Ole Miss Alumni Review - Summer 2015

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Ole Miss Alumni Review Summer 2015 Vol. 64 No. 3

Summer 2015

ALUMNI REVIEW

The Dirt on Composting Green Team turns UM food waste into nutrient-rich soil amendment

Dan Jones reflects on tenure as chancellor, university’s future

Ole Miss Women’s Council blooms with leadership, mentorship


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Features ALUMNI REVIEW

18 A Visit with the Doctor

D an Jones reflects on tenure as chancellor, university’s future

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By Mitchell Diggs

26 Heart of the University

Friends of the Library celebrates 75 years By Tina Hahn

30 Everything’s Coming up Roses Ole Miss Women’s Council blooms with leadership, mentorship, philanthropy successes By Tina Hahn

36 The Dirt on Composting Green team turns UM food waste into nutrient-rich soil amendment By Lindsey Abernathy

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Contents

Departments

2 President’s Letter

5 From the Circle

Vol. 64 No. 3

Summer 2015

On the Cover

16 Calendar

42 Ole Miss Sports

Scholtz earns fourth All-America honor Kennedy’s contract extended

46 Just Published

48 Rebel Traveler 52 Alumni News

36 Anne McCauley, assistant director in the Office of Sustainability, isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty during a composting demonstration set up in front of the Union. This year, more than 26,000 pounds of refuse from the Rebel Market have been recycled, thanks to the university’s composting program. Cover photo by Robert Jordan


O le M iss A lumni R ev iew Publisher Sheila Dossett (75) Editor Jim Urbanek II (97) jim@olemiss.edu

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Associate Editor and Advertising Director Annie Rhoades (07, 09) annie@olemiss.edu Contributing Editor Benita Whitehorn Art Director Amy Howell Contributors Andrew Abernathy (08, 10), Lindsey Abernathy (09), Kevin Bain (98), Dustin Barnes, Ruth Cummins (82), Mitchell Diggs (82), Jay Ferchaud, Erin Garrett (11), Ken Goodman, Tina Hahn, Ji Hoon Heo, Dennis Irwin, Robert Jordan (83), Nathan Latil, Joshua McCoy, Michael Newsom (05), Edwin Smith (80, 93), Christina Steube (11) Officers of the University of Mississippi Alumni Association Trentice Imbler (78) president Eddie Maloney (72) president-elect Hal Moore (76) vice president Kimsey O’Neal Cooper (94) athletics committee member Chip Crunk (87) athletics committee member Alumni Affairs Staff, Oxford Sheila Dossett (75), interim executive director Joseph Baumbaugh, systems analyst III Allie Bush, Web developer Clay Cavett (86), associate director Anne Cofer (07, 08), accountant Martha Dollarhide, systems programmer II Port Kaigler (10, 15), program manager and senior club coordinator Annette Kelly (79), accountant Steve Mullen (92), assistant director for marketing Annie Rhoades (07, 09), publications editor Anna Smith (05), alumni assistant and club coordinator Scott Thompson (97, 08), assistant director Jim Urbanek (97), assistant director for communications Rusty Woods (01), associate director for information services Warner Alford (60, 66), executive director emeritus The Ole Miss Alumni Review (USPS 561-870) is published quarterly by the University of Mississippi Alumni Association and the Office of Alumni Affairs. Alumni Association offices are located at Triplett Alumni Center, 651 Grove Loop, University, MS 38677. Telephone 662-915-7375.

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Alumni Review

President from the

To say that this year has been a whirlwind is an understatement. As my year as president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association comes to a close, I need to thank many for their support. Thank you to Tim Walsh, the one who asked me to serve as your president, for believing in me. Thank you to Sheila Dossett, interim director, and her dedicated staff who always had my back. They always do their job and keep this organization among the best. Our Alumni Association reached over $1 million in membership revenue for the first time! Congratulations to all! We have more than 26,600 active members as I write this letter. And The Inn at Ole Miss was once again chosen the “Best Hotel in Oxford” for the fifth year in a row. We will be busy over the next year as our university begins the search for our next chancellor and executive director of the Alumni Association. Please be patient during this process. The last issue of the Alumni Review highlighted the construction on our campus, and a lot of it is going on. The new Pavilion Parking Garage is now open and provides an additional 800 spaces on our campus. If you have not been on campus lately, then you must see the progress on the Pavilion. Our new basketball facility is scheduled to open in January 2016. It is hard to believe football season will begin on Sept. 5. Season tickets are sold out, easily besting last year’s record! Our stadium continues to expand and improve under Athletics Director Ross Bjork. You will not want to miss the excitement at the LSU game. As I look back on my year as president of the Alumni Association, some of the highlights in athletics include: • Football traveling to the Peach Bowl • Men’s basketball going to the NCAA tournament • Baseball going to the NCAA tournament • Women’s basketball going to the NIT • Student-athletes earning the highest cumulative GPA (2.90) in the university’s recorded history for the 2014-15 school year And you will not want to miss the story in this edition about Nik Scholtz, who was named All-American in tennis for the fourth year. This is our first four-time recipient in program history. Congratulations, Nik! As I close, I want to give a special thank you to my daughters, Mallie and Carrol Trent. They, too, have been raised deep in the Ole Miss tradition and are my biggest cheerleaders! To all of my friends and the alumni staff, thank you very much for the calls of support. Finally, I want to welcome Eddie Maloney as our new alumni president. Eddie will begin his term at Homecoming. I wish him and Rhoda the very best. This has been a year I will never forget. I look forward to seeing many of you in Oxford on Sept. 5. Continue to support the University of Mississippi! Always a Rebel,

Trentice Imbler (BS 78)


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Circle from the

The l ates t on Ole Miss s tudents, facult y, s taff and friends

Good ‘Gravy’

SFA JOURNAL, PODCAST, RECOGNIZED FOR BEST FOOD JOURNALISM

Photo by Ken Goodman

he James Beard Foundation has named Gravy, the print journal and podcast of the University of Mississippi’s Southern Foodways Alliance, 2015 Publication of the Year. The award honors fresh direction, worthy ambition and a forward-looking approach to food journalism. Gravy lands in the mailboxes of SFA members four times a year, while “Gravy” the podcast hits the cyber airwaves every other week. Both serve up fresh, unexpected and thoughtprovoking stories of an American South that is constantly evolving, accommodating new immigrants, adopting new traditions and lovingly maintaining old ones.

Sara Camp Arnold Milam, Gravy’s managing editor, says it is an honor to win a James Beard Award. “I’m pleased that the Beard Foundation recognized our multiplatform approach to storytelling – first a print magazine, and now a sister podcast,” Milam says. “I’m so grateful that we get to do our work here at the university, specifically at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. And I thank the members of the Southern Foodways Alliance for their support of our mission.” Milam joined the SFA in 2012. She took over a publication printed in black and white, staple-bound and a mere 12 pages in length. Under her leadership, the journal has grown to a full-color, 60-page, perfect-bound beauty bursting

with smart words, intriguing illustrations and arresting photographs. Milam also writes for the SFA blog, works as a producer for Greenhouse films and, along with John T. Edge, serves as co-executive producer of “Gravy” the podcast. The SFA’s quest to dig into lesserknown corners of the region and give voice to those who grow, cook and serve daily meals couldn’t be contained in a single publication. So, in 2014, SFA launched “Gravy” the podcast, which is produced and hosted by Tina Antolini, Salt Institute graduate and National Public Radio veteran. Ten episodes in, loyal listeners anxiously await each helping, served up every other Thursday morning.

Tina Antolini (left), Sara Camp Arnold Milam and John T. Edge celebrate at the James Beard Awards in New York.

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from the Circle

PROVOST NAMED INTERIM CHANCELLOR

Photo by Robert Jordan

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s outgoing University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75) took personal leave beginning June 15, Morris Stocks, UM provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, assumed leadership as acting chancellor. ”Provost Stocks is responsible for many of the decisions that led to our rapid growth in enrollment and improvement in important metrics such as our freshman-to-sophomore retention rate,” Morris Jones says. “I know all the constituencies of Stocks our great university will support Dr. Stocks’ leadership in the coming months.” The Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees appointed Stocks interim chancellor, effective Sept. 15, until a permanent chancellor takes office. “ D r. S t o c k s i s a n exceptional academic leader, and

we appreciate his willingness to serve as interim chancellor,” says Glenn Boyce (BAEd 81, EdD 96), IHL commissioner. “With 24 years of service at Ole Miss, Dr. Stocks is dedicated to the university and its students. He is certainly the right person to fulfill this important role for the faculty, staff, students and alumni.” Immediately before assuming the provost responsibilities, Stocks served the university as senior vice chancellor for planning and operations and as dean of the Patterson School of Accountancy. During his tenure as dean, the Patterson School was ranked as one of the top 25 accounting programs in the country for the first time in its history. “I consider it a high privilege to serve the University of Mississippi in a new and exciting capacity over the next several months,” Stocks says. “In recent years, our university has experienced tremendous progress and wonderful success in providing outstanding educational and research opportunities. I look forward to helping the university maintain that momentum.” Stocks received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina and is a certified public accountant in the state of Mississippi. He has been a member of the UM faculty since 1991. He is the 1998 recipient of the university’s most prized teaching honor, the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award.

Returning to Research

DAN JONES WILL JOIN UMMC TO HELP LEAD OBESITY RESEARCH

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or more than two years, Dr. John Hall has conducted a national search for the right person to lead the development of clinical obesity research programs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He interviewed five high-profile scientists, but the search stalled. Then it occurred to him that the person whom he describes as “uniquely qualified” to fill the role was closer than he could have ever imagined: outgoing University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75). Hall, the Arthur C. Guyton Professor and Chair of Physiology and Biophysics and director of the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research, announced that Jones will join the UMMC faculty as the MCOR’s director of clinical and population sciences. Jones will tackle Mississippi’s most pernicious and consequential health problem, one that costs the state an Alumni Review

estimated $1 billion in annual direct health care expenses. An internal medicine physician by training and a tenured professor at UMMC, Jones will join the center on Sept. 15, Hall says. “Because Dan Jones has been in university administration for the last 13 years, not everyone remembers that he is Dan Jones an eminent physicianscientist who was the original principal investigator of the Jackson Heart Study and served as president of the American Heart Association,” Hall says. “He is uniquely qualified for this position in so many different ways.” Jones joined the UMMC faculty in 1992 and was heavily involved in clinical

and population research related to hypertension and other cardiovascular r isk f a c tors u nt i l he became associate vice chancellor for health affairs in 2002. He was named vice chancellor and dean of the medical school in 2003 and left Jackson to become chancellor of the university in 2009. “This is a welcome opportunity for the next stage of my career,” Jones says. “As I examined options, it became clear to me that my first priority was to seek a position where I could work on important issues where there was a real need. The invitation from Dr. Hall to fill this position in the center allows me to do this in the state of Mississippi I love so much.”


A Mississippi First

from the Circle

ALUMNUS LANDS GERMAN CHANCELLOR FELLOWSHIP eeneaus Polk (BA 11) of Pascagoula was selected for an exclusive German Chancellor Fellowship that will take him to Germany for a year of study and research on a project of his own creation. The fellowship is a program created by the German chancellor and is managed by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Polk is among 50 fellows worldwide this year and is the first Mississippian to be chosen for this fellowship. “To be the first to receive this fellowship from Mississippi is an honor and a pleasure I can’t quite put into words,” Polk says. “It’ll be my job to ensure that I’m not the last Mississippian to receive this fellowship.” A member of both the Croft Institute for International Studies and

the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, he was awarded a yearlong Fulbrig ht English Teaching Assistantship to Germany in 2011. “I have always been very interested in bringing the world to Mississippi in ways that will change lives,” Polk says. “This opportunity represents a way for me Deeneaus Polk to do that.” Polk’s selection is a triumph for both the university and for the entire state, says Douglass SullivanGonzález, dean of the Honors College. “The [Honors College] takes a great deal of pride in nurturing the citizen

scholars who will b e changing Mississippi and the world for the better,” Sullivan-González says. “Deeneaus Polk has courage, intelligence and a bone-deep commitment to that change. What a great coup for him and for all of us at t h e Un i v e r s i t y o f Mississippi!” Polk will be researching the German workforce and vo cational education systems, hoping to return with knowledge of concepts and principles to develop a similar system in Mississippi through the analysis of agriculture, manufacturing, logistics and transportation.

UM PHYSICISTS HAIL ADVANCE IN SEARCH FOR GRAVITATIONAL WAVES

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cientists collaborating internationally, including those at the University of Mississippi, are thrilled with a major equipment upgrade that will greatly aid the search for gravitational waves, black holes and other interstellar phenomena. The Advanced LIGO Project increases the sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatories instruments by a factor of 10 and provides a 1,000-fold increase in the number of astrophysical candidates for gravitational wave signals. The system was officially dedicated May 19 in a ceremony at the LIGO Hanford facility in Richland, Wash. “We’ve spent the past seven years putting together the most sensitive gravitational-wave detector ever built,” says David H. Reitze, executive director of the LIGO Project and a scientist at the California Institute of Technology. “Commissioning the detectors has gone extremely well thus

far, and we are looking forward to our first science run with Advanced LIGO beginning later in 2015. This is a very exciting time for the field.” Marco Cavaglia, UM associate professor of physics and astronomy and UM LIGO Project director, concurs.

“The LIGO Team at UM would like to express heartfelt thanks to all LIGO Lab and LIGO Scientific Collaboration colleagues who have worked so hard to make Advanced LIGO a reality,” Cavaglia says. “The success of LIGO to date is a remarkable accomplishment and a major milestone for our field. The next few years will no doubt be quite exciting.”

LIGO was designed and is operated by Caltech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Advanced LIGO, funded by the NSF with important contributions from the United Kingdom Science and Technology Facilities Council, Max Planck Society of Germany and Australian Research Council, is being brought online, with the first searches for gravitational waves planned for fall 2015. “Advanced LIGO represents a critically important step forward in our continuing effort to understand the extraordinary mysteries of our universe,” says NSF director France A. Córdova. “It gives scientists a highly sophisticated instrument for detecting gravitational waves, which we believe carry with them information about their dynamic origins and about the nature of gravity that cannot be obtained by conventional astronomical tools.” s u m m e r 2 015

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from the Circle

ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR WINS STATEWIDE POETRY PRIZE

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niversity of Mississippi English instructor and former graduate student Tim Earley is among the 2015 honorees in the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters‘ awards program. The organization honors the state’s best writers, artists and musicians in seven categories with its MIAL awards. Earley is the recipient of this year’s poetry award for his book (Horse Less Press, 2014). Living in Mississippi has greatly influenced his work, says Earley, who moved to Oxford in 2007. “Interacting with the wonderful young writers the university’s M.F.A. program brings to Oxford, closely engaging with the work of Mississippi writers like Barry Hannah and Larry Brown, taking Friday night sojourns down to Red’s Lounge in Clarksdale, and teaching both in Oxford and at our outreach campuses in Grenada Tim Earley

and Tupelo have brought me into close contact with the abiding creative and cultural energy this state breeds,” Earley says. “Living here has allowed me to write about my own postage stamp of native soil, the former textile mill communities in the foothills of North Carolina, with more clarity and intensity.” Earley is a strong member of Oxford’s literary community, says Beth Ann Fennelly, UM associate professor of English and director of the Master of Fine Arts program. “This award is our most important statewide award, and we are very proud that one of our former M.F.A. students has won this,” Fennelly says. “Tim makes a big impact on the University of Mississippi in many different ways, and the book for which he won the award is deserving of the highest praise.”

Everyday Excellence

AMONG TOP COLLEGIATE NEWSPAPERS

he University of Mississippi’s Daily Mississippian was named one of the nation’s top three collegiate daily newspapers by the Society of Professional Journalists as part of the group’s prestigious Mark of Excellence Awards. T h e D a i l y Mi s s i s s i p p i a n w a s honored as a finalist in the SPJ’s “Best All-Around” large daily newspaper category. The other finalists were The Daily Bruin of the University of California at Los Angeles and The State News of Michigan State University. The State News won top honors overall. Lacey Russell, a senior journalism major from Tupelo, and Adam Ganucheau (BAJ 14), served as editors-in-chief during the period the newspaper was honored. “It was a huge honor just to win in our region, and I never imagined that we would go on to be a national finalist,” Russell says. “It’s exciting and also 8

Alumni Review

extremely gratifying to see all of our hard work pay off.” Ganucheau, a native of Hazlehurst, is a reporter for Alabama Media Group in Birmingham. When he became DM editor for the 2013-14 school year, the staff set a goal to provide “high-quality, meaningful journalism for our campus and community.” “We were able to experience firsthand the impact a strong college newspaper can have on a campus,” Ganucheau says. “I truly marveled every single day at the talent we had on staff at the DM, so it comes as no surprise to me whatsoever to have been selected

as a top student newspaper in the country by SPJ. They earned every single bit of it, and I couldn’t be more proud of the year we had.” In 2014, UM student journalists tackled a first-person enterprise piece on running. They told the story of how residents in a local mobile home park were being affected by new retail development in Oxford. Among the other work honored by the SPJ: articles on the hanging of a noose around the neck of the James Meredith statue on campus and an in-depth profile of Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace, who helped bring the school’s football team back to national prominence.


First-Class Teachers

from the Circle

THREE INDUCTED INTO SCHOOL OF EDUCATION HALL OF FAME

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hree University of Mississippi alumni were admitted into the inaugural class of the UM School of Education’s Hall of Fame. The inductees include Milton Kuykendall (MEd 76), superintendent of the DeSoto County School District; Judith Reynolds (BAEd 68), a 45-year educator from Clinton; and Jerome Smith (BAEd 48, MEd 51), a retired Jackson-area education leader and former education adviser to Gov. Kirk Fordice. “We are proud to honor the dedication and accomplishments of these outstanding alumni,” says David Rock, dean of the School of Education. “Milton Kuykendall, Judith Reynolds and Jerome Smith have made a positive impact on not only their profession but thousands of students and community members in Mississippi.” Education Dean David Rock (left), Jerome Smith, Judith Reynolds and Milton The inductees were selected for the honor by the Kuykendall at The Inn at Ole Miss following the School of Education Hall of UM Education Alumni Advisory Board after being Fame induction nominated by their peers in January. Kuykendall has served as superintendent in DeSoto and serving as the chair of her school’s departments of County for the past 12 years and previously served as princi- English and Foreign Languages. pal of Horn Lake High School for 18 years. Smith spent more than 52 years in Mississippi dedicated Reynolds was a classroom teacher and spent much of to service and leadership in public education. A World War her career at Clinton High School, where her teaching II veteran, he served as teacher and football coach at public accolades include being selected as the school’s Star Teacher schools in Louisville. He later served as a counselor and prinnine times, being named Mississippi Star Teacher in 1988, cipal at multiple schools including Callaway High School.

WELLNESS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CREDENTIAL FOR TEACHERS LAUNCHED

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he Mississippi Department of Education launched a new license endorsement in wellness and physical activity for K-6 teachers based on a specialized program designed by education faculty at the University of Mississippi. This fall, the UM School of Education will offer a 12-hour curriculum in wellness and physical activity for elementary education majors who seek to understand the correlations between cognition, physical activity and overall wellness. All students who complete these courses will qualify for the new credential as part of their teaching licenses. “Our goal is for our students to teach in a way that benefits the whole child,” says Alicia Stapp, assistant professor of health and physical education and coordinator of the program. “Integrating wellness and physical activity into academics benefits all forms of intelligence including

academic, physical and social.” Stapp, a veteran of public schools in central Florida, joined UM to design the new program in 2014 after the School of Education obtained $1.2 million in private funding from the Bower Foundation in Ridgeland to create the wellness program in 2013. The UM program focuses on what happens in the minds and bodies of children who are active in a well-designed academic environment. “The strength of the wellness and physical activity endorsement is that it provides pre-service teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to integrate movement and wellness into the existing curriculum,” says Susan McClelland (MEd 88, PhD 96), chair of the Department of Teacher Education. “This integrated approach can transform a classroom and greatly enhance student involvement in the learning experience and, thus, impact student achievement.” s u m m e r 2 015

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from the Circle

One Honor after Another

CHARLES HUSSEY NAMED 2015 UM DISTINGUISHED RESEARCHER

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Alumni Review

Photo by Kevin Bain

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hether or not it’s true that good things comes in years, he has researched the electrochemistry and transport threes, that’s certainly been the case for Charles L. properties of ionic liquids and molten salts, an outgrowth of Hussey (BS 71, PhD 74), who received the Uni- the work he began at the Seiler Lab. versity of Mississippi’s 2015 Distinguished Research and He has authored or co-authored refereed journal Creative Achievement Award. articles, book chapters, patents and government technical The UM chair and professor of chemistry and biochem- reports. His work is supported by the National Science istry received the prestigious honor, which includes $7,500 Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and a personal plaque, during the university’s annual Com- Alcoa, U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department mencement ceremonies in Tad Smith Coliseum May 9. of Defense. He is technical editor of the Electrochemical Hussey received the Electrochemical Society’s Max Society journals. Bredig Award in Molten Salt and Ionic Liquid Chemistry last October and the Southeastern Conference’s Faculty Achievement Award in April. “I think this is the most important of the three because it recognizes a lifetime of scientific achievement at UM resulting from hard work, sacrifice as well as a bit of good luck,” Hussey said upon learning of his third accolade this academic year. “There are many deserving researchers/scholars on this campus, and I was very fortunate and humbled to be chosen from this pool of very accomplished people.” Alice Clark (MS 76, PhD 78), UM vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs, says Hussey is most deserving of the award. “In Dr. Hussey’s prolific career, he has produced more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, including several that have been cited more than 100 times and a seminal article leading to the birth of ionic liquids that has been cited more than 1,500 times,” Clark says. “He has an impressive track record of extramu- Charles Hussey accepts the University of Mississippi’s Distinguished Research and Creative ral competitive funding, and his lab Achievement Award, presented by Alice Clark, UM vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs. was recognized recently by R&D Magazine for developing a novel aluminum plating system Created in 2008, the annual UM honor recognizes a facthat was considered to be one of the 100 most technologically ulty member who has shown outstanding accomplishment significant products in 2014. in research, scholarship and/or creative activity. Much like “His many accomplishments demonstrate his leadership Hall of Fame inductions, recipients can receive the honor in the field, his scientific creativity and his instinct for inno- only once. Nominees must be associate or full professors vative thinking.” (including research associate professors or research profesHussey joined the faculty in 1978 after serving a four-year sors who are not tenure-track faculty) and must have been active duty term as a military scientist at the U.S. Air Force continuously employed full-time by the university for at least Academy’s Frank J. Seiler Research Lab. For more than 30 five years.


from the Circle

UM STUDENTS START COACHING FOR LITERACY CHAPTER

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niversity of Mississippi students started a chapter of a nonprofit group to raise money for literacy efforts across the state by raffling off the opportunity for fans to become an “assistant coach” during an Ole Miss sporting event. Matt Bolton, an Ole Miss sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., started the chapter of Coaching for Literacy with fellow sophomores Conner Adkins of Jackson, Tenn., and Wade Meena of Jackson, Miss. Bolton is president, and Adkins and Meena serve as vice presidents. They’ve been working with James-Roland Markos, who is president of the Interfraternity Council and the Associated Student Body cabinet’s director of athletics. Coaching for Literacy cites staggering data estimating that 32 million, or one in seven, American adults cannot read. The organization also says 19 percent of today’s high school graduates are functionally

illiterate, with two-thirds of students who cannot read well by the end of the fourth grade ending up in jail or on welfare. The group describes its mission as

professional sports” to raise money for effective local literacy programs and schools that work with elementary and middle school students.

UM students, mostly from Sigma Nu, Phi Delta Theta and Kappa Alpha fraternities, have started a chapter of Coaching for Literacy to raise money for literacy efforts across Mississippi.

increasing awareness about the number of Americans who are functionally or totally illiterate and the social problems associated with illiteracy. It leverages “the unique power of collegiate and

The UM chapter members of Coaching for Literacy believe their efforts can grow exponentially, and they’ve received support for the idea from the UM Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Out of this World Advice MOON LANDING SCIENTIST SPEAKS WITH UM STUDENTS niversity of Mississippi alumna Josephine Howard (BA 64, MCS 67) helped put Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969. A veteran scientist who helped NASA achieve one of the crowning achievements of the 20th century, Howard visited UM to challenge students to face life’s problems by first checking their assumptions.

Josephine Howard

“Whatever you do in life, whatever you think, your choices are based on your assumptions,” Howard says. “On all your choices, go back and check your assumptions; if your assumptions are wrong, you may discover you are way off base.” Howard suggested that students should branch out of their subjects and learn as much as possible for the value that knowledge will have in their long-term careers. The lecture provided an incredible opportunity for students to speak with a veteran scientist, says James Reid, professor and interim chair of mathematics. “This is one of the most exciting speakers our undergraduates will have an opportunity to hear,” Reid says. Howard worked on design trajectory for the Apollo lunar missions, programmed data management programs for oil and gas companies, wrote control language for data management systems, and organized and implemented successful political campaigns for 18 years. She taught junior high and high school, operated her own real estate company and helped found Living Water International, an organization that helps provide clean water in 26 countries. s u m m e r 2 015

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from the Circle

Extended Care

TELEMIND BRINGS SPECIALTY HEALTH CARE TO RURAL CLINIC

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uby Patton, better known as Miss Ruby to everyone in her Mississippi Delta community, began showing the symptoms that often come with aging. After a while, those moments of forgetfulness and confusion increased to a point that Patton’s children started wondering if something else was causing their mother to forget if she had started the washing machine – while the appliance was in the middle of its cycle. Patton’s daughter, Vivian Patton (BA 81), wanted her mother to see a specialist about the potential of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Yet the nearly three-hour drive from Mound Bayou to see a specialist at the MIND Center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson was a major hindrance. Nearby, just five or six miles down the road, the Taborian Urgent Care Clinic offered a solution. The clinic – once one of the most esteemed all-AfricanAmerican hospitals in the nation – has an agreement with UMMC’s Center for Telehealth to provide a service called TeleMIND, which allows patients such as Ruby Patton to see a MIND Center specialist at UMMC’s Jackson campus via a live streaming video.

“The Center for Telehealth offers an ‘end-to-end’ or turnkey telehealth solution,” says Kristi Henderson, chief telehealth and innovation officer at UMMC. “We make it easy for any health care entity in the state to select from a menu of telehealth services; then we take it from there.” The provision of TeleMIND at the Mound Bayou location is the first service offered at a clinic not associated with UMMC. The other two clinics offering this service via the Center for Telehealth are at UMMC-owned hospitals in Lexington and Grenada. “We provide the equipment, education and workflow design,” Henderson says. “The idea of telehealth seems overwhelming, which is why partnering with a trusted partner with over a decade of experience is so important. We make it simple.” Doing everything possible to alleviate the burden of extensive travel on the patients, their families and caregivers is one of the key points of TeleMIND, says Dr. Gwen Windham, director of the MIND Center Clinic. “It is a great feeling to be able to serve the residents of Mississippi using this technology. It’s the next best thing to being with them in person,” she says. “With trained support staff in the field and this advanced technology, I think we can offer comparable services to inperson visits that would be taxing to many patients and their families or caregivers due to the distance they must travel. It is also very difficult for many older patients and patients with dementia to make the trip.” Dr. Gwen Windham, director of the MIND Center Clinic, demonstrates a basic movement from her desk in Jackson that she wants her patient, Ruby Patton, to mimic more than 130 miles away at the Taborian Urgent Care Clinic in Mound Bayou. Photo by Jay Ferchaud

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Alumni Review


from the Circle

HEART-HEALTH STUDY HIGHLIGHTS RISKS FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS

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esearchers have identified three areas of concern among several key risk factors contributing to the higher prevalence of heart disease among African-Americans, according to a report published in ’s May 2015 issue. The report cites Jackson Heart Study research that measures “life’s simple seven,” or LSS, a list of behaviors and health factors that have an impact on the potential development of cardiovascular disease. These factors – body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, smoking, exercise and diet – were assessed in African-Americans over a 13-year period. Dr. Adolfo Correa, interim director of the JHS and a professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, co-authored the article that relied on LSS data collected from the 4,132 African-American participants in the Jackson metro area. “What’s different here is the lower prevalence of ideal levels for blood pressure, body mass index and fasting glucose,” says Correa, comparing JHS figures with national LSS rates based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The findings from this large group, called a cohort, were then used to determine which LSS markers were more common among African-Americans, which could explain this group’s higher risk for heart disease.

Correa says positive findings coming from the study include the low number of current smokers compared to national figures – 11.9 percent in the JHS group compared to 24.5 percent in the NHANES information – as well as an increase in physical activity over the years of the study. “Contributors to the disparity in cardiovascular disease risk factors and outcomes in African-Americans compared to other ethnic groups include awareness, access to health care, socioeconomic status, living environments such as lack of easy access [to] exercise and healthy foods, and education status,” says Dr. Ervin Fox (MD 93), UMMC professor of medicine and JHS senior investigator. Fox and a fellow JHS investigator, Dr. Amir Azeem, say ways to improve LSS include exercising 150 minutes each week or maintaining a regimen of 10,000 steps a day; maintaining a healthy diet low in fat, high in fiber and substituting red meat with poultry and fish; seeing a medical doctor once a year; and keeping a check on blood pressure. The Jackson Heart Study is a population-based longitudinal study conducted through collaboration among UMMC, Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and the National Institutes of Health to discover and test best practices for eliminating health disparities in cardiovascular health.

Different Focus

GRADUATE DOES FIRST STUDY ON AUTISTIC ADULTS’ QUALITY OF LIFE

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recent graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy conducted the first U.S. study on quality of life among adults with autism. Krutika Jariwala-Parikh (MS 11, PhD 15) wrote her dissertation on “Quality of Life and Health Care Utilization and Costs among Adults with Autism.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Jariwala-Parikh’s study focuses on how the disorder affects adults – the first of its kind. Rahul Khanna, assistant professor of pharmacy administration, and Donna West-Strum (BSPh 95, MS 97, PhD 99), professor and chair of pharmacy administration, worked with Jariwala-Parikh on the project. Both faculty members were co-chairs on her dissertation committee.

“While I was exploring potential dissertation topics in the autism area, Dr. Khanna suggested looking at adults with autism,” Jariwala-Parikh says. “After doing a detailed literature review in that area, I realized that very few studies focused on outcomes among adults with autism.” Khanna, who has previously conducted autism-related research, helped JariwalaParikh with various facets of the study such as conceptualization and data analysis. They acquired data by surveying autistic adults who were registered with the Interactive Autism Network. The surveys sought to

determine whether coping technique, social support, severity of autism and functional independence had an impact on the respondents’ quality of life. Jariwala-Parikh found that how adults cope with autism has a profound influence on their quality of life. Her dissertation outlines three key areas where family and friends of individuals with autism can play an essential role: helping with social support, functional independence and coping. “The results of the study suggest that better coping abilities, social support and functional independence can lead to better quality of life among adults with autism,” JariwalaParikh says. Krutika Jariwala-Parikh s u m m e r 2 015

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from the Circle

Landmark Liver Transplant UMMC TRANSPLANT PROGRAM THRIVING AFTER TWO YEARS

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Alumni Review

Photo by Jay Ferchaud

hen Utica resident Dennis Mitchell received a new The team transplanted a record 103 kidneys that first liver on April 14 at the University of Mississippi year as Anderson worked to earn approval from the United Medical Center, his chances of enjoying a normal Network for Organ Sharing to resume the liver transplant life greatly improved. program. That hurdle was cleared in late January 2013. The transplant also marked a huge milestone for the That first year, the abdominal transplant team completed Medical Center. Mitchell received the 50th liver since the 18 liver transplants, then upped that to 23 in 2014, and 11 so 2013 jump-starting of UMMC’s long-dormant liver trans- far this year. plant program. “We are ahead of projections,” Anderson says. His procedure was a proud undertaking for his surgeons, The kidney transplant program has also surged, with Dr. Mark Earl and Dr. Christopher Anderson, who was 104 performed in 2013, 95 in 2014 and 33 so far this year, recruited to UMMC in August 2011 with a mission: Bring says transplant services administrator Dean Henderson. The back the liver transplant program following a 20-year transplant team performed one pancreas-kidney transplant hiatus, and build an abdominal transplant team to keep that in 2013, 10 more in 2014 and two so far this year. momentum going. “We’re doing world-class transplants in terms of complexity. We’ve built the team and support staff to do it here,” says Earl, assistant professor of surgery and one of Anderson’s 2012 recruits. The East Texas native formerly was an abdominal transplant surgeon at Oregon Health and Science University and had trained with Anderson, a Lucedale native, for a decade before that. “New transplant programs don’t come up very often, especially for liver,” Earl says. “They struggle to do what we’re doing. The majority wouldn’t even consider tackling what we’ve done. We're pleased, but we As Dr. Mark Earl (back, right) watches, Dr. Christopher Anderson gently lifts the donated liver to be transplanted into patient Dennis Mitchell. Surgery tech Alana Lowe (center) assists. still have a lot of growth to come.” That first liver recipient, on March 5, 2013, was south Jackson resident Karen Battle. Like many “We have projected that the liver program size will likely who followed her, the 38-year-old is honoring her second reach 50 per year within several more years,” Anderson says. chance at life after living with crippling autoimmune hepatitis. “The rate of growth is donor dependent, but also it is depen“That’s so hard to believe,” she says of the transplant team’s dent on patients listed at our center. Our program has grown 50th procedure. “If it wasn’t for this program, I probably faster than expected, which is a testament to our team and to wouldn’t be here.” doctors in the state.” In the years before Anderson arrived at the Medical Unless more people donate organs, Anderson and Earl Center, Mississippians had no choice but to leave the state – say, the transplant program will be hard-pressed to reach its often at great hardship and personal expense – for a liver potential. transplant, with the closest programs located in Alabama “The number of people dying who are waiting for transplants and New Orleans. The Medical Center’s kidney transplant is going up,” Earl says. “We desperately need more donors.” program at the time wasn’t meeting demand, with 50-70 “Our state has one of the highest incidences of renal performed annually, yet an estimated 100 patients having to disease and dialysis and a growing waitlist of patients waitleave the state. ing for a kidney transplant,” Anderson says. “It is clear that It took Anderson, associate professor and chief of the Divi- patients live longer with a kidney transplant compared to sion of Transplant Surgery, only a year to attract some of the dialysis alone, so organ donation is extremely important in best and brightest in the field of transplantation and nephrology. Mississippi.”


5,301 hearts.

Making history. Changing the odds. Heart disease has hit our African American community particularly hard. So for 15 years, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) has helped lead the largest heart disease study ever focused on African Americans. The Jackson Heart Study is a collaboration between UMMC, Jackson State University and Tougaloo College. By monitoring 5,301 Mississippians and collecting data on everything from diet to community involvement, researchers have discovered key risk factors linked to both health and social conditions. This groundbreaking data could lead to the development of new treatments and prevention methods. The Jackson Heart Study provides a vital resource for researchers around the world, including the Mayo Clinic. But first and foremost, it is changing lives in our community—today. Learn more at ummchealth.com/jhs.

UMMC Research. Tomorrow. Every day.

Š2015 UMMC


Photo by Kevin Bain

Calendar

Fall classes begin Aug. 24

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hrough Dec. 18 Ongoing exhibit: “Entertainment Collectors, Authors and Critics: Selections from the Mamie and Ellis Nassour Arts and Entertainment, Stark Young and Herschel Brickell Collections.� Open to the public. Faulkner Room, J.D. Williams Library. Email library@olemiss.edu.

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Sports Reunion: All 1954-1963 teams. Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom, The Inn at Ole Miss, 6-9 p.m. Call 662-915-7375.

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-8 M-Club Summer Weekend: Various times and locations. Call 662-915-7375.

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Fall classes begin.

Fall Convocation: Acting Chancellor Morris Stocks and others welcome the Class of 2019. Tad Smith Coliseum, time TBA.

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Alumni Review

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Austin SEC Club Annual Picnic: Charles Johnson American Legion House, 404 Atlanta St., Austin, Texas, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Email olemissclubatx@gmail.com. Denver SEC Picnic 2015: Eisenhower Park, Denver, Colo., noon-5 p.m. Visit olemissalumni.com/ events.

September

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Alumni Association Scholarship Recipient Social: Front of Triplett Alumni Center, 4 p.m. Call 662-915-7375.

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Football: Ole Miss vs. UT Martin. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, 11 a.m. Visit www.olemissfb.com.

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Labor Day

Football: Ole Miss vs. Fresno State. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, 2:30 p.m. Visit www.olemissfb.com.

Reception: School of Law reception for fall Mississippi Bar admittees. Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson, 4 p.m. Call 662-915-1878. M-Club Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony: The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. dinner. Call 662-915-7375.

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Football: Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt. VaughtHemingway Stadium, time TBA. Visit www.olemissfb.com.


Calendar

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School of Pharmacy Tailgate: Front lawn of Faser Hall. Three hours prior to kickoff. Email thompson@olemiss.edu.

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University of Mississippi Medical Center Tailgate: Lawn of Triplett Alumni Center, time TBA. Call 1-800-844-5800.

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School of Law Tailgate: Lawn of Triplett Alumni Center, time TBA. Call 662-915-1878.

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Honors Convocation: Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Fall Convocation with guest speaker Ken Burns. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7-9 p.m. Ticket required. Email pleeton@olemiss.edu.

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Performance: Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars Concert Series. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-915-7411 or visit www.fordcenter.org.

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Performance: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” national Broadway tour. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-915-7411 or visit www.fordcenter.org.

October

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-2 Reunion: 50th anniversary of the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. The Inn at Ole Miss. Visit www.olemissalumni.com/events.

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ Sept. 29

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Alumni Hall of Fame Awards Reception: The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Call 662-915-7375.

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Ole Miss Alumni Association Annual Meeting: The Inn at Ole Miss, 10 a.m. Call 662-915-7375 or visit www.olemissalumni.com/events.

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Football: Ole Miss vs. New Mexico State, Homecoming. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, time TBA. Visit www.olemissfb.com.

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Performance: Nairobi Chamber Chorus. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-915-7411 or visit www.fordcenter.org.

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Performance: Thodos Dance Chicago. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 3 p.m. Call 662-915-7411 or visit www.fordcenter.org.

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Football: Ole Miss vs. Texas A&M. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, time TBA. Visit www.olemissfb.com.

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School of Pharmacy Tailgate: Front lawn of Faser Hall. Three hours prior to kickoff. Email thompson@olemiss.edu.

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University of Mississippi Medical Center Tailgate: Lawn of Triplett Alumni Center, time TBA. Call 1-800-844-5800.

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Bridging the Gap: A student/ alumni networking forum, 3:305:30 p.m., Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom, The Inn at Ole Miss. Call 662-915-7375.

For more Oxford events, news and information, visit www.visitoxfordms.com or call 662-232-2477.

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Alumni Review


Dan Jones reflects on tenure as chancellor, university’s future

an Jones (MD 75) moved into the chancellor’s office at the University of Mississippi on July 1, 2009, with a decidedly hard act to follow. Stepping into the wake of an immensely popular predecessor, Jones began by soliciting feedback from all the university’s constituencies and then quickly working to bolster institutional strengths and momentum. Under Jones’ leadership, enrollment has soared nearly 24 percent, and the university has notched several historic benchmarks. About $473 million of active capital projects can be found on the Oxford campus, and construction at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson totals $414 million. The university has been nationally recognized repeatedly for value and quality of education, and individual schools and programs continue to garner acclaim. The Rebels’ athletics programs added achievements on the fields and courts, while the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation attracted more than $130 million for facilities improvements. As Jones prepares for the next stage in his career, as director of clinical and population sciences at UMMC’s Mississippi Center for Obesity Research, he pauses to answer a few questions for the Alumni Review about his accomplishments, his favorite memories as chancellor and what lies ahead for Ole Miss.

Photo by Robert Jordan s u m m e r 2 015

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Q: We’ve accomplished a lot here at the university over the past six years. What would you say is your single most important achievement as chancellor? A: Well, that’s a really hard question. Certainly, I’m very happy

about the good movement on our metrics in enrollment and number of applications. I’m really proud of our retention rate – freshman and sophomore retention rates – and all of those things that you can define with data are very happy for me. I’m very pleased with the progress, both for the sake of the university and for the sake of the state of Mississippi. As I look at how that happened, this is a team sport, so really if I had to boil it down, what I think is my largest contribution here – what I’ve done that’s been most significant – perhaps it’s been to recruit and to retain great talent for the University of Mississippi, and probably for the retention of great talent since I inherited such a strong team from Chancellor Khayat. The retention of really good talent in leadership positions, I think, has been key to the university moving forward.

our faculty aren’t making national rankings our first priority. We have different priorities than many other universities. I’ll take access as an example. We have a strong commitment to access for every minimally qualified Mississippian to be able to come to this great flagship university to receive an education, and we make large commitments of resources to provide the undergirding support academically that those students need. And for those who come from financially vulnerable homes, we made a large commitment to providing resources for those students to not allow financial issues to be the barrier to the best education that they can receive in Mississippi. Because we make that commitment, that takes us down in most of the rankings, but we think it’s the right thing to do – it’s right for our university, and it’s right for our state.

Q: One of the rankings that everybody talks about is that this is one of the best universities in the country to work at. We’ve made that list several years in a row, and I think you’ve probably had something to do Q: You mentioned lots of hard data there. with that. You’re not a big fan of subjective rankings, A: Well, this is a great place to work, is it not? There’s a great but the university has achieved some spirit here. One of the things that I’ve talked about in recent impressive rankings over these years. Are days is our growing confidence as a university family, so I believe that every day and week and month that goes by, there’s there any of those that you’re proud of? a growing confidence that this is a place that’s accomplishing a A: You know, I’m proud of anything that puts us in the good lot of things and can accomplish so much more for ourselves,

for our students, for our state. You know that esprit de corps that’s here, a commitment to serving our state and a commitment to making this university a great university is one that makes people feel good about working here. Now, it’s pretty remarkable that at a time when we’ve expanded our student population by more than 25 percent over a period of five or six years, and the work that entails for our employees and the inconveniences it brings – I mean, my goodness, how much more inconvenient is parking today than it was five years ago? We grumble about it from time

Photo by Nathan Latil

company of other great universities. There are a number of those we could point to; many of those (refer to) the individual discipline programs. Our School of Accountancy is now a top 10 school of accountancy for several years – we had been in the top 25 for a good number of years – and then we have a number of other programs that have been recognized nationally in rankings in significant ways: our School of Pharmacy, our creative writing program, our School of Medicine and so on. I’m certainly proud of all of those, but here’s what I’m proudest of about the issue of ranking: Our leadership and

Chancellor Dan Jones meets with the inaugural group of Grisham fellows, high school students chosen for a week of campus sessions and service learning in the Delta, about their experiences. The program is coordinated through the university's McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement and the Americorps Volunteers in Service to America program. 20

Alumni Review


Photo by Robert Jordan

Chancellor Jones chats with students during one of his regular walks around campus.

to time, but really, people have a great spirit about those inconveniences. We have several hundred million dollars of construction underway – that’s grand and glorious, but it sure does make it hard to get around campus. There are a lot of inconveniences associated with this, and somehow, our faculty and staff have maintained a positive spirit and a positive attitude. Credit goes to a lot of people. I do think our leadership team is strong and committed to treating people fairly, and I want to point out our Human Resources department, which I think is just terrific. They care about the welfare of people who work here and encourage the leadership to be sure that we’re paying attention to things that make quality of life for our employees strong and healthy.

in the hiring of new coaches over two or three episodes, so we found ourselves where we needed to replace both an athletics director and a head football coach. That’s a pretty unusual circumstance, but here’s how we solve problems at Ole Miss: We care about each other, and we call on each other for help. We formed a committee to help with that selection process, led by Archie Manning and Mike Glenn, and their willingness to put their own credibility on the line to help with this process moved us past division and dissension over athletics to a united front. That’s not only allowed us to have more success in athletics over the past few years but has created a positive atmosphere in our relationship with our fans and alumni, and frankly, all across campus you can feel a difference in the temperature and attitude for people. That was a tough problem, but Archie and Mike and the others on the committee committed themselves to Ole Miss and to making good decisions on behalf of Ole Miss and moved us past that. I dare say that had they not been willing to help, that might have been an even earlier end to my tenure as chancellor (big smile).

Q: Shifting gears a little, being chancellor means that you’re called on to make the tough decisions. What was your most trying time as chancellor? A: You know, it’s not the most important thing by any stretch, Q: Over the past 20 years, starting back but in a university that has a large and strong athletics program with Chancellor Khayat, the university has in a major conference, athletics becomes an issue for the really emerged as a player on the national chancellor/president. We went through a period when we were level. What do you see as the biggest needs losing too many football games. Now our fans will tolerate us losing basketball games from time to time, they’ll tolerate us at Ole Miss to continue that process? losing baseball games from time to time, but the tolerance for A: We are following our strategic plan to move ourselves losing football games is low. There was a good bit of frustration, and we had a difficult situation, where we had a great person as our athletics director who had served for a good number of years. He had used a good bit of his political capital

forward, and that calls for lots of things: continued focus on improving the quality of our academic programs, hiring good faculty and paying them at market rates. All those things are important, and our growth pattern we set in our 2020 plan (sets) s u m m e r 2 015

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Photo by Robert Jordan

to the floor level to speak to him before the game, and he saw me approaching and without a smile, without giving himself away any, he stuck his hand out and said, ‘Doc, now that is real commitment to our basketball team. You shaved your head for the tournament! We really appreciate it.’ Photo by Robert Jordan

a goal of getting our student population to 25,000, and then we would reconsider. Well, we’re at 23,000 now, and I suspect this fall we’re going to be over 24,000, and probably within another year we’re going to be at or approaching the 25,000 mark, so we have to step back and reconsider what our next plan will be. Certainly, there are pros and cons to continued growth, but in today’s environment, I think a lot of people are going to favor continued opportunities for growth. That will require significant investment in infrastructure here: roads, parking, sewer, water, electricity, classrooms, faculty space and housing space for students on campus. All those are investments that we’ll need to continue to make, but (we’ll need) to accelerate those investments if we’re going to be able to continue to grow past current projections. And we have to make those hard decisions about what’s right for our state and what’s right for our university in terms of size. One of the key determinants of our growth, one of the key qualities that’s been involved in our ability to grow in the past few years – this is an extraordinarily attractive place, and that makes a difference in our ability to recruit students, but I believe the biggest factor in our ability to recruit students in an accelerated way in the past few years has been the value of a great education.

Chancellor Jones greets David Sansing, UM professor emeritus of history, at a ceremony this spring to name the Department of History in honor of alumnus Arch Dalrymple III.

Q: Instilling a commitment to service among our students has been a hallmark of your time as chancellor, and it’s something you started early on. How do you think that has fundamentally changed this place? A: You know, when I joined the Oxford campus in 2009 as

Chancellor Jones meets with Trentice Imbler, president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, and Teresa Sullivan, president of the University of Virginia, before the university’s Commencement ceremony in May. Sullivan delivered this year's Commencement address.

Q: Looking back, what’s the funniest thing that’s happened over the past few years? A: (Laughs) That may not be easy. Alright, this may not be

the funniest, but it was pretty funny to me at the time. My recent illness shed me of my hair, so when I re-engaged with the university, my first public event was going to Nashville to attend both an SEC leadership meeting and to support our men’s basketball team in the SEC Tournament. My hairstyle at the time looked very much like Coach Kennedy’s hairstyle – there was no hair there at all – and I had not seen Coach Kennedy in several months because of my illness. I went down

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Alumni Review

chancellor, I came to an environment where service was already a priority, was already respected and valued. Service had been an important part of my life, of my career, and service has always been something that I’ve promoted and espoused for other people. … I’m so pleased with so much that has happened. At our last faculty meeting, I told the story of A.K. Suggs, who wrote an editorial piece in The Daily Mississippian (about) where she came to Ole Miss thinking that she wanted to be a physician, learned her freshman year that that was not the right pathway for her, and it was while she was volunteering, while she was participating in a service project at Leap Frog, that she discovered that her passion in life was teaching and made a shift to focus on teaching as a career. It’s a great example of how service learning can be an important part of our culture. It’s not just a matter of ‘we come here to learn.’ It’s not just a matter of ‘in our extra time, we provide some service,’ but service is a part of who we are and how we learn. There are things we can learn in the community environment that we don’t always learn in the classroom. The McLean Institute has been a driving force behind helping people who have less experience with service and service learning to be able to be a part


Photo by Robert Jordan

of that great opportunity of service learning. There have been so, so many of our academic disciplines that have taken this up. I love to see the photo in my office of some of our engineering students that built a school building in Africa. They used their engineering skills that they’re learning at Ole Miss to make life better for people in an African village. I was thrilled to go to one of our service learning fairs and to see that some of our law students were making trips to a model farm, where young farmers were (going) to learn farming techniques, and they went there to work with those young farmers to help them understand the legal issues involved in protecting their personal income while they were running a farm business – not because people asked them to come but because they saw the need and saw that the skills they had were something that could help those young farmers. Those are just a couple of examples of the service learning that takes place at our university. If I can name one thing that I’d like to have as a perpetual recognition of my time of leadership, it would be for service and service learning to remain a priority for the university for years to come.

Q: Another of the goals that you talked about when you came was to strengthen ties between this campus and the Medical Center through education and research collaborations and partnerships. How successful have we been there? A: We’ve made progress, and I’m pleased for that. You know, that two-hour drive makes it a little harder for us, but I was at the School of Pharmacy and the natural products center just a few days ago and was thrilled to hear story after story of the collaborations taking place between researchers and educators on our campus and those at the Medical Center. Dr. Alice Clark and her team led a research fair recently, where researchers from both campuses came together to talk about their work, and there were great opportunities for learning about new possibilities for collaborations there as well. One of the things I’m proudest about is that of this year’s entering medical school class, more than a third of the class are graduates of the University of Mississippi. We have strengthened our pre-medical program here, and new investments, new energy, have helped more and more students not only be prepared for medical school but to choose our university’s medical school in Jackson.

Q: Looking at the goals you had when you came here, is there any major goal that you wanted to achieve that maybe is not quite in reach yet? A: I think we’re on the pathway to all the things that were

of interest to me, so I’m going to take us to the 30,000-foot level. I certainly didn’t expect to solve poverty in six years of leadership at this university, but I’m pleased that there are more and more people on this campus who are working on

Chancellor Jones walks with former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour to a ceremony naming the university's Center for Manufacturing Excellence in honor of Barbour.

poverty and the issue of early childhood education and K-12 education as the ultimate solution to some of those issues of longstanding, multigenerational poverty. When I was contemplating the possibility that I would leave leadership at our Medical Center in Jackson to offer myself as a candidate to be chancellor, it was a really hard decision for me, but the tipping point for me was the realization and the recognition that I’d been talking all my professional career around the world at medical conferences about the importance of education being the right pathway to good health. One of the examples I would use (is that) in Mississippi, if you want to know whether someone is likely to die of heart disease, you can measure their cholesterol, which will give you some information, but a more powerful predictor about whether someone might die prematurely of heart disease in s u m m e r 2 015

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Mississippi will be their educational attainment. More powerful than the predictive value of cholesterol level, education is the solution to our multigenerational poverty. I believe that we have some passionate leaders on our campus who want to make this a long-term goal for our university to have an impact in our state. It won’t be done under any one chancellor’s leadership; it will take years and years and years for this to be accomplished, but I believe that this university has both an opportunity and a responsibility to look at that difficult and dire problem in our state of multigenerational poverty and to continue to work as hard as we can to find solutions to it. That one did not get accomplished completely, but I think we’ve moved the ball down the court.

Q: Looking ahead a bit, if you could give your successor a few pieces of advice, what would they be? A: (Laughs) Well, to trust the leadership team that’s in place

Q: Do you have any messages for the Ole Miss family as you prepare to move on to the next phase of your life? A: You know, my method of departure has created some

controversy. I’m certainly disappointed that I’ll not continue as chancellor. I still have some frustration and some sadness in my heart, but the joy that I have in recognizing the privilege that I’ve had for six years of leadership as chancellor and six years prior to that in leadership of our health sciences campus, and then prior to that, when you put it all together, 23 years as a faculty member or leader and, prior to that, seven years as a learner, as a medical student and medical resident, I’ve had a 30-year relationship with the University of Mississippi, and I leave certainly with some frustration and some sadness, but with much more joy. I would simply suggest to all the Ole Miss faithful that we not let the frustrations of the transition overwhelm us. This is a great university, we have great momentum, and great things will continue to happen. I encourage everyone to engage in the search process that is ahead of us to select the next chancellor and to recognize that the board (members) will make a better decision if they feel accountable and responsible to the people who love and care about Ole Miss. Photo by Kevin Bain

here. We have a remarkable group of leaders. Our provost, Morris Stocks, is the central figure in that leadership team. Our provost has done most of the work improving the status of our academic programs that I get a lot of credit for, both the increase in enrollment and improving retention rates and so forth. I would encourage our next leader of the university to believe in and trust this leadership team. Then I would also encourage him or her to support our faculty in every way possible. We’ve made some progress on faculty compensation since I’ve been here, and I’m proud we’ve been able to make some progress. We’ve closed the gap some – not completely, but some – on our market-based compensation for faculty and for staff, and I would encourage that we continue to work toward getting ourselves at market rates for faculty and staff compensation to use as a recruitment and retention tool for the best talent for our university. And, I would advise him or her to enjoy the ride. This is a great place with lots of great people. It’s a wonderful place to live, and there are many challenges to being chancellor of this university but also many privileges. I’ll go back to sports; having great seats at all the sporting events was a real plus for me in my time as chancellor, and I hope the next chancellor is going to be a sports fan.

responsibilities I have. I’m not perfect, and I didn’t make every decision correctly, but I have been faithful to try to be a good steward of the university and to leave the university better than when I began my tenure of leadership in 2009. I’m proud to have been the chief caretaker, the chief custodian of this place for the past six years. It’s been a privilege.

Q: When we first talked back in 2009, you said that your role here was as a caretaker and that you felt really privileged to be a caretaker of a university like Ole Miss. After investing six years here, do you still feel like simply a caretaker? A: It’s not a simple role. The term ‘caretaker,’ for me, is just

simply a way of trying to convey the humility that I believe one should have in a leadership position like this. Certainly a chancellor has the opportunity to make a difference in the course of a university, but the university is larger than any one person. The university is larger than any one idea, and so I do end my time feeling like I’ve been a really good steward of the 24

Alumni Review

Chancellor Jones celebrates with his wife, Lydia, after a press conference.


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BO OK SAL ON STO E A RES T FI EVE NE RYW HE RE

Bo

A QUARTERBACK’S JOURNEY THROUGH AN SEC SEASON

by Billy Watkins

From award-winning reporter Billy Watkins, Bo follows Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace on a roller coaster ride beginning with the 2013 Egg Bowl loss to a 2014 #4 national ranking and back again to an Egg Bowl victory over top-ranked MSU—with an insider’s look at the Ole Miss locker room and coaching staff. n ISBN: 978-1-936946-49-5 n Hardcover with dust jacket n $24.95 retail n 6” x 9” n 300 pages

The Education of a Lifetime

by Robert Khayat

The award-winning, New York Times bestselling education book is now available in paperback—the same branded edition each freshman at Ole Miss received during 2015 orientation (it even includes a new reader’s guide). n ISBN: 978-1-936946-53-2 n Paperback n $14.95 retail n 6” x 9” n 320 pages

GATREATEST Mississippi’s Greatest Athletes HLETES MISSISSIPPI’S

By Rick Cleveland • Foreword by Archie Manning

by Rick Cleveland • Foreword by Archie Manning

More than 90 Ole Miss alumni are featured in this bestselling collection of Mississippi Sports Hall of Famers. n ISBN: 978-1-936946-32-7 n Hardcover n $38 retail n 10” x 10” n 160 pages

A Troubled History

THE GOVERNANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN MISSISSIPPI

by David Sansing

A TROUBLED

HISTORY THE GOVERNANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN MISSISSIPPI

UM History Professor Emeritus David Sansing gives us a history lesson that could not be more timely for Ole Miss alums.

n ISBN: 978-1-936946-58-7 n Paperback n $14.95 retail n 6” x 9” n 120 pages

B Y DAVID G. S ANSING

WWW.NAUTILUSPUBLISHING.COM


of the

University By Tina H. Hahn

Beloved English professors, John Pilkington (left) and Charles Noyes devoted countless hours to the Friends of the Library’s cause.

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an Robert Jord Photos by


hile serving as U.S. commissioner of education in 1967, the late Harold Howe II, said, “What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it feels about education.” Friends of the Library, the support organization for the University of Mississippi’s J.D. Williams Library, has worked tirelessly to ensure the school thinks the best of its library. Two English professors, the late John Pilkington and Charles Noyes, were instrumental in nurturing Friends of the Library. Forces of nature, they were relentless in building support to purchase books and an array of other library resources. Many who joined the Friends did so out of great affection for Pilkington and Noyes. However, the two professors passed on the belief that we all have a responsibility to strengthen the university’s libraries. New generations of alumni and friends have taken up the mantle of building support as Friends of the Library celebrates its 75th anniversary. Formed in 1940, the organization has an endowment nearing $1 million, with annual income enhancing library assets. For decades, it has purchased library resources to meet the needs of students, faculty, researchers, staff and other patrons. Records show that during a calendar year, Friends has purchased as many as 4,800 new books or resources for the J.D. Williams Library, with purchase decisions made from librarians’ recommendations and faculty members’ requests. Carole Lynn Meadows (BSC 60, MBEd 64) of Gulfport, past president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, heads up the committee that plans Friends of the Library anniversary events, which have already included coffee functions for UM administrators, faculty and staff to encourage them to join the organization. Dr. Ralph Vance (BA 68, MD 72) and his wife, Douglas (BM 67), also opened their Oxford home for a reception to honor UM faculty members and authors Beth Ann Fennelly, Tom Franklin and Curtis Wilkie (BSJ 63). The Ole Miss Alumni Association, a longtime library supporter, makes an annual gift to the Friends organization to honor UM faculty and staff members celebrating 25 years of service. The association is increasing the amount this year to $75 per faculty or staff member c el ebr at i ng

Assistant Provost Don Cole (center) visits with faculty and staff at one of several coffees hosted to promote Friends’ membership. Below: Membership records are held in the J.D. Williams Library’s Archives and Special Collections.

that quarter century of service to help mark the 75th anniversary. “If you described the whole university as a wheel, the hub would be the library,” Meadows says. “Supporting this hub is no longer just about purchasing books; we have to attract funds for an array of technological resources that our students need to succeed in their classes and to increase their understanding of the world. Being part of the Friends organization is a great way to give back; it’s an outlet for the tremendous appreciation and love I feel for the university. Even though I’m not at Ole Miss on a full-time basis, my heart is always here. I am compelled to find ways to strengthen the university for future generations and encourage others to join this effort.”

Anniversary events will continue through early 2016, with a holiday party planned for Friends of the Library members and a white glove event in the library’s Archives and Special Collections. Alumni and friends are encouraged to become involved members, enjoy the social aspects of membership and provide library support, which is needed more than ever. When a university’s academic programs expand and its student enrollment explodes, as is the case with Ole Miss, library resources likewise have to increase. Any anniversary observance would not be complete without a tribute to professors Pilkington and Noyes. “They are monumental figures at our university,” says Stephen Monroe (MS 03, PhD 07), assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and president of Friends of the Library. “These two men were devoted scholars, teachers and servant leaders. Their commitment to the library, in particular, is an ongoing inspiration.” s u m m e r 2 015

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Gerald Walton (MA 59, PhD 67) of Memphis, Tenn., UM provost emeritus and professor emeritus of English, was a student under Pilkington and Noyes, partnered with them as library advocates and eventually did much of the Friends of the Library membership work while serving as secretary-treasurer of the organization. “Both were excellent teachers, and both were fiercely dedicated to the library,” Walton says. “Chuck (Noyes) was a membership chair of the Friends organization in a real sense. He single-handedly recruited more people than any other half dozen combined. He had kept all of his grade books and, over a period of years, wrote letters to all of his former students. “Once, my wife and I were visiting our daughter in Atlanta. Our son-in-law brought in the mail and said, ‘Oh, my goodness, I got a letter from Dr. Noyes, asking me to join in Friends of the Library.’ I asked, ‘Well, do you plan to join?’ He replied, ‘The letter was from Dr. Noyes. I did not realize I have a choice.’ At least in his case, he joined Friends more out of respect for Dr. Noyes rather than for his love for the library, and my guess is that that was the case for a great number of people,” Walton says. Some people have even admitted to delaying their membership payments because they wanted to receive a second witty letter from Noyes inquiring about the whereabouts of their dues, he says.

Above: Carole Lynn Meadows (left), John Hardy, Barbara Liddon, Jay Hughes and Sarah Frances Hardy enjoy the Friends’ reception hosted at the Oxford home of Dr. Ralph and Douglas Vance. Above right: The reception at the Vances’ home honored Ole Miss faculty members and authors Tom Franklin (left), Beth Ann Fennelly and Curtis Wilkie.

When Pilkington arrived at Ole Miss, he became aware of the library’s inadequate holdings and immediately started doing what he could to assist. He wanted to build the library collection to meet the needs of graduate students who were conducting 28

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research and writing papers, theses and dissertations. “We had a Friends organization for many years, but it had not really been an active group until John started his work,” Walton says. “He mainly proselytized among the faculty and staff and put a great deal of emphasis on encouraging people to buy memorial books when people died. Both Chuck and John were fully dedicated to supporting the library.” Known for his wry sense of humor, Noyes once quipped, “John and I operate somewhat like a husband and wife – I bring in the money, and he spends it.” Monroe says those involved in Friends of the Library today are carrying on that tradition of dedication and service. “We have strong, energetic board members,” he says. “Together, we’re working to increase overall membership and to raise our endowment above $1 million.” Photo s by K evin B

Some of the early purchases of Friends of the Library were funded in an unusual manner. David Robinson – the archaeologist responsible for finding the ruins of the ancient Greek city Olynthus and whose Greek and Roman antiquities are housed in the University of Mississippi Museum – was traveling in the Middle East, when he purchased a unique set of material, according to the history of the Friends organization written by Walton. The material consisted of two codices written in Coptic, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until around the 17th century, and a number of papyri or ancient documents written on papyrus. Robinson, who joined the UM faculty in 1949 after he retired from Johns Hopkins University, presented the material to a small group of UM faculty members, who purchased the material with a loan from First National Bank in Oxford. The Friends organization sought gifts to pay off the debt and eventually presented the Coptic books and papyri to the J.D. Williams Library. Then-Chancellor Porter Fortune later sold some of the material to Yale University to acquire funds to purchase

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significant early William Faulkner manuscript material, with the remainder placed in a Friends’ endowment for the library.

Friends’ support continues to make a world of difference in the lives of Ole Miss students. Open 109 hours a week and 24/7 during the last three weeks of each semester, the J.D. Williams Library is usually packed with students. In addition to more than 2 million volumes, the library boasts several special collections and such features as individual and group study an Latil Photo by Nath

the refuge and resources of the J.D. Williams Library.” Faculty members also look to the library for resources. Joseph Ward, UM’s Arch Dalrymple III Department of History’s chair, provides an example. “In recent years, our department has added new faculty members in subject areas it did not cover previously, such as the history of the Middle East and Native American history,” Ward says. “In order for these faculty members and their students to thrive, the library has had to add books, journals and other materials. The College of Liberal Arts has provided important, initial support for this effort, but support from the Friends of the Library continues to play a crucial role in helping the library meet the growing needs of faculty and students as we move forward.”

Lee Ann Cooper, the University of Mississippi Foundation’s director of gifts administration, who worked with Pilkington for more than 12 years, remembers him with great fondness and for the lasting legacy he left. “Dr. Pilkington was always a joy to work with,” she says. “I was impressed by his many years of committed service to the Friends of the Library organization. It’s not often that we see people give that much of themselves to a cause.”

Above and right: The J.D. Williams Library is a popular hub on the Oxford campus. Ole Miss students flock there and take advantage of the array of technological resources available.

areas, exercise bikes for study breaks and a Starbucks coffee shop. “We are so grateful for the longtime Photo by Robert Jordan support of the Friends of the Library,” says Julia Rholes, dean of libraries. “The J.D. Williams Library is thriving because it offers students such strong resources; it also played a pivotal role in the university being chosen to shelter a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (the nation’s oldest Both Pilkington and Noyes and most prestigious liberal arts honorary society). Our growth have permanent endowments in their names and success would not be possible without the amazing support established by alumni and friends, with annual income supof the Friends.” porting the library. Noyes himself gave more than $378,000 to Library technology assists students with learning and the library during his lifetime and through his estate. research. More than 180 public computers and an array of The Friends’ anniversary goal is to reach 100 lifetime software are available. members, and the organization is halfway there. Those A crowdfunding initiative recently attracted private gifts to who would like to join Friends of the Library or support fund Studio One, a video-recording and digital-editing suite the UM Libraries can do so online at www.umfoundation. in the library for students to practice making presentations, com/libraryfriends or by contacting Angela Barlow Brown, complete multimodal assignments, create e-portfolio intro- development officer for libraries at ambarlow@olemiss.edu or ductions or tape group discussions. 662-915-3181. “Today’s students have new tools for learning, but they continue to learn in a fairly familiar and traditional way: by focusing Tina H. Hahn is director of communications for the Office their minds, by reading, by writing,” Monroe says. “A book may of University Development and the University of Mississippi be digital, but it is still a book. More than ever, our students need Foundation. s u m m e r 2 015

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Ole Miss Women’s Council blooms with leadership, mentorship, philanthropy successes

By Tina H. Hahn

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Photo by Robert Jordan

New Women’s Council scholarships are celebrated in the Rose Garden, where the centerpiece is the sculpture ‘The Mentor.’


Photo by Kevin Bain

ith roses representing students, the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy boasts a garden that is changing the world. Council members, now celebrating the 15th anniversary, first came together to create scholarships that would have a far greater effect on students’ lives than providing financial assistance alone. The OMWC is producing exceptional citizens by giving students access to mentors, leadership training, life skills and travel opportunities that prepare them for careers and, hopefully, a lifelong commitment to creating a more caring world. Realizing the need to celebrate leaders who stand as role models for their scholars and countless others, the OMWC

Singer-songwriter Rivers Rutherford and fellow artists entertain at a reception honoring Legacy Award sponsors and Rose Society members.

Scholarships awarded: 112 (2001-2015) Funds endowed: in excess of $11 million Legacy Awards presented: 5 Members on Women’s Council: 34 Members in Rose Society: 89 Added factors: mentorship and leadership training Expected positive influence on society: unlimited and far-reaching

illuminate our mission, we created the Legacy Award, which has become a coveted honor. It highlights servant leaders among us and focuses attention on our scholars.” Becky West (BA 78) of Memphis, president of WestRogers Strategic Communications and a founding OMWC member, chaired the 2015 Legacy Award events, which included a mid-April reception and dinner at Brandt Memory House for Legacy Award dinner sponsors and Rose Society members, with entertainment by Nashville singer-songwriter Rivers Rutherford (BA 89) and fellow artists. The dinner was hosted the evening before the memorable awards event at Carrier House, when Overby, always the journalist, interviewed Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75) about his challenges with the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning that ultimately led to the end of his tenure at Ole Miss. “As I looked across this sold-out crowd, I felt the positive impact the Ole Miss Women’s Council is having on the university,” West says. “The ‘interview’ between Charles Overby and Dan Jones is something I will never forget.” Instead of letting his own accomplishments – which compose a compelling list, including a 1983 Pulitzer Prize for The Clarion-Ledger’s coverage of educational reform in Mississippi – headline the evening, Overby focused on Chancellor Jones’ contributions, with the crowd of around 420 exploding with supportive applause for Jones. Photo by Ji Hoon Heo

created the Legacy Award in 2010. This year’s recipient, Charles Overby (68, BA 14) of Franklin, Tenn., and formerly of Washington, D.C., is a champion of the First Amendment and free press and former chair of the Freedom Forum, Newseum and Diversity Institute. His name graces the façade of the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics on the Oxford campus.

Years since founding: 15

Best in Show Karen Moore (BS 82) of Nashville, Tenn., president of Project Redesign and OMWC chair, says there is much to celebrate on the occasion of this anniversary. “Thanks to the incredible investments from alumni, friends and council members, OMWC scholarships and programming are absolutely transforming students’ lives – and we intend for our work to impact many, many more individuals. To further

2015 Legacy Award honoree Charles Overby (left) and Chancellor Dan Jones

Photo by iStock

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Beloved UM leader tapped for 2016 OMWC Legacy Award

R

Photo by Kevin Bain

obert C. Khayat (BAEd 61, JD 66) – chancellor of the University of Mississippi from 1995 to 2009 and leader of what has been aptly described as a “renaissance at Ole Miss” – has been chosen the 2016 Legacy Award recipient by the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy.

2016 Legacy Award honoree Robert C. Khayat

The OMWC and presenting sponsor C Spire will honor the leader during events being planned for April of next year. Khayat was chancellor when the OMWC was formed and has continued to be a source of support and encouragement to the council, calling its scholarships some of the most “innovative in the nation.” In addition, Khayat established an OMWC scholarship to honor the contributions and support of his wife, Margaret, in her role as Ole Miss’ first lady. Karen Moore, OMWC chair, says Robert Khayat personifies a servant leader. “We use the Legacy Award to honor someone who epitomizes leadership, mentorship and philanthropy, flagship components of 32

Alumni Review

our program. These are also areas we want our scholars to be mindful of when they graduate. We could not find a better example of these attributes than Robert Khayat. He has had tremendous influence on our university’s achievements, as well as his fingerprints on universal changes. When you hear amazing leaders’ success stories, they always talk about giving back, being inclusive, leaving their places of leadership stronger than when they began and encouraging others to succeed. This perfectly describes Dr. Khayat. “The OMWC’s Legacy Award has been a great addition to recognize servant leadership at its best. The coming year will provide a special opportunity to honor the chancellor who was so instrumental in making the OMWC a reality and embracing our work.” Khayat’s experiences reflect an exceptional life journey that shaped his leadership. While an Ole Miss student, he excelled in the classroom and as the placekicker on the football team, securing many victories for legendary Coach John Vaught, as well as wins as catcher on the baseball team. Lessons learned from teamwork, competition, discipline and perseverance prepared him for other pursuits. His unusual resumé includes both “All-Pro kicker for the Washington Redskins” and “Sterling Fellowship for a [Master of Laws] from Yale Law School.” As chancellor, he helped found the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, secure a coveted Phi Beta Kappa chapter, attract millions in private support, host the 2008 Presidential Debate, and transform the campus through construction, renovation and landscape. Khayat’s achievements include being named or becoming Barnard Distinguished Professor of Law, author, NCAA Foundation president, NFL Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award recipient, Innovate Mississippi’s Legend Award recipient, and Ole Miss Student and Alumni halls of fame and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee. Khayat joins a prestigious list of Legacy Award recipients, including nationally recognized names such as Charles Overby (68, BA 14), Donna and Jim (BBA 65) Barksdale; Gov. William (BA 43, LLB 49) and Elise (BA 48) Winter; Olivia Manning (71) and Leigh Anne Tuohy (BS 82). Proceeds from Legacy Award events help fund OMWC mentoring and leadership programs.


Photo courtesy of Invitation Oxford

Chancellor Dan Jones (left), OMWC board member Katie Hester, first lady Lydia Jones and OMWC chair Karen Moore

Photo by Kevin Bain

Jones also asked questions of Overby, requesting that he define “mentoring” as it is so integral to the OMWC’s work. “To me it means somebody who takes an interest in you and who is willing to back you, to support you and push you,” Overby said. “I’ve always had an advocate. My biggest advocate in life was (USA Today founder) Al Neuharth ... he pushed me. He would often tell me, ‘You did that job better than you know how, Charles.’” The presenting sponsor for the event was C Spire, with event proceeds directed to programming for scholars. Building resources is critical, West says, because as Ole Miss’ enrollment continues to soar, so do students’ needs for scholarships and mentorship. “During the awards dinner, I thought of the vision, mission and core values of the university coupled with the mission of the Women’s Council. Phrases such as ‘lead and excel by engaging minds, transforming lives and serving others,’ ‘challenges and inspires a diverse community’ and ‘philosophy of servant leadership’ quickly flooded my mind. However, it was the faces of our scholars that really captured my focus. “The Women’s Council uniquely guides our scholars into their future careers and helps them develop life skills through leadership-mentorship programs. Funding an Ole Miss Women’s Council Scholarship is one of the best investments a person can make,” West says. The scholarships, which have grown to be some of the largest and most prestigious on campus at about $32,000 each, are awarded to both young women and men based on academics, leadership and a desire to give back to society after in-depth interviews. After graduating and becoming established in their careers, scholars are encouraged to give back to the program. Donors who fund scholarships can name them for themselves or for influential people in their lives. Each new scholarship is celebrated in a ceremony in the council’s Rose Garden,

OMWC scholars Jack Fitzpatrick (left), BreAnna Faust and Brea Rich with Bonnie Brown, a mentoring counselor at Ole Miss

located outside the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The Rose Society is an annual giving program added in 2010 for individuals who feel passionate about supporting mentorship, leadership training and cultural-enrichment activities. All Rose Society membership dues go directly to programming, which includes two opportunities for each scholar to travel during his or her college career.

Sowing the Seeds Debra Whitley of Natchez, an integrated marketing communications major, is grateful for such investments. “Being an Ole Miss Women’s Council scholar has been both a rewarding and humbling experience. I have been introduced to so many people, places and things that I normally would not have encountered,” the senior says. “It is because of the council’s generosity that I am able to attend the University of Mississippi. “More importantly, I have witnessed and been inspired by the fact that the Ole Miss Women’s Council keeps philanthropy at the heart of everything that it does. In the last three years that I have been a scholar, I have been encouraged to adopt a philanthropic spirit. I have volunteered with a variety of community service projects, including sorting through recyclable items after Ole Miss football game days and making snacks for an after-school program. One other cause that is close to my heart is diabetes research. My grandfather, who lived with diabetes most of his life, passed away my sophomore year. Consequently, I hope to honor his memory and continue my philanthropic spirit by working with diabetes research efforts after graduation,” Whitley says. Serving a two-year term as OMWC chair, Karen Moore first learned about the organization after her husband, Bruce (BBA 82), created a scholarship in her honor.

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more people learn how the scholarships provide both financial assistance and extensive mentoring from Ole Miss staff, council members and other professionals – plus essential leadership training – I believe increased numbers will want to be part of our program. Scholarships certainly will grow, as people witness the continued impact of the OMWC. “As a former chair, I can attest to the fact that council members make significant investments in scholars’ lives and give inordinate amounts of time to fundraising,” Frugé says. “I’ve witnessed members taking time from their personal lives to help scholars when needed and to attend their activities. Relationships develop trust with our scholars. A recently graduated scholar contacted me to help her prepare for a phone interview Photo by Robert Jordan

“Bruce surprised me for Christmas with an OMWC scholarship – absolutely the best gift ever,” she says. “I was asked to join the council and met the most wonderful, professional, fun-loving group of women who deeply love Ole Miss and students. Their enthusiasm is infectious and inspiring. Since joining in 2007, I have worked on many committees and events side by side with women who can make things happen. “Some of the most memorable moments with our scholars have been at graduation dinners,” Moore continues. “Students talk about how our programs have impacted their day-to-day college experiences. One said, ‘Without the Ole Miss Women’s Council mentoring program, I seriously doubt if I would have made it through my four years. Miss Bonnie (Brown, a mentorship counselor) guided and helped me through all of my hard times and difficult choices.’ Those are our ‘aha’ moments, when we see that these young people have utilized the resources we provide, and those experiences helped catapult them to success. The scholars are our legacy and must carry the torch for future generations. It is our hope that our scholars will be leaders who give back to the world, as they are being taught.”

Companion Planting Gloria Kellum, vice chancellor emerita for University Relations and a founding OMWC member, says one of the most important OMWC accomplishments has been developing a structure to encourage and facilitate alumni and friends genuinely reaching out to students and becoming involved in strengthening educational experiences outside the classroom. “Many in the Ole Miss family would like to help students beyond providing financial assistance if given the opportunity,” Kellum says. “The council developed an effective model that hopefully will be replicated. I think the Women’s Council also has highlighted the important role of philanthropy in general. Philanthropy comes in different forms and at different levels, and we can all work to build support systems and make a difference in people’s lives.” OMWC past chairs include Edith Kelly-Green (BBA 73), Rachel McPherson (BAEd 74), Jan Farrington (BAEd 65), Mary Sharp Rayner (BAEd 64), Kathryn “Katie” Hester (BA 65, JD 82) and Mary Ann Frugé (BA 66, MA 70). There are 34 active members and 17 alliance council members. Beyond being the architect of a significant scholarship program, the council reflects the emerging financial power of women in philanthropic endeavors and their unique abilities as change agents. Frugé of Oxford – former national officer for 12 years and president for six years of Chi Omega, the largest women’s fraternity with more than 240,000 members – looks ahead. “With the strong foundation laid for the OMWC scholarships and programming, I foresee that in 15 or 25 years this program will expand exponentially,” she says. “As

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Past Legacy Award honoree Olivia Manning (left), OMWC members Gloria Kellum and Mary Ann Frugé, and Archie Manning

for a job. I agreed and spent time practicing with her. From that phone interview, she was chosen for a face-to-face interview and landed the job. Believe me, this is only one example of how the program develops confidence in our scholars. Additionally, permanent friendships are forged as our scholars move forward in creating a more caring and ethical society.”

Gathering the Blossoms The past and future will be spotlighted when the OMWC hosts its anniversary celebration Sept. 25, with Moore promising a memorable evening. “We will highlight our scholars, alumni scholars and the people who have supported our efforts through our 15-year tenure, as well as present highly recognized entertainment,” Moore says. OMWC scholarship naming opportunities are available for a contribution of $125,000 from an individual, corporation or foundation and can be paid in a lump sum or annually over several years. Yearly membership in the Rose Society is $1,000. All sizes of contributions are welcome and used to further OMWC goals. For more information, contact Nora Capwell at ncapwell@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2384, or visit online: www.omwc.olemiss.edu. Scholarship application directions also are located on this website.

For more information about the Ole Miss Women’s Council, contact Nora Capwell at ncapwell@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2384, or visit online: www.omwc.olemiss.edu. Alumni Review


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turns UM food

Anne McCauley, assistant director in the Office of Sustainability, isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty during a composting demonstration set up in front of the Union. 36

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waste into nutrient-rich soil amendment By Lindsey Abernathy Photos by Robert Jordan

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ike many college students, University of Mississippi senior Victoria Burgos heads to work after a full morning of classes. However, Burgos’ job leads her to an unconventional locale — the numerous mounds of compost, all in various stages of decomposition, near the edge of campus. Where some see trash, the recreation administration major sees an opportunity for Ole Miss to reduce waste and create a usable product for community gardeners. “Food waste isn’t actually waste,” explains Burgos, a founder of UM’s composting program, an initiative that has diverted nearly 34,000 pounds of campus food waste from the landfill since 2013. “It can be remade and reused into nutrientdense, potable soil, and it sequesters greenhouse gases.” According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food in landfills is a significant source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than the carbon dioxide that decomposing food gives off when breaking down naturally in a compost pile. After six months, the compost, which began as food scraps such as banana peels, onion skins and coffee grounds, ends up looking and smelling like dirt. The finished product is distributed to campus and community members for use in their gardens.

Tiara Mabry (left), Victoria Burgos and Robert Lucas, students on the UM compost team, haul buckets of pre-consumer food waste (kitchen scraps) to the compost piles behind the Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden.

“The product we get after composting, called humus, is really nutritious dirt that can help in soil amendment,” says Erik Hom, UM assistant professor of biology and a member of the compost program’s advisory board. “When mixed with soil, it helps retain moisture, provides important plant 38

Alumni Review

nutrients and is chock-full of beneficial microbes that improve plant growth. Among many benefits, it’s a great fertilizer, meaning we don’t have to use as many chemicals.” Burgos first began working on the compost project as a freshman in 2012, when she proposed the idea to the newly established UM Green Fund, a donation-based funding source for innovative sustainability projects on campus. The pilot program launched in fall 2013 as a program of the UM Office of Sustainability and works in collaboration with Ole Miss Dining Services, operated by Aramark, and the School of Pharmacy’s Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden, where the compost piles are located. For Richard Bradley (MBA 10), Aramark marketing manager, the partnership with the Office of Sustainability just made sense. “We want to make sure that we’re reducing our waste,” Bradley says. “When we’re preparing food, any waste of the product — a fruit rind or trimmed piece of vegetable — is already being weighed and documented. We had that part of the system in place. Once we were done weighing it, we just had to put it into a receptacle that could be picked up by the Office of Sustainability.” During the first year, the compost team employed four student interns who picked up kitchen scraps from the Marketplace at the Residential College, which serves about 1,500 students daily. The team composted nearly 3,500 pounds of food that year, creating 19 cubic yards of finished compost that was distributed to the Residential College Garden Club and other area gardens. “That first year, we started [picking up food] just from the RC, which was awesome,” Burgos says. “We were a pilot program, and we had so many other issues to iron out that if we took on another place it probably would have been overwhelming. But, it was always written into the project to expand.” At the end of the first year, students in associate professor of civil engineering Cristiane Surbeck’s environmental engineering course conducted an environmental impact analysis as a class project, making a strong case for expanding the program. The analysis took into account vehicle emissions, water use and emissions from the decomposing food. “What we learned from Dr. Surbeck’s engineering students was that the environmental effect of our composting program with the volume from the pilot year was about even with the environmental effect of landfilling that same amount of waste,” says Anne McCauley, assistant director of the Office of Sustainability. “But, we learned that if we increased our volume even a small amount, it would tip the scale toward composting having an environmental benefit. We already had the operations in place, and we felt like we had the capacity to take on more.” Following the analysis, Burgos and team members Tiara Mabry, a then-freshman psychology major from Tupelo, and Katelynn Dillard (BS 15), a then-junior biology major from Metairie, La., reapplied to the Green Fund to request funding for expansion. After a summer of planning — including registering the program with the Mississippi Department of Environmental


Robert Lucas, a member of the compost team during spring 2015, adds leaves, wood chips and other ‘brown materials’ to the compost piles, providing a vital source of carbon to the nitrogen-rich organic matter.

Quality — the team began picking up food from Rebel Market in August 2014, a 1,030 percent increase in monthly volume. To accommodate the expansion, the Office of Sustainability increased food pickups from three times weekly to daily. “I wasn’t expecting nearly as much food as we ended up getting,” says Dillard, a former member of the compost team. “We had a projection that we were going to fill up this designated space for our first pile in seven weeks, and it took three weeks. That was sort of a wake-up call, like ‘Wow, we’re really composting a lot of food.’” During the 2014-15 academic year, the team picked up an average of 1,065 pounds of food waste weekly, sometimes transporting more than 30 buckets to the piles at the Medicinal Plant Garden. In just one year, team members composted nearly 30,000 pounds of food waste and are in the process of preparing it for distribution. The increased volume did have a positive effect on the project’s emissions — the 2014 environmental impact analysis found that the project reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 17 tons, compared to the alternative of sending the food to the Three Rivers Landfill, located in Pontotoc. As the program enters its third year, it continues to expand. Beginning in August 2015, the project will include The Grill at 1810, located in the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center. The team will also pick up coffee grounds from two Einstein Bros. Bagels locations and two Starbucks locations on campus. “Starting off, I really wasn’t expecting to undergo expansion every year,” says Burgos, who is entering her senior year. “I kind of thought I would see some upgrades before I graduated, but it’s actually grown every single year, which is really exciting. I think the sheer amount of waste we’ve taken in is a huge success.”

A typical day for Burgos and the other members of the compost team entails donning mud-caked boots and setting out to collect buckets of kitchen scraps from the loading docks behind Rebel Market and the Residential colleges. The 5-gallon buckets are stacked and waiting, filled with anything from pineapple tops and mango peelings to chocolate chip cookies, depending on the day. The team measures, weighs and inspects each bucket for usability — the project does not compost meat or dairy products, which might attract pests — before transporting it to the Medicinal Plant Garden for composting. “Composting is a really natural process,” says UM biology instructor Tiffany Bensen, who also serves on the project’s advisory board. “Decomposers like bacteria and fungi do this really good job of breaking down old, unwanted, decaying organic matter into raw materials that we can reuse again.” At the garden, the team mixes the food with leaves from the City of Oxford, wood chips provided by Landscape Services and other “brown material,” which adds a source of carbon to the nitrogen-rich organic matter. Another vital step in the process involves turning the compost piles to allow for oxygen flow, one of the major differentiators between composting food and sending it to a landfill, Hom says. Currently, Medicinal Plant Garden staff handles turning the piles for the team. Each year, Americans send more than 30 million tons of food waste to landfills, which account for more than 20 percent of the nation’s methane emissions, according to the EPA. “The concern people have with this is that methane is a ‘greenhouse gas’ — which means that it effectively traps heat generated on this planet, which thus leads to global warming,” Hom says. “Suffice it to say, excess methane in our air is not a good thing and is a substantially more potent greenhouse gas s u m m e r 2 015

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than carbon dioxide. Composting, on the other hand, does not lead to methane production because the sort of degradation that goes on there is largely aerobic — it takes place with oxygen present. The main gas coming out of compost piles is carbon dioxide, the stuff that we breathe out, which is far better than methane release.”

Educating the Campus Community In addition to reducing the university’s environmental impact, a large focus of the UM composting program is outreach and education. The team sets up educational displays during campus events, and signage in Rebel Market and the Marketplace explains the purpose of the program. “Our outreach and awareness efforts are one of the most important things,” Burgos says. “As long as people know this is actually happening on campus, it becomes a part of campus culture. It will just come to be readily accepted as something that we do.” In April, the team’s members sifted a portion of the finished compost, a process that removes larger particles and results in a better product for gardens. To increase the project’s visibility, they set up a display on the Student Union Plaza. Landscape Services transported 16 cubic yards of compost to the plaza, where student volunteers and Office of Sustainability staff sifted and explained what they were doing to onlookers. “We thought that sifting in front of the Union would be a great place because it’s very visible to the students,” says Ellen Olack (BA 15), who interned in the Office of Sustainability during spring 2015. “I enjoyed it because while I was sifting, a lot of students came up to us not knowing what we were doing or why we were doing it. They got to learn the importance of composting and see how easy and fun it could be to compost.” Will Bedwell (BA 15), a former student member of the Green Fund Committee, says that, in part, the potential for educational impact was what got the attention of the committee. “We liked that it was very educational,” Bedwell says. “The program operates where students are eating, so it’s something that is apparent to students. It was also an educational opportunity for Burgos, who ran it, and the chemical engineering students who also got involved.” Outreach extends beyond the student body. During the first year of the program, the team tossed out 35 percent of food it collected due to contamination by meat scraps, dairy and other substances. To address the issue, Burgos and McCauley conducted orientations for kitchen staff, explaining the purpose of the project. Following the orientation, the percentage of usable food scraps increased to 99 percent.

A common theme among those involved in the program is the desire to see it continue to operate and grow. “I would think that within the next five years, most every dining location could be a part of the program,” Bradley says. 40

Alumni Review

“Long term, I’d like to see us create a zero-waste facility. Right now when I say it, it’s a very big goal to set, but if we keep taking these small steps, I think we could accomplish things like that.” However, as the operation grows, the compost team is faced with new challenges, ranging from locating space for more piles to the need to identify a new funding source. As the Green Fund, which receives a $15,000 baseline donation from the university each year, gets increased project proposals, funding the compost project long term will no longer be feasible. “The idea with the Green Fund is that it helps projects get started, and then they get institutionalized into the university,” Bedwell says. Additionally, the expansion to The Grill at 1810 has put the project at capacity in terms of space at the Medicinal Plant Garden. The Office of Sustainability is working to identify space that can be used in addition to its current location. But creative

Robert Lucas (left), Tiara Mabry and Victoria Burgos conduct daily food pickups in a hand-me-down truck, donated by the biology department.

problem solving is a mainstay of the compost program. The team’s primary vehicle, a well-used truck bearing the words “OG DEPT.” on the side — the only letters left in “biology” in its past life as a biology departmental vehicle — is continually presenting problems; this fall, the team will pilot a hybrid electric bicycle equipped with a trailer as a potential replacement. “From the beginning, everything about this project was new to us,” McCauley says. “We’ve not allowed uncertainties or challenges to intimidate us from going forward.” As for Burgos, she will spend her senior year orienting a new team of student interns, whom she hopes will value the program as she has and see it through new growth after her graduation. “This experience has been pretty transformative,” Burgos says. “I’m really proud of where we are, and I want to see the program grow more and more. The end goal is to take every bit — pre- and post-consumer — from every place that has food on this campus.”

To learn more about composting at Ole Miss, visit green.olemiss.edu.



Sports Ole Miss

Ahead of the Game

GROUNDBREAKING CONCUSSION RESEARCH PROGRAM LAUNCHED

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Ill us tra tio nb yi Sto ck

University of Mississippi engineering professor is helping to tackle the risks of head injuries in athletes engaged in contact sports, particularly football, and invited bright high school students to help with the project this summer. Matthew Morrison, an assistant professor of electrical engineering, is using high-tech sensors to monitor the forces on athletes’ heads during practice and game conditions. He is working with rising high school juniors and seniors to broaden the project, with a goal of aiding early detecX2 impact sensor tion and possible solutions to the critical problem of concussion injuries. The inaugural “Heads in the Game” research program took place June 28-July 28 on the Oxford campus. The program was made possible by a $200,000 grant from X2 Biosystems and is a partnership with the Ole Miss Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Center for Health and Sports Performance, and Summer College for High School Students.

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“We wanted to find a way to demonstrate to Mississippi high school students the importance of math and science research and show them how the study of these disciplines helps people every day,” Morrison says. “We know high school students are interested in sports, so we hope that our research using state-of-the-art technology with Ole Miss athletes will be a way to pique their interest.” Students from Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee were eligible to apply for 16 spots in the program. Besides participating in Morrison’s ongoing research concerning concussion management for contact-sport athletes, they explored the fundamentals of biomedical science, computer science and engineering. “Through this generous grant from X2 Biosystems, we hope not only to develop tools that can be used by Ole Miss Athletics to continue improving the health and well-being of student athletes but also to give area high school students a chance to improve their own skill set and resume,” Morrison says. Since 2010, X2 has pioneered the development of wearable impact-monitoring devices and assessment tools to enable more accurate diagnoses and comprehensive management of concussions in sports, military and industrial environments. The National Football League, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer have all adopted X2’s Integrated Concussion Evaluation, or ICE, solution for baseline neurocognitive testing, post-injury evaluation and return-to-play progress monitoring of their athletes. “X2 was founded to improve concussion safety for the millions of young athletes who benefit from participating in sporting activities but, at the same time, are exposed to all manner of physical impacts,” says John Ralston, X2’s CEO. “Helping Ole Miss engineering and athletic performance researchers to instill an appreciation of the underlying science and technology in high school students is a fantastic opportunity to combine athletics and academics in the development of creative young researchers.” Morrison applied for and received an educational research grant from the company in fall 2014. In conjunccontinued on page 43


Ole Miss Sports Ahead of the Game continued from page 42 tion with the Ole Miss Athletics Center for Health and Sports Performance, he began using the X2 impact sensors and ICE software during spring football practice to document head

Heads in the Game scholars hear a talk by Dwight Waddell, professor of electrical engineering and head of the biomedical engineering emphasis at the University of Mississippi.

impact during plays. During the Regions Bank Grove Bowl football scrimmage this spring, players and trainers gathered enough information from immediate readings to implement in-game techniques to ward off potentially damaging hits to the head. “We are excited about the potential data that will be collected and may ultimately help set standards in health care and athletic performance,” says Shannon Singletary, Ole

Miss senior associate athletics director for health and sports performance. “This will be a cutting edge program that will benefit high school students as well as athletes of all ages as we explore causes and treatments for sports-related issues such as concussions.” The high school students selected for the Heads in the Game program this summer also helped set up and test equipment in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium that athletics staff can use to monitor impact readings in real time from football players wearing X2 devices on the field. Program participants also worked closely with Ole Miss athletics trainers to develop a mobile device application that will track athletes’ nutrition and water consumption to see if those results yield data that are useful for preventing head injuries during competitions. “Our goal is to help the players play smarter, play safer and play longer,” Morrison says. “We think the implementation of this system will aid trainers in improving players’ form and nutrition to get them back on the field, all while improving their health and safety.” During the program, students presented their findings during a weekly meeting of Ole Miss Athletics coaches, trainers and staff. “This unique program is definitely one of a kind and an amazing opportunity for high school students,” says Cass Dodgen, director of UM’s Summer College for High School Students.

SCHOLTZ EARNS FOURTH ALL-AMERICA HONOR regarding his future when he left Ole Miss after the 2014 season. He could turn pro or come back for his senior year. After playing in tournaments last summer and fall, Scholtz opted to return, saying he wanted to finish what he started and earn his degree. He did both. Starting out the spring unranked after not competing in the fall, Scholtz finished with a 16-6 record and posted 11 nationally ranked wins, including five against players in the final top 20. Scholtz also became the first player in the program to earn All-SEC first team honors all four years. “I am thrilled I was able to end my career on a high note,” Scholtz adds. “I am happy that I was able to have four consistent years, which is not easy to do. I want to thank everyone at the university and the coaches for their support.”

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

a l f w a y a ro u n d t h e w o r l d o n another continent, Nik Scholtz is competing in his first tournament as a pro. Meanwhile, Toby Hansson, Ole Miss men’s tennis head coach, delivers news that leaves his former star player speechless on the phone. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced the final Oracle/ITA Individual Rankings, and Scholtz earned a ranking of No. 19 in singles, which makes him the first four-time All-American in Ole Miss program history. “This has always been one of my goals,” Scholtz says. “When it starts becoming a reality, it adds a little bit of pressure because it’s such a huge piece of history. I had basically made peace when I left here that it just wasn’t meant to be, so I am really thrilled. It’s the icing on a great cake.” Scholtz had a decision to make

Nik Scholtz s u m m e r 2 015

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Ole Miss Sports

Four-Year Deal

OLE MISS ANNOUNCES KENNEDY CONTRACT EXTENSION

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Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

fter guiding Ole Miss to its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons, Andy Kennedy, men’s basketball head coach, agreed to a four-year contract extension through 2019. Kennedy’s four-year deal is the longest allowed by the state of Mississippi

and includes a base salary of $1.925 million, which was earned after reaching certain performance incentives for the 2014-15 season. It also includes incentives for SEC regular-season and NCAA postseason success and an increase in the investment of assistant coach and basketball support staff salaries.

“The future of Ole Miss basketball could not be stronger,” says Athletics Director Ross Bjork. “Andy Kennedy is the core of that strength, and we are pleased to announce his contract has been extended four more years. Coach Kennedy has built his legacy among the top coaches in SEC history, and I look forward to him leading the Rebels into a new era with the opening of the Pavilion at Ole Miss.” “I greatly appreciate the opportunity I’ve been given to be the head basketball coach at Ole Miss,” Kennedy says. “As a native Mississippian, it is an honor to continue in my role as a head coach at Mississippi’s flagship university. I want to publicly thank Dr. Dan Jones and Ross for their unwavering support in our mission to continue to build Rebel basketball into a program of national relevance.” The all-time winningest coach in Ole Miss history, Kennedy is one of only 10 active head coaches who have coached at least 10 seasons without a losing record. Kennedy guided the Rebels to the 2013 SEC Tournament Championship and tied the school record with 27 wins en route to SEC Coach of the Year honors that season. He boasts the thirdmost wins in SEC history by a coach in his first nine years in the conference at one school with 192. A two-time SEC C oach of the Year selection, Kennedy has more postseason wins (nine) than any coach in school history. The Louisville native has led the Rebels to two SEC West titles and a pair of NIT Final Four appearances. Andy Kennedy

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Alumni Review



Published JUST

included a trade journal publishing house, warehouse facilities and, most recently, New Media Lab LLC and Hottytoddy.com, an online newspaper.

Let It Be b y Katie Scott, 261 pages,

RIOT: Witness to Anger and Change b y Edwin E. Meek, 160 pages, $35.95 (Hardcover), Yoknapatawpha Press, ISBN: 9780916242794 A photo history, RIOT includes 120 photos, 80 of which are previously unpublished, an introduction by journalist and author Curtis Wilkie (BSJ 63) and an afterword by former Mississippi Gov. William Winter (BA 43, LLB 49). On Sept. 30, 1962, when the University of Mississippi admitted its first African-American student, James Meredith, and a large group of demonstrators in the Circle protesting Meredith’s admission turned violent, Ed Meek — a 22-year-old graduate of the university and staff photographer for University Public Relations — was on the scene. Throughout the night and the next day, he took more than 500 photos, including exclusive shots of Meredith in the classroom. Meek is the only photographer with a full body of work that covers the entire period of the 1962 riot at Ole Miss. A s C u r t i s Wi l k i e writes in the introduction, “ To the school’s c re d it , O l e M i s s h a s never tried to whitewash the story, heeding the words of the philosopher George Santayana, who warned that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Meek (BSJ 61, MA 63) is a former UM vice chancellor for public relations and marketing and associate professor of journalism. His businesses have

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Alumni Review

$24.95 (Hardcover), self-published, ISBN: 9781304680556 Katie Scott, a Houston-based interior designer, describes the inspiration for her book as follows: “While I may be a professional at renovating and restoring homes, God showed me that He is the professional at renovating and restoring souls. The glory of a renovation is turning something broken into something beautiful. This is the story of my interior design, my design from w it hin, a cl assic and timeless renovation.” S cott (BSHEC 94) launched the Katie Design brand in 2005, and her work has been featured in such magazines as Elle Décor, Papercity and Southern Living. She says that by embracing her client’s c ore i n d i v i du a l it i e s , she styles and designs homes to enhance the desires that ignite souls. Influenced by the beauty found in juxtaposition, s h e c re ate s i nte r i ors that “resonate a sense of peace, yet are energized by spontaneous jolts of color and eclectic art and accessories.”

I Have Cancer. I Want to Live by

Darlene Arnold Gore with Meredith Gore Warf, 232 pages, $33.95 (Hardcover), WestBow Press, ISBN: 9781490845432 When one family member has cancer, the whole family has cancer. This is not just another story of a family’s

victory over cancer. The author’s intent in sharing her story is to give practical suggestions to patients and their family and friends on how to help. After returning home from successful treatment in 2005, Darlene Gore consistently has received calls, emails and visits from people who are newly diagnosed and from patients’ family and friends who want to know how to help their loved ones. They ask her: “What can I do?” “What should I say?” Included are suggestions for the patient on how to battle not only the disease but also the onslaught of fear and anxiety that accompanies a diagnosis such as cancer. Although every case of cancer is unique and each family is different, Darlene Gore recommends some universal actions for those who find themselves in this battle: Motivate yourself for the fight. Create ways others may join in. Learn how to encourage and help those battling cancer. Darlene Gore (BED 74, MCD 76) is a speech-language pathologist who was told at age 50 that she had stage IV breast cancer and likely would not see her daughters graduate from college or marry. Ten years later, she is cancer-free and lives in Grenada with her husband. Meredith Warf (BAccy 03, MAccy 04, DPT 09) is a physical therapist in Jackson. Information presented in this section is compiled from material provided by the publisher and/or author and does not necessarily represent the view of the Alumni Review or the Ole Miss Alumni Association. To present a recently published book or CD for consideration, please mail a copy with any descriptions and publishing information to: Ole Miss Alumni Review, Ole Miss Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677.


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Traveler 2015-16 REBEL

T

he Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a number of spectacular trips for 2015-16. Alumni and friends obtain group rates and discounts. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change until booking. Airfare is not included unless noted. For a brochure or more information, contact the Alumni office at 662-915-7375. You also can find the most current and complete listing of trips and prices on the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s website at www. olemissalumni.com/travel.

PARIS TO PROVENCE SEPT. 7-15, 2015

This exclusive French sojourn features a two-night stay in enchanting Paris, travel aboard the famous TGV high-speed

Plaza de Armas, Lima, Peru 48

Alumni Review

train from the Rhône Valley, and a cruise through the world-famous Burgundy, Beaujolais and Provence wine regions. Cr uis e ab oard t he exclusively chartered M.S. Amadeus Symphony, one of the finest ships to ply the waterways of Europe. Visit the wonderfully preserved Roman Amphitheater in Arles; the historic Papal Palace of Avignon; the Roman city of Orange; and take a walking tour in Lyon, France’s gastronomic gateway. An Aix-en-Provence pre-program option immerses you in the vibrant culture of the quintessential Provençal region. The carefully designed London post-program option travels from Paris aboard the Eurostar train through the marvelously engineered Chunnel. This comprehensive itinerary is an excellent

value and a special opportunity to travel from the very heart of Provence into London. — From $3,695

VILLAGE LIFE IN DORDOGNE SEPT. 17-25, 2015

Experience the provincial character of Dordogne for one full week in Sarlatla-Canéda, one of the most beautiful and well-preserved medieval villages in France. Stay in the family-owned Plaza Madeleine Hotel, formerly a grand 19th-century townhouse. Discover the region’s charming villages, medieval castles and prehistoric treasures through specially arranged excursions and cultural enrichments, including the medieval pilgrimage site of Rocamadour and the fascinating prehistoric cave paintings of Rouffignac and Cap


2015-16 rebel Traveler Blanc, all part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list; the perfect replica cave art of Lascaux II; and the exclusive Village Forum with a local resident who will share candid insights into daily life in Dordogne. A Bordeaux pre-program option is available. — From $3,395

COLORS OF FALL – CANADA AND NEW ENGLAND SEPT. 20-30, 2015

Sail the East Coast of North America aboard the elegant Oceania Cruises’ Regatta. Depart New York for Newport, R.I., whose palatial mansions hearken back to a golden age of lavish architecture among America’s rich and famous. Sail to Boston, one of America’s oldest and most influential cities, and on to Maine’s beautiful resort of Bar Harbor, a seaside paradise boasting stunning vistas of sparkling blue waters edging towering granite cliffs. The voyage then continues to Canada: first to the picturesque harbor town of Saint John, New Brunswick; then to Halifax, Nova Scotia, a beautiful, modern port city with a rich heritage, and on to charming Sydney, home to a historic waterfront. The breathtaking beauty of nature reveals itself as you travel the scenic waterways of the St. Lawrence to Quebec City. Stroll the city’s historic streets that exude an unmistakable French ambiance, and take in the grand Château Frontenac before sailing on to Montreal, a city bursting with European charisma. — From $3,799, including airfare

SEA OF ANTIQUITY SEPT. 21-OCT. 4, 2015

E x p l o r e r i v e t i n g a n c i e nt r u i n s , picture-perfect villages and incredible landscapes as you cruise to Italy, Malta, Greece and Turkey aboard Oceania Cruises’ intimate Nautica. Depart Rome for Sorrento, a delightful seaside resort with its fragrant lemon groves, winding cobblestone streets and majestic mountain vistas, or visit nearby Capri. Experience dramatic Italian beauty in Amalfi and Positano, colorful towns set on stunning seaside slopes, and visit Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari, home to extensive archaeological

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

treasures that reflect its 2,000 years of history. Sail to Sicily’s western coast, and explore the maze of narrow streets in Trapani’s medieval core. Next, sail to Malta’s charming capital, Valletta, sprinkled with 16th-century limestone buildings and longstanding fortifications. Then behold the picturesque, windmill-dotted landscapes of Crete a n d t h e s t u n n i n g , w h it e w a s h e d villages of Santorini. Continue to Turkey and visit the vibrant port of Kusadasi, a gateway to Ephesus — one of the Mediterranean’s best-preserved archaeological sites. Relax on the lovely Greek isle of Skiathos, where aqua seas lap secluded, pine-fringed beaches and quaint churches grace gentle hillsides. Conclude your 12-day journey in the magnificent city astride two continents, Istanbul, featuring a captivating fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. — From $4,799, including airfare

CRUISING THE ELBE RIVER – PRAGUE TO BERLIN SEPT. 25-OCT. 3, 2015

Cruise for seven nights aboard the exclusively chartered, superior firstclass M.S. Swiss Ruby to explore the incomparable treasures and timeless

traditions of the Elbe River Valley, from historic Dresden and Prague to the medieval towns and stunning countryside of “Saxon Switzerland” and Bohemia. Meet local residents during the exclusive River Life Forum for a personal perspective. Visit four UNESCO World Heritage sites — Berlin, Potsdam, Wittenberg and Prague. Expert-led excursions include a special backstage tour of Dresden’s Semper Opera House and a private tasting of Czech and German beers. Berlin precruise and Prague post-cruise options are offered. — From $3,995

ANCIENT GREECE AND TURKEY SEPT. 28-OCT. 6, 2015

Join this exclusive nine-day odyssey to the windswept paradise of Greece’s ancient islands and Turkey’s fabled coast. Cruise from Athens to Istanbul aboard the exclusively chartered, fivestar small ship M.S. Le Lyrial, launching in 2015. Meet local residents during the specially arranged Island Life Forum for a personal perspective on the true character of the Aegean Sea’s maritime culture. Enjoy carefully designed, expert-led excursions highlighting the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Delos, s u m m e r 2 0 15

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2015-16 rebel Traveler Rhodes’ Old Town, Pátmos’ Monastery of St. John and legendary Troy. An Athens pre-cruise option and Istanbul or Cappadocia and Istanbul post-cruise options are offered. — From $3,995

HISTORIC INTERLUDE OCT. 4-13, 2015

History comes to life on this impressive voyage that reflects the heart and soul of the Mediterranean. Uncover a dazzling mosaic of cultural and historical treasures as you sail to Greece, Italy, Monaco, France and Spain aboard Oceania Cruises’ newest ship, Riviera. Depart Athens for the Sicilian town of Taormina, boasting an incredibly preserved Greek theater and breathtaking views of Mount Etna. Visit Sorrento, a seaside resort offering fragrant lemon groves, cobblestone streets and majestic mountain vistas, or travel to Capri, where idyllic seascapes and quaint villages await. Cruise to Civitavecchia and visit the Eternal City of Rome, abounding with marvelous ancient structures, including the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and St. Peter’s Basilica. Explore the magnificent Renaissance museums and architecture of legendary Florence, stand before Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower, or admire the picturesque rolling hills of Tuscany. Then it’s on to glamorous Monte Carlo, famous for its casino and stunning locale on the Riviera’s winding Grand Corniche, followed by colorful Marseille. Explore its lively markets and charming old quarter, or experience the rich Provençal countryside dotted with picturesque medieval towns before your odyssey concludes in Barcelona. — From $2,999, including airfare

HISTORY’S LOST CITIES NOV. 1-23, 2015

Discover the intriguing and seldom-visited centers of ancient culture and commerce on History’s Lost Cities. See the iconic Taj Mahal. Explore Baku’s Walled City, dating back to the sixth century and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Stroll through Registan Square in the Silk Road outpost of Samarkand. Walk among the ancient ruins of Myanmar’s

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greatest temples. This 23-day itinerary allows guests the opportunity to explore some of the world’s most fabled places that have stood the test of time — all by the comfort and convenience of flying by private jet. — From $68,950

AMALFI COAST AND SICILY JAN. 16-24, 2016

*Ole Miss Travelers Only* Join the traditional Ole Miss January European vacation, this year to southern Italy. This tour is based both in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast and in Taormina in Sicily, traveling by high-speed train between the two. From our base locations, we will visit nearby historic monuments. From Sorrento, we will tour historic Naples and the remains of Pompeii and take a leisurely trip along the spectacular Amalfi Coast. From Taormina, we will travel to Siracusa and the baroque Noto, trek up Mount Etna and enjoy a lunch and wine tasting at a local farm. Our hotels are the finest in spectacular locations, the rooms are especially comfortable, and the cuisine is exceptional. Whatever your pleasure, this vacation to southern Italy promises beautiful scenery, magnificent art and architecture, excellent food and wine, and most importantly, the camaraderie when Ole Miss friends travel together. — From $4,040, including airfare

AMAZON RIVER EXPEDITION JAN. 22-31, 2016

This unforgettable, custom-designed journey features a cruise in the Amazon River Basin aboard the deluxe, all-suite M.V. Zafiro, the newest small expedition river vessel, and two nights in historic Lima, Peru, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Led by Peruvian naturalists, cruise into one of the Earth’s most exotic natural realms and our planet’s largest rainforest ecosystem. Seek rare indigenous flora and fauna — delicate orchids, towering ceiba trees, pink river dolphins and slow-moving sloths — and visit local villages to observe the traditional way of life of the ribereños (river people). A special post-tour option to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley is offered. — From $4,695

ISLAND PARADISE JAN. 23-FEB. 2, 2016

From sun-kissed islands dotted with emerald palms and pastel colonial architecture to powdery moon-white beaches lapped by translucent aqua seas, discover a serene Caribbean paradise on this 10-night luxury cruise. From Miami, sail aboard Oceania Cruises’ newest ship, Riviera, to stunning islands including the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Maarten. Encounter a blend of beautifully restored Victorian mansions, candy-colored parliament buildings and 18th-century forts in cosmopolitan Nassau. Experience the charming colonial character of Old San Juan with its blue-tinged cobblestone streets, brightly painted buildings and ornate balconies. Discover Gustavia’s chic atmosphere, from its glittering harbor lined with sleek yachts to its redroofed villas nestled among lush greenery. Explore the famous Georgian-era Nelson’s Dockyard in St. John’s, and admire the pretty gingerbread cottages in Castries. Before returning to Miami, take in Philipsburg’s delightful Dutch architecture, snorkel Shipwreck Cove, or kayak the scenic Simpson Bay Lagoon. — From $2,699

PASSAGE THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL AND COSTA RICA JAN. 29-FEB. 6, 2016

Join this spectacular nine-day journey from the Costa Rican rainforest through the mighty locks of the Panama Canal. Spend one night in a deluxe hotel in San José, Costa Rica. Cruise for seven nights aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star, all-suite M.V. Star Breeze. Explore the terrestrial wonders of Costa Rica’s national parks and wildlife refuges. Experience a daylight passage through the awe-inspiring Panama Canal to remote island paradises and pristine waters home to diverse marine life. Tour Panama City, and visit Panama’s San Blas Islands. Enjoy lectures by exclusive onboard study leaders. Costa Rica’s Volcanoes pre-program and Panama post-program options are offered. — From $4,395


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For a free quote, call 1-800-524-9400 or visit www.libertymutual.com/olemiss.

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News ALUMNI

Class Notes

’60s

ROBERT W. BAILEY (BA 69, JD 71) of Meridian retired from the bench after serving more than 27 years for the 10th Circuit District. L. EADES HOGUE (BPA 66, JD 69) is of counsel with McGlinchey Stafford PLLC in New Orleans, La. AL HOPKINS (JD 65), senior partner at Hopkins, Barvie & Hopkins PLLC in Gulfport, was appointed to the Mississippi Gaming Commission. JAMES L. ROBERTSON (BA 62) of Jackson had his article “Variations on a Theme by Posner: Facing the Factual Component of the Reliability Imperative in the Process of Adjudication” published in the Mississippi Law Journal. ROBERT SALMON (BSPh 67) of Charleston received a 2015 Governor’s Initiative for Volunteer Excellence (GIVE) award from Volunteer Mississippi for Outstanding Service in the Promotion of Healthy Communities.

’70s

JERE HUMPHREYS ( B M 7 1 ) , a music professor at Arizona State University, was recognized by Habitat for Humanity Macedonia with a six-condominium building dedicated in his honor.

DR. DANIEL W. JONES (MD 75) of Oxford was named the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year for his positive contributions to Oxford, Lafayette County and the University of Mississippi. ROY KINNEY (MEd 75) of Prattville, Ala., received the Wise Willie Award after 33 years of service to the U.S. Air Force. KARL STEINBERGER (BA 73, JD 76), shareholder at Heidelberg, Steinberger, Colmer & Burrow PA in Pascagoula, was named a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

‘80s

PHILIP GUNN (JD 89), Mississippi House speaker and Hattiesburg native, was elected vice chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference.

BARRY L. MOOREHEAD (BBA 86) of Midland, Texas, was named president of Security Business Capital. J. BYRON MORRIS (JD 81) of Spartanburg, S.C., retired from Exxon Mobil Corp. after more than 33 years of service. JOHN F. NORPHLET (BAEd 87) of Oxford was recognized as Charleston High School’s 2015 Teacher of the Year. W. THOMAS SILER JR. (JD 83), managing partner for the Jackson office of Phelps Dunbar, was inducted as a fellow in the Mississippi Bar Foundation. JAMES D. WARD (BA 80) of Columbus coauthored the book Institutional Racism, Organizations and Public Policy.

’90s

S. GRAY EDMONDSON (BPA 97, BA 97, JD 01) was appointed to serve a five-year term as trustee on the Oxford School Board.

NEW LICENSE PLATE JOINS TAGS IN FOUR STATES AND D.C.

O

le Miss alumni, students and fans in Alabama can now show their Rebel pride with a new specialty license plate, which became available in July. In 2014, Alabama changed its laws to allow out-of-state universities to have a license plate. Ole Miss club members across the state were required to preregister online before the specialty plate could go into production. Alabama joins Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C., in offering an Ole Miss plate. “The Ole Miss Alumni Association helps coordinate the process, but grass-roots efforts of the state’s alumni clubs are essential,” says Alumni Association club coordinator Anna Smith (BA 05). “We are proud that Ole Miss alumni and friends in Alabama stepped up to make this plate a reality.” 52

Alumni Review

The cost for the specialty plate is $50, and all revenue from the car tags sold in Alabama will remain in the state.


ALUMNI News LAWRENCE E. HAHN (JD 91), partner in the Columbia law firm of McNeese & Hahn PLLC, was named director of the Greater Pine Belt Community Foundation. BROOK LESTER (BAccy 96, JD 99) of Memphis, Tenn., joined Diversified Trust as a principal. STUART MAXEY (BAccy 97, MAccy 99) of Birmingham, Ala., joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as a partner and was selected as a “Rising Star” in mergers and acquisitions by Alabama Super Lawyers.

Thousand Skies Above You, will be released in fall 2015.

selected by Conway Corp. to serve a sevenyear term on its board of directors.

’00s

JULIE WARD (BA 08) of New Orleans, La., was named account executive, developing brand and marketing strategies for Sazerac Co.

J. CARTER BURNS (JD 05) of Jackson, senior attorney for the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Right-of-Way division, was selected by the Mississippi Business Journal as one of Mississippi’s “Top 50 under 40.” MICHAEL S. CARR (BA 03, JD 05) was named a partner in the Clarksdale firm of Griffith & Carr.

SCOTT W. PEDIGO (BBA 94, JD 97) was named managing shareholder for the Jackson office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC.

BRADLEY C. DAVIS (BBA 01, JD 04) joined the Jackson office of Jones Walker LLP as special counsel and a member of the firm’s public finance team.

MERCY POPOOLA (MSN 92) of Stockbridge, Ga., published the book Nightingale Online Praxis and Prevention of Cyber Attacks.

JAMES JOHNSON (BBA 03, JD 06), participating associate in the Gulfport office of Brown Sims, was selected to the Mississippi Bar’s 2015 Leadership Forum.

AUDRA RESTER (BA 94) was named principal of Oxford Middle School by the Oxford School Board. REGINALD SMITH (BBA 95) of Senatobia was hired as director of financial aid at Northwest Mississippi Community College. AMY VINCENT (BA 92) of New Orleans, La., who writes under the pen name Claudia Gray, was selected by Lucas books division of the Disney Co. to write a young adult novel titled “Lost Stars,” as part of the buildup to the new “Star Wars” movie, “Episode VII – The Force Awakens.” Her 12th novel, Ten

ALLISON ASHFORD NICHOLSON (BAccy 06, MAccy 07) of Nashville, Tenn., was promoted to tax manager compliance for Bridgestone Americas Inc. and is the recipient of the company’s CEO award. TAYLOR SLEDGE (BA 07) of Jackson, founder of Sledge & Co., was featured in the Mississippi Business Journal and Entrepreneur magazine. He was named one of the top “Four under 40” in America by Advisor Today magazine. BRAD TEAGUE (PhD 00), University of Central Arkansas director of athletics, was

KAREN BRICKEY WEISSINGER (BA 06) of Austin, Texas, was named principal of IDEA Rundberg Academy. KATHERINE CILBURN WIDDOWS (BBA 09, BAccy 09) was promoted to the position of human resources compliance manager at Hancock Holding Co. in Gulfport. RICHARD WOOD (BBA 09) was promoted to hotel supervisor with Pinnacle Entertainment at its L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La.

’10s

HOLMES COOK (BA 10) of Tuscaloosa, Ala., received the Mission First Legal Aid Office Top Volunteer Award from Mississippi College School of Law at the college’s annual Law Day ceremony. MEGAN DONNIGAN COOK (MA 13) of Jackson was elected treasurer of the Mississippi Association of Professional Archaeologists. SARAH-LINDSEY OTT (BA 13) of Oxford received the Mississippi Bar Award, Family Law Section, from Mississippi College School of Law during the college’s annual Law Day ceremony.

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ALUMNI News

Mississippi in New York

O

le Miss alumni and friends in New York celebrated the 36th annual Mississippi Picnic in Central Park on Saturday, June 13. The picnic featured music, art and a healthy dose of Southern hospitality. The Mississippi Catfish Cooking Team served up Simmons farmraised fried catfish, and McAlister’s Deli featured its famous sweet tea.

WEDDINGS

Karen Elizabeth Brickey (BA 06) and Doug M. Weissinger, Dec. 20, 2014. Hillary Claire Freeman (BSPh 09, PharmD 11) and Charles Phillip Blackburn (BBA 03), April 18, 2015. Leigh Ellen Hinton (BA 12) and Lacy Taylor Ridling (BA 11), Jan. 4, 2014. Lisa Ann Little (BSN 83) and John M. Hines (BBA 79), Dec. 12, 2014.

BIRTHS

Ella Rose, daughter of April Bauchmoyer and Karl Celby Bauchmoyer (JD 06), June 10, 2015. William Henry, son of Kelli Carr and Michael Stephen Carr (BA 03, JD 05), June 1, 2015. Marie Murphy, daughter of Emily Bullock Edmonds (BBA 11) and William Addison Edmonds (BBA 09), March 3, 2015. Harrison Drake and William Ellis, sons of Sarah Ellis Gray (BSW 07, MEd 09) and Austin Garrett Gray (BA 06, JD 10), April 15, 2015. Bingham Craig, son of Andrea Buerck Hensley (BBA 06) and Gabe Hensley, Jan. 5, 2015. Andrew David, son of Ellie Griffith LaPorte (BAccy 02, MTax 03, JD 07) and Jotham D. LaPorte (BAEd 04), Feb. 22, 2015. Ford Paul, son of Allison Ashford Nicholson (BAccy 06, MAccy 07) and Murray Michael Nicholson, May 13, 2015. Eleanor Rosalie, daughter of Katherine M. Thornton (BA 02) and Christopher Thomas Thornton, April 18, 2015.

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Alumni Review

IN MEMORIAM 1930s

Mary Leonard Long (BA 39) of Madison, April 9, 2015 Elizabeth Cook Roberts (BA 38) of Tuscaloosa, Ala., March 6, 2015

1940s

Aaron Lynnard Beavers Jr. (BSPh 48) of Roanoke, Va., May 27, 2015 Charles Richard Bertrand (BSC 43) of Jackson, June 4, 2015 Wallace Earl Caldwell (MedCert 48) of Ridgeland, May 6, 2015 Dollie Hughes Clark (BAEd 43) of Indianola, April 28, 2015 William DeLoach Cope (46) of Arcola, March 23, 2015 Anne Barclift Folsom (BA 42) of Durham, N.C., March 7, 2015 Nina Mothershed Gates (BA 47) of Crenshaw, May 16, 2015 Georgia Dorothy Day Johnson (BA 47) of Jackson, May 28, 2015 Harold C. Kelly (BSHPE 48, MA 50) of Yazoo City, May 21, 2015 John Owen Kroeze (BSC 48) of Jackson, May 25, 2015 William B. Lloyd Jr. (48) of Jackson, May 30, 2015 Robert Harvey Marr (49) of Olive Branch, June 13, 2015 Thomas Ronald Mathis (48) of Hot Springs National Park, Ark., May 14, 2015 Katie Cracraft Miller (42) of Germantown, Tenn., April 23, 2015 Walter Grant Pearson (BSPh 49) of Pineville, La., July 16, 2014 Farley Salmon Jr. (BBA 49) of Clarksdale, June 7, 2015 Gerald Byron Sanders Sr. (BSJ 49) of Memphis, Tenn., May 30, 2015


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ALUMNI News

Georgia’s Mississippi Picnic in the Park

T

he Mississippi Society of Georgia hosted the seventh annual Atlanta’s Mississippi in the Park on Saturday, June 6, at Chastain Park in Buckhead. Ole Miss alumni and friends enjoyed an afternoon of catfish plates provided by Penn’s, McAlister’s sweet tea and caramel cake from Sugaree’s Bakery in New Albany.

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Alumni Review


ALUMNI News Ruth Hays Smith (BA 44) of Albany, Ga., Feb. 3, 2015 Douglas Alexander Swayze II (BSC 42) of Jackson, May 22, 2015 Sally Stone Trotter (BA 46) of Greenville, April 6, 2015 Joseph Pierce Walker Sr. (BSHPE 48, MEd 53) of Jackson, May 4, 2015 Stella Elaine Nelson Walker (BA 41) of Panama City, Fla., June 13, 2015 Lampton O’Neal Williams (BA 40, LLB 42) of Poplarville, April 14, 2015 Alva Lewis Wylie Jr. (BSPh 49) of Greenwood, March 27, 2015

1950s

William Nim Barfield (BBA 50) of Decatur, Ga., May 6, 2015 Robert Matthew Biedenharn (BA 50) of San Pedro, Calif., March 26, 2015 Joseph Watson Biggers (LLB 58) of Crystal Springs, June 28, 2015 Thomas Marion Booth (BAEd 59) of Prentiss, April 2, 2015 Margaret White Brickell (BA 57) of Raleigh, N.C., March 27, 2015 Mike C. Campbell Jr. (MD 59) of Grenada, March 25, 2015 Frances Rebecca McCharen Cohen (BSJ 54) of Memphis, Tenn., March 30, 2015 Tommy Wilson Cook (51) of Como, May 8, 2015 John Wesley Cope II (BBA 56) of Hollandale, April 25, 2015 Ann Williams Day (MBEd 57) of Oxford, April 10, 2015 Eugene Lee Digby (BAEd 50) of Fulton, March 31, 2015 William Owen Elmore (BBA 57) of Little Rock, Ark., Feb. 5, 2015 Ronald Feltus Estes (BBA 55) of Auburn Hills, Mich., April 25, 2015 James Bobby Everett (LLB 56) of Decatur, May 13, 2015 Ellis Jabour Farris (LLB 53) of Vicksburg, March 21, 2015 Jack Elliott Ferguson (BSPh 52) of Westlake, La., March 31, 2015 Roy Freeman Jr. (BSCvE 57) of Waleska, Ga., Dec. 23, 2014 Rosemary Neill Furr (BA 57) of Ocean Springs, May 19, 2015 William Irvin Gardner (BA 53, MS 54) of Middleton, Wis., Nov. 29, 2014 Joe Ivy Gillespie (BA 50, LLB 51) of Atlantic Beach, Fla., May 30, 2015 Martha Brougher Grosvenor (BM 51) of Memphis, Tenn., March 16, 2015 Theodore Borroum Hannah (BS 57) of Little Rock, Ark., May 9, 2015 Mary Jane Eckles Henley (BA 50) of Jackson, June 14, 2015 Harold Frederick Huggins (BSEA 53) of Eatonton, Ga., March 26, 2015 Carmon Ersel King Jr. (BSChE 59) of Water Valley, June 21, 2015 Mary Ann Morgan King (BSC 55) of Oxford, March 27, 2015 Jimmie Lawson Korndorffer (BSC 52) of Gulf Breeze, Fla., June 13, 2015 John Willis McCauley (BM 59) of Oxford, April 30, 2015 Mary Alice Moorman (BBA 54, MEd 71) of Water Valley, June 9, 2015 Carl Grady Nichols Jr. (BA 50, BS 51) of Leland, April 16, 2015 David McIntosh Owen (BS 57, MD 60) of Hattiesburg, April 27, 2015 Samuel Ray Pate Jr. (BS 56, MD 59) of Madison, May 4, 2015 James Cary Pegues Jr. (BA 50) of Hattiesburg, April 11, 2015 Hubert Franklin Pilgrim (56) of Laurel, April 7, 2015 Carolyn Ferguson Pryor (BSPh 57) of Jackson, April 29, 2015 James Davis Quin (BSCvE 58) of Summit, May 5, 2015 Ida Virginia Wing Rhoads (BA 52) of Parrish, Fla., June 25, 2015 May Spencer Ringold (MA 50) of Winona, March 22, 2015 Christine Sisson Rogers (58) of Lexington, Tenn., May 11, 2015 Monte Ishmael Sappington (BA 50) of Canton, May 25, 2015 Marilyn Harper Sartor (BS 53) of McKinney, Texas, April 20, 2015

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ALUMNI News Esther Candy Fudge Slay (MEd 52) of Oxford, April 10, 2015 Bryan Wilson Speed (BA 58) of Jackson, March 30, 2015 Bettye Sue Gorman Thompson (BA 58) of Acworth, Ga., March 24, 2015 James L. Waring (BBA 51) of Vicksburg, March 14, 2015 John Charles Wicklund (BA 51) of Dallas, Texas, June 5, 2015 Gordon Lee Wills (BA 50, MS 51) of Gulfport, May 15, 2015 Joann Hawkins Wilson (BA 54, MA 55) of Oxford, April 13, 2015 Robert Louis Wold Sr. (BSHPE 55) of Conroe, Texas, March 25, 2015 Ralph D. Woods (53) of Olive Branch, April 9, 2015 Mary Murphree York (BM 50) of Shreveport, La., March 22, 2015

1960s

Jesse Murray Akers (BPA 64, JD 67) of Greenville, May 17, 2015 James Edward Akins (BSCvE 60) of Pontotoc, April 3, 2015 Charles A. Ballard Jr. (66) of Raymond, April 3, 2015 Shirley Williams Banks (MA 68) of Nitro, W.Va., May 26, 2015 Delia Wells Black (MEd 64) of Huntsville, Ala., May 23, 2015 Nell McDonald Boland (BAEd 67, MLS 68) of Blue Springs, March 19, 2015 John Joseph Brion (BA 67) of Mandeville, La., June 18, 2015 James Dennis Cobb (BFA 68) of Mabank, Texas, June 13, 2015 Mary Parker Deen (BAEd 65) of Bay Saint Louis, April 19, 2015 William Joseph Dennie (MEd 67) of Corinth, May 23, 2015 William Hunter Dodson (MEd 60) of Pearl, March 31, 2015 William Brandsford Greene Jr. (BS 67) of Baton Rouge, La., March 14, 2015 Katie Davis Gresham (BAEd 64) of Pensacola, Fla., June 26, 2015 Natalie Brown Herndon (MS 69) of Brookhaven, April 18, 2015 Larry Kenneth Krogstad (BBA 67, JD 71) of Baton Rouge, La., April 3, 2015 Jo Trotter Lawson (MALT 63) of Roe, Ark., May 21, 2015 Harvey Michael Lofton (BSPh 67) of Ellisville, May 25, 2015 Robert L. Lovelace Jr. (BA 68) of Harvest, Ala., Dec. 1, 2014 James William Massey (EdD 69) of Lockhart, Texas, April 13, 2015 Norman Burnette McKenzie Jr. (BSHPE 60, MEd 69) of Porterville, April 19, 2015 Betty Allison McNeese (MEd 65, EdD 68) of Iowa City, Iowa, April 1, 2015 Harvey Josiah Moore (BA 60) of Warrensburg, Mo., March 20, 2015 Mary Hewes Mulherin (BAEd 64) of Memphis, Tenn., May 12, 2015 David Eugene Murphy (MEd 68) of Germantown, Tenn., May 19, 2015 James Clyde Murphy (MS 69) of Indianola, March 21, 2015 David Bartlett Norman (BPA 60) of Rome, Ga., June 25, 2015 Richard Earl Perkins Jr. (BBA 64, JD 66) of Moss Point, April 26, 2015 Richard Gerow Pitchford (BBA 60) of Jackson, April 21, 2015 Jack Edward Pool (LLB 60) of Dallas, Texas, March 6, 2015 Gary Foster Quick (MCS 69) of Phoenix, Ariz., June 1, 2015 Robert Taft Renfro Sr. (BAEd 65) of Sutter Creek, Calif., April 4, 2015 Connie Matlock Roberts (MCS 65) of Fayetteville, Ark., March 16, 2015 Louie Frederick Ruffin (LLB 61) of Richton, June 2, 2015 Marion Lane Sigrest (MD 62) of Yazoo City, May 19, 2015 James Atkinson Teasley (BBA 69) of Tupelo, May 15, 2015 Cecil Russell Vollmer (BA 60) of Ponte Vedra, Fla., May 25, 2015 C. Eugene Watkins (PhD 64) of West Monroe, La., May 20, 2015 58

Alumni Review

Amos Buford Wigginton Jr. (BSPh 66) of Pickens, May 26, 2015 Cecil Theodore Williams Jr. (MD 63) of Brandon, May 24, 2015 Fred Tinsley Yeats Jr. (MS 67) of High Point, N.C., April 16, 2015

1970s

Theester Allen Carter (MLS 73) of Jackson, April 15, 2015 Archie Andy Ayers (75) of Magee, March 28, 2015 James C. Burns Jr. (BBA 71) of Madison, June 7, 2015 Bobbie Jacqueline Campbell Carnathan (BAEd 76, MEd 77) of Schertz, Texas, June 1, 2015 Bill Myro Christiansen (BSEE 74) of Harrisonburg, La., April 24, 2015 Billy Herschel Cook (PhD 71, MD 76) of Jackson, April 10, 2015 John Edward Cother (EdD 79) of Tupelo, April 21, 2015 Billie Faye Thompson Courson (MEd 73) of Hickory Flat, June 5, 2015 Sandra Cornett Crook (BSN 76, MN 80) of Madison, April 30, 2015 Barbara Miller Currie (BAEd 74) of Jackson, March 24, 2015 Meredith Hope Mize Dennis (BSB 77) of Paris, May 16, 2015 Marion Callender Dickey (70) of Bandera, Texas, April 18, 2015 William Leigh Dillard (BS 70, MD 74) of Mansfield, La., March 14, 2015 Vera Long Dukes (MEd 75) of Tupelo, March 22, 2015 Cynthia Chrestman Dunavant (BA 70) of Memphis, Tenn., May 2, 2015 Joe William Edrington Jr. (BBA 73) of Memphis, Tenn., April 10, 2015 Robert Edmond Estess (MD 75) of Clinton, May 21, 2015 Sandra Koehn Flynt (BA 76) of Carbondale, Ill., April 9, 2015 David Louis Garriga (BAEd 70, MURP 73) of Americus, Ga., May 24, 2015 Cynthia Doolittle Harkins (BA 74) of Oxford, May 29, 2015 Danny Lee Holder (70) of Crystal Springs, April 21, 2015 Joy Greiner Jones (BA 74, MLS 76) of Hattiesburg, May 19, 2015 Ray Thomas King (BBA 70) of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., April 20, 2015 Kenneth Alford Kleinschmidt Sr. (73) of New Orleans, La., June 28, 2015 Edward Andrew Labas II (BA 79, BS 84) of Saint Charles, Ill., April 9, 2015 Christine Kellmann Larsen (MA 79) of Port Richey, Fla., May 19, 2015 Thomas Wayne Lovern (BPA 72) of Greenville, March 27, 2015 Bobby Stanley Merritt Jr. (BSME 78) of Slidell, La., May 31, 2015 Willie L. Nunaley (MCS 72, SpecEd 80) of Cleveland, March 15, 2015 Larry David Robbins (MEd 72) of Ripley, March 18, 2015 William Lewis Rowland (MEd 78) of Oxford, June 11, 2015 James Edward Spence (BSCvE 70) of Water Valley, April 10, 2015 William Howard Stubblefield (BA 71, JD 79) of Oxford, April 27, 2015 Douglas Bertrand Thorburn (BSEE 71) of Mandeville, La., March 22, 2015 Robbie Neal Watson (73) of Olive Branch, June 12, 2015

1980s

John Howard Armstrong (BS 80) of Ridgeland, April 13, 2015 Linda Simpson Barkett (DMD 84) of Brandon, June 1, 2015 Susan Smith Brady (BAEd 80) of Plano, Texas, July 23, 2014 Nelson Owens Cole (BBA 84) of Fredericksburg, Va., June 13, 2015 Edward Oscar Darling (MA 80) of New Albany, May 18, 2015 Jody Harris De Linde (Cert 82) of Lonsdale, Ark., June 17, 2015 Charles Whitney Evans (MBA 85) of Redding, Calif., April 26, 2015


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ALUMNI News

Mississippi on the Mall

T

he Mississippi Society of Washington, D.C., hosted the 25th annual Mississippi on the Mall on Saturday, June 20. In the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, Ole Miss alumni and friends enjoyed catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw and McAlister’s sweet tea. The event also featured music by Kingfish.

Now ... TWO great ways to shop for exclusive alumni gifts!

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The Brandt Gift Shop at The Inn at Ole Miss

Our Alumni Shop at olemissalumni.com/shop

HOTTY TODDY! 60

Alumni Review


ALUMNI News Daniel Hendrick Fairly (JD 80) of Brandon, April 3, 2015 Douglass Latimer Fontaine II (BBA 83) of Yorktown, Va., May 26, 2015 Izolar Juanita Harper (MEd 81) of Byhalia, June 5, 2015 Caroline Lipscomb Hassanpour (MS 85) of Solomons, Md., Jan. 8, 2015 Winter Wren Hodges (BBA 86) of Trenton, Tenn., Nov. 1, 2014 Daniel Quinn Murphy (PhD 82) of Horn Lake, June 16, 2015 Jane Keating Rodriguez (BSPh 87) of Westport, Conn., April 12, 2015 Betty Welch Saxon (BAEd 87, MEd 05) of Saltillo, June 3, 2015 Susan Toler Travis (BAEd 84) of Jackson, April 11, 2015 Norvel Adams Walker (MLS 80) of Memphis, Tenn., May 31, 2015

Grownup Getaway

1990s

Jennifer Beall Cobb (BA 94, MEd 99) of Batesville, April 23, 2015 Bentley Dale Crain (BBA 92) of Columbia, April 16, 2015 Tommy Scott Keeton (BAccy 92) of Calhoun City, June 13, 2015 Lindy Castle Lee (BBA 96) of Jackson, April 6, 2015 Mallory Thomas Martin (BA 97) of Gainesville, Fla., May 21, 2015 Will Ellis Pittman (JD 95) of Clarksdale, June 26, 2015 Donna Haddix Rawson (MEd 90) of Vandalia, Ohio, April 15, 2015 Ernest Russell Turner (BA 90, JD 94) of Greenville, April 4, 2015 John Charles Van Hecke (MA 96) of Grosse Pointe, Mich., March 27, 2015

#playtime

2000s

Kimberly Ann Douglas (BA 00) of Saint Johns, Fla., June 17, 2015 Brett Christopher Klauer III (BAccy 09, BBA 11) of Washington, Ill., May 30, 2015 Cynthia Banchetti McDonald (BS 04) of Leland, April 12, 2015 Deric Eugene Murphy (06) of Olive Branch, April 30, 2015 Marsha Smith Neely (MEd 00) of Memphis, Tenn., April 19, 2015

#chowtime

2010s

Christopher Freeman Byrd (BS 13) of Atlanta, Ga., May 8, 2015 Anastasia Elesa Hirsch (15) of Melbourne, Fla., June 10, 2015 Kendrick Raytron Kennedy (JD 11) of Biloxi, June 18, 2015 Jackelyn Kelly Kulzer (BAccy 10, MAccy 13) of Atlanta, Ga., May 8, 2015 David Cooper Lape (BBA 12) of Sikeston, Mo., May 12, 2015 Miles Harbour McBee (13) of Greenwood, June 4, 2015 Mary Ellen Ray (BSPh 10, PharmD 13) of Flowood, May 31, 2015

Faculty and Friends

Roy Earl Alexander Sr. of New Orleans, La., May 7, 2015 Sidney Amon Barnett of Tupelo, April 29, 2015 Ottilie Schwarz Beatty of Oxford, May 7, 2015 Goberdhan Bhagat of Oxford, May 3, 2015 Donna Byrd Bridgforth of Memphis, Tenn., June 10, 2015 Greg Byrd of Asheville, N.C., May 8, 2015 William Ephraim Cresswell Jr. of Lorton, Va., April 17, 2015 Jean Whitaker Denman of Memphis, Tenn., May 21, 2015 William Edward Dillard Sr. of Ridgeland, March 15, 2015 Della Harris Faust of Hattiesburg, June 7, 2015 Katherine McCarty Flynt of Flowood, May 4, 2015

#gotime

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ALUMNI News Carol Ebersol Fox of Mechanicsburg, Pa., May 26, 2015 Charlotte Holcombe Freeman of West Memphis, Ark., May 17, 2015 Luther Richard Gordon of Abbeville, March 29, 2015 John E. Green of Hattiesburg, May 17, 2015 William Blount Irby III of Coldwater, Feb. 22, 2015 Jimmie Boyce James of Southaven, May 13, 2015 Carolyn Kirksey Jones of Eads, Tenn., June 14, 2015 Martha Jane Condrey Jones of Holly Springs, May 13, 2015 Janice Origer Ketchum of Oxford, June 21, 2015 Herbert Jack Langenfelder Sr. of Germantown, Tenn., June 5, 2015 Desmond O’Bryan Lovern of Oxford, March 18, 2015 Ruth Hayles Lovitt of Natchez, May 2, 2015 Christopher Heath McCrory of Ocean Springs, March 20, 2015 Lillian R. McIver of Columbus AFB, May 19, 2015 Houston P. Patrick of Southaven, March 30, 2015 Juan Carlos Pisarello of Ridgeland, June 16, 2015 Mary Dodds Ray of Oxford, June 6, 2015 Charles Ray Redmond of Oxford, March 23, 2015

Deborah Sinopoli Regan of Hattiesburg, March 30, 2015 Frederick Thomas Schornhorst of University, March 30, 2015 Richard Glenn Seavey Jr. of Florence, May 14, 2015 Sydney Kelli Smith of Boerne, Texas, March 12, 2015 Esther Millman Sprague of Chicago, Ill., April 3, 2015 Lois Harmon Stevens of Oxford, May 7, 2015 Harold Edward Walls of Jackson, Tenn., April 20, 2015 Torrey L. Ward of Birmingham, Ala., April 7, 2015 Charles Jackson Woodall Jr. of Memphis, Tenn., April 8, 2015

Due to space limitations, class notes are only published in the Alumni Review from active, dues-paying members of the Ole Miss Alumni Association. To submit a class note, send it to records@ olemiss.edu or Alumni Records Dept., Ole Miss Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848. Class notes also may be submitted through the Association’s website at www.olemissalumni. com. The Association relies on numerous sources for class notes and is unable to verify all notes with individual alumni.

HERE’S YOUR LICENSE TO BRAG! Now you can sport the official University of Mississippi license plate! For an additional $50 a year — $32.50 of which returns to Ole Miss for educational enhancement — you can purchase this “license to brag” about your alma mater. When it’s time to renew your license plate, simply tell your local tax collector you want the Ole Miss affinity license plate. It’s an easy way to help your University. This particular tag is available to Mississippi drivers only. Some other states, however, offer an Ole Miss affinity license plate. Check with your local tax collector for availability. 62

Alumni Review


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for you

oxford | TUPELo 2092 old Taylor rd., oxford 210 East Main St., Tupelo

662-234-5344

tmhomes.com

™ Red/blue.indd 1

Ole Miss Alumni Association

11/12/14 2:04 PM

Rebel Network

234-8648

Meet alumni in your area    Catch up with old friends    Share photos    Network with alumni around the world

Alumni Owned And OperAted

http://rebelnetwork. olemissalumni.com

For SaleFor bySale Owner by Owner 1302 Fillmore Avenue 1302 Fillmore Avenue Oxford

Oxford Two and one-half blocks to the Square fifteen minutes to the campus Two Ten andtoone-half blocks to the Square or

Information available upon request to (662) 513-6487 oxfordmsjewel@gmail.com Ten to fifteen minutes to the campus

Information available upon request to (662) 513-6487 or oxfordmsjewel@gmail.com

s u m m e r 2 015

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ALUMNI News

Continuous Creativity

CELEBRATED ARTIST FEATURED IN TWO EXHIBITS IN JACKSON

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rowing up the son of a farmer in small-town Mississippi during the Great Depression, George Wardlaw (MFA 55), acclaimed artist, sculptor, painter, silversmith and jeweler, never dreamed he would be where he is today. From Ole Miss, Wardlaw became a member of the avant-garde scene in New York City during the 1950s and ’60s. He flourished as an important figure in American art and an influential teacher at Yale University and University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he continues to live and work. Wardlaw’s artwork is being featured in two exhibitions in Jackson including a retrospective covering 1954-2014 at the Mississippi Museum of Art and a gallery exhibition at Fischer Galleries. He continues to be an active artist painting daily. “At age 88, I think I am currently doing some of my best and most original

paintings,” Wardlaw says. “My continuing desire is to make work that did not exist before and, at the same time, to make work that has the potential

by Wardlaw over the course of more than six decades. The exhibition also brings to life the important book published in 2012: George Wardlaw:

George Wardlaw

to capture one’s attention and imagination and to be intellectually and spiritually relevant by uplifting the spirit.” The MMA exhibition features 34 quintessential works, many large in scale, from among the hundreds created

Crossing Borders, the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s long career. The critical essays in this book offer an extended look into the unfolding of a lifelong dialogue between abstraction and spirituality, played out on canvas, forged in metal, constructed in objects, sculpture and installations.

Great Selection Ole Miss Clothing & Gifts

For Everything Red and Blue now in two great locations

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www.campusbookmart.com/um

1111 Jackson Ave W

Next to Malco Theatre

662-234-5993

2128 Jackson Ave W

In the Oakwood Plaza

662-638-6171

Alumni Review


MGM IN MISSISSIPPI

Whether you’re visiting the Gulf Coast or enjoying the greater Memphis region, you can experience the luxurious amenities and thrilling gaming atmosphere that only a premier MGM Resorts International® destination can provide.

20% Off Room Rates*

Exclusively for Ole Miss fans and alumni. Call and use offer code OLE MISS.

1.888.567.6667 • BeauRivage.com

1.888.245.7829 • GoldStrike.com

*Offer valid through September 30, 2015. Rate is per room per night based on single or double occupancy, plus tax. Resort fee applies. Must be at least 21 years of age to check in. Offers are subject to availability, blackout dates apply, and are not available to groups or persons attending meetings or conventions, or on major holidays. This offer may not be used with any other offer, package or promotion. Offer may be modified or discontinued without notice. © 2015 MGM Resorts International ®. Gambling Problem? Call 1.888.777.9696


The University of Mississippi Alumni Association P.O. Box 1848 University, MS 38677-1848 (662) 915-7375 www.olemissalumni.com

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Mark C. Cleary (713) 303-8924

Markccleary@gmail.com

Blake Cannon (662) 380-7144

blake@oxfordvip.com

Alison Alger (662) 832-1697

alisonmalger@gmail.com

Lee Pittman (662) 645-3695

Lee.pittman1@gmail.com

The Hamlet

BRAND NEW! Oxford’s Newest Family Development In Town! Homes starting at $279,000 Lots starting at $79,000

Brand new construction! Come check out these private community lake lots just 5 minutes from downtown Oxford!

Ice House #201

• Viking Appliances •1 BR Plus Studio on the Square • Bamboo Floors

$379,000

4 acre park, bike/walk path to the square, close knit community association & a community swimming pool!

Ice House #204

• Viking Appliances • 2 BR/2 Bath On the Square • Bamboo Floors

$566,495

Large screened-in porches overlooking Pat Lamar Park. Designer finishes, brick mantles, ceiling beams and real pine floors. All on one level!

1225 Beanland

Mid $300k’s

• Historic Downtown • Gorgeous Wooded Backyard • Screened Porch and Large Deck

$499,000

71 CR 141

• 5 BR/4 1/2 Bath on 6.3 acres • In-ground saltwater pool • White Oak Hardwood Floors

Craftsman style, Cedar shake shingles, walking trail, near medical community off South Lamar.

Starting at $360k

2623 West Oxford Loop • Commercial Space • 6500 Square Feet • Great Location

$688,285

662.234.5621•1923 University Ave Oxford, MS 38655•Each office independently owned and operated. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice.

$800,000


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