Jean Early (’76, LD ’14

Finding your niche

You might say the women who transitioned from attending the all-girls Thornwood School to the new, co-ed (and formerly all-boys) Darlington School when the two merged in 1973 learned a real-life lesson in adaptability. Jean Early (’76, LD ’14) was no different and it was this skill that has helped her time and time again throughout her career.

Thornwood and Darlington coming together was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” said Early. “It gave me a lot of opportunities that I probably would have never had because it allowed me to branch out into a lot of areas.”

Early went on to attend Emory University and earn her degree in political science, but quickly changed gears.

“I graduated during one of the worst economies known to man and began interviewing for jobs,” she said. “They would ask if I could type and I would point out that I had a degree. I realized that I needed a different path if I wanted to be successful.”

Early enrolled at Georgia Tech as a computer science major but shifted to industrial management. Her early career saw her transition from writing documentation for computer programs into programming, but she was still looking for the right fit. Instead of staying put, she adapted and enrolled at Kennesaw State University to get her MBA in Finance.

“I helped computerize doctor’s offices and worked with a number of I.T. teams in hospitals, but frankly I got tired of people calling me in the middle of the night wanting to know how to format a diskette,” Early laughed. “I decided to pursue accounting and figured if someone called me in the middle of the night, they’d better be revenue agents getting ready to beat down my door.”

Early has been a CPA since 2003 and refers to the shift as her “midlife career change.” In 2005, she opened her own firm in Kennesaw, Ga., where she specializes in individual and small business tax and accounting, estate and trust taxation, not-for-profit accounting and taxation, and both Peachtree (Sage 50) and Quickbooks setup and support.

“It’s important to find your niche in life,” Early said. “My husband found his right off and was blessed to have made his hobby his career. It took me longer than most people, but I’ve been blessed with his support and the support of my parents.”

In their free time, Early and her now-retired husband, Richard Cook, serve at Family Promise of Cobb County, where she is treasurer of the Board of Trustees and he helps maintain the organization’s database.

“Family Promise serves the ‘hidden homeless’ — people who are one paycheck away from disaster and then that paycheck doesn’t come,” she said. “We have a rotational shelter program where several churches work together to provide temporary shelter for families while they go through a screening process. Once accepted, we counsel them on money management and finding and keeping a job. We also work to try and keep their children in the same schools so there’s no further disruption in their lives.

“Serving others is definitely something I have brought with me from Darlington,” Early continued. “I think a lot of emphasis is placed on serving others to show you’re a good leader. I believe that Darlington taught me to serve others because you’re a good person with a strong moral compass. That’s yet another thing that makes the school so special to me.”

Early has also continued to serve and support Darlington whenever possible. A graduate of Leadership Darlington, she has been a class agent, a Career Day speaker and is now a member of the Alumni Council. She’s actively engaged with Darlington’s Facebook page and has found the platform to be a great place to reconnect with her classmates and other alumni.

“My husband and I stay in a pretty tight bubble,” she said. “I mostly see people from church, I do needlework with some friends, and I serve at Family Promise, but I have connected with more Darlington people on Facebook than I ever did before it came along.”

She has also been working with classmates Jane (Cooper) Tate and Dan Wade to plan their upcoming 45th reunion in October.

“My experience at Darlington and the path I took after I graduated are the driving force behind my continued involvement,” she said. “I wish more than anything that my fellow alums could see how great the school is. I hope they see what a leg up we got in life because we attended such a great school and feel compelled to give back out of gratitude.”

Fall 2021

’76 19

Brought to the Rome community by Amy (’94) and Gaines Dempsey (’94), Java Joy Rome held two launch events at Darlington last fall. Founded in 2016, Java Joy’s mission is to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, changing communities for the better.

Luke Lester (’84, LD ’13) and Scott Dozier (’72) attend a Darlington Connects Lunch & Learn in May.

Calling all alumni…

Distinguished Alumnus Nominations

Send us your nominations for the 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Established by the Alumni Council in 1983, this award recognizes alumni who have achieved prominence in their profession and/or community and who have demonstrated loyalty to Darlington. Please email your nomination to vvincent@darlingtonschool.org and include the following information:

Name and class year of nominee Reason(s) for nomination Your name and class year

Frank Pratt III writes: “Life has been interesting during the COVID-19 pandemic. I continue to work as a mental health therapist and am seeing the majority of my clients via telemedicine. My father (Frank Pratt Jr., M.D.) and I are excited about the launch of our new Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) program in 2019. We are the first provider to offer TMS treatments in Northwest Georgia. On a personal note, my wife (Olivia), daughter (Rose), and mother-in-law (Faith) embarked on a journey across the United States last fall, traveling in our RV (a Winnebago named 'Ramblin' Rose.') I met with them for a week in September. While I was with them, we traveled in Ramblin' Rose to several parts of North and South Dakota, such as the International Peace Gardens, Mount Rushmore, The Badlands, and Theodore Roosevelt State Park. I met them again in November to tour parts of Texas as they headed home.”

Frank Pratt (’94) and his wife, Olivia, at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota

1997 (next reunion 2022)

Class Agents: Julie (Wilson) Lucas, Vann Morris Laura (Collier) Darnell writes: “Hello! For the past seven months, I‘ve been battling with Stage 4 breast cancer. My prognosis looks good and I‘ve finished chemo. Radiation starts next week! It has been a difficult road and I appreciate all the Darlington people who’ve reached out to me!”

1998 (next reunion 2023)

Class Agents: Regan (Maki) Couch, Molly (Kelly) Steeves

Betsy (Hight) Richie has joined the sales team at Toles, Temple & Wright Inc. as one of the agency’s newest realtors. In addition to having bought, sold and managed a variety of different properties over the years, she is also a second-generation realtor. She and her husband, Brian, are the parents of Elizabeth (’23), Emily (’25) and Will (’31). 2004 (next reunion 2024)

Class Agent: Vacancy Xaivier Ringer, co-founder of Rome Mural Co-Lab, has been creating amazing murals all over the Rome community, including one in Darlington’s McCallie-Kennedy Library.

Xaivier Ringer (’04) and Rome Mural CoLab Co-founder Ellie Borromeo pictured with Fine Arts Director Kim Tunnell and Alumni Relations Director Vicki Vincent beneath a mural they designed to celebrate the school’s fine arts programs.

2007 (next reunion 2022)

Class Agents: C.J. Cypress, Christine (Doss) Perrin

Margot (Wallis) Barber and her husband, Jarrad, announce the birth of a daughter, Olivia James, on Feb. 18, 2021. Jenni (Ryan) Hall and her husband, Andrew, announce the birth of a son, John Dennis “Jack,” on May 31, 2021. The family lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. The proud godparents are Julia (Douglas ’07, LD ’15) and Gregory Thomas (’07).

Jack, the son of Jenni (Ryan ’07) and Andrew Hall