22 minute read
Giving Back
CRESCENDO OF SUPPORT
Benefits Music Building
By Addie Mayfield
Thanks to generous gifts from dedicated alumni, Mississippi State University’s Department of Music and its new music building continue to grow in prominence. Once complete, the new building will include dedicated spaces named for influential alumni, educators and supporters of the university, as well as one of the world’s finest high resolution player pianos—a Steinway Model B Spirio | r. Each of these grand additions serve as meaningful investments in the department and will benefit generations of talented students and educators for years to come.
The Dr. Jackie Edwards-Henry Piano Studio honors its namesake, a 30-year faculty member and longtime professor of piano and piano pedagogy. Edwards-Henry earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in performance and pedagogy from William Jewell College and University of Illinois, respectively, and received a doctorate in piano pedagogy from University of Oklahoma. She pursued additional piano study in Bordeaux, France, as the recipient of a Rotary Scholarship. The naming of the Edwards-Henry studio is possible with a gift from E. Stanly Godbold Jr. and his wife Jeannie of Starkville.
Godbold is a professor emeritus of history at MSU. He earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in history from Duke University, as well as a Master of Divinity in theology from Southern Methodist University. His wife, a fellow educator and alumnus of Wisconsin’s Carthage College, is a retired preschool teacher. The couple’s friendship
with Edwards-Henry began two decades ago when they took an adult piano class under her instruction. Through their gift, the Godbolds hope to honor Edwards-Henry’s talent and dedicated service to the university, her students and her profession.
The Dr. Clinton H. Graves Jr. Student Piano Practice Room was established by a similar gift from MSU alumni and Mississippi natives Daniel M. “Danny” Thomas Jr. and Leigh Graves Thomas. Danny earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1984, and Leigh earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture in 1986. Bearing the name of Leigh’s father, the room serves as a memorial to the late MSU professor emeritus and his lifelong love for music and piano.
Growing up, Graves participated in piano competitions and continued to play throughout his life. After serving on active duty in the U.S. Navy, he graduated from Mississippi State in 1950 and spent his 40-year career teaching and conducting research at his alma mater.
Although his profession was in plant pathology, Graves was an avid supporter of the Department of Music and actively promoted the construction of a new music building on campus. Before his death in 2016, Graves established a scholarship for piano students in the Department of Music in memory of his wife, Nancy Kirby Graves, and in honor of his daughter, Leigh. The following year, the Thomases gifted the Graves family’s antique pump organ to the department. A wedding gift given by Graves’ father to his mother in 1915, the organ will be displayed in the new building as another tribute to the Graves family.
The third of the recently designated rooms comes through a gift from its namesakes,
TOP: Architectural rendering of the new music building currently under construction. BELOW: Sharing the keyboard of a Steinway grand piano are professors Rosangela Sebba, foreground, and Jackie Edwards-Henry during a performance celebrating the formal beginning of the university's commitment to make the music education department an All-Steinway School.
Frank and Heather Williams of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Frank is a 1987 MSU chemical engineering graduate and third-generation Bulldog. Heather, an alumna of Texas A&M, shares her husband’s love for Mississippi State. The couple’s son John became a fourthgeneration Bulldog alumnus after graduating with a music education degree in 2019. The endowment further extends their family’s legacy at the university.
The Dr. Jackie Edwards-Henry Piano Studio, Dr. Clinton H. Graves Jr. Student Piano Practice Room, and Frank G. and Heather H. Williams Student Practice Room are named with gifts for separate excellence endowments benefiting the College of Education’s Department of Music to enhance the facility.
In addition to the naming opportunities, the building will also house the department’s newly acquired Steinway Model B Spirio | r. Given by Robert and Kathy Olsen of Nashville, the piano is a significant contribution to the university’s All-Steinway Initiative. When the couple initially made the gift in January, the instrument was the first of its kind in the state of Mississippi.
The Steinway Spirio | r provides new technology to access, share and experience music through live performance capture and playback. With the ability to communicate with other pianos like it anywhere in the world in real time, the instrument will enable MSU students and faculty to remotely engage in valuable opportunities including
participating in master class sessions and witnessing concert artists’ performances.
The Olsens have been generous supporters of MSU’s All-Steinway Initiative since 2017, holding an event at their Nashville home featuring Steinway Artist and MSU professor Roseangela Sebba and gifting a Steinway Concert Grand D to the department in 2019. Kathy is a 1973 graduate of the MSU Department of Music. Their most recent gift puts MSU on the front edge of technology within institutions of higher learning.
With construction underway, the new 37,000-square-foot music building is slated for completion this fall. The facility has been a longtime university goal and will allow the music department and choral program to be housed in one location, enabling the band program to maximize its existing building and collective growth among the individual programs.
Additional opportunities exist within the new music building to name select features, including classrooms, offices, studios and performance halls, among other areas with endowment-level gifts. Such contributions provide adaptive support for the building’s furniture, fixtures and equipment, as well as future maintenance and upkeep.
For more information on naming opportunities, endowments and other ways to support MSU’s Department of Music, contact Trish Cunetto, director of development for the College of Education, at 662.325.6762 or tcunetto@foundation.msstate.edu. n
THE OLSENS HAVE BEEN
GENEROUS SUPPORTERS OF
MSU’S ALL-STEINWAY INITIATIVE
SINCE 2017, HOLDING AN EVENT AT THEIR NASHVILLE
HOME FEATURING STEINWAY
ARTIST AND MSU PROFESSOR
ROSEANGELA SEBBA.
GIVING Back
Industry leaders build support for MSU’s post-DVM poultry training program
By Ashleigh Lee
Dr. Danny Magee has a vision for the post-DVM poultry training program at Mississippi State’s Poultry Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Pearl. In its current model, the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine two-year program has one junior and one senior resident, but Magee and the lab’s three other poultry veterinarians, Drs. Natalie Armour, Alejandro Banda and Martha Pulido, envision adding two more residents for a total of four in the program at any one time. This program focuses on poultry production, health, medicine and diagnostic testing as opposed to researchoriented programs. The residents are also enrolled in the MSU Graduate School and earn a non-thesis master’s degree.
“I think it could be easier to recruit students if they knew they would have a cohort as they advanced through the program,” Magee said. “We have the facilities and personnel to accommodate four residents at any one time, but funding has been a problem.”
Now, thanks to gifts from three companies, Elanco Animal Health, Merck Animal Health and BioChek, the program is on its way to accomplishing that goal. Since the students in the program are also benefits-eligible employees of the university, the salaries are a big expense for the program. These gifts provide most of the funding for the current two positions.
“We are grateful to these three financial supporters and encourage others
to join them as we seek to expand our program,” Magee said. The program exposes the students to real-life experiences in poultry production medicine through field trips, externships and hands-on laboratory activities in addition to conventional classes. The program’s supporters can be involved in resident education by participating in developing graduate“I think it could be level projects and easier to recruit students allowing the residents if they knew they would to interact within their organizations. Students have a cohort as they are now able to create advanced through the a network with future program. We have the clients, colleagues and employers.facilities and personnel As one of the eight to accommodate four post-DVM training residents at any one time, but funding has programs approved by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, been a problem.” successful completion of ~ Dr. Danny Magee the program allows the student to take the board exam offered by the ACPV. Otherwise, a veterinarian must have five years of on-thejob experience before becoming eligible. The MSU PRDL poultry veterinarians have already seen the positive effects on the nation’s poultry industry. With existing programs and the implementation of these new ones, MSU is gaining international visibility, especially in Latin American countries, that will continue to grow. And by continuing to expand, the results will be beneficial for all involved. “Our graduates are recognized as top quality job candidates and have received multiple financially rewarding employment opportunities,” Magee said. “Our graduates will play a large role in the growth and development of the poultry industry of tomorrow.” n TOP: Drs. Alajandro Banda, Martha Pulido, Rachel Thiemann, master's student and resident, Danny Magee and Natalie Armour at the College of Veterinary Medicine Poultry Research and Diagnostic Lab. Thiemann is currently the only master's student and resident in the post-DVM poultry training program. MIDDLE: Dr. Alajandro Banda works with a research chick at the College of Veterinary Medicine Poultry Research and Diagnostic Lab. BOTTOM: Dr. Rachel Thiemann, master's student and resident, goes over her research with the faculty at the lab in Pearl. (Photos by Ashleigh Lee)
Affinity Programs Offer Additional Ways for Bulldog Alumni and Friends to Support MSU
Exciting news! The MSU Alumni Association has entered a partnership with Commerce Bank® to offer alumni and supporters the official MSU Visa Signature® Card.
“Our Bulldog Family always asks how they can support MSU, and this program is another great opportunity to do so,” said Jeff Davis, MSU Alumni Association executive director. “We are especially excited about the MSU Visa Signature® Card program, as alumni and friends can loyally participate in the program and support MSU at no cost to them.”
The partnership with Commerce Bank enables the Alumni Association to specifically offer the MSU Visa Signature® Card to the Bulldog family. It will give cardholders the opportunity to show their pride by carrying the MSU-branded card, while supporting MSU, benefiting the Alumni Association and earning Cash Back1 rewards with each purchase.
For more information on the MSU Visa Signature® Card, visit commercebank.com/MSUAA.
1. A Cash Back redemption is applied as a statement credit. The statement credit will reduce your balance, but you are still required to make at least your minimum payment. Values for non-cash back redemption items, such as merchandise, gift cards and travel may vary. See commercebank.com/rewardsterms for full details.
IMPACT by Ironwood Program
The MSU Alumni Association and the Bulldog Club recently partnered with Ironwood to offer the MSU IMPACT program that can benefit Bulldogs and friends who own their own businesses.
Whether a retail store front, e-commerce business, wholesaler, or a regional or community bank, the IMPACT by Ironwood program can be of benefit. Ironwood is known as an industry leader in merchant solutions.
The way IMPACT works is simple. Every time a participating business accepts a credit or debit card payment, IMPACT gives a portion of its processing revenue to support MSU. By simply running a debit or credit card payment through IMPACT, alumni and friends are supporting MSU without costs to the business.
For more information on the MSU IMPACT by Ironwood program visit impactmsstate.com.
GIVING Back
BLACK ALUMNI ADVISORY COUNCIL GROWS SUPPORT IN CELEBRATION OF Black History Month
Every February, people across the nation come together to celebrate Black History Month. First established in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month serves as a meaningful time for communities to honor and reflect on the history, challenges, successes and contributions of African Americans.
In observance of the occasion, Mississippi State University presented a variety of free events on the Starkville campus throughout the month of February. Units across MSU joined efforts by hosting and sponsoring events including social media campaigns and challenges, panel discussions, keynote speakers, a virtual Black business exposition, educational exhibits and several interactive experiences. Students were also encouraged to engage in community service though a 28day service challenge, hosted by the African American Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The collective monthlong programming highlighted African American history and culture and helped advance the university’s spirit of diversity. As the campus community came together to honor Black History Month
through the various events, members of the MSU Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Advisory Council were also working to grow support for such efforts through the 2021 Black History Month fundraising promotion.
As a result, more than $13,500 was raised in support for the four key areas chosen by the BAAC—the Black Alumni Advisory Council Scholarship, Holmes Cultural Diversity Center Emergency Fund, Bully’s Closet and Pantry, and the African American Studies program—all of which serve to positively impact diversity and inclusion across campus.
“This fundraiser was a powerful opportunity for alumni and friends to come together to celebrate the achievements of our Black students and alumni, while investing in the future of our university family,” said Robert Barnes, a 1972 Bulldog alumnus of Byram and current BAAC chair. “We need to be all-in to support the next generation. The participation throughout this event was an encouraging reminder of the positive difference we can create now, as well as the limitless potential we have to grow our impact for years to come.”
The MSU BAAC stands as a representative body comprised of African American graduates, former students and friends of the university. Driven to provide leadership, advocacy and support to serve MSU African American alumni and friends, the organization works with the MSU Alumni Association to promote scholarship excellence, career success and diversity throughout the campus community and greater Bulldog family. n
Foundation welcomes Angle, Smith
The Mississippi State University Foundation welcomed two new development team members—David Angle and Jordan Smith.
Angle joined the MSU Foundation as director of development for the College of Architecture, Art and Design. The Tallassee, Alabama, native graduated from Auburn University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and began his career with the Boy Scouts of America, which he served for more than 30 years in progressive leadership positions. Most recently, he was chief operating officer and assistant scout executive for the Indian Waters Council in Irmo, South Carolina. In leading the major gifts program for the college, Angle’s fundraising duties also will extend to its research centers, including the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center and Gulf Coast Community Design Studio.
Also new to the development team is Jordan Smith of Saltillo, who has assumed duties as assistant director of development for the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. Smith graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2019. As a student, he interned with MSU athletics in communication broadcasting and with Mississippi State football recruiting. He also served as a broadcaster for Starkville High School football. Prior to joining the Foundation, Smith worked as a recruiter for Itawamba Community College.
A complete list of MSU fundraisers and their contact information is available at www. msufoundation.com. n
Angle
GIVING Back A LIFETIME OF INFLUENCES COMES FULL CIRCLE By Addie Mayfield
In his 87 years, Ernest D. Moore has made more than a few fond memories. But among those that made the biggest difference in his life is the day he learned about college and what it took to get there. Moore was around 5 years old at the time, not quite old enough to be enrolled in primary school, but he fondly recalls the sunny fall day at his childhood home in Kilmichael like it was yesterday.
“I was sitting on the porch watching carloads of happy people heading east. By the end of the day, the same cars passed by, but I noticed some of the people didn’t look as happy as before,” Moore recalled. “I didn’t understand what had changed.”
Seeing Moore’s confusion, a family friend and member of the local Rotary Club explained to him that the people in the cars had traveled to a football game at the nearby college and some were happy their team had won, while others were upset their team had lost. That answered one question but brought another to light.
“I had no idea what the word college meant,” Moore said. “But when Mr. Castleman told me it was a place where people could get a higher education, I knew I wanted to go to college.”
Castleman’s final piece of advice to Moore was simple—work hard, study hard and save as much as you can because that’s what it will take to get into college. More than a suggestion, Moore took those works to heart.
“What he said to me changed my life,” Moore said. “You’ve got to have a dream for one to come true and he not only gave me a dream but also told me how to achieve it.”
Moore’s family later moved to Grenada, where he attended school. He was a dedicated student who excelled in his studies and a hardworking entrepreneur who took on various jobs to grow his savings. With the help of Castleman, Moore also became connected with local Rotary Club members.
The Rotarians were impressed with Moore’s work ethic and honored him as the first Rotary Boy, a title which would later become the nationally recognized Rotary Student of the Month.
Although Moore was grateful for the distinction, he was reluctant to accept after learning he would be invited to Jackson to speak and have lunch with a larger group of Rotarians from across the state.
“I didn’t have any nice clothes and was too embarrassed to be presented as the first Rotary Boy if I couldn’t dress the part,” Moore recalled. Much to his surprise, the wife of one of the Rotarians quickly provided a solution. “Mrs. Noble picked me up the next day and took me shopping for the nicest clothes you could buy.”
Moore’s hard work and valuable networking paid off when he graduated from high school and learned that, in addition to being accepted at what was then Mississippi State College, he had also earned a scholarship to assist with his expenses. He said the extra support “was like manna from heaven” because it helped him afford food and other necessities while on campus.
Moore said he recognizes the profound influence Castleman and the other Rotary Club members had on his education and professional development, and believes they changed the trajectory of his life for the better.
As a longtime Rotarian himself, Moore is following in the footsteps of his early mentors by paying it forward. In particular, he’s investing in the success of students to whom he can relate and inspiring them to experience things they never imagined.
“God was working in the background of my life through the people I met, like Mr. Castleman and Mrs. Noble, to make sure I did something good with the brain he gave me," Moore said. "They were so instrumental in my life, and I thank God every day for them. Now I want to help kids who are in need like I was.”
Through his recent commitments, Moore is enriching the MSU experience for Bulldog students through generous gifts that touch several areas across campus. In addition to creating the Ernie’s Kids Food Fund and the Ernest Moore Distance Education Endowed Scholarship, he also honored former MSU faculty member Linda Karen Smith by establishing an endowed scholarship in her name. As a tribute to his late sister’s love for piano he also contributed to MSU’s Steinway Piano Fund.
The Ernie’s Kids Food Fund will supplement MSU’s block meals program for students in extreme financial need—a particularly meaningful project as he experienced food insecurity as a student. The Ernest Moore Distance Education Endowed Scholarship was inspired by his years living in Florida where he served as assistant city manager for Fort Lauderdale.
“My body was in Florida but my heart was always at Mississippi State,” Moore said. “I decided a scholarship for distance education would be a good way to help people who were not able to physically be on campus but still wanted to be a part of the Bulldog family.”
Preference for the scholarship will be given to graduates of Moore’s alma mater Grenada High School and to students with financial need. Additionally, the Linda Karen Smith Voice Endowed Scholarship will benefit students majoring in voice in MSU’s Department of Music, while the gift toward the Steinway Piano Fund will support the university’s All-Steinway Initiative.
Ernest Moore and Linda K. Smith
“What he said to me changed my life. You’ve got to have a dream for one to come true and he not only gave me a dream but also told me how to achieve it.” ~ Ernest D. Moore
A two-time graduate of the land-grant institution, Moore received a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering in 1956 and a master’s in business in 1963. At MSU, he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
He earned a fellowship to pursue a doctoral degree at Indiana University. There, he met Linda Karen Smith, a fellow Mississippi native who earned a Master of Music Education from Indiana University in 1964. Moore and Smith are longtime friends whose lives have been shaped by MSU. Smith introduced Moore to opera music, which he grew to love and appreciate. His investments in music education at MSU serve as a way to honor Smith for exposing him to things he never before had the opportunity to hear and enjoy.
Moore recently moved back to Starkville. He credits his recent gifts to MSU for inspiring his return. Knowing first-hand the value of an education and the relationships that develop along the way, Moore is looking forward to getting more involved with the university and finding ways to assist more students.
Moore said he has benefited greatly from the relationships he’s built and the mentors that guided and supported him along the way. While they may not have known the influence they had on his life at the time, they can be confident that he has embodied everything they instilled in him and is now passing it on to another generation of young people who are trying to make their way in life.
“I’m going to live to be at least 100, and I plan to spend my last years giving as much as I can to help others,” Moore said. n
Herbst remembered
THROUGH MEANINGFUL INVESTMENTS
By Addie Mayfield
They legacy of Alex Ryan Herbst, a recent MSU graduate, is being remembered at his alma mater through a memorial tree on campus, as well as a scholarship that will benefit students who share his love for meteorology. Herbst was a graduate of the Department of Geosciences who passed away in September 2019.
Herbst was born March 16, 1993 in Princeton, New Jersey, to Jan and the late Joseph Herbst. His love of science is credited to Eagle River Day Camp, a place where he spent his childhood acquiring skills as an outdoorsman. He eventually worked with the camp as a young man. Herbst had a desire to become a meteorologist. Thanks to the support of his family and friends he decided to pursue his childhood dream.
After graduating from Plymouth State College in 2015, Herbst attended Mississippi State to earn a master’s degree in geosciences. While at MSU, he served as president of the local East Mississippi chapter of the National Weather Association and American Meteorological Society. He graduated from MSU in 2018 and was living his dream, working for KGBT CBS Valley 4 in Harlingen, Texas, as a weekend meteorologist and weekday reporter.
In effort to pay tribute to Herbst’s life in a way that would have been meaningful to him and the legacy he left behind, his mother Jan and brother, Matthew Herbst, established the Alex Herbst Memorial Scholarship in the Department of Geosciences. The family hopes to grow contributions to the annual award over time in order to eventually establish an endowed scholarship that will exist in perpetuity.
“Alex inspired everyone he came across and was one of the most humble and genuine people,” Matthew said. “He shared his love and passion of weather with the world. This scholarship goes to students who show similar academic and organization morals, as well as passion for weather.”
Candidates for the award will be juniors, seniors or graduate students majoring in geosciences with a concentration in broadcast meteorology and with a minimum earned GPA of 3.0. Recipients of the award must also be members of the National Weather Association or the American Meteorological Society and preference will be given to out-of-state students.
Furthering Herbst’s legacy at MSU, the Meteorologist Alex Herbst Tree of Life Fund was also established with gifts from family and friends to support the planting and ongoing maintenance of a tree in Herbst’s memory. The tree was planted this spring in front of Hilbun Hall, home to MSU’s geoscience department and is accompanied by a plaque bearing Herbst’s name. It is part of the university’s campus beautification project, which seeks to keep the MSU campus beautiful while also providing unique ways for donors to honor or memorialize loved ones.
Through the generosity of the Herbst family, as well as friends and colleagues of Alex Herbst, generations of Bulldog students and aspiring meteorologists will know the impact Herbst made on the university, his profession and the lives of all who were fortunate enough to have known him. For more information about contributing to the Alex Herbst Memorial Scholarship, contact Mary Beth Baldwin at 662.325.6770 or mbaldwin@foundation. msstate.edu. n
