Contents SUMMER 2019 | CONNECTION
14
10
30
Features
4 10 14 17 18 20 22 26 31 33 Up Front
Cover Story
Women in STEM
Homecoming
Athletics
Student Profile
Faculty Profile
Alumni Profile
Feature Story
Class Notes and Deceased List
Save the Date Alumni Weekend will be Nov. 1 and 2, 2019. Be sure to check for updates at alumni.gcsu.edu. Contact Tre Johnson at 478-445-8665 for more information. Reminder: The deadline to submit nominations for the Alumni Awards is Sept. 1, 2019. For more information, contact Tre Johnson at 478-445-8665. You can also nominate alumni online at www.gcsu.edu/alumni/awards.
Co nnection Summer 2019 Vol. XXVIII, No.2 Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Published by University Communications. 231 W. Hancock St. Milledgeville, GA 31061
President Steve Dorman Vice President for University Advancement Monica Delisa Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications Omar Odeh Editor/Director of Marketing and Publications Victoria Fowler, ‘12 Writers Margaret Brown, ‘19 Brittiny Johnson, ‘15 Cindy O’Donnell Aubrie L. Sofala, ‘12, ’16 Al Weston Design Jon Scott, ‘83 Brooks Hinton Photography Eric Jones, ’08 Anna Leavitt Aubrie L. Sofala, ’12, ’16 Please send change of address and class notes to: University Advancement Campus Box 96 Milledgeville, GA 31061 connection@gcsu.edu
No person shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information be excluded from employment or participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination,
Homecoming-2019 See more Homecoming photos on page 20
under any program or activity conducted by Georgia College.
Up Front
Award winners acknowledge the importance of writing Seven finalists were recognized for their
play “Disengagement Party.” “I have a
business or a science field, if you don’t
creative writing during the Margaret Harvin
background in theatre, so when I’m
know how to write, then you don’t really
Wilson Writing Awards ceremony held
writing, I try to implement pieces I already
have the tools you need to be successful. I
March 14.
know while focusing on the way the
also think from the creative aspect, it’s
characters talk and making them as
important to express yourself in that way.”
The top works were selected from 76
realistic as possible. I just love picturing
entries during the celebration of writing
their conversations.”
excellence. The finalists—awarded $1,000
The Margaret Harvin Wilson Writing Awards were established in memory of
each—were sophomore Mallory Wheeler
Ender was recognized for her 20-page
Margaret Harvin Wilson, ’34. When she
of Talking Rock, Georgia, and junior
story “The Women of 213 North Hampton
was a senior at Georgia College, a teacher
Madeline Ender of Cumming, Georgia.
Drive.”
encouraged her to enter a short story contest. Winning first place in 1933 for
“I think the thing I enjoy most is the
“I think that writing is one of the most
“Sympathy Speaks” gave her great
dialogue, because I mostly write plays,”
important things you can learn to do as a
confidence for her subsequent career as a
said Wheeler who was recognized for her
person,” she said. “Even if you’re in
teacher.
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Ask Thunder uses artificial intelligence to provide quick access to information Many experts predict artificial intelligence (AI) will power 95 percent of all customer interactions by 2025. We see AI used in our homes with Amazon Echo products or targeted ads on websites based on our browsing history. Georgia College strives to stay at the forefront of technology advances, while providing the best service possible to our students and public. The newest development is the chatbot Ask Thunder, with AI capabilities for round-the-clock service. Got a question about dining hours? Want to find out when the next basketball game takes place? Just Ask Thunder. Located on the top navigation bar of gcsu.edu, it is designed to point you
“We have been working on this for a while developing the
directly to the information without having to search the entire
technology behind the tool and gathering the content for it,”
website.
said Cindy Bowen, director of operations for information technology. “Information Technology has worked closely with
Developed by the Department of Information Technology, this
campus departments and the Student Government Association
tool allows 24/7 access to connect to information and an easy
to gather content and provide the answers to the most pressing
format to ask questions about Georgia College.
questions about our university.”
EXPANDING CURRICULUM, IDEAS, AND THOUGHT In 2012, the Department of Philosophy,
In an era when most philosophy
Religion, and Liberal Studies was born.
departments nationwide still teach only Greek or Western thought—at Georgia
In six short years, it’s not only increased
College, the department boldly
from five professors to nine but been
expanded to embrace diverse
dubbed “the most diverse philosophy
philosophical traditions within the United
department in the nation.”
States and globally. The department has grown to include African-American
A speaker from the University of
philosophy, philosophy of race, East Asian
California at Berkeley made that
philosophies, feminism, gender and
statement two years ago, when
sexuality, Christian thought, animal ethics,
addressing philosophy students at
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
Georgia College. This diversity of curriculum had another, “Our philosophy program was pretty
unexpected impact. Interest in the major
unique in that we made sure to search for
increased by 275 percent—from 24
a position in non-Western philosophy,
students to 90 in six years.
which—to be doing that in 2008—was considered radical,” said Dr. Sunita
Many students enter Georgia College
understanding that knowledge comes
Manian, chair of philosophy, religion, and
without much exposure to differing
from many sources—not only from those
liberal studies.
viewpoints. But Manian hopes they leave
who look like us.
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MIDDLE GRADES EDUCATION STUDENTS USE IPADS TO TEACH AND LEARN
LOCAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL HONORS TENACITY, PASSION OF GC MIRACLE
After raising more than $1 million during their 14-year partnership, the Beverly Knight Olsen Children’s Hospital Navicent Health in Macon celebrated the work of student organization GC Miracle by naming the main activity room at the hospital in their honor. The Georgia College Miracle Activity Room was celebrated with a ribbon cutting in February. The glass window is etched with the name so that all patients, guests, and employees will see it for years to come. Kristy Johnson, assistant director for Community Engagement at the GIVE Center, has been the organization’s advisor for four years. Johnson isn’t surprised by the amount the group continues to raise for the hospital. In fact, she’s bore witness to a time the group managed to raise $10,000 in less than two hours for a particular fundraiser. “My absolute favorite part is watching these students grow into leaders. I work with some of them for two or three years and get to see where they started and be there along the way,” said Johnson. “By the time they graduate, they have grown into capable and compassionate individuals who are truly engaged and ready to give back to society. At that moment, I feel as though Georgia College has truly done our job.” Students spend hours in the activity room interacting with children who are patients at the hospital. The kids are able to play with toys and enjoy fun times during their time there.
Georgia College teacher education
Middle Grades Professor Dr. Joanne
candidates now have a resource in
Previts, and teacher candidates are
hand to help provide technologically-
doing just that.
driven education for both themselves and their future students.
When the challenge of purchasing the equipment came up, an alumna and
All 16 of the fall 2018 juniors entering
her husband were quick to step in.
the middle grades education program
Rosemary Strickland, ’61, and her
received iPads, which they use as a
husband, Dr. Wade Strickland,
learning aid in their education and a
provided the funding to purchase
resource to help educate their
iPads for all students in the cohort.
students. “We own a telephone company in “The world around us is constantly
Brantley County, so we see the impact
changing, and technology has
of technology and how it’s changing,”
become more and more prominent. I
she said. “I was also given a
think since technology is such a big
scholarship to help with my education
part of our students’ lives, it should be
at Georgia College, and we just want
part of the classroom too,” said
to give back in any way we can.”
Christina Saraiva, a junior middle grades education student.
Since getting the iPads, all students have become Apple Educator
It’s about using apps to enhance
certified. They completed the training
teaching and learning as well as
and passed a test for the certification.
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Georgia College welcomes new dean of the College of Health Sciences Dr. Sheri Noviello joins Georgia College
to lead the College of Health Sciences on
as dean of the College of Health Sciences
our continued track toward preeminence.”
July 1, 2019. A scholar and teacher specializing in Noviello previously was the dean of the
nursing, Noviello has worked in higher
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
education for nearly 30 years. Her
at Valdosta State University, a role she
experience includes working as assistant
had served in since 2014. She will assume
director and then director of the School
her new position after current Dean
of Nursing at Columbus State University,
Sandra Gangstead returns to faculty.
as well as a faculty member at Columbus State University and Chattahoochee
“We are grateful for the work that Dean
Valley College.
Gangstead has done over the last 12 years,” said Dr. Kelli Brown, provost and
She said, “I am excited for the
our clinical partners and with other
senior vice president for academic affairs.
opportunity to partner with the
entities in the surrounding area, and to
“Dr. Noviello brings with her a wealth of
individuals within the college and
deepen the fingerprint of Georgia
knowledge and leadership experience in
university to build upon that foundation,
College on our community and the health
academia and health care. She is poised
to expand the existing relationships with
and well-being of its citizens.”
GRADUATE RAISES AWARENESS OF FATAL BACTERIA AFTER DEVASTATING PUERTO RICO HURRICANES Three Category 4 hurricanes struck Puerto Rico in less than a month in 2017, causing billions of dollars in damage: Harvey, Irma, and Maria. One Georgia College graduate student and Puerto Rican native, Zamara Garcia Truitt, is working to find out why residents there got sick and why some died. “It was awful. It was very devastating,” Truitt said. “A lot of people did not have electricity or water for months. That’s why a lot of them went to the creeks and rivers to wash clothes and to drink water, and that’s where this pathogenetic bacteria lives.” Truitt started her work as an undergraduate in Dr. Dave Bachoon’s microbiology lab. She helped detect the bacteria leptospira in water samples from Puerto Rico. Now, Truitt’s back in
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the lab getting her master’s in biology, and she’s made leptospira the subject of her thesis. “What we’re doing is very similar to forensics to determine what killed someone,” Bachoon said. “Basically, it’s the same procedure. All these procedures are based on the DNA signature.” “As far as I know,” he said, “we’re the only ones testing for this water pathogen in Puerto Rico. There’s limited information on this. So, whatever we find will add something useful.” In November 2017, Truitt presented information on leptospira at the Annual American Society for Microbiology Regional Conference in Tampa. Her research with Bachoon is also being submitted to a scientific journal.
University history course sharpens research skills, shapes perspectives Imagine what it was like in the 1940s on the Georgia College campus as WAVES (Women Accepted for Auxiliary Service) filled the dorms training for deployment. First-year students enrolled in the spring semester in the new section, titled “From Brown and Gold to Green and Blue: the History of Georgia College,” now get to see that and other history of the university firsthand. Sponsored by the Russell Library, the course is led by digital archivist and assistant professor of library science Holly Croft. “I thought it would be really interesting to focus a GC1Y on the strength of our collections, which is the history of Georgia
course we said, ‘Yes, please touch the objects, use them, and
College,” said Croft.
tell me what you learn about them.’”
For many of the students, this is their first experience
The course is research-heavy, and Croft has taken a creative
conducting research in an archive or special collections.
approach to introducing the students to research methods. In the first assignment, students were asked to choose an object
“In our first session, I did our normal introduction to archives
from Special Collections and write a research analysis of the
instruction with them,” she said. “That was fantastic to hear
object. From there, their research is published to the Special
them say about the objects, ‘Can we touch these?’ and of
Collections blog, Dispatches from Penitentiary Square.
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Rhetoric students use hands and voices to help the hungry Two days a week, Georgia College rhetoric students worked Milledgeville’s only soup kitchen—peeling potatoes, chopping onions, and shredding meats. They set tables, served meals to the less fortunate, washed dishes, and hauled out garbage. Then they used what they observed and learned to write a speech—putting their rhetoric to work, educating others about food insecurities of the poor. They spoke in churches, at county organizations, and around campus—encouraging people to donate time, money, and canned goods to Café Central in Milledgeville. students prep food and put out tables and chairs for Tuesday’s “A lot of time, Georgia College students only stay in their four-
lunch. Some return on Tuesdays to serve meals and clean up. It’s
block district, and they don’t know Milledgeville at all,” said
a class requirement to put in 15 hours on Tuesdays throughout
recent graduate Elizabeth Sockwell of John’s Creek, who
the semester.
majored in liberal studies with minors in rhetoric, sociology, and graphic design.
“I hope they will take their rhetoric skills and help people,” Dillard said. “I’m not just training them to get a job. I’m training
Communication Professor Dr. Scott Dillard started sending
them to think about the world in a larger sense and use their
students to Café Central seven years ago. On Mondays, all 16
skills wherever they’re needed.”
BUSINESS STUDENTS EXPLORE ADVERTISING THROUGH SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS Students in Kim Roush’s
was used. With over 60
Marketing, Advertising, and
commercials that aired during
Communications courses took
the Super Bowl, we get many
to Twitter to analyze this year’s
great examples of theory in
Super Bowl ads and connect
action.”
them with the theories they learned in class this last
The three-part project started
semester.
with the live tweets during the Super Bowl, then students
“Students react positively
wrote a paper to expand on
students and 12 College of
That’s more than triple the
when they get to engage in
their tweets about the ads.
Business faculty members,
interactions from last year.
hands-on, application-based
Lastly, Roush hosted a Super
tweeted more than 1,550
learning activities that are
Bowl “after party” where they
times during the Super Bowl.
relevant to them,” said Roush,
watched some of the most
marketing lecturer. “They had
memorable commercials
The group garnered more
commercials,” said Cassidy
to find two examples of each
together and discussed them.
than 90 interactions with major
Carlson, junior marketing
brands like Colgate and
major, who posted the most tweets of the night.
theory in the commercials
“After I started, it was hard to stop analyzing the
shown during the game and
Using #GCMSBP, more than
Budweiser—some even
tweet about how the theory
166 users, including 94
sending “swag” to students.
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Cover story
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Sisterhood, Leadership
THRIVES during first year of living-learning community
When Gillum Owen pledged Delta Gamma as a first-year student, she was looking for an experience that stretched beyond the average college student’s. “When I was going into recruitment, I was open to anything,” Owen said. “I knew being involved with Greek Life would give me leadership opportunities and would help me become a well-rounded human—not just focused on one thing during my time in college.” When Owen pledged Delta Gamma, she also signed a letter of intent to be one of 171 women to be the first to live at the Georgia College Sorority Leadership Living-Learning Community (SLLLC) in the fall of 2018. “It’s been fun to be the first, because we get to give feedback and advice on how the program works and how it doesn’t,” said Owen. “Being able to make a difference, so the program is the best it can be going forward, is really special.” The program originated from President Dorman’s challenge to the university: create meaningful, unique leadership opportunities for students. The Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life began work on the program that allows secondyear sorority members to learn curriculum focused on women’s leadership and empowerment while living in apartment-style housing with other Panhellenic women. “The way we started the program in the fall was with some leadership 101 workshops, and we collaborated with Leadership Programs and other departments such as the Career Center,” said Liz Christopher, assistant director of Fraternity and Sorority Life for Leadership. “Those were held weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday nights as workshops. We got to about November, and we had a moment where we said ‘OK, hold on, this is not working.’”
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Christopher saw a decline in workshop
conclaves that featured a guest speaker,
wanted to show that we are women in the
attendance but not necessarily in interest.
peer-mentor-led small group discussions,
community, and we are going to make
A bright spot for Christopher was that the
and written reflections based on the GC
changes if things aren’t working. We
women in the program were willing and
Leadership Competencies. There was
wanted to lead by example by saying, ‘if
ready to practice one of the first tenets
also an increased focus on experience-
you’re going to be a leader, this is how
they had learned during the fall semester:
based learning opportunities such as trips
you do it.’”
clear and effective communication.
to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Alpha
They gave Christopher and the
Delta Pi Headquarters, and a lunch with
Emily Carlock, a member of Alpha Delta
Georgia College alumni.
Pi, has seen the benefits of the SLLLC.
Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life
She’s been part of the program since the
constructive criticism about the program
fall semester, participated in group
and participated in surveys about their
sessions that consists of other members
experience.
of sororities, and has attended the learning experiences.
“If I have an idea that could potentially help, why wouldn’t I share it?” said
“I work better the more I’m involved and
Owen. “This is a very new program that
always moving—I’m just more productive
hasn’t been done before. So without that
that way. When I got here, I knew I
communication, it’s not going to grow the
wanted to get involved with something
way it needs to.”
big,” said Carlock. “Even if you just take “As we presented the changes for spring
one point away from each speaker, that
Christopher took the data to heart and
2019 to the students, we focused on the
translates into one little thing you
began making changes that included
fact that we practiced data-led decision
remember when you’re working on a
more manageable once-a-month
making,” said Christopher. “But we also
team or group project.”
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What I appreciate about the program is that it meets me where I am now, but I can clearly see how it will apply throughout my whole life. It’s one thing to support me now, but the lessons I’ve learned in leadership through the LLC will carry me throughout my life. - Gillum Owen
Carlock, a nursing major, was part of the
Empowering women in today’s world is
sisters to fall back on, but I also have the
group that toured the Children’s
more than a box to be checked. With less
whole Greek community to fall back on
Healthcare of Atlanta. The hustle of the
than one-fourth of women in leadership
and get to know.”
hospital was an eye-opener, but seeing
roles globally, it’s a modern necessity for
the small, yet meaningful interactions
educating female students. Christopher
Christopher said feedback like Carlock’s
between nurses and patients inspired her.
said the living-learning community is more
and Owen’s is how she knows the program
than just a place for sorority women to
is working. Looking ahead, almost 350
“You see all these nurses, whether or not
live—but about cultivating an environment
women are signed to participate in the
they are women, creating such a warm
where women support, encourage, and
program for the next academic year.
and loving environment in a place that
motivate each other.
can, at times, be very sad,” said Carlock.
For Owen, it’s important to share what
“Seeing that first-hand was small but life-
“When you actually live and share parking
she’s learned to ensure the women that
changing, because you see how the little
spaces with people who have other
come after her continue to leave the
things can make the most impact.”
affiliations, it changes your perspective,”
program with life-changing knowledge
said Owen, who works with Communities
and skills. Understanding managing
Christopher said experiences like these are
in Schools and now serves as a vice
expectations, being transparent, and
a hallmark of the program and an aspect
president of her chapter. “When you live
confidently leading larger groups are the
that students seem to get the most out of.
and discuss difficult topics with people
tangible skills the early childhood
you’ve never met before—it creates an
education major said she is set to leave
“We want to make sure that we’re giving
irreplaceable shared experience. It’s easy
them chances to learn these leadership
to only talk to your sisters, but when you
competencies, experience them, and
hear it from others who aren’t in your
almost immediately put them into
sorority, you realize you’re all going
practice,” said Christopher.
through the same things. Yes, I have 130 connection magazine | 13 | gcsu.edu
the SLLLC equipped with. n
Women in STEM at GC
PAVE THE WAY RECENT CHEMISTRY GRADUATE MEL SCHELLMAN attended the annual World Congress of Smart Materials in 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. As she gave her poster presentations to passerby researchers and Ph.D.s, she started to notice something subtle in the crowd.
environment that fosters success for all students, particularly minorities and females,” said Dr. Chavonda Mills, interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Inclusive excellence begins with hiring a diverse faculty so students can see themselves in their professors. Forty-five percent of the chemistry program faculty are female and 45 percent belong to
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“There weren’t a lot of women,” Schellman said. “That was
a racial group that is underrepresented in science.”
something Dr. Catrena Lisse pointed out to us and wanted us to see. The women I did see there were very, very strong in their field. They knew their stuff and were excited. They were able to talk about it confidently, and they were the ones going out and seeking answers.”
“I’ve always wanted to be a physician, so I knew that majoring in biology was going to be my route to that,” said Keira Stacks, recent graduate in biology. “I was a little nervous to major in biology, because I never believed that I was great at science in
According to 2014 data, women make up less than 24 percent of those employed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. Of degrees earned in undergraduate STEM fields, women account for just over 35 percent. At Georgia College, women are leading the way in STEM by hitting the ground running in research, inspiring younger women in the community, and carving a future where being a minority in STEM is a thing of the past.
high school, but I came in as a freshman and told myself that I was going to work really hard. I utilized all the resources I could, especially the Learning Center, my student instructors, and going to my professor’s office hours. My freshman year, I made all As—so from there, I knew I could do anything.” Stacks came to Georgia College and gained her footing with a pre-med concentration and dedicated herself to working in the lab of Dr. Indiren Pillay, chair of the department of biological and
“Inclusion is a critical factor for retention of minorities and women in STEM. The chemistry program offers an inclusive
environmental sciences. She started researching Mycobacteriophages, which have vast medical applications with
connection magazine | 14 | gcsu.edu
their ability to kill bacteria. Schellman has
questions they have, because if I can’t
Part of fixing the gender gap in STEM
also spent years in the lab, cultivating her
answer them, I know someone who can.”
fields is attracting more people to the
confidence and knowledge. Her research
subject overall. Brooke McDonald, recent
has been focused on sol-gels. She’s
Stacks served as the president of the
graduate in mathematics, had never even
working on trapping organic molecules
STEM Club, which hosts monthly Science
thought of pursuing math until she took a
inside the sol-gels, creating sensors that
Cafés on a range of topics from women in
class with Professor Dr. Martha Allen. The
could ultimately be used to detect heavy
STEM to the Zika virus. Leading a club
group work and engaging teaching style
metals in water sources and dangerous
dedicated to informing the public and
changed how she thought about the
gases in the air.
younger generations of students, who
subject.
may one day enter into STEM fields, has Diving into research, finding community
had an impact on her student experience.
“She made it super fun and it made me want to learn more about it,” said
outreach opportunities, and being mentors within their department are
“I think about all the mentors I had when
McDonald, who served as vice president
some of the many ways female students
I was younger and the people that
of Math Club and the Georgia College
in STEM fields at the university have
guided me and sparked my interest in the
Association for Women in Mathematics.
learned to make a difference.
STEM field, and I want to be that for
“She just made it more engaging. I didn’t
someone else,” Stacks said. “It’s nice to
realize how much I was interested in it
“I wanted to become a student instructor
talk to younger people, especially young
until I came to Georgia College, and I
at the Learning Center for incoming
women who are beginning their freshman
took that Calculus I class as a
chemistry majors so I could make them
year. I talk to them about my own
sophomore.”
feel more welcomed,” said Schellman,
challenges and tell them to persevere
who has also served as vice president and
and that it is all worth it in the end.”
them to come chat with me about any
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president of the Chemistry Club. “I want
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Allen goes forward with each course to promote an engaging, interesting, and active learning environment for her
students. She remarked that the ultimate goal is to approach
populations. It is important to have physicians and scientists that
mathematics with a positive attitude and open mind.
represent the vastly diverse population that makes up America. Being a minority in STEM has always been a challenge, but it
“I create the lesson with problems designed to encourage my
just makes me work harder, so that one day I can proudly say
students to ‘discover’ mathematical results through inquiry and
that I am the first African-American doctor in my family.”
investigation,” said Allen. “The structure of the learning environment requires my students to take an active role in doing
Stacks said the key to fixing the diversity in STEM is encouraging
mathematics rather than maintain the passive role of a casual
and inspiring children from a young age to enter into these
observer, whose only role is to mimic what the instructor has
male-dominated fields. She hopes the work she’s done in the
presented through lecture.”
community with STEM Club and Science Cafés creates a tidal wave—showing that STEM knows no gender or race.
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With her involvement in math clubs, McDonald visited Georgia College Early College classrooms to teach graph theory. She’s realized through her studies that she wants to go on to pursue math education.
Inspiration, whether from family, mentors, or faculty members is a resounding aspect of introducing more women to careers in
“Math has this stigma that it’s super hard. They may think they
STEM. Whether it was Dr. Allen for McDonald or Dr. Mills for
can’t do it, and it’s impossibly hard,” said McDonald. “It just has
Schellman — having strong, female role models is key.
a negative connotation, and I want to take that out of math and show people they can do it.”
“Students feel a greater sense of belonging when they have professors that come from similar backgrounds, with similar
Creating environments where people are not afraid of STEM is
perspectives. This allows them to more easily identify role
something Schellman does with the Science Education Center.
models and mentors with whom they can discuss current
She’s been part of a team that traveled rural Georgia and
experiences and future goals,” said Mills. “With inclusion,
Florida, hosting community magic shows. The shows gives
students are more engaged and attentive in the classroom;
community members a glimpse of basic science experiments,
students feel supported; students have increased confidence;
like deflating a Styrofoam cup and exploding Alka-Seltzer
and students are more successful academically.”
tablets. “Dr. Mills is a huge inspiration for me. Just being in her class and “It was really rewarding to see kids experience these things for
seeing how interested she was in it, that she really cared about
the first time. You get to show them that it’s not scary, it’s fun,
the subject and about us—it was inspiring. I strive to be like
and that they can do it too,” Schellman said. “So many people
that,” Schellman said.
helped me to get where I am now. I’d love to do that for someone else.”
Schellman will soon begin the anesthesiology program at Emory University. She takes with her all the lessons she’s gained at Georgia College.
When discussing the gender gap in STEM fields, it’s also vital to look at the discrepancy between race. In 2014-2015, women of
“Going into anesthesiology, a very male-dominated field, does
color earned a small percentage of bachelor’s degrees across all
make me a little nervous. I’m going into an area where I could
STEM fields at 2.9 percent. It’s a factor that Stacks has taken into
potentially be one of three women in a practice,” said
consideration, and one she’s prepared to tackle head on.
Schellman. “But I’ve seen what it means to be a woman in STEM at Georgia College. It’s going to help me stay who I am no
“It’s something I think about, not only as a woman, but
matter what I face. I know that I have what it takes, and I can rise
especially as an African-American woman. I know there will be
to it and get it done.”
many challenges I will have to face since there’s a lack of AfricanAmericans, not only in the medical professions, but in STEM fields in general,” Stacks said. “Racial diversity is important to have in the medical field, because it helps address health inequalities and discrepancies heavily prevalent in minority
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H O M E COMING 2019 connection magazine | 17 | gcsu.edu
athletics
Annual Women’s Leadership Lunch with Dr. Dorman interact with our female leaders of the future,” she said. “The Samprones’ generosity will benefit the female scholarathletes at Georgia College for generations to come. As a woman, and an administrator, it is an honor for me to participate in this luncheon. I love sharing not only lunch, but advice and mentorship with these amazing women.” The experience is one that stays with the student-athletes as they shape their own professional careers.
Student-athlete attendees for the 2018 Samprone Women’s Leadership Luncheon
Each November, University President Dr.
years and for many more we hope,” said
Steve Dorman invites a handful of female
Assistant Athletic Director and Senior
student-athletes to Parks Hall for a meal
Women’s Administrator Jamie Grodecki.
to talk leadership and make connections
“It is such a great experience for our
with female faculty and staff leaders on
female student-athletes to spend time
the Georgia College campus. Dubbed
with leaders on our campus. The time
the Samprone Women’s Leadership
together is spent sharing, inspiring, and
Luncheon, the get-together was the
empowering young women to be leaders
brainchild of long-time GC Cross Country
in their sport, their chosen profession,
coach and business professor Dr. Joe
and in their lives. We are so grateful, and
Samprone, HA ‘17 and his wife Patti, ‘88.
I know the impact this opportunity has on
The Samprones saw the multitude of
our student-athletes is appreciated and
strong female role models holding
invaluable to their futures.”
•
Suwanee, Georgia •
and knew what a great benefit it would
This past year, Vice President for
be to the student-athletes to learn
University Advancement Monica Delisa
leadership styles and make connections
served as leader of the discussion, an
through this fellowship opportunity.
experience she has enjoyed for years. “The women’s leadership luncheon is a
that the Samprone family has supported
unique and special opportunity for the
this leadership luncheon for so many
female leadership of the university to connection magazine | 18 | gcsu.edu
Jordyn Moellering, Sophomore, Volleyball Cumming, Georgia
•
Sophia Bonser, Sophomore, Soccer Tyrone, Georgia
•
Rachel Boulineau, Junior, Cross Country Canton, Georgia
•
Jessie Morris, Sophomore, Softball Vidalia, Georgia
•
Madison Bowers, Junior, Cross Country Cumming, Georgia Makenzie Perry, Freshman, Volleyball Bogart, Georgia
•
Dakota Williamson, Sophomore, Basketball Johns Creek, Georgia
•
Paula Garriga, Senior, Tennis Barcelona, Spain
•
“GC Athletics is so honored and humbled
Keyonna Wesley, Sophomore, Basketball Pearson, Georgia
•
•
elevated positions at Georgia College,
Emma Fleming, Freshman, Tennis
Kayla Price, Senior, Softball Indian Land, South Carolina
•
Renee Mike, Junior, Soccer Couva, Trinidad
GC Soccer alumna Millie York, ‘17, attendee of the 2015 Samprone Women’s Leadership Luncheon, has recently been selected to attend the 2019 NCAA/Women Leaders in College Sports Women’s Leadership Symposium in Kansas City. Developed for women aspiring to or just beginning a career in intercollegiate athletics, the program aims to enrich participants’ skills, expand their professional network, and promote the recruitment and retention of women working in intercollegiate athletics administration.
Volleyball’s Chandler Ewaldsen, ‘18, attended the Samprone Women’s Leadership luncheon in 2017. Ewaldsen now works as a nurse at Urgent Care of Sandfly. “The women’s leadership luncheon was a great way to connect with faculty and administration on a more personal level,” said Ewaldsen. “We got to see them as real people who care about us as studentathletes and truly want the best for us. Those connections create opportunities at our university during undergrad but also after graduation.”
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student profile
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New graduate finds endless possibilities through philosophy Brooke Judie spent much of her time in college thinking about
biased paintings to the tropes of black masculinity in the U.S.
how other people think.
Being able to make connections, thinking more in depth, and understanding context has opened doors for her. It’s soft skills
She was a philosophy and liberal studies major, concentrating
like these that are in ever-increasing demand in a shifting
in culture, religion, and society. But, it wasn’t until a professor
workplace.
mentioned her strength in writing could be used in philosophy, that Judie dove head first into the subject. Her first foray into
“In one of my courses, a professor brought in students who
philosophy was sitting in on Assistant Professor Dr. Jameliah
were philosophy majors, and we were able to see what we
Shorter’s class.
could do with our degree that was outside of academia,” Judie said. “All of these things we put on our resume, like critical
“I was trying to figure out what I would do with a liberal
thinking skills, analytical skills, and writing, are very attractive
studies major. I saw her teaching philosophy, and it just
to companies.”
changed my whole perspective,” said Judie. “She spoke a lot about how, in order to get context for these people’s ideas, we
In the summer of 2018, Judie was selected for two summer
need to look at anthropology and history. It was a turning
programs at Penn State: Cultivating Underrepresented
point for me, because I realized that this is what I could do
Students in Philosophy (CUSP) and Philosophy in an Inclusive
with my major—I could teach.”
Summer Institute (PIKSI).
Seeing Shorter take command of a classroom also
“I was always interested in going to graduate school, but I
emboldened Judie as an African-American woman.
never had the sort of experience that I did at CUSP,” she said. “They taught us a lot about applying, how to fill out
“Shorter is an African-American female and seeing her teach
applications, and how to negotiate for more money.”
let me envision myself doing the same thing. It’s rare to have someone like that as a professor.”
In the program, Judie was also able to sit in on a graduate student defending their dissertation. It further enflamed an
Shorter and Dr. Sunita Manian, chair of the Department of
already smoldering fire in Judie to go on to pursue her
Philosophy and Liberal Studies, became mentors to Judie as
graduate degree—at none other than Penn State.
she trekked along the course load in her majors. In fall 2017, with the encouragement of Manian, Judie presented research
“Dr. Shorter was instrumental in helping me and encouraging
at the Annual Global South Studies conference in Marrakech,
me to apply to the Ph.D. program at Penn State, especially
Morocco.
since that’s her alma mater,” Judie said.
“My presentation looked at the Anglo-Zulu War in South
Judie applied and was recently accepted to the philosophy
Africa. During the war, the British used artists to record the
Ph.D. program at Penn State, where she’ll begin fall 2019.
battles but the paintings were always skewed toward their own
Ultimately, Judie wants to teach philosophy at the college-level
narrative,” said Judie. “In this one particular battle where the
and continue research.
Zulu completely destroyed the British, the Zulu were portrayed as barbaric even though they were highly organized and had a
“I want to become a professor—I had made my mind up about
great military.”
that the first time I sat in Dr. Shorter’s class,” said Judie. “Hopefully, I can inspire other students like the professors in
Judie made connections between the Anglo-Zulu War artists’
the Department of Philosophy have inspired me.”
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faculty profile FACULTY
connection magazine | 22 | gcsu.edu
Playing games can be serious business— making the fear of failure disappear and unlocking the door to creative thinking. Georgia College’s 2019 Martha Daniel
student at the University of Nebraska-
Newell Visiting Scholar Dr. Carolyn Barber
Lincoln when Barber was experimenting
stumbled across this concept 10 years ago
with games. They kept in touch over the
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
years, and Towner invited Barber to
where she is a music professor and director
Georgia College for several mini-
of bands. Barber noticed her students were
residencies to conduct ensembles.
reluctant to answer questions, afraid they
Towner was particularly helpful as a
might not know the answer.
soundboard for Barber’s research. He would listen, ask questions, and come up
So, she played games with them.
with ideas.
“I started thinking how to get student
His latest idea was for her to apply to
ensembles better at conversations, to kick
become a Newell Scholar. Top-notch
out ideas, and to develop a musical point
educators come to Georgia College to
of view. Because they’re very scared of
teach in their area of expertise through a
that,” she said. “I thought if I can get
$1 million endowment gifted by Martha
them laughing, they’ll worry less and be
Daniel Newell, ’42. The purpose of the
willing to take some risks.”
prestigious appointment is to attract top scholars, elevate the academic profile at
As Barber played games with her classes,
Georgia College, and promote the
her teaching changed. More importantly,
university’s liberal arts mission. The
she said the ensembles’ sound changed.
program has been in existence since 2011.
Music became more vibrant and alive. The centerpiece of the Newell This caused Barber to ask “Why?” Why
Scholarship is leading a class. Barber
do games, silliness, and laughter relax
chose to teach “Exercising Creativity:
students and open them to new ideas?
Problem Finding, Flocking, and Aesthetic
She began researching creativity and why
Intent.” Flocking means “coming
some people naturally think outside the
together” and aesthetic intent means
box. She compiled research from
“point of view.”
numerous disciplines and made connections. She wanted to find a way to
Because of its liberal arts mission, Barber
teach the creative process. She believes
said Georgia College is the perfect place
creativity can be unleashed in all
to incubate her methods. Even its new
students.
branding message—“Think Independently. Lead Creatively.”—
Georgia College’s Director of Bands
encourages new ideas and bold
Dr. Clifford Towner was a doctorate
approaches.
connection magazine | 23 | gcsu.edu
the page. Her band background and research in group dynamics “takes into account the human spirit and its ability to respond and react in different situations,” he said. This research relates to Barber’s teaching at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and music in general. She’s working on reorganizing her work at Georgia College to use as a conductor and horn player. She also hopes to create a freshmen seminar “A big push in education is
how they do what they do and why.
interdisciplinary,” Barber said. “This
course about creativity for her university. As part of her time as Newell Scholar,
university has a liberal-studies focus and
“The underlining premise is everybody’s
is already drawing connections. I said,
creative in different ways,” Barber said,
‘This is where we’ll build a creativity class
“but there are common things about how
also conducted a musical piece during
and come up with the basic structure and
creativity works, because we’re human
the Wind Symphony Concert in April.
test it,’ because they’re already thinking
beings.”
Barber performed in Towner’s band. She
Barber’s public outreach included visits to
that way around here.” Students first learned the science behind
area schools and playing creativity games
The class is the result of years of research.
independent thinking, then transitioned to
with music students in all grade levels.
Barber discovered many studies on the
tactics and strategies for being creative.
She also gave four free workshops for the
brain and creativity scattered throughout
The process isn’t what most people think.
public. Barber partnered with Allied Arts
various disciplines. Cognitive scientists
Creativity doesn’t just happen by
in Milledgeville to offer “Integrated Arts
were connecting electrodes in the brain.
accident. It’s something we can do on
Workshop: Portraits” in April.
Social scientists had learned ways people
purpose. And when the thought process
interact with each other. Educational
gets stuck, there are ways to get moving
Participants learned about creative
psychologists knew how students
again. It’s all about being actively aware,
expression. They explored classic portrait
respond and their stages of development.
mindful, and “thinking about thinking,”
paintings and other ways of portraying
Barber remarked. What’s new is Barber’s efforts to bring these scientific conclusions together and
She loosens up creative juices by asking
make them teachable.
open-ended questions that don’t require exact answers. Another way is by playing
“We’ve got these various piles of
games. Playing takes away uncertainty
research, and the new thing is in the
and helps students relax.
bridges from one to the next. In a
personality. They chose a person to portray and experimented with techniques. They also shared ideas and collaboratively worked on problem solving. At the end, participants used newly-learned tools and tactics in their own creative endeavors.
metaphorical way, we’re having
“Playfulness is really important,” Barber
conversations among them,” Barber said.
said. “When you’re playful, your brain
“We put them next to each other, and we
chemistry changes. There isn’t fear of
have this teachable, actionable idea. This
failing, which enables more connections
she can share games, class topics,
class is a way to build those bridges.”
between normally unconnected things.
creativity techniques, and research.
Someday, Barber hopes to put her research into a book or website, where
That’s when there’s a creative spark.” “Being the Newell Scholar certainly has
There were 12 students in Barber’s class from various majors: music, dance,
Music Chair Dr. Don Parker said Barber’s
been valuable to me,” she said. “I’m
psychology, and business. The class dove
interdisciplinary class offered students a
really grateful for the opportunity to be
into the behavior of creative geniuses —
chance to explore beyond information on
here and have this chance to work it out.”
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U P DATE C A PITA L
$22,091,445 $3,837,687.37
C A MPA IGN
As of May 31, 2019, the total raised for the campaign was $26,162,312.63
TOTAL NEEDED TO REACH GOAL
out of $30,000,000. Â Join us as we seek to raise the additional $3,837,687.37 to meet our goal by June 30, 2020. Visit campaign.gcsu.edu for more information about Follow Your Passion. Find Your Purpose.
$26,162,312.63 CURRENT DOLLARS RAISED
connection magazine | 25 | gcsu.edu
rising to the challenge
ALUMNI profile
GC Alumna first female COO of the Governor’s office Lorri Hinton Smith, ’01, enjoys a good challenge. She’s able to think fast at a moment’s notice. She has to. After all, she’s the first female chief operating officer (COO) for the State of Georgia. “You’ve got to know how to maneuver your train of thought quickly to identify challenges in state government, tackle tough issues, and implement solutions effectively,” she said. “That’s one of my strengths.” Smith is Chief Operating Officer for Governor Brian P. Kemp, overseeing a substantial number of state agencies involved in transportation, natural resources, economic development, education, and health. A continuously-changing workflow is just another day at the office.
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alumni profile
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“Ultimately, I have to be great at multi-tasking, so this position has definitely put my skills to the test,” she said. “Every minute, I have to be ready to change gears and deal with complicated subject matter. That’s the part of my job I love the most.” The liberal arts experience Smith received from Georgia College helps her think on the fly. “It wasn’t just about learning a topic,” she said. “It was also learning the effects of that topic. This equipped me with critical thinking skills that I use every day.” She began her career as an accountant at a CPA firm. Three years later, she transitioned to local government, then the Secretary of State’s office, which led her to her new role in the Governor’s office. “Sometimes your first job is not always your dream job, but it’s a stepping stone to grow as an individual,” she said. “I firmly believe that the stepping stones of my education and career prepared me for my current role, and I’m thankful to work for an individual who values diversity of experience and thought. It is truly an honor to serve on Governor Kemp’s team.” This spring, Smith’s mornings were spent with legislators in session, and afternoons were spent on budget and other legislative hearings. Aside from session activities, her day was comprised of meetings with agency heads discussing various topics. Much of Smith’s summer will be spent determining agency legislation that will be a part of next year’s legislative session. connection magazine | 28 | gcsu.edu
“The reason why I’ve come to love working in government stems from the public service role and the lasting impact of our efforts,” she said. “I can see the fruits of our labor and know that the decisions we make today will impact Georgians for many years to come. It is a remarkable experience to see those changes taking place in real time.” Smith attributes her community-related focus to serving her time in college in Gamma Sigma Sigma—the national service sorority on campus—and her service in local government. “You must be service-minded to work in government,” she said. “There’s a lot of opportunities in corporate America, but I feel my experience at Georgia College and in local and state government instilled an eagerness to serve and make a difference in people’s lives.” Smith can’t wait to see what her future holds. “I was very honored – and humbled – to learn that I was the first female COO in the Governor’s office,” she said. “I’m most interested to see how I will grow in this position. Overall, it will help me increase my knowledge base and learn more about the state of Georgia.”
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Feature story
If you know Flannery’s life story, it just would not be poible without telling it in Milledgeville. connection magazine | 30 | gcsu.edu
New Flannery O’Connor documentary tells alumna, writer’s story The project began as a plight to preserve and transfer old
Fitzgerald, Flannery’s friend and editor, and Bob Giroux, the
tapes, tucked away in a closet for years, that featured
creator of Farrar, Straus & Giroux publishing—I said ‘this is a
interviews with scholars discussing Flannery O’Connor’s
National Endowment for the Humanities project.’”
literary life. Coffman and Co-Director Tim Hardin, who also helmed “They were high quality and shot for television,” said
photography and sound design for the documentary, set out
Elizabeth Coffman, director, producer, and editor of “Flannery:
to tell the story of O’Connor through the lens of artists and
The Storied Life of the Writer from Georgia.” “When I heard
writers such as Alice Walker, Michael Fitzgerald, and Tobias
about these tapes, I told co-producer and co-director Father
Wolf. To shoot the documentary, the team spent many days
Mark Bosco that, ‘you have to get them to a library and get
on the swath of land O’Connor called home until her death in
them taken care of.’ When I looked at them and saw Sally
1964—Andalusia.
connection magazine | 31 | gcsu.edu
“If you know Flannery’s life story, it just would not be possible
“She was here so much and writing when she was here. We
without telling it in Milledgeville,” said Coffman. “Flannery
really wanted to create that perspective of her point of view of
spent a good part of her adult life here, finishing her writing,
the world,” said Coffman. “She was a writer, she was here
writing some of her best stories, staying at Andalusia, going to
writing in the house during the last part of her life.”
mass every day, and going to the Sanford house for lunch.” In March, the GCSU Foundation hosted a preview screening of Much of the documentary’s quest is to explain O’Connor’s
the documentary “Flannery: The Storied Life of the Writer From
perspective of the south she lived and experienced, which she
Georgia.” The interviews, animation, and archival footage
laid bare in her famous literary works. Themes of race, religion,
combine to show how the literary author from Milledgeville and
and morality set against the backdrop of the south left questions
alumna of Georgia College saw the world around her and set
to be answered in the documentary, according to Hardin.
out to tell that story to the world.
“You have this writer and these interviews. But then you have this bucolic small southern town, right? There’s something that didn’t make sense,” said Hardin. “So whenever there’s a question sort of embedded in the material, then you realize this is really interesting and exciting. We knew we could honor a topic that is based in the south, that has universal appeal, and doesn’t devolve into a kind of a caricature of the south.” One of the challenges of the documentary was the lack of archival footage of O’Connor herself. Working with only one short interview on film of O’Connor, a few audio recordings, and not many photographs of the author, posed an issue that the team set to solve. “We had to be really creative about archival footage. We wanted to find great archival footage of the era, of Georgia,” said Coffman. “I loved doing that research. We tried to find archival footage that is humorous and darkly weird, in the way her gothic writing is.” The documentary also features unique shots of Andalusia, from overhead drone footage to switching lenses, cameras, and different dolly moves—the goal was to let the viewer see O’Connor’s family farm from the eyes of the author. connection magazine | 32 | gcsu.edu
Class Notes
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1970s
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Linda B. Hubbard, ’70, was appointed to the White County Board of Health November 2018. She has worked in public health for more than 34 years, serving as a district nursing director and clinical coordinator for the Georgia Division of Public Health (North Central Health District), clinical instructor for the Department of Community Nursing in the School of Nursing at the Medical College of Georgia, acting nurse manager for the Houston County Health Department, district coordinator of nursing service for the Georgia Department of Public Health (North Central Health District), and public health nurse for the Baldwin County Health Department.
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Martha Elizabeth “Beth” Magee Refuss, ’77, retired in 2017 after 40 years of teaching in the Fayette County School System. Now, she is working as a Title I Instructional Support Teacher for the same school system. Her son is a third-generation Georgia College student and majors in music education.
1980s (1) Dr. Lisa Williams Garrett, ’89, was recently elected and sworn in as the Post 8, at-large member of Bibb County Education. After completing her Specialist Degree in Early Childhood Education at Georgia College, she served as a school and system-level administrator with the Bibb County School District. She obtained her Doctorate of Education from the University of Georgia in 2000. She served 13 years as the principal of the Butler Early Childhood Center and the director of Early Childhood programs. Garrett retired in 2009. Following a brief stint as a visiting assistant professor at Tift College of Education at Mercer University, she returned to the classroom as a part-time inclusion teacher until 2016. Today, she enjoys assisting parents of students with disabilities navigate the programs for exceptional children. Garrett lives in Macon with her husband of 37 years, David Garrett.
1990s (2) Brigadier General Thomas “Gasket” F. Grabowski, ’90, assumed command as assistant adjutant general—Air, Georgia National Guard and commander of the Georgia Air National Guard Jan. 13, 2019. He previously served as special assistant to the director of Air National Guard for Integration at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. “I could not have asked for a better replacement than General Grabowski,” said outgoing Assistant Adjutant General Major General Jesse T. Simmons. “He is a proven leader and brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and energy to his new post. Great things are in store for the organization under his leadership.” Dr. Cedric Howard, ’94, vice president, enrollment and student services, State University of New York at Fredonia, was selected as a Pillar of the Profession award recipient. This award is one of National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Foundation’s highest honors. NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Howard assumed his duties at Fredonia Aug. 1, 2016. Since then, he has made fundamental changes to enrollment and admissions procedures and workflow resulting in over a 30 percent increase in enrollment boasting the largest first-year class in campus history. (3) Gary K. Moseley, ’94, of Newnan, Georgia, retired from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in Atlanta June 1, 2018, where he had been employed in various assistedhousing programs since July 10, 1989. After retirement from Georgia DCA, Gary began new work as a research and acquisitions analyst Aug. 28, 2018, with the NeighborWorks Columbus Community Housing Development organization. Moseley also married Cynthia Gavin Sept. 22, 2018, at Christ Community Church in Columbus, Georgia. (4) Stephen Coxen, ’99, and his wife Jennifer are proud to announce they are expecting their second son, Rhett W. Coxen, in July 2019.
2000s Scott Malone, ’04, recently relocated to Reno, Nevada, to accept a new position as director of servicing with Figure Technologies. Figure is a financial technology startup company based out of San Francisco, California, that offers equity solutions to consumers using block chain and AI protocol. Malone and his wife Melissa, who is a workforce management analyst for Tata Consultancy Group, have a three-year-old son, James “JW.” (5) Diva Morgan Sapp Hicks, ’06, and husband John Wilton Hicks, Jr. welcomed their second child John Wilton “Tripp” Hicks, III Nov. 12, 2018. Tripp weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 inches long at birth. Lauren Faulkenberry, ’06, of Whittier, North Carolina, cofounded a small, independent publishing company called Blue Crow Publishing, which publishes fiction and nonfiction. Blue Crow Publishing has had several bestselling Amazon titles since its launch in 2017 and has more than 20 titles in print. Her third novel, “Trouble will Follow,” will be published August 2019.
2010s (6)Allie Stinson Crupie, ’11, and Peter Crupie, ’11, welcomed their second daughter Mollie Catherine Crupie Nov. 29, 2018. (7) Dr. Alexandra L. Coleman, ’12, received her Doctor of Dental Medicine May 11, 2019, from the University of Kentucky, College of Dentistry. She will further her education with a fellowship in Endodontics at the University of Kentucky and will return to her hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia, to practice in mid 2020. (8) Michael “Mike” Murphy, ’11, ’14, and Kaitlyn Dietz, ’12, married at the GTM Reserve in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Nov. 3, 2018. Members of the bridal party included: David Bartz, ’12, David Dietz, ’15, Tyler Ebrite, ’12, Megan Murphy Edmonds, ’16, and Christina Wells Rubio, ’14.
(9) Kimberly Benfield David, ’13, ’16, had her book, “52 Kids who R.O.C.K. Every Day: Inspiring Stories of Young People Who Radiate Outrageous Compassion & Kindness,” published through Project Stella Resources in March 2019. David is carrying on the legacy of the work of the GIVE Center worldwide, empowering youth, and helping parents and educators transform their homes, schools, and communities with students who radiate outrageous compassion and kindness. The book can be purchased on Amazon or as a digital download for teachers. (10) Kayla Fogg, ’13, ’16, married Trey Smith, ’12, May 4, 2018, at Primrose Cottage in Roswell, Georgia. The couple met at Georgia College in 2011 as pre-law students in Dr. Jennifer Hammack’s class. Trey graduated from Mercer University College of Law in 2016 with his Juris Doctor and works as a defense attorney in Atlanta. Kayla graduated with an MBA from Georgia College in 2016 and works at Georgia Power Company as an energy efficiency analyst. The couple resides in Roswell, Georgia, and enjoys running, hiking, and traveling.
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(11) Hilary Lassetter, ’14, married Dr. Andrew Duke, Oct. 20, 2018, at the First Baptist Church of Newnan, Georgia. They met a few months after Hilary graduated from Georgia College. Both work for the same local hospital, where Hilary is an ICU nurse completing her MSN-FNP degree. Andrew is an internal medicine doctor. Members of the wedding party included Grace Diehl, ’15, Jennifer Jensen, ’13, ’14, Alex Kidd, ’15, Erin Borain Lockard, ’13, and Lexi Kraft O’Brien, ’13. Ashley Miller, ’15, has recently accepted the position of executive director/CEO of the Ashburn Turner County Chamber of Commerce. She works in conjunction with the Economic Development Authority to ensure economic rural prosperity in her south Georgia home town. Miller also accepted a nomination to attend the Georgia Academy for Economic Development for 2019.
Rey Holcomb Payne, ’14, and David Taylor Payne, IV, ’15, '16, met at Lake Sinclair the summer before starting school at Georgia College. They were both exercise science majors at GC, and were active in Greek Life, Kappa Delta, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Rey pursued a career in physical therapy and Taylor is a physician extender in Atlanta. The two were married on Oct. 14, 2017, at Rey's family's farm, known as Magnolia Mule Barn, in Fort Valley. Her father built the barn for their wedding, and a few months later, let Rey open it to the public as a wedding venue in Middle Georgia.
Please submit your news for Class Notes at:
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(12) Josh Smith, ’12, ’16, married Krista Bostick Nov. 17, 2018, at Pepper Sprout Barn in Jackson, Georgia. The couple resides in Milledgeville, Georgia. Joshua is a web content specialist with Georgia College, and Krista teaches fifth grade at Gray Elementary School.
In Memoriam Elaine Lee Beckum* Doris Bayne Stevens* Juanita Moore Johnson, ’29 Hazel Pitman Christian, ’32 Ione Snider Moore, ’39 Reba Mangham, ’41 Kathryn Best Bailey, ’42 Marion Sims New, ’43 Eugenia Snipes Yawn, ’44 Mary Boyd Gallop, ’45 Anita Tanner West, ’45 Rosalyn Digby Hansen, ’46 Marianne Armstrong Hinely, ’46 Martha Mason Luallen, ’46 Elizabeth Shreve Ryan, ’46* Virginia Brazel Settle, ’46 Dorothy Brewton Slaton, ’46 Karen Stone Adams, ’47 Emily Willis Baldwin, ’47 Elsie McCullohs, ’47 Ouida McKinney Thompson, ’47 Joy Stamey Tinsley, ’47 Kathleen Frazer Eldredge, ’48 Madelyn Thigpen Hall, ’48 Edna Frazier MacMurrain, ’48 Joyce Malcom, ’48 Louise Moore, ’48 Mary Bargeron Rucker, ’48 Roslyn Bowman Carlyle, ’49
Eva Pope Giles, ’49 Sara Reeves Hedden, ’49 Marshie Altman Hutcherson, ’49 Juanita Burford Jones, ’49 Marian Bailey Lasseter ’49 Mary Whitmire Pollock, ’49 Doris Sosebee Prine, ’49 Claryce Sutton Strother, ’49 Ann McKay Vance, ’49 Rollene Summer Wells, ’49 Martha Pittard Cabe, ’50 Jacquelyn Rigsby Dillard, ’50 Gloria Gibbs Hitchcock, ’50 Bernice Lindsey Jones, ’50 Mary Gamble Nysewander, ’50 Gertrude Pitman Adams, ’51 Betty McCard Fowler, ’51 Faye Hubbard Sanders, ’51 Jane Mitchell Brogdon, ’52 Allene Poole Brown, ’52 Audrey Usry Debeaugrine, ’53 Lila Russell Lane, ’53 Emmie Veal Bray, ’55 Carolyn Martin Floyd, ’55 Lester Bohler Sheafe, ’56 Merle Lane Davis, ’57 Shirley Stafford Martin, ’57 Mary Fields Mullins, ’57 Marian Brown, ’59
Faye Holt Fall, ’59 Elizabeth Gray, ’59 Jacquelyn Glammetta Lawn, ’61 Margie Holloway Greene, ’62 Betty King Strawn, ’63 Louise McKinley Allen, ’64 Jeanie Candler McCuin, ’64 Elizabeth Howard Tonn, ’65 Margaret Fordham Lee, ’66 Susan Causey, ’68 Camilla Mims, ’69 Richard Gaulding, ’70 Irmina Gomez Rivero, ’72 Charlotte Sudderth, ’72 Charles Cowart, ‘73 Betty Sanders Snyder, ’73 Aubrey Barrett, ’76 Bil Criswell, ’76 Dorothy Dukes, ’76 David Pittman, ’80 Lane Johnson Goff, ’82 Judy Payne Holliday, ’89 Diane Drescher Cordell, ’90 Sarah Howell Gearinger, ’91 Leigh Thompson Johnson, ’91 Jeffrey Murdock, ’93 Linda Pirkl, ’10 Samantha Peluso Swartzlander, ’14
*Denotes alumni of Peabody School. This list recognizes deceased alumni that the university has been made aware of as of April 5, 2019. connection magazine | 35 | gcsu.edu
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Weaving together a common purpose to the Legion of Honor - in 1993 at the Old Governor’s Mansion. In 2010, Roger retired after serving 17 years as department chair of World Languages and Cultures at Georgia College where he taught mainly French; but he is fluent in English, Dutch, German, and Italian. To Roger, language has the ability to lead young minds to experience different cultures. “I hope they can be teachers to open up the world and teach different languages,” he said. “I enjoyed teaching students, who didn’t know other languages, the culture of the different countries. My favorite memory was seeing them graduate.” Once separated by continents, Dr. Roger Noel from Belgium, and Alice “Cookie” Gubner from California, were childhood pen pals. In 2019, they celebrate 50 years together as husband and wife. They came to Milledgeville in 1992 when Roger took a job teaching foreign languages at Georgia College. In the ensuing years, Roger and Cookie have become integral parts of both the campus and local community. Cookie is a licensed clinical social worker, who continues to practice to this day. Roger was a member of Rotary and served on numerous local advisory boards. Their Milledgeville home is adorned with vibrant colored quilts, a passion of Cookie’s. These quilts stitch together a myriad of stories to tell a singular tale. The Noels believe that, like these quilts, language has the ability to weave together the tales of different cultures into a common story. In recognition of Roger’s dedication to French culture and language, he was knighted by the French Government – the second oldest French Decoration
The Noel’s legacy at Georgia College will live on through a new scholarship that they are establishing through a gift in their will—the Dr. and Mrs. Roger A. Noel Endowed World Languages and Culture Fund. The scholarship will provide needs-based scholarships for students enrolled in Georgia College’s World Languages program — the first type of scholarships of that kind for the program. “In my profession and in coming from a Jewish family, we have to make sure my tradition and Judaism motto lives on: ‘Repair of the world so to come here and to do something to leave it better than you found it.’ Roger has always been community-minded too,” said Cookie. “So, I want to honor him in perpetuity for what he has contributed to Georgia College, education, and humanity.” To learn more about how to create your legacy and invest in the future of students at Georgia College, contact Dan Lavery at 478-445-1236 or dan.lavery@gcsu.edu.