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Mississippi State Summer 2005 | Volume 81 | Number 2 USPS 354-520

features A good day's work | page 2

President J. Charles Lee

While volunteer activities may not always help students shape their careers, Mississippi State is known as a place where students embrace the responsibilities of citizenship.

Vice President for External Affairs Dennis A. Prescott

Correro ends career in job he loves | page 8

Alumni Association Executive Director

In June, John V. Correro retired as executive director of the Mississippi State

John V. Correro (’62)

University Alumni Association, capping a 38-year career at his alma mater and leaving some big shoes to fill.

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 662-325-7000; or e-mail fcarr@alumni.msstate.edu.

Pickering, Bagley send MSU graduates into the world | page 11 Think you know your way around? | page 12 Things were a bit different in the Mississippi A&M and Mississippi State College periods. Take a few moments to travel back in time with these archival campus snapshots.

Richard Holmes: ‘no regrets’ | page 16

Editorial offices:

When Richard Holmes became the first African-American student to integrate

102 George Hall, P.O. Box 5325, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325. Telephone 662-325-3442; fax, 662-325-7455; e-mail, snowa@ur.msstate.edu www.msstate.edu

Mississippi State four decades ago this summer, it was, for him, just another steady

Editor

a 10-hour train ride. And, oh, did he write!

step toward the Promised Land.

Letters to Mamma | page 20 In 1915, a young man from a small Delta community bid his family goodbye—with a solemn promise to write at least once a week—and arrived on the A&M campus after

Allen Snow (’76)

Associate Editor Kay Fike Jones

Designers

Leading the world's largest physical commodities exchange | page 24 The road to the heart of New York's financial district began for alumnus Jim Newsome on his family's strawberry farm. Now, his days are spent in an office high above the Hudson River, wrestling with issues that drive the global economy.

Becky Smith Erin Norwood (’98)

Photographers

Russ Houston (’85) Megan Bean

Mississippi State University Alumni Association National Officers Joe L. Bryan (’63), national president; Betty L. Black (’74), national first vice president; David W. Jones (’81), national second vice president; Steve Taylor (’77), national treasurer; Keith Winfield (’70), immediate former national president.

Cover photo and this photo provided by MSU Archives.

By Maridith Walker Geuder Photos by Megan Bean and Russ Houston

The Furry 5-K Run helps raise visibility and funds for the Oktibbeha County Humane Society.

Beyond the personal enjoyment, her involvement

In their free time, Mississippi State students create a legacy of service

In an annual 5-K and one-mile run at Mississippi

with MSU’s student group gave her a lifetime goal— working for a humane society. Following a summer internship with the Cedar Hill Animal Sanctuary near Columbus, the animal science major who once aspired to be a veterinarian will move to the Pittsburgh, Pa., area and seek a position with a similar group in that city. “This work makes me feel good,” she said, adding that the campus chapter has raised more than $7,000

State, at least a few four-legged contestants cross the

toward construction of a new animal shelter in

finish line as winners. The annual event, one of several

Starkville. “I love the animals, and I feel that we’ve

fund-raisers sponsored by the student chapter of the

helped the community.”

Oktibbeha County Humane Society, encourages dogs—

While volunteer activities may not always shape

and their human companions—to run for fun and raise

careers, Mississippi State is known as a place where

money for the local effort.

students embrace the responsibilities of citizenship.

The student chapter also collects supplies through-

“We ask of lot of the community, and Starkville

out the year, pitches in to help paint when needed, and

responds,” said 2004-05 Student Association President

provides ongoing support, said Jennifer Daniels, a 2005

Adam Telle of Northport, Ala. A May communica-

graduate who was a four-year member of the student

tion/computer science graduate, he added, “Mississippi

group. A self-professed lover of animals, the Del Rio,

State students don’t want that to be a one-way street.”

Texas, native has her hands full with her own

From nurturing animals to encouraging improved

menagerie, including three dogs, four cats, two ferrets,

fitness in elementary students to coordinating city-wide

and three guinea pigs.

entertainment, students are doing just that.

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Left: East Oktibbeha County Elementary School principal James Covington, left, accepts a book donation from Eric Shows of the University Honors Program. Below: Meo Stansbury, wife of MSU head basketball coach Rick Stansbury, reads to youngsters.

Honoring reading

As part of the first-ever Honors Week last

to do something especially worthwhile,” said Eric

their students. Proving the point, a kindergarten class taught by

graduate studies at Vanderbilt University. In the

Frances Phillips gathered round to hear stories read

midst of whimsical activities such as navigating an

by Meo Stansbury, wife of MSU’s head basketball

inflatable obstacle course on the Drill Field, students

coach.

“We’re very supportive of literacy efforts and

The mother of three sons, Stansbury brought along selections from her children’s library, including

want to encourage reading among students who one

“Alphabet Mystery,” “How Do Dinosaurs Get Well?”

day will enroll in the state’s colleges and universities,”

and “What Bunny Loves.”

said Shows, a 2004 Goldwater Scholar and Ellisville native. In addition, he said, students realize the financial constraints faced by the state’s rural school systems. To help out, he and Honors Program director

cipal James Covington and literacy coach Janice Hamilton said the donation will spark the interest of

organized a book drive for a local elementary school.

Oktibbeha County Elementary School, where prin-

spring, University Honors Program students “wanted Shows, a May biochemistry graduate who is pursuing

Nancy McCarley delivered a box of books to East

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The outcome delighted Shows, who said that an accompanying “Pitch a Penny” effort “showed even small amounts of pocket change can make a difference.” In all, honors students purchased more than 150 books for the school.

Fostering fitness

A diet of junk food, television, computers, and

video games is producing an alarming trend, one group of Mississippi State students discovered. More than 40 MSU kinesiology majors under

the direction of professors Paul Rukavina and Randell Foxworth recently worked with 450 fourthand fifth-graders at Starkville’s Ward-Stewart Elementary School to determine levels of fitness. “I was surprised at how many kids are overweight,” said Jeannie McGee, a senior kinesiology major from Jackson. “A lot of kids come home to a snack of junk food and the newest video game,” she said. To help encourage even small changes, the MSU class used a health-related fitness test called the FITNESSGRAM, designed by the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research.

Mississippi State students are helping a local elementary school measure and improve physical fitness.

“We did a series of tests to determine such factors as aerobic capacity, abdominal strength, arm strength, and body mass index,” McGee explained. Kinesiology professor Rukavina said that each component of health-related fitness was compared to a standard and participants were ranked as “in the healthy zone” or “needs improvement.” Based on those measures, students received recommendations for improving their fitness. Beyond the practical experience, the project just as importantly “allowed them to give something back to the community,” Rukavina explained. McGee said her hope is that the effort will help youngsters establish healthy habits early and stick with them. Her class taught her that inactive students most often grow up to live sedentary lifestyles as adults. “We hope small changes now will lead to big changes later,” she said.

Bulldog Benefit(s)

The MSU Student Association believes so

strongly in giving back to the community that it designates cabinet-level positions for outreach projects. Among them is Bulldog Benefit, an annual

event coordinated with other student organizations and designed to address specific needs in Starkville and surrounding communities. “We’ve traditionally had about 400 student volunteers, and they do everything from bagging clothes for Palmer Home for Children in nearby Columbus, to trash pick-up around Starkville,” explained 2004-05 SA president Adam Telle, a May graduate. Coordinated last April by Lauren Denham, a senior real estate major from Meridian, the event also included volunteers from the Residence Hall Association, Greek organizations and campus clubs. The yearlong planning for Bulldog Benefit involves going into the community to ask for project needs, Telle explained. “Then we try to match the needs with specific student organizations, assigning project leaders for each site.” Now in its third year, Bulldog Benefit is one way students try to make a difference and give back to their home community, Telle said.

Students help out around the community during Bulldog Benefit.

“We put an emphasis on this project because we think it’s so important,” he noted. Students also have made a mark on Starkville by organizing and sponsoring major entertainment events such as the Bulldog Bash, a staple of the fall semester. A community-wide festival that now draws up to 20,000 people, Bulldog Bash typically features seven or eight musical groups playing on designated stages throughout the nearby Cotton District, booths for local food vendors, and activities that range from face-painting to a pep rally. “Bulldog Bash originated as a way to provide quality entertainment for the community,” Telle explained. “This year, we raised $80,000 to fund the event through community sponsorships.” Admission to the Bulldog Bash is free, with the opportunity to experience music such as 2004 acts Howie Day and Calvin Richardson, Telle said. “We look at it as a great boon to the community, and I think MSU students have impressed Starkville with how well we conduct ourselves.” The Student Association also partners with the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau in the spring to sponsor the Old Main Music Festival, a part of the community-wide Cotton District Arts Festival.

The responsibilities of citizenship

Taking civic responsibility one step further,

Mississippi State students also are active in the political process, Telle said. “Four years ago, students organized a voter registration effort on campus, and we have since registered thousands of students.” Students take pride in being a part of the political

process because they take pride in calling Starkville home, Telle said. He notes that in 2001 a student was elected to a

cessfully lobbied for a portion of the city’s 2 percent tax, levied on local restaurants to support tourism and recreation. “The funds will be designated for improving the quality of student life,” Telle said. “We think the community will see a return on their investment and that this funding will benefit all of us.” Along with the benefits, students are keenly aware of their responsibilities to be good stewards, Telle concluded. “When we choose Mississippi State, we choose Starkville as well,” he noted. “We want what’s best for all of us.”

city alderman post, and more recently, students suc-

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In June, John V. Correro retired as executive director of the Mississippi State University Alumni Association, capping a 38-year career at his alma materâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;36 with the alumni associationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and leaving some big shoes to fill. By Allen Snow Photo by Russ Houston

As an undergraduate at MSU, Correro was

ALUMNUS INTERVIEW

John Correro

alumni association,” said vice president for

a three-year football letterman, was elected Mr.

external affairs Dennis Prescott. “The associa-

Mississippi State University and president of

tion has made great strides in the services and

the campus M Club, and somehow still found

programs it provides to our 100,000 alumni

time to make the President’s List. A member

under John’s capable leadership. I have nothing

of three national academic honor societies and

but respect for John, and I know that I’m

chosen for inclusion in Who’s Who in

joined by thousands of MSU alumni in wishing

American Colleges and Universities, he was

him the best as he enters this new phase of

the quintessential student.

his life.”

It was only fitting that the 1962 Mississippi State graduate would one day lead his alma mater’s alumni association. While earning a master’s degree in educa-

President J. Charles Lee praised Correro’s commitment to the university. “I know of no one who loves Mississippi State more than John Correro,” Lee said. “He

tional administration and counseling at MSU,

has devoted his career to advancing this insti-

he was a graduate assistant and then an

tution, investing many years of hard work in

assistant freshman football coach at the

building support and serving his fellow gradu-

university before taking a teaching and coach-

ates. But his role at MSU has always been

ing assignment at Natchez-Adams County

more than a job to John. Along with his family

High School. In 1967, he was named the

and his church, it has been a central part of his

school’s athletic director and head football

life. He deserves the gratitude of the entire

coach.

Bulldog family.”

Fortunately for MSU and its alumni fami-

Correro has been active in numerous

ly, Correro returned to his alma mater in 1969

organizations, including the Council for the

as field secretary for the alumni association.

Advancement and Support of Education, the

He was named associate director six years later

Alumni Directors of the Southeastern Conference,

and executive director in 1994.

and the Council of Alumni Association

Under his leadership, the association has

Executives. He has received the Distinguished

grown in active participation and numerous

American Award of the MSU chapter of the

new programs have been launched, including

National Football Foundation and Sports Hall

the establishment of one official MSU class

of Fame. He also serves as sideline commen-

ring and the now-traditional Class Ring

tator for radio broadcasts of Mississippi State

Ceremony, the alumni insurance program, a

football games.

loan consolidation program, the online directory, and the “E-Bark” online newsletter. “John Correro has dedicated 38 years to his beloved Mississippi State University and its

Correro and his wife Gloria, who is professor emerita of curriculum and instruction and associate dean emerita of education at MSU, have two children—Kim and Chris.

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Alumnus magazine recently asked Correro to

reflect upon his career.

What are the biggest changes you have seen in the university and in the business of alumni relations over the years? The growth in enrollment, infrastructure, facilities, and national prominence—especially as a leading research institution—has been amazing. Within the alumni association, electronic communications, the Internet, and other technologies have changed the way we go about our work. It’s allowed us to improve marketing and research and maintain better contact with alumni. We’ve made special efforts to reflect the needs of our young alumni by adopting new programs, and have focused on strategic planning to provide programs and services for all alumni of different generations. The association also is more involved today with student recruiting.

What are you most proud of during your tenure? I can’t think of a better way to spend a career than working with and for people who value the same thing I do—making sure that Mississippi State University fulfills its mission of excellence in higher education. The alumni association has represented all alumni regardless of who or what they are. We’ve strived to build strong relationships and make the university more accessible to alumni. I’ve been fortunate to develop those relationships through hundreds of volunteers, as well as staff members in my 36 years. As executive director, I’ve been most fortunate with the staff I’ve had—very devoted, dedicated, and loyal. We were successful in establishing one official MSU class ring and the Class Ring Ceremony, which now is becoming a tradition. I’m 10

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ALUMNUS INTERVIEW

John Correro

proud of the number of alumni and friends of MSU that I got to meet and know personally, and of the growth in involvement and participation by alumni in the many programs and events that the association sponsors.

What part of your job have you enjoyed most? Meeting people who share the same love that I have for this great university. Getting out among the “grass roots” alumni at the local chapter level, attending the many alumni chapter events, and visiting with alumni coming back to campus for alumni association programs such as Homecoming, class reunions, Alumni Fellows Program, Alumni Awards Banquet, Leadership Conference, and football game day open houses.

What would you say to alumni about the importance of maintaining contact with the university and participating in the alumni association? I would encourage alumni to develop a lifelong association with the university. Stay connected with Mississippi State and other graduates and assist in whatever way possible to make sure MSU is fulfilling its mission as a quality institution of higher learning. I’d also encourage alumni to give back to the university through their financial resources and their time and talents. I used a saying when I became executive director: “None of us is as strong as all of us.” Together, the university’s thousands of alumni can make a real difference.

What was the strangest request you’ve ever had from an alumnus? I once received a phone call from someone asking if we could help him find a sitter for his dog so he could attend a football game. Another time, when we were on the dues system, someone enrolled his dog as an active member of the alumni association.

What are your future plans? I don’t have any specific plans. I’ll probably play golf and fish more, enjoy the many activities and sports that our five grandchildren participate in—and more than likely do whatever Glo tells me on a more consistent basis.

By Allen Snow Photos by Megan Bean James W. Bagley

Pickering, Bagley send MSU graduates into the world

Pickering also was commencement speaker the previous night at MSU-Meridian. Bagley, the afternoon speaker, is a 1961 MSU electrical engineering graduate who now is chairman of the board and

Graduates at both of Mississippi State’s spring commencement programs were urged to continue to learn and grow with the same intensity as they have during their university years. Some 2,000 students, including 20 seniors with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages, received degrees during separate

chief executive officer of California-based Lam Research Corp. Following his remarks, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in science by MSU President Charles Lee. The honorary degree is the school’s highest honor. Bagley, who also has a master’s degree in electrical engi-

Humphrey Coliseum ceremonies in the morning and after-

neering from MSU, and his wife Jean have been major MSU

noon. The speakers were Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., and

benefactors for many years. In 2002, they announced a $25

alumnus James W. Bagley, a national leader in the microelec-

million gift to the College of Engineering. That same year, the

tronics and semiconductor industries and namesake of the uni-

state College Board approved the naming of the college in

versity’s engineering college.

James Bagley’s honor.

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Think you know your way around? By Sammy McDavid Photos courtesy of MSU Archives

Graduates and former students of Mississippi State visiting the

Starkville campus for the first time after, say, a decade’s absence often finds themselves mildly confused when attempting to reorient to familiar landmarks and structures. Given the extensive construction of new buildings, altered roadways and expanded facilities—think Davis Wade Stadium, for instance—it’s no wonder. While it’s one thing to lose one’s bearings while actually standing on the campus grounds, it’s a whole other challenge when viewing archival photographs from the Mississippi A&M and Mississippi State College periods. No matter when or how long they spent on campus, almost any member of the Maroon-and-White Family can become disoriented when considering how things were in the 19th and 20th centuries. Think it’s not true? With the help of Mitchell Memorial Library’s University Archives Department, take a moment to travel back in time and consider these campus snapshots from decades past. Though most of the photos show physical facilities or developed landscapes, one will show the namesake of a familiar academic building, while another illustrates just how popular tennis was from the game’s earliest days on campus.

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Above | A 1953 aerial photograph taken from northwest of campus shows, among other things, a major expansion—for the time—of the west-side Scott Field stands, lower right, and Old Main Dormitory in all its massive glory, center. To appreciate just how large the residential quadrangle measured just six years before being destroyed by fire, consider that the “small” narrow building along Old Main’s west side is the Cafeteria (now Perry Cafeteria) while a “compact”— at least, by comparison— Montgomery Hall sits near its southwest corner. Inset | Without reading MSU professors Charles Lowery’s and Roy Scott’s excellent history of Old Main, most may not realize that the dormitory wasn’t originally built as a quadrangle, but developed over time as funding permitted. In 1902, A&M cadets stood in daily formation before the original structure, which then included a central tower that would be removed during later expansions.

Bowen Hall, constructed in 1930, honors Professor James V. Bowen, whose organization of the business school in 1915 makes today’s College of Business and Industry one of the oldest in the Southeast. Earlier, he had been the first head of the foreign languages department, which was created “for the benefit of those students who desire to fit themselves for scientific work in the different Experiment Stations in the different Agricultural Colleges and in the Department of Agriculture in Washington.” While the location of Bowen’s classroom is not known, it probably wasn’t in his namesake building on Hardy Road.

Allen Hall now stands on the hill that once was the site of the President’s Home, top, center. The Victorian-style residence continued as the chief campus executive’s residence from the early days of the college until 1969. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this undated photograph 14

is the open creek bed that parallelled the east-west GM&O Railroad line A

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that dissected campus until well past the first half of the 20th century.

In 1885, baseball became the first intercollegiate sport played at then-Mississippi A&M College; intercollegiate football wouldn’t come for another decade. It was in 1906, however, that three organized sports programs were launched—basketball, track and tennis. The popularity of tennis is evidenced in this 1907 photograph of the 22member tennis club (whose members “picked” an innovative way to identify their club). Though possibly near the former President’s Home (where Allen Hall now is located) the exact campus setting for this photograph is unclear.

In 1968, Suttle Hall, foreground, opened as MSU’s second high-rise residence for men. The nine-story structure anchored the west end of a Barr Avenue block that held sevenstory Hamlin Hall, at right, also a men’s facility completed at the east end two years earlier. After nearly four decades of housing service, an aging Hamlin was demolished earlier this year. The same fate is planned for Suttle in 2006.

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ALUMNUS INTERVIEW Dr. Richard Holmes

Richard Holmes grew up believing that “being poor

and black was no reason for failure.” So when he became the first African-American

student to integrate Mississippi State University four decades ago this summer—during the height of the state’s turbulent civil rights era—it was, for him, just another steady step toward the Promised Land. That was three years after James Meredith’s forced entry at the University of Mississippi, backed by federal troops, triggered deadly rioting in 1962; and only a year after the state’s “long hot summer” of 1964, when three civil rights workers were murdered in the rural red-clay hill country of Neshoba County.

“My grandmother was not educated but she believed in education, hard work, honesty, and going to church,” said Holmes. “She instilled those values in us boys and taught us not to make excuses—that being poor and black was no reason for failure.”

Yet, Holmes’s peaceful admission for summer classes at historically white MSU on July 19, 1965, was little more than a blip on the state’s racial radar screen. Some 200 whites who greeted his campus arrival for registration at the old animal husbandry facility (now the Newell Grissom Building) watched in quiet resignation. “There were no catcalls, no racial slurs,” recalls Holmes, who was 21 at the time. “It was quiet and serene. Nothing happened. There was just curiosity and disbelief.”

One of 10 children born to Horace and Minnie Holmes in Chicago on Feb. 17, 1944, Richard was 18 months old when he was taken South by his mother to a new life in Mississippi. He and three older brothers were left at the Starkville home of Eliza Hunter. Although she was just a friend of Richard’s real maternal grandmother, Dell McDowell, he came to know Hunter as “grandmother.” “My grandmother was not educated but she believed in education, hard work, honesty, and going to church,” said Holmes. “She instilled those values in us boys and taught us not to make excuses—that being poor and black was no reason for failure.” When he was about 8 years old, Richard contracted tetanus, or “lockjaw,” from a cut-knee infection and initially was unable to walk. He was treated and nursed back to health, however, by his grandmother’s family

By Phil Hearn Portrait by Megan Bean Archive photos provided by MSU Archives

physician, Douglas Conner, one of the pillars of Starkville’s African-American community. “From that time on, I knew I wanted to be a doctor,” said Holmes. Before she died of breast cancer in 1956 at the age of 86, Eliza Hunter asked Dr. Conner to “take care of my boys.”

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At left is a letter Holmes, below, wrote to MSU administrators on the day he was admitted.

By that time, one of Richard’s older brothers, Horace, had joined the Air Force and another, George, had left for college. Richard and his other brother, Ervin, just two years older than he, continued to live at their grandmother’s home under the assumed care of George’s new wife. Ervin, however, soon rejoined family members in Chicago. “We had never seen her before the wedding,” Holmes said of his then-new 18-year-old sister-in-law. “Ervin and I actually chaperoned her.” In 1958, at age 14, Holmes moved into the family home of Dr. Conner, a community leader and civil rights activist. Conner became Holmes’ godfather, patiently guiding Richard toward manhood while providing some comforts and amenities the youth had not previously enjoyed. “It was a godsend, a salvation,” Holmes said of his years with the Conner family. “He prodded me to stay in school and keep up my grades. He treated me like a son.” Holmes was graduated from Starkville’s segregated Henderson High School in 1963—excelling not only as a student, but as a linebacker and guard on the school football team. He spent his first two years of college at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, where he was in line to become president of his college fraternity. Holmes returned to his hometown that summer of 18

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1965, intending only to knock off a couple of needed courses in psychology and political science at Mississippi State before returning to Wiley College. Fittingly, Dr. Conner drove him to the MSU campus the historic day of his registration. Instead of heading back to Wiley in the fall, however, Holmes decided to stay at MSU and help keep opportunity’s door—where his foot was firmly planted—open for other minorities who might be inspired to follow his lead. Living alone in a twin-bed room of MSU’s Evans Hall residence facility for the next two years, Holmes worked diligently toward a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. Although sometimes annoyed by a “small percentage” of his fellow students during that period, no major incidents occurred. “Even with some occasional heckling, students seemed to follow the rules of engagement, a code of conduct, or whatever you want to call it,” he remembers. “They would yell things at me sometimes, but it would never be personal. They didn’t say anything about my mother or my sister. “I recognized where they were coming from. This institution had been segregated for 87 years,” he said of the land-grant institution, founded in 1878, and where an ex-Confederate general, Stephen D. Lee, served as the first president.

ALUMNUS INTERVIEW Dr. Richard Holmes

“But no one spit on me, no one hit me, no one

pushed me, no one pulled a prank on me,” he said. “No student ever closed a door in my face. Some befriended me and treated me with dignity and respect. Many just ignored me.” Because money was tight, Holmes left MSU in 1967 to teach school in Aliceville, Ala. By taking night and correspondence courses, however, he finally earned his MSU degree in 1969. With war raging in Vietnam, Holmes was drafted into the military that same year and spent most of the next two years assigned to military police duty in an Army Special Forces unit at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Later, he

“Coming back to Mississippi has given me a chance, not only to give back to my state and my school, but to interact with students. I have a chance to talk to them about their goals and plans, and what they’re going to do with their lives.”

returned to MSU and earned a master’s degree in microbiology and nutrition in 1973.

As the health of Judie’s parents deteriorated, the

It was during his graduate studies at MSU that he

couple moved back to Mississippi in 2003, settling for

met his future wife Judie, a Columbus school teacher,

the present in Columbus. Holmes returned to work at

on a blind date. They were married in 1974 and have

his alma mater, becoming a staff physician at the John

two children—Rikeda, 28, who lives with her husband

C. Longest Student Health Center, which is directed by

and one child in Providence, R.I.; and 21-year-old Richard

Dr. Robert Collins.

Jr., a soldier stationed with the U.S. Army in Germany. Holmes spent a year at MSU working on a doctor-

Gray-haired and soft-spoken, Holmes keynoted MSU’s 2003 spring commencement. In his remarks, he

ate before gaining admission to medical school at

noted the “most impressive and vivid memory of my

Michigan State University. In 1977, he fulfilled a life-

time here as a student is the fact that the MSU student

long dream of becoming a physician. After a yearlong

body, and the MSU family as a whole, treated me with

family practice in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and a two-year

dignity and respect.”

emergency medical residency in Toledo, Ohio, he

In February 2004, in conjunction with MSU’s

specialized for the next 23 years as an emergency room

observance of Black History Month, the university’s

doctor at hospitals in Birmingham, Ala.

first African-American student donated personal and

“You have to be mentally ready,” he said of those years treating trauma victims. “You see a lot of poor

professional papers to his alma mater. “Coming back to Mississippi has given me a

people coming into the emergency room that don’t have

chance, not only to give back to my state and my

anywhere else to go. You learn how precious life is.

school, but to interact with students,” he said during an

Except for the grace of God, there go I.”

interview on campus. “I have a chance to talk to them

In 1991, Mississippi State recognized Holmes’s campus achievements and medical career by naming the university’s cultural diversity center in his honor.

about their goals and plans, and what they’re going to do with their lives.” As far as his own life is concerned, Holmes said, “I

Holmes and Judie later endowed a minority scholarship

have no regrets.” He has reached that Promised Land,

fund that also carries his name.

and then some.

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Mabry as a young cadet at A&M

Lovingly kept by his mother Annie and, following her death in 1930, by Mabry’s sister, they recently were donated to Mitchell Memorial Library by Mabry’s son, Malcolm Mabry Jr. “When my Aunt Glenn died in 1968, my grandmother’s precious hoard of letters passed into my hands,” said the younger Mabry. “Now, 37 years later—almost 90 years since they were written—they return to their place of origin, to Daddy’s A&M College.” During the span covered by Mabry’s letters, the Great War raged in Europe and the influenza epidemic of 1918 killed millions worldwide, including 37 students at A&M. After the United States entered the war, enrollment declined to the point that commencement of 1917 and most campus social functions were cancelled. The college volunteered its services to the War Department for technical training and the Student Army Training Corps was established, bringing hundreds of soldiers to campus for Late in the summer of 1915, hundreds of young men

classroom warfare instruction.

converged on the sprawling, rural campus of Mississippi A&M

Through it all, Mabry dutifully wrote home—inquiring

College from across the state, leaving behind farm chores and

about his sisters and friends, requesting money, giving accounts

summer jobs for the then-rare opportunity to pursue higher

of his studies and recreations and campus events.

learning. The bright-eyed matriculants who trickled onto campus

Following graduation with a degree in agriculture, Mabry worked for the State Plant Board for about two years. In

through early September came from all walks of life—sons of

1922, he met and married Abbie West of Grenada and the young

Jackson bankers and farm boys who had never traveled outside

couple returned to Dublin to farm.

their home counties. One young man from the Delta hamlet of Dublin bid his

“Daddy was always trying new things,” the younger Mabry recalled. “He was one of the first in the Delta to use winter

family goodbye—with a solemn promise to write at least once

cover crops to enrich the soil. For all practical purposes, cot-

a week—and arrived on campus after a 10-hour train ride.

ton was the only crop grown in the Delta and he centered his

Malcolm H. Mabry was a slightly built 16-year-old who had exhausted the resources of the one-room country school

attention on that. But over the years, he tried other things.” Mabry raised chickens and kept beehives. At one time, he

back home. The son of a cotton farmer and youngest of seven

raised pigeons, squab being a popular delicacy in the 1930s.

children, he came to A&M with a mixture of eagerness and

He went into the sheep business in the 1940s, and later the

trepidation.

cattle business.

More than fulfilling his promise, he wrote three letters in

“Although Daddy eventually owned more than a thousand

his first week on campus—the first addressed to “Papa,” the

acres of good Delta land, he never referred to himself as a ‘Delta

second to “Home Folks,” and the third to “Mamma.”

planter,’” his son said. “He preferred the simple title of ‘farmer.’

Thus began a correspondence—an often humorous, often

“Daddy was a man of deep compassion, whose honesty

sad record of student life in the early years of the 20th century—

and integrity were unquestioned. He was proud of his

that young Mabry continued until he graduated in the spring

Southern heritage and he loved his country deeply.”

of 1920. Remarkably, all 154 letters have survived.

Malcolm Mabry Sr. died in 1967 at the age of 69.

A Summer 2005

excerpts from “Letters to Mamma” S E P T. 1 6 , 1 9 1 5 I like it fine out here. It seems like a town to us country boys, for there is a café, soda fountain, library, poolroom, post office, barbershop, and a store in the Y.M.C.A. building. . . . We have the best music in the U.S.A. and they had a dance last night and are going to have a picture show tomorrow night. There is a tennis court, football and different kinds of sports. S E P T. 2 9 , 1 9 1 5 Roy does not like it out here much and is a little homesick but I like it fine and am not homesick much. . . . There are three windows and a door in [my room], besides the dresser, table, three beds and a wooden wardrobe. The beds are iron and are on top of one another. . . . I weighed the other day and have gained four pounds. I weigh ninety seven pounds now. O C T. 1 1 , 1 9 1 5 I guess you saw about the game in the paper yesterday. It was 0-0 in favor of A&M for they did not get near our goal and we only lacked about ten feet of making a touch down. If we could have had a couple of minutes longer we would have beat them. . . . I weigh one hundred and two lbs. I have gained eight lbs. We have a new cook from New York now. . . . Some boy put a snake in the pitcher of milk the other night and they are going to ship him if they find him. N OV. 1 0 , 1 9 1 6 I received your letters, and the pecans, and was sure glad to get them. Romeo and Juliet will be shown here in the picture show to-morrow night. . . . The old Cotton Mill started up again in Starkville last Friday, but they haven’t made any cloth yet, but are dying (sic) the cotton now. N OV. 2 0 , 1 9 1 6 My new trousers were about two inches too long, so I cut them off, and have just finished sewing them. Thanksgiving is only ten days off. Have you any turkeys? . . . Mr. Lusk, the manager of the Mess Hall, will leave after the first, so Shields told me, but I don’t think that such a good thing can happen. O C T. 1 0 , 1 9 1 8 Well I am still feeling allright. I have been taking that medicine, that I brought with me. . . . Between fifteen and twenty boys have died so far, and the hospital is full of sick ones now. The influenza has about been checked or rather it has run its course. 22

S Summer 2005

O C T. 1 6 , 1 9 1 8 I am still in the hospital, but haven’t had any fever since I came in. I am up and walking around, but as so many boys have died from pneumonia, they won’t let us out until they are sure there isn’t any danger. . . . Two or three more boys died yesterday. . . . Professor Herbert’s wife died Sunday. S E P T. 2 4 , 1 9 1 9 Have a real good room and same old roommates. There are about thirteen hundred here, including the war students. There being so many here will cause us to get a little less to eat, I guess. They don’t give us milk very often now. . . . Tell Papa that our room has screens, and I nailed them in good the other day. The mosquitoes have been troubling us a great deal, but think we have about gotten all killed out of our room. M A RC H 6 , 1 9 2 0 Tell Papa that he need not send as much money next time as he did the last time. It was all right for I needed some extra to pay my Reveille dues, also to buy a couple, which are $3.50 apiece. M A RC H 2 1 , 1 9 2 0 Papa said that you and Glenn were planning to come out here at graduation—now you can have plenty of time to prepare. I am going to expect you “by all means” to come. My Easter suit hasn’t arrived yet—however, am looking for it every day. APRIL 25, 1920 Have just gotten back from Artesia. Went that far with our “lady friends” who came over from Columbus to spend the weekend with us. . . . You be sure and get your clothes, for I want you all to be sure and come to commencement. M AY 9 , 1 9 2 0 I hope the twenty-third will be as pretty a day as to-day. We thought it was going to rain so much that our dance was not going to [be] much of a success, but it turned out to be a fine dance. . . . You all ought to come on Saturday as the Commencement Sermon is going to be preached on Sunday morning. . . . Tell Papa to please send about fifteen dollars as I will need railroad fare and a few other things before I leave.

Mabry, right, in 1924 with his parents, sisters, and infant son Ray

Jim Newsome Leading the world’s largest physical commodities exchange

Bidding is furious as Jim Newsome walks onto the trading floor and pauses to watch the action. He’s greeted by one of the participants with a reference to the day’s prices. “Hey Jim, what do ya think about it?” Newsome smiles, nods and moves to a better vantage point.

Just a few years ago, Newsome could have been in any

one of dozens of small Mississippi towns where cattlemen and traders gather each week to buy and sell livestock at auction. At that time, he was executive vice president of the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association, a job he seemed born into, having grown up on a family farm, been a member of his high school FFA livestock judging team, and educated at Mississippi State to manage a modern livestock operation. On this particular blustery day in March 2005, however, the market is the New York Mercantile Exchange, or NYMEX, and the buyers and sellers are trading crude oil futures at record high prices. The traders easily recognize Newsome because he is the president of the exchange, ironically, another job for which he seemed destined. The road to the heart of New York’s financial district began for Newsome on his family’s farm near Plant City,

By Bob Ratliff Photo provided by Jim Newsome 24

S Summer 2005

Fla. Strawberries were the primary crop on the family farm, but it was livestock that held the most interest for young Newsome.

ALUMNA Jim Newsome

“[Dr. Howard Miller] then called my father and they teamed up on me and sent me to Mississippi State, which was the best thing that ever happened to me.” At MSU, Newsome worked on his master’s in animal science under the direction of Professor Mike Boyd. He stayed on to work on a doctorate, in part because of his love of working with the livestock judging team. “Jim was a self-starter,” said Boyd. “He had been in leadership roles, including serving as Florida FFA president, Following high school graduation in 1977, he began to prepare for a career in livestock production. “After two years at Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton, Ga., I went to the University of Florida as a food and resource economics major, which is basically agricultural

before coming here, and he soon became a leader among the graduate students.” The next career move for Newsome came in 1989 as he was nearing completion of his doctorate. “The Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association offered me a

economics,” he said. “I intended to come back to the family

job as their executive vice president, and I thought that

farm. My interest was in beef cattle, but I also wanted a

would be a good fit for me,” he said. “It was, and I spent

business background.”

almost 10 years with the association, thinking I would retire

While at Florida, Newsome excelled on the livestock judging team, a pursuit that began when he was a member of Future Farmers of America during high school. “The semester I was due to graduate, my livestock

from there.” A former colleague at Mississippi State, however, had different plans. Mark Keenum had left MSU’s Department of Agricultural Economics for a position on the staff of Sen.

judging team coach, who was good friends with Dr. Howard

Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and by 1998 was serving as the

Miller in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at

senator’s chief of staff. A Republican seat on the U.S.

Mississippi State, told me that Dr. Miller was interested in

Commodity Futures Trading Commission was open, and as a

slowing down as the judging team coach and was looking

senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen.

for a graduate student to help with the program,” Newsome

Cochran would be instrumental in recommending a candidate.

said. “I hadn’t even considered graduate school, so I told him thanks, but I intended going back home. “He then called my father and they teamed up on me

The CFTC is the federal agency that regulates the nation’s commodities exchanges. The five-member commission is traditionally composed of two appointees from each

and sent me to Mississippi State, which was the best thing

party and a chairman, who is from the same party as the

that ever happened to me.” The success of his MSU live-

president. The agency employs a staff of about 500 in its

stock judging teams, which during a six-year period won

Washington, D.C., headquarters and in cities where various

more than a dozen regional and national contests, remain a

commodity exchanges are located, including Chicago and

favorite accomplishment.

New York.

A Summer 2005

ALUMNA Jim Newsome

“Mark called about the appointment, and I told him I

Manhattan, the NYMEX is the world’s largest physical

of the importance of the futures markets to the cattle

commodities exchange. It brings together buyers and

industry, but needed time to think about it,” Newsome

sellers to trade futures and options contracts on energy

said. “When I called him back, I explained that we were

products such as crude oil, natural gas, gasoline, heating

hesitant about the move because we were in Mississippi,

oil, and coal, as well as gold, silver, platinum, and palladi-

but neither Mark nor Sen. Cochran would take no for an

um. The majority of the trading is still done through open

answer.”

outcry, which involves traders gathering on the steps of

It was his leadership ability that prompted their

octagon-shaped trading rings and shouting out offers to buy

enthusiasm about Newsome as a candidate for the post.

or sell contracts for future delivery. The exchange trades an

“When he was with the Cattlemen’s Association, I would frequently call on Jim about issues affecting the beef industry in Mississippi and nationally,” Keenum said. “He also was instrumental in forming and leading the Mississippi Agribusiness Council, which gave him

“We’re currently finalizing a joint venture with the exchange to trade energy products in the Middle East,” he said. “We have also opened a new office in Tokyo and are looking at the possibility of one in Singapore.” Escalating crude oil prices and the resulting jump in

President Bill Clinton. Two years later, he was nominated

gasoline prices have put the exchange in the headlines.

to chair the commission by President George W. Bush.

Although the futures markets provide the mechanism for

During his time at the CFTC, Newsome also served

price discovery, Newsome said energy prices, just like

as a member of the president’s Working Group on

those for cattle and other agricultural products, are based

Financial Markets, along with the Secretary of the

on supply and demand.

Treasury, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, and

“We’re in such a period of tight supply for unleaded

the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

gasoline and other energy products that any little thing

The purpose of the working group was to coordinate U.S.

can trigger a major market response,” he said. “If, for

economic policy and to cooperate during the times of

example, a refinery goes down for two days, supplies can

financial crisis, which included the terrorist attacks on

be disrupted in certain regions of the country.”

Sept. 11. Newsome also was appointed as a member of

While his days are spent in an office high above the

the U.S. Corporate Fraud Task Force to coordinate inves-

Hudson River, wrestling with the issues that drive the glob-

tigations of fraud after the collapse of Enron.

al economy, his roots are still small town. He commutes

“I was at the CFTC for six years, and it was a great

about an hour and a half each morning from a small town

experience, expanding my knowledge base beyond agri-

in New Jersey, where his young daughters, Molly and Riley,

culture into the financial and energy markets,” Newsome

can enjoy horseback riding and other rural activities.

said. “My wife and I had, however, started talking about

As president, Newsome provides leadership as the exchange expands to new overseas markets.

other areas of the agriculture industry.”

Newsome was nominated for the CFTC seat by then-

a nominal value of $6.276 trillion.

government of Dubai to create what will be the first futures

Lott, R-Miss., who was then the Senate majority leader,

average of more than 155 million contracts per year with

insight into policy issues affecting soybeans, cotton and With the backing of both Sen. Cochran and Sen. Trent

Located in the World Financial Center in Lower

was very familiar with the workings of the CFTC because

“Even though I’m from Florida and my wife, Mei

what I was going to do after the CFTC, and at about the

Mei, also an MSU graduate, is from California, we still

same time the NYMEX leadership called and asked if I

consider Mississippi home,” he said. “In fact, most of

would be interested in coming to New York. We came to

the people we know in Washington and New York are not

terms rather quickly and I started here at the beginning of

aware we’re from other states because we talk so much

August 2004.”

about Mississippi.”

S Summer 2005

CAMPUS news Alliance promises high-tech jobs for area A global high-technology corporation with manufacturing facilities in four states and two foreign countries recently announced a partnership with a Starkvillebased company that was a spin-off from Mississippi State research. II-VI Incorporated of Saxonburg, Pa., is teaming with SemiSouth Laboratories,

located adjacent to the university campus in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. (II-VI is pronounced “Two-Six.”) The collaboration will provide manufacturing development and scale-up capabilities for production of silicon carbide. SiC, as it’s often referred, is a

semiconductor used in highvoltage, high-temperature, and high-frequency electronics applications, including radar, power conversion and radiofrequency transistors. “The trip from Silicon Valley to Starkville just got a lot shorter,” said Rep. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. “II-VI is a world leader in its field and

Montgomery statue unveiled on campus Clear skies and a cool breeze added to the special campus ceremony in May that honored the career of former congressman G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, second from left. The 1943 MSU graduate and longtime veterans advocate helped unveil his life-sized statue at the southwest corner of the Drill Field. Also speaking were, from left, Rep. Chip Pickering—who succeeded Montgomery in the 3rd District— MSU President Charles Lee, and Raymond sculptor Tracy Sugg.

MSU in ‘Top 10’ for boosting economy A Birmingham, Ala.-based economic development journal is listing Mississippi State among the region’s top universities for fostering new businesses. Southern Business and Development ranks MSU at third in its recent article titled “Ten University Markets that Really Have Their Act Together.”

According to the article, the top five include Rutherford County, Tenn., home of Middle Tennessee State University; Auburn-Opelika, Ala., home of Auburn University; Starkville, home of MSU; Richmond, Va., home of Virginia Commonwealth University; and BlacksburgRoanoke, Va., home of Virginia Tech University. (See story at http://www.sb-d.com/ issues/winter2005/features/ TenUniversityMarkets.asp)

will be an invaluable partner with MSU and SemiSouth in growing this part of Mississippi into a high-technology magnet for future development.” II-VI initially will establish a manufacturing facility in the research park’s 25,000-squarefoot Ralph E. Powe Center for Innovative Technology, home of SemiSouth. Currently, II-VI has manufacturing facilities in California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Singapore, and China.

Program ranked 15th in the nation Mississippi State’s undergraduate program in landscape architecture is listed among the top 15 programs in the country by a national publication that promotes quality design education. DesignIntelligence, a monthly journal published by Greenway Communications for the Design Futures Council, released the rankings in its sixth edition of “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools.” MSU was 15th out of 66 programs the publication ranked, with Ohio State University topping the list.

A Summer 2005

CAMPUS news Barnes, Chambers win coveted MSU research award Two internationally recognized Mississippi State scholars—one in forest products and the other in

Lemons joins childhood center A former Mississippi Public Broadcasting administrator now is leading a pilot program developed by the National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives. Annjo Lemons of Madison recently was chosen to direct Excel by Five, a community planning initiative of the Mississippi State-based center. She previously was head of early childhood programming in MPB’s Education Services Division.

environmental health sciences—are co-winners of the university’s 2005 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award. Forestry products professor H. Michael Barnes and environmental health sciences professor Janice E. Chambers share this year’s honor, which recognizes faculty researchers making significant contributions to the economic welfare or cultural growth of the university, state and nation.

President Charles Lee, center, presented the 2005 Ralph Powe Research Excellence Awards to Michael Barnes and Janice Chambers.

Scholar aspires to life of politics, public service A self-described “political junkie” is Mississippi State’s 2005 Jerry D. Dickerson Jr. Memorial Scholar. Senior political science major Clare H. Bass of Biloxi is Bass

the second student receiving the university’s $1,000 academic scholarship honoring the 1983 MSU graduate who died during the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

Vizzini first engineering chairholder Aerospace engineering department head Anthony J. “Tony” Vizzini is the inaugural holder of the Bill and Carolyn Cobb Chair in Engineering. Vizzini joined the MSU faculty as a professor and department head in 2003 from the University of Maryland. He holds a doctorate in aeronatutics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

S Summer 2005

The chair recently was established in the university’s Bagley College of Engineering by the Dallas, Texas, couple, whose business provides international petroleum engineering and geological consulting services.

Vizzini

College moves up in rankings Mississippi State’s Bagley College of Engineering is nationally ranked among U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” for the second straight year, moving up four notches. In the latest ranking released, MSU is No. 77 among the top 90 doctoralgranting engineering schools in comparison with a No. 81 ranking last year. The MSU graduate engineering program is tied with Auburn and ranks ahead of such institutions as Louisiana State and Kentucky.

CAMPUS news Fulbright Scholars named Three more MSU faculty members and one retired professor have been named Fulbright Scholars. English professor and Mississippi Quarterly editor Noel Polk is a 2005 Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Lodz, Poland. He lectured for five weeks this spring on the works of Mississippi writers William Faulkner and Eudora Welty. Assistant professor of religion Eve Mullen has been selected for both the Fulbright Senior Specialist and Fulbright Scholars Lecture Polk grants. Mullen, a Harvard Divinity School graduate and MSU philosophy and religion department faculty member since 2001, will complete both assignments at the Center for Cross-Cultural and Religious Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia. The first grant supports her work from June through August in the field of Chinese philosophies and religions. Mullen will return from February to June 2006 to teach comparative religions, Asian religious Mullen traditions, world religions in modernity, and methodology. Associate professor of human sciences Phyllis Bell Miller will travel to Bulgaria on a Fulbright Scholarship for teaching and research. She will collect information for an Internet database of the country’s traditional dress and assist students in designing current fashions based on traditional dress for the growing Bulgarian fashion industry. She will travel to the capital city, Sofia, in Miller July and teach at the Bulgarian Academy of Fine Arts or the New Bulgarian University from September until February. Miller pioneered the art of apparel design on personal computers in the 1980s. Her programs have been used by schools, manufacturers, and the U.S. Navy, among others. A recently retired Mississippi State human sciences professor and repeat Fulbright Scholar will cap her career as a nutritionist later this year by lecturing and studying at a university in Dodson India. Wanda Dodson, who concluded her academic career at MSU last summer after 15 years in the School of Human Sciences, traveled to the University of Mysore this spring to begin a sixmonth Fulbright teaching stint.

Grisham room included in National Geographic tourism guide A new tourism map produced by National Geographic magazine and the Appalachian Regional Commission is directing travelers to a Mississippi State attraction. The John Grisham Room of the university’s Mitchell Memorial Library is among fewer than 400 sites—and one of only 17 in Mississippi—featured in a new tourism guide. The Grisham Room is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays.

Harris honored by peers of Student Affairs, is this year’s selection for the Distinguished Service Award of the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. She is a former president of the organization.

Lisa Harris is receiving a major career honor from the regional professional organization of registrars and admissions officers at higher education Harris institutions. Harris, an associate vice president in MSU’s Division

A Summer 2005

CAMPUS news Starkville natives get graduate research fellowships Two Mississippi State students, both natives of Starkville, are receiving 2005 National Science foundation Graduate Research Fellowships worth $120,000

Stone

apiece for three years of graduate work toward a doctorate. The two are Tonya W. Stone, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, and Alan Patrick Boyle, a 2005 spring graduate with a

double major in computer science engineering and biochemistry/ molecular biology. They are among 1,020 national winners of

Boyle

Watson receiving Latham Scholarship

the NSF fellowships, which provide a $30,000 stipend and $10,500 costof-education allowance per recipient annually over three years. The education allowance covers tuition, travel, textbooks and computer costs. The NSF awards its coveted graduate fellowships in science, mathematics and engineering for full-time study leading to advanced degrees to individuals who have demonstrated ability and special aptitude.

Engineering intern picked Roy Watson with Sam and Rita Latham

Sophomore Roy B. Watson of Jackson is receiving a new scholarship designated for university students with physical challenges. Watson, a Southwest Academy graduate now majoring in business information systems, is the inaugural Joseph S. Latham Memorial Scholar. The award provides a total of $750 for two semesters of study. 30

S Summer 2005

The scholarship was established in 2000 by Sam and Rita Latham of Hollandale, along with family and friends, in memory of their son Joseph, a 1994 MSU agriculture graduate. Following a battle with cancer that began at age 3, he succumbed to the disease in August 2000 at the age of 30.

Biological engineering major Katherine E. Sinele of Flora is among 16 students from across the country selected to participate in a prestigious summer intern program sponsored by the National Institutes of Sinele Health. A senior concentrating in biomedical engineering studies, Sinele was chosen from among 135 applicants from 59 colleges and universities to participate in the 2005 Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship Program.

CAMPUS news Frazier gets Goldwater mention Mississippi State civil engineering major Kyle A. Frazier of Madison is a 2005 Honorable Mention Goldwater Scholar. The Barry M. Goldwater ScholarFrazier ship and Excellence in Education Foundation annually provides scholarships to American undergraduate students with excellent academic records and outstanding potential. Frazier is among 28 students nationwide selected for honorable mention.

Compliance officer joins council A university administrator is a newly elected representative to the Applied Research Ethics National Association. Tracy S. Arwood, director since 2001 of the university’s regulatory compliance office, is one of six new members and one of only three professionals from the South on the council.

Mississippi State scientist Roger King, from left, associate research director of the university’s GeoResources Institute, and South African plant specialists Eve duPreez and Neil van Rij inspect a soybean field at the Cedara research farm in South Africa. They were looking for signs of soybean rust, a devastating crop disease that is the focus of a GRI study on potential threats of biological terrorism.

GeoResources focuses on bioterrorism The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate has asked the university to use its array of scientific and research resources to evaluate preparedness, assess technology and specify an end-to-end system approach for reducing agricultural biosecurity risks. Working in conjunction with the Department of Energy’s national laboratories and assisted by a National Science Foundation grant of nearly $1 million, MSU’s GeoResources Institute—with its remote sensing and geospatial surveillance and atmospheric modeling capabilities—is leading the multidisciplinary effort.

Regional peers praise Reflector for achievements At a recent meeting of the Southeastern Journalism Conference, members of The Reflector staff took top awards both for material submitted in advance and work completed on-site during the competition. Established as a literary magazine in 1883, the now fullsized paper was among more than 30 campus publications whose entries were judged by working journalists and journalism educators in the 2005 Best of the South challenge. Brandon senior Josh Foreman also became the second Reflector editor in five years to be honored with the organization’s College Journalist of the Year Award.

A Summer 2005

CAMPUS news Researchers take fighting technology to market America’s war-fighting ability on remote battlefields is getting a jolt from power electronics technology developed by researchers at Mississippi State’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. CAVS scientists Marshall Molen and Mike Mazzola are harnessing the internal combustion engine of highmobility vehicles such as the Army’s Humvee to generate electricity for powering onboard radar systems in rugged, combat environments.

The MSU technology was developed over the past four years through CAVS’ participation in the Army Radar Power Technology Program. The multi-million-dollar project produces Humveepowered radar systems for rapid, sustainable devployment in the field. In a definitive patent license agreement recently executed, Diversified Technology Inc. has acquired the Tactical Mobile Power Technology from MSU. The

Ridgeland company will modify, repackage, and mold it into hardened combat-ready equipment. The university will share in royalties generated by commercialization of the 10-kilowatt Vehicular Power Source (VPS-10K).

Distinguished Jurist U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett of McComb addressed Mississippi State pre-law students in March in the John Grisham Room of Mitchell Memorial Library, where he expressed pride in three generations of family ties to the university. Starrett, a 1972 MSU business graduate, was honored with the MSU Pre-Law Society’s Distinguished Jurist Award.

Director named for counseling center Beatrice A. Tatem is the new director of student counseling and testing services at Mississippi State University. A staff psychologist at the center for the past two years, she began her new duties in May. Tatem succeeds Linda M. Cox, who left last year for a similar position at the University of Illinois at 32

S Summer 2005

UrbanaChampaign. Staff counseling psychologist Philip M. Drumheller has served as interim center director since Cox’s departure. A doctoral graduate of

Tatem

Western Michigan University, Tatem was a staff psychologist at the Texas Tech University counseling center and center director at the University of Louisiana at Monroe before coming to MSU.

Molen (l) and Mazzola

Co-op celebrates 50th anniversary The Mississippi State University Cooperative Education Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary and 10,000th coop student this year. The MSU Co-op Program has influenced many of you and we would like to invite you to help us celebrate these great achievements. If you are interested in participating in our Fall 2005 celebrations, please contact us at 662-325-3823 or coop@coop.msstate.edu.

CAMPUS news Reference book released

Administrators meet with students Mississippi State administrators visited East Mississippi Community College and East Central Community College, Scooba/Decatur Campus in early April as part of a larger effort to strengthen the university’s partnerships with the state’s community and junior colleges. In the top left photo, MSU President Charles Lee discusses educational opportunities with EMCC students; in the top right photo, from left, Dr. Peter Rabideau, MSU provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Dr. Bill Kibler, MSU vice president for student affairs, visit with Dr. W.S. “Bud” Smith, EMCC vice president for the Scooba Campus and enrollment management. The primary goal of the visits is to help ensure a smooth transition for students who transfer to Mississippi State from two-year institutions.

Officers to fight cyber crime The university’s Center for Computer Security is joining forces with the state Attorney General’s Office, FBI and Jackson State University to create a cyber crime lab that bridges classroom instruction on the Starkville campus with on-the-job training in Jackson. “The intensive classroom training at MSU will provide officers with the basics of conducting forensics investigations of such computer crimes as child pornography and identity theft,” said Ray Vaughn, a computer science and engineering professor who heads the MSU center.

Mississippi State is offering the latest edition of its comprehensive annual business reference book. Now in its 37th year, the Mississippi Statistical Abstract is compiled by the College of Business and Industry’s Office of Business Research and Services. The 651-page collection of state economic, demographic and social data is available in both soft cover and compact disc versions (PDF and Excel formats). Printed copies are $40, plus $4 shipping and handling. CDs are $50/$1.50. To order a copy or obtain additional information, contact Spencer at telephone (662) 325-3817, fax 325-8686 or jspencer@cobilan.msstate.edu.

Michael Fazio, a founding faculty member in the then-School of Architecture in 1973, recently was honored with the naming of a jury room in the now-College of Architecture, Art and Design’s Giles Hall home. Joining Fazio, center, and Dean James West, right, for the event were all of the college’s former deans, including, from left, William G. McMinn, founding dean; James F. Barker, now president of Clemson University; and John McRae, senior director of grants and development for the American Institute of Architects. Architecture alumni raised some $65,000 to renovate the jury room before naming it for Fazio, who is retiring this year.

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SPORTS talk Guichard shares SEC Coach Of Year honors Mississippi State’s Sylvain Guichard was named the 2005 Southeastern Conference Men’s Tennis Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the award with his former coach and mentor, current Florida head coach Andy Jackson. The honor is voted on by the league’s coaches. Guichard led the Bulldog netmen to an 11-8 overall record this season, including a 6-5 mark in league competition. The Bulldogs were the No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament in Athens, Ga., marking the team’s highest seed in the event since 2000. Under Guichard’s leadership this year, MSU had the most improved SEC record of any team in the conference, going from 2-9 in 2004 to 6-5 this year. The 6-5 SEC

record marks State’s first winning league 2005 with their first overall winning record record in five years. since 2001. Three of MSU’s five SEC After tying for last in losses this year have been by 4the SEC and in the Western 3 scores. All five setbacks were Division last year, the to top 25 teams, three in the top Bulldogs finished tied for 15. fourth overall and second Guichard becomes only the in the West this season. The third Mississippi State tennis fourth-place tie was MSU’s coach ever to earn SEC Coach best league finish since of the Year accolades, joining 1998 and second in the Tom Sawyer (1967) and West was the Bulldogs’ Jackson (1991). Sawyer led best since the league MSU to four top 16 NCAA adopted divisions for men’s finishes from 1965-68 and the tennis in 2002. SEC crown in ’67, while Guichard State also earned a top Jackson guided the Bulldogs to 15 ranking for the first time 11 consecutive NCAAs from in three years, and the Bulldogs will finish 1991-2001, including 10 “Sweet Sixteen” showings, the SEC title in 1993, and the SEC Tournament championship in ’96. This season, Jackson led the No. 5 Gators (17-5, 10-1 SEC) to a share of the SEC title, the second time he has claimed the conference crown in his four seasons in Gainesville. “I am very proud of what our team has been able to accomplish this season and I want to give our guys a tremendous amount of credit for working hard all year,” Guichard said. “It is a great honor to be named SEC Coach of the Year. It is even bigger for me, personally, that I am sharing it with the guy who taught me just about everything I know about coaching college tennis. This means a great deal to me.” Guichard spent two seasons under Jackson as a player in 1992-93, a year as a student assistant coach in 1994, and six seasons as his assistant coach from 19962001. In his first three seasons as MSU’s head coach, the Grenoble, France, native has led MSU to three consecutive NCAA appearances and into position for a fourth Cullis Wade, a 1940 MSU graduate in electrical engineering, poses beside the architectural rendering of the planned Cullis Wade Museum and Bookstore Center at the Super Bulldog this season. MSU is one of only seven Weekend announcement. The building will be constructed in the unpaved area between teams in the nation to have received 14 Davis Wade Stadium and the Bost Extension Center. straight bids to the NCAA field.

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SPORTS talk Tan White picked No. 2 in WNBA draft Mississippi State’s Tan White was selected as the No. 2 pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. White became the second Lady Bulldog in history to be drafted into the Women’s

Photo by Connie Crawford

“I’m looking forward to see if I can expand my ability at this level. I’m glad that there is an opportunity in the U.S. for women to play beyond college.” Tan White National Basketball Association, joining former Lady Bulldog LaToya Thomas. “I’m excited for the experience that I am getting ready to go through,” said White.

Tan White and Coach Sharon Fanning celebrate White’s scoring her 2,000th point against Birmingham-Southern in January.

“I’m looking forward to seeing if I can expand my ability at this level. I’m glad that there is an opportunity in the U.S. for women to play beyond college.” “We are excited Tan has been selected the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft,” said head coach Sharon Fanning. “She has represented Mississippi State in a first class manner. In the fall Tan was named to the MSU Bulldog Honor Roll. Tan gets to fulfill the dream of playing professional basketball. We are all very proud of her accomplishments and expect only the best at the next level.” White graduated in May with a degree in educational psychology. Among her honors are being named a Kodak AllAmerican; receiving the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award; participating in the WNBA All-Star Challenge; leading the nation in scoring; and becoming the Southeastern Conference’s All-Time Career Steals leader.

Roberts named winner of Howell Trophy All-SEC forward Lawrence Roberts was the 2004-05 winner of the inaugural Cellular South Howell Trophy. The award for Mississippi’s top male college basketball player was announced this spring at the First Annual Cellular South Howell Trophy presentation in Jackson. Roberts outdistanced fellow MSU teammate Shane Power, a senior guard/forward for the Bulldogs, and University of Mississippi senior forward Tommie Eddie. The veteran trio finished at the top of the voting as determined by a statewide panel of 41 media voters representing radio, television and print outlets. An honorable mention Associated Press All-American and a top 10 finalist for the 2004-05 Senior CLASS Award,

Roberts is Mississippi State’s first repeat firstteam all-SEC performer since current Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier. The 6-9, 240-pound Roberts completed his senior season having led the SEC in rebounding and double-doubles, while ranking fourth in scoring, ninth in field-goal percentage, and 10th in steals. An MSU team tri-captain this past year, Roberts helped lead coach Rick Stansbury’s 23-11 Bulldogs to a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and a fourth straight 20-win season in 2004-05. The Cellular South Howell Trophy is named in honor of former Mississippi State All-American and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Bailey Howell, who presented the award to Roberts.

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SPORTS talk Athletic center dedicated at Super Bulldog Weekend Mississippi State officially dedicated a new, 46,000-square-foot athletic center during Super Bulldog Weekend, providing athletes a state-of-the-art athletic training area and strength and conditioning facility. The Holliman Athletic Center was named in honor of MSU alumnus and longtime university and athletic program supporter W.G. “Mickey” Holliman of Tupelo. A native of Shuqualak, Holliman was the co-founder of Action Industries, now known as Lane Furniture, and is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Furniture Brands International. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Bulldog Club, the board of directors of the MSU Foundation, and currently is president of the Bulldog Foundation. The facility, which gives Bulldog football a new practice locker room, equipment room and team meeting rooms and lounge, is located just east of the Shira Athletic Complex. The Shira complex is MSU’s original practice facility and was constructed in the 1970s. It will retain its name and is connected by a hallway to the new facility. The first gift earmarked for the new facility was made by Julia and Jim Rouse of Houston, Texas. Their donation earned naming rights for the 9,000-square-foot strength and conditioning room. Equipped with the latest technology in weight training, more than $350,000 worth of equipment is housed in the Julia and Jim Rouse Weight Room. Jim Rouse, a 1962 graduate of MSU and an original member of the Bulldog Foundation, is the retired vice president of ExxonMobile. A naming gift from the Columbus Orthopaedic Clinic, composed of Drs. Charles Rhea, Rusty Linton, Scott Jones, and Chad Altmyer, made possible the new 4,500-square-foot athletic training facility inside the Holliman Athletic Center. The surgeons at Columbus Orthopaedic Clinic began handling the sports medicine needs of MSU athletes in 1981. Linton, Jones and Altmyer are all MSU graduates. 36

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The F.L. Crane Co. completed the addition 317 days after Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning project approval. Johnny Crane, a native of Itawamba County and a longtime

supporter of MSU, spearheaded the construction. The team meeting room is named the Johnny Crane Theater in his honor.

Fifteen student-athletes earn Newsom Awards for academics Fifteen Mississippi State male and female student-athletes—one from each varsity sport— have earned Newsom Awards for academic excellence. Two of those 15, Jourdan Steinberg in track and field, and Keith Andrews in football, were named overall women’s and men’s winners, respectively. Steinberg, a senior from Mandeville, La., is a business administration major and polevaulter for the women’s track team. Steinberg, who is president of the MSU student M-Club association, has been named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll in each of the last three years. Andrews, a junior from Bastrop, La., is majoring in biological sciences and is the placekicker for the Bulldog football team. He has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in each of the last two seasons. In addition to Steinberg and Andrews, Newsom Awards were earned by Michael Rutledge (baseball), Shane Power (basketball), Jake Lambert (golf), Gedamu Ege (track), and Jose Pinto (tennis) on the men’s side. Women’s winners include Rebecca Kates (basketball), Beth Irwin (golf), Morgan McDonald (soccer), Michelle Kinney (softball), Hayley Rudman (tennis), Zita Magloire (cross country), and Rachel Cooper (volleyball). The award has been presented annually since 1990 by former MSU professor and faculty athletic representative Walt Newsom in memory of his parents, Carroll and Frances Newsom.

ALUMNI news National officers of the MSU Alumni Association for 2005-06 are, from left, Keith Winfield of Starkville, immediate past president; David W. Jones of Jackson, second vice president; Joe L. Bryan of Starkville, president; Betty L. Black of Starkville, first vice president; and Steve Taylor of Starkville, treasurer.

Alumni association installs new officers Joe L. Bryan of Starkville became national president of the MSU Alumni Association July 1. A 1963 agricultural economics graduate and senior vice president of the Bank of Yazoo City, he most recently served the association as national first vice president and has been a

member of the board of directors since 1998. Bryan succeeds Keith Winfield of Starkville, a 1970 business graduate and partner of Watkins, Ward and Stafford accounting firm. Winfield now holds the title of immediate past president.

Alumni have e-mail forwarding option The Mississippi State University Alumni Association is proud to offer a new service: free, permanent e-mail forwarding. Via the MSU Online Community, alumni can now sign up for a permanent e-mail forwarding address. The address never changes, and is affiliated with Mississippi State University. Even when alumni change jobs or e-mail providers, their MSU e-mail address remains the same. When alumni change e-mail providers, all they have to do is log on to the MSU Online Community and change their forwarding e-mail address. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as simple as that. Go to https://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/MIU/ register.html to sign up today.

Other newly elected 2005-06 officers are: Betty L. Black of Starkville, national first vice president. A 1974 music education graduate, she has served as Lee County Chapter director since 1998. David W. Jones of Jackson, national second vice president. A 1981 accounting graduate and vice president and IS auditor manager for Trustmark National Bank, he previously was treasurer for the association. Steve Taylor of Starkville, national treasurer. A 1977 banking and finance major who also received an M.B.A. in 1981, he is president of BankFirst Financial Services. The new slate of officers will serve the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than 100,000 alumni through June 2006.

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ALUMNI news Nominations sought for officers, directors Nominations for national officers and directors of the Alumni Association are being sought prior to elections scheduled for January 2006. 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 July 1, 2006. 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, and national second vice president. Positions on the national board open for consideration include North 3 Region Director: Clay, Grenada-Montgomery, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, and Webster Chapters; Central 2 Region Director: Attala, Kemper, Neshoba, Noxubee, and Winston-Choctaw Chapters; South 1 Region Director: Clarke, Jasper, Jones, Lauderdale, Newton, and Wayne Chapters; Out-of-State Director; and Young Director-Southern Region. 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 (term expires 6/07), Louisiana (term expires 6/08), and Tennessee (term expires 6/06). 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, 2005.

Faculty Award winners announced Four faculty members were honored during the recent 40th annual faculty recognition program sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association. Winners were, from left, Jimmy L. Avery, Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, service award; Karen S. Coats, biological sciences, junior and senior teaching award; Debbie Beard, chemistry, freshman and sophomore teaching award; and Roger L. King, electrical and computer engineering, research award. Not pictured is Dwight Hare, curriculum and instruction, who received the graduate-level teaching award. For four decades, the alumni association has recognized significant faculty contributions to the welfare of humankind and the stature of Mississippi State.

ROTC reunion

Members of Mississippi State’s 1943 ROTC Class gathered in Indianola in April for their annual get-together. Participating this year were, front row, from left, Clyde D. Hamer, James Robinson, N.W. Carver, Ray Beckham, John Robert Arnold, B.K. Smith, and Vernon Newman. Back row, from left, are Bill Nettles, Ira B. McCullen, Frank Gwin, Lynn Smith, W.C. Trotter, and Bob Pillow. 38

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ALUMNI news Classes honored Members of the Mississippi State graduating classes of 1940, 1950, and 1955 returned to campus in April to hold reunions in conjunction with Super Bulldog Weekend activities. The MSU Alumni Association honored the returning alumni with an array of activities.

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ALUMNI news ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Henry named volunteer of the year Hunter W. Henry Jr. has received the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s District III Bill Franklin Volunteer of the Year Award. The award recognizes the vital role of volunteers in institutional advancement who assist in programs such as fund-raising, alumni relations, and student recruitment. The award presentation took place at the annual CASE Henry District III Conference banquet in Atlanta, Ga., in February. Henry, a 1950 chemical engineering graduate of Mississippi State and retired president of Dow Chemical USA, believes in giving back to his alma mater. His contributions include scholarships, faculty enhancements, an endowed chair in chemical engineering, a lecture series, and the Hunter Henry Center. He supports scholarships in three academic colleges at Mississippi State, including the Bagley College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Business and Industry. He also serves as vice chairman of the steering committee for State of the Future: The Mississippi State Campaign, which seeks to raise $400 million in private support for the university by December 2008. In recognition of his many contributions to MSU, Henry was named National Alumnus of the Year in 1988. In 2001, the university awarded him an honorary doctor of science degree. For many years, he has served on the board of directors for the MSU Foundation and on the Bagley College of Engineering’s Advisory Board. Henry was nominated for the Franklin Volunteer of the Year Award by the alumni association. 40

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Warren County Bulldog Celebration Central Mississippi Extravaganza, Mississippi Coliseum, doors open at 5:30 p.m., program at 7 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 23-24

Maroon Alumni Band Reunion

Deadline for nominations for Alumni Association officers and board of directors for terms beginning July 1, 2006. Send names to: Nominating Committee, MSU Alumni Association, P. O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526. Oktibbeha County Chapter Bulldog Blast Weekend, Golf Tournament and Shrimp Boil Homecoming – MSU vs. Houston

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See Web site for more information on any meeting/event: www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu/calendar/calendar.htm

Kappa Sigma reunion draws a crowd

More than 45 members of Kappa Sigma fraternity from the classes of 1954-57 attended a “mid-fifties” reunion on campus in April. Enjoying the festivities were, from left, Rosemary and Nelson L. Douglass (’56) of Madison, Nora Etheridge of Jackson, and H. Devon Graham Jr. (’56) of Metairie, La. Participants in the two-day event were treated to campus tours, lunch at the Kappa Sigma house, social hours, and a variety of sporting events. Coordinated by the alumni association and the Kappa Sigma Reunion Committee, the gathering was conceived by John Richards (’56) of Hattiesburg.

WITH CURRENT RATES UP TO 11.3%*, MSU Gift Annuities are a great way to support the University â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and your portfolio. Your investment in MSU produces a tax deduction. But you also receive a guaranteed competitive return as long as you live. Then, MSU uses the remaining assets to improve the quality of education. Which, believe it or not, could be even greater. Call 877-677-8283 or visit www.msufoundation.com for more information. *Rates are based upon age and are subject to change.

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FOUNDATION news Taylors’ deferred gift will assist future students Charles D. and ZonaDale Taylor attribute much of their success to a quality education. Through their deferred gift to Mississippi State University, they hope to help young students receive similar opportunities in the future. The gift, in the form of a significant bequest, will create two endowed scholarships to benefit students pursuing degrees at Mississippi State. The couple’s gift will assist not one, but two academic programs at the university. The Charles D. Taylor Endowed Scholarship will benefit the Bagley College of Engineering, while the ZonaDale Taylor Endowed Scholarship will be used to assist women majoring in programs within the School of Human Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “When we were in college, we benefited from the financial aid we received as student workers. As a result, we want to provide incentives to deserving MSU students,” ZonaDale said. “We feel that a quality education is a necessary part of becoming a productive member of the workforce.” Charles graduated from Mississippi State in 1966 with a degree in chemical engineering. After joining PPG Industries in Lake Charles, La., as a process engineer, he returned to Mississippi State and earned a master’s in business administration in 1971. Soon after returning to PPG, he was transferred to the company’s corporate headquarters where he served in various management positions until retirement.

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After retirement, he was a consultant with NASA’s Mid-Atlantic Technology Applications Center at the University of Pittsburgh. ZonaDale, a native of New Albany, began her career with Mississippi Power Co. in Meridian. She later became a member of the founding editorial staff of Southern Living magazine in Birmingham, Ala. After receiving a graduate degree, ZonaDale became an assistant professor in the Department of Home Economics at Mississippi State and later served as head of the Department of Home Economics at McNeese State University. When she and Charles moved to Pittsburgh, ZonaDale became manager of consumer and public affairs for Beecham Products USA. Charles credits his education and experience at MSU with the solid foundation that led to an interesting and successful career. By establishing the scholarship, he hopes to help students receive a quality

education before entering the workforce. The versatility of an education in the field of human sciences qualified ZonaDale for a variety of job opportunities throughout her career. Through the scholarship, she hopes to provide assistance and encouragement to women who have chosen to pursue a degree in the School of Human Sciences. Despite living away from MSU for quite some time, the Taylors have always had a special place in their hearts for the university and have supported the Foundation for many years. “Their love of Mississippi State is evident in the generosity of the gift they have made provisions for,” said Vance Bristow, director of planned giving for the MSU Foundation. “Their commitment to education will live on forever through their careful gift planning.” For their bequest, the Taylors gain membership in the university’s prestigious Old Main Society. Giving levels within the Old Main Society are based on the donor’s cumulative lifetime giving to Mississippi State University. To learn more about making a bequest or other deferred gift to Mississippi State, contact the Office of Planned Giving at 662325-3707.

The Old Main Society recognizes donors who: • 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). • 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.

Benefits of Old Main Society membership include: • Equal status with other donor recognition clubs, including invitations to special donor events on campus. • A special edition copy of the book Old Main: Images of a Legend.

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INAUGURAL PES CLASS READY TO Dr. Susan Bridges,” said Alan Boyle of Starkville. “She is one of The road to graduation for a select group of the reasons I have continued to do well. It’s that one-on-one Mississippi State students, recipients of the inaugural attention that lasted the length of my undergraduate experience Presidential Endowed Scholarships, ended in May. that inspired me to live up to the high expectations of the PES The first class leaves the university with a lot of program,” he added. memories, a list of noteworthy accomplishments, a great Boyle, a double major in biochemistry and computer appreciation for the university, and, perhaps, less debt science, will pursue graduate study at Duke University. A than the average student. highlight of being a PES recipient, The Presidential Boyle noted, was the opportunity for Endowed Scholars a summer internship. Two years ago, is a special academic recognition program for incoming students “The benefits of the scholarship are supported by incredible. We are all extremely grateful separate for the opportunity we had at Mississippi endowments from State and realize how fortunate we are to several private receive the Presidential Endowed donors. The Scholarships.” scholarships carry with them the Kyle Frazier promise of a fourhe was selected to go to Washington, year degree of D.C., to assist with genome research. study. Each PES “Being involved in actual projects student receives a helped me in my attempts to become total of $42,000, President Charles Lee gives some parting advice to the first graduating a better researcher,” Boyle said. the approximate class of Presidential Endowed Scholars. Pictured with him are, from left, Fellow PES recipient Emily Hicks cost of tuition and Alan Boyle, Emily Hicks, and Shawn Sanders. credits the scholarship program with fees, room and enabling her to study overseas. board, and books for four years of study at the state’s “The two-week trip I took to China was amazing. I learned largest university. about traditional Chinese medicine, like acupuncture, as well as The graduating members of the inaugural class agree how they are training their medical students in modern that the prestigious Presidential Endowed Scholarships medicine,” she said. “The great thing was that the PES program were a major factor in their decision to attend Mississippi paid for everything.” State. They also agree that the program provided them Hicks majored in biological sciences with the hopes of with a unique glimpse into how the university operates attending medical school. She has applied to medical schools, and granted them a special relationship with top such as the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson administrators from President J. Charles Lee to academic and the University of Alabama-Birmingham, that will keep her deans to faculty members. close to her native Tupelo. She intends to concentrate on The scholarships are awarded to students who show dermatology, but remains open to other areas. Following promise of great academic achievement and potential to medical school, Hicks would like to devote several years to make major contributions to their chosen profession. mission work. Students benefit from an individualized program that She said receiving a Presidential Endowed Scholarship gave includes mentoring by a faculty member and the her a different perspective on MSU. opportunity to work in his or her field of study. “We (Presidential Scholars) get special attention, in a sense “One of the most rewarding benefits for me was that we have people always watching out for us,” said Hicks. working with my faculty mentor for computer science,

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O MOVE ON “It’s very gratifying to walk across the Drill Field and have the top administrators want to know how your classes are going.” “One of the biggest benefits of the PES program is definitely the name stamp,” said Shawn Sanders. “You get labeled ‘Presidential Scholar’ and that immediately sets you apart from every other student on campus. “I came to MSU as a freshman feeling like a person rather than a number, and Dr. Lee and some of the other leaders have inspired and influenced me directly,” Sanders said. A biological engineering major from Jackson, Sanders has applied to medical school at Duke and Tulane universities, and has been accepted at UMMC. He remains unsure about what area of medicine he would like to pursue, but was able to shadow a cardiologist in Jackson and really enjoyed that experience. Sanders believes the PES program is essential to Mississippi State. Hicks echoes the sentiment. “By giving money to support these kinds of scholarships, people give students a chance to make Mississippi State and the state of Mississippi better,” she said. “I think if people want to help take Mississippi State to the next level and make it a great State of the future they need to invest in the students of right now.” As Boyle, Hicks and Sanders say goodbye to Mississippi State, one member of the inaugural class stays behind. Kyle Frazier of Madison, a civil engineering major, plans to graduate in May 2006. Frazier was the Engineering Congressional Intern for Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in Washington, D.C., for a semester. While interning, Frazier did many of the typical tasks associated with the job, but was heavily involved in the appropriation process by the end of his internship. Frazier acknowledges that receiving the PES was the deciding factor that led him to enroll at Mississippi State. “The benefits of the scholarship are incredible,” said Frazier. “We are all extremely grateful for the opportunity we received at Mississippi State and realize how fortunate we are to receive the Presidential Endowed Scholarships.” For more information on establishing a Presidential Endowed Scholarship for a deserving student, contact John Rush of the MSU Foundation at 662-325-7000.

Endowed Scholarships: A Campaign Giving Opportunity Mississippi State is proud to have claimed the largest share of top students over the past several years, such as National Merit Scholars who have remained in Mississippi. But, the university needs to do more to attract these and other students. MSU seeks a catalyst to providing competitive, multi-year scholarships to incoming students. Through the State of the Future campaign, a proposed endowment of $4 million to support the Presidential Endowed Scholarships would enable the university to compete effectively for more of the nation’s best students. These scholarships can play a key role in keeping these top students from being drawn away from Mississippi State by generous scholarship offers from out of state. A Presidential Endowed Scholarship requires an endowment of $200,000 or greater that can be paid over a period of five years. Currently, earnings from a $200,000 endowment will cover the full cost of attending Mississippi State University. The scholarship is renewable annually for up to eight semesters of undergraduate study, provided the student maintains satisfactory academic progress.

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The following individuals, corporations and foundations have made commitments of more than $50,000 from January 1, 2005, through May 31, 2005, for State of the Future: The Mississippi State Campaign. Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Adkerson; ADTRAN Inc.; Dr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Bailey; Mrs. Viola G. Bardsley; Mr. and Mrs. Gary A. Blair; Mr. and Mrs. Troy B. Browning; Mr. James H. Cannon; The Chisholm Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Lamar A. Conerly Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie U. Crane; Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Crane; Paul R. Davis Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Earnest

W. Deavenport Jr.; Foil-Wyatt Architects; Mr. Hassell Franklin; Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation; Henry Mize Charitable Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Mickey Holliman; Mr. Louis A. Hurst Jr.; Mr. Frank T. Jackson; Mark S. and Cindy P. Jordan; Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Kyle III; Nor throp Grumman Corp.; Olga P. Cummings Estate; Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Reed;

Reveal Imaging Technologies; The Riley Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. James J. Rouse; Mr. and Mrs. Dave C. Swalm; Swalm Foundation; Mr. Bobby Thigpen; Mrs. Lucille Bailey Thomas; Dr. Clinton E. Wallace; Odith E. Warren Estate; and Mr. David L. Watson.

STATE OF THE FUTURE GAINS MOMENTUM Bold leadership from a steering committee composed of alumni and friends is providing momentum as Mississippi State University moves through the public phase of State of the Future. Since campaign counting began, more than $220 million has been raised, with additional commitments arriving daily. Campaign fund-raising revolves around four key areas: endowed scholarships and fellowships, endowed chairs and professorships, new and renovated facilities, and educational and program enhancements. Annual support designated for a specific college, school or area through the Fund for Excellence also is needed. Alumni and friends may become a part of State of the Future by giving to any area of the university. A contribution of any amount to the university through December 2008 will count toward the overall goal of $400 million for State of the Future. Campaign pledges are payable over a five-year period. To make a gift, visit or call toll-free 877-677-8283.

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HAROLD ARMSTRONG (M.A. ’63) of Hazlehurst has retired as director of health planning and resource development for the state Department of Health. A resolution adopted by the state House of Representatives commended his 33 years of service to the state.

FRED A. RUNNELS has been named principal deputy director of military and civilian pay services for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

DAVID W. JONES of Jackson has been promoted to first vice president at Trustmark in Jackson. He also is national treasurer and national second vice president-elect of the MSU Alumni Association.

'65 DENNIS S. NORDIN (PH.D. ’69), a lecturer in the Department of History at Mississippi State, is co-author of From Prairie Farmer to Entrepreneur: The Transformation of Midwestern Agriculture, published by Indiana University Press. Nordin is the author of a number of awardwinning works on American history. HARTLEY PEAVEY, founder and owner of Peavey Electronic in Meridian, has been honored by Guitar Player magazine with its first-ever manufacturer’s Lifetime Achievement Award in celebration of his 40 years of achievements in musical instruments and amplifiers.

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ROBERT C. MAXSON of Long Beach, Calif., is retiring as president of California State University, Long Beach after nearly 11 years in that position.

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THOMAS H. WALKER is assistant regional administrator for the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region. He has received the Presidential Meritorious Service Award and is a member of the charter group of Distinguished Engineering Fellows at Mississippi State. Walker joined the General Services Administration in 1975.

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MICHAEL B. BALLARD (M.A. ’76, PH.D. ’83) of Ackerman, MSU archivist and coordinator of the university’s Congressional and Political Research Center, has written U.S. Grant: The Making of a General, 1861-1863. The publisher is Rowman & Littlefield. His previous books include Pemberton: A Biography and Vicksburg: The Campaign That Opened the Mississippi.

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MICHAEL MARION (M.B.A. ’78) of Little Rock, Ark., arena manager at Alltel Arena, has been named Facility Executive of the Year by Pollstar at the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards, sponsored by Clear Channel Entertainment.

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EMILY DISTEFANO is president of DiStefano and Associates in Baton Rouge, La., and recently completed a term as president of the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

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EVA ANN DORRIS (M.E.ED. ’89) of Pontotoc, a syndicated columnist and freelance writer, has published a book, Mama Taught Me Better, But I Quit Listening. Her popular column “Sweet Tea and Sour Notes” appears weekly in several state newspapers. Dorris has been editor of Mississippi Farmer magazine and for nine years was an editor for MSU’s Department of Agricultural Communications. In 2002, she was named the first Woman of the Year by the Mississippi Agricultural Industry Robbins Council. KAREN ROBBINS of Clinton, an instructor in the Business Administration Department at

Say ‘CHEESE’ Mississippi State Alumnus is pleased to publish photos of our graduates in Class News, along with word of their accomplishments. To ensure that your photo submissions for Class News are usable, please provide us with studio-quality prints or electronic files in JPEG or TIFF format. Electronic submissions (via e-mail or CD) should be 300 dpi minimum and generated on PC-based equipment. We cannot use Macintosh files, laser prints, or photos clipped from newspapers, magazines, or other publications.

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CLASS news Hinds Community College Raymond Campus has received a Who’s Who in Mississippi Business Award from the Mississippi Business Journal.

'85 TAMMIE BREWER (M.ED. ’88), a marketing management technology instructor at Hinds Community College Rankin Brewer Campus Career and Technical Center, has been named Region IV

Outstanding New Career and Technical Teacher of the Year by the Association for Career and Technical Education. ERIC WELCH (M.S. ’87, PH.D. ’91) has been named dean of the School of Engineering at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. He is an associate professor of electrical engineering and chairman of the electrical engineering department.

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WALTER WILCOX has been named general manager of the Decatur Civic Center in Decatur, Ill.

'87 JOHN EDWARDS (M.S. ’93) has been named a partner in the Houston, Texas, office of Jackson Walker law firm. DAVID B. MCCOWAN of Anderson, S.C., is ending a 15-year career as a professional Edwards librarian with the Greenville County (S.C.) Library System to pursue other opportunities.

Mississippi State cheese— a BULLDOG tradition The 3 lb. Edam Cheese Ball is a pale yellow cheese, both savory and mellow.

The Reduced-Fat Edam Cheese Ball is very much like our regular Edam, except that it has one-third less fat.

The 2 lb. Cheddar Cheese Block captures the traditional flavor of Cheddar cheese. Cheddar Spread (20 oz.) is a processed cheese made from natural Cheddar, packaged in a resealable stone crock.

The 2 lb. Vallagret Wheel has a slightly sweet, nutty taste. Shipped only Nov.-Jan.

The 2 lb. Jalapeño Pepper Cheese Block is made by mixing several natural cheeses with emulsifying agents and mild jalapeño peppers.

Jalapeño Pepper Cheese Spread (20 oz.) is a processed cheese made from either Edam or Cheddar, with jalapeño peppers added, and packaged in a stone crock.

To order online, visit www.msucheese.com or call 662-325-2338 48

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Paper plate

Dinner plate

The ONLY plate

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on your plate? Show your Bulldog pride and support the university at the same time by ordering an MSU license plate through your county license office. $31.50 from the sale of each MSU collegiate tag goes to support priority programs at the university and is tax deductible. The collegiate license plate program is available to Mississippi residents only and promoted by the Mississippi State University 49 A L U M N U S Alumni Association, P.O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526, telephone 662-325-7000, www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu. Summer 2005

CLASS news '88

'96

ROBERT C. PARKER II, a U.S. Air Force major, has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the U.S. Air Force for his service in Iraq as Airfield Operation Flight Commander of the Mosul Airport in 2004. He returned to Iraq in May to assume command of the Baghdad International Airport during the transition from American to Iraqi control.

CINDY SIMPSON, an interior designer, has been named a senior associate in the Dallas office of Gensler Architecture, Design & Simpson Planning Worldwide. Simpson joined the company in 2002.

'90 DONALD W. FREEMAN of North Little Rock, Ark., a biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, won the 2004 ARS Administrator’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights Award. He is director of the agency’s Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center. DAVID A. NORRIS has been named a member of the commercial litigation section of the Jackson office of McGlinchey Stafford Norris law firm, headquartered in New Orleans, La. Norris is admitted to practice in Mississippi, Alabama, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

'95

KIMBERLY JACKSON has been named Young Engineer of the Year by the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers-Western Chapter.

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'97 HUNTER H. MOORHEAD Jr. of Arlington, Va., a professional staff member for the Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee, has been named a “Top 35 Under 35” congressional staffer by The Hill, a major Washington, D.C., publication.

'99

JERMAINE MOORE (M.B.A. ’01) is a building management specialist in Jackson for the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region.

'00

JAMES FLEMING has been named property manager in Nashville, Tenn., for the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region. MICHELLE JOHNSON (M.B.A. ’01) works in the Realty Services Division of the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region.

WILLIAM A. RENAUD of West Knoxville, Tenn., has joined UT-Battelle, a not-for-profit company that manages and operates the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy. MATTHEW WALKER works with the budgeting team of the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region.

'01

CHRIS BURNS is employed by the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region as facilities manager for the Dan M. Russell Federal Building/Courthouse and the federal leases for the Gulf Coast. ERIC NEAL is a building management specialist in facility management for the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region.

'03

JOHNNY EASLEY of Gulf Shores, Ala., has joined the real estate firm of ERA Class.com as a sales agent.

'04

EMILY STRONG has joined Gibson Guitars corporate headquarters in Nashville, Tenn., as a graphic designer. ANNIE TUNNELL has joined the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration Southeast Region as an asset manager in Alabama.

BIRTH announcements Lucie Raymond Abraham, Jan. 25, 2005, to WILLIAM ABRAHAM (’94) and wife Shannon of Clarksdale. Andie Wilks Flatgard, May 11, 2004, to SPENCE FLATGARD (’92) and wife Louann of Ridgeland.

Mary Scott Garrard, Nov. 2, 2004, to SCOTT GARRARD (’92) and CHRISTY GARRARD (’93) of Brandon. Robert Camden Long, Dec. 18, 2004, to CASEY LONG (’02) and JACQUELINE MCMILLIN LONG (’01, M.B.A. ’02) of Hattiesburg.

Hayden Eric Moorehead, July 27, 2004, to KAREN SISTRUNK MOOREHEAD (’91, M.ED. ’92, ED.S. ’00) and husband Chad of Sebastopol. Sydney Grace Sisson, Feb. 16, 2004, to JIM SISSON (’92) and MARIA SISSON (’92, M.S. ’95) of Philadelphia.

IN memoriam HARRY LAWSON MCINGVALE (’33)—94, Starkville; retired owner of McIngvale Electric Co., March 2, 2005. BRYAN SIMMONS MCLEMORE (’33)—97, New Albany; retired florist, cattle farmer, and Mississippi State Highway Legal Department employee, Feb. 20, 2005. LEO P. WARNACK (’37)—89, McComb; retired electrical engineer for U.S. Steel and World War II veteran, Feb. 19, 2005. JOHN C. GOODRUM (’39)—86, Huntsville, Ala.; retired director and project manager for Marshall Space Flight Center’s Project Logistics Office and owner of Four Seasons Travel Agency, Nov. 25, 2004. ROBERT DESHA HINES JR. (’40)— 86, Carter; farmer, cotton ginner, and World War II veteran, Dec. 19, 2004. FRED PATRICK SULLIVAN SR. (’40)—88, Cleveland; retired field representative for Mississippi Chemical Corp. and World War II veteran, Dec. 6, 2004. JOHN L. TURNER (’40)—Covington, Tenn.; retired Air Force colonel, former mayor of Covington, and World War II veteran, Oct. 8, 2004. WILLIAM E. WEEMS (’40)—85, Madison; retired physician and World War II veteran, Dec. 29, 2004.

J.C. WHITEHEAD (’42)—83, Tupelo; president and chairman emeritus of BancorpSouth, former president of the Mississippi Bankers Association, and World War II veteran, Dec. 20, 2004. FRANCIS LANSDALE HERBERT (’43)—Houston, Texas; retired president and CEO of International Packers and president and CEO of Swift-Armour Brazil King Ranch, Oct. 20, 2004. SAMUEL WEBB SCALES (’43)—84, Starkville; retired businessman, U.S. Army Reserve officer, and World War II veteran, March 25, 2005. WILLIAM SLEDGE TAYLOR JR. (’43)—83, Como; farmer, president of W.S. Taylor Co., and World War II veteran, April 1, 2005. MABEL CARPENTER KINSMAN (’44)—79, Clinton; retired business owner and advertising copy writer, Jan. 28, 2005. THOMAS N. DENT SR. (’47)—82, Jackson; owner of Dent Air Conditioning Co. and World War II veteran, Dec. 17, 2004. ROBROY DOAK FISHER (’48)—79, Greenville; planter, former president of Delta Council, Mississippi Wildlife Federation Conservationist of the Year, and World War II veteran, Dec. 23, 2004. CHARLES HERBERT MAXWELL (’48)—85, Tupelo; retired U.S. Postal

Service employee and World War II veteran, Dec. 15, 2004. GILBERT A. ROBINSON JR. (’48)— 82, Memphis, Tenn.; retired real estate investor and mortgage banker and World War II veteran, Dec. 3, 2004. JAMES BURKETT STEEN (’48)—87, Vicksburg; retired chief of construction/ operations for Lower Mississippi Valley Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and World War II veteran, Jan. 25, 2005. M.C. TILLMAN SR. (’48)—77, Minter City; farmer, founding member of Pillow Academy, and World War II veteran, Feb. 26, 2005. MARION TOWNSEND (’48)—86, Jackson; retired chief engineer for Mississippi Power & Light Co. and World War II veteran, Feb. 12, 2005. HENRY HUBERT WAMBLE (’48)— Mesa, Ariz.; retired mechanical engineer, March 25, 2005. IRA QUINTEN WEAVER (’48, M.S. ’52)—83, Morton; retired vocational technical director of Scott County Vo-Tech Center and World War II veteran, Dec. 13, 2004. BENTON GUIE COGGIN JR. (’49)— 78, Nettleton; president of Cook Coggin Engineers in Tupelo and World War II veteran, Feb. 5, 2005.

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IN memorium CHARLES HYDE WEISSINGER (’49)—80, Cary; farmer and World War II veteran, Nov. 15, 2004. ARTHUR LOUIS GOODMAN JR. (’50)—83, Starkville; civil engineer and former Oktibbeha County engineer and World War II veteran, Jan. 6, 2005. CLINTON GAY HERRING (’50)—75, Canton; attorney, Dec. 18, 2004. EUGENE ALEXANDRE PATOUT SR. (’50)—79, New Iberia, La.; retired insurance agency owner and former owner of Hotel Frederic in New Iberia, Feb. 20, 2005. PAUL M. RENFROE (’50)—78, Kosciusko; retired owner of Jackson & Renfroe Insurance Agency and Renfroe & Lewis Real Estate and Appraisers, Dec. 10, 2004. WAYNE F. SPELL JR. (’50)—77, Bessemer, Ala.; retired United States Steel Corp. employee and World War II and Korean War veteran, Jan. 25, 2005. BOB MCCULLOUGH (’51)—76, Jackson; retired accountant for Vickers and Korean War veteran, Jan. 28, 2005. ALLINE SALTER (’51)—82, Philadelphia; retired English and literature teacher and three-time STAR Teacher winner, April 2, 2005. JAMES C. LEVERETTE JR. (’52)—81, Jackson; retired from Shelby Insurance Co. and World War II veteran, Dec. 26, 2004. JOSEPH H. AINSWORTH (’54)—72, Brandon; retired farm manager, November 2004. MERRITT STEVENS BUMPAS (’59)—68, Covington, La.; retired executive vice president for Pan-American Life Insurance Co., Jan. 29, 2005. MARY HARRINGTON BARTON CHAFEE (’59)—90, Starkville; retired secretary for Starkville Public Schools and civic volunteer, April 1, 2005. JOHNNY MACK THAMES SR. (’59)—68, Ridgeland; retired automobile dealership owner, Nov. 30, 2004. JAMES RUSSELL DOVE (’60)—72, Hattiesburg; retired professional engineer

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for Georgia Pacific and Korean War veteran, Feb. 28, 2005. JOHN ARTHUR KILLEBREW JR. (’60)—67, Greenwood; retired farmer and president of the Honey Island Gin Co., Dec. 31, 2004. RON L. CARROLL (’67)—59, Wilmington, N.C.; retired scout executive and fundraiser for the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and holder of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Feb. 28, 2005. JAMES D. FINKLEA (’68)—61, Beaumont, Texas; retired pilot for United Airlines and Vietnam War veteran, Dec. 31, 2004. SHARON FISHER (’69, M.M.ED. ’77)—57, Lexington, Texas; band director and public school music teacher, Feb. 9, 2005. GAYLE NICHOLSON (’69)—63, Ridgeland; retired Jackson postmaster and 36-year Postal Service employee, Jan. 20, 2005. DAVID LYNN ANDERSON (’71)—59, Madison; insurance broker and owner of the Anderson Company, Dec. 18, 2004. TONY M. LEONARD (’73)—Pearl; vice president of Leonard Metal Fabricators, Nov. 30, 2004. ADOLPHUS C. BEAL (’75)—81, Columbus; retired principal and educator in Noxubee and Lowndes county schools and member of the Lowndes County Hall of Fame, Jan. 20, 2005. ROBERT CALVERY (’75)—62, Flippin, Ark.; superintendent of the Flippin School District and former teacher and principal, March 7, 2005. KATHERINE CRAVEN BINFORD (’77)—49, Lawrenceville, Ga.; service technician for Xerox, Feb. 19, 2005. JULIA COWDEN VALENTINE (’78)—47, Ridgeland; retired certified public accountant and W.W. Bailey Real Estate employee, Nov. 21, 2004. HENRY A. WALKER III (’79)—50, Canton; director of information technology for Madison County, Jan. 10, 2005.

JIMMY KETTLEMAN JR. (’80)—45, Ridgeland; minister, Jan. 9, 2005. TONY HUGHES MCLENDON (’82, M.S. ’88)—49, Breman, Ala.; engineer for Energen Resources, Nov. 29, 2004. DOUGLAS C. WHITMAN (’82)—48, Fernandina Beach, Fla.; forester and accounting manager for Jefferson Smurfit Corp., March 5, 2005. STAN RAGAN (’86)—43, Birmingham, Ala.; computer programmer analyst for Bell South, Feb. 20, 2005. GARRETT F. BLAKE (’91)—35, Brandon; systems specialist for Entergy Mississippi, Feb. 14, 2005. ANTHONY D. LUCAS (’97)—32, Ackerman; chief of police for the town of French Camp and field officer for Mississippi Department of Corrections, Feb. 4, 2005, in the line of duty.

Billy Joe Keesee (attended)—70, Linden, Texas; retired head football coach at Linden-Kildare High School, March 29, 2005. H. Wyman Dorough (former employee)—Starkville; retired professor of biological sciences and former head of the Department of Biological Sciences at Mississippi State, Feb. 5, 2005. Mary Louise “Susie” Franklin Owings (former employee)—Starkville; former employee of the Office of Student Recruiting at Mississippi State and Girl Scouts organizer, Feb. 21, 2005. Mfanya Tryman (employee)—57, Starkville; professor of political science at Mississippi State and president of Oktibbeha County NAACP, Feb. 23, 2005.