Giving Back

Alumna Sets the Stage

FOR FUTURE THEATRE MSU STUDENTS WITH ENDOWED GIFT

By: Ashleigh Lee, Photos Submitted

Myna Dickerson Sowell’s love for theater

came from a single question asked when she was 9 years old. Her father David heard about auditions for a production put on at the local community theater and asked if she wanted to try out for a show. Little did she know that by saying “yes,” she would start a lifelong involvement in acting, communication and theater.

Sowell continued participating in theater in high school, which led her to compete in competitions at

Mississippi State.

The Greenville native graduated from MSU in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and inherited her love for the Maroon and White from her father, a 1964 social studies education graduate.

Her Bulldog heritage and experiences with theater competitions at the university put Sowell in a position to thrive academically and eventually professionally while exercising creativity and practicality. She works to instill these characteristics and love for Mississippi

State in her daughters Ann Morgan and Alena Read.

“The memories created at Mississippi State and theater are so special,” she said. “I experienced a range of classes that taught me classical work, technical skills, communication methods and so much more.

I tell my children all the time that you cannot go through life thinking that you won’t have to speak and that no one will look at you. You must learn how to properly and efficiently express yourself.”

LEFT: John and Myna Sowell. RIGHT: Myna Sowell in a 1991 Theatre MSU production of “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder. She played the role of Dolly Levi.

Now, Sowell works at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as a standardized patient. In this role, she uses her acting background, interpersonal skills and empathy to help medical students practice real-life diagnostics and communication simulations. The students get to apply their knowledge while practicing talking to and treating patients.

“It’s not just being an actor on a stage; it’s about the life-lesson skills that I learned in the department that set me up for success,” she said. “I now get to work with these medical students to practice a range of conversations and give them feedback. In these situations, there is no room for misunderstandings. Interpersonal skills and nonverbal cues all enhance good communication.”

When COVID-19 began shutting down inperson events around the world, Sowell and her husband John knew that they wanted to help struggling creatives. They established the John and Myna Dickerson Sowell Endowed Theatre Fund for Excellence to help Theatre MSU and student participants with various needs, like production upgrades, travel support and equipment enhancements. Sowell wanted to see Theatre MSU and its students thrive, especially in difficult times.

“People often look to art and artists to help get us through slumps,” Sowell said. “We need storytelling, music, plays, movies. Anything that can take us away from our current reality, even if it’s for a little bit. Not only did I want to contribute to keep arts alive due to my strong belief in giving back and strong desire to see theater stay afloat during a pandemic, but I also believe that the arts are an excellent vehicle for the expression of social commentary.”

The Sowells’ gift funded two studentdirected shows during the spring 2021 semester: “Pipeline,” a story about the schoolto-prison pipeline that also spotlights a mother’s fight to give her son a future without turning her back on the community that shaped him, and “Red,” a play about artist Mark Rothko and his challenges with ambition and vulnerability. Both plays portrayed social commentary that Sowell believes is vital for students to experience firsthand through the performing arts.

“There needs to be more stories told on the stage,” she said. “We need empathy, common ground and education. The stage is a perfectly marvelous place for that to take place. You never know how broadening the horizons of audience members might manifest itself. Someone might aspire to be a painter after watching a play or decide to be a writer or teacher. Helping keep the arts alive provides unknown outlets to throngs of people who might not otherwise be exposed or realized.”

Sowell hopes her gifts will continue to inspire student performers and communicators as they discover their passions and get realworld experience. No matter where they end up after graduation, she knows Theatre MSU will give them the proper foundation.

“My hope is that when people think of premier theater programs, Mississippi State is on their short lists,” she said. “I can’t wait to see how this program evolves and the work the students will do.”

For more information on creating endowed scholarships for Theatre MSU in the College of Arts and Sciences, contact Sara Frederic, director of development for the college, at 662.325.3240 or sfrederic@foundation.msstate.edu. n

MSU welcomes Holley Muraco

AS THE 2021 WALDORF LECTURER

By Addie Mayfield, Photos Submitted

With more than 25 years of experience in the field of wildlife conservation, Holley Muraco has held many titles—zookeeper, animal trainer, stage performer, TV personality and researcher— just to name a few. The two-time Mississippi State graduate has dedicated her career to saving endangered species, and MSU was proud to welcome her back to campus earlier this year to serve as the 2021 Waldorf lecturer.

A native of Potts Camp, Muraco is a marine mammal reproductive expert. She currently serves as the director of research for Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport, a position she has held since its launch in 2019. But she hasn’t always been stationed in her home state.

Muraco has worked internationally in more than 10 countries, helping conserve endangered wildlife. She has employed her skills to advance the livelihood of animals in various ways over the years, including performing the first successful artificial inseminations (AI) of a dolphin in Europe and a polar bear in China.

Muraco is an accomplished author of numerous scientific publications on wildlife species ranging from killer whales and penguins to spotted eagle rays. She enjoys the problem solving involved in the field of animal reproduction and also sees the benefit advanced reproductive technologies like AI present.

“The welfare of animals in zoos and aquariums can be greatly enhanced with the opportunity to reproduce and raise young, so every baby born is rewarding all around,” she explained.

While working at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California, Muraco turned her attention to walruses—one of the least studied species with a complex reproductive biology adapted to life in the Arctic. She led the facility’s groundbreaking research efforts that helped shed light on the mysterious mating patterns and hormonal levels of Pacific walruses.

Her award-winning research caught the eye of renowned British broadcasters and landed Muraco a leading role in a BBC Natural World series documentary. The film, “Walrus: Two Tonne Tusker,” followed Muraco’s journey to the remote island of St. Lawrence in the Bering Sea, where she studied the breedingground habits of wild Arctic walruses.

“The production company pitched the idea, got the greenlight and next thing I knew I was on a plane to Alaska to film the documentary,” she said. “I viewed that opportunity as a wonderful chance for science communication in a fun, educational and exciting way. People from all over the world have contacted me about how they now love walruses and want to help save the Arctic.”

Muraco began her studies at MSU as a pre-veterinary medicine student in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, where she learned about animal breeding and assisted reproductive technologies.

“My fondest memories in my undergrad experience come from taking Dr. John Fuquay’s course on the physiology of animal

reproduction, where we used the textbook that he wrote. I initially dreaded the lab, which required us to palpate cows for pregnancy checks, but the first time I felt a tiny cow fetus kick my hand, I was hooked,” she said. “It was there where I learned about the amazing field of reproduction. It ultimately led me to my career.”

During that time, Muraco also participated in an internship at Walt Disney World. The experience enabled her to work with dolphins, sharks and other species of marine life—an opportunity that would prove life-changing.

“I realized the value of internships and volunteering for not only gaining experience, but also building my reputation. After Disney, I volunteered at the Memphis Zoo doing anything and everything they needed, and ultimately, that turned into a seasonal, paid position working with the giraffes,” she said.

After that internship experience, Muraco changed her major to biology. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1998 and began putting her knowledge to work, gaining hands-on experience with exotic animals.

She first worked as a dolphin and sea lion trainer at the now closed Marinelife Oceanarium in Gulfport, before moving to Orlando, Florida, where she worked as a shark and fish biologist at Disney’s The Living Seas at Epcot. While living in Orlando, she also worked at Sea World with beluga whales, walruses, polar bears, harbor seals and dolphins and then at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with African elephants and lowland gorillas.

After several years of real-world experience in the care and training of zoological animals, Muraco followed her passion for research back to her alma mater and enrolled in a doctoral program. In 2015, she earned a Ph.D. in life sciences with a specialized focus on marine mammal reproductive biology.

Last spring, Muraco returned once again to MSU, in the role of instructor rather than student. As the Waldorf lecturer, she led a seminar that offered an inspiring perspective

into the life and responsibilities of a Gulf Coast marine biologist.

“I feel so privileged to be able to work closely with MSU on research projects, assisting students and getting to lecture on campus,” she said. “Being from Mississippi, I feel an obligation to cheer our students on and show them that they can accomplish anything they set their minds on. The world needs more Mississippians out there solving problems and making a difference.”

The lectureship opportunity was made possible by an endowment created by Elizabeth Waldorf and the late David Waldorf of Corvallis, Oregon. Established with a gift of land, the endowment provides support for the lecture series and the David and Elizabeth Waldorf Endowed Scholarships. The Waldorfs’ contribution also affords additional textbooks for the MSU Libraries, among other opportunities, to enhance the study of environmental sciences at Mississippi State.

The Waldorfs shared a passion for environmental conservation. David, a physicist and native of Montana, and Elizabeth, a zoologist and Mississippi native, received doctoral degrees from The Ohio State University. After postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham in England, they conducted research and taught at LSU, Lasell College, Northeastern University and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. David and Elizabeth retired from

the MGCCC Jeff Davis Campus in Gulfport in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Continuing to uphold their passion, the Waldorfs chose to invest in environmental science scholarships and learning opportunities at MSU to help students attain educational backgrounds that will aid in fighting critical environmental issues. The couple’s generosity encourages students studying environmental science to become scholars with a commitment to protect and preserve the Earth.

“I always feel a sense of pride when saying I graduated from Mississippi State University,” Muraco said. “MSU serves the students, and that is so incredibly important. I was grateful for the opportunity the Waldorf lectureship afforded me to return to MSU to help inspire other students along their journey.” n