Gravity - Summer 2014 by Augusta University

GEOR G IA RE G EN TS U NIV E R S I T Y

VOL. 2 NO. 2

Road to Success:

2014

SUMMER 2014

Alumni Association Physical Address: 1061 Katherine Street Augusta, GA 30904 Mailing Address: GRU Alumni Affairs 1120 15th Street, FI-1000 Augusta, GA 30912 706-737-1759 Associate Vice President, Alumni and Donor Engagement Kristina Baggott kbaggott@gru.edu Senior Director, Alumni Affairs Scott Henson shenson@gru.edu

The Georgia Regents University Confucius Institute, the first to be affiliated with a comprehensive academic health center, opened on March 28 on the first floor of the G. Lombard Kelly Administration Building. The new nonprofit public institute for the study of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese language, and culture was created in partnership with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. gru.edu/centers/confucius

Director, Alumni Affairs Rhonda Banks robanks@gru.edu Administrative Assistant Cori Robbins crobbins@gru.edu

grualumni.com

GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

Georgia Regents University’s Alumni and Friends magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Advancement and the Office of Communications and Marketing to connect the university with alumni, friends, the state, and the world.

SUMMER 2014

VOL. 2 NO. 2

Senior Vice President, Office of Advancement: Susan Barcus

Interim Vice President, Office of Communications and Marketing: Jack Evans Executive Editor: Kristina Baggott Senior Editor: Karen Gutmann Alumni Relations Liaison: Rhonda Banks

DESIGN & PRODUCTION P.J. Hayes Design

PHOTOGRAPHY

Up in Smoke

Jag 20 Honorees

Physicians wage a decades-long fight against Big Tobacco.

The inaugural class of 20 emerging alumni leaders is chosen.

Senior Photographer: Phil Jones Special Assignments: Brent Cline, Chris Thelen

ALUMNI PROFILE

ADVERTISING 706-737-1759 alumni@gru.edu

Mayor Deke Copenhaver BA, Political Science ‘91

Georgia Regents University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other application statutes and university policies.

EVERY EDITION 4

Campus Happenings

Calendar of Events

College Catch-Up

Alumni Advocacy Update

Growing GRU

Jaguar Pride

Class Notes

Dear Readers,

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” What does it mean to “make a difference” in this world? I found that question answered many times throughout this issue of GRavity. Story after story illustrates the dramatic impact individuals can have on their professions, their communities, and the world around them. For instance, Deke Copenhaver started out, as many of us do, a carefree college student trying to find his way in the world, and he is now finishing up his ninth year as Augusta’s mayor. His story clearly illustrates the positive difference he has made on the people, businesses, and communities of his beloved city.

Next, read about Dr. Rick Richards, who along with physician colleagues in Augusta, throughout the state, and around the country, took on Big Tobacco, and over the course of decades, using their medical and research expertise, helped force a turnaround on one of the most pressing public health issues of our time. Then, there are our Jag20 young alumni honorees, all impressive individuals with notable impact. We’ve highlighted three to illustrate, but could have picked all 20. You’ll enjoy their stories, and we’ll no doubt be seeing more exciting news from all of these movers and shakers for years to come. Finally, nothing drives home the full impact of our family of GRU Alumni change makers than watching them gather together. As I write this letter, more than 1,200 alumni, faculty, and staff just finished enjoying more than 50 fun,

informative, and inspiring events over the course of our 2014 Alumni Weekend. I wish we could tell all of the great stories I heard, for I came away inspired and excited about the impact that you, our alumni, will continue to make for years to come. Thanks for making a difference. n

Kristina Baggott, MBA ’03 Associate VP, Alumni and Donor Engagement Georgia Regents University Office of Advancement

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SHIFTING GEARS I was pleased and proud to be able to report in my recent presentation on the state of the Georgia Regents University and Health System that our foundations are sound, and we are moving steadily forward on the goals laid out in our strategic plan, “Transition Forward.” Over the past several years, we have weathered the rough seas of transformation, and because of the extraordinary hard work of thousands across our campuses, we have landed safe and healthy on the other side. Among our most critical achievements have been creating an aligned and integrated academic health center, consolidating two universities into one, and implementing shared administrative services — and we have not only survived, but we have thrived in a most challenging economic environment. I cannot express how proud and appreciative I am of our faculty, staff, students, administrators, and our generous and engaged family of alumni and supporters for all they have done to get us this far on our path.

Now it’s time to shift gears from managing rapid transformative change to generating long-term, sustainable growth … and that is what we have begun to do. We are aligning resources with our strategic plan, and in the immediate months ahead, Georgia Regents leadership will focus on three critical priorities: n Student recruitment, retention, and success; n Faculty and staff recruitment, retention, and satisfaction; and n Ensuring our long-term fiscal health. And we can be sure that we will continue to face difficult challenges, like continuing budget pressures, looming demographic shifts, the need to keep up with technological advances, and health care system reforms that are only beginning.

RICARDO AZZIZ

President, Georgia Regents University CEO, Georgia Regents Health System But the future is also full of tremendous opportunities, and as I had the opportunity to talk to so many of you during our recent Alumni Weekend, I was reminded that some of the greatest of these opportunities arise from the enthusiasm and support of our alumni family. At GRU, we have committed to Aspire to Greatness in everything we do. In this issue of GRavity, you will find inspiring stories of our alumni doing just that. Enjoy, and thank you for everything you do for our university, our state, and the world. n

View the full speech at www.gru.edu/president/speeches.php.

The 2014 Distinguished Alumni were honored during Alumni Weekend. GRavity Summer 2014

MARCH 21 MATCH DAY Members of the largest fourth-year class in MCG history learned where they will spend the next three to seven years training.

CAMPUS Happenings MAY 9 COMMENCEMENT Keynote speaker Liz Hill, author and subject of the movie “From Homeless to Harvard” inspired more than 1,000 graduates.

APRIL 30 SPRUCING UP Phi Kappa Phi organized a volunteer workday to clean up the Literacy Center.

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MAY 3 GOOD BOATS GRU particpated in the 2nd Annual Dragon Boat Festival to benefit Goodwill Industries.

MAY 26 REMEMBERING HEROES The annual Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS For more information: 706-737-1759 or alumni@gru.edu

SEPT. 16

Business After Hours

Hosted in partnership with the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. Come network with fellow alums and community members.

SEPT. 25

GRUb for GRU

Support GRU by eating at participating CSRA restaurants. Visit grualumni.com for locations.

OCT. 10

Alumni Barbecue

OCT. 11 Jaguar Jaunt

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OCT. 10-11

g r u a l u m n i .co m /u p co m i n g eve n t s GRavity Summer 2014

Up in

Smoke Physicians wAGE decades-long battle against big tobacco. BY TO M T U R N E R

With nearly half a million premature deaths in the U.S. attributable to a single public health issue, Dr. John W. (Rick) Richards Jr. didn’t see the value of subtlety. People still talk about the show he put on in 1992 at what is now the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Ga. Crowds rushing to the Marlboro Country Music Show were stopped cold by Richards’ version of the iconic “Marlboro Man”: a cadaver skeleton perched on a horse’s back.

It was but one of many tobacco company events that Richards targeted. His string of dark comedy hits included a Dead Man Chew Tractor Pull (Red Man chewing tobacco) and the Emphysema Slims Tennis Tournament (Virginia Slims cigarettes), but these satirical showstoppers were merely rehearsals for the game changer he and his colleagues had in mind.

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“I wanted to humiliate them and by them, I mean both Big Tobacco and their advertisers— to use ridicule, humor, and hypocrisy to create a discourse.”–DR. RICK RICHARDS JR.

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The Battle Begins Now a board member of the Georgia Regents Research Institute and a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” in the early ’90s, Richards was a physician and researcher at the Medical College of Georgia. He treated countless patients who suffered from the effects of tobacco addiction. Both his parents were smokers, and his mother died of lung cancer. He was frustrated, and he was mad. “I wanted to humiliate them,” Richards says, “and by them, I mean both Big Tobacco and their advertisers — to use ridicule, humor, and hypocrisy to create a discourse.” He wasn’t alone. “We were the Beavis and ButtHead of anti-cigarette activists,” says Dr. Alan Blum, now director of the University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society. The two met following a talk Blum gave in Kansas City. The year was 1977, a time when people who smoked all their lives were getting sick, suing tobacco companies — and losing. “Smoking causes one-third of preventable deaths,” Richards says, “yet I had been all the way through medical school, and Alan’s talk was the first time I had ever even heard the problem addressed.” Both had grown up in an era when cigarette commercials on TV outnumbered other ads three to one. Blum was the first doctor to call a spade a spade: When speaking against smoking, he used brand names. As a team, Blum and Richards set out to beat Big Tobacco at its own game; they researched the industry’s marketing practices and publicized the demonstrable effects of brand-

name advertising. And they started a health advocacy group called Doctors Ought to Care (DOC). Banned by federal law in 1971 from advertising on television and radio, Big Tobacco had taken to sponsoring popular events in order to brand itself onto the airwaves. This gave the aspiring gadflies an idea. If Big Tobacco could sponsor such events and get their brand names heard countless times on radio and television, so could DOC. They began appealing to fellow doctors who also saw first hand the devastation wrought by cigarette smoking. Soon, DOC chapters were popping up all over the nation, mobilizing doctors to make “house calls,” their term for demonstrations.

From Candlestick Park to Yankee Stadium, DOC showed up at tobacco-sponsored events. The organization proved so effective that former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop donated all of his work on tobacco to the DOC Tobacco Archive and International Resource Center and, in 1988, awarded Blum and Richards the Surgeon General’s Medallion of Honor. The American Medical Association also recognized them with an award for “outstanding service to America’s youth.” While DOC’s efforts at informing, satirizing, and “laughing the pushers out of town” made inroads into the problem, the physicians’ use of science would lay bare the truth.

In addition to making a mockery of Red Man chewing tobacco and Virginia Slims cigarettes, Dr. Richards and his team also targeted Arctic Lights in an extensive ad campaign.

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“While cigarette companies claim that they do not intend to market to children, their intentions are irrelevant if advertising affects what the children know. Whether intentional or not, Joe Camel is as easily recognized as Mickey Mouse by six-year-olds.” –DR. RICK RICHARDS JR. GRavity Summer 2014

conFIDENTIAL

An excerpt from a document authored by an R.J. Reynolds Tobacco official, stamped “Confidential,” and dated February 2, 1973: “Realistically, if our Company is to survive and prosper over the long term we must get our share of the youth market. In my opinion, this will require new brands targeted to the youth market. … Thus, we need new brands designed to be particularly attractive to the young smoker, …”

The Science The first decisive strike came when Richards wondered if the Surgeon General’s warning had any effect. Richards, MCG colleague Dr. Paul Fischer, and Dr. Earl Berman (MD ’88), then an MCG student, designed a study that adapted the corneal retinal-eye tracking technology used to aim aviation weaponry to study what teenagers looked at while viewing advertising in magazines. Conducted at the YMCA on Wheeler Road in Augusta, the study proved that the warning did not warn. Study results were published in the January 6, 1989, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association and generated national discussion. Then came the spark. One day, Fisher watched as his little boy puffed on a soda straw and announced that when he grew up he wanted to smoke cigarettes and drive a race car. The concerned father and physician began to question at what age tobacco advertising impacted children. Dr. Meyer Schwartz, then an MCG resident, came up with the idea of studying children at daycare centers. It was Dean Krugman from the University of Georgia who suggested a board game idea. And Richards researched general and tobacco advertising and youth in medical and advertising literature. With modest funding from DOC and with assistance from resident Adam Goldstein and research assistant Tina Rojas, the “games” began. The results, once the data was input and analyzed, proved chilling. Their groundbreaking study made clear that by age 6, nearly as many children could correctly identify and associate Joe Camel with cigarettes GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

as could identify and associate Mickey Mouse with the Disney Channel logo. The study was accepted for publication in JAMA and appeared in its December 11, 1991, issue. The next morning, The New York Times reported the attack on Joe Camel “savaged the character’s appeal to, and efficacy in reaching, children.” Other national media quickly dubbed it the “Joe Camel v. Mickey Mouse study.” Reactions from R.J. Reynolds and a coalition of health organizations lent the story additional buzz. Characteristically, R.J. Reynolds shrugged it off, but the health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to ban the Joe Camel campaign as “one of the most egregious examples in recent history of tobacco advertising that targets children.” Dr. George D. Lundberg has cited the study as the most significant article published during his 17-year tenure as editor-in-chief of JAMA. Both the eye-tracking and Joe Camel articles received awards as top research articles in the U.S. Dr. Richards says he believes his most important contribution to the effort was this: “While cigarette companies claim that they do not intend to market to children, their intentions are irrelevant if advertising affects what the children know. Whether intentional or not, Joe Camel is as easily recognized as Mickey Mouse by six-year-olds.” The public began putting two and two together, realizing that Joe Camel spin-off merchandise was as obviously meant for children as critters in a Happy Meal. Even marketing professors and savvy ad executives had missed the connection. GRavity Summer 2014

DR. ALAN BLUM (FROM LEFT), DR. TOM HOUSTON, DR. RICK RICHARDS, AND ERIC SOLBERG IN FRONT OF THEIR AWARD-WINNING BOOTH AT THE 1991 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS MEETING.

“Afterwards, it was as plain as the nose on your face,” recalls Matt Reynolds, then national advertising manager of The Augusta Chronicle. “I suddenly understood the reason I thought Joe Camel was so lame was because he wasn’t intended for me.”

The Smoking Gun R.J. Reynolds continued to contend that its Joe Camel campaign was directed only at adult smokers of other brands. These claims would soon leave company executives holding a smoking gun. With the MCG study fresh in the public’s memory, internal company documents were produced to the court in Mangini v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. These documents included memos, letters, and presentations — all showing unmistakably that the company had deliberately targeted children in order to grow the future market for Camel Cigarettes.

Here’s an excerpt from a document authored by a company official, stamped “Confidential,” and dated February 2, 1973: “Realistically, if our Company is to survive and prosper over the long term we must get our share of the youth market. In my opinion, this will require new brands targeted to the youth market. … Thus, we need new brands designed to be particularly attractive to the young smoker, …” The cartoon character Joe Camel first appeared in Camel cigarette ads in France the following year. On July 10, 1997, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company announced it was retiring Joe Camel. On November 23, 1998, Big Tobacco signed the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, the largest civil settlement in U.S. history — $206 billion to 46 states over 25 years. n

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Running Man BY DANIELLE WONG MOORES

After a nine-year ride, in his final year in office, thrice-elected Augusta mayor Deke Copenhaver is poised to leave a lasting legacy. At some point during the day, Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver (BA, Political Science ‘91) will be running. Literally. The three-time half-Ironman participant usually gets a run in during the early morning hours. In those peaceful minutes, his brain moves as fast as his legs, working through pressing issues of the day and big-picture items years in the making. After nine years in office, there’s a lot going on in that head. And this, his final year, is no exception. 2014 has already seen a crippling ice storm, an earthquake, the firing of the city administrator, an expedited timeline for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funding, ongoing discussion of a new Georgia Regents University mills campus in downtown Augusta, the anticipated loss of the Augusta GreenJackets minor league baseball team to North Augusta, the soon-toarrive Army Cyber Command at Fort Gordon, and more. If he allowed it, the job could consume him 24/7. “This is a marathon, it’s not a sprint for sure,” said Copenhaver with a laugh. “And you’ve got to pace yourself.” Every great runner has an established routine for training, setting the pace, and winning. Copenhaver’s rests on three foundations: his faith, his sense of community, and his eye for the future.

GRavity Summer 2014

Training and Tragedy For most of his tenure, Copenhaver’s downtown office was high atop the fondly named “Marble Palace” — the Augusta Municipal Building — just a stone’s throw from St. John United Methodist Church, his boyhood church home. In 1971, when his father, Bill, accepted a position at the Augusta-based chemical company Columbia Nitrogen, it was so his family could grow up in a small town as he had. But for youngest child Deke, then 4 — who with the family stayed at the Richmond Hotel in downtown Augusta while their new home was being built in Columbia County — Augusta seemed like a hustling and bustling big city. A self-described shy kid, he may have listened a little too closely to advice from his older sister intended to help him out of his shell. “Girls like boys who get into trouble,” she told him. He spent his early college years “having too much fun” at the University of Georgia, before coming home to attend what was then Augusta College. He buckled down, overloaded his classes, and ended with a 3.57 GPA. Like many fresh out of college, he couldn’t wait to get out of his hometown, so he progressed through several jobs in banking and real estate in Atlanta, Ga., and Beaufort, S.C. He was young, he was married, and life seemed good. But they say it is always calmest before a storm, and for Copenhaver, that storm was two great losses before the age of 30: first his mother’s passing from cancer, then the death of his wife, who struggled with mental illness, to suicide. Of the unimaginable pain that followed, Copenhaver simply says he spent many nights at home, just

praying. Always a churchgoer, the double tragedies brought life and strength to his personal faith. “Mine was developed through trial by fire,” he said. “There were times I just didn’t think I could make it through that. But those life-changing events, I think they can either pull you away from faith or draw you closer to it.”

Recovery and Warm Up Entering his 30s, Copenhaver seemed to develop a higher sense of purpose. In 1998, he left Beaufort for Augusta, having learned, “Sometimes you do need to go away and come back to really value what [you] have.” He reconnected with a childhood friend, Malisa Boardman, whom he married in 1999. Two years later, he became Executive Director of the Savannah River Land Trust, where he managed the purchase and preservation of hundreds of acres of green space, developing a program that’s still considered the best of its kind in the state. More statewide opportunities followed, including being tapped by then-Gov. Sonny Perdue to serve on the Georgia Land Conservation Partnership Advisory Council and being part of Leadership Georgia. At the time, Augusta was a hot topic — but not for good reason: The city was rife with current and former elected officials going under indictment. “I’m extremely competitive, and going around the state, hearing people say, ‘What’s wrong with Augusta?’ just drove me crazy,” Copenhaver said. A political science major at Augusta College, he found his old interest in politics rekindled. “It made me determined that if a position opened, I’d run for it.”

Only months later, Augusta Mayor Bob Young left to accept a position with the federal government, and Copenhaver accepted his own challenge, running and being elected in a runoff to fill Young’s unexpired term.

Hitting His Stride He inherited significant challenges: a board of commissioners that was divisive, primarily across racial lines, and a city that continued to struggle with blight in its core areas. The discord got so heated during his first year that he called for a prayer rally, where citizens encircled the municipal building, not once but twice, praying for unity. That inspired him to start a monthly prayer breakfast, which recently celebrated its 100th gathering. Likewise, Copenhaver starts his mornings with scripture, prayer, and running to freshen his body, mind, and spirit so he can tackle his day — a habit that grew out of those earlier dark days. Today, he says that time not only grew his faith, but made him a stronger and more compassionate person. As mayor, he most enjoys getting out and getting to know his constituents. More often than not, they bring him personal concerns about crime, housing, the job market. These pull at his heart. “If I didn’t feel so deeply, my job would probably be easier,” he said. “But having been through those [past] experiences gives you compassion to really help minister in those situations.” Although detractors have called him “Boy King” (coined by The Augusta Chronicle) to suggest a lack of experience or follow through, his supporters know him as “one GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

“One of my fondest memories of being mayor is riding several years ago in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, going down Laney-Walker, having a guy walk next to the car saying, ‘Thank you so much for what you’re doing for our neighborhood, it looks great. We’re so excited.’” –Mayor Deke Copenhaver of Augusta’s most beloved mayors” because he cares, deeply and personally, about this city. “Some people say I duck controversy, but man, I live in the epicenter of controversy,” he said. Not every project he has championed has come through (like the new baseball stadium he advocated for that never materialized), but Augusta has

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benefited economically under his tenure. For example, Starbucks brought a $172-million production facility to the city, and major companies like Rural Sourcing and Automatic Data Processing have moved jobs here from overseas hubs. He is particularly proud of ongoing community redevelopment in the Laney-Walker/Bethlehem historic district, including the new Heritage

Pines subdivision. Focusing on mixed-income housing and mixeduse development, the ongoing, large-scale project helped Southern Living magazine select him as one of its Heroes of the New South for 2012, but Copenhaver doesn’t talk about that. Instead, he focuses on the people. “We went out and we planned with the neighborhood, not for the neighborhood. That’s key, that’s civic engagement,” he said. “One of my fondest memories of being mayor is riding several years ago in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, going down Laney-Walker, having a guy walk next to the car saying, ‘Thank you so much for what you’re doing for our neighborhood, it looks great. We’re so excited.’”

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Despite his hard work and success in fast-tracking a $194-million SPLOST package through commission approval to get it on May’s ballot, voters narrowly dismissed it, with media reporting the margin to be under 700 votes. The package had included $8 million to support the construction of a new cancer research facility at GRU, which will add 155,000 square feet of research space and is phase I of a larger plan for a new cancer complex where patient care and research are colocated. The businessman in him believes putting up $8 million to get $45 million in bond funding from the state and hundreds of millions to the city in research dollars and economic impact makes good monetary sense. But it’s also personal: Copenhaver’s mother died of ovarian cancer. “[It’s about having] National Cancer Institute designation here [and] what that’s going to do for local families and families throughout the region,” he said. (Despite the setback, GRU plans to move forward on the center.)

The Finish Line

“If they just remember you as doing your best throughout your time in office and really focusing on the majority of citizens and their best interests ... I would say that would be something I would want to be known for — and just being fair.” –Mayor deke copenhaver

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Copenhaver finds the question of legacy hard to answer. “If they just remember you as doing your best throughout your time in office and really focusing on the majority of citizens and their best interests rather than making decisions based on what’s in the best interest of small groups, I would say that would be something I would want to be known for — and just being fair.” When he leaves the mayor’s office for the last time, one thing may change. “I always tell people, I’m going to grow my hair long, grow a beard, and write a tell-all book,” he teases. But one thing won’t: He plans to continue to champion the city and share Augusta’s story at a national level. “With Cyber Command coming down the pipe, with our continued work with the university, there’s so much work to do, and you realize quickly, it’s not about terms in office,” he said. “This has become a life’s work for me.” n

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2014

The difficulty we had selecting our inaugural Jag20 honorees underscores a couple of things: First, our graduates are second to none. And second, you can truly get anywhere from right here in Augusta, Ga. These fantastic young professionals live as far away as New Mexico and as close as right here in our home city. Their careers run the gamut from politics to medicine to golf car engineering. Among their employers are hospitals, schools, banks, nonprofits, and the U.S. military. Some work for large corporations; others are small business owners. And the paths they followed to get where they are vary just as much. We selected three of our honorees to tell their stories in more detail. Choosing whom to spotlight was nearly as difficult as choosing whom to honor, and we hope you’ll feel the same admiration and pride we did as we got to know the inaugural Jag20.

Dr. Rico Short DMD ’99 Endodontist Smyrna, Ga.

GRavity Spring 2014

Tonya Bonitatibus BBA, Marketing ’06 Savannah Riverkeeper Augusta, Ga.

Dr. David Hardy MD ’07 Vascular Surgery Fellow The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio

Three Jags —

Dr. Rico Short

(DMD ’99) Endodontist, Apex Endodontics P.C. Smyrna, Ga. 22

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—Three Journeys BY KAREN GUTMANN

Rico Short saves teeth — and teens. Tonya Bonitatibus saves our environment. David Hardy saves lives. Their journeys started in different places, intersected at the colleges of Georgia Regents University, then took off. Along the way, each has faced barriers, overcome challenges, seized opportunities, and given back. They represent the best of the best.

Their Beginnings “I grew up in Columbus, Ga., in a single-parent household,” said Short. “No one went to college.” Short’s mother worked for 32 years in a textile mill, coming home day after day covered in cotton. Short’s grandfather was an alcoholic who mowed a local church’s lawn to support his wife and 14 children. Short says he was well on his way to becoming a poverty-cycle statistic when in 10th grade he was selected for a mentorship program called “Uniting Columbus Beyond 2000.” He was paired with a local AfricanAmerican dentist, Dr. Isaac Hadley, an MCG alumnus. It changed his life. “When I met this person, it was kind of weird,” he said. “I never had a father, never had a role model. I was still kind of rough around the edges.” It took awhile, but Hadley got through.

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“I had seen guys around selling drugs,” said Short. “They had nice cars; they were doing things illegally.” Hadley took Short to his beautiful home in a country club development. “I thought, ‘Wow, you didn’t have to lie or cheat to get here,’” said Short. “I didn’t know you could do that. I didn’t know blacks could be doctors. It ignited my passion.” Short stepped up his studying and participated in two MCG summer programs, including the Student Enhancement Enrichment Program (SEEP), designed to encourage disadvantaged kids to enter the health professions. “That’s when MCG really started to be pivotal,” he said. He was awarded a full scholarship to Morris Brown College in Atlanta and entered the MCG School of Dentistry after only his junior year.

TONYA Bonitatibus grew up on a big extendedfamily compound just outside of Augusta’s Fort Gordon on 45 acres that have been in her family for about 80 years. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all put down their roots in homes on the property. Her family has a long military history. When her great-grandfather was stationed in Fort Gordon in the 1930s, he bought the property right outside Gate 5. Bonitatibus’ childhood was close to idyllic. So much so, she now owns the property, having recently purchased it from her grandparents. Bonitatibus entered Augusta State University in 2002 with plans to be a veterinarian.

___ u ___

David Hardy grew up in Washington, Ga., with his parents and two older siblings. While all real needs were provided for, college tuition wasn’t in the family budget. A health occupation class he took in his senior year of high school piqued his interest, and he decided to be a nurse. After all, it was what his brother and sister had done. He entered ASU as a biology major with the help of a HOPE scholarship.

Their Lives on Campus Short moved to Augusta to attend MCG’s College of Dentistry and continued to excel. He was one of the youngest students in the program and one of only a few African-Americans. “Dental school was tough,” he said, but he worked hard, driven by the promise of a better life. While there, he served as the President of the Student National Dental Association. He earned his DMD in 1999 and joined Dr. Hadley’s practice back in Columbus.

___ u ___ While at ASU, Bonitatibus took classes in biology, in preparation for vet school, but with both parents having business degrees, she also found herself drawn to business classes. It wasn’t long before she changed her mind about becoming a vet, and she continued to straddle science and business, working as a lab assistant for Dr. Bruce Saul. When she graduated in 2006, it was with a BA in Marketing, but she was only four courses short of a biology degree.

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Tonya Bonitatibus (BBA, Marketing â&#x20AC;&#x2122;06) Executive Director, Savannah Riverkeeper Augusta, Ga.

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Dr. David Hardy

(BS, Biology ’01; MD ’07) Vascular Surgeon, Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, Ohio

Hardy took an anatomy class his first semester at ASU and fell in love with it. Within two weeks, he decided he would be a doctor. But it wouldn’t be easy. While his scholarship covered tuition, he had no funds for an apartment. He began by commuting an hour from his parents’ home, but when sleep apnea made that risky, he had to come up with another plan. “I decided college was important,” he said. “So I worked three jobs.” Unable to find an apartment he could afford, “I was living where I could,” he said, “in the lab, in the laundry, in my car.” It was a few months before he had the money to rent a room. His next challenge was getting accepted to medical school. Even with excellent grades and decent MCATs, it took him three tries in four years to get in, which today he surmises was due to interviews that communicated

he wasn’t ready. During that time, he worked in MCG labs and did research to beef up his resume. He also met and married his wife, Melissa. They welcomed a daughter, Avery, during his third year of medical school. May 2007 brought both the best and worst of news: He earned his MD from MCG — and Avery’s health took a dire turn. The day before she was to turn one, Avery began to have seizures, unstoppable even with medication. Scans showed dangerous brain swelling, and they were told she would likely not make it to her first birthday. Shell-shocked, her heartbroken parents sang what they thought would be her last “Happy Birthday.” Avery survived the night and was ultimately diagnosed with a rare chronic inflammation of the brain that required surgery. Hardy spent his first weeks of GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

residency working long days in the hospital followed by longer nights in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Melissa worked with Avery through years of intensive physical therapy. Today she is a happy, healthy seven-year-old, and has been joined by siblings Haley and Solomon.

2014

Their Destinations … So Far Hadley helped spur Short to earn a post-graduate certificate in endodontics. Today he is a successful, even renowned, root canal specialist with his own practice in Smyrna, Ga. Short never forgets where he came from and has spent countless hours reaching back to help others as he was helped. In addition to regularly volunteering in dental clinics around Atlanta, Short speaks in high schools and YMCAs, both in his hometown and around the state. Dr. Rico Short long ago reached the example set for him by his mentor. He and his wife, Angela, have two young daughters, Jayla and Ava. He is determined to use his skills and experiences to ensure others born into difficult circumstances are given the opportunities to succeed as he was.

Nikki Bailey (BSN ’02) Active Duty Army Nurse Corp Officer, U.S. Army St. Roberts, Mo.

Jenny Barber (MBA ’03) Senior Manager, Cherry Bekaert LLP Augusta, Ga.

___ u ___ When Bonitatibus talks about her work as the Savannah Riverkeeper, she exudes passion and exhibits a near-encyclopedic knowledge of environmental issues. Her position perfectly combines her seemingly divergent educational backgrounds. “Biology and chemistry made it so I can understand wonky, abstract ideas,” she said. But it’s the marketing that helps in her primary role as environmental advocate. Characteristically, it was Bonitatibus who approached the nonprofit and convinced them to hire her as its Development Director. Three years later, she became the Executive Director. She sees her job as primarily to educate people about the impact of water use and industrial contamination on the Savannah River, a critical water resource for both Georgia and South Carolina. Close behind are river protection and restoration. With a staff of only three, Bonitatibus is a jack-ofall-trades. She lobbies local and state elected officials, coordinates with federal and state agencies, plans and executes educational and recreational events, raises funds, initiates legal action, and puts pressure on polluters. She and the organization are tenacious — with notable successes. GRavity Summer 2014

Dr. William Bennett (MD ’05, DMD ’10) Orthodontist, Foundations Orthodontics Rome, Ga.

Dr. Kris Dhandapani (PhD ’03) Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, GRU Augusta, Ga.

Chris Etterlee (BBA, Accounting ’97; MBA ’99) Partner, Fuller Frost & Associates Augusta, Ga.

Crystal Gaines (BA, History ’09; MEd ’12) Economics and Political Science Education Teacher, John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School Augusta, Ga.

Dr. Adam Goldberg (DMD ’10) Dentist, Goldberg Dental Group Augusta, Ga.

Dr. Christopher Hasty (DMD ’03) Dentist, Tifton Regional Dental Group Tifton, Ga.

For decades, Olin Corporation, using a process banned in Japan in the 1950s and for which there were well-established alternatives, dumped copious amounts of poisonous mercury into the river. An eight-year RK campaign finally put a stop to it — but not before taxpayers had to sink millions into cleanup costs. And RK recently secured a 100-year lease from the city on riverfront land that they plan to convert to recreational space after they clean it up. For years it was a dumping ground for everything imaginable. “We’ve taken 240 tons of trash out of 14 acres,” she said. “And we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface.” Federal funds will play a big part in the cleanup, and the end result will be the only recreational riverfront space in Augusta. “People think Riverkeepers are a bunch of tree huggers,” she said. “We just want people to take into account the true cost of doing business, and we want equitable sharing of river resources.”

Mie Lucas (BA, Psychology ’08) Deputy Director, Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, Augusta-Richmond County, Emergency Management Augusta, Ga.

Rebekah Murphy (MBA ’10) Director of Development and Special Events, Heritage Sandy Springs Atlanta, Ga.

Lynthia Owens (BA, Communications ’03; MPA ’06) District Director, Office of Congressman John Barrow Augusta, Ga.

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Hardy earned the Resident of the Year award his last year of residency. Today, he is a boardcertified general surgeon completing two additional years of training in vascular surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. This time he attained his first choice in one try. Hardy says being on the patient-and-family side of a critical illness has altered the way he practices medicine. “I feel like I want to serve people more,” he said. “I try to give a little extra to the family and to the patient. I know that small gestures made a big difference to me.” He has already signed an agreement to return to Augusta and GRU when he completes his training in July 2015. “I loved my days at MCG, GRU, ASU, GHSU,” he said with a chuckle. “I actually went to every one of them.” n

Rebecca Plankey (BA, Psychology ’04; MBA ’09) Vice President, Relationship Manager First Citizens Evans, Ga.

Dr. Limor Raz (PhD ’11) Research Assistant, Professor, Neurology University of New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M.

DR. Trevor Roebuck (BS, Physics ’02) Test Department Supervisor, E-Z-GO Augusta, Ga.

Rich Rogers (BA, Communications ’03) Meteorologist, WAGT Augusta, Ga.

Lindsay Thetford (BA, Communications ’08) Digital Media and Communications Manager, Doctors Hospital Augusta, Ga.

Adam Williams (BBA, Accounting ’03) Client Accounting Services & Tax Manager, The Cleveland Group, CPAs Evans, Ga.

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Class reunions, campus tours, fun and informative “Discovery Sessions,” and entertaining and thought-provoking speakers — These were among the more than 50 separate events enjoyed by more than 1,200 alumni, faculty, and staff during April’s 2014 Alumni Weekend. As always, this popular homecoming weekend gave friends, classmates, and colleagues a chance to return, reconnect, and rediscover the beauty of GRU Augusta’s campuses; to reminisce about times past and to learn about exciting developments in our future. Over the course of the weekend, we recognized our 2014 class of Distinguished Alumni, and we honored our first “Jag20” selectees, alumni under the age of 40 who have already distinguished themselves in their professions and communities. And we just had fun! n

Mark your calendars: April

23-26, 2015

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We would like to extend a special THANK YOU to our 2014 sponsors. We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have done it without you! Presenting Sponsor

Event Sponsors

13th Street & Central Ave.

Merle Norman

Pecans Unlimited

Costco Wholesale

Global Spectrum

INTERESTED IN SPONSORING ALUMNI WEEKEND 2015? Contact us at 706.737.1759 or alumni@gru.edu

GRa v i t y S p r i n g 2 0 1 4

COLLEGE CATCH-UP College of Allied Health Sciences As health information management becomes ever more critical in the rapidly changing health care field, the College of Allied Health Sciences was pleased to host the annual national meeting of the Consortium of Baccalaureate and Graduate Health Informatics and Information Management Educators

March 6-7. The conference offers recommendations on education improvements to the American Health Information Management Association that will ultimately influence the development of electronic health records, information storage, and patient care. n

College of Dental Medicine Georgia’s only dental school has partnered with the state’s largest program in materials science to advance engineering-related innovations in oral health. The new partnership initially funds three research projects that pair faculty and researchers from GRU’s College of Dental Medicine and the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Materials Science and Engineering. The researchers rely on biweekly Skype sessions to communicate and are facilitating exchanges between students in Augusta and Atlanta on a series of projects that build on the strengths of each school. n

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Hull College of Business is now offering a Master of Business Administration degree aimed specifically at graduates of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This full-time program provides a fast-paced, cohort-driven curriculum that focuses on the management and commercialization of emerging technologies in energy, biotechnology, health care, information, and manufacturing technologies. n

College of Education has been selected to join 87 institutions from around the country for the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate Consortium. GRU is one of only four institutions in the state to be admitted into the program. CPED is an action-oriented initiative where a small number of colleges and schools of education come together to institute a clear distinction between the professional practice doctorate in education and the education research doctorate and to improve reliability and efficacy of programs leading to the professional doctorate in education. n

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Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Dr. Andrew Goss was named Chairman of the Department of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy in the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Goss comes to GRU by way of the University of New Orleans, where he was Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of History. His research and scholarship focuses on the science and politics of modern Indonesia. He assumed his new role July 1. Professor of History and former Department Chairman Dr. Hubert van Tuyll will continue teaching in the department. n

COLLEGE CATCH-UP THE Graduate School More than 130 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents showcased their research accomplishments at The Graduate School’s 30th annual Graduate Research Day on March 20-21. Outstanding participants were recognized from all disciplines at an April 16 awards banquet. Visit gru.edu/gradstudies for the list of awards and winners. Highlighting the event was a keynote by Nobel Laureate Dr. Andrew V. Schally. He is a world leader on targeting hormone-related cancers and is largely responsible for developing hormone ablation to treat prostate and other cancers. n

College of Nursing Two degree programs aimed at helping nurses earn advanced degrees are being reestablished in the GRU College of Nursing. The Clinical Nurse Leader programs — one that offers an accelerated master’s degree for nurses with a nursing diploma or associate degree and another that provides licensed nurses with an advanced generalist degree that focuses on improved patient outcomes — will return as soon as 2015. The degrees are the newest additions to the college’s online graduate program offerings, recently ranked among the top 100 in the nation. n

College of Science and Mathematics The 2014 Georgia Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting was held on the Summerville Campus March 28-29. With nearly 300 attendees representing more than 30 colleges and universities from around the state, there was a diversity of topics presented at plenary sessions. The entire conference was a celebration of scientific discovery and student learning. Dr. John Mateja, Professor of Physics and Director of the Murray State University McNair Scholars program gave the Friday evening keynote address, emphasizing the importance of engaging students in the learning process through activities including undergraduate research. n

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Medical College of Georgia The 178th graduating class, the Class of 2014, was the largest class ever for the state’s public medical school. MCG increased its class size from 180 to 190 students, the first increase in 32 years, in 2003. Seven years later, the freshman class size grew to 230 students, currently the eighth largest freshman medical school class in the nation, with the opening of a second, four-year campus in Athens in partnership with the University of Georgia.

The first cohort of students at the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership Campus was among those who graduated this May. Dr. Darrell G. Kirch, President and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges and former MCG Dean, was the featured speaker for the class’ Hooding Program May 8. n

Dean Peter F. Buckley gave his annual State of the College Address on May 3. His talk, “MCG’s 185-Year Legacy and Future: People Make it Happen,” was given during the MCG Faculty Senate meeting and highlight the accomplishments of faculty, residents, students, and staff as well as the collective achievements of the state’s public medical school during the past year. n

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ALUMNI ADVOCACY Don Grantham: Advocate Extraordinaire consecutive Division I national golf of America, YMCA, and Augusta With a list of accomplishments a championships in 2010 and 2011. Museum, among many others. mile long, Don Grantham would be In the ‘80s, while a member of the excused for resting on his laurels. But He was appointed to the Georgia Augusta College Board of Trustees, Ports Authority and served as that’s not what this lifelong engaged he worked closely with Jack Widener its Chairman for two terms. He is citizen and extraordinarily effective and William Bloodworth, former currently the Vice Chairman of advocate is made of. Dean of the business school and Georgia’s State Transportation Born and raised in Augusta, Ga., former ASU President, respectively, Board, which governs the state Grantham attended the Academy to boost the business school’s Department of Transportation. of Richmond County and earned programs and profile to a new level. Grantham is a man clearly a football scholarship to Furman Subsequently, the Princeton Review committed to doing the best for University in Greenville, S.C. After has repeatedly recognized the Hull his city and his community. And only two years, tragedy struck College of Business as one of the he’s always believed that the city’s when his father passed away, and nation’s top business schools. university was key to reaching that he came home to help. He took In more recent years, when goal. classes at what was then Augusta Georgia needed more dentists “Education is the answer,” he Junior College before transferring to and consequently more space in said. “We are now on the verge of finish his degree at the University of seeing the university here in Augusta which to educate them, Grantham Georgia. helped acquire the property for a explode, and that will give us great But Augusta was home, and new state-of-the-art facility on our opportunities.” Augusta is where he chose to spend his life. He settled in and “Education is the answer. We are now on the verge of married Carol, seeing the university here in Augusta explode, and that with whom he will soon will give us great opportunities.” celebrate 52 campus. He’s also helping to supply For decades, he has helped years of marriage. Their daughter, a future dentist: His grandson, Scott foster transformative change on Zoe, and son, Don Jr. (Dag), have Gawrych, will enter GRU’s College of GRU Augusta campuses. In the ‘60s, each given them two grandchildren. Dental Medicine in the fall. he supported the former Gov. Carl A successful businessman, Grantham is excited about Sanders in converting the Junior Grantham is the President and CEO GRU’s future prospects. “With the College of Augusta into a four-year of the Forest Sales Corporation, consolidation of the university with institution, Augusta College. a wholesale lumber company he the medical system, I think the The 1970s saw him joining fellow co-founded in 1968. His company horizon is huge,” he said. Augusta Golf Association members represents and sells wood products While he is quick to spread credit to acquire the Forest Hills property from more than 100 sawmills around, the university owes much for the benefit of the university throughout the U.S. and Canada. to this tireless advocate, who is still and to finance its purchase. He It would be hard to name a civic hard at work on its behalf. n organization Grantham hasn’t helped has been Chairman of the Forest Hills Golf Club Committee for lead. Those he has include the more than 30 years. AGA efforts Augusta Commission, the Richmond helped lead the Jaguar golf team to County Commission, the Boy Scouts

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Want more say in what your government does? Become a GRU Advocate! Sign up at gru.edu/gov/gruadvocate.php or call 706-721-2335 and make your voice heard. As an advocate, you may receive a “call to action” throughout the year: information about a specific pending issue and what you can easily and quickly do to help. When the Georgia General Assembly is in session (Jan.-April), you’ll receive weekly updates so you can readily stay on top of important issues. Quarterly, you will receive a newsletter on issues of impact at the federal, state, and local levels. Introduced last year, the GRU Advocates program is a great way for alumni and other GRU supporters to make a big difference with only a modest investment of time — and no money involved.

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GROWING GRU

Amazing Grace

BY KAREN GUTMANN

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Multiple sclerosis, two bouts with breast cancer, and serious — likely permanent — damage to her 43-year-old heart. Yet, what’s striking about Carolyn Bowen is her beauty, her calm, and her kind and easy warmth. No sign of illness, no hint of self-pity, no flashes of anger. Her story, of course, has moments of all of these, but this mother of two has emerged from almost unimaginable trials with truly amazing grace.

It Begins When Bowen was 37, she began having alarming symptoms. It started with vision problems, then numbness and tingling sensations in her legs. By the time she learned the cause, in spring of 2007, her symptoms had dramatically worsened. She couldn’t walk, had lost sight in one eye, and couldn’t speak. The diagnosis was multiple sclerosis. She began a year and a half of infusion treatments at the MCG Multiple Sclerosis Center. “Slowly but surely I started to regain function,” she said. As her condition improved, she and her family worked on getting their life back. Her son, Reginald, moved to Statesboro to attend Georgia Southern University. Her daughter, Imani’s, routine returned to normal at the Episcopal Day School. Bowen returned to work and became engaged. Then one day, while absent-mindedly performing her monthly breast self-exam in the shower, she felt a lump.

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“This couldn’t be happening.” Her oncologist, Dr. Thomas Samuel, diagnosed breast cancer. She was devastated. “I hadn’t really bounced back from the MS. I was still trying to recover financially — and then here was cancer,” she said. “I cried so many days, I wanted to give up on life.” But she made a decision to be there for her children. She had a mastectomy and radiation treatments at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon. Again, life began to return to normal, albeit with significant debt due to her treatments. Nearly three years later, she noticed a dimpling on her breast and made an appointment. The cancer had returned, and this time it was much more aggressive. “I was driving home, I could hardly see,” she said. “I was crying so hard and yelling at God, ‘Why me? I’m not a bad person, why me?’” She eventually calmed down. “Then I thought, ‘Why not me? Maybe because I am a good person, God is going to use me in this mighty way.’” This time Bowen came to the Cancer Center at what is now Georgia Regents University. She needed a radical mastectomy and aggressive chemotherapy consisting of three separate chemical cocktails to be administered consecutively once per week for three months — seven hours per treatment. She lost her job due to her frequent absences and, consequently, she lost her health insurance. This time, with help from GRU Cancer Center staff, she learned of community, government, and church resources that could help her with the financial demands. “I had to get assistance, and oh my gosh, that was …,” she said, at a loss for words. “I had always made enough to take care of my family. It was like being on an elevator at the top, and it suddenly drops and hits the floor.” The chemo made her desperately ill. She lost her breasts and she lost her hair. The impact on her self-image and her spirits was incalculable.

sherry brooks, manager, GRU Cancer center image boutique

The Turnaround She recalls when she hit bottom — and when she started to come back. “I was so sick from the chemo, and I was mad. I went through every emotion. At one appointment, I just wanted to give up. I was crying … I would say I had a breakdown.” Her oncologist took her hand and walked her to the GRU Cancer Center Image Boutique and introduced her to manager Sherry Brooks. “Sherry grabbed me by the hand and said, ‘I’ve got her from here.’ And she found a grant through MCG that paid for my bra prosthesis and my wigs, and she gave me gas money out of her own pocket so I could come in and get fitted.” Brooks is a certified wig and breast prosthesis fitter and a licensed cosmetologist, and she taught Bowen how to use makeup to replace the eyebrows lost through chemo. Thus began the turnaround.

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“People like Carolyn – They are why we do this.” –Dr. Samir Khleif, GRU Cancer Center Director

“I started feeling like a woman again … like I was going to get better,” Bowen said. “From that point on, Sherry has held my hand. She calls to see if I’m okay. And every March she gets me a grant for new bra prosthetics. I could never afford them on my own. I call her my angel.” Her road is still challenging. The chemotherapy damaged her heart; it now functions at about 20 percent of normal and is likely to stay that way. She still has MS. And if the cancer were to come back, her body could not take more chemotherapy. But Bowen is grateful for her life and the time she gets to spend with her children. She credits God — and everyone at the GRU Cancer Center who helped her. “I love them like family,” she said through tears. “They took care of me, walked me down the halls, took me outside, held my hand, they really cared. I wasn’t a number.”

GRU Cancer Center “People like Carolyn – They are why we do this,” said Dr. Samir Khleif, GRU Cancer Center Director. “And they are why we are so grateful to the many people and organizations that support our mission.” Like the transformational gift recently pledged from the Masters Tournament through the CSRA Community Foundation: $6 million to help fund a new research facility at the GRU Cancer Center and a children’s camp for those with disabilities and illness. “Without the generosity and caring of so many people, I would not be here today,” said Bowen. “Thank you.” n

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The Image Boutique is located on the first floor of the GRU Cancer Center, 1411 Laney Walker Blvd. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m, Monday through Friday. Wig/Bra/Prosthesis fittings by appointment only, 706-721-0466.

Olimpia Nowak

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JAGUAR PRIDE B Y P A U L A H I N E LY Olimpia Nowak, former All-American heptathlete, has cleared many hurdles both on and off the track. Now the assistant coach of GRU’s new track and field team is setting her sights on a lifelong dream and her sport’s greatest hurdle: the Olympic Games. Only two years remain until Nowak, a native of Rawicz, Poland, can qualify to represent her home country in Rio de Janeiro in the 100-meter hurdles. It’s the only event in which she still competes from the heptathlon, which also includes the high jump, shot put, 200-meter sprint, long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run. Nowak’s journey to Rio started at 11 years old, when she began competing in the heptathlon. Only three years later, she placed third in the Polish track and field championships, where her high jump of 5 feet 10 inches set both a personal best and a new national record. “That’s the moment I started believing in myself more, and thinking I could really do something,” Nowak said. She was thriving in her sport until her senior year of high school, when Nowak suffered a leg injury. Continued competing caused more pain and damage, and her once-promising athletic future seemed headed to a premature end. In Poland, athletes must choose between pursuing their sport or their education after high school. Her injury GRavity Summer 2014

was deemed too expensive to repair, making the choice moot, but Nowak wasn’t ready to forgo her Olympic dreams. “I heard about scholarships in the U.S. that let athletes train while they get an education, so I started applying; and even with my injury, I had about 15 to 20 scholarship offers,” Nowak said. She accepted an offer from the University of Northern Iowa and, in 2008, left her family to move to Cedar Falls. The scholarship came with a promise of surgery to repair her leg, a second chance at track and field, and a college education. Her choice was no longer between athletics and education, but between dozens of college majors. She chose psychology. But she had a new hurdle to clear — Nowak didn’t speak English. So she spent eight months studying English six hours a day while training, competing, and even setting school records on an injured leg. Surgery took place the following fall, and she was redshirted her sophomore year. “The surgery helped some, but I’ve basically been competing injured my whole career,” Nowak said. Every jump she took put her at risk for added injury, and her collegiate coach eventually convinced her to forgo the heptathlon and focus her Olympic dreams on the 100-meter hurdles. After graduating from Northern Iowa in 2012, Nowak

came to GRU to pursue a master’s degree in kinesiology and help develop the track and field team, which just completed its first season. Head coach Adam Ward said with her experience and work ethic, Nowak is an excellent role model for the student athletes. “Her Olympic aspirations serve as a reminder of the level of commitment it takes to achieve their goals and dreams.” Nowak sees a mutual benefit. She trains alongside the team, and even competes against them at some meets as an “unattached competitor,” since she is not a Division II athlete. It all aids in her pursuit to join Poland’s Olympic team and makes her very grateful for her Jaguar experience. “If I make the Olympic team, my life can really start,” Nowak said. “I’ll accomplish something I’ve always wanted.” n

CLASS NOTES 1960s Judy Kent Davidson (BSN ’69) has published a book titled “Salvation is the Easier Part” full of inspirational stories of Divine help in difficult times. Dr. Robert G. Kiger (Medical Resident, Cardiology) was inducted into the Society of St. Luke at Providence Hospitals in Columbia, S.C., for distinguished service to patients, the mission of the hospitals, and the community.

1970s Walter Eubanks (BA, Political Science ’74) was the 2014 grand marshal of Augusta’s 37th annual Irish-American Heritage Society parade. Jane Reynolds Hemmer (MT ’70) was selected as the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia’s 2014 Gainesville Woman of Distinction, which honors a woman who reflects Girl Scout values and serves as an excellent role model.

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Henry Kelly (BBA, Accounting ’82), Project Executive for Georgia Power, was selected to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission by Gov. Nathan Deal. Dr. David Kraebber (MD ’81) was elected as member-at-large to the Executive Committee of the Southeastern Section of the American Urological Association.

Dr. William Robert Lane (MD ’84) is Vice President of the Bibb County Medical Society. Dr. Beth Lindsay (MD ’87) joined the Scotland Cancer Treatment Center in Laurinburg, N.C.. Dr. McCoy L. Moretz (MD ’82) was appointed to the Medical Advisory Board for Rich Pharmaceuticals in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Dr. William E. Mayher III (MD ’64) received the Professionalism Award from MCG Dean Dr. Peter F. Buckley for his invaluable contributions to the state’s public medical school and to the education of the next generation of physicians.

Dr. Wallace Mays (MD ’76) was appointed to the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center Board of Directors in Americus, Ga. Anne Turner-Henson (BSN ’76), Professor of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, received the 2014 Leadership in Research Award from the Southern Nursing Research Society for research on caring for children with chronic illnesses.

1980s Dr. Maria Bartlett (MD ’83) is President-Elect of the Bibb County Medical Society. Dr. Rodney Martin Durham (MD ’80) has joined Lakeland Regional Trauma and Surgical Associates in Lakeland, Fla., as Associate Director of Trauma and Quality Services.

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Dr. Pete Sanderson (MD ’80) was named Northern Region Vice President for Ministry Medical Group in Stevens Point, Wis.

Troy Spicer (BSN ’89) was named Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga.

Dr. Michael Steinbook (MD ’81) is President of the Georgia Gastroenterologic and Endoscopic Society. He practices in Columbus, Ga. Dr. Kelly Wafford (MD ’81), Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, was certified in child abuse pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. William Walker (MD ’82) joined the medical staff of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Pennsylvania.

1990s

2000s

2010s Dr. Kasey Berman (MD ’02) has opened Be Pediatrics in Savannah, Ga.

Drew Brown (EdS ’06) was named the Southeastern Region Elementary Art Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Association. Gavin Johnson (BA, Communications ’06) is a public relations specialist at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C.

Dr. William “Jay” McAfee (MD ’05) was named to the Boards of Directors for Community Capital Bancshares Inc. and its subsidiary AB&T National Bank. Adam Mestres (BA, Political Science ’09; MPA ’10) declared his candidacy for the S.C. House District 84 seat in South Carolina.

Dr. Jack Ramage (MD ’97) joined Hanover Gastroenterology, part of New Hanover Regional Medical Center Physician Group, in Wilmington, N.C. Vernica Roberson (BSN ’96) has released her debut book, “Poster Child: She Could Be You,” telling stories of men and women affected by HIV that she has witnessed throughout her career. GRavity Summer 2014

Dr. Aksana Marshall (DMD ’10) is now an associate orthodontist with Carter Orthodontics in Augusta, Ga.

WJBF-TV News Channel 6 awarded the following alumni with The Golden Apple Award, which honors teachers who demonstrate the true spirit of their profession by making classrooms a fun and safe place to learn: Jamie Baxley (BSEd ’06), mathematics, Academy of Richmond County Chanique Hill (BSEd ’10, MEd ’11), sixth grade, Burke County Middle School Jennifer Moore (MEd ’00), third grade, Warren Road Elementary Daniel Patrick (MAT ’11), social studies, Pine Hill Middle School David Phillips (EdS ’10), sixth grade, Lakeside Middle School

Dr. Jean-Pierre Mobasser (MD ’98) is team neurosurgeon of the Indiana Pacers and serves as the spinal consultant for the National Football League Combine. Dr. Gregory O’Leary (Medical Resident, Family Medicine) joined CaroMont Health’s South Point Family Practice in Belmont, N.C.

Camilla Correia (MPA ’13) joined the Lavonia Clinic in Lavonia, Ga., as a certified physician assistant.

Casey Randolph (BSEd ’00), kindergarten, Waynesboro Primary School

Dr. Douglas J. Thompson (MD ’93), an oncologist at Blue Ridge Healthcare in Morganton, N.C., participated in a 150mile charity run to raise money for local cancer patients.

Stephanie Reeves (MEd ’09, EdS ’10), fourth grade, Dearing Elementary School Stephanie Scott (BSEd ’13), second grade, Jamestown Elementary School Ann Sturkey (MEd ’10, EdS ’11), third grade, Martinez Elementary Elizabeth Sumerlin (BA, English Education ’07; MEd ’13), English, Grovetown High School Tracey Tucker (BSEd ’82), special education, Warrenville Elementary School

IN MEMORIAM J. Bruce Arensman (MBA ’89)

H. Allen Green (BA, Music ’73) passed away in New

Henry Bailey Jr. (MBA ’80)

York City on February 27, 2014, of complications from

Christy Baker-Annis (MA, Psychology ’82) Margaret Bennett (AS, Dental Lab Technician ’84)

open heart surgery. Rev. Green, an ordained minister and former U.S. Marine, made history during the early days of integration at Augusta College.

Samuel Carraway III (BA, Political Science ’07; MAT ’09)

Dr. Donald Chait (MD ’54)

created in 1970 and comprised of four black and four

Ronald Childers (BBA, Management ’75)

white students to act as an intermediary between

Dorothy Clark (BA, History ’70)

He was a member of the school’s Interracial Council,

students and faculty. Green was President of his freshman class

Laura Golden (AACC ’51)

and in 1971, he

Dr. William Hewitt (DMD ’86)

was elected

Maureen Hughes (BA, History ’77)

the first black President of

Mary Jackson (BSN ’93)

the Student

Todd Joiner (MEd ’01)

Government

Dr. Rufus Martin Jr. (MD ’60)

Association. At

Brenda McAvoy (BSN ’71)

the time, fewer

James McCanless (MD ’51)

than 8 percent of the student body

Michael McTier (BBA, Management ’81)

and only two of

Ray Moore (AACC ’58)

115 teachers were

Dr. Robert Moreland (MD ’57)

black.

Lloyd Newsome (BBA, Accounting ’77)

Dr. Thomas Paschal (MD ’78)

Southern Universities Student Government Organization,

Robert Perry Jr. (AS, Dental Lab Technician ’84)

In 1972, Green became the first black President of the

the first Augusta College student to hold that office. n

Debra Pfeffer (BSN ’76) Dr. Charles Rey (MD ’49) Dr. William Robison (MD ’51) Elaine Routt (MSN ’75) William “Frankie” Smith (AACC ’64) Carl Stelling (AACC ’38) Robert Swann (BS, Mathematics ’73; MEd ’76) Kathleen Thompson (MBA ’92) Daniel Walton (BBA ’73) Annadelle Weathers (ASCC ’80) Dr. Louis Williams (MD ’53)

GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

WE NEED

HEROES Meet Darrell Byrd, one of our volunteers at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. He’s a banker and a news junkie. He enjoys kayaking and walking on the beach. But to Emma and the other kids being treated at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia – he’s a hero.

Volunteer or make a gift today. Come on, be a hero. giving.gru.edu/heroes 706.721.4004

GRa v i t y S p r i n g 2 0 1 4

givin g.gru.edu /c mn

Office of Advancement 1120 15th Street, FI-1000 Augusta, Georgia 30912

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

Augusta, GA Permit No. 210

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

facebook.com/GeorgiaRegentsU & facebook.com/GRUJaguarNation

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