Berry Magazine - Winter 2020

BERRY Winter 2020-21

Alumni step up to the pandemic

A Berry College Publication

Three stories of head, heart and hands response

ers: Berry is Dear read mester at se ll fa t n re e ncing A very diff social dista s, sk re a M . d n e testing we now at an COVID-19 e v si e n e rv h se and compre ncerted effort to pre nity co mu a m f o o c rt s a u p all e camp th f o h lt a e signature both the h e college’s th f o ty ri g ability and the inte ing experience. Our rn a le was limited in-person s response u p m a c e e to cover th tion deadlines and th a c li andemic, due to pub re of the p tu a n g in g eryone – ever-chan mmend ev o c to t n a – for but we do w lty, staff and alumni u c gether students, fa n in forging ahead to o ti a their dedic g times. challengin se e orial staff th g n ri du — The edit

BERRY Published since 2003 for alumni and friends of Berry College and its historic schools. Winner of 16 CASE Awards, including two for Best in Class.

Gifts Listings and Death Notices Jeff Palmer (09C, 11G) and Justin Karch (01C, 10G)

Editor Rick Woodall (93C)

Contact Information News From You: submit online at berry.edu/ classnotes or email classnotes@berry.edu

Berry Alumni Association President: Patricia Tutterow Jackson (82C, FFS)

Director of Alumni Engagement and Philanthropic Marketing Jennifer Schaknowski

Immediate Past President: Jonathan Purser (85C)

Contributing Writer and Editor Karilon L. Rogers (FFS) Staff Writer Debbie Rasure

Change of Address: 706-236-2256; 800-782-0130; alumni@berry.edu; or Berry Alumni Office, P.O. Box 495018, Mount Berry, GA 30149

Vice Presidents: Alumni Engagement, Chris Hayes (04C); Berry Heritage, Jason Sweatt (88C); Financial Support, Aaron Chastain (15C); Alumni Awards, Stephen L. Williams (86C, 90G)

Chief Photographer Brant Sanderlin

Editorial: rwoodall@berry.edu; 706-378-2870; or Berry magazine, P.O. Box 490069, Mount Berry, GA 30149

Vice President of Advancement Cyndi Court

Chaplain: The Rev. Tim A. Cole (98C) Parliamentarian: Tim Howard (82C)

Graphic Design and Production Craig Hall

Vice President of Marketing and Communications Nancy Rewis

Secretary: Larry Arrington (93C)

President Stephen R. Briggs PHOTO CREDIT Above: Brant Sanderlin

BERRY

Vol 107, No. 1 Winter 2020-21

F E A T U R E S

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WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC

FRIENDS WHO TURNED INTO FAMILY

CELEBRATING GENEROSITY: THE LIFEREADY CAMPAIGN

Bart Hill (97C), Dr. Kristy Rae-Collins Crooks (98C) and Noah Stewart (17C) stepped up with their heads, hearts and hands in the early COVID-19 fight.

A Berry story: Dr. Amelia “Mimi” Hofstetter (07C) and Dr. Yuko Sato (08C)

The LifeReady Campaign closed this fall after raising more than $135 million for scholarships, facilities and programs that already are changing lives and enhancing opportunity for Berry students.

D E P A R T M E N T S 8

President’s Pen

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Inside the Gate Notable news from Berry

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And then some ...

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25

Alumni Awards

Thank You!

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The Martha Berry Society

Meet our 2020 winners

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26

Points of Pride

In the end

News From You

Students, faculty, staff and Berry: The best of the best!

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Class Notes – The original social media. And recent Berry community deaths.

It’s about the students: Genesis Leggett (20C)

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INSIDE THE GATE

Coming home to Berry Alumni among first residents of The Spires

By Rick Woodall

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Sam and Nancy Duval Ratcliffe walk the grounds of The Spires at Berry College. (Photo by Connor King)

learning and mentoring opportunities for students long envisioned for the project.

“Most of these residents here would fight you over these students,” Sam joked, with Nancy adding, “We’ve always had teenagers and young people in our home, working with them and mentoring them, and this is just a great opportunity to do that.”

They also enjoy sharing the history of their alma mater with non-alumni neighbors, going so far as to loan out their copy of the 1956 Martha Berry biography, Miracle in the Mountains.

“They have been so impressed with the work ethic and the attitude of the students who work here,” Nancy said. “We tell them there is a Berry difference, and they’re beginning to believe it.”

Visit retireatberry.com for more on The Spires at Berry College.

Resolute Media

hen Sam (76C, 78G) and Nancy Duval (77C) Ratcliffe exchanged wedding vows in the Berry College Chapel on June 14, 1980, they never imagined that one day the campus where they met again would be home.

Forty years and one day later, however, they became the first residents to move into one of 26 stand-alone cottages gracing The Spires at Berry College, a new continuing care retirement community located on 50 acres of leased Berry property not far from the main campus. They are among several alumni now living at the site, where construction began in October 2018 after several years of planning.

“I do not recommend moving in the middle of a pandemic, but it’s been worth it,” said Sam, a former SGA president who went on to a long career with Eckerd Drug and McKesson pharmaceuticals. “It has exceeded my expectations, and I expected a lot.”

Perched on the rim of Eagle Lake, site of a former quarry, the new community includes both the stand-alone cottages and 144 apartment-style residences, as well as options for assisted living and secure memory care. Residents have access to a full slate of housekeeping, maintenance and leisure services, as well as on-site dining, fitness and health care, among other amenities.

“These guys, they take very good care of you,” Sam said. “It’s nice knowing you have someone else who is keeping an eye out for you.”

It was that sense of long-term security that helped draw Sam and Nancy to The Spires, which operates as a financially independent and selfsustaining nonprofit separate from Berry College, with its own board of directors.

“One of my sayings is, ‘We met here, we got married here, and we’re probably going to die here’. Not anytime soon, but it’s kind of full circle,” expressed Nancy, a longtime teacher who is now Northwest Georgia member services representative for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, in addition to serving on the Berry Alumni Council.

One highlight so far has been interacting with Berry students of various majors who work at The Spires. Already, the Ratcliffes are witnessing the development of the type of intergenerational

H

usband, father, teammate, friend. J. Barry Griswell (71C) was many things to those who held him dear, but to his alma mater, he was most of all a leader whose legacy burns brightly in the lives of the countless students he supported over time and the many opportunities he helped make possible.

Griswell died unexpectedly June 5, bringing to a close 17 years of unwavering service to the Berry College Board of Trustees, the last four as chair. News of his death sparked an outpouring of love and appreciation from alumni and friends who were quick to acknowledge his influence.

He was a champion of Berry and one of its most accomplished alumni, reaching the rarified air

of the Fortune 500 boardroom as CEO and chair of Principal Financial Group.

His Berry legacy spans half a century, ranging from his days as a basketball standout to his years on the Board of Trustees. His impact was personal and profound, encompassing the students in whom he invested as a donor and mentor as well as the institutional progress he helped to bring about. Both are evident in the now completed LifeReady Campaign, which he supported generously and led, co-chairing with trustee and friend Randy Berry (see page 17).

“Barry was an ideal board chair during our successful capital campaign and in the period of crisis that emerged last spring due to COVID-19 and the nation’s racial

unrest,” said Berry President Steve Briggs. “Problems of this magnitude brought out the best in him. He was a wise leader attuned to matters of social justice. We miss him greatly.”

Among Griswell’s many distinctions were the Horatio Alger Award, the Berry Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award, and induction into the Boys and Girls Clubs Alumni Hall of Fame.

Survivors include devoted wife Michele Irwin Griswell (70C), a loving family and countless friends who will forever cherish memories of the man one former scholarship recipient described as “friendly, personable, funny and inspirational.”

See the president’s essay on page 8 for more on his life and legacy.

Ryan Smith (00C)

A leader and a friend: Remembering J. Barry Griswell

The late J. Barry Griswell and wife Michele in 2016.

Gilbert, Clark assume new roles on Board of Trustees

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he Berry College Board of Trustees has tapped new leadership in Chair Rick Gilbert (77c) and Vice Chair Bert Clark (82C), as well as electing three new members and welcoming a fourth in an ex officio capacity. Gilbert, who previously served as vice chair, follows J. Barry Griswell (71C), who died June 5.

A trustee since 2008, Gilbert is co-founder and senior advisor of Atlanticus Holdings Corp. and a graduate of John Marshall Law School. He is a member of the Georgia Bar and the American Bar Association and chairs both the Georgia

Community Foundation and the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, which seeks to improve K-12 educational opportunities for students statewide. He and wife Debra Bourne Gilbert (76C) live in Rome and have two children, Rich and Lindsay.

Clark, a trustee since 2002, holds a history degree from Berry and a law degree from the University of Georgia. The wealth management advisor and principal of Clark Financial Group in Atlanta serves on the boards of the Woodruff Arts Center, High Museum of Art and Community

Foundation of Greater Atlanta, continuing a long history of service to cultural, educational and professional organizations in the region. He and wife Cathy live in Atlanta; they have three children: Ben, Matthew and Julia.

The newly elected trustees are all alumni who have served on the Berry Board of Visitors. The new ex officio member is Patricia Tutterow Jackson (82C, FFS), president of the Berry Alumni Association (see page 4).

Angie Wilkey Lewis (89C) is a leader in the finance industry who currently

serves as group executive of enterprise risk for Synovus.

She is a recipient of Synovus’ James H. Blanchard Leadership Award and a product of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Lewis began her career as a CPA and maintains her licensure. She and husband Jon Lewis live in Rome.

Araya Mesfin (98C) is senior vice president of wealth management for UBS Atlanta. The former Bonner Scholar and Berry soccer All-American is a native of Ethiopia who moved to Atlanta when he was 14.

Today, he is a certified

financial planner who also serves as a senior portfolio manager and wealth advisor.

He and his family live in Buckhead.

Robert Swarthout (04C) is co-founder and board member of ShootProof, a web-services solution platform for wedding and portrait photographers. The successful entrepreneur previously co-founded PaperBackSwap.com and also has worked as a software developer and digital engineering executive with companies such as Yahoo and CouponMom. He and wife Tessa Frye Swarthout (07C) live in Atlanta.

Rick Gilbert

Bert Clark

Angie Wilkey Lewis

Araya Mesfin

Robert Swarthout

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INSIDE THE GATE

BERRY PEOPLE

Jackson tapped as alumni president

Patricia Tutterow Jackson

Patricia Tutterow Jackson (82C, FFS) is the new president of the Berry Alumni Association, succeeding Jonathan Purser (85C), who continues his service as pastpresident. In her new role, Jackson is an ex officio member of the Berry College Board of Trustees.

Jackson is a career educator who served more than 30 years in the Cobb County, Ga., School District, first as a special education teacher and later as district professional learning supervisor. She also taught as an adjunct professor at both Reinhardt University and Berry College. Most recently, she was a regional success coach with RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency). She lives in Marietta with husband Mark.

Joining Jackson, Purser and other returning Executive Committee members are Jason Sweatt (88C), vice president for Berry Heritage; the Rev. Tim Cole (98C), chaplain; and Larry Arrington (93C), secretary. See the inside front cover for a full list of officers.

Spas joins Board of Visitors

George “Laky” Spas

George “Laky” Spas (84C, 87G), a native of Venezuela, has joined the Berry College Board of Visitors after first serving on the Student Enterprise Board of Advisors. An active alumnus since graduation, he fondly remembers being mentored by faculty as a student and notes the impact of those interactions on his personal growth.

During his successful 27-year career with Motorola, the multilingual Spas was a vice president and regional director responsible for leading and building teams in sales and services as well as corporate operations. Due to the international nature of his assignments, he traveled extensively throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia.

After retiring from Motorola, he established Sofos Solutions LLC., an active consulting firm with expertise in business development, process improvement and organizational leadership design. He and wife Kay Hurst Spas (85C) have two grown sons.

Ngetich, Dexter earn Martindale Awards In one of the most challenging years in Berry history, two faculty/staff members earned consistent praise across campus for their extraordinary contributions, leading to their selection as the 2020 recipients of the Martindale Awards of Distinction.

Jennifer Ngetich claimed the staff award after exhibiting what one nominator described as “a preternatural sense of patience and positivity” while guiding Berry’s spring transition to remote learning as coordinator of instructional design and faculty development for academic services.

Dr. Casey Dexter, associate professor of psychology and director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Faculty Development, earned the faculty nod in recognition of his creativity and diligence as co-chair of the Academic Affairs Reopening Committee, helping colleagues teach well and in unprecedented ways.

Other spring honorees included: • Dr. George Gallagher, Dana professor of animal science, Vulcan Teaching Excellence Award • John T. David, artist-in-residence for fine arts-music, Dave and Lu Garrett Award for Meritorious Teaching • Dr. Jonathan Parker, assistant professor of religion and philosophy, Eleana M. Garrett Award for Meritorious Advising and Caring 4

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• Dr. Paula Englis, professor of management, Mary S. and Samuel Poe Carden Award

• Dr. Lauren Heller, associate professor of

economics, SGA Faculty Member of the Year

• Roger Dalrymple, auto mechanic, SGA Staff Member of the Year

• Jazz Kirk, events supervisor, John R. Bertrand Superior Student Work Supervisor Award

GIFT OF THE HEART More than 2,500 alumni and friends have extended a helping hand to students in financial crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic began, either with outright gifts to the Save a Student Scholarship or purchases of Berry-themed merchandise.

While grateful to all, we couldn’t help but take particular note of one. He’s not an alumnus, at least not yet, but his heart beats strongly for Berry students. We’ll let him tell you the rest.

Dear Berry College, My name is Wales Averyt, and I am 10 years old. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, but I know all about Berry because my great great grandfather was Thomas Berry, Martha Berry’s brother.

I heard about the students who might not be able to return to school because of corona struggles, and I wanted to help. For my birthday, I raised money with the help of Steel City Pops. I would like to donate the raised money to the Save a Student Scholarship fund. I hope this will make a difference.

Sincerely, Wales Averyt It did, Wales. It most certainly did.

For those wondering, Wales raised a total of $243 for Berry students. If you’d like to join him in supporting those whose Berry dreams are in peril due to the pandemic, visit berry.edu/gift.

B E R RY AT H L E T I C S :

P L AY I N G T O O U R S T R E N G T H S

A champion returns home Insel Brown heads Berry women’s soccer As a student-athlete, Kathy Insel Brown (95C) helped lift the Berry women’s soccer team to a national championship. Now she is intent on helping a new generation of Vikings achieve their full potential.

In July, Insel Brown became the fifth head coach in the storied history of the team, succeeding Lorenzo Canalis, who retired after 25 years and a programrecord 322 wins.

“It is impossible to explain how excited I am to return to Berry College as the head women’s soccer coach,” Insel Brown said. “I have big shoes to fill.

“I consider myself blessed beyond measure to have an opportunity to not only do what I love, but an opportunity to do what I love at Berry College.”

A starting defender on Berry’s 1993 NAIA national championship team, Insel Brown brings 22 years of coaching experience and a 279-114-13 overall record to her new role.

She most recently served for three years as head coach at NCAA Division II Lock Haven University, leading the Bald Eagles to an 11-5-1 record in her final season and the team’s first postseason appearance in 12 years.

Prior to Lock Haven, she established the women’s soccer program at Young Harris (Ga.) College, where she was head coach for 18 years and is an inductee in the Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2006, her team claimed the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I championship.

Head women’s soccer coach Kathy Insel Brown. (Photo by student Emily Thompson)

MAKING THEIR MARK Perfect off the tee Some people just have what it takes to shoot under par their first time on the course. Take Berry Assistant Women’s Golf Coach Will Hurt, for example. After finishing his own collegiate golf career in the spring of 2019, he came to Berry and immediately helped lead the team to five top-10 finishes and a No. 24 Golfstat ranking in the COVIDshortened 2019-20 season. To cap it all off, he was named Division III Assistant Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.

3.99 GPA

for distance runner Parker Roberts (20C), a CoSIDA Academic All-American and Goldwater Scholar who graduated with a degree in physics and mathematics

The COVID-19 pandemic may have wreaked havoc with college athletics in 2020, but nothing could stop Berry student-athletes from excelling on the academic playing field.

Here is one report card any parent would be happy to see!

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ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS

volleyball; baseball; and men’s and women’s cross country, swimming and diving, golf, tennis, and track and field

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TENNIS SCHOLAR ATHLETES

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GOLF ALL-AMERICA SCHOLARS

SWIMMING ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLAR

Preston DeSantis and Seth Jolly

National qualifier Brooke Boyd

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SIGMA ALPHA ALPHA

selections by the Southern Athletic Association, awarded to senior All-Conference honorees with a GPA of 3.5 or higher

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SAA ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL selections for winter and spring, signifying a GPA of 3.25 or higher

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POINTS OF PRIDE

Woman of the century Just when you thought no more laurels could be heaped upon Berry College founder Martha Berry, one more comes her worthy way: USA Today has named her a Woman of the Century.

In recognition of the 2020 anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the legal right to vote, USA Today named 10 American women from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to the Women of the Century list. These individuals lived between 1920 and 2020 and made significant contributions to their states and nation.

Joining Berry on Georgia’s list of 10 were such notables as Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple Alice Walker, investment firm co-founder and current Wall Street powerhouse Suzanne Shank, and twin advice-column writers Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. There was also an astronaut and a two-time track-and-field Olympic medalist.

Brant Sanderlin

Brant Sanderlin

Student Matthew McConnell

Martha Berry with the Faith Cottage girls.

Teacher education perfection

Cosmopolitan campus

Mission recognized

“Absolutely exemplary.” Just two of the glowing words used by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission in its re-accreditation evaluation of Berry’s teacher education program. The Charter School of Education passed each of the 19 certification areas on the commission’s compliance report – at both the undergraduate and graduate levels – with flying colors. According to Dr. Jackie McDowell, professor of teacher education and former Charter School dean, it was the first perfect compliance report she had seen in her 35 years in teacher education.

Do alumni ever tire of being told their alma mater is beautiful? We don’t think so. So here we go again. Berry has been named one of the most beautiful colleges in America by The Active Times (msn lifestyle) and the Travel Daily News, which listed only four beauties. But our personal favorite this time around is Cosmopolitan (yes, Cosmo!), which asked readers to join them in ogling the campus eye candy! Now that’s a first for the Berry record books.

“Most colleges have the goal of making the world a better place. But only some colleges are proactively practicing what they preach.” So said Great Value Colleges when identifying 30 educational institutions that make a difference not only by educating students but also by running programs that improve people’s lives.

Berry is humbled to be among those listed.

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BERRY IN THE

ISSUE 12

The US Ne ws

Students put Berry in top 10% nationally How does top 10% in the nation sound?

Good, we hope, because that is where student scores landed Berry in four different categories – the most ever – of

a

NEWS!

nnual coll 2020 Nationally ege rankin , Berry tied gs that is. with Corn university ell Universi in the Sou ty for No. 14 th, Berry g again rank in service ot exceptio s among “T learning. A n al ly high mar he Best 38 nd as a reg latest colleg ks! And did 6 Colleges ional e guide – an ” we mentio in th e d not just fo nation, acc n that Ber ording to T r academic ry once he Princeto s?

US News, R n Review’s egional Universit

ies in the S outh # 1 Best Value Schoo l # 3 Best Undergradua te Teachin g # 4 Overall Ranking (tie) # 7 Most Innovative S chool (tie)

the latest National Survey of Student

Princeton Review

# 1 in the Southeast #1 2 nationally for b eauty

nationally #1 7 serv for comm unity ice engageme nt

Engagement, which surveys freshmen and seniors. Based on their feedback, Berry ranked in the top 10% in the following categories:

Females + STEM = Strong If the work of Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Dr. Jill Cochran and her peers is any indication, females soon will not have to go out on a limb to go into STEM – careers in science, technology, engineering and math, that is.

Cochran has been selected to participate in a National Science Foundation project funded by a $1 million grant to support the advancement of mid-career STEM women faculty. She already launched the STEMTeach program at Berry for undergraduate pre-service math and science teachers as well as collaborative professional development with mentor-teachers.

Student-faculty interaction Supportive campus environment Quality of interactions on campus Higher-order learning

Dr. Jill Cochran with students on Mentor Day. (Photo by Brant Sanderlin)

Sports announcing to a national scholarship Communication senior Noah Syverson was recognized last summer with one of only three undergraduate scholarships awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America. His excellence at Berry was demonstrated in part by his work as a student assistant in sports information, where he served before COVID struck as the school’s play-by-play announcer, scoreboard operator and statistician.

And although he wasn’t able to use those particular skills this fall, Syverson did have the chance to exercise his talents before the semester began, spending the sizzling summer announcing for baseball’s Macon Bacon as they cooked things up with the Savannah Bananas, Macon Eggs and the like. All are part of the Coastal Plains League, which has launched the careers of more than 1,400 major-leaguers, including 2011 Cy Young Award and MVP winner Justin Verlander. And now, maybe, Noah Syverson. “Go Bacon … beat the Eggs!”

Noah Syverson (third from left) with several members of the Macon Bacon baseball team.

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PRESIDENT’S PEN

And then some ...

Lessons from a life well lived

Dr. Stephen Briggs

B

erry was forged in the fires of adversity. When Martha Berry deeded over her land inheritance to build a residential school for boys from destitute families, her likelihood of success was near zero. Seven years later, when her trustees sensibly voted down her request to add a school for girls to her struggling endeavor, she proceeded anyway.

Martha embraced adversity in a way that transcended her privileged upbringing. Sunday visits with her father to rural homesteads and a summer spent with a friend exploring isolated mountain hamlets awakened her to the harsh reality of generational poverty and aroused in her a sense of obligation and calling. Her passion inspired many others to join her efforts, and together they changed the life trajectory of thousands of young people.

Martha’s primary assets were grit and a determined faith, and her tenacity came to define the “Berry spirit.”

The spirit lives on The life of our late Board of Trustees Chair J. Barry Griswell (71C) also was forged in the fires of adversity, and Martha’s school helped alter his trajectory. In fact,

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on more than one occasion, I heard him say he was sure that Martha Berry had created Berry College just for him. His story certainly epitomizes the spirit of Berry and the generosity of our founder.

Although he grew up in urban Atlanta rather than rural Georgia, Barry came from a broken family.

His mother worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. By his teenage years, the family had moved 16 times in 16 years because it was perpetually short of money. Barry started working at a young age to help with expenses.

One of Barry’s jobs in high school was loading trucks at a trucking company. As a part-time worker, he was part of a group that would be called in during especially busy times. These occasions paid extremely well, so workers would vie for these opportunities. To get picked often,

workers had to accept the work whenever called. Barry also figured out that the best way to stay at the top of the list was to do whatever was asked and then some. That might mean staying late to finish a job, volunteering for an especially thankless task or simply having the best attitude on a hot day.

It took a while for Barry to articulate the principle of “and then some” that he wrote about in his book with Bob Jennings, The Adversity Paradox, but it is a mindset he learned to apply in many avenues of life. He credited the principle as the best means to personal and professional success, as a defining feature of one’s character. In Barry’s view, its value as an overarching attitude becomes even more apparent when confronted with adversity, whether that be a personal failure, health crisis, unexpected calamity or

natural disaster. As Barry wrote in his book, “No matter how difficult the circumstances, relying on and harnessing the power of ‘and then some’ ensures that you’re never helpless in the face of adversity.”

He elaborated that there is more to professional success than hard work and an optimistic attitude.

Blessed with height at 6 feet 9 inches, Barry enjoyed considerable success as a basketball player in high school and earned a scholarship to Berry. But by his own account, he was less naturally gifted and motivated when it came to learning. He struggled and drifted in college. Then, in his sophomore year, his girlfriend and eventual wife, Michele Irwin Griswell (70C), encouraged him to take a course with her in economics. Dr. Sam Spector brought the material to life, and Barry was hooked. He started

Above: Barry Griswell rose from humble beginnings to achieve Fortune 500 success as president, CEO and chair of Principal Financial Group. Facing page: Griswell addressing students and other guests at Berry’s annual Scholarship Night celebration and, below, donning overalls with President Steve Briggs for a tongue-in-cheek video.

down a path of self-evaluation that embraced misfortunes and mistakes as opportunities for learning and disciplined self-improvement.

It was an emerging inquisitiveness and thirst to learn that propelled Barry to remarkable heights in the business world.

After earning an MBA from Stetson University in Florida, he worked for MetLife Marketing, eventually becoming CEO. In 1988, Barry accepted a position with The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa, and within 10 years was named president and, subsequently, CEO and chairman of the board. Before retiring in 2010, Barry guided the company through the uncertainty of going public in the aftermath of the 9/11 crisis and calmly led it through the economic upheaval of 2008-09.

As a business icon, Barry moved gracefully in the highest echelons of society. His professional accomplishments were recognized with numerous awards. Perhaps most noteworthy was the 2003 Horatio Alger Award, which honors individuals who have achieved exceptional success while overcoming difficult backgrounds.

Not surprisingly, given his leadership skills and business acumen, Barry was a sought-after trustee of major charitable organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Scholarship America.

Not to be served, but to serve The real measure of Barry’s character, however, surfaced in out-of-the-way places. He had eyes for overlooked individuals who needed a kind hand to help them to their feet. He would hear the story of a student who was struggling and discreetly open his checkbook. He was drawn especially to the needs of disadvantaged children, asking

Lauren Neumann (16C)

“No matter how difficult the circumstances, relying on and harnessing the power of ‘and then some’ ensures that you’re never helpless in the face of adversity.” — Barry Griswell

quietly as to who might need clothes, shoes or a winter coat.

Together, Barry and Michele were willing to take on the hardest challenges. For more than a decade, they joined with a group of church friends to understand and invest in

the social and economic needs of the Crow Creek people of Buffalo County, South Dakota. Like Martha Berry in the Northwest Georgia mountains a century ago, they visited the isolated homesteads of the reservation and provided sustained help to one of the poorest counties in the nation. On one such trip, Barry visited an older Native American woman, helping to evaluate the serious mold conditions and jury-rigged sewage line in her home. Over a meal, Barry talked with the woman and, as a friend described, treated her with the same respect and interest as he would a business peer.

If we are willing With the odds stacked heavily against him from early on, Barry easily could have conceded to bitterness and

low expectations. As he put it, “One of the negative consequences of an upbringing like mine is that I was left with a feeling of inferiority – and that feeling was hard to shake.” He sometimes responded roughly and made mistakes, but then chose to confront the hard truth of his life and make lasting changes. According to Barry, “I worked extra hard to compensate for any deficiencies, imagined or real. … Eventually success breeds success, and your mind starts to accept it.”

He embraced adversity as his ally, and paradoxically, it strengthened him and became the wellspring of his generous spirit.

Barry and Michele gave freely to numerous causes in the Des Moines community where they lived for many years and contributed broadly elsewhere as well. They have been equally generous here at Berry, as so many of our students and alumni know personally.

Barry loved life. He was bigger than life in many ways. He had a playful sense of humor and his presence filled a room. He used his influence, assets and sheer force of presence to create opportunities for others. He thought nothing of dancing on stage, dying his hair green or dressing up as a hayseed farmer if it helped raise funds for a worthy cause. And he was vulnerable enough to share stories of his own failings to show others how they too might break free from the constraints of a harsh and harmful background.

Barry would want us to remember that it is vital to know who we are at a fundamental level – that we reflect on the source of our purpose and faith – so that we can pursue valiantly what matters most.

Adversity is a profound teacher: It opens our eyes, softens our heart and emboldens our resolve, if only we are willing.

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Brant Sanderlin

Brant Sanderlin

Bart Hill (97C)

Dr. Kristy Rae-Collins Crooks (98C)

Noah Stewart (17C)

In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, help was needed seemingly everywhere.

People sickened by the virus urgently needed medical attention, and their frontline caregivers just as critically looked for help acquiring the elusive personal protective equipment that

WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC: A true test of the head, heart and hands

might keep them from becoming patients themselves. “Essential workers� everywhere required support so that prescriptions and refrigerators could be filled and, inexplicably, precious toilet paper hoarded. And literally everyone awaited tests and treatments for this never-before-seen virus in hopes its trail of illness might be halted.

Many Berry alumni, students and friends answered the call to service in critical and creative ways in those terrifying early days, when so little was known about the invisible invader. We

BY K A R I LO N L . RO G E R S

are proud to tell the story of three Berry graduates who stepped up with their heads, hearts and hands, each in his or her own unique way, to help their fellow Americans.

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Where there’s a will “The first thing we did was try to figure out what we could make for our employees,” Hill explained.

“We have expertise in sewing because of our bath rugs, so our idea was face masks. We made some, but our material wasn’t right to be next to your face, so that lasted for a week.”

In the meantime, he received call after call from local hospitals desperate for isolation gowns. His response was that he likely could make them but needed raw materials.

“I quickly learned that all the raw material comes from China,” he recalled. “I learned more about PPE in a week than you can imagine!”

Fate – and friendship – intervened. On March 23, he had just gotten off the phone with yet another hospital when lifelong friend Chris Simuro, owner and president of Fabric Sources International, called. Chris had rolls of fabric approved for use in isolation gowns but no way to make them.

“He had the fabric; I had the expertise,” Hill said. “I put a group of engineers on it, and on

Brant Sanderlin

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art Hill is a businessman who, just once, wanted to get put out of business. Fast.

In those frightening early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when hospitals and other first-responders were desperate for personal protective equipment, the senior vice president of Mohawk Home in Dalton, Ga., and his team used what they had in their bath- and area-rug operation to ultimately produce 155,000 isolation gowns and 235,000 plastic face shields. But these weren’t product lines they hoped to keep.

“This is the one business where I hope I get put OUT of business very quickly!” he said at the time. “The day I can shut this line down will be one of the happiest days of my life.”

The gowns went to more than 100 hospitals with focus on the local area – Dalton, Calhoun, Rome and Atlanta – as well as to AdventHealth, which has hospitals in nine states, including Georgia. Many were provided free of charge; some were offered at cost. The face shields, produced over a short six-week period, were shipped, again at no profit, throughout the Southeast.

“If I had had 10 million gowns, I could have shipped them,” Hill stated. “I figured at the time the shortage was probably 500 million gowns.”

Bart Hill (97C)

Isolation gowns by Mohawk Home March 30, we had our first prototype – there were eventually 10 iterations. I put two people who sew on it, and we set a goal to make 10 a day.

Then I got calls from Emory [HealthCare]. We added sewers and upped our goal to 100 a day.

We made 500 the first week. That excited us, and we thought, ‘Let’s keep going!’ The Mohawk team stepped up. They wanted to help. I can’t say enough about them.”

When Hill’s team hit 1,000 gowns, the local news came. Every day they made more. By mid-

April, they were making approximately 5,000 a day – a far cry from their original goal of 10.

“Emory loved the gowns,” Hill declared. “Our pattern worked better for them, and the FSI material was better.”

All in all, Hill and his team had a 12-week run before turning gown-making over to companies by then more capable of high-volume production.

Still, the team continues to help the cause, having offered their gown template free-of-charge to any firms wanting to use it. Multiple companies have accepted their offer.

“I like to say, ‘If you can’t do what you do every day, do what you can,” Hill concluded about the experience. “Our people are all about helping.

For a while, it was bad news after bad news.

The ability to help out was a bright spot for our company and for me personally. I just directed traffic. It was the team that did the heavy lifting.”

Setting course In his early days, Hill never pictured himself as senior vice president of anything. His future was on the links, carefully avoiding disaster as he made his way around Amen Corner to win the Masters. Or at least putting his way to victory on some secondary professional tour.

It was an upper-level business management class with David C. Garrett Jr. Professor of Business Administration Dr. John Grout that awakened in Hill the excitement that can be found beyond the fairway.

“It was the best class I ever had and had a huge influence on me,” he said. “That was when I decided to go into business as a career instead of becoming another unemployed golf pro.”

Hill worked at Mohawk over the summer after graduation, planning to start a job he’d secured in Atlanta that fall. Mohawk held on to him, however, and 23 years later has never let go.

His Berry connections haven’t let go either. He still takes golf trips with his former teammates and now serves his alma mater as a member of the Campbell School of Business Executive Advisory Council. He also is a hearty supporter of the Save a Student Scholarship, which has been helping students severely impacted financially by the pandemic. He and wife Katherine have three children: Gracie (18), Mia (15) and Henry (13).

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A

t the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus, Dr. Kristy Rae-Collins Crooks directs what many would consider one of the most sophisticated types of genetics laboratories in the world.

The Biobank Laboratory of the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine performs research and clinical genetic testing on donated patient samples to generate large-scale genetic data, which, when combined with medical information from the electronic health record, can help shed new light on why some people are more likely to get certain diseases and which treatments will work best on which individuals.

But early in March 2020, Crooks received entirely different marching orders for the lab that she was more than eager to follow: enable it to process thousands of COVID-19 tests. Fast.

Top leadership at the institution directed the Biobank to begin running a clinical COVID-19 test – one different from those used by the medical center’s patient-care labs. Why? To guard against potential supply-chain issues with vendors providing COVID testing reagents to the clinical laboratories. Good idea.

The Biobank Lab was well suited to the task, boasting an instrument capable of fast, highvolume processing of a totally new COVID-19 assay, or test, just authorized by the FDA under its Emergency Use Authorization. But clinical laboratory regulations require validation of assay performance before beginning patient testing, and the campus was on shut-down with most staff on work-from-home orders. When the university gave the green light for two people to work on the assay, Crooks and Clinical Fellow Dr. Stephen Wicks set to the task immediately.

“I hadn’t personally been at the lab bench in many years,” Crooks said, “but for this project, I needed to be and was glad to do it.”

Eight 15-hour days later, the duo finished running the assay under all conditions required by the FDA. “We had to be certain that the test is accurate and that it detects very, very small amounts of the virus in your sample,” Crooks explained. “We had to be sure that it doesn’t matter if your sample is a swab, lavage or sputum, and that the test works the same on every instrument in our lab so that it doesn’t matter if we use the older machine by the window or the new one two benches over. And we

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Dr. Kristy Rae-Collins Crooks (98C)

COVID-19 testing on the fast track had to prove that we can get your sample in and get the results back to your doctor responsibly and quickly.”

Next, Crooks had to ensure proper training of her staff and implement longer shifts to accommodate the new work. All these efforts – and the March decision to use a different method of COVID-19 testing – were validated in June when the vendor providing reagents for the medical center’s primary clinical COVID assay was forced to cut deliveries in half. Almost overnight, the Biobank Lab’s COVID-19 test volume soared from a couple hundred a month to 1,000 to 1,500 a day.

“We had huge support across campus when we were bringing up the test,” Crooks remembered about those long days at the lab bench. “We kept our eye on the fact that if we don’t do it quickly and well, bad things are going to happen in public health and, God forbid, to our friends, neighbors and families.”

Impressive credentials In addition to directing the Biobank Laboratory, Crooks is an assistant professor of pathology, director of the heritable disease section in the Colorado Molecular Correlates Laboratory, and director of the Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Fellowship.

The Berry biology major earned a Ph.D. in neurobiology at Duke University followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Duke’s Center for Human Genetics. Next, she performed fellowships in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Clinical Cytogenetics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leading to board certification and the ability to work directly with patients in both.

Now, she calls her work “directing a fairly typical clinical genetics laboratory” through which she provides genetic diagnosis for such diseases as Huntington’s and cystic fibrosis, as well as diagnosis and prognosis for cancer.

The magic of mentors Crooks’ love of science was cemented during a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program at Emory University when she had the opportunity to work with human mummies, a subject of great interest. (Another student in the program also was of great interest: She met and later married Dr. Jim Crooks, and they now have two sons: Joey, 15, and Charlie, 12.) The Berry junior loved the careful notetaking and later used the data captured during the imaging of the mummies’ bones as the basis of her Berry Honors Thesis.

The other catalysts for her commitment to science had names: Dr. Martin Cipollini, Dana professor of biology; Dr. Chris Mowry, associate professor of biology; and Dr. Donald Bettler (FFS), all of whom loved sharing their knowledge and made her feel like she really could be a scientist.

“Most of the technical and scientific skills I’ve needed are ones I learned during my Ph.D. and clinical fellowships,” she concluded. “But many of the soft skills – compassion when my students and staff are struggling; motivation to work harder when the stakes are high; remembering to listen to every voice in the room, even when I already think I’m right – are things I started building at Berry.”

Tweets then trade Swartzenegger, the largest donor to the project, tweeted about the backlog in the supply chain and the need for donations to the fund. Other highprofile celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Kim Kardashian and Ellen followed his lead. When the fund kicked off on GoFundMe.com, Flexport’s Peterson tweeted that anyone needing to find PPE should reach out. The result was a deluge of interest. Pleas for help, really.

Enter Stewart. And the remarkable technical capabilities of Flexport, which seeks to modernize global trade by uniquely combining advanced cloud technology and analytics, logistics infrastructure, and human expertise.

“The small Flexport.org team couldn’t handle the volume, so we jumped on board to help,” said Stewart, the market development manager in Flexport’s Atlanta office. “We had suppliers wanting buyers and buyers with no verified suppliers or no money to move the freight. Almost overnight, my team set up a funnel.”

The people who wanted to import PPE were established as “buyers of record,” and Stewart’s team built a supply chain connection for each request. They established an approved network of suppliers, vetting each to ensure they met

Brant Sanderlin

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rnold Swartzenegger can do just about anything on the movie screen, but none of the characters he plays could do what Noah Stewart did.

In the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when frontline responders across the nation were scrambling to get their hands on gowns, masks and gloves, Stewart helped his team at global freight employer Flexport deliver 166 million units of personal protective equipment directly to those most in need.

Their work fulfilled the promise of the highly successful Frontline Responders Fund established

by Swartzenegger and actor/filmmaker Edward Norton in concert with Flexport CEO Ryan Peterson and a handful of others. The goal: To raise funds for Flexport’s nonprofit arm – Flexport.org – in order to get PPE from other countries into the U.S. “There was a major backlog in the supply chain,” Stewart explained. “And the cost of shipping the bulky items went way up, so many that could buy PPE couldn’t afford the shipping.”

Noah Stewart (17C)

Global-trade savvy fulfills PPE fund promise FDA regulations. Orders went out, and PPE was received directly by the buyer with no delays. More than 90% of supplies came from China, the rest from Southeast Asian countries, Japan and India.

“The Frontline Responders Fund covered the logistical movement – the cost of the air or ocean freight – as well as customs support, including import taxes,” he said. “And in some cases, it paid for the PPE itself.”

The original goal for the Frontline Responders Fund was $5 million. As of Nov. 1, it sat at $8.3 million.

Head, heart, hands and data analysis Stewart’s path to a career in a technically oriented business was a thoughtful one.

“I was a religion and philosophy major,” he stated. “My freshman year, I took a course with Dr. Peter Yoder that excited me and opened my eyes in so many ways. Still, I felt I should major in business, but I wasn’t eager to make the change. I was working with Dr. [Gary] Waters [80C, 89G], who had a great influence on me. He suggested I major in something I love, something that truly interested and challenged me.

“He also showed me how to be successful in a business setting – how to act professionally, how to lead a meeting to a successful conclusion. He taught me leadership skills.

“Really, between Dr. Waters, President [Steve] Briggs and Mr. [Rufus] Massey [75C], I learned how to step up and fix a problem. I was treated like an equal by all three.”

He was so much an equal that at one point he was invited to present the enrollment data analysis he had done as a student worker to the Berry Board of Trustees. The project was one he developed on his own, selecting the data-analysis software, teaching himself how to use it, and coaxing it to offer up important information never before available.

“Noah is a great example of a liberal arts education,” said Waters, Berry vice president emeritus. “He was interested in everything and built on each interest to get a total package.”

It all comes together Throughout his years at Berry, Stewart was very concerned about human trafficking, which he now knows is made possible by “dirty supply chains.”

He also knows that solving the issue is not as simple as boycotting a certain product produced by slave labor. In large part, it comes down to international freight.

“I envision someday working on the human trafficking problem I still care so much about,” Stewart declared, “but with a strong knowledge base in international shipping so that we can actually have a strong impact.”

He also believes in Flexport’s goal to lower the cost and thus the entry point into global shipping so that smaller vendors can participate in international trade.

“Nothing lowers poverty like international trade,” he concluded.

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By Debbie Rasure Photography by Brant Sanderlin with family contributions from Drs. Hofstetter and Sato

A BERRY STORY

Friends who turned into

FAMILY 14

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They shouldn’t even have met.

Dr. Amelia “Mimi” Hofstetter (07C) of Indianapolis had no interest in attending Berry when she came to the area to visit her cousin. She was tired of touring colleges and just wanted to soak up some Southern sunshine when she unexpectedly was captivated by Berry students. On the other hand, Dr. Yuko Sato (08C) from Osaka, Japan, was serious about Berry, but it was an exceptional act of hospitality by two Berry students that sealed the deal.

More on that in the sidebar on page 16. What matters is they did meet, and now they can’t imagine life without each other. Two science-minded students of Japanese heritage with strong academic drive and initiative found in each other a perfect, free-spirited, high-energy match. Three years of shared D-hall meals, campus dances, Berry trail hikes, intramural soccer and occasional mud-wrestling contests forged a bond that has helped them through some of life’s highest highs and lowest lows. Today, they describe their connection as a sisterhood, not a mere friendship.

“Yuko and I may be separated by distance now,” Hofstetter emphasized, “but we expect to be in the same retirement home someday. We plan to be friends until the day we die.”

And just like parents, the Hofstetters stepped in when Sato ran low on funds for vet school.

“I didn’t even have to ask,” Sato recalled. “They just said, ‘We trust you.

We love you. And we want to do what we can to help you with your vet school expenses.’ They set up a loan for me, and I’ve paid them back over the years.

What they did for me was enormous. I don’t even know if I would have graduated from vet school without their support.”

Starting with now Regardless of where their personal and professional journeys took them, Hofstetter’s and Sato’s lives have been woven together by three shared loves: friendship, family and science. Today, Hofstetter is a research scientist in viral immunology for Battelle working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on influenza immunity. She earned a Ph.D. in immunology and molecular pathogenesis from Emory University.

Sato, now assistant professor of veterinary medicine at Iowa State University, is a renowned poultry veterinarian deeply involved in assisting poultry producers develop successful disease-management programs designed to keep our food supply safe. She acquired her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and completed a poultry residency at Purdue University.

The birth of a friendship Sato and Hofstetter were never roommates at Berry; they met as first-year students when both left a Biology Club meeting in a huff after learning that members would not be conducting experiments. Soon, they had a common group of friends and discovered that, even as serious science students, they shared a significant streak of pure silliness.

“She was my polar opposite,” Sato recalled. “I was pretty quiet and reserved, but we brought out the craziness in each other.”

Hofstetter agreed. “We shared a social shamelessness. We were loud and raucous together and didn’t worry about turning heads. I didn’t have to button up my energy with her. It was never anything deep, just dumb stuff.”

But the friendship wasn’t all about fun and games. Sato’s ability to also understand and support Hofstetter’s intense work and study schedule was an important factor in drawing them together.

Undeniable destiny While Hofstetter and Sato finding each other at Berry was certainly a stroke of good luck, what happened next is nothing short of incredible.

“I was looking for jobs as Yuko was finishing her residency,” Hofstetter remembered. “I called and told her I had a job interview at the USDA in Ames, Iowa. She said, ‘Really? Because I just accepted a job at Iowa State University,’ which is also in Ames. We had not communicated about Iowa at all. It was completely coincidental, and I was so excited about the possibility of being close to her again.”

A few months later, both would find out how lucky those Iowa job opportunities would turn out to be.

Bridge over troubled water Sato admits the transition from being a graduate student living near her adopted family to beginning a career in a new community hundreds of miles away was rough.

“I didn’t know anyone there,” she said of her new position at Iowa State.

“I was working from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day and most weekends. I was overwhelmed. It was destroying my mental health. When Mimi moved to Iowa, she would call and tell me that I had to stop working and come hang out with her. She helped bring the balance back to my life.”

Strengthening ties

By Hofstetter’s senior year (she graduated ahead of schedule), the effervescent friendship was deepening into something more substantial. The Hofstetter family had welcomed Sato during school holidays and breaks when she couldn’t travel to her home in Japan, growing to love her as one of their own. After graduating from Berry, Hofstetter accompanied Sato to Japan, meeting her friend’s family and experiencing her ancestral culture for the first time.

Sato’s decision to pursue postgraduate study at Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Indiana brought her even closer to the Hofstetters. The family was quick to integrate her into their lives, welcoming her for weekend visits, birthday parties, baby showers, holidays and other family celebrations.

“That sense of family is not something you could grow if you wanted to,” Sato said. “It just has to happen. I took her parents as my second parents. We called it ‘in loco parentis.’ They came to a lot of my school events and acted as my parents. Mimi’s mom looks like mine, and I have no accent, so no one questioned it. Everyone assumed they were my parents.”

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Left: Sato at work with her chickens.

(Courtesy of Iowa State University) Below: Hofstetter checks the results of her research. (Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Atlanta)

Fertile ground for friendship From the moment she stepped foot on campus, Mimi Hofstetter knew something about Berry was different from all the other schools she’d visited during her quest to find a college.

“As we drove past the sand courts by Memorial Library, a volleyball game was in progress,” Hofstetter remembered. “I asked my cousin [Dr. Jackie McDowell, professor of teacher education and former dean of the Charter School of Education and Human Sciences] to stop the car. I tumbled out and just joined the game. Later that week, I happened to see a copy of KCAB’s Stall Wall Weekly with all of the activities listed, and I realized Berry was a place where I could have fun with other young adults without alcohol dominating everything. That’s when I knew Berry was the place I’d been looking for.”

That sense of welcoming also shaped Yuko Sato’s first impressions of Berry when she and her father visited from Japan. Both were captivated by the college’s hospitality and the friendliness of the students.

“We stopped a couple of students and asked them where Krannert Center was,” Sato recalled.

“But they didn’t just point it out. They walked us over, bought our dinner and stayed to talk with us for a while.”

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Hofstetter remembers those days as well. Then a wife and new mother, she’d arrived in Iowa excited to launch her career, but postpartum stress and exhaustion from juggling job demands and family life soon caught up with her.

“Yuko started coming to visit and sharing meals with us,” Hofstetter said. “And sometimes she would stay the night. Then she started staying the weekend, and gradually, she just started living with us, helping take care of our baby, Nathaniel, and just being a good auntie. We hiked, explored parks, cooked together and played board games at night while my husband [Chef Nico Ebtinger] was at work. We just realized we were all happier and had better mental health when we were together.”

From friends to family Hofstetter and Sato acknowledge that their sense of becoming family developed at a different pace.

“Long before I was willing to accept the title, she would call me sister,” Hofstetter shared. “It reflected the way she felt about me and my family. Over the years, she’s been incredibly supportive and someone I’ve been able to call in hard times. And she’s called me in times of distress, and I’ve been able to support her. How that changes a person … I don’t know how to put it into words. She taught me that family can go beyond parentage. She’s really become my sister, a part of my life. It causes you to redefine everything about who you are.”

The secret to lasting friendship With Hofstetter now back in Georgia and Sato still in Iowa, the “sisters” only get to visit in person a couple of times a year, but they still reach out nearly every day through social media or texting. They also allow themselves the luxury of a long talk at least once a month.

As for the secret to a lasting friendship, they agree: It all comes down to honesty and persistence.

“You’ve got to be real, bring your real self and be vulnerable, otherwise it’s not a true friendship,” Hofstetter said. “And you’ve got to remember that people are different.

You don’t keep score about who called who last. You just keep reaching out to people who matter.”

O

n behalf of my friend and co-chair, the late Barry Griswell, and myself, I send warm and sincere thanks to Berry College donors at every level for your support of the LifeReady Campaign. Because of you, we funded each of our major efforts “and then some,” as Barry always liked to say, raising more than $135 million in our $100 million campaign.

To name just a few accomplishments: • Gate of Opportunity Scholarships now offer potential for significant numbers of hardworking students to graduate debt-free.

• Berry arts students now learn and perform in a modern new theatre and an acoustically and visually beautiful newly renovated recital hall.

• Valhalla has exceeded every expectation in terms of campus pride and camaraderie – to say nothing about the wonderful students it has attracted (and a great football team, too!).

• Our most popular – and some would say most unique – major, animal science, soon will have a new classroom/research building and already has a hands-on, large-animal learning laboratory.

I could go on, but I’ll let you find out more about our projects and some of the students they have catapulted to success in the pages that follow. Thank you all – alumni and friends; students and parents; faculty and staff; and wonderful, faithful foundation friends – for helping Berry provide the education and support our students need in today’s world.

And I thank you personally. My buddy Barry and I shared a strong love for Berry College – him as an alum and me as a member of the Berry family (yes, THAT Berry family). I am sure he is delighted for the campaign to be complete and my great-aunt Martha proud of the direction set for her beloved school.

Sincerely yours, The late Barry Griswell (left) and Randy Berry, LifeReady co-chairs, take a playful selfie at the campaign launch event in 2014. (Photo by Alan Storey)

READ ON TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED!

Randy Berry, Co-Chair LifeReady Campaign 17

Faces of LifeReady

The generosity of alumni and friends has enhanced opportunity and outcomes for thousands of Berry students. Those featured here are representative of so many others who can claim the title of LifeReady because you chose to invest in their success.

LEAH BOLDEN (15C)

Gate of Opportunity Scholarship The Gate of Opportunity Scholarship was designed for hardworking students like Leah Bolden. Two brothers were already in college when her turn came, and another was right behind. Money was tight for her family, which is why it was kismet when the Gate Scholarship provided the chance for her to work her way through Berry with the goal of graduating debt-free. Today, Bolden is a fourth-year medical student in Chicago with plans to specialize in internal medicine. She believes she was blessed not only to receive the scholarship, but also to have so many people – including donor-mentors Al (61c) and Becky Browning (61C) Christopher – help guide and shape her into the woman she is today.

“I don’t think many people realize how many students rely on that level of scholarship support or the magnitude of its impact. The people who give to these types of scholarships are visionary. They are able to see not just who someone is now but who they can become. I don’t know who I would be today if I hadn’t gone to Berry College.”

LEIF ATCHLEY (19C) and JERMAINE WHITE (19C) Betty Anne Rouse Bell Recital Hall at Ford

Leif Atchley (at left in photo) and Jermaine White came to Berry to make beautiful music. As students, the trumpeters excelled individually and in tandem, often performing in Ford Auditorium. They appreciated their historic surroundings but recognized the shortcomings of a structure built nearly a century before.

Both are now honing their talents in prestigious graduate programs – Atchley at the Cincinnati Conservatory and White at Florida State University – but they are excited to know that current and future Berry musicians have a great space that will inspire even greater performances, the Betty Anne Rouse Bell Recital Hall at Ford.

Atchley performed at the ceremonial “wall-breaking” for the renovation and afterward expressed pride in his alma mater’s support of the arts.

Brant Sanderlin

“I think this is a really powerful statement that Berry believes in the power of music to change the lives of the students who come here. They want to attract the type of music students who will benefit from every avenue that Berry has to offer.”

REE PALMER (16C)

Berry Center for Integrity in Leadership When Buster Wright (73C) envisioned the Berry Center for Integrity in Leadership, students like Ree Palmer were on his mind. A leader from the get-go, Palmer took advantage of every opportunity at Berry – even serving as SGA president – but BCIL offered an even deeper perspective. As one of the program’s earliest participants, she gained critical insight on issues of character and integrity through regular meetings with her mentor, a former Georgia Supreme Court chief justice (pictured). Palmer since has earned a master’s degree at Indiana University-Bloomington, where she now serves as director of development at the Luddy School. Meanwhile, the BCIL experience for Berry students continues to grow under the leadership of Dr. Nathaniel Pearson, inaugural holder of the Elvin (35C) and Fleta Patterson (35C) Sims directorship.

Jason Jones

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“My two years in BCIL’s mentoring program offered a shift in perspective. After learning so much about leadership as it applies to Berry, BCIL gave me an opportunity to see how I could apply these lessons beyond Berry, how I could design a life around them.”

FINAL CAMPAIGN TOTAL

$135 MILLION 35% OVER GOAL

HARRISON DANIELS (14C)

Annual Gifts for Scholarships and Student Work Harrison Daniels’ choice of college came down to financial support. He valued the Berry experience over Georgia Tech, but the numbers had to add up – and they did. The Pell Grant recipient benefited from scholarships and on-campus work opportunities, applying 50% of his wages toward tuition. Was Berry a good deal long term? Yes! The physics-and-math double major made the most of every moment, holding numerous campus leadership positions and discovering new interests working with mentors in creative technologies.

Next came a master’s degree from Georgia Tech; now he’s an innovation catalyst for Otis Elevator using interdisciplinary skills to initiate and accelerate novel technological advances in elevators worldwide. If you call an elevator with your phone, think of Daniels!

“Early involvement with creative technologies mentors Dr. John Grout and Zane Cochran reshaped my future.

The portfolio I developed got me into Tech and piqued my interest in innovation. I couldn’t have gotten that kind of personalized experience anywhere but Berry.”

BERNARD GRANVILLE JR. (17C) Valhalla

Bernard Granville Jr. saw in Berry a place that could help “mold me as a man.” That, and the opportunity to be part of an inaugural football team at a high-caliber school, was too much to pass up. By the time he graduated, Valhalla had opened and become a home of champions, and Granville was an All-Conference defensive lineman. He cherishes memories made on Valhalla’s Williams Field, where he thrived under high-character coaches who helped shape his future as a role model for others. Today, with a master’s degree from West Virginia University, he is a teacher and coach at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Ga., helping studentathletes pursue their dreams.

“Berry helped mold me into a well-rounded individual who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo and get his hands dirty. Berry taught me to lead with my head, my heart and my hands. True leadership comes from genuine care for people through action, and I have tried to adopt that into everything I do.”

KATIE COOLEY (21c)

Sisters Theatre and Renovation of Blackstone Hall Theatre students like Katie Cooley have never lacked for passion. In Sisters Theatre and the newly renovated Blackstone Hall, they finally have the facilities to match their considerable potential. Within the walls of their “second home,” majors and non-majors alike are taking full advantage of a functional, flexible space offering limitless possibilities. Now a senior, Cooley says she has “grown exponentially as a human being and a theatre practitioner” at Berry while performing on stage and working in other roles, including office manager. She now has a much broader understanding of her craft, having earned acclaim for her acting and summer job opportunities with the Berkshire Theatre Group in Massachusetts. She will graduate confident in her preparation and looking forward to perhaps one day starting her own theatre company.

Brant Sanderlin

“We have such amazing facilities that lend themselves to so many learning opportunities. I found my passion for front-of-house work here and learned about many facets of the theatre industry that I had never been privy to before. With the fantastic education I have received, I am confident that I can do whatever I set my mind to.”

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Legacy of LifeReady Expand Opportunities for Students to Invest in their Own Success

SCHOLARSHIPS

Look any direction on the Berry campus, and you will see examples of the studentcentric progress made possible by the nearly 19,000 alumni and friends who supported the LifeReady Campaign with gifts of any size. The legacy of the largest fundraising effort in Berry history includes scholarships, facilities, programs and initiatives rooted in the character and experiences that always have set us apart.

In these pages, we are pleased to highlight the results of this collective outpouring of generosity and to recognize by name those who played a leadership role with commitments of $10,000 or more.

$10 million + Anonymous $5 million to $9,999,999 Anonymous Audrey Morgan WinShape Foundation, Inc.

Student Emily Reid

$1 million to $4,999,999 Anonymous Bobby Bailey (54C) Randy and Nancy Berry Steve Cage (74C) Al (61c) and Becky Browning (61C) Christopher Barry (71C) and Michele Irwin (70C) Griswell Lou Brown Jewell Estate of Martha Lester Roy Miller (58C) Sunny and Kay Park Ed Sims and Pamela Owens Joe and Marti Walstad Boyd Wells (44c) Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, Inc. Bob (62H) and Kay Williams Buster (73C) and Janice Wright

● Gate of Opportunity Scholarships ● General Need Scholarships ● Work-Based Scholarships

INCLUDING

18,962 8,590 DONORS ALUMNI

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$500,000 to $999,999 Anonymous Edward Addison Bobbie Bailey Foundation, Inc. Belladonna Foundation Alice Bliss Bryson Foundation, Ltd. Dianne Cannestra Ouida Word Dickey (50C) Chester and Elaine Diercks Rick and Barbara Gaby Georgia Independent College Association Garland Hall Jack and Karen Holley (74C) Horrell Jack Jones (57C) Estate of Margaret Kincaid Roger (79C) and Candy Caudill (82c) Lusby Mary Nadassy Estate of Siva Burnette Pickelsimer (48C) Reg (51C) and Maxine Strickland Robert (04C) and Tessa Frye (07C) Swarthout Fred Tharpe (68A) Estate of Eugene Worrell $250,000 to $499,999 Anonymous George I. Alden Trust ARAMARK Corp.

Bobbie Bailey Jimmy (60C) and Luci Hill (60C) Bell Stephen and Brenda Briggs Callaway Foundation Bert (82C) and Cathy Clark Estate of Howard (39C) and Elaine Crawford Janett Cofer Fauley (67C)

Ford Motor Company Fund Rick (77c) and Debra Bourne (76C) Gilbert Estate of Charles Gilstrap Jere Glover Estate of Miriam Hoover John Kemp (64C) and Linda Kelso Estate of Elizabeth Nesbitt Krupa (44c) Buzz and Barbara Mote (61C) McCoy Montgomery Family Foundation Peter and Tamara Musser National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Marti Sheats Perkins (67C) Estate of Pauline Pickens Larry (65C) and Jerry Sculley Estate of Keith Slayton Tom and Barbara Slocum Estate of Clovis Smith SunTrust Trusteed Foundations: Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund Greene-Sawtell Foundation Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust Texas Instruments, Inc. Estate of Paul Thiele Truist Foundation Estate of Estelle Smith Wright (42c) $100,000 to $249,999 Anonymous Clinton Ames Katherine Young Armitage (58c) Estate of Marie Barlieb Craig Bleakley Horace Brown (39C) Joyce Carper Bubba and Cindy Cathy Glenn (62C) and Jena Cornell Bettie Daniel (84C, 87G) Estate of Joann Hunter Del Re (49H) Estate of Julia Quigg Dodd Estate of Helen Drummond Estate of Dorothy DuBose (52C) John (83C) and Elizabeth Webb (84C) Eadie Christopher Edwards Foundation Leon Elder (54C) William H. Ellsworth Foundation Russ Evans (56C) Estate of Kemple Mullis Faircloth (53c) Estate of Kenneth Fraley (59C) John and Mary Franklin Foundation, Inc. Estate of Evelyn Carmichael Garrett (35c) Virginia George Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. Walter Gill (63C) Bradford Gooch Emily Grigsby William Randolph Hearst Foundation Jean Miller Hedden (52C) Marie Hogan (64c) LeBron (60C) and Kay Davis (60C) Holden Estate of Lawrence Huston George (64C) and Starlet Rhodes (64C) Jones

210

$25,000 to $99,999 Anonymous Pat and Colleen Adams Pat Alderman Inman and Tricia Allen John Allen (57H, 61C) Cathleen O’Connell Anderson (77C) Terry Anderson David (84C) and Kelly Asbury Estate of Evelyn Austin (48c) Estate of Quincey Baird (52C) Frank Barron John Beck (70C) Joe Bihlmier (91C) Billy (58C) and Carol Buchanan (56H, 58c) Blair Rich Bollam Sheryle Bolton (68c) John Quinn and Mary Boyd Billy and Wanda Brewer Rob (83C) and Amber Brock Brian (97C) and Susan Wells (97C) Brodrick Jerry (66A) and Emily Bullock Arthur (57c) and Jeanne Hourigan (57c) Burch Brad and Kimberly Bushnell Doug (83C) and Sabrina Vail (84C) Carter LeRay de Chaumont Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Chick-fil-A Foundation Leslie Choitz (76C) Wendell Clamp Jim Clark (55C) Jean Etherton Clark (70C, 74G) Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.

Estate of Richard Concilio John (60C) and Sandy Midkiff (60C) Cooper Lewis Copeland (60C) Virginia Allen Cornelison (53C) Doug and Cyndi Court Larry (69C) and Nadine NeSmith (71c) Covington Estate of Mable Cox (50C) Joe Crain (58C) Mike (92C) and Margaret Crego The Daniel Foundation of Alabama Jim and Judy Dellinger Tina Stancil DeNicole (85C) Robert Dennis Derrick Foundation Earl DeVane (44C) Angela R. Dickey (75A, 79C) Tommy (79C) and Kelley Dopson Calvin Doss (49C) Estate of Henry Drummond (35H) Beth Collins Earnst (93C) Mike and Debbie Ebert John Elgin (81C) Elster Foundation Ed (57C) and Evelyn Quarles (57C) England Ray (58C) and Judy Fewell Jeff (81C) and Carol Field Don (51H) and Mary Fite Smith Foster (49H) A.D. Frazier Sammy (77C) and Holly Wood (73C) Freeman Joan Fulghum Fullgraf Foundation Will Gaines (93C) Lee Anne George and David R. Rapp Georgia Society Daughters of the American Revolution Gail Howard Gibson (82C) Dwight Glover (84C) Ed and Gayle Graviett (67C) Gmyrek Chris Goeckel (84c) Estate of Ondina Gonzalez Estate of David Gordon (52C) Charles M. and Mary D. Grant Foundation Greater Rome Bank Darrell (81c) and Sharon Gunby Yvonne Linker Hall (80C) Estate of John Hamrick (43H, 47c) Gregory (82C) and Judy Cash (85C) Hanthorn Harbin Clinic Natholyn Dalton Harris (61C) Ronda Mills Head (96C) Steve (10G) and Debbie Heida Heyman Family Foundation Howell Hollis Trevor and Sheri Hooper Tim Howard (82C) Buford Jennings (58C) Estate of Edna Burchard Jesse (41H) Jim (85C) and Jennifer Smith (85C) Johnson Jimmie Johnson Ty and Joy Padgett (73C) Johnson

Develop Leaders and Entrepreneurs with Character and Integrity

LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

Brant Sanderlin

Hubert Judd Charitable Trust Henry and Norma Kummer Estate of June Leggett The Paul C. and Velma Smith Maddox Foundation Mackey McDonald and Shirley Bailey The Nichols Trust Celeste Greene Osborn (72C) Larry (63C) and Kathy Osborn Violet Paul Kathy Pollard Joe (65C) and Nelda Parrish (64C) Ragsdale Ava Rodgers (53C) Estate of Chester Roush Bob Shaw Raiden Sherman (69C) Ann Saywell Spears (67C) Tom Spector (74A) Estate of Ethel Spruill Bill and Kay Stokely Steve and Lisa Fanto (76C) Swain Michelle and Steve Tart Randy Tibbals (79C) Mandy Tidwell (93C) Tull Charitable Foundation, Inc. Virgil P. Warren Foundation Estate of Betty Jones Whitten (60c) The Frances Wood Wilson Foundation The John Zellars Jr. Foundation

NEW SCHOLARSHIPS CREATED

● Center for Student Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development ● Berry Center for Integrity in Leadership ● Advanced Work Positions

21

70,775 SQ FT OF NEW LEARNING AND ACTIVITY SPACE

Create Places and Spaces that Spur Student Achievement

THE SCIENCES

● Animal Science Building (under construction) ● Evelyn Lee Witherspoon Animal Science Laboratory ● McAllister Hall Naming

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Dale Jones (71C) Anne and Mark Kaiser Mark (82C) and Judy Howard (82C) Keappler Virginia Kelley Steve (63C) and Nancy Harkness (62C) Kelly Tom and Melodie Kennedy The Keown Family in memory of M. Gordon Keown Jon (91c) and Jennifer Brookshire (91c) Kilpatrick Tim (84c) and Caren Kilpatrick Duane Price Kline Special Needs Trust R.F. Knox Company, Inc. The Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation The Ray M. and Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation Mary Lewis John (54H) and Debra Lie-Nielsen Terry (68C) and Charlene Head (67C) Lingerfelt Cliff (98C) and Amelia Lipscomb Tim (84C) and Lisa Lusby Leila Madeiros Phil (68C) and Charlotte Lee (71C) Malone Joe (99C) and Nicole Mareno Trib Elrod Mason (39H, 43C) Tim McIlrath (98C) Jason (98C) and Renee Spurlock (97C) McMillan Estate of Patricia McPartlan Charles McPeake William and Janette Melson Araya Mesfin (98C) Jim Miller (53C) Estate of Luther Miller Ruby Vestal Mills (61C) Jim (90C) and Sandi Thomas (90C) Moody Estate of John Mooney (60H, 64c) John and Missy Morgan Estate of Milton (51C) and Frances Popham (51C) Morgan Scott and Fay Neal Bettyann O’Neill and Ken Sicchitano James Owens Joanne Owens Bud Parker Lloyd Parker (72C) Ed Parkerson (55C) Mary Camp Patrick (69C) J.M. (60C) and Nona Sparks (58C) Patterson Bill (76C) and Janet Pence Mark Piecoro (90C) Harry and Terri Pierce Estate of Leonard Pilgrim (52H) Dan and Kelley Poydence Progress Container and Display Shelley Stokely Przewrocki (95C) PSG Functional Materials Malcolm (58C) and Yvonne Jackson (59C) Quick Brent (88C) and Georgia Ragsdale Sam (76C, 78G) and Nancy Duvall (77C) Ratcliffe Dallas (65C) and Judi Reynolds Randy and Kathy Richardson Frances Richey (83A, 87C) Tony Rivers (78C) Pete and Carol Snyder Roberts

Nell Dalton Roberts (52C) Barbara Robertson (79C) Marlene Schneider (49H) Larry (55C) and Dixie Schoolar James Scoggins (52C) John Shahan (64A, 69C) Jerry Shelton (58C) Annette Simpson Matt and Gwen Sirmans Don Slater (77C) and Debbie Poss (78C) Estate of Amy Smith (79C) Casey (00C) and Angela Smith Paul Smith (48C) The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation Denise Sumner (89C) Lem (63C) and Gayle Miller (64C) Sumner Dorothy Everett Sundy (59C) Roger (53H) and Neomia Sundy Stanley (65C) and Lora Stubbs (65C) Tate Larry and Betty Jane Taylor Al (63C) and Harriet Keckley (64C) Terry John Thomason Michael (87C) and Elizabeth Thompson Ron (61C) and Bernice Thornton Brenda Trammell Roger Tutterow (84C) Lowell Underwood (49C) Jim Van Meerten (70C) Fred Van Streain Pete (60C) and Janelle Brumbelow (56H, 60C) Vincent Wes Walraven Larry (63C) and Pat Webb Lenard and Bernice Ogle (53H) Whaley Steve (80C) and Cindy Snead (80C) Wherry Whit (81C) and Maria Crego (85c) Whitaker The Pait Willis Family Estate of Evelyn Wilson Julie Windler Harry (57H) and Ginna Wise John Woolbright (91C) Mary Wooton Terry (78C) and Kathy Worley Earl (52C) and Esther Worthington Estate of Edith Wyatt (26H, 28C) Chuck (80C) and Regina Yarbrough John Yow $10,000 to $24,999 Anonymous Frank (54H, 58C) and Kathy Adams W.J. and Crista Albertson Stan (65C) and Wanda Scott (65C) Aldridge Brad Alexander (96C) Bill and Lisa Allen Mark Aubel (81C) J.B. (78C) and Diane Brett (81c) Bader Richard Barley (49H) Christopher and Stacy Barshick Richard Bass Mark Beaver (97C) Reagan Mills Biwott (97C, 99G) Jane Jones Block (86C)

40 PERCENT

OF CAMPAIGN TOTAL CONTRIBUTED BY ALUMNI Evelyn Hamilton (68C) Randy and Nita Hardin Jennifer Harris (93C) Tom (80C) and Stacey Trott (80C, 83G) Harris Allen Hayes Jeffrey Hetsko The Highfield Foundation Deborah Hill Holly Low Hodge (88C) Bill (67C) and Diane Harris (66c) Holden Faye Lovinggood Hood (65C) Jeffrey Horn (87C) Charlie Hudson (62C) Barbara Ballanger Hughes (71C) Hunter Fund Steve Hunter (83C) Emily Thomason Ingram (47c) Raija Itzchaki Jeff (07C) and Amber Cole (08C) Jahn Raymond James Charitable Endowment Travis James (97C) Earl Johnson Janna Johnson (81C) Walt Johnson (41H) Judy Leverett Jones (61C) Cecil (66C) and Sallie Moore (66C) Keith Sue Killcreas (78C) Hal (60C) and Suzi Golden (60c) Kilpatrick Bruce (79C) and Nancy Cloud (79C) Kirbo The Thomas M. and Irene B. Kirbo Charitable Trust Jenny Duda LaGrange (91C) Mike Lancaster Drew Landis (06C) Dennis (79C) and Jane Williams (80c) Latimer Estate of Myrtle Joiner Lawhon (43C) Hart Levy (82C) Estate of John Lipscomb (40H, 44c) Lowell (60C) and Dee Hysinger (60C) Loadholtz Carole Carter Long (60C) Howie and Anita Berry Lowden LPL Financial Robbie Panter Luedke (63C) Wanda and Will Mack Estate of Earl Mackery (35C) Betty Brown Madden (58C) Greg (91C, 05G) and Michelle Beavin (90C, 01G) Major Martha Thomason Mallory (44C) Riley Mangum (61H) Joel Martens (86C) Wesley (63C) and Ruth King (65C) Martin Rufus (75C) and Mary Anne Schimmelmann (75c) Massey Doyle (58C) and Rheba Burch (57C) Mathis Margaret McCamish Horton (63H, 67C) and Lynette Moore (67C) McCurdy Larry (60C) and Clara Hall (60C) McRae Sandy Meek Kermit (55C) and Joyce Burch (57c) Mock Amos Montgomery

Create Places and Spaces that Spur Student Achievement

THE ARTS

Brant Sanderlin

Estate of Harriet Brandon Andrew and Jennifer Rice (07G) Bressette John (62C) and Geraldine Johnson (62C) Bridges Kevin (99C) and Katy Moore (99C) Brodrick Niel Brown (90C) Tim Brown (88C) Brent and Shannan Browning Carol Winfrey Burnette (64C) James (65C) and Susie Cook (65C) Campbell Katherine Campbell Wayne (61C) and Madeline Banks (63c) Canady Cannon Foundation, Inc. Tom and Betty Carver Mark and Amy Turner (05C) Cathy Harlan (58C) and Doris Reynolds (57C) Chapman Charles Chesnut Paul (88G) and Shannon Clark John (04C) and Jackie Feit (05c) Coleman Warren Coleman Fund Brian and Maria Connors Estate of Betty Cook (48C) Joe (88C) and Leanne Hand (87C) Cook Estate of Beatrice Cooper James and Kim Cornetet William Cousins Johnnie Smith Curry (52H, 55C) Daughters of Berry Jennifer W. Dickey (77A, 80C) Sandy Diffenderfer Neil and Sharron Dorrill Charles (64A) and Jane Downey Estate of Therman (41C) and Elizabeth Bray (41C) Duckworth Roger Dunkin (85C) Ron (56H) and Robbie Barber (56H) Edwards Joe (63C) and Shirley Bowen (63c) Elder Estate of Robert Ellis Mitch (37H, 41C) and Cleone Elrod David Elswick (90C) Angi Evert Paul Ferguson Estate of Keith Finley Margaret Finley First Baptist Church of Rome First Families of Georgia Eddie (63C) and Rosa Nutt (64C) Fite Lamar Fletcher (66A) Follett Higher Education Group Bret and Elaine Foster Bob Frank John (72C) and Gail Saunders (72C) Frazier Bobby Walker Fulmer (56C) Stewart Fuqua (80A) Loyd Gass (60C) Sherry Barton Gatlin (66C) Mack (59C) and Liz Gay Francy Jessup Geiger (78C) Georgia Department of Revenue Georgia Power Company - Atlanta Vince Griffith (81C) and Angela Hartley Todd (88C) and Amber Pruitt (89C) Grubbs

â—? Betty Anne Rouse Bell Recital Hall at Ford and Renovation of Music Department â—? Sisters Theatre and Renovation of Blackstone Hall

23

$57.7 MILLION

TOTAL GIFTS TO SCHOLARSHIPS

Create Places and Spaces that Spur Student Achievement

Ryan Smith (00C)

STUDENT LIFE/OTHER

● Valhalla, including Williams Field, Clark Track and Dickey Field ● Richards Field House Renovation

Tom Mullis (57C) The Nature Conservancy Anne Cook Neal (52C) Julie Patrick Nunnelly (88C, 00G) O’Brien and Gere Engineers, Inc. Mary Outlaw Mary Page Tony Page Linda Parham Ellen May Partridge (57C) Derrick (06C) and Lindsay Williams (06C) Perkins Plainville Brick Company, Inc. John Powell (58H) Don Pratt (65C) Danny (87C) and Tammi Ridenhour (87C, 03G) Price Louis and Anita Tancraitor (86C) Profumo Robert and Christine Dodd (70C) Puckett Milton M. Ratner Foundation Brad (04G) and Stephanie Reeder Jim and Nancy Rhoades Earnest Rodgers (60C) Doris Vaughn Rowland W.C. (60C) and Sylvia Davis (60C) Rowland Kevin (80C) and Karla Holland (80C) Ryan Darwin Samples (50C) Jackie Bradley Scott (83C) Suzanne and Leamon Scott Kay Salmon Shahan (67C) Douglas Sharp Jason (00C) and Ashley Harp (01C) Sheppard Estate of Joseph Shiflett (48H) Jimmy Sibley Bret Simon (82G) Estate of Carolyn Thompson Smith (53C) Frances Smith Estate of Louise Smith James and Kathleen Smithson Sam and Virginia Spector Andrea Boyd Stanley (67C) Kendall Stewart (72C) Richard and Jennifer Stiles Michael (90C) and Kim Lunney (90C) Strickland Lola Coleburn Stubbs (39C)

Sue Sullivan Floyd Suthard Jason (88C) and Melinda Mitchell (90C) Sweatt C.L. (57C) and Doris Little (57C) Tate Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution Bill (68C) and Avis Cordle (57C) Thornton Michael (98C) and Justine Tidwell Mildred Campbell Tietjen (61C) Earl (52H) and Carolyn Tillman Billy (62H, 66C) and Marvalee Lord (65C) Townsend Ray (69C) and Pamela Tucker Charlie (53H, 57C) and Hazel Guthrie (59c) Underwood United States Tennis Association, Inc. Estate of Samuel Vickery (51C) Gene Wallace (51C) Ronnie Wallace (80G) Lee (58C) and Betty Connell (58C) Waller Lady Washington Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Estate of Mary Wassom Gary (80C, 89G) and Bambi Estill (79c) Waters Charlie (57C) and Keitha Davis (58C) Weatherford Lamar and Dorenda Weaver Estate of Robert Webb (47H) Estate of Virginia Webb (44c) Philip Whanger (59C) Sidney (60C) and Nancy Harris (61C) Wheeler Betty White (47H, 51C) Len (70C) and Marty Willingham Frank Windham (57c) Kay Wingo Jerry (56H, 60c) and Louise Conaway (57C) Winton David (68A, 72C) and Alta Breeden (70C) Wood Alan (64A) and Leanne Killin (69c) Woody W.M. Word (57c) Ross and Dottie Wright Will Wright (01c) Curt and Mary Martin (71c) Yarbrough Koji (65C) and Reba Nichols (67C) Yoda David Yohan (03C)

● Bob Pearson Field for Soccer ● Kay Williams Field for Softball ● Nursing Laboratory ● Welcome Center and Enhancement of Campus Entry ● Christopher Browning Pavilion at Oak Hill ● Barnwell Chapel Restoration 24

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THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED MAKE BERRY STUDENTS LIFEREADY! If you have questions about your placement on this list, please contact Scott Breithaupt (91C, 96G), associate vice president of advancement, at sbreithaupt@berry.edu or 706-238-5897.

2020

B E R R Y ’ S

H A L L

O F

H O N O R

Distinguished Alumni

Distinguished Achievement

Distinguished Service

DR. BEVERLY PHILPOT

DR. MELANIE PETERSON

SMITH

(69C, FFS)

An educator and active civic leader whose passion for inspiring others and strong belief in fair play and respect led her to excel in 38 years of multifaceted leadership roles for Floyd County public schools before joining her alma mater – where she was one of the first two AfricanAmerican graduates – as director of the Pathways to Teaching program; sits on multiple community boards, including the Floyd Polk Health Foundation.

Entrepreneurial Spirit KAREN

HOUGHTON

(01C)

An entrepreneur who has founded both a nonprofit and a software company and currently impacts thousands of lives as vice president of Atlanta Tech Village – America’s fourth-largest technology startup hub with more than 7,500 jobs created and $1 billion+ in funds raised in its first seven years; also serves as a venture partner with software-startup capital investment firm Atlanta Ventures and was named Women in Technology’s 2019 Woman of the Year.

BLISS

(96C)

A clinical psychologist who has dedicated her life to promoting awareness of violence against women and children and serving the underserved; actively seeks to create systemic societal change through public speaking and writing, training police officers, educating juries, and testifying in courtroom cases and depositions; works in private practice at the THRIVE Center for Psychological Health in Decatur, Ga.

Outstanding Young Alumni CHAD MICHAEL

NASH

(13C, FFS)

A creative nonprofit professional who first was the engine behind Berry’s Save a Student Scholarship and Young Alumni Partnership Program and then raised direct-mail revenues 200% for EARTH University, a school based in Costa Rica dedicated to educating young leaders from developing nations about sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship; now works as manager of corporate relations and individual giving for Park Pride, helping Atlanta communities activate the power of neighborhood parks.

Visit alwaysberry.com/awards to read more about this year’s winners or to nominate a deserving classmate for future recognition.

25

NEWS FROM YOU

Names are followed by a number and letter indicating Berry status. Uppercase letters denote graduates; lowercase letters denote attended/ attending and anticipated year of graduation: C, c College G, g Graduate school A, a Academy H, h High school FS Faculty/Staff FFS Former Faculty/Staff

Miriam Brant/University of Alabama

CLASS KEY

Debby Allen Brackett (78C)

1940s

Faye Junkins Gibbons (61C) was one of seven 2020 Dara Worley Gore (49H) and husband Charles celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary on Feb. 1, 2020. Making their day more special was a proclamation from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The couple has five children, 15 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren.

1960s

inductees into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. She is the first children’s author to earn induction. Faye joined the likes of Harper Lee, Truman Capote and Forrest Gump author Winston Groom as Hall of Fame members. She has written more than a dozen picture books and young adult novels, including the award-winning Halley, which told the story of a Depression-era girl who followed her dreams to Berry.

1970s

SEND YOUR NEWS Send your news to us online at berry.edu/classnotes or email classnotes@berry.edu.

Submissions are subject to editing. Photos of sufficient quality will be used at the discretion of the magazine staff. News in this issue was received Feb. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2020.

Pam Woods Treglown (73C, 74G) is pleased to announce that her youngest daughter got married at the Berry College Chapel on Jan. 11, 2020.

Glenn Simpson (78C) is enjoying life in extreme South Texas.

Betsy Leadbetter Craig (74c) is chief curator for MAC Fine Art in Jupiter and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the 2020 winner of the American Art Award for Best Gallery in Florida.

George H. Donigian (74C) has retired from pastoral ministry in the South Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and moved to Surfside Beach, S.C.

Wayne Clemons (61C) and Barbara Griffin Clemons (62C) have relocated with dog Bonnie to Manor Lake in Hiram, Ga. Both are enjoying retirement, though they continued one of their ministries by filling in as pastor and conducting services for their new community during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr. Richard Kauffman (73C), a physician for nearly 45 years, has been on the frontlines caring for COVID-infected patients. He is grateful to have remained healthy and credits his Berry-inspired work ethic for allowing him to continue practicing his craft.

Brian Griffith (75C) celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to California.

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has retired after 40 years of teaching elementary, pre-K and middle school math. She is looking forward to spending time with family, catching up with old friends, crocheting and reading, with some travel thrown in once it is safe to do so.

Paul Dean Miles (79C) retired in 2019 from Greendrop LLC and recently celebrated his 22nd anniversary with partner Paul Eric Bowles.

1980s The Hon. Noel L. Hillman (80c) earned a Master of Laws degree in judicial studies from Duke University School of Law in May 2020. A judge since 2006 in the U.S. District of New Jersey, he was elected to the American Law Institute in fall 2019 and holds additional degrees from New York University School of Law (LL.M., trade regulation, 1998) and Seton Hall Law School (J.D., 1985), in addition to a B.A. in English from Monmouth University. He is son of the late Evelyn Wall Hillman (39H) and Joseph J. Hillman (37H) and great-nephew of the late Frances Olmsted Keown (FFS) and M. Gordon Keown (1905H, FFS).

Greg Hanthorn (82C) was listed in Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation, the ninth consecutive year he has been recognized.

He also was tapped for an additional term on the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Federal Practice Task Force. Greg is part of the business and tort litigation practice in the Atlanta office of the international law firm Jones Day.

Dr. Deidre Mercer Martin (85C) received the 2020 E. Lanier Carson Award for Leadership Excellence at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where she is chief development officer.

Keith Wyatt (85C) has earned a Master of Science degree in leadership from Belhaven University. He is a senior field service representative for Zoetis Poultry and lives in Ranger, Ga., with wife Dixie Stager Wyatt (86C).

Randy Poplin (87C) is director

Dunn Neugebauer (82C) has published his third book, Wits, Wisdoms, and Wonders For Navigating This Thing Called Life. He is in his 17th year at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, working in communications and as a coach.

Joel Thornton (85C) is now chief operating officer and litigation counsel for the Child and Parental Rights Campaign, a public interest law firm protecting the rights of parents and children in public schools and beyond.

of accounting at Dalton (Ga.) Utilities, his professional home for 33 years. He is the proud son of the late Genevieve Holsomback Poplin (57C), a longtime educator who loved Berry and cherished memories of her days working at Possum Trot School.

William J. Kimsey (88C) and

Karen A. Dowen Barrett (92C)

wife Holly Ann celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on July 20, 2020. They have two daughters, Ashley and Heather, and two grandchildren, Kaylee and Carson.

married James Barrett on Feb. 22, 2020, at Lawrenceville Road United Methodist Church in Tucker, Ga. The couple honeymooned in Helen.

Jason Sweatt (88C) and wife Melinda Mitchell Sweatt (90C) have moved to Nashville, Tenn., where Jason is tax managing principal for the Crosslin PLLC accounting firm.

1990s

Kenn Walker (92C) and Heather Hays Walker (94C) are proud of twin sons Ben Walker (20C) and Wes Walker (20C) for continuing their family’s Berry tradition.

Susan Hunt Harris (90C) is

A VERY BERRY ANNIVERSARY Dr. Sabra Massey Price (80C), Winfred Rufus Massey Jr. (75C, FFS), Cheryl Massey Williams (78C) and Kelly Wallin Massey (97C) wish a happy 68th wedding anniversary to their very “Berry” parents, Winfred R. And Tommie Ruth Bohannon Massey. Joining them in the photo are Sabra’s husband, Butch Price (81C); Cheryl’s husband, John Williams (78C); and Rufus’ wife, MaryAnne Schimmelmann Massey (75c), and children, Bonnie Massey Padgett (01C), Daniel Massey (07C) and Grace Massey, an alumna of the Berry College Early Childhood Development Center.

the new chief executive officer of See Rock City. She has served the famed attraction atop Lookout Mountain since 2008, first as director of human resources and organizational development and later as president (2013) and chief operating officer (2016). She is the first female CEO and the first person outside the site’s family ownership to hold that title.

Douglas Crowder (93C) married longtime partner Stephen Resnick in October 2019 along the Northern California coast.

Christy Fricks (93C) recently moved to Baltimore, Md.

27

NEWS FROM YOU

2000s

David Wallace (93C) and wife Amanda announce the birth of son Talon Wilder on July 2, 2020. He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 21.5 inches long.

The family lives in Westminster, Colo.

Jeanene Delph Thompson (94C) works for WUNC – North Carolina Public Radio in Chapel Hill and would like to connect with area alumni.

Casey T. Smith (00C) and colleagues at Wiser Wealth Management have launched a weekly roundtable podcast exploring topics related to personal finance, investing and relevant business news. Casey is owner and president of the award-winning fiduciary and fee-only financial planning firm based in Marietta, Ga. Visit wiserinvestor.com/blog for show notes and full episodes.

The podcast is also accessible on Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts and other apps.

DYNAMIC TEAM Jeff Jahn (07C) recently welcomed Amberlee Kimiko Williams (20C) and Camille Hanner (20C) to his award-winning team at DynamiX, a “Top 25 Small Business” in Cobb County, Ga., for the last five years. Jeff noted of his new digital content specialists: “We are slow to hire as an organization because we want to find a truly wonderful fit. I already knew the caliber of Berry students is second to none. What I didn’t expect was for us to hire both of our first two interviews, and for them to be as incredible as they have been so far.”

Kelli Morgan McHugh (01C) Julie Richardson (97C) is now vice president of development at Pension Fund of the Christian Church. She is also a writer whose work can be viewed at someonestolemycoffee.com.

Julie lives in Louisville, Ky., with daughter Madeleine.

Nick McCollum (99C) has completed all requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist and is now practicing at Sage Hill Counseling in Nashville, Tenn.

28

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is a newly promoted senior lecturer at Northwestern University, where she earned a Master of Music degree in 2003. She has also been named coordinator of voice instruction for the Musical Theatre Certificate in the School of Theatre. Learn more at kellimorganmchughvoice.com.

Dr. David James “Jamie” Poissant (01C) was praised “as one of the South’s best new writers working today” in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of his new novel, Lake Life, published by Simon and Schuster. The book was also a Publishers Weekly “summer read” and a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection.

Translations are forthcoming in five languages.

Dr. William H. Rhodes (01C)

Jon Albert West (01C) was

was named Elementary Principal of the Year for the

recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Georgia Chapter

Katy, Texas, Independent School District, where he has worked as a teacher and administrator since 2006. Located in the Houston metro area, Katy ISD is comprised of 72 schools and 85,000 students.

of the American Planning Association. He manages the team responsible for community and regional planning programs at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, in addition to serving as vice-chair of the DeKalb County Planning Commission. He and wife Sara Hicks-West live in East Atlanta Village.

University. He works at Heritage High School in Catoosa County, Ga.

Temple’s 150th-anniversary exhibition in Atlanta and co-author of the forthcoming companion book alongside Dr. Catherine Lewis and Jeremy Katz of the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum.

Nick Gerecitano (06C) won

Canaan George Stevens (02C) traveled with her family to Ireland in March 2020 to celebrate her 40th birthday.

She is a real estate agent in St. Augustine, Fla., a Beautycounter consultant and home schools her five children.

his second Emmy for UFC Fight Flashback: Khabib vs. McGregor.

He declared: “It was a big group effort, and UFC’s production team is hands down the best in the entire sports world.”

Dr. Mimi Hofstetter (07C)

Leroy Hite III (08C) continues

and husband Nico Ebtinger welcomed daughter Sophina Helene Ebtinger on June 25, 2020. She joined brother Nathaniel (5) in the family’s Atlanta home.

to grow Cutting Edge Firewood, LLC., which he founded in 2013. He and wife Makaila have been married for more than 13 years and have three daughters, ages 6, 5 and 3. Learn more about the company at cuttingedgefirewood.com.

husband Brack and daughter Kara welcomed new arrivals Sam and Lauren on Feb. 25, 2020. The family lives in Rome.

Michael D. Williams (03C) married Nafessa Kassim on Feb. 15, 2020, in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Tim Goodwin (03C), Aaron Peterson (03c) and David Kowalski (04C) were in the wedding party.

Andrew Stoner (04C) has published his debut children’s book, Mr. Lollypop Makes a Friend. Legally blind since birth, the accomplished sculptor drew on his own experiences in writing this first installment of a planned series meant to teach children about

Dr. Teresa Weimann (06C) earned an Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Valdosta State University in December 2019. Her dissertation was titled, The Experiences of Female Student Government Association Presidents at Public Research Institutions in the Southeast: A Narrative Inquiry Approach.

She is now assistant director of student involvement and leadership at Indiana University.

Leigh Ann Harrell Dukes (08C),

Katie Latimer Knowles (07C) and husband Matt Knowles (07c) welcomed fourth child Cora Anne in January 2020.

She joined sisters Addison (10) and Lainey Jane (2) and brother Levi (7).

Steven McGee (07C) is now regional director of industrial real estate development for the Rockefeller Group.

Anna Tucker (08C) has been promoted to curator of the soon-to-open Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans, responsible for overseeing the preservation and expansion of a collection that already exceeds 4,000 pieces. Beyond her work at the MSJE, the Berry history alumna is also co-curator of The

Adam Caldwell (09C) and wife Kylee Carmin Caldwell (08C) have returned to Georgia after 10 years in the New Jersey/ Pennsylvania area.

disability issues.

Megan Davidson (07C) and husband William Chris Davidson welcomed baby girl Brooklyn Claire on May 6, 2020. Megan is vice president of finance and administration at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Ga.

Dr. Kevin Trobaugh (04C) has earned an Ed.D. in secondary education from Kennesaw State

ATLANTA ARMADA Ashton Staniszewski (09C) is working with national brands such as Amazon, Chick-fil-A and Mercedes Benz USA as founder of ARMADA, a photo and video content production studio in Atlanta. He established the company in 2018 after a long stint as a creative director in the marketing and communications industry.

29

NEWS FROM YOU

Laura Price Elliott (09C)

Kyler Post (10C) married

Rachel Stewart Burton (11C)

Shea Thomas (11G) has

and husband David welcomed second child Madelyn Elliott on Dec. 3, 2019.

Emily Anne Houston on July 18, 2020, at Flint Hill in Norcross, Ga. Kyler works in business development for a marketing firm in Atlanta; Emily is a University of Georgia graduate teaching math at Greater Atlanta Christian School.

and husband Eric welcomed son Maxwell Karson on March 19, 2020. He is the first grandchild of Layne Banks Stewart (82C) and nephew of Rebecca Stewart (14C).

been promoted to assistant superintendent for the Cobb County (Ga.) School District after previously serving as principal of Kemp Elementary School.

Jenna Crouch (11C) is a

Brett M. Adams (12C) was

Spanish teacher for the Valdosta (Ga.) City Schools.

named Arson Prosecutor of the Year by the Georgia Arson Control Board after securing the criminal conviction of a defendant charged with planning a fire so intense it endangered other buildings and injured a firefighter. The assistant district attorney in the Douglas County, Ga., Judicial Circuit also wrote the cover feature for the June 2020 issue of Georgia Bar Journal, “An Overview of Ultimate Issue Evidence.”

Sean McConnell (09C) and wife Becca welcomed second child Joshua David on July 2, 2020.

Adam Townsell (10C) and Kelsey Petrowski Townsell (11C) welcomed son Noah on

Richard Micham (09C) and Kate Rouse Micham (09C) announce the birth of first child Kellan Wright on June 11, 2020.

Dec. 12, 2019. Weighing just 2 pounds, 10 ounces, he was born prematurely at 29 weeks after undergoing fetal surgery for Spina Bifida repair a month earlier. He is now home, happy and healthy. Adam and Kelsey exclaimed, “We are so very blessed to be his parents!”

Malloree Holcombe (11C) has earned a master’s degree in teaching biological sciences through Miami University at Oxford’s Global Field Program.

Amanda Cromer (12C, 16G) is now transportation manager at DiversiFood in Marietta, Ga.

Dr. Matthew Summerlin (12C) and Elise Masciantonio (13C, 17G) celebrated their second wedding anniversary on Oct. 27, 2020.

Darren Barnet (13C) earned praise for his work as “Paxton” in the hit Netflix series Never Have I Ever, co-created by Mindy Kaling. Other 2020 roles included “Wilfred ‘Freddy’ Malick” on ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. One of Berry’s first Gate of Opportunity Scholars, Darren has also appeared on This Is Us and Criminal Minds, among other roles.

2010s Paige Slusser McCarthy (11C) and husband Josh welcomed son Rowan on May 11, 2020.

Lauren Brewer Brown (11C) and husband Ben welcomed first child Aidan on April 2, 2020.

Jillian Civitella Homan (10C), husband Christopher and son Michael announce the March 24, 2020, birth of twins Oliver Rye and Asher Jude.

30

I BERRY

Ashley Harzog Cleland (13C) Sarah Elizabeth Poydence (12C) married Andrew Norris in the Berry College Chapel on Nov. 9, 2019. She is an exercise physiologist; he is a Georgia Tech engineer. The couple lives in Alpharetta, Ga.

has had her writing featured

by Shine Text, a mental health app serving 4 million people worldwide, and Medium, where she is a Top Writer in Diversity and Feminism. She was also awarded a Chancellor’s Horizon Award for Service in Diversity for her work as founding associate director of the Women and Gender Office at East Carolina University.

A VATICAN CELEBRATION Sarah Shupenus Acejas (16C) married Allen Acejas on June

Jacob Bushey (20C)

15, 2019. Afterward, they traveled to Rome, Italy, for the Sposi Novelli (newlywed) blessing at the Vatican, greeting Pope Francis and trading zuchettos (taking home the skullcap he was wearing).

Lib Lockett (13C) received

Natalie Jones Barber (14C)

the J. Paul Ferguson, M.D., Award for Leadership for her accomplishments as a student at the Medical College of Georgia’s Northwest Campus in Rome, where she chose to complete her clinically intensive third and fourth years of medical school alongside local physicians. She is pictured with the namesake of her award, a Berry trustee emeritus and the retired president and CEO of Harbin Clinic.

and husband Shaun welcomed first child Ellie Rose on May 9, 2020.

Kyle Schneider (13C) married Emily Nicholson (13C) on

Madi McEver Davis (14C) and husband Justin Davis (13C) welcomed daughter Hallie Mitchell Davis on March 9, 2020.

Connor Garrett (15C) and his father, Kevin, earned praise from the likes of Pat Conroy Literary Center Executive Director Jonathan Haupt and The Georgia Hollywood Review for their fantasy novel, Spellbound Under the Spanish Moss: A Tale of Southern Magic.

Connor is also involved with Jawad Mazhir (13C) in Lucid House Publishing, founded in 2018. Connor is co-publisher; Jawad is director of technology and design. The two Berry entrepreneurs previously collaborated on the StudyHub app.

Cory Hall (15C) works in

Sept. 18, 2020. Kyle now works in the emergency department for Wellstar Health System after graduating from Midwestern University’s physician assistant program in Chicago.

corporate real estate at Savills in Atlanta.

Katie Minor Hardwick (14C) married Justin Hardwick on Jan. 25, 2020.

Alyssa Hollingsworth (13C) earned a 2020 United Kingdom Literacy Award for her debut novel, The Eleventh Trade.

Recognized in the 7-10+ age group, her book tells the story of a young Afghan refugee now living in America. Judges admired Alyssa’s light touch as well as the sensitive way in which she handled the horrors faced by her protagonist in his home country. She since has written a second novel, The Invisible Boy.

Chelsea Wegesin Latimer (13C) and Eric Latimer (14C)

DeLaney Stewart Campbell (15C, 19G) has earned a

welcomed son Samuel Joseph on March 15, 2020. He was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 20.5 inches long. The family lives in Macon, Ga.

Ashley Lewis (13C) completed a master’s degree in reading education from the University of Virginia in May 2019.

master’s degree in curriculum

Dr. Karen Taylor (13C) married Pete Lorenz at Frost Chapel in March 2019. The couple lives in California’s Central Valley.

and instruction with a Tier 1 educational leadership certificate from Berry College.

William Pritz (15G) has been appointed principal of Kemp Elementary in the Cobb County (Ga.) School District. He has worked in the CCSD for 15 years, the last three as assistant principal at Kemp.

Lindsey Cook (15C) is in her final year of training as a physician’s assistant.

31

for student workbooks. She is now a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.

Dr. James Ross (15C) earned a Ph.D. in cancer biology from Emory University in 2019. The former Gate of Opportunity Scholar is now studying how to improve immunotherapy for viral infections and cancer as a postdoctoral researcher. He and his wife recently celebrated their son’s first birthday and bought a house.

Dr. Katie Truluck Coats (17C) married Dr. Casey Coats (14C) on Dec.14, 2019, at

Dr. Nikki Lokhandwala (16C) is a 2020 graduate of Mercer University’s Doctor of Pharmacy program.

Matt Johnson (18C) is tennis

St. Clare Catholic Church in Acworth, Ga., with a reception at the Governors Towne Club.

The wedding party included Sarah Sprague (19C), Jordan Boreman (14C) and Tyler Coats (04C). Both Katie and Casey are practicing doctors of physical therapy.

director/head professional at Kahkwa Country Club in Erie, Pa., and tennis director of the Lakewood, N.Y., YMCA. He previously spent two years as head women’s tennis coach at the State University of New York at Fredonia, setting a school record for wins in a single season (12) and qualifying for the SUNYAC Tournament.

Sarah O’Carroll (17C) has

Kassie K. Jones (18C) has

taken a position in content development and strategy and as host and producer of the Catalyze podcast at the Morehead-Cain Foundation, affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

She previously worked at the University at Albany, SUNY, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in political science from the Rockefeller College of Public

graduated from Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service with a master’s degree in public service and administration.

Meaghan Hughes-Davis (16C) has been accepted into the University of Alabama’s master’s degree program in gifted education.

Olivia Racine Ruck Shepherd (18C) married Thomas Shepherd (18C) on June 27, 2020, at Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens in Summerville, Ga. The couple lives in Augusta, where Thomas is a second-year student and class president at the Dental College of Georgia and Olivia teaches agricultural education and maintains gardens for the Richmond County Schools through service with FoodCorps.

Dr. Carson S. Kay (16C) earned a Ph.D. in communication studies from Ohio University, where she also completed an M.A. through an accelerated study program. As a scholar, she examines the rhetorical representations of political and politicized identities in contentious U.S. spaces and conversations. Her published work has appeared in American Behavioral Scientist, Carolinas Communication Annual, Speaker and Gavel, and in the edited collection, Subjective Experiences of Interactive Nostalgia. She also served as a speechwriter for McGraw Hill’s Human Communication textbook (seventh edition) and wrote instructional materials

32

I BERRY

Matt Siniard (16C) is now head coach of the Carrollton, Ga., Bluefins swim team. Previously, he was a teacher and coach for the Calhoun City Schools and coached for Northwest Georgia Aquatics. A first-team AllConference selection in college, he is grateful for his Berry swim family and credits those experiences and memories with shaping who he is today.

Affairs and Policy. She is glad to be fulfilling the dream of her father, lifelong Tar Heel Dr. Brian Carroll (FS), of having one of his daughters return to his alma mater.

Ron St. Jean

Lillian Robinson McIntyre (16C) married Arthur McIntyre on Nov. 16, 2019.

Jacob Stone (18C) and Jonathan Gogal (19C) are roommates attending graduate school at Middle Tennessee State University. Jacob (left) is pursuing a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology; Jon is seeking an education specialist degree in clinical and mental health counseling.

Lucy Kirby (18C) has earned a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of New Hampshire.

Mallory Paulk Stone (18C) and Payton Stone (18C) were married on March 2, 2019, and live in Durham, N.C. Payton

Student Matthew McConnell

potential in the field of educational advancement. The award will cover participation in a future professional development conference hosted by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Maddie serves her alma mater as assistant director of alumni events and special programs.

2020s

Katie Malcolm (20C) is Rose Blanchard (20C) has received a full scholarship supporting her pursuit of a doctorate in evolution and conservation biology at Texas A&M University.

HONOR SOCIETY FELLOW Callie Whitesell (20C) is one of 58 students nationally to earn a fellowship from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi in 2020.

The $8,500 award will support her first year of graduate study in public health, health behavior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Public Health. is pursuing a master’s degree at Duke University Divinity School; Mallory teaches sixthgrade Earth science and Bible at a local Christian school.

Alex Perry (19C) married Liz Swanigan (19C) on July 4,

received an F31 pre-doctoral grant from the National Institutes of Health to support her glaucoma research. She

June 20, 2020, at Cypress Hill in Auburn, Ala. She teaches kindergarten at West Smiths Station Elementary School. The couple lives in Phenix City.

a master’s degree in counseling at Western Kentucky University, confident in her preparation as a Berry psychology major.

She stated, “I’m a much better person and student because of my time at Berry.”

Bailey Hanner (20C) recently

Hannah Rice Regennitter (19C) is happily married,

Hannah Youngblood (18C) has

A.R. Reddy (20C) is pursuing

2020. Both are teachers living in New York City.

Berry College Chapel. They live in Roswell and work in health care.

Amanda Alexander Head (19C) married Jacob Head on

teaching third grade at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross, Ga.

working as a second-year ESOL teacher at West End Elementary School in Rome and pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education through Troy University.

attends Augusta University/ Medical College of Georgia.

started a new sales position with Double the Donation, the leading matching gift software provider for the U.S. and Canada. The former Bonner Scholar is happy to be building on his Berry experience by continuing to serve nonprofits.

Katie Sweeney (20C) has

Andrea Hill (20C) is attending

Thomas Weldon (20C) married Lauren Higdon Weldon (19C)

the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine.

accepted a nursing position at the Northside Cherokee ICU in Canton, Ga.

on April 11, 2020.

Porter Wilbanks (19C) is Maddie Jordan Miller (19C, FS) is a 2020 recipient of Courtney Cosgrove Arnett (19C) married Jordan Arnett (18C) on Oct. 19, 2019, in the

attending veterinary school at Lincoln Memorial University.

the Virginia Carter Smith Scholarship recognizing individuals who demonstrate considerable promise and

33

BRINGING THE MOUNTAIN HOME The slopes of Lavender Mountain might have been quiet on Saturday, Oct. 10, but not even a global pandemic could stop Berry alumni from celebrating Martha Berry’s birthday.

With campus events limited to students, alumni from as far away as South Korea and Japan made sure that beloved Mountain Day traditions continued at home. Smiling faces filled computer screens for virtual events, and innovations like “Mountain Day in a Box,” including all the ingredients for an at-home family picnic, proved to be a big hit.

There were Zoom reunions galore, including special events for the college classes of 1970 and 2020, as well

as a Mountain Day lecture by Dr. David Slade (97C, FS) and a Mountain Day trivia contest hosted by Director of Athletics Angel Mason. Alumni also had the opportunity to vote on best at-home picnic, with the winner receiving a private, catered lunch at the House o’ Dreams.

Thanks to everyone who held a picnic, lifted a cupcake in toast to Martha or, in the case of Marcy Peterson Holzrichter (09C), staged a mini-Grand March in Tokyo (bottom left). We love your Berry spirit!

Visit alwaysberry.com/mtnday20 for more coverage.

34

I BERRY

WINNING PICNIC!

Berry extends sincere condolences to family and friends of the following alumni and former faculty/staff. This list includes notices received Feb. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2020.

1940s M. Gladys Higdon Addington (41H) of Marietta, Ga., Nov. 15, 2019.

Horace L. Cline (42H, 46c) of Cave Spring, Ga., Aug. 20, 2020.

Maxine Chadwick Chrosniak (43c) of

Mint Hill, N.C., July 14, 2020.

William R. Harvey (43H) of Thomaston, Ga., Nov. 9, 2018.

Clara McCauley Pickett (44c) of Brownsburg, Ind., March 8, 2019.

Boyd A. Wells (44c) of Saint Francisville, La., July 31, 2020.

Edna Handley Smith (45H, 49c) of Tuscumbia, Ala., Sept. 13, 2019.

Frances Griffith Thornton (45C) of Texarkana, Texas, Aug. 10, 2020.

Benjamin Otis Carroll (46H) of Douglasville, Ga., Aug. 5, 2018.

Betty Woods Healey (46c) of Birmingham, Ala., Dec. 6, 2019.

Emily Thomason Ingram (46c) of St. Simons Island, Ga., March 15, 2020.

Mildred Parrish Kenemer (46H) of Dalton, Ga., March 14, 2020.

Robert J. Lott (46H) of Macon, Ga., Aug. 20, 2020.

Lucy Hopkins Gill (47c) of Lavonia, Ga., May 7, 2019.

Beatrice Lawrence Shoemaker (48H)

of Alexandria, Va., May 4, 2020.

Dorothy Cash Marsh (49c) of Corvallis, Mont., June 18, 2019.

Ruth L. Milton (49c) of Griffin, Ga., Jan. 16, 2020.

Lowell M. Underwood (49C) of Greensboro, Ga., Feb. 20, 2020.

Sarah Jordan Wallace (49H) of Sharpsburg, Ga., Nov. 7, 2019.

Mabel Martin Warren (49c) of Niceville, Fla., Aug. 27, 2019.

1950s Faye Hardy McLeroy (50c) of

Gainesville, Ga., June 23, 2020.

Bettye Seay Rowell (50C) of Waycross, Ga., March 26, 2019.

John Willis Dill (51C) of Cameron, Texas, Dec. 16, 2019.

Naomi Pennington Mullins (51c) of San Antonio, Jan. 4, 2019.

Joan Underwood Beard (52C) of Tallahassee, Fla., March 8, 2020.

Douglas Jack Davis (52H) of Dalton, Ga., April 17, 2020.

Katherine Lambert Hamilton (52C) of LaGrange, Ga., May 23, 2020.

Kermit Hutcheson (52c) of Athens, Ga., Feb. 2, 2020.

Lynette Peebles Matteson (52C) of Logan, Utah, May 11, 2020.

Mary Margaret McSpadden Cochran (53c) of Virginia Beach, Va., July 13, 2020.

Virginia Allen Cornelison (53C) of

Flowery Branch, Ga., May 7, 2020.

Johnny M. Eubanks (53C) of Gilbert, S.C., May 22, 2020.

Edwin G. Weatherford (53C) of Summerville, Ga., Nov. 29, 2019.

Kenneth W. Whitten (53C) of Athens, Ga., April 8, 2020.

Cecil O. Alford (54c) of Lawrenceville, Ga., Dec. 18, 2019.

Hixey Jones Brewer (54C) of Summerville, Ga., April 24, 2020.

Winifred Sonier Frix (54H, 58C) of Rome, May 28, 2020.

Jesse Martin McElyea (54C) of Rome, Feb. 5, 2020.

Harold Eugene Sheets (54C) of Bonaire, Ga., July 7, 2020.

Donald L. Stinson (54C) of Pensacola, Fla., Feb. 13, 2020.

Joe F. Allen (55C) of Clemson, S.C., April 15, 2020.

James F. Clark (55C) of Sharpsburg, Ga., March 6, 2020.

Glenn A. Cooper (55H) of Commerce, Ga., June 27, 2020.

Paul H. Johnson (55c) of Hoytville, Ohio, March 30, 2020.

William O. Nunnally (55H) of Social Circle, Ga., Aug. 16, 2020.

Rosa Rogers Carr (57C) of Anniston, Ala., Feb. 29, 2020.

Sarah Barnett Gee (57C) of Jefferson Ga., May 28, 2020.

Hershel E. Howard (57C) of Roopville, Ga., Aug. 10, 2020.

Eunice Jacobs Jones (57c) of Waco, Ga., March 12, 2019.

Rheba Burch Mathis (57C) of Tyrone, Ga., Aug. 18, 2020.

Genevieve Holsomback Poplin (57C) of Dalton, Ga., March 19, 2020.

Frank Witt III (57H) of Youngstown, Ohio, March 21, 2019.

Jerry W. Young (57C) of Franklin, Tenn., Aug. 16, 2020.

William B. Angel (58H) of Hoschton, Ga., May 11, 2019.

Jane Underwood Crawford (58C) of Manchester, Ga., June 15, 2020.

George W. Hunt (58C) of Alpharetta, Ga., March 1, 2020.

Dorit Gaye Leonard Teeters (58C) of Boone, N.C., July 23, 2020.

Joyce Mote DeMott (59C) of Savannah, Ga., Aug. 23, 2020.

Dorothy Shepherd Llobet (59c) of Ashburn, Ga., April 4, 2019.

Lucille Spillers Skinner (59C) of Atlanta, Jan. 13, 2019.

Jean Gallaway Welch (59c) of Tullahoma, Tenn., May 15, 2020.

1960s Bobby Anthony McCullough (60C) of Martinez, Ga., Feb. 2, 2020.

Rufus Gordon Garvin (61C) of

LaFayette, Ga., July 27, 2020.

David F. Sharp (62H) of Weaver, Ala., July 26, 2020.

Sandra Beck Allen (63C) of Ellerslie, Ga., Aug. 28, 2020.

Willis E. Cosper (63C) of Summerville, Ga., June 9, 2020.

Sue Godfrey Dowdy (63C) of Brewster, Mass., Aug. 3, 2020.

Leslie Thomas Howard Sr. (64C) of Cochran, Ga., Aug. 1, 2020.

Rachel Beard Buice (65C) of Rome, May 26, 2020.

Gordon Gilbert Flippo Jr. (65A) of Lilburn, Ga., Feb. 25, 2020.

Mary McGill Parker (65c) of Cleveland, Tenn., Feb. 4, 2020.

Randall A. Edwards (66C) of Marietta, Ga., June 13, 2020.

Robert G. LeRosen (66C) of Glen Allen, Va., Aug. 8, 2020.

James Wade Stanley (66c) of Henderson, Tenn., Sept. 20, 2019.

Brewster D. Turley (66A) of Ellijay, Ga., Aug. 24, 2020.

Ira C. Goolsby (67C) of Lincolnton, Ga., April 6, 2018.

W.T. “Chip” Limbrick Jr. (67C) of Armuchee, Ga., April 11, 2020.

Diane Poole Blair (69C) of Chelsea, Ala., June 14, 2020.

C. Douglas Price (69C) of Batesville, Ind., July 14, 2020.

Douglas F. Tiller (76C) of Rome, Feb. 2, 2020.

Florence L. Gibson (78C) of Palm Coast, Fla., Aug. 8, 2019.

Florence Brooks Anthony (79C) of Rome, April 23, 2020.

1980s Dante D. Flagello (80C) of Kingston, Ga., April 8, 2020.

Gerald R. Miller (80c) of Lake Wales, Fla., Feb. 24, 2020.

Martha Estella Lange (82C) of

Houston, Texas, Jan. 2, 2019.

Russell B. Chambers (83C) of Acworth, Ga., Feb. 27, 2020.

Thomas C. Gilkey (84C) of Saint Augustine, Fla., Feb. 10, 2019.

William Burton Poovey Jr. (85C) of Columbus, Ga., July 27, 2020.

Phillip Shawn Ruiz (89c) of Canton, Ga., Oct. 16, 2018.

1990s John William Wright (91C) of Lafayette, La., June 9, 2020.

Katherine Morton Rohskopf (94C) of Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 20, 2020.

Jonathan Hardy Easterling (97C) of Milton, Ga., Aug. 18, 2020.

2000s Joseph Michael Costyn (03C) of Atlanta, Aug. 2, 2020.

1970s Daniel M. Jefts (70C) of Atlanta, Feb. 23, 2020.

Linda Stacey Miller (70C) of Tampa, Fla., Nov. 28, 2019.

Ralph Lamar White (70C) of Rome, May 20, 2020.

2010s Jason “Jake” Pierce Steel II (19c) of Inverness, Fla., June 3, 2020.

FORMER FACULTY AND STAFF

Reginald C. Fortner Jr. (71C) of

Snellville, Ga., May 24, 2020.

J. Barry Griswell (71C) of Des Moines, Iowa, June 5, 2020.

Joel W. Kirk (71C) of Brooks, Ga., July 18, 2020.

Marjorie Peeples Wynn (71C) of Decatur, Ga., March 24, 2020.

Robert W. Brumbelow (72C) of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., July 24, 2019.

Nola Jahna Ferrell (72C) of Jacksonville, Ark., March 2, 2020.

Robert E. Goble Jr. (72C) of Tallapoosa, Ga., Nov. 11, 2018.

Dirk C. Wormhoudt (74C) of New Orleans, July 24, 2018.

Walter Eugene Arms of Dalton, Ga., June 29, 2020.

William Burton “Doc” Brooks of Silver Creek, Ga., July 8, 2020.

Coleman H. Brown of Rome, Aug. 12, 2020.

Clarice Renee Ford of Springfield, Ill., April 19, 2020.

Teresa Burnes Lawler of Rome, Feb. 2, 2020.

John H. Lounsbury of Columbia, S.C., April 2, 2020.

Leonard “Len” Rychtanek of Hickory Hills, Ill., April 4, 2020.

35

“When I can no longer work for Berry, alumni and friends will continue the work.”

Berry once expressed a vision and a hope that others would assume M artha responsibility for ensuring that the school she established would remain a place of opportunity for hardworking students. Many decades after her death, alumni and friends continue to answer that call.

While grateful for gifts of all sizes, we are pleased to recognize those who give annually at the leadership level as members of the Martha Berry Society. This designation honors those who make annual cash contributions or pledge payments of at least $1,000 (or equivalent for members of the new Young Alumni Leadership Giving Circle). On the following pages, you will find the names of those who gave at this level between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020.

Visit alwaysberry.com/MBS to learn more about the many benefits available to MBS members. If you wish to become a member in 2020-21, please contact Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship Brenda Jenkins (97C) at bjenkins@berry.edu or 706-378-2868.

PLATINUM $25,000+

36

I BERRY

ARAMARK Corp.

Jimmy (60C) and Luci Hill (60C) Bell Robert and Betty Anne Rouse (52H, 56C) Bell Belladonna Foundation Randy and Nancy Berry Stephen and Brenda Briggs Arthur (57c) and Jeanne Hourigan (57c) Burch Callaway Foundation, Inc. Dan and Rhonda Cathy Al (61c) and Becky Browning (61C) Christopher Nancy Concilio Bettie Daniel (84C, 87G) Fullgraf Foundation Rick and Barbara Gaby Georgia Independent College Association Judy Lane Gilbert Memorial Foundation Rick (77c) and Debra Bourne (76C) Gilbert Walter Gill (63C) Jere Glover Barry (71C) and Michele Irwin (70C) Griswell Lou Brown Jewell

George (64C) and Starlet Rhodes (64C) Jones John (54H) and Debra Lie-Nielsen Roger (79C) and Candy Caudill (82c) Lusby Buzz and Barbara Mote (61C) McCoy Montgomery Family Foundation Audrey Morgan National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Brent (88C) and Georgia Ragsdale Tom and Barbara Slocum Reg (51C) and Maxine Strickland SunTrust Trusteed Foundations: Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust Robert (04C) and Tessa Frye (07C) Swarthout Al (63C) and Harriet Keckley (64C) Terry Lowell Underwood (49C) Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, Inc. The Pait Willis Family WinShape Foundation, Inc. Buster (73C) and Janice Wright

GOLD

$10,000 - $24,999

SILVER

$5,000 - $9,999

Ames Family Foundation Rich Bollam Jerry (66A) and Emily Bullock Joyce Carper Leslie Choitz (76C) Bert (82C) and Cathy Clark Larry (69C) and Nadine NeSmith (71c) Covington Sandy Diffenderfer William H. Ellsworth Foundation Ed (57C) and Evelyn Quarles (57C) England Russ Evans (56C) John and Mary Franklin Foundation, Inc. Will Gaines (93C) Georgia Power Company, Inc. Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. Georgia Society Daughters of the American Revolution Darrell (82c) and Sharon Gunby Harbin Clinic Allen Hayes Peter (53H, 57C) and Emmaline Beard (55H, 58C) Henriksen Trevor and Sheri Hooper Emily Thomason Ingram (47c) Raija Itzchaki Hubert Judd Charitable Trust Anne and Mark Kaiser Mark (82C) and Judy Howard (82C) Keappler The Thomas M. and Irene B. Kirbo Charitable Trust Jenny Duda LaGrange (91C) The Ray M. and Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation The Paul C. and Velma Smith Maddox Foundation Charles McPeake

Amos Montgomery Jim (90C) and Sandi Thomas (90C) Moody Morgan Stanley John and Missy Morgan Peter and Tamara Musser Scott and Fay Neal The Nichols Trust Bettyann O’Neill and Ken Sicchitano Dan and Kelley Poydence Malcolm (58C) and Yvonne Jackson (59C) Quick Joe (65C) and Nelda Parrish (64C) Ragsdale Sam (76C, 78G) and Nancy Duvall (77C) Ratcliffe Jerry Shelton (58C) Don Slater (77C) and Debbie Poss (78C) Richard and Jennifer Stiles Bill and Kay Stokely The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation Lem (63C) and Gayle Miller (64C) Sumner Steve and Lisa Fanto (76C) Swain Michelle and Steve Tart Randy Tibbals (79C) Mandy Tidwell (93C) Roger Tutterow (84C) Virgil P. Warren Foundation Joe and Marti Walstad Steve (80C) and Cindy Snead (80C) Wherry The Frances Wood Wilson Foundation Mary Wooton W.M. Word (57c) Ross and Dottie Wright John Yow The John Zellars Jr. Foundation

Stan (65C) and Wanda Scott (65C) Aldridge American Express Joey and Robin Arceneaux David (84C) and Kelly Asbury Mark Aubel (81C) J.B. (78C) and Diane Brett (81c) Bader Tom Berry Joe Bihlmier (91C) Carol Buchanan Blair (56H, 58c) John Quinn and Mary Boyd Rob (83C) and Amber Brock Martha Stewart Bulloch Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Brad and Kimberly Bushnell Doug (83C) and Sabrina Vail (84C) Carter Kenneth and Diane Cole Steven Cornelison Glenn (62C) and Jena Cornell James and Kim Cornetet Doug and Cyndi Court Mike (92C) and Margaret Crego Kathleen Copeland Culbertson (93C) Delta Air Lines Foundation Tommy (79C) and Kelley Dopson Calvin Doss (49C) Brian and Theresa Dulaney John (83C) and Elizabeth Webb (84C) Eadie Ray (58C) and Judy Fewell Bob Frank Sammy (77C) and Holly Wood (73C) Freeman Joan Fulghum Dwight Glover (84C) Bradford Gooch Jean Miller Hedden (52C) Steve (10G) and Debbie Heida LeBron (60C) and Kay Davis (60C) Holden Jack and Karen Holley (74C) Horrell

Dale Jones (71C) Sue Killcreas (78C) Dwight Kinzer The Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation Phil (68C) and Charlotte Lee (71C) Malone Araya Mesfin (98C) Microsoft Corp.

Gail Miller Mohawk Carpet Foundation Mary Nadassy Larry (63C) and Kathy Osborn Ed Parkerson (55C) Bill (76C) and Janet Pence Mark Piecoro (90C) Harry and Terri Pierce Plainville Brick Company, Inc. Maxie Poole (54C) Raytheon Co. Dallas (65C) and Judi Reynolds Jason (94C) and Kelly McElroy (94C) Richardson Frances Richey (83A, 87C) Barbara Robertson (79C) Earnest Rodgers (60C) Darwin Samples (50C) James Scoggins (52C) Matt and Gwen Sirmans Casey (00C) and Angela Smith State Farm Companies Foundation Jason (88C) and Melinda Mitchell (90C) Sweatt Stanley (65C) and Lora Stubbs (65C) Tate Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution Michael (87C) and Elizabeth Thompson Ron (61C) and Bernice Thornton Freddie (94C) and Jennifer Helton (95C) Villacci Bob Williams (62H) Chuck (80C) and Regina Yarbrough

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BRONZE

$1,000 - $4,999

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Martha Bently Abernathy (52c) Frank (54H, 58C) and Kathy Adams Tom (85C) and Kim Evans (84C) Adams W.J. and Crista Albertson Brad Alexander (96C) Sheila Allen AT&T Foundation Martha Perkins Aubel (48C) Lynn Austin (77C) Susan Baker (79C) Michael and Christell Bakken Bill Bannister (56H) Richard Barley (49H) Frank Barron Doris Lane Beall (47C) Mark Beaver (97C) Christy Bell (98C) Barbara Bentley (78C, 82G) Jane Jones Block (86C) Al and Jean Bonnyman Anne Bonnyman Tom (55H) and Martha Wyatt (55H, 59C) Bowen Rusty Bradley (71C) Colin Breece (04C) Andrew and Jennifer Rice (07G) Bressette Alan Bridges (79C) John (62C) and Geraldine Johnson (62C) Bridges Ronnie Bridgman Richard and Alice Bristow Kevin (99C) and Katy Moore (99C) Brodrick Lester (69C) and Wanda Bennett (68C) Brookshire Alan and Denise Brown Dennis and Trina Buce (82C) Brown Wallace and Wendy Burgoyne Becky Burleigh Darrin and Angela Butzow Michael and Elizabeth Caddell Wayne (61C) and Madeline Banks (63c) Canady Cecil (66c) and Vivian Slappy (61C) Carney Tom and Betty Carver Allyson Chambers (80C, 84G) LeRay de Chaumont Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Randall (67C) and Margaret Cochran (68c) Clark Jean Etherton Clark (70C, 74G) Paul (88G) and Shannon Clark David (95C) and Heather Taylor (97C) Cloud The Coca-Cola Co. John (04C) and Jackie Feit (05c) Coleman Brian and Maria Connors Michael (76C) and Milagros Contreras Joe (88C) and Leanne Hand (87C) Cook John (60C) and Sandy Midkiff (60C) Cooper Lewis Copeland (60C) Brian Cothran (95C) Dwight Craig (84C) Joe Crain (58C) Jim and Brenda Crane Celeste Creswell (93C) Todd Crew (99C) Toni Norris Dasher (91C) Dennis (74A, 78C) and Donna Word (78C) DaSilva Malcolm (70C) and Julia Vickers (70C) Davis Ron Dean John and Joan Delk Jim and Judy Dellinger Tina Stancil DeNicole (85C) Angela R. Dickey (75A, 79C) Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. Neil and Sharron Dorrill

Jimmy and Laurie Douglas Pamela Bowen Dunagan C. Warren Dunn (77C) Beth Collins Earnst (93C) Ron (56H) and Robbie Barber (56H) Edwards Susi Edwards Leon Elder (54C) Joe (63C) and Shirley Bowen (63c) Elder Christopher and Rebecca English Ernst and Young Foundation Tony and Renee Farrell Ruth Fay Brian (08G) and Natalie Miller (99C, 04G) Ferguson Glenn (70C) and Pam Priest (71C) Ferguson Paul Ferguson Jeff (81C) and Carol Field Anna Filippo and Todd Woodlee Stephen Finn Jim (65C) and Lottie Snow (65C) Finney First Families of Georgia Margaret Fite John and Joanne Fitzgerald Lamar Fletcher (66A) Follett Higher Education Group Gary (77C) and Hermanett Pruitt (73C) Ford Bret and Elaine Foster Todd and Dara Franks Frazier and Deeter Foundation Bobby Walker Fulmer (56C) Stewart Fuqua (80A) Vincente Galan (80C) Dale (79C) and Karen Burton (79C) Garner James (62c) and Linda Garner Loyd Gass (60C) Mack (59C) and Liz Gay GE Foundation Francy Jessup Geiger (78C) Ed and Gayle Graviett (67C) Gmyrek Ondina Gonzalez (76A) and Karl Lehman Google, Inc. Betsy Green John Green Richard and Susan Green Dottie Clark Gregg (69C) William and Georgia Gregory Matt (02C) and Kelly Daly (03C) Grisham Larry and Marion Haire Daniel and Yolanda Wright Haithcock Bud Hall (79C) Yvonne Linker Hall (80C) Evelyn Hamilton (68C) Jenn Hannigan Greg (82C) and Judy Cash (85C) Hanthorn Randy and Nita Hardin Vince Griffith (81C) and Angela Hartley Joyce and Tim Heames Don (65c) and Hiawatha Banks (63C) Henry Deborah Hill Bart Hill (97C) Peter (60C) and Ernestine Davis (61C) Hoffmann Pat Barna Holland (69C) Howell Hollis Faye Lovinggood Hood (65C) Mel and Patricia Hope Jeffrey Horn (87C) Paul (82A) and Laura Howard Charlie Hudson (62C) Barbara Ballanger Hughes (71C) Steve Hunter (83C)

BRONZE

$1,000 - $4,999

Kermit Hutcheson (52c) Dale and Christy Jackson Mark and Pat Tutterow (82C) Jackson Rick (83C) and Jennifer Swinford (84C) Jackson Tommy (85C) and Ann Jackson Travis James (97C) Scott Jenkins Stephen Jenkins (15C) Buford Jennings (58C) Jerry Jennings Gene Johnson (54C) Janna Johnson (81C) Max (70C) and Gail McGill (78C, 79G) Johnson Ronald Johnson Ty and Joy Padgett (73C) Johnson Wallace and Paula Johnson Walt Johnson (41H) Grady (87C) and Kimberly Winkles (88C) Keith William Keith (56c) Steve (63C) and Nancy Harkness (62C) Kelly Tom and Melodie Kennedy Michael and Julia Kimple Shane Kinsey Jackie Kohler (00C) Mark (79C, 19G) and Holly Kozera Drew Landis (06C) Sydney Larsen Dennis (79C) and Jane Williams (80c) Latimer Matthew and Christy Leeseberg Robert LeRosen (66C) Hart Levy (82C) Jon and Angie Wilkey (89C) Lewis Robert and Cheryl Lindgren Terry (68C) and Charlene Head (67C) Lingerfelt Nancy Lippard Matt (94C) and Lisa Opeka (95C) Little Perry Little (50C) Lowell (60C) and Dee Hysinger (60C) Loadholtz Jean Loveday Howie and Anita Berry Lowden LPL Financial Ellen Free Lueck (73C) Robbie Panter Luedke (63C) Eddie (85C) and Teresa Pearson (81C) Lumsden Tim (84C) and Lisa Lusby Wanda and Will Mack Latha Coleman Maine (59C) Owen (97C) and Tina Campbell (95C, 97G) Malcolm Van (70C) and Sara Malone Michael Maney (98C) Scott Markle (92C) Joel Martens (86C) Wesley (63C) and Ruth King (65C) Martin Rufus (75C) and Mary Anne Schimmelmann (75c) Massey Stanley and Michelle Maxey Martha Dodd McConnell (45H, 50C) Lee and Christin McDaniel Valerie Scott McFry (90C) Karen McGrath J. Ruel and Lucy H. McMillian Gene (65C) and Sandra Dickerson (66C) McNease Larry (60C) and Clara Hall (60C) McRae Sandy Meek Brad (07C) and Rachel Miller (09C) Meers Michigan Society Daughters of the American Revolution Ida Minor James and Angela Morgan Caitlyn Jansen Moriarty (14G) Tom Mullis (57C)

Clark and Andrea Newton Bill Norman (09C) Julie Patrick Nunnelly (88C, 00G) Beau Nygaard (93C) Omnova Solutions Douglas and Faye Owens Mary Page Monica Forbes Parisi (95C) Sunny and Kay Park Ellen May Partridge (57C) J.M. (60C) and Nona Sparks (58C) Patterson Derrick (06C) and Lindsay Williams (06C) Perkins Jay and Susan Peterson Melissa Phillips Neal Pope David (74C) and Katherine Powell Danny (87C) and Tammi Ridenhour (87C, 03G) Price PSG Functional Materials Robert and Christine Dodd (70C) Puckett Teresa Smith Puckett (75A, 92C) Dan Randall Alan Ratliff (02C) Jim and Nancy Rhoades Jane Fisher Richard (78C) Steve (85C) and Kristen Riley Jack Riner (65C) Alison Lounsbury Ritter (94C) Fred and J’May Rivara River City Bank Tony Rivers (78C) David and Maria Roman Kathryn Roseen (76C) Doris Vaughn Rowland Glynelle Cook Rowland (68C) W.C. (60C) and Sylvia Davis (60C) Rowland Rosie Hoagland Russell (78C) Kevin (80C) and Karla Holland (80C) Ryan Paul Samson and Annette Davis-Samson Bobbie Brown Sanders (53C) Marlene Schneider (49H) Larry (55C) and Dixie Schoolar Tim and Beth Scott Larry (65C) and Jerry Sculley Charles and Sandra Sexton John Shahan (64A, 69C) Kay Salmon Shahan (67C) Jean Mitchell Sheffield (54C) Jason (00C) and Ashley Harp (01C) Sheppard George and Rosalind Simpson James Sims Greg and Katherine Sloan Gary and Karen Smith Peggy Dalton Smith (67C) Laky (84C, 87G) and Kay Hurst (85C) Spas Ross Spinks (05C) Daniel Sprinkle (00C) and Rita Chen M.R. Stainton (94C) Andrea Boyd Stanley (67C) John and Janey Sterchi Margaret Steward Kendall Stewart (72C) Mark and Susan Still Michael (90C) and Kim Lunney (90C) Strickland Roy Stuart (57C) Steve Stutts Denise Sumner (89C) Roger (53H) and Neomia Sundy Darrell Sutton (00C) John (10C) and Courtney Toth (10C) Tatum

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BRONZE

$1,000 - $4,999

Debbie Richardson Teal (85C) Jacque Terrill (65C) Fred Tharpe (68A) Bill (68C) and Avis Cordle (57C) Thornton Mike Thornton (90C) Sue Thornton Michael (98C) and Justine Tidwell Mildred Campbell Tietjen (61C) Earl (52H) and Carolyn Tillman Juanita Ensley Tipton (70C) Billy (62H, 66C) and Marvalee Lord (65C) Townsend Leila Edgerton Trismen Ray (69C) and Pamela Tucker Seth Turner (06C) Charlie (53H, 57C) and Hazel Guthrie (59c) Underwood Randy and Judy Urquhart Jim Van Meerten (70C) John and Ann Van Thron Steve Vaughn Pete (60C) and Janelle Brumbelow (56H, 60C) Vincent Christine Pentecost Walker Gene Wallace (51C) Ronnie Wallace (80G) Carlton and Shannon Walstad Walt Disney Company Foundation Lady Washington Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Gary (80C, 89G) and Bambi Estill (79c) Waters

Charlie (57C) and Keitha Davis (58C) Weatherford Lamar and Dorenda Weaver Larry (63C) and Pat Webb Kenneth Wehunt (53C) Holly Brown West (88C) Lenard and Bernice Ogle (53H) Whaley Philip Whanger (59C) Sidney (60C) and Nancy Harris (61C) Wheeler Whit (81C) and Maria Crego (85c) Whitaker John (61C) and Ann Fite (61C) Whitaker Shari and Courtney White Danielle Dorling White (97C) Lucile Whitman Sue Wilder (85C) James (95C) and Carrie Travers (99C) Willard Seymour and Michelle Williams Len (70C) and Marty Willingham Carlee McCarter Wilson (63C) Frank Windham (57c) Kay Wingo Jerry (56H, 60c) and Louise Conaway (57C) Winton David (68A, 72C) and Alta Breeden (70C) Wood Alan (64A) and Leanne Killin (69c) Woody Earl (52C) and Esther Worthington Mickey and Jasmine Wu Koji (65C) and Reba Nichols (67C) Yoda

A new generation of leaders

YOUNG ALUMNI LEADERSHIP GIVING CIRCLE LEVELS $100 annually for alumni 1-5 years out $250 annually for alumni 6-8 years out $500 annually for alumni 9-10 years out The Young Alumni Leadership Giving Circle honors total giving during Berry’s fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Your gift may be broken into smaller monthly increments, allowing you to maximize your support of Berry students in a budget-friendly way.

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Following are the inaugural members of the Young Alumni Leadership Giving Circle. These young alumni (10 years out or less) earned their place in the Martha Berry Society with annual giving equivalent to that of a $1,000 donor, based on age and stage of life. Like Martha Berry, they understand that leadership isn’t measured by age, but rather a willingness to step forward now in support of the students following in their footsteps. This list recognizes giving between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020.

For information on how simple it can be for you to become a member, see the box at left.

Alex Denzik Alewine (10C) Shakarah Boswell (16C) Jordan Brannen (17C) Josh Bullock (17C) Mary Cerny (17C) Aaron (15C) and Lizzie Hendrix (15C) Chastain Parker (17C) and Carroll Autry (16C) Clavijo Leah Cobb (17C) Anthony and Kerrie Hartline (17C) Dalrymple Holly Davis (14C) Jacob Delk (18C) Matt Farinella (16C) Jess Gross (17C) Blake (15C) and Brittni Dulaney Hall Ty Hampel (16C) Chris (14C) and Kimberly Bagnell (14C) Human Dale Jackson (17C) Stephen Jenkins (15C) Hunter Jones (16C) Cameron Kapperman (13C) Rachel LeRoy (15C) Ashley Swanson Lingerfelt (15C)

Tommy McCloskey (16C) Drew McCollum (17C) Megan Michel (18C) T.J. Montgomery (17C) Hannah Parker (18C) Sunday and Funmi (18C) Peters Elizabeth Ragland (18C) Joy Schmidt (11C) Maggie Stansell (17C) John (10C) and Courtney Toth (10C) Tatum Erika Bunpermkoon Thurman (13C) Zach Valentine (16C) Miranda Vega (19C) Mike (14C) and Chrissy Ricketts (15C) Voso Graham (18C) and Joanna Logan (18C) Wall Anna McNulty West (16C) Lydia West (17C) Porter Wilbanks (19C) Cate Williams (19C) Kayli Wilson (16C) Logan (15C) and Abbie Smith (17C) Yerbey

To learn more, visit alwaysberry.com/mbs/young-alumni or contact Brenda Jenkins (97C) at bjenkins@berry.edu or 706-378-2868.

IN THE END, IT’S ABOUT THE STUDE NTS

H

er final weight-throw practice complete for the March 13 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field

National Championships, Berry senior Genesis Leggett did her best to relax in her WinstonSalem, N.C., hotel room.

It had been a nerve-wracking day for all the competitors. First, they learned that their parents could not attend the championships

A true champion: GENESIS LEGGETT (20C)

BY KARILON ROGERS

the next day due to the growing COVID-19 crisis, then that only their head coach would be allowed in the arena. Late in the afternoon, Leggett saw the worst news on Twitter: The NCAA had canceled all sports for the remainder of the spring.

“Surely that means after this competition,” she thought with characteristic optimism. “After all, we’re already here; we’re ready to go.”

When she got a phone call from head coach Luke Syverson a few minutes later, her optimism faded. “He asked me to meet him in the lobby,” she recalled. “When I got the official word that our meet was canceled, I bawled my eyes out. It was not only the end of this championship, but it was the end of everything. There were no more practices. No more team. It was all over. It was really over.”

Handling it like a champ Processing the disappointment was admittedly hard despite the extensive support she received – and greatly appreciated – from Berry teammates, coaches, professors and administrators. Her reasons ran deep, starting with a knee injury as a sophomore that didn’t keep her from qualifying for nationals that year, but did require surgery after the competition was over.

“Qualifying for nationals that year as a sophomore fast-tracked my goals,” she explained. “I had it set in my mind that I was going to eventually qualify in indoor and outdoor and then possibly medal as a senior.”

Because she spent her junior year working her way back into top form, her senior year became her “redemption year.” She was determined to both get back to nationals and to stand on the podium.

“Seeing as this was my last chance at bringing a national championship medal back to Berry, I was crushed,” she admitted. “Everything I had endured seemed, at first, to have been wasted.

However, once the tears dried, I was able to realize that the situation was bigger than myself and that simply having the opportunity to compete and achieve what I had in the last four years makes me a champion.”

With this mindset, she regained a measure of optimism, even as the pandemic prevented her from finishing her last semester on campus and walking the commencement stage in May. At home with her mom in Live Oak, Fla., she determined to keep busy over the summer by helping her grandmother and great-aunt, who live in a community for seniors. She shopped for them and kept their homes sanitized and virus-free.

“Grandma started referring me to her friends, and Grandma has a lot of friends!” Leggett laughed.

“Before long I was cleaning and shopping for about 15 of her friends regularly. I tried to take orders and shop in bulk. Many of them don’t have family nearby, so it felt good knowing that I have been able to help during these crazy times.”

Optimism meets opportunity While in high school, Leggett was recruited by many schools interested in adding her to their

track and field rosters. She checked out multiple Division III institutions before finding the right fit at Berry.

“I had to leave Florida,” she stated. “My mother wanted me to get experience somewhere else. We went on a long road trip together and visited 10 colleges. When we got to Berry, that was it for me.”

A dual sports administration and communication major, Leggett showcased her leadership abilities as president of Berry’s Black Student Association and as a member of the Student Life Council and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She also shined through her extensive student work experience as a Gate of Opportunity Scholar in the areas of sports administration and information, including service as student director of sports information. For her, the work was literally eye opening.

“Going into college, I knew I wanted to work in sports and had my mind set on earning a journalism degree so I could go into sports broadcasting, which led me to communication,” she said. “But my first job at Berry was in sports information, and I discovered that there are so many different types of jobs in the sports industry.

Berry opened my eyes to the many opportunities within sports administration.”

Leggett is well on that career path now, having entered the sports management program at Florida State University. She looks forward to working in FSU’s athletic department.

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Wearing is caring Victor the Viking did his part to help encourage healthy behavior on the Berry campus this fall, sewing masks (who knew he had such skills?) and modeling them as an example for others. (Photography by student Matthew McConnell)