacher in Georgia, playing an instrumental

Fulbright for France

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ALAN STOREY

ALAN STOREY

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tephanie Tucker (09C) has been awarded a Research Fulbright to fund her proposal to promote cooperative efforts between France and the United States through chemical research pertaining to the development of new energy sources. The chemistry major and French minor also will be working to increase cultural exchange in academics through volunteer work in French high school chemistry classes.

Good citizens

In the name of

liberty T

he communication department recently earned a $5,000 grant from the Liberty Tree Campus Initiative, a project funded by the McCormick Foundation to develop thought-provoking programs about the First Amendment. The resulting celebration, Liberty Tree Week@Berry, featured presentations, exhibitions and performances that focused on banned books and music, religious expression and freedom of information, as well as a keynote address by Ken Paulson, former editor and senior vice president of news for USA Today.

A large Liberty Tree elm was planted in front of Evans Hall to commemorate the spot near Boston Commons where, in 1765, America’s earliest patriots first spoke of the need for a new nation founded on liberty.

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he Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) honored Berry with its 2008 Corporate Citizen Award for assistance with water monitoring and testing. According to Dr. David Promis, CRBI program coordinator, Associate Professor of Biology Chris Hall and his student staff provided the type of “quality control and quality assurance” needed for the testing of coliform bacteria in local streams, while Berry Bonner Scholars helped with water monitoring, research and data collection, and other tasks.

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President’s

Essay

Dr. Stephen R. Briggs

Experiencing work firsthand

“

Our goal is to provide the premier program in the nation for the benefit of our students and as a model for other educational institutions.

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erry College stands apart from other colleges and universities today in large part because of our century-long commitment to meaningful work as an integral component in our students’ educational experience. Because of our work experience program, Berry students have the opportunity to gain important life lessons about personal and social responsibility, determination, and resourcefulness, as well as valuable skills involving the management of time, people and projects.

Firsthand work experience sets Berry students apart when applying for jobs and graduate-school programs. More importantly, with guidance, it can encourage them to pursue lives of passion and purpose. As our visionary founder, Martha Berry, grasped intuitively, intellectual skills and practical skills can be combined to powerful effect in molding people known for their work ethic, moral character, integrity, ingenuity and willingness to serve – especially when these skills are developed in a community that encourages faith-based values.

The face of work at Berry has changed with each passing decade, yet the concept of meaningful work done well has always been preserved, nurtured and shaped to meet our students’ needs. Today, society’s esteem for meaningful, ethically performed work is

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growing as the pitfalls of its antithesis become clear. The world needs more of the character of a Berry education, and it needs more citizens engaged in work not simply for what they can get, but fundamentally for what they can give.

Always a leader in the comprehensive development of students – in providing an education of the head, heart and hands – Berry College now is taking the next step in the evolution of our work experience program. Our goal is to provide the premier program in the nation for the benefit of our

From its inception

, Berry College has pursued an unusual path. Our educational plan combines challenging academic programs with meaningful work experience to foster in students a sense of direction and seriousness of purpose. The Berry plan guides students to acquire a rich variety of experiences relevant to their interests and strengths and to develop a strong sense of confidence and personal responsibility. Most importantly, it calls each student to consider how he or she might live a life of lasting value to others.

”

students and as a model for other educational institutions. We also intend to capitalize on the program to help growing numbers of hardworking students attend Berry. Countless students have graduated from Berry over the years because of the availability of campus jobs; given the recent economic unrest, the number of students needing such assistance is again growing dramatically. The question arises, “Is it still possible for a student to work his or her way through Berry?” In this moment of economic uncertainty and hardship in our nation, and with the support of alumni and friends, Berry boldly answers, “Yes.” Four complementary initiatives, as described on the next page, will provide the basis for establishing Berry’s work experience program as a national model. Each will enhance our students’ academic studies and challenge them to develop the skills needed to become leaders in their communities and chosen fields of endeavor; one will enable students to literally work their way through school. All will give Berry students the opportunity to acquire firsthand the insights, experiences and values that will lead them to serve society responsibly as they pursue their own life’s passions. Once again, Berry’s forward progress is rooted deeply in the principles and achievements of its past. B

College Operations

The Student-Operated Berry College Campus Work Experience Enterprises

Student-Owned Entrepreneurial Businesses

Program

Gate of Opportunity Program

A four-pronged approach to a premier program

1

College Operations will continue to provide the primary context for Berry’s traditional but increasingly developmental work experience program, in which students hold meaningful, responsible positions in regular areas of campus operations and services. Students can build their participation over time from entry-level service jobs to apprentice-like positions tied directly to their academic or career aspirations. They are evaluated each semester according to defined performance standards and are rewarded with increasing levels of pay and responsibility, based on meritorious work. They will graduate with a work transcript as well as an academic transcript.

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Student-Operated Campus Enterprises represent an exciting new component of our work experience program involving the development and ongoing operation of campus enterprises by student teams

with a staff or faculty mentor/co-manager. These student-managed enterprises include businesses distinct to Berry but not required for core college operations, such as cottage rentals; the sale of milk, beef and genetic services from our farm; an organic garden; and bike rentals and repairs.

Students also are creating experimental enterprises based on their own areas of interest.

Currently, nine pilot projects are up and running.

3

Student-Owned Entrepreneurial Businesses are developed through the academic-based entrepreneurship program in Berry’s Campbell School of Business. A newly established business incubator is helping students launch successful businesses that they own and can take with them upon graduation. The next step in student support is the full establishment of Entrepreneurship@Berry, a

center designed to help all interested Berry students explore and fully develop their entrepreneurship abilities and potential.

The Gate of Opportunity Scholarship Program offers highly motivated students willing to work their way through college the chance to experience the fullness of Berry College firsthand and to graduate debt-free. As a core principle, Berry strives to keep its cost affordable, offering a top-quality education at a cost that is considerably less expensive than comparable institutions, as well as generous, need-based financial-aid packages. Yet, for many deserving middle-income students, the cost of a Berry education seems prohibitive since they must rely on substantial loans. A moderate level of debt may be appropriate in some instances, but for others it is not

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appropriate or advisable.

Through the Gate of Opportunity Scholarship program, four-year scholarships are provided, each of which represents a partnership among the student, his or her family, Berry and a benefactor with a deep belief in Berry’s mission.

Each partner contributes to the cost of the student’s education.

The student earns his or her share through a total of 4,800 hours of progressively more responsible participation in the work experience program over the course of four years, including full-time work over breaks and holidays. Recipients normally are expected to rise to leadership positions in studentoperated campus enterprises or college operations. Each student is assisted in developing an integrated four-year plan that includes study, work and personal development, as well as valuable mentoring experiences.

SUMMER 2009

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On top of the

world

by RICK WOODALL photography provided by JOSH GARNER

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As a college student, Josh Garner knew what it was like to live at the foot of a mountain. These days, some of his most exhilarating moments are spent on top of them. ▲

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irst as a recreational climber and later as a professional guide, Josh Garner (04C) has experienced sensations that most people can only imagine. He has climbed the tallest peaks on three continents – North America’s Mount McKinley (also known as Denali), South America’s Aconcagua and Africa’s Kilimanjaro – and aspires to even greater heights.

“Climbing is in my blood now,” he explained, “so there will always be another mountain.”

First steps Josh didn’t come to Berry to be a mountain climber. The Memphis native, who grew up in South Carolina before moving to Atlanta in 1996, was drawn to the world’s largest college campus by the promise of a WinShape Scholarship and the financial support it would provide. It was only after he arrived that he discovered the thrill of rock climbing, first on the cliffs of Sand Rock, Ala., and later

Left, Josh Garner summits Scott Peak in Alaska’s Denali National Park. Above, Josh (left) and fellow mountaineer and Berry graduate Chris Erickson on top of Mount McKinley.

at other sites in Georgia and Tennessee.

“That was totally new for me,” Josh recalled of his first trip to Sand Rock with classmate Michael Webb (02C). “A few friends of ours had been up there before, and we decided to check it out.”

At the time, Josh and Michael had little more than youthful enthusiasm to carry them to the top of the bluff. Looking back from the perspective of an experienced professional climber, Josh can’t help but laugh at their good fortune.

“We were total amateurs when we first went out there,” he said. “We were just climbing in normal tennis shoes and barely had enough gear to make it safe. It’s amazing that I got through that period without any major injuries.”

But get through it he did. And with each successive climb, Josh built confidence and gained the experience he would need to make the next one. After Michael graduated, Josh

recruited other Berry students to share his hobby. All the while, his mother looked on with concern from the family home in Lawrenceville, Ga. “I believe the phrase that she has used time and time again is, ‘My son, you’ve definitely increased my prayer life,’” Josh laughed. “She wasn’t too excited about it at first. My dad is much more adventurous and much more of a risk taker. He thought it was great.”

North to Alaska By the time Josh earned his interdisciplinary studies degree in 2004, he was ready to trade his view of Lavender Mountain for something taller. An avid traveler who has visited all 50 states and 21 foreign countries, Josh set off for Alaska with former roommate Chris Erickson (03C) to spend the summer working at the Grand Denali Lodge, located in the shadow of Mount McKinley. Once they got there, it didn’t take long for the two adventurers to set their sights on the 20,320-foot peak that

SUMMER 2009

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Climbing is in my blood now, so there will always be another mountain.

▲ Josh Garner poses for a photo atop Kilimanjaro’s Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.

serves as the centerpiece of Denali National Park.

“I think we kind of had an idea of how serious it was going to be, but not really,” Josh stated, recalling that the idea of climbing Mount McKinley had first come up during planning for a 2001 backpacking trip to the area.

As plans began to take shape for a spring 2005 expedition, the two Berry grads found motivation in the stories told by newfound friend Jimmie Hendricks, a fellow Georgian who had moved to Alaska as a homesteader years earlier.

“He drove to Alaska and built a cabin up there, then climbed Mount McKinley from the cabin he built,” Josh related. “We saw this guy, from the same place as us, who had the same passions. We got to be pretty good friends with him and saw his ‘Climb Denali’ presentation five or six times; we were just mesmerized by it.

“We ended up tapping into that resource and talking to Jimmie quite a bit. He was a big inspiration for us to make this dream come true.”

Day to remember While Hendricks provided both knowledge and inspiration, Josh and Chris realized that they would need to hone their skills before assaulting North America’s

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tallest peak. A climb to the top of Alaska’s Mount Pendleton (7,840 feet) provided much-needed glacier experience that summer.

More training followed during a winter stay in Montana. When spring arrived, it was time to load up Chris’ 1998 Ford Escort and begin the drive up the ALCAN Highway toward Mount McKinley. The duo stopped briefly in Haines, Alaska, for a crevasse rescue course – “Much to the approval of our respective family and friends,” Josh noted – before arriving at base camp on May 20, 2005.

The two climbers set out across the west buttress of the mountain with enough supplies for 39 days (the trip actually takes three weeks). As it turned out, the extra weight was just one of the challenges they would face on the journey. Another was the broken stove that forced them to go without water or cooked food for 24 hours. Their only sustenance during that time was frozen candy bars. When the outlook was bleakest, however, an “11th hour miracle” took place – Josh pulled a random piece out of the stove and, to their amazement, it started working again.

As the climb progressed, the two also faced extreme temperatures, enduring lows of 40 below zero as they approached the top. At one point, they heard fellow climbers from Fairbanks, Alaska, exclaim, ‘Man, it’s cold up here.’ Their response, born of a lifetime in the South: “YEAH, WE KNOW!” Through it all, Josh and Chris pressed onward and upward, and at 7 p.m. on June 5, they finally reached their goal. Even now, four years later, the magnitude of the experience is

evident when Josh describes the scene: “I remember that last walk on the summit ridge, the last 20 minutes or so before we actually reached the top – it was incredible; it was overwhelming. Both of us, these hardcore boys from Georgia, broke down. We were crying like crazy. Tears were freezing to our faces.”

More than a hobby The successful ascent of Mount McKinley not only provided a lifetime of memories for the two climbers, but it also cemented for Josh that climbing was destined to be more than a hobby.

“I remember getting back down,” he recounted, “and thinking, ‘Man, I do kind of have a knack for this. I wouldn’t mind getting paid to do this sort of stuff.’”

As Josh weighed his options, Hurricane Katrina was lashing the Gulf Coast. Seeing a need, the two men loaded up the car once again and headed south to assist with relief efforts. By the time he returned to Alaska six months later, Josh had secured a job with Alaska Mountain Guides International.

In that position, Josh got his first taste of climbing abroad, first in Mexico and then Argentina. The latter provided the opportunity for him to get his feet wet in the “big leagues” by climbing the 22,841-foot Aconcagua, which holds the distinction of being the tallest mountain outside of Asia.

Josh was part of two expeditions on that peak, reaching the top on his second attempt.

Later, he traveled across the Atlantic to tackle Kilimanjaro, taking part in seven expeditions before a bout with malaria finally sidelined him.

Occupational hazards Although the unsanitary medical conditions he encountered after being evacuated off the face of Kilimanjaro still give him pause,

Why malaria isn’t the only obstacle Josh has faced during his years as a climber.

Also vivid in his mind are the fierce winds – estimated to be in excess of 100 mph – that lashed his climbing party at an altitude of 18,000 feet on the slopes of Aconcagua during his first attempt to summit that peak.

“We had five tents for the guides and clients combined,” Josh recalled. “Three tents just exploded in the storm and were totally wrecked. I ended up waking up in the middle of the night and sitting with my back up against the wall and bracing the wall of the tent. That’s the only reason the poles didn’t snap and our tent didn’t explode too.”

The climbers emerged from the ordeal with their health intact, but all hope of reaching the summit was lost.

“Regardless of whether it’s Day 1 or Day 21, if your gear gets shredded you’re done,” Josh explained. “There’s not an REI down the road so you can buy another tent.”

A new direction These days, Josh finds himself living in Portland, Ore., and working with troubled teens as a guide for Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Programs. In this role, he accompanies small groups of adolescents into wilderness areas of Oregon, California and Washington for three weeks of drug, alcohol and behavioral education. The job gives Josh the opportunity to help others while also indulging his love of the outdoors.

“I like it a lot,” he stated. “It’s very rewarding having the opportunity to give kids a chance to make some positive changes in their lives.”

When he’s not working as a guide for Catherine Freer, Josh can be found climbing peaks in the Cascade Range or taking part in some other outdoor activity. He’s still in touch with Chris, who now works as a ranger in Denali National Park. One day, Josh imagines himself teaching at a college that offers mountaineering as part of its outdoor education curriculum. In the meantime, he’ll continue looking for new adventures.

“I’m still getting after it whenever I can, and now I’ve got more time than ever to devote to it,” he said. “Living here – it’s a pretty great setup for me.” B

climb?

“

▲

I

t’s got to be a combination of things: adventure, solitude, challenge – to list a few. It’s so tangible too: you either finish the route or you don’t; you make it to the top or you don’t.

“I climb for lots of reasons.

Certainly, I love an adventure and a good challenge. The beauty of those places (deep in a crevasse, high up on the summit of a mountain, on an endless glacier) is often indescribable. Pictures never do it justice. I climb to push my limits – to see what I‘m capable of physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s a beautiful metaphor that can carry over to so many other areas of my life.

“I’ll never be able to understand how people are able to run marathons. I think that’s crazy! For me it seems impossible, and I have no desire to push myself in that way. It seems like such torture! I‘m sure most folks feel that way about what I do.

– Josh Garner (04C)

” SUMMER 2009

15

Rider up Denise Wright came to Berry unsure of what she wanted to do with her life; she left with a custommade degree and the job of her dreams.

D

enise Wright (07C) is lead instructor and director at Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center in Cleveland, Tenn., a nonprofit organization that uses certified and specially trained instructors to teach people with disabilities how to ride horses. Therapeutic riding helps people with disabilities develop motor skills and improve their balance, coordination and muscle control. It also helps build self-confidence and social skills.

“Anyone can learn to ride, no matter what their disability is,” Denise said.

“Disabled riders just use different equipment. Riding allows them to forget that they have a disability. For a while, they get to be like everyone else.”

Horses have always been a big part of Denise’s life. She grew up on a breeding farm for Arabian race horses and has been riding since she was 7 years old. She came to Berry because of the college’s strong equine program and rode on the Berry College equestrian team, competing in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association nationals in 2005 and 2007.

While at a horse show in 2004, Denise met Nancy Schmidt, then director of TriState Therapeutic Riding Center. Nancy quickly recruited Denise as a volunteer, and soon thereafter, Denise earned certification with the Certified Horsemanship Association and became an instructor at the center.

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by DEBBIE RASURE photography by VANESSA L. MCNEIL “She roped me into it, but the more I got into it, the more I realized it could become my career,” Denise said. “At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to work with people with disabilities, but I loved it. I realized it was the coolest way to put together my two favorite things: horses and helping people.”

Back at Berry, Denise worked with Dr. Carrie Baker, coordinator of interdisciplinary studies at that time, and Dr. Sarah Allred, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, to develop an individualized course of study focusing on the sociology, psychology and education of people with disabilities.

As part of her studies, Denise took an adapted physical education class, worked with special needs children at a local elementary school and did field study work at a day services facility for adults with mental retardation. She also performed an internship at Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center and then returned every summer as a volunteer instructor. In 2008, Denise earned certification from the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association and was offered her current position.

At the center, Denise teaches people of all ages with all kinds of disabilities and conditions, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, Down syndrome, autism, ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, spina bifida and many others.

“Riding empowers people with disabilities,” Denise said. “So many people with disabilities don’t have control over much in their lives, but they do have control over the horse. While they are on that horse, they aren’t focused on what they can’t do but on what they can do.”

Although horses have been a special interest of Denise’s since her childhood, she never considered a career involving horses until she came to Berry. Not only did she discover her passion at Berry, but she also had the freedom to create the perfect course of study to prepare for the job of her dreams.

“I don’t think many people my age get to do everything they love and do it so quickly,” Denise said. “Most of the time, people have to wait years before coming into something like this. I am truly blessed.” B

Most of the time, people have to wait years before coming into something like this.

I am truly blessed.

SUMMER 2009

17

Great promise

by KARILON L. ROGERS photography by TERRY ALLEN

Cancer researcher’s work recognized

C

ancer is too often deadly because it is stealthy: Its cells conceal their identity from the body’s immune system as they divide at will and mount their attack. In a very real sense, the healthy cells they invade never know what hit them.

Scientists today understand why cancer cells have the ability to launch these covert attacks but still are working to determine how. Once known, the components in the process and the mechanisms involved might someday be manipulated to trigger an aggressive immune response or used to develop a cancer vaccine. Berry graduate Dr. Susanna Fletcher Greer (94C) is at the forefront of this important research; her work is so promising, she is the only scientist in Georgia to receive a prestigious American Cancer Society (ACS) Research Scholar grant for 2009-12.

Susanna’s lab at Georgia State University, where she serves as assistant professor of biology, works in immune regulation of gene expression. She focuses on Major

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Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) proteins, antigens that normal cells produce and then “wear” on their surface. These proteins alert the immune system to the presence of pathogens and infected or malfunctioning cells.

If cells express too much MHC protein, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis result. Conversely, killer cancer cells enjoy a figurative cloak of invisibility because they often don’t produce or display these proteins at all.

Susanna’s lab has identified new cellular proteins, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) ases, which promote the transcription of MHC protein. Her team is working to uncover possible differences in the way cancer cells and normal cells regulate these proteins in hopes of finding the mechanism behind tumor cells’ ability to hide.

“This is basic science with a huge medical application,” Susanna explained. “I feel so fortunate to have this job and proud of the potential our work has to impact the fight against cancer. It is extremely rewarding.

Sometimes I walk into the lab and can’t believe it is mine.”

Susanna is one of only 166 investigators at 75 institutions nationwide to be selected for the ACS honor; the grant will provide $718,000 for her work over the next five years. Other significant funding she has attracted includes $250,000 as a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar and $700,000 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

It started with a scholarship A native of Newnan, Ga., Susanna came to Berry College on an academic scholarship; her parents had asked her to choose a college where her tuition would be at least partially covered.

“I’d been to a science fair at Berry while in high school and really liked it,” Susanna stated. “I wanted to go to a small school with small classrooms. Berry’s chemistry program was small but had excellent instrumentation – instrumentation that I would actually get to use.”

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19

“

This is basic science with a huge medical application. I feel so fortunate to have this job and proud of the potential our work has to impact the fight against cancer.

Although she worked as a teaching assistant in Berry’s chemistry labs through the college’s student work experience program, the world-class scientist is quick to point out that it was more providence than planning that led her to the lab in which she now takes such pride.

“In 1994, if you were a girl and good in science, everyone tried to get you to go to medical school,” Susanna said. “But I don’t like being around sick people, and I’m very impatient. I also knew I didn’t want to pursue higher degrees in chemistry.

“As I often explain to students who think they should know exactly what they want to do, my career evolved from a fluke. In my junior year, I was looking for a summer research program and had missed all the deadlines for chemistry. I found several opportunities for biology undergraduate research and picked the one farthest from home – at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.”

Susanna worked in the immunology lab of Dr. Louis Justement, who studied the mechanisms cells use to signal the nucleus about the need for antibodies, a process that occurs in the cytoplasm of a cell and is critical for immune response. She did well, winning the poster competition at the end of the summer program.

“I was a chemistry major and didn’t understand much about biology,” she laughed, “but I did understand the chemistry behind what his lab was working on.”

After graduating early at the age of 20 and serving a brief stint as head chemist for Hopton Technologies in Rome, Ga., she applied to her summer mentor, Dr. Justement, for a Ph.D. program in microbiology and immunology. She was accepted and worked

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with Dr. Justement for one year at the University of Texas Medical Branch before moving – when he relocated his lab – to the Wallace Tumor Institute of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

After she completed her doctorate, Susanna was accepted for a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship under Dr. Jenny Ting at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was during this time that her research shifted to gene transcription. During her four years in Dr. Ting’s lab, Susanna focused on the function of ubiquitin, which is best known for targeting proteins for destruction by large protein complexes called proteasomes. She was the first to demonstrate the intricate role ubiquitination plays in the regulation of gene transcription.

Full circle Susanna accepted her post at Georgia State for many reasons, not the least of which was the chance to come home. Both she and her husband, Chad (95C), a Rome native she met at Berry, are only children with families residing in the Atlanta area.

“My poor husband took three state bar exams for me,” Susanna chuckled, reflecting on their move from Alabama to North Carolina before settling in Decatur. A graduate of the Samford University Cumberland School of Law, Chad now is with Carlock, Copeland and Stair LLP in Atlanta. The couple has one son, Fletcher (3).

Susanna takes seriously her responsibility to give back, citing the great loss of scientists in this nation and how important the firsthand opportunities she had at Berry and with Dr. Justement were to her future career.

Once a year, she teaches immunology at the undergraduate level – time used to the

”

detriment of her work as a researcher – because she believes that teaching is the only way to interest young people in science careers. It is something she both needs and wants to do. She also works to make research opportunities available for undergraduates, serving as assistant director of a summer undergraduate research program involving 20 students. In addition, she provides a job in her lab to at least one undergraduate each year.

“It isn’t easy for an undergraduate to work in this lab because of the complexity of the research,” she said. “But I always have a waiting list of undergraduates, and I always give a job to at least one. For me, the cycle is important. Someone did it for me; now I must do it for others. I want to pass my love of science on to the next generation.”

Her work with undergraduates was recognized in 2005 with the American Society of Microbiology Undergraduate Mentoring Award. It is one of the honors she cherishes most.

She also has found mentoring the graduate students in her lab to be highly fulfilling; her first graduate student completed her Ph.D. program this spring.

“I can’t believe how rewarding it is to see these students grow into scholars,” she mused.

“I was not anticipating that at all. For so long, it had to be all about ‘me, me, me.’ Now it is not so much about me but about the graduate students who do so much of the work.”

Although she still has no interest in working directly in health care, Susanna couldn’t be more pleased that the “fluke” that shaped her career took her in the direction of cancer-related research. Her father and many members of her extended family have been affected by the disease.

“I’m a basic scientist driven by the search for knowledge,” she asserted. “But one thing we find could turn out to make a real difference in the clinical setting. The anticipation of that is thrilling.” B

AlwaysBERRY Building Tomorrow Today

ALAN STOREY

a

Audrey Morgan woman enterprise of

,

a woman of vision

by Debbie Rasure

A new name has been added to the prestigious list of enterprising and visionary women who have helped build Berry over the years and whose support has made it possible for generations of students to experience a Berry education firsthand.

With her pledge of $4 million to launch the Gate of Opportunity Scholarship program and support the Cage Center, Atlanta philanthropist and Berry Board of Visitors member Audrey B. Morgan has joined the ranks of such great women in Berry history as Leila Laughlin Carlisle, Kate Macy Ladd, Emily Vanderbilt Hammond, Clara Ford,

Mina Edison and Mary Reynolds Morton, in addition to founder Martha Berry herself.

Like those who came before her, Mrs. Morgan will touch the lives of countless Berry students; her pledge is one of the largest individual gifts for student scholarships in Berry history. In gratitude, Berry College officials have named one of the new residence

halls near the Ladd Center in her honor.

Audrey B. Morgan Hall will open this fall.

Although not a Berry alumna, Mrs. Morgan’s life story is similar to that of many Berry students of her era. She came from a large, very poor family of eight children, and her father was physically disabled. Surviving was the family’s focus; at an early age, each

32.5

THE CENTER OF IT ALL SUMMER 2009

million

26

19.5

6.5

THECAGE

13

Total raised as of April 30, 2009: $25,780,626

CAMPAIGN FOR

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ALAN STOREY

The campus community expressed gratitude for Mrs. Morgan’s support at the naming ceremony for Audrey B. Morgan Hall and with a standing ovation at the 2009 Scholarship Night dinner.

child was expected to work to help support the family. Education was not a priority, yet Mrs. Morgan had a deep thirst for knowledge and dreamed of someday going to college. It was a dream she never expected to fulfill.

When she was 17, her family moved to a new town and allowed her to stay behind with Orlin and Mae Harper, parents of one of her friends, to complete her senior year of high school. The Harpers soon grew to think of their young guest as a second daughter and, despite being poor themselves, wanted to give her the same opportunity that they were sacrificing to give to their own two children – a college education.

Through Mr. Harper’s connections within the Methodist church, young Audrey was offered a working scholarship at Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky. From there, she continued her education at Georgia State University, where she worked toward a degree in business management. The Harper’s son, George, attended Berry College.

At age 30, Mrs. Morgan and her husband, Jack, were offered what she calls “the career opportunity of a lifetime” and went into

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business with her sister, Dr. Bobbie Bailey.

Together they built a highly successful Atlanta-based air conditioning compressor business, Our-Way, Inc. The company’s core business was providing re-manufactured commercial compressors to large commercial applications such as grocery stores, hotels, schools, office buildings and even the International Space Station. It became a major supplier to Carrier Corporation and was sold to Carrier in 2001. At the time of the sale, Our-Way employed more than 350 people and had annual sales of more than $45 million.

“With a lot of hard work by everyone, our business was very successful,” Mrs. Morgan said. “And this success opened many doors of opportunity for my family and me, including forming the Audrey and Jack Morgan Foundation. My family has been greatly blessed, and this is our way of sharing these blessings with others.”

Through their foundation, the Morgans have provided help to disadvantaged children by supporting agencies dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and giving children a fair chance at life. They also continued their ongoing support of college scholarships, both to individuals and through endowed funds at colleges and universities.

“We chose to support education because it has the power to significantly transform lives,” Mrs. Morgan said. “My college experience made a profound impact on my life. Because of what that scholarship meant to me, I vowed that if I was ever able, I would help others experience their dream.”

She has kept that vow.

“Audrey Morgan understands deeply the value and dream of education,” Berry President Stephen R. Briggs stated. “Others sacrificed to provide her with the opportunity for an education, and she is now choosing to invest in the young people who will lead our communities in the years to come.”

Keeping the gate open Mrs. Morgan had been to Berry only once – in 1952 to attend George Harper’s graduation – before coming in 2001 to establish the Mae and Orlin Harper Endowed Scholarship to honor her “second family.” In 2004, the foundation endowed the Audrey B. Morgan Scholarship for business majors, and in 2006 Mrs. Morgan joined Berry’s Board of Visitors.

Mrs. Morgan’s most recent gift inaugurates a new family of scholarships that is rooted in the richness of Berry’s history. Gate of Opportunity Scholarships will allow hardworking students with financial need the chance to complete their Berry education without debt, in much the same way that students did throughout Berry’s earliest years.

(Please see President’s Essay on page 10.)

“As our relationships at Berry grew, we fell more and more in love with the school, its mission and its people,” Mrs. Morgan said.

“When we began to think about the legacy we wanted to leave through our foundation, we thought again of Berry ... its wonderful and rich history, its mission which embodies the values we believe in, and because of all of the fine people associated with the college, people who we know will keep the ‘Gate of Opportunity’ open for generations to come.” B

MAJORGIFTS A Giving remains strong despite economy lumni and friends continue to give generously to Berry – some in spite of the difficult economy, others because of it. Student need for scholarships and the work experience program soars during times of economic recession, and fully funding the Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center becomes all the more important as the college budget stretches to provide expanded student aid.

Berry College is deeply grateful for every single gift. Here we list gifts and pledges of $10,000 or more made between Nov. 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009.

American Cast Iron Pipe Co., $99,790 inkind gift of pipe Anonymous, $29,000 to support the general fund D. Randolph and Nancy Berry, $25,000 to support Berry Information Technology Students (B.I.T.S.) Doris Dickey Brooks (48C), $12,328 addition to the Edward Gray and Doris Cook Dickey Endowed Scholarship Bryson Foundation Ltd., $10,000 addition to the John R. and Margaret W. Faison Endowed Scholarship Chick-fil-A Inc./WinShape Centre, $181,074 addition to the Chick-fil-A Scholarship and $100,000 for the Cage Center William Enloe, $15,500 to support the Cage Center Franklin Gay (59C), $10,000 for the Cage Center

Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges Inc., $16,244 to support the general fund Jere W. Glover, $10,000 addition to the Reba Shropshire Wilson Endowed Scholarship Patsy Hunnicutt, $25,000 to establish the Stephen E. Orcutt Jr. Endowed Scholarship James E. Minge Charitable Trust, $78,684, including $75,954 to establish the James E. Minge Endowed Scholarship and $2,730 to the James E. Minge Expendable Scholarship Harold (60c) and Suzi Golden (60c) Kilpatrick Sr., $20,441 addition to their charitable remainder trust that ultimately will support Kilpatrick Commons Michelle Koltunovsky, $20,000 in-kind gift of a horse Lee Jones Lance (53C), $80,000 to create a charitable gift annuity that ultimately will support the Cage Center Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, $367,000 commitment to support the Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship Fund Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation, $10,000 to support student scholarships Bowen H. and Barbara Mote (61C) McCoy, $10,000 to support the general fund Thomas J. Mew III and Mary Ann Mew, $250,000 to create a charitable gift annuity that ultimately will support the Cage Center

Thank you Berry alumni!

Milton M. Ratner Foundation, $10,000 addition to the Milton M. Ratner Endowed Scholarship Audrey Morgan, $4 million commitment, $3 million to launch the Gate of Opportunity Scholarship program and $1 million for the Cage Center Milton A. (51C) and Frances P. (51C) Morgan, $12,500 addition to the Milton A. and Frances P. Morgan Endowed Scholarship Peter M. and Tamara Musser, $50,000, including a $15,000 addition to the Becky Musser Hosea Memorial Endowed Scholarship, $7,000 to the Becky Musser Hosea Expendable Scholarship and $28,000 for the Cage Center Jennie Floyd Pollard (48C), $10,000 for the general fund Larry Schoolar (55C), $25,000 to establish the Larry L. and Mary E. Schoolar Endowed Scholarship Southern Cattle Company, $79,300 in kind gift of horses and reproductive materials The Goizueta Foundation, $750,000 to create The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund 2008 Denise Tillman (82C), $10,000 to support the Cage Center Virgil P. Warren Foundation, $30,163 addition to the Virgil P. Warren Fund to support the Gunby Equine Center William H. Ellsworth Foundation, $10,000 for the Cage Center Bob (62H) and Kay Williams, $11,325 inkind gift of a truck

Bequests The Estate of Harold M. McCallum, unrestricted bequest Mable Slagle Trust, unrestricted bequest

B

erry alumni responded with such great enthusiasm to the Berry Alumni Association’s fundraising project, “100 years, 100 seats, $100,000,” that the project first exceeded the goal by $20,000. The association presented a check for $120,000 to Berry President Steve Briggs at the 2009 Founder’s Day celebration in January. The total since has grown to $121,000!

ALAN STOREY

CORRECTION: Ouida Dickey’s gift reported in the Spring 2009 issue of Berry was from the proceeds of One Hundred Years of Service, The Berry Alumni Association, not Berry College, a history, as stated. We apologize for the error.

SUMMER 2009

23

Q&A Charitable gift annuities:

M

any people in these troubled economic times are looking for creative ways to give to the charities that they love. Interest is so great that many leading financial magazines, such as Forbes, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and Estate Planning, recently have published articles outlining the benefits of many different types of charitable gifts.

Among the most popular giving options today are charitable gift annuities. Why? Because they benefit worthy causes and provide guaranteed income for life for their donors – often at rates much higher than can be achieved elsewhere.

We asked Roger W. Lusby III (79C) to help us explain how charitable gift annuities can benefit both Berry College and the donor. Roger is a CPA and tax partner at Frazier & Deeter LLC in Atlanta and is Roger W. Lusby III chairman of Berry’s Planned Giving Council. He also is a member of the Berry College Board of Trustees.

Q: What is a charitable gift annuity?

A: A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between an individual (the donor) and Berry College. In exchange for a gift of cash or securities, Berry agrees to pay one or two people, named by the donor, a fixed amount each year for life.

The older the designated person or persons (annuitants) are at the time the gift is made, the greater the fixed income Berry College can agree to pay. Payments can be structured to be made monthly, quarterly or annually. The donor also qualifies for a charitable deduction in the year the gift annuity is funded.

Q: Are these gifts or investments?

A: Gift annuities are first and foremost charitable gifts. While they do offer some investment benefits and a guaranteed income stream for life, charitable gift annuities primarily provide donors with more options for giving.

$100,000 Cash

Donor

6.3% Charitable Gift Annuity Remainder to Berry $132,261

Income tax deduction $42,482 Annual income $6,300

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giving and getting

Q: Is the income to the donor guaranteed, and when do Berry students benefit from the gift?

A: When a donor establishes a charitable gift annuity, the donated funds are managed and invested by the same experts who manage Berry’s endowment. The income for the annuitant(s) is paid from this pool of money. This income is a fixed amount guaranteed by the assets of Berry College, not the investment performance. When the annuitant(s) passes away, the annuity stops and the monies remaining in the pool come to Berry College to benefit its students.

Q: Can the donor restrict the use of the future funds?

A: Yes. In fact, this is most often the case.

Some donors establish new scholarships.

Recently, several have made gifts to support the Cage Center.

Q: How is this income calculated?

A: A not-for-profit group called the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA) publishes suggested payment rates for all charities. These payment rates – percentages of the amount donated – are based on age and are used to determine how much income the annuitant will receive. For example, the current annual payment rate for a 75 yearold single annuitant is 6.3 percent. This way, charities are not competing for donors by offering higher payouts.

Please see the illustration at left.

Q: How much money is required to establish a charitable gift annuity?

A: Gift annuities can be set up in amounts of $10,000 and above.

Q: Are there any variations on how gift annuities are structured?

A: Yes. Donors have many options when establishing these types of gifts. Younger donors still working sometimes elect to defer their income payments until a set date in the future. Other options include flexible and tuition gift annuities.

Q: Are gift annuities right for everyone who is charitably inclined?

A: They are right for most people but not for everyone. Gift annuities are irrevocable; consequently, donors must be sure that they discuss their plans with their financial advisor, investment manager or tax accountant.

Q: How can I start the process of establishing a gift annuity?

A: Speak directly to Scott Breithaupt (91C, 96G) at Berry College. Scott is an expert in gift annuities who can answer your questions and will keep your discussion confidential. Be sure to ask him about the first gift annuity he ever worked on. It was many years ago, and – with the donor’s permission – Scott tells the story fondly.

The donor, Ira Benoy, wanted his future gift to buy books on religion and philosophy for the Berry library. Scott and Ira became good friends through the process, and now Scott shows the library’s Benoy Collection with great pride. Ira’s story is what gift annuities are all about.

Helpful Web sites: • Forbes article – http://www.forbes.com/ personalfinance/forbes/2009/0112/046.html • American Council on Gift Annuities – www.acga-web.org •Berry College Gift Annuity Calculator – www.berry.edu/plannedgiving (Use the “create your own plan” link on the left navigation bar.) B

Pursuing her passion

I

f there was anything the late Siva Lee Burnette Pickelsimer (48C) loved more than learning – it was helping others to learn. She pursued that passion in life and now has furthered it in death. Over the course of her lifetime and through her will, the former high school assistant principal gave Berry College more than $1.6 million.

Siva Lee was one of a kind, according to her niece, Irene Beazley. “She always had a hunger for learning,” Irene stated. “And she wanted to do her part to help educate everyone.”

Siva Lee certainly “did her part” at Berry College. In addition to ongoing support for the Annual Fund and helping to fund special projects such as the science and math building, she established a scholarship for students who could not afford to come to Berry on their own but were willing to work to help pay their way.

“She loved her students,” remembered Will Enloe, Berry planned giving manager and a personal friend of Siva

“

Lee’s. “She saw the potential in every student but had a special affection for those with financial need because they reminded her of how she was when she came to Berry.”

Siva Lee grew up poor in the North Georgia mountains and worked her way through college, earning a degree in mathematics. After graduating from Berry, she taught English and math in Tennessee before returning to Georgia and teaching at Hapeville High School, where she later was named assistant principal.

“She believed so strongly in education that she wanted to find a way to continue to help students even after she was gone,” her niece concluded. “The Burnette Pickelsimer Scholarship was her way to ensure that the giving would continue.”

Named to honor both Siva Lee and her husband, Otis, the Burnette Pickelsimer Scholarship already has supported 21 students since its inception in 2000.

Currently, 11 students are benefitting from her generous gift – a number that will grow in the future because Siva Lee never stopped pursuing her passion. B

She loved her students.

She saw the potential

in every student but had a special affection for those with financial need because they

reminded her of how

she was when she came

”

to Berry.

SUMMER 2009

25

Class

Notes

Where

are they now?

1970s

Cynthia Stager McCormick (73C) received a Ph.D. in educational theory, policy and practice teaching and is an assistant professor of education at Louisiana State University.

1980s Deborah Gilcrest Lock (81c) earned her doctorate in education at Widener University in Chester, Pa. Deb is principal at Louis Pfaff Elementary School in Quakertown.

She, husband Cory E. Lock (78C), and children Travis, Morgan and Kodi reside in Doylestown.

Gregory R. Hanthorn (82C) has been named one of “Georgia’s Super Lawyers” in the area of business litigation by Atlanta Magazine and Law & Politics Media for the second year in a row. Only 5 percent of Georgia attorneys are chosen each year for this special recognition, which stems from peer nominations, a blue-ribbon review and independent research of candidates.

Greg is a partner at Jones Day’s

Class of 57C honors George W. Cofield (53H, 57C)

M

embers of the 57C class are establishing a new scholarship fund to support Berry students and honor the memory of class leader and Cabin Log editor George W. Cofield, who met an untimely death early in his career. Two classmates, Larry Eidson (57c) and Ed England (57C), are leading this effort and have agreed to match all contributions given through June 20, 2010, up to $12,500.

All Berry alumni – high school and college – who knew George are invited to contribute to the fund. For more information, please contact the Berry College advancement office at 877-461-0039 (toll free) or 706-236-2253.

26

BERRY

Atlanta office, active in the trial practice.

Harvey M. Blankenship (83C) and Charaman Campbell Blankenship (81C) were married Sept. 27 at Barnwell Chapel. The couple resides in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. Carolyn Owen Cohen (87C) has been named director of the student advisement center for Georgia State University. Previously, she served as associate athletic director and senior woman administrator for the Georgia State athletic department.

Carol, husband Dave, and sons Sam and Jack reside in Alpharetta.

1990s Benjamin Patrick McVey (90C) and wife Susan announce the Dec. 15, 2008, birth of son Preston David, weighing 11.7 pounds and measuring 24 inches long. Preston joined brother Jackson in the family’s Ellijay, Ga., home.

Michelle Edenfield Pittman (90C) has been named director of development for Georgia Southern University. Michelle resides in Statesboro with children Taylor (12) and Andrew (8).

Cedric Andre Callins (91C) has opened Facelogic Spa in Murphy, Texas.

Robert Joseph Gondolfo (91C) recently was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army.

Rob is a Green Beret who has served in the Army for 17 years, the last 12 of which have been spent in the Special Forces. He, wife Heike and son Nicholas reside in Stuttgart, Germany.

William J. Humphries (93C) and wife Elizabeth announce the July 18, 2008, birth of son Jackson Robert. The family resides in Atlanta.

Britt B. Madden Jr. (93C) and Aimee Leigh Harmison were married Jan. 10, 2009, at Frost Chapel. Britt is the corporate liaison for Shorter College’s professional studies program; Aimee is a public relations specialist for Shorter. The couple resides in Cedartown, Ga. Kenneth Edward Fordham (94C) and wife Tammy announce the Dec. 10, 2008, birth of daughter Sarah Grace, who joined brothers Ben (6), Zach (4) and Jacob (3) in the family’s Bartlett, Tenn., home.

Ken is in human resources with FedEx Express.

LEGEND

Class years are followed by an uppercase or lowercase letter that indicates the following status: C G A H c, g a h FFS FS

College graduate Graduate school alumna/us Academy graduate High school graduate Anticipated year of graduation from Berry College Anticipated year of graduation from academy Anticipated year of graduation from high school Former faculty and staff Current faculty and staff

Send all class notes to: alumni@berry.edu or Alumni Office, P.O. Box 495018, Mount Berry, GA 30149-5018 All class notes are subject to editing due to space limitations. Class notes and death notices in this issue include those received through March 31, 2008.

Lisa Myers Turner (94C) and husband Joel announce the Nov. 17, 2008, birth of son Jared Gray, who joined sister Ashlyn (5) in the family’s Loganville, Ga., home.

Andrew Frazier Wood (94C) has written a new book, City Ubiquitous: Place, Communication, and the Rise of Omnitopia. The book explores the convergence of physical places and mobile media. Andy is an associate professor of communication studies at San Jose State University. More about his new book is available at http://www.city ubiquitous.com.

Cynthia Seago Hirt (95C, 00G) and husband Carl announce the Aug. 10, 2008, birth of daughter Chloe. The family resides in Cartersville, Ga. Susan Elizabeth Sharp (95C) and Cliff Joseph Gawron were married June 7, 2008, on Jekyll Island, Ga. Susan is a media specialist at Golden Isles Elementary School in Brunswick; Cliff works as the landscape architect for the Jekyll Island Authority. The couple resides on Saint Simons Island.

Melissa Boles Gindlesperger (96C) and husband Mitch announce the Aug. 24, 2008, birth of son Merritt Anderson, weighing 9 pounds, 5.3 ounces. Merritt joined brothers Mason (4) and Miles Avery (2) in the family’s Dacula, Ga., home. His grandparents are Allen (73c) and Belinda Boney (73c) Gindlesperger. Melissa is a stay-athome mom.

Jennifer Amanda Chisolm-

Saboura (97C) and husband Charlie announce the Nov. 22, 2008, birth of son John Paul, who joined brothers Stefan (4) and Luke (2) in the family’s Marietta, Ga., home.

Michelle Spiegel Groover (97C) and husband Russell announce the Feb. 3, 2009, birth of son Jacob Russell, weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring 18.5 inches long. Jacob joined brother Logan (3) in the family’s Marietta, Ga., home.

Kenna Grant Hart (97C) and husband Eric announce the adoption of daughter Amelia Soo, who was born Dec. 10, 2007, and adopted Sept. 4, 2008. Amelia joined brother Grant (2) in the family’s Chicago home.

Amanda Strickland Horton (97C) and husband Michael announce the Sept. 9, 2008, birth of daughter Elliana Grace, weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. She joined brother Reid (3) in the family’s Morton, Ill., home.

Jason Matthew Maxwell (97C) and wife Angela Martin Maxwell (97C) announce the Jan. 29, 2009, birth of son Stephen Cole, weighing 9 pounds and measuring 21 inches long. Stephen joined sister Catherine (5) and brother Aaron (2) in the family’s Tucker, Ga., home.

Clifford Allen Lipscomb (98C) and wife Amelia announce the Nov. 8, 2008, birth of son Thoreau Clifford, weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 21.375 inches long. Clifford is director of the Center for Business and Economic

ALAN STOREY

2000s Brian L. Aultman (00C) and wife Suzanne Funk Aultman (02C) announce the Jan. 13, 2009, birth of son Bryson Wesley, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Bryson joined sister Anna Leigh (4) in the family’s Savannah, Ga., home. Suzanne is a stay-at-home mom; Brian is the owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A restaurant at Oglethorpe Mall.

Kerri Susan Bearden (00C) graduated from Georgia State University in 2008 with a master’s degree in applied linguistics and an ESL degree.

Henry L. Cox (00C) and wife Leanne Lindsey Cox (99C) announce the Jan. 30, 2009, birth of

Maurice Thompson competes in 5K race

N

early three quarters of a century after Maurice Thompson (40c) first set foot on the Berry College campus, he crossed the finish line in front of the Ford Buildings in a 5K road race. It was the 92-year-old’s first official race, but likely not his last.

“I was tired at the end but could have gone farther,” said Maurice, who competed in the 75-98 age bracket of the event, which was held in conjunction with the Berry Half-Marathon. “I enjoyed walking in the race more than at home. If I’m in good health next year, I think I might participate again.”

The race was actually a family event spanning three generations. Maurice’s daughter, Malinda Pennington, competed, as did granddaughter Marissa Pennington, who will be attending Berry as a freshman in the fall. Greatgranddaughter Abigail was approved to participate in her stroller, but logistics caused her to be scratched from competition.

Abigail is the daughter of Brent (99C) and Maranda Pennington (01C) Curl.

Both Marissa and Maranda are Malinda’s daughters. Malinda is not a Berry alumna but, as ALAN STOREY

Research at Valdosta (Ga.) State University; Amelia is a stay-at-home mom and artist. The family resides in Valdosta.

Heather Caughman Peace (98C) and husband Brian announce the May 1, 2008, birth of daughter Pepper Lilly. The family resides in Marietta, Ga. Angela Jeffcoat Thurman (98C) and husband Michael announce the Oct. 23, 2008, birth of daughter Addison Delaine. The family resides in Augusta, Ga. Mary Katherine Anthony (99C) and husband John announce the Oct. 3, 2008, birth of daughter Caroline Elise, who joined sister Amelia Katherine in the family’s Brentwood, Tenn., home. Katie is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mother.

Stacey Sanders Daniel (99C) and husband Joe announce the Jan. 26, 2009, birth of son Isaac Joseph, weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Isaac joined sister Sophie (2) in the family’s Eastman, Ga., home.

Nick Jefferson McCollum (99C) and wife Juliana Thomas McCollum (99C) announce the Dec. 18, 2008, birth of daughter Caroline Marie. The family resides in Charlotte, N.C. Robert Andrew Christie (99C) received the Atlanta Track Club’s “Jerry Frasier Award for Outstanding Dedication” as a men’s cross country and track coach. Andy coached cross country and track at Dacula (Ga.) High School for eight years and is currently the coach at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Ga.

she put it, “has been immersed in the Berry traditions by those close to me who love and appreciate what it offered them.”

All of Maurice’s offspring have Berry to thank for their existence. Maurice fell in love with his late wife, Grace (39C), while both were students at Berry; they married after Maurice returned from World War II. He joined the Army Air Corps shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and served in Europe, where he was NCO (non-commissioned officer) of a 108-man fighter-plane unit based near the English Channel.

Both Grace and Maurice spent their lives working in education.

Although he left Berry without graduating, Maurice later earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at the University of Georgia. He served as a school principal for more than 13 years before joining the Georgia Department of Education, from which he retired in 1978.

Maurice knew school founder Martha Berry; he saw Henry Ford on campus and heard him speak.

In addition to working at the dairy – “before they moved the cows to the ‘new’ barns on the Mountain Campus” (the Normandy barns complex, now WinShape Retreat) – he painted, fired furnaces and helped make bricks for the old

A family affair: 92-year-old Maurice Thompson (40c) and daughter Malinda Pennington participate in the 5K during Berry’s Half-Marathon. physical education building.

Maurice stays in touch with Berry because he felt like he “owed it a great deal.” He came to campus with $14 in his pocket that he earned raising chickens during his senior year of high school in Clayton, Ga. “I probably couldn’t have gone anywhere else to college,” he said. “Also, my uncle went to Berry way back.”

Grace and Maurice were frequent participants in Alumni Work Week and together established the Grace and Maurice Thompson Scholarship for academically able and personally deserving students.

Her brother is John Lipscomb, former Berry vice president for development, who with his late wife, Lenore Wyatt Lipscomb, worked tirelessly for many years to make new friends for the college. They also established the Wyatt-Lipscomb Scholarship Fund.

It was after Grace’s death in 2003 that Maurice began to build physical strength by exercising regularly – first with water aerobics and then through walking. “I could hardly walk to the mailbox and back,” he admits.

Maurice now walks more than three miles a day and hopes to get back into the pool. With his can-do spirit, Berry’s 10K race just might have a 93-year-old participant next year.

SUMMER 2009

27

Spanning the

globe

C

aleb Pick (08C) has never been one to let his education be limited by a classroom – or a campus, for that matter. Four times during his undergraduate years, Caleb expanded his horizons through study abroad. Soon after graduation, he set off again, traveling to South Korea for six months as a recipient of the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship.

“I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to participate in so many different international programs during my Berry years,” said Caleb, who earned his international relations degree in December. “The international experiences I have enjoyed have been truly life-changing.”

Amazingly, three of Caleb’s study-abroad experiences were completed during the same calendar year. His journey began in spring 2007 when he traveled to Veritas University in San Jose, Costa Rica. Next, he set out across the Pacific to Seoul, South Korea, where he spent the summer at Seoul Women’s University through a Bahrom International Program scholarship sponsored by Sunny Park, an honorary alumnus and Berry College trustee.

To close out 2007, he spent the fall semester at Ajou University in Suwon, Korea, through the International Student Exchange Program. That brought an end to the calendar year, but not to his adventures abroad. Soon he was off again, this time accompanying other Berry students to Guanacaste, Costa Rica, where they taught English in primary schools throughout the region as part of a program sponsored by The Fundación Progreso Guanacaste, a nonprofit organization started by H.G. Pattillo, former chairman of the Berry College Board of Trustees.

Caleb hopes that his wealth of international experiences – coupled with a strong Berry education – will help him realize his dream of one day working with the U.S. government to improve relations with other countries. He plans to attend graduate school in Washington, D.C., when he returns from Korea.

by Elizabeth K. Wilson (10c) Editor’s Note: Study abroad is an integral part of the Berry student experience. During the 2007-08 academic year, a record 164 students participated in semester-abroad or summer programs.

Students traveled to 23 different countries during this period and took part in eight faculty-led programs representing all four academic schools.

28

BERRY

daughter Lindsey Marie, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. Lindsey joined brother John Henry (3) in the family’s Calhoun, Ga., home.

Jennifer Lee Ray Walter (00C) and husband Nicholas announce the Feb. 17, 2009, birth of daughter Lily Ann, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 21.5 inches long. The family resides in Charlotte, N.C. Misty Sargent Fields (01C) and Brian Fields were married Aug. 16, 2008, at Frost Chapel. Bridesmaids included Pamela Lynn Franks (02C), Holly Dobson Greene (01C) and Kari Katherine Mills (01C). The couple resides in Smyrna, Tenn.

William Patrick Martinez Jr. (01C) and wife Jennifer Dunsmore Martinez (01C) announce the Aug. 5, 2008, birth of daughter Eleanor Joy. William recently was named district manager of the Vidalia, Ga., servicing area for the Social Security Administration. The family resides in Vidalia.

Brandi Betton Moore (01C) has been named Teacher of the Year for the Dalton (Ga.) Public Schools.

She is a math teacher at Dalton Middle School.

William Herbert Rhodes (01C) graduated from the University of Houston-Clear Lake with a master’s degree in educational management.

Will is an assistant principal in Houston, Texas.

Sarah Stricklen Van Dyke (01C) and husband Todd announce the Sept. 26, 2008, birth of daughter Ellis Elizabeth, weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 22 inches long. Ellis joined brother Gideon (4) in the family’s Knoxville, Tenn., home. Sarah is a stay-at-home mom; Todd is director of The Little Gym in Knoxville.

Alison Shinn Ford (02C) and husband James Michael announce the birth of daughter Katherine Elaine on Dec. 4, 2008. She weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. The family resides in McDonough, Ga. Tannika King (02C) has served as director of media relations at Darlington School in Rome, Ga., since June 2004. She resides in Rome.

Christopher Lee Marr (02C) and wife Meaghan H. Marr (FS) announce the Nov. 28, 2008, birth

of son Logan Matthew, weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 21 inches long. Chris is a financial journalist for Mergermarket.com, a division of The Financial Times Group; Meaghan is a graphic designer in the Office of Public Relations and Marketing at Berry College. The family resides in Rome.

Amy Herendeen Dobbs (03C) and husband Brad announce the April 18, 2008, birth of son Paxton Bradley. The family resides in Douglasville, Ga. Kristin Farrar McCown (03C) and husband George announce the Jan. 2, 2009, birth of son George Myers, weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces and measuring 18.75 inches long.

The family resides in Marietta, Ga. Jana Terrell Sellers (03C) and husband Daniel announce the Oct. 29, 2008, birth of son McKeehan James, weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces. Jana is a bank teller. The family resides in Senoia, Ga. John William Coleman (04C) has been named to the 2009 Board of Advisors at the Harvard College Leadership Institute. He is currently a dual-degree candidate pursuing an MBA at the Harvard Business School and an MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he is a Zuckerman Fellow.

David Gilmore Riley (04C) and wife Rebecca Keeton Riley (04C) announce the March 9, 2009, birth of son David Greyson, weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces. The family resides in Hoover, Ala. Ryan Tyler Hansen (05C) and wife Sarah Cairo Hansen (03C) announce the Dec. 26, 2008, birth of daughter Clara Isabel. The family resides in Star City, W.Va. Amanda Kim Wallis (05C) had “$5.38 – More Precious Than Gold” included in So to Teach: Inspiring Stories that Touch the Heart, a book published by Kappa Delta Pi. The story recounts Amanda’s last day of student teaching and a gift she received from one of her students.

Allison Nicole Hughes (07C) received a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of South Carolina in December 2008.

Candace April Jackson (07C) has been promoted to senior associate in the business assurance practice at Moore Colson, an Atlanta-based accounting firm.

Unlocking the

mystery

A

s a senior research specialist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Jamie Cox Russell (01C) isn’t just interested in what chimpanzees have to say to one another – she also wants to know what they have to say about us.

In her position, Jamie (pictured third from left) puts the psychology degree she earned at Berry to work every day conducting non-invasive behavioral research on the chimpanzee, a close genetic relative that shares more than 98 percent of human DNA. “Our research focuses on understanding how and why language evolved in humans by studying the communicative and cognitive abilities of our closest living relatives,” Jamie explained.

“Chimpanzees are highly intelligent, socially complex primates that use a host of vocal and visual signals to communicate with one another. This makes them the perfect species to study if you are interested in the evolution of language.”

Studying chimpanzees in a laboratory is one thing; observing them in the wild is quite another. For Jamie, that opportunity came in 2006 when she traveled to Uganda for a meeting of the International Primatological Society. While on safari there, she got to observe chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in their native habitats.

“Seeing these majestic apes in the wild was a life-changing experience,” she stated.

In Jamie’s mind, the seeds for that amazing moment were

Deaths Berry College extends sincere condolences to family and friends of the following alumni and former faculty/staff members. This list includes notices received through March 31, 2009

1920s Sadie Jeffcoat Dennis (28H) of Lynn Haven, Fla., Dec. 4, 2008.

Mildred Butler Swinson (28H) of Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 20, 2009.

1930s Joseph C. Walker (31H) of Oakland, Texas, Jan. 2, 2008.

Velma Nichols Williams (31JC) of Knoxville, Tenn., May 4, 2008.

Geraldine Fite Claycomb (35H) of Calhoun, Ga., April 24, 2008.

Willie Worley Hasty (35H) of Marietta, Ga., Jan. 23, 2008.

Duffy Ezell Kellis (35H) of Chattanooga, Tenn., Feb. 14, 2008.

Lassie McCall (35c) of Clayton, Ga., Aug. 7, 2008.

John A. Mims (35H) of Dade City, Fla., Jan. 4, 2008.

Louie G. Phillips (35H) of Corpus Christi, Texas, Oct. 22, 2007.

Margaret Hutton Thompson (35c) of Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 15, 2008.

Jewell Sammons Meeks (36H) of Havana, Fla., Jan. 4, 2009.

Frances Robinson Balcom (37H, 42C) of Webster, Mass., March 10, 2008.

Maurine Ingram Gilbert (37H) of Fairfield, Calif., Feb. 19, 2009.

Howard P. Glass (37H) of Savannah, Ga., Nov. 2, 2007.

Cleo Worley Roughton (37H, 41C) of Marietta, Ga., Feb. 15, 2009.

Christine Smith Stembridge (37H) of Fayetteville, Ga., Jan. 31, 2009.

planted at Berry. She credits Berry’s “small size and emphasis on professor accessibility” with making it possible for her to approach Dr. William Hopkins – then a member of Berry’s psychology faculty – outside of class to learn more about research he was conducting at Yerkes. That initial conversation was the beginning of a strong professional bond between the two, helping her to land a job in Dr. Hopkins’ lab after graduation.

“I will forever be indebted to Berry for opening the ‘Gate of Opportunity’ that led to my career in primate behavior that I love so much,” Jamie said. “Even after seven years, I wake up each morning feeling incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work with chimpanzees and to build relationships with each individual. The complexity of their social and emotional lives never ceases to amaze me.”

Jamie hopes to continue her research in the future, learning more about the evolution of human language while also developing best practices for caring for captive chimpanzees and conserving those in the wild.

“The biggest reward for me is being able to enrich their lives by providing them with cognitive challenges and positive social interactions,” she said. “In turn, we can use those experiences to shed light on how their minds work and how that might relate to the ways in which humans have evolved.”

by Leigh Harris (09C)

Martha’s Finest

T

he members of Martha’s Finest barbershop quartet made some harmonious noise in Winston-Salem, N.C., in March when they made the finals of the quartet competition hosted by the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Dixie District. It was the quartet’s first jump into competitive crooning.

Singing “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Daddy’s Little Girl,” the group made the top 10, a notable feat for any quartet and an exceptional finish for one that had never before competed.

“We think Martha would be proud,” said Rufus Massey (75C), assistant vice president for enterprise development, explaining that the quartet has been “spreading the good word about Martha” for about a year and having some “big fun” doing so.

The quartet includes (from left) Berry’s Tim Tarpley, director of operations, enrollment management; Massey; and Danny Price (88C), in-house general counsel; as well as Tony Boyd, a sergeant with the Rome Fire Department.

SUMMER 2009

29

From pranks to

politics W

hen Virginia State Senator and former law enforcement officer Ken Stolle (75C) recalls his firsthand experiences as a Berry undergrad, one memory that immediately leaps to mind is a theft.

Someone took Henry Ford’s picture off the wall in Ford Dining Hall and hung it on the college chapel steeple before a Sunday morning service.

Ironically, that someone was Ken. “Berry is one of the finest institutions of higher education, and I had a wonderful time there,” Ken stated. “I wouldn’t trade my education for anything.”

After earning his degree in interdisciplinary criminology, the self-described “Navy brat” and former Berry soccer captain studied law on his own, passing the bar without ever attending law school. He started his career as a narcotics detective in Virginia Beach, Va., where he attained the rank of sergeant. Politics became his focus after a member of the SWAT team he commanded was wounded in the line of duty.

“Virginia laws were so lenient, I felt compelled to get involved,” Ken explained.

Ken was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 1991 and has been serving in that capacity ever since. In late 2008, he made news as one of four members of the Virginia General Assembly to be appointed to the Board of Directors for the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. Now, after nearly two decades in the state house, he is preparing to shift his focus back to law enforcement by running for sheriff of Virginia Beach.

“I’ve changed the things I wanted to change,” he said of his years in the senate.

Ken resides in Virginia Beach with wife Debbie. They have three children: Whitney, Kenny and Ross.

– Leah Ryan (09C)

Alfred Suggs (37C) of Macon, Ga., Feb. 24, 2009.

Dahlia Hooks West (37C) of Greer, S.C., Oct. 19, 2008.

Charles F. Acree (38C) of Dalton, Ga., Nov. 25, 2008.

Sarah Higgins Crozier (38H) of Blakely, Ga., July 12, 2008.

Paul E. Culberson (38C) of Tyron, N.C., Feb. 15, 2009.

Winnie B. Fendley (38H) of Ellijay, Ga., Jan. 7, 2008.

Eloise Smith Glass (38H) of Savannah, Ga., Nov. 18, 2008.

Vera Groover Nagle (38H) of Glennville, Ga., Sept. 20, 2007.

Ada Conway Ashmore (39H, 43c) of Tifton, Ga., Feb. 21, 2009.

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Nedra Davis Carlson (39C) of The Villages, Fla., March 28, 2009.

Mildred Prater Davis (39H) of Rome, Ga., Oct. 5, 2008.

Mildred Carelock Keen (39c) of Golden, Colo., Jan. 23, 2008.

Annice Wright Lapka (39H) of Lisle, Ill., Jan. 24, 2008.

Samuel H. Leach (39H) of San Jose, Calif., Oct. 29, 2008.

J. P. McCullough (39H) of Dublin, Ga., Dec. 9, 2008.

Lourilla Brooks Stokes (39C) of Callahan, Fla., Dec. 15, 2008.

1940s Cecil D. Aldridge (40H) of Harrison, Tenn., Oct. 1, 2008.

Thomas G. Allen (40H) of Walnut Creek, Calif., Feb. 3, 2009.

Birdie Davis Bowen (40H) of Smyrna, Ga., Aug. 1, 2008.

Marie Lam Coriell (40H) of Brownsboro, Ala., Sept. 24, 2008.

Elizabeth Burts Peters (40c) of Elizabethtown, Ky., Dec. 11, 2008.

Clyde Jackson Pittman (40c) of Smyrna, Ga., Feb. 3, 2009.

Tilden “Mack” Underwood Jr. (40C) of Athens, Ga., March 31, 2009.

Nell Duckett Crisp (41C) of Mount Airy, Ga., Dec. 14, 2008.

Dorothy Richards Howell (41c) of Chatsworth, Ga., Dec. 18, 2008.

Opal Thompson Isley (41c) of Snow Camp, N.C., Oct. 21, 2008.

Ruby Youmans Hallman (41H) of Baxley, Ga., April 7, 2007.

Edith Daniel Hines (41H, 43JC) of Bartlett, Tenn., Nov. 1, 2007.

Edna Earl Jesse (41H) of Ringgold, Ga., Jan. 1, 2009.

Edith Mock Brooks (42c) of Savannah, Ga., Jan. 22, 2008.

Ruby Penland Corpening (42C) of Hayesville, N.C., April 20, 2008.

Ottis L. Patten (42H) of Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 14, 2007.

Don H. Spruill (42H) of Roswell, Ga., Dec. 22, 2007.

William S. Tune (42C) of Florence, Ala., Oct. 30, 2008.

Vivian Weaver Carroll (43C) of Andalusia, Ala., Feb. 19, 2009.

Raymond R. Higdon (43H) of Woodstock, Ga., Feb. 9, 2007.

Euel B. Penland (43C) of Hayesville, N.C., April 8, 2008.

George T. Purdy (43H, 49c) of Seneca, S.C., Dec. 18, 2008.

Mary Rozar Crooms (44H, 48c) of Eastman, Ga., Dec. 25, 2008.

Floy May Ingle (44C) of Anchorage, Alaska., July 8, 2008.

Mary Chandler Killen (44H) of Santa Ana, Calif., June 2, 2008.

Frances McMichen Lawson (44C) of Lawrenceville, Ga., Nov. 6, 2008.

David T. Lynch (44h) of Mableton, Ga., March 21, 2008.

Been published recently?

I

f you’ve published a book recently, you’ll soon have a special venue in Berry magazine for sharing the news with your classmates. A listing of new alumni-authored books will be included in the magazine starting with the Fall/Winter 2009 issue.

Maybe it’s Berry’s “Writing Across the Curriculum” approach, but writer’s block is apparently not an issue for Berry alumni. In fact, the number of Berry alumni who have been publishing books has been growing. Almost every month, the Berry magazine staff learns about another literary milestone achieved by one, two or three of our own. If you keep writing and publishing, we’ll keep including the new book listing.

To start, we’re happy to include all books published from Jan. 1, 2008, through the present. Send us the following to have your book included: your name and class year, book title, category (fiction or non-fiction), publisher, publication date, and a Web address for a synopsis and/or to order. Send this information to: krogers@berry.edu with a subject line of “Berry Alumni Authors.”

When you send the information, you give us permission to run it in Berry magazine, on the Berry Web site and/or in other public media/venues.

Because you’re writers, you’ll understand the lag between copy deadlines and actual publication: Your submission will be included in the first issue possible following receipt, although you might receive another magazine in the meantime.

We look forward to hearing from you.

ALAN STOREY

1960s

Oak Hill mural stirs

memories I

f Mildred “Mickey” Parrish Kenemer (46H) ever needs a reminder of Berry, all she has to do is look at her living room wall.

Fifty years ago, when she and her husband, the late Olin H. Kenemer (45H), were newlyweds, they commissioned a Berry alumnus now known only by the signature “J. Stephens” to paint a panoramic watercolor of Oak Hill.

The sweeping scene stretches from the front wall of the living room to the back wall and from the ceiling halfway to the floor. In soothing shades of green with splashes of pink and white, the painting calls to mind days gone by.

Even more special to Mickey than the mural, however, are the memories it stirs of the early days of her marriage to Olin, when they shared the joy of decorating their first home together. The scene they selected served as a constant reminder of the place where their love story began: Berry.

Joseph Harold Davis (45C) of Decatur, Ga., Feb. 18, 2008.

Alice Myrle Denney (45C) of Roopville, Ga., Jan. 3, 2009.

Allen Conner Grubb (45H) of Macon, Ga., Dec. 26, 2007.

Maisie Cotton Lewelling (45c) of Cantonment, Fla., Jan. 17, 2008.

Denver D. Robinson (45c) of Cary, N.C., Sept. 22, 2008.

Elizabeth Anderson (46C) of Clinton, S.C., Nov. 12, 2006.

Kathryn Perry Baker (46H, 50c) of Armuchee, Ga., Feb. 22, 2008.

L. Bascom Slemp (46H) of Big Stone Gap, Va., Sept. 20, 2008.

James H. Speir (46H) of Decatur, Ga., Aug. 19, 2008.

Maedell Pettis Stock (46c) of Panama City, Fla., April 13, 2008.

Gordon Erwin Webb (46H) of Dalton, Ga., Dec. 26, 2006.

James M. White (46H) of Rome, Ga., Nov. 22, 2008.

William Hardin Duckworth (47C) of Decatur, Tenn., Dec. 20, 2008.

Betty Ann Bridges Brown (47C) of Sarasota, Fla., Jan. 20, 2009.

Carl W. Carney (47H) of Armuchee, Ga., Nov. 14, 2008.

Gordon W. Kell (47H) of Rome, Ga., Sept. 11, 2008.

Bette Pierce Lovingood (47H) of Eton, Ga., Jan. 6, 2006.

Gifts

David S. Peterson (47H, 50c) of Tullahoma, Tenn., Dec. 31, 2008.

Edna Coats Phillips (47C) of Kershaw, S.C., March 18, 2009.

Carleen Middleton McEntyre (47H) of Calhoun, Ga., Dec. 20, 2008.

Vivian J. Vance (47c) of Limestone, Tenn., Nov. 12, 2008.

Charles L. Bradford (48H, 53c) of Conyers, Ga., Dec. 23, 2008.

Herbert M. Champion (48H) of Ragland, Ala., Dec. 18, 2008.

Marjorie Price Reid (48c) of St. Matthews, S.C., June 1, 2008.

1950s Frances Rodgers Horton (53C) of Elgin, S.C., Jan. 4, 2009.

William “Dubby” D. Winslett (54H) of Odenville, Ala., Oct. 9, 2008.

Fred H. Fulmer (55C) of Lenoir, N.C., Feb. 13, 2009.

Daniel B. Kenerly (55c) of Murrells Inlet, S.C., Jan. 10, 2009.

Irma Matthews Mason (56H, 60C) of Blairsville, Ga., Dec. 31, 2008.

Malcolm S. Avirett (57C) of Rome, Ga., Nov. 4, 2008.

James Lawrence Babb (57H, 61c) of Dalton, Ga., Dec. 23, 2008.

Robert F. Combs (58H) of Hinesville, Ga., Nov. 1, 2008.

Ruby Mercer Sanders (57c) of Toomsboro, Ga., Nov. 29, 2008.

Mary Nell Vann (65C) of Rome, Ga., Feb. 1, 2009.

Michael J. Garrison (69C) of Rome, Ga., Dec. 18, 2008.

Camille B. Schuessler (69C) of Birmingham, Ala., May 30, 2008.

James F. Tumblin Jr. (69c) of Athens, Ga., Feb. 4, 2009.

1970s Thomas Hilton III (70C) of Medford, Ore., Nov. 29, 2008.

David H. Slaughter (70c) of Silver Creek, Ga., March 7, 2009.

Marilyn J. Jackson (71C) of Rockmart, Ga., May 25, 2007.

Jay W. Srymanske (72C) and L. Carol Hill Srymanske (75C) of Ellijay, Ga., Nov. 21, 2008.

Alvin Dexter Dean (74C, FFS) of Rome, Ga., Nov. 16, 2008.

Dorothy Stanfield Graham (74G) of Chapel Hill, N.C., Sept.

30, 2007.

Alatia Anglin Pettigrew (74G) of LaFayette, Ga., Sept. 2, 2006.

Elsie R. Haynes (76G) of Homerville, Ga., Oct. 1, 2007.

Susan Dobbs (78c) of Vista, Calif., June 5, 2008.

1980s Harold R. Meyers (83C) of Rome, Ga., Feb. 25, 2009.

Tami Denise Smith (88C) of Savannah, Ga., Feb. 4, 2009.

1990s Christopher Joseph Parker (90C) of Rome, Ga., April 22, 2008.

Dina Sok (98C) of Rome, Ga., Feb. 5, 2009.

2000s Jonathan Colin Howard (07C) of Bradenton, Fla., Nov. 24, 2008.

Faculty/Staff J. Edward Wilson (FFS) of Rome, Ga., Sept. 9, 2008.

MEMORY AND HONOR GIFTS Berry College welcomes gifts in memory or honor of individuals. If you wish to make a memory or honor gift to Berry, simply denote the person to be memorialized or honored on the check or in an accompanying letter.

Berry expresses gratitude for the following gifts specifically designated as memorials and tributes. The persons honored are listed in capital letters, the donors in capital and lowercase. Note: Memory gifts have been designated to scholarship funds named for the honoree unless otherwise specified by the donor.

Memory Gifts Nov. 1, 2008 – March 31, 2009 MR. CHARLES F. ACREE Mr. and Mrs. John J. Bridges Dr. and Mrs. Harlan L. Chapman Mr. Timothy R. Howard Mrs. Jane Daniel Nettles Mr. and Mrs. D. Grier Stephenson MR. RUSSELL S. ASHTON Mrs. Doris L. Ashton MR. NOAH LAWRENCE BELL Dr. Steven H. Bell DR. AND MRS. JOHN R. BERTRAND Mrs. Melanie Moore Jones MR. CHARLES L. BRADFORD The Rev. and Mrs. Fred L. Maddox MRS. BETTY ANN BRIDGES BROWN Dr. Ouida W. Dickey Mrs. Evelyn McGehee Etheredge MR. DAVID R. BURNETTE Mrs. Carol Winfrey Burnette MRS. BEATRICE CLONTS Ms. Bettyann M. O’Neill MRS. LILA SHELTON COLLINS Dr. and Mrs. Harlan L. Chapman MRS. AUDREY WOOD CREW Mrs. Ramona Crew Scholtes

MR. JOHN C. “BUDDY” CURRY Mr. Michael Alan Sudduth MRS. CHRISTA DE BERDT Dr. Ouida W. Dickey MR. MICHAEL LESTER DEGNER Mr. Brian Manley Krueger DR. GARLAND M. DICKEY Mrs. Ramona Crew Scholtes MRS. SANDRA GRESHAM FROST Mr. W. Leon Frost MR. FRED H. FULMER Mrs. Sue Hegwood Howel MR. MICHAEL J. GARRISON Mr. John K. Hamrick Sr. DR. LARRY GREEN Mrs. Melanie Moore Jones DR. AND MRS. G. LELAND GREEN Mrs. Betty Ann Bridges Brown MR. MARK GREGG Dr. Dorothy Clark Gregg MR. H.G. HAMRICK Mr. James H. Weaver MRS. ANNE SIMS HAWKINS Mr. James F. Hawkins MRS. CAROL HEINEN Mrs. Sandra M. Keeble MRS. EDNA F. HETSKO Mr. Jeffrey F. Hetsko

SUMMER 2009

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MR. JOSEPH J. HILLMAN Mrs. Evelyn Wall Hillman MR. THOMAS HILTON III Dr. and Mrs. Dale N. Davis MRS. RUBY STEVENS HOPKINS Mr. and Mrs. Aaron D. Britt REAR ADM. LEWIS HOPKINS Mr. and Mrs. Aaron D. Britt Mr. and Mrs. Daniel C. Knickerbocker Jr. Mr. D. Allison McIntyre Mr. Howard A. Richmond II MRS. FRANCES RODGERS HORTON Mr. Earnest Rabon Rodgers MR. PAUL W. HORTON Mrs. Jane M. Horton MRS. DOROTHY R. HOWELL Mr. Timothy R. Howard THE REV. CHARLES KENDIG Ms. Bettyann M. O’Neill MR. MICHAEL KRUPA Mrs. Elizabeth Nesbitt Krupa MRS. LENORE WYATT LIPSCOMB Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Skinner MRS. CAROLYN RUARK MORRIS Mr. Billy R. Blocker Sr. MR. E. THAXTON MULLIS Mrs. Marguerite K. Mullis MS. ELEANOR B. NORTH Mr. Stephen C. Eubanks MRS. EVELYN HOGE PENDLEY Mrs. Melanie Moore Jones DR. WALTER O. PENDLEY Mrs. Emma Fears O’Neal MRS. HILDA LOYD PHILLIPS Mrs. Beulah Wade Meadows MR. EUGENE POPE Dr. Mary Elizabeth Outlaw MR. GEORGE T. PURDY Mr. John K. Hamrick Sr. MRS. MARY LEE ROBERTS Rome Runners Club MRS. ELEANOR HALE ROBISON Mrs. Elizabeth Carpenter Busby Dr. Ouida W. Dickey MRS. CLEO WORLEY ROUGHTON Mrs. Elree B. Worley MRS. PATSY B. SELF Mr. Franklin D. Self DR. GLORIA M. SHATTO Mrs. Sandra Ayers Mrs. Lois A. Miller MR. AND MRS. KENNETH SHAVER Mrs. Charlotte Shaver Ortiz MRS. CATHERINE P. SIMPSON Dr. Ouida W. Dickey Mr. and Mrs. William G. Fron Ms. Debbie E. Heida MRS. MARTHA GROGAN SOLOMONS Mrs. Miriam Floyd Hamill Mr. and Mrs. George H. Holland Mrs. Bettie Hester McClain MRS. IRENE K. SPEER Mr. Frank T. Speer MISS MARIA E. STRICKLAND Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy L. Holman MRS. MARY LYNN SUMMEROUR Dr. Deborah Lynn Barber MR. LEO C. TEAGUE Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Penn MR. MALCOLM E. THOMAS Mrs. Sharon Carroll Stanley MR. JACK R. WARREN Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Arvile Smitherman MR. DANIEL P. WEST Mrs. Kathy Couey-Miller MR. JOSHUA BRADSHAW-WHITTEMORE Mr. Brian Manley Krueger MR. EARL W. WILLIAMS Mr. Jeffrey F. Hetsko Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Williams

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Honor Gifts Nov. 1, 2008 – March 31, 2009 MS. NATASHA MARIA AMARI Mr. Ray Richardson Smitherman MR. BOBBY CLIFTON BAILEY Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin McElyea MR. J. BOBBY BAILEY Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin McElyea MR. AND MRS. J.K. BENNETT Mr. and Mrs. Keith W. Finley MR. AND MRS. JOHN R. BENNETT Mr. and Mrs. Keith W. Finley MRS. TICA BERRY Mrs. Elena D. Corso BERRY COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM Anonymous BERRY COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM Anonymous MR. AND MRS. DAN U. BIGGERS Mrs. Melanie Moore Jones MRS. MARY ALICE IVEY BLANTON Mr. Peter N. Henriksen MRS. BETH OAKLEY BOWMAN Mr. Ryan Andrew Bowman DR. AND MRS. STEPHEN R. BRIGGS Ms. Bettyann M. O’Neill DR. HORACE D. BROWN Mr. Paul D. Brown MR. AND MRS. RICHARD BYERS Mr. Peter N. Henriksen MR. AND MRS. JEFF CAVANESS Mr. and Mrs. Keith W. Finley MR. & MRS. A. MILTON CHAMBERS Mr. and Mrs. Sammy V. Freeman CLASS OF 2009 Mr. David William Barry MS. LAURA MARIE COOK Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Cook DR. AND MRS. TIMOTHY HOYT DUNCAN Ms. Nancy Thames Lippard MR. AND MRS. CARLOS GONZALEZ Dr. Ondina E. Gonzalez MR. AND MRS. JORGE LUIS GONZALEZ Dr. Ondina E. Gonzalez MR. J. LEWIS HAMRICK Mrs. Diana Rossman Mrs. C. Leigh Hamrick Verm MR. AND MRS. J. LEWIS HAMRICK Mr. and Mrs. D.B. Frederick Jr. MS. DEBBIE E. HEIDA Mr. and Mrs. William E. Roseen THE HON. NOEL LAWRENCE HILLMAN Mrs. Evelyn Wall Hillman MS. HARRIETT R. HOYT Ms. Nancy Thames Lippard MR. JACK A. JONES Mr. Peter N. Henriksen MRS. MELANIE MOORE JONES Mr. Bobby A. Jones PROF. ALBERT J. KINGSTON Dr. Steven H. Bell MR. RAYMOND S. LARSEN JR. Mr. Ray Richardson Smitherman MR. AND MRS. HUGH ROBERT LEIDLEIN Ms. Nancy Thames Lippard MS. RUBY MALONEY Mr. Peter N. Henriksen MR. BRIAN MCCORMACK Ms. Nancy Thames Lippard MR. AND MRS. JEFF MILWAY Mr. and Mrs. Keith W. Finley MR. LAMAR MOORE Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin McElyea MRS. ELSIE JOY ANTHONY MORROW Mrs. Betty Meeks Thackrey DR. PAUL M. MUSSER Mrs. Nanette Carter Ms. Susan C. Parker MRS. JOAN KITCHENS MYERS Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin McElyea MR. AND MRS. JACK NIEDRACH Mr. and Mrs. Keith W. Finley MR. JERRY W. SHELTON Mr. and Mrs. Gene T. Warren

MR. DALE GRAHAM SMITH A5 Volleyball Club MRS. EVELYN SPRADLIN STANDRIDGE Mr. Donald E. Rhodes MR. ROBERT AARON TAYLOR Mrs. Karen B. Taylor MR. AND MRS. BACON WALTHALL Mr. and Mrs. Keith W. Finley MR. BILL WATERS Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin McElyea MRS. CAROLYN CHRISTINA WATTERS Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin McElyea MR. A. WHYTE WHITAKER IV Mr. and Mrs. William E. Roseen DR. KYOKO LEANN YODA Mr. Bart A. Cox

Gifts to Named Scholarships Nov. 1, 2008 – March 31, 2009 FRANK AND KATHRYN ADAMS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Phyllis Tinney Dasher Dr. Christopher G. Diller Dr. James H. Watkins Dr. Lara B. Whelan AFRICAN-AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP FOR BERRY STUDENTS National Philanthropic Trust AGRICULTURE ALUMNI ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Ms. Eugenia Lynn Aycock Mr. and Mrs. William N. Clackum Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Walter King Mr. and Mrs. Michael Matthew Little Mr. Ray Richardson Smitherman Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Underwood Jr. LEO W. ANGLIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. Wade A. Carpenter Mrs. Kathy R. Gann PERRY ANTHONY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Emily Anthony Mullis BANK OF AMERICA GFIC SCHOLARSHIP Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges Inc. BARTON MATHEMATICS AWARD Mr. Rayford W. Barton BAXTER FAMILY EXPENDABLE SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wayne Baxter Sr. BERRY COLLEGE CLASS OF 1958 ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Barbara Horne Brown Dr. and Mrs. Harlan L. Chapman Mr. Russell A. Jackson Miss Imogene T. Patterson Gene and Mary Warren Norfolk Southern Foundation JOHN R. AND ANNABEL HODGES BERTRAND ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Sims Mr. and Mrs. David M. Williams GE Fund DAN BIGGERS DISTINGUISHED ACTOR AWARD Mrs. Shannon W. Biggers FRANCES BERRY BONNYMAN SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Margot Martin Atkinson Dr. Isabel Bonnyman Stanley JOSHUA BRADSHAW-WHITTEMORE MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Richard N. Bass Mr. and Mrs. Alfred BradshawWhittemore Mr. and Mrs. Ronald P. Whittemore LOUISE PAUL BROWN WORK SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Paul D. Brown Merck Company Foundation WANDA LOU BUMPUS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Ms. Julie A. Bumpus

DAVID R. BURNETTE AGRICULTURE LEADERSHIP ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Carol Winfrey Burnette Mr. Leach Delano Richards Sr. N. GORDON CARPER ENDOWED HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. N. Gordon Carper Mrs. Shannon Lynn Daley Microsoft Corp.

A. MILTON AND JOANN CHAMBERS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. A. Milton Chambers Mr. and Mrs. William M. Chambers Mr. and Mrs. William Ebbert Evans CHIAHA SCHOLARSHIP AWARD Chiaha Harvest Fair Association CHICK-FIL-A SCHOLARSHIP Chick-fil-A Inc. GENE B. AND JEAN E. CLARK ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Benton Garner Jr. PERCY N. CLARK AND FAMILY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Paul Norman Clark Mr. James M. Legates CLASS OF 1943C SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Cecil L. Adkins Mrs. Genevieve Williams Seymour CLASS OF 1951C MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Milton A. Morgan Mr. and Mrs. Robert Nathan Smelley Lt. Col. and Mrs. Reginald E. Strickland CLASS OF 1954C ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Joyce Shipp Charlton Mr. A. Randall Cooper Mrs. Dorothy Walraven Craig Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin McElyea Mr. Lamar Moore Mrs. Dacy Jackson Shealy Mrs. Betty Meeks Thackrey Mr. and Mrs. Bill G. Waters CLASS OF 1957C SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Franklin D. Windham CLASS OF 1964C REUNION FUND Mrs. Janice Parker Padgett CLASS OF 1953H IN MEMORY OF STALEY-LOVEDAY Mrs. Constance Phillips Stewart Mr. Roger J. Sundy Mr. George E. Tate Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Underwood Jr. Mrs. Joy Bernice Ogle Whaley COCA COLA FIRST GENERATION SCHOLARSHIP Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges Inc. GEORGE W. COFIELD MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND Mr. Billy R. Bentley Dr. and Mrs. Harlan L. Chapman Mr. and Mrs. Larry Eidson Mr. and Mrs. Edward England Jr. Dr. Forrest W. Jackson Mr. Ray Bonner Jeffers Mrs. Joe Ann Wood Moore Mrs. Ellen May Partridge Dr. and Mrs. R. Melvin Rozar Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Tate Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Underwood Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charlie J. Weatherford Mrs. Billie Saylors Williams Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Lee Winton Mr. William M. Word RICHARD V. AND NANCY CONCILIO SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. Richard V. Concilio WENDY HUEY DECK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Melissa Pike Price Ms. Donna Atkins Wooldridge EDWARD GRAY AND DORIS COOK DICKEY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Doris Dickey Brooks GARLAND DICKEY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Renald F. Bryner III Mr. and Mrs. Jessie L. Nolen

DR. OUIDA W. DICKEY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Jennifer W. Dickey Dr. Dorothy Clark Gregg LILLIAN DORTON ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Joy R. Chupp JESSIRUTH SMITH DOSS SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Calvin L. Doss Mr. and Mrs. William Ebbert Evans LEONA STRICKLAND EAST ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. J. Kenyon East Sr. EDWARDS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Scott A. Edwards B. LEON ELDER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. Joe A. Elder Mr. and Mrs. Clifford R. Terry JOHN R. AND MARGARET WEAVER FAISON SCHOLARSHIP Bryson Foundation Ltd. RAY F. AND ROSLYN G. FAULKENBERRY MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Milton Sowell GEORGE GADDIE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Arlene D. Minshew Mrs. Cherrie D. Shaw Mr. and Mrs. D. Allen Travis GEORGIA DAR STUDENT TEACHING AWARD NSDAR GFIC/UPS SCHOLARSHIP Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges Inc. ED AND GAYLE GRAVIETT GMYREK SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Gayle Graviett Gmyrek THE GOIZUETA FOUNDATION SCHOLARS FUND 2008 The Goizueta Foundation JORGE AND ONDINA GONZALEZ ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. Dale N. Davis Dr. Ondina E. Gonzalez Mrs. Ondina Santos Gonzalez The Rev. Jeanne Hoechst-Jackson KATHLEEN GRANROSE MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Cherlyn S. Granrose LARRY A. GREEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Melanie Moore Jones Mr. and Mrs. Michael David Williams SunTrust Banks Inc. – Atlanta LYN GRESHAM ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Walter K. Gill Mr. Larry H. Osborn Dr. and Mrs. Charles James Sisson Sr. HAMRICK FAMILY/AUNT MARTHA FREEMAN EXPENDABLE SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. D. B. Frederick Jr. Dr. Karen A. Kurz HAMRICK FAMILY/AUNT MARTHA FREEMAN ENDOWED GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP Mr. John K. Hamrick Sr. Mrs. C. Leigh Hamrick Verm JEAN MILLER HEDDEN SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Jean Miller Hedden CATHLEEN ANN HENRIKSEN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Emmaline Beard Henriksen LEWIS A. HOPKINS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Aaron D. Britt Mr. and Mrs. Daniel C. Knickerbocker Jr. Mr. D. Allison McIntyre Mr. Howard A. Richmond II Merck Company Foundation RUBY HOPKINS OUTSTANDING STUDENT TEACHER AWARD Mr. and Mrs. Aaron D. Britt Mr. D. Allison McIntyre Mr. Howard A. Richmond II

BECKY MUSSER HOSEA ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Nanette Carter Mr. and Mrs. James Stewart Hare Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Peter M. Musser Ms. Susan C. Parker BECKY MUSSER HOSEA EXPENDABLE SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Peter M. Musser WILLIAM R. AND SARA LIPPARD HOYT SCHOLARSHIP Drs. William R. and Sara L. Hoyt Ms. Harriette R. Hoyt Raymond James Charitable Endowment ALICE ANDERSON HUFSTADER SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Peter H. Hufstader INDONESIAN SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Coville Mrs. Julianne Patrick Nunnelly Eisai AMY JO JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP FUND Mrs. Malisa Sharifi Hagan Dr. Virginia G. Troy MENDEL D. JOHNSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Joan F. Fulghum Mrs. Josephine J. Jackson WALTER AND MABEL JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP Col. Walter A. Johnson Jr. H.I. JONES ENDOWED AGRICULTURE SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. William Ebbert Evans Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kerry Noles KAPPA DELTA PI ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. Steven H. Bell Dr. Mary C. Clement Dr. Mary Elizabeth Outlaw Kappa Delta Pi CLAY KENEMER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Anonymous Mr. Timothy R. Howard Mrs. Mildred Parrish Kenemer Mrs. Jane Daniel Nettles Carpet Capital Chapter Alumni FRANCES OLMSTED KEOWN SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Sally Keown Riggs M. GORDON KEOWN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Sally Keown Riggs MICHAEL AND ELIZABETH NESBITT KRUPA SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Elizabeth Nesbitt Krupa PETER A. LAWLER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Rita Kay Lawler Mr. David Anthony Rowland FRED H. LOVEDAY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. William Ralph Bannister Jr. Mr. James M. Brantley Mrs. Janet Lindsey Cook Mr. Julian Clifford Gray Mr. Robert Lance Hutchins Mr. Chester Hyers Mrs. Mary M. Loveday Lt. Col. William D. Segrest Mr. G. Pait Willis ROSS MAGOULAS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Ms. Darlene Daehler-Wilking Ms. Jean Benoy Lacey Mr. Ross A. Magoulas Dekle Appliance PERCY MARCHMAN SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Percy T. Marchman MARTHA! CENTENNIAL SCHOLARSHIP Lt. Col. and Mrs. Reginald E. Strickland DR. L. DOYLE MATHIS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. and Mrs. L. Doyle Mathis

LAWRENCE E. MCALLISTER SCHOLARSHIP Anonymous HUBERT MCCALEB MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Sandra M. Keeble AIMEE B. DANIEL MCNEIL HOUSE O’ DREAMS SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Ralph Edwin Helser FRANK MILLER ENDOWED MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Ronald E. Dayhoff JAMES E. MINGE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP James E. Minge Charitable Trust JAMES E. MINGE EXPENDABLE SCHOLARSHIP James E. Minge Charitable Trust MINORITY PATHWAY SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Barbara Ballanger Hughes MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Stacey Dionne Jones MILTON A. AND FRANCES P. MORGAN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Milton A. Morgan MARY AND AL NADASSY ENGLISH SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Christina G. Bucher Dr. Sandra L. Meek Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Nadassy Dr. Zeynep Tenger Dr. James H. Watkins Dr. Lara B. Whelan MARY FINLEY NIEDRACH ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Keith W. Finley NSDAR SCHOLARSHIP Chatsworth Chapter DAR Mississippi DAR NSDAR Virginia DAR STEPHEN E. ORCUTT JR. ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Ms. Patsy Hunnicutt BOBBY PATRICK ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Len H. Camp Mr. and Mrs. John G. Wheeler Jr. JAMES L. PAUL JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Violet Paul NEAL QUITMAN AND EMILY LOWE POPE SCHOLARSHIP FUND Mr. and Mrs. G. Richard Pope Mr. and Mrs. James Alan Pope SARA POWELL EXPENDABLE SCHOLARSHIP Mr. John W. Powell Sr. PRESIDENT’S CABINET ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Kathy B. McKee Ms. Bettyann M. O’Neill MILTON M. RATNER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Milton M. Ratner Foundation RIGGS FAMILY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Sally Keown Riggs BERNARD AND DORIS ROWLAND EXPENDABLE SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Doris Rowland ANN RUSSELL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Kathy Ray VESTA SALMON SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP Ms. Ashley Brooke Harp Dr. Mary Elizabeth Outlaw Mrs. Angela P. Reynolds LARRY L. AND MARY E. SCHOOLAR ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Larry L. Schoolar MICHELE NORMAN SIMS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Robert Daniel Price Mr. Robert Jones Sims Mrs. Anne J. Sims

DR. SAM SPECTOR ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kerry Noles Dr. and Mrs. Sam I. Spector STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS Mr. Roger Dean Birkhead Mr. James Marlin Cox Mr. William Redfearn Flood Mr. Perry Frix Dr. and Mrs. Mark Froetschel Mr. Jeremiah Alexander Goss Debbie and Steve Heida Mark Lloyd Hofer Ms. Haley Nicole Jones Mr. and Mrs. Glen Landry Mr. and Mrs. W. Robbie Lanigan Ms. Keri Leigh Libby Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Lawrence Lyles Mrs. Melinda W. Lyons Mr. and Mrs. Theodore MacArthur Mr. Nicholas Tyler Mann Mr. Douglas Franklin Maxwell Ms. Ruth L. Milton Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Penn Mr. Aaron Duane Pickering Mrs. Merrie Beth Lewis Salazar Mr. Winston White Sharp III Ms. Susan E. Spezio Mrs. Sharon Carroll Stanley Mrs. Bonnie Ezell Tinker Mrs. Edna Earle Whatley Mrs. Mary Mason Winsbro Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Wright Aetna Life and Casualty Foundation Follett Higher Education Group Insurance Services Office Inc. Hartford Insurance The Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation Price/Blackburn Charitable Foundation Inc. SUNTRUST SCHOLARSHIP Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges Inc. STEPHEN AND LISA FANTO SWAIN ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Lisa Fanto Swain SYNOVUS FUND FOR BERRY SCHOLARS Synovus Financial Corp.

TROY/GARDNER EXPENDABLE AWARD – ART HISTORY Dr. Virginia G. Troy ALEXANDER WHYTE WHITAKER III ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Whyte Whitaker IV LETTIE PATE WHITEHEAD SCHOLARSHIP Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation Inc. REBA SHROPSHIRE WILSON ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. Jere W. Glover JEFF WINGO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Jennifer Jennings Branson Mrs. Carol Christopher Christie Ms. Andrea Lynn Fulmer Mr. Dean Robert Herdt Mr. Michael Alan Sudduth Mrs. Jennifer Cook Trudrung Dr. and Mrs. Jonathan Eric Wingo Mrs. Kathryn M. Wingo Ciba Foundation Inc CRAIG ALLEN WOFFORD SCHOLARSHIP Mrs. Elaine Sexton Foster RICHARD WOOD SCHOLARSHIP Mr. and Mrs. Sammy V. Freeman Mr. and Mrs. Michael Dean Wilcox Dr. and Mrs. David O. Wood JANICE BRACKEN WRIGHT ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP Mr. William R. Enloe Mr. Gordon Lee Hight II WYATT-LIPSCOMB SCHOLARSHIP Drs. William R. and Sara L. Hoyt

SUMMER 2009

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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROME, GA 30161 PERMIT NO. 2

Berry magazine P.O. Box 495018 Mount Berry, GA 30149-5018

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Victorious Vikings!

The Berry baseball team celebrates after advancing to the Avista-NAIA World Series for the first time in school history.

KEN CARUTHERS/ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE