Winter 2022
Charting Success Grammy winner and philanthropist Torrance Esmond headlines alumni honorees Page 24
Table of Contents 05 Editor's Letter
18 Campus Culture
62 Baby Raiders
06 Five Minutes
20 Old School
63 Last Word
08 Scene On Campus
22 New School
Features
10 Events Calendar
47 Midpoints
24 Alumni Awards
11 #MyMTStory
52 Class Notes
31 Building Blue
13 Required Reading
59 MTSUNews.com
36 To Their Rescue
14 Faculty Spotlight
60 In Memoriam
44 Path of Progress
Cover photo by J. Intintoli
Middle Tennessee State University Winter 2022, Vol. 26 No. 2 University President Sidney A. McPhee University Provost Mark Byrnes Vice President for University Advancement Joe Bales Vice President for Marketing and Communications Andrew Oppmann Senior Editor Drew Ruble Associate Editor Carol Stuart Contributing Editor Nancy Broden Senior Director of Creative Marketing Solutions Kara Hooper Designer Micah Loyed Contributing Writers Skip Anderson, Stephanie Barrette, Gina E. Fann, John Glennon, Allison Gorman, Jimmy Hart, Gina K. Logue, Patsy B. Weiler, Randy Weiler University Photographers James Cessna, Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli, Cat Curtis Murphy Special thanks to Donna J. Baker, Deborah Belcher, Michelle Stepp, John Underwood
Revvin’ and Reppin’ Signage touting MTSU’s “I am True Blue” slogan and the Concrete Industry Management program, a partner on environmentally friendly barrier wall and pit lane concrete mixes, lined the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix course. The IndyCar race returns to Nashville streets in early August. Photo by James Cessna
Address changes should be sent to Advancement Services, MTSU Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; alumni@mtsu.edu. Other correspondence goes to MTSU magazine, Drew Ruble, 1301 E. Main St., MTSU Box 49, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. For online content, visit mtsunews.com. 128,500 copies printed at Courier Printing, Smyrna, Tennessee. Designed by MTSU Creative Marketing Solutions.
0821-9888 / Middle Tennessee State University does not discriminate against students, employees, or applicants for admission or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs, and activities sponsored by MTSU. The Assistant to the President for Institutional Equity and Compliance has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and can be reached at Cope Administration Building 116, 1301 East Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; Marian.Wilson@mtsu.edu; or 615-898-2185 The MTSU policy on non-discrimination can be found at mtsu.edu/iec.
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Brought to you by the MTSU Alumni Association
EDITOR'S LET TER
True Blue Love Story
From the deepest bonds of a lasting romance is emerging a lasting legacy that will help MTSU students for a long time. Longtime donor Don Witherspoon recently made a $25,000 gift to fund the Hanna Romans Witherspoon Endowed Scholarship in honor of his wife. Both are alumni. Dale Clifford, a Psychology major with minors in Social Welfare and Musical Theatre, is the first recipient of the scholarship created for Honors College undergraduates who work as library student assistants. On track to graduate in December, Clifford is working on an Honors thesis studying the positive effects of music therapy in school. Honors College Dean John Vile has known the Witherspoons well for years. “Not all scholarships have a love story behind them, but this one is especially poignant because it was a gift from Don to his wife, whom he had met while she was working at the University library,” Vile said. Nearly 60 years ago, a chance meeting blossomed into romance after Don dashed into the library to return a book. Last year, for Hanna’s birthday, Don had an idea. “She has everything she needs,” he said, “and I thought this would be a nice way to honor her.” Hanna, a Czech national born in the Philippines, came to
by Drew Ruble
Tennessee at age 6 after her mother married an American soldier from Pikeville. For all four years of her college life, Hanna worked in the library. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1964, married Don in August after they both graduated that year, and retired in 1999 following careers in secondary school education and with American Airlines. Since the Witherspoons moved to Murfreesboro in 2000, she’s been involved with numerous philanthropic groups, including Alive Hospice, the United Way, MTSU Foundation, and MTSU Alumni Association. “Don and Hanna have been stalwart alumni and loyal supporters of the Honors College,” Vile said. The Witherspoons also have created scholarships for incoming freshmen and recently made a $500,000 commitment to the Build Blue athletics campaign for facilities improvements (see page 31). Clifford, a senior from Cottontown who is interested in music therapy, said the $1,000 award provides an opportunity to expand his academic career and possibly help pay for graduate school. “This scholarship will help my family . . . not have to struggle with loans, which takes so much stress off of us,” Clifford said. To learn more about the scholarship, contact MTSU’s director of development initiatives at paul.wydra@mtsu.edu. [Editor’s note: Gina K. Logue contributed significantly to this report.] Winter 2022 5
FIVE MINUTES WITH THE PRESIDENT
Justice for All
Social justice initiative looks at systemic racism and marginalized groups.
A brief conversation on recent events with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee Tell us about MTSU’s new Social Justice and Equality Initiative. Issues surrounding social justice continue to reverberate in public discussions and debates throughout our community and country, which is why University Provost Mark Byrnes and I appointed MTSU History Professor Louis Woods as the first Presidential Fellow for Social Justice and Equality last year. Woods, an associate professor of African American history and former Africana Studies program director, has taught at MTSU since 2007 and previously served as president of the MTSU Black Faculty and Staff Association. His research in areas such as systemic discrimination in housing
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and home lending has appeared in a number of academic journals. As part of this fellowship, Woods has been leading a campuswide initiative that provides an opportunity for the University and wider community to build a foundation for racial reconciliation, honest and open dialogue, and impactful change. Talk about the impetus for the creation of this initiative. We’re hard-wired to respond to graphic images. That’s why we’re still shocked by the sepia photograph of an enslaved man whose naked back is a thicket of scar tissue, and still disgusted by black-and-white pictures of Selma police
Louis Woods, MTSU’s new Presidential Fellow for Social Justice and Equality
officers clubbing and tear-gassing peaceful protesters dressed in their Sunday best. But it takes emotional energy to reflect on what changed, and especially what didn’t, in the hundred years between “Whipped Peter” and “Bloody Sunday.” And it takes mental energy to understand how the cancer of segregation metastasized into myriad chronic symptoms—from poverty to academic underperformance to police brutality—still disproportionately afflicting African Americans.
“ If a viral video can inspire a national conversation about systemic racism . . . I’m ready to participate.” George Floyd’s death was graphic: prolonged torture perpetrated with devastating nonchalance by someone sworn to protect and serve. It was those details, rather than another unlawful killing of an unarmed black man, that elicited such a visceral national response. If a viral video can inspire a national conversation about systemic racism, however, I’m ready to participate. In truth, there is always more that can be done to combat this. Give us more details on what you expect the initiative to achieve. MTSU’s Social Justice and Equality Initiative aims to directly address four areas: curriculum, workforce development and inclusion, campus climate, and community outreach. In addition to systemic racism,
the initiative also looks to address the concerns of marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ community and other underrepresented populations. To facilitate the process, Provost Byrnes and I also appointed a Social Justice and Equality Task Force, an advisory group chaired by Woods that is made up of faculty, staff, administrators, and students. With the backing of the MTSU Board of Trustees, we also are taking steps again to seek removal of Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s name from our Army ROTC building. Since our first attempt was rejected in 2018, the Tennessee Historical Commission last July approved removal of a bust of Forrest from the state capitol. Our task force will research and gather information about the four areas of focus and then present me with recommendations on how the University can address these areas in meaningful ways. I’m also pleased to have MTSU alumna and Professor Lynda Williams from the Department of Criminal Justice Administration serving as vice chair of the task force. She possesses more than three decades of law enforcement experience and recently served as president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. In May, she testified virtually before the U.S. House Administration Committee in its investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Final thoughts? My sincere thanks to all task force members for their ongoing contributions, and I look forward to reviewing their recommendations on how we can make our True Blue community more equitable and inviting for all.
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SCENE ON CAMPUS
Sept. 10 ROTC remembrance for 9/11 20th anniversary
Aug. 21 Convocation welcome to Class of 2025
Aug. 27 Night of Comedy with Nicole Byer
Sept. 3
Future Alumni pop-up
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Sept. 29 Tay Keith sneak peek of new recording studios
Sept. 17 ACLU’s Hedy Weinberg on Constitution Day panel
Sept. 30 Fun at Fall Fest
Oct. 1 Having a blast at Blue Zoo Bash
Oct. 6 Pulitzer Prize winner Mitchell Jackson on Ahmaud Arbery article
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EVENTS
Events Calendar
Feb. 3–March 17 Baldwin Photo Gallery “Still, Trees,” David Paul Bayles Public lecture: Feb. 19, 3 p.m.
Mark your calendar for upcoming events around campus Feb. 5, 5 p.m. Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m. Hinton Music Hall Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration
Murphy Center Women’s basketball vs. UAB
Feb. 17, 1:30 p.m. KUC Theater Lecture: Jason Riley, author of Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell
Feb. 26, 6 p.m. Murphy Center Men’s basketball vs. Western Kentucky
March 5, 2 p.m. Murphy Center Women’s basketball vs. Old Dominion
April 7–9
March 28, 8 p.m. Hinton Music Hall Stones River Chamber Players, “Journey”
Student Union LGBT+ College Conference/film festival Presentation/panel on Archivettes lesbian history documentary April 7, 11 a.m.
April 7–10 Tucker Theatre Fun Home musical
April 21–23 Tucker Theatre Spring Dance Concert
More events and details at mtsu.edu/calendar
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June 10, 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Miller Education Center Positive Aging Conference
#MyMTStor y
How did you meet your sweetheart at MTSU? We asked True Blue couples to share memories of how they met their mates at MTSU. See more stories and pics at mtalumni.com/sweethearts.
J oshua (’04) and Katie Tompkins Harris (’05) Josh was on the football team (quarterback) and had broken his collarbone. I was on the softball team and had dislocated my kneecap sliding into 2nd base. We both had to do rehab in the training room. That's where we met! . . . Another football player ended up helping us get together for a board game night. Josh has called me every day since.
arrel (’13) and Artesia Hart D Price (’12)
Darrel and I accidentally met on campus in the Fall of 2009 through mutual friends . . . Our very first encounter I offered Darrel my all-time freshman year favorite, Easy Mac, only to find out that he had a dairy allergy.
eorge “Brazo” (’74) and Diana G Patterson Barry (’74)
I was in the House of Representatives at MTSU. Brazo came in from the Senate to present a bill . . . He was a cheerleader so our first date was to the Tenn Tech football game. He had to hitchhike to Nashville to borrow a car. lan (’92) and Kelly Jackson A Farley (’93)
Met my freshman year at MTSU 1986 at the MTSU 75th Anniversary parade . . . No matter how hard I tried to get her to skip class on a beautiful spring day, she never would. I guess that’s the difference between a business student and a math student.
ichael (’06) and Amy Bell M Shirley (’01) I was working for a local veterinarian when one of our clients walked in to introduce to my boss a college student who was renting a room in her house. I remember exactly where I was standing and what I was doing . . . Amy says that she really became interested in me when I stood up at an ag department karaoke/cookout event and sang “Love Potion Number Nine”! J ames “Pat” (’69) and Lynn Small ONeal (’69)
Lynn was editor of the yearbook and I was the student government VP along with serving as the cadet brigade commander. Lynn was living in the honor house, so I could go there to cook wild game—rabbits and quail! First date was “interesting.”
Cory (’16) and Amanda Uhls (’16) Cory and I met at RUF (campus ministry) our freshman year, but we danced around each other for almost a year. Sophomore year started and I had a history class Tuesday nights that would keep me from going to RUF. After the first I dropped the class and signed up for the only other history class that had an opening. Turns out Cory was in that class.
Ed (’74) and Carolyn Gregory (’04) We met in January 1974 at a fraternity party following the MTSU/APSU basketball game that we won in OT. On March 17, we had our first date— at Sir Pizza. In August of 1974 Ed graduated and was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army. . . In January 2004 I went back through the RODP program and graduated from MTSU.
uincy Bowles and Ashleigh Q Roeser (’16) Quincy and I met in 2013 at MT Lambda, the LGBTQ+ club on campus. Our lives took us in opposite directions for 4 years, but 9 months after we reconnected my bags were packed and I was driving across the country. . . . We would not have crossed paths without being True Blue.
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GRADUATE STUDIES
IN YOUR REACH A graduate degree can provide you with additional expertise, increased earnings, and improved job security. MTSU offers more than 100 affordable graduate degree programs, many of which are nationally ranked, to help you reach your potential. Degrees include: • Strategic Leadership • Industrial / Organizational Psychology • Public History
• Supply Chain Management • Business Intelligence and Analytics and many more!
mtsu.edu/graduate
REQUIRED READING
Required Reading Black Cowboys of Rodeo Keith Ryan Cartwright, B.S. in Journalism (’01) SPORTS HISTORY
Described as an “essential corrective to the lily-white history of the cowboy and the American West that has been promoted by motion pictures and white supremacists for centuries,” Cartwright’s book profiles unheralded Black men and women who scraped their way to make a living in rodeo. The stories of pioneers like Myrtis Dightman, called the Jackie Robinson of Rodeo after being the first Black cowboy to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo, are told against the backdrop of Reconstruction, Jim Crow, segregation, the civil rights movement, and eventually the integration of a racially divided country. Actor/producer and activist Danny Glover wrote the book’s foreword. Cartwright, an adjunct professor at MTSU, is a communications specialist for Rutherford County Schools and previously served as editorial director and senior writer for Professional Bull Riders Inc.
The Witches of Hant Hollow 2
Eleanor’s Daughter
The Family Business
D.F. Jones,
June Hall McCash,
Keel Hunt,
B.S. in Sociology (’82)
Professor Emerita, World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
B.A. in English (’71)
YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Jones worked as a broadcast consultant in Nashville television before opening her own marketing agency. In 2014, she started writing her debut novel, Ruby’s Choice. More recent works Alien Embrace, ATTRA Chronicles I, Spinning Time, and The Witches of Hant Hollow 2, among others, have appeared on Amazon’s top 100 and USA Today’s bestseller lists. Most of her books are based in Rutherford County and showcase local folklore. Whether it’s angels or demons, time travel adventures, witches, wizards, or ghosts, her books are actionpacked with supernatural and romantic elements.
HISTORICAL NOVEL
McCash won first place in the Chaucer competition of the Chanticleer International Book Awards for her 14th book, which tells the story of the oldest daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII. Marie de Champagne, who lived in 12th-century France, was the daughter of a king, sister of three kings, and mother of a king. Her story of the competing demands of the political world with family, honor, and desire still resonates today. McCash is a recipient of MTSU’s Career Achievement and Distinguished Research awards.
MEDIA HISTORY
Hunt illuminates how Ingram Content Group, a Tennessee-based publishing wholesaler that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, transformed the industry worldwide. A contributing columnist for The Tennessean, Hunt began his career as a reporter, editorial writer, Washington correspondent, and city editor for the newspaper. He later became special assistant to Gov. Lamar Alexander, served as staff director of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and consulted for some of Tennessee’s largest institutions with his public affairs firm. Hunt’s previous books on Tennessee politics include Coup and Crossing the Aisle.
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FACULT Y SPOTLIGHT
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In the Spotlight Katherine Foss experienced 2020 as the professor who wrote the book on American epidemics and attained major media exposure story by Allison Gorman and photos by J. Intintoli
Early in 2020, as it was dawning on Americans that their lives were about to change in some drastic but unknowable way, MTSU’s Katherine Foss got a phone call from The New York Times. Thus began the steady influx of requests from newspapers, magazines, broadcasters, and podcasters wanting to talk to the woman who wrote the book on epidemics in the United States. Foss, a professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, couldn’t answer the nation’s pressing epidemiological questions, like how this mysterious new virus spread or who was most vulnerable. But she could offer perspective— from comforting to cautionary—on our past public health crises and the narratives that shaped our responses to them. Her book Constructing the Outbreak: Epidemics in Media and Collective Memory, published in September 2020, revisits scenes from seven inflection points in our country’s public health history—from 1721 in smallpox-ravaged Boston, where authorities debated whether to try inoculation, suggested by an enslaved man who had been inoculated in his native Africa; to turn-ofthe-century New York City, where Irish immigrant “Typhoid” Mary Mallon was the victim of forced isolation and demonization; to 1952 in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, where overflowing polio wards reflected a terrifying virus at its peak, even as Dr. Jonas Salk was on the verge of a vaccine. Back in 2016, when Foss decided to write the book, she couldn’t have anticipated that its publication would align with the deadliest epidemic America had seen in more than a century. She says her sudden popularity with the media during the COVID-19 outbreak was “a curiosity.” So was living through the kind of event she’d just finished writing about.
Crises and Controversies Since joining the MTSU faculty in 2008, Foss has carved out a scholarly niche at the intersection of media and medicine in the United States. Author of three books and editor of three more, she has written extensively about how news and entertainment media shape Americans’ understanding of public health issues and how they serve as “gatekeepers” who frame our collective memory of epidemics and similar crises. When COVID-19 turned into an American public health crisis, Foss was as blindsided as the rest of us, but she saw the controversies coming. In early January 2020, as worrisome reports about the virus were just making landfall here, Foss’ teaching assistant mentioned that she was trying to find masks to send to her family in China.
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FACULT Y SPOTLIGHT
“I casually remarked that I just couldn’t imagine that Americans would ever be willing to wear masks—that individualism would prohibit such collective action,” Foss blogged later. “I had no idea that we were on the cusp of a global pandemic.” In early February, Foss penned an opinion piece for The Tennessean reminding readers that the flu posed a greater public health hazard. The piece “became outdated almost immediately,” she said.
Foss has carved out a scholarly niche at the intersection of media and medicine in the United States. But it was also prescient. In the op-ed, Foss warned that “misinformation has distorted and impaired flu vaccination efforts” and that a “lapse in the collective memory of infectious disease feeds anti-vaccination rhetoric that undermines public health efforts to curb transmission.” In other words, time and first-world privilege had eroded Americans’ reasonable fear of contagious illnesses. More than a hundred years after the 1918 influenza outbreak killed 675,000 of us, we had 16 MTSU Magazine
forgotten what it was like to have family and friends felled by a virus in devastating numbers.
Historical Parallels It was extreme politicization of a public health crisis in the United States—a situation as novel as the virus itself— that sparked that February phone call from the Times. But the many interviews that followed generally focused on historical comparisons, as people looked to the past to make sense of a bewildering present. The media’s preferred touchpoint was the “Spanish flu” in 1918, which took nearly six times more American lives than World War I in less than half the time. Yet in our collective memory, Foss says, it was eventually reduced to “a footnote” of the war. Foss was suddenly on the receiving end of such questions as “How did Americans celebrate Halloween in 1918?” (Most cities banned or scaled back celebrations, she told History.com— although it was more of an adult holiday then.) She also tried to correct misinformation about that pandemic. Foss found little evidence to support the narrative that there were a significant number of “antimaskers” in 1918, although wearing masks to prevent the spread of infection was a new concept then. And she
Hands-On Research
was frustrated by frequent parallels drawn between “waves” of influenza then and COVID-19, because a century ago Americans didn’t have timely information to adjust their behavior to an emerging outbreak. She thinks a closer comparison is polio: In the early to mid-20th century, as with COVID-19 in its early stages, no one understood how polio spread or who might succumb to it. Most infected people felt fine or had mild symptoms; others were paralyzed or died. In 1937, a late-summer surge in polio, which notoriously struck young children, led Chicago Public Schools to develop “radio school,” the original remote learning. Foss wrote about that pioneering moment for The Conversation online news outlet. During COVID-19, Foss published many epidemic-themed articles in popular media, from Smithsonian Magazine to The Washington Post. But the remote-learning piece really struck a chord. As COVID-19 upended a second academic year, the virus was making the logistics of family life nearly impossible, especially for working mothers. And parents of school-age children were tearing their hair out trying to keep them engaged academically. Foss, who has two children, was right there too.
The same week in March 2020 that MTSU shifted classes online and public schools shut down, Foss received the final proofs for Constructing the Outbreak. While figuring out how to teach and parent in totally new ways, she also had to work COVID-19 into her completed book so it wouldn’t be obsolete before publication. It probably benefited that she didn’t have the freedom to make big changes, she says. “Even speculating wouldn’t have worked . . . because optimistic me, I couldn’t fathom how long the crisis would go on. Part of this was just a way of coping, just thinking, ‘Things will get better.’ ” Like so many of us, she slogged through. Making weird pandemic purchases. (“Drowning in stress,” she bought a rubber boat so her daughters could paddle around their rain-flooded backyard.) Going to heroic lengths to make homeschool fun. (“My kids were not amused when I woke them up dressed like Maria von Trapp on Sound of Music day.”) And eventually things did get better—including book sales. Not that selling books has ever been her motivation for writing them as an academic. Nevertheless, Constructing the Outbreak has been doing brisk business on Amazon. Foss really hasn’t been paying attention, though; she’s planning her next book. The pandemic isn’t over, but Foss says there’s no time to waste. If they’re not contained, memories mutate. She can’t let that happen. MTSU
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CAMPUS CULTURE
Collage: A Journal of Creative Expression is a biannual publication of MTSU’s Honors College. Each semester a student-led committee receives entries of creative work, such as art, photography, short stories, essays, short plays, song lyrics, poetry, audio, and video from students and recent alumni. mtsu.edu/collage
To Reach You Photography Collage
Nallely Ortega Prater
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Spaces Between Stars by Carrie Wright If I wanted I could cast my self Into the spaces Between the stars And float around In musing spirals. I could wrestle My regrets of the past I could finagle My fears for the future I could try defining My ultimate Place in The Universe Like everyone does at 2:30 A.M.
Euphoria Illustration
Amber Puls
I could. But, If I got lost In the spaces Between the stars Chasing circles and Empty questions, I’d forget The ones who need me In the morning.
The Hive Sculpture
Rylee Campbell
Elizabeth’s Houses Video
James Roberson
Ana
Colored pencil portrait on paper collage
Eli Ward
Bongo Dodgeball Video
Julian Brown Winter 2022 19
OLD SCHOOL
Old School A look back at MTSU’s past from our photo archives—Coeds play badminton in the gym c. 1954, an era when MTSU abandoned women's intercollegiate athletics from 1947 until 1974. MTSU’s nine current women’s sports include tennis, which is building a new multimillion-dollar outdoor complex.
photo by Nathan Wallach
NEW SCHOOL
New School Surf ’n’ turf in paradise—The Blue Raiders mixed business with pleasure, enjoying fun at the beach and a 31-24 Bahamas Bowl win over Toledo.
Introducing the 2021 recipients This year’s group of seven talented alumni recognized by the MTSU Alumni Association “shows the breadth of success of our graduates,” said Ginger Freeman, director of MTSU’s Office of Alumni Relations. The highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, has been awarded since 1960. The Young Alumni Achievement Award is given to a graduate age 35 or younger making a positive impact in the world. A new citation for Military Service was added this year to numerous True Blue Citations of Distinction.
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Winter 2022 25
Torrance Esmond (’03) Music executive, producer, composer, and adjunct MTSU professor 26 MTSU Magazine
Distinguished Alumnus by Skip Anderson
Grammy winner, MTSU faculty member, and philanthropist Torrance Esmond adds to his abundance of awards Known by the rap moniker “Street Symphony,” under which he won Grammy, Dove, and Stellar awards, producer-songwriter Torrance Esmond (’03) introduces himself lately by his birth name, and as the founder of Track or Die, a production and music publishing company. Esmond is also an adjunct faculty member who teaches Hip-Hop/R&B Songwriting in MTSU’s storied Recording Industry program, where he earned his degree. “The music business has changed a lot since I was in school,” Esmond said. “Nowadays, everybody has a laptop, a mic, and an interface to record. You don’t have to go to the studio to get your ideas out anymore. There’s a lot more diversity and interest in being diverse. And the students today are more diversified in terms of music.” Esmond knows a thing or two about finding strength in diversity. “I grew up with Memphis blues and Nashville country. I listened to rap and Guns N’ Roses,” he said, then pauses and sings a few lines from Garth Brooks’ ballad “The Dance.” “My tastes are so diverse—I try to master the art of being simple but not basic.” Esmond, who was born in Memphis and graduated from Nashville’s Hume-Fogg Academic High School, accepted an academic scholarship to MTSU. Once on campus, he joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. His sophomore year proved to be pivotal—life-changing, even. He entered MTSU as an Engineering Technology major (“not audio-related”) before changing his major to Recording Industry. He has rap behemoths Big Boi and André 3000, the Grammy-winning duo known as Outkast, to thank for that. High school friends invited him to Florida A&M’s Kappa Luau, where Outkast was touring off of the success of double-platinum album Aquemini.
eventually took over management and A&R responsibilities of Lecrae’s label, Reach Records. Together they won multiple Grammy, Dove, and Stellar awards. But the music industry can be quick to pigeonhole talent, and the risk was real that Esmond’s professional pursuits would be limited to Christian music—a smaller market. Having proved himself as a music executive, he launched Track or Die, which works with many top artists. The company produced Nipsey Hussle’s “Hussle & Motivate,” a song former first lady Michelle Obama included on her 2020 workout playlist. At MTSU, Esmond brings such heavy-hitting professionals into his classroom for the benefit of the students. “You hear people talk about networking at college. It’s easy to think that these are just your friends. But 10 or 15 years later, you see them doing things, and you’re able to tap back into that network,” Esmond said. For instance, MTSU friend Aeshia DeVore Branch is married to Al Branch, who was general manager of Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records and was pivotal to the careers of Kanye, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne. He was a 2020 guest in Esmond’s class. There’s a bit of a folklore—if not superstition—that a new success can occur shortly after a guest speaker’s visit to Esmond’s class, too. Country music’s Breland charted a song within weeks, and other guests benefited from projects by Cardi B and Chris Brown. “Probably the biggest songwriter we’ve had was Sean Garrett, who has written for Beyonce and Destiny’s Child— he also wrote Usher’s biggest hit, ‘Yeah!’ ” Esmond said. “. . . He was in the studio with Usher at the time.” Esmond also provides real-world assists to his students. “I took Lanie Gardner under my wing in 2019,” he said. “She was a standout student, and she ended up going viral for a video of her covering Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ and eventually got signed to RCA Records.” In 2015, Esmond established the Street Symphony Scholarship to help MTSU Recording Industry students.
“That show was just so dynamic, I knew then and there that was what I wanted to do for sure,” Esmond said. “That concert changed everything.”
“It was a scholarship that helped me get through college,” he said. “I thought it would be a great way to give back to the university that gave to me.”
After graduating, Esmond worked with massive rap artists in Atlanta, including Ludacris, and hip-hop artists in Houston, while his MTSU fraternity brother Lecrae Moore was doing hip-hop gospel and Christian rap. Esmond
Innovative, successful, philanthropic, and scholarly, Esmond is certainly a deserving recipient of the MTSU Alumni Association’s highest honor. Winter 2022 27
Young Alumni Achievement Gabrielle Thompson (’12, ’15) Free for Life International executive director and CEO
Thompson, who holds a master’s in International Affairs and a bachelor’s in Global Studies from MTSU, has a heart for empowerment and justice for vulnerable world populations. The Nashville resident has expanded Free for Life International’s work to seven countries, rescued 700-plus human trafficking victims, developed prevention and interception curricula, and created a survivor scholarship and mentorship program. See related article, page 36.
Military Service Col. Joel Cook (’92, ’93) U.S. Air Force director/chief at Air Combat Command headquarters
Cook, of Yorktown, Virginia, who graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Aerospace, has spent 30 years in the U.S. Air Force. He has flown more than 150 combat missions, previously served as a vice wing commander, and is decorated with 13 major awards. He leads a division responsible for managing all Combat Air Forces special access programs and directs incorporation of advanced technologies for future combat.
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Achievement in Education (non-MTSU) J. Mitchell Miller (’90, ’91) University of North Florida’s John A. Delaney Presidential Professor
Miller, of Middleburg, Florida, earned MTSU bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice Administration and is one of the nation’s most heavily funded criminologists. He has spearheaded initiatives to implement drug and mental health treatment programs in incarceration settings. He served as lead evaluator of the Moscow Police Command College for the U.S. State Department and advised two U.S. attorneys general.
Achievement in Education (MTSU) Rebecca Foote (’05) MTSU Department of Accounting master instructor coordinator
Foote, who received her master’s in Accounting/ Information Systems at MTSU, has been a faculty member since 2006 and received the 2010 MTSU Outstanding Teacher Award. A certified public accountant, she is instructor for the CPA Exam Review courses and has been cited 19 separate semesters as an instructor “who makes a real difference."
Winter 2022 29
Service to Community Col. Barry Melton (’82) Civil Air Patrol dean of on-site education for Volunteer University
Melton, a Recording Industry graduate from Cleveland, Tennessee, has worked with the Civil Air Patrol, the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, since 1986. During 2015–19, he was CAP Southeast region commander, responsible for 9,000 members in six states as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Melton holds master or senior ratings in five CAP specialties, and is employed with Westmore Church of God in Cleveland.
Service to University Chip Walters (’85) MTSU’s “Voice of the Blue Raiders”
This year marks the 31st season in the booth for Walters, who has handled play-by-play duties for football and men’s basketball since April 2009. He holds the third-longest tenure for MTSU broadcasters. An alumnus of the broadcast journalism program, Walters’ volunteer service includes 12 years as a board member of the MTSU Alumni Association, helping revamp the alumni awards programs to allow for more graduates to be recognized. He also is a skilled master of ceremonies at events across campus.
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MTSU's Build Blue campaign will provide all 17 Blue Raider athletic programs with the resources and infrastructure necessary to remain competitive in collegiate athletics. MT Athletics is a major contributor to the success of MTSU. Our athletic programs are the window into the institution, bringing regional and national recognition to our campus and providing a valuable link to alumni and the midstate community while gaining public support for the University. As the first part of a $100 million-plus plan to upgrade athletics facilities, MTSU has already secured $66 million to enhance Floyd Stadium and build a new student-athlete performance center behind the north end zone. This first phase should be completed before the 2024 football season.
The Build Blue fundraising campaign is under way, seeking at least $15 million over five years for the three-phase project. MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said the project underscores the University's commitment to providing the highest level of performance in competition and in the classroom. Coaches and athletic administrators called the project a game-changer. "Imagine . . . a place that is inviting, highly functional, and home to a state-of-the-art fan experience," McPhee said. "A place where our student-athletes get the training and tools they need—on the field and in the classroom – to reach their greatest potential. A place we share for the future of Blue Raider Athletics.”
IT IS TIME TO BUILD BLUE!
PHASE 1
Student-Athlete Performance Center The Student-Athlete Performance Center (SAPC) will be constructed on the site of the current weight room and gameday rooms adjacent to Murphy Center. The multistory building will house new athletic training, strength and conditioning, and equipment centers, which will benefit all student-athletes. Additionally, the SAPC will house football personnel offices, the football locker room, and a players lounge.
WAYS TO GIVE Online mtsu.edu/supportbuildblue Check Make your check payable to the MTSU Foundation, and in the memo line write “Build Blue Campaign.” Mail to: Office of Development MTSU Box 109, Murfreesboro TN 37132
Matching Gifts Many companies will match the gifts of their employees to qualifying charities. Some double or triple the amount. Your company’s human resources department can provide details and the matching gift form.
Stock
PHASE 2
Murphy Center Upgrades and revitalization to Murphy Center will provide a grander and fan-friendly entrance, a large interior atrium, and a ticket office. Creation of a regulation 94-foot NCAA court with state-of-the-art training and skill centers will bolster both men’s and women’s basketball programs. Since all football offices and locker rooms will relocate to the SAPC, space will become available for men’s basketball locker rooms and coaches offices.
Your gift of appreciated stock is tax deductible and helps you avoid long-term capital gains taxes. It is typically to your advantage to transfer appreciated securities to the MTSU Foundation directly rather than selling them and giving cash. Please contact Rhonda Stansberry at 615-898-5006 for instructions on making this transfer, even if you have given stock previously.
IRA Distribution Using an IRA to make a charitable donation can help lower a tax bill and help MTSU. Distributions must be made directly to MTSU Foundation, not to the owner or beneficiary. Call Pat Branam at 615-494-8409 for more information.
MTSU REMAINS IN
PHASE 3
Multipurpose Practice Facility Indoor practice facility will be located east of the SAPC. The climate-controlled facility will provide all athletic programs an indoor space to practice and train regardless of weather conditions.
Last fall, as we watched the landscape for Division I athletics evolve, MTSU was proactive and diligent in evaluating our opportunities, always with the best interests of the University as the singular guiding principle. We greatly appreciated the interest other conferences showed in our athletics program and in our University, as it was a testament to the overall excellence of our institution, both athletically and academically. However, after careful consideration and due diligence, I reaffirmed our commitment to Conference USA. With the addition of four new members, C-USA offers a strong footprint in the South and Southwest, providing opportunities to develop new regional rivalries while staying connected to traditional opponents that our fans want. Building on the conference’s storied history of success, I believe our continued affiliation offers our Blue Raider community the greatest opportunity for success and should enhance our fan engagement. Working with our four remaining members, as well as our new partners, Conference USA is poised to rebrand itself as a premier conference in the Group of Five. We look forward to the opportunities that our expanded relationship will provide and want to assure our fans that, regardless of conference affiliations, our goals remain the same, as we pursue championships in all our sports.
Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU president
2022
Give to anything you love on campus, including: A Department or Program Band of Blue A Student Organization Athletics
or give to support students in need: Scholarships Student Safety Net Fund Student Mental Health COunseling
14,15, 16
Young Alumni honoree Gabrielle Thompson devotes her life to preventing human trafficking and restoring freedom to victims story by Allison Gorman and illustration by Tim Shawl
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Winter 2022 37
For Gabrielle Thompson, the moment came in 2015, inside a building on the 30-block stretch that makes up Delhi’s infamous red-light district. Flanked by a protective detail of local men, she made her way past the first-floor retail space to the second and third floors, where the women would reach through barred windows to wave scarves at potential buyers outside. “One woman was doing that, and she looked at me and I looked at her—we made eye contact—and she was probably my age. There was something about that moment where I . . .” Thompson’s voice trailed off. She’ll allude to the moment, but she doesn’t often talk about it. “There’s no answer as to why it’s her and not me. We’re equals. She’s my age, she’s a woman. And here she is, living in a brothel, all because of life situations that were completely out of her control.”
There are seven types of human trafficking that together affect 40 million people worldwide. Thompson was 25, a year out of her master’s program in International Affairs at MTSU and the new CEO and executive director of Nashville-based nonprofit Free for Life International, which combats human trafficking and helps survivors. What Thompson witnessed in that Indian brothel only hinted at the horrors to which the woman in the window, and countless others like her, were subjected. “That day we partnered with an organization that specialized in raids,” Thompson said. “They showed us GoPro footage from the raids they had done in that brothel district. Women hidden in the walls, under the floorboards, in cages. That day changed my life.”
Woman on a Mission Thompson says everyone she knows who works to fight trafficking can describe their own life-changing moment. Hers was a moment of confirmation: “I just thought, ‘These are my sisters, and I want to serve them.’ ” She’d had that conviction since she was a teenager. Growing up with artist parents in Los Angeles and then Franklin, Tennessee, she was fascinated by National Geographic and similar photographic books that filled their home, especially by the photos of girls in other countries. She recalls wondering what their lives were like—and her dawning realization that their access to basic freedoms and opportunity depended entirely on where they happened to live. By age 15, she’d settled on her life’s mission. “The one thing I knew was that I wanted to serve women and girls internationally, but I had never met anyone doing that,” said Thompson, this year’s MTSU Young Alumni Achievement Award honoree. “So when I got to MTSU, I knew what I wanted to do but had no idea how to do it. That’s when I found the Global Studies [program].” “There’s a particular kind of student who picks our degree,” said Jim Chaney, assistant professor of Global Studies and Human Geography. “One of the things that the former dean [Karen Petersen] would always preach, and I totally agree with it, is that liberal arts is about critical thinking, making a difference, making society better. And students that are attracted
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photo by J. Intintoli
Winter 2022 39
to the College of Liberal Arts and Global Studies, I like to think they have something a little bit different. They want something better for humanity, and they want to make a difference.”
graduated and moved to Costa Rica, where she worked for a nonprofit providing microloans to impoverished female entrepreneurs. A year later, Thompson was back in touch, telling Chaney about her new job.
Chaney was that student too. After earning a graduate certificate at MTSU and before completing his doctorate, he did nonprofit work in post-Katrina New Orleans, helping the undocumented population, who were easy targets of labor traffickers.
“She told me she’d found something that was a major problem, that broke her heart, but at the same time she thought she could do something about it and make a difference,” he said. “That’s what makes her tick.”
“They were making them work, holding their money back, threatening to deport them or turn them in to the police if they didn’t do something, controlling where they lived, all these different things,” he said.
Most trafficking victims aren’t snatched off the street but groomed by someone. When Chaney and Thompson met, in 2014, he had just joined MTSU’s faculty as an instructor. She had her bachelor’s in Global Studies and was a master’s student in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, focused on empowering women through education and economic opportunity. He remembers having the “make a difference” conversation with her informally, over beers, then losing touch when she
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Filling the Gaps Free for Life was founded in 2006 by Colette Wise. Her focus was primarily sex trafficking. It was intense, groundlevel work—rescuing enslaved women in India and Nepal, and running a safe house for survivors in Thailand, in partnership with local anti-trafficking groups. By 2013, Wise was ready to entrust Free for Life to a new executive director. Two years later she was still looking for the right person for the job. Then Gabrielle Thompson applied. When Thompson walked in for the interview, Wise stood up. “You’re the one,” she said. “She offered me the job without even reading my résumé,” Thompson recalled. “Now, that bothered me. I said, ‘You need to read my résumé. I’ve worked really hard to get here.’ ” Thompson had initially hesitated to apply for the position. But once she took the reins, she charted a new, ambitious
course for Free for Life to combat human trafficking in a more robust, holistic way. She expanded its international reach, concentrating on where the need was greatest; it now serves the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Peru in addition to India, Nepal, Thailand, and the United States. She overhauled its existing programs and developed new ones based on her research at MTSU, where she’d studied “the push-pull factors that lead to female-focused oppression” and how to scale up grassroots-level action to create generational change.
These are my sisters, and I want to serve them. “I was able to use the sustainable tools of development that I had learned and implemented and worked on for such a long time into the programs and the story of Free for Life International and the survivors that we serve,” Thompson said. Because there are many domestic and international organizations involved in anti-trafficking work, particularly sex trafficking, her goal was to fill the gaps in service. She created tiered programming to cover what she calls “the story of trafficking”:
• rescue, through transit-monitoring stations • r ehabilitation, through entities like safe houses, where residents can stay as long as they need • restoration of survivors For that last piece, Thompson created a new domestic program—the only one of its kind in the U.S.—that offers scholarships and one-on-one mentoring for trafficking survivors, with no time limit for degree completion. “We specifically only do vocational or education, and we actually expanded it to support one-time Ph.D. or master’s gifts,” Thompson said. “But otherwise, for bachelor’s students, we will support them their entire degree, even if it takes seven years. It’s completely renewable.” Since the program was established four years ago, survivors have learned a variety of trades and disciplines through Free for Life, from welding to theology to biomedical engineering.
Changing the Calculation Another direct-service program Thompson added covers the alternate story of trafficking—that is, trafficking that doesn’t happen. Chaney, who has served on various Free for Life committees since 2017 and on its board since 2019, notes that the journey from rescue to restoration is long and expensive.
Education and awareness program in Nepal Winter 2022 41
“They say it takes five years for the trauma of trafficking to wear off to where people can actually operate normally,” he said. Free for Life has rescued 2,251 women and children so far, and it commits to walking that long journey with each one. But that’s not the best way to effect broad change. “Once a victim has been in trafficking, it’s a lot harder to fix the damage,” Chaney said. “Prevention is the key.” To that end, Thompson and her team developed training for domestic and international organizations that work with communities at risk of exploitation—children in orphanages and foster care, refugees and immigrants, runaways and homeless youth—so they understand how traffickers operate and recognize red flags. Chaney says it’s important to realize that most trafficking victims aren’t snatched off the street but groomed by someone who earns their trust over time. “They’re trying to hook them: lay a bait, build rapport, then pull them in,” he said. “A lot of people who are being trafficked don’t even realize it until it’s too late.”
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A fluent Spanish speaker, Chaney has traveled with Thompson to Latin America to conduct trainings. She and her team travel constantly, meeting people where they are. But the pandemic required recalibrating the prevention program, Thompson says—not just because international travel and in-person training became unsafe, but also because the risk to vulnerable communities was suddenly exponentially higher.
It takes five years for the trauma of trafficking to wear off. So she took the prevention training virtual, expanding its reach in the U.S. and abroad, while also making an aggressive push for prevention training in Nashville, working with Youth Villages, Boys and Girls Clubs, Catholic Charities, and similar organizations. Internationally, she shifted Free for Life’s resources from rescue efforts to COVID-19 relief, providing daily wage earners with food, water, medical supplies, and other necessities so they’d be less susceptible to exploitation.
The safe house stopped taking new residents during lockdown, but the women and girls there were given computers to continue their educations online.
Undeterred If Colette Wise needed verification that Gabrielle Thompson was “the one,” the continued efficacy and growth of Free for Life, even during a global pandemic, has provided it. “Gabrielle took a fledgling organization focused mainly in South and Southeast Asia—the scholarship program wasn’t up and running, the prevention program wasn’t up and running—and opened it up to different areas,” Chaney said. “Since I’ve been there it’s really started to grow. Not because of me, because of her.” Despite COVID-19, Thompson managed to open another transit-monitoring station in India in 2020. This one is primarily focused on rescuing boys from labor trafficking, another global scourge. There are seven types of human trafficking that together affect 40 million people worldwide, but Thompson estimates that 90% of resources go to sex trafficking “because it gets money and headlines.” She hopes to begin correcting that differential over the next few years. Free for Life currently serves labor trafficking survivors in two of its programs, and Thompson’s goal is to broaden its scope to include bonded labor, domestic servitude, and child soldiers. She seems undeterred by the enormity of the problem or the devastating nature of the work, which takes her to “the darkest spaces of our world.” “It’s full circle though,” Thompson said. “I see those pieces that are hard to even talk about, but I also get to see those pieces that give me fire, which is when survivors start healing, when they feel empowered, when they start making decisions for themselves, when they feel loved, when they have joy. All of that is completely worth it.” MTSU
How to Help Given the challenges involved in global anti-trafficking work—safety concerns, logistical issues, language barriers, emotional exhaustion—fundraising would seem like a cakewalk. But Gabrielle Thompson says it’s one of the toughest parts of her job. “Nobody likes it,” she says. “That’s the part that’s a challenge within a nonprofit—but it’s a necessary piece. . . . The only way that we are alive and sustainable is through people’s generosity.” To donate to Free for Life International, read its success stories, and learn about sustainable giving through its Compassion Collective, visit freeforlifeintl.org.
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Alumna turns her painful family legacy into a beacon of hope for future MTSU students by Patsy B. Weiler
In 2020 on Juneteenth (June 19), a new federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, alumna Anita Scott Smith signed paperwork to honor her parents with a scholarship at MTSU. The annual James R. and Betty Y. Scott Scholarship will help underrepresented students pursue degrees in education. “When I was a student at MTSU, a lot of people took me under their wing who had confidence in my ability. The grants I received helped me graduate. I want to provide similar encouragement and financial support for a student who could use a little assistance,” said Smith, who earned three MTSU degrees— a bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education (’81), an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (’83), and an Ed.S. (’96). “When I earned my master’s degree, I went by my father’s grave to share my accomplishment with him,” Smith said. She went again after receiving her specialist’s degree, this time to visit both her parents. Her parents graduated in the mid-1950s from historic Holloway High School, which opened in 1929 and remains a small secondary school today. The brick building on South Highland Avenue in Murfreesboro is the last and one of the few remaining structures built with help from the Rosenwald School project in the early 20th century, to provide public education for Black children in the rural, segregated South. Smith’s gift continues the legacy of assisting students in an underserved population.
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“Scholarships supporting historically under-resourced teacher candidates aid in the elimination of achievement gaps and is often the only way for those students to attend and graduate from college,” said Michelle Stevens, director of the Fairness, Justice, and Equity Center in MTSU’s College of Education. “Removing those gaps promotes diversity in our educational systems and yields creativity, new insights, a multiplicity of perspectives, and innovative skills, which are beneficial for students and teachers of all backgrounds.”
A Different Time Her father grew up one of 16 children, including three sets of twins, in a house on North Front Street near the public square. He was 7 when his father died. Hard work and determination were childhood companions and traits he passed on to his daughter. “After my father returned from military service, he enrolled at [historically Black] Tennessee State University,” Smith said. “He hitchhiked from Murfreesboro to Nashville to attend class. There were not a lot of people driving to Nashville those days. When snow was on the ground, it was hard to get there. He had a family, so he eventually dropped out, but never lost his desire to learn.” It was not until after his death that Smith’s mother revealed her father’s denied attempt to enroll at MTSU in 1954, the year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. A second male graduate from Holloway, Walter Swafford, also sought enrollment to then-named Middle Tennessee State College. In a newspaper article with the headline “Negroes Apply For Admittance Blanks To MTSC,” Dean N.C. Beasley confirmed both men came to his office separately and were given the blanks (applications), a catalog, and a detailed explanation about the admission form. When asked about the likelihood that Swafford and Scott would be allowed to attend, Beasley quoted the law and criteria concerning admittance to MTSC: graduate of approved high school, 16 or over, white, of good moral character, and free from communicable diseases. They met them all, but one— they were not white. Scott decided to join the military. It was January 1965 before Wilbert Bond Sr. became the first Black master’s graduate of MTSU, and Olivia Woods was the first full-time Black undergraduate to graduate in May 1965. Herbert Smith had been the first Black graduate student allowed to enroll at MTSU, in 1962.
The importance of education was a tenet tightly woven through Smith’s psyche since childhood. As a little girl, perched upon the bathroom vanity, she would watch her father shave and be captivated by his stories. She remembers him carefully guiding the razor across his face, making smooth paths through the thick lather, cutting away the course stubble as he talked. And, while his words were entertaining, they also were planting an important understanding that education, like his razor, was the tool she would need to cut through the roughness of life and provide a path to achievement.
“It was a different time then, and I am glad MTSU is now a diverse campus,” Smith said. “I am proud my father was courageous. He was a well-respected man in the community and had a successful career as a draftsman in the engineering field. His last job was with Teledyne in Oak Ridge.”
A Proud Legacy Smith graduated from Central High School in 1971 and enrolled that summer in MTSU’s Nursing program at age 17. She left after a year. “I was too young and in way over my head. I was shy and afraid to talk to my professors. I needed a break, to grow up and find me,” Smith said. Winter 2022 45
Wilbert Bond Sr.
She went to work for State Farm Insurance, transferred to the Washington, D.C., area, and then took a job with the Navy Federal Credit Union. When her parents became ill, a more mature woman returned home in 1978. Smith discovered her father had not lost sight of his desire to see his daughter go back to college.
“He pushed me, but I was ready,” she said. “I was older, 24, and on a mission to get my degree. I worked and took my income tax refund money to pay tuition. On campus, I was one of the first MTSU Student Ambassadors, and I loved the experience.” After graduation, Smith taught in Rutherford County Schools, first in Smyrna and later at Lascassas. “I was the only Black teacher in the school, but it didn’t matter. I was there to teach students, and we made it work,” she said. Always up for a challenge, the hard-working educator was moonlighting as a grocery cashier when she met the principal of the new Cason Lane Academy. Smith soon
joined Murfreesboro City Schools for 17 years. Not one to sit still, she still tutors part time with Sylvan Learning Center following retirement from a 30-year career.
It was January 1965 before Wilbert Bond Sr. became the first Black master's graduate of MTSU, and Olivia Woods was the first full-time Black undergraduate to graduate in May 1965. The $1,000 annual scholarship Smith created in honor of her parents will help Anna Dickey, a senior Education major. “I have always liked kids, and it excites me to think I’m going to be teaching the next generation,” Dickey said. “Receiving the award will help me fund the classes necessary to complete my degree so I can teach, something I have always wanted to do.” Now, when Smith’s thoughts turn to her parents, she can be proud of how the family’s educational legacy is being perpetuated. MTSU
You don’t have to be a millionaire . . . to create a scholarship We can show you how! Some ways you can make a gift now to help hard-working MTSU students succeed (without having to work two jobs or take on debt): Send a gift of at least $500 for scholarships. Tell us which college or program to designate, and we’ll provide your gift to a student.
Set up your own scholarship fund. You will make gifts to it, and MTSU will draw from it for scholarship awards.
Use some funds from your IRA. Make a tax-free charitable distribution to fund your scholarship.
Make a gift of appreciated stock. Save on future taxes and take advantage of the market by creating a scholarship fund.
More info:
MTSU Foundation Paul Wydra, director of development initiatives 615-898-5329 or Paul.Wydra@mtsu.edu
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MIDPOINTS
A look at recent awards, events, and accomplishments at MTSU compiled by Stephanie Barrette, Gina E. Fann, Jimmy Hart, Gina K. Logue, Drew Ruble, and Randy Weiler
A Prestigious Ranking MTSU is on The Princeton Review’s annual list of the nation’s best colleges for a third consecutive year. MTSU remains the only locally governed institution in Tennessee recognized by the publication, having first achieved its spot in 2019. Only five higher education entities in the state—one other public university and three private institutions—were included in the recently released 30th edition of The Best 387 Colleges. The honor by the highly regarded educational services company is extended to only about 13% of the nation’s roughly 3,000 four-year institutions, said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and lead author of the book. Franek said the list is based on data gathered from more than a thousand school administrators about their academic programs and offerings, as well as insights from about 140,000 students surveyed who attend the selected colleges. MTSU was also included in the review’s list of top schools in the Southeast.
A Gentleman and a Scholar Ronald A. Messier, 76, a professor emeritus in History at MTSU, served as director of the Honors program from 1980 to 1990 and was a member of the Honors College Board of Visitors. He died Sept. 2, 2021. Messier taught Islamic history and historical archaeology at MTSU from 1972 to 2004. He won several teaching awards, including the MTSU Outstanding Teacher Award in 1976, Outstanding Honors Faculty Award in 1978, and CASE Tennessee Professor of the Year in 1993. From 1987 to 1998, Messier directed the excavation of the ancient city of Sijilmasa in Morocco. In recognition of that work, he received MTSU’s prestigious Outstanding Research Award in 1997. From 2005 to 2020, he co-directed an archaeology project at Aghmat, near Marrakech, Morocco.
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MIDPOINTS
Arm in Arms MTSU and officials with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, and the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, formed a partnership to expand opportunities for collaboration between the airborne corps professionals and MTSU-based researchers and students. The five-year agreement allows for innovative initiatives in the research, design, development, and application of solutions that enhance the nation’s security, economy, and general welfare. In November 2020, MTSU and the 118th Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard signed an agreement to collaborate in several areas, notably in research of unmanned aircraft systems operations and computer science.
True Blue Warrior Sgt. William Lukens, a tactical generator mechanic in the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 208th Area Support Medical Company in Smyrna and a junior Finance major at MTSU, won the 2021 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Camp Navajo, Arizona. The Murfreesboro resident was one of 13 finalists who represented the best National Guard soldiers and noncommissioned officers in the nation during a grueling four-day event. Lukens enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2017. In addition to being a college student and president of his fraternity, Kappa Sigma, he is employed full time with the Guard in Smyrna. He is keeping his plans for the future open but is leaning heavily toward becoming a drill sergeant.
Professor Gone Wild MTSU’s Donny Walker, assistant professor of Biology, landed a boost to his research through a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant attained in collaboration with researchers at Oregon State University and the University of California–Riverside. Walker and MTSU will receive $870,000 of the $2.61 million highly competitive grant for the NSF project titled “Understanding the Rules of Life: Microbiome Interactions and Mechanisms.” The grant will fund research of members of the microbiome, the host, and the environment. The project investigates the role metabolites play with fungi and bacteria in reptile, amphibian, and other animal digestion. Metabolites are substances formed in or necessary for metabolism. The project goal is to advance the understanding of microbiomes in wild animal systems—increasingly important in species such as reptiles and amphibians, some of the most threatened on the planet.
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Free to a Good Home An MTSU alumnus gave his alma mater a wealth of unique artifacts from his life in the music industry. Jim Free (’69, ’72), whose career encompasses stints with the Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) performance rights organization and CBS Music (now Sony Music) as well as the Country Music Association board of directors, contributed numerous artifacts to MTSU’s Center for Popular Music in August. The collection includes photographs, autographs, ticket stubs, backstage passes, and programs from such events as the Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, and some 20 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Free, a Columbia native and cofounder of a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, said it all started when he was an MTSU student who would slip backstage at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday and Saturday nights with help from his friends Gary Newman, son of singer Jimmy C. Newman, and Jimmy Howard, son of singer Jan Howard and composer Harlan Howard. Much later, after he entered politics as special assistant to the president for congressional affairs in the Carter administration, Free returned the favor by introducing the legendary Roy Acuff to U.S. Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee in Washington. By then, Free had earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Public Administration from MTSU. He also once served as the University’s assistant director of admissions.
A Taste of Space Aerospace major Mike Harris, a student in MTSU’s Professional Pilot program, can claim he had a near out-of-this-world experience during his summer 2021 break from classes. He served an internship with Virgin Galactic—the American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson. Harris, 19, was a part of flight operations and personally witnessed the July 11 launch of Branson and his space mates and met two billionaires—Branson and Elon Musk—at Spaceport America. The FAA-licensed spaceport is located on 18,000 acres of state trust land in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin 20 miles southeast of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Harris was there July 11–15, received a private tour, and flew the simulator used for the launch, climbing to 50,000 feet—the distance where spaceship Unity “detaches from the mother ship and its rocket boosters are activated, taking Unity to 260,000 feet [50 miles], which they consider space,” he said. As for his future after graduating from MTSU, Harris is deciding between flying cargo or charter airplanes— but this space-related experience may take him down a different avenue. Winter 2022 49
MIDPOINTS
Lessening the Burden Faculty and staff at MTSU are making it easier and more affordable for students to succeed in the classroom. University College's Kim Godwin, Meredith “MA” Higgs, and Mike Boyle recently collaborated in publishing a textbook that will be used for two MTSU courses at no cost to students. The book can be accessed for free at any time thanks to James E. Walker Library’s licensing of Pressbooks, an online platform that allows self-publishing of textbooks, articles, and other documents that could be used in the classroom. The book uses open educational resources (OER) as the source material. Through a $100,000 grant from the Tennessee Board of Regents, MTSU faculty and staff are creating OER to increase student success and equity by helping underrepresented student populations stay on track toward earning their degrees. Faculty can apply for individual grants as an incentive for developing OER, with the initial effort targeting foundational general education courses on a campus with a high concentration of first-generation college students.
Expanding Horizons Workers continue making tremendous progress for MTSU’s $40.1 million, 54,000-square-foot Concrete and Construction Management Building to open by Fall 2022 classes. The facility features classrooms, offices, and laboratory space for Concrete Industry Management—one of the most exclusive programs in the nation—and Construction Management, both of which provide ready-to-work graduates awaiting potentially lucrative careers. The state also has approved a $54.9 million, 92,000-square-foot Applied Engineering Building, which includes a $4.4 million match. Design/fabrication labs and learning spaces to meet evolving technologies will be featured in MTSU’s third new academic building in four years.
A Lifetime of Impact An MTSU Marketing professor whose regular teamwork with his students and colleagues provides consumer insights into Tennessee’s economy chose to focus on those students and colleagues, and his family, after receiving the University’s top teaching honor. Timothy Graeff, a professor in MTSU’s Jones College of Business since 1992, is the 2021 recipient of the MTSU Foundation’s Career Achievement Award. “Often at the end of each of my classes, I ask my students, ‘What did you learn today?’ And they’ll tell me things—sometimes it’s very surprising what they tell me—but what we’re all about now is reflective learning: ‘What did you learn?’ ” he said. Graeff is founder of MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research, which conducts quarterly surveys of both Tennessee residents and Tennessee business leaders, measuring their outlook on the economy and gauging their impact on key economic indicators such as inflation, interest rates, and consumer spending. 50 MTSU Magazine
Forward, Upward, Onward, Together Environmental Science senior Winton Cooper, current president of MTSU’s Student Government Association (SGA) and a University Honors associate, hails from the same city in the Bahamas as MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. Interviewed before the start of the 2021–22 school year, Cooper said he believes that SGA’s relationship with the administration, while cordial, is “incredibly underutilized,” and he thinks students don’t realize how much power they have. To that end, Cooper planned a virtual listening tour of student organizations to determine how to improve organic student engagement in university life, especially in planning events. Cooper also has begun conversations about what kind of student government initiatives can help make the campus a little greener. As a high school senior in his hometown of Nassau, Cooper was the president of the local chapter of Eco-Schools, which bills itself as “the largest global sustainable schools programme.” Cooper said he has not been particularly focused on his status as an international student, nor on the coincidence that McPhee and he hail from the same city and nation. However, he considers it fortunate that McPhee knows what it’s like to be an international student in the United States. “He’s been in my situation before, navigating what it’s like to be a foreign student in someone else’s country,” Cooper said. “So, on that level, we identify with each other.”
Olympic Feat During the Summer Olympics in Japan last summer, one MTSU professor did his part to help his native country’s track and field team. Andrew Owusu, an associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, supervised a 20-day dress rehearsal for the Ghanaian national team at Coppin State University in Baltimore before departing for Tokyo. Owusu, who also is coordinator of MTSU’s Public Health graduate program, competed in the long jump for Ghana at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and in the triple jump at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Owusu holds the all-time Ghanaian triple jump record of 17.23 meters.
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1960s Ronald Richmond (’68), Richmond, Virginia, has completed more than 51 years of federal service that includes two years’ Army service. Currently, he is a senior human resources specialist supporting the Policy and Audit Office, Human Capital Office, Internal Revenue Service.
1970s Judy Goodwin (’70, ’72), Murfreesboro, principal of Barfield Elementary School, was celebrated by her school with a crown and scepter after being named Principal of the Year for Rutherford County Schools. Lana Seivers (’72), Murfreesboro, was named Linda Gilbert Advocate of the Year for her service in the classroom and school administration, her tenure as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education, and her decade as dean of MTSU’s College of Education before retiring recently. Now dean emerita, Seivers earned her bachelor’s at MTSU before completing master’s and doctoral degrees. Cynthia Jenkins (’74), Landrum, South Carolina, received the 2021 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Preservation, the highest preservation honor given by South Carolina, for her 52 MTSU Magazine
efforts to preserve the architectural and cultural history of the Lowcountry in her role as executive director of the Historic Beaufort Foundation.
1980s Mary Tim McHaffie Cook (’80), Shelbyville, was chosen in May as Teacher of the Year at Southside Elementary and District Teacher of the Year for Bedford County. Cook has taught for almost 40 years at Southside (her former elementary school). Benita Jenkins Anderson (’82), Lynwood, Illinois, a retired secondary education specialist, developed STRETCH Educational Training and Support and currently conducts training sessions for pre-K through post-secondary teachers and other instructional staff. Her mission is to curb the national teacher shortage by stimulating interest in careers in education among students. Benjamin “Chris” Harris (’83), Murfreesboro, a star on the Blue Raider basketball team that upset Kentucky in the 1982 NCAA Tournament, was named the first full-time athletic director for Rutherford County Schools. Harris has been an educator for over 30 years.
Reza Baktar Baktar (’85) won an Emmy award at the 42nd annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Direction: News for his work on Election Week in America. Baktar has spent the last 20 years with CNN, designing and implementing shows, directing debates and special events, and leading the network directors. Also a winner at the 34th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, Baktar previously helped ABC News launch and support the Special Events 24/7 unit. He also helped implement programs and shows for ABC News and the ABC News Now streaming network.
Pam Wright Wright (’73), an MTSU Board of Trustees member, was inducted into the JA Nashville Business Hall of Fame in November. The JA Nashville Business Hall of Fame was established in 1991 by Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee to venerate icons of commerce and industry. Honorees are chosen by a committee of past laureates, which include fellow MTSU Trustee and alum Darrell S. Freeman Sr. (’87, ’90), former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, and music celebrity Amy Grant, among others. Wright has had a long relationship with Junior Achievement, beginning as a student participating in JA classroom programs. She has been a part of the JA board of directors for more than two decades and is the title sponsor of the JA BizTown facility in Nashville. “JA was a foundation for me to believe that I could become an entrepreneur,” Wright said. “We hear testimonies from children who tell us how much this program really means to them. Not only is it a fun way to teach kids, but we, as donors, are investing in our social and economic future. It’s all about the kids, and it’s important to remember that.” Wright founded Wright Travel and built the company into one of the largest travel agencies in the United States, with offices throughout the country. She sold it in 2015 and now is president and managing partner of Wright Development, a real estate investment company.
Ken Wright (’84), Hoover, Alabama, retired from the University of Alabama where he served as professor and director of the graduate program in the College of Human Environmental Sciences. Wright also was a member of the United States Anti-Doping Agency board of directors.
1990s Jeff Ballard (’90), Brentwood, CFO of Delta Dental of Tennessee, was named Chief Financial Officer of the Year by the Nashville Business Journal. Greg Jones (’90), Murfreesboro, was named
senior vice president of education and workforce development by the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. In his most recent position at Nissan, as senior director human resources business partner for all U.S. manufacturing, Jones supervised operations at plants in Tennessee and Mississippi and specialized in analyzing and developing talent and workforce strategies. Harry Moore (’95), Decatur, Alabama, recently published a poetry collection, Broken and Blended: Love’s Alchemy, from Kelsay Books. Since retiring from a career of teaching English in community college in
2009, Moore has published six books of poems. In 2014, he was honored by Poets & Writers with the Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Shelley Armstrong (’96, ’03), Castalian Springs, was appointed principal of Castle Heights Elementary School. She has 16 years’ experience in education and has been with Lebanon Special School District for the past 10 years. Torrance Bennett (’98), Nashville, a 10-year veteran of the Metro Nashville Police Department, was promoted to sergeant and is now a supervisor on the
Midtown Hills Precinct’s evening shift. Karen Petersen (’98), Ramona, Oklahoma, was named dean of the University of Tulsa’s Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences. She previously served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor of Political Science at MTSU. Petersen received a B.S. in International Relations as an MTSU undergraduate before going on to earn M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Political Science. Heather Jensen (’99), Hermitage, was appointed director of communications for the Music City Center.
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Make 2022 the year for: • A little more peace of mind • Working on your “I’d like to” bucket list • Leaving your lasting legacies for family and favorite charities MTSU has partnered with FreeWill to offer alumni the ability to write their wills—for free—using software created with top legal experts. In 30 minutes, you can customize or update your legal will using this interactive online portal.
Visit freewill.com/mtsu For further details about FreeWill, or how you might make a planned gift to benefit MTSU, contact Paul Wydra at 615-898-5329 or Paul.Wydra@mtsu.edu. Estate planning online isn’t for everyone. If you have complex needs, please seek your own legal counsel. However, as the FreeWill software walks you through important questions, you can print out questions and responses and take it to your attorney to continue the process.
Jensen previously served as community relations officer, web content coordinator, and multimedia product manager for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Angela Tanner Layton (’99), Joelton, was named chapter operations manager for Meeting Professionals International. Layton has more than 20 years of experience as a meeting planner and is a certified meeting professional with a certificate in meeting management.
54 MTSU Magazine
2000s Shawnzia Thomas (’01), Lithonia, Georgia, was named executive director of the Georgia Technology Authority Board by Gov. Brian Kemp. She has worked for the state of Georgia for more than 13 years, most recently as assistant deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services. Gerald “Jay” Rowe III (’02), Mount Juliet, financial advisor with Ascend Retirement and Investment Services, earned his
certified financial planner designation.
ern State University in Louisiana.
Shawn Boyd (’03), Southhaven, Mississippi, received his Doctor of Education in Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and works as the postsecondary program and engagement manager at SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education) in Nashville.
Akil Lloyd (’05), Chattanooga, was promoted to human resources administrator at Cempa Community Care.
Tara Tietjen-Smith (’03), Commerce, Texas, who earned her doctorate at MTSU, was named department head of the Department of Health and Human Performance at Northwest-
Jennifer Tipton (’05), Maryville, was named assistant principal at Mary Blount Elementary School. Jordan Howell (’06), Eagleville, and Justin Howell (’03), Murfreesboro, are brothers and co-owners of Quality Exteriors, a local, famlyowned general contractor that focuses on roofing construction and
Photo courtesy of Anthony Stone
Brittney Spencer When MTSU alumna Brittney Spencer (’17) relocated to Nashville to build a career as a mainstream country music artist and songwriter, she knew the mountain she’d have to scale would be formidable. After all, the genre is dominated by white, male megastars and a seemingly endless supply of soundalikes. Spencer started singing gospel in her hometown of Baltimore, then became a backup singer for several notable artists, including Carrie Underwood and Christopher Cross. When she moved to Nashville in 2013, she attended writing workshops during the day and busked downtown at night. Spencer already had two years’ worth of credits under her belt from attending community college in Maryland. She resumed her academic career in MTSU’s acclaimed Recording Industry program. But then she concluded that what she needed most from MTSU were tools to brand and market herself as she prepared to continue her expedition. “I decided to study Public Relations with a concentration on Music Business,” Spencer said. “I told myself when I moved to Nashville that if I wanted to sing, I could sing in
the shower. But if I wanted to be successful, I needed to understand how the business works.” While a student, Spencer continued to drive from Murfreesboro to Nashville to do songwriting sessions with other songwriters. After graduation, her songwriting sessions would include heavy-hitters Brandy Clark, Jason Isbell, Ashley Monroe, and Amanda Shires, among others. Since graduating, Spencer has become a legitimate contender for airtime on country radio stations. And, in a shift from the long-established pattern, the industry dominated by white performers seems to be embracing her. Despite only having released one EP to date as a solo artist, Compassion (2020), and remaining an independent artist (for now), she was named to CMT’s annual “Next Women of Country” list in 2021. In May, she made her network television debut, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where she and Brandi Carlile sang with the soulful Allison Russell. Spencer later served as the opening act for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit for three dates in 2021, and most significantly made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in May. She also signed with United Talent Agency for booking.
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CL ASS NOTES
Jessica Young The Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association named Young (’19, ’20) its office manager and industry outreach coordinator. While at MTSU, Young held leadership roles with the MTSU Block & Bridle Club, MTSU Equestrian Team, the MTSU Dairy Show Team (the former student farm manager, Young also aided in the operations of the MTSU Beef and Swine units), and MTSU Agriculture Ambassadors. She went on to earn her master’s degree in Agricultural Education
restoration services. Quality Exteriors was just named the 2020 recipient of the GAF Triple Excellence Award, one of the most coveted awards in the industry. Amy Lowdermilk (’06), Graysville, joined the ArtsBuild team as program manager. ArtsBuild, a Hamilton County nonprofit, is a community advocate for arts and culture. Lowdermilk most recently managed
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constituent services for the city of Chattanooga. Dustin Chester (’07), Mount Juliet, an 11-year Metro Nashville Police Department veteran, was recently promoted to sergeant and now serves as a supervisor on the Central Precinct’s overnight shift. David Feldhaus (’08, ’09, ’19), Shelbyville, was named chief financial officer at
Leadership. Young and husband Chad (pictured above) also assist with the Young family's commercial cow-calf and hay operation, and one day she hopes to purchase and breed registered stock. She currently serves on the Tennessee Stock Horse Association board of directors, is chair of the Rutherford County Young Farmers and Ranchers, and is a member of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation’s ACE Team.
Ascend Federal Credit Union, where he previously served as vice president of internal audit. John Slowey (’08), Nashville, rejoined local accounting firm Jacobs Cohen & Associates (JCA) to lead its in-house restaurant service group. He returns to JCA after working 10 years overseeing the financial operations for Strategic Hospitality establishments.
Brady Davis (’09), Tupelo, Mississippi, was appointed CEO of the Chickasaw Inkana Foundation within the Chickasaw Nation Department of Culture and Humanities. In this position he oversees its mission to preserve, protect, and interpret Chickasaw culture and history in the historic Chickasaw Homeland. Rachel Gilleland (’09), Nashville, joined Fridrich &
Clark Realty as a real estate agent for the Bedford Commons office in Green Hills.
2010s Ricki Armstrong (’10), Burns, an eight-year Metro Nashville Police Department veteran, was promoted to sergeant and is now a supervisor on the North Precinct’s day shift. Rachel Cook (’10, ’12), Lebanon, was named principal of Gladeville Elementary School. Erica Jackson Honeycutt (’10), Clarksville, wrote a book called Breathless: My NSIP Story, now published on Amazon. The book details Honeycutt’s story of being diagnosed and living with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), a rare lung disorder that can cause difficulty breathing, a dry cough, fatigue, and other symptoms, in an effort to bring awareness to NSIP and for people out there battling this disease to find comfort and encouragement. Melvin Taylor (’12), Clarksville, a six-year Metro Nashville Police Department veteran, was promoted to sergeant and is now a supervisor on the Hermitage Precinct’s evening shift. Allyssa Tobitt (’12, ’15), Reston, Virginia, was named chief operating officer at Reston Hospital Center at HCA Healthcare.
Shatina Marshall Marshall (’00), a Social Work graduate, was a catalyst for a recent renovation project with NFL standout Kevin Byard (’15) for the Resource Linkage Office that temporarily houses and provides a “safe space” for children entering the Davidson County foster care system. With both sharing MTSU roots, Marshall originally had requested Byard’s involvement in an annual graduation ceremony for foster youth before Byard and his wife expressed interest in a project that would have a broader impact. Marshall, through her work as the resource linkage coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, suggested upgrades to the space which was renamed The Byard Family Safety Room in homage to Byard’s position with the Tennessee Titans defense. Paid for by Byard and wife Clarke through The Byard Family Legacy Fund and in partnership with Campbell's Chunky Soup, the safe house now features new furnishings, countertops, a clothing room, kitchenette with new microwave appliances, full shower space, playroom for the smaller children, a dedicated space for teens, new flooring, smart televisions, toys, and other amenities. “Rather than finding one home or one family that they can do something for, now they can pretty much impact every child that comes through custody here in Davidson County,” Marshall said. “They touched pretty much every part of our building.” Marshall said there remains a tremendous need for foster care families in Tennessee, particularly for teenagers. Many times teens find themselves in the foster care system through no fault of their own, she said, but rather because of a circumstance involving the parent that requires a removal from custody.
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CL ASS NOTES
Jared Adams (’13), Chattanooga, joined Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel PC as an associate attorney serving health care, nonprofit, and startup clients. Claire Hill (’13), Columbia, recently became the assistant editor at Tennessee Farmers Cooperative. She previously served as marketing director at a community bank in Columbia. Kimberly Barker (’14), Joplin, Missouri, a reporter for The Joplin Globe, earned the 2021 William E. James Outstanding Young Journalist Award from the Missouri Press Association.
Mike Starnes Starnes (’89) has (arguably) the most interesting job commute in America. A captain for United Parcel Service, Starnes (pictured above right), who lives in Murfreesboro, flies for UPS out of Anchorage, Alaska. This past summer, Starnes brought a brand-new Boeing 747-8F to EAA AirVenture, the world’s largest aviation celebration, held annually in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. At more than 63 feet tall and more than 250 feet long, the long-range jet had only about 30 flight hours on it before Starnes flew it from Louisville, Kentucky, to Oshkosh. It turned a lot of heads at the Wisconsin air show— which in turn drew a lot of attention to Starnes’ alma mater. MTSU was among the premier aerospace organizations from industry, education, and public service in attendance at EAA AirVenture. During the event, MTSU renewed its partnership for a third time with Civil Air Patrol, the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Starnes hosted MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and members of the MTSU Aerospace team at EAA for a tour of the huge jet’s cockpit and massive cargo hold. Starnes credited his alma mater for helping him climb to the rank of captain for UPS. His wife, Valeska, also a pilot, earned her Aerospace degree at MTSU in 1991, and his son, Phillip, graduated from the program in May 2021.
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Monica Johnson (’14), Crossville, was named park manager for Roan Mountain State Park. She previously served as a park ranger at Tims Ford State Park and at Cumberland Mountain State Park. Jacob West (’14), Bell Buckle, a five-year Metro Nashville Police Department veteran, was promoted to sergeant and is now a supervisor on the North Precinct’s evening shift. Catie Adams (’19), Woodbury, joined Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) as an associate game artist. SAIC is a Fortune 500 technology integrator focused on digital transformation. Stefanie Edgell (’20), Murfreesboro, was recognized as Teacher of the Year at Christiana Elementary, where she is a fifthgrade teacher. Caitlin Able (’21), McMinnville, is the new community editor of the Newton County Enterprise and Kankakee ValleyPost-News.
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In the Green
National Success
Keying Ding, associate professor of Chemistry, secured grants from the National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund totaling nearly a quarter-million dollars. Ding’s research centers around sustainability through developing new Earth-abundant metal catalysts to better facilitate “green” or eco-friendly chemistry applications.
Real Fine Place to Start
Newsweek named MTSU among America’s Top Online Colleges 2022, ranking the University in the top 40 and as the only Tennessee school recognized in the prestigious listing of 150 higher-ed institutions. University College Dean Rick Sluder said 23 more MTSU Online degree programs are in the works. Spearheading the expansion is Trey Martindale, hired a year ago as chief online learning officer.
MTSU’s Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship program was ranked among the top 20 entrepreneurship programs in the nation in terms of affordability. University Headquarters (HQ), an online resource for prospective students, ranked MTSU 20th in its Top 100 listing of the Most Affordable Entrepreneurship Colleges for 2021. The program is led by Management Professor Josh Aaron, holder of the Pam Wright Chair in Entrepreneurship.
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Every year, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee awards its “Power of We” scholarship to a handful of outstanding minority students who are pursuing degrees in health care. MTSU’s Sierra Cruz, a pre-med student majoring in Physiology, received one of the $10,000 scholarships in 2021, along with a new MacBook. Before landing the scholarship, Cruz relied on student loans to cover her tuition.
The premier accrediting body in business education worldwide, AACSB International, extended Jones College’s business and accounting accreditations for another five years. In addition, the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET formally approved initial accreditation for the Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Information Systems.
MTSU has been named a partner institution on a nearly $1 million grant awarded to the state by the Institute of Education Sciences to research the impact of the Tennessee Pathways program. Researchers will evaluate whether the career pathways initiative has been effective in its goal to align K–12 education, postsecondary education, and employers to give students a clear and relevant pathway into the workforce.
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IN MEMORIAM
1930s Ruth Link Hessey (’38)
1940s Delores Jones Brown (’49) Louise Travis Parker (’42) Radford Spivey (’49, ’60)
1950s Elizabeth “Lib” Jarrell Aaron (’51) Edmond Arnold (’55) Harold Bass (’57, ’62) Watt “Dick” Bell (’57) Walter Bond (’53) Milton Bracey Jr. (’55) Lydia Laux Branch (’54, ’71) Jon Collins (’59) Eloise Harlan Stutts Dabney Cheatham (’59, ’78, ’79) Mildred Hunter Edwards (’52, ’83) Mary Reid Flury (’56) Martha Glandon (’56) E. Hale Harris (’51) Gaines “Dee” Harris (’54, ’56) Harris Hatcher Jr. (’59) Mary Drewry Hedrick (’53) Edd Helton (’56) Fred “Pete” Holmes (’50) Henry Horton III (’56) William “Bill” Hust (’52) Nancy Willis Keal (’59) James Markum (’59) Robert Martin (’53) Ralph Massey (’58) Joyce Meadors (’54) Jean Miller (’55) Joe Miller (’56) Joyce Hibdon Mullinax (’58) Gerald Noffsinger (’59) Thomas Pedigo (’50, ’61) Isabelle Scales Pewitt (’58) Joyce Randolph (’59) Betty Taylor Richards (’53, ’56) Inez Sandusky (’56, ’62) Katherine Smith (’59) James Sullivan (’56, ’61) Edward Tyring (’59)
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Jane Johnson Waites (’56) George Whitehorn (’58) Melba “Faye” Carter Wilmore (’59)
1960s Carole Agnello (’63) Carolyn Powell Anderson (’65, ’86) James Ash (’64) Michael Austin (’69) Ann Curtis Bailey (’60) Emma Bass (’62) Richard Bryan Bell (’60) Benny Bills (’62, ’69) Doswell Brown III (’67) Willard Carr (’62, ’74) Ben Cates (’66, ’69) Edward Elam Jr. (’62) Mallory Elrod (’69) Barry Gaither (’69) James “Randy” Griggs (’66) John Hawkins Jr. (’65) Sue Shoulders Herron (’67) Sharon Malone Herndon (’63) Ann Green Hockett (’69) Robert Hope (’64, ’65) Delores “Dee” Hunt (’69, ’76) Wally Johnson (’63) Malon “Al” Jones (’68) Sandra Jones (’69, ’72) Bruce Jordan (’68) Patrick Langdon (’69) Jack Lavender (’60, ’61) John M. Lovelady (’65) Fred Lynn (’62) Donald “Hal” Manier (’67, ’68) Felix Massey III (’67, ’71) William “Billy” Mayfield (’60, ’76) James McCarroll (’60) Lynn Craig Miller (’64, ’74, ’90) Kenneth Edward Moore (’66) Dayton Moser (’67, ’79) Kenneth Mott (’64) Marcus Nichols (’61) Gilbert Orr Jr. (’63) Lynn Parker (’68) Larry Presswood (’67) Edward Price Jr. (’61) Harold Sansing (’62) Jess Shearin Jr. (’60)
Thomas Sterritt Jr. (’69) John Sweatt Jr. (’65) Marguerite Holder West (’64) Raleigh Wooten (’60, ’62) Winston Wrenn (’63, ’71, ’76) Charles Yancey (’60)
1970s Joseph Adkisson (’71) Larry Ashmore (’74, ’75) Charles Bennett (’75) Pamela Ann Haynes Bingham (’74) Carl Bronson II (’73) Michael Carter (’75) Paul Coakley (’75, ’79) James Fisher Sr. (’74) William “Lamont” Haislip (’70) John Hernandez (’74) Bobbie Hinsley (’73) Edward “Randy” Hurt (’77) Katy Johnson (’74, ’83) Grace Keith (’73) A. Grant Kelley Jr. (’72) Patrick K. Lindsay (’79) Nelda Draughon Lunn (’74) William Lynn Jr. (’73) Barbara “Bobbie” Martin (’70) James Martin (’78) Roger Maultsby (’76) Suzanne Corwin McDowell (’78) Thomas McKee (’71) Tommy McKnight (’73) Sandra Woodard McLelland (’74) Patty Schneider McManus (’75) Judith Brown Miller (’76) Phyllis Morgan (’71) William “Alex” Nelson Jr. (’75) Janice Nolen (’76, ’83) Don Owens (’70) Janice Parsley (’71, ’74, ’76) Don Patterson (’78) Randy Rader (’79) Catherine Rhodes (’72) Patricia Sisk Ritchie (’74) Barbara Roman (’72) Mitchell Rowland (’72) Kenneth Rushlow (’71) Carl R. Russell Sr. (’71, ’74) George Slater (’72)
Carolyn Adams Grover and James Winston Adams Inez Adams obtained a college degree in Science in 1912, and her husband, Wiley, was a talented artist and cabinet-maker. The Adamses had eight children—all of whom attended and earned degrees from Middle Tennessee State Teachers College training school. Two of those siblings died in recent years in Denver. Carolyn Adams Grover (’43), who died at age 95 in 2017, obtained her degree during World War II, joined the Women’s Army Corps, and became a member of the first class to train physical therapists at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. James Winston Adams (’49), who died at age 90 in 2018, served in the Army during World War II, returned to MTSU for a degree in Physical Education, and received a master’s from the Peabody School of Education. He was director of the historic 20th Street Gym for Denver Parks and Recreation for 31 years.
Jeff Creek Jefferson Louis Creek (’67), an Army veteran, attended MTSU and the University of Southern Illinois, and received a postdoctoral research position at the University of California–Los Angeles. He died Aug. 30, 2021, in Cookeville at age 76. Creek retired from Chevron Energy Technology Co. after a 38-year career but continued to be actively engaged in research as a consultant with the Letton Hall Group in Houston, as adjunct professor at Rice University, and as an affiliate professor at the Colorado School of Mines. In 2016, he was honored as MTSU’s Distinguished Alumnus.
Jean Gooch Spann (’78) Thomas “Randy” Speed (’78) David Stephens (’72) Doris Graham Sullivan (’71) Danny Todd (’77) Marjorie Childress Voorhies (’72) Barry Wagner (’76) Howard Watson (’78) Robert Woods (’73) William Wynne (’78) Alice Yokosuk (’74) Stanley “Roger” York (’72)
1980s Donna Eley Bush (’85, ’88) Mary Ellen Petree Carlton (’80) Michael Dedmon (’89) Crystal Webb Dotson (’82) Richard Friant (’88) Timothy Grandey (’82) Keith Hateley (’88) Scott R. Hendrickson (’83) Linda Holder (’80) Connie Himes Hyer (’85) William “Bill” Jones Jr. (’80) Benjamin Payne Jr. (’81) Frankie “Fran” Womack Perry (’82) Nancy McLaughlin Roberts (’87) Suzanne Givens Trussell (’89)
Raimon Williams Jr. (’82) Ralph Williams (’82) Sherman Wright (’87)
1990s Virginia “Lynn” Bogle Baxter (’90) Richard Chesterman (’93) Charles “Jeff” Enis (’92) Evelyn Gordon (’97) Reita Harris Gorman (’91) Don Henegar (’93) Laquita Jones (’98) Terry Maynard (’97) Richard Moores Jr. (’99) Leslee Brent Nelius (’93) Judy Glasscock Reger (’91) Theodore Rodgers (’94) Timothy Sprott (’93) Jonathan Tubville (’97) William “Bill” Work (’99)
2000s Sean Barr (’09) Jared Bates (’08) Abby Brueggen Boivin (’05) Ross Brown (’00) Matthew Clifft (’08) Earle “Rich” Harnett (’05)
Bridgett Heil (’02) Ekinadose Isibor (’04) Shannon Forner Loar (’03) Jennifer McDowell (’06) Sally Michello (’08) James “Blake” Pearson (’08) Brenda Nelms Poag (’05) Amie Breazeale Restuccio (’01) Edward “Andy” Roadarmel (’07) Richard Rorabaugh (’01) Cynthia Skelton (’06)
2010s Nathan Butturini (’11) Nicholas Guarino (’15) Jadareius Hamlin (’13) Cory Hutchison (’13) Michael Montalbano (’15) Brian Moore (’14) Derek Peck (’18) Dary Phanthavong (’14) Ellen Sykes (’11)
2020s Bradley Wayne Blomgren (’20) David “Brenden” Spelta (’21)
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BABY R AIDERS
01 Parker Alexander Davis born April 18, 2021
to Briton and Kara Davis (’07) of Alexandria
02 Chakira Elizabeth Calhoun born April 29, 2021 01
02
to Chaka Calhoun and Carlandria Hayes (’03) of Sandy Springs, Georgia
03 Mary Jo’ Lynn Proby born May 10, 2021
to Jonathan (’03) and Latonya Irons Proby (’07) of Murfreesboro
04 Elm Warren-Kyle Anderson born May 28, 2021 03
04
to Michael (’09) and Alyse Avery Anderson (’13) of Chattanooga
05 Lauren Elizabeth Lowman born June 8, 2021
to Nicolas and Elizabeth Stewart Lowman (’14) of Spring Hill
06 Deacon James Stluka born July 18, 2021
05
06
to Dustin and Amanda Cook Stluka (’12, ’16, ’19) of Wartrace
07 Henry Thomas Elder born July 21, 2021 to Benjamin (’04) and Rosa Madrid Elder (’13) of Murfreesboro
08 Russell Avery Overcast born July 25, 2021
07
08
to Mark (’11, ’17) and Amber Russell Overcast (’12, ’16) of Murfreesboro
09 Wexford Cecil Hilligrass born Sept. 11, 2021
to Daniel and Abbigail Burgess Hilligrass (’08) of Fernley, Nevada
10 Everett Lee Emamalie born Oct. 26, 2021
09
62 MTSU Magazine
10
to Brian and Jennifer Secrest Emamalie (’04) of Rockvale
L AST WORD
We’re Lovin’ It
McDonald’s employees from 20 restaurants happy about free tuition to attend MTSU Well before MTSU and McDonald’s franchise owner McGuire Management Group publicly announced a new partnership, word was spreading about how current and future employees could earn a degree more affordably. Michael Johnson (pictured above) and dozens of other McGuire Management workers had already discovered they could attend MTSU tuition-free starting last fall. Hundreds of others became aware after the McGuire True Blue Education deal was signed and sealed in early August. Owner Jonathon McGuire operates 20 McDonald’s restaurants in five counties—10 locations in Murfreesboro, seven in Nashville/Antioch, and others in Columbia, Centerville, and White Bluff. “This partnership is designed to empower employees to learn and advance in their careers, no matter where they are on their journey,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said. McGuire said his company “can offer tuition-free education at one of the nation’s best universities.” The McDonald’s
by Randy Weiler
franchise group had already reached half of its first-year enrollment goal even before the official announcement. The management group will fund 100% of tuition costs for qualifying employees. A discounted tuition rate is offered for additional hours beyond what the program provides per semester. Johnson said, “It’s exciting to see so much interest, people wanting to go to school. A lot of [general managers] had prior experiences at universities but never finished because of life happening.” Ralph Schulz, president of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, said working at McDonald’s at age 16 “helped fund my college education. This partnership takes a job that was just a job and takes it to a career opportunity.” MTSU’s University College, which offers flexible degree options and prior learning credits geared toward working adults, will manage the program. “People are the heart and soul of our business,” said McGuire, whose 1,200 employees serve more than 150,000 customers each week. “My business is an opportunity to serve others and make my community a better place.” It’s a mission he loves. MTSU Winter 2022 63
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