East Summer 2024

How’s the weather?

Pirate forecasters answer

SOAR WITH THESE ALUMNI FLYERS

Air

Fielding Miller talks entrepreneurship

Apparent

ALUMNI TELL HOW THEY WORK IN AND WITH THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT

Health services management graduates Mallory Vetrano and Kasey Perkins, making the Pirate hook, enter Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for spring commencement May 3. The Class of 2024 totaled nearly 5,000 graduates.

Austin Mansfield ’17 works at the forecast desk at the National Weather Service. Turn to page 18 to read about the work he and two other ECU alumni do while making weather predictions for millions of Americans.

26 Wings of the Purple and Gold

ECU has sent nearly 200,000 alumni out into the world – and more than a few into the skies above.

34 A Capital Idea

Fielding Miller’s hunch led to a leading investment firm and a School of Entrepreneurship at ECU.

40 Student Snapshot

Caleb Horton wasn’t sure what sort of career he wanted – until he got in an airplane one day.

coverage, including links to videos and more photos, is at east.ecu.edu

44 Academics and Altitude Starrett Vesper sets a high bar on track and in class.

East Carolina University is a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina System. It is a public doctoral/research-intensive university offering baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and professional fields, including medicine. Dedicated to the achievement of excellence, responsible stewardship of the public trust and academic freedom, ECU values the contributions of a diverse community, supports shared governance and guarantees equality of opportunity. ©2024 by East Carolina University

Chancellor Philip Rogers on ECU’s role in studying, conserving and protecting our coast

When people think of eastern North Carolina, some think of small towns and flat farmland, while others think of the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast. The coastline and the land, water and communities that make up the coastal plain are a complex system. We talked with Chancellor Philip Rogers about some ways ECU is working to conserve and protect the region.

Describe ECU’s commitment to coastal research and conservation.

We’re not unlike the Tar River that flows through Greenville. We’re inland, but we’re undeniably connected to the coast. So we’re invested in how the coast and coastal plain interact. Our Department of Coastal Studies offers students the opportunity to participate in an experiential Semester at the Coast program, where they take courses and conduct research on our Outer Banks Campus. In addition, we lead the multiinstitutional UNC Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese, where we study coastal systems from an interdisciplinary perspective. We’re Pirates, so of course we’re committed to our coast.

Major storms are part of living on the coastal plain. How does the university contribute to resilience strategies for coastal communities?

You might think coastal research is done by geologists and marine biologists, but the great thing about ECU is the work is so multidisciplinary. For example, Meghan Millea, a professor of economics, is part of a nationwide $16 million grant studying the increased intensity of hurricanes as well as addressing the economic prosperity and resiliency of affected communities. Other faculty members and

administrators are in constant contact with communities and agencies, advising them as they create policies to respond to changing conditions across the region.

What are some collaborations between ECU and local or state agencies and organizations working on coastal conservation?

Hannah Sirianni, assistant professor of geography, is leading a team studying erosion at Sugarloaf Island off Morehead City’s coast. The island is crucial for storm protection, and it’s lost significant shoreline in recent years. Sirianni’s team has graduate students, scientists and engineers from ECU as well as community leaders. They’re using GPS, drones and other technologies to find the best ways to mitigate erosion on the island, such as wave-attenuation devices and living shoreline oyster reefs.

How does ECU engage local communities in coastal conservation initiatives?

Outreach events, workshops and educational programs. One example is our STEAM summer day camps for students 10-15 years old that we’ve been doing since 2013 at the Coastal Studies Institute. The camps provide a fun way to learn science firsthand with field and lab experiences. Another is our Science on the Sound lecture series, hosted by the CSI. These events occur throughout the year, and they’re streamed live and recorded so you can watch online at any time. We want to help the public understand the challenges as well as the opportunities along our coast.

Chancellor Philip Rogers walks and talks with Reide Corbett, dean and executive director of Integrated Coastal Programs, at the Coastal Studies Institute.

ECU senior Bryce Glover loads samples into a gel assay testing console. Glover and other students in the clinical laboratory science program have access to a new device, the Ortho Clinical Diagnostics workstation, that automates the process for identifying blood types.

ECU Report

In This

Issue

Pirate entrepreneurs help crabs help people Intersect East gets its first tenant

ECU students spend spring break studying whales in Mexico

When people hear spring break in Mexico, they may think all-inclusive resorts and hours on a beach. For eight ECU students, spring break in Mexico meant watching whales and immersing themselves in nature during a study abroad trip to Loreto and Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur.

This trip was part of an Honors College seminar class led by College of Education science education faculty members Tammy Lee and Bonnie Glass that uses systems science and ocean literacy to help students explore how climate change is affecting marine ecosystems in North Carolina and the Baja peninsula in Mexico. One of the biggest draws of the trip was the gray whales, a species that completes an approximately 12,000-mile round-trip migration between the Arctic and Baja.

“We had repeatedly been told to manage our expectations in the weeks leading up to the trip because whales, like any other component of nature, are unpredictable,” said Madison Hruska, an honors student and management information systems major. “I expected to see a few gray whales, but I never imagined we would see as many as we did. We saw five different species of whales while in Loreto and more than 30 individual gray whales in Guerrero Negro.”

Experiencing a different environment is one of the reasons Glass and Lee encourage students to participate in study abroad and place-based

experiences. While students in this course completed assignments around advocacy and how climate change is affecting the migratory journey of gray whales in the Pacific and right whales along North Carolina, one of the most important aspects of these trips is the informal parts of the trip and the memories created.

“When you’re in the moment, you take it for granted because you’re so hopped up on the adrenaline, but those quiet moments afterwards where you get to reflect on what’s going on and what happened are something you can’t replicate,” said Maelee Becton, a multidisciplinary studies and psychology major and BrinkleyLane Scholar.

“We want to help students be connected to the natural world, to see different places and experience different ecosystems, especially with this lens of climate change,” Glass said. “We like to help them notice North Carolina ecosystems and how they can advocate for environmentally sound behaviors.”

Although the idea of study abroad can seem intimidating for students, especially those who have never traveled outside of North Carolina, let alone the United States, the students encouraged others to try it.

“Sign up for the class,” said Ana Cabrera Perez, a biology major and Honors College student. “It’s scary at first, but go outside of your comfort zone and experience new things.”

– Kristen Martin

Above, Maelee Becton watches a gray whale off the coast of Baja California. At left, Bonnie Glass, teaching instructor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Instructional Technology Education, videos a killer whale off the Mexican coast.

ECU celebrates historic Pursue Gold campaign

More than 30,000 donors answered the call to support ECU and propelled the Pursue Gold campaign to a historic $526.9 million fundraising record.

“The ECU community has demonstrated a willingness to invest in our future in a remarkable way through the Pursue Gold campaign,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “Every contribution makes a direct and positive difference in advancing the upward trajectory of our institution. To all our donors and advocates in Pirate Nation, I say thank you.”

In modest and monumental ways, benefactors answered the chancellor’s charge and exceeded the ambitious $500 million goal. Donors contributed nearly $100 million in philanthropic support during 2022-23, making it the most successful fiscal year fundraising endeavor of the campaign and setting the bar as the most robust fundraising year in the university’s history. Year-end gifts added more than $10 million to the campaign’s closing figure.

“The campaign has served as a momentum builder for the university,” said Christopher Dyba, vice chancellor for university advancement. “Through this effort, donors have seen how their gifts are fueling student success, alumni have reconnected with ECU and the university has rallied support from every corner of Pirate Nation.”

Donors supported or pledged gifts to more than 2,250 unique funds across campus through the ECU Foundation, Athletics, the ECU Health Foundation and the ECU Alumni Association, which is now integrated into the ECU Foundation.

More than a quarter of the gifts will create opportunities for student success through funding $184 million in merit, needbased and athletic scholarships.

Dyba said as a result of the campaign, the foundations have provided $161 million to the university since 2017. Each year, on average, the foundations provide $23 million for university needs.

More than $201.6 million in campaign gifts sustain the university’s value and secure ECU’s endowment. Dyba said with more than 1,390 endowed funds, the amount the foundations earn and provide to the university will continue to grow. “There will be a return on investment for years to come,” he said.

While the comprehensive campaign has come to an end, fundraising for the university continues. Philanthropic efforts through university advancement and the ECU Foundation will focus on university needs and student success through merit and needs-based scholarships for admissions and retention. Athletics will continue the Pirates Unite Campaign, and the ECU Health Foundation will remain focused on raising philanthropic support for ECU Health, the ECU schools and colleges of the health sciences, and Laupus Library.

– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

Nursing research uses video dramas to prevent HIV spread

Madeline Fernandez, during her nursing doctorate at the University of Miami, contributed to a groundbreaking project: a Spanish-language telenovela aimed at educating Hispanic women about HIV prevention.

Titled Infeccion de Amor (Infectious Love), the series addresses cultural norms such as machismo and marianismo that impact HIV risks. With Hispanics disproportionately affected by HIV, the series provides crucial education in a discreet format, accessible via computers and mobile devices.

“There’s a lot of stigma around HIV (in Hispanic communities), so a woman could say, ‘I’m watching a soap opera,’ which is quite common in the Hispanic population,” said Fernandez, an assistant professor at the ECU College of Nursing. “Their male partners will not be too interested in what she’s watching, just another soap opera, and she’s getting educated on how to protect herself.”

Fernandez emphasized authenticity, consulting focus groups to ensure relatability. The bilingual cast and crew tailored the production for diverse Hispanic audiences, mindful of cultural sensitivities. Fernandez highlights the stigma around HIV, especially in Hispanic communities, necessitating discreet dissemination of information.

While the project’s direct translation may not suit North Carolina’s demographics, Fernandez sees potential in adapting similar strategies to combat HIV rates. In North Carolina, those rates are drastically imbalanced in terms of race, according to a 2021 report from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Black women have nearly 10 times the infection rate as white women, and Hispanic women are at least three times as likely to be infected as their white peers.

Her research focuses on miscarriage grief, but she’s inspired by colleague Natalia Villegas Rodriguez’s work on breastfeeding support via telehealth. Fernandez hopes to replicate the telenovela’s success in addressing sensitive topics like grief, extending its impact beyond HIV prevention.

– Benjamin Abel

Catherine Colonna, left and Mary Quaile show off their match letters during the Brody School of Medicine’s National Residency Match Day event March 15 at the Main Campus Student Center. Quaile is headed to Mountain AHEC in Asheville for a residency in psychiatry, while Colonna is going to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for internal medicine. Of the 79 students in the Class of 2024, 42 are staying in North Carolina for residency – 14 at ECU Health Medical Center. Forty-five are entering a primary care residency: family medicine, internal medicine, internal medicine/pediatrics, pediatrics and OB/GYN.

Madeline Fernandez

Ross, Williams support Purple Pantry

For Drs. Dennis Ross and Billy Williams, the initial reaction to learning ECU students experience food insecurity was surprise. The second was to fund efforts to change it.

On Feb. 15, the two friends and local dental care providers cut the ribbon at the reopening and naming of the Williams-Ross Purple Pantry at ECU’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.

“Dr. Ross as well as his entire family have had a significant impact on East Carolina University and really every facet of the university from academics, athletics, professional programs and student life,” said Greg Abeyounis, senior associate vice chancellor of university advancement. “This is yet another example of him being a wonderful philanthropist and helping so many places throughout eastern North Carolina.”

Through the donation of real estate, Ross provided funds for the pantry. His gift not only provides support for an important cause, but also is an opportunity to honor a dear friend who has made an indelible mark on his life and spotlight Billy Williams as a great person, friend and humanitarian, Abeyounis said.

The mission of the Williams-Ross Purple Pantry is to decrease food insecurity among students at ECU and increase access to other personal care items. It’s a cause Ross and Williams are committed to supporting with their time and financial gifts.

Williams said after visiting the pantry and learning more about the need at ECU, he is excited to be part of the solution to help solve the food insecurity concerns.

Ross said his faith and finding purpose were central to getting on board to fight food insecurity at ECU. He believes being blessed requires him to do for others. Ross said his goal would be to have Pitt County be the first county in the United States to not have anybody hungry. “It’s fixable, right now. You just have to help; you have to jump on board,” Ross said.

Since 2020, the pantry has been overseen by the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement. Alex Dennis, CLCE senior assistant director, said there has been a drastic increase in pantry use in the past year.

The pantry had 612 shoppers (students who access the pantry) in fall 2022 and 1,393 in fall 2023. Pantry volunteers have distributed 470 meals to more than 150 students on campus.

– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

ECU again a Teaching Fellows institution

ECU has been selected as a partner institution by the N.C. Teaching Fellows Commission beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.

The Teaching Fellows program is a competitive, merit-based program offering teacher licensure in elementary education, special education and STEM education. The forgivable loan program offers up to $10,000 a year of tuition assistance for students who commit to teaching in a North Carolina public school.

ECU served as one of the host institutions for the Teaching Fellows

program from 1986 to 2015 and provided future teachers with support from the first day of freshman year with networking, leadership opportunities and year-round enrichment programs. Since the reinstatement of the program in 2017, faculty and staff in ECU’s educator preparation program have shown interest in serving as a host institution once more.

“I’ve witnessed the program’s profound effect on those pursuing careers in education, with many of my ECU Teaching Fellows peers significantly impacting North Carolina

students, schools and communities throughout their careers in education,” said Holly Fales, assistant dean for undergraduate affairs and educator preparation at ECU.

ECU was selected along with Appalachian State University through a competitive application process. The other partner institutions are Elon University, Fayetteville State University, Meredith College, N.C. A&T State University, N.C. State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte and UNC Pembroke.

– Kristen Martin

Drs. Dennis Ross and Billy Williams, center, prepare to cut the ribbon on the Williams-Ross Purple Pantry.

Pirate

entrepreneurs find a winning idea in the ocean

According to a National Library of Medicine article, limulus amebocyte lysate is an extract found in the blood of the Atlantic horseshoe crab that helps keep injectable medications and vaccines bacteria-free, making them safe for patients. The current process of “bleeding” the horseshoe crabs is an “ecologically unsustainable practice,” according to the article. That could change, thanks to Limulus Biomedical, a business venture that will design, build and maintain aquacultural systems and create a sustainable environment for the crabs and harvesting the LAL found in them.

Limulus won the seventh Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge, held April 10 in the ECU Main Campus Student Center. ECU entrepreneurship student Tyler Hodge of Morehead City and Payton Cottrell of Carteret Community College now have $15,000 in cash prizes to grow their venture, which started as two friends who wanted to make the results of an aquaculture research project a reality.

“He (Cottrell) came to me in November of 2022 … with the idea,” said Hodge, who uses an insulin pump, which gives him a personal stake in the idea. “He was looking for somebody that would really help him out with it, really get him going. I said it’s right up my alley. I have an entrepreneurial spark. I have the resources from East Carolina University, and I said, ‘Let’s get this ball rolling.’”

The night before the challenge finals, Hodge and Cottrell walked away with $5,000 after winning the Blue Economy Pitch competition hosted by the ECU Office of Licensing and Commercialization. In addition, Mark Wdowik’s Pirate Entrepreneurship Fund is providing Limulus access to an equity investment up to $15,000.

With the money, Hodge and Cottrell plan to continue developing feed for the crabs.

“You would think feed is very simple, but to keep these guys healthy enough to bleed sustainably, we have to develop our feed, which is not on the market,” Hodge said. The crabs range from Maine to Florida and along the Gulf Coast.

“The fact they’re producing something so critical to everyone’s life is something that we (judges) saw as an opportunity to help them,” Wdowik said.

Kate Wiggins of NC Idea mentored Limulus. She was impressed when she saw Hodge and Cottrell pitch in the second round of the Pirate Challenge. She helped refine their pitches and brought in others who provided feedback on the presentation and offered advice.

“Tyler and Payton listened intently, and what you saw tonight was a slam dunk,” said Wiggins.

For the first time in the challenge’s history, all participants walked away with cash prizes, in-kind services or both, totaling almost $200,000. And new to this year’s challenge was the Rural Community Impact Award, sponsored by First National Bank. Winning that was PALMQUATICS, a mobile boat repair venture led by entrepreneurship student Gage Palmer. The team took home $10,000 to help grow the business in rural North Carolina.

– Michael Rudd

From left, College of Business Dean Michael Harris, Payton Cottrell, Tyler Hodge and Chip Galusha, acting director of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, hold the ceremonial winners’ check at the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge.

ECU joins professional development program for rural leaders

ECU is now part of North Carolina Commerce’s Rural Community Capacity program, which provides professional development training for leaders of local governments in some of the state’s economically distressed areas.

ECU’s participation will offer an eastern location for the university-based statewide educational program.

“This program aligns with ECU’s mission of regional transformation, so we’re thrilled to be part of the RC2 program and its work to position our rural communities for economic growth and prosperity,” said Sharon Paynter, ECU’s acting chief research and engagement officer.

RC2 is an initiative of the N.C. Commerce Rural Economic Development Division. Its goal is to help rural governments

increase their capacity to plan, implement and manage economic development programs and opportunities.

Local government leaders in Tier 1 (most economically distressed), Tier 2 (economically distressed) and some qualifying Tier 3 (least economically distressed) counties are eligible to apply for the training.

The program provides educational programming, technical assistance and focused guidance to local government staff. Programming will include guidance on developing successful grant proposals, administration and management of state and federal grants, local government budgeting and finance, and leveraging local assets for economic development success.

ECU faculty and staff, along with economic development partners, will provide the training.

Communities that complete the RC2 campus curriculum will become eligible to apply for community implementation grants offered through the Rural Transformation Grant Fund. The fund provides local governments with grants and expert guidance to improve economic vitality and overcome the unique challenges many rural communities face.

– ECU News Services

Matt Thomas ’97 of Parmalee sings as bandmate Barry McSwain plays bass during the group’s performance at Barefoot on the Mall on April 23. The band has scored three No. 1 country hits since their days playing local parties and downtown clubs. Since 1979, Barefoot’s been an end-of-thesemester staple at ECU.

Hyster-Yale Group leases tech and testing space at Intersect East

Hyster-Yale Group, a global manufacturer of lift trucks and technology solutions marketed under the Hyster and Yale brands, is the first tenant of Intersect East, the 19-acre innovation hub along 10th Street in Greenville.

Hyster-Yale is leasing 53,400 square feet in the development and will consolidate its global emerging technology division into the project. The move will bring more than 120 jobs to downtown Greenville.

“We welcome Hyster-Yale to the Intersect East location and look forward to continuing to work with them and other industry and corporate partners to make Greenville a top destination for innovation,” said Chancellor Philip Rogers.

The new technology center will work with ECU and others to develop and deploy new materials handling technologies, said Steven LaFevers ’99 ’04, vice president of

global emerging technologies for Hyster-Yale. The new tech center will be within the industrial section of Intersect East between 10th and 12th streets.

“We’re in one of three buildings, and we’re right now doing upgrades to one of them to host about 100 people, and before the end of the year, we hope to have many of them there,” LaFevers told WITN Channel 7.

In addition to the technology center, Hyster-Yale operates its division headquarters, warehouse development center and warehouse lift truck manufacturing facility in Greenville, employing more than 1,400 associates locally and 8,300 globally.

left, Hyster-Yale’s

ECU and Elliott Sidewalk Communities are jointly developing Intersect East. As ECU’s innovation hub grows, LaFevers said it could give students a chance to gain experience through internships and capstone projects.

“We think that it’s an awesome collaborative environment, with that top talent and that talent source bringing it here, and we have every intention of consuming it,” he told WITN.

– ECU News Services

Online master’s programs in business, criminal justice, education and nursing nationally ranked

ECU’s online master’s degree programs in business, criminal justice, education and nursing are among the best in the nation in rankings by U.S. News & World Report in Feburary.

Nursing was No. 14 of 186 online master’s programs ranked, placing it in the top 10% in the country. The program also was No. 5 of 22 of the best online master’s programs for veterans. The nursing administration/ leadership specialty ranked 11th.

ECU’s online master’s program in criminal justice placed in the top 25% in the nation at No. 22 of 93 programs ranked. It is the top-ranked graduate

program in North Carolina. Criminal justice also placed 12th in best programs for veterans, the only UNC System program recognized in that category.

ECU’s online education program is in the top 20% in the country at No. 63 of 303 institutions.

ECU’s MBA program in the College of Business’ Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business ranked No. 147 of 345 schools, placing it in the top 45% in the nation. The MBA also placed 97th in best programs for veterans. There are 693 students enrolled in ECU’s MBA program. Of those, about 87% are online-only students.

ECU also was recognized for best online master’s in computer information technology programs. Only schools ranked in the top half of the overall best online programs were considered for the best for veterans list. To qualify, programs had to be certified for the GI Bill and had to enroll a critical mass of active duty or veteran military students.

Online programs at more than 1,750 colleges and universities were assessed as part of U.S. News’ 2024 rankings. – Crystal Baity

From

Darrell Hinnant ‘96, commercial director of emerging technology; Steven LaFevers ‘99 ‘04, vice president of global emerging technologies; and Jeff Clark, senior customer success manager, pose inside the company’s new space at Intersect East.

ECU experts will be helping N.C. farmers strengthen entrepreneurship, diversify crops and more thanks to a federal grant.

Project will help build resiliency among small and underserved farms

ECU is extending its impact through a multi-institutional project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines program.

The $1 million grant-funded project, called Climate-Responsive Opportunities in Plant Science, aims to build resiliency among underserved and small farms across eastern and central North Carolina through educational programming, translation and innovation, and research and workforce development activities.

Led by N.C. A&T State University, CROPS brings together researchers from ECU, Duke University, N.C. State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University and business and research partners like the N.C. Biotechnology Center, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Research Triangle International and the N.C. Community College System. The team will collaborate with growers, small businesses, learners and entrepreneurs across a 42-county corridor.

To share information and technology faster and more broadly across the state, the team plans to build an “agricultural tech corridor” across central and eastern North Carolina. Project partners are dedicated to educational programs that deliver up-to-date information on such topics as farming technologies, agricultural business management, natural resource conservation, and climate responsive research and innovations that can help transform eastern North Carolina and beyond.

The project also proposes ways to strengthen entrepreneurship and help small producers identify new crop enterprises that have the potential to increase farm income and help develop community-based food systems. The program will stress climate-smart techniques and ways to create climate resilience and provide information about technologies to help agricultural operations thrive, said Gregory Goins, associate dean for research at N.C. A&T’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

As the institution in the region that is home to many of the state’s largest farms, ECU will bring a focus to agricultural workforce development and innovation in underserved counties through new and established engaged partnerships.

“Genuine and trusted relationships matter in eastern North Carolina,” said Angela Lamson, interim assistant vice chancellor for economic and community engagement and the ECU lead for CROPS. “ECU aims to ensure that the voices and needs of our rural growers, farm workers, small businesses and underrepresented communities are included in our discussions as we strengthen pathways toward prosperity in eastern North Carolina.”

The purpose of the NSF Engines program is to help spur economic growth in rural and underserved regions. Since January, the foundation has awarded 10 projects in 18 states. North Carolina is part of three Regional Innovation Engines awards.

– Kim Tilghman

Discovery

Latest Investigations Jumping in Calming waters

ECU supports Army airborne through database development

Students and faculty in the College of Engineering and Technology are working on a $1.2 million research and development project to support the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

“The objective is to build a complex database system that has potential to result in productivity and efficiency gains for the Army,” said Erol Ozan, professor in ECU’s Department of Technology Systems and the principal investigator on the project. “It is a software development project where we apply innovation and state-of-the-art technology in our fields of expertise.”

The 82nd Airborne is based at Fort Liberty near Fayetteville. The airborne infantry division specializes in parachute assault operations in which personnel drop into hostile areas.

The database assists division leadership in planning airdrop missions and post-drop reporting. The ECU team is looking to improve report accuracy; system reliability and efficiency; accessibility by allowing multiple users at one time; processes that will support report customization; flexibility to allow for future integration with other systems; cybersecurity; and deployment of the system in a secure cloud-based environment.

The team completed the first stage of the project in 2022 through an initial $286,000 grant. The current pilot phase runs through Sept. 30 with $1.2 million in funding from the CivilMilitary Innovation Institute’s role in the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Pathfinder program.

Though the research team may never end up on an Army recruiting poster, they feel they are serving the country in their own way.

Airborne personnel parachute from a C-130 Hercules as part of a combined airborne training event at Fort Liberty last year.

“Being able to positively impact a community – in this case the Army that keeps us safe –knowing that I can contribute to our nation’s defense is pretty cool,” said Jethro Libutan, a junior computer science major and BrinkleyLane Scholar from Durham who is working on the project.

Libutan and fellow computer science majors Grant Melvin and Francisco Maldonado meet at least once a week in person and spend roughly 20 hours each week on the project.

“I think it’s good for me to be able to get my hands on this and see what it’s like to work with a team outside of the classroom,” said Maldonado, a senior from Charlotte. “I like the idea of, in a sense, serving our country like this. It’s a really good opportunity. I think it will help prepare me when I enter the real world and get a job.”

Melvin said he enjoyed traveling to Fort Liberty to meet with Army personnel.

“Working with the people who actually use the product is really cool. It makes it feel like it’s more meaningful work,” said Melvin, a senior from Rocky Mount. “It’s not like we’re developing something that may be used by a corporation you can’t really see, but we get to go present to them and we actually know their names, so it makes it a lot better.”

– Ken Buday

Researchers study the effectiveness of reducing stormwater contaminants

Stormwater management is a critical part of any city’s infrastructure. Greenville, true to its name, has taken a green approach in this area.

In 2020, in addition to pipes and culverts, Mike O’Driscoll, a professor in ECU’s Integrated Coastal Programs’ Department of Coastal Studies, and the city of Greenville worked together to install an infrastructure system known as regenerative stormwater conveyance.

The RSC in downtown Greenville, near Town Creek, appears to be a simple waterway lined with rocks and stones and peppered with plant material, but is actually a high-tech approach to control stormwater.

Not only do they safely and appropriately divert stormwater, RSCs are designed to treat the runoff to ensure sediment and pollutants, like excess nitrogen, are filtered or captured.

Colin Finlay, a student in the interdisciplinary doctoral program in biology, biomedicine and chemistry, and Ariane Peralta, associate professor of biology in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, are assessing the RSC’s performance and effectiveness funded by $12,000 from ECU’s Water Resources Center and the North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute.

“There is a lot of energy surrounding the topic of stormwater infrastructure, and many in the state are invested in this issue,” Finlay said. “There is also a lot of optimism that we can use green stormwater infrastructure to mitigate multiple issues at the same time: Reduce flooding, improve water quality, support biodiversity and beautify urban spaces.”

Peralta said that with expanding urban areas in the United States and changes in precipitation patterns, stormwater management is of increasing importance in protecting aquatic ecosystems.

“Innovative green stormwater infrastructure has the potential to mitigate nutrient issues, handle large precipitation events and reduce nuisance flooding, support biodiversity, and enhance our cities by reducing urban heat islands and increasing green space,” she said. “However, it is important to test green infrastructure’s performance and use the results to make improvements. It is critical to study the role that microorganisms living in the sediments and waters of the RSC play in removing or worsening downstream nutrient issues.”

Finlay aims to determine the amount of nitrogen Greenville’s RSCs can process in a year and evaluate how changing precipitation patterns affect the device’s ability to filter the pollutants. His research includes monthly maintenance and downloading of the water sensor data, seasonal sediment sampling and laboratory testing of nitrogen, water sampling during storms, algal bloom monitoring and data analysis.

“The stormwater infrastructure in Town Creek does a good job of treating nitrogen when water slowly filters through the system,” he said. “During storm flow, water rushes through the system without time for nutrient treatment. While the nutrient treatment performance may decrease during storms, this infrastructure reduces flood risk by giving that water space to flow.”

Finlay is sharing his findings with Sound Rivers and the city of Greenville to ensure findings are distributed to the local community and stormwater professionals across the state. He hopes the results will help state leaders in making decisions about stormwater management.

– Lacey Gray

Colin Finlay replaces damaged water sensors at Town Creek in Greenville to ensure proper water quality and monitoring at the Tar-Pamlico River Basin.

Focus

Sinan Sousan Brody School of Medicine

Assistant professor of public health

Sinan Sousan knows well what life is like for people with respiratory conditions.

“No one understands asthma patients more than a fellow patient who carries a rescue inhaler in their bag,” said Sousan, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. “I wanted to actively work toward finding solutions to mitigate this disease.”

Educated as a chemical engineer at the University of Baghdad in his native Iraq and the University of Iowa, where he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study atmospheric science, completed his doctorate and served as a postdoctoral student, Sousan accepted a position at ECU in 2018. Since arriving, he’s been an investigator on 10 peerreviewed publications.

“The university was recruiting faculty to provide unique training for students in new areas that would allow them to compete in this fast-paced, ever-changing world,” he said. “I was given the opportunity and funding to start an aerosol research laboratory and explore different areas related to public and occupational health.”

The laboratory studies environmental and occupational hazards such as toxic gases, e-cigarettes, viruses and other respiratory irritants.

He said ECU’s largely rural service area also offers opportunities to support farmers and farmworkers.

“My department encouraged me to join the N.C. Agromedicine Institute team to help find solutions to improve farmers’ and workers’ health,” said Sousan, a research faculty member with the institute. “I envision a future with low-cost sensors that can serve as a real-time warning system to improve wellbeing and alert workers to immediate dangers in their environment.”

He looks forward to continuing that work at ECU.

“I am so happy to be part of this community and am proud to be a father of two Pirate students,” he said. “My daughter admires her professors so much that she has expressed interest in teaching future Pirates.”

– Kim Tilghman

Nicole Bromfield has been appointed dean of the ECU College of Health and Human Performance, effective July 1. Her most recent leadership role was as associate dean for academic affairs for the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work, where she has been an associate professor since 2016. Her research has focused on local capacity building and the social well-being of those who are vulnerable and at risk for exploitation, especially women and children. She has a doctorate in public policy and administration with a specialization in health policy from Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds two degrees from West Virginia University – a master’s in social work and a bachelor’s in sociology and anthropology. She has completed academic leadership training with Harvard University, the Council on Social Work Education, the National Association of Deans and Directors, and the University of Houston.

Debra L. Jackson has been named dean of the ECU Graduate School, effective July 1. She joins ECU after serving two decades at California State University, Bakersfield. Her most recent role is as associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of academic programs. Jackson also served as associate dean for graduate and undergraduate studies, and interim associate dean for the School of Arts and Humanities. She recently completed a three-year term on the executive board of the Western Association of Graduate Schools. Her research addresses ethical, political and epistemological issues regarding sexual violence against women. She has a doctorate in philosophy from Purdue University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Middle Tennessee State University.

At ECU’s research and creative achievement award event April 2, Xiaoping Pan, a professor of biology and an expert in how exposures to toxins such as crude oil, pesticides, nicotine, PFAS and other chemicals impact the environment, organisms and human health, received the university’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity. She and her team are currently studying nematode infections on crops and developing strategies to combat nematode infection, which could have major beneficial impacts on crop yields.

Christine Habeeb, assistant professor in kinesiology, received the Five-Year Research & Creative Activity Award. Habeeb’s work focuses on improving performance, teamwork and well-being in sport and military settings.

STORY BY KEN BUDAY

EYESON THESKIES

EYES ON THESKIES

From early warnings to disaster preparedness, meteorologists inform and educate

At age 4, Austin Mansfield ’17 watched from his Farmville home as Hurricane Floyd knocked down trees and flooded eastern North Carolina in 1999.

“I was just so curious of what happened, why it happened, when is it going to happen again?” Mansfield says. “That curiosity never left. I’m still wondering when the next weather event is going to approach.”

Today, Mansfield observes all kinds of weather as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He keeps 10 million people updated — whether it’s sunny and 70 or severe storms are approaching — in a region that includes Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.

“I am in the business of protecting life and property,” he says.

Weather affects everyone, from the farmer who’s praying for rain — or for the rain to stop — to families planning that weekend getaway to the beach. Yet severe weather — hurricanes, tornadoes, flash flooding, thunderstorm downdrafts — can bring death and property destruction.

Like Mansfield, Jesslyn Ferentz ’17 is a product of ECU’s applied atmospheric science program. She’s the weekend morning meteorologist at WZVN ABC7 in Fort Myers, Florida.

“I get to nerd out all the time,” says Ferentz, who grew up in Harrisburg, N.C. “Being a broadcast meteorologist, it’s a new adventure every day. It never gets boring. I have an outgoing personality and love weather, so I combine the two to give a fun forecast to viewers.”

In her three years working in Florida, she’s forecast three tropical systems in her region. Seven of the 10 most active hurricane seasons in the Atlantic basin have occurred since 2005.

“I almost go into tunnel vision,” she says of hurricane forecasting. “I know what needs to get done, and my goal is to keep people prepared and informed with every update. When you prepare, you don’t panic. That is the main goal when covering tropical systems, to remain calm and informational.”

For her, Hurricane Ian stands out, a 2022 storm that hit the Florida Gulf Coast with 150-mph winds.

“I’ll never forget the sound the building was making and debris hitting the roof. It was horrifying to say the least,” she says. “Even with all the training and other tropical systems that I’ve covered, nothing can prepare you emotionally for a major hurricane like Ian.”

Warming trend

• Earth’s temperature has risen about 2 degrees since 1850

• The rate of warming since 1982 is more than three times as fast per decade as compared to previous decades.

• 2023 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850.

• The 10 warmest years have all occurred from 2014-2023.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Despite the damage a hurricane can bring, Mansfield says winter storms may be harder to predict because of the large number of variables. He recalls a 2022 winter storm that snarled traffic throughout northern Virginia and Maryland.

“I disliked snow very much at that point,” says Mansfield, who has worked for the NWS for four years. “Wintry precipitation forecasting is one of the hardest things to get right, especially in the Mid-Atlantic, because temperatures really fluctuate around here, and all of the precipitation types play a role in nearly every event we get here. I’ll stick to my severe weather and tropical cyclones.”

Meteorologist Ben Smith ’96 at WHNT News19 in Huntsville, Alabama, agrees that snow can be difficult to forecast.

“Terrain can play a role,” he says. “Mountains can enhance snowfall; they can also block it. When you have a forecast area that is large, not

“I love helping people get their day started. ... I love it because it’s different every day and the challenge of looking into the future.”

Ben Smith ’96, WHNT News19 meteorologist Huntsville, Alabama

everyone will see the same thing. Percentages, precipitation type will vary. There are no guarantees in anything. I had a situation two years ago where half of a county got 6 inches of snow, and 9 miles down the road, they didn’t get anything.”

Smith, who last year won a regional Emmy award from the Nashville/ Midsouth Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in the Weathercast Category, says technology has helped overcome some of those forecasting obstacles.

“Accuracy has improved,” he says. “We use model data that goes out up to two weeks to forecast. Each product has strengths, weaknesses and biases. Timing and intensity of precipitation, storm tracks, temperature variability all play a role in the forecast.”

One of his most vivid memories is the 2011 super outbreak, a string of tornadoes that stretched from Texas to New York.

Austin Mansfield ’17 releases a weather balloon. A radiosonde attached to the balloon collects data such as temperature, dewpoint, humidity, and wind direction and speed that is used in forecast models.

Greenville’s The Daily Reflector from March 29, 1984, tells of the previous day’s destruction.

“That was a day I will never forget,” he says. “The National Weather Service in Huntsville, Alabama, issued 92 tornado warnings in a 24-hour period. We were on the air for 18 hours straight. There were 62 confirmed tornadoes in the state, and we lost over 250 people. I personally tracked two EF5 tornadoes with winds over 200 mph that afternoon.”

Helping and inspiring others

Considering ECU’s motto, Servire, all three feel a responsibility to serve the public through their forecasts.

“I cannot think of a greater honor than to serve some of the most important people in our country every single day,” Mansfield says. “As a public servant, my job is crucial in keeping the public safe and prepared.”

Forty years ago, the night that ‘didn’t seem quite right’ was one of the state’s deadliest weather events

To hear Jim Smith describe it, the late afternoon of March 28, 1984, didn’t seem ominous, but kind of nice – if a little odd.

“We commented on how still it was,” says Smith, who was chair of the ECU philosophy department at the time. He and two other faculty members were driving to teach night classes at Havelock High School. “It felt weird. The temperature, it was very warm, in fact, even hot for the spring. There was no talk of a tornado as I recall. We didn’t think there was any danger.”

But that day, 40 years ago, turned out to be one of the deadliest in state history. A low-pressure area that started in Texas the day before had moved northeast. Together with a warm front from the Gulf Coast, those systems spawned a devastating seven-hour string of 24 confirmed tornadoes from north Georgia to northeastern North Carolina. An F4 tornado slammed through Greene, Lenoir and Pitt counties, damaging part of ECU’s campus, killing 16 and injuring 153.

“We were driving back, and I still remember the smell of pine,” says Smith, now 80 and retired but still teaching part time. “It was crazy. It was like we had just

sawed down a pine tree and stacked it in the back of the car. It was that intense.”

When Smith got to his home near Simpson, he had already passed a number of police and rescue vehicles with their lights blazing. His wife told him she had heard a sound like a train. The tornado had passed within a couple of miles of their house.

“We didn’t get the details until the next day, but we had no idea when we went to bed how terrible it was,” he says.

The United States experiences about threequarters of the world’s tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – about 1,200 each year. Only about 5% cause significant damage or deaths.

Susan Bailey, an administrative support specialist in the College of Nursing, was 14 in 1984. Her father, Tom Sayetta, was a physics professor.

“I remember how weird the weather felt outside, maybe because it was March, but there was a lot of humidity in the air, and something just didn’t seem quite right,” she recalls. “There was no sort of Doppler radar or anything like that, not like there is today with all the warnings we get. It was really quick between when the warnings came and when the storms actually hit.”

“I love helping people get their day started,” says Smith, who’s the morning meteorologist at WHNT. “I have had a passion for weather since grade school. I did the weather on the morning announcements in high school. I love it because it’s different every day and the challenge of looking into the future. Talking to the kids at schools is fun as well. Community outreach is really important.”

Ferentz, who provides forecasts on air and through social media to roughly 1.5 million Floridians, also values her interactions with youth.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be a role model,” she says. “I’ve had many young women come up to me saying, ‘I want to be just like you.’ Motivating the next generation of strong women in STEM careers is so rewarding.”

“My goal is to keep people prepared and informed with every update. When you prepare, you don’t panic.”

Jesslyn

Ferentz ’17, WZVN ABC7 meteorologist Fort Myers, Florida

One of those killed in the storm was Faye Creegan ’65, a history teacher at E.B. Aycock Junior High School and a graduate student in the history department at ECU. Smith’s son and Bailey were students of hers.

“He loved her,” Smith says. “He thought she was one of the best teachers he had ever had.”

Creegan was 40. Her home near Portertown Road was one of hundreds obliterated along the 484 miles of destruction. The Faye Marie Creegan Memorial Scholarship has benefited more than 35 College of Education students who plan to teach social studies.

“I remember we went to school the next day,” Bailey says. “Miss Creegan did not show up that day. I remember how they announced it toward the end of school that she had passed away. To actually know somebody who died who we were really close to, that was shocking at such a young age.

“I grew up here, and we had never had anything like that with so many deaths and destruction from a tornado. I remember we drove out toward Ayden, and the traffic was just incredible. Everyone was driving by to see what had happened because we had just never had anything like that before. I remember seeing how all the trees were just snapped and all this stuff was just everywhere. I had never seen destruction like that.”

The 1984 tornadoes aren’t the only ones hitting a milestone this year. Fifty years ago, a handful of twisters struck western North Carolina during the April 3-4, 1974, tornado super outbreak, killing five and injuring 45. As many as 148 tornadoes struck a total of 13 states and the Canadian province of Ontario, killing 315, injuring nearly 5,500 and causing $843 million in damages. It ranks as the worst tornado outbreak in history, according to tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis’ Outbreak Intensity Score.

On Feb. 19-20, 1884, tornadoes stretched from Edgecombe County to the mountains during the Enigma tornado outbreak, when as many as 60 struck 10 states from Mississippi to Indiana. One powerful tornado swept through the Rockingham area, killing 23 – the deadliest in state history.

Ben Smith ’96, a meteorologist at WHNT in Huntsville, Alabama, says predicting tornadoes is still difficult, but technology has improved forecasters’ ability to help people get to safety.

“We can now detect rotation in storms with products like base velocity and storm relative velocity,” he says. “A newer product called the correlation coefficient helps in debris detection in tornadoes. These all help in getting the word out sooner to help people to get to a safe place in a tornado.”

– Doug Boyd and Ken Buday

A 100-year flood

happened last year, so it won’t happen for another 99 years, right?

Not exactly. Experts use the term “100-year flood” to simplify the definition of a flood that statistically has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Says Tom Rickenbach of ECU, “A Hurricane Matthew (2016) or Hurricane Floyd (1999) or Hurricane Florence (2018), they’re happening more frequently, and the statistics are such that it’s about one out of every 10 years you’re going to see a flood like that.”

Forecasting the future

Tom Rickenbach, a professor of atmospheric science at ECU, motivates his students to go beyond the day-to-day forecast. He conducts research on how precipitation systems control and respond to changes in climate. His goal is to use science to help inform decisions, noting climate data that shows increasing temperatures. Earth’s 10 warmest years on record have all occurred in the last decade, with 2023 being the warmest ever.

“So, if you were to take Raleigh and move it down to Miami, that’s what 10 degrees of warming would feel like,” he says. “Is it the end of the world? Absolutely not, but is it different? Can we adapt to that? Of course we can. But is it a change? Does it have implications for water resources, agriculture, maybe property values, health and well-being for certain vulnerable populations or species habitat? Those are all issues that are certainly important in a change like that.”

Jesslyn Ferentz ’17 updates viewers on the progress of Hurricane Eta from the Florida Keys in 2020.

Ben Smith ’96 delivers forecasts for a half-million people in the Huntsville, Alabama, area.

He points to research that indicates a northward shift in meteorological tropical weather patterns that produce precipitation, which is tied to a warming planet. He compared it to the steroid era in professional baseball.

“Statistically, you can look back at the 1990s and early 2000s and see more home runs were hit. And in a similar way, when you add heat to the atmosphere, you increase the likelihood that there’s more extremes and precipitation, heavier rain events, sort of like taking steroids means more home runs,” he says.

Just like every baseball player didn’t take steroids, not every storm is going to have catastrophic results. Still, Rickenbach looks at statistics that show the chances of 100-year floods have increased.

But there’s no need to panic. Instead, Rickenbach says we simply need to adapt.

“It’s not like we can’t live here anymore. It’s nothing like that,” he says. “These are changes that we can mitigate, and we have to adapt to. It’s going to mean changes in the patterns of where exactly we live and what kind of crops we grow and the timing of our crop rotations, how we fix roads and the kind of investments we have to make in sand replenishment at the beach and things like that. For me, that’s sort of the bottom line of climate change in our region.”

Doug Boyd contributed to this story.

“It’s not like we can’t live here anymore. ...These are changes that we can mitigate, and we have to adapt to.”

professor

Tom Rickenbach,

of atmospheric science

East Carolina University has sent nearly 200,000 alumni out into the world – and more than a few into the skies above. Over the next few pages, they take you with them to war zones and exotic locales, on lifesaving missions and into the sky in solitary silence as they talk about their experiences in the air, what led them there, the challenges they’ve conquered and the impact ECU has had on their careers.

In 2014, somewhere in Afghanistan, Marine Corps pilot Jacquelyne Nichols ’05 set down her Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion in a dust cloud to pick up troops. Taliban fighters opened fire.

Because of the front stops on the mounted machine gun, her crew chief couldn’t get the right angle to return fire. “He opened the side door, stepped out, took a knee and started returning fire with his personal rifle,” she says. “He placed himself in harm’s way to lay suppressive fire so these Marines could board our helicopter. It was very dynamic; it was very kinetic for us.”

And it must have seemed a long way from the fourth-grade project on Amelia Earhart that cemented her aspirations to become a pilot.

Jacquelyne Nichols poses with a young friend at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Read how they met at east.ecu.edu

But it wasn’t a straight shot from a girl with a dream to pilot in a combat zone. At Havelock High School, Nichols was a hurdler with aspirations of being on the track team in college, but a car crash her senior year and the resulting injuries slowed her a step. At ECU, she majored in exercise and sport science, played club rugby and worked at the rec center. After graduation, she took a job as a health and wellness director in Suffolk, Virginia. She took flying lessons and wanted to join the military –her dad had been a machine gunner in Vietnam then a recruiter for the Marines – but she thought her bad vision would keep her out of the cockpit. Her flight instructor told her the military had started accepting people with vision corrected by laser surgery.

She got the surgery, then visited a recruiter and soon was in the Marines. In Officer Candidate School, she was charged with leading physical fitness training for her company a handful of times – a responsibility rarely given

to a candidate. She drew on her years at ECU.

“My professors talked about professionalism, drive, excellence,” she says. “Those lessons carried over a lot to

me joining the Marine Corps and getting into aviation. Attention to detail is so important in aviation. It can be the difference between life and death.”

Nichols’ goal was to fly a helicopter. “When I think of the Marine Corps, I think of the ground troops,” she says. “That’s our main effort. I wanted that interaction with them, picking them up, dropping them off, supporting them however we could.”

She competed for and won the single aviation contract that was available to her company of more than 200 Marines and completed CH-53E training in 2013 at Marine Corps Air Station New River near Jacksonville. Then it was off to San Diego for her first squadron tour. In January 2014, she deployed for six months to Afghanistan.

“I didn’t join the Marine Corps to sit on the bench,” she says. “That’s what I wanted. I’m part of the 9/11 generation, so I joined the Marine Corps wanting to get into the fight.”

Nichols poses in front of a CH-53E Super Stallion like the ones she flew in Afghanistan.

“We had a mission where we took rounds to our helicopter. And one of the bullets actually stopped in my seat underneath me. I felt it; I felt the vibration, the ping when it hit.”

As her career progressed, she was ready for something other than a cantankerous chopper that first entered service in 1981. She had gotten married, and her husband was also in the Marine Corps.

“I wanted to keep flying and wanted to be stationed with him,” she says. “I just wanted to fly something safer, so I requested the Cessna Citation Encore (the UC-35, an executive jet). They tried to push me into picking my husband or flying, and I refused, and it all worked out. I got really lucky.” She flew the Encore for five years – three on active duty and two in the reserves, where she’s now a major.

In 2022, Nichols joined American Airlines as a first officer on the Airbus. It was a challenging hiring process, and a friend and former female Marine coached her through it.

“Only 4% of major airline pilots are women, so I’m a minority in this industry, and I have been my entire career,” she says. “And I faced a lot of adversity in the Marine Corps, and it’s exhausting.” American, she says, prioritizes opportunities and equity. Her long-term goal with the company is to pilot the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and to continue to open doors for women aviators.

Nichols, 41, has a master’s degree in public leadership from the University of San Francisco. Her thesis dealt with infertility among service members, especially aviators, and she advocates for policy change. In May, she was featured on NBC News regarding her infertility experiences in the military and her advocacy work. She and her husband are pursuing in vitro fertilization in hopes of starting a family to raise on their 25-acre ranch in New Mexico. One of their dogs is named Pirate, and they fly a Jolly Roger out front.

“It’s a lifestyle, and we really enjoy it,” she says.

– Doug Boyd

When a plane operated by Jet Logistics reaches its destination, it brings more than just cargo. It brings life.

The company, founded by W. Ashley Smith Jr. in 2002, is one of the biggest and busiest organ flyers in the country. Smith’s experience flying organs began as a co-pilot on a flight in 1986.

When flying organs, every minute from takeoff to touchdown is critical.

“An organ procurement organization reaches out and tells us they have a team and organ that need to be transported,” says Smith ’91. “Once an organ is removed from a body, the organ is raced to the airport. We’re on the ground waiting for the organ and then fly to where the recipient is located as quickly as possible. Each organ has a certain amount of time it can be out of the body, and we know before each flight what the organ is and how long we have to get it there.”

In 2023, Jet Logistics transported 294 patients and more than 1,500 organs. The company accomplished this while flying 5,100 hours over four continents.

“If you don’t do this because you love helping others, you’re in the wrong industry,” says Smith. “I love helping others, and I love playing with airplanes, and I’m able to bring them together every day.”

I feel like each generation should do what it can to help make things better for those that follow. It’s something to help those following in my footsteps; a way to pay it forward.”

W. Ashley Smith Jr. ’91

Nichols, her husband, R.B., and Pirate enjoy donning buccaneer gear and celebrating pirate life.

At right, co-pilot Stephen Stoller, left, and Ashley Smith ’91 prepare to load the first COVID-19 patient in the U.S. in February 2020. Below, another patient is about to be loaded.

Smith’s passion for flying developed early.

“I grew up on a farm between Kinston and Greenville,” he says. “The farm where I grew up was in the flight path for aircraft from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. I saw the planes overhead and knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”

Smith transferred to ECU from Lenoir Community College. He majored in industrial technology before pursuing a career in the U.S. Air Force. Smith says that due to government budget cuts, that military career never materialized.

“Truthfully, my main reason for attending ECU was that I wanted to be a pilot in the military. To be a pilot, you had to be an officer, and you needed a degree to become an officer,” he says.

Looking to make an impact at ECU, he endowed the W. Ashley Smith Jr. Transfer Scholarship in the College of Engineering and Technology, which annually supports students majoring in the Bachelor of Science in industrial technology transfer program.

“I feel like each generation should do what it can to help make things better for those that follow,” says Smith. “It’s something to help those following in my footsteps; a way to pay it forward.”

– Steven Grandy

An opportunity to see the world seemed a perfect fit for Amy Fenton ’14 when flight attendant popped up as a career option for someone with a history degree.

As a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines since 2015, Fenton has embraced the opportunities that have come from traveling three-and-a-half million miles.

“I’ve stayed in a castle in Germany, explored Alaska and Hawaii and had so many opportunities to see the world as a benefit of being in the airline industry,” Fenton says. “There are so many surreal moments that come with flying. You get to see these incredible things.”

Fenton said flying to Alaska is still her favorite route. “The views just don’t get old,” she says. “You don’t get over that kind of majesty.”

Among her favorite experiences are a “roots” trip to Ireland, where she learned about her mother’s family history, and taking her parents to Hawaii in 2019.

While the ability to fly is a significant perk for airline employees, it doesn’t come without obstacles like the one Fenton faced when she and her parents tried to fly back to North Carolina. The only route with seats meant an additional 24 hours and a flight to San Francisco. But it worked out.

“I met my partner on that flight (because) he was working it. I’m so grateful that we couldn’t get on another flight,” Fenton says. The couple flies together frequently now, most often working Alaska Air trips to Hawaii.

A flight attendant schedule averages 15 days a month. Fenton describes the job as a bit chaotic and hard on the body because of time zone changes and constantly going somewhere different.

“It’s exciting and interesting, always,” Fenton says. “It’s really what you make of it. You can get to any city and sit in your hotel the whole time or get out and explore.”

There are so many surreal moments that come with flying. You get to see these incredible things.”

Amy Fenton ’14

Flight attendants receive six weeks of training to prepare for the role and two days of recurrent training annually. They are prepared for fire, water and land evacuations, medical issues and arctic survival. Disruptive passengers have become prevalent, and training on de-escalation has increased in response.

On the plane, her job consists of checking security equipment, flight briefings for passengers with special needs, making sure supplies are adequate and helping passengers have the best journey possible.

One recent flight has stayed in Fenton’s memory. A passenger on a Seattle to Newark flight shared that he was on his way to see his mother, who was dying.

“When we landed, we asked everybody to just stay seated so this guy could get off the plane and get to his mom as quickly as possible. Everybody was so respectful,” Fenton says. “We got an email from his wife a couple of days later saying that he made it. He was able to say goodbye to his mom.”

– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

Lawrence Ward ’02 works to keep people safe on the ground and in the air.

Ward is an Apache helicopter pilot and serves as squadron safety officer at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he also mentors and trains new pilots. Fort Campbell is home of the 101st Airborne Division, the only air assault division of the U.S. Army.

“ECU gave me a great foundation,” Ward says. “From latenight studying, working on projects, there was great support to help me succeed.”

Ward grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, where his father, Lawrence, was a shipbuilder and his mother, Jeannette, drove a bus. Ward earned a scholarship and ran track at ECU, where he was a multiple All-America title winner competing in the 200-meter, 400-meter and the 4x400 relay events. As a senior, Ward’s 4x400 relay team set an ECU record of 3:02.81 at the NCAA championships.

“I chose ECU because it felt like home. The team, campus, city – I felt welcome. It was a great environment,” Ward says.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics in 2002, when the internet was cranking up. He thought he would be working with network databases or running cables. He said the military wasn’t on his radar when he graduated, but after applying for hundreds of jobs without success, he needed to make some decisions. He and his wife had a son on the way, and his brother, Kevin, who was already in the military, suggested he consider joining.

Once enlisted, Ward worked in electronics, which fit perfectly with his major and abilities. He was still working in electronics and on aircraft when he was deployed to Afghanistan in the early days of

From climbing peaks, such as the Bird Ridge in Alaska, to running marathons and international travel, Amy Fenton’14 takes on the adventures that come her way in her career.

I love being in the sky supporting the people on the ground. I’m up there for a reason – to help get the people on the ground back home. We all join to serve, and I want to help do my part to get somebody back home.”

Lawrence Ward ’02

the war. Another yearlong deployment came after that. One day he was talking with a senior maintenance test pilot, who asked if he had ever thought about flying helicopters.

Encouraged by his wife, Jennifer, Ward passed the entrance test and was selected through a competitive process to train as an Army aviator. “It is challenging,” he says.

In his 20 years in the military, he’s been stationed at five bases and deployed five times to Afghanistan and Iraq. “I love being in the sky supporting the people on the ground. I’m up there for a reason – to help get the people on the ground back home,” Ward says. “We all join to serve, and I want to help do my part to get somebody back home.”

Last year, he was promoted to chief warrant officer 4 at Fort Campbell. As the squadron safety officer, Ward ensures adherence to aviation safety regulations and standards, conducts accident investigations and advises the commander on safety and risk management. Ward is also passionate about mentoring and training junior pilots, who benefit from his experience and expertise.

He intends to retire from the military next year and hopes to transition into the safety field in the public or private sector. He’s looking forward to spending more time with his family. His wife is a real estate agent and special education teacher. They have three sons.

Lawrence Jr., or L.T., is a rising junior at ECU, where he is majoring in criminal justice with interest in working in law enforcement. Cameron is a sophomore at Middle Tennessee State, where he is studying aerospace and wants to be an airline pilot. He got his pilot’s license at age 17. The youngest, Sean, will be heading to high school and is interested in cybersecurity, networking and programming. – Crystal Baity

Lawrence Ward ’02 poses on an AH-64 Apache at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Andy Torrington ’93 has experienced the thrill of jumping off a cliff and flying away as a longtime hang-gliding instructor in Nags Head.

Torrington has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and works as a staff tax professional with a Virginia-based accounting and consulting firm.

“I decided to major in business because it seemed like the broadest category for me at the time,” he says. “I really did not know what I wanted to do professionally. I have always been a math nerd and a technical analysis geek. I have been doing my own taxes since I started working as a lifeguard when I was a teenager, and because I knew the 1040 form, my friends would always seek me out and ask me to help them file. I didn’t pursue accounting, however. I was too starstruck with hang gliding.”

He started hang gliding in 1990 while a student at ECU. “It was not easy for me to focus on business school, but applying everything I learned to the newly formed hang-gliding industry got me through it,” he says.

Torrington says he was drawn to ECU because he always loved North Carolina, and it had the best swim team on the East Coast when he was recruited to swim out of his New Jersey high school. ECU won the 1989 Colonial Athletic Association title his freshman year.

As a sophomore, he stopped swimming to focus on school and work. He applied to student recreation as a lifeguard, but they didn’t need any at the time and instead hired him as an outdoor recreation supervisor for the newly established adventure program. He took many rock-climbing trips to western North Carolina and Virginia and fell in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail.

Looking for summer work, he attended a job fair at Minges Coliseum, hoping to lifeguard on the Outer Banks. But the lifeguarding interviewer never showed up. While he was waiting, he started talking

to two men at a nearby booth who were looking for instructors for their hang-gliding school in Nags Head.

“They told me that for $25, I could sign up for a lesson, and if they ended up hiring me, I could get a refund,” Torrington says. “Cash came out of my pocket in an instant. Two days later I took my first flight, and it was really, really perfect. I had found my way. It felt like I had finally found my way home.”

He eventually moved to the West Coast, where he worked for several different hanggliding schools and built gliders in a factory in Salinas, California. But he missed the Outer Banks.

“There are no dolphins in California, and the beaches are not clean, and the water is cold,” he says. “I missed the warm East Coast surf, so I came back to North Carolina in the late 1990s and became the assistant manager of Kitty Hawk Kites’ outdoor recreation program.”

Torrington started the company’s kiteboarding school in 2000. He also worked for the Professional Air Sports Association, helping to develop guidelines that kiteboarding and hang-gliding schools use to qualify for commercial liability insurance.

In addition, Torrington was picked to pilot a replica of the Wright brothers’ glider built by the Wright Experience. They recreated the brothers’ early test flights to coincide with the 100th anniversary celebration on the Outer Banks in 2003.

“After an amazing day on the dunes, we hatched the idea of opening the experience up to the public,” Torrington said. “With two instructors running the wing with tethers, we could safely duplicate the experience, and it became a huge success.”

The 1902 Wright Glider Experience at Kitty Hawk Kites gives participants another way to fly. “People love it,” he says.

After Torrington and his wife, Laura, had their two sons, he decided to stop teaching hang gliding and works for an accounting firm full time. The family and their 15-yearold pit bull, Tornado, live just a couple of miles north of the sand dune where Torrington learned to fly.

– Crystal Baity

Andy Torrington ’93 helps a student take off during his days as a hang-gliding instructor at Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head.

A CAPITAL IDEA

FIELDING MILLER’S HUNCH LED TO A LEADING INVESTMENT FIRM AND A SCHOOL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT ECU

Fielding Miller ’84 is the founding partner, chairman and CEO of CAPTRUST. The company launched as an entrepreneurial start-up in 1997 and has grown to be the nation’s largest independent financial advisory firm with thousands of clients, representing more than $1 trillion in assets.

Miller, who is serving in his third term on the ECU Board of Trustees, and his wife, Kim ’83, have been involved in giving back to ECU in numerous ways. In 2015, they made a leadership gift to the university establishing the Miller School of Entrepreneurship in the College of Business. For nearly a decade, the Miller School has served as a regional hub that prepares students to take an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set into their communities. Recently, East visited Miller in his Raleigh office to discuss his journey building CAPTRUST and lessons he has learned along the way.

What

is CAPTRUST?

We are a financial advisory and investment firm headquartered in Raleigh, representing private clients, corporations and nonprofit organizations.

Our founding vision was based on an opportunity we saw to compete in a way that would differentiate us from other advisory firms. The idea was to serve clients in a fiduciary capacity, which means we are legally bound to always put our clients’ interests ahead of our own. Sounds logical, but the financial industry was, and still is, dominated by large brokerage firms that are not fiduciaries. Thus, when investors are searching for an advisor, and learn about the higher standard we are bound to, they understand and value the difference.

CAPTRUST recently announced a partnership with Carlyle, which invested a substantial amount for a minority stake in the company. How does this relationship benefit CAPTRUST?

When we launched the firm, we funded it with our personal capital and a small amount of debt. As our model began to gain traction, we decided to expand our operation beyond North Carolina by acquiring smaller firms, primarily in the Southeast.

Initially, we funded our acquisitions primarily with our cash flow, but as the volume of transactions increased, we needed more capital. At this point we had three choices: Slow down our pace of transactions, borrow more money or bring in an equity partner to inject more equity capital.

Since we did not want to slow down our transaction tempo, and we did not want to over leverage the business, we decided our best path was to bring in an equity partner. We interviewed several private equity firms to find a partner that would meet our specific requirements: minority ownership with no path to majority, a seven-year minimum investment period and a valuation that reflected our leadership position in the market. Through this process, we partnered with GTCR, a Chicago-based firm with deep expertise in financial services, in 2020.

With the new capital, our growth continued to accelerate and we completed 40 transactions within the next three years. By 2023, we needed more capital. So, we went back to the market, and that

fall we partnered with Carlyle with almost identical terms as the GTCR transaction.

As one of the most successful private investors in the world, Carlyle has a vast array of resources and subject matter experts with whom we can engage. We have already benefited from their expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital marketing capabilities, risk management and more.

What do you believe are the keys to CAPTRUST’s growth?

Two drivers. The first being the fiduciary model and the second being the tremendous team we have assembled. We are loaded with hard-working, talented professionals who are aligned in a positive, ethical and collaborative culture where every employee has a path to equity ownership that is awarded, not purchased.

Fielding Miller speaks at the 2022 U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference in Raleigh. The organization recognized him with the

John E. Hughes Award for Entrepreneurial Achievement.

In terms of impact, my hope is the Miller School will be a key catalyst to economically revitalize the eastern region of North Carolina.”

Fielding Miller ’84

In terms of what we have been able to accomplish, I will offer up a few bragging points. Since inception 26 years ago, our employee count has grown from 13 to over 1,600, and our locations have increased from one to 82. We have clients in every state, our client retention rate is 98% and our employee turnover rate is among the lowest in our industry. Our employee-led and run community foundation, the CAPTRUST Community Foundation, invests seven figures each year in children’s charities across the country. All of this accomplished while growing at a compounded rate of 23% per year. As I said, we have a tremendously talented team, and they bring it every day.

Above, the lead story in the April 21, 1983, issue of The East Carolinian includes Miller’s reappointment as general manager of the paper. He’s pictured on the top left. Right, Miller talks in his Raleigh office.

Fielding Miller, second from left, meets with faculty, alumni and students of the College of Business. Also pictured are Dean Michael Harris, left, and former Dean Stan Eakins, in the gray jacket.

CEO TIPS FOR SUCCESS

1 2 3

Focus on culture

One of my favorite business quotes from Peter Drucker is, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” You cannot overemphasize the importance of building a team that is fully committed to building and perpetuating a positive and collaborative culture.

Plan for the best but prepare for the worst

Any business is going to face adversity, and that is when the power of a strong and collaborative culture pays off. You need to create an environment where people are not fearful of adversity but instead are energized by the opportunities that come from it.

Share the rewards of your success

Everybody at CAPTRUST has a path to ownership. The concept is simple: The more colleagues we have walking the halls, thinking and acting like owners, the more successful we will be.

How has CAPTRUST’s growth broadened the company’s capabilities to meet client needs?

As we have increased our size and scale, we have more capital to invest back in the business. More recently we have added new services and capabilities ranging from new investment portfolios, technologies, tax advisory and more. With each new offering, we have increased our value to our clients and created more compelling reasons for new clients to join us.

What inspired your commitment to leading the effort to start an entrepreneurship school at ECU?

I had a wonderful experience at East Carolina. It was the right school for me at the right time and, best of all, I met my lovely wife, Kim. Over the years we made various financial contributions, but we wanted to do something more impactful.

I had several conversations with (former dean) Stan Eakins, mostly when he would corner me at a football game tailgate to discuss fundraising for the business school. I explained that we were interested in investing in a program that we (ECU) can be genuinely great at, a program that would differentiate ECU from other schools in the state. That is how we landed on entrepreneurship. We could create the first named school of entrepreneurship in the state, and we could help fulfill the university’s mission to support regional transformation by educating job creators. And nothing is more vital to the future success of eastern North Carolina than creating good jobs.

Has the school fulfilled your expectations?

I do not even know what my expectations were. It was more of a vision than a specific plan. Thanks to the leadership of Dr. Eakins and later Mike Harris, the program flourished from the very beginning. We were thrilled to learn we were ranked in the top 50 programs in the U.S. (Princeton Review ’s list of entrepreneurship programs), and this was before we had been

approved for a formal degree: Bachelor of Science in entrepreneurship. Since then, we have made that list each year and have been moving up in the rankings; we are currently ranked 37th.

What are the highlights so far?

It was clear that we were on to something when we held the first Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge. I was stunned to learn that after seven years this competition has featured over 550 teams from more than 50 different majors across the campus and provided over $900,000 in cash and in-kind prizes for the winning teams. I recall the big smile on Mike Harris’ face when he said, “This entrepreneurship idea might have some legs after all.”

If CAPTRUST were a case study for students in the ECU College of Business or the Miller School, what would be the most important thing students would learn?

Entrepreneurship is a mindset. Instead of seeing problems, you see opportunities to fix problems. In many cases, entrepreneurs identify

an opportunity stemming from a problem that is not being addressed within the company you are working for. You notice the company is losing customers or not gaining new customers due for some specific reason – a reason they are not willing to change.

Be patient. Most successful entrepreneurs launch their businesses at age 37. Success often comes from experience learned from your own failures or your observance of how others have failed.

What are your hopes for the impact of the Miller School for years to come?

We had hoped that once the school was established, it would resonate with other entrepreneurs to engage and invest. Thanks to other graduates, such as Van Isley, who founded the Isley Innovation Hub, and Matt Crisp, who funded the Crisp Small Business Resource Center, and many others that have stepped up to enhance and grow the program. In terms of impact, my hope is the Miller School will be a key catalyst to economically revitalize the eastern region of North Carolina.

From left, Fielding Miller; Michael Harris, dean of the College of Business; Paul Schwager, former COB dean; and student Jamerus Payton pose with a ceremonial winners check at the 2022 Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge.

STUDENT SNAPSHOT

Caleb Horton

Hometown: Huntersville, North Carolina

Class: Sophomore

Major: Applied atmospheric science

Career goals: To be a commercial or charter pilot

Caleb Horton wasn’t sure what sort of career he wanted – until he got in an airplane one day.

“In high school, my girlfriend signed me up for an intro flight because I was interested in it,” he said. “The second I pulled back on the throttle on takeoff, I knew this was my career. After that flight, I mentioned that I couldn’t wait to do this after college, but they said I could start now. I’ve been flying for three years.”

Horton, 21, arrived at East Carolina University after transferring from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His applied atmospheric science coursework has a daily, tangible impact on his future.

“Aviation revolves so heavily around weather,” he said. “I felt like before I came to ECU, I had a good understanding of weather, but what I’m learning now is amplifying it.”

The class that’s had the greatest impact on his flying is physical meteorology and thermodynamics.

“I learned a lot in the class this past fall,” said Horton. “I learned how to use skew-t graphs to find the exact lowest condensation level of a cloud to determine the ceiling, which has been really helpful. Additionally, I learned how an air parcel changes in temperature and how it can be affected in the atmosphere as altitude increases.”

In addition to being an ECU student, Horton is a certified flight instructor for an aviation school based at Pitt-Greenville Airport. While teaching, Horton gains flight hours as well as experience that will help him reach his goal of being either a commercial or charter pilot.

– Steven Grandy

ECU first baseman Carter Cunningham bats during the second inning of the Pirates’ June 2 game against Evansville. Cunningham, the 2024 AAC player of the year, started a foundation in January called Homers that Help. He recruited sponsors who donated $300 for each of 33 home games plus $100 for each ECU home run in those games. By the end of May, Homers that Help had raised more than $28,000. The money supports families who have children at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital, part of ECU Health in Greenville. Players also visit patients at the hospital every couple of weeks. Cunningham, who completed his MBA this summer, hit .371 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs this season and made a donation himself for each of his homers.

PIRATE NATION

Growing up, Hunter Venters ’07 walked the fields of his family’s farms near Chicod in southern Pitt County, often seeing aircraft fly overhead.

Today, he can hardly remember a time when he didn’t fly over Pirate Nation – only in a critical care helicopter.

Venters is the clinical manager with EastCare, the air and ground critical care transport service of ECU Health. It serves an enormous swath of eastern North Carolina from Virginia to Wilmington and I-95 to the Outer Banks.

Venters knew he would go to ECU and become a nurse after graduating from D.H. Conley High School. His plan was to work as a nurse a few days a week and still help on the farm, but he soon realized a nurse’s life is too taxing to split his time between the hospital and the fields.

His first job after earning his nursing degree was at the cardiac ICU in New Bern. Then he got a job at ECU Health Medical Center caring for surgery and trauma patients.

“Every day I’d see my patients land on the rooftop and come to me. Then I thought, ‘Man, flight nursing looks cool,’” Venters said.

Becoming a member of an air ambulance team was no easy task. Venters applied with EastCare and submitted to a gamut of physical and psychological tests, clinical scenarios and intense interviews before landing the job in 2012.

Hunter Venters ’07 has flown more than 1,000 patient transports over eastern North Carolina.

Since 1985, EastCare has dispatched its helicopters to trauma scenes, such as car crashes, as well as transporting critically ill patients from regional hospitals to Greenville by helicopter and ground units, which were added in 1994. Before leaving the ground and in flight, Venters and his colleagues routinely performed procedures most of his peers weren’t qualified to do –needle decompressions, airway access and delivering medicines and fluids into the bone.

“You’re on a flying machine interacting with the pilot. You have seven different channels going on in your headset and talking to your partner about the patient,” Venters said. He’s completed more than 1,000 flights.

He and his wife, Ashley, met in nursing school. She works for ECU Health as a family nurse practitioner in Kinston, and they have two daughters and a son.

Trey Labrecque, director of EastCare, said Venters’ experience and education help develop the next generation of flight nurses for eastern North Carolina.

“Hunter’s ability to take an inexperienced nurse in critical care transport and mold them into an outstanding critical care flight nurse is tremendously valuable to our team and the patients we serve,” Labrecque said.

Venters credits his time at the College of Nursing with honing his critical-thinking and leadership skills.

“At ECU the education was more theoretical and leadership driven, and I didn’t really appreciate that until my second year of nursing school because then I was thinking at a different level,” he said. “ECU sets you up early for success, how to work through challenges.”

– Benjamin Abel

AIR CARE

PROACTIVE PERFORMER

Greenville native Kristen Wetherington ’05 was in town earlier this year singing Broadway showstoppers with the Greenville Choral Society. And she’ll be back in December for her annual holiday show. But when East caught up with her, she was home in New York and spent nearly an hour talking about her favorite roles, what it takes to make it on stage and what ECU has meant to her.

“I can’t ignore how lucky I’ve been,” she says. “I’ve worked really hard, so it hasn’t been handed to me, but I do feel lucky about the types of roles I’ve gotten to play.”

Since graduating from ECU and setting out to make a career, she’s appeared in at least 20 international, off-Broadway and regional theater plays, sung with the USO, earned a master’s degree at Harvard’s American Repertory Theatre and taught musical theater in Manhattan afterschool programs.

“A lot of people think the dream is this one result – ‘I want to be famous,’” she says. “I think the dream is being able to do what you love to do and make a living.”

She’s won Broadway World awards for best supporting actress for her roles as the ditzy Norma Cassidy in Ocean State Theater’s 2017 production

Summer Theatre, off-Broadway, the USO, holiday specials –award-winning Kristen Wetherington ’05 packs a lot in her performance toolbox.

of Victor/Victoria and as Helen Keller’s mother, Kate, in their 2016 production of The Miracle Worker. Last year, she played singer Sally Bowles in Cabaret – the role made famous by Liza Minelli in the 1972 film – and says that’s her favorite so far.

Landing and excelling in those roles drew on lessons she learned at ECU from faculty members such as dance professor Tommi Galaska and John Shearin, the late director of the School of Theatre and Dance.

“When (Shearin) passed, I was in tech for Victor/Victoria, and I wanted to come for his memorial, and I heard his voice in my head: ‘You have a job to do,’” she says. “He instilled so many things I still think about every day – if you’re on time you’re late – and a work ethic. You’re relentless in your work, you’re always looking to make it better, and I owe that to John and to Tommi.”

In 2022, Wetherington returned to ECU Summer Theatre to play Tanya in Mamma Mia. Professor emeritus Jeffery Phipps suggested she do a concert for Arts of the Pamlico, which morphed into a holiday show. “And I kind of turned it into an annual tradition,” she says. “My first year, I hired six (ECU theatre and dance) students to be backup vocalists and dancers, and I continue to do that every year because I like to give them a job opportunity and I like to kind of bridge that gap” between education and work. Venues this December include Pitt Community College and New Bern Civic Theatre.

While she’s plenty busy, there are roles she would jump at.

“Jenna in the Broadway musical Waitress,” she says. “And I would love to play Alice Murphy in Bright Star. There’s one thing those two shows have in common is they’re both Southern women. I love playing Southern women.”

– Doug Boyd

Kristen Wetherington

PIRATE SPIRIT

Starrett Vesper

Year: Senior

Major: Exercise physiology

Hometown: North Wales, Pennsylvania

I WANT TO HAVE A JOB WHERE I CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PEOPLE’S DAILY LIVES.

Academics and altitude

VESPER SETS A HIGH BAR ON TRACK AND IN CLASS

When Starrett Vesper hits the track, everything else melts away.

The pole vaulter said track and field allows him to compete not only with other athletes, but also with himself.

“When I am competing, I get in a zone where I don’t have to think about any problems in the real world and I can just focus on doing what I need to do to get the results I am looking for,” he said.

He had a strong performance in February at the Doc Hale Meet at Virginia Tech, scoring 4,797 points in the heptathlon, secondbest in program history. That included a meet-best pole vault clearance of 4.85 meters.

He also performs in the classroom. Vesper was named the American Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year for Men’s Indoor Track and Field in 2023.

Assistant track and field coach Jon Debogory said Vesper is a coachable, levelheaded athlete who learns from the good and the bad in practice and competition.

“His kinesthetic awareness is unparalleled,” Debogory said. “He can pick things up extremely quickly. He is a great teammate, always helping and encouraging others.”

That kinesthetic awareness probably comes from the fact Vesper is an exercise physiology major. Through the Honors College, he had the opportunity to work on a biomechanics research project with Anthony Kulas, associate professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion. He is now pursuing a career as a physician assistant; his next stop is the master’s degree program at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.

“I want to have a job where I can have a positive impact on people’s daily lives,” Vesper said.

His efforts in the classroom and on the track have taught him the importance of surrounding himself with people who have his back.

“Having my family, teammates, coaches and friends to lean on in tough times or through adversity has meant the world to me,” he said. “I know with their support I can overcome any challenge I am faced with.”

– Jules Norwood

5 minutes with

PHILLIP LEWIS ’88

By Doug Boyd

Position: Director, ECU Office of Environmental Health and Safety

Degree: B.S., environmental health

Resides: Greenville, North Carolina

What are your job responsibilities?

I provide leadership and management oversight for the comprehensive environmental health and safety program at ECU that includes biological safety, emergency management, employee health, environmental management, fire and life safety, indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, insurance/risk management, lab safety, occupational safety, radiation safety and workers’ compensation.

What’s most rewarding about your job?

The work environment and people at ECU. There is a true sense of community and I have had the good fortune to collaborate with many remarkable and interesting people.

What should people know about indoor air quality?

Many factors may adversely affect indoor air quality including poor ventilation, problems controlling temperature, high or low humidity and contaminants in or near a building. A

challenge with indoor air quality is much of it is comfort driven. Comfortable for one may be uncomfortable for another.

What is the most effective way or ways to improve indoor air quality?

Maintain HVAC systems in good condition, practice good housekeeping and control contaminants in and around buildings.

What lessons did you learn at ECU that have benefited you most in your career, or what professor influenced you most in a positive way?

If not for my advisor, Y.J. Lao, then I may have never entered the environmental health and safety field and may not be working at ECU today. He was enthusiastic about the program and truly committed to student success.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Surround yourself with good people and treat everyone with honesty, kindness and respect. Focus on the positive and hang on to your faith. Go Pirates!

We want to hear stories from alumni about how their experiences at ECU shaped them today and how they pass those lessons to others. Send us an email at easteditor@ecu.edu

GOLD STANDARD

Cadet Maj. Colin M. McClelland, Air Force ROTC

What do you like most about your major?

Being a criminal justice major has given me the chance to grow my knowledge of the major and the opportunities it can present to me in relation to my career goals in the future. The criminal justice department at ECU employs instructors who value their students and provide the best teaching environment. As a professional goal, I strive to further my education and one day get my master’s and doctorate in criminal justice. Overall, my goals are to serve my country and continue my education in the field of criminal justice.

What does receiving a scholarship mean to you?

When I received my first scholarship, it lifted a weight off my shoulders. It allowed me to not stress about finances and the amount of student loans I would have once graduating. After meeting with donors and other recipients, I found pride in receiving one and knew that my work ethic and determination to improve myself every day had paid off. I will always be grateful for the scholarships I have received while attending ECU and how they have allowed me to conquer my career goals.

Hometown: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Major: Criminal justice

Career goal: United States Air Force-Security Forces or Secret Service

Scholarship: Colonel Clifton E. Boyd ROTC Scholar; Distinguished Military Society Scholarship (’23)

Why should alumni support scholarships?

Because of the impact they bring to the students. In my case, I have gotten to meet many alumni supporters during my time at ECU. They have made a valuable impact in my life, not just financially but by giving words of wisdom and mentorship. It’s always good to run into a fellow Pirate and talk about whatever is going on in one’s life.

Donor spotlight: Clifton E. Boyd

The late Col. Clifton E. Boyd ’56 was a retired Air Force and then American Airlines pilot. He was a graduate of the College of Business. Following his retirement, Boyd was active in numerous civic, fraternal and nonprofit organizations,including the Pitt Golden K Kiwanis Club and Pitt County Council on Aging, and was twice commander of the local American Legion Post. In September 2000, he was presented the N.C. Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service by Gov. Jim Hunt.

give.ecu.edu

PIRATE NATION GIVES CREATES IMPACT ACROSS ECU

Alumni and friends answered the call to support East Carolina University during Pirate Nation Gives on March 20.

The eighth annual day of giving event surpassed expectations and raised more than $8.6 million in support of university priorities, including student scholarships, health care initiatives, athletics, and faculty and program support. In the first minute of the day, 64 donors made gifts setting off donations from on campus and across the country as more than 2,800 Pirates gave during the 24-hour fundraiser.

Students, faculty and staff participated in Pirate Nation Gives through a variety of on-campus initiatives aimed at building engagement. Students accounted for 16% of the day’s donors.

Notable gifts this year include the following:

• Chris Campbell, an industrial technology student, who honored his late mother by creating the Pamela A. Garriques Excellence in Logistics Scholarship Fund in the College of Engineering and Technology.

• Richard Cobb ’68, who established the Richard Cobb Sr. Freshmen Recruitment Scholarship Endowment in academic affairs and made a $25,000 gift to support the endowment.

• Max Joyner Sr., who made a $15,000 gift to support the Marching Pirates.

• David E. McCracken, who gave $15,000, and the Veteran Smiles Foundation, which made a $10,000 gift, to support the ECU Veteran Patient Care Fund in the School of Dental Medicine. The combined gifts support the expansion of the Veteran Smiles program statewide.

• Oak Foundation’s $50,000 donation to the University Priority Fund for Greatest Needs, which helps the university to respond to immediate and pressing financial needs across ECU.

• Support for Voyages of Discovery, unlocking a $40,000 match for the community lecture series.

– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

TWILLEY INVESTS IN ECU TO EDUCATE SALES LEADERS

Richard Twilley ’89 is leading the way to establish ECU as a leader in sales education with a $4.5 million commitment to the College of Business. His investment has established the Richard G. Twilley Academy of Sales Leadership in the COB and was a capstone of the university’s Pursue Gold campaign.

Twilley has worked in the sales profession for 35 years, spending the last 25 as an executive sales leader with Fortune 100 companies in a high-growth, competitive business-to-business marketplace. He aims to leverage his expertise and serve as an advisor in developing the new academy.

ECU alumnus Richard Twilley has made a $4.5 million investment to establish the Richard G. Twilley Academy of Sales Leadership in the ECU College of Business.

“I’ve prepared my whole life to help the university do this and didn’t even know I was,” Twilley said. “It’s a place that changed my life. I will be very engaged for as long as the university will take my input.”

Twilley graduated from ECU with a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in marketing and completed Harvard Business School’s executive management program. He is experienced in the development and execution of dynamic sales distribution plans, methodologies and emerging technologies to accelerate revenue growth while aligning and contributing to organizational business priorities.

The Twilley Academy of Sales Leadership is focused on advancing world-class sales education, cutting-edge research, providing executive educational programs and fostering beneficial corporate partnerships.

– Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

In Memoriam

ALUMNI

1940s

Mary Draper ’46 of Seaboard, N.C., on Nov. 24, 2023. Naomi Brown Edwards ’47 of Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 30, 2023.

Gwendolyn Ward Phelps ’44 of Colerain, N.C., on Dec. 18, 2023.

1950s

Ann Elizabeth McKay Arnold ’59 of Harrisonburg, Va., on July 31, 2023.

Grady Bailey ’54 ’58 ’68 of Newland, N.C., on Sept. 25, 2023. Austin Britt ’53 of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 15, 2024. Carolyn Daughtrey ’53 of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 17, 2023.

Charles E. Fishel ’54 ’58 of Virginia Beach, Va., on Dec. 15, 2023.

Barbara L. Fisher ’58 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Oct. 27, 2023.

Robert Forrest ‘57 of Greensboro, N.C., on Jan. 29, 2024.

Polly K. Galloway ’52 ’72 ‘77 of Farmville, N.C., on Aug. 14, 2023.

William T. “Ted” Gartman ’58 ’65 of Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 7, 2023.

Unita P. Hayden ’56 of Greensboro, N.C., on Nov. 6, 2023.

Harold S. Hobbs ’59 of Clinton, N.C., on Jan. 22, 2024.

Sarah “Salley” Howard ’58 of Wilbraham, Mass., on Dec. 1, 2023.

Frances B. Jones ’53 ’63 of Plymouth, N.C., on Nov. 28, 2023.

Ruth H. Joyner ’54 ’63 of Weldon, N.C., on Nov. 18, 2023.

Walter Travis Martin Jr. ’55 ’61 of Williamston, N.C., on Sept. 18, 2023.

William P. McArthur ’58 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Feb. 23, 2024.

Marshall A. McLamb ’56 ’57 of Lexington, N.C., on Oct. 30, 2023.

Jean C. Owens ’57 ’90 of Tarboro, N.C., on Dec. 10, 2023.

James D. Page ’56 ’61 of Chesapeake, Va., on Dec. 25, 2023.

Fan G. Panton ’57 of Suffolk, Va., on Jan. 21, 2024.

Loyce C. Phillips ’52 of Warsaw, N.C., on Oct. 17, 2023.

William E. Phillips Jr. ’56 of Greensboro, N.C., on Jan. 8, 2024.

Junius H. Rose Jr. ’51 of Kinston, N.C., on Oct. 12, 2023.

Josephine B. Sears ’56 of Apex, N.C., on Sept. 17, 2023.

Roger C. Spivey ’59 of Hobbsville, N.C., on Dec. 3, 2023.

Gennette Tenney ’59 of Hamilton, Ga., on Jan. 14, 2024.

Margaret L. Thompson ’51 of Durham, N.C., on Jan. 2, 2024.

John D. Tyler ’58 of Four Oaks, N.C., on Sept. 17, 2023.

Patricia Q. Tyndall ’59 of Asheville, N.C., on Jan. 26, 2024.

Eugene M. Ward ’56 of Wadesboro, N.C., on Jan. 25, 2024.

Jean Weathers ’55 of Concord, N.C., on Jan. 11, 2024.

Margaret W. “Peggy” Dudley ’53 of Edenton, N.C., on Feb. 25, 2024.

1960s

Silas H. Abernathy ’63 of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., on Nov. 19, 2023.

Arthur M. Bailey ’64 of Gastonia, N.C., on Feb. 28, 2024.

Michael S. Baker ’67 ’75 of Bath, N.C., on Sept. 5, 2023.

Gail R. Barnes ’60 of Morehead City, N.C., on Nov. 21, 2023.

Sandra M. Beach ’62 of Williamston, N.C., on Nov. 22, 2023.

Cynthia Parker Bryant ’61 of Asheville, N.C., on Dec. 22, 2023.

Bobby G. Bumgardner ’66 of Hickory, N.C., on, Jan. 28, 2024.

Karly Burns ’68 of Tierra Verde, Fla., on Dec. 18, 2023.

Sandra C. Grady ’63 ’71 of Cary, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2023.

Richard S. Cox ’60 of North Myrtle Beach, N.C., on Oct. 8, 2023.

Carl L. Craft ’63 of Pine Harbor, Ga., on Dec. 17, 2023.

Joel Cyganiewicz ’68 of Burnside, Ky., on Aug. 27, 2023.

John T. Dillard ’69 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sept. 10, 2023.

Brenda Fairless Edwards ’67 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 23, 2023.

Robert J. Ehrmann ’66 ’74 of Greenville, N.C., on Aug. 8, 2023.

Mary C. Fisher ’65 of McLean, Va., on Dec. 13, 2023.

Harold Frazier ’65 of Henderson, N.C., on Oct. 25, 2023.

Barry Giddings ’67 of Mount Olive, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2023.

Frank E. Grayiel III ’61 of Tarboro, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2023.

John R. “Randy” Gresham ’68 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Sept. 10, 2023.

John Griffith ’63 ’71 of Roanoke, Va., on Sept. 23, 2023.

Mary Hamblen ’62 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 23, 2023.

Selba M. Harris ’64 of Jefferson, Ga., on Feb. 20, 2024.

Mary W. Hawkins ’60 of Jacksonville, N.C., on Sept. 14, 2023.

Elizabeth V. Huneycutt ’65 of Morehead City, N.C., on Oct. 24, 2023.

Roy A. Hyle II ’64 ’66 of Boone, N.C., on Dec. 20, 2023.

James W. “Bill” Jones ’64 of Lillington, N.C., on Feb. 17, 2024.

Bonnie T. Kane ’66 ’94 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Jan. 31, 2024.

John LaCava ’63 of Bath, N.C., on Nov. 19, 2023.

Lawrence Lewis Jr. ’69 ’77 of Farmville, N.C., on Nov. 25, 2023.

John “Jack” McCann ’60 of Morehead City, N.C., on Dec. 11, 2022.

Ted McGee Jr. ’61 of West Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 18, 2023.

Myra T. McLawhorn ’62 of Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 18, 2023.

Timothy C. Ogburn. ’65 of Fort Mill, S.C., on Nov. 24, 2023.

Charles L. Paul ’65 of Warrenton, Va., on Aug. 3, 2023.

Charles O. Pulley ’63 ’65 of Clayton, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2023.

Stephen D. Saunders ’67 of Roxboro, N.C., on Nov. 24, 2023.

Clara Alphin Smith ’60 of Mount Olive, N.C., on Dec. 22, 2023.

Donald A. Stewart ’67 of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Jan. 13, 2024.

Cecil Stroud ’68 of Spring Hope, N.C., on Jan. 24, 2024.

Charles Swain ’68 of Interlachen, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2023.

Jean A. Taylor ’61 of Wilmington, N.C., on Oct. 23, 2023.

Orzo S. Thigpen Jr. ’66 of Surf City, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2024.

William Wallace ’60 of Morehead City, N.C., on Nov. 27, 2023.

J. Randy Walters ’68 of Farmville, N.C., on Nov. 15, 2023.

Edith D. Warren ’60 ’73 of Farmville, N.C., on Nov. 11, 2023.

Clarence J. Weeks Jr. ’69 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Dec. 7, 2023.

William R. “Ray” White ’66 of Nags Head, N.C., on Feb. 28, 2024.

Shelton Whitehurst ’65 ’78 of Tarboro, N.C., on Nov. 24, 2023.

Delores G. Woodward ’62 of Belhaven, N.C., on Jan. 20, 2024.

James Woolverton ’69 of Denton, Texas, on Feb. 3, 2024.

1970s

Collette D. Ashiru ’85 of North Chesterfield, Va., on Dec. 1, 2023.

Elaine Byassee Bailey ’74 of Columbus, N.C, on Aug. 8, 2023.

Christine M. Beaman ’75 ’76 of Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 16, 2023.

Meredith D. Betts ’75 of Milford, Del., on Nov. 28, 2023.

Wanda H. Boone ’74 of Randleman, N.C., on Dec. 6, 2023.

Bonye Broady Bowman ’73 of Conover, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2023.

Donald J. Christian ’76 of Sunset Beach, N.C., on Oct. 21, 2023.

Janice L. Clontz ’78 of Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2024.

Deborah J. Conklin ’72 ’73 of Greenville, N.C., on April 7, 2023.

Rebecca K. Crosier ’76 ’80 ’08 of Farmville, N.C., on Feb. 21, 2024.

Joanna Dempsey ’74 of Sanford, N.C., on Feb. 24, 2024.

James G. “Greg” Dickens ’77 of Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2023.

Richard B. Dupree ’74 ’76 of Atlantic Beach, N.C., on Oct. 30, 2023.

Frances P. Ellis ’71 of Wilmington, N.C., on Jan. 8, 2024.

Kelly A. “KG” Gwin III ’74 of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 10, 2024.

Terry Linwood Hartley ’79 ’88 of Goldsboro, N.C., on July 29, 2023.

Gilbert Hensgen ’77 of Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 23, 2024.

Nancy Howell-Streeter ’73 of Shepherdstown, W.Va., on Aug. 29, 2023.

Hannah W. Jones ’76 of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2024.

Carlton E. Kimbro Jr. ’72 of Wilmington, N.C., on Dec. 19, 2023.

Virginia “Ginny” Kubiak ’74 of Berlin, Md., on Oct. 9, 2023.

Allen G. Lewitz ’75 of San Antonio, Texas, on July 12, 2023.

Barbara V. Lingerfelt ’73 of Morganton, N.C., on Dec. 9, 2023.

Thomas E. Maron ’75 of Crystal River, Fla., on Aug. 14, 2023.

John W. Maye Jr. ’76 ’78 of Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 8, 2023.

Teresa H. Miller ’76 of Farmville, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2024.

James M. Morgan ’78 of Greenville, N.C., on Aug. 25, 2023.

Nancy Morris ’77 of Valdosta, Ga., on March 1, 2024.

John H. Newsome ’78 of Ahoskie, N.C., on Feb. 14, 2024.

Dolores D. Norris ’71 of Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Feb. 18, 2024.

Donald Hugh Orr ’74 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Sept. 20, 2023.

Donnie Ray Prevatte ’72 of Wilmington, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2023.

Rebecca B. Roberts ’72 ’75 of Murrells Inlet, S.C., on Nov. 22, 2023.

Deborah Sherrill ’72 of Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 16, 2024.

JoAnn Rozier Smith ’76 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2023.

Jo Ann T. Smith ’74 ’91 of Jacksonville, N.C., on Jan. 24, 2024.

Angela H. Whitfield ’79 of Smithfield, N.C., on Feb. 21, 2024.

James G. Wood Jr. ’65 of Sanford, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2024.

George T. “Ted” Worthington ’76 of Ayden, N.C., Sept. 19, 2023.

1980s

Joseph J. Abney ’84 of Rougemont, N.C., on Nov. 11, 2023.

Cynthia O. Acree ’81 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Jan. 11, 2024.

Sharon Antoszyk ’85 of Concord, N.C., on Feb. 17, 2024.

Karen June Bell ’83 of Seven Devils, N.C., on Aug. 8, 2023.

Aleta S. Cox ’85 of Engelhard, N.C., on Dec. 6, 2023.

Helen Cummings ’83 of Morehead City, N.C., on Sept. 25, 2023.

Barbara Berardino Newman ’81 of Palm Coast, Fla., on July 27, 2023.

Lyman M. “Buddy” Black Jr. ’81 of Franklin, Tenn., on Aug. 1, 2023.

Steven Douglas Daniels ’81 of Windsor, N.C., on Aug. 25, 2023.

Dennis Donaldson ’84 of Grifton, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2023.

Ward C. Douglas ’88 of Hampton, Va., on Dec. 3, 2023.

Nadine C. Dunn ’84 of Findlay, Ohio, on Sept. 28, 2023.

Nina F. Giles ’83 of Statesboro, Ga., on Sept. 18, 2023.

George Harriss Jr. ’84 of Wilmington, N.C., on Dec. 20, 2023.

Lisa M. Hitt ’82 of Atlanta, Ga., on Feb. 20, 2024.

Gregory Hobbs ’82 of Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 20, 2023.

Sylvia C. Matthews ’81 of Oxford, N.C., on Nov. 25, 2023.

Janice Morrison ’88 ’91 of Fleming Island, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2023.

Kathleen Hague Phillips ’86 of Lasker, N.C., on Aug. 7, 2023.

Danny S. Safrit ’82 of Colfax, N.C., on Oct. 18, 2023.

Julie Schweers ’89 of Sarasota, Fla., on Dec. 5, 2023.

Stephen A. Scroggs ’80 of Chapel Hill, N.C., on Jan. 3, 2023.

Bruce Sherrod ’84 of Shelbyville, Ky., on Nov. 8, 2023.

Kurt O. Svendsen ’80 of Jacksonville, N.C., on Nov. 28, 2023.

Pamela H. Uhlman ’85 of Hobe Sound, Fla., on Feb. 15, 2024.

Robert C. Voigt ’80 ’95 of Wake Forest, N.C., on Oct. 22, 2023.

Jeffrey A. Wagstaff ’81 of Erwin, N.C., on Dec. 28, 2023.

1990s

Charles Ashcraft ’97 of Fayetteville, N.C., on Jan. 27, 2024.

Halcey W. “Webb” Brown III of Richmond, Va., on Jan. 12, 2024.

Christie Dawson ’92 of Wilson, N.C., on Sept. 14, 2023.

John A. Felton ’90 of Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sept. 7, 2023.

Lynn V. Griffin ’91 of Greenville, N.C., on Nov. 18, 2023.

Jane Whitley Jerdan ’92 of Cape Coral, Fla., on Sept. 2, 2023.

Bonnie T. Kane ’94 of Rocky Mount, N.C., on Jan. 31, 2024.

Robert D. Long ’96 of Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 30, 2023. Katherine Weeks Lusch ’91 of Mooresville, N.C., on Feb. 14, 2024.

Jason L. Martin ’91 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Dec. 16, 2023.

Julian F. Pierce III ’97 of Greenville, N.C., on Nov. 24, 2023.

Shane Pongpairoj ’96 of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 24, 2024.

Nikki N. Powell ’95 of Pittsboro, N.C., on Nov. 10, 2023. Christopher C. Steele ’93 of Winston-Salem N.C., on July 24, 2023.

Jennifer G. Thomas ’92 ’98 of Williamston, N.C., on Sept. 30, 2023.

Larry N. Yopp Jr. ’97 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Dec. 2, 2023.

2000s

Karl D. Bayne ’01 of District Heights, Md., on Feb. 13, 2024.

Roger Conner Jr. ’07 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 22, 2023.

Julie Grgurevic ’04 of Wilmington, N.C., on Dec. 10, 2023.

Matthew Duncan ’08 of Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 29, 2024.

Joslyn B. Hawkins ’01 of Kenly, N.C., on Feb. 19, 2024. Roger McMurray ’00 ’03 ’08 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2023.

Trina Pruitt ’04 of New Bern, N.C., on Aug. 12, 2023.

Danielle S. Richichi ’09 of Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 19, 2023.

Gwendolyn L. Riddick ’04 of Eden. N.C., on July 30, 2023.

Laura M. Rumbley ’08 of Jacksonville, N.C., on Aug. 22, 2023.

M. Carlton Satterwhite III ’07 ’14 of Wake Forest, N.C., on Dec. 21, 2023.

Allison M. Sunderman ’03 of Wilson, N.C., on Oct. 28, 2023.

Hugh S. Thrower ’01 of Goldsboro, N.C., on Nov. 25, 2023.

Wayne Christopher Umfleet ’00 of Bath, N.C., on Nov. 25, 2023.

2010s

Pierre Benoit Samson ’15 of Wilson, N.C., on Sept. 22, 2023.

Mary C. Fannon ’18 of Alexandria, Va., on Oct. 30, 2023.

Gregory D. Pearsall ’18 of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 17, 2024.

Timothy J. Pedro ’11 of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2023.

FACULTY/STAFF

Art Baker (athletics) of Sumter, S.C., on Jan. 13, 2024.

Gwendolyn Bibbs (diving and water safety) of Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 29, 2023.

Forrest Croce (university comm.) of Greenville, N.C., on Aug. 27, 2023.

Henry Downs (facilities) of Winterville, N.C., on Jan. 24, 2024.

Charles Duckett (medicine) of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Dec. 25, 2023.

Gerry Gable (facilities svcs.) of Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 19, 2023.

Keith Holmes ’68 (chemistry) of Greenville, N.C., on Dec. 24, 2023.

Joseph Kalinowski (allied health) of Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 12, 2024.

Ulf Karlsson (radiation oncology) of Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., on Nov. 30, 2023.

Hervy B. Kornegay (medicine) of Calypso, N.C., on Feb. 15, 2024.

Nancy M. Loessin (theatre) of Norfolk, Va., on Jan. 20, 2024. Harold J. “Hal” May (psychology) of Greenville, N.C., on Nov. 16, 2023.

Fran McKinney (Laupus Library) of Greenville, N.C, on July 21, 2023.

Susan O’Bierne (parking svcs.) of Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 4, 2023.

Max C. Poole (anatomy and cell biology) of Wesley Chapel, Fla., on Nov. 22, 2023.

Richard Schultz (education) of Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 20, 2024.

John Wall (business) of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 8, 2023. Peggy Wood (health info. mgmt.) of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 5, 2024.

Wallace Wooles (pharmacology) of Greenville, N.C., on Feb. 22, 2024.

FRIENDS

Nancy Gray, the first editor of East, died Dec. 14, 2023, at her home in Greenville. She was 66. Gray edited the newsletter ECU Report, the precursor to East. In 2002, she led the publication of the new magazine. “Recognizing ECU’s growth in size and stature, we needed to make the transition from this smaller publication to a full-scale university magazine,” said Clint Bailey, who at the time was ECU’s director of marketing, which produced the magazine. “Once we got the go ahead to make the change, Nancy was the natural choice to serve as the first and founding editor of East magazine.” Gray’s husband, Stephen, was the longtime director of disability support services at ECU. He retired in December.

Jesse Peel, a longtime donor, friend and mentor to students and staff members and an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, died Dec. 28, 2023, in Atlanta. He was 83. At ECU, Peel served on advisory boards and advancement councils, was a volunteer and was a catalyst of philanthropy focused on student success. His early gifts provided more than $100,000 in funding for scholarships, student success and campus programs. A combination of gifts planned through his estate will provide nearly $2 million in funding across multiple campus priorities. Additional gifts – valued at more than $1 million – from his estate are expected in future years to support the work of the College of Education’s Rural Education Institute. Peel’s support and dedication to ECU were recognized in 2009 when he was presented an honorary ECU alumni award. He received the Student Affairs Vice Chancellor’s Advocacy Award in 2017.

Marie Williams ’53 and her late husband, Walter ’51 ’55, are known at ECU for their loyalty, dedication and devotion to each other and to their alma mater. Marie Williams died June 4 at age 93. The Williamses were champions of ECU and gave more than $6 million to the university. Numerous buildings and spaces bear their names: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, the Williams Jungle at Clark-LeClair Stadium, the Williams-Harvey Teams Building and the Smith-Williams Center. They also established the Walter and Marie Williams Endowment for scholarships in the College of Health and Human Performance and two endowments that provide scholarships to support basketball players. At sporting events, they would be among the last to leave a game because they wanted to give the coach a word of encouragement and hug the players and acknowledge their efforts. In 2014, the couple established an endowment to fund the STEPP program, aimed at supporting students with learning disabilities. Marie served on the advancement board and other committees in the College of Education and was a longtime volunteer in the community. In 2000, she received the ECU Alumni Association President’s Award for Lifetime Distinguished Service.

A PERSONAL NOTE

I’ve been reading obituaries and compiling memorials for East for the better part of 10 years. I knew if I stuck with it long enough eventually I’d have to include my mom on the page. Then when my brother-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer, I knew one day I’d have to type his name, too.

That issue of East is here. And not just for my mom, Mary H. Boyd ’55, but also for my brother-in-law, Mike Conner ’76 ’82

Mom and Mike shared a connection: One year on the first day of school at Windsor Elementary, she called roll in her sixth-grade class, and Mike answered. Years later, she enjoyed saying if she had known he would grow up to marry her daughter, she never would have promoted him.

At ECU, Mike got a degree in history and a master’s in education, but never worked as a teacher. Instead he retired a few years ago after a career as a chemist with R.J. Reynolds.

Mom taught me the “Hey, hey, E.C.” cheer when I was young. Mike was a longtime Pirate Club member, and he and my sister Debbie ’81 frequently spent the night with Mom in Williamston after ECU football games.

Mom was 90. She had broken her hip – for the second time – in January, so we knew the end was near. Mike was 69 and deserved better than to have cancer rage through his body.

Mom died Jan. 27, and on Feb. 17, Mike drew his last breath at home in Clemmons. Both had positive influences far beyond what they realized.

– Doug Boyd

ECU students Hannah

and

perform during a dress rehearsal for the comedy The Play that Goes Wrong, which was presented April 17-21 at McGinnis Theatre.

Watters

Jaden Geniesse

CONNECT

SUMMER 2024 VOLUME 22, NUMBER 2 East is produced by East Carolina University

Managing Editor

Doug Boyd ’99

Art Director

Mike Litwin ’01

Photographers

Rhett Butler, Steven Mantilla

Contributing Writers

Benjamin Abel, Crystal Baity, Ken Buday ’89, Steven Grandy, Lacey Gray, Kristen Martin ’15, Jules Norwood, Kim Tilghman, Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall

Contributing Photographers

ECU Athletics, Cliff Hollis, Sgt. Xavier Legarreta, Kristen Martin

Copy Editor

Jimmy Rostar ’94

Chief Communications Officer

Jeannine Manning Hutson

Contact Us

• 252-737-1973

• easteditor@ecu.edu • www.ecu.edu/east

Customer Service

To start or stop a subscription or to let us know about a change of address, please contact Advancement Services at advancementservices@ecu.edu or 252-328-GIVE (4483).

Send letters to the editor to: easteditor@ecu.edu or Howard House Mail Stop 107

East Carolina University Greenville, N.C. 27858-4353

32,900 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $32,368.00 or $.98 per copy.

Howard House Mail Stop 107

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC 27858-4353

Due East

04.08.24

ECU senior Garrett Leigh was among the many students who gathered to watch the solar eclipse April 8 on the Howell Science Complex breezeway. The Astronomy Club hosted the event, providing eclipse glasses and filtered telescopes. In Greenville, the moon covered about 80% of the sun.