Ole Miss Alumni Review WINTER 2014 Vol. 63 No. 1
Winter 2014
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Reeducating the Brain
Neuroscience Ph.D. program trains educators to help speed up traumatic brain injury recovery
Alumnus recalls how Memphis in May helped revitalize Memphis Former FedEx VP forges second career after retirement
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Winter 2014
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Vol. 63 No. 1
features
20 A Chronic Case of the Blues
Alumni turn campus business into a music industry icon By Barbara Lago
30 Bluff City Revival Alumnus recalls how Memphis in May helped revitalize Memphis By Annie Rhoades
36 From Jets
departments 7 From the Circle
The latest on Ole Miss students, faculty, staff and friends
16 Calendar 40 sports
Bowl win brings new records New baseball class ranked No. 8
to Subs
44 arts and culture
Former FedEx VP forges second career after retirement
46 Rebel Traveler
By Tom Speed
50 alumni news
26 Reeducating the Brain on the cover
Neuroscience Ph.D. program trains educators to help speed up traumatic brain injury recovery By Michael Newsom
On the cover: Traumatic brain injuries such as concussions have attracted widespread attention in recent years. UM is taking an educational approach to help those who suffer from these types of injuries. Cover image by iStock
Ole Miss Alumni Review P ublisher Timothy 91) TimothyL.L.Walsh Walsh(83, (83) Editor Jim Urbanek II (97) jim@olemiss.edu A ssociate Editor and A dvertising Director Annie Rhoades (07, 09) Tom Speed (91) annie@olemiss.edu tom@olemiss.edu C ontributing Editor Benita Whitehorn A rt Director A ssistant Editorial Amy Howell Brandon Irvine C ontributors Designer Andrew MarkEric Abernathy (08,10), Kevin Summers Bain (98), Rob Culpepper, Mitchell C orrespondents Diggs (82), Jay Ferchaud, Erin Garrett (11), Kevin Bain (98), Tobie Baker (96), Tina Hahn, Robert Jordan (83), Barbara Rebecca Lauck Cleary (97), Lexi Combs, Lago (82), Nathan Latil, Kim Ling, Jack Mitchell Diggs (82), Jay Ferchaud, Mazurak, Joshua McCoy, Lance Murphey, Michael Harrelson, Robert Jordan (83), Michael Newsom, Edwin Smith (80,93), Nathan Latil, Jack Mazurak, Tom Speed (91, 03), Machael Wade Deborah Purnell (MA 02) Officers the University Edwin Smith of (80), Matt Westerfield of M ississippi A lumni A ssociation Officers of The University Jimmy Brown (70) of M ississippi A lumni A ssociation president Bill May (79), Trentice Imbler (78) president president-elect Richard Noble (68), Eddie Maloney (72) president-elect vice president Larry Bryan (74), president Kimseyvice O’Neal Cooper (94) athletics committee member Mike Glenn (77), athletics committee member Chip Crunk (87) athletics committee member Sam Lane (76), athletics committee member A lumni A ffairs Staff, O xford Timothy L. Walsh 91), A ffairs Staff(83, , O xford A lumni director Timothly L. executive Walsh (83), executive director Will Baumbaugh, Anderson (11), Web developer Joseph systems analyst III Joseph Baumbaugh, systems analyst Clay Cavett (86), associate directorIII ClayDollarhide, Cavett (86),systems associateprogrammer director Martha Martha Dollarhide, II systems programmer II Sheila Dossett senior associate Sheila Dossett (75),(75), senior associate director director Julian Gilner (04, 07), assistant director Julian Gilner (06), (04), alumni assistantassistant director Port Kaigler Sarah M. coordinator Hickman (03), andKathryn senior club assistant Kelly director for accountant marketing Annette (79), Port Kaigler (06), alumni assistant and Steve Mullen (92), assistant director club coordinator for marketing (79),publications accountant editor AnnieAnnette RhoadesKelly (07, 09), Tom editor AnnaSpeed Smith(91), (05),publications alumni assistant Scott Thompson assistant director and club(97), coordinator Jim Thompson Urbanek (97), director for Scott (97,assistant 08), assistant director communications Jim Urbanek (97), assistant director Rusty Woods (01), assistant director for for communications information services director Rusty Woods (01), associate James for Butler (53), director emeritus information services WarnerWarner Alford Alford (60), executive (60, 66),director executiveemeritus director emeritus The Ole Miss Alumni Review (USPS 561-870) is University of of is published published quarterly quarterly by by The the University 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. AA-10504 115134
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Chancellor Dear Alumni and Friends,
Happy 2014. At this time every year, I reflect on the accomplishments of the previous year and focus on goals and challenges for the year ahead. Reviewing the past 12 months for the University of Mississippi, it doesn’t take long to become excited about the promise of a new year for our university. Last year, we hit another milestone in enrollment, welcoming more than 22,200 students to our campuses. That’s up 3.5 percent from the previous year, continuing a remarkable string of growth that stretches back more than 15 years. Even better, our most recent freshman class posted an average ACT score of 24.1, a university record and evidence that efforts to attract the brightest students are bearing fruit. And we set a record for freshmanto-sophomore retention rate. All these milestones together mean more graduates in the future from our great university. We launched new academic programs last year including a new doctoral program in special education with a neuroscience component that trains tomorrow’s professionals to help people recover from traumatic brain injuries. We also enrolled the first group of students into the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program, a scholarship program designed to steer some of our best students to English and mathematics education. We opened new classroom spaces in the renovated sections of Lamar Hall to provide much needed instructional space, opened a new Central Mechanical Plant and completed an exterior renovation of Stockard and Martin halls. At the same time, we broke ground on an expansion at Coulter Hall, home of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and watched as the expansion of the National Center for Natural Products Research took shape. The renovated food-service space at Johnson Commons should open this spring, and we plan to start work this year on a new basketball arena including a parking garage and a major expansion of the Student Union. Our football Rebels opened and closed 2013 with consecutive bowl wins, and we cheered an exciting season that included dramatic wins over Texas and LSU. The men’s basketball team won the SEC tournament and returned to the NCAA Tournament. And Ole Miss sophomore pole vaulter Sam Kendricks brought home an NCAA title and a gold medal from the World University Games. In a different sort of competition, our landscaping-services team was awarded its second Grand Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society in honor of its outstanding work to maintain one of America’s most beautiful campuses. Our Patterson School of Accountancy reached new heights, with all its academic programs being ranked in the top 10 nationally, and the University Museum was ranked as one of the nation’s 20 Best College Art Museums. These are just a few examples of the stirring endeavors going on at our university, but they’re not the real reason I’m so enthusiastic about 2014. We celebrate extraordinary accomplishments every year, but as the state’s flagship university, we expect them. Each day, our talented faculty and staff come to work looking for new ways to serve the community and help students excel, and those students are focused on achieving new heights and making their mark on our world. And that, more than any laundry list of accolades, is something to be truly excited about. Sincerely,
Daniel W. Jones (MD 75) Chancellor
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President
Dear Alumni and Friends,
We have started 2014 fresh with a 25-17 Music City Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. During a recent visit with Athletics Director Ross Bjork, he remarked that 30,000 Rebels traveled to Nashville for the football game, which is impressive compared to any top 20 program. The partnership of athletics, academics and our Alumni Association is one in which we should be proud! Chancellor Jones continues to be a nationally recognized university leader. He reports a fall 2013 enrollment of more than 22,200 students with more than 18,400 located on the Oxford campus. The university received $95.2 million in private support for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, which is much needed with the decline in federal and state dollars. As we show our love for Ole Miss through giving, it reminds me of an old Methodist stewardship message, “Don’t give until it hurts. Give until it feels good!” Late last year, the University of Mississippi Medical Center leased our hospital in Grenada, which is great for Grenada and UMMC. Under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Jimmy Keeton, UMMC is a leader in health care for our state, and is nationally and internationally recognized for research and organ transplants. It is a valuable asset, and we have the numbers to prove it: • State’s second largest employer with 9,160 employees • $1.4 billion budget • $2.4 billion annual economic impact • 19,301 total jobs generated • 2,897 students • More than $60 million in sponsored research projects I am always encouraged when hearing from alumni and friends about their desire to help our great university. Certainly your gifts of service and dollars are critical, and joining the Alumni Association and being active is a great way to give back to our university. I am “preaching to the choir” when I tell you what a benefit it is to be an active member, but we need the choir preaching to our Ole Miss family and friends. Some of the many benefits include: • A subscription to the quarterly Alumni Review magazine and monthly Rebel Insider e-newsletter •P riority for The Inn at Ole Miss reservations and reservations at other headquarters hotels •D iscounts on select alumni programs and merchandise •D iscounts and special offers from participating merchants and partners •U se of the Rebel Network — the Ole Miss social networking tool and online directory •A ccess to “members only” hospitality area in the Triplett Alumni Center on home football game days •A nnual “members only” wall calendar • Th e highly recognizable window decal that identifies you as an active member of the Ole Miss Alumni Association Thank you for the honor of serving as your Ole Miss Alumni Association president. Best wishes for a wonderful 2014 to you and your families. Forever Ole Miss,
Jimmy Brown (BBA 70) 4 Alumni Review
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The latest on Ole Miss students, faculty, staff and friends
UM Yearbooks Digitized
PROJECT PRESERVES 116 YEARS’ WORTH OF PUBLICATIONS Photo by Robert Jordan
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olumes of University of Mississippi yearbooks printed between 1897 and 2013 can be viewed online, thanks to a recent project that digitized the books for archival purposes. The project originated with Kathryn Michaelis, former UM special collections digital initiatives librarian. She worked directly with the Lyrasis Digitization Collaborative, a Sloan Foundation grant-subsidized program that has made the process easy and affordable for libraries and cultural institutions across the country. Funding was also made possible by the Gerald Walton Endowment. “We saw so many people coming through to look at the physical yearbooks, we thought this was a great idea,” says Jennifer Ford (PhD 10), head of archives and special collections and associate professor. “Through the collaborative partnership with the Internet Archive, all items were scanned from cover to cover and in full color.” Viewers can choose from a variety of formats, page through a book choosing the “read online” option, download the PDF or search the full-text version. Walton (MA 59, PhD 67), UM provost emeritus and professor emeritus of English, says he supported the yearbook digitization project for several reasons. “While I was working on a pictorial history of the university, I found our yearbooks to be by far my best resource
Lauren Rogers (left), library specialist, and Jennifer Ford, head of archives and special collections and associate professor, peruse original Ole Miss yearbooks.
and perused every one that had been published,” Walton says. “If I had been able to access them online, my work would have been much easier. “The yearbooks are treasures for anyone doing serious research or for anyone just interested in seeing photos in the marvelous memory books. I cannot think of a more appropriate way to use endowment funds.” Julia Rholes, professor and dean of
university libraries, urges alumni, students and faculty to use the online versions. “We’ve always had a lot of use of the print copies in Archives and Special Collections by these groups,” Rholes says. “The online version will be accessible for remote searching and will allow faster searching.” To access these yearbooks from the catalog record, visit http://umiss.lib. olemiss.edu/record=b1386039~S0. AR Winter 2014 7
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of Transportation to the NCITEC consortium. Ervin’s funding is among $1.2 million awarded by NCITEC to the UM subcontract. Funding sources also include the Mississippi Department of Transportation and National Academy of Sciencesadministered grants funded by the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Agency for International Development. “Most of my CAIT research projects involve geospatial technologies, air qual-
Photo by Robert Jordan
atural disasters, industrial accidents and possible terrorist attacks pose threats to infrastructures everywhere, so University of Mississippi civil engineering professors are studying ways to detect hazardous conditions, protect transportation systems and save lives in the process. Pr o f e s s o r Wa h e e d Ud d i n a n d associate professor Elizabeth Ervin are among several UM faculty members awarded National Center for Inter-
UM researchers are using $12 million in grants to study transportation and structural safety.
modal Transportation for Economic Competitiveness grants for transportation infrastructure research projects. Uddin, director of the university’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology and associate director of NCITEC, received more than $12 million in research funding, including $6.9 million from the U.S. Department
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ity management, sustainability dimensions and flood disaster risk assessment,” Uddin says. “The research products have great potential for application in Mississippi, other states and globally.” Uddin’s geospatial applications in transportation and flood inundation mapping have already been implemented in Pakistan and Thailand. He also is
collaborating with professors in Brazil to apply geospatial-based flood risk assessment and mitigation methodologies to a coastal highway corridor project. Ervin is examining substructural component damage in any structure, with highways and rail bridges being the first application. “The sudden I-35 Minneapolis bridge collapse was the result of failure in one gusset plate, which was known to have a small crack,” she says. “Is a structure safe even though one beam is damaged? If a barge hits a bridge pier in the Mississippi River, is the bridge in danger of overall collapse?” Measuring tiny vibrations in infrastructure could be a more accurate way to check than visual inspection, Ervin says. While the field of structural health monitoring provides amazing amounts of data, no one has solved the puzzle about what those data mean. UM is collaborating with many groups around the country to obtain access to even more information. “We know what kinds of damage can happen, but we need to know how that changes the captured signals on the structure,” Ervin says. “It will take joint research in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science to make this happen. Sudden progressive collapses are devastating and could soon be in the past.” The NCITEC grant supports 11 research projects, benefiting faculty from the departments of civil, electrical and mechanical engineering and public policy leadership, the National Center for Physical Acoustics, Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute and Meek School of Journalism and New Media. AR
Abdominal Program Complete STATE’S FIRST PANCREAS TRANSPLANT COMPLETED AT UMMC
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operation, assisted by Anderson and Dr. Andrew Gaugler, a chief surgery resident. “This procedure will improve quality of life and provide a significant survival benefit over dialysis and insulin therapy,” Earl says.
Photo by Jay Ferchaud
uilding on the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s record of firsts, surgeons transplanted a pancreas and kidney into a 49-year-old man on Dec. 5, 2013, marking the first such event for the state and final piece
Dr. Mark Earl (left), assistant professor of transplant surgery, conducts UMMC’s first pancreas transplant on Dec. 5, assisted by Dr. Andrew Gaugler (center), chief surgery resident, and Dr. Christopher Anderson, associate professor of transplant surgery and division chief of transplant and hepatobiliary surgery.
of UMMC’s abdominal transplant line. “Our goal has been to build a complete and high-functioning abdominal transplant program,” says Dr. Christopher Anderson, UMMC associate professor of transplant surgery and division chief of transplant and hepatobiliary surgery. “The pancreas transplant program represents that last piece of the abdominal program and is the culmination of a lot of hard work from our transplant team and the entire institution. University Transplant can now serve the state’s kidney, liver and pancreas needs while keeping patients close to home.” The patient has suffered from type 1 diabetes since childhood and subsequently developed kidney failure. Dr. Mark Earl, assistant professor of transplant surgery, performed the
“While we celebrate this success and what it means for Mississippians in the future, we also sincerely thank the donor family. They lost someone irreplaceably special yet made an incredibly lifeaffirming decision to donate.” During a 24-hour span that included the milestone pancreas operation, UMMC teams transplanted five organs into four Mississippians. Other patients received a heart, kidney and liver. “It’s remarkable how far organ transplant – at this very institution – has come, from Dr. James Hardy transplanting the first human lung just over 50 years ago to these recent outstanding achievements,” says Dr. Marc Mitchell, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery. “With operations like these, we’re
giving UMMC trainees first-rate experiences. They’ll use these skills to serve the health care needs of our state and the world.” The transplant program began administrative and logistical preparations about a year ago for its first pancreas transplant. In late September, University Transplant received pancreas approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nation’s nonprofit oversight organization for transplantation. “The patient was listed in October, and we’ve been waiting on suitable organs to become available. Organs for transplantation are an incredibly scarce, precious resource, and a pancreas is one of the rarest,” Earl says. Transplants require broad coordination between medical and surgical faculty members, the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency, operating-room nurses, techs, administration, laboratory staff, blood-bank employees, intensive care unit members and transplant-floor nurses. “The continuum of care surrounding each transplant speaks to the caliber of employees at UMMC,” says Dr. William Little, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine. The pancreas, part of both the digestion and endocrine systems, is located deep in the abdomen, behind the stomach and is connected to the small intestine. It produces insulin and several other hormones, and pancreatic enzymes, which it secretes into a person’s intestine. The pancreatic enzymes help break down carbohydrates, protein and fats during digestion. The hormones help the body regulate blood-sugar levels. Organ donation remains a cornerstone of University Transplant and is lifesaving to hundreds of Mississippians and thousands of Americans each year. Anderson encouraged people to join the organ donor registry. More information can be found through the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency at www.msora.org. AR Winter 2014 9
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niversity of Mississippi pharmacy students are helping to combat global malnutrition by raising funds for Vitamin Angels, a charitable organization that helps at-risk populations gain access to micronutrients. The organization’s mission is to mobilize and deploy private resources to increase availability, access to and use of these micronutrients, particularly vitamin A.
Pharmacy students collected money for Vitamin Angels in front of the Union during Student Body Week.
Deborah I. Torres Ratliff, a second-year professional pharmacy student, or PY2, is vice president of operations for the Ole Miss chapter of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists, or APhA-ASP. As such, she planned, organized and implemented the Vitamin Angels fundraiser. “As health care providers, we understand the severity of not receiving the essential vitamins we need for our everyday functioning, and we feel a responsibility to help in any way possible,” says Ratliff, an Ocean Springs native. “These children deserve a chance for a brighter future. Who would have realized that a quarter could have such an impact?” According to the World Health Organization, around 250 million preschool children are vitamin A deficient. The WHO estimates that 250,000 to 500,000 of these vitamin A-deficient children become blind every year, and half of them die within 12 months of losing their sight. The fundraiser began during pharmacy’s Student Body Week in October and continued online until late November. APhA-ASP raised $1,126 for the initiative. As a result, more than 4,500 children will be helped and provided with vitamin A. For more information on Vitamin Angels, visit http://www. vitaminangels.org. AR
PROFESSOR RECOGNIZED FOR LEADERSHIP IN PRE-K EDUCATION
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Photo by Kevin Bain
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niversity of Mississippi early childhood education expert Lynn Darling is the recipient of the Marion B. Hamilton Award given annually by the Southern Early Childhood Association for outstanding leadership in pre-K education. Darling, who is coordinator of early childhood initiatives at the UM School of Education, Mississippi’s largest producer of teachers and educational leaders, was unanimously nominated for the award by the 30-member board of directors of the Mississippi Early Childhood Association. The honor recognizes her more than 15 years of work to improve pre-K education in Mississippi. “When we traditionally look at education, most think K-12,” says Darling, a Memphis native. “But for years, research has proven that high-quality early learning experiences before kindergarten have positive long-term effects on social, emotional and academic outcomes for children.” Before joining UM in August 2012, Darling was director of the Early Childhood Institute at Mississippi State University. She is among three expert faculty members hired at UM
Lynn Darling
last year with $1.2 million in external funding from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation in Jackson to develop a new undergraduate endorsement and master’s degree in the field at the university. AR
Heartfelt Partnership NEW COLLABORATION EXPANDS WORLD-RENOWNED HEART STUDIES Photo by Jay Ferchaud
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new collaborative research relationship between the American Heart Association, the University of Mississippi and Boston University, representing a bold vision for cardiovascular population science, was announced in December at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Dallas. The collaboration envisions greatly expanding important population studies by adding more research subjects, more diverse subjects, more genetic analysis and deeper, new approaches to gathering information in an effort to find more “personalized” treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease. This project would help to build a “biobank” that researchers could easily access through a larger national network of population studies, including the landmark Framingham and Jackson heart studies. “We will be transferring that success into 21st century genomics developments and network medicine,” says Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of the American Heart Association’s Science Oversight Group for this collaboration. While scientists seeking answers to heart disease, stroke and other major problems would have access to this information, protecting the confidentiality of study participants is a top priority. Successful large studies have over the years developed procedures to ensure people cannot be identified through their medical data, and those practices will continue in this new project. “Thanks to the American Heart Association, this collaboration will allow the continued development of the science to better understand the causes of heart disease and stroke,” says Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75), who also is the former Jackson Heart Study principal investigator. “It moves us closer to the day when this leading cause of death can be prevented in more people. “ The University of Mississippi
UMMC cardiology professor and Jackson Heart Study researcher Dr. Ervin Fox, standing at right, monitors as Shari Cook, foreground, and Audrey Samuels, center, take readings from a JHS research participant.
Medical Center is proud to work with its partners at Jackson State University and Tougaloo College in the Jackson Heart Study.” Framingham is the longest running U.S. heart study and has led to many important discoveries. The Jackson Heart Study, which began in 2000, is the largest study ever focused on risk factors among African-Americans – who face disproportionate risk for heart disease and stroke. The collaborative group, convened by the American Heart Association, has the temporary working name of Heart Studies v2.0. “The potential here is nothing short of amazing,” says Loscalzo, chairman of the Department of Medicine and physician-in-chief at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and editor-in-chief of the American Heart Association
journal Circulation. “The vast participant database from these important studies, plus additional genetic components, puts us on the path to defining specific risk determinants for certain cardiovascular diseases for every person.” Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world, and risk factors vary for every person based on a variety of factors. “Everybody’s collection of genes is unique. In addition, how everyone’s genes interact with their environment is unique,” Loscalzo says. “Personalized medicine takes all of this complexity into account, and applies unique genomic datasets to careful assessment of clinical features of disease in order to predict accurately the diseases people are likely to develop and to design effective individualized therapies for them.” AR Winter 2014 11
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recent grant from the Lafayette/ Oxford Foundation for Tomorrow is helping the University of Mississippi Museum continue to build its educational programming. The museum plans to use the LOFT grant for $3,993 to create an interactive educational area within its existing classroom space. The goal is to facilitate discovery and exploration for young museum visitors. “The museum has seen significant increases in its programming for children and families, reaching more than 11,000 children so far this year,” Emily Dean, curator of education, said in December. “The new interactive area will help us improve the overall experience for these and more children.” The museum is among six local agencies benefiting from the $14,493 in grants from LOFT. The museum project is slated to be completed by summer 2014.
This proposal for the area was generously co-sponsored with a $500 donation from the Friends of the Museum to support the production of family learning guides for
Emily Dean (right) reviews plans for the new interactive learning space in the UM Museum with volunteer Tierney Charlton.
young learners visiting the museum. “Through the generosity of two groups deeply rooted in the local
community, LOFT and the Friends of the Museum, their funding will enable the museum to better serve families for many years to come,” Dean says. “Because LOFT ’s mission is to increase quality of life, and we encourage projects that provide long-term benefits for the community, the UM Museum’s proposal was a home run,” says Laura Parkinson, LOFT director. LOFT is a community organization that operates under the CREATE Foundation umbrella. The foundation maintains a deep commitment to supporting local efforts that improve the quality of life and opportunity in Oxford and Lafayette County. The University Museum is at the intersection of University Avenue and Fifth Street. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. For more information, visit http://museum.olemiss.edu or call 662-915-7073. AR
FORD CENTER CONTINUES ANNUAL SHAKESPEARE SYMPOSIUM
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ith support from the Ford Foundation, the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts will continue the annual Shakespeare Symposium, a crowd favorite from the discontinued Oxford Shakespeare Festival. The symposium will be expanded to include a performance and will be rescheduled from the summer to the fall or spring semester to allow more participation from the university community. “With the closing of the Shakespeare Festival, there was a desire on campus to continue the lecture portion of the summer festival for the benefit of the students and faculty,” says Norm Easterbrook, Ford Center director. “This 12 Alumni Review
symposium is important to our campus. The addition of the performance activity will enhance the lecture and capture the inspiration that began with the Oxford Shakespeare Festival organizers.” The symposium will memorialize Gertrude C. Ford’s keen interest in the Shakespearean canon. “Not only has the Ford Foundation memorialized Gertrude through their gift of the Ford Center to the university, but they continue to honor her legacy with the addition of this programming, which will engender lively discussion and exploration of the works of Shakespeare,” Easterbrook says. Symposium activities will be based in and administered by the Ford Center.
Programming will be determined by a campus-based committee, which will include the Lecture Series and Artist Series committees together with representatives from the departments of English and Theatre Arts, as well as the campus at large. It is anticipated that the size and focus of the Gertrude C. Ford Shakespeare Symposium will vary from year to year depending on the needs of the university’s faculty and students. All programs and services of the Ford Center are made possible through private contributions. For information about making a contribution to support future programs, contact the Ford Center administrative office at 662-915-2787. AR
Photo by Phillip Waller
Rachael Walker (left) and Katie Williamson interview Frank ‘Rat’ Ratliff in front of Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale on March 15, 2013. Ratliff died 13 days after University of Mississippi students interviewed him about the hotel.
From the Classroom to the Newsroom MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS HELP STUDENTS GET WORK PUBLISHED, AIRED
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tudents at the University of Mississippi’s Meek School of Journalism and New Media have been gaining valuable work experience through partnerships with print and broadcast media outlets across the state. Each year, about 60 students participate in newspaper reporting trips during which they spend a weekend writing stories or shooting photos for different papers. Broadcast students also have been working on pieces for Tupelo’s WTVA-TV and a local news website as part of the program. “It’s a great program, not just for the communities and the benefits Leland gets out of it, but it’s great for the students to get out and see different parts of Mississippi they haven’t been exposed to and also have this interaction with real business and city leaders,” says Stephanie Patton, editor and publisher of the The Leland Progress. “That’s great real-world experience that you can’t always get inside a classroom.” They’ve also worked for other newspapers, including the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo, the Hattiesburg American, as well as newspapers in Madison, Hernando, Vicksburg and other Mississippi cities. The newspaper program is in its fourth year. UM adjunct journalism instructor Bill Rose (BA 69) has been leading the newspaper trips, which are open to any journalism major. Many freshmen and sophomores gain valuable experience
through the trips that they wouldn’t have otherwise, Rose says. “Students love it because it gives them confidence and a sense of how it is in the real world, and also how much they have to learn,” he says. Debora Wenger and Nancy Dupont, two associate broadcast journalism professors, have been working with the students. The program allows students to learn from seasoned professionals, Wenger says. “The students know their work is going to air on a newscast that night, and they get this one-on-one instruction from the news managers at the station,” Wenger says. “It helps reinforce a lot of the concepts we try to teach them in class, but often they don’t believe it until they hear it from somebody who is still in the newsroom.” Journalism Dean Will Norton says he hopes the program will expand in the coming years. “We eventually want to get to a place to where we are doing a lot more of these, but we have to wait until our endowment grows,” Norton says. “I think this is one of the important issues — to enable students to understand the mass media do not just exist to cover what is happening. The mass media exist to hold a community together, to enable you to have good government, good hospitals and water that runs. That’s what the mass media are supposed to do.” AR Winter 2014 13
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Circle Honoring a Vibrant Legacy WOMEN’S COUNCIL PAYS TRIBUTE TO JIM AND DONNA BARKSDALE
V Photo by Jay Ferchaud
isionary champions for education Jim (BBA 65) and Donna Barksdale of Jackson, Miss., have been jointly tapped for the fourth Legacy Award from the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy (OMWC) and will be honored during April 11 events at the University of Mississippi. The Legacy Award recognizes the contributions of individuals who epitomize OMWC’s goals of philanthropy, leadership and mentorship. The Barksdales will address students at noon in the Overby Center. A $125-per-person event
and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Jim Barksdale, former president and CEO of Netscape, and Donna Kennedy Barksdale, founding member and past chair of Leadership Jackson, continue to create and fund scholarships on both the Oxford and Medical Center campuses. Among many other philanthropic endeavors, they have established a successful mentoring program at Lanier High School in Jackson, which helps provide jobs for students and prepares them for college and professional work. Donna, a graduate of Mississippi College, has joined her husband in support of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Barksdale Reading Institute. Jim Barksdale heads the Barksdale Management Corp., a philanthropic investment company. Donna Barksdale serves as president of the Mississippi River Trading Co. The Barksdales are deeply involved in other state and national programs that benefit young people, such as serving on the board of America’s Promise Alliance, founded by Colin and Alma Powell. The Legacy Award is a focus of the 14-yearold OMWC, an organization that recognizes that meaningful lives and careers in and beyond college rely on strong relationships and nurturing support. Mentorship, therefore, is the cornerstone of OMWC scholarships, and almost 100 students have blossomed under this programming. Because of the mentoring and leadership training, OMWC scholars not only thrive academically but also become servant leaders who understand the importance of giving back through service and resources. Past Legacy Award recipients have been Leigh Ann Tuohy (BS 82), Olivia Manning (71), and former Mississippi Gov. William (BA 43, LLB 49) and Elise (BA 48) Winter. OMWC’s endowments total $10.9 million, and each new scholarship is recognized in the Jim and Donna Barksdale will receive the Legacy Award from the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy in April. Rose Garden adjacent to the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. will follow that evening, with a 6:30 p.m. reception and 7:30 To purchase an award banquet ticket, visit www.olemissap.m. dinner at The Inn at Ole Miss; all proceeds will benefit lumni.com/events or call 662-915-2384. To learn more about OMWC mentoring programs and leadership training. The OMWC scholarships, contact Sarah Hollis, associate director Legacy Award presenting sponsor is C Spire; additional spon- of University Development, at 662-915-1584, or visit www. sors include FedEx, FNC, Butler Snow, Yates Construction umfoundation.com/omwc. AR
14 Alumni Review
“Do Business with Us!�
Ole Miss Alumni Class of 1990
Ole Miss Alumni Class of 1985
— George Walker and Wayne Pierce
Wayne Pierce - President
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Wayne@heritageproperties.com Office: 601.707.1088
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Lexington Pointe Apartments is a well-established apartment community in the heart of Oxford. Located less than a mile from the Ole Miss campus and just minutes from the square, our apartments have many wonderful amenities to offer and cable and internet are included! The lifestyle here appeals to people who expect exceptional quality, gracious hospitality and convenience. Visit our beautiful property so you can see first-hand what a wonderful place it is to call home. Amenities: t Swimming Pool t Brand New Outdoor t Covered Parking Area with Fire Pit t Clubhouse and Flat Screen TV t Tennis Court t High Speed Internet t Fitness Center Available t Tanning Salon t Pet Friendly
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Calendar FEBRUARY
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Performance: Claremont Trio. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www.fordcenter.org. Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Kentucky. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Ole Miss Luncheon Series: Jackson, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Call 662-9157375 or visit www. olemissalumni.com/events.
Seminar: Starting a Business – First Steps, 1-3 p.m. Small Business Development Center, Oxford campus. Call 662-915-1291 or visit events.olemiss.edu.
Men’s Baseball: Ole Miss vs. TennesseeMartin. Swayze Field, 4 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com. Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Texas A&M. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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-22 Leadership Ole Miss Conference: for
Performance: Claremont Trio Feb. 15
Alumni Association club leaders. Triplett Alumni Center and The Inn at Ole Miss. Call 662-915-7375 or email port@olemiss.edu. -23 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Georgia State. Swayze Field, 4 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit www. olemisssports.com. School of Education Painting Party: (for education majors only), 2 p.m., Room 115 in the School of Education. Call 662-915-7375.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Florida. Tad Smith Coliseum, 11 a.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Ole Miss Luncheon Series: Tupelo, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. BancorpSouth Conference Center. Call 662-915-7375 or visit www. olemissalumni.com/events.
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-26 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. LouisianaMonroe. Swayze Field, 4 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Seminar: Business Issues – Disaster Recovery, 1-2:30 p.m., Small Business Development Center, Oxford campus. Call 662-915-1291 or visit events. olemiss.edu.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Alabama. Tad Smith Coliseum, 7 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Career Fair and Reception: Seventh Annual School of Applied
16 Alumni Review
Sciences Career Fair and Networking Reception, The Inn at Ole Miss, 10 a.m.2 p.m. career fair, 4-5:30 p.m. networking reception. Call 662-915-7375.
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-March 2 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Central Florida. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
MARCH
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Auburn. Tad Smith Coliseum, 2 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Ole Miss Luncheon Series: Memphis, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Chickasaw Country Club. Call 662-915-7375 or visit www. olemissalumni.com/events.
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, 6 Communiversity: Microsoft Office Excel – Level 1. Sponsored by the Division of Outreach. Weir 107, Oxford campus, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $85. Call 662-915-1299.
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Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Memphis. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Alabama. Tad Smith Coliseum, 8 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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-9 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas-Little Rock. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4:30 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
Photo by Robert Jordan
Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt March 8
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt. Tad Smith Coliseum, 12:30 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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-14 Spring Break
Performance: Peking Acrobats. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www.fordcenter.org.
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, 29 Communiversity: Digital Photography – Taking Control. Sponsored by the Division of Outreach. Expands participants’ understanding of how the camera “sees” the world differently from the eye and how to use that knowledge, along with advanced techniques, to create desired images. The Depot, Oxford campus, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $85. Call 662-915-1299.
Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas State. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com. -20 Insurance Symposium: The Inn at Ole Miss. Receive up to 9 hours of CE or CLE credit. The opening reception will be held the evening of March 19 at the Oxford University Club. Call 662-915-7375.
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Performance: Rosanne Cash. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www.fordcenter.org.
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-22 Law Weekend: Various times and locations. Call 662-915-7375.
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-23 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Missouri. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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School of Education Cooking Class: 6 p.m., Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Gulfport. Call 662-915-7375.
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Communiversity: Adobe Photoshop Basics. Sponsored by the Division of Outreach, Weir Hall, Oxford campus, 5:307:30 p.m. $55. Call 662915-1299.
APRIL
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Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Swayze Field, 11 a.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Communiversity: Intermediate Photoshop. Sponsored by the Division of Outreach. Weir Hall, Oxford campus, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $55. Call 662-915-1299.
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Ole Miss Luncheon Series: West Point, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Ritz Theater & Conference Center. Call 662-915-7375 or visit www. olemissalumni.com/events.
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School of Pharmacy Scholarship Golf Tournament: Mallard Pointe Golf Course, 10 a.m. To register for or sponsor the event, call 662-915-1878.
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Engineering Honors Banquet: The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Call 662-915-7375. Winter 2014 17
Baseball: Ole Miss vs. LSU April 17-19
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-6 Women’s Golf: Rebel Intercollegiate, Oxford, various times. Visit www. olemisssports.com. -6 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Auburn. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
Grove Bowl: Red/Blue football game fundraiser for the J.W. “Wobble” Davidson Scholarship. Call 662-915-7375. Performance: Cantus. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www. fordcenter.org.
Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Murray State. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com. Performance: Prophets of Funk, David Dorfman Dance. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www. fordcenter.org. Meeting: Ole Miss Alumni Association board of directors spring meetings, various times and locations. Call 662-915-7375. Performance: Sounds of Stage and Screen Starring Mary Donnelly Haskell and Friends. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 7 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www. fordcenter.org.
13 Performance: Cantus April 5
18 Alumni Review
-18 Rebel Road Trip: various times and locations. Call 662-9157375 or visit www.olemiss alumni.com/events.
-19 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. LSU. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Visit www.olemisssports.com. Mississippi Bar Swearing in Law Alumni Reception: 4 p.m., Carroll Gartin Justice Building, Jackson. Call 662-915-1878.
Accountancy Awards Banquet: The Inn at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Call 662915-7375.
Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Southern Mississippi. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com. For a complete and latest listing of spring Ole Miss sports schedules, visit www. olemisssports.com.
Photo by Nathan Latil
Calendar
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Tomorrow. Every day.
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20 Alumni Review
A Chronic Case of
the Blues
Alumni turn campus business into a music industry icon By Barbara Lago
Winter 2014 21
ome of the hottest groups booked for parties at the Pi Kappa Alpha house at Ole Miss in the early 1960s were black rhythm and blues bands. They were brought to the Pike house by the fraternity’s social chairman, Tommy Couch Sr. (BSPh 65), and Gerald “Wolf ” Stephenson (BSPh 66), then partners in Campus Attractions, a band-booking business. The two pharmacy students used a little chicanery to get popular artists to the house. Sometimes they’d find out who the Phi Delts were bringing in on Saturday night, then call the band’s agent and arrange to get them to Oxford a little earlier, so they could do a show at the Pike house Friday night or Saturday afternoon. “We’d watch the Dekes, too, to see if they were bringing in anybody good,” Couch sheepishly admits. They’d also give their frat brothers a taste of “the real blues” by bringing Mississippi Fred McDowell to the house from Como for afternoon “teas.”
Wolf Stephenson (left), Tommy Couch Sr., Herndon Wilkins and Robert E. ‘Ed’ Lee Jr. are all dressed up for the 1965 spring formal at the Pike House, which featured some of the hottest rhythm and blues around in the early ’60s.
Campus Attractions quickly expanded to other Southern campuses and, when Couch graduated and began practicing pharmacy in Jackson in 1965, became Malaco Attractions, which brought the Dave Clark Five, The Who, Herman’s Hermits, the Animals, Ike and Tina Turner and others to the then-new Mississippi Coliseum. 22 Alumni Review
Stephenson joined Couch in promoting those acts after graduating in 1966. While practicing pharmacy full-time, Stephenson kept his hand in the music business. After going into the business fulltime in 1970, “I practiced pharmacy half-time, so I could still buy groceries,” he says, laughing. Malaco opened a recording studio in a former Pepsi-Cola warehouse in 1967. In that metal building, the two partners began putting the soulful, earthy R&B music they loved on vinyl. With Stephenson mixing and mastering at the engineer’s control board and Couch handling the business side, Malaco produced six singles and a Grammy-nominated album between 1968 and ’70. But the company’s revenue was minimal because it had to license those records to established labels for national distribution. The tide began to turn, though, in 1970, when Malaco recorded King Floyd’s “Groove Me” and Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff.” The songs were rejected by both Stax and Atlantic Records, so Malaco released them on its Chimneyville label and began sending them to stations. When “Groove Me” started getting radio play, Atlantic picked it up for distribution, and it went to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. Then Stax picked up “Mr. Big Stuff,” which sold more than 2 million copies on its way to the top of the R&B and pop charts. Soon, Atlantic sent the Pointer Sisters to Jackson for Malaco’s touch, Stax sent Rufus Thomas and, in 1973, Paul Simon recorded material for his “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon” album. However, by 1975, the company was again in financial straits. “Back then, Tommy and I had to alternate paychecks,” Stephenson says. With just enough cash to do so, Couch and Stephenson recorded Dorothy Moore’s soulful love song “Misty Blue” and released it on the Malaco label just before Thanksgiving. “Misty Blue” peaked near the top of the R&B and pop charts and earned gold records around the world. “I mixed it over the weekend, took it to Nashville Monday to have it mastered, then took it to Murfreesboro to have it pressed,” Stephenson says. “When I got back, we started sending the record to stations, and some stations in Jackson started playing it. … All of a sudden, it started making a lot of noise. We were not prepared to press thousands of records, so we hooked up with TK in Miami. “‘Misty Blue’ saved us big-time back then, just like ‘Groove Me’ and ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ did earlier. We put it out on the Malaco label, TK distributed it, and it blew wide open.” Malaco gambled again in 1976 and started a gospel division. It, too, began paying off by toting up 25 percent of the company’s sales, but it wasn’t until the late Z.Z. Hill came searching for a label that the studio began shooting skyward in the early ’80s. His first album sold only 25,000 copies, but his second, “Down Home Blues,” spent more than 100 weeks on the Billboard black LP chart and sold more than 500,000 copies. “Hill sold more records than all the other blues artists put together,” Couch says. When Stax and TK went out of business, other R&B artists — Little Milton, Bobby Blue Bland, Denise LaSalle, Johnnie Taylor and Latimore — began flocking to Malaco. “The R&B and soul artists depended on gigs for their money,
n 1986, Malaco entered the world of telemarketing and purchased Savoy Records, the largest black gospel label. In ’95, it cut “Good Love” with Johnnie Taylor, the company’s biggest record ever. In ’97, it fixed the problem that hampered its growth for three decades by buying half of Memphis-based distributor Select-O-Hits and forming the Malaco Music Group. It also signed soul great Tyrone Davis and began making inroads into the urban contemporary, jazz and contemporary Christian markets. “Between the mid-’80s and late ’90s, our gospel division was going like crazy, and we were selling a million records,” Couch says. “We had 130 to 140 employees, offices in London, New York and Nashville, and associates in other places. It was a big time for us.” Today, the Malaco Music Group includes the new studio, office and warehouse complex on West Northside Drive in Jackson, nearly a dozen record labels and another dozen music publishing companies, as well as direct marketing operations and distribution services. “We manufacture our own product, manage distribution and handle the business end of things for our artists, including some of the publicity,” Stephenson says. “It’s what we’ve been doing for the past 10 years.” Since it began laying down tracks on vinyl and eight-track tapes 45 years ago, Malaco has outlasted fads like disco and adapted to other changes. “First it was death of the eight-track, and here come the cassettes, then the CDs,” Stephenson says. “The real stumbling block came with computers and file sharing. It took us awhile to adapt to that.” Malaco founder Tommy Couch Sr. poses next to the yet-to-be-unveiled historic “Now it’s all digital,” Couch says. “People just download marker designating the company’s inclusion on the Mississippi Blues Trail. what they like from places like iTunes.” but without a record playing on radio, they couldn’t charge top dollar, so they flocked to us,” Stephenson says. “For me, those were our halcyon days, from 1985 to ’90. We had people clamoring to work with us.” Also in ’85, Malaco bought the Muscle Shoals (Alabama) Sound Studio, label and publishing company. The studio had produced gold records for Simon, Aretha Franklin, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart and Wilson Pickett, and its publishing catalog contained moneymakers such as “Old Time Rock and Roll,” “Torn Between Two Lovers” and songs made famous by the likes of Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. “We mined that catalog and had our artists record them,” Stephenson says. “We could use that studio and its musicians, go in and work for a week, and record our artists without being bumped.”
Winter 2014 23
Wolf Stephenson (foreground) and Couch pull some master tapes from thousands stored in a concrete vault at Malaco’s headquarters in Jackson. Among them are more than 50 Grammy-nominated songs and albums.
Wolf Stephenson poses beside the marker designating Malaco’s presence on the Mississippi Blues Trail, just after the marker was unveiled on West Northside Drive in Jackson.
espite making inroads into even more markets such as children’s music and rock, Malaco is known to many around the world as “The Last Soul Company,” as it was touted in a Boston magazine article in the mid-’80s. It has a historic marker on the Mississippi Blues trail, designating its importance to the genre, and its thousands of master tapes are a treasure trove to historians, students and movie producers, who sometimes ask to use some of Malaco’s music. When they do, Stephenson says, “We try to accommodate them. Some music director wanted ‘Groove Me’ by King Floyd but asked for a nonexistent instrumental break, so we pulled the 24 Alumni Review
old eight-track master, copied it to digital, remixed the song and created the desired break. They thought it was perfect.” Malaco was hit by a tornado in April 2011, but its masters and other artifacts survived in a concrete vault. Tucked among them are more than 50 Grammy-nominated songs and albums, including a CD by the Ole Miss Gospel Choir. “Our artists received scores of Grammy nominations, but few won because the mega record companies swapped votes,” Couch says. These days, Tommy Couch Jr. (BBA 87) is president of the Malaco Music Group. While at Ole Miss, Tommy Jr. reprised not only his father’s penchant for mining fraternity bookings but also Campus Attractions. After graduating, Tommy Jr. started Waldoxy Records, one of Malaco’s many subsidiaries, and signed Bobby Rush and others. Tommy Sr. and his wife, Mayme (BAEd 65), also have two daughters, Christy Echols (BPA 97) of Nashville and Tamyne Armour (BSW 95) of Madison, and eight grandchildren. Wolf Stephenson and his wife, Catherine, have two children, Leslie Carpenter (BBA 83) of Jackson and John Stephenson of Nashville, and three grandchildren. The families could trace their roots back to a Pike formal at Ole Miss, circa 1963. A photo taken there shows Couch and Stephenson in white tuxedos, and the elaborately gowned young ladies who would become their wives. The band at that formal also appears in the photo. It was Professor James Richards and the Esquire Combo, whose lead singer, Percy Sledge, would quickly rise to fame upon wailing “When a Man Loves a Woman.” For more than two decades, that photo hung at Malaco Studio. “That’s where I got the music bug,” Stephenson says. “I started hanging around with Tommy at Ole Miss.” AR
Re educating
ŠiStockphoto.com
the
Brain By Michael Newsom
26 Alumni Review
Neuroscience Ph.D. program trains educators to help speed up traumatic brain injury recovery
Bone-jarring hits on the football field often make highlight reels, but sometimes those collisions leave athletes with serious traumatic brain injuries. Many face long, difficult roads to recovery. Explosions in war zones often leave U.S. military personnel with concussions, brain damage and other serious neurological issues. Injuries to athletes and military personnel have drawn much media attention in recent years as the nation grapples with the issue of how to lessen the number of cases and also improve life for those who have been hurt. But people from all walks of life find themselves with the same troubles as some 1.7 million cases of TBI are reported each year in the United States. The University of Mississippi’s School of Education has developed a new Ph.D. program with a neuroscience component that trains professionals to speed up recovery from concussions and other head injuries. One of only three programs of its kind in the nation, the new special education doctoral program trains educators to use therapies that incorporate mathematics, language and other subjects to accelerate and improve healing.
Winter 2014 27
“We’re going to be able to really draw a lot of students nationally because of the Ph.D. with the neuroscience component,” says Roy J. Thurston, UM assistant professor of special education. “Some other universities have master’s degrees in neuroscience, but the only other doctorates I know of are at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Harvard University.” The new special education Ph.D. has multiple components: One helps students learn how the brain works, while other sections of the curriculum deal with literacy, diversity and behavior. Neuroscience is studied in all areas of the new program. Beyond helping athletes, veterans and adults who have suffered TBIs, the program also will help train teachers to understand the many neurological issues that can affect students as they learn. Candidates in the new Ph.D. program are hoping to apply what they learn to help schools address issues such as students with TBIs or those who face other neurological obstacles.
He says he believes the program will make a significant impact, especially for those with more mild forms of injury, which comprise about 75 percent of all TBI cases. Having worked in rehabilitation for many years, Giroux says that historically, those who worked to help the patients with TBI were medically focused, and they didn’t often find ways to help the person live as normal a life as possible. Although he’s not involved in the new program, Giroux says it’s “exciting” and has great potential to help the kinds of people he’s worked with over the years. “That part of the program will be extremely beneficial — to have trained individuals who are versed in educational strategies work with people and help them with their thinking skills,” Giroux says. “They will get a very unique understanding of this population of people with traumatic brain injuries and the challenges they have going back to school or work in a competitive setting.”
Lessons from Canada
Roy J. Thurston
Tough to Overcome
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies TBI as a serious public health problem in the United States, which contributes to a substantial number of deaths and permanent disabilities. The CDC says that each year, some 1.7 million of these kinds of injuries occur in the U.S., contributing to a third of all injury-related deaths. The CDC defines a TBI as a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the regular functions of the brain. TBIs range from mild cases, which can lead to brief changes in mental status, to severe cases, which can lead to a long period of amnesia or unconsciousness. Recovery can be extremely difficult, says Peter Giroux, a professor of occupational therapy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. “Those who survive have a very large number of issues,” he says. “Thinking skills are just one aspect of it. There’s attention, concentration, vigilance, those types of things, basic problem solving. There’s also what we refer to as the psychosocial aspects — the appropriate interactions with people. There are a lot of social skills lost.” Giroux says many TBI injury patients may be able to overcome the cognitive issues, but the lack of social skills that remain after an injury makes it difficult, if not impossible, to go back to normal life. Patients may struggle to find and keep a job. 28 Alumni Review
Thurston set up the UM program, and his research focuses on both cognitive rehabilitation of those with traumatic brain injuries and neuroscience applications to education. He previously worked in a hospital setting in Canada, testing patients with brain injuries and looking at how they performed in math, language and other subjects. Those tests and therapies helped patients exercise their brains, which sped up their recovery. Bethany Care Life Skills Center in Airdrie, Alberta, where Thurston worked, had classrooms for training students and helping adults who have been injured. “When people pursue this degree, they can go work not just in K-12 education systems; they can work in rehabilitation and also hospital situations,” Thurston says. “Because there are so many brain injuries now and the survival rate is huge compared to what it used to be, [patients] really need cognitive rehabilitation. We look at how we’re going to get these people back to school, back to competitive employment and get their lives back together.” The therapies taught in the program are particularly useful as more emphasis has been placed in recent years on head injuries in college and professional football. Officials have pushed to limit the number of injuries through better helmet technology and rule changes designed to make the game safer. But injuries still occur, and advancements in figuring out how to treat them continue. Another focus is on war veterans who return from combat with concussions and other brain injuries. “These guys who get hurt sometimes have memory problems, headaches and real behavioral issues,” Thurston says. “Quite often, if they are able to go back and do some of the stuff that we do in education, that helps the brain heal. It gets back on track faster than if you just did the physical things like occupational and physical therapy. That’s where we’ve been missing the boat.”
UM Leading the Way
UM Chancellor Dan Jones (MD 75) has been a leader in the movement to understand and prevent concussions in sports. In 2012, he was appointed to chair a Southeastern Conference working group on concussions. He says he is happy that the university’s faculty is engaged in addressing the issue through the new program.
Photo by Kevin Bain
Ph.D. students Sara Platt (left) and Jessica Simpson
“I am pleased that our faculty is providing leadership in the field of education, especially in the area of educating those with traumatic brain injury,” Jones says. “This is another great example of University of Mississippi faculty seeking opportunities to transform lives through education and service.” The new programs meet a critical education need, says David Rock, UM education dean. “There is a shortage in P-12 and higher education in this field of education,” Rock says. “Our faculty adds the expertise to offer specialties in the field, including cognitive neuroscience and brain injuries, as it impacts the development and learning of children. There is a critical shortage in the area of special education across the country. “Adding quality, new faculty with expertise in the complexities of the brain and cognitive neuroscience will add to the depth of teaching and learning of our doctoral candidates.”
Students Hope to Help
Sara Platt, a Ph.D. student in the UM program, who also teaches at UM’s School of Education, says she hopes to learn much from the program to use in her future career. Having worked as a school psychologist for nine years, she’s particularly interested in memory issues because, “if you can’t remember, you can’t learn.” Platt says the field of neuroscience in education is a new area. “There are lots of things that come up, and the common elements are memory and processing, which all really link back to the brain,” Platt says. “I think about kids that I’ve worked with who have ADHD, kids with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities
and traumatic brain injuries. What it comes back to is the way their brains work. Sometimes in education we kind of forget about those types of issues. We think about them having ADHD but forget the underlying issues like memory and processing.” Platt believes that addressing the underlying issues such as memory and processing is critical. “I want to explore and be more of a pioneer in a field that we’re only just beginning to know about, in terms of the brain and the total amount of information we know,” Platt says. Jessica Simpson (BAEd 03, MEd 04), a doctoral student, worked in special education in Collierville, Tenn., schools for eight years before leaving her job to enroll in the program. She also teaches in UM’s School of Education. Simpson has focused her research on different kinds of stress in classrooms, including the physical and emotional effects of TBIs, and how these stressors can affect student learning and behavior. She’s interested in continuing to study the neuroplasticity of the brain as it relates to this topic. “In the future, I hope to use my research to affect change in how school districts identify and accommodate children who need modified instruction because of special learning needs,” Simpson says. “Whether it be for the children who are suffering from different types of stress or the effects of a TBI, I want to aid districts and teachers in creating a productive learning environment that is conducive to positive academic and behavioral achievement.” Like Platt, Simpson has high hopes for how she can use the program to help improve K-12 education. “I’m hoping to bridge my training from the university and this program into application in the school systems in a practical way,” Simpson says. AR Winter 2014 29
Alumnus recalls how Memphis in May photos courtesy of Lyman Aldrich
30 Alumni Review
By Annie Rhoades
helped revitalize Memphis
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any know Beale Street as a bustling area filled with good food, entertainment and music. The area attracts thousands of visitors each year from around the world to enjoy all of the festivities surrounding Memphis in May, from a barbecue cook-off to live music on the riverfront. However, few know the festival’s history, its true impact on the vitality of the city and, perhaps most importantly, the man who started it all. Lyman Aldrich (BBA 67), president of KMA Inc., a real estate investment consulting company, was there from the very beginning, spearheading the efforts to make Memphis in May what it is today. “When I took over as president for the Memphis in May committee, the whole idea was to create jobs,” says Aldrich. “I was thinking about the future for our community and families. I realized something had to be done because the city was in serious trouble. It all just kind of grew from there.”
Winter 2014 31
Born in New York City and raised in Natchez, Aldrich always knew he would pursue an education at Ole Miss. “Many of the people in Natchez had gone to Ole Miss, including my sister,” Aldrich says. “It was always the bright light in my eye, and I knew that’s where I wanted to go.” A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Aldrich completed his business degree in 1967 and promptly moved to Memphis to work for Scott Paper Co. as a paper-products salesman. After a few months, a position managing new accounts opened up at First National Bank that was too good to pass up. A newcomer to the area, Aldrich was quickly enthralled by the buzz of the city and began volunteering in the community to meet new people. “My impression when I first got to Memphis was ‘wow, look at all these big buildings,’” Aldrich says. “They didn’t have those in Natchez. The bank I began working for was in a 22-story building for goodness’ sake. I thought I was in New York City and was just thrilled to be a part of a bigger place.”
Dark Days Ahead Soon after Aldrich’s move to the city, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. rocked the nation, turning downtown Memphis into a shell of a city. Aldrich vividly recalls that April day in 1968 that changed history. “I was sitting on the first floor of the bank building near Third and Madison,” says Aldrich. “All of a sudden the news came across that Dr. King had been assassinated, and there were riots three blocks behind me on Beale Street. I remember a lot of sirens going off. Everybody had to go home, and the city was placed under a curfew that night.” Aldrich says the city began moving in a downward spiral very quickly. Businesses and blues joints began closing right away, and eventually the Peabody, the Orpheum and even Beale Street shut down in the years following. “That assassination put the city on its ear. Memphis was badly thought of, and as Time magazine said, we were a backwater river town,” Aldrich says. “We were looked at like Dallas was after the assassination of JFK. Downtown really took a nosedive.” Aldrich and others recognized something needed to be done to get things moving in a positive direction before downtown became unsalvageable. “Our city was in a very stressful and turbulent situation just coming off the heels of the assassination and the introduction of the civil rights movement,” says Bill Morris, former mayor of Shelby County. “A lot of the businesses began to exit downtown. We needed to do something positive to deal with the fact that we were a community with great assets that were not being exploited.” An avid volunteer in the community and member of numerous committees with the Chamber of Commerce, Aldrich soon took a key leadership position in the revitalization of downtown Memphis. 32 Alumni Review
“I was asked to be on the board of directors at the Chamber of Commerce and began really looking into what was happening in the city,” he says. “The Chamber was having terrible financial difficulty, and there were not a lot of businesses looking to come to Memphis to operate. Then this thing called Memphis in May came up in the early ’70s.”
Change on the Horizon Motivated by his own desire to live downtown, Aldrich had a vision to transform the then-stark conditions of downtown into a thriving residential area. He left his position as vice president with the newly renamed First Tennessee Bank to start up his own real estate investment and consulting business. “I wanted to be part of the downtown fabric and have a river view every day, so I bought an old cotton warehouse down on Front Street,” Aldrich says. “It took me two years of hard work to turn it into 24 condominiums that were sold to the public. That had never been done before. It proved that people would live downtown even in the situation it was in, which surprised a lot of people.” Around that time, Aldrich was asked to become president of the then Memphis in May International Festival Society committee in 1977. With the Chamber of Commerce in dire straits, there was little hope for funding the festival. “The head of tourism on the staff said, ‘Lyman, there’s no money, so it’s up to you to decide whether or not to have a Memphis in May this year. We don’t know if we’re even going to have a Chamber of Commerce,’” Aldrich says. After careful consideration, Aldrich decided it was time to shake things up, and the decision to reconstitute the festival was made. “The crux of what Lyman and his group did is say, ‘Look, Memphis is a lot more than we think,’” Morris says. “Let’s get the people in Memphis to understand what we have going for us, and, with that, the city began a very long, successful campaign.” The first order of business was to gain international interest by honoring a foreign country each year, with the hope that the country would look favorably upon Memphis and start to bring its businesses to the city. “There was one Japanese business in town, Datsun Forklift Division,” Aldrich says. “I met with Datsun’s head official, Koichi Iwata, and explained how the festival would like to honor his country. Before I knew it, the Japanese ambassador to the United States was invited to be a guest in Memphis. He and his wife were so pleased with their visit; they said they would do everything possible to bring Japanese companies to Memphis.” Two years later, Aldrich’s economic development efforts were realized when Sharp Electronics announced it would open its first U.S. plant in Memphis. Aldrich decided the next step would be to bring in fresh ideas and talent.
“I thought it was important to bring in all new, young people to replace the older generation because we needed new energy to make this thing a success,” he says. “It was an opportunity to put a stamp on something that young people could do themselves rather than have to ask permission from the gray hairs of the community.” Under Aldrich’s leadership, the committee members, composed of 25 to 30-year-olds, both men and women, black and white, decided to leave the umbrella of the Chamber of Commerce and seek public funding for the festival on their own. “Lyman had the vision of starting this festival in Memphis,” says George Brown, retired Tennessee Supreme Court justice and Memphis in May committee member. “All of us were relatively idealistic, but, at the time, we really had no idea how visionary the project was. I don’t think it would have happened without having a young, diverse group of people working together.” After going door-to-door, selling their new vision of Memphis in May to people such as Abe Plough, founder of ScheringPlough, and Irvin Salky, Beale Street Music Festival co-sponsor, as well as businesses such as FedEx and First National Bank, the committee secured around $52,000 in funding. “We sold our idea on what we needed to do to turn this city around,” Aldrich says. “Something had to be done for the city. The Chamber was bankrupt, and nobody was trying to create jobs. If things were going to change, it had to come from the next generation.” In addition to bringing the Sunset Symphony outdoors to the riverfront for the first time, Aldrich and his committee created the first Beale Street Music Festival, which attracted thousands of attendees back to the famed street. “That first year, B.B. King and many other well-known blues artists, such as Furry Lewis, Rufus Thomas, Al Green and Phineas Newborn, came back to Memphis just to play on Beale Street,” says Aldrich. “We had a stage down on Beale and Third. That Saturday night in the middle of May, we closed down the streets and had 6,500 people celebrating music together, men and women, black and white, nine years after Dr. King had been assassinated three blocks south of there. It was a phenomenal occurrence.”
The Tradition Continues After the first successful festival in 1977, a barbecue cooking contest, now a Memphis staple, was added to the mix in 1978. “One of my first board members and the events committee chairman, Rodney Baber, asked me what I thought about adding a barbecue cooking contest,” Aldrich says. “I immediately said yes because if anything’s going to work in Memphis, it’s blues and barbecue.” Eighteen teams competed that year, garnering so much buzz that the contest was moved from the Orpheum parking lot down to the riverfront the following year. “To tell you how bright we all were, we decided to hold the barbecue contest under a big tent in case it rained,” says Aldrich. “We had 42 cookers under a circus tent without any vents at the top. You could go in for about two minutes before you had Winter 2014 33
to come out and get three big lungfuls of air. It was a learning experience.” Memphis in May continued to grow each year, revitalizing downtown Memphis in the process. “That first year, we reintroduced thousands of people to downtown,” says Aldrich. “Now the downtown area has the highest occupancy of all of the areas in Memphis because there’s so much to do. It went from being barren to what you see now — a successful place with a lot of viability.” While Aldrich realizes the impact the festival had on breathing life back into downtown Memphis, he is quick to credit the efforts of many people working together through the years to put the city back on its feet. “I’m very proud for what I see here,” Aldrich says. “It took us to start it, but it took several boards plus support staff and thousands of volunteers to make the festival what it is today. When you have a magazine like National Geographic, [which] recently said there are 12 places in the world to see in 2013, and Memphis is one of them because of the Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, that’s the pinnacle of being recognized for our efforts.”
Noted Achievement Aldrich was inducted into the Beale Street Walk of Fame recently, complete with his very own Brass Note proudly displayed on the very sidewalks he helped revive more than 35 years ago. Created by John Elkington, developer and manager of modern Beale Street, the Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame is dedicated to the many talented and hardworking people who were instrumental in placing Memphis music and Beale Street on a world stage. “Receiving the Brass Note meant so much to me,” Aldrich says. “It’s recognition of what this whole organization did. I accepted it for all of those early volunteers that saw opportunities to get involved and help their city. For me, it was the city saying thank you, not just for the festival but for the greater impact such as economic development, international relations and race relations.” Committee member George Brown couldn’t agree more. “That first group was significant in that it was [composed] of black and white males and females. That was, and regrettably still is, not commonplace in Memphis. We formed a genuine bond between us that allowed us to work together.” Morris credits the work his friend has accomplished for the greater good of the community. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having people like Lyman, who provide a vision that brings people together in a positive way to make our community better,” Morris says. “He and his colleagues gave us the idea that we could become more than just a city on the Mississippi River unknown to the rest of the world.” AR
34 Alumni Review
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Photo by Rob Culpepper 36 Alumni Review
to
Former FedEx VP forges second career after retirement By Tom Speed fter retiring from an illustrious career at FedEx in 2003, Edith Kelly-Green (BBA 73) wasn’t looking for a new profession. However, all the right ingredients came together to make one business opportunity too good to pass up. After beginning her FedEx career in its accounting department and working her way up to vice president and chief sourcing officer, she only managed to stay retired about a year before the opportunity to purchase a Lenny’s Sub Shop franchise presented itself. Kelly-Green’s daughter, Jayna Michelle Kelly (BA 05), was a fan of the restaurant and frequented a Memphis location while she was a student at Rhodes College. When her daughter urged her to invest in the company, and she thought of her son, James Kelly, who would soon graduate with an MBA from Florida A&M University with an eye towards entrepreneurship, Kelly-Green saw a chance to establish a family business that would provide an ongoing opportunity for her children. “I got into Lenny’s based on my daughter’s recommendation,” she says, “but also to create a family legacy, a family business that would give my family members the opportunity to own their own business.” Kelly-Green bought her first store in January 2005. Not content to make an idle commitment, she delved deeply into the business and quickly expanded to 10 stores in the Memphis area. The KGR Group — the collective company name for all of her restaurants — became the largest franchisee of the Memphis-based chain. She knew from the beginning that she wanted a large enough stake in the chain to be included in all major decisions.
Winter 2014 37
Photo by Lance Murphey
Lenny’s managing partner and owner James Kelly (front) with management staff, including Ryan Green (right).
“When decisions are made that impact the franchisee, we wanted to be consulted,” she explains. “And if you own 10 stores out of 160 at the time, it’s a little hard to make major decisions without getting at least some input from the largest franchisee.” When Kelly-Green was deciding whether to invest in Lenny’s, she found it helpful that she happened to know the restaurant chain’s founder. Lenny Moore founded Lenny’s in Bartlett, Tenn., in 1998. Lenny’s was originally designed as a single, standalone store focusing on the fresh sub sandwiches and authentic Philly cheesesteaks that Moore had grown up on and emulated with his first sandwich shop in Wildwood, N.J., back in 1979. With the success of that first store in Bartlett, Moore began expanding with additional stores and selling franchises. One of them was in Oxford. “I knew the person who owned the business, and I just felt comfortable,” Kelly-Green says. “And there was a store in Oxford, which was my hometown.” From almost retiring to being back in the business world at full tilt, Kelly-Green’s transition was unlikely but not shocking. “It’s no surprise that she would be successful at anything she tries,” says Jan Farrington (BA 65), Ole Miss Alumni Association past president, who has worked with Kelly-Green as a member of the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy and other alumni-related duties. “She just has that ability and know-how to get things done.”
number crunching
Kelly-Green’s comfort level working with numbers and her accounting background helped her develop the business from day one. Her prior experience, both in the field of public accounting and in a variety of positions with FedEx, allowed her to see the inner workings of how a business operates. “Accounting is a great background for anyone who wants to be in business,” she says. “I compare an accounting career to Delta Airlines. No matter what Delta flight you get, you’re going 38 Alumni Review
to go through Atlanta. In the business environment, everything eventually comes through the accounting department. It’s a good way to see what’s going on at a company.” As a public accountant with Deloitte Touche in Memphis, Kelly-Green worked as an auditor, which allowed her to see the commonalities and differences between different types of businesses. Later at FedEx, she worked a variety of jobs that have paid dividends down the line. “I saw how several different companies operated,” KellyGreen says. “I spent a couple of years in the accounting department at FedEx. I then moved to finance, publishing services and internal audit. So I saw many different parts of the company. But it was my accounting background that helped me get a really good, quick grasp of each operation.” She didn’t always have that knowledge. Growing up in Oxford, Kelly-Green was urged to go to college by her grandmother who had a sixth-grade education. She decided to go to Ole Miss because it was local and affordable. At first, she intended to study political science. “When I started at Ole Miss, I could barely spell accounting,” she jokes. “When I graduated from high school, I didn’t know what accounting was. I don’t really know how I got into accounting. There were a couple of classmates ahead of me who majored in accounting, people I knew from Oxford, so perhaps that was it. But otherwise I really can’t tell you how I got into it. I guess it was an act of God.” The most challenging aspect of her new career is “getting and keeping good employees,” Kelly-Green says. “Training employees and teaching them the importance of good customer service is much more difficult than it was 10 years ago.” One aspect of that change is Lenny’s employees are younger than the workforce she was accustomed to at FedEx, but KellyGreen has taken that situation as a challenge to provide more opportunities. “I’ve learned a lot more about different kinds of people. When I was at FedEx, most of the people on my team were professional employees, people who had degrees, people who were
Photo by Kevin Bain
accountants and engineers,” she says. “Most of our employees at Lenny’s are much younger, even teenagers, and they don’t have college degrees or much work experience.” Kelly-Green offers internal advancement, encouraging her employees not to settle for permanent minimum-wage positions in her company. “Many of these employees are working in minimum-wage positions and don’t have any idea that they can do better,” she says. “That’s one thing we try to do in our company: create opportunities for our employees to do better things. We want them to believe that they can manage a store, own one or several stores, or become an area manager providing leadership to many locations. They can even do something else that is not Lenny’s related if that’s what they want to do. Lenny’s does not have to be their final lifestyle. “We also prefer promoting our own people. If interest is expressed in moving into a general manager’s role, for example, we move very quickly to get that employee into a training regimen so that he/she is prepared when the next general manager’s position opens up.” Kelly-Green’s restaurants currently employ about 125 people.
to attend Ole Miss. The council was founded in 2000, at which point Kelly-Green endowed a scholarship in honor of her grandmother. She has since endowed another for her mother-in-law. She also has provided for two other scholarships as a part of her estate planning. From the outset, the Women’s Council sought to distinguish itself by providing more than just scholarships. It was a serious job that needed a serious leader. “There really could not have been a better choice as the first chairman than Edith,” Farrington says. “She set this perfect tone for the council in a lot of ways. She had, of course, had great success at FedEx and had proven herself as a very astute businesswoman.” Farrington says Kelly-Green used her experience and expertise to lead the council in a mission that required a lot of hard work and commitment from its members. The council’s endowment has grown to more than $8 million. Recipients receive scholarships of up to $8,000 for four years. About 25 scholars are benefiting from the fund currently. The students are carefully chosen for their leadership potential, and the council’s scholars boast an 87.5 percent graduation rate compared to the university’s 58.6 percent, according to the OMWC website. A key feature of the Women’s Council is providing not just scholarships but also personal and career mentoring. “There are a lot of scholarship programs,” Farrington says. “They’re all seemingly the same. But to make ours distinctive and different … it quickly became the desire of the council that we mentor all of our scholars. A lot of what Edith did from the very beginning was to make us realize that we could do something different.” By continuing to serve young people at Ole Miss, Kelly-Green is providing opportunities just as she is doing for her young employees at Lenny’s Sub Shops. The business is increasingly becoming a family affair as she begins to take a back seat and hand over the reins. Her son, James, has entered the business as director of operations, Edith Kelly-Green (center), joined by her daughter, Jayna Kelly, is recognized by UM Chancellor t h o u g h h e d i d n’t c o m e a b o a rd Dan Jones for membership in the 1848 Society. immediately. “I wanted James to get some hands-on experience, so he worked for a year and a half at SerHer commitment to helping others extends to her service viceMaster before he came into our business,” she says. Her daughter, Jayna, the one who started this whole second at her alma mater. Kelly-Green has been an active alumna since career when she told her mom about her favorite lunch spot, graduation, serving on the Alumni Association board of directors transferred from Rhodes to Ole Miss. She then completed mediand executive committee. She was inducted into the Alumni cal school at the University of Tennessee. She’s now completing Hall of Fame in 1999. her residency in Memphis. Perhaps her most active role has been as founding co-chair “I don’t think she’s going to be making too many sub sandof the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy, a group wiches anytime soon,” Kelly-Green says. AR dedicated to providing scholarships for young men and women
ongoing service
Winter 2014 39
Sports
Strong Finish REBELS’ MUSIC CITY BOWL WIN BRINGS NEW RECORDS
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direction for sure. It’s a very positive step.” Wallace, who was named the game’s MVP, finished the game 22-32 for 256 yards, as well as a career-high 86 yards rushing on 13 carries. The Pulaski, Tenn., native’s 342 total yards pushed his season total to 3,701, topping Eli Manning’s school record of 3,572 yards set in 2003.
“I have said that there’s no way we would be sitting here with 15 wins, including two bowl victories in two years, had Bo not been here with us,” Freeze says. “I knew from watching him prepare that the way we ended the season didn’t set well with him nor did it for me. I liked the way he prepared, and I’m proud that Photos courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
le Miss junior quarterback Bo Wallace threw one touchdown and ran for two more, and the Rebels’ defense held the Georgia Tech tripleoption attack in check en route to a 25-17 victory at LP Field in the 2013 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. The Rebels’ victory was their sixth straight bowl victory, which is tied with Florida State for the longest in the country. “I have been careful to say that one game doesn’t really define where a program is, particularly in the early stages,” Head Coach Hugh Freeze says. “I still believe that, but I also said that there is no question that winning a bowl game is very advantageous heading into recruiting and the off-season and for the confidence of our young men. To win two bowl games in our first two years with what we inherited says that we’re headed in the right
he was able to have the game he had.” Junior Donte Moncrief led the Ole Miss receiving corps with six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, junior linebacker Serderius Bryant and sophomore defensive tackle Issac Gross each had eight tackles, while freshman Tony Conner and senior defensive end D.T. Shackelford had seven tackles. Bryant led the Rebels with a team-high six solo tackles, and Gross recorded a teamhigh three tackles for loss. The win gave Ole Miss its eighth victory of the season to finish the year with an 8-5 mark. AR 40 Alumni Review
Going Pro MONCRIEF DECLARES FOR NFL DRAFT Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
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le Miss receiver Donte Moncrief announced that he will forgo his senior season and enter the upcoming 2014 National Football League draft. “After meeting with Coach Freeze and looking at all available information, my family and I have decided that I will declare for the draft,” Moncrief said in December. “I appreciate all the support I have received over the last three years from the fans, my coaches and teammates. I have had an awesome experience at Ole Miss and plan to support Rebel Nation until I die. At this time, I have to do what is best for my family and I, and I am ready to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL.” “I appreciate Donte’s hard work, commitment and leadership for our program,” says Rebel Head Coach Hugh Freeze. “His outstanding play the last two seasons has been a big reason for the turnaround we have experienced and the two straight bowl victories. He is close to graduation, and I hope he reaches that goal. While we had hoped he might stay another year, we are excited about his future, and we look forward to seeing another Rebel shine on Sundays.” A 6 - f o o t - 3 , 2 2 6 - p o u n d e r f ro m Raleigh, Miss., Moncrief ranks in the top three in school history in every career receiving category, including placing second with 10 100-yard games. His 156
Donte Moncrief
catches, 2,371 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns are all third-best all-time in the Ole Miss record book. As a junior this season, Moncrief notched a school record-tying five 100yard receiving games, including 113 on six receptions in the Music City Bowl victory. He finished the year with 59 grabs for 938 yards and six TDs. Moncrief ’s best season came in 2012, when the sophomore earned All-SEC honors
from various media outlets. He hauled in career highs of 66 passes for 979 yards and 10 scores and turned in a career night in the Egg Bowl with 173 receiving yards and three TDs in the win over Mississippi State. A prep All-American at Raleigh High School, Moncrief burst onto the scene in Oxford in 2011, posting then freshman records of 31 catches (for 454 yards) and four touchdowns in garnering Freshman All-America honors. AR
REBEL BASEBALL RECRUITING CLASS RANKED EIGHTH NATIONALLY
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he Ole Miss baseball team pulled in another highly rated recruiting class for the upcoming season with the latest group of signees. The crop of 19 newcomers is the most recent recruiting class to be nationally ranked in the Mike Bianco era, with Baseball America tabbing it as the eighth best class in the nation and Collegiate Baseball magazine ranking the class 12th in the nation. Ten of the 13 recruiting classes in the Bianco era have been ranked in the top 20 nationally.
The Rebels are coming off a 38-win season a year ago in which Ole Miss advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a berth in the NCAA Regional hosted by North Carolina State University. It marked the 11th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Rebels in the past 13 seasons and the 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in the history of the program. Ole Miss opens the 2014 season with a three-game series at Stetson on Feb. 14. AR
Winter 2014 41
Sports
From the Farm to the Court TENNIS STANDOUT FOLLOWS LONG ROAD TO OLE MISS
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two types of pears,” Scholtz says. “Mostly it was my dad (Calla) who farmed. I saw it as a massive playground where I could run around and play sports.” Scholtz dabbled in many sports growing up, including tennis, rugby, cricket, track and golf. His father is one of the most famous athletes in South Africa. As a rugby player, his dad was selected as the MVP of the league and led his team (Western Province) to the championship. Scholtz settled on tennis. “I played them all growing up, but my dad kind of pushed me towards tennis,” Scholtz says.
Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
ik Scholtz grew up on a farm in the small town of Caledon, South Africa, an entire continent away from where he presently resides as the No. 1 player for the Rebel tennis team and one of the top collegiate players in the nation. As a freshman in 2012, Scholtz helped lead the Rebels to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and became the first player in the history of the program to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors. In addition, he reached the NCAA Elite Eight in singles. Last year, the two-time All-American helped the Rebels to their
Nik Scholtz
10th SEC West title and also reached the NCAA Final Four in doubles. That’s a pretty good start to a career, but Scholtz wants more. “Freshman year was definitely better than I imagined, but sophomore year I was looking to do a little better, especially at the NCAA Tournament,” he says. “I am not happy with just making quarterfinals or top 16; I want to win the NCAA Championship for me, for the school and the people who support us.” Scholtz’ path to the top of the collegiate tennis world began as a kid running around his family’s farm. “We have a dairy farm, and we also have orchards with nine varieties of apples and 42 Alumni Review
Scholtz enjoyed an outstanding junior career, which took him all around the globe, including playing in all four grand slams and earning a career-high junior ranking of No. 22 in the world. He had the opportunity to turn pro right away, but Scholtz decided to attend college to get an education and further develop his game. “Your career is long enough to be able to spend the early years in college to get an education as well as develop your tennis,” Scholtz says. “It gives you a chance to grow spiritually and intellectually, as well as physically, as a person. I’ve always wanted to get an education. I definitely made the right decision.” Recruited by all the top schools,
Scholtz settled on Ole Miss before ever stepping foot in Oxford. “I met assistant coach Toby Hansson at Junior Wimbledon and was very impressed,” Scholtz says. “Devin Britton, who had just won the NCAAs for Ole Miss, was playing in the tournament and dominating. A month later I met Coach (Billy) Chadwick at the US Open, and there Devin played Roger Federer on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Ole Miss did the best job of staying in touch with me through my senior year of high school and leading me towards college instead of turning pro.” Scholtz, who began this year ranked No. 7 in the nation, is focused on helping the team go far in 2014. With four of the top six returning, Scholtz believes the team is capable of achieving a high level of success. “At least Sweet Sixteen, we’re that good,” he says. “We proved we were a good team last year when we beat Georgia and Tennessee, but we were inconsistent.” Scholtz doesn’t spend all his time on the courts. He recorded a 3.5 grade-point average last spring to help the Rebels be one of only two teams to end the year ranked inside the top 10 and earn the prestigious ITA All-Academic Team Award, which requires a minimum 3.2 GPA. He also finds time to attend another one of his favorite sports, basketball. If he is not traveling with tennis, Scholtz goes to all the games, especially since his roommate, Will Norman, is a member of the basketball team. It’s that kind of camaraderie among all the sports, the community and the university that Scholtz loves so much about life in Oxford. “This is a great place; I just feel so at home here,” Scholtz says. “The people are so nice; it’s like one big family. We all support each other and try to help each other. It’s one big community that tries to bring out the best in each other. The support is just unbelievable, the way the community backs the university. It’s a very unique place.” – Kim Ling AR
arts &
Culture The Hero Among Us: Memoirs of an FBI Witness Hunter b y Jim Ingram with James L. Dickerson, 232 pages, $19.95 ( Pa p e r b a c k ) , I S B N : 9780989945431 In The Hero Among Us, legendary FBI agent Ji m I n g r a m p r o v i d e s inside information about the FBI’s most celebrated criminal cases. Written with leading civil rights and organized crime writer James L. Dickerson (BA 68), who worked closely with Ingram until his death in 2009, the memoir also chronicles Ingram’s 8-year term as Mississippi public safety commissioner. After Ingram’s death, the FBI provided Dickerson with neverbefore-released information about him and the cases he worked. That information brought to light that at the time of his retirement and relocation to Mississippi, Ingram was the bureau’s leading expert on terrorism, frequently instructing U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force personnel on techniques to combat terrorists. The Hero Among Us also provides a personal perspective on Ingram’s nearly 30-year career of law enforcement during which he headed up the FBI offices in New York and Chicago, was in charge of the violent crimes civil rights desk in Mississippi in the 1960s and served in the 1970s as deputy assistant FBI director in Washington, D.C. Moreover, the book sheds light on why Jim Ingram was one of the most celebrated FBI agents in history. Journalist and independent scholar James L. Dickerson is an award-winning journalist who has published numerous biographies and histories, and has worked as a staff writer for three Pulitzer Prizewinning newspapers. Which Is Which? by Margaret and Katherine King, 196 pages, $19.95 (Paperback), ISBN: 9781937565701 Readers were introduced to those lovable but mischievous girls in their 44 Alumni Review
compelling story Y’all Twins? Now get ready to enjoy more adventures of the twins from Oxford, Miss., as the girls struggle to cope during their preteen years. Which Is Which? contains more hilarious stories about growing up in Oxford and getting away with what they could get away with because they could and they did. The stories take readers into the identical twins’ world of shenanigans. The girls encounter author William Faulkner in two of the stories, and Katherine, the bolder of the two, bets her cat’s-eye shooter that Mr. Faulkner can’t figure out “which is which.” He takes the challenge, and the engaging conversation is revealing! Just like their first book, Y’all Twins?, Which Is Which? is kid-friendly and is, at the same time, entertainment for people of all ages. Katherine (BA 70, MEd 71) and Margaret (BA 71) King are involved in the Oxford community. Both belong to the Oxford Exchange Club and contribute to Backpacks for the Homeless, which Margaret founded in the Oxford area. She is also a board member of the Exchange Club Family Center as well as the Barksdale Boys and Girls Club and the Homeless Taskforce. Katherine founded Santa Cause at Northwest Mississippi Community College and teaches at the college’s Oxford campus. Margaret is currently semiretired. Just Along for the Ride: The Amazing Journey of William Baine Roddy by Martha Roddy, 164 pages, $13.95 (Paperback), ISBN: 9781449738488
At the age of 46, Bill Roddy, a vibrant and magnetic man, was diagnosed with colon cancer. His diagnosis pierced the heart of his mother — twice diagnosed with possible colon cancer. “Just Along for the Ride is a beautiful story of a mother and son’s love for each other a n d t h e l ove of both for Christ,” says John Bisagno, pastor emeritus of Houston’s First Baptist Church, speaker and author. “Anyone can benefit from reading about the all-too-brief life of Bill Roddy. It is at once inspiring, heartwarming and humorous. Bill’s story is a road map for anyone who desires to both give and receive the utmost from this life and, more importantly, throughout eternity. It would be a meaningful addition to any library.” Martha Roddy (BA 45) and her surgeon husband raised t h e i r t h re e c h i l d re n in Florida and Texas. Mar tha enjoys eight grandchildren and active memberships in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Inspirational Writers Alive in Houston. 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. AR
Coming this Spring
Newly renovated Johnson Commons
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2014
rebel
raveler T
T
he Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a number of spectacular trips for 2014. 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.
ISLAND LIFE: CUBA MARCH 23-31, 2014 Be among the first U.S. travelers for nearly 50 years to visit Cuba. This exciting, much anticipated program provides an unprecedented “people-to-people” opportunity — for U.S. travelers to experience firsthand the true character and traditions of residents of the Caribbean’s largest and most complex island. By special arrangement and U.S. Treasury-approved license, see the UNESCO World Heritage site of Havana, Pinar del Rio, Guanabacoa, Regla, Matanzas, Varadero and Santa Clara. Immerse yourself in a comprehensive and intimate travel experience that explores the history, culture, art, language and cuisine while experiencing the rhythm of daily Cuban life at just the right pace. — From $4,995 TAHITIAN JEWELS — OCEANIA CRUISE MARCH 26-APRIL 5, 2014 Savor the tropical splendor of emeraldgreen palms, white sand beaches and brilliant turquoise waters as you sail aboard the luxurious Oceania Cruises’
46 Alumni Review
Marina to the most stunning destinations in the South Pacific, the gorgeous Polynesian islands. Experience a cruise with the finest service, accommodations and cuisine at sea, where every port of call is an island paradise. Admire multihued lagoons around Moorea, and discover the region’s cultural heritage on beautiful Raiatea. Be engulfed by magnificent tropical beauty on romantic Bora Bora, and wander the black sand beaches of Nuku Hiva. Sail to Hiva Oa, artist Paul Gauguin’s idyllic island home, and enchant your senses with colorful sea life at Rangiroa before returning to Papeete on the lovely island of Tahiti. Set adrift, catch the breeze, and discover Polynesia’s most beautiful gems on this exceptional voyage. — From $3,299, including airfare
Varenna Parco Monastero, Italy
SPRINGTIME IN PARIS APRIL 4-11, 2014 Blanketed in enchanting, twinkling lights and radiating sheer romance and glamour, Paris is a true masterpiece whose very name evokes a multitude of wondrous images, from charming sidewalk cafés and elegant haute couture shops to stunning monuments and magnificent architecture. Admire the City of Light from the gentle waters of the Seine during an evening cruise on one of the world’s most romantic rivers. Marvel at the grand Louvre Museum with its vast art collection; witness the superb Gothic architecture of the largest cathedral in Paris, NotreDame; and walk through Europe’s largest opera house, the lavish Palais Garnier, renowned for its striking
Gabare Boats, Dordogne, France
white marble staircase. Sample wine and cheese at the Musée du Vin, 15thcentury cellars originally built as part of a monastery; take in the popular Champs-Elysées and the famed Arc de Triomphe; and unravel the secrets behind the global symbol of Paris, the amazing Eiffel Tower. Consider a visit to the magnificent Palace of Versailles and Claude Monet’s beloved garden estate in Giverny. Discover the lovely town of Chartres and its remarkable Cathedral, a 13th-centur y French Gothic work of art, or journey to the famous beaches of Normandy, a significant landmark in American history. Experience more of charming France with an optional two-day extension to Bordeaux, the elegant city at the center of the famous wine region in southwest France. — From $2,699 RIVER LIFE ALONG THE WATERWAYS OF HOLLAND AND BELGIUM APRIL 6-14, 2014 Join us in Holland and Belgium for nine days, cruising for seven nights aboard a state-of-the-art AMA Waterways vessel during the best time of year. Meet local residents during the exclusive Village Forum for a personal perspective of the
Low Countries’ modern life and cultural heritage. Expert-led excursions include private canal cruises in Amsterdam and Bruges, the windmills of Kinderdijk, the prestigious Rijksmuseum, world-class Kröller-Müller Museum, famous Keukenhof Gardens, medieval Antwerp and the impressive Delta Works. A pre-cruise option in Amsterdam is offered. This comprehensive, all-inclusive itinerary — an exceptional value — is continually praised as the ideal Holland and Belgium experience. — From $3,195 VILLAGE LIFE IN DORDOGNE APRIL 10-18, 2014 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 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 $3,195 RIVIERAS AND ISLANDS: FRANCE, ITALY AND SPAIN APRIL 18-26, 2014 Cruise for seven nights from Barcelona to Rome aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star M.V. Tere Moana, relaunched in 2013 after a multimillion-dollar refurbishment and featuring only 45 deluxe staterooms. This unique, comprehensive itinerary immerses travelers in the dynamic history, inimitable art and culture, and sun-drenched landscapes of the French and Italian rivieras and islands. Visit up to five UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Carcassone. Along the enchanting Côte d’Azur, enjoy specially arranged excursions in Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and Èze. Visit Italy’s Cinque Terre and Florence. Explore Sardinia’s dazzling Costa Smeralda and Corsica’s fortified town of Bonifacio. Barcelona pre-cruise and Rome post-cruise options are also available. — From $4,995 Winter 2014 47
2014 rebel
Traveler ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF CHINA AND GRAND YANGTZE MAY 18-JUNE 1, 2014 Mysterious China. A land whose stunning beauty forms the backdrop to a 5,000-year-old civilization steeped in legend. This comprehensive, 15-day journey includes a six-night, exclusively chartered grand cruise along the fabled Yangtze River, sailing all the way from Chongqing to Shanghai. Accompanying you on board is our special guest speaker, Jian Wang, Shanghai native and director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. Enjoy five-star hotel accommodations in Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Highlights include six UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Three Gorges Dam; seldomvisited Wuhan, Huangshan and Nánjing; Beijing’s Forbidden City; the Great Wall; Xi’an’s Terra Cotta Warriors; and old and new Shanghai. A Hong Kong postprogram option is available. — From $3,995 VILLAGE LIFE AROUND THE ITALIAN LAKES MAY 24-JUNE 1, 2014 Experience the true essence of life in northern Italy’s fabled Lake District for one full week, with a lake-view room in
Goritsy, Russia 48 Alumni Review
the charming Hotel Regina Olga in Cernobbio, a picturesque village overlooking Lake Como. Enjoy a private boat cruise on Lake Como and expert-guided excursions to Bellagio, Villa del Balbianello, the Borromean Islands and Stresa. Enriching lectures and the exclusive Village Forum with local residents bring personal perspectives of the region’s modern life and cultural heritage. This comprehensive itinerary also features an optional excursion to stunning Lugano, Switzerland, and a two-night Milan preprogram option. — From $3,295 CELTIC LANDS: 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY MAY 28-JUNE 7, 2014 Cruise for eight nights aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe M.S. Le Boréal from Glasgow, Scotland, to Wales, Ireland and France, with one night in a deluxe hotel in London. By special arrangement, Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of former U.S. Gen. and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Celia Sandys, granddaughter of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, will join you to provide exclusive lectures and personal insights. Enjoy guided excursions in each port
of call, including the hallowed beaches of Normandy 70 years after the Allied Forces made their historic landings, and two UNESCO World Heritage sites: the fascinating Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, a great natural wonder, and Caernarfon Castle near Holyhead, Wales. — From $5,795 IN THE WAKE OF THE VIKINGS JUNE 13-21, 2014 Join us for a unique, comprehensive, nine-day journey to Scotland’s rarely visited Inner Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland islands and Norway’s majestic fjords. Cruise from Glasgow to Copenhagen aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star small ship M.S. Le Boréal. Travel in the wake of early Viking explorers, cruising into ports accessible only to small ships, and visit three UNESCO World Heritage sites. Highlights include Eilean Donan Castle on the Isle of Skye; the Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis; the Neolithic Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae and Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands; and Edvard Grieg’s former home with private recital in Bergen. Edinburgh pre-cruise and Copenhagen post-cruise options are available. — From $3,995 WATERWAYS OF RUSSIA JUNE 13-23, 2014 Join us for nine nights aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe M.S. Volga Dream, the premier ship cruising Russia’s waterways. This carefully crafted itinerary highlights Russia’s two great cultural capitals — St. Petersburg, Czar Peter the Great’s “window on the West,” featuring a guided tour of the State Hermitage Museum, and the fabled city of Moscow, political and commercial capital of the world’s largest country. Cruise to the legendary open-air museum of Kizhi Island, the 14th-century monastery of Goritsy, medieval Yaroslavl and 10th-century Uglich, rustic remnants of old Russia. Two-night St. Petersburg pre-cruise and two-night Moscow post-cruise options are available. — From $4,695
Only YOU can help us grow higher! Alumni Association membership has reached an all-time high. Plant the seeds for future growth by renewing your membership and encouraging your classmates, neighbors and friends to remain active. Membership is open to graduates and non-graduates.
olemissalumni.com/join
News alumni
Class Notes ’40s
MAYES MCGEHEE (LLB 48) received the 2013 Mississippi Bar Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Bar. The award recognizes devoted service to the public, profession and the administration of justice over the span of a professional career. McGehee is of counsel at McGehee, McGehee & Torrey.
’50s
JOHN GAINEY (BBA 57) of Canton accepted the position of vice president of development with the Central Mississippi Boys and Girls Club. OTIS JOHNSON JR. (BBA 54, LLB 56), of Biggs, Ingram & Solop PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014 and recognized as 2014 Lawyer of the Year for Jackson (Energy Law). JOHN N. PALMER (BBA 56, MBA 59), a Jackson resident and former U.S. ambassador to Portugal, received the Mississippi Geographic Alliance award.
’60s
LYMAN ALDRICH (BBA 67), of KMA Inc. in Memphis, Tenn., was inducted into the Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame. LEONARD A. BLACKWELL (BA 63, JD 66), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. BILLY F. BROWN (BPA 62, JD 65) of Biloxi released his latest book, What Your Lawyer May Not Want You to Know. JAMES DICKERSON (BA 68) of Brandon released his latest book, The Hero Among Us: Memoirs of an FBI Witness Hunter. DR. EDWARD HILL (BS 61) of Tupelo received the 2013 John G. Walsh Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians.
50 Alumni Review
LAURA KERNER (BA 64), associate professor of marketing and management for Athens State University, received the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama’s Distinguished Woman Award. MEREDITH CARPENTER-MCBEE PAGE (BA 68) of Memphis moved to Durango, Colo., with her husband, Carlisle. BILL ROPER (BA 68) of La Jolla, Calif., was named president of Roper Capital Co. FLOYD SULSER JR. (BBA 68, JD 71) of Ridgeland was appointed by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves to serve on the Mississippi Institute for Forestry Inventory advisory board.
’70s
ROBERT A. BIGGS III (BA 72, JD 76), of Biggs, Ingram & Solop PLLC in Jackson, was recognized as a 2013 Mid-South Super Lawyer (Civil Litigation Defense), selected as a preeminent lawyer (Insurance) by Martindale-Hubbell, included in Best Lawyers in America 2014 (Insurance and Litigation-Personal Injury Defense) and selected as a fellow of the Litigation Council of America. PRESTON CARPENTER (BBA 72) of Collierville was inducted into the Collierville Parks and Recreation Hall of Fame. MARK CHINN (JD 78), of Chinn & Associates PC in Jackson, was selected as one of the top Mississippi family law lawyers for inclusion in Mid-South Super Lawyers. FRANK DANTONE (JD 77), of Henderson Dantone PA in Greenville, was named 2013 Mississippi Delta Community College Alumnus of the Year. DR. WILLIAM DOWELL (BA 78, MD 82) of Indianola was elected president of the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians.
A.M. EDWARDS III (BBA 76, JD 78) joined Phelps Dunbar LLP as a partner in its Jackson office. LOUIS G. FULLER (BBA 75), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. LYNNE K. GREEN (BBA 75, JD 78), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. JAMES HAILEY (BSPh 79) of Brentwood accepted a position as chief pharmacy officer for the State of Tennessee Health Care Finance and Administration and Bureau of TennCare. WHITMAN B. JOHNSON III (BA 76, JD 79), of Currie Johnson Griffin & Myers PA in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. R. DAVID KAUFMAN (BBA 75, JD 77), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. EDITH KELLY-GREEN (BBA 73), former vice president of strategic sourcing and supply with FedEx in Memphis, was ranked as the largest multiple-unit franchise owner for Lenny’s Sub Shop. She received the Black Enterprise Small Business Award for Franchise Owner of the Year. JOHNNY MATTOX (BAEd 73, MCS 74, PhD 79) of Corinth received the 2013 Distinguished Science Teacher Award. DR. WILLIAM S. MAYO (BA 75), a double board-certified ophthalmologist from Oxford, was re-elected to a three-year term on the American Osteopathic Association board of trustees.
License to Brag
MORE STATES OFFER OLE MISS LICENSE PLATES, OTHERS COMING SOON
W
hile Mississippi residents have long been able to display their Rebel pride wherever they travel with an official University of Mississippi affinity license plate, residents in a growing number of other areas are or will soon be able to do so as well. Ole Miss alumni and friends who live in Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C., currently have the opportunity to purchase an Ole Miss affinity license plate, with Georgia joining that list in March and Alabama expected to follow soon thereafter. Texas began offering Ole Miss plates in September 2009, and a record 181 plates sold on the first day. Fans and alumni in Texas have since purchased more than 600 plates. Ole Miss affinity plates in D.C. went on sale in January, and Georgia residents can purchase their plates beginning March 1. While the Ole Miss affinity license plate gives out-of-state residents the chance to give back and show appreciation for their alma mater, the process for obtaining the plates varies from state to state and often requires significant time and effort. “The biggest hurdle for the Texas and Georgia plates was raising the money,” says Port Kaigler (BA 06), senior club coordinator for the Alumni Association. “We had to raise $5,000 in Texas and $25,000 in Georgia to get started. In Texas, we accomplished this through an email and social media fundraising campaign. In Georgia, the Alumni Association issued a challenge grant to help them reach their goal.” Fundraising was not required for the Washington plate, but the design and
approval process proved to be more of a challenge there than in other states. “The Ole Miss Alumni Association offers assistance and coordinates the effort, but the impetus is on our local clubs,” Kaigler says. “We are here to help get the ball rolling.” Though the university doesn’t benefit monetarily from all the states’ tag sales, Ole Miss receives a direct financial benefit from sales in Mississippi and Texas. In Texas, Ole Miss affinity plate sales have resulted in an estimated $12,000 contribution, all of which goes directly to scholarship endowments for the four clubs in Texas. In Mississippi, $32.50 of the $51 fee returns to Ole Miss. Those funds are divided between an Alumni Association-administered scholarship endowment and t h e Grove So c i e t y f u n d , which is used to maintain the Grove and University Circle year-round. Alumni and fans in states that currently do not offer the Ole Miss affinity license plate should contact their local club president for more information on how to start the process. A map of local clubs along with their contact information can be found at www.olemissalumni.com/ clubs. Alumni interested in purchasing an Ole Miss affinity license plate for the upcoming year should contact their local tax collector or visit the Alumni Association website at www.olemissalumni.com/ be-involved/licenseplates. AR
Winter 2014 51
News alumni
JOHN MILNER (BA 75, JD 78), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, received the first annual Chair’s Award for Outstanding Contribution from the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources and was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.
DR. J. CLAY HAYS JR. (BA 87, MD 91) of Jackson was appointed to the Mississippi State Medical Association’s board of trustees for District 4.
JOHN E. WADE (BBA 80, JD 83), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.
MARGARET L. JOHNSON (BA 85, MS 87) of Birmingham was honored as a fellow at the 2012 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
CHIP WALKER (BA 85) of Jackson was named trust officer for the Mississippi Pharmacists Association.
LANCELOT L. MINOR III (BA 71), a partner with the Memphis law firm of Bourland Heflin Alvarez Minor & Matthews PLC, was selected as a 2013 Mid-South Super Lawyer by Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine.
KENNETH C. JOHNSTON (BBA 88, JD 91), director at Kane Russell Coleman & Logan PC in Dallas, was named a fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America.
VAL SOLDEVILA (BSPh 77), president and owner of Henderson and Economy Healthmart Drug in Clarksdale, was elected president of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association. DR. JEFFREY T. SUMMERS (BA 79, MD 83) of Madison was elected president of the International Spine Intervention Society. MERLE TEMPLE (BPA 72, MCJ 81) of Saltillo released his latest novel, A Ghostly Shade of Pale. IKE TROTTER (BA 74), of Ike Trotter Agency LLC in Greenville, was featured in Advisor Today financial magazine. JON C. TURNER (BBA 78), of BKD LLP in Jackson, was honored by the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants as the 2013 Public Service Award winner for his community and statewide civic involvement.
’80s
J. GORDON FLOWERS (JD 80), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.
ALAN CHARLES GOODMAN (BS 88, JD 92) of Jackson joined the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission as senior attorney.
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SAM KELLY (BAccy 83, JD 88), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected as the Construction Industry Person of the Year by Mississippi Associated Builders and Contractors and was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014. MARC MASSENGALE (BBA 81), wealth management adviser with Northwestern Mutual in Ocean Springs, earned his Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS) designation from the College for Financial Planning. CAL MAYO (BAccy 86), a partner of Mayo Mallette PLLC in Oxford, was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. BRYAN MCDONALD (BAccy 86) of Ridgeland was appointed to the board of directors for Community Options Inc. KEN RAY (BS 85, MS 90) of Long Valley, N.J., was promoted to senior director, corporate compliance governance, of Celgene Corp. ROB TYSON (JD 87), of Sowell Gray Stepp & Laffitte LLC in Columbia, S.C., was elected to the board of directors of the South Carolina Defense Trial Lawyers Association. JOSEPH E. VARNER III (BAccy 85, MAccy 86), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.
’90s
WILLIAM ALIAS III (95), president of Security Card Services LLC in Oxford, received multiple awards at the Vantiv Partnership Forum held in Boston and was featured on The Greensheet’s website. DALLAS S. BARKER (BSME 93, MS 97), of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in Jackson, was elected president of the Air & Waste Management Association. RICHARD CIRILLI (BAccy 92, JD 98), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was recognized by Managing Intellectual Property magazine as an IP Star for identifying, securing and protecting clients’ innovations. BRADFORD COBB (BA 96), partner with Direct Management Group in Los Angeles, was named in Billboard magazine’s “40 Under 40” list. BRETT A. ELAM (BBA 97) of West Palm Beach, Fla., joined the law firm of Ozment Merrill as partner. WILLIAM FEIDT (BSChE 93) of Pascagoula was named chief financial officer for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. J O H N M . F LY N T ( B A 9 0 ) , o f Br u n i n i , Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014 (Administrative/Regulatory Law and Corporate Law). JAMES A. MCCULLOUGH II (BBA 92, JD 95), of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.
DEANNE MOSLEY (BPA 91, JD 94) of Madison was presented the 2013 Award of Distinction by the Mississippi Association of Personnel Administrators. JOEL SMITH (BA 96, JD 99) of Gulfport was elected district attorney. SHANE SPEES (BPA 92, JD 95) was selected chief executive officer for North Mississippi Health Services in Tupelo. DR. BRIAN C. TALLEY (BS 97, DMD 02) of Wilmington, N.C., completed the board certification process and was awarded Diplomate status in the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. JASON WALTON (BA 96, MEd 99) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., accepted the position of executive director of donor relations with Nova Southeastern University.
’00s
ROBERT P. CLARK (BAccy 05, MBA 07), vice president of Commercial Relationship Banker, joined Community Trust Bank at the Oxford Banking Center. TAMARA CRAWFORD (BSME 02) of Arlington, Texas, was awarded the 2014 Black Engineer of the Year Science Spectrum Trailblazer Award. KELLY DUNCAN (BM 00) of Oxford was named band director with the Lafayette County School District.
CAMPBELL HELVESTON (BA 02) was promoted to president of Community Bank for Trustmark in Meridian. KATIE HOEKSTRA (BA 03) was promoted to legal recruiting and professional development manager at Chapman and Cutler LLP in Chicago. MEG PACE LOVETT (BA 07) joined Jacksonville, Fla.’s NBC and ABC affiliate, First Coast News, as a reporter and producer. MICHAEL ANNE PETTIETTE (BA 06) of Dallas was named the law-related elementary Teacher of the Year by American Lawyers Alliance. COLLINS TUOHY (BA 09) opened Whimsy Cookie Co. in Memphis. JOHN VANDERLOO (BA 02, MEd 10) joined the family medicine clinical faculty as assistant professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
’10s
K AT I E D E N N I S ( B A c c y 1 1 , MAccy 12) was hired as an accountant to work with the tax team in the Ridgeland office of GranthamPoole. BROOKS HIERONYMUS (BAccy 10) of Mobile, Ala., was promoted to senior accountant with Wilkins Miller Hieronymus LLC.
LAUREN DUNCAN (BM 07) of Oxford was named assistant band director with the Lafayette County School District.
MARGARET ANN MORGAN (BAJ 13) of Oxford was part of a team of journalism students from the University of Mississippi’s Meek School of Journalism and New Media that won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for a multimedia project.
LEE FLAHERTY (MAccy 09) joined the Jackson office of Phelps Dunbar LLP as an associate in the business department.
MARIAN TILLMAN (BAccy 12, MAccy 13) of Jackson joined KPMG LLP as an audit associate.
JACINTA A. HALL (BA 02) accepted the position of assistant public defender for the Office of the Shelby County Public Defender in Memphis.
Winter 2014 53
News alumni
WEDDINGS Caley Larue Aughenbaugh and Benton Wren Felts (BBA 07), July 20, 2013.
James Walter IV, son of Arabella M. Moore (BA 06) and James Walter Moore III, Sept. 29, 2013.
Leah Michelle Bridge (BBA 86) and Stephen S. Wooten (71), May 25, 2013. Jessica Claire Caldwell and Gant Hamilton Boone (BBA 09), Aug. 3, 2013.
Evelyn Gayle, daughter of Caroline Wicker Sims (BA 06) and Joseph Kirkland Sims (BA 06), Nov. 15, 2013.
Logan Leigh Chaney (BAccy 08, MAccy 09) and Evan Fuller Garner (BS 08), Nov. 2, 2013.
Claire Walters, daughter of Karen Peeples Talley (BSN 00) and Brian Charles Talley (BS 97, DMD 02), Feb. 8, 2013.
Caroline McClure Lee (BA 12) and Jason Andrew Smith (BA 10), Dec. 7, 2013.
Hudson Jack, son of Kathryn Poynter Taylor and Clifton Randall Taylor (BBA 07), Sept. 24, 2013.
Angela Megan Pace (BA 07) and Alan Dale Lovett, June 1, 2013.
William Smith and James McConnell, sons of Chasity Johnson Thames (BSFCS 98) and James Kiley Thames Jr., July 9, 2013.
Kathryn Marie Smith (BA 03) and Mark Hoekstra, Oct. 5, 2013. Mary Faye Stanton (BA 00, MA 13) and Geoffrey W. Knight (BA 02), May 18, 2013. BIRTHS Deano Charles, son of Emily Foreman Babineaux and Erroll Charles Babineaux (BBA 04), Sept. 18, 2013. Taylor Ann, daughter of Mollie Watts Barger (BBA 08) and Bret Alan Barger (BBA 07), Oct. 3, 2013. Trevor Randall, son of Christy Bolen and Cory Randall Bolen (BM 09), Nov. 20, 2013. Carter Stearns, son of Ginny Stearns Breckenridge (BAccy 05, MTax 06) and Irvin L. Breckenridge III (BAccy 98, MAccy 00), Aug. 26, 2013. Madyson Paige, daughter of Aubrey Nicole Davis and Chris Davis (04), July 22, 2013. Katherine Kearney, daughter of Allison Knestrick Dossett and William Matthew Dossett (BAccy 01, MTax 02), Oct. 3, 2013.
William Jackson, son of Karen Elizabeth Yelverton (BA 98, MA 99) and Ed Yelverton, June 14, 2013. Lucas Nathaniel, son of Lauren Diane Yow and Nathan Ashley Yow (BBA 03, JD 07), Nov. 6, 2013.
IN MEMORIAM 1930s David C. Gleason II (BSC 39) of El Dorado, Ark., Sept. 20, 2013 Chester Andrew McLarty (BA 36) of Oxford, Nov. 23, 2013 Simon LaVois Webb (39) of Oxford, Oct. 27, 2013 1940s Gene Thomas Bennett (BSC 46) of Clarksdale, Oct. 26, 2013 Celia Wiygul Buntin (BAEd 48) of Georgetown, Texas, Nov. 16, 2013
Wesley Dillistin, son of Nicole Genger Duffy (BA 99) and Frank Duffy, Nov. 4, 2013.
Bernice Naylor Callaway (MA 45) of Elizabeth City, N.C., Sept. 3, 2013
Anders Vaughan, son of Sarah Elizabeth Edge and Stephen V. Edge (BSEE 00), Aug. 31, 2013.
Howard Lunsford Davidson (BBA 49) of Oxford, Sept. 7, 2013
Hammond Eden, son of Lyn Covington Fifer (BAccy 00, MAccy 01) and Brandt E. Fifer, Aug. 9, 2013.
Charles Farris Jr. (BA 47, BS 48) of New Orleans, La., Aug. 19, 2013
Shelby Madeline, daughter of Laura Madeline Graham (BS 07) and Thomas Jack Graham (BS 05), Aug. 10, 2013.
Janie Steele Callicott (BAEd 48) of Marks, Nov. 17, 2013 Hope Myers Estes (BM 48) of Clinton, Sept. 6, 2013 Paul Andrew Frasier (BSPh 49) of Waynesboro, Nov. 20, 2013 Leland Gough (BBA 48) of Senatobia, Dec. 8, 2013
James Henry III, son of Kimberly W. Hargrove (BA 02) and James Henry Hargrove (BBA 05), Aug. 19, 2013.
Herbert Wayne Gregory (BAEd 42, MEd 52, EdD 54) of Black Mountain, N.C., Aug. 25, 2013
Alex Joseph, son of Melissa Rose Heidelberg (JD 04) and Mack L. Heidelberg (BA 00, MBA 02), May 9, 2013.
Jean Buchanan Hartley (BAEd 46) of Ridgeland, Nov. 24, 2013
William McCormick, son of Sarah Kathryn Hickman (BBA 03, MBA 05) and Frederick Gantt Hickman Jr. (BSFCS 03), Sept. 18, 2013.
Kathleen Fulghum Hinman (BA 47) of Pensacola, Fla., Nov. 23, 2013
Olivia Elizabeth, daughter of Sherilyn Temple Huey (BBA 05) and Charles Matthew Huey (BBA 07), Sept. 4, 2013.
Peggy Knott Jones (BBA 49) of Laurel, Oct. 28, 2012
Elizabeth Ryan, daughter of Mary Austin Jones and Michael Ryan Jones (BSES 05), Sept. 6, 2013.
William Montelle Loyd Jr. (BBA 48) of Wake Forest, N.C., Dec. 15, 2013
Maury Elizabeth Wesley, daughter of Margaret Wicker McPhillips and James Manning McPhillips (BBA 02), Oct. 9, 2013.
54 Alumni Review
Leroy Lemayne Hidinger Jr. (BSC 41) of Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 19, 2013 Elmo H. Howell (BA 40) of Arlington, Tenn., Oct. 3, 2013 Jesse Blake Kellum (MedCert 48) of Cambridge, Ohio, Jan. 10, 2013 Bernard Sutherland Patrick (BS 48, MedCert 48) of Jackson, Sept. 23, 2013 Helen Christine McElroy Reid (44) of Clinton, S.C., Oct. 6, 2013 Betty Jane Tatum Robb (49) of Jackson, Aug. 16, 2013
Auto insurance that works for you. Did you know that as a member or friend of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, you could save up to $427.96 or more on Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance?1 You could save even more if you also insure your home with us. Plus, you’ll receive quality coverage from a partner you can trust, with features and options that can include Accident Forgiveness2, New Car Replacement3, and Lifetime Repair Guarantee.4 CONTACT US TODAY TO START SAVING
This organization receives financial support for allowing Liberty Mutual to offer this auto and home insurance program. 1 Discounts are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. Figure reflects average national savings for customers who switched to Liberty Mutual’s group auto and home program. Based on data collected between 1/1/2012 and 6/30/2012. Individual premiums and savings will vary. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify. 2For qualifying customers only. Subject to terms and conditions of Liberty Mutual’s underwriting guidelines. Not available in CA and may vary by state. 3Applies to a covered total loss. Your car must be less than one year old, have fewer than 15,000 miles and have had no previous owner. Does not apply to leased vehicles or motorcycles. Subject to applicable deductible. Not available in NC or WY. 4Loss must be covered by your policy. Not available in AK. Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA. © 2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance
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Winter 2014 55
News alumni
Ruby Pritchard Russell (BA 40) of Meridian, Aug. 18, 2013
James A. Crawford (BSHPE 50, MEd 53) of Olive Branch, Aug. 20, 2013
John Davidson Slater Jr. (46) of Jackson, Aug. 20, 2013
Lannese Thompson Crump (BAEd 51) of Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2013
Harold Stanley Thames (BA 49, MA 50) of Denton, Texas, April 16, 2013
Faye Ellen Montgomery Digby (BAEd 50) of Fulton, Oct. 5, 2013
James Edward Williams (BBA 49) of Collierville, Tenn., Oct. 25, 2013
Lawrence Fielding Edwards (MFA 57) of Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 29, 2013
Jane Gurney Wood (BAEd 42) of Sardis, Dec. 17, 2013
Clare Geisenberger Eidt (BAEd 53) of Natchez, Nov. 18, 2013
1950s James Haskell Adams (BA 50) of Yorba Linda, Calif., Oct. 21, 2013
Lloyd Edwin Gary (BA 50, MEd 51, MedCert 53) of Texarkana, Texas, Sept. 20, 2013 Tyrus Cobb Gibbs (LLB 50) of Tupelo, Dec. 9, 2013
William A. Allain (LLB 50) of Jackson, Dec. 2, 2013
Henry Grafton Graeber (BA 50) of Oxford, Oct. 5, 2013
Charles H. Anderson (52) of Tupelo, Sept. 26, 2013
Sarah Doxey Tate Greer (BAEd 55) of Saltillo, Aug. 20, 2013
Harold Robert Barber Jr. (LLB 52) of Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 19, 2013
Morris Cliff Hodges (58) of Helena, Ala., Dec. 9, 2013
Joyce Haggard Barber (BAEd 51) of Saint Louis, Mo., Sept. 27, 2013
Charles Dixie Hollis (BSHPE 51) of Biloxi, Sept. 6, 2013
William Erby Beall (MEd 50) of Cape Fair, Mo., Nov. 2, 2013
William Crump House (BBA 53) of Hendersonville, Tenn., Aug. 27, 2013
Sidney Franklin Beck Jr. (LLB 54) of Olive Branch, Nov. 9, 2013
Mary Tanfani Howard (BSN 57) of Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 3, 2013
Mary Alice Shourds Benvenutti (BA 50) of Bay Saint Louis, Sept. 26, 2013
Thomas Richmond Jones Jr. (BBA 54, LLB 58) of Meridian, Nov. 3, 2013
Mary Smith Best (MA 54) of Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 5, 2013
Walbert Waldemar Kaempfer Jr. (BPA 53) of Mobile, Ala., Sept. 6, 2013
Victor R. Blaine (LLB 52) of Houston, Texas, Dec. 10, 2013
Mack Carter Lack (BA 51) of Wolf Point, Mont., Nov. 15, 2013
William Ross Bradley Sr. (LLB 51) of Clarksdale, Oct. 2, 2013
Heino Alfred Luts (MS 59, PhD 67) of New Port Richey, Fla., Oct. 27, 2013
Oliver Manning Burch III (BSPh 55) of Holly Springs, Nov. 14, 2013
Barry Park McIntosh (MedCert 51, BS 51) of Paris, Tenn., Dec. 6, 2013
Congratulations to Jimmy Brown. Regions Bank is pleased to congratulate Jimmy Brown, North Mississippi Area President, on his appointment as the 2013-2014 Ole Miss National Alumni Association President. Jimmy, who has been with Regions for 38 years, currently serves on the University of Mississippi Alumni Board Executive Committee, the Rust College Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Chickasaw Council, Boy Scouts of America. Jimmy has also taught high school Sunday school classes at First United Methodist Church in Grenada for 25 years. Jimmy’s commitment to excellence and community service is a true inspiration, and the Regions team is proud to see him be recognized for his achievements. 1.800.regions | regions.com
© 2013 Regions Bank.
56 Alumni Review
Jimmy Brown
Charles Jerome McKee (BA 56) of Tupelo, Dec. 6, 2013 Abram Geren McLemore Jr. (BA 58) of Waveland, Nov. 17, 2013 Albert Lloyd Meena (BS 51, MedCert 52) of Madison, Dec. 1, 2013 Charles Edward Middleton Jr. (BBA 53) of Huntsville, Ala., June 24, 2013 Robert Russell Morrison Jr. (BBA 52) of Vicksburg, Nov. 21, 2013 Paul Elwin Newman (54) of Liberty, Oct. 13, 2013 Albert E. Pardue Jr. (MEd 52) of Baton Rouge, La., Sept. 13, 2013 John Melvin Patterson (MedCert 52, BA 52) of Pontotoc, Aug. 20, 2013 Robert Elbert Ray (MedCert 53) of Jasper, Ala., March 25, 2013 William Thomas Robinson Sr. (BA 59, BS 60, MD 63) of Aiken, S.C., Nov. 2, 2013 Edward Lindsey Rucks Sr. (LLB 54) of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 18, 2013 William Smith Sartor (BAEd 53, MEd 55) of Oxford, Aug. 19, 2013 Eloise Hale Scott (MA 55) of Dallas, Texas, Oct. 2, 2013 James Horace Shoemaker Jr. (BBA 54) of Jackson, Dec. 17, 2013 Marshall C. Smith Jr. (BSPh 52) of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 29, 2013 Kearney Durward Spears (BAEd 51) of Oakland, Tenn., Nov. 2, 2013 Dorothy Hamm Spencer (BBA 50) of Jackson, Nov. 20, 2013 Glenn Amos Tomlinson (BBA 50, MBA 51) of Vacaville, Calif., Oct. 8, 2013 Roger Lewis Tuttle (LLB 58) of Midlothian, Va., Sept. 21, 2013 William Hall Wallace (BBA 55, MBA 56) of Dallas, Texas, Aug. 22, 2013 John Arthur Watts III (BBA 56) of Williamsburg, Va., Oct. 12, 2013 Thomas D. Williams (BSHPE 53, MEd 54) of Kenansville, Fla., Sept. 29, 2013 William Carl Young (52) of Cordova, Tenn., Aug. 25, 2013 1960s Nancy Eubanks Bacot (BS 63, MA 71, SpecEd 75) of Jonesboro, Ark., Aug. 30, 2013 Vincent Paul Barranco (MD 62) of Tulsa, Okla., Nov. 13, 2013 Dorothy Harvey Beeler (BAEd 63, MEd 74) of Oxford, Sept. 9, 2013 William David Berryhill (MCS 62) of Plantersville, Nov. 9, 2013 Maxine Evans Blackburn (MEd 64) of Oxford, Oct. 29, 2013 Burl Joseph Boykin (BBA 63) of Vacherie, La., Sept. 6, 2013 Charles A. Brewer (BA 60, LLB 61) of Canton, Oct. 25, 2013 William W. Brittingham (BAEd 67) of Rehoboth Beach, Del., Oct. 3, 2013 John Phillip Burrow (BBA 61) of Ridgeland, Nov. 26, 2013 James Larry Byrd (BSPh 65) of Ripley, Oct. 17, 2013 Sam Capitano Jr. (MEd 63) of Tampa, Fla., Oct. 22, 2013 James Oscar Colley III (MS 68) of Troy, Ala., Oct. 26, 2013 John Porter Duke Jr. (EdD 67) of Williamsburg, Ky., Aug. 30, 2013 Nancy Caughman Edmonson (Cert 61) of Jackson, Sept. 6, 2013 James Acel Fitchett Jr. (BSHPE 64) of Brentwood, Tenn., Nov. 21, 2013 Richard C. Fleming Jr. (MD 60) of Meridian, Nov. 11, 2013 Jason Houston Floyd Jr. (JD 67) of Oxford, Dec. 2, 2013
Winter 2014 57
News alumni
Forever a Rebel
OLDEST GRADUATE STILL HOLDS OLE MISS CLOSE TO HER HEART
O
le Miss alumna Malvina McCool Moore (BA 33) celebrated her 102nd birthday in December and claims the distinction of being the University of Mississippi’s oldest known living graduate. Alumni Association Executive Director Tim Walsh (BPA 83, MEd 91), along with Alumni Records Supervisor Suzy Norwood and Alumni Review Editor Jim Urbanek (BA 97), visited the centenarian and her family in Louisville in November. Moore made the most of her experience at Ole Miss and still has fond and vivid memories of her time on the Oxford campus. As a student, Moore served on the staff of the [Daily] Mississippian, The Ole Miss annual, on the Pan-Hellenic Council and as secretary of the Latin and International Relations clubs.
Malvina Moore’s photo (top) from the 1932 edition of The Ole Miss yearbook. Moore holds her diploma with Alumni Association Executive Director Tim Walsh and some Ole Miss memorabilia with her daughters Susan (left) and Patience.
58 Alumni Review
Moore, who graduated in just three years, also was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority, played in the Jazz Band and was recognized in Who’s Who as Most Popular Girl in at least two of her three years on campus. The coed was as popular at the school dances as she was elsewhere on campus. “My dance card was always full,” she says matter-of-factly as she recalls a popular tradition of girls trading dresses so they would have a different one at each event. Some popular hangouts for students while Moore was at Ole Miss were The Shack and the Tea Hound, but these weren’t late-night establishments. She says curfews were enforced, and lights-out was 10 p.m. Though many aspects of campus are very different today, athletics, and football in particular, were quite popular in the early ’30s. “We ran down the hill to the train to meet the football players when they came home,” Moore says. “Win or lose, we were always happy to see them.” Moore remembers “Blind Jim” Ivy being a fixture at Ole Miss athletic events as well and says many of the coeds would prepare food and give it to Ivy before they left campus for Christmas. From humorous stories about roommates or classmates or even about William Faulkner, Moore is a rare link to Ole Miss history, and her true colors of red and blue are as bright as ever. “I can’t think of a day I wasn’t glad to be there,” she says, adding that she and some of her friends loved Ole Miss so much they cried when they received their degrees. “We wanted to give them back so we could stay.” AR
Charles Eugene Gooch (MA 67) of Brandon, Dec. 9, 2013
Patrica Louise Hylen Owen (BA 63, MCS 65) of Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., Nov. 10, 2013
Danny Ferrell Gordon (68) of Northport, Ala., Sept. 27, 2013
George Marvin “Buck” Randall (BSHPE 67) of Clinton, Nov. 17, 2013
Bruce Frank Gray (BBA 60) of Covington, Tenn., Sept. 24, 2013
Thomas Broadfield Ray (BBA 64) of Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 22, 2013
Billy Helms Hannaford (BS 61) of Cordova, Tenn., Sept. 2, 2012
Eleanor Anderson Rayburn (MEd 69) of Pontotoc, Dec. 7, 2013
James Milton Hill (MS 67) of New Orleans, La., Oct. 9, 2013
Robert Jere Real (MA 61) of Lynchburg, Va., Nov. 16, 2013
Sara Russell Holleman (BM 64) of Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 12, 2013
John Ambrose Rietti (MCS 63) of Phenix City, Ala., Aug. 28, 2013
Thomas Roland Hurdle (BBA 67) of Oxford, Aug. 23, 2013
Eugene L. Roberts (MEd 67) of Lakeland, Fla., Dec. 11, 2013
John Leonard Jeffries (BA 62, JD 65) of Laurel, Oct. 12, 2012
Julia Earline Rigby Rogers (MEd 66) of Clinton, Dec. 14, 2013
Sallie Babington Knight (65) of Franklinton, La., Nov. 16, 2013
Robert Owen Shephard Jr. (BA 66) of Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 13, 2013
Jane Teas Masson (BAEd 62) of Mesa, Ariz., Sept. 20, 2013
Mary Sturdivant Sisemore (BSN 61) of Purvis, Aug. 17, 2013
Patricia McMullen Maxey (BBA 63) of Ridgeland, Nov. 8, 2013
James William Smith Jr. (MBEd 60) of Monroe, La., Dec. 11, 2013
Donald McBryde (MA 60) of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Nov. 26, 2013
James Everett Spear Jr. (BA 64) of Garland, Texas, Nov. 23, 2013
Dorothy Stallworth McIlwain (BBA 69) of Pascagoula, Sept. 21, 2013
Georgia Miller Sullivan (BAEd 60) of Brookhaven, July 14, 2012
Kyle Dean Mize (BBA 67) of Crystal Springs, Dec. 14, 2013
Martha Janice Hunt Thrash (MEd 66) of Fulton, Oct. 24, 2013
Henry Ray Nail (MD 60) of Brandon, Nov. 13, 2013
Allen Dan Towery (MA 62, PhD 77) of Moorhead, Dec. 2, 2013
John Michael O’Connor (BBA 69) of Rome, Ga., March 18, 2013
Richard M. Truly Jr. (BA 61, JD 66) of Natchez, Oct. 28, 2013
Samuel W. O’Neal Jr. (BBA 61) of Coppell, Texas, Nov. 1, 2013
Donald L. Walker (BSHPE 63) of Laurel, Aug. 23, 2013
Edna Lott Franklin (BA 65) of Greenwood, Nov. 28, 2013
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Winter 2014 59
News alumni
Billy Morris Wansley Sr. (MD 60) of Biloxi, Dec. 11, 2013
Jimmy Starlling Gregg Jr. (MFA 73) of Oxford, Aug. 25, 2013
Susan McKay Wells (BA 61, MA 62) of New Orleans, La., Dec. 17, 2013
Richard Roy Heen (BA 72) of Millington, Tenn., Dec. 6, 2013
Marjorie Hopkins West (MEd 64) of Lawton, Okla., Sept. 2, 2013
Joyce Monroe Herndon (MEd 71) of Tupelo, Nov. 17, 2013
Earl Emerson Whitwell (MD 68) of Tupelo, Nov. 8, 2013
Michael Douglas Holden (BA 74) of Harriman, Tenn., March 30, 2013
Patty Branch Wigginton (BBA 66) of Pickens, Dec. 5, 2013
Emil William Holiner (JD 79) of D Hanis, Texas, Nov. 27, 2013
Charles Rayford Wilbanks Sr. (LLB 63) of Clinton, Dec. 16, 2013
Linda Browning Horton (BS 73, MA 76) of Ty Ty, Ga., Nov. 25, 2013
Martha Huddleston Wilkins (BA 61, PhD 85) of Oxford, Oct. 8, 2013
Cynthia Anne Langston (MEd 79, JD 92) of Jackson, Oct. 26, 2013
Merrell Williams Jr. (MA 66) of Ocean Springs, Nov. 18, 2013
Carroll Brent Meador (BS 76, MD 87) of Byram, Sept. 6, 2013
Robert Lee Williams (BSHPE 67) of Hernando, Dec. 2, 2013
Harry Hubbard Mitchell Jr. (BPA 71) of Tallahassee, Fla., Aug. 20, 2013
Carolyn Walden Youmans (BAEd 63) of Jackson, Tenn., Oct. 6, 2013
Chester L. Quarles (MA 70) of Oxford, Oct. 31, 2013 John Wesley Ragsdale (BBA 71) of Jackson, Nov. 5, 2013
1970s Christy Adele Ball Baker Annis (BFA 71, MSS 78) of Tallahassee, Fla., Sept. 19, 2013 Rose Howe Baker (MLS 75) of Jonesboro, Ark., Dec. 7, 2013
Sarah Hollingsworth Robinson (MA 70) of Oxford, Aug. 16, 2013 Harold Allen Rowland (BSHPE 72) of Waterford, Oct. 25, 2013 Owen Murphy Selby Jr. (BA 73) of Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 27, 2013
Martha Hart Beasley (BAEd 71) of Portland, Ore., May 21, 2013
Edith Jenkins Simpson (BAEd 73, MEd 78) of Tupelo, Sept. 14, 2013
Joyann Cross Bullock (MLS 72) of Falkner, Dec. 10, 2013
William Homer Spragins (MD 71) of Hollandale, Oct. 30, 2013
Rachel Ballentine Burnette (BAEd 76, MEd 97, MA 00) of Sardis, Sept. 6, 2013
Thomas Lynn Vinson (BA 71, MD 75) of Columbus, Sept. 29, 2013
David Milton Carnell Jr. (MEd 73) of Booneville, Aug. 18, 2013
Mark Wayne Wickersham (75) of Longboat Key, Fla., Dec. 4, 2013
Francis Patrick Clyde Jr. (MEd 71) of Valrico, Fla., Feb. 14, 2013
Howard Holder Williams Jr. (BBA 79) of Huntsville, Ala., Aug. 31, 2013
Charles E. White (MS 71) of Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 22, 2013
Mary Odalene Criswell Coley (MLS 74) of Ripley, Oct. 17, 2013 James Randall Cox (BA 76) of Corinth, Sept. 25, 2013 James Derryl Crawford (MEd 79) of Ripley, Oct. 25, 2013
1980s David Alan Burns (BA 83, JD 90) of Water Valley, Aug. 26, 2013
Cullen Burton Curlee III (BSHPE 71, MEd 73) of Corinth, Oct. 14, 2013
Robert Lee Donley (MCJ 82) of Greenwood, Sept. 3, 2013
Julia McNair Docke (MA 79) of Boca Raton, Fla., Aug. 10, 2013
Polly Stevens Fields (MA 89) of Reno, Nev., July 8, 2013
Robert E. Farish Jr. (JD 77) of Biloxi, Oct. 16, 2013
Robert Lewis Gryder Jr. (BBA 81) of Biloxi, Sept. 14, 2013
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60 Alumni Review
Angela Hart Holder (BSPh 88, PharmD 00) of Baton Rouge, La., Oct. 21, 2013
Cathey Shumate McClure (BA 90) of Livermore, Calif., Oct. 17, 2013
Theresa Nail Jordan (BSN 81) of Brandon, Oct. 19, 2013
John Mack Osborne IV (BBA 98) of Tupelo, Nov. 20, 2013
Linda Pinion Martin (84) of New Albany, Oct. 20, 2013
Paul Theodore Pojman (BA 94, MA 95) of Parkville, Md., Sept. 20, 2012
Walton Edward McBride III (PhD 89) of Slidell, La., Nov. 24, 2013
Timothy C. Shorter (BAEd 92, MBA 97) of Abbeville, Sept. 1, 2013
George Anthony Menhal Jr. (BBA 82) of Slidell, La., Sept. 22, 2013
Mary Wright Stone (MEd 98) of Oxford, Dec. 11, 2013
Thomas D. Ozbirn (BA 80) of Tishomingo, Dec. 5, 2013
Walter Lee “Rivers” Stroup (MEd 98) of Corinth, Oct. 5, 2013
Ray Thomas Price (BA 88, JD 91) of Kingsland, Texas, Oct. 29, 2013
George Dandridge Van Cleve (MD 93) of Jackson, Oct. 3, 2013
Bernard Smith Murff (BBA 96) of Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 1, 2013
Larry Barton Rogers (DMD 84) of Rincon, Puerto Rico, Aug. 22, 2013 Hildon H. Sessums (MD 80) of Vicksburg, Nov. 4, 2013 Ronnie Carson Sit (BSPh 84) of Kingsport, Tenn., Dec. 17, 2013
2000s John A. Clark (BSCJ 06) of New Orleans, La., Sept. 21, 2013
Renelda Joyce Townsend (BPA 84) of Lafayette, Ind., Sept. 3, 2013
Christopher Neil Coker (07) of Amory, Dec. 13, 2013
Joseph Clyde Walker Jr. (MEd 88) of Franklin, Tenn., Sept. 23, 2013
Carol Lavette Gary (MEd 03, SpecEd 06, EdD 10) of Oxford, Nov. 8, 2013
Laura Woodburn Wall (BS 87) of Meridian, Sept. 25, 2013
Monique Kince (09) of Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 15, 2013
Donald Ray Watson (BS 82, MD 83) of Las Cruces, N.M., Dec. 8, 2013
Lanitra Clark Kinkle (BSFCS 01) of Oxford, Sept. 11, 2013
Marita Frazanne Woodson (BAccy 86) of Austell, Ga., Sept. 11, 2013
Lisa Campbell Mitchell (MEd 05) of New Albany, Dec. 2, 2013 Susan Starbuck Mossing (MEd 03, PhD 07) of Oxford, Nov. 22, 2013
1990s Paul Pete Bouler Jr. (JD 90) of Palm Coast, Fla., May 11, 2013 Steve Alan Broome (BS 97) of Hattiesburg, Aug. 23, 2013
2010s Leslie Caroline Cooper (13) of Little Rock, Ark., Dec. 6, 2013
Casey Simmons Carter (BBA 93) of Olive Branch, Sept. 6, 2013
Kevin James Eagan (13) of Saint Charles, Mo., Nov. 9, 2013
Kenneth Harlan Dotson Jr. (91) of Louisville, Dec. 5, 2013
Christopher Jerel Grimaud (13) of Saint Louis, Mo., Nov. 9, 2013
Willie B. Gipson (BA 99) of Oxford, Sept. 12, 2013
Cameron Keith Kiecke (BBA 13) of Houston, Texas, Oct. 13, 2013
Kevin Damon Jenkins (95) of Rayville, La., Dec. 14, 2013
Brian Jared Peters (BBA 13) of Oxford, Aug. 31, 2013
Ronald Davis Kirkland (BA 99) of West Memphis, Ark., Nov. 17, 2013 David Vincent McClung (95) of Brandon, Oct. 26, 2013
Steve has a strong background in Economic Development and he is an Ole Miss alum and an avid supporter and fan of Ole Miss athletics.
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Steve Vassallo Realtor ©
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Winter 2014 61
News alumni
Faculty and Friends Michael Rel Alderson of Oxford, Oct. 25, 2013
Dorothy Rucker McLemore of Waveland, Sept. 19, 2013
Malcolm Douglas Arnoult of Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 16, 2013
Georgia Lee Ruhland of Springfield, Tenn., Nov. 6, 2013
Martha Mitchell Bigelow of Clinton, Oct. 8, 2013
Deloris Williams Scruggs of Brandon, Nov. 16, 2013
Emily H. Boswell of Oxford, Aug. 21, 2013
William L. Strickland of Ridgeland, Sept. 23, 2013
Sheila T. Burnett of Durango, Colo., Sept. 15, 2013
Timothy C. Truxillo of Roswell, Ga., April 9, 2013
John Lawrence Culver of Oxford, Dec. 17, 2013
Ronald Albert Wagstaff of Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 23, 2013
Ayleen Graft Deaton of Plano, Texas, Nov. 3, 2013
Doyle Warrington of Ridgeland, Oct. 1, 2013
Ruth Hough Duboise of Jackson, Oct. 14, 2013
Selma Williams of Oxford, Nov. 20, 2013
Cynthia Osborne Roux of University, Dec. 12, 2013
D. Michael Featherstone of Oxford, Sept. 8, 2013 John Arthur Fox of Oxford, Sept. 24, 2013 Charlie R. Gates of Oxford, Sept. 23, 2013 George Leon Grantland Jr. of Vicksburg, Nov. 22, 2013 Joseph Cope Higgins of Flora, Sept. 29, 2013 Benjamin Bailey Magee Jr. of Mobile, Ala., Sept. 25, 2013 Jimmy Lee Marquis Sr. of Oxford, Sept. 15, 2013 Beth Rieves McAuley of Tupelo, Dec. 6, 2013
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. AR
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
Serving Oxford, Lafayette County and the University of Mississippi
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2010
142ND Year, No. 169 — 50 CENTS
Run-off solution sought E-Edition booming
INSIDE
Erosion problems wash away county officials’ patience BY ALYSSA SCHNUGG Staff Writer
The Lafayette County Planning Commission has ordered the owners of Williams Equipment Co. to
produce a plan of action on how it intends to solve erosion issues once and for all at its construction site located across from the Cumberland subdivision. “I need a schedule of how this is going to progress with a time frame I can put my hands on by June 1,” County Engineer Larry Britt said at Monday’s Planning Commission meeting. Williams Equipment started con-
struction in the summer of 2008 on its new home for the commercial business on 4.3 acres of land located on Highway 6 West. Since construction began, neighbors have complained the runoff from the graded property has caused silt to run onto their lawns, destroying grass and bushes, as well as cause local flooding. A year ago, a cease and desist order was issued until erosion problems were handled.
“We have had some problems with erosion out there that we’ve been dealing with for a year and a half,” Britt said. When 3 inches of rain fell in Oxford within 30 minutes last week, the issue resurfaced when silt and water caused erosion on some of the adjoining landowners’ property. See SOLUTION on Page 2
Oxford schools set budget hearing
GRADUATION CELEBRATION
POMERANZ HONORED Ole Miss left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz was named as the recipient of the 2010 Cellular South Ferriss Trophy given to the top collegiate baseball player in the state of Mississippi. For more details on the honor, see Page 6.
BUSINESSMAN ARRESTED A local businessman who has been on the lam from the law was arrested last week. Get the details on Page 2.
EDUCATION NEWS Turn to Pages 6 and 7 of Education to find out what’s happening with local teachers and students.
UM GRADS
ONLINE
BY MELANIE ADDINGTON
The Oxfo rd Eagle E-Edition helps you keep up w ith your home awa y from ho me Complete C o v eragework BP probe on other companies’ of Ofocuses le accepted iss Sports Report: Oversite workersM BRUCE NEWMAN
Many of the students graduating from the University of Mississippi earlier this month were from the Oxford area. Turn to Pages 5 and 10 to read the names of the locals who picked up a diploma.
Brittney Deonna Jeffries (from left), Wesley Lane Carroll and Kimberly Annette Wilson throw their caps at the Scott Center’s graduation ceremony on Monday afternoon. Also graduating were Laura Leeann Brower and Dillon Lee Hopkins.
gifts from oil companies
INDEX
Classifieds 12-13 Local 2-3 Comics 14 Obituaries 2 Editorial 4 Sports 8-9 Education 6-7 Weather 2
One of th e top dail ies in Mississ ippi Subscribe to the E-Edit io n Only $5 p er month BY GREG BLUESTEIN AND
MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press Writers
Guinness finds Minn. man is tallest in US ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — Guinness World Records has recognized a Minnesota man as the tallest man in the United States. The Guinness World Record Association measured Rochester’s Igor Vovkovinskiy (voh-kov-IN’-ski) at 7 feet, 8.33 inches tall during NBC’s “The Dr. Oz Show” on Monday. He edged out Norfolk, Va., sheriff’s deputy George Bell by a third of an inch. The 27-year- old Vovkovinskiy is originally from Ukraine but moved to Minnesota with his mother when he was 7 years old for treatment at the Mayo Clinic for a pituitary disease that spurred his rapid growth. Vovkovinskiy now attends the Minnesota School of Business and is pursuing a degree in paralegal studies. Guinness says the world’s urkey’s Sultan tallest man is Turkey’s Kosen. He measures in at 8 feet, 1 inch tall.
also owned the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. The other three areas of focus for the investigation involve the cementing and casing of the wellhead, which was Halliburton Inc.’s responsibility.
COVINGTON, La. — Oil giant BP said its internal investigation of Assessing decisions the unchecked Gulf oil spill In BP’s release, Chief is largely focused on work Executive Tony Hayward done by other companies as stopped short of assigning a new government report responsibility. President today showed workers at the Barack Obama has blasted federal agency that oversees executives from the compaoffshore drilling accepted nies for blaming each other sports tickets, lunches and during Congressional hearother gifts from oil and gas ings this month. companies. “A number of companies BP PLC said in a release are involved, including BP, that an initial investigation and it is simfound mulply too early tiple control “...it is simply — and not mechanisms too early — and not up to us — should have to say who p r e v e n t e d up to us — to say who is at fault,” the accident is at fault.” Hayward that started said. with an oil — TONY HAYWARD G e n e rig explosion Chief Executive, BP Beck, a April 20 off petroleum the coast engineer of Louisiana that killed 11 at Texas A&M at College workers. Station who worked in the Seeking the cause drilling industry for two BP, the largest oil and decades, said the list of gas producer in the Gulf, Gulf problems BP is investigating listed seven areas of focus appears exhaustive. But he as it hunts for a cause. Four said the company also needs involve the blowout pre- to look at decisions made by venter, venter a massive piece of people on the rig. machinery that sits atop the “That needs to be inveswellhead and should have tigated: Why did they do acted as a safety device what they did?” Beck said. of last resort but did not. “They need to ask themThat was manufactured selves that very very, very serious by Cameron International question: ‘Why did we make Corp. and owned by these choices?”’ Transocean LTD, which
PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar (center) speaks at a press conference in Galliano, La., Monday. Standing behind Salazar are Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Meanwhile, a new Interior Department report released today found that staffers in the Louisiana office of the Minerals Management Service violated a number of federal regulations and agency ethics rules, including accepting gifts from oil and gas companies and using government computers to view pornography. pornography The report by the department’s acting inspector general follows up on a 2007 investigation that revealed what then-Inspector General Earl Devaney called a “culture of ethical failure” and conflicts of interest at the minerals agency. agency
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called the latest report “deeply disturbing” but stressed that it only covered a period from 2000 to 2008. He said he wants the investigation expanded to include agency actions since he took office in January 2009. BP filed its site-specific exploration plan for the Deepwater Horizon in February 2009. The Obama administration has come under increasing pressure as frustrations build, oil washes up in delicate Louisiana wetlands, and efforts to cap the well prove unsuccessful.
Staff Writer
Members of the Oxford School Board set a public hearing for June 14 at 5 p.m. for the public to discuss the district’s 2010-2011 budget. Despite continued budget cuts from the state during the past several months, the Oxford School District has put together a budget for the coming school year that ensures no jobs will be cut. The school board has a proposed $29 million budget that, while not yet finalized, won’t cut jobs and won’t raise the tax rate. On Monday, Gov. Haley Barbour signed the FY 2011 education funding bills, House Bill 1622 and House Bill 1059, Mississippi Department of Education Superintendent Tom Burnham said. “HB 1622 is the primary funding bill that we recommend (districts) develop the FY 2011 budget around,” Burnham said. “HB 1059 is contingent upon the passage of federal legislation that would extend the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage provided for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.”
Worst-case scenario
City school officials are basing their budget on the funding equation that provides Oxford the lowest amount of state funds. The board will not request any increase to the city’s tax rate, but the district still expects to experience an increase in revenue collections due to the additional taxes it projects to increase from new homes. Revenue is expected to be up about $420,000 from 2009-2010 for a total of $29.5 million. Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding is slightly down to $12.54 million from $12.56 million the year before. Ad valorem tax collections will go up from $14.1 million to $15.4 million. With athletic admission tickets expected to be down about $10,000, the district may have to dip deeper into its reserve funds. After the hearing, the board will vote on the budget. In other business, the school board: — Approved salary scales for employees, teacher assistants and administrators. — Approved a resolution in memory of the late Patricia P Aschoff SPED teacher at Aschoff, Oxford Learning Center. Marcia Cole accepted the plaque and resolution on family behalf of the family. —melanie@oxfordeagle.com —melanie@oxfor
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Italian Inspiration
le Miss alumni and friends enjoyed a voyage down the Mediterranean along the shores of Italy, Greece and Croatia during one of the Alumni Association-sponsored trips. More information on upcoming opportunities is available on page 46 of this issue or on the Alumni website at www.olemissalumni.com/travel. AR
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The University of Mississippi Alumni Association P.O. Box 1848 University, MS 38677-1848 (662) 915-7375 www.olemissalumni.com
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