Alumni Updates

Muse Clarke Boatner Amborn Kelso

1952

Dr. Clyde Muse, of Raymond, president of Hinds Community College, will retire on June 30 after 42 years of leading the institution. He is the longest-serving community college president in Mississippi and among the longest-serving college presidents in the nation. He also earlier served 26 years in K-12 public education in Mississippi.

1959

Dr. Harry Clarke, of Lexington, KY, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Kentucky. He is a professor emeritus of the UK School of Music, where he served for 43 years until retirement in 2011.

1968

Jerry Boatner, of Jefferson, GA, the winningest baseball coach in Mississippi history, was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Over a 50-year career, he guided teams to 1,202 wins and 14 state championships, spending five years at Clarkdale High School and then 45 years at West Lauderdale High School. Boatner is in numerous other Halls of Fame including those of the National Federation of State High School Associations, Mississippi Association of Coaches, and Delta State.

1969

Martha Amborn, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Francis/Vicksburg Catholic School, was nominated for Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Teacher of the Year. She has taught for 43 years.

1970

Richard Kelso, of Jackson, received the Mississippi Governor’s Art Award for “Excellence in Visual Art.” A painter known for command of light and color, especially in depictions of Mississippi landscapes, he was one of five recipients in the class of 2020. The Mississippi Arts Commission partners in the awards.

1977

Debbie Brock, of Jackson, will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. At 4 feet, 11 inches, and a four-year starter at point guard, she was on the 1975-77 Lady Statesmen championship teams that were earlier inducted as “Trailblazers of the Game,” along with Head Coach Margaret Wade and teammate Lusia Harris. Brock was inducted into the Delta State Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

1978

Brady A. Perry Jr., of Baton Rouge, LA, was inducted into the Brusly High School Hall of Fame for 40 years of coaching, including 31 at Brusly. Set to retire after this season, he won two district titles as football coach and led the boys track team to a Louisiana High School Athletic Association title in 1995.

1981

Ivy Dodson Caldwell, of Memphis, TN, retired from FedEx Services after a 32-year career.

1982

Gary Larson, of Rockford, IL, was elected chair of the board of directors of the Indiana Manufacturers Association. He serves as chief financial officer and corporate secretary of Ford Meter Box Co. in Wabash, IN. Larson also has held management positions at Dover Corp., Hillenbrand Industries, United Technologies, Sullair Corp., and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

1983

Keith Fulcher, of Cleveland, became president of Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi. He joined the foundation last year as executive vice president. Fulcher previously worked at Delta State for 23 years as executive director of the Alumni-Foundation, director of development, and special assistant (major gifts) to the president. Earlier, he was a principal, coach, and teacher in Vicksburg, Jackson, and Biloxi.

1986

Todd Moultrie, of El Paso, TX, became president/ CEO of TK Logistics & Consulting Services Corp. He had been senior director of materials management at University Medical Center of El Paso.

1987

Kenneth Purvis, of Greenville, was named president of Guaranty Bank’s Greenville office. Most recently affiliated with Sycamore Bank in Senatobia, he has more than 27 years of banking experience.

1988

Robert Clark Logan, of Suwanee, GA, was named vice president for business administration at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He’s a veteran denominational leader at multiple Southern Baptist Convention entities, including most recently at the North American Mission Board as chief research officer.

1989

Arthur Johnston, of Madison, received the University of Mississippi School of Law Alumnus/ Alumna of the Year Award. He is clerk of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

1991

Wayne V. Rodolfich, of Gautier, superintendent of the Pascagoula-Gautier School District, was named Mississippi’s Superintendent of the Year. He was recognized for creating the Aaron Jones Family Interactive Center, starting the district’s “Pre-K Launch Pad Program,” and implementing “One-to-One Technology” in every core classroom from fourth to 12 th grade.

Tiffany Q. Tyson, of Denver, CO, became one of the Fred Ewing Case and Lola Case Writersin-Residence at the Western Illinois University Department of English. She is author of two novels, The Past Is Never and Three Rivers.