Mississippi State University Alumnus Summer 2001

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A legacy of music comes alive online

CONTENTS

ALUMNUS Summer 2001 Volume 77 Number 2 USPS 354-520

President Malcolm Portera (’69, M.A. ’71) Vice President for External Affairs Dennis A. Prescott Alumni Association Executive Director John V. Correro (’62) Mississippi State Alumnus is published three times a year by the Office of University Relations and the Mississippi State University Alumni Association at Mississippi State, Miss. Send address changes to Alumni Director, P.O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526; telephone 662-325-2434; or access by web browser at http:// msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/alumni/ alumni.htm.

Editorial offices: 102 George Hall, P.O. Box 5325, Mississippi State, MS 397625325. Telephone 662-325-3442; fax, 662-325-7455; e-mail, snowa@ur.msstate.edu.

2 Stennis Institute is lending a hand The Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State provides research, training, and service to state and local governments while promoting citizen involvement in the political process.

7 Students ‘joggle’ modern skills and old boards MSU students in a furniture production class bring 19th century “joggling” boards into the 21st century.

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A new home for the MSU family Mississippi State broke ground for its new alumni and foundation building, the Hunter Henry Center, during Super Bulldog Weekend ceremonies in March.

Editor/Designer Allen Snow (’76)

Rowan Taylor’s second brush with history When 76-year-old Rowan Taylor of Jackson retired from a real estate law practice several years ago, he decided to come back to MSU to pursue an old love–history.

Designers Becky Smith Dale Dombrowski Photographers Fred Faulk Russ Houston (’85)

Mississippi State University Alumni Association National Officers Steve G. Taylor (’77), national president; Robby Gathings (’81) national first vice president; Allen Maxwell (’78), national second vice president; Keith Winfield (’70), national treasurer; Lamar A. Conerly Jr. (’71), immediate former national president. www.msstate.edu Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

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Victorian-era culture goes online

Health education master’s program gains in popularity

The Templeton Sheet Music Collection, housed in Mitchell Memorial Library, is being preserved electronically for future generations to study and enjoy.

The distance learning program in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sport is already a success—and it’s only beginning its third year.

16 Campus News 25 Athletics 26 Alumni Activities On the cover: The stunningly beautiful cover art for W.C. Polla’s Dear Heart is but one of the 22,000 pieces in the Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collection, currently being digitized by Mitchell Memorial Library. Story on page 12.

31 Philanthropy 34 Class News 42 In Memoriam

“America’s system will not operate itse dedication, from the ground up,

From city halls to the halls of state, the

STENNIS INSTITUTE

By Maridith Walker Geuder

Photos by Fred Faulk

vision of what his city can be and where it Down the seemingly unending blacktop can go. of Highway 61, the Mississippi Delta lies Today, he shows visitors the possibiliopen to unobstructed view. The fields ties. A new cultural center, created from an stretch on forever, without contour, without abandoned Piggly Wiggly grocery store, defining architecture, and frequently anchors a main street on which fire has without sign of human activity. gutted many of the structures. Mayor The towns huddle on the periphery of Carter sees the center as the figurative heart thousands of acres of farmland or cluster of the town, a place where families can along the banks of rivers with names such hold reunions, the Boy Scouts can meet, as Yazoo, Sunflower, and Tallahatchie. cultural events can draw people from While their history is myth, their future has beyond the city limits, and citizens can the Faulknerian potential for tragedy and vote. decline.

But to make these visions reality, he The Stennis Institute of Government is needs hard-to-come-by dollars. Many of helping some of these small communities his dreams and many of the needs of Shaw, refocus and restore thempopulation 2,300, selves. require resources far On a blustery spring day beyond the city’s when rain threatens, the capacity.

Bolivar County community A chance to attend of Shaw vividly illustrates the Stennis Institute’s some of the challenges for State Executive small towns whose tax base Development Institute and resources are stretched to introduced him to capacity. professors and research Roger Carter, a native of scientists whose Shaw who lived in Detroit Mayor Roger Carter of Shaw stands before the city’s new knowledge could for 25 years before returning cultural center. He believes it provide help and hope. home, is serving his first can serve as a unifying force for term as mayor. He has a the community.

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Mayor Carter points out street drainage problems to Stennis Institute director Marty Wiseman and research assistant Judy Phillips.

“The Stennis Institute helped bridge a gap with our city’s finances,” he said.

Stennis Institute research assistant Judy Phillips has been instrumental in helping the city write grants to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to plan for hazard mitigation. She also has assisted in helping leverage that grant into a $1 million project that will focus on improving the city’s badly decaying storm water drainage system.

lf. It takes leadership, sacrifice, from the street level up.”

John C. Stennis, February 4, 1972

Jonestown mayor Joe Phillips, left, believes his city’s abandoned elementary school can be reclaimed to serve as a community center. He shows Wiseman some of the recent damage to the building.

E OF GOVERNMENT is lending a hand

“Any time there’s a two-inch rain, our streets flood,” Carter noted, standing near water pooled on Dean Boulevard, a main thoroughfare on which the city’s Shaw High School sits.

With 60 percent of his city’s residents living below the poverty level, finding alternative funding mechanisms is critical to the city’s future, Carter said. “Without the help of the Stennis Institute, it would have been difficult to locate these resources,” he said.

NO PROBLEM IS TOO SMALL “We don’t want to say ‘no’ to anyone who has a problem,” says political science professor Marty Wiseman, who since 1990 has directed the institute named for former U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis (’23). “When

people call us, it’s our philosophy to find a way to help solve that problem.”

The Stennis Institute of Government was established in 1977 and reflects John C. Stennis’s desire to provide research, training, and service for Mississippi’s state and local governments and to promote citizen involvement in the political process.

Wiseman says the 22-member staff of the institute takes those goals seriously, through outreach around the state, promoting Mississippi’s role in the region, and advancing civic education.

That may mean assistance to some of the smallest Delta communities such as Shaw, Jonestown (pop. 1,465), or Coahoma (pop. 500), or it may mean serving as a resource for thriving cities such as Tupelo, Meridian, and Ocean Springs.

“We see our job as leveraging university

Wiseman, Mayor Joe Phillips, community leader Rev. Bennie Brown, and Stennis research assistant Phillips discuss possibilities for a former elementary classroom.

resources wherever the needs exist,” Wiseman explained.

One of the collaborations of which he’s proudest is an ongoing relationship with the city of Jonestown. “Mississippi State’s contributions are an illustration of crosscampus cooperation,” Wiseman said.

In 1997, the process began with a social work class and a plan to involve students in interventions for a day-care facility. The School of Architecture’s Small Town Center became involved in planning for the rehabilitation of an abandoned school as a community resource. The Mississippi State University Extension Service helped plan a nature trail.

To help the city define its needs and prioritize goals, the Stennis Institute invited Mayor Joe Phillips and key city leaders to a two-day strategic planning session at an Olive Branch meeting facility. The effort was underwritten by the institute.

“The meeting was designed to organize our community goals for the future and to help us plan where we wanted to be in 2010,” Phillips explained. “We wanted to discover our problems internally and to develop solutions.”

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Among its goals, the city identified rehabilitating an abandoned school as a focus for its efforts. Refurbished, they believe the 1920s-era structure could provide 24-hour daycare facilities, afterschool programs for youth, computer training, a central recreation area, and a convenient location for job training.

Feasibility plans drawn by the School of Architecture’s Small Town Center today hang on the walls of the city hall lobby, and Mayor Phillips has a goal of making those plans reality. “The project would require about $1.5 million, and the Stennis Institute is helping us identify granting agencies to which we can submit applications,” he explained.

“The school is a monument in our community, and the Mayor W.J. Jones of Coahoma need for a says the Stennis Institute has facility that been an invaluable resource can provide in helping his community plan for the future. multiple resources is great.”

In nearby Coahoma, Mayor W.J. Jones describes similar needs dealing with infrastructure and resources. “Coahoma has been incorporated only since 1981, although the community has been established for a long time,” he said.

“We know what our needs are, but we have a very low tax base. The Stennis Institute is trying to help us find funds for issues such as drainage problems, sewerage, and wastewater treatment.”

The Stennis Institute is working with Coahoma to identify funding sources for an upgrade of its wastewater treatment system, shown behind Mayor Jones.

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Judy Phillips of the Stennis Institute is working with community leaders such as Rev. Bennie Brown to seek funding sources for restoration of the town’s 1920s-era school structure.

As in Jonestown, a Stennis-Institutesponsored planning retreat provided citizen leaders a chance to review objective information about their city, to assess strengths, and to plan for the future.

“I don’t think we’ll ever be the same after that day,” Jones said.

ON A DIFFERENT SCALE In the East Central city of Meridian (population 40,000), Mayor John Robert Smith faced some issues of an entirely different nature. His city, which had lost about 10 percent of its population in the 1980-90 U.S. Census, saw a population drift of about 2 percent to surrounding areas in the 2000 census.

“We knew we were helping grow the region, but we wanted to look at how to grow the tax base and population inside the city,” he said.

To address the issues, Smith appointed a wide cross section of citizens to serve on a Grow Meridian team headed by Bill Crawford, a member of the state College Board and vice president of community and business development for Meridian Community College. Their charge: research the issues and bring back some concrete, achievable goals.

Smith asked the Stennis Institute to serve as facilitator for the effort. “The institute was an invaluable resource for providing statistical information, helping the team understand the data, and providing examples of what has worked in other areas,” he said. “They were a partner in the process without dominating the process.”

The team generated ideas ranging from creating a downtown retirement community to developing a comprehensive performing arts and technical arts education framework. Each recommendation will be addressed in depth by a council member and staff person, Smith said. “There were some very exciting ideas.”

For many of Mississippi’s municipalities, much of the work performed by the Stennis Institute deals with what director Wiseman calls the “nuts and bolts” issues of evaluating compensation and job descriptions.

An online database at the Stennis Institute web site [www.sig.msstate.edu] contains typical job descriptions and duties for a variety of municipal positions, including police chief, city clerk, public works director, and others. Research assistant Jeff Markham directs approximately five compensation analyses annually.

RESOURCES FOR POLICY MAKERS One of the increasingly important roles of the Stennis Institute is that of translator, says Wiseman.

“More and more, we’re an interpreter for information on technical issues such as the economic impact of welfare reform, telecommunications reform, or water quality. Almost every department of the university has worked with us.”

One particularly complex issue for Mississippi was that of telecommunications taxation reform. In the late 1990s, telecommunications tax policy, established during a time of limited competition, was in need of updating to reflect a changing, highly competitive environment. Among policy issues was developing new strategies for the taxation of property.

Agreeing on a taxation approach became a critical point of discussions among groups as diverse as the Mississippi Municipal League, telecommunications industry representatives, and county governments. For both industry and local governments, the stakes were high.

Counties, cities, and schools that benefited from telecommunications property taxes had much at stake, with as much as 4 percent of a county’s property tax proceeds often related to communications firms. Industry came to the table knowing that there were sometimes significant differences in how the property of communications companies were taxed and assessed, affecting their ability to compete effectively. These were but two concerns in a morass of complex issues that also included the long-term effects of highcapacity, low-cost communications equipment on property values and the effects of revised taxation on attracting future infrastructure development.

The Stennis Institute was asked to clarify issues and became a key player in bringing interested parties together.

“The Stennis Institute was instrumental in developing detailed data, listening to all sides, and presenting possible solutions,”

said Randy Russell, executive director of regulatory and external affairs for BellSouth. “They saw the complexities and understood both industry and government issues. They were an important player in helping resolve the issue to the satisfaction of all parties.”

Jeanne Smith, executive director of the Mississippi Municipal League, concurs.

“Because of the detailed work of Stennis Institute researchers such as Keith Smith, who generated massive amounts of data, we were able to come to a negotiated understanding in the telecommunications tax reform issue,” she said.

“We could never have obtained the staffing and the resources that the Stennis Institute provided.”

That kind of information was especially important to cities and counties, said Joe Young, tax assessor for Pike County. “The efforts of the Stennis Institute were invaluable in helping us run different scenarios to understand the specific impact on specific counties. I don’t think the Legislature would have passed a bill like that without knowing the impact in their home county.”

The Mississippi Telecommunications Tax Reform Act was passed in the 2000 legislative session. “Ultimately, it did not cost cities or schools a major source of tax revenues,” Young said.

Executive director Jeanne Smith said the Mississippi Municipal League routinely turns to the institute for assistance and research. “We have ongoing projects on sales tax issues and data base issues,” she explained, “and we’re developing a working relationship on legislative issues for the next legislative session.”

A CAPITOL IDEA In cooperation with the Capitol Press Corps and the Mississippi Press Association, the Stennis Institute hosts a monthly Stennis Capitol Press Lunch on topics of public interest. Speakers during 2001 have included Billy McCoy, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee; Speaker of the House Tim Ford; former Gov. William Winter; Gov. Ronnie Musgrove; State Auditor Phil Bryant; Attorney General Mike Moore; State Treasurer Marshall Bennett; and Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, among others. The events are coordinated by research assistant Phillip S. Pierce and Bobby Harrison of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

THE ‘GO-TO’ FOLKS Director Wiseman says one of his goals is to make the Stennis Institute the “go-to” resource for policy analyses and decisionmaking. “We’re just starting on that journey, but it’s a logical role for us as part of a land-grant institution,” he noted.

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Secretary of State Eric Clark, who holds a doctorate from Mississippi State, has found the institute a resource for gathering information on public policy issues ranging from term limits to reforming the way state agencies make rules and regulations.

“The work of the Stennis Institute is respected across the state as thorough, objective, and fair,” he said. “It gives government policy makers the hard facts they need to make wise decisions. As a Mississippi State alumnus, I take a great deal of pride in the institute’s work and reputation.”

When Northern District Public Service Commissioner Bo Robinson needed detailed information about issues surrounding drinking water and wastewater systems, he also turned to the Stennis Institute.

“For a water policy meeting for North Mississippi, the institute helped identify a wide variety of issues we should be considering,” Robinson said.

“There are increasing demands on our water supplies, and I think everyone is becoming aware of the seriousness of some of the issues. Their detailed analysis is one example of the powerful resources available to all government agencies who seek their help.”

Drawing on the expertise of the Water Resources Research Institute at Mississippi State, his team was able to help generate discussion of water-related issues.

Majority leader Trent Lott discusses policy making issues with members of MSU’s Stennis-Montgomery Association.

Photo courtesy of Stennis Institute of Government

W. Bush as 43rd president of the United States.

Last year, the group visited with members of Mississippi’s congressional delegation before attending sessions of the House of Representatives and Senate.

They also toured the offices of Yazoo City native Haley Barbour, one of Washington’s leading lobbyists and Republican Party strategists, and the offices of the Democratic National Committee.

“In politics, you don’t have to win every time, but you do have to play,” Wiseman observed. “This organization introduces students to the process.”

The Stennis-Montgomery Association also sponsors, in cooperation with the Stennis Institute and Mitchell Memorial Library, a newly inaugurated speaker series named for the institute’s first director.

Speakers in the Morris W.H. “Bill” Collins Speaker Series have included city, state, and national political leaders, as well as journalists.

READY FOR THE FUTURE One of the most important issues facing the state, according to the Stennis Institute, is capacity development—ensuring that sufficient infrastructure is in place to grow and to attract industry. Mississippi also must face the twin needs of developing human capital and finding opportunities for all of its citizens in the post-welfare era, Wiseman says. The Stennis Institute has begun a collaboration with several state universities, MSU’s College of Education, and state community colleges to address work force issues in particular.

Because politics is ever-changing, constantly shaping itself to the needs of citizens, there never will be a shortage of ways to serve in the political process, Wiseman believes. And in Mississippi, he says, that opportunity is among the most exciting anywhere. “Mississippi has some of the most interesting politics in the world.”

An important component of the institute’s work, Wiseman believes, is developing educational and leadership opportunities for students.

As an example, he cites the John C. Stennis-G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Association, which was formed two years ago to give students a greater involvement in the political process. In January, Wiseman accompanied 20 members of the association to Washington, D.C., where they witnessed the inauguration of George

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Photo courtesy of Stennis Institute of Government

STUDENT LEADER TRAINING

Members of MSU’s Stennis-Montgomery Association stand on the steps of the United States Capitol.

“I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE IN THE WORK PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN SUCCEED WITHOUT BEING PRODDED.

H

THE OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AT MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE THAT CAN HAPPEN, AND THIS STRUCTURE IS SOMETHING I WANT TO BE A PART OF. MY INPUT IS THAT OF ENABLING DR. PORTERA AND HIS TEAM TO CONTINUE MAKING THIS GREAT UNIVERSITY BETTER.”

—HUNTER W. HENRY JR.

Hunter W. Henry Jr., left, and President Malcolm Portera discuss plans for the Hunter Henry Center during March groundbreaking ceremonies for the 34,000 square-foot facility.

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unter Henry Center

Mississippi State University broke ground for its new alumni and foundation building, the Hunter Henry Center, during Super Bulldog Weekend ceremonies in March. The ceremony took place near the

A NEW HOME FOR THE MSU FAMILY

By Maridith Walker Geuder “I have always tried to create an atmosphere in the work place where people can succeed without being prodded.

The outstanding leadership at Mississippi State has created an atmosphere where that

Officially kicking off construction of the Hunter Henry Center are, from left, national alumni president Steve Taylor, architect E. Bowden Wyatt, foundation board president Leo Seal Jr., Henry, President Malcolm Portera, state college board member Bryce W. Griffis, and vice president for external affairs Dennis Prescott.

future site of the building, on the western edge of campus at the intersection of Barr Avenue and University Drive.

The 34,000 square-foot building will be named for Canton native and lead contributor Hunter W. Henry Jr. A 1950 MSU chemical engineering graduate now residing in San Marcos, Texas, he is the retired president of Dow Chemical USA. Henry made a cornerstone commitment of $3 million toward the center. His gift is a substantial portion of the $8.5 million needed to complete the facility.

Henry, among 100 persons in attendance for the March 24 ceremony, told the crowd that his contribution for the center was not typical of his support of the university. “In the past, I have been averse to donating toward bricks and mortar, limiting my contributions to scholarships and activities for faculty enhancement. But when a need for a facility becomes so obvious, I think about the leadership qualities that guided me in my life,” Henry said.

Photos by Fred Faulk

can happen, and this structure is something I want to be a part of. My input is that of enabling Dr. Portera and his team to continue making this great university better.”

Henry has combined a career as a toplevel executive of a major multinational company with a lifetime of philanthropy and public service. He long has been a major donor to his alma mater and was selected in 1988 as MSU’s alumnus of the year. Henry recently was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree by Mississippi State.

MSU President Malcolm Portera was on hand to thank Henry for his commitment and to reflect on what the new facility will mean for Mississippi State.

“This really is a major milestone for this university,” he said. “We’ve wanted to create a facility that could be a landmark for Mississippi. It will be a place where we can develop and grow partnerships between state and federal government and business and industry that are critical to

Henry, center, shares a laugh with Leo Seal Jr. and Steve Taylor. the success of institutions like Mississippi State.”

Designed by Foil Wyatt Architects of Jackson, the center will house offices for the Alumni Association and the Foundation, a 400-seat capacity ballroom, meeting rooms of various sizes, and a large donor recognition area.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and should take approximately 1218 months. “Following the most optimistic timetable, we could have the building open some time in the fall of 2002,” said Dennis Prescott, vice president for external affairs.

When completed, the Henry Center will enable the university to prepare for the inevitable growth of its alumni and fundraising efforts.

See related article on page 32

During the groundbreaking ceremonies, Hunter Henry visited with past and present recipients of the Hunter W. Henry Endowed Scholarship in Engineering.

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Rowan Taylor’s se

By Dale Dombrowski

Photos by Russ Houston

“I retired about six years ago and all of Marszalek said Taylor had a party after Like many Mississippi State students, my academic background was in physics, his graduation and a group of history Rowan Taylor is an avid Bulldog baseball fan. law, and business,” said Taylor. “I never professors who were there asked him if he But unlike most students, who sit in the sunny had done anything in humanities, so after I planned to continue his education in history. grandstand areas of Dudy Noble Field, Taylor retired, the idea came to me one day: “We told him that since he had come this enjoys the baseball games from his skybox.

‘Why don’t I go and study history?’ far, he might as well continue on for his And, at age 76, he’s entitled to his comforts.

That’s why I’m here.”

Ph.D.,” said Marszalek. “Rowan told us he Taylor, a retired Jackson real estate lawyer Following the 1998 fall semester, had been thinking about doing just that.” and current chair of the Mississippi After taking the spring semester State Board of Education, is back at off, Taylor began work on his MSU learning more about one of his doctorate in history the next fall. favorite subjects—history.

“I’ve always been interested in “I’ve always been crazy about World War II since I participated in history,” said Taylor. “History has been it,” said Taylor, “So now, in the a lifelong interest, but I never pursued doctoral program, I am studying it.” military history, especially that of According to John Marszalek, World War II.” professor of history and a Giles It was the war, Taylor recalled, Distinguished Professor, Taylor’s return that interrupted his first stint as an to the classroom started at a reception MSU student in the early 1940s. given by former Mississippi State “I originally entered Mississippi President Donald Zacharias.

State as a freshman in 1942 when I “As my wife and I were going was 17 years old,” he reflected, through the receiving line, Dr. “But when I turned 18, I joined the Zacharias said that there was someone Navy and they sent me to their V-12 he wanted me to meet because he had a program at Mississippi College. real interest in history,” Marszalek Rowan Taylor and history professor John Marszalek “I spent three semesters there recalled. “He told me the person was a and was sent to the midshipman donor to the university, and a few school at Northwestern University,” he said. minutes later, I was talking to Rowan Taylor.”

Taylor graduated with his master’s degree.

“Mississippi College accepted all of my Marszalek recalls Taylor telling him he had “The master’s degree I earned was courses at Northwestern, which included been interested in history for a long time and primarily in Civil War history,” he said. naval history and navigation, and I had that he was thinking of coming back to school Taylor, whose primary residence is in enough credit to get my bachelor’s degree in to work on a master’s degree in that area.

Jackson, commuted to his classes at MSU. “We talked for awhile and I told him to “When I started, I was commuting from physics in 1945.”

Taylor said receiving his degree in 1945 come over to the history department,” said Jackson two and three days a week,” he had a twist of irony associated with it.

Marszalek. “He came over and talked to some said. “A couple of years ago, I finally “I graduated while sitting out in the of the people in the department. After that, he decided to buy something up here, so I middle of the Pacific Ocean,” he said. enrolled.” purchased a little town house over in the In addition to his undergraduate degree, Taylor returned to school part-time in the Cotton District, so I can come up and have Taylor went to law school after leaving the spring of 1996. a place to spend the night.”

Navy and later earned an MBA.

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history

econd brush with Being back in school after retirement and actively pursuing something he loves is important to Taylor.

“I have had friends who have looked forward to retirement,” he said. “They worked until they were 65 so they could go play golf or fish or whatever, but I have seen many who have pursued that course of action not live very long.

“I’m not saying I’m back in school to keep on living, but I have a strong belief that you must be interested in something or be involved with pursuing something,” he said.

“You can’t go play golf every day of your life. Studying history is something that interests me and it is something I want to do.”

He also believes his philosophy toward being back in school is important.

“I’m here for the pleasure of it,” Taylor said. “I don’t care what grades I get, and actually it doesn’t matter if I get the Ph.D. I don’t need the degree, but it is a goal of sorts.”

Taylor said that despite being more than 50 years older than almost all of his classmates, he feels he fits in well and they accept him.

“Obviously, there is a big age difference, but my classmates are full of energy and enthusiasm and for me it is a pleasure to be

around them,” said Taylor. “They seem to enjoy being around me, and I enjoy being around them. Actually, it’s a lot of fun being back in class.”

And, in addition to the fun, his younger classmates benefit from having him in class.

“The last couple of courses I have taken dealt with the Holocaust during World War II and these kids have no knowledge about that except what they have gotten out of a book,” he said. “I was there.”

Rowan Taylor, seated, and, from left, assistant history professor Richard Damms and students Brian Smith, Jeremy Thornton, Shannon Mallard, and Jeff Withee enjoy an afternoon at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium in Taylor’s skybox.

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Victorian-era MUSic g

By Maridith Walker Geuder Against a vivid blue background, a decidedly turn-of-the-century young woman laughs into her hand, catching the spirit of an era known for its exuberance and sense of fun. “Giggling Rag” reads the heading on this amazingly colorful illustration, inside which one finds the sheet music for Howard M. Guthen’s ragtime melody.

It’s one of more than 22,000 pieces in the Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collection, now being digitized by Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Memorial Library. The fragile paper-works, many a century old, are being preserved electronically in a collection available to scholars worldwide at http://library.msstate.edu/ ragtime/main.html. The sights, the sounds, and the history of the collection are being consolidated in one of the most extensive online sheet music archives in the nation.

“At this point, the digital collection contains only a sampling of the sheet music,” said Frances N. Coleman, MSU dean of libraries. “We launched the web site in August 2000, but digitizing a collection of this magnitude will take several more months,” she noted.

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The sheet music is part of a wide range of musical memorabilia amassed by Starkville businessman Charles H. Templeton, who died last year. His interests led him to focus especially on the commercial aspects of music at a time when the widespread availability of sheet music and pianos made music sales soar.

His entire collection, donated to Mississippi State in 1987, includes more than 200 musical instruments, 15,000 records, and the sheet music representing a time from the Gay Nineties to the Depression-era 1930s. The library currently is configuring space to house the collection of musical artifacts.

Stephen Cunetto, library systems administrator, said digitizing the sheet music collection was a significant undertaking.

“Providing access to the collection in electronic format will expand its availability to students of early 20th century American culture and ensure the protection of often fragile paper documents,” he said.

The project is a collaboration with university archivist Michael Ballard and the library’s Instructional Media Center, which is under the direction of Cunetto and Paula Lehman. Together, they worked with the university’s administrator of network systems to ensure appropriate conservation

and preservation of the unique collection.

For scholars, the collection will have broad appeal beyond just its musical interests, library dean Coleman explained.

“With composers such as W.C. Handy, Charles L. Johnson, Arthur Pryor, and Irving Berlin represented, the history of a nation is reflected in the Templeton music,” Coleman said.

“The often elaborate illustrations of the songs also provide a window into the ideas and politics of the times.”

Before he donated the collection, Charles Templeton arranged the music into categories that included Rags, Blues, Movie Tunes, Foxtrots, Popular, Show Tunes, War Songs, Irving Berlin, and Specialty. The digital version maintains these categories, with illustrations and historical background that introduce each section. Each section is a distinctive cultural snapshot of a country embarking on a new century and a new identity.

Dating from the 1890s, ragtime developed from a blend of African-American syncopated rhythms superimposed on Western dance. Among the most popular composers were Scott Joplin, Herbert “Eubie” Blake, James Scott, and Sophie Tucker. The first published instrumental

goeS online at MSU Photos courtesy of Mitchell Memorial Library music to use the word “rag” was “The Mississippi Rag,” published in 1897.

“Beale Street Blues,” “Alabama Moon,” “The Yellow Dog Blues,” and a galaxy of other 1920s melodies represent the blues, which were born and nurtured in the South.

Like ragtime, the blues had their genesis in the African-American experience.

Dating from the early days of the talking pictures, tunes such as “Evangeline,” “Joan of Arc,” and “Don’t Break My Heart With Goodbye” signal the shift to a ground-breaking arena for musical composition. Many songs for the new movie medium were composed to showcase a particular star of the period.

“The Gaby Glide,” “Everybody TwoStep,” and “Do the Funny Fox-Trot” illustrate a 1920s dance craze set off by two Americans who gained fame in the cafes of Paris. Vernon and Irene Castle introduced one of the most popular ballroom dance steps of all time.

Music met machine in the early 20th century, as Thomas Edison’s “talking machine” cylinders gained popularity. Show tunes such as “Can’t You See I’m Lonely,”

“A Little Bit of Everything” from the Ziegfield Follies, and “Who’ll Be Your Sweetheart Then?” often originated in American musical theater. Edison’s recording system allowed broad audiences to enjoy the new music.

Although he barely read music, Irving Berlin—whose life spanned much of the 20th century—was among the most prolific American songwriters. In 1911, the then23-year-old launched a spectacular career with the popularity of his major hit, “Alexander’s Rag Time Band.” Over more than five decades, he would compose such all-American favorites as “White Christmas,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and “God Bless America.”

As the United States approached World War I, music helped galvanize the nation.

President Woodrow Wilson drew on the talents of Tin Pan Alley for tunes that would rally Americans. “Military Waltz,” “My Dream of the Big Parade,” and others written by composers such as Berlin roused a patriotic resolve.

“Thanks to the vision and generosity of Mr. Templeton, a rare look into American life now will be available to a wide audience,” Coleman said.

The Templeton Sheet Music Archive is housed in the library’s special collections department, where the original collection will continue to be available to scholars by appointment.

MSU President Malcolm Portera said the archives also are important to the library’s research status.

“The Templeton Archives is enhancing research opportunities available at Mississippi State’s libraries and will contribute to a university goal of achieving membership in the Association of Research Libraries,” Portera said.

Mitchell Memorial Library also houses the papers of novelist and 1977 MSU graduate John Grisham, along with those of journalists Turner Catledge, Hodding Carter, Bill Minor, and Sid Salter, and the Mississippi Press Association. In addition, the library is home to the Congressional and Political Research Center, which houses the papers of former U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis, Rep. Chip Pickering and former representatives David R. Bowen, Mike Espy, Charles Griffin, and G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery.

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▼ Montgomery, Henry receive degrees Mississippi State again has recognized the significant lifetime contributions of former 3rd District Congressman G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery and former Dow Chemical Co. executive Hunter W. Henry.

The two MSU graduates received honorary degrees during May commencement ceremonies.

Montgomery’s is a doctor of laws degree; Henry’s, a doctor of science.

“These individuals Henry have achieved national prominence for their energetic and far-sighted leadership in government and in industry,” said MSU President Malcolm Portera. “Along with their professional and political accomplishments, they have demonstrated deep commitments to service.

“Their lives and their work embody the principles that The People’s University stands for, and we are pleased Montgomery to bestow on them Mississippi State’s highest honor,” Portera added.

Both men have been recognized earlier with national alumnus of the year awards.

Montgomery, a 1943 business graduate, was selected in 1978; Henry, a 1950 chemical engineering graduate, in 1988.

Montgomery, now working 16

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as an Alexandria, Va., consultant, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years until his retirement in 1996.

He spent 28 years on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, including 14 as its chairman.

He also was a 12-term member of the Armed Services Committee.

Much of his legislative effort was devoted to strengthening the Army Reserves and the National Guard. Montgomery was chief architect of the 1984 peacetime GI education bill that bears his name. The Meridian native also played a key role in securing support for the Veterans Administration hospitals in Jackson and Biloxi, He began his public service career with election to the Mississippi Senate in 1956.

Hunter Henry, who now resides in San Marcos, Texas, has combined a career as a toplevel executive of a major multinational company with a lifetime of philanthropy and public service.

The Canton native began his career with Dow in 1951. He rose quickly through the ranks to hold a series of vice presidential positions, including management of Dow’s largest operating division. He then was named president of Dow Brazil and, in 1982, president of Dow Chemical USA. From there, he was promoted to executive vice president of the Dow Chemical Co., with responsibility for all company activities outside the United States. Due to company policy regarding board members who reach age 60, he relinquished his management responsibilities in 1988 but continued to serve on the board

of directors until retiring in 1993.

At Mississippi State, Henry served five terms on the university foundation’s board and 15 years on College of Engineering advisory boards.

He is the lead donor for a new $8 million building to house the university’s foundation and alumni association.

Researchers root for ‘bear’ facts After 11 years of research, Mississippi State scientists now can speak with authority about the two black bear subspecies native to the state.

The Forest and Wildlife Research Center recently concluded an intensive study begun in 1990 to learn as much as possible about the American and Louisiana black bears.

Both are on the state’s list of endangered species.

“The number of black bears currently in Mississippi is anyone’s guess, but most biologists tend to agree that it ranges between 20 and 50, mostly young males,” said project leader Bruce Leopold.

“The goal of our research was to learn enough about them to help increase the population.”

Leopold, a wildlife biologist in MSU’s wildlife and fisheries department, said black bears were quite abundant throughout the Mississippi Delta until the early 1900s.

Leopold’s team recently completed a habitat study that

involved capturing, radiocollaring, and tracking more than 30 bears in neighboring Arkansas. Several important facts surfaced, among them the role of the Mississippi River as a physical barrier for mobile bears.

“Young male bears routinely swim the Mississippi River from Arkansas to Mississippi, but most females refuse to make the swim,” Leopold said. “This indicates Mississippi’s bear population is unlikely to increase through dispersal from the high numbers in Arkansas without help from wildlife biologists.”

Another part of the research focusing on habitat evaluation found MSU scientists sampling plots of land in all of Mississippi’s national forests and national wildlife refuges.

As a result, suitable habitats are determined to exist in the DeSoto National Forest in Southeast Mississippi and the Homochitto National Forest near Brookhaven.

“When the introduction study begins, four to six females will be placed in one of the forests with suitable habitat,” Leopold said.

“Following the study, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review the data and conduct public hearings to learn the concerns of Mississippians about the re-introduction of bears to the state.”

▼ College Board leader addresses spring grads

Mechanical engineering students win again

The state College Board’s new leader urged more than 2,000 Mississippi State graduates to “be more than a cobblestone on the highway of life.”

Bill Crawford of Meridian, who recently became president of the Board of Trustees of the state Institutions of Higher Learning, was the university’s spring commencement speaker.

He also is president of the Meridian-based G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Institute, a new leadership development organization, and vice president for community development at Meridian Community College.

Holding up a piece of cobblestone, Crawford told the audience that it had come home with him from a visit to Dresden, Germany.

“I have no idea how old this piece is, but when I look at it, I wonder,” he said. “Did Martin Luther walk on it in 1517 on his way to incite the Reformation?”

While cobblestones “can be near and can witness much that is grand, cobblestones themselves are never grand,” Crawford said. But he told the graduates that they have the capacity and knowledge “to become more than a cobblestone. . . . You can change the world.”

Nearly 2,200 MSU students were candidates for degrees at the end of the spring semester.

Of approximately 1,540 receiving bachelor’s degrees, 15 graduated with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages.

For the fifth consecutive year, Mississippi State mechanical engineering students hold the top spot among regional chapters.

The 130-member university chapter recently captured the Ingersoll-Rand Award at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Region XI Student Conference in West Palm Beach, Fla. The annual recognition goes to the campus organization with the most service and leadership activities during the past year.

The region includes 14 universities and colleges in five states.

The Ingersoll-Rand Co., a major supporter of ASME programs and activities, sponsors the award. A $300 check accompanies the honor.

MSU students previously won the award outright in 1998, 1999, and last year.

They shared in 1997 with Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., and the University of South Florida in Tampa.

HONORED BY MSU—Three graduating international students are being honored by Mississippi State for outstanding academic and leadership achievements at the university. They include, from left, senior architecture major Sze Mun “Matt” Lam of Hong Kong; Yi “Tracy” Cui of the People’s Republic of China, a master’s degree candidate in management and information systems; and Sewon O of the Republic of South Korea, a doctoral candidate in accounting. Congratulating them is Helen K. Zuercher, director of the sponsoring International Services Office.

Technology education model expands to additional schools A Mississippi Stateorganized program that works to increase technology integration in state classrooms is making plans to involve a total of 20 public school districts spread among all five congressional districts.

Coordinated by the university’s Center for Educational and Training Technology, the project is known as CREATE for Mississippi. CREATE is an acronym for Challenging Regional Educators to Advance Technology in Education.

The Tupelo Public School District serves as the lead agency of the two-year, $1.5 million project.

Funded by the United States Department of Education, the effort mixes student “technoteams” with wireless computers, digital cameras, technology-based lesson plans, and other innovations.

School districts implementing the project during the 200102 year will include Drew, Greenville, Hollandale, and South Delta school districts; East Jasper, Lauderdale, and Lowndes county schools; and West Point Municipal.

Cornell researcher to head biotech institute A Cornell University scientist has been named director of MSU’s new Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute.

Alan Wood, who assumed his duties this spring, comes to the state from the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at the Ithaca, N.Y., institution. His research there has included the development

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▼ of biologically based pest management strategies.

The Jackson-based Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation and Mississippi Technology Inc. are partners with the university in establishing the biotechnology institute. The institute’s goal is to increase economic development in Mississippi based on the biological sciences.

The MSU-based Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station coordinated the institute’s creation.

Wood is co-founder of AgriVirion Inc., a producer of inexpensive, environmentally safe bioengineered pesticides.

In 1994, he was appointed to the USDA’s Agricultural Biotechnology Advisory Committee.

Wood holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Middlebury (Vt.) College and a master’s and doctorate in virology from Purdue University.

smooth cord grass in the water,” said landscape architecture professor Pete Melby.

“They also installed bitter panic grass and salt marsh hay.”

The plants, which are native to the Gulf Coast, had been donated by Northrop Grumman Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula.

Melby said that while the recently planted grass and trees will have aesthetic value, this project is designed to do more than improve the scenic view for Highway 90 travelers.

“The plants in the marsh are

taking toxins and pollutants out of runoff water,” he explained.

“As a result, this area can serve as a blueprint for creating better water quality in the Gulf of Mexico.”

MSU introduces no-cost furniture mill software New software recently developed at MSU promises to be a boon for the furniture industry by taking the guesswork out of managing lumber cut up by rough mills.

Beach party was work for landscape students When a group of Mississippi State students recently hit the beach in Biloxi, it wasn’t for a spring break fling.

Thirty of the university’s landscape architecture majors traveled to the Gulf Coast to create a three-acre salt marsh across U.S. Highway 90 from Biloxi’s Miramar Park. When the work was complete, they had set out 6,000 plants along what had been an empty stretch of white sand and water.

“The class planted 11 cabbage palms on the beach and black needle rush and

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MSU HONORS WOMEN—Eight Mississippi State and Starkville women are this year’s selection for an honors program sponsored by the MSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women and Starkville branch of AmSouth Bank. Recently recognized for outstanding achievement are, seated from left, Rebecca K. Toghiani, Outstanding Faculty Woman; Ruth W. Josey, Bettye Douglas Memorial Outstanding Secretarial/Clerical Woman; Liesel A. Ritchie, Outstanding Professional Non-Faculty Woman; standing, second from left, Kay C. Krans, Outstanding Community Woman; Clytee T. James, Outstanding Service/Maintenance Woman; senior Sara S. Smolensky of Waveland, Outstanding Undergraduate Woman; and Barbara A. Spencer, Outstanding Executive/Administrative/Managerial Woman. Presenting the awards were AmSouth branch president Larry Jones,left, and MSU President Malcolm Portera. Not pictured is doctoral student Patricia Dillon of DeLand, Fla., Outstanding Graduate Woman.

Rough mills turn lumber into rectangular pieces that eventually become finished furniture components.

Named RIP-Xcut—RIP-X for short—the software assists in maximizing yields by providing an analysis of production.

“While the rough mill task of producing rectangular parts from lumber appears to be a simple one, there are numerous factors at work that simultaneously influence lumber yields,” said software designer Philip Steele. “The number and sizes of parts cut from lumber constantly change, as does the lumber grade mix.”

Steele, a professor of forest products, said the program provides digital simulations for 1,500 to 2,000 board feet of lumber in each of six grades.

In addition to analyzing part yields and costs, it determines the best lumber grade mix.

Available free of charge to lumber mills and furniture manufacturers, RIP-X can be ordered online at www.cfr.msstate.edu/fwrc/ products/software/ripx.html.

MSU named center for computer security The nation’s largest and most secret intelligence agency is adding Mississippi State to a select public list it maintains.

The National Security Agency recently invited MSU to join 22 other schools in its Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education program. CarnegieMellon and Georgia Tech universities and the U.S. Military Academy are among the others in the group.

▼ NSA officials established the assistance program two years ago as a way to encourage American higher education’s help in overcoming a national shortage of specialists trained in information systems security.

Inclusion in the centers of excellence program “recognizes that Mississippi State has reached a high level of success in the area of computer security,” said computer scientist Rayford Vaughn.

Among several immediate benefits, the university now becomes eligible for NSA’s sponsored scholarship program.

Survey shows strides in tobacco education With more than 40 percent of Mississippi homes reporting they now are smoke-free, the Magnolia State leads the nation in many aspects of tobacco control.

These are among findings of a new survey released this spring by Mississippi State.

In 1999, the university’s Social Science Research Center surveyed 3,040 residents about their tobacco use and attitudes as part of an overall evaluation of the state’s tobacco pilot program. A recent follow-up survey provides evidence of changes in the social climate regarding tobacco use, said SSRC director Arthur G. Cosby.

“In one year, Mississippi has experienced some significant changes in the social climate for tobacco control,” said Cosby, also a project investigator.

The follow-up study coincides with the first

complete year of the Mississippi Tobacco Pilot Project, a comprehensive tobacco prevention and education program directed by the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi.

“Perhaps the most notable change occurred in our homes,” said research psychologist Robert C. McMillen, who helped design the survey. “In 2000, some 42 percent of Mississippi households surveyed were smoke-free.

That compares to less than 26 percent the previous year.”

Other findings: —More than 80 percent of Mississippi adults now consider teenage tobacco use a serious problem.

—More than 80 percent believe that tobacco company logos should be prohibited on clothing and gear students wear to school.

—More than 77 percent feel tobacco company advertising should be prohibited at sporting and cultural events.

‘Urban’ forestry growing new academic option A new area of specialization for Mississippi State students is addressing a need for professionals who can manage trees in towns and cities.

Majors in the College of Forest Resources’ urban forestry option learn to take care of trees along city streets and in municipal parks, private woodlots, and utility right-ofways. Potential employers include all levels of government, private consultants, and industry.

Begun last fall, the nationally accredited curriculum is

offered within MSU’s traditional forestry major, said forestry department professor Keith Belli.

“The urban forestry option is available at only a few other schools in the South,” said Belli, the department’s undergraduate program coordinator.

Belli said urban foresters usually work with city planners in designing parks and wooded areas, as well as in managing land between urbanized and rural areas.

Teacher candidates record near-perfect pass rate MSU students have a 99 percent passing rate on the state’s licensing exam for aspiring school teachers.

Of 300 MSU students completing requirements in a teacher preparation program who last year took one or more of the required Praxis tests, 298 passed all of the tests they took—a success rate of 99.3 percent.

Mississippi requires candidates for teacher certification to pass both a professional knowledge test for teachers and a test on an academic content area.

Out of 169 at MSU who took the Principles of Teaching and Learning test required for all prospective teachers, 168 passed. Of 247 who took a subject area test such as mathematics or history, 245 passed. All 13 students taking a separate test for special education teachers also passed.

CVM offers info service to state veterinarians The College of Veterinary Medicine provides a weekday information resource desk for veterinarians and other animal care professionals.

Located at the Wise Center library, the collection of veterinary medical-related books, journals, multi-media materials, handbooks and textbooks, and electronic databases are available 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays-Fridays.

Both quick-reference assistance and in-depth support are provided for professional clients at no cost via e-mail, telephone, or fax.

Also available are reference lists of books that may be ordered through hometown or area libraries.

Telephone requests should be directed to John Cruickshank at 662-325-1256; fax 662-325-1141; e-mail library@cvm.msstate.edu.

Lab in big search for tiny technology An MSU engineer is joining a federal government-supported research project involving a new frontier of technology that’s both tiny and huge.

Stephen E. Saddow, director of the Emerging Materials Research Laboratory, has received the university’s first research award focusing on nanotechnology—technology to create materials on the scale of nanometers or one-billionth of a meter.

Saddow will be collaborating with colleagues at Carnegie

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▼ Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., who earlier received the comprehensive Department of Defense grant to apply nanotechnology to the manufacture of compound semiconductors.

The five-year project is one of only 16 selected this year for funding by DOD’s University Research Initiative on Nanotechnology, or DURINT. MSU’s portion of the DURINT grant totals $625,000.

MSU, child health center join forces Mississippi State has joined with a major national institute to promote research that can improve the health of children around the nation.

The Center for Child Health Research, an independent affiliate of the American Academy of Pediatrics, announced recently that it is joining with the university’s Social Science Research Center to conduct studies of critical issues facing children and their families.

Additionally, the two institutions will take steps to develop links between ongoing research and public policy and to provide a bridge between health-care professionals and a wide variety of academic disciplines.

The new Collaborating Centers for Child and Family Health Research will involve research scientists, physicians, and others with an expertise in child health issues and social science research.

Linda H. Southward, coordinator of the SSRC’s Family and Children Research Unit, will lead the MSU effort 20

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HONORED BY LEGISLATORS—Senior Jenny M. Reeves of Oxford, center, is the 2001 HEADWAE Student of the Year at Mississippi State. The honor is given as part of the Mississippi Legislature’s annual Higher Education Appreciation Day/ Working for Academic Excellence program. Reeves recently completed a yearlong term as president of the MSU Student Association. The political science major and Oxford High School graduate, here with parents Carolyn and Jim Reeves at the recent Jackson awards ceremony, also holds two of MSU’s most prestigious academic honors, the Ottilie Schillig Leadership and the John C. Stennis scholarships. Dr. Robert C. Cooper, director of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Animal Health Center and former Holland Faculty Senate chair, is MSU’s 2001 faculty honoree.

and serve as liaison to the Center for Child Health Research.

SSRC director Arthur G. Cosby said the new alliance would address issues with special relevance of one kind or another in every region of the country.

“While some of the initial projects will focus upon the health of Mississippi’s children, we also will develop studies that are national in scope and substantially contribute to improved health of children throughout the country,” Cosby said.

Engineering center celebrates a decade of contributions Though there were no caps and gowns or diplomas in sight, Mississippi State recently held an important graduation ceremony.

The university celebrated both the 10th year of its National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center and the center’s “graduation” from fixed federal funding.

Created in 1990 as one of the NSF’s first 18 engineering research centers, the facility’s

mission is to find new ways to reduce the time and cost of complex engineering analysis and design problems. Currently, 37 engineering research centers operate nationwide, each pursuing that same mission in its own hightechnology specialty.

Speaking at the graduation celebration, Bruce M. Kramer, NSF director for engineering education and centers, called the university’s facility a “shining star” and “prime example of how the nation has regained its international technology edge through the cooperation of state and national government agencies, universities and industry.”

An interdisciplinary effort, the ERC involves scientists from engineering, computer science, mathematics, the biosciences, and other MSU programs. Each year, about 100 undergraduate and graduate students are selected to participate in the research projects.

Institute to address gap in math education America’s elementary and junior high school students are falling behind their overseas counterparts in the development of math skills, said Jane Harvill, an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at MSU. “A recent study published by the National Research Center shows U.S. third- and fourth-grade students do well compared to their overseas counterparts,” Harvill said.

“But by the eighth grade they score below the international average in math and science.”

▼ The problem is especially acute in Mississippi. According to a report in Education Week magazine, only 7 percent of eighth graders in the state are math proficient, compared to 23 percent for the nation.

To help the state deal with the problem, Harvill and faculty colleagues at MSU and Mississippi University for Women recently established the Institute for Algebra and Quantitative Literacy on the Starkville campus. The Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning is providing support for the institute through the federal Title II Eisenhower Professional Development Program.

As a first step in remedying the situation, the institute recently sponsored an algebra and quantitative literacy workshop on the MSU campus for 20 teachers from 15 area counties.

New biomedical engineering degrees approved for MSU The university is adding two new degree programs in a field at the forefront of advancing quality of life.

Starting in August, university students will have the opportunity to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering.

“These biomedical engineering graduate programs build on a tradition of nearly 30 years of MSU research and graduate training in the field,” said Jerome A. Gilbert, head of the department of agricultural and biological engineering.

Because it includes such

areas as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and the development of artificial joints, biomedical engineering “will be at the center of upcoming technological advances in medicine,” Gilbert said. The graduate program will complement and support MSU’s new Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, he added.

The department of agricultural and biological engineering will administer the program.

Faculty from MSU’s aerospace engineering, electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, chemistry, animal and dairy sciences, and veterinary medicine, as well as the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, also will be involved.

‘Brat’ memoirs providing support for libraries His father was a 1917 Mississippi A&M alumnus who spent a career teaching botany on the Starkville campus. As a child, he was raised—literally— in the shadow of Scott Field and athletes like Dudy Noble who competed there.

Now, J. Chester McKee Jr. is putting parts of seven decades worth of memories in a book

whose sales provide support for the MSU libraries.

Campus Brat is published

by Friends of the MSU Libraries, a local private support group. McKee’s reminiscences cover a period from the 1920s until the early 1940s, when he left Mississippi State College to serve in World War II. The 130-page book is available for $24.95 (plus $5 for shipping and handling) by writing to Friends of the MSU Libraries, P.O. Box 5408, Mississippi State, MS 39762.

All proceeds will support library services.

“Chester McKee is a natural storyteller with an incredibly keen memory for details,” said MSU history professor emeritus William Parrish, who edited the work.

“Many of the stories included in his book are being told for the first time.”

Like his father, McKee devoted his professional career to Mississippi State.

He served as electrical engineering department head, graduate school dean, and the first university research officer. He retired in 1979 as vice president emeritus for research and graduate studies.

WMSV broadcasts ‘Conference Call’ One of the nation’s most popular syndicated sports talk shows is airing on Mississippi State’s radio station.

WMSV-FM, which broadcasts to a 60-mile radius of the university, carries “SEC Conference Call” 5-8 p.m.

Monday through Friday at 91.1 on the dial. Host Scott McKinney is joined on each live program by commentators Tim Brando of CBS Sports and former Auburn University head football coach Terry Bowden of ABC Sports.

Heard on more than 70 affiliate stations throughout the Southeastern Conference area, the year-round show provides comprehensive information on seasonal sports of the numerous regional universities and colleges.

“Conference Call” is a presentation of the United Sports Talk Network of Memphis, Tenn.

Located at the Student Media Center in the heart of campus, WMSV is a 14,000watt community licensed station on the air 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Visit the Conference Call web site at http://ustn.net.

Order your 2002 MSU calendars now Orders are being taken for the 2002 edition of the Mississippi State University calendar. The 14-month, 9”x12” format hanging wall calendar features color photographs of campus scenes and listings of holidays and events. These calendars make ideal Christmas gifts for the Bulldogs on your list. They will be available for shipping in early fall.

To order, go to https://www.ur.msstate.edu/calendar/ and place your order by credit card online via our secure Internet transaction server. You also can place credit card orders by calling the MSU Foundation at 662-325-3410.

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▼ University involved in Fulbright exchange Mississippi State is sending and receiving scholars this year through the nation’s flagship international exchange program.

A retired university faculty member and a biological engineering student are 2001 Fulbright American Scholars, while a leading Albanian veterinary professor will visit the Starkville campus as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar.

Established in 1946, the awards enable Americans to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research abroad.

Foreign nationals also are encouraged to engage in similar activities in the U.S. Participants are selected on the basis of academic or professional qualifications.

Armando de la Cruz, MSU professor emeritus of biological sciences and zoology, is at the mid-point of a 10-month Fulbright-sponsored tenure at the University of Andalas on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. He is lecturing on ecology and environmental sciences and presenting seminars at other Indonesian schools and in neighboring countries.

Graduate student Chad Winter of Pontotoc, a biological engineering major, is leaving in August for a nine-month research fellowship at the University of Nyjmegen in the Netherlands. His study will focus on an area of bone cell response to mechanical strain.

He is a 1998 MSU graduate in biological engineering.

Later this year, Dr. Edmond

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Panariti, deputy director of Albania’s Veterinary Research Institute, joins the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine faculty for a six-month research project.

Senior named national ‘Mo’ Udall Fellow A forest resources management major is among some 80 university and college students receiving national scholarships that memorialize a leading environmentalist.

Senior Amanda L. Grau of Marion, Ky., is a 2001 Morris K. Udall Foundation Fellow. The $5,000 fellowship will support Grau her further study of the environment.

Grau is the second MSU student in as many years to receive the honor. Last year, forestry major William H. Howell of Davenport, Iowa, was a selection for the fellows program.

Congress created the Udall Foundation in 1992 to honor the former U.S. representative from Arizona who served 196191. As chair of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, “Mo” Udall led efforts to double the size of the national park system and triple the size of the national wilderness system.

Grau is a 1998 graduate of Crittenden County High School, where she maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

At MSU, she is a National Merit Scholar, Sharp Academic Excellence Scholar, and President’s Scholar.

Her campus activities include the Golden Key Honor Society, Society of American Foresters, and the MSU Forestry Club, among others.

Following her May 2002 graduation from MSU, she plans to pursue a master’s degree, then work in the area of natural resources management education.

positions are highly sought,” said Doug Feig, political science department head.

“That’s why the program is considered to be the most prestigious method by which recent graduates can enter federal service.”

Crowder, who previously received an MSU bachelor’s degree in communication/ public relations, is joining the U.S. Department of Defense as a budget analyst in the Pentagon with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

While completing his master’s, Graduates named to Crowder has worked as an assistant in the MSU Extension internship program Service’s Center for Governmental Technology.

Two Mississippi State Edwards, a cum laude graduate students who received political science/pre-law degrees in May are selections graduate for the nation’s of leading Jackson government State internship Univerprogram. sity, will Roger D. be a Crowder Jr. of manageLouisville and ment Musette C. support Edwards of specialist Starkville are in the among some Edwards and Crowder Social 550 master’sSecurity and doctoralAdministration’s Atlanta, Ga., degree graduates from throughregional headquarters.

She has out the United States recently been working as a graduate named to the two-year Presiassistant in the political science dential Management Intern department.

Program.

Both will begin their work Both are receiving master’s assignments in late summer. degrees in public policy and Established

by President administration from the Carter in 1977 and reconstidepartment of political science. tuted by President Reagan in Their selection raises to nine 1982, the program provides the number of MSU political interns with a starting salary of science graduates selected for approximately $35,000 and the the PMI program over the past likelihood of permanent federal five years. employment upon completion “The PMI selection process of their work period. is very competitive and the

▼

Student-athlete tapped for national academic honor A May graduate who plans a career in physical therapy is among 30 selected for a 2001 Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence.

Annemarie E. Pimentel, a physical education/fitness management major from Mason, Ohio, will apply the $1,000 scholarship towards a master’s degree. She is a threeyear player on the MSU Lady Bulldog Soccer Pimentel Team and graduated this spring with a perfect 4.0 grade average.

Phi Kappa Phi is the collegiate academic honor organization for superior students in all fields of study.

Pimentel also is receiving a $5,000 scholarship from the Southeastern Conference for being among this year’s Boyd McWhorter Award finalists. Named for the long-time former commissioner, the annual award recognizes top scholar-athletes at the 12 SEC member schools.

Earlier this year, she was selected for a David Halbrook Award, Mississippi’s highest academic achievement recognition for athletes at state colleges and universities.

2001

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE September 3 (Mon.)

MEMPHIS

September 15

BRIGHAM YOUNG

September 20 (Thurs.)

SOUTH CAROLINA

September 29

@ Florida

October 6

@ Auburn

October 13

TROY STATE (Homecoming)

October 20

LSU

November 3

KENTUCKY

November 10

@ Alabama

November 17

@ Arkansas

November 22 (Thurs.)

MISSISSIPPI

All dates subject to change, times TBA.

Generally favorable weather over the winter has enabled construction teams to approach the halfway point on major eastside additions to Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. The $28 million remodeling includes 50 luxury skyboxes, 1,700 clublevel seats, a 17,000 square-foot club-level lounge, and several thousand more top deck seats. When complete late this year, the expanded football stadium will seat approximately 52,000.

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▼

2001 College and School Alumni of the Year are selected Eight alumni were honored recently as the university’s 2001 College and School Alumni of the Year.

The honorees include: Dr. Sharon Sue Gibbons Black of Starkville, College of Veterinary Medicine.

In 1985, she earned a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from MSU. After working for several years in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, she returned to Mississippi State to earn a 1994 doctorate in veterinary medical sciences. She currently works as an anatomic pathologist at MSU’s veterinary college. The Hattiesburg native also is an associate professor in the college’s Diagnostic Laboratory and Field Services Program. Her expertise in wildlife forensic pathology has earned her widespread recognition, including a 1999 stint on the Food Quality Protection Act Science Review Board for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A.P. “Jack” Hatcher Jr. of Pinehurst, N.C., College of Engineering. Hatcher is a 1949 civil engineering graduate and Ripley native. He is a member of both the engineering dean’s Development Council and the MSU Foundation board of directors. As a council member, he provided $1.25 million to create an endowed chair in the college promoting entrepreneurship. He now leads an advisory board of alumni who provide continuing input to the chair. An entrepreneur himself, Hatcher currently coowns Inland Steel Buildings in Pinehurst.

He also serves as chairman of Eagleventures Inc., Inland’s holding company.

Dr. Karen D. Hulett of Jackson, College of Arts and Sciences. Hulett graduated in 1971 with a degree in general science. Now a medical doctor in Jackson, the McComb native spent eight years working for the Mississippi Department of Health before leaving to become a selfemployed medical consultant. She and her husband Bill recently put a stop to aging campus traffic signs when they funded replacements. And, last year, the couple endowed a scholarship in the college.

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Alumni are, seated from left, Black, Martin, and Hulett; standing from left, are Keenum, Wooley, Hatcher, and McCollough. Not pictured is Puckett.

Dr. Mark E. Keenum of Alexandria, Va., College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Keenum has earned three agriculture-related degrees from MSU: a bachelor’s in 1983, a master’s in 1984 and a doctorate in 1988. As chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the Corinth native keeps close ties to his alma mater by teaching a course each fall on “Agricultural Legislative Policy.” His work with MSU has earned him the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Outstanding Public Service Award. He also was named its Alumni Fellow.

E.B. Martin Jr. of Jackson, College of Education. Martin earned a bachelor’s degree in general science from Mississippi State in 1978. He went on to graduate from both the Vanderbilt University Law School and the Harvard Business School before practicing securities and corporate finance law for three years. Moving into the corporate sector, he spent 10 years with Mercury Communications as its chief financial officer. Last November, he was named vice chairman of the board of directors for the Jackson office of TeleCorpPCS, a newly formed telecommunications company. In addition, he serves as secretary/treasurer for Mercury Communications, Alaska-3 Cellular Corp., and Mercury Wireless Management. The Jackson native is a shareholder with the law

firm of Young, Williams, Henderson, Fuselier & Associates Ltd. Curtis “Skip” McCollough of Purvis, College of Forest Resources. McCollough graduated from MSU in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in forestry. He is owner and president of Hattiesburg-based South Mississippi Forest Products and Southern Timber Resources of Louisiana Inc. Clients include New Orleans district attorney Harry Connick Sr. and his famous crooner son, Harry Jr. In 1998, McCollough and his wife Julie established the South Mississippi Forest Products Annual Scholarship for the college.

Ben Puckett of Jackson, College of Business and Industry. Puckett, who received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and marketing in 1951, is chairman of Puckett Machinery Co., a heavy equipment firm with offices around the state. A sports lover, he served as Mississippi’s U.S. Olympic Committee chairman 1972-1988, and was its co-chair 1988-1996. He has attended every summer Olympics in which the U.S. participated since 1968. In 1993, Puckett was honored with the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame’s Distinguished American Award.

David L. Wooley of Knoxville, Tenn., School of Architecture. Wooley is a 1978 architecture graduate. He is president and partner-in-charge of planning and design at Barber & McMurry, a 34-person architecture firm in Knoxville. In addition to his corporate experience, the Mobile, Ala., native spent 11 years as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee School of Architecture. Among his awards are the American Institute of Architects/ Tennessee Society Presidential Award for Distinguished Service in both 1995 and ’96, and the group’s Leadership Award in 1997.

Carter is ’01 National Alumnus of the Year

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Young alumnus award winner is announced Melinda A. Miller of Waveland received the Prestigious Young Alumnus Award for 2001 at the annual MSU Alumni Association Awards Banquet in January.

Miller earned a bachelor’s in biology and general science education from Mississippi State in 1993.

A teacher at both Hancock High School and Pearl River Community College, she has won numerous teaching awards in a short time, including the 1995 National Association of Biology Teachers’ New Teacher Achievement Award. In 1998, Miller was selected as one of 40 national Woodrow Wilson Foundation Fellows. In addition, the Waveland native has acquired almost $25,000 in grant monies for her students.

She has served as president of the Hancock County alumni chapter since 1994, as well as the chapter’s recruitment chairperson. Miller Miller also has participated in the MSU Leadership Conference since 1994.

Distinguished service winners named

Winners are, from left, Anderson, Fulton and Jones.

Three alumni were honored at the annual Alumni Association Awards Banquet in January for their service to the university through local chapters.

Janet C. Anderson of Collins, Jerry Fulton of Yazoo City, and Rebecca H. Jones of Madison, Ala., were Distinguished Service Award winners for 2000.

Anderson, a Collins native and 1988 banking and finance graduate, has served in numerous offices for the Covington County alumni chapter. In addition to her term as president, she has served as secretary/ treasurer, publicity chairman, and young alumni/student social chairman for the group. While president, she was instrumental in making Covington County the No. 1

honor chapter in the alumni association.

She also helped organize the Covington County Bulldog Classic Golf Tournament to raise money for the Shelby S. Shows Scholarship.

Fulton, a Meridian native and 1971 industrial technology graduate, has held a variety of major leadership positions in the Yazoo County chapter over the past 20 years. Among his contributions is helping to establish the annual Yazoo County MSU Alumni Golf Tournament.

As agency and office manager for the Yazoo County Farm Bureau, Fulton helped the company establish an MSU freshman scholarship program.

Jones is a retired English teacher and Tremont native who completed a bachelor’s degree in 1964 and a master’s in 1970. As a member of the Huntsville, Ala., alumni chapter, she has served in many offices, including Annual Fund chair for 1997 and 1999, vice president in 1995, and president in 1996.

The longtime member of the Bulldog Club also worked on phone-a-thons, calling committees, and other events. At the national level, she was a regular at both leadership conferences and annual business meetings. She also was a member of the national Alumni Association board of directors.

A 1950 graduate from Rolling Fork is Mississippi State’s 2001 National Alumnus of the Year.

James R. “Jimmie Dick” Carter is a farmer who, for the past 15 years, also has served as vice president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau.

After attending Mississippi College for a year, Carter enrolled at Mississippi State in 1947. Three years later, he Carter, left, and President graduated and Malcolm Portera. returned to the family farming operation that he and his brothers still operate.

Active in the MSU Alumni Association since graduation, Carter was instrumental in organizing its Sharkey-Issaquena chapter. Since graduation, he has held numerous leadership roles with both the alumni association and the MSU Foundation.

Of Carter, a nominator for the national alumni honor said: “Mississippi State University may have alumni who are more vocal, who are more visible, or who have made larger financial contributions, but Mississippi State University does not have anyone who has been a stronger or more faithful supporter.”

Born in Vicksburg, Carter’s association with agriculture began at an early age. At 15, he took over management of his family’s farm following the death of his father. He successfully led the operation until an older brother could come home from military service and take over the responsibilities.

In addition to the Farm Bureau leadership position, he is Mississippi’s producerrepresentative to the National Cotton Council.

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2002 Travel Program ▼

Faculty Award winners announced

Realize a travel dream with one of the 2002 travel opportunities listed below.

Share with us the incomparable beauty around the world, whether by air, motorcoach, or a luxury cruise ship.

You’ll feel comfortable and confident traveling with experienced tour guides who will attend to all of your needs.

Trans-Panama Canal Jan. 5-18, 2002 Swiss Winter Escapade Feb. 2-9, 2002 Renaissance Cities of Italy April 26-May 7, 2002 Cotes du Rhone Passage May 1-14, 2002 SEC Alaska Cruise Cruise/Tour, June 17-29, 2002; Cruise only, June 22-29, 2002

Five faculty members—including the first husband-wife honorees—received 2001 Faculty Recognition Awards during the annual banquet sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association. Award winners are, from left, Dr. J. Paul Thaxton, professor of poultry physiology, Department of Poultry Science, Research Award; Dr. Barbara P. McLaurin, MSU Extension Service specialist, Service Award; Maria E. Elmore, lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Lower-Level Teaching Award; Dr. Allison W. Pearson, associate professor, Department of Management and Information Systems, Graduate Level Teaching Award; and Dr. Rodney A. Pearson, professor, Department of Management and Information Systems, Upper-Level Teaching Award. The honors program recognizes significant contributions to the welfare of humankind and the stature of Mississippi State in the categories of classroom teaching, research, and service.

Alumni College in Sorrento June 24-July 2, 2002 Alumni College in Normandy Oct. 21-29, 2002 Contact Dianne Jackson in the Alumni Association at djackson@alumni.msstate.edu, 662-3253444, or see our web page at http:// msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/~alumni/ travel.htm.

Grisham Master Teachers named John Grisham Master Teachers for 2000-2001 recently were selected. They include, from left, Dr. Louis R. D’Abramo, professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; Dr. William N. Smyer, associate professor, Department of Industrial Engineering; Dr. Kenneth M. Coffey, associate professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction; and Dr. Masoud Rais-Rohani, associate professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering. Each receives a cash award and is responsible for conducting workshops and other instructional improvement activities for faculty colleagues. The honors are named for the best-selling novelist who graduated from MSU in 1977.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Mississippi State University Alumni Association

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JUNE 20 JULY 5 9

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Dawgs abroad Taking in the sights of Interlaken, Switzerland, during the alumni association’s Swiss Winter Escapade in February were front row, from left, Gloria Correro; Sally and Willie Hamilton; center, from left, Karen McClure; Hiram Hill; Mona Sanders; Judy McLain; Peggy Tew; Barbara Hill; Dorothy Beach; back, from left, Bill, Martha Ann, Jonathan, and LeighAnne Kittrell; Charlotte and Hiram Walters; Rose and Bill Schaub; Bill Beach; and Larry and Catherine Stroud.

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Nominations sought for officers, board of directors Nominations for national officers and directors of the Alumni Association are being sought prior to elections scheduled for January 2002.

The Nominating Committee will present a slate of names for election at the association’s annual business meeting during Leadership Conference weekend.

The new officers’ terms will begin on July 1, 2002. No person is eligible to serve as director for more than two consecutive terms.

The officer positions open for consideration include national president, national first vice president, national second vice president, and national treasurer.

Positions on the national board open for consideration include North 1 Region Director: Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma, DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall-Benton, Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, and Yalobusha chapters; Central 3 Region Director: Central Mississippi (Hinds, Madison, Rankin), Leake, Scott, Smith, and Warren chapters; South 2 Region Director:

Adams-Franklin-Wilkinson, Amite, Claiborne-Jefferson, Copiah, Covington, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Lincoln, Pike, Simpson, and Walthall chapters; Central Region Young Director: Attala, Bolivar, Central Mississippi (Hinds, Madison, Rankin), Holmes, Humphreys, Kemper, Leake, Leflore-Carroll, Neshoba, Noxubee, Scott, Sharkey-Issaquena, Smith, Sunflower, Warren, Washington, WinstonChoctaw, and Yazoo chapters; and Out-ofState Director.

A young director must be 32 years old or younger at the end of the term to which he or she is elected. No state shall have more than one out-of-state director.

Current directors are from the states of Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas.

All alumni are eligible to recommend names for consideration. Send the names to: Nominating Committee, MSU Alumni Association, P.O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526.

Recommendations must be received no later than Oct. 1, 2001.

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Sharkey-Issaquena Golf Tournament/BBQ Prentiss County Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration, Sparky Woods and Jim Tompkins Bolivar County Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration (luncheon), Jackie Sherrill, Melvin Smith, Glenn Davis Washington County Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration (dinner); Jackie Sherrill, Melvin Smith, Glenn Davis Coahoma County Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration (luncheon); Jackie Sherrill, Melvin Smith, Glenn Davis Leflore-Carroll Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration (dinner); Jackie Sherrill, Melvin Smith, Glenn Davis Warren County Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration; Jackie Sherrill Central Mississippi Chapter; Extravaganza, Dr. Malcolm Portera, Jackie Sherrill, Larry Templeton Birmingham, Ala., Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration, Golf Tournament; John Hendrick, Carroll McCray, David Wilson Montgomery, Ala., Chapter; Bulldog Family Celebration; John Hendrick, Carroll McCray Mississippi Gulf Coast; Bulldog Family Celebration; Jackie Sherrill, Terry Lewis

OCTOBER 1 Deadline for nominations for Alumni Association national officers and directors for term beginning July 1, 2002.

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Homecoming

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License plate sales reach record high

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Welcome to Thailand A group of MSU alumni from the Bangkok, Thailand, area hosted a dinner recently for Dr. John Fuquay, center, professor emeritus of animal and dairy sciences. Fuquay was in Thailand to give a keynote lecture at the annual academic conference of the Rajamangala Institute of Technology and to consult with colleagues at several agricultural research stations. Organizers of the dinner were Dr. Tawee Keawkhong (’93) and Dr. Suntorn Wittayakun (’99).

1/2 page ad for license plate--provided

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Noticed more Mississippi State license plates on the road lately?

No wonder. Sales of the plates have increased steadily during the program’s eight years, and the most recent figures released by the state Tax Commission’s Motor Vehicle Licensing Bureau show that 6,008 MSU tags currently are on the state’s highways. A total of 1,723 were sold in the first three months of 2001.

The collegiate tags, featuring the “MState” logo and the university’s “Serving Mississippi” motto, are available at all county licensing offices for an annual fee of $50 above the normal cost of the tag. Of that, $32.50 helps fund priority programs at MSU. That portion of the fee is taxdeductible.

Tennessee residents can purchase a Tennessee license plate promoting MSU for $25 above the regular cost, with proceeds promoting the Tennessee Arts Commission.

According to MVLB figures, Mississippi State license plates outnumber those of the next most popular design by more than 1,000.

Gift planning in action Dear MSU Alumni and Friends, As college costs continue to climb at almost double the rate of inflation, it has become increasingly important for parents to plan for the education of their children. If you have children or grandchildren who will need help paying for their education, it might seem impractical to contemplate making a significant gift to a favorite charity; however, several planned giving methods are available to meet educational funding needs and designate funds for eventual charitable use. As highlighted in a previous Alumnus magazine article, one such method is the establishment of a charitable remainder trust. As a charitable remainder trust can be designed to provide income for a period of time up to 20 years, it is an especially effective solution in this situation.

Since the 1960s, individuals and families across the United States have used charitable remainder trusts to help realize long-range objectives for family—such as funding educational expenses—and charity. The charitable remainder trust is especially attractive to individuals and families holding highly appreciated assets that produce relatively low yields. The example on the right explains how a donor might use a charitable remainder trust to help fund the education of a child or grandchild.

Executing a trust such as the one described in this example can be an excellent tool to provide payments to children or grandchildren over a period of time and make a charitable gift. And remember, when you provide the MSU Foundation with a copy of the trust, you will qualify as a member of the prestigious Old Main Society, our recognition program for planned gift donors. If you have any questions on this method of planned giving or on other giving options, please contact me at the address below.

Sincerely,

C. Richard Armstrong ’68 Director of Planned Giving MSU Foundation P. O. Box 6149 Mississippi State, MS 39762 Toll Free: 877-677-8283 E-mail: ramrstrong@foundation.msstate.edu

The Old Main Society recognizes donors who:

Armstrong

• Include the MSU Foundation as a beneficiary in a will (and provide a copy of the will or that portion of the will pertaining to MSU) • Make a deferred gift to the MSU Foundation (i.e., charitable remainder trust, charitable gift annuity, or life estate)

Benefits of membership include:

After consultation with her financial adviser, Mrs. Davis, a 65-year-old grandmother, has decided to create a charitable remainder trust to help fund her granddaughter’s education. Mrs. Davis will fund the trust with stock purchased for $10,000. The appreciated value of the stock is now $60,000. The trust can sell the stock free of capital gains tax and reinvest in a direct income-producing security. From the trust income, 8.5 percent ($5,100) will be paid per year to her granddaughter for five years.

The income will be taxed at the granddaughter’s rate, not Mrs. Davis’, resulting in substantial income tax savings.

After five years, the remainder in the trust will be transferred to the designated charity.

Because the remainder will be transferred to charity, Mrs. Davis’ income tax deduction is approximately $39,000, which may be deducted on this year’s income tax.

By using appreciated property and selling it tax-free through the trust, Mrs. Davis will save $10,000 in capital gains taxes. The income will be taxed at a very low rate to the student, which could save Mrs. Davis $3,000 to $4,000, and the current income tax deduction could save her an additional $11,000 to $12,000. The “net savings” of approximately $25,000 in this plan, plus the income to the student, make it an appealing plan for Mrs. Davis.

• Co-equal status with other donor recognition clubs, including invitations to special donor events on campus

• Make the MSU Foundation a beneficiary in a life insurance policy, IRA, qualified retirement plan (pension plan), or revocable trust and provide a copy of the form or document to the Foundation

• A special edition copy of the book, Old Main: Images of a Legend

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Challenge grants to support Hunter Henry Center construction Two challenge grants will enable Mississippi State alumni and friends to actively play a part in making the Hunter Henry Center a reality.

Donors have committed more than $7 million to date for the Henry Center, and now the university is turning to its more than 90,000 alumni for support in constructing the new facility.

“We’re excited that more than $7 million has been pledged to date. This will allow the project to go forward this summer.

However, we still need every alumnus and friend of Mississippi State to consider how they would like to participate in this project,” said Dennis Prescott, vice president for external affairs.

Henry made a lead gift commitment of

$3 million toward the project, including $500,000 to challenge other MSU alumni and friends. “How typical of Hunter Henry to reach deeper into his own resources in order to inspire others to commit to this worthy project. It is Mr. Henry’s hope that other alumni and friends will make gifts to support the facility,” Prescott said.

Henry will match gifts between $50,000 and $150,000, provided they occur before Sept. 30, 2002, or until the additional $500,000 challenge is met.

In addition to other commitments, Prescott said another $600,000 for the Henry Center would come from an MSU Alumni Association matching grant.

Donors who give a minimum of $100 toward the facility’s construction will have

Remaining naming opportunities NAMING OPPORTUNITY Henry Center Parker Grand Ballroom Alumni Hall (Wing) Foundation Hall (Wing) Legacy Hall (Donor Recognition Area) Spire Vice President’s Suite Alumni Executive Committee Room Foundation Executive Committee Room Brunson Seminar Room Alumni Executive Director’s Suite Foundation Executive Director’s Suite Ritter Conference Room Conference Room #2 Large Reflecting Pool Large Water Garden Amphitheater Griffis Meeting Room Hunt Meeting Room Seal Meeting Room Dow Chemical Meeting Room Planned Giving Suite Small Water Garden Alumni Alley Spire Walk 50 Pillars @ $50,000 each Flag Podium Study Garden 12 Planting Beds @ $25,000 each All Other Gifts

TOTAL

AMOUNT

COMMITMENTS

$2,500,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $500,000 $500,000 $500,000 $500,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $2,500,000 $50,000 $50,000 $300,000

$3,000,000 $1,000,000

$500,000 $250,000

$100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000

$400,000

$1,550,000*

$7,100,000

*includes a matching grant from MSU Alumni Association and one anonymous gift.

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their gift matched by the Alumni Association’s Challenge. The names of Challenge contributors will be displayed prominently in the Henry Center.

“The leadership of the MSU National Alumni Association has made a significant commitment of resources in the form of this Alumni Challenge. This matching pool gives every alumnus an opportunity to help build the Hunter Henry Center and receive permanent recognition within the facility,” Prescott said.

“With these two challenge grants in place, now is the perfect time to make a lasting commitment to build the finest alumni and foundation center in the country,” Prescott said.

Remaining naming opportunities include the alumni and foundation wings and the donor rotunda, as well as three meeting rooms. The garden areas and a distinctive spire provide opportunities as well.

Larger commitments to date include a $1 million pledge from Hal and Linda Parker of Bolton to name the grand ballroom. There are nine other meeting spaces of varying sizes to accommodate different user needs. Commitments for six of these rooms have come from Mrs. W.W. Brunson of Tupelo, Mr. and Mrs. Bryce Griffis of Starkville, Mr. and Mrs. Alvis T. Hunt of Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. C.W. “Tex” Ritter of Kosciusko, Mr. and Mrs. Leo W. Seal Jr. of Bay St. Louis, and the Dow Chemical Company.

The staffs of the Alumni Association and the Foundation have committed funds to name a pillar, one of 50 internal columns that will bear the names of those who choose to contribute at the $50,000 level.

Commitments for eight additional pillars have come from Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Adkerson of New Orleans, La.; Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Crane of Fulton; Mr. Louis A. Hurst Jr. of Houston, Texas; Mr. and Mrs. Bobby P. Martin of Ripley; Ms. Jane A. Moring of New Orleans, La.; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Whitehead of Brandon; Mr. Joseph B. Whiteside of Tupelo; and Mr. and Mrs. E. Bowden Wyatt of Jackson.

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How the Alumni Association Challenge works By taking part in the Alumni Association Challenge, you can play a vital role in the construction of the Henry Center. Your gift will enable the MSU Alumni Association and the Foundation to build a permanent, on-campus headquarters that will yield itself to growth, further benefiting Mississippi State and allowing the Alumni Association to better serve its constituents.

Benefits of giving: • Your tax-deductible gift automatically makes you an active member of the MSU Alumni Association.

• Gifts from $100 up to $50,000 will qualify you for recognition in the Fund for Excellence giving level.

• The Alumni Association Challenge will not only match your gift, but your company’s matching gift dollars as well, which can at least quadruple your contribution to the Henry Center.

• Your name will be displayed permanently on a centrally located recognition piece.

How to make your gift: Send your contribution today to the MSU Foundation, P.O. Box 6149, Mississippi State, MS 39762 or telephone the MSU Foundation at 877-677-8283 (toll-free) and ask about giving to the Henry Center through the Alumni Challenge.

Leave Your

Renowned antique clock collectors Cullis Wade and his wife Gladys have helped to support a variety of Mississippi State University athletic endeavors since 1991.

The Wades have given more than $1.4 million toward the football stadium expansion project and have funded a charitable remainder trust for more than $800,000 that also will benefit intercollegiate athletics.

-print

Make a gift now to the Fund for Excellence and get a free MSU alumni mouse pad. Simply fill out our secure online giving form at www.msufoundation.com and we’ll send you a mouse pad! Our thanks to you for supporting current students and programs at Mississippi State.

Annual contributions through the Fund for Excellence enable the university to provide the highest level of excellence in teaching, research, and service Mississippi State University programs. Gifts may be designated for a particular college, school, department, or activity.

For your gift to the Fund for Excellence, you will receive: • Active membership in the MSU Alumni Association • Alumnus magazine three times a year • A membership card • An invitation to chapter events in your area • Recognition in one of the Fund for Excellence giving levels • Your MSU alumni mouse pad Make your gift now and get a free MSU alumni mouse pad!

MSU Foundation P.O. Box 6149 Mississippi State, MS 39762-6149 toll-free 1-877-MSSTATE www.msufoundation.com

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▼ Is it September yet?

Sporting new Bulldog outfits, quadruplets, from left, James, Clark, Jacob, and Andrew Beard eagerly await football season.

Their parents, Dr. Herman (’88) and Kathy Beard of Ridgeland, have promised the foursome a trip to a game this fall.

William H. Holley Jr. (M.B.A. ’65) of Auburn, Ala., a professor at Auburn University, has been elected to a second term as executive secretary-treasurer of the National Academy of Arbitrators. His college textbook, Labor Relations Process, is in its seventh printing.

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Vernon Trevathan of St. Louis, Mo., has joined Atkins Benham Inc., an architectural Trevathan engineering company, as vice president of the systems division. He is retired from Monsanto Co. and its chemical spin-off, Solutia Inc., after 35 years of service.

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Paul K. Adams of Alexandria, La., founder of Adams Pest Control is being honored by several organizations with the establishment of the Paul K. Adams Endowed Chair of Urban Entomology at Louisiana State University. In 1996, he received the Adams National Pest Control Association’s highest honor, the Pinnacle Award.

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Harry M. Wilson Sr. of Tupelo, an engineer with Cook-Coggin, is a Fellow of the American Consulting Engineers Council.

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Howard Clark of Morton, a familypractice physician, has been named Country Doctor of the Year by Staff Care, a national temporary physician staffing firm.

The award honors Clark’s 44 years (and counting) of service to the people of Morton.

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Thomas R. Crawford of South Lyon, Mich., is president of Crawford Enterprises and a member of the South Lyon City Council.

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Raleigh T. Ferguson (M.Ed. ’69) of Perkinston has retired as dean of vocational instruction at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston Campus.

His career in education spanned more than 40 years.

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Roxene H. Atkinson (Ed.S. ’69) of Starkville has been honored by the Mississippi Counseling Association for her service as one of the first seven high school pilot counselors in the state.

She is retired following 25 years in school Atkinson counseling, primarily in Starkville.

Ken Sample of Jackson has retired from Xerox Corp. following 31 years of service in marketing and senior management. Most recently, he was marketing operations manager for the Central U.S. and region agent manager for the Southeast U.S.

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Milton A. Jones Jr. of Rijswijk, The Netherlands, has begun a new assignment as business group manager-pipelines for Shell Global Solution International B.V. He previously was innovative surface facilities leader with Shell E&P Technology.

Hollis P. Posey (M.S. ’69) of Cary, N.C., has been named an IBM Distinguished Engineer and elected to the IBM Academy of Technology for his pioneering work in point-of-sale technology. Systems designed Posey

by Posey are used in more than 70 percent of supermarket chains and 90 percent of drugstore chains in the U.S.

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Thomas McKnight (Ph.D. ’75) of Spokane, Wash., has received the Presidential Service Award from the American Academy of School Psychology at the group’s annual meeting in Washington,

▼ D.C. McKnight, who is board certified in clinical psychology and school psychology, is in private practice in Spokane.

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Robert C. Maxson, president of California State University, Long Beach, has been named the 2000 winner of the Chief Executive Leadership Award by the Far Western District of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Prior to accepting the presidency at CSULB in 1994, Maxson was president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for 10 years.

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Norris G. Cotton (M.B.A. ’72) of Bahama, N.C., vice president-investments for Paine Webber, has earned Certified Investment Management Analysis certifica-

tion through the Investment Management Consultants Association’s Wharton School of Business program.

A. Michael Juniker of Magnolia, Ark., has been named executive director of the Magnolia Economic Development Corp.

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Jim Koerber of Hattiesburg, owner of the Koerber Company, has been named national state chapter chairperson for the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.

James W. Hamilton Jr. has been elected managing director of Morgan Keegan & Co. He is branch manager of Koerber the firm’s Atlanta office.

Donald T. Ward of College Station,

Texas, a professor at Texas A&M University, has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is being honored for more than three decades of contributions to aircraft control, flight test engineering research, and education.

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Gregory A. Jones of Canton, Mich., has been named plant manager at the Gainesville facility of North American Aluminum Wheels.

Richard Hugh Rigby has relocated from Samara, Russia, to Atyrau, Kazakhstan, where he will continue as engineering manager for refurbishment of a crude-oil pipeline system for Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

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Robert H. Darville III of Rome, Ga., received a doctoral degree in higher education from Georgia State University in 1999, and has been granted tenure as associate professor of accounting at Shorter College.

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Edward C. Collum of Mobile, Ala., a certified public accountant, has become a member of the firm of Nicholas & Lee CPA and the firm’s name has been changed to NicholasLeeCollum CPAs. He is president of the Mobile chapter of the MSU Alumni Association.

Bill Lee (M.Ed. ’83) has been named head football coach and athletic director at Starkville High School. He previously was offensive coordinator at Moss Point High School.

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Marian Snowden Beck of Wichita, Kan., a professional engineer, is owner of Wings Over Wichita, a flight store.

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Marvin L. Adams of College Station, Texas, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named a Class of 2000 University Faculty Fellow. The designation, which carries an annual award of $20,000 for five years, helps the university retain top faculty members.

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Tyrone Bledsoe (M.Ed. ’88) of Huntsville, Texas, has been named associate vice president for student services and dean of student life at Sam Houston State University.

He most recently was associate vice chancellor for student affairs at North Carolina Central Bledsoe University.

Kenneth A. Hackman of Madison has received a Conservation Achievement Special Merit Award from the Mississippi Wildlife Federation for his work in teaching students real-life applications of science. A zoology/biology instructor and field studies coordinator at Madison Central High School, he also was honored by Madison

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Chris McGrath of Woodbridge, Va., was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army in November 2000.

Marilyn McGrath of Woodbridge, Va., teaches mathematics at C.D. Hylton High School.

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Mitchell O. Glenn of Seoul, Korea, is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and an instructor for the Command and General Staff College in South Korea. In 1999, he was named chief of emergency management with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District in Seoul.

Mark Shipman of Kennesaw, Ga., is a medical sales representative for Forest Pharmaceuticals. He and his wife Trish have adopted two little girls from China, Nicole and Julia.

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Roger J. Halphen III of Buras, La., teaches and coaches football at Buras Middle School. He also owns and operates the Rex Club and is founder and president of Conch Inc., which provides video gaming devices in restaurants and bars.

David G. Mitchell (Ph.D. ’94) of Corvallis, Ore., is 4-H Youth Leader Specialist at Oregon State University.

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Greg Howell of New Orleans, La., deepwater projects decision and risk coordinator for Chevron, earned a master’s degree in business administration at Tulane University in December 2000.

Gregory Stuart Ross of Santa Fe, N.M., received a juris doctorate from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in 1999. He has been admitted to the Texas and New Mexico bar associations.

Terry L. Turnipseed of Washington, D.C., has joined the law firm of Covington & Burling as an associate in trusts and estates.

Susan G. Dillard (M.Ed. ’92, Ed.S. ’96) of Louisville was named Barksdale Visiting Professor at Mississippi State in July 2000. The position represents a partnership of the Barksdale Reading Institute, the state Department of Education, and the Institutions of Higher Learning in implementing the state’s Reading Reform Model.

Todd S. Edwards has transferred to ExxonMobil Chemical Singapore from ExxonMobil’s Houston, Texas, office. He is in a technology transfer position.

Patricia R. HallHemphill of Vicksburg has been named chief engineer of the district for the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee District.

She previously was a hydraulics engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg Hemphill District.

William L. Stoppel (M.A. ’89) has been promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. He is branch chief for officer assignments for the National Guard Bureau.

Lance Rutledge Wilson of Greenville is a professional pharmaceutical sales representative with Schering Laboratories in Greenville.

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Beth Brock McBride of Collierville, Tenn., teaches in the education department at the University of Memphis.

Mark McMillen of Columbus has joined Weyerhaeuser Co. as a control systems engineer.

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Chuck Bates of Birmingham, Ala., has a new sales position with Guidant-Cardiac Rhythm Management Division assisting physicians with the implantation of pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators.

Chrystal Galey Bell of Morganton, N.C., is an account executive with Inform Inc., a public relations and marketing firm in Hickory, N.C. Gina Holland has been honored with a state Senate resolution commending her work as Associated Press capitol correspondent and extending the Legislature’s best wishes in her new position as a national writer in AP’s Washington, D.C., Bureau.

▼ Amy Irvin of Starkville, broker/owner of RE/MAX Partners in Starkville, has been chosen to participate in the Mississippi Association of Realtors’ LeadershipMAR program for 2001.

Chase C. Kasper (M.B.A. ’94) of Nacogdoches, Texas, has joined JM Clipper Corp. as market analyst.

Michael L. Luckett of Auburn Hills, Mich., has been promoted to senior industrial engineer for future programs with General Motors.

Porter Richard Swann III (M.B.A. ’94) of Starkville, assistant auditor in the Office of Internal Audit at Mississippi State, has successfully completed the Certified Internal Auditor examination.

Douglas Todd Wert of State College, Pa., general manager/director of golf at Penn State University Golf Courses, has been chosen 2000 Merchandiser of the Year for the Philadelphia section of the Professional Golfers Association. Additionally, Golf World Business magazine has named the Penn State Golf Courses to its “Top 100 Golf Shops” list.

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Stephanie Brown DeClue of Memphis, Tenn., has been promoted to site supervisor of the Randolph Branch of the Memphis/ Shelby County Public Library. She is pursuing a master’s degree in library science at the University of Tennessee.

Jere Trey Hess of Ridgeland is a professional engineer working with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality as Brownfields program coordinator.

Kimberly Ann Ivy of Houston, Texas, has been promoted to accounting manager/ supervisor with Griffin/Juban Properties Inc. Lance Vardaman Porter of Santa Monica, Calif., is director of Internet strategy for Buena Vista Pictures Marketing, the motion picture distribution company for Walt Disney Co. He also is pursuing a Ph.D. in mass communication at the University of Georgia.

Shelly Frazier Sheperis of Mississippi State is pursuing a doctoral degree in counselor education at the University of Florida.

Jon Jay Vinicki of Lilburn, Ga., has been appointed operating budget manager for Gwinnett County, Ga., in metropolitan Atlanta, with a population of 550,000 and an annual budget of more than $500 million.

Jennifer Jacobs Wilson of Greenville is a professional pharmaceutical sales representative for the Primary Care Division of Schering Laboratories in Greenville.

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Jason T. Beasley of Tupelo is a vice president and loan officer for The Peoples Bank and Trust Co. in Tupelo.

Thomas C. Bickham III of Prairieville, La., has been appointed by Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster to serve as Undersecretary for the Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Management and Finance.

Carole Ray Brumfield of Atlanta, Ga., is an audit manager for BellSouth Corp.

Karilynn Elliott of Maryville, Tenn., has been promoted to assistant manager of the Alcoa, Tenn., branch of NBC Banks.

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Mark Brumfield of Atlanta, Ga., has been promoted to senior vice president at Wachovia Securities Inc. Scott Knight of Merritt Island, Fla., has become a franchisee of Sonic Drive In restaurants in Orlando.

William David McLemore of Orlando, Fla., has been promoted to I.T. customer service manager for Hughes Supply Inc. Pamela Roza of Miami Beach, Fla., has won the South Florida Critics’ Circle Carbonell Award for Best Supporting Actress in a play, for her role in Killer Joe at GableStage in Miami.

Larkin E. Tucker III of Nashville, Tenn., is a pharmaceutical sales representative with the neuroscience specialty sales division of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals.

Michelle Williams Strickland of Decatur, Ga., is minister of discipleship and administration at the First Baptist Church of Avondale Estates in Decatur.

1/4 page ad for patio umbrellas --center ad in this space Black and white ad Hard copy provided

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▼ Joyclyn Theresa Galloway of Baton Rouge, La., completed the Bermuda International 26.2 mile marathon in January, helping the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society raise $1.5 million to support patient aid and research programs.

Donald Allen Hilsdon of Plano, Texas, has been promoted to corporal with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Police Department. He is a member of the Bicycle Unit and is a certified instructor and field training officer.

Jon T. McCraw (M.S. ’93) of Waveland has been named technology director for the Hancock County School District. He previously worked for NETschools Corp.

Melinda Amelia Mitchell of Briggsdale, Colo., is a sales representative for Eli Lilly and Co. and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Colorado State University.

Patty Wilder Roberts of Carthage has been named county executive director of the Leake County Farm Service Agency.

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J. Todd Arnold of Laguna Beach, Calif., has joined SWA Group, a landscape architecture and planning firm, as a member of the construction administration team.

Denise McDonald Cosper of Starkville is coordinator of grant writing and prospect research at Wood College in Mathiston.

Deidra M. Gammill of Cambridge, Mass., teaches 6th-8th grade English and Spanish at Christian Center School.

Brenda Monk has been named assistant director of the Athletic Academic Support Program at Florida State University. She previously worked for the Rankin County School District in Brandon in several capacities, including principal, special education assistant supervisor, and school psychologist.

Tracey Sibley has been named process specialist for Gulf States Paper Corp.’s Continuous Process Improvement Initiative. She works at Gulf States’ national headquarters in Sibley Tuscaloosa, Ala.

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Bonnie T. Brown of Mobile, Ala., has completed the NCIDQ licensing examination for interior designers. She works for Steelcase Systems, a furniture dealership in Mobile.

Stacey A. Bruff of Jonesboro, Ark., has been promoted to senior technical services agronomist with Delta and Pine Land Co. His territory includes Northeast Arkansas and the Missouri bootheel.

Chris Cosper (M.A. ’96) of Starkville, an architect with Pryor & Morrow Architects in Columbus, has completed the Architectural Registration Examination and received his license to practice architecture in Mississippi.

Nancy Lischkoff Hamric of Birmingham, Ala., is a pharmaceutical sales representative for Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

Marvin Kemp of Baltimore, Md., has been promoted to associate with Anshen+Allen Architects.

James E. Sanders of Atlanta, Ga., is a first level network manager for BellSouth’s C-WINS Center in Atlanta. He recently was on assignment to BellSouth’s Training Department in Jacksonville, Fla., to train technicians for the company’s C-WINS Center there.

Mary Susan Tyree of Nashville, Tenn., is an associate producer with TBA Entertainment Corp. She currently is working on the television series “Music in High Places,” broadcast on DirecTV. Camille Scales Young (M.S. ’96) of Jackson has joined the Mississippi Farm Service Agency as public relations/outreach coordinator. She previously was a governmental relations specialist for Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

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Vance Stuart Durbin of Memphis, Tenn., is a producer and announcer at WYPL-FM, the public library radio station in Memphis.

Emily Turner Hayes (M.S. ’96) of Flowood is a pharmaceutical sales representative with Abbott Laboratories.

Sandra J. Manning of Quitman, a second-grade teacher at Quitman Lower Elementary School, has received National

Board Teacher Certification in the early childhood/generalist area.

Tim May of Secane, Pa., has joined CIGNA Healthcare’s HR&S Management Development Program in Philadelphia, Pa. Larry Tomkins of Brandon is Gulf Coast regional engineer for Advanced Drainage Systems Inc.

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Robert Michael Gammill of Cambridge, Mass., is pursuing a master’s degree in landscape architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

He achieved professional licensure in September 1999.

Carman Henley of River Ridge, La., has been promoted to senior engineer for Exxon Mobil Production Co. in New Orleans.

William Ray Holloway Jr. of Tupelo has received the Local Community Award from the state Department of Rehabilitation Service for providing services to those with disabilities. He also has been appointed to the advisory council for the state Department of Health-Child Care Advisory Board and to the Mississippi Youth Soccer Association as TOPSoccer Administrator for the state.

Danielle Jacolyn Louys (M.B.A. ’99) of Helena, Ala., is a perioperative sales specialist for Abbott Laboratories.

Jonathan Lowery of Tuscaloosa, Ala., has been promoted to management forester at Gulf States Paper Corp.’s Sipsey timber management district.

William W. Walker Lowery of Oxford is in his first year of law school at the University of Mississippi.

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C. Jason Armstrong (M.B.A. ’98) has been named assistant vice president for commercial banking at Trustmark National Bank in Tupelo. He is a member of the College of Business and Industry’s Young Alumni Advisory Board.

Gary Greene of Venice, Fla., is 2001 president-elect of the Florida Business Technology Education Association. He recently was promoted to full professor at Manatee Community College in Venice.

▼ David Emmons of Tarpon Springs, Fla., is golf course superintendent at Rolling Oaks Golf Course in the World Woods Golf Club facility in Brooksville.

Ralph David Roberts III of Jackson has been named one of Mississippi’s Top 40 Under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal.

The program recognizes leadership in the public and private sectors, as well as community involvement.

Roberts is Elections Division director for campaign finance and lobbying reporting for the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office.

John Shappley has been promoted to loan review officer at First State Bank in Waynesboro.

Shappley Shanna Garrison Walker (M.S. ’00) of Oxford is the assignments coordinator in the Student Housing Office at the University of Mississippi.

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Eric Allen of Helena, Ala., works with the commercial lending program at the Bank of Birmingham.

John Case (M.B.A. ’00) of Orlando, Fla., is associate relationship manager in the commercial banking department of AmSouth Bank in Orlando.

Lacey St. Peter Fitts of Nashville, Tenn., is a third-year graduate student in chemistry at Vanderbilt University.

Holly Polk Kennedy of Meridian is a second -grade teacher for the Meridian Public School District.

Randy Ladale Shields of DeSoto, Texas, is an engineer with Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.

New

So what’s

degree New new? New job baby

Have you or a Mississippi State alumnus you know received professional recognition?

Share the word with former classmates through the class news section in Alumnus and help the Alumni Association keep track of you at the same time. Complete the form and return it to: Mississippi State Alumnus P.O. Box 5325 Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325 fax 662-325-7455 e-mail snowa@ur.msstate.edu

Name Soc. Sec.#

MSU major, degree(s) and years received

News for Class News:

Occupation Company Address Street/Box City State

ZIP

Phone Spouse’s name Spouse’s MSU graduation (if applicable)

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Beth Smith Allen of Helena, Ala., is coordinator of campus visit programs in the Office of Admission at Samford University.

Natalie Brooke Long of Jackson is a kindergarten teacher at North Jackson Elementary School.

Angela K. Mitchell of Atlanta, Ga., is a graphic designer for Avienda Technologies, an Internet company headquartered in Atlanta.

Phillip Dobson of Randolph AFB, Texas, received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force in August 2000.

He will receive his navigator wings in June upon graduating from Joint Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training.

Justin Hamilton Laughlin of Knoxville, Tenn., is pursuing a master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries.

Chad Joseph Mims of Tupelo works in the sales and marketing department at Franklin Corp.

Bryan Samuel Moore of Mobile, Ala., is an industrial engineer for Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula.

Brandy Patterson of Independence has been accepted into the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, entering class of 2001.

Adrienne F. Spychalski of Gulfport has joined High Tech Inc., a research and development company, as a manufacturing engineer.

Katherine Ellis Albrecht, Feb. 7, 2000, to Courtney Respess Albrecht (’94) and husband Patrick of Montgomery, Ala. Avery Elizabeth Anderson, April 19, 2000, to Michael Andrew Anderson (’91, M.B.A. ’93) and Stacy Ball Anderson (’92) of Madison.

Morgan Todd Beasley, Jan. 30, 2001, to Jason Beasley (’92) and Carolyn Ingels Beasley (’92) of Tupelo.

Madison Leet Beckham, Dec. 12, 2000, to Hugh Beckham Jr. (’88) and wife Elizabeth of Olive Branch.

Morgan Elise Brumfield, May 31, 2000, to Mark Brumfield (’90) and Carole Ray Brumfield (’92) of Atlanta, Ga. Macy Taylor Burgess, Feb. 8, 2000, to Stacy Pope Burgess (’97) and husband Casey of Ridgeland.

Jack Michael Burleson, Nov. 18, 2000, to Detra Rhodes Burleson (’92) and Scott Burleson (’94).

Leland Barrentine Cariker, Dec. 4, 2000, to Justin Barrentine Cariker (’89) of Dundee.

Laura Madelyn Carson, July 7, 2000, to Jennifer Suzanne Slayton-Carson (’96) of Charlotte, N.C. John Michael Childers, June 1, 2000, to Shane Childers (’93) and Holly Childers (’93) of Memphis, Tenn.

John Howard Corbin III, Dec. 23, 2000, to Amy Respess Corbin (’96) and husband John of Lambert.

Ryan Christopher Cosper, May 23, 2000, to Chris Cosper (’94, M.A. ’96) and Denise McDonald Cosper (’93) of Starkville.

Brooke Diana Cunningham, Nov. 16, 2000, to Carmen Mashburn Cunningham (’90) and husband Craig of Pelahatchie.

William Andrew Davis, Feb. 3, 2001, to William Thomas Davis (’87) and wife Wendy.

Zachary Thomas DeWeese, Oct. 30, 2000, to Tony DeWeese (’94) and Michele Horton DeWeese (’93) of Madison.

Christopher Michael Elledge, Nov. 16, 2000, to Mike D. Elledge (’96) and wife Mary of Plano, Texas.

Ian Thomas Gaude, Sept. 7, 2000, to Kurt Gaude (’89) and Danielle Whelan Gaude (’91) of Smyrna, Tenn.

Warren Kennedy Guest, Sept. 11, 2000, to Michael Guest (’92) and Haley Guest (’96) of Brandon.

Blake Rodd Helms, Oct. 23, 2000, to Michelle Bigham Helms (’87) and husband Brent of Brandon.

Elizabeth Ann Hess, Jan. 2, 2001, to Trey Hess (’91, M.B.A. ’93) and wife Frances of Ridgeland.

Hallie Elizabeth Hill, Jan. 2, 2001, to Tripp Hunter Hill (’93) and Susan Jennings Hill (’93) of Pensacola, Fla.

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▼ Andrew Joseph Hoke Jr., Dec. 3, 2000, to Andrew Joseph Hoke (’89) and Elizabeth Butler Hoke (’88) of Rapid City, S.D. Garrett Stephen Johnson, Sept. 6, 2000, to Adele Dulin Johnson (’87) and husband Steve of Madison.

Emma Rae Leathers, Sept. 11, 1999, to Brian Leathers (’91) and wife Kim of Tupelo.

Jackson Marshall Lee, Oct. 31, 2000, to Kathy Hoven Lee (’91) and husband John of Alpharetta, Ga. Zachary James Matula, Dec. 4, 1999, to Terry Matula (’91, M.S. ’94) and Stephanie Matula (’94) of Austin, Texas.

Katy Elizabeth McBride, May 30, 2000, to Beth Brock McBride (’88) and husband John of Collierville, Tenn.

Margaret Elyse McCarty, Oct. 4, 2000, to William McCarty (’93) and Elizabeth Wallace McCarty (’93) of Orange, Texas.

Allie Grace McMillen, Dec. 18, 2000, to Mark McMillen (’88) and Kerry McMillen (’87) of Columbus.

Elizabeth Caroline Middleton, Sept. 9, 2000, to Dalton C. Middleton (’90, M.B.A. ’93) and Melissa Beck Middleton (’92, M.B.A. ’93) of Verona.

Grace Elizabeth Rayburn, April 22, 2000, to James A. Rayburn (’88) and wife Missy of Prairieville, La. Ramsay Joseph Revennaugh, Oct. 30, 2000, to Robin Ramsay Revennaugh (’86, M.A. ’88) and husband Brian of Kennesaw, Ga. Maggie Elizabeth Rhodes, Aug. 30, 2000, to Celeste Myatt Rhodes (’89) and Derrick Rhodes (’90).

Olivia Catherine Rials, Feb. 22, 2001, to Harold R. Rials II (’90) and wife Sandra of Brookhaven.

Marlie Nicole Riddell, Sept. 9, 2000, to Randy Riddell (’91) and wife Amy of Killen, Ala. Brooks Walton Roney, Dec. 14. 2000, to Erin Ingram Roney (’92) and husband Christopher.

Tucker Riley Shaw, Jan. 20, 2000, to Heather McLemore Shaw (’98) and husband James of Bellefontaine.

Joseph Lee Sheperis, Oct. 4, 2000, to Shelly Frazier Sheperis (’91) and husband Carl of Mississippi State.

Luke Thomas Sims, Feb. 8, 2001, to Reggie L. Sims (’84) and Laura Sinclair Sims (’88) of Madison.

Lee Thomas Smira, Nov. 14, 2000, to Amanda Lee Smira (’00) and husband Kevin of Flora.

Paul R. Snider Jr., Feb. 28, 2001, to Paul R. Snider (’91) and wife Sherie of Pensacola Beach, Fla. Ashley Melissa Sproles, Jan. 9, 2001, to Melissa Taylor Sproles (’91) and husband Brian.

Jacob Murphy Stanard, Jan. 26, 2001, to David Stanard (’89) and wife Lisa of Clinton.

Christy Alana Steen, Oct. 11, 2000, to Gary Steen (’86) and wife Sheila of Liberty.

William Francis Stoppel, Dec. 27, 2000, to William L. Stoppel (’87, M.A. ’89) and wife Sandra.

Madison Faith Storment, Nov. 28, 2000, to Paul Storment (’00) and wife Mandy of Ramer, Tenn.

Noah Zachary Strickland, July 22, 2000, to Michelle Williams Strickland (’90) and husband Jason of Decatur, Ga. Abigail Claire Stricklin, Nov. 21, 2000, to Scott Stricklin (’92) and Anne Howell Stricklin (’94) of Waco, Texas.

Sydney Helen Swafford, Nov. 27, 2000, to Stacey Swafford (’91) and Leann Jarzen Swafford (’89, M.Ed. ’91) of Brandon.

Tristan Lewis Tigrett, Jan. 10, 2001, to Paul Lewis Tigrett (’95) and Christy White Tigrett (’98) of Brandon.

Landon James Tomkins, June 23, 2000, to Larry Tomkins (’95) and Tracy Tomkins (’95) of Brandon.

Kaelin Ann Turner, Oct. 31, 2000, to Kim Whitaker Turner (’95, M.S. ’96) and husband Andy of Grenada.

Lucile Mae Turnipseed, Aug. 27, 2000, to Terry L. Turnipseed (’86) and wife Lydia of Washington, D.C. Jennifer Marie Weaver, Feb. 10, 2000, to Stan R. Weaver (’88) and wife Wanda of Duluth, Ga. Elizabeth Camille White, July 20, 2000, to Allen White (’86) and Tracy Byrd White (’89, M.A. ’90) of Austin, Texas.

Maggie Lynn White, Dec. 23, 2000, to Jeannie Atkinson White (’91) and husband Brady of Lauderdale.

Reagan Grace Wilson, Aug. 22, 2000, to Lance Rutledge Wilson (’87) and Jennifer Jacobs Wilson (’91) of Greenville.

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▼ Stevens A. Renfrow (’16)—108, Jackson; retired teacher, coach, and administrator for Lincoln County and Brookhaven schools, former director of adult education for Jackson Public Schools, and World War I veteran, Dec. 8, 2000.

L.C. Murphree (’31, M.S. ’47)—92, Starkville; retired senior salesman for Velsicol Chemical Co., former county agent and Extension entomologist, Feb. 27, 2001.

Ernest Edwin McCoy (’32)—90, Jackson; retired chief of the thermal research section, concrete division, Waterways Experiment Station and World War II veteran, Jan. 5, 2001.

Vincent William Guy Jr. (’33)—90, Crystal Springs; retired engineer for the state Department of Transportation, March 23, 2001.

Theodore Smith (’34)—88, Corinth; retired U.S. Air Force colonel, former state senator and representative, and farmer, Dec. 15, 2000.

Harold S. Mustin Sr. (’35)—87, Jackson; retired insurance agent for New York Life and former office manager for Millsaps College, Jan. 30, 2001. Mr. Mustin was instrumental in promoting Mississippi State College to university status.

Herbert Dabney Maxwell Sr. (36)— 86, Clarksdale; retired Western Auto store owner and World War II veteran, Jan. 6, 2001.

Charles Lewis Snyder Jr. (’36)—86, San Antonio, Texas; retired senior engineer for Dow Chemical Co. and consultant, July 8, 2000.

Joe K. Cochran (’37)—91, Richton; retired loan officer, Dec. 19, 2000.

Charles Everitt (’37)—84, Effingham, Ill.; retired Southern Baptist minister, Feb. 7, 2001.

Eric Larkin Turner (’37)—93, Canton; retired employee of the Vocational Technical Division of the state Department of Education, Jan. 20, 2001.

Jesse W. Austin Sr. (’38)—84, Forest; retired medical doctor and World War II veteran, Feb. 12, 2001.

Bayard Lamar Broome (’38)—87, Clinton; retired civil engineer for the State Aid Division of the Mississippi Highway 42

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Department and World War II veteran, Nov. 30, 2000.

Fletcher Abraham Rhinehart (’38)— 84, Waynesboro; retired owner of Rhinehart Feed and Milling Co., farmer, and World War II veteran, Dec. 20, 2000.

G.C. Golden (’39)—85, Woodville; retired ASCS agent for U.S. Department of Agriculture in Wilkinson County, March 30, 2001.

Denton Odell Scott (’39)—88, Columbia; retired extension agent, Dec. 16, 2000.

Esther G. Jackson (’41)—80, Cleveland; homemaker and former parliamentarian, Dec. 29, 2000.

Morris J. Priebatsch (’41)—80, Jackson; retired director of family insurance services for the state Welfare Department, Jan. 7, 2001.

Felix Jerome Lann Jr. (’42)—80, Aberdeen; retired colonel in the Army Reserves, Sept. 27, 2000.

Billie Nowlin (’42)—80, Starkville; retired administrative assistant for the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Dec. 11, 2000.

Alberta Hogan Smith (’42)—79, Canton; retired teller for Merchants and Farmers Bank, Feb. 13, 2001.

Patty Grice Burns (’43)—84, Vicksburg; retired school teacher, Dec. 27, 2000.

Garland F. Vaughn Sr. (’43)—81, Brandon; retired employee of Mississippi Department of Agriculture and World War II veteran, Feb. 6, 2001.

Vernon Thomas Hughes (’44)—74, Clarksdale; former owner of Village Drug Store and Army Air Force veteran of World War II, Aug. 30, 2000.

R.E. Mason (’44)—81, Memphis, Tenn.; retired coach for Memphis city schools and World War II veteran, Nov. 17, 2000.

Louis Eugene Spruill (’44, M.S. ’48)— 76, Starkville; businessman, Aug. 12, 2000.

Mary Elizabeth Abernethy Dendy (’45)—75, Oxford; homemaker and retired secretary, June 30, 2000.

Earl Linford Lewis (’45, M.S. ’55)— 82, Quitman; retired assistant principal and chairman of the board of trustees of Jones County Junior College, Jan. 29, 2001.

Oliver Lee McCaskill (’45)—78, Leland; retired engineer for the U.S. Ginning Lab in Stoneville and World War II veteran.

William Walker Moore (’45)—77, Cary; owner of Moore Planting Co., real estate investor, and World War II veteran, Sept. 4, 2000.

Elsie Aleene Ray (’45)—79, Starkville; retired school teacher at Starkville High School and poet, March 12, 2001.

Margaret Byrd (’46, M.Ed. ’68)—76, Chattanooga, Tenn.; retired elementary school teacher, Oct. 7, 2000.

William A. Cox Sr. (’47)—76, Starkville; retired state employee, Sept. 12, 2000.

R.P. Stringer Jr. (’47)—74, Forest; former U.S. congressman, retired sales broker, council member for the city of Forest, and World War II veteran, Jan. 15, 2001.

Troy D. White Sr. (’47)—79, Union; retired educator, Oct. 1, 2000.

William Russell Holland (’48, M.S. ’56)—78, Maben; retired district director for the Agriculture and Stabilization Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and World War II veteran, Jan. 8, 2001.

Ferdinand Andre Wise (’48)—73, Birmingham, Ala.; certified public accountant, Aug. 31, 2000.

John H. Arthur Sr. (’49)—77, Brandon; retired state director for Farmers Home Administration and World War II veteran, Jan. 20, 2001.

William Goodwin (’49)—77, Aberdeen; retired rural mail carrier, Sept. 8, 2000.

Willie E. Phillips (’49, M.S. ’55)— Baltimore, Md.; retired physicist and university professor, Sept. 3, 2000.

Aubrey Rogers Jr. (’49)—77, Nettleton.

Henry O. Sessums (’49, M.Ed. ’52)— 74, Baton Rouge, La.; retired senior engineering associate for ExxonMobil and World War II veteran, Aug. 6, 2000.

Truett H. Smith Sr. (’49)—Jackson; insurance agent, retired U.S. Army major, former professional football player, and World War II veteran, Dec. 28, 2000.

Roger D. Malkin agricultural pioneer

▼ Allen Lamar Edwards (’50)—75, Indianola; retired farmer and World War II veteran, Dec. 8, 2000.

Jack Williams Hayden (’50)—76, Batesville; retired manager of operations and engineering for Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association and World War II veteran, March 17, 2001.

Felix Thompson Henley (’50)—79, West Point; teacher and leader in radiology, Sept. 20, 2000.

Lonnie S. Meaders (’50)—75, Laurel; retired coach and teacher, July 22, 1999.

James C. Nicholson (’50)—74, Gulfport; retired senior vice president of Hancock Bank, Sept. 15, 2000.

William H. McFarland Sr. (’51)—72, Baton Rouge, La.; retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and retired administrator for Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, May 11, 2000.

James P. Minyard (’51, Ph.D. ’67)— Harrisonburg, Va.; professor emeritus of chemistry at Mississippi State and state chemist 1967-91, Jan. 24, 2001.

John A. Montgomery Jr. (’51)—73, Houston, Texas; retired petroleum geologist for Exxon Oil Co. and World War II veteran, Oct. 14, 2000.

Earl Kenneth Reynolds (’51, M.S. ’55)—71, Greenwood; retired insurance agent, former county agent for Leflore County, and Korean War veteran, Dec. 15, 2000.

Oscar H. Johnson Jr. (’52)—Decatur, Ala.; retired chemical engineer for Monsanto, Dec. 20, 1999.

Donald Myron Keady (’52, M.S. ’57)—72, Starkville; retired geology professor at Mississippi State, Dec. 10, 2000.

Karl H. Miller (’53)—69, Plantersville; retired Soil Conservation Service employee and Korean War veteran, Feb. 12, 2001.

R. Jack Freeman (’55, M.S. ’66)—88, Columbus; retired education administrator, Oct. 16, 2000.

Edgar E. Sharp (’55)—Longboat Key, Fla.; retired businessman, July 13, 2000.

Bob Branum (’56)—67, Destin, Fla.; retired lieutenant colonel in the Mississippi Air National Guard, Dec. 29, 2000.

Lawrence Mullins (’56)—70, Starkville; retired merchant, Aug. 17, 2000.

Albert S. Munsch Jr. (’56)—Alexander City, Ala.; retired Air Force Lt. Col., June 9, 2000.

Lowell T. Livingston (’57)—66, Brandon; retired director of intermodal transportation for the state Department of Transportation.

William W. Sykes (’57)—69, Jackson; retired licensed engineer and president and chairman of the board of the Engineering Service of Jackson, Sept. 14, 2000.

Avis Elizabeth Mullins (’57)—88, Meadville; retired schoolteacher in the Hazlehurst, Greenville, and Franklin County schools, March 25, 2001.

Kenneth Geno Sr. (’58)—67, Booneville; retired advanced agriculture adult farmer specialist for Prentiss County, Oct. 2, 2000.

Thomas A. Hester Jr. (’58)—93, Shelby; retired conservationist for USDA Soil Conservation Service Elio Tarsi (’58)—64, Boyle; salesman, Sept. 5, 2000.

Walton E. Finley (’59)—66, Mendenhall; plant engineer for Presto Industries and Magnetek, March 5, 2001.

William R. Lacey (’59)—El Paso, Texas; retired English teacher and World War II veteran, Dec. 16, 1999.

Anjel Winston Lopez (’59)—68, Escatawpa; retired aeronautical engineer, Aug. 1, 2000.

L.L. Bishop (’61)—66, McKinney, Texas; convenience store owner and former plant manager for Nemanco Buildings in Philadelphia, Jan. 13, 2001.

Robert D. Cox (’62)—57, Jennings, La.; comptroller for Bolton Ford Inc. in Lake Charles, March 10, 2001.

Carlos Dale Smith (’62)—59, Vaughan; physical therapist, June 17, 2000.

Mary Sue Wood (’62)—94, Birmingham Ridge; retired teacher for Lee County Schools, March 15, 2001.

Phillip Edwin Jacks (’63)—59, Kilmichael; health care manager, July 27, 2000.

Leon Polewoda Jr. (63)—63, Greenwood; retired sales representative, March 15, 2001.

Roger D. Malkin of Scott, chief executive officer and chairman of Delta and Pine Land Co., died Nov. 22, 2000. He was 69.

A Brooklyn, N.Y., native, Malkin earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1952 and a master’s the following year from the college’s Tuck School of Business.

In 1978, he led a team of investors that acquired Delta and Pine Land Co. Under his direction, the enterprise focused on developing better seed varieties and became the foremost cotton breeder in the world, with commercial activities in 19 countries.

In 1996, D&PL commercialized the first transgenic row crop with the sale of its cotton seed with Monsanto’s bacillus thuringiensis gene technology.

A tireless supporter of education, Malkin was a major benefactor and member of the advisory board of the Mississippi State University Agribusiness Institute. He also provided a major endowment for MSU’s new Biotechnology Institute and served on the steering committee that recommended its formation.

Liz Depoyster (’64, M.S. ’79)—58, Mooreville; retired business manager for the Lee-Itawamba Library System, Aug. 7, 2000.

Ray Jenkins (’65)—57, Marks; certified public accountant, Aug. 9, 2000.

David M. Shaw (’65)—59, Forest; election commissioner of Scott County, July 26, 2000.

Charles Leslie Herron (’66)—56, Forest; retired area director for the state Department of Human Services, Feb. 18, 2001.

Marion Logan Laster (’66)—68, Alco, Ark.; employed by Delta Branch Experiment Station in Stoneville, July 13, 2000.

David McNeil Megginson (’67)—65, Tupelo; People’s Insurance Agency employee, Dec. 2, 2000.

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▼ Wayne M. Gressett (’68, M.A. ’74, Ph.D. ’78)—54, San Antonio, Texas; president and CEO of ETS K-12 Works and former adjunct professor at Mississippi State University-Meridian, March 27, 2001.

Lawson Everett Sheldon (’68)—55, Houston, Texas; exploration drilling superintendent and interim drilling manager for VICO Indonesia, July 20, 2000.

Paul Vincent Carollo (’69)—58, Houston, Texas; retired senior power consultant for Houston Lighting and Power Co., Jan. 6, 2001.

Rufus M. Langford III (’69)—53, Kenner, La.; accountant, Aug. 29, 2000.

Phillip L. Browning (’70)—59, Madison; civil engineer, Aug. 20, 2000.

Robert Q. White (’71)—50, Long Beach; Sept. 11, 2000.

Fred William Yates (’72, M.Ed. ’76)— Tupelo; assistant principal at Tupelo High School, Jan. 29, 2001.

Pauline Nason Jackson (’75)—73, Sturgis; retired school teacher, Jan. 3, 2001.

James Edward Petty (’75)—54, Carthage; superintendent of education for Leake County Schools, March 23, 2001.

Beverly Garrett Kennedy (’76)—46, Walnut; retired elementary school teacher in Kossuth, Nov. 29, 2000.

Dennis C. Roberts (’77)—46, Oxford; attorney for Global Industries, Feb. 16, 2001.

Kelly Balius (’81)—43, Madison; vice president of Spectrum Management for World Comm, Feb. 15, 2001.

Robert J. Young (’83)—45, Jackson; director of recruitment for the state Personnel Board, Feb. 2, 2001.

Kermit Koenig (’86)—45, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; basketball coach, Dec. 5, 2000.

Sharolyn Slay (’91)—31, Brandon; sales representative for Derma Sciences, Jan. 18, 2001.

William C. Bates (attended)—93, Madison; retired heavy-equipment salesman and World War II veteran, Jan. 23, 2001.

Walter H. Burns Sr. (attended)—93, Saltillo; retired school teacher, electrician, and World War II veteran, Nov. 2, 2000.

Virgil Dwane Collins (attended)—77, Jackson; retired certified purchasing manager for Universal Manufacturing Corp., Feb. 19, 2001.

Wilkins Dedwylder Sr. (attended)— 73, Cleveland; retired farmer, Dec. 16, 2000.

How to reach us Alumni may submit items for Class News and In Memoriam in any of the following ways:

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Mail:

Allen Snow Mississippi State Alumnus P.O. Box 5325 Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325

Phone:

662-325-3442

E-mail:

snowa@ur.msstate.edu

Fax:

662-325-7455

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Van Buren Fleming (attended)—79, Starkville; retired contractor and co-owner of Fleming Building Supply and World War II and Korean War veteran, March 3, 2001.

Howard W. McDuffie Jr. (attended)— 73, Jackson; retired salesman and World War II and Korean War veteran, Jan. 11, 2001.

Robert L. Moorer (attended)—52, West Chester, Pa.; computer sales executive and Vietnam War veteran, March 17, 2001.

Lloyd H. Stinson (attended)—82, Greenwood; retired U.S. Air Force colonel, pilot, and World War II veteran, March 17, 2001.

William S. Thomas (attended)—90, Jackson; co-owner of S.N. Thomas’ Sons and World War II veteran, Feb. 17, 2001.

Anne M. Holder (former employee)— 75, Senatobia; retired house director for Delta Gamma at Mississippi State, March 30, 2001.

Gertrude Beall Pepper Holland (former employee)—77, Starkville; retired management professor at Mississippi State, Dec. 24, 2000.

George Lee Rogers (former employee)—92, Starkville; retired custodian at Mississippi State, Jan. 27, 2001.

Helen Poirier Buck (friend)—West Point; retired from Helen Buck Jewelry and Antiques, Nov. 29, 2000.

Lady Mary Dawson (friend)—55, Douglas, Wyo.; Feb. 27, 2001.

Paul Raymond Geer (friend)—84, Vicksburg; retired from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and World War II veteran, Jan. 29, 2001.

Donald Earl Sullivan (friend)—78, Starkville; founder and owner of Sullivan’s Office Supply, Feb. 1, 2001.