A. Fall 2017

[ FALL 2017 • VOL. 2 • NO. 2 ]

ANALYZING DNA

Putting forensic science under the scope

Dissecting Fear

Today, Everest

More Than a Room

Welcome Home

A FRESH-WATER WONDER

A

wooden bridge, wet to the touch and dusted with fallen pine needles, is one of only a handful of manmade structures found within Phinizy Swamp Nature Park.

Much of the 1,100-acre park, situated behind the Augusta Regional Airport, looks the way it did 300 years ago. Tall grass covers the smooth banks rising up from Butler Creek, sheltering snakes, waterfowl and the occasional sunbathing gator. Farther in, groves of bald cypress make their home in the soggy earth, their branches sparse and drooping with Spanish moss, their knobby knees churning the soil underfoot. Atop the lone windshear tower, used by the Augusta Regional Airport to measure the direction and average surface speed of wind, an osprey tends to her chicks in a nest built of twigs and dried wood.

Venture far enough in, and you’ll likely encounter another form of “wildlife” roaming the park.

Augusta University students frequently perform research at the Phinizy Center for Water Sciences.

Liam Wolff and Nicole Haibach, students in the College of Science and Mathematics, have both worked extensively at the park as research interns, gathering data for a number of scientific studies including a recent initiative by the Centers for Disease Control to monitor mosquito populations through Richmond County.

“I’ve done so many new and exciting things since I started working at [Phinizy],” Haibach said. “My research has involved collecting fish and macroinvertebrates, processing and analyzing water samples, monitoring chemical concentrations, identifying mosquitoes, and so much more.”

Wolff, who regularly photographs wildlife in the park, said he also has a special relationship with Phinizy because it’s the perfect place for limnological study (the study of the biological, chemical and physical features of a body of fresh water).

“It’s an ideal location for a limnology lab because it’s just outside of Augusta and still only a mile away from the New Savannah Bluff boat ramp, which makes it easy for researchers to get to the river,” Wolff said.

PHOTO GALLERY Visit magazines.augusta.edu to see more pictures of Phinizy Swamp Nature Park.

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IN PLACE

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The boardwalk at Phinizy Swamp

Photo by Phil Jones ma gazi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 1

CONTENTS Welcome Home IN PLACE............................................................................................. 1 ON THE CALENDAR.......................................................................... 4 3 QS .................................................................................................... 5 DISPATCH FROM............................................................................... 7 FROM THE WIRE................................................................................ 8

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ANSWERS ALONG THE WAY......................................................... 11 EYE ON CAMPUS............................................................................. 12

On Our Way SECRET LIVES................................................................................... 36 THROUGH THE LENS...................................................................... 38 CLASS NOTES.................................................................................. 41 HISTORY & HERITAGE..................................................................... 44 VALUE ADDED................................................................................. 47 IN THE FIELD.................................................................................... 48

26 A. [Augusta University’s Alumni Magazine] Interim Vice President, Office of Advancement Michael Kessler Vice President, Division of Communications and Marketing Jack Evans Executive Editor Karen Gutmann Editor Eric Johnson Art Director Tricia Perea Senior Photographer Phil Jones Production Assistant John Jenkins Publications Intern Allison Gaines

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Closer Look ANALYZING DNA............................................................................. 16 After 30 years, the use of DNA as a forensic tool is commonplace. But while its accuracy is tough to argue, it’s not always the magic bullet it’s portrayed to be.

22

DISSECTING FEAR........................................................................... 22 Though fear is a basic emotion that’s essential to our survival, it’s not always reasonable. Just ask any clown.

TODAY, EVEREST............................................................................. 26 On the world’s tallest mountain, the everyday dangers are what do the most harm. They’re also the things most neglected by the overly ambitious. Everest is no friend to those who don’t know their own limits.

MORE THAN A ROOM.................................................................... 30 Kayaks, movie nights, Living-Learning communities and park passes – it’s not just cold pizza and all-nighters for the residents of Oak Hall. See how a new breed of Jaguar is making the most of the college experience.

30 ALUMNI AFFAIRS OFFICE

Associate Vice President of Alumni Affairs Scott Henson Executive Administrative Assistant Kesha Stephens Alumni Affairs Coordinators Kim Koss, Callie Hagler Cosper, Catherine Hardy 706-737-1759 alumni@augusta.edu

A., Augusta University’s alumni magazine, is published twice a year by the Office of Advancement and the Division of Communications and Marketing to connect the university with alumni, friends, the state and the world. ma gazi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 3

ON THE CALENDAR

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PHIL JONES

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FEBRUARY

DAY AT THE CAPITOL

Food, fireworks and finger-licking barbeque are just a few of the highlights at the annual culmination of the IGIVE fundraising campaign. Learn more at igive.augusta.edu.

PAULA TOOLE / SAVANNAH EVAN PHOTOGRAPHY

BREW N QUE

ANTHONY CARLIE/STORIES-2-TELL

Alumni, students, faculty, community members and Jaguars of every variety gather at the Capitol to bring their enthusiasm for Augusta University to state lawmakers.

OCTOBER

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DECEMBER

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00-00 TREE LIGHTING

Kick off the holiday season in style with caroling, cocoa and the official lighting of the Christmas tree.

Rumor has it Santa might even drop by this popular community event.

DECEMBER 7

DECEMBER 15

FEBRUARY 17

ALUMNI HOLIDAY RECEPTION

FALL COMMENCEMENT

HOMECOMING, ALUMNI TAILGATE

Start the holiday season off right with hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and conversation with your fellow alumni at the Chatham Club on the 14th floor of the DeSoto Savannah.

Celebrate the achievements of our students during Fall Commencement at the James Brown Arena.

Check augusta.edu/graduation/ commencement for details.

Show your school spirit by joining current and returning Jaguars for tailgating and a couple of exciting basketball games at Christenberry Fieldhouse on the Forest Hills Campus.

For more information: 706-737-1759 or alumni@augusta.edu • augusta.edu/alumni 4 | FA LL 2 0 1 7

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3 Qs

] PHIL JONES

COLE WATKINS

COLE WATKINS is a marketing analyst, small-business owner and Augusta University alumnus (BA ’12). An undergraduate assignment to build a business plan led to the creation of Cole Watkins Tours. Now in its sixth year of business, Watkins’ company is one of the only organizations in the Augusta area that offers both kayak rentals and guided tours of areas like Betty’s Branch and Stallings Island. Watkins also founded a clothing company, Next Peak Apparel, to encourage individuals to travel and step outside their comfort zones.

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Cole Watkins Tours was originally a class project. What made you decide to turn the project into a small business?

After getting an “A” on the project and running the numbers, I decided to turn the plan into a reality. A lot of people encouraged me, and it was something I thought the community needed.

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Where is your favorite kayaking spot?

My favorite area is Stallings Island, an archeological site that is namesake to the Stallings culture who lived there 3,500 years ago. The 16-acre island is now home to wild donkeys and goats, which can feed from our kayaks. We always have a good time when we’re out there.

Cole Watkins (BA ’12)

What’s it like being a small-business owner?

It’s nice being your own boss and deciding when you want to work.

It’s also really extremely rewarding to hear how much fun our guests had once we are finished.

VIDEO Learn more about Cole Watkins at magazines.augusta.edu.

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THE PRESIDENT’S

President Brooks A. Keel and First Lady Tammie Schalue invite you to enjoy a night of cocktails, dinner, entertainment and dancing on October 21.

Proceeds from the 2017 President’s Gala will benefit Augusta University Athletics and the extraordinary student-athletes who exemplify the highest standards of scholarship, athleticism and character.

W AY S Y O U C A N S U P P O R T O U R S T U D E N T S

UNABLE TO ATTEND? YOU CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY MAKING A GIFT AT augusta.edu/presidentsgala.

Tickets may be purchased by visiting the website above or by contacting presidentsgala@augusta.edu or 706-721-7197.

Augusta University would like to extend a special thank you to Mrs. Beth Evans and Mr. Nick Evans, 2017 Honorary Gala Chairpersons.

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DISPATCH FROM

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MARLAYNA DEMOND FOR UMBC

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CATONSVILLE, MARYLAND FOR DR. MARGUERITE KEARNEY, the move to Catonsville was almost a homecoming.

The most recent recipient of the College of Nursing’s Phoebe Kandel Rohrer Distinguished Alumna award, Kearney is originally from a suburb of Baltimore, but now lives in Catonsville, located about seven miles from the BaltimoreWashington International Airport and about 20 miles from Baltimore.

Like anywhere else in America, though, a 20-minute drive can make a world of difference.

“Catonsville is a very small, very community-oriented town,” Kearney said.

Part of Baltimore County, Catonsville boasts a population of roughly 40,000. It’s also home to Kearney’s husband’s family.

While much smaller than neighboring Baltimore, there’s a lot to love about “Music City, Maryland.” For one thing, it’s a short drive to the nation’s capital (just 35 miles away). Alternatively, a quick stint on I-95 will put you close to the Baltimore city limits. The town also claims the unique honor of having Maryland’s best Fourth of July fireworks show — a day-long celebration involving, among other things, a decorated bike contest

and an afternoon parade — which nearly 60,000 people attend every year.

For Kearney, though, peace lies somewhere between Catonsville and Bethesda, where she serves as the director of the Division of Extramural Science for the National Institute of Nursing Research.

“I own a horse, so I ride three or four times a week to relax,” she said, joking that the experience is “better than valium.”

Kearney, who reports directly to the Director of the National Institutes of Health, said she’s thankful to the Medical College of Georgia for helping mold her into the scholar she is today.

“My degrees from the Medical College of Georgia gave me the keys to the kingdom in terms of commitment to learning and becoming a lifelong scholar,” she said. “I was an NIH-funded researcher for 17 years and a professor of nursing; I never thought that I would be where I am today.”

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Marguerite Kearney (BSN ‘76, MSN ‘77) is a director in the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health. The division includes the Office of Extramural Programs, the Office of End-of-Life and Palliative Care, and the Office of Extramural Research Administration.

NOMINATE Visit augusta.edu/alumni/ alumniawards to submit the name of a deserving Jaguar.

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SHERRILL GOES PRO JAG20 AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY men’s basketball alum Keshun Sherrill signed a professional basketball contract with New Heroes Basketball out of Den Bosch, Netherlands.

“It’s a great feeling coming from high school to college and then from college to get to the pros — ­­ everything happened very fast,” Sherrill said. “I’m excited to start my professional career and I’m excited to see the world. Not too many people at my age get to travel the world and for me to get to be able to and do what I love to do is just a real blessing for me. Of course I want to go and sightsee a little bit, but the main object is to go there and do my job, because like I said, basketball is my job now.”

Founded in 1952, New Heroes Basketball is a Dutch professional basketball club based in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

New Heroes plays in the Dutch Basketball League (DBL) and has won a record 16 Dutch championships. The team has also been a regular at international competitions and

plays their home games at the Maaspoort Sports & Events.

Keshun Sherrill (Cleveland, N.C.) had a historic career at Augusta, setting multiple school and conference records. He was so influential on the court that his No. 10 jersey was retired by the university at the Athletics Awards Banquet on May 3, 2017.

In his senior season in 2016-17, Sherrill became the all-time leading scorer in Peach Belt Conference history with 2,333 points.

He was named a 2017 All-American by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the National Association of Basketball, and was the NCAA Southeast Region Player of the Year and the Fred Barnabel Male Athlete of the Year at the 2017 Augusta Athletics Awards Banquet.

Sherrill led the conference in points, field goals, free throws, and minutes played, and was second in three pointers and points per game. Sherrill was also named the PBC Player of the Year as a senior.

RECIPIENTS NAMED AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY’s Jag20 awards were presented during the Alumni Weekend Farewell Brunch on Sunday, April 30.

The award is given every year to 20 emerging leaders under 40 who have made a significant impact in their career, community and the university.

• Amber Berryman, BS ’08 • Jason Blanchard, BBA ’01 • Daniel Browning, BA ’13 • Terrill Flakes, BS ’14, MPH ’16 • Kelsey Folks, BA ’13 • Ryan Fulchi, DMD ’10 • Emily Hahn, DMD ’13, MS ’16

DEANER WINS COUNSELING AWARD AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY College of Education Professor Richard Deaner was named the recipient of the American Counselor Association’s 2017 Counselor Educator Advocacy Award.

This award recognizes a counselor educator for work in fostering an awareness of and expertise in advocacy among counseling students.

“Advocacy is a foundation of the counseling profession, so the award is especially meaningful to me,” Deaner said.

Deaner joined the College of Education in 2007 and has served in many capacities, including associate professor of counselor education and coordinator for the school and clinical mental health counseling graduate programs.

Additionally, his research on counselor education has been featured in several publications, such as the Family Journal, and his work has garnered numerous accolades, including the University 8 | FA LL 2 0 1 7

• Danielle Harris, BA ’07, MEd ’11 • Jason Holt, EdS ’13 • Pardon Ndhlovu, MBA ’15

• Joe Newton, BS ’02 System of Georgia’s Teaching Excellence Award and the Southeastern Association • Alyssa Paetau, BS ’02, MD ’07 of Counselor Education and Supervision • Rebecca Paquin, DMD ’12 President’s Special Merit Award.

“Dr. Deaner continues to • Jessica Perry, BBA ’05 show the impact of effective • Elizabeth Prince-Coleman, and engaging teaching,” said Dr. Zach Kelehear, dean of PA-C ’13 READ MORE AT the College of Education.

• Matt Rudy, MD ’10 “Advocacy for ethical JAGWIRE.AUGUSTA.EDU • Erin Scott, PhD ’16 practice is crucial when training young educators • Timber Wages, PA-C ’13 and counselors. And Dr. • April Weaver, BBA ’02 Deaner’s classes are full of students who clearly engage with • Beau Worthington, BA ’05 him as a professor.”

Deaner earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Virginia, For a picture of this year’s recipients, master’s degree in counselor education see page 40. from Lynchburg College and a doctorate To nominate someone for next year’s in counselor education and supervision Jag20, fill out the form at augusta.edu/ from the University of South Carolina. alumni/jag20.

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CLASS PROJECT BECOMES MISSION ALL THEY wanted was an A in a professor’s class, but what four Dental College of Georgia students got was the attention of national cancer organizations and dentists in other parts of the world after creating a video to teach people how to spot signs of oral cancer.

Dahlia Levine, Zach Dubin, Varun Iyer and Diana Tran started their dental school journey in Dr. Kate Ciarrocca’s class in the fall of 2014.

Ciarrocca tasked her students with drafting a proposal as if they were really applying for a grant. Ciarrocca said she was so impressed with the plan these four students came up with, she worked with them to turn it into a submission for the 2015 Dental Trade Alliance Foundation grant for educational outreach.

“When Dr. Ciarrocca suggested applying for the actual grant, we were flattered,” said Tran. “We felt honored that she thought our simple class project could become something much more.”

“It really instilled a lot of confidence in us about how important the project was,” Levine added.

JILLELLA RETURNS DR. ANAND P. JILLELLA returned to the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University on July 1 as the J. Harold Harrison, MD, Distinguished University Chair in Medical Oncology.

Jillella also has been named chief of the MCG Division of Hematology/Oncology and associate director of Medical Oncology Services at the Georgia Cancer Center. He also directs ambulatory services for the cancer center.

Jillella is the founding director of the Georgia Cancer Center’s adult stem cell and bone marrow transplant program and served as chief of the MCG Section of Hematology/ Oncology from 2005-13, when he was named associate director for Community Affairs and Outreach at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. He also has served as medical director of the Winship Cancer Network, which brings clinical and population based trials to communities throughout Georgia and the region.

“Dr. Jillella is a superb clinician and

The students found out in the fall of 2015 that their proposal had been accepted. They received a $20,000 grant a few months later.

The money and the journey the students found themselves on was personal for Dubin, who lost an aunt to oral cancer.

After getting the grant, the students, along with their professor, created the student organization Comprehensive Oral health Promotion and Education (COPE) with Cancer. They hosted lunch and learn events with cancer support groups in Augusta and Atlanta to talk about what changes cancer patients could expect in their mouths and what questions they needed to ask their dentist once their treatment started.

Levine says a conversation with dentists at the American Academy of Oral Medicine annual convention in Orlando, Florida, was especially eye-opening about the importance of the work her team was doing.

“When we shared our video, dentists from Singapore and Sudan came up to us afterwards raving about how it was produced and the message it shared with people about the importance of doing the screening,” she said.

The video project was a collaboration with students from multiple areas of Augusta

University. It took eight to nine hours during two days of filming to create the sixminute movie. It shows viewers the different areas of the head and neck that need to be checked for signs of oral cancer. It went live for all to see on April 24, 2017, during Oral Cancer Awareness Month. It will be utilized by various cancer outreach organizations around the nation.

“One of the main goals of the video was to provide an educational resource that anybody in the world could access,” Levine said. “We went with a humorous approach because we wanted to keep viewers engaged and because the information we were sharing can save lives.”

“You see all the results of breast cancer and breast cancer screenings — why couldn’t we teach people how to check their mouths to do the same thing?” Ciarrocca said. “Oral cancer survival rates are fairly low, so the earlier you can detect it, the higher the survival rate could be.”

While their first video is aimed at adults, the students are planning to create a video in the fall that will address children and the risks associated with pediatric oral cancer.

clinical researcher who is outstanding at outreach and networking with community oncologists,” said Dr. David C. Hess, MCG dean and executive vice president for medical affairs and integration at Augusta University.

“His patients love him and he is widely respected by his colleagues.”

Jillella is a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Myeloma and Leukemia Committees and the ECOG/ ACRIN Advisory Board for National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program centers. ECOG/ACRIN is a scientific organization that designs and conducts cancer research involving adults who have or are at risk of developing cancer. Jillella is a board member for the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education and an editorial board member of the Journal of Hematology and Thromboembolic Diseases.

“The MCG Foundation and Harrison family are proud to be a part of the recruitment of Dr. Jillella, and join Dr. (Brooks) Keel and Dr. Hess in supporting his appointment as a Harrison Chair,” said Ian Mercier, President and CEO of the MCG Foundation. “This chair is meant to

encourage the recipient to exhibit leadership and mentorship, two traits we believe Dr. Jillella consistently demonstrates.”

Jillella’s current research, funded by the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, is a novel induction therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells, which dramatically reduces mortality rates and is currently underway as a national ECOG/ ACRIN clinical trial. His clinical focus is bone marrow transplantation for leukemia, multiple myeloma and other blood-related malignancies.

Jillella is a graduate of Government Medical College in Kurnool, India. He completed an internal medicine residency at MCG and AU Health, including a year as chief resident, followed by a hematologyoncology fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine and bone marrow transplant training at John Hopkins Oncology Center.

The Harrison Distinguished University Chair in Medical Oncology is one of 10 endowed chairs being established at Georgia’s public medical school through a $66 million gift by the late, renowned vascular surgeon and 1948 MCG graduate and his wife, Sue. ma gazi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 9

IMAGINE what we can do

Mobile Giving...

Join your Augusta University community by supporting the annual giving campaign. Make a gift to anywhere you have Augusta pride.

The goal is participation.

Gifts of any amount are welcome!

To make a gift visit augusta.edu/igive

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ANSWERS ALONG THE WAY

] PHIL JONES

[ TODD GLOVER

When it comes to city administrators, North Augusta, South Carolina, City Administrator Todd Glover (MPA ’98) has an unorthodox resume. “It’s kind of unique in my line of work that I’ve worked for four different governmental entities and I’ve never moved out of the same county,” he says. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina Aiken, the Aiken County native was hired full-time by the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, where he’d been an intern. From there, he immediately enrolled in the MPA program at then-Augusta State University, which up until his graduation had been run by Georgia Southern University. After stints in Columbia County and Aiken County, Glover took the job in North Augusta six years ago. Since then, he’s probably mostly identified with Project Jackson, the ambitious riverfront development that includes a new ballpark for the Augusta GreenJackets. Glover calls the project a game changer for North Augusta. “I’m excited about this project because it really gives us a density we’ve never had before,” he says. “We can attract restaurants and things like that to come be a part of our community now, something we’ve just never been large enough to support on our own before.” > I WAS AT A CONFERENCE a couple of years ago and somebody said that you can tell the health of a city by its skyline. If you see cranes, that’s a good sign. I think that bodes well here and across the bridge in Augusta as well.

that I loved government administration. And in these types of jobs, you’re still working with the law. So I was able to access that, too.

> I TELL PEOPLE that social media has all the power of the press but none of the accountability. It’s very hard to manage the information you want out there because misinformation is so easily transmitted.

> WHEN I’M RIDING TO CHURCH or out to eat with my family or shopping or getting gas, more than likely I’m riding past something we’re doing. To see something we’ve done that makes our city better, look better or solve an issue — there’s a great sense of pride that comes with that.

> I WAS ACTUALLY HEADED to law school when I interned at the Lower Savannah Council of Governments and saw

> WHEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING it’s hardly ever the full truth. I’ve learned to

save my reaction until I have all the facts, and as you get older, you need that — you don’t want to expend needless energy getting worked up over something that doesn’t really need you to be worked up over. > BY GETTING MY SECONDARY EDUCATION where I grew up, I truly believe I advanced my career by five years. I stayed here the whole time, so when I was interning here I stayed involved here, and as soon as I graduated, they hired me full-time. So I didn’t have to leave college looking for a job; I already had one. ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 11

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“Dining” at the Occupational Therapy Simulation Lab

Photo by AU Senior Photographer Phil Jones | 14.0MM LENS,

1/80 SEC@F/4.0 ISO 1250 Continued on next page

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FAKE FOOD, REAL PROGRESS TUCKED AWAY on the second floor of the Health Sciences Building are a grocery store, a diner and a bank.

These stores aren’t there to make life easier for the many students, faculty and staff who call the Health Sciences Building home, however. They exist to help students learn to make everyday life more manageable for people facing health challenges.

The grocery store, diner and bank are all part of a simulation lab for students in the occupational therapy program.

“As occupational therapists, we’re really interested in helping people to do whatever is meaningful or important for them in their regular life,” said Dr. Pam Kearney, program director and associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy. “We work to help people return to occupations or activities that are important to them or help them develop skills they may not have.”

Occupational therapy students use the simulation lab when they’re learning to develop treatment plans or use mobility devices.

The simulated diner is especially helpful for teaching someone who uses a wheelchair how to transfer from the wheelchair to a restaurant booth.

Community members volunteer as patients at the simulation lab in order to give students a hands-on learning opportunity.

“Our volunteers may have Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or have experienced a stroke,” Kearney said. “Students develop a treatment plan for a particular volunteer and can then role-play with the volunteers in the lab space. It allows students to think about how they would tailor a plan for a person that needs to buy groceries and go to the bank, or for someone who enjoys eating at restaurants.”

Research shows that outcomes can be improved when students engage in experiential learning. This is the central idea behind students’ use of the occupational therapy simulation lab.

“We educate students in that space to teach them how to work with people,” Kearney said. “When we give students opportunities for engagement in a meaningful way and do so in a realistic context, it helps them to see the value of that for their clients.”

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Closer Look

ANALYZING DNA Putting forensic science under the scope

The Criminal Investigations class sets up a mock crime scene.

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PHOTOS BY PHIL JONES

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SO I’M SITTING IN THE OFFICE of Dr. Candace Griffith, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Work, and we’re talking about the use and accuracy of DNA evidence in criminal investigations. As someone who was fascinated by the criminal justice system long before she pursued it academically, this conversation is right in her wheelhouse, the intersection of her professional expertise, her interest, and, because of the prevalence of criminal justice podcasts and documentaries and crime shows on TV, much of contemporary entertainment.

By Eric Johnson DNA’s use as a forensic tool goes back 30 years, but in the last decade or so it has achieved an almost mythical status as an absolute and unfailing barometer of innocence and guilt. If the scales of justice represent the legal system, more often than not, it seems like the double helix is the thing tipping them.

While its use is widespread and its accuracy is tough to argue, Griffith is trying to explain how it’s not always the magic bullet it’s portrayed to be. We’re getting bogged down in the theoretical, however, so I opt to change tactics.

“Okay,” I start, shifting a tad uncomfortably in my chair at this new direction. “Say you get murdered later today...”

Instead of flinching, she leans forward, her eyes wide.

“I’m one step ahead of you,” she says.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a molecule that carries the genetic instructions of a living organism. Often called the building block of life, the information in DNA is like a blueprint of what we are and a genetic fingerprint of who we are. Simply put, DNA is what makes us different from other living things and me different from you.

It was first used in a forensic sense in England in 1986. A year later, the circuit court in Orange County, Florida, convicted a man of rape when the DNA from a blood sample matched the DNA in a semen sample taken from the victim.

Since then, DNA has grown more and more central to criminal investigations and the legal system’s handling of criminal cases. Along

the way, it’s claimed a starring role in popular crime dramas like CSI and NCIS, where the scientists are celebrated alongside the investigators who used to get all the glory.

But if it’s so accurate, why do we end up with so much ambiguity when it comes to convictions? Why does it seem like we’re always hearing about killers going free or innocent people getting convicted?

Those questions bring us back to me and the manufactured murder of Candace Griffith.

“So let’s look at what’s already happened,” she says, sounding as much like a detective as a professor. “That water bottle you brought in with you — the one you tossed into my trash can when you arrived — is crawling with your DNA. You’ve also undoubtedly shed some skin cells on the arm of the chair you’re sitting on, and I’m sure when you took off your jacket, you dropped a hair or two.”

I nod. I don’t need to be reminded of my thinning hair.

“All that’s your DNA positively establishing your presence here in my office,” she says. “Of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean you were here today, right before my murder, but the colleague who dropped off the Frosty? The one who popped in a few minutes ago? She will be able to confirm your presence this afternoon.”

“And you’ve also got my email requesting this meeting,” I add, pointing at her computer.

“Right,” she says. “And our earlier laughing? In the context of my murder, it would be easy for people to look back and mistake that as arguing or yelling.”

The building case against me gives me pause. I’ve always felt that if we live a certain kind of life, mind our Ps and Qs and generally stay out of trouble, we build up the capital to defend against something Continued on next page

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PHIL JONES

Dr. Candace Griffith ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 19

Dr. Joseph White

DNA’s use as a forensic tool goes back 30 years, but in the last decade or so it has achieved an almost mythical status as an absolute and unfailing barometer of innocence and guilt.

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like this; not karma so much as a definable, documented sense of being a “good person.”

Sure, there might be a speeding ticket in our past or an underage drinking violation from our college days, but our general goodness is there for everybody to see, not in what’s on the record, but in what’s not.

“Still,” I try to counter. “Maybe my DNA is here in your office, but after this, I’m going back to my office and then home. I’m not going to kill you, so my DNA won’t be found on your body.”

“True,” she says. “But just as the DNA evidence here doesn’t make you guilty, the absence of DNA evidence on my body doesn’t make you innocent.”

Sitting back in my chair, I’m not sure if I find that comforting or frightening. But I do think twice about running my hand through my hair.

“A crime scene is an interesting place,” says Dr. Joseph White.

Currently a faculty member at the Medical College of Georgia with half his time dedicated to surgical pathology signout and the other half as director of the autopsy service, White logged five years as a forensic pathologist with the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office, where his days were filled with autopsies and death investigations.

When it comes to the real-life forensic use of DNA, White’s experience is tough to beat.

The crime scene he describes sounds like orchestrated chaos — lots of people from lots of offices doing lots of things simultaneously. Law enforcement has jurisdiction over the crime scene; the coroner or medical examiner has jurisdiction over the body.

In some states, like Utah, medical examiners have the authority under state law to investigate deaths and to perform autopsies without family permission. In other states,

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like Georgia, the legal authority resides with the coroner, who is a county-level elected official.

“In cases of homicide, you’ll spend a lot of time examining the body carefully for trace evidence of things like hair and fibers or possible sources of DNA evidence,” White says. “The approach is very systematic.”

At the crime scene, the body is carefully moved onto a plastic sheet, wrapped up and then put in the body bag. The sheet keeps potential evidence from falling off and eventually becomes a piece of evidence itself. At the autopsy, the forensic pathologist starts by disturbing the body as little as possible, going layer by layer while taking the appropriate level of care at each step to be able to preserve or gather the information.

“Generally, the forensic pathologist collects specimens from the body, packages those, and then signs them over in the chain of custody to the police, who transport them to the lab to be analyzed,” White says.

Though the process may be systematic, what they’re working with is often anything but controlled.

“The samples we’re working with are not like the samples that we work with in a hospital,” he says. “They’re not pristine. The body may have been exposed to the elements, there could be decomposition, there could be a lot of things. Contaminated samples are basically just the standard.”

And then there’s the size of the samples. Sometimes, they’re small.

Small like a few skin cells swabbed from a knife handle (or from the arm of a chair).

“A lot of times we do get great answers off of that, but the smaller the sample, the more likely you are going to go through the amplification process.”

You can amplify DNA from a single cell, White says, but the process can induce some errors in the DNA sequence.

“You start to build this background noise where you’ve got 99 copies that are all perfect, but one that’s not,” he says. “When you get a hundred million copies, now you’ve got a million copies that aren’t perfect, so when you run it through the sequencer, you’re going to see that million in the background. It can reduce the perfection of the DNA – suddenly, your absolute answer doesn’t look so absolute.”

That doesn’t mean so much when you’re trying to match a person to a DNA profile, like in a missing person case. Matching the DNA from the remains to the profile you’ve built from samples collected from a hairbrush or a toothbrush is pretty straightforward.

Things get murkier, White says, when you’re trying to pick someone out of a lineup. Say two guys get in a bar fight and the victim has DNA under his fingernails. The genetic code that gets spit out by the computer contains the code from both of those people.

That’s more complicated, but still relatively routine.

“It gets to be a little like reading sheet music with two songs on the staff,” he says. “If you know what one of the songs is, you can just erase those notes and see what’s left. So if you’ve got this mess of notes and you take off ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’ is what’s left, then you’re great. That’s how identifying an individual to a known sample is so easy, because you’ve got the sheet music for ‘Happy Birthday.’”

The problem comes if there were four people involved in a bar fight and one of the people ends up dead and nobody knows who else was involved in the fight. When you run what’s under the fingernails, there are four songs in there, so it becomes very difficult because they just lay on top of each other. Outside of the victim, you don’t have any other songs to remove from the staff.

“In that respect, they’re very much like fingerprints,” White says. “Fingerprints are great if you have one to compare with, but one fingerprint by itself is meaningless, just like one string of DNA is meaningless.”

However, he says, you can store all the information in a computer, and if 10 years later the person is arrested and gets his or her DNA taken, it goes into the system and you can close out a lot of old cases.

“DNA is a tremendously powerful tool, but it does have its limits, and sometimes that’s difficult to communicate to laypeople or jury members, because Hollywood sort of says DNA gives me a yes or a no and it’s perfect and never has any faults,” White says. “Sometimes you do have a perfect laboratory match, but within the context of the case, if there’s another explanation for how these persons were in contact, DNA doesn’t mean they killed that person. So even if you do have a perfect DNA answer, sometimes how that fits into the context of the whole case is where the critical point lies.”

Back in Griffith’s office, she’s talking context and it’s scaring me.

“Honestly, even if they found DNA evidence that wasn’t yours on my body, that still doesn’t ensure you wouldn’t be found guilty.”

She tells me about the Central Park 5, where five African-American and Hispanic youths were charged and convicted of the rape and attempted murder of a Central Park jogger, even though none of their DNA matched the DNA found on the victim.

“There was only one perpetrator and one victim, but they negated that,” she says. “They said, ‘We may not have got all of them, but we got some of them.’”

Years later, DNA and other evidence proved another man, a convicted rapist and murder named Matias Reyes, acted alone in the attack on the Central Park jogger. The men were released from prison and received a settlement for the wrongful conviction.

And then there’s the case in Brian Stevenson’s book Just Mercy, about a black man who was convicted of murdering a white woman despite the fact there were 20 eyewitnesses who could place him somewhere else at the time of the murder.

“So DNA should never be interpreted outside the context of the case, but sometimes it is,” I say.

Griffith nods. “What we have to be careful of is our confirmation bias,” she says. “Is this just confirming what we already know? Is it contradicting what we know so we push it aside? Using DNA requires an element of critical thought, which investigators sometimes have and sometimes don’t.”

I tell her that’s not very reassuring.

“Our justice system will never be blind because our justice system is created by and run by people,” she says. “And people have eyes.”

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PHOTO ILLSTRATION BY TRICIA PEREA AND PHIL JONES

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DISSECTING FEAR Fear is the one emotion we can always count on.

By Brennan Meagher

Talking to Pam Chinnery feels like catching up with an old friend. She’s one of those people who can make you feel like you’ve known each other forever even if you’ve had only one conversation.

Easygoing and talkative, it’s not hard to find common ground with Chinnery. After all, the Augusta University alumna (BA ’16) is a mother, friend, artist and an Augusta student, again. She is currently pursuing a master of arts in teaching and hopes to teach elementary-age children when she graduates in May. There’s no small sense of irony, then, that the passion she’s turned into a 30-year career — the thing that makes her even more accessible to many — is the very thing that makes others, including her best friend of more than 40 years, turn cold with fear.

Thirty-three years ago, Chinnery dressed up as a clown to help a friend sell balloons at a St. Patrick’s Day parade, and her life has never been the same.

“A little girl jumped out of her car and ran over to me,” Chinnery remembered. “She put her arms around my legs and said, ‘Miss Clown, I love you.’ To have that kind of instant rapport with a child just really spoke to my heart, and I knew it was a world I wanted to be a part of.”

However, not everyone is so fond of clowns. One look at the frenzy over last year’s well-documented clown sightings is all it takes to show how many people are afraid of clowns, including Chinnery’s best friend.

A few years ago, Chinnery’s friend was in the hospital. Chinnery was in-between events and decided to visit with her friend. The only problem? Chinnery was dressed as Pammy the Clown.

“She told me she wouldn’t speak to me if I was in my clown outfit,” Chinnery said. “She’s terrified of clowns, but she doesn’t know why.

She says she’s not afraid of me, but it’s the fact that clowns have a lot of makeup on. I think some of it is the unknown.”

The dynamic between Pammy the Clown and her best friend illustrates the power that fear can have over a person. But what exactly is fear, and why is the emotion strong enough to make someone afraid of her lifelong friend?

THE OLDEST, STRONGEST EMOTION Psychologists have identified fear as a basic emotion. According to Dr. Almira Vazdarjanova, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, fear is, in its simplest form, an emotion that enables human survival.

“Fear is a core emotion that’s been preserved in humans as an adaptive response to a threatening environment and gives the organism the ability to survive,” she said. “It enables survival.”

In a survival situation, fear is an emotion that can move someone to action in a way that is almost like a reflex, according to Dr. Bernard Davidson, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior and a licensed psychologist.

“We have no choice in feeling fear,” Davidson said. “Fear is healthy. It’s good that we get scared when we are in a building and hear a fire alarm.”

In many instances, however, people actually confuse fear with anxiety.

When someone mentions they’re scared of heights, spiders or even clowns, what they usually mean is that these things make them anxious.

“In its purest form, fear triggers a response to keep us alive,” Davidson said. “Sometimes, we start responding to safe situations as problematic situations, and that’s where we use the term anxiety.”

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WHAT ARE THE ODDS? Fear can be a good way to keep us from engaging in unsafe behavior, but not all fears are reasonable. Here’s a look at some common fears and the odds of them actually killing us.

VEHOPHOBIA

FEAR OF DRIVING Odds of dying from a motor vehicle crash are 1 in 114.

ACROPHOBIA

FEAR OF HEIGHTS Odds of dying from a fall are 1 in 127.

AQUAPHOBIA FEAR OF WATER

Odds of dying from drowning and submersion are 1 in 1,188.

TRYPANOPHOBIA FEAR OF NEEDLES Odds of dying from contact with sharp objects are 1 in 38,174.

ASTRAPHOBIA

FEAR OF LIGHTNING Odds of dying from a lightning strike are 1 in 161,856.

Source: National Safety Council 2017 Illustrations by: Allison Gaines

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Simply put, fear is about survival while anxiety reflects anticipation of things that might happen.

If a person was bitten by a snake and later sees a snake, that person is likely to feel afraid. This is a fear response, according to Vazdarjanova. A person who is afraid of flying but has never been in a plane or a plane crash is most likely experiencing anxiety.

“Fear is the physiological and emotional state when a specific threat is present,” Vazdarjanova said. “Anxiety is an elevated state of unease without any specific stimulus. It is usually longer lasting.

On a physiological level, the brain processes fear and anxiety with different, although partially overlapping, brain networks.”

CHASING THE MONSTER But if fear is about survival, then why do people seek out activities that will make them afraid and anxious? For example, why go skydiving if you’re afraid of heights?

“People seek out fearful situations because they’re interpreting it as something that’s fun,” Davidson said. “They’re scared, but the types of substances released in our body and the response we’re having are very similar if not identical to those where we feel thrills, excitement and exhilaration.”

Fearful situations are also rewarding.

“There’s also something about mastering a fearful situation that’s reinforcing or gratifying,” he said. “But it gets stored in your brain as a situation you’ve enjoyed and mastered. If not, why would someone go skydiving or rock climbing again?”

Not everyone approaches fear with the intent to overcome it, however. Some — especially fans of true-crime podcasts and documentaries – seek it out of a morbid sense of curiosity.

“I think we’re fascinated by true crime because it breaks social norm,” explained Dr. Candace Griffith, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Work.

“Crime, particularly what we’re interested in, is violent. It’s like a violent fetish. We want to see other people suffer as long as it’s not us.”

Though far removed from the thrill of climbing a mountain or jumping out of a plane, fear seekers still take a certain amount of pleasure from tales of intrigue, even if they’re just verbal or visual retellings. What it boils down to is that people love stories – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Remember the ghost stories you used to tell around the campfire and how scary they seemed?

“People just like a good story, and sometimes crime and mystery creates a good story,” Griffith said. “There’s a reason Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was so popular. He wrote great stories. People love stories that don’t have a neat ending.”

But is the fascination with crime serving a purpose, or is it eroding society’s sense of well-being?

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a story spread about gang initiations. More specifically, that people driving at night with their lights off were gang members looking for victims. Other drivers who flashed their lights at them would flag themselves as targets.

Dr. Todd Powell-Williams, associate professor of sociology, heard the same rumors as a graduate student in Illinois. He said the fact that the story is untrue has no bearing on whether or not people are afraid.

“We’ve already decided that it’s gang members in the vehicle, and that we should be afraid of them,” he said. “The fear of what might happen makes these situations real. People change their patterns of movement. Maybe they don’t go out at night or won’t flash their lights at someone.”

In these situations, fear isn’t the healthy emotion that Vazdarjanova and Davidson describe.

Instead, the “what-if” has become a source of anxiety that can be crippling.

“A certain amount of fear can be healthy, but if that fear begins to keep us from living our lives then it’s become a problem,” said Powell-Williams.

He theorizes that it’s the thrill associated with fear that attracts people. Perhaps it’s why we continue to listen to those podcasts or watch scary movies.

“I think what I like about scary movies, and probably what appeals to a lot of people, is that you get a thrill that is happening in a controlled environment,” he said. “In these environments, you most likely will not get hurt because the environment allows you to control the risks. We find it enjoyable because a little bit of adrenaline feels good. It certainly reminds you that you’re alive.”

The mainstream, viral popularity of the docuseries “Making a Murderer,” the podcast “Serial,” the remake of Stephen King’s It and more blur the lines between fear and fascination. It also begs that question, is it dangerous to cultivate a culture that is obsessed with fear and all that it encompasses?

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PHOTO ILLSTRATIONS BY TRICIA PEREA AND PHIL JONES

It can be dangerous to feed off shared fears to relate to one another, according to Melissa Powell-Williams, associate professor of sociology.

“Fear is a motivating factor influencing our behavior, but it can be socially constructed and manipulated,” she said. “Inherently, fear is not bad. It can keep us alive and safe.

The problem occurs when fear is socially managed in negative ways. It can be the source of discrimination, prejudice, hate crimes, violence, war, etc.”

Powell-Williams teaches a class on the sociology of the undead that touches on fear and its reflections on society. The class explores these concepts through the lens of zombie television shows and movies.

“Zombies represent fear,” she said. “They represent the things that our culture is currently afraid of. What’s interesting is that the zombies change dramatically depending on what we’re afraid of. For example, Night of the Living Dead reflects the civil rights era and issues of inequality. Now, you see more postapocalyptic zombies. This could be seen as a symptom of where we are as a global society and the fear of terrorism.”

This same concept can be applied to Stephen King’s It. In the movie, “it” takes several forms, from a clown to a spider.

Essentially, it doesn’t matter what “it” is, according to Powell-Williams. “It” is whatever is scary to the person watching, and the fear isn’t as important as the response.

Knowing this — knowing how deeply ingrained fear is in our collective subconscious — can we ever truly conquer “it”?

The answer is, “It’s complicated.”

With more knowledge and understanding of our particular fears, societal or otherwise, we can absolutely begin to challenge our own perceptions. Eventually, meeting those challenges might lead to greater selfknowledge, a better understanding of who we are. If we’re lucky, it might even lead us to become less fearful.

Will we ever conquer all of our fears, though? No. And we should never want to.

For all the thrills, chills and night sweats they give us, simply put, our fears keep us alive. They make us human.

But would knowing or understanding that make Pam Chinnery’s friend feel any more comfortable coming to see her perform?

Don’t count on it.

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SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Brandon Arant hikes Mt. Everest.

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TODAY, EVEREST

THOUGHTS RACING, pulse pounding, Brandon Arant (BS ’13) watched the credits of a movie flurry by like flakes of snow in a blizzard. The year was 2015, and the film was Everest—a biopic adapted from the memoirs of Beck Weathers, survivor of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.

The movie isn’t a pleasant one. Nor, for that matter, is the story it’s based on.

By Nick Garrett In real life, Weathers lost his nose, his right arm, all five fingers on his left hand and parts of his feet for a chance to see Everest up close.

Sitting in the still-dark theater, Arant took all of this in, thinking, hoping, dreaming.

There would be snow in his future.

Just maybe not as much.

A MAN OBSESSED Arant isn’t the sort of person to let opportunities pass him by.

That’s apparent, even after just one look at his social media accounts.

Vistas of mountaintops and waterfalls, of foreign sunsets and farflung beaches litter his various feeds — each one a reminder of a different trip, most of which would make the average traveler positively green with envy. Being a talented photographer helps. Even by the unrealistic standards set by diehard Instagrammers, his photos are stunning. But it’s the experiences, not the filters, that draw people to ask, “Where are you going next?”

At the age of 29, it’s safe to say that Brandon Arant has lived.

So, the fact that he would hike Everest was a foregone conclusion.

From the moment he first witnessed the mountain’s glacial majesty depicted on screen, he knew he’d have to tackle the beast, Sagarmatha (literally “Sky Head,” the Nepalese name for Mount Everest), head on. Unlike Weathers, though, he would not chase

the summit. The risk was too great; the reward, too costly. After watching eight men and women suffer or die on the silver screen, he was in no hurry to join them. It wasn’t fear. Just rational thought.

“It’s too dangerous,” he said. “I don’t think I could put my family through that.”

So instead, he set his sights on something a little more manageable.

Located more than 17,000 feet above sea level, the South Everest Base Camp sits near Nepal’s northeastern border with Tibet. Situated in a narrow strip of land aptly named the Sagarmatha Zone, the camp sees some 40,000 visitors per year. Climbers fly into the base camp’s small staging area from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. From there, they journey to the base camp itself.

The trip takes roughly a week by foot in temperatures ranging from the high 20s (Fahrenheit) to -30.

With that in mind, Arant began planning. He read books by and about hikers and their various expeditions. He listened to hiking podcasts, watched hiking videos, went on more than a few hikes himself. Along the way, he spoke with everyone he could think of who might be interested in joining him. Two of the people he contacted were Dr. Brandon Cromer, assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Faith Wiley, a biology lecturer. Arant’s first trip out of the country, a study abroad trip to Peru, had been guided

by Cromer a few years before. Cromer and Wiley had also been considering a run at the mountain, and so together with another of Arant’s friends, the group set out for Nepal.

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EVERYDAY DANGERS Climbing any portion of Everest is no easy feat. The mountain is unforgiving. Even the relatively “gentle” trek to the base camp proves too much for some, so to prepare, Arant began a series of endurance training workouts. Loading his pack with 40 pounds of extra weight, he’d go to his former high school. There, racing up and down flights of stairs, he forced his legs — and more importantly his knees — to grow used to the strain of near constant upward movement. Two months and 2,000 sets later, he was nearly ready.

In Nepal, he tried to keep things a little more relaxed. He’d left four days for himself at the beginning of the trip. Four days to breathe, to sightsee, to gather the rest of his supplies. He still trained. But he kept it light.

“One day, we just ran through the streets of Kathmandu,” he said.

“We tried not to think too much about it.”

The real Everest trip began on the fifth day.

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is served by a few local and international airlines. Many of these employ some of the world’s most talented airmen. These pilots, carefully trained to navigate the frigid skies and perilous peaks of the Himalayan range, take their work deadly seriously. That doesn’t make every trip a joy ride, though. Far from it, in fact.

The airport in Lukla is little more than a single landing strip. It has no obvious runway lighting, little to no electricity, and houses no onsite air traffic controllers. At its widest point, it measures roughly the distance between two bases on a baseball field. It also sits at an 11.7 percent gradient, meaning weary pilots not only have to land a tiny plane on the side of a mountain, they also have to do it going uphill on a runway scarcely the length of five football fields.

For pilots, every landing is a potential death sentence. For visitors, it’s just the beginning.

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“We were in such a tiny plane,” Arant recalled, laughing. “You could feel the turbulence the whole way there, just shaking this tiny plane apart. I literally got out, hugged my friend and kissed the ground.”

Safely on the ground, he and his travel companions made their way to a small, local café. There, they met their Sherpas — experienced local guides tasked with ferrying hikers up the mountain — and the porters who would help to carry their equipment. There was no discussion of danger, no ominous tension.

Nothing one would expect to see in an adventure thriller.

Instead, Arant said, the Sherpas simply got to work.

“They don’t really bother telling you how dangerous it is,” Arant said. “You’re already there. You can’t really turn around at that point.”

While not quite as brutal as the ascent to the summit, the trek to the base camp presents its own unique challenges. Even at the airport, some 8,000 feet below, climbers get their first taste of trouble. Altitude sickness is a very real threat. The air thins, growing colder. Breathing becomes more difficult. Gradually, climbers start to develop a nagging headache, followed by fatigue and, in the worst circumstances, moderate to severe nausea. The “mountain hangover,” some call it. In this respect, the usually affable Sherpas become tyrants; when the hikers in their care begin to show symptoms, they forbid further travel up the mountain. Inexperienced climbers can, and often do, die from complications relating to altitude sickness.

Higher up, there are more than enough corpses to prove it.

Three members of Asrant’s Everest group (a larger group he and his companions joined after reaching Lukla) had to be airlifted down. They’d fallen ill in the first few days, showing the typical “hangover” symptoms.

Once or twice on the way up, Arant said, he too felt some of the symptoms.

“I woke up with a headache in the mornings,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep on the first night. I got up at 3 in the morning and just waited there, trying to stay warm.”

Everyone there, he imagined, felt something similar. Certainly everyone was tired. The average day’s hike lasted about eight hours, interspersed with occasional visits to small mountain towns along the way. By day four of constant walking, spirits weren’t just falling.

They were tanking. It was plainly visible, in his companions’ faces, in the length of their strides, in every outward way. But no one would say it. No one would make it real.

“We’d come that far, you know,” Arant said. “No one wanted to admit they wanted to stop.”

Far from the falling rocks and avalanches shown in movies and thriller novels, the real danger at Everest isn’t the extraordinary.

It’s the mundane. The flight in, the trek to the “starting line,” breathing — the everyday dangers that everyone faces are what do the most harm. They’re also the things most neglected by the overly ambitious. Everest, Arant well knows, is no friend to those who don’t know their own limits.

THE VIEW FROM ON HIGH For Arant and his team, the base camp may as well have been the summit. It’s already at a higher elevation than most of the world’s mountains. Only two in North America reach further, both located in Alaska. Neither holds the same prestige.

And the view?

“I don’t even have words for it,” Arant said. “Just the feeling of being there, of seeing everything. It’s incredible.”

The base camp itself isn’t much to look at. Far from being on some remote glacier, it’s little more than a rocky outcropping, sparse and gray. The snow touches here, as it does most everywhere else on Everest, but it isn’t quite the same body-snatching powder one

finds closer to the summit. All about the camp, hanging from what look like simple clotheslines, multiolored flags blow in the breeze, placed there over the course of generations by hikers and climbers, scientists and sightseers. It’s beautiful, in its own way. The real payoff, though, is the chance to see the Himalayas as the angels do.

From the base camp, one gets an unparalleled view of some of the planet’s purest, most untouched terrain. It’s a surreal sight, even before you realize you might be seeing it from inside a passing cloud.

Needless to say, Arant and his crew were elated. After they stopped long enough to take it all in and snap a few quick photos, though, that elation quickly turned to dread.

“We started thinking, ‘Well, now we’ve got to get back down the mountain,’” he said.

As is often the case, going down was easier than going up. But only just. The trip back to Lukla was slated to take four days at the same eight-hour pace. The group cut it down to three.

Sleeping in a real bed was part of the motivation. Wi-Fi was the rest.

“We were actually supposed to stop in one town, but the next town was about two hours away and it had Wi-Fi,” Arant said. “I said let’s just keep going. We put in 10 hours that day.”

On the trip back down, conversation was scarce. More than once, Arant said, he put in headphones, listening to music or a podcast to focus his mind. An avid social media user, he stressed the importance of “disconnecting” on the journey up. No one wants to, or rather, no one should want to climb Everest for a new Facebook cover photo. Instead, he said, in those moments it’s best to see the world for what it is rather than take it in through a screen. After more than a week of grueling physical exercise, though, he was ready to get connected again. But those connections sometimes bring bad news.

On the way back to Lukla, he learned that their pilot — the one they’d flown into Lukla with — had died in a crash only days before. Arant said he was shaken, but that he was left with no other choice. The only reasonable way to get back to Kathmandu from Lukla is to fly, even if it is terrifying.

“I’ve never had trouble with flying before,” he said, “but it was hard to get back on the plane after that.”

After Kathmandu, Arant and his crew set out for the rest of their journey throughout Southeast Asia. He stopped in Thailand and Bali before spending a few days in and departing from Tokyo, Japan. Each was a worthy enough trip on its own, but the memory of Everest eclipsed them all. For Arant, those few moments on that rocky outcropping in the Himalayas are, and always will be, a living reminder. Another couple of moments spent living life to the fullest.

Now at home, Arant said he’s enjoying spending time with friends and family. He hopes to enroll in the Master of Physician Assistant Program at Augusta University in the near future, taking the next step toward realizing another of his passions — studying pathology and keeping people healthy. He also plans to return to Nepal in the future to tackle the Annapurna Circuit, a trek of varying lengths (100 to 140 miles, depending on the route) that circles the vast Annapurna Range.

Today, he’s resting.

But tomorrow, there’s no telling where life will take him.

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MORE THAN

A ROOM Room keys unlock a world of student life opportunities for residential Jags

A student makes the most of his time in the Living-Learning community.

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PHIL JONES

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ON AUGUST 13, 2016, Augusta University ushered in a new era by welcoming the first class of undergraduates to the 412-bed Oak Hall, the university’s first true undergraduate residence hall.

It was a big day for both the students and the university. Not only were undergrads now living on campus — and among the white coats populating the Health Sciences Campus, no less — but they were enjoying a wide range of new services and activities geared toward making their college experience especially rich and rewarding.

With the residence halls in place, the university was finally able to give students a traditional residential experience, complete with food service, a transportation system and recreational activities designed specifically for this new breed of Jaguar.

A year later, we look back on how student life has evolved.

Students kayak down the Betty’s Branch tributary of the Savannah River.

Story by Eric Johnson Photo series by Phil Jones

Jessica Fleming and James Crockett play Frisbee on the Jaguar Park greenspace.

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JAGUARS IN THE WILD Perhaps nowhere is the work being done to enhance the student experience more obvious than at the Wellness Center, located in the Student Center just a short stroll away from Oak Hall and the 312-bed Elm Hall, which houses graduate and professional students. After undergoing an extensive renovation in anticipation of the incoming residential students, the Wellness Center, previously a hodgepodge of colors and themes, now boasts a coordinated look that leaves no doubt that you’re in the heart of Jaguar Nation.

“The post-renovation design reflects the Augusta University colors, and an image of our Jaguar on the large screen greets you as you enter,” says Patsy Davis, associate director of campus recreation. “It’s really got a collegiate feel when you come in now.”

One of the most popular additions to the recreational offerings has been the kayak rental program, which takes advantage of Augusta’s wide-ranging water resources by allowing a student to check out up to two kayaks overnight, complete with a map of suggested locations and a helping hand when it comes to loading and unloading at the Student Center.

“Staying active is an important part of a successful student experience, and kayaking is a great way to foster student

well-being,” Davis says. “Our student employees are trained to load them, and we’re proud to say we can put a kayak on any car. We’ve had some pretty small two-seaters with a kayak strapped on, and we have bed extenders for those students who have pickup trucks.”

The Betty’s Branch area of Columbia County is the most popular spot for these excursions, Davis says, although all the locations offer beautiful scenery and a fun outdoor experience.

Another incentive to get students outdoors are the two Georgia State Park passes that are now available for rent.

“All students have to do is come to the front desk,” Davis says. “I think it’s a great opportunity for our students to explore our beautiful state.”

Closer to home, the big grass field between Oak Hall and the Student Center is fast becoming a go-to spot for organized intramural activities or, when not in use, a pickup game of Frisbee.

“I think our identity as campus recreation is more in line now with most colleges across the United States,” Davis says.

“Before, we were very focused on postgraduate students.

Now, we are fully staffed by student employees and graduate assistants, and a lot of them live in the residence halls.”

Continued on next page

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Paint Palooza

JAGUARS ON CAMPUS While much of Davis’ programing is geared towards getting students out into the community, Joe Pierce, director of student engagement, is all about creating an inclusive and vibrant campus culture, which is easier now that so many undergrads are living on campus and are therefore naturally becoming woven into the school’s cultural fabric.

“We are definitely developing more of a campus culture,” Pierce says.

An example of that was this year’s Paint Palooza and last year’s Homecoming variety show, which sold out the Maxwell Theatre.

“All of our events last year had more attendance than they had the last couple of years,” Pierce says. “And we’re anticipating that trend to continue, especially when you look at this year’s housing numbers.”

With so many students living on one campus and attending classes on another, Pierce has occasionally moved the inflatable movie screen often used at the D. Douglas Barnard Jr. Amphitheatre on the Summerville Campus to Jaguar Park. In colder months, he even uses the screen at the nearby Lee Auditorium. And when Movie Night happens to be on the Summerville Campus, buses make it easy for Oak Hall residents to get there.

This fall also marks the debut of JagLife, an online engagement platform that makes events even easier for students to find and for student organizations to promote.

It also gives Pierce and his team valuable data regarding participation, which will help them tailor future activities.

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Students participate in a Build-a-Jag event.

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JAGUARS IN THEIR DEN When the second crop of freshmen moved into Oak Hall this August, an energetic culture of individual attention had already taken root, built around a floor culture led by specially trained resident assistants.

“Each floor takes on the personality of that RA, so we are very intentional about developing connections with the students and creating plans so that the individual floor personalities shine through,” says Dr. Heather Schneller, director of housing and residence life.

This year, the College of Science and Mathematics is increasing its participation in the Living-Learning Communities, which give participating students an enhanced academic experience by grouping them into cohorts that live and study together. According to Schneller, talks are underway with Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences to perhaps develop a Living-Learning Community of its own in the future.

In addition, the new coordinator for academic initiatives and student leadership programs will be rolling out hall councils as well as an overall governing body for all residence hall students, which Schneller says will help solidify the student connection.

“We want them to be engaged in their communities and to have a say in terms of what we’re doing programmatically,” she says. “We’re doing well with creating small communities where they really do get connected, and we want to expand on that.”

Part of that includes going beyond programing and into really getting to know the individual students, which the floor-level attention allows.

“I think our students do enjoy the individualized attention, and so we’re going to be doing more of that,” Schneller says. “I think they also appreciated our intrusiveness when it comes to how they are doing with the whole gamut — academically, socially and in terms of their overall wellness and well-being.”

While everything from a Build-a-Jag event to studying while doing a load of laundry seems to integrate students into life in the residence hall, sometimes it’s the spontaneous mischief that makes Schneller smile.

“To some extent, I do have sympathies for our freshmen here, because with our housing office right here in the facility, they can’t get away with too much,” she chuckles. “I can be walking down one hallway in particular because of where the vending machines are and stumble on them racing the rolling chairs up and down the hallway. All I have to do is shake my head at them, and they’re like, ‘okay.’”

One of last year’s offenders is now an RA. Besides having the facility at full capacity this year, Schneller is proud of the fact that 174 of last year’s residents have contracted to live in the University Village complex near the Forest Hills Campus. That not only shows that the students have connected to the student organizations and made those meaningful connections with faculty, it also means they enjoyed their housing experience and trust the university to follow through on their housing promise.

“That speaks volumes to what we’re continuing to do,” Schneller says.

“I think as a department, this team has stayed true to our goal of providing a transformational experience for all of our students living with us. We want to see them all succeed.”

Resident assistants set the tone for their floors.

A student studies while doing laundry.

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PHIL JONES

On Our Way

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SECRET LIVES

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MARK PATISHNOCK

DAY JOB: Director of Augusta University Student Counseling and Psychological Services SECRET LIFE: Baseball memorabilia collector

O

ne of the most striking things about Dr. Mark Patishnock, director of Augusta University Student Counseling and Psychological Services, is his commitment to helping students preserve their mental health.

Another is his desire to preserve the history of baseball.

Patishnock said he first discovered his passion as a child going to auctions and antique malls with his father.

His father’s antique collection, which is still growing, includes old signs, Coke machines and even a 1960s Seeburg jukebox — ­­ the latter of which Patishnock helped rewire. While spending time with his father was a welcome treat, Patishnock said the idea of “antiquing for antiquing’s sake” never really appealed to him. Not until he discovered his first baseball antique, that is.

“We collected normal baseball cards, but none of that seemed unique; you’d open a pack and they’d all be the same,” Patishnock said.

“Meanwhile, my dad had all these baseball cards from the ’50s and ’60s. I was always interested in those because they were rare and special.”

From those first few cards, gifted by his father, a lifelong hobby grew.

It began with cards from the ’60s, then gradually evolved into collecting older tobacco cards from the 1890s and 1910s.

“There are about 500 different cards in that particular set,” Patishnock explained. “I have about 100 at home.”

As time passed, his fascination with cards waned. An experienced collector, he wanted something bigger, something substantial. Something with real emotional value.

“In the 1880s to the 1920s, town baseball was really becoming a big deal,” he said.

Several American towns had teams, many of which eventually grew to become the minor league teams we know today.

“So, I got into collecting their uniforms and baseball bats,” he said. “It was a really great way to connect with the history of those places.”

Patishnock isn’t alone in his fascination with small-town baseball antiques. In fact, there’s a small community of collectors who all share his “duty” to save a little slice of Americana.

“It’s really a shared sense of responsibility to preserve this history,” he said. “They’re not collecting cards; they’re collecting these pieces of real, small-town American history. That’s what defines us, I think — our sense of community and responsibility to preserve this history.”

PHOTO GALLERY Visit magazines.augusta.edu to see more from Mark Patishnock’s collection. ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 37

THROUGH THE LENS

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1

GROUNDBREAKING

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PRESIDENT'S COOKOUT

On June 22, Gov. Nathan Deal presided over the groundbreaking for the Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center. The 168,000-square-foot facility, which will be home to the newly created School of Computer and Cyber Sciences, is set for completion in July 2018.

PHIL JONES

PHIL JONES

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2

Set on the grounds of historic Twin Gables, the President’s Cookout, part of the Alumni Weekend activities, proved fun for alumni, families and children alike.

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PHIL JONES

3

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ECLIPSE

Just a few miles from the path of totality, the university community fully embraced the Great American Eclipse, hosting a community symposium the Friday before and a campus-wide watch party on the day of the eclipse. The sold-out symposium (the professors added a second show because of the demand) gave students, staff and community members a chance to learn about the eclipse from experts, check out the sun with special telescopes, and leave with a free pair of eclipse glasses provided by the College of Science and Mathematics.

On Eclipse Day, students and staff spilled outside to don their glasses and experience the once-in-a-lifetime event.

ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 39

THROUGH THE LENS

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PAULA TOOLE/SAVANNAH EVAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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JAG20

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COSTA LAYMAN HEALTH FAIR

One of the high points of Alumni Weekend is the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the year’s Jag20 honorees — 20 alumni under 40 who are making a difference in their professions and in their communities. For a list of recipients, see page 8.

Hosted by the College of Nursing and the inspiration of Distinguished Alumna Debbie Layman (BSB ’78), the Costa Layman Health Fair continues to provide health assessments and screenings to farmworkers in rural South Carolina.

[ FROM THE PRESIDENT Brooks A. Keel (BS ’78, PhD ’82) I LIKE TO SAY that Augusta University is a five-year-old university with a 129year history.

Our “youth” compels us to be nimble and forward thinking, collaborating across all of our disciplines and campuses to create a future for Augusta University that makes the most of our diverse areas of strength.

Our long and storied history provides us wisdom, perspective and a widespread university family with roots deep in our community and state.

Over the next couple of years, our history will be on full display as many of our colleges gear up to celebrate significant milestones, giving us many opportunities to join together and reflect on the decades of meaningful contributions from our own alma mater.

The College of Nursing’s Diamond Jubilee is in full swing, commemorating 75 years of providing nursing expertise critical to the health and well-being of our community and state. Two more colleges will soon reach a significant milestone of their own: The College of Allied Health Sciences will turn 50 next year, and The Dental College of Georgia will follow in 2019.

Fifty years ago was a time of dramatic social change in the U.S., and college campuses were both catalysts and beneficiaries. In 1967, both our Health Sciences and Summerville Campuses were desegregated, opening the door to the knowledge, experience and perspectives that come with diversity and inclusion, now among our most fundamental institutional values.

And last but not least, we celebrate our history as the cultural and creative heart of Augusta, with the 50th anniversary for the Maxwell Theatre and the 10th for the D. Douglas Barnard, Jr. Amphitheatre.

Our history is impressive and our future limitless. We’re so glad to have you with us on this journey.

1960s

Dr. Fred Hawkridge was named the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Science and Mathematics at Alumni Weekend 2017. Hawridge attended Augusta Junior College from 1962-64 and earned his PhD from the University of Kentucky in 1971.

CLASS NOTES

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Clinic, received the Frederic E. Mohs Award from the American College of Mohs Surgery at the college’s annual meeting.

Dr. Ken McMillan (DMD ’74) led a group of nine DCG students on a mission trip to Haiti over spring break. Other participating alumni include Drs. Philip Koch (DMD ’74), Drs. Charles Williams (MD ’66) and Marlon Murrell (DMD ’74), Ken Walter Curran (MD ’82) received Hutchinson (DMD ’82), Wendy two of three Gold Medal Awards Cardenas (DMD ’13) and from the American College Charles Major (DMD ’14). of Radiology, the group’s UPDATE YOUR highest honor. Williams, a Ben Allen (BA ’75) was ADDRESS. radiologist in Tallahassee, named the Distinguished EMAIL US AT Florida, specializes in pediatric Alumnus for the Athletics ALUMNI@AUGUSTA.EDU radiology and breast and Department during Alumni diagnostic imaging. Curran is Weekend 2017. a radiation oncologist who is executive director of the Winship Dr. Paul Goebel (BBA ’75) was Cancer Institute at Emory University. named the Hull College of Business Distinguished Alumnus during Alumni Dr. Jean Braun (MD ’68), who writes under Weekend 2017. the pen name Jean Gottleib Bradley, finished her second novel, Journeys of Love Beyond the Dr. James A. “Jimmy” High, who completed Crossroads, available on Amazon. Her first an orthodontics residency at The Dental novel, published in 2015, was titled College of Georgia in 1975, is a retired At the Crossroad: A Southern Daughter’s Story. orthodontist in Statesboro, Georgia, and was named the 2017 Citizen of the Year by the city’s two Rotary Clubs.

1970s Dr. Phil Jones (MD ’70) published Cocktails and Prayers, a memoir from the 1950s and 1960s centered in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Dr. Melvin Baker (DMD ’74) was elected to the Oxford, Georgia, City Council. He is a member of the American Dental Association, Georgia Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry and Newton Medical Center Board of Directors.

Dr. Hubert Greenway (MD ’74), chairman of Mohs and dermatologic surgery at Scripps

Dr. Marguerite Kearney (BSN ’76, MSN ’77) was named the Augusta University College of Nursing’s Phoebe Kandel Rohrer Distinguished Alumna at Alumni Weekend 2017.

Dr. Larry Stewart (MD ’79), a well-known physician who has practiced as a pediatrician for 31 years in Middle Georgia and is affiliated with Houston Medical Center and Perry Hospital, was named chief medical officer for Houston Healthcare in Warner Robins, Georgia.

There's more to see online.

Check out our redesigned website at magazines.augusta.edu.

ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 41

[

CLASS NOTES

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1968

FLASHBACKS BILLBOARD MAGAZINE’S TOP TUNE “Hey Jude,” The Beatles

OSCAR-WINNING FILM Oliver!

ON CAMPUS MCG forms the School of Allied Health Sciences.

IN THE NEWS Madison Square Garden in New York City opens at its current location.

The first episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is televised.

The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

Hawaii Five-O debuts, and eventually becomes the longest-running crime show in television history, until Law & Order overtakes it in 2003.

At Paine Field, near Everett, Washington, Boeing officially rolls out its new 747 for the media and the public.

1980s

Dr. Stacy Harbin (MD ’80) joined Sacred Heart Medical Group’s team of surgeons and will be based at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf in Port St. Joe, Florida. Harbin specializes in general surgery and has been practicing in the surgical field for more than 30 years.

Dr. Kevin Osteen (PhD ’80) was named the Distinguished Alumnus for The Graduate School during Alumni Weekend 2017.

Dr. Matthew Nathan (MD ’81), former surgeon general and chief of the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, was named interim senior vice president and administrator for the WakeMed Health and Hospitals Raleigh Campus in North Carolina.

Dr. Walter J. Curran (MD ’82) was named the Medical College of Georgia Distinguished Alumnus for Professional Achievement during Alumni Weekend 2017.

Dr. Stephen Farkas (MD ’82) retired from Gainesville Eye Associates, which he founded in 1982.

Dr. Karyn Stockwell (DMD ’82) was named the Distinguished Alumna for The Dental College of Georgia during Alumni Weekend 2017.

Dr. David Munn (MD ’84) was one of only four recipients of Georgia Bio’s 2017 Innovation Awards. Munn was recognized for his research on tumor immunology

and the molecular mechanisms of immune suppression and tolerance.

Dr. Tim Marlow (MD ’87) was promoted to CEO of SpineCenterAtlanta & Affiliates.

1990s

Dr. George Cleland (MD ’91) was presented with the Elbertonian Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Elbert County Branch for exemplary service in the medical profession and for providing exceptional medical care to patients in northeast Georgia.

Dr. George Hall (DMD ’93) is director of the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program and clinical associate professor in the UNC Department of Operative Dentistry.

David Bachand (BS ’94) was named the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Allied Health Sciences during Alumni Weekend 2017.

Dr. Paulette Harris (BA ’71, MEd ’74, EdS ’95) received the Augusta University College of Education Distinguished Alumna Award during Alumni Weekend 2017.

Dr. Derek Heard (MD ’99), a family medicine physician at Phoebe Primary Care of Albany, was recently honored as the 2017 Phoebe Physician of the Year. The award honors a physician who exemplifies a compassionate commitment to improving

IN MEMORIAM Fred Bass (MD '61)

Thaddeus Chapman (MD '91)

George Gowder Jr. (MD '55)

Anderson Baxley Jr. (BBA '74)

William Coleman Sr. (MD '51)

Rosalie Heitzig (BA '82)

Fred Bell Jr. (MD '53)

Lamar Collie III (MD '79)

Wilbur Jones (PhD '68)

Connie Blanchard (MEd '89)

Hewlette Connell (MD '57)

Jeffery King (DMD '01)

Rudolph Bragg (MD '52)

Elizabeth Cook (PhD '70)

Marianne Lennard (MT '69)

Dan Callahan (MD '53)

Lawrence Duane Jr. (MD '67)

Ira Zada Mathews (BSN '75)

James Carter (MD '86)

Waldo Floyd Jr. (MD '24)

Margaret Mathews (MSN '78)

Robert Cates (MD '68)

Fletcher Garrison (MD '50)

David Maxwell (MD '62)

Raymond Cavanagh Jr. (BA '71)

David Goodrich (BSN '01)

Thomas McLemore Jr. (MD '53)

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[ the health and well-being of patients in southwest Georgia.

Dr. Matthew Lyon (MD ’99) was one of only four recipients of Georgia Bio’s 2017 Innovation Awards. Lyon, a professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Georgia and director of the Center for Ultrasound Education and Research at Augusta University, was recognized for pioneering new applications for ultrasound, including the assessment of traumatic brain injuries.

2000s

Dr. Benjamin Levy (MD ’02) has been named clinical director of medical oncology and medical director of thoracic oncology for the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital in northwest Washington, D.C. Rich Rogers (BA ’03) and wife Stephanie welcomed their first child, Jacob Anderson Rogers, into the world on May 18, 2017.

Dr. Kelli Braun (MD ’04), associate professor in the MCG Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was named associate dean of admissions at MCG. Patrick Clayton (MPA ’04) was named the Distinguished Alumnus for Pamplin College during Alumni Weekend 2017.

Dr. Amish Naik (DMD ’08), who completed a general practice residency at DCG, received a Mastership Award from the International College of Oral Implantologists.

Dr. Clint Baughm (DMD ’09), who completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at DCG, received a Fellowship Award from the International College of Oral Implantologists.

Dr. Pamela Cromer (MSN ’88, DNP ’09) was named the College of Nursing's E. Louise Grant Distinguished Alumna during Alumni Weekend 2017.

Drs. Eliza Myers (DMD ’09) and Alan Myers (DMD ’10) opened a new dental office in Fury’s Ferry Center in Augusta, Georgia, in June.

2010s

CLASS NOTES

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Dr. Thomas Bryan (DMD ’15) practices general dentistry at Bryan Dental Associates in St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Dr. Jackie Delash (DMD ’15) completed a general practice residency in 2016 and joined the DCG faculty in the Department of Restorative Sciences.

Dr. Stephanie Fransoso (DMD ’15) was inducted into the Greenbrier Athletics Hall of Fame in Columbia County, Georgia. She SHARE YOUR NEWS. graduated from Greenbrier EMAIL US AT High School as its all-time leading scorer in soccer with ALUMNI@AUGUSTA.EDU 113 goals.

Dr. Courtney Babb (DMD ’10) joined the faculty of the DCG Department of General Dentistry in 2016.

Dr. Ken Sellers (DMD ’13) will join Dr. Ron Fields (DMD ’12) in private practice at Southland Children’s Dentistry in Albany, Georgia, upon completion of his pediatric residency at DCG.

Dr. Grayson Griffis (DMD ’15) opened Griffis Southern Dental Care in Waycross, Georgia, after spending a year working in public health at Compassionate Care Dental Clinic in Vidalia, Georgia.

Dr. Alex Caten (MFRI ’14) joined Sierra Nevada Ear, Nose & Throat, which has offices in Carson City, Gardnerville and Fallon, Nevada.

Dr. Bridget Lyons (DMD ’15) was recently invited to compete on the Team USA Cross Country team in Boca Raton, Florida, and she is currently training for the Olympic trials for the 2020 Olympic team. While an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, she ran the second-fastest time in UGA history for the 10,000-meter event.

Dr. Monica Chana (DMD ’14) completed a general practice residency in 2015 and recently joined the DCG faculty in the Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences.

Dr. Scott DeRossi (MBA ’16) was named dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. DeRossi formerly chaired the DCG Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences.

Hal McNair (MD '60)

Thu Ready (BS '79)

Billups Tillman (MD '62)

Claude Miller Jr. (BA '67)

Terry Sams Jr. (BBA '76)

Charles Veazey (MD '69)

Donald Miller (BBA '80)

Linda Settle (BS '79)

Ruth Wrightstone (MS '68)

Luther Mills IV (MD '65)

James Shanks (MD '55)

Robert Wynn Sr. (MD '65)

Teresa Mills (BS '89)

Nayera Sharawy (MS '77)

Elmer Musarra II (MD '69)

Gregory Simmons (MD '88)

Rosanna Newman (BSN '79)

Elizabeth Smith (BSN '77)

Cari Ouderkirk (MD '88)

William Smith Jr. (MD '51)

Speir Ramsey (MD '66)

Shelley Sneed (MD '83)

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched, but are felt in the heart.”

Helen Keller

ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 43

HISTORY & HERITAGE

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PHIL JONES

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A FAMILY LEGACY

ON MAY 1, 1827, Edgar Allan Poe penned the poem “To Octavia.”

According to legend, the Octavia in question was Octavia Walton LeVert, one of the best-known women in the Antebellum South. She was well-educated, spoke several languages, and was known for her parties and her friendships with prominent figures, like Washington Irving and three-time presidential candidate Henry Clay.

Born in Augusta, LeVert was the granddaughter of George Walton, one of Georgia’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence. LeVert’s father, George Walton Jr., was appointed governor of Florida when the state was still a territory. It is rumored that it was Octavia who named the capital city of Tallahassee.

Octavia eventually married Dr. Henry LaVert, and the couple settled in Mobile, Alabama, where Octavia LaVert’s support of the Union during the Civil War earned the ire of the locals. Following the death of her husband in 1864, LeVert returned to Augusta.

Octavia LaVert died on March 12, 1877. She was buried in the Walker Family Cemetery. Her children are buried beside her.

Several other notable Augustans were also laid to rest in the Walker Family Cemetery, including Freeman Walker, a United States senator and the first mayor of Augusta. In the early 19th century, Freeman Walker and his younger brother moved to Augusta, where they planned to study law. Their older brothers, George and Robert Walker, were already living in Augusta. The brothers eventually bought various properties around Augusta, including property lining Arsenal Avenue, which would eventually become the Augusta University Summerville Campus.

As was common at the time, the Walker family decided to designate an approximately one-acre portion of their plantation land to be a family cemetery.

In 1826, Freeman Walker sold a parcel of land to the government for $6,000. This land would become the U.S. Arsenal, but there was one condition to the land purchase. The cemetery would be preserved. Freeman Walker passed away a year after selling his land and was buried in the Walker Family Cemetery.

Years later, the Arsenal was purchased for the Junior College of Augusta (now Augusta University), again with the condition that the cemetery be preserved.

The Walker Family Cemetery is located on the Augusta University Summerville Campus near the Arsenal Cemetery and continues to serve as the burial grounds for Walker family members.

PHOTO GALLERY Visit magazines.augusta.edu to see more of the cemetery.

ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 45

BECOME AN AUGUSTA AMBASSADOR TODAY! As alumni, you are invited to join our exclusive digital community.

Follow these 3 easy steps.

• Sign up by connecting your social media networks.

• Share stories by simply clicking a "share now" button.

• Rack up the points to win #JagSwag.

Visit augusta.edu/AugustaAmbassadors to connect your social networks and get started!

The more you share the better your chances to snag a $50 or $100 gift card to the JagStore each month.

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VALUE ADDED

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THESE ARE UNEXPECTED WORDS from a woman diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer four years ago who is still in active battle against the disease. But in the face of the physical and emotional challenges inherent in her struggle, Jane Flanders is disarmingly upbeat and sincerely grateful.

Diagnosed in 2013 at the age of 58, Flanders was referred to Dr. Sharad A. Ghamande, associate director for clinical research at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University and principal investigator of the state’s only minority-focused research program.

Selected as one of only 12 in the nation, the GCC’s minority NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) came with a $3.3 million grant to increase NCI-sponsored clinical trials and cancer care delivery research throughout Georgia, particularly among minority and underserved populations.

After surgery, Flanders was able to participate in a cutting-edge Phase I NRG trial through this NCORP. One year later, a PET scan revealed her cancer in remission, and it remained in remission through mid-2015.

“I’m so grateful that the Cancer Center is here,” she said. “I’ve been able to be involved in clinical trials here that aren’t available anywhere else. Being a part of these studies has allowed me to have good quality of life along this journey.”

At academic medical centers like Augusta University, physician scientists conduct basic science and translational research that can lead to novel treatments. This gives patients the opportunity to participate in clinical trials and receive treatments that would otherwise not be available to them.

Since the cancer’s return, Flanders has participated in several more trials. Under Ghamande’s care, Flanders’ treatment is closely monitored, so changes can be made as soon as they are warranted. A recent scan showed an encouraging partial response.

While her struggles have been challenging, Flanders' outlook remains positive. She’s an active member of the CSRA Gynecological

PHIL JONES

'I HAVE BEEN SO FORTUNATE'

Jane Flanders

Cancer Support Group at Augusta University, a grassroots effort that connects patients in a network of understanding and encouragement, and she is grateful for the top-quality care she has received.

It is that gratitude that often inspires patients and family members to earmark gifts to clinical trials and research that personally touched them or a loved one. For example, an anonymous donor recently gave $500,000 in honor of his late wife, who lost her battle with cancer. The gift will support research to develop more effective treatment methods for female cancer patients.

Private donations are critical to funding such cutting-edge research, and Flanders is immensely grateful to those who give.

“I’m in awe of the people who do that,” said Flanders. “Someone with a generous heart, who knows what the struggles are … that they are willing to share what they have to help someone else.”

Other donors earmark gifts for promising studies. Last year Hyundai Hope on Wheels and Augusta-area Hyundai dealers awarded Drs. Ted Johnson and David Munn, researchers and physicians at the Georgia Cancer Center, a $250,000 Hope Grant to support their pediatric neuro-oncology clinical trial.

“Without those folks, we might not have a facility so state-of-the-art,” said Flanders. “I wish I could write each of them to tell them how thankful I am.” ma g azi n e s. au gu sta. e d u | 47

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IN THE FIELD

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CURATING A COMMUNITY VISION

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n February, Scott Thorp, chair of the Department of Art (recently renamed the Department of Art and Design) announced a partnership between Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Westobou Festival that establishes Shannon Morris, director of the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art on the Summerville Campus, as the guest curator of the Westobou Gallery in downtown Augusta.

“Rather than just programming space, we’re going to curate an experience that will last over the years,” Thorp told a gallery audience the night of the announcement. “We’re going to walk you up the ladder of art and culture so that over time you’ll see an ebb and flow in this space of cultural development and awareness, and the city will become more prominent in the eyes of the people around us.”

Morris, who joined Augusta University in July 2016, says the collaboration has already been a success.

“It has so much more value than any of us imagined in the beginning, because of the weight that we’re able to bring to what we do and the conversations that we’re able to have with artists both inside and outside the city,” she says. “Art is an important part of the city’s identity, and it also gives a lot of credibility to the university because we’re not just haphazardly throwing art into a space — it’s an intentional plan.”

But what exactly is involved in being a curator?

“It’s more like what’s not involved,” she says. “I’m looking at what’s been done before and what I can pull into the conversation that will not only be relevant to the community, but also to the contemporary world we’re living in. Being a contemporary curator, I’m working with living artists, and they are influenced by what’s going on around them.”

The arts are a major but often overlooked economic driver, Morris says, and with the influx of new people drawn to the area by the explosion of the cyber economy centered around Fort Gordon and the newly established Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, which is set to open at Augusta University’s Riverfront Campus in July 2018, the value of artistic partnerships has grown even more important.

“I think we’ll definitely begin to see more excitement when we bring people to Augusta from the outside area who are part of the art world other places,” Morris says. “We need more people to be a part of that conversation, and they’re coming.”

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Westabou Gallery

Photo by Phil Jones

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