Ole Miss Alumni Review
fall 2015
ALUMNI REVIEW
Ripple Effect
UM Museum’s outreach exhibits success
fall 2015 Vol. 64 No. 4
Behind ‘The Season’: Ole Miss’ groundbreaking sports highlight show Alumni honored with Hall of Fame, Service and Outstanding Young Alumni awards
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Features ALUMNI REVIEW
18 Celebrated Achievement
Alumni honored with Hall of Fame, Service and Outstanding Young Alumni awards By jim urbanek
24 Ripple Effect
UM Museum’s outreach exhibits success By tom speed
30 Behind ‘The Season’
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A week in the life of Ole Miss’ groundbreaking sports highlight show By tom speed
36 Grand Slam
A lumnus finds niche in pro tennis as Serena Williams’ hitting partner By Annie rhoades
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Contents Vol. 64 No. 4
Departments
2 President’s Letter
5 From the Circle
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fall 2015
On the Cover
16 Calendar
40 Ole Miss Sports
Rebel greats enshrined by M-Club 2016 baseball schedule announced
46 Just Published
48 Rebel Traveler 52 Alumni News
24 Local children gain a greater appreciation of art through the University of Mississippi Museum’s innovative outreach programs. Cover photo by Robert Jordan
O le M iss A lumni R ev iew Publisher Sheila Dossett (75) Editor Jim Urbanek II (97) jim@olemiss.edu
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Associate Editor and Advertising Director Annie Rhoades (07, 09) annie@olemiss.edu Contributing Editor Benita Whitehorn Art Director Amy Howell Contributors Andrew Abernathy (08, 10), Kevin Bain (98), Alana Bowman, Elizabeth Burgreen (14), Ruth Cummins (82), Bill Dabney (89), Mitchell Diggs (82), Jay Ferchaud, Gabrielle Gero (12), Thomas Graning, Tina Hahn, William M. Hamilton (12), Robert Jordan (83), Joshua McCoy, Edwin Smith (80, 93), Tom Speed (91,03), Christina Steube (11) Officers of the University of Mississippi Alumni Association Eddie Maloney (72) president Dr. Hal Moore (76) president-elect Bobby Bailess (73, 76) vice president Chip Crunk (87) athletics committee member Deano Orr (93) athletics committee member Alumni Affairs Staff, Oxford Sheila Dossett (75), interim executive director Joseph Baumbaugh, systems analyst III Allie Bush, Web developer Clay Cavett (86), associate director Anne Cofer (07, 08), accountant Martha Dollarhide, systems programmer II Port Kaigler (10, 15), assistant director Annette Kelly (79), accountant Steve Mullen (92), assistant director for marketing Annie Rhoades (07, 09), publications editor Anna Smith (05), alumni assistant and club coordinator Scott Thompson (97, 08), assistant director Jim Urbanek (97), assistant director for communications Torie Marion White (07), assistant director Rusty Woods (01), associate director for information services Warner Alford (60, 66), executive director emeritus The Ole Miss Alumni Review (USPS 561-870) is published quarterly by the University of Mississippi Alumni Association and the Office of Alumni Affairs. Alumni Association offices are located at Triplett Alumni Center, 651 Grove Loop, University, MS 38677. Telephone 662-915-7375.
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Alumni Review
President from the
It is a great honor and privilege to be the new president of our Alumni Association, an honor that is certainly not deserved. While looking at the list of past presidents, I see more than half are attorneys. Numerous doctors, accountants, bankers and business executives are also on the list. However, I’m pretty sure that I’m the first washing machine salesman. For all my Sigma Nu fraternity brothers from the late 1960s and early 1970s and the legendary professor H.E. Peery, who was my mentor, I’m as surprised as you all are! When I graduated, Mr. Peery said, “Cowboy, nobody has enjoyed their four years at Ole Miss more than you!” After finishing two years of accounting, Mr. Peery told me to get out of accounting and go into the family business. Good advice. As for enjoying Oxford, my daughters say that my personality changes when I’m at Ole Miss. They call me Oxford Eddie and say that O.E. is a lot more fun than Jackson Eddie. When I get in my car leaving Jackson, heading to Oxford, there is a transformation. To begin this journey, I want to thank my wife, Rhoda, who is also an Ole Miss graduate, for serving with me. It truly will be a team effort. I also want to thank my brothers and associates at our company for making it possible for me to do justice to this position. It will be a labor of love. It’s faith, family, friends and Ole Miss, although Rhoda says that sometimes it’s not necessarily in that order. We are all lucky to be a part of this great university at a very special time. From record giving, enrollment and academic achievements to building ahead of growth with classroom renovations, infrastructure and parking, the university is maintaining great momentum. I know our tradition of outstanding leadership will continue with the recent selection of Jeffrey Vitter as our new chancellor. We also are actively searching for a new executive director of Alumni Affairs to replace Tim Walsh. Just as replacing Dr. Dan Jones was a challenge, replacing Tim, who gave over 25 years to Ole Miss, will be just as challenging. We expect to have the executive director position filled by the end of the year. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Sheila Dossett, who has filled in so admirably as our interim executive director since Tim’s departure. Thanks to Sheila and our great staff at the Alumni Association, we have not missed a beat. Last, but definitely not least, thanks to Trentice for an outstanding job as president of our Association at a time with so much transition. Rhoda and I look forward to your help and friendship in this coming year. It’s always good to be an Ole Miss Rebel. Sometimes it’s great! Hotty Toddy!
Eddie Maloney (BBA 72)
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Circle from the
The l ates t on Ole Miss s tudents, facult y, s taff and friends
Best in Class
CROFT INSTITUTE AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS
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Photo courtesy of Joe Worthem Photography
he Croft Institute for International Studies at the University of Mississippi awarded full scholarships to 10 exceptional students, eight of whom are members of its largest freshman class ever. Freshman Croft Scholarship recipients include Caroline Bass of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Jarvis Benson of Grenada;
John Chappell of Albuquerque, N.M.; Wes Colbert of Amory; Jacob Gambrell of Ringgold, Ga.; Zac Herring of Olive Branch; Delaney Holton of Plano, Texas; and Marguerite Marquez of Gulfport. All are also members of the university’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Sophomore scholars are Abby Bruce
of Saltillo and Alexis Smith of Picayune. Recipients receive $8,000 p er year for four years, a total of $32,000, which may be combined with other scholarship support. Between 15 and 20 applicants are interviewed annually by a five-member, Croft-affiliated panel. Interviewees are asked the same round of questions on topics that range from current global political issues to students’ personal interest in the international studies major. Winners are chosen based upon their answers. “This cohort is unique in a lot of ways, but the fact that we enrolled our largest Croft cohort to date, as well as increasing our average overall ACT to 30.845, was exciting,” says Will Schenck, Croft Institute associate director. “Previously, we have had 60 students, but now we have an incoming class of 71 total students, which is an increase of 18 percent. Also, 55 percent are in-state, and 45 percent are from 16 different states.” All the students selected were very involved in several different high school organizations. Each one held at least one type of leadership role in some capacity – whether it was a sports team, an academic club or a school student council.
2015 Croft scholars include (front, from left): Zac Herring, Abby Bruce, Alexis Smith; (middle, from left): Marguerite Marquez, Caroline Bass, Jarvis Benson; (top, from left): Jacob Gambrell, John Chappell and Wes Colbert. Not pictured: Delaney Holton fa ll 2 0 15
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from the Circle
Theory in Practice
NEW DOCTORAL PROGRAM GEARED TOWARD EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS
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he first class of the University of Mississippi’s hybrid Doctor of Education program in K-12 leadership gathered on campus recently to begin the three-year process of earning professional education doctorates. Most of the students’ learning sessions, though, will be in various locations across north Mississippi. Unlike traditional doctoral programs, UM’s hybrid Ed.D. uses both online courses and face-to-face seminars on weekends. As working professionals, participants can immediately use what they learn to benefit their school districts. “The most attractive aspect of the program is that we are going to have the chance to see what research and theory look like in practice,” says Jamone Edwards (MEd 10), assistant superintendent of the North Panola School District and one of the initial cohort’s members. “For me, I hope to bring innovation and strategy back to the North Panola School District.” The UM program integrates the dissertation into the curriculum, an approach used by only a few elite universities, including Harvard and Vanderbilt. The program is designed to be specialized but challenging and success-driven, says Doug Davis, associate professor and director of doctoral programs in educational leadership at the UM School of Education. “We have extremely high expectations for this first cohort, and that’s nothing but a good thing,” Davis says. “The focus of this program is to learn the knowledge base that comes from research and theory and enable practitioners to successfully apply it to achieve results in their districts.” The group of 16 hails from school districts across the northern half of Mississippi and southwest Tennessee, and has more than 199 years’ combined experience in K-12 education.
The new program was developed because of an ongoing collaboration with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, a consortium of more than 80 institutions undertaking an examination of professional doctorates in education. While the first classes of the semester take place on the Oxford campus, the students will travel to their fellow participants’ school districts and hold class roughly once a month. This will allow, for example, an assistant principal at Lafayette Middle School to get immersed in public education environments in the Delta or Aberdeen or Shelby County schools. The hybrid Ed.D. is rooted in problem-based learning and will enable these education leaders to identify goals within their own school districts and incorporate these goals into their doctoral studies. “When you are dealing with a problem, it has to be broken down before you can solve it,” says Dennis Bunch, UM associate professor and coordinator of educational leadership. “That’s the valuable part of going through this process as a cohort. Change can be uncomfortable, and cohort members get to go through that together and learn how to accomplish their goals as a group.” The new doctoral program also rethinks the traditional dissertation by requiring doctoral students to complete a “Dissertation in Practice,” which is a major research project focused on solving a real-world problem in Mississippi education. The dissertation will be integrated into the curriculum of the Ed.D. Students will have completed prospectuses (typically the first three chapters of a dissertation) by the end of the second year of study. The first cohort of UM’s hybrid doctorate in K-12 leadership has a combined 199 years’ experience in education.
Photo by Thomas Graning
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Alumni Review
from the Circle
UNIVERSITY NAMES PLAZA IN MEMORY OF CIVIL RIGHTS FIGURE
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he Rev. Will Davis Campbell Plaza, directly behind Paris-Yates Chapel, was officially named during a dedication highlighting the University of Mississippi’s third annual Racial Reconciliation Week in September. “We are thrilled to honor an important figure in Mississippi and UM’s civil rights journey,” says Susan Glisson (MA 94), executive director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, which co-sponsors the week with the Ole Miss Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. “Rev. Campbell inspired so many of us to question the status quo of racism and
encouraged us to embrace each other despite these differences. “He set a high standard of faithfulness to the idea of the beloved community, and honoring him allows us to understand the important and complex history of our campus and our state so that we might go and do likewise.” A native of Amite County, Campbell served as UM’s director of religious life from 1954-56. His efforts to steer the university toward integration resulted in threats against his life, so Campbell left his university post and joined the civil rights movement, becoming one of the few white people involved.
He also appealed to Southern Christian churches to desegregate and actively fight discrimination. Because of their silence and resistance to integration, Campbell abandoned organized religion, though not his faith. Upon Campbell’s death in June 2013 at age 88, former President Jimmy Carter called him “a minister and social activist in service to marginalized people of every race, creed and calling.” Launched in 2012, Racial Reconciliation Week is dedicated to promoting racial equality and encouraging dialogue throughout campus and the OxfordLafayette County community.
In Memory of a Student
KOTTKAMP SCHOLARSHIP EXPANDS WITH IGNITE OLE MISS CAMPAIGN
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enton Kottkamp of Louisville, Ky., would have turned 23 on Sept. 29, but a tragic accident earlier this year took his life. Several well-known friends are promoting a scholarship in his name to expand his legacy at the University of Mississippi. The crowdfunding initiative ignite.olemiss.edu/lovefenton launched on Sept. 25 to build on a scholarship created in Kottkamp’s name by Annette and John Schnatter, president and CEO of Papa John’s Pizza, and Olivia and Archie Manning (BPA 71). The popular student was set to receive his diploma in May 2015 from the Patterson School of Accountancy along with his twin brother, Rush. The brothers chose Ole Miss because of its nationally recognized accountancy program and wellrounded college experience. “My family and I have been deeply impacted by the tragic passing of Fenton Kottkamp, not only because of the fine young man that Fenton was but also because of the relationship between the Kottkamp family and my family,” says Schnatter, also of Louisville. “Working with Ole Miss alumnus Archie Manning to create the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship Endowment was a way for my family and other donors to honor Fenton’s memory and highlight for the Kottkamp family how much affection and respect we hold for their son.” Archie Manning adds, “Our hearts continue to be with the Kottkamp family. … We hope others will join us in remembering this extraordinary young man by helping to build this scholarship endowment so others can experience
The Kottkamps (from left), Rush, Harrison, Jane, Stephen and Fenton, enjoyed the Grove last fall.
Ole Miss in Fenton’s name.” Gifts of all sizes can build the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship to assist eligible students pursuing majors in the Patterson School and the School of Business Administration. The levels on the crowdfunding platform begin at $23 in honor of the late student’s recent birthday. For more information on the Fenton Kottkamp Memorial Scholarship, contact Maura Wakefield, development officer, at 662-915-2712 or mmwakefi@olemiss.edu. Gifts to the scholarship endowment can also be made by sending a check with the fund noted in the memo line to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655. fa ll 2 0 15
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from the Circle
UM AND BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY PARTNER FOR DUAL-DEGREE PROGRAM
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he University of Mississippi School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences at Belhaven University signed an agreement in September to create a dual-degree program for undergraduate students. The partnership offers students an opportunity to earn simultaneously a degree in biology, business, chemistry, mathematics or physics from Belhaven, a private, Christian liberal arts college in Jackson, and an engineering degree from UM, the state’s flagship public university. The dual-degree program does not guarantee students will earn two degrees, as each student must fulfill the degree requirements for each university to earn its degree. “We are pleased to partner with Belhaven University on this important initiative,” says Morris Stocks, UM interim chancellor. “By joining our resources with those of Belhaven, we will be able to generate more STEM majors — a distinct need of the state of Mississippi. Our partnership will serve to benefit both universities, our region and state.” “A partnership at this level is unique in higher education, and we are thrilled to collaborate with Ole Miss in providing such a high-quality engineering degree for our students,” says Roger
Parrott, Belhaven president. “For these graduates to receive a diploma from both institutions makes them especially wellcredentialed for the marketplace.” A student pursuing the dual degree can be admitted to both universities. He or she will spend the first two to three years at BU pursuing a specified degree along with available pre-engineering and engineering courses. Upon satisfactory completion at BU, the student will enter UM’s engineering school to complete the remaining courses required for the engineering degree. Courses taken at UM that are suitable for the bachelor’s degree will be transferred back to BU. The dual-degree curricula will be created and agreed upon by both universities to ensure that students can complete the degrees on time. “We are pleased to have this agreement with Belhaven,” says Noel Wilkin, UM acting provost. “It will facilitate the smooth transition of their students into our engineering program. As the first engineering school in the state, we are pleased to take steps that will give good students opportunities to earn their engineering degree at the University of Mississippi.”
Flagship Firsts Continue UNIVERSITY WELCOMES HISTORIC FRESHMAN CLASS
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he end of each summer in Oxford is marked with an incredible resurgence of a vibrant and thriving community. This year is no exception. Enrollment at the state’s flagship university expanded this fall for the 21st consecutive year, topping 23,800 students across all its campuses. This fall’s incoming freshman class also bucked a national trend by posting the highest ACT scores in University of Mississippi history. Preliminary data show a total unduplicated enrollment of 23,838, the largest in the state. That’s up 742 students from last fall, or 3.2 percent. The figures include the largest freshman class ever for any Mississippi university, a class that already sports impressive credentials of leadership and academic achievement. “We are pleased that students and families continue to choose the University of Mississippi, recognizing the quality education and outstanding college experience we offer here,” Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks says. “Our faculty and staff work very hard to deliver the very best academic programs at a competitive price, and it’s rewarding to see those efforts acknowledged by a growing student body.” The incoming freshman class increased to 3,969 students this fall, up 4.2 percent from last fall’s 3,809. The group posted 8
Alumni Review
an average ACT score of 24.7, besting last year’s average of 24.3 and setting a new UM record. Among Mississippi students, this year’s average was 24.4, up from last fall’s 24.0. This positive trend has continued over the past eight years. Given the much-publicized stagnation in national ACT scores, this growth is particularly impressive, says Noel Wilkin, the university’s acting provost. “We are attracting more students who are well-prepared to enter college,” Wilkin says. “At the same time, we are investing in programs to help students to be successful.” The freshman class’s high school GPA increased too, growing from 3.49 to a school record 3.54 this fall. This year’s first-time students include 94 class valedictorians, 56 salutatorians, 97 student body presidents, 126 Eagle Scouts and seven Girl Scouts who achieved the Gold Award, the organization’s highest youth honor. “The University of Mississippi has a long history of attracting and developing student leaders,” Stocks says. “Our faculty, staff and alumni work together to provide a leadership training ground and to offer these young people valuable experiences. We look forward to seeing what this talented freshman class can accomplish during their time here and beyond.”
from the Circle
International Aid
UM PHARMACY STUDENTS PROVIDE CARE IN HONDURAS
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oarding the plane to Honduras, Mary Claire Jarrell (BSPh 13) felt a rush of emotions and questions: “What will I actually be doing? Will I know enough? Will my Spanish be good enough?” the fourthprofessional-year pharmacy student wondered.
the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. They traveled four hours to Copan with 23 other volunteers and translators from Global Ministries for a week of medical service to needy people in the Central American nation. Their anxieties and fears were eased upon
Students say they had a ‘transformative’ experience while serving patients in Honduras.
Upon landing in the city of San Pedro Sula, the Tupelo resident boarded a school bus with fellow fourth-year students Tate Davis (BSPh 13), also of Tupelo, and Christine Hayden (BSPh 13), of Birmingham, Ala. The students were joined by David Gregory (BSPh 84, PhMD 99), their mentor and associate dean for academic affairs at
arrival with every “¡Hola!” and every smile. Wit h Gregor y as t he pr imar y pharmacist on the trip, the group charged itself with operating five medical clinics in churches surrounding Copan to serve the medical needs of those who could not afford health care. Davis, Hayden and Jarrell
managed the pharmacy process from drug selection to dosage and patient counseling. On any given day, the pharmacy could see anywhere from 300 to 700 patients. After meeting with a physician or nurse practitioner, patients headed to the pharmacy, where the student pharmacists made a clinical decision on what treatments were needed based on the medications in the group’s formulary. “I was instantly reminded of the i mp or t anc e of c om mu n i c at i on ,” Davis says. “Whether a patient speaks English or Spanish, having them understand how to take their medication is just as important as receiving the medication.” Gregory, who led the trip for the past five years, originally met some of his team on a mission trip to Venezuela in the ’90s. Adding his students to the group was a no-brainer, he says. “To encourage pharmacy students was rather easy, as they wanted to see how the need for health care is so great throughout the world,” Gregory says. “We are better providers when we can serve others who do not have the means to pay us for what we do. We want our students to have a cause greater than themselves. It is never about us; it must always be about the patient.” During their week in Honduras, the group members served more than 2,000 patients with more than 6,000 prescriptions. While the students realized they could not meet all of the needs of their patients, they were determined to demonstrate their compassion by interacting with all the Hondurans they encountered. “It was very rewarding to see the students take ownership of the process [of running a pharmacy] and watch them passionately care for the patients and their families,” Gregory says. fa ll 2 0 15
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from the Circle
Full of Heart
UNIVERSITY, CITY, COUNTY AWARDED PURPLE HEART DESIGNATIONS
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he University of Mississippi has been named a Purple Heart University, city of Oxford a Purple Heart City and Lafayette County a Purple Heart County for their efforts to create a welcoming environment for veterans and Purple Heart recipients. The Purple Heart is a military decoration given only to those wounded or killed in combat while serving their country.
“The special things that Ole Miss does specifically for veterans that attend the university are what qualify them to become a Purple Heart University,” says Ben Baker, commander of the Oxford Purple Heart Chapter. The university’s Veteran and Military Services was created in April 2013 to provide comprehensive resources to veterans, active members of the military and their dependents and to assist them in becoming successful as UM students. “For me, personally, on the impression on being named a Purple Heart University means we support, honor and welcome veterans to this great campus,” says Matt Hayes, senior military instructor for Army ROTC and a Purple Heart recipient. “When you have a campus that is supportive of your goals and ambitions, it really gives the veteran the inspiration and drive to succeed.” Ole Miss is home to 205 registered veteran students, 250 ROTC cadets and more than 900 students using GI Bill benefits. “This is evidence of a lot of hard work by many dedicated professionals over the last few years,” says Morris Stocks, interim UM chancellor. “We are very honored to be recognized, along with Oxford and Lafayette County, for service to our veterans, particularly those who have earned a Purple Heart.” Upon learning of UM’s designation, Howland approached Pat Patterson (BAEd 75), Oxford mayor, and Jeff Busby, Lafayette County Board of Supervisors president, and invited them to join the university by seeking designations as a Purple Heart City and Purple Heart County. “Having the city excited simply shows that support of veterans extends beyond the gates of Ole Miss to the greater LOU community,” Howland says. “Oxford and Lafayette County have a strong history of support, and designation as a Purple Heart community simply confirms that goodwill.” While UM is one of four SEC institutions to hold the Purple Heart University designation, it will be the Michael Howland, UM coordinator of veteran and military services, addresses first university in Mississippi to receive the designathe crowd at the annual LOU 9/11 Day of Service. tion in conjunction with the city and county in which it is located. “I believe that veterans will recognize that Ole Miss has “Along with the university and Lafayette County, we are worked hard to improve its veteran and military support honored to have the designation as a Purple Heart City and services and is committed to helping student veterans achieve take particular pride in saluting Purple Heart veterans,” Pattheir academic goals,” says Michael Howland (MCJ 13), UM terson says. coordinator of veteran and military services. “Our designaBusby agrees, noting, “It is an honor for Lafayette County tion as a Purple Heart campus is recognition of this hard to be named a Purple Heart community and to honor the work, and we’re very proud to receive it.” men and women that served this country so diligently.” 10
Alumni Review
from the Circle
Among the Elite
UM PANHELLENIC COUNCIL RECEIVES TOP AWARD
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he National Panhellenic Conference recognized the University of Mississippi’s Panhellenic Council with its College Panhellenic Excellence Award. Ole Miss is among 21 universities to receive the award, out of 672
colleges and universities with Panhellenic organizations across the United States and Canada. The award is based on core competencies of Panhellenic organizations, including recruitment planning and execution, structure, communication,
2015 Panhellenic Executive Council
implementation of judicial procedures, programming, academics and community impact. “We are proud of the Panhellenic community on earning such distinction from the National Panhellenic Conference,” says Jenell Bukky Lanski, UM coordinator of fraternity and sorority life. “The efforts from students, local alumnae, national organizations and the university in creating a meaningful experience for sorority women are inspiring. We look forward to the new academic year and future accomplishments.” The university demonstrates those characteristics and other important qualities of a successful Greek community, says Julie Johnson, Panhellenic chairman. “NPC is excited to recognize the outstanding efforts of undergraduate sorority women who are working together,” Johnson says. “These awards are given to those who are following the standards of excellence set for college Panhellenic associations.”
ATO CHAPTER HONORED WITH TRUE MERIT AWARD
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or the eighth year in a row, the Delta Psi chapter of Alpha Tau Omega at the University of Mississippi received the True Merit Award at the ATO national convention for its outstanding accomplishments. “Because of Mississippi’s proven success as a chapter, individual members enjoy a strong ATO experience that enhances their college education and makes them more valuable as citizens, currently on their campus but very soon as members of their respective communities,” says Wynn Smiley, chief executive officer of the national fraternity. The True Merit Award is recognition of the chapter’s overall excellence, including
community and campus involvement. “Receiving a True Merit bowl is a significant honor for our chapter,” says chapter president William Fisher of Greenwood. “It makes me proud to know that we are continuing a legacy that has been set by many of the Ole Miss ATOs that came before us.” All chapters are required to submit an annual report detailing each area of their performance throughout the year. The reports are presented to a panel of judges not affiliated with ATO. “Even though we are the largest chapter in the country, we still excel in almost every category on campus and nationally. We are constantly striving to be the best that we can be,” Fisher says. fa ll 2 0 15
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from the Circle
The Doctor Is In
PEDIATRIC FELLOWSHIPS PROVIDE SOLUTION TO PHYSICIAN SHORTAGES
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Photo by Jay Ferchaud
o parent wants to hear the words, “Your child needs to see a specialist,” then hear that the next available appointment is two months away. This is a problem facing parents and kids nationally — a shortage in pediatric subspecialists. According to the Children’s Hospital Association, the most severe pediatric shortages are in neurology, developmental/behavioral medicine, gastroenterology, surgery and neurosurgery. “Certain pediatric specialists are always hard to recruit. This isn’t just Mississippi. It’s everywhere,” says Dr.
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children in the U.S. travels 40 or more miles to see a pediatric specialist. Recruiting pediatric specialists can be a difficult task for several reasons. Becoming a subspecialist requires additional training beyond specializing in pediatrics. And according to the CHA, subspecialists’ income can also be lower because they provide more consulting services than daily patient care in a clinical setting, and Medicaid pays 30 percent less than Medicare for services. Half of Mississippi’s children are covered by Medicaid. Being able to train specialists from candidates who are already settled in
hesitant to move away for a fellowship in another state. “They want to stay in Mississippi. They have family ties here and don’t want to move away for the three-year training process.” Although Children’s of Mississippi operates satellite locations in Tupelo, Grenada, Hattiesburg and on the Gulf Coast, most of Mississippi’s pediatric specialists are located in the Jackson area. Barr would like to see that change. “That’s the rationale for all of our fellowship programs: Train specialists for the state, and have them branch out throughout the state to provide care,” he says. Regulated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, fellowships are approved and monitored in a way similar to residency programs. Barr says that the school must have enough board-certified faculty to provide a well-rounded educational experience for the fellows. The training in any pediatric subspecialty is three years, with both clinical and research aspects. “We are training people to ask questions, to really contribute new knowledge to the field,” Barr says. A division has to have a game plan when deciding to pursue a fellowship accreditation, he says. Dr. Tisha Spence is one of four pediatric critical care fellows at Batson Children’s Hospital. Pictured “We built the capacity over with Spence are respiratory therapist Shelley Brunt (left) and nurse Shelly Craft. the past four years. We have the infrastructure in place with Rick Barr, Suzan B. Thames Professor Mississippi and call it home can lessen qualified research mentors and chaland chair of pediatrics. the uncertainty of recruitment. lenging projects that can translate into Subsp e ci a list shor t ages me an “Fellowship programs tie directly improved health for our patients.” a longer than average wait for an into our mission: improving child The ACGME accredited the new appointment — up to 14.5 weeks, health in Mississippi. It is incredibly gastroenterology fellowship program when a two-week wait is considered important to be able to grow your own,” in May of this year. In July 2016, the normal. Patients often must travel long Barr says. school will welcome its first pediatric distances to keep these long-awaited Although some pediatric residents gastroenterology fellow, adding an appointments. The American Academy show an interest in seeking further additional fellow each year to bring the of Pediatrics reports that one in three specialized training, Barr says they are total to three. Alumni Review
from the Circle
Antibiotic Gatekeepers
UMMC INSTITUTES ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM Photo by Jay Ferchaud
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n his work in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Jason Parham (MD 99) sees how aggressive antibiotic treatment can swiftly save a dangerously ill patient. Unfortunately, he also sometimes sees the opposite scenario: patients with serious infections who don’t get better because the infection is caused by multidrug resistant bacteria and no longer responds to antibiotics. In some instances, it’s because the patient has been exposed to too many antibiotics in the past. Perhaps it’s because a physician prescribed a longer antibiotic regimen than necessary or a more broad-spectrum antibiotic than the infection needed. Maybe it occurred after the patient was prescribed antibiotics inappropriately for a virus, or an infection that would have gone away without treatment. Antibiotic resistance can occur with exposure to antibiotics given for any reason, which makes it all the more tragic when the use was unnecessary. “We’re the gatekeepers,” Parham, an assistant professor, says of physicians and advanced practice providers. “We’re ultimately responsible for antibiotic misuse.” As leader of UMMC’s antimicrobial stewardship program, Parham is talking to physicians and other providers about the best use of antibiotics and the possible repercussions to the patient and the community when they’re not appropriately given. In September, the Joint Commission introduced a program called “Speak Up” that educates the public about the appropriate and safe use of antibiotics and details risks associated with taking too many over time. “Studies over the years suggest that antibiotics are overprescribed 30 to 50 percent of the time,” Parham says, adding that worries about misuse of antibiotics aren’t new. Within a few years of the widespread production of penicillin for patient use, its discoverer, Alexander Fleming, “was cautioning providers to avoid giving the antibiotic for conditions where it was not needed.” But thanks to initiatives such as Speak Up, “there’s been a more concerted effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America to increase awareness and take the campaign not only to physicians but to families,” he says. “There’s got to be a culture shift, both in providers and patients, but I do believe that it’s possible with the help of antimicrobial stewardship programs.” UMMC’s stewardship program uses computer software to identify inpatients that could benefit from optimization of antimicrobials. Infectious diseases-trained health care providers don’t interact with patients face to face but instead review each patient’s chart to determine if recommending a
University of Mississippi Medical Center pediatrician Dr. Will Sorey (BS 79, MD 82) encourages 5-year-old Ca’Marii Washington to listen to the heart of his 1-year-old brother, Drue Lenard. Mom Dominique Lenard tries to keep her boys off antibiotics by giving them vitamins and a healthy diet.
change in antimicrobials is advisable. The program contacts the provider to discuss recommendations.” Parham says. “The goal is to obtain the best outcomes for our patients by following evidence-based care.” Providers follow stewardship recommendations about 85 percent of the time, Parham says. “We review about 5,000 charts a year and do 50 to 100 interventions per month,” Parham says. “We collaborate with the clinical microbiology lab, the departments of pathology and pharmacy and hospital epidemiology in order to understand how published studies and guidelines should be applied to deliver the best care possible at UMMC. We exist to help prescribers make appropriate treatment decisions for their patients and hopefully to prolong the efficacy of our antimicrobials for future patients.” As the public becomes more aware of the potential for antibiotic misuse, Parham says, “increasingly, we’re seeing patients who ask, ‘Is an antibiotic really necessary?’ “As physicians, we must spend the time required to explain to patients why they don’t need an antibiotic, and then give them a plan of action to treat their symptoms and to know what they should do if they aren’t getting better.” fa ll 2 0 15
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from the Circle
Paving the Way to Excellence
SCIENCE FACILITY TO PROVIDE TOP-NOTCH STEM LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
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he Gertrude C. Ford Foundation is expanding a $20 million gift to $25 million in support of the University of Mississippi’s proposed new science building. The increase, announced in September, reflects the belief that the facility will strengthen the state through increasing general science literacy and preparing a greater number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates as well as K-12 teachers in those subjects. The gift brings the Ford Foundation’s support of UM to more than $53.5 million. In a ceremony on the steps of the Lyceum, university leaders thanked Ford Foundation board members Anthony T. Papa (BBA 57), Cheryle M. Sims (BBA 75) and John C. Lewis (BA 85), all of Jackson, and revealed drawings of both the science building and Gertrude C. Ford Way, a walkway that will be used by thousands of students, alumni and friends each year. “The Ford Foundation board members have demonstrated a tremendous commitment to helping meet the needs of our university, with the overarching mission of making a significant impact throughout our state and far beyond,” UM Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks said. “We believe this new facility will provide a platform to increase student research through hands-on education and active learning, while encouraging collaborative research between students and faculty.” Ford Way will pick up where the Walk of Champions ends at the edge of the Grove, run alongside the new science building and stretch to a gathering plaza between VaughtHemingway Stadium and the Pavilion at Ole Miss arena. It will be the major artery through the Science District,
which is the section of campus between University Avenue and All American Drive. In addition to being the location for the science building, it will be the site of a commemorative area created to honor author William Faulkner and the activities he performed in that part of campus. As a result, this pathway will bring together science and Faulkner’s literary works in a way that honors the connection to the liberal arts. With work on Ford Way and the science building slated to begin in spring 2016, the proposed 200,000-square-foot, $135 million science facility will be another enhancement to the Science District. The new construction follows the completion of the Thad Cochran Research Center West Wing – an addition of more than 96,000 square feet described as the most technically sophisticated research building in the Southeast – and an expansion of Coulter Hall, adding almost 36,000 square feet. Excitement is building on campus regarding the project, says Maurice Eftink, the university’s associate provost who co-chairs its 12-member STEM Building Design Task Force with Chad Hunter, associate university architect. “Our vision is that this will be one of the country’s leading student-centered learning environments for STEM education,” Eftink says. “It will offer state-of-the-art labs and classrooms, including what are called ‘technology-enhanced active learning’ labs. This will be a place where our students will be able to enter in the morning to take classes, meet up with other students for study sessions and lunch, participate in afternoon lab classes, work on research projects and engage with the building to learn about STEM fields in casual, informal ways.”
UM Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks (standing) announces that the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation has agreed to increase its support for the university’s new science building during a Sept. 4 event on the steps of the Lyceum. Also participating in the announcement are Acting Provost Noel Wilkin (left) and Ford Foundation board members Anthony Papa, Cheryle Sims and John Lewis.
Photo by Robert Jordan
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Alumni Review
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NESTLED in the rolling hills of North Mississippi, just eight miles from Oxford and Ole Miss, a secluded residential retreat is waiting. Here, life revolves around the land and the lakes. Modern design harmonizes with natural surroundings, and ordinary construction gives way to character-filled dwellings that can truly be called “home.” Once you’ve discovered this place, you’ll know you’ve found your place.
Welcome to Splinter Creek.
S P L I N T E R C R E E K M S.C O M
Calendar NOVEMBER
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hrough Dec. 18 Ongoing exhibit: “Entertainment Collectors, Authors and Critics: Selections from the Mamie and Ellis Nassour Arts and Entertainment, Stark Young and Herschel Brickell Collections.” Open to the public. Faulkner Room, J.D. Williams Library. Email library@olemiss.edu.
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Pharmacy Alumni and Friends Tailgate: Lawn in front of Faser Hall, three hours prior to kickoff. Call 662-915-7375.
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University of Mississippi Medical Center Tailgate: Left lawn of Triplett Alumni Center, time TBA. Call 1-800-844-5800.
DECEMBER
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Western Kentucky. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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-19 Gingerbread House Village: Gertrude C. Ford Center, various times. Visit www.fordcenter.org.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Georgia Southern. Tad Smith Coliseum, 7 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com. Patterson School of Accountancy Luncheon: Dean Mark Wilder invites accounting alumni and friends to attend. The Harbert Center, Birmingham, Ala., 11:30 a.m. Call 662915-7375.
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Missouri State. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
School of Applied Sciences Tailgate: Front lawn of Triplett Alumni Center, three hours prior to kickoff. Call 662-915-7375. Football: Ole Miss vs. LSU. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, time TBA. Visit www.olemissfb.com. Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Georgia State. Tad Smith Coliseum, 4 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Thanksgiving Day
Mini Masters Dec. 3
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Mini Masters: “Building Like Ben Butler.” For ages 2-5. UM Museum, 3:45-4:30 p.m. Call 662-915-7073. Performance: “A Christmas Carol.” Gertrude C. Ford Center, 3 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www.fordcenter.org. Putnam Mathematics Competition: Hume Hall, 9 a.m. Call 662915-7071.
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tad Smith Coliseum, 2 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Performance: Christmas with the Celts. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 3 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit www.fordcenter.org.
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. New Orleans. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Louisiana Tech. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Tulane. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. McNeese State. Tad Smith Coliseum, noon. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Alumni Review
Calendar Gingerbread House Village Dec. 3-19
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Georgia. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Florida. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 1 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. South Carolina. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
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Performance: “Annie,” national Broadway tour. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-9152787 or visit www.fordcenter.org.
Christmas Day
Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Alabama A&M. Tad Smith Coliseum, 6 p.m. Visit www. olemisssports.com.
Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Auburn. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Troy. Tad Smith Coliseum, 3 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
Spring semester classes begin.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Florida. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 7 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Kentucky. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 8 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
-31 Oxford Fiber Arts Festival: This annual event celebrates the independent fiber artists who are keeping many time-honored handcrafts alive. Powerhouse, various times. Visit www.visitoxfordms.com.
Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Missouri. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 4 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
For more Oxford events, news and information, visit www.visitoxfordms.com or call 662-232-2477.
‘Annie’ Jan. 20
JANUARY
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New Year’s Day
Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt. Tad Smith Coliseum, 2 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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-15 Wintersession: Call 662-9157847 or visit www.outreach.olemiss. edu/wintersession.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Alabama. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 8 p.m. Visit www.olemisssports.com.
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Achievement
Alumni honored with Hall of Fame, Service and Outstanding Young Alumni awards
By Jim Urbanek he Ole Miss Alumni Association awarded seven distinguished alumni with its highest annual honors as part of Homecoming 2015. Created in 1974, the Hall of Fame honors select alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to their country, state or the University of Mississippi through good deeds, services or contributions that have perpetuated the good name of Ole Miss. Inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame for 2015 were Mary Ann Strong Connell (BA 59, MA 71, MLS 73, JD 77) of Oxford; Dr. Alan Partin (BA 83) of Baltimore, Md.; Billy Van Devender (BSCvE 71) of Jackson; and Thomas D. Wallace Jr. (BAEd 78, MEd 80, PhD 02) of Bakersfield, Calif. Lee McCarty (BAEd 47) was posthumously recognized with the Alumni Hall of Fame award. Suzan B. Thames (BA 68) of Jackson was presented the Alumni Service Award for service to the university and the Alumni Association over an extended period. Hunter Carpenter (BAccy 99, MAccy 00, JD 03) of Dallas, Texas, received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni who have shown exemplary leadership throughout their first 15 years of alumni status in both their careers and dedication to Ole Miss. The Alumni Association hosted a reception and dinner for the honorees on Oct. 9 in the Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss.
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Alumni Review
Hall of Fame
Mary Ann Strong Connell practices law with Mayo Mallette
PLLC in Oxford. She served as university attorney for the University of Mississippi from 1982 to 2003 and as school board attorney for the Oxford School District 200313. Connell taught courses in higher education law, school law, legal research and writing, business law and employment law. She is a frequent presenter at national, regional and state conferences on subjects involving higher education and school law. She is a past president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, past president of the Mississippi Council of School Board Attorneys and a fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation. She received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of College and University Attorneys; the Distinguished Service Award from the Lafayette County Bar Association; the Thomas S. Biggs Jr. Award for leadership, integrity and service in the legal profession and the higher education community from Stetson University Law School; the NAACP Freedom Award for lifelong service in the area of education and civil rights; the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association’s Outstanding Woman Lawyer in Mississippi Award; the University of Mississippi Chancellor’s Award for outstanding contributions toward increasing diversity; and the Mortar Board Award for outstanding teacher of the year. Connell is a member of the Vestry of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford. She received her LL.M. from Harvard Law School. A native of Louisville, she has four daughters: Elizabeth Sessums, Stella Connell, Mary Ann Percy and Jane Lee, and four grandchildren.
Lee McCarty is the co-founder of McCartys Pottery. Born in 1923, McCarty grew up in Merigold, and after graduating from the University of Mississippi, he and his wife, Pup, left for Columbia University in New York where he received a master’s degree in education. The couple then returned to Oxford, where McCarty taught science at University High School. While in Oxford, the couple took pottery classes in the university’s art department. The McCartys created their first studio in the garage of their small home on South Eighth Street and set about developing their own style that would later serve as the foundation for McCartys Pottery. The McCartys returned to Merigold in 1954 and opened their studio in an old mule barn. By the early 1960s, they had shown their work in several museums and exhibits around the country and won first prize in 1961 in the National Show at the Delgado Museum in New Orleans. The McCartys developed their own glazes, which included jade, cobalt blue and signature nutmeg. In 1996, the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters awarded the McCartys the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the University of Mississippi Museum held a retrospective titled “Masters of Merigold: 40 Years of McCarty Pottery.” In 2012, the Mississippi Arts Commission honored McCartys Pottery with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution inducted the gardens at the studio into their Archives of American Gardens. Although his wife passed away in 2009, McCarty continued working in the studio with his godsons, Jamie and Stephen Smith, until his death on Sept. 7, 2015. He was 92.
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Hall of Fame
Dr. Alan Partin is a professor of urology, oncology and pathology at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include prognosis prediction and surgical treatment for men with prostate cancer. He has served as the Jakurski Family Director of the Brady Urological Institute and urologist-in-chief for the Department of Urology since 2005. Partin received his undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Mississippi. He achieved the honor of Academic All-American and varsity letter recognition two years for football, and graduated summa cum laude. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in pharmacology and molecular systems from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He also completed his residency in urology and surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. His research focuses on development and testing of new and existing methods for predicting the aggressiveness of prostate cancers. He is credited with creating a set of tables widely known as the Partin Tables, which help physicians and patients choose the most appropriate treatments for prostate cancer. Among his honors, he has been recognized with the Ambrose Monell Research Award, David Koch Prostate Cancer Research Award, 2002 American Urological Association/ACMI Gold Cystoscope Award and the AUA Distinguished Contribution Award (2015). He is a member of the AUA and the American Medical Association. Partin is editor of the textbook Campbell-Walsh Urology, editor or co-editor of three journals, and has published more than 600 scholarly articles. He and his wife, Vicky, have four children: Topper, David, Dane and Michael.
Billy Van Devender graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1971, and was a starting defensive back on the 1970 Sugar Bowl champion football team. He received his MBA in 1973 from Southern Methodist University, then joined the Central Intelligence Agency. After four years with the CIA, he moved back to Mississippi to begin his business career. Van Devender’s career began in the oil and gas industry, followed by investments in real estate development and the forest product industry, where his family is now primarily in timber management and lumber manufacturing. Van Devender has contributed a substantial amount of philanthropic work to his community. He has served as commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality since 1998 and joined the board of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in 1997. He served on the board of Mississippi’s Young Life organization and the Mississippi Baptist Health System. He is an active board member of But God Ministries, an organization that works to build sustainable living communities in Haiti, and he is a member at First Baptist Church of Jackson. In past years, Van Devender was a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, World Forestry Center and Chief Executives Organization. Van Devender and his wife, Mollie Magee, have been married for 36 years and have four children: Laura, William, Anne and Clinton. His favorite activities are spending time with his four grandchildren, hunting, golf and the timber business.
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Alumni Review
Hall of Fame
Thomas D. Wallace is vice president for student affairs at California
State University, Bakersfield. Prior to that appointment in 2012, he held administrative and faculty positions at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and the University of Mississippi (vice chancellor for student affairs and associate professor of education emeritus). In 2011, the Student Government Association at the University of Nebraska presented Wallace with the Curulis Award for outstanding service to students. In June 2012, Wallace was selected Administrator of the Year by Associated Students Inc. He was named Northwest Mississippi Community College Alumnus of the Year in 2008 and UM School of Education Alumnus of the Year in 1998. During that same year, he was presented with the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s Minority Award of Distinction. The state college board named Wallace the Black History Month Educator of the Year in 1999. Wallace served on the executive board of Phi Kappa Phi honorary society, held the position of Mississippi director for the National Association of School Personnel Administrators for four years and served as a faculty member for the Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi program, the country’s second-oldest state leadership program. In representing Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Wallace presented the idea for the Chucky Mullins Courage Award to Ole Miss Athletics. The award is given annually to the defensive player exhibiting leadership, courage and perseverance. Wallace and his wife, Phyllis Hairston Wallace, have three children: Dee, Gigi and Ty.
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Alumni service award
Suzan B. Thames is retired from the practice of audiology at the Jackson Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Jackson. A 1968 graduate of Ole Miss, she received her master’s degree in speech pathology and audiology from Tulane University and studied behavioral disorders at the University of Wisconsin. Thames’ volunteer career with the University of Mississippi Medical Center began in the early 1980s with fundraising, in concert with the Junior League of Jackson, which resulted in the opening of the Junior League of Jackson Children’s Cancer Clinic. Fundraising for Mississippi’s only children’s hospital then began under the leadership of Friends of Children’s Hospital, the support group Thames chaired for 20 years. With support from Friends, the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children opened in 1997. In 2011, Thames was chosen Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year by the National Philanthropy Association and was honored with the Suzan B. Thames Endowed Chair of Pediatrics at UMMC. Thames serves as co-chairman of the MIND Center at UMMC, which heads a consortium of medical institutions worldwide in the research and treatment of Alzheimer’s and dementia. She also serves as a board member of the Children’s Cancer Clinic Fund. Thames is a member of the UM Foundation and School of Applied Sciences boards of directors, Ole Miss Women’s Council, and UM Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders advisory board. She and her husband, Tommy, have three daughters and five grandchildren. They reside in Jackson and are members of Northminster Baptist Church.
outstanding young alumni award
Hunter Carpenter is a partner of RedBird Capital Partners, where he is respon-
sible for RedBird’s natural resources and industrial-related investment activity. RedBird is a New York- and Dallas-based principal investing firm focused on growth equity, buildups and structured equity investments in family-owned, founder-led and entrepreneurial businesses targeting attractive risk-adjusted returns. Prior to RedBird, Carpenter spent most of his career working for the Stephens family of Little Rock, Ark. While there, he helped Witt Stephens Jr. launch The Stephens Group as a stand-alone private equity firm, continuing the Stephens family’s long history of direct investing. Carpenter either led or assisted on deal teams that invested across 11 platform deals, with multiple add-on acquisitions and five exits. When he left The Stephens Group, Carpenter was the lead board member representing the firm for six companies in the energy and industrial space. Carpenter’s responsibilities over the course of his career have spanned the full life cycle of private investments including sourcing, negotiating, executing, financing, structuring and exiting investments, as appropriate. Most of Carpenter’s investing experience involved backing entrepreneurs to help them grow as well as navigate the challenges of scaling over longer term hold periods. Carpenter is a board member of the University of Mississippi Foundation and the chairman of its Investment Committee. He was named one of Oil and Gas Investor’s “Top 20 Under 40” in energy finance in 2014 and one of the “Top 40 Under 40” by Arkansas Business Magazine in 2011. Carpenter was a four-year letterman in men’s basketball at Ole Miss. He is married to Megan Flowers Carpenter and has three children: Lawler, Brackett and Wyllys.
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Alumni Review
BO OK SAL ON STO E A RES T FI EVE NE RYW HE RE
GREAT OLE MISS BOOKS FROM
NAUTILUS PUBLISHING Bo
A QUARTERBACK’S JOURNEY THROUGH AN SEC SEASON
by Billy Watkins
From award-winning reporter Billy Watkins, Bo follows Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace on a roller coaster ride beginning with the 2013 Egg Bowl loss to a 2014 #4 national ranking and back again to an Egg Bowl victory over top-ranked MSU—with an insider’s look at the Ole Miss locker room and coaching staff. n ISBN: 978-1-936946-49-5 n Hardcover with dust jacket n $24.95 retail n 6” x 9” n 300 pages
The Education of a Lifetime
by Robert Khayat
The award-winning, New York Times bestselling education book is now available in paperback—the same branded edition each freshman at Ole Miss received during 2015 orientation (it even includes a new reader’s guide). n ISBN: 978-1-936946-53-2 n Paperback n $14.95 retail n 6” x 9” n 320 pages
A Tapestry of Red & Blue by Al Povall • Introduction by Robert Khayat
An oral history of Ole Miss Sports from 1945-1970. Never-before-heard stories from the likes of Jimmy Lear, Raymond Brown, Jake Gibbs, Archie Manning and dozens of others. n ISBN: 978-1-936946-64-8 n Hardcover n $29.95 retail n 7” x 10” n 300 pages
A Troubled History
THE GOVERNANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN MISSISSIPPI
by David Sansing
A
TROUBLED
HISTORY THE GOVERNANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN MISSISSIPPI
UM History Professor Emeritus David Sansing gives us a history lesson that could not be more timely for Ole Miss alums.
n ISBN: 978-1-936946-58-7 n Paperback n $14.95 retail n 6” x 9” n 160 pages
B Y D AVID G. S ANSING
WWW.NAUTILUSPUBLISHING.COM
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Alumni Review
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n a Saturday afternoon in mid-September, the Oxford air still carries the thick humidity of summer, though hints of cool breezes herald fall. Along Bailey’s Woods trail, families run from one outpost to the next, blowing bubbles in the breeze, making hand-painted artwork and engaging in a scavenger hunt. At each station, friendly assistants help children and parents alike. The trail winds between oaks and pines and over a creek bed. Within the city limits of Oxford, it offers a relaxing hike despite being less than a mile long. It is bookended by the University of Mississippi Museum and William Faulkner’s home Rowan Oak, where buses wait to take the families back to the museum if they don’t want to walk back through the woods. Most walk back. This event, called Let’s Move, sponsored by Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi and organized by the UM Museum, indicates broad, sweeping changes the museum has made in recent years to reach out to the community and expand its scope. Let’s Move is part of Family Activity Days, designed to introduce the museum to people who might never visit it otherwise. And it’s working. Ju s t s i x y e a r s a g o, t h e U M Museum had a full-time staff of fewer than four people. Engagement with the community was at an ebb, and many Ole Miss students didn’t even know where the museum was, much less what went on within its walls. But over the past few years, that has changed. Now staffed with eight fulltime people and a team of student interns and graduate assistants all collaborating to lead innovative outreach, the UM Museum has benefited from an effective reboot. The process has transformed the face of the museum to extend its tendrils throughout the community. Increased attention on children’s programs is a big part of that. In addition to Family Days, those offerings include an after-school program called Art Zone, weeklong summer camps, traveling trunks that visit schools throughout the region and Milkshake Mash-ups that target older children who have aged out of the other programs. “Every child is connected to a parent,” says museum director Robert Saarnio. “[Each parent becomes] an immediate stakeholder and advocate. The radiating concentric outward circles for the museum, to have parents and care providers care about us, [are worth their] weight in gold.” Much of the outreach falls under the purview of Emily
Dean McCauley, curator of education and member of the museum staff since 2011. “When Emily delivers this much impact and outreach to this many children of families, that’s not common for a museum of this size,” Saarnio says. “The proudest thing I feel as a director is the accomplishment of this much impact with such a small staff.”
Field Trip in the Classroom
One of the primary ways the museum reaches children at a young age is through the traveling trunk program. The trunks contain artifacts that relate to collections at the museum, along with lesson plans and activity guides. They are taken to schools where teachers use them to teach their students about the contents, with the added benefit that the kids are learning about what’s going on at the museum. Most of the schools are within a one-hour drive of Oxford and have included schools in Grenada, Como, Crenshaw, Tupelo, Verona and Pontotoc. In addition to visiting schools, the trunks go to after-school programs and organizations such as Leap Frog and the B oys & Girls Club as well as public libraries. “ T h e t r av e l i n g trunk program reaches thousands of kids each year,” McCauley says. “It’s a completely free resource for teachers. The trunks come with lesson plans, art activities and materials for as many students as will use them. We’ll pack the trunk, and the teacher can keep it for up to two weeks. That way we can reach up to 200 kids in a period of two weeks by them being able to pass the trunk around.” A museum staffer introduces the trunks and their contents before leaving. “We stay and do a presentation that usually lasts an hour,” McCauley says. “We will show replicas or prints from the selection and do the art activity. Most of the time, a presenter adds an extra element. Any time a special guest comes, it is kind of like having a field trip in your classroom. It kind of adds that element of excitement.” Topics include Greek and Roman antiquities, African art and Rowan Oak. “A lot of times, the teacher will have an idea of how they
1 Art Zone participant Layla Pegues paints her Roman lamp inspired by the museum’s David M. Robinson Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities. 2 Emily McCauley, UM Museum curator of education, leads a class through the special exhibit ‘Intervals and Disturbances’ by Ben Butler. 3 Caldwell Embry paints her Greek kylix while Emily Hargrove, an Art Zone teacher and UM education major, looks on. 4 Sydney Jenkins, Caitlyn Howie and Esther Choo work on their archaeological dig site. 5 Art Zone van riders line up after being picked up from Oxford School District schools. 6 Art Zone kids watch a video about artist Peri Schwartz before viewing an exhibit of her work.
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want to link it to what they are doing,” McCauley says. “For example, sixth or seventh grade is when we get a lot of kids interested in the ancient Greek trunk because that’s what they are studying. With younger elementary school kids, we get a lot of requests for the Walter Anderson or Theora Hamblett trunks because they are studying Mississippi, and we’ll tie it to Mississippi artists.” The same trunks are adaptable to different age groups and grade levels as well. While the traveling trunk program has been around for decades, often teachers and other recipients don’t relate them to the museum. About six years ago, the trunks were reimagined with the goal of basing them on the exhibits of the museum to ensure a museum connection, and the result has been more exposure for the museum and its day-to-day activities.
Family Ties
One of t he big gest changes McCauley made was to expand Family Activity Days to include more families. After a recent fundraiser made family days free, more people began pouring in. “Making family activities free opens up the doors to those people who, even if it was $5, might not come,” says communications coordinator Rebecca Phillips. “I think it gets a lot of people in here who probably wouldn’t otherwise come in.” A change in the format helped too. “In the past, you would drop off your kids and pick them up when the program was over,” McCauley says. “Every other museum I’d seen that had family days, the parents had just as much fun as the kids. It was an intergenerational experience.” To get the parents involved, she changed the format. Previously, a set structure was in place, where families would participate in the same activities in a linear fashion. But the new drop-in approach helps families participate according to their own timetable. “It’s just a fun opportunity for families to do it at their own pace, just like the trails,” McCauley says. “It’s an opportunity for people to check out the museum and get a taste of it in a way they feel comfortable with it.” Children get a hands-on experience with Art Zone, a 12-week after-school program for grades K-6 that allows kids to explore exhibits in the museum and use them as inspiration to create their own art. It culminates with a reception and exhibit of their works. Like the traveling trunks, it has been around for years but only recently became tied to the collections of the museum. The success of programs such as Art Zone fueled the need 28
Alumni Review
for new programs to be created. For middle school students and teenagers, the museum now hosts Milkshake Mash-ups. “We have kids aging out of Art Zone asking what’s next,” McCauley says. “We found with the older kids, having an every-week program doesn’t really fit their lifestyles. So Milkshake Mash-ups are once a month on Friday afternoon. The milkshakes are what gets them in here, and we mash up two artists in one project.”
A Leg Up
With the success of these programs, the staff can’t handle the workload without the help of student workers. Both volunteer interns and graduate assistants help. A partnership with classes in the School of Education makes volunteer work at the museum a part of class credit. Some of those volunteers become teachers, while others go on to graduate assistantships. At least eight student workers are part of the staff at any given time. “They start off volunteering, getting to know our programs,” McCauley says. “Then a few leaders emerge, and they become our teachers. It gives them an internship that they can start sophomore year and continue throughout their whole career. Education majors sometimes don’t get real in-the-classroom experience until senior year, so some of ours have been able to start earlier so they get a leg up. They become teachers in their own museum classroom setting.” Those efforts cause an increased awareness of the museum and help the museum become a hub of campus activity. “With a stop sign at Fifth and University, where the city meets the campus, you couldn’t plan it better than that,” Saarnio says. “I love our location. How many places on campus do you have free admission and available parking for the general public? You can come in for five minutes or two hours, it doesn’t matter. It’s free. No one on campus can really say that.” The museum is also a regular stop on the weekly Art Crawl sponsored by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, and more efforts are being made to use the location to introduce it to more people. A recent partnership with Fall Family Weekend encourages Ole Miss students’ families to visit the museum. “At the beginning of (Family) Weekend, the check-in and registration is held here, as well as a reception,” Phillips says. “It’s getting parents and students in the door. We had about 500 come.” Increased family and children’s programs, retooled educational opportunities and a new emphasis on creating more events at the museum are paying dividends. “Even a few years ago, students would come in for a tour with any class, and we’d ask who all had been to the museum before,” McCauley says. “No hands would raise. Now, most people have been here at least once.”
Zeroing in
on cancer. Increasing
Conventional chemotherapy fights cancer but also destroys healthy cells throughout the body. Now, UMMC researchers Dr. Drazen Raucher and Dr. Lee Bidwell have developed a new alternative. Their method uses biopolymers and mild heat to deliver anticancer drugs directly to a tumor without affecting the rest of the body. This targeted approach results in lower doses, fewer treatments and reduced side effects. The therapy, now in pre-clinical trials, may open the door to treating tumors deemed too risky for conventional chemotherapy and unlock new hope for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more at ummchealth.com/cancer.
UMMC Research. Tomorrow. Every day.
Š2015 UMMC
HOPE for
MILLIONS.
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Alumni Review
By Tom Speed Photos by joshua mccoy
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As tens of thousands of fans file into Oxford and fill the Grove in anticipation of seeing their then No. 3-ranked Ole Miss Rebels take on the Vanderbilt Commodores, Chris Sabo, producer and director of the groundbreaking and Emmy award-winning highlight show “The Season,” gathers his team of filmmakers for a meeting. On this day, four weeks into the 2015 football season, the Rebels are fresh off a road victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide, their second victory over ’Bama in a row that catapulted them to the top of the rankings. All eyes in the sports world are on Ole Miss. As the football team moves forward on the field with the culmination of its game-week preparation, Sabo and his team begin their week with a concurrent focus that culminates not on Saturday but on Wednesday, when the show is distributed to television affiliates and released online. The crew’s meeting room, next door to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, is equal parts political war room and locker room. Gathered around a conference table flanked by a whiteboard, Sabo commands the room like a head coach, offering a pregame speech that cajoles and motivates his team. Like the football team, Sabo’s team members have studied game film. They know the Vanderbilt players and their tendencies. They know what to look for and have a vague idea of what to expect during the game.
camera will focus on the Ole Miss bench, capturing intimate interactions among Ole Miss players and coaches. Yet another camera is dedicated to capturing slow-motion footage. “Last week, y’all were really doing a good job,” Sabo tells his team members, reminding them to watch for clues from play-byplay announcer David Kellum on the Ole Miss Radio Network broadcast and be aware of specific players coming onto the field. “If [Robert] Nkemdiche comes in [on offense]?” Sabo asks with an arched eyebrow, in reference to the All-American defensive lineman who has been used as an offensive weapon this season. He leaves the question hanging, unanswered. Then he refers to the last time Nkemdiche scored: “That last touchdown – we should have had an isolation shot of him coming in.” The talk then turns to technical discussions of camera lenses and battery packs, replete with sports analogies. When it’s time to split up, Sabo delivers his motivational push. “You never know when the play of your life is going to happen,” he says. “Frame every play as if it’s going to be the best play of your life. Get to every position.
The crew will have five cameras in the stadium to capture the action. One camera will be perched atop the press box. Sabo will man one sideline camera, while Micah Ginn, associate athletics director for sports productions and creative services, will operate the camera on the opposite side of the field. For Sabo and Ginn, the day will be action packed as they rush up and down the sidelines to keep up with the game. Another
Expect it to come to you. Don’t want it to. We were able to tell a really good story because of what we shot, so keep that up by being in the right spot. We had a good game, but we can always get better. Let’s try to outshoot ourselves from last week, strive for perfection, and reach excellence along the way!” It’s just two hours before kickoff, and the production team of “The Season” is ready to take the field.
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Hard Knocks If Sabo brings a competitive athlete’s spirit to his job, he gets it honestly. A native of Akron, Ohio, Sabo played Division III football at Hiram College in his home state. As starting center, he was also a team captain. As a hobby, he would bring a handheld video camera into the locker room to record pregame speeches. Soon, he started making highlight films for the football and basketball teams and won a campuswide competition with a humorous video about free laundry. He parlayed that into a job working for the admissions office, making student life films for prospective students. Though he was self-taught, he was becoming good at his hobby. Sabo’s offensive line coach took notice and realized he had talent. The coach helped him get an internship with NFL Films, the production company that pioneered a certain style of behind-the-scenes sports coverage that provided content to the HBO series “Inside the NFL” and “Hard Knocks.” “The Season” draws a direct lineage from these shows. “We try to emulate NFL Films in everything that we do,” Sabo says on an episode of “Studio 18,” an in-house Web series produced by the Ole Miss Athletics Department. “NFL Films is the summit, the pinnacle of everything that is sports productions,” he says. “They created an art form.” Sabo was able to further the skills he learned in that internship when he later worked under the tutelage of an NFL Films veteran cinematographer. He obtained a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Akron before taking a job at the University of Ohio. There he worked on a show called “Relentless”
that covered the training camp of the Ohio football team. For inspiration, the show modeled itself on “Hard Knocks,” which traced an NFL team through its training camp. Meanwhile, in Oxford, Ginn and company were experimenting with their own new show. For years, the “coach’s show” had been a hallmark of college football television coverage. Typically, these shows (inevitably titled “The [INSERT COACH’S NAME HERE] Show”) would consist of a football coach seated at a desk with the radio announcer as they trudged through game film and described what was happening on the screen. A few brief pauses for the sponsors would be
included during the show, which was typically syndicated to local television stations. The formula did not vary much from team to team and was about all the video footage fans would get outside of a television broadcast. But the already overused format was becoming increasingly stale in the Internet age. That, coupled with the innovations of shows such as “Hard Knocks,” opened the door for further invention in the field. “When I got here in 2011,” Ginn says, “Brandon Hudspeth, who worked in marketing at the time, showed me a Web series that Kansas was doing that was based off the ‘Hard Knocks’ model. But it was much shorter and didn’t replace their coach’s show. It was just a Web supplement with behind-the-scenes access and locker room access – a lot of the guts of what we wanted to do. But we wanted to go the extra mile and throw out the old coach’s show model and make this the coach’s show.” Ginn met with a team that included Michael Thompson, senior associate athletics director for communications and marketing; Shane Sanford, manager of creative services, sports productions; Darious Thomas, videographer; and J. Stern, assistant athletics director for sports productions. “We all sat down and said if this is the model we are going to go with, do we replace the coach’s show or not?” Ginn says. “From the beginning, my charge was to personalize and humanize our student-athletes and create an emotional connection with our fans,” Thompson says. “We started looking at everything we do, from posters and newspaper ads all the way to the coach’s show, and asked the question, ‘Is this the best way to use this medium to personalize and humanize our student-athletes?’” The coach’s show clearly was not meeting that criterion, yet there was some hesitancy. Replacing the coach’s show with something new and different was uncharted territory. “We went through all of those discussions,” Thompson says. “We just decided it was time. This is the style of things we want to do.” The decision proved to be revolutionary. Other shows had emulated the NFL Films’ style, but none for a full season on the college level. Sanford took on the role of producer and director of the show. “It was a huge endeavor that we didn’t really understand until we were weeks into it,” Ginn says. “We realized this was a pace that was really hard to keep up.” The show prospered. It featured behind-the-scenes segments of locker room speeches, humanizing player profiles and top-notch video footage with dramatic sound production and narration. The show was distributed to television affiliates as well as digitally via the Web and other platforms. But after two years, the pace began to take its toll. “In the early years, Shane was directing, and we didn’t have a lot of staff,” Ginn says. “So Shane would not get to start working on the show until Tuesday morning because he had so many other responsibilities, and it was due Wednesday at noon.” fa ll 2 0 15
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They needed more staff, and the answer came with the hiring of Chris Sabo. Sanford was able to refocus on the increasing demands of the newly formed SEC Network, supervising video production that now includes live streaming of sports such as baseball, volleyball and soccer. Sabo had enough experience to build on the groundwork that had been established by Sanford. “Shane really did go the extra mile in the first two seasons of this show,” Ginn says. “We got off into it and didn’t really understand the time it was going to take. We weren’t able to take things off of his plate. He went so far to lay a groundwork that Chris was able to come in, pick up on and move forward with a real head of steam for the show.”
Production Crunch Sabo is now in his third season and has increasingly been able to add staff to help the show run more smoothly. Much of that assistance has come from interns and graduate assistants, with one grad assistant helping with editing throughout the week and student interns coming in for specific jobs. “We have one intern that’s been trained to do wires,” Sabo says. “Plenty of people can shoot B-roll. One kid comes in on Friday and does a time-lapse a week. With the interns and their schedules, if they can help us with one job a week, that’s worth its weight in gold. That’s one job we don’t have to do. Everyone doing what they are doing allows me to have a clear look at the show.” That everyone includes Ginn, who helps Sabo write the show’s script on Sunday nights before Sabo hunkers down for two hard days of editing on Monday and Tuesday. After uploading all of the game footage to their computer servers on Sunday, the pair will reconvene that night about 8 p.m., brew some coffee and work on the script so they can clear their Monday schedule. Often, Sunday night turns into Monday morning. The script writing is where much of the storytelling takes shape. They try to identify the key characteristics of the game and organize them into different kernels that are then connected with various techniques to tell the story. “We try to take all the key elements of the game,” Ginn says. “All the momentum shifts, or big plays, or series of defensive dominance or offensive firepower … we try to focus on those and not just the play-byplay, snap one to the final whistle.” With a script written and footage uploaded, Sabo arrives at the office Monday morning, working at breakneck speed to have the show finished by Wednesday. That work includes editing video footage, voice-over narration and sound production that may include television commentators or radio broadcasts. Hundreds of hours of footage are distilled into 22-and-a-half minutes for the show. Every seven hours of work produces one minute of the show. “It takes every hour between when I get in on Monday and when my hands are off of it at one o’clock on Wednesday,” Sabo 34
Alumni Review
says. “You’re never done with it. It’s never where you want it. It’s never perfect. You just run out of time.” Because Sabo will need footage of ongoing practices from those same days, he’ll dispatch a camera crew to film team meetings and practices for the next week’s show. The player profiles are often done weeks in advance, and Sabo and Ginn work to match the player with the game. For the Vanderbilt game, they highlight Mike Hilton, the 2015 recipient of the Chucky Mullins Award. The player profiles have become a key piece of the puzzle that helps Thompson achieve his goal of humanizing the players. Through these behind-the-scenes profiles, fans get to know the players’ personalities and sense of humor. During the 2014 season, twins A.J. Moore and C.J. Moore created a fan catchphrase through their profiles on “The Season,” where they revealed their motto, “Show up to show out.” “That kind of stuff is really cool,” Sabo says. “No one would ever know that was their [catchphrase] without the show. A well-done profile is something people want to see that can change a show.” Once the show is out of his hands, Sabo’s work is not done. All of the sports footage falls under his purview. When ESPN wants a clip of Coach Hugh Freeze dancing in the locker room, Sabo is the one to provide it. When producers of a highlight show are doing a special feature on Chad Kelly, they turn to Sabo to provide the footage. New additions to the staff have allowed “The Season” to expand into other sports too. Although football is the only weekly episode, every sport is given “The Season” treatment through Web-released episodes, allowing the same inside look for all Ole Miss athletics programs. “We are absolutely slaying it all over the map,” Sabo says. “Every sport is being catered to like [it’s] never been catered to before.” The growing success of “The Season” has not gone unnoticed. The past two years, the team has taken home regional
Emmy awards for excellence, competing in the same region with professional organizations such as the Atlanta Braves as well as other SEC schools. But this production team is a competitive bunch, and occasional regional awards don’t cut it. “Obviously, the goal is a national Emmy,” Sabo says.
JOIN THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Help Keep Ole Miss Ahead of the Curve! Ole Miss has never been stronger in academics, athletics, and alumni involvement. Your continued membership in the Alumni Association is critical to help keep up the momentum. Join or extend your membership, or become a Sustaining Life Member by Jan. 15, 2016, and you will be entered into a chance to win a 48-inch Samsung Curved TV, donated by Rhoda and Eddie Maloney, Alumni Association president.
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grand Alumnus finds niche in pro tennis as Serena Williams’ hitting partner
S
Photo ©AELTC/Bob Martin
itting in the stands of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., alumnus Robbye Poole (BBA 08) never dreamed he would be attending the 2015 U.S. Open as part of the coaching staff for all-time tennis great Serena Williams. “I absolutely never thought I would be where I am today — working with the best tennis player of all time and the most professional team [of coaches],” Poole says. “Just being with the best tennis player on a daily basis, I have to pinch myself.” Born in Texas in 1984 and raised in Charlotte, N.C., Poole was 11 years old when he picked up his first racket at the suggestion of a friend. “I thought I might as well go try out just to see if I could play, and I ended up falling in love with the game,” Poole says. “There were a lot of hours I had to put in. Starting at 11 in tennis, you’re really far behind. I had no ranking and didn’t even know how to sign up for a tournament. Luckily I ended up getting a pretty good tennis coach to sort of help me prolong my progression.” As his game continued to improve, Poole’s undeniable talent emerged, garnering the attention of coaches across the country. After playing tennis for one year on his high school tennis team, he decided to switch gears and focus on his individual player ranking. “In tennis you’re not recruited by your high school ranking, you’re Serena Williams holds up the trophy after winning the women's recruited by your USTA (United singles final in Wimbledon, London, on July 11, 2015. St ates Tennis Ass o ci at ion) and international ranking, so I really focused on that,” he says. Poole’s hard work paid off, and after graduating from Myers Park High School in 2003, he accepted a tennis scholarship to play for nearby Clemson University the following fall.
Robbye Poole and Coach Patrick Mouratoglou watch Williams compete from the players’ box at Wimbledon. Photo ©AELTC/Javier Garcia 36
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Oxford Bound
“I guess I chose Clemson because it was so close to Charlotte,” Poole says. “I don’t know why I didn’t go to Ole Miss in the beginning. I had known Coach (Billy) Chadwick (MBA 85) and (his brother) Barney Chadwick for a long time from the (River Hills) club Barney ran in Jackson, and after I had been at Clemson a few months I ended up giving Coach Chadwick a call out of the blue. That was in November, and by January, I was playing for Ole Miss.” Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
While at Ole Miss, Poole went on to attain All-American honors and was instrumental in leading the Rebels to winning consecutive SEC West Championships and the 2007 SEC Championship. “Probably a standout moment for Robbye was at the 2008 USTA/ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) National Men’s Team Indoor Championships, where we made the Final Four, and he was named the tournament MVP,” Chadwick says. “He’s really competitive, and it didn’t matter if you were just playing a practice set, a game to 11 or if it was the NCAA — he always wanted to win. Every single time he took the court he gave 110 percent, not just sometimes but every time. That’s really served him well in his working with Serena and has contributed to her success. His hard work and extremely competitive spirit are unmatched and truly what separates him from other players.” Poole is proud of all the honors, titles and wins he racked up while playing for the Rebels. But he is most proud of being the first African-American to play men’s tennis at Ole Miss. “I enjoyed all of the success we had while I was there,” Poole says. “Coach Chadwick made it about us, not about himself. He’s a great guy, and I would do anything for him.”
Going Pro
Poole practices his backhand during Ole Miss men’s tennis practice.
A tennis legend in his own right, retired Ole Miss men’s tennis coach Billy Chadwick, who coached the team from 1983 to 2014, had a knack for spotting talent and giving his players the tools they needed to excel both on and off the court. Chadwick witnessed Poole’s tenacity firsthand at the USTA Boys’ Division 18 National Championships in 2002. He knew Poole had the drive and thought Ole Miss would provide the perfect environment to hone his skills. “Robbye has always been one of these players that had a lot of potential, and Ole Miss was really good for him because he got into a very comfortable environment where his teammates were extremely supportive,” Chadwick says. “What he had to do to move to the next level and be successful in college is really get confidence and control in any type of situation, and that’s what he was able to learn at Ole Miss. In fact, I cannot remember a time when he didn’t want to stay and practice extra.” 38
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Poole soon moved his way up the ranks in the USTA Pro Circuit, playing every summer in the professional tournament bracket. “I played in the summers to stay in shape for the season, and every summer I had a little bit of success,” Poole says. “I felt like that was the life for me to either coach or play. My heart was set on it, and that’s all I could think about all the time. I wasn’t thinking about going to a football game or hanging out with my friends. I was thinking about tennis nonstop.” Poole’s dedication led him to play for four years on the pro tour. He counts back-to-back professional tournament wins in Joplin, Mo., and Godfrey, Ill., in summer 2010 as the pinnacle of his playing success. After achieving a career-high ITF (International Tennis Federation) singles ranking of 414 in the pro circuit, an opportunity arose to work for Score Tennis and Fitness in Chicago in 2012. Poole packed his bags and relocated to the Windy City, where he spent three years as the club’s high performance director. “Chicago was a good stepping stone for me to get into the coaching world,” Poole says. “I coached a lot of top-ranked juniors, and it was a good way for me to get my foot in the door. I always wanted to do more pro aspect or college, but I enjoyed the kids I had.” Little did he know a chance phone call from a longtime friend was about to change his life.
Opportunity Calls
“My best friend, John Isner, played at Georgia, and had just played a team tournament with Serena in Australia in January 2015,” Poole says. “I think at that time she was looking to make a change with her hitting partner, and he recommended me. I remember when John called me that day, I thought we were going to talk about just anything, and next thing I know he asks
John Isner (left), world No. 14 in men’s singles, with Poole and Rene Moller, part of Isner’s coaching team, at the 2015 ATP Internazionali BNL d’Italia
if I would be interested in working with Serena Williams. My heart sort of dropped — it was an unbelievable opportunity.” A friend of Poole’s since their junior tennis days, Isner, world No. 14 in men’s singles, first met Williams in 2007 while on tour after college. The two hit it off and remained close. When she asked Isner who her next hitting partner should be, he didn’t hesitate. “I immediately told Serena that I felt like I had the perfect person for the job,” Isner says. “Besides the fact that Robbye is a world-class player in his own right, he knows the game very well so pairing them together seemed like a no-brainer to me. They’re very good friends off the court as well, which goes a long way in helping out her team dynamic. He’s doing an unbelievable job with Serena, and it’s been great to see.” A month after Isner’s call, Poole received a call from Williams’ agent and was asked to travel to Florida for a weeklong trial period. “That was sort of nerve-wracking,” Poole says. “I just wanted to do everything perfect and be spot on with everything. She was really nice and made me feel comfortable out there. She’s very outgoing, so she sort of helps you out in the beginning. By the second day I was able to really relax.” Driving along the road a few days later, Williams formally offered Poole the job. He promptly accepted and never looked back. “I never went back to Chicago,” Poole says. “We left for Indian Wells, Calif., two days later, and I’ve been in Palm Beach, Fla., ever since.”
DYNAMIC DUO
The Indian Wells tournament was Poole’s first big test as Williams’ new hitting partner. Her return to Indian Wells after 14 years was filled with mixed emotions and high expectations. Poole was feeling the pressure as well. “I wanted to do everything perfect at that tournament, and once again she just proved that she can overcome adversity, be
strong and still win,” Poole says. The pair went on to play in the Miami Open, the clay court semifinals in Madrid and the French Open culminating in Williams’ achieving her 20th Grand Slam. The Grand Slam tournaments, also called majors, are the four most important annual tennis events. A sixth career win at Wimbledon yielded a second “Serena Slam,” with Williams holding all four Grand Slam titles at one time. “She has this mindset to always succeed,” Poole says. “She has it made up in her mind that she’s not going to fail, so she’s always going to find a way to win.” The duo met adversity at the 2015 U.S. Open with the world No. 1 Williams ultimately losing to unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci. It was Williams’ first loss in a Grand Slam singles match this year and ended her bid for the first calendar year slam by a woman since 1988. “Winning the French and Wimbledon were obviously great, but it would have been nice to get the U.S. Open, which would have been the Grand Slam,” Poole says. “When she loses it’s a huge shock because she finds a way to win 99 percent of
Poole with Williams at the 2015 Wimbledon Champions’ Dinner
the time — no matter what the conditions or circumstances are. I’ve never seen anything like it.” With numerous exhibition games on the horizon, Poole looks forward to continuing his work with Williams. Daily court practice begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. followed by weight training, gym sessions, strengthening and stretching. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I hope to stay with her until the end of her career,” Poole says. “It’s a dream job for me because it doesn’t feel like work. It’s as close to playing on the tour as I can get. Maybe in the future I would like a head coaching position with another player on tour or even go to college tennis. But right now I’m completely content with what I’m doing.” fa ll 2 0 15
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Sports Ole Miss
Photo by Bill Dabney
Standouts Honored
REBEL GREATS ENSHRINED IN M-CLUB ALUMNI HALL OF FAME
F
ive Rebel alumni standouts, representing four different sports, were welcomed to the Ole Miss M-Club Alumni Hall of Fame at a reception and banquet in September. Those honored included Dori Carter (BBA 09) (women’s golf), Johnny Neumann (71) (men’s basketball), Dawson Pruett (BAccy 90) (football), John Shaw (BA 70) (baseball) and Patrick Willis (BSCJ 07) (football). The M-Club Alumni Chapter also recognized former football and basketball student trainer Andy Kilpatrick (BSHPE 74) with its Lotterhos Service Award. Established in 2008, this award is based on leadership, dedication, service and commitment to the M-Club. Dori Carter: A four-year member of the Ole Miss women’s golf team, Dori Carter is one of the most decorated golfers to don the red and blue. She has the distinction of being the first 40
Alumni Review
All-American in Ole Miss women’s golf history and is the only one in program history to earn first team All-SEC honors in multiple years. A Valdosta, Ga., native, Carter closed her collegiate career with a 72.78 stroke average along with earning four top-five finishes. She also took care of business in the classroom and was a three-time Academic All-SEC selection and Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar. She currently plays on the LPGA Tour after earning her LPGA card in 2011. Johnny Neumann: One of the most exciting players in college basketball history, Johnny Neumann electrified crowds in Oxford and across the Southeast in his one season at Ole Miss in 1971 and left marks in the record books that might never be touched. Neumann led the nation in scoring as a sophomore at 40.1 points per game and was named
to several 1971 All-America squads. The SEC Player of the Year, Neumann holds the Ole Miss single-season scoring record with 923 points. Off the court, he received Academic All-America and Academic All-SEC accolades. He left Ole Miss after the 1971 season to play for the ABA Memphis Tams. His professional career also included stints in Indiana, Los Angeles and Utah, and he has played or coached overseas including serving as a head coach in China, Greece, Israel and Japan. Dawson Pruett: A four-year letterman and a starting center for the Rebel football team, Dawson Pruett was honored as one of the all-time Ole Miss greats when he was named the center for the Team of the Century in 1993 during the centennial anniversary of the program. He helped the Rebels return to postseason play with appearances in the continued on page 42
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Ole Miss Sports Standouts Honored continued from page 40 1989 Liberty Bowl and the 1991 Gator Bowl. A native of Mobile, Ala., Pruett was selected to play in the 1990 Senior Bowl following his career. The 6-foot-1, 269-pound standout on the gridiron was also excellent in the classroom. He was a three-time Academic All-SEC honoree from 1988 to 1990. John Shaw: A three-year letterman for the Ole Miss baseball team, John Shaw played second base for head coach Tom Swayze. Shaw led the Rebels to a combined 72-35 record during his career, including an NCAA District III Championship in 1968 and SEC Championship in 1969. The two-time All-SEC selection made an immediate impact on the team as a sophomore, hitting .344 with 23 stolen bases. He was known for causing problems on the base path as the program’s all-time stolen bases leader with 73 steals throughout his career. He led the SEC in steals for three straight years, including a career-high 28 as a senior. Shaw is the son of Eleanor Shaw,
a longtime supporter of Ole Miss Athletics and the 2007 recipient of the M-Club Service Award.
Athlon and SI.com SEC All-Decade teams for 2000-09 and Athlon’s All-BCS Era team for 1998-2014.
Patrick Willis: One of the nation’s top linebackers when he earned first team All-America honors in 2005 and then became a consensus All-America selection as a senior in 2006, Patrick Willis set the standard for defensive play, not only in college football but the pros as well. He received the Butkus Award and Lambert Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2006. A two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year from Bruceton, Tenn., Willis was also named the South Team Defensive MVP at the 2007 Senior Bowl. He won the Chucky Mullins Courage Award and Conerly Trophy and was selected in the first round (11th overall pick) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He went on to make seven Pro Bowls and be selected All-Pro six times before he retired earlier this year. Willis led the NFL in tackles in 2007 and 2009. He was named to the
Lotterhos Service Award Recipient: Andy Kilpatrick: A football, baseball and basketball trainer in 1974 and 1975, Andy Kilpatrick received his bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss in 1975 and his J.D. from Mississippi College in 1979. He served as president of the M-Club Alumni Chapter from 2004 to 2006 and has served many roles on the board since then. The M-Club and Ole Miss have benefited tremendously from his selflessness over the years. The Wobble Davidson Scholarship, Grove Bowl and the M-Club’s $1 million donation back to the Athletics Foundation are all projects that Kilpatrick helped craft. In addition to his service with the M-Club, he served on the Alumni Association board of directors, the Athletics Committee and as general counsel for the Mississippi Bar. He currently serves as counsel for the Mississippi State Board of Architecture.
Meet Your Extended Family Take care of your family—then your Ole Miss family. A simple gift in your will to the University of Mississippi Foundation can ensure the future of your Ole Miss family for generations to come. • Support students’ education by funding scholarships. • Help attract the best instructors possible with outstanding faculty support. • Meet departmental needs campus-wide with unrestricted giving. Gifts of $25,000 or more can create endowments in your name or in honor of others. To leave a legacy for your Ole Miss family, contact us today. Call Sandra Guest, vice president, at (662) 915-5208 or visit umfoundation.planmylegacy.org.
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Alumni Review
‘‘Education is the lighting of a fire.’’ — William Butler Yeats
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Ole Miss Sports
Walk of Champions Extended NEW LETTERWINNER WALK TO BE NAMED FOR JAKE GIBBS
2016 BASEBALL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
A
fter playing the nation’s toughest schedule in 2015, the Ole Miss baseball team will have another challenging 56-game schedule as the Rebels announced their 2016 campaign in September. The regular season kicks off with Florida International coming to Swayze Field for a three-game series, Feb. 19-21, and culminates when the Rebels hit the road to battle Texas A&M three months later (May 19-21) in the final contests prior to starting postseason play with the SEC Tournament (May 24-29). The schedule is highlighted by 19 games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament this past summer, including 13 games versus opponents with an RPI in the top 25 at the end of the 2015 season. 44
Alumni Review
Although 34 percent of the schedule consists of NCAA Tournament teams, Ole Miss will host most of them at venerable Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. The 32-game home slate features 15 contests versus opponents that qualified for the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including six against College World Series teams. Arkansas visits Oxford (April 8-10), and the Rebels will square off against LSU (April 29-May 1). “Once again, we are excited about the challenge of playing a difficult schedule,” says Ole Miss Head Coach Mike Bianco. “Last season, we had the toughest schedule in the country, which groomed us for SEC play down the stretch and leading into the NCAA Tournament. Our team is looking
forward to the 2016 season, and we are ready to get on the field to begin preparing for the road to Omaha.” Ole Miss finished second in the nation in attendance in 2015, averaging 8,028 fans per game for a total season attendance of 240,849; the 8,028 average is the second-most in program history. The Rebels return 16 players from last season’s team, including six starting position players. First- or second-year players took 70.9 percent of the team’s at-bats throughout the 2015 season, and nearly all of them are back for the 2016 campaign. Ole Miss also welcomes 17 newcomers, featuring 13 freshmen and four junior college transfers.
Rendering is courtesy Ole Miss Athletics
I
n honor of his legacy and contributions to Ole Miss Athletics, Jake Gibbs’ name will be permanently attached to the new Letterwinner Walk that will be unveiled next fall. Gibbs (BSHPE 61), originally from Grenada, led Ole Miss to a pair of national titles as the Rebels’ quarterback from 1958 to 1960, enjoyed a professional baseball career as a member of the New York Yankees and served as head coach of the Ole Miss baseball team for 19 years. He led the Southeastern Conference in passing and total offense in 1959 and went on to earn first team All-America and All-SEC honors in 1960. In that year, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy race and was voted SEC Player of the Year. He was selected Most Outstanding Player of the 1961 Sugar Bowl. In 1972, Gibbs coached Ole Miss to the SEC Champion- The Jake Gibbs Letterwinner Walk will be part of the brand new north ship and to a College World Series appearance in Omaha. He end zone plaza next fall. was also named SEC Coach of the Year. His 485 wins rank The new Jake Gibbs Letterwinner Walk will honor every second all-time at Ole Miss. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Mis- Ole Miss athlete who ever earned a letter competing for Ole sissippi Sports Hall of Fame and Ole Miss M-Club Hall of Fame. Miss and will also be part of the Walk of Champions, which “It’s exciting for the new Letterwinner Walk to be given will connect to the new entrance to Vaught-Hemingway a name that carries such weight as that of Jake Gibbs,” says Stadium’s north end zone. The Letterwinner Walk and plaza Todd Sandroni (BSPh 92, PhMD 97), president of the Ole associated with it will be unveiled in October 2016. “Ole Miss Athletics and the M-Club have been working on Miss M-Club board of directors. “He’s a tremendous man who deserves this kind of honor. I can speak for the M-Club the idea for a Letterwinner Walk for a while, and there is not a and all former Rebels how much Jake means to Ole Miss. His better person whose name could be associated with this initiacontributions certainly helped pave the way for the success tive than Jake Gibbs,” says Ole Miss Athletics Foundation executive director Keith Carter (BBA 01). “It’s a perfect match.” that Ole Miss Athletics enjoys today.”
Published JUST
Travels with Bobby: Hiking in the Mountains of the American West b y Brooks Eason, 326 pages, $19.95
When the Spirit Speaks: SelfTa u g h t A r t o f t h e S o u t h b y
Margaret Day Allen, 144 pages, $34.99 (Hardcover), Schiffer Publishing Ltd., ISBN: 9780764347313 This book introduces the reader to 32 self-taught artists in the southeastern United States. Some have come to the attention of collectors and scholars, while others remain unrecognized outside their immediate neighborhoods. What they all have in common is an unquenchable desire to make art. They pursued this inspiration, often defying the expectations of family and friends. In many cases, these artists began to create in response to a personal crisis. Others harbored an interest in art for many years but only had the time to create following retirement. Most were initially unaware of the academic art world, either because they were unable to afford an art education or because their families considered such an aspiration impractical. These stories of perseverance, struggle and triumph illustrate the strength of the creative impulse, which is a part of us all. Margaret Day Allen (MA 78) is a communications professional living in North Carolina. She and her husband, Robert, have two children, Frances and Chris. 46
Alumni Review
(Paperback), Lulu Publishing Services, ISBN: 9781483427997 Brooks Eason and his best friend, Bobby Ariatti, live in the flatlands but love the mountains. They have explored the outdoors together for two decades, taking annual hiking trips to the mountains of the American West. This is the story of their first six trips. Their travels begin in Yosemite National Park in California. In the years that follow, they hike and camp in Glacier National Pa r k i n Mo n t a n a , G r a n d Te t o n National Park in Wyoming, Glacier Peak Wilderness in Washington, the Wind River Range in Wyoming and again in Glacier National Park. Along the way, they make new friends, view wildlife and waterfalls, dodge dangers and enjoy campfires as they experience some of the most beautiful scenery in America. Retrace their steps and relive their adventures in Travels with Bobby. Brooks Eason (BA 79) is a lawyer in Jackson, where he’s teaching his grandchildren to love camping and the outdoors. His wife, Carrie, enjoys being outside but prefers to sleep inside.
My Year in Harper b y Malcolm L.
Wilkinson, 207 pages, $15.99 (Paperback), Xlibris, ISBN: 9781503590120 My Year in Harper tells the story of 20-year-old Charles Chandler and his exile from Memphis to a small town in southwest Mississippi. His encounter with the three great-aunts he lives with, as well as the many town characters he meets during the year, changes his life in the most unexpected ways. Malcolm L. Wilkinson (BSPh 60) is a retired pharmacist and pharmacy owner. He was born and raised in southwest Mississippi and now lives in Atlanta, Ga. His book of short stories and poems, Tales of Harper, was published in 2014.
The Last Season: A Father, a Son, and a Lifetime of College Football b y Stuart Stevens, 224 pages,
$24.95 (Hardcover), Knopf Doubleday Publishing, ISBN: 9780385353021 In fall 2012, after working on a presidential campaign that suffered a devastating defeat, Stuart Stevens, having turned 60, realized that he and his 95-year-old father had spent little time together for decades. His solution: a season of attending Ole Miss football games together, as they’d done when
just Published college football provided a way for his father to guide him through childhood — and to make sense of the troubled South of the time. Now, driving to and from the games and cheering from the stands, they take stock of their lives as father and son, and as individuals, reminding themselves of their unique, complicated, precious bond. A seventh-generation Mississippian, Stevens grew up in Mississippi. For a long time he’s been driven by a fascination with and love of politics, film and writing and has pursued those interests throughout his life. He is a partner in the consulting firm Strategic Partners & Media and a columnist for The Daily Beast.
Bo: A Quarterback’s Journey Through an SEC Season b y Billy
Watkins, 236 pages, $24.95 (Hardcover), Nautilus Publishing, ISBN: 9781936946624 Bo: A Quarterback’s Journey Through an SEC Season is a much bigger story than one year in the life of a college football player. Award-winning reporter Billy Watkins (who interviewed Bo Wallace before and after every game) takes the reader through the highs and lows of the historic 2014 college football season — a time when Mississippi was at the epicenter of the first College Football Playoff. Readers will relive the glory of the victory over Alabama, the
frustration of the game at Tiger Stadium, the excitement of being ranked in the top four of the first CFB Playoff committee selections, the heartache of Laquon Treadwell’s horrific injury at the 1-yard line and Ole Miss’ domination in the 2014 Egg Bowl. Few seasons in Rebel history have delivered such drama. In Bo, readers get a glimpse into behind-the-scenes conversations and conflicts — and stories that have never been told anywhere before. Billy Watkins (BSJ 75) has worked as a sports writer, feature writer and columnist for more than three decades at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson. His work has earned him more than 50 national and regional awards. He also has written two books. The BBC named his 2005 work, Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes, one of the top 10 books ever written on the Apollo missions.
his size. At 5 feet 7 inches and 150 pounds, he was never the biggest, fastest, most talented or strongest wide receiver on the team. Contartesi’s story chronicles the trials and tribulations of a boy with a dream and the realities of Division I college football at Ole Miss. This is a story of hope, determination and success that will fuel your inner desire to be the best you can be and defy the naysayers and odds to reach your dreams. What happens next shocks the world and will most definitely shock you too. As a motivational speaker, Contartesi (BSCJ 10) brings his passion, perseverance and hope to America’s youth. He explores why desire, commitment, hard work and a never-give-up attitude are the keys to personal success.
In Spite of the Odds: A True Inspirational Journey from Walk-on Information presented in this section is to Full Scholarship at Ole Miss compiled from material provided by the by Richie Contartesi, 198 pages, $14.99 publisher and/or author and does not nec(Paperback), Defy the Odds Publishing, ISBN: 9780996618519 Richie Contartesi was a small-town kid who dreamed of playing big-time college football in the SEC. He had the heart, tenacity and love for the game, but a nagging problem haunted him from youth football through college —
essarily 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. fa ll 2 0 15
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Traveler 2016 REBEL
San Blas Islands, Panama
T
he Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a number of spectacular trips for 2016. 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 A lumni Ass o ci at ion’s website at www.olemissalumni.com/travel.
SOUTHERN ITALY: NAPLES AND SICILY JAN. 16-24, 2016
*Ole Miss Travelers Only* Join the traditional Ole Miss January European vacation, this year to southern Italy. This tour is based both in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast and in Taormina in Sicily, traveling by highspeed train between the two. From our base locations, we will visit nearby 48
Alumni Review
historic monuments. From Sorrento, we will tour historic Naples and the remains of Pompeii and take a leisurely trip along the spectacular Amalfi Coast. From Taormina, we will travel to Siracusa and the baroque Noto, make an expedition up Mount Etna and enjoy a lunch and wine tasting at a local farm. Our hotels are the finest in spectacular locations, the rooms are especially comfortable, and the cuisine is exceptional. Whatever your pleasure, this vacation to southern Italy promises beautiful scenery, magnificent art and architecture, excellent food and wines, and most importantly, the camaraderie when Ole Miss friends travel together. — From $4,040, including airfare
AMAZON RIVER EXPEDITION JAN. 22-31, 2016
This unforgettable, custom-designed journey features a cruise in the Amazon River basin aboard the deluxe, all-suite MV Zafiro, the newest small expedition river vessel, and two nights in historic Lima, Peru, a UNESCO World
Heritage site. Led by Peruvian naturalists, cruise into one of the Earth’s most exotic natural realms and our planet’s largest rainforest ecosystem. Seek rare, indigenous flora and fauna — delicate orchids, towering ceiba trees, pink river dolphins and slow-moving sloths — and visit local villages to observe the traditional way of life of the ribereños (river people). A special post-tour option to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley is offered. — From $4,695
ISLAND PARADISE JAN. 23-FEB. 2, 2016
From sun-kissed islands dotted with emerald palms and pastel colonial architecture to powdery moon-white beaches lapped by translucent aqua seas, discover a serene Caribbean paradise on this 10-night luxury cruise. From Miami, sail aboard Oceania Cruises’ newest ship, Riviera, to stunning islands including the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Maarten. Encounter a blend of beautifully restored Victorian
2016 rebel Traveler mansions, candy-colored parliament buildings and 18th-century forts in cosmopolitan Nassau. Experience the charming colonial character of Old San Juan with its blue-tinged cobblestone streets, brightly painted buildings and ornate balconies. Discover Gustavia’s chic atmosphere, from its glittering harbor lined with sleek yachts to its redroofed villas nestled among lush greenery. Explore the famous Georgian-era Nelson’s Dockyard in St. John’s, and admire the pretty gingerbread cottages in Castries. Before returning to Miami, take in Philipsburg’s delightful Dutch architecture, snorkel Shipwreck Cove, or kayak the scenic Simpson Bay Lagoon. — From $2,699
PASSAGE THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL AND COSTA RICA JAN. 29-FEB. 6, 2016
Join this spectacular nine-day journey from the Costa Rican rainforest through the mighty locks of the Panama Canal. Spend one night in a deluxe hotel in San José, Costa Rica. Cruise for seven nights aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star, all-suite MV Star Breeze. Explore the terrestrial wonders of Costa Rica’s national parks and wildlife refuges. Experience a daylight passage through the awe-inspiring Panama Canal to remote island paradises and pristine waters home to diverse marine life. Tour Panama City and visit Panama’s San Blas Islands. Enjoy lectures by exclusive onboard study leaders. Costa Rica’s Volcanoes pre-program and Panama post-program options are offered. — From $4,395
THE PRIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA JAN. 30-FEB. 11, 2016
Travel the breadth of southern Africa, where nature’s spectacle is at its most dramatic, history is rich, the culture is diverse, and the “Big Five” game viewing is extraordinary. Follow Nelson Mandela’s long road to freedom in South Africa. Take a unique threenight river safari aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star MS Zambezi Queen on Namibia’s legendary Chobe River. Enjoy superb game viewing aboard
four-wheel-drive safari vehicles in seldom-visited Botswana. Visit three UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Zimbabwe’s incomparable Victoria Falls. Enjoy five-star hotel accommodations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Victoria Falls. A post-program option in the MalaMala private game reserve bordering Kruger National Park is available. — From $6,995
CRUISING TAHITI AND FRENCH POLYNESIA FEB. 4-14, 2016
Join us for nine nights in French Polynesia, the Society Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago, with seven nig hts ab o ard t he f ive-st ar-plus MS Paul Gauguin. This splendid opportunity includes a whole host of complimentary features aboard ship: all onboard gratuities, select beverages replenished in your stateroom and served with lunch and dinner, water sports and even personal butler service in suites and the highest-categor y staterooms. Also, spend two nights in Papeete, Tahiti. A post-program option in a deluxe seaside resort on Bora Bora is offered. — From $5,995, including airfare from Los Angeles. Air add-ons have limited availability and are not guaranteed.
accepts human company up-close like nowhere else on earth. In Quito, a UNESC O World Her it age site, enjoy deluxe hotel accommodations. An Ecuadorian rainforest ecolodge pre-tour option is available, as well as a six-night Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley post-tour option. — From $4,795
CUBAN DISCOVERY MARCH 3-11, 2016
Cu b a’s t u r b u l e nt e c o n o m i c a n d political past and vibrant, culturally rich present unfold on this enriching journey developed for the Ole Miss Alumni Association. This exclusive travel opportunity is organized and operated by Go Next Inc., a qualified people-to-people sponsoring organization allowed to conduct educational exchanges in Cuba. Specially designed to showcase the island’s authentic
VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY: WONDERS OF THE GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS FEB. 28-MARCH 8, 2016
This incredible 10-day journey features a five-night c r u i s e i n t h e G a l áp a go s Isl ands , a natu re l ove r’s d r e a m d e s t i n a t i o n a n d Havana, Cuba UNESCO World Heritage site, aboard the first-class small ship spirit, this nine-day adventure goes MV Santa Cruz II. This exploration beyond the tourist surface to reveal vessel is equipped for the complete the rich culture, compelling history Galápagos experience, from a fleet and architectural majesty of this longof Zodiacs and a glass-bottom boat forbidden island on the verge of great to certified naturalists and compli- change. With an intimate group of up to mentary snorkeling gear. Visit six 25 travelers, you’ll engage with the true islands, where the unique wildlife heart and soul of this colorful country: fa ll 2 0 15
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2016 rebel Traveler two of the enchanting Balearic Islands — Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca. Visit three UNESCO World Heritage sites while cruising ancient Mediterranean and Atlantic trade routes aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star small ship MV Tere Moana. Barcelona precruise and Lisbon post-cruise options are offered. — From $5,995
EUROPEAN COASTAL CIVILIZATIONS APRIL 16-24, 2016
Antwerp, Belgium
the diverse, inspiring people who call it home. During your visits to Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Santa Clara, you will connect with Cuban citizens from all walks of life, including artists, educators and entrepreneurs, to discover the realities of this incredibly fascinating nation. — From $5,499
WATERWAYS AND CANALS OF HOLLAND AND BELGIUM APRIL 7-15, 2016
Journey along the waterways of Holland and Belgium aboard the exclusively chartered MS Amadeus Silver II with luxurious accommodations and a river view from every cabin. New for 2016, enjoy a journey that can be customized with a choice of included excursions in select ports of call. Begin your adventure in Belgium, where you can witness the unrivaled charm of the important port city of Antwerp and the amazing architecture and art of Bruges. See the renowned Zeeland Coast. While in The Hague and Delft, tour the works at the Mauritshuis, delve deeper into the life and works of Johannes Vermeer, 50
Alumni Review
or learn about the renowned Blue Delft porcelain. Continue to charming Giethoorn and well-preserved Kampen. Then end your adventure in Amsterdam, where you will cruise its scenic canals, and stroll through renowned Keukenhof Gardens, bike through picturesque Waterland, or see Rembrandt’s masterpieces at the Rijksmuseum. This colorful program includes flexible excursions, educational programs, accommodations and an extensive meal plan featuring wine with lunch and dinner. — From $2,495
TRADE ROUTES OF COASTAL IBERIA (sold out – waiting list only) APRIL 15-23, 2016
This unique and exclusive nine-day itinerary and small-ship voyage showcases the coastal jewels of the Iberian Peninsula between Barcelona, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal. Cruise up Spain’s legendary Guadalquivir River into the heart of beautiful Seville. Visit Portugal’s lesser-traveled Algarve region and the regal city of Granada, Spain. See the scenic Strait of Gibraltar, and call on
This unique nine-day itinerary captures the historical legacies and dynamic cultures of coastal Portugal, Spain and France. Cruise for seven nights aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star MS L’Austral, and visit up to seven UNESCO World Heritage sites. The exclusive C’est Bon! Culinary Traditions program, led by our culinary expert Kristine Kidd, celebrates the cuisines and wines of our ports of call through lectures, demonstrations and tastings. Call at Oporto in Portugal’s renowned wine country. Walk in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela. Visit the illustrious Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and beautiful Biarritz and Bayonne in French Basque country. Lisbon precruise and Bordeaux post-cruise options are offered. — From $3,995
MÁLAGA TO ROME APRIL 21-29, 2016
Join this unique seven-night cruise on the Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian seas to the resplendent shores of Spain and Italy, and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. Cruise from Málaga to Rome aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star small ship MS Le Lyrial, which launched this year. This unique itinerary features six UNESCO World Heritage sites and fascinating cultures left in the wake of ancient and classical empires. Explore rarely visited Murcia, Sardinia’s captivating nuraghe, Agrigento’s majestic Valley of Temples, the incredible Greek theater of Taormina, the stunning Amalfi Coast or the perfectly preserved past in Pompeii. Málaga/Granada precruise and Rome post-cruise options are offered. — From $3,995
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ARE YOU A CARD-CARRYING OLE MISS FAN? Put the Ole Miss Regions Visa® CheckCard* in your wallet. All you need is a Regions checking account. There’s never been a better time to show your school spirit. To find out how to customize your Regions CheckCard, stop by any branch to talk with an associate, call 1.800.regions or visit regions.com/gorebels.
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To learn more, stop by a branch, call 1.800.regions or visit regions.com/gorebels © 2015 Regions Bank. All deposit accounts are subject to the terms and conditions of the Regions Deposit Agreement. *Additional fees apply to collegiate CheckCards. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.
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News ALUMNI
Class Notes
’50s
College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel for 2015-16.
’60s
KEN GRAEBER (BBA 74) joined First Bank as community bank president of the Jackson metro market.
CAROLYN BOWDEN (BSC 59) of Missouri City, Texas, published her first book, Around the Neighborhoods.
DR. J. EDWARD HILL (BS 61, MD 64) of Tupelo was reappointed to serve another term on the board of the Mississippi Department of Health. ERNEST B. LIPSCOMB (BSChE 63, JD 65) of Charleston was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 Best Lawyers in America. DR. MARTIN MCMULLAN (MD 66), senior adviser to the vice chancellor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, was elected president of the Metro Jackson American Heart Association. JAMES MEREDITH ( BA 6 3 ) of Ja ck s on received the first Mississippi Writers Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. CHAM TROTTER (BA 69, JD 72), of Gerrard & Trotter in Belzoni, was named the 2015 University of Mississippi School of Law Alumnus of the Year.
’70s
ALLAN ALEXANDER (JD 78), magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court in Northern Mississippi in Oxford, received the Mississippi Bar Judicial Excellence Award at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Bar in Destin, Fla. STACY DEMARTINI BRUTON (BA 78) of Harahan, La., was elected to serve on the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority’s Grand Council as international president for the next biennium. LAMPKIN BUTTS (BBA 73), president and chief operating officer of Sanderson Farms Inc. in Laurel, was appointed to the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s New Orleans branch. EDWARD JONES CURRIE JR. (BA 73, JD 76), of Currie Johnson Griffin & Myers PA in Jackson, was elected president of the American
52
Alumni Review
JAMESON GREGG (BBA 78) of Dahlonega, Ga., was named 2014 Georgia Author of the Year by the Georgia Writers Association for his novel Luck Be a Chicken. DR. TOM HOUSTON (BA 73, MD 77) of Columbus, Ohio, was elected president of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians. LISA HOWORTH (BA 76, MA 84), Oxfordbased author, joined Mississippi novelists R.B. Chesterton, Michael Kardos and Jamie Kornegay at the Mississippi State Capitol to talk with Columbus novelist and moderator Michael Farris Smith about fiction that defies boundaries. JOHN HUDSON (BA 72, JD 75) of Natchez and jurist in residence with the Mississippi Supreme Court was awarded the Chief Justice’s Award at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Bar in Destin, Fla. DR. WORD M. JOHNSTON (BA 77, MD 81) of Mount Olive was recognized as Family Physician of the Year. LANCELOT L. MINOR III (BA 71), partner with the Memphis, Tenn., law firm of Bourland Heflin Alvarez Minor & Matthews PLC, was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters.
’80s
CARL J. CHANEY (BBA 83, JD 86) of New Orleans, La., joined JTS Capital Group as vice chairman and member of the board of directors. SCOTT COOPWOOD (BA 84) of Cleveland was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant (79) to serve on the board of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
DANIEL P. EDNEY (MD 88), internist with Medical Associates of Vicksburg, was inaugurated as the 148th president of the Mississippi State Medical Association. TIMOTHY W. LINDSAY (BBA 81, JD 84), of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC in Jackson, was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2016 Best Lawyers in America. THE REV. PAUL K. MCLAIN III (BBA 82) was named associate rector for spiritual growth at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tenn. SUSAN MCPHAIL (BAEd 84, MD 03) of Oxford worked alongside Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in the movie “A Walk in the Woods.” RICHARD WHITE (BBA 86, MBA 87) presented “In Name Only: Alcohol Prohibition in Mississippi (1908-66)” at the Economics of Vices and Virtues Conference at St. Petersburg State University in St. Petersburg, Russia.
’90s
BRADLEY BEST (JD 95) of Oxford was elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. SUSAN BONIFIELD (BA 95) of Durham, N.C., was elected to the executive board of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity. CRYSTAL COMBS (BAccy 98, MTax 99) of Picayune was elected to the executive board of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity. CHIARI SIMEONE-DIFRANCESCO (PhD 90) of Oshkosh, Wis., opened the Marriage & Family Schema Therapy Institute of Healing International Inc., a nonprofit she co-founded in 1986. She also released her book Schema Therapy with Couples: A Practitioner’s Guide in Healing Relationships. JACK R. DODSON (BAccy 93, JD 96) joined the law firm of Dickinson Wright PLLC in Nashville. SCOTT A. GRIFFIN (BA 97) of Long Island, N.Y., launched his law firm, Griffin Hamersky PC.
刀 䄀 夀 倀 伀 伀 䰀䔀 䤀 一 匀 唀 刀 䄀 一 䌀䔀 䈀 唀夀 䤀一 䜀 䄀 䠀 伀䴀䔀 Ⰰ 䌀 伀一 䐀 伀 Ⰰ 伀刀 刀 䔀一 吀䄀 䰀 㼀 䜀 䤀嘀䔀 唀匀 䄀 䌀 䄀 䰀 䰀 ℀
ᰠ圀 攀 䤀渀 猀 甀 爀攀 䔀 瘀 攀爀礀眀 栀攀爀攀 椀渀 䴀 椀猀 猀 椀猀 猀 椀瀀瀀椀ᴠ 刀䄀 夀倀 伀 伀 䰀 䔀 ⸀ 䌀 伀 䴀
㘀㘀㈀뜀㔀㘀㌀뜀㜀㜀㈀
刀䄀 夀 䀀 刀䄀 夀倀 伀 伀 䰀 䔀 ⸀ 䌀 伀 䴀
OLE MISS NEEDS YOU! Do you have children or grandchildren whom you would like to attend Ole Miss? If so, help us get them here! Students may sign up to join our mailing list by visiting www.olemiss.edu/vip. Select “high school student,” “transfer student,” or “international student,” and complete the interest page. We will add you to our mailing list, and you will begin receiving correspondence from Ole Miss. After completing the form, you will be redirected to a webpage designed specifically for prospective students!
The University of Mississippi is committed to the core principles of a great American university: accessibility, excellence and leadership, and service.
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ALUMNI News (balloon sinuplasty) at the 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy in Dallas, Texas.
DR. BRYAN D. LEATHERMAN (MD 97), otolaryngologist with the Coastal Sinus and Allergy Center in Gulfport, was selected to teach an instructional course on in-office balloon sinus dilation
KATE MARGOLIS (JD 99), counsel in the Jackson office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, was elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
Photo by Robert Jordan
STEPHEN JOHNSTON (BBA 93) was named to the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson’s board of trustees.
MIKE SWEET (BA 94) of Dallas, Texas, was selected president of Ben E. Keith Foods.
’00s
WILL ANDERSON (BA 01) was promoted to the rank of sergeant at the University of Mississippi Police Department. DR. SAMUEL COLE (BA 03, MD 07) joined the Hattiesburg OB/GYN practice of Women’s Pavilion of South Mississippi. BEN CRADDOCK (BA 02) opened Krystal restaurant’s Oxford location. MACEY EDMONDSON (JD 01, MA 08, PhD 13), assistant dean for student affairs at the University of Mississippi School of Law, was named one of the “50 Leading Business Women in Mississippi” by the Mississippi Business Journal. JEREMY ENGLAND (JD 08) of Ocean Springs received the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division’s Outstanding Young Lawyer of Mississippi Award for 2014-15. L. KASIMU HARRIS (MA 08) presented his second solo photography exhibition, “The 10 Year Journey: Reflections of Family, Identity and New Orleans,” at the George and Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art in New Orleans, La. JOHN CHRISTIAN IMES (BA 06, BAccy 13) was promoted to acting assistant finance director for the City of Fort Worth (Texas) Financial Management Services, Treasury. ROBERT KRAUSE (BA 04, PhD 11) of Washington, D.C., accepted the position of historic preservation planner with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. WEI-KAI LAI (PhD 08) was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie. ADRIAN L. MAYSE (BBA 05) was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Accounting at Howard University in Washington, D.C. JESSE MITCHELL (BAccy 04, JD 08), founding partner of The Mitchell Firm, was named to the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson’s board of trustees. MAJ. JENNIFER DELL MULLINS (JD 04) of Warner Robins, Ga., was promoted to major in the U.S. Air Force.
2015 Homecoming Queen Heather Neilson and 2014-15 Ole Miss Alumni Association President Trentice Imbler 54
Alumni Review
RAY SMITH POOLE III (BSCJ 08) opened a State Farm Agency office in Prattville, Ala.
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ALUMNI News MELISSA ROBINSON (BA 05) of Austin, Texas, opened Bona Dea, an organic gluten and allergen-free baking mix company.
JAY SHERIDAN (BA 01), of Sheridan Public Relations LLC in Nashville, Tenn., was named a “40 Under 40” by Nashville Business Journal.
CHERISH MARIE SANSING (BAEd 07, MEd 09), second-grade lead teacher at Samuel J. Green Charter School in New Orleans, La., was a 2015 finalist for the New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Award.
NICHOLAS SWEET (BSPh 01) completed radiology residency at Naval Medical Center in San Diego, Calif., and served as staff radiologist on the USNS Mercy during Pacific Partnership 2015, bringing humanitarian aid to areas in the South Pacific.
’10s
DONALD B. HUTCHINS (BBA 11, JD 14) of Cordova, Tenn., joined Baker Donelson as an associate in the firm’s tax group. JOSH RANDLE (BA 10) of Atlantic City, N.J., was promoted to the position of chief operating officer with the Miss America Organization. Photo by Jim Urbanek
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CONGRATULATES 2015-16 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
T
he Alumni Association held an ice cream social in September to honor all recipients of the Herb Dewees Alumni Association Scholarship, Ben Williams Minority Scholarship, Wobble Davidson M-Club Scholarship, Clay Waycaster Student Alumni Council Scholarship, Alumni Association Band Scholarship and Grove Society Scholarship. In all, 308 scholarships totaling $268,000 are being awarded for the school year. For more information on alumni scholarship opportunities, visit www.olemissalumni.com.
Call me today at (601) 442.6292 319 Main Street Natchez, MS 39120 601.442.6292 • Phone 601.442.6365 • Fax
Forrest A. Johnson III, CFA, CFP® Financial Advisor
www.ameripriseadvisors.com/forrest.johnson forrest.johnson@ampf.com
801 Clay Street, Suite 1 Vicksburg, MS 39182 601.636.7111 • Phone 601.636.7711 • Fax
Financial Planning | Retirement | Investments| Insurance Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2014 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. 56
Alumni Review
ALUMNI News Weddings
Sarah Douglas Clark (BA 12) and Walter Joseph Gex V (BA 11), May 30, 2015. Kristi Hays and W. Dean Belk III (BBA 92), May 2, 2015.
Stephanie Ann Henson (BAccy 08, MAccy 09) and James Riley McNab III, May 2, 2015. Mary Allen Langford (BA 12) and Joshua Nathaniel Debold (BBA 05), Aug. 1, 2015.
Mary Brandon Norman (BSPh 09, PharmD 11) and Kirkland Thomas Johnston (BBA 05), July 11, 2015. Mary Virginia Sewall and John C. Cavett Jr. (BBA 12), Aug. 1, 2015.
Suzanne Elizabeth Weaver (BA 08) and Daniel Garrett Jackson (BA 09), June 6, 2015.
Births
Thomas Martin IV, son of Mary Shellie Carr (BS 09) and Patrick Louis Carr (BA 08), June 23, 2015. Parker Lee, son of DiAnne Owen Graham (BBA 01) and Christopher Lee Graham, Aug. 30, 2015. Harrison Ryan, son of Mary Austin Jones and Michael Ryan Jones (BSES 05), July 11, 2015. Caroline Olivia, daughter of Abby McGrew Manning (BSFCS 05) and Elisha Nelson Manning (BBA 03), Jan. 29, 2015. Ann Clinton, daughter of Laine D. Mitchell (BSFCS 03) and Clinton Matthew Mitchell (05), July 31, 2015.
Charley George, son of Natasha Prakope (BBA 98, BA 99) and Steve Prakope, April 1, 2015.
Harper Sinclair, daughter of Victoria L. Thames (BA 13) and Benjamin Bounds Thames (BA 11), Nov. 4, 2014.
Elliott Stone, son of Ann Christopher P. Trotter (BSN 08) and Bryant Collins Trotter (BA 07, DMD 12), Dec. 3, 2014. Beau Stegall, son of Brooke Stegall Weedon (BA 04) and John K. Weedon, June 29, 2015.
Wilkes Lofton and Owen Lee, sons of Christine Wooddall and Dustin Kyle Wooddall (BBA 97), June 18, 2015. Audrey Lauren, daughter of Lauren Diane Yow and Nathan Ashley Yow (BBA 03, JD 07), Aug. 4, 2015.
In Memoriam 1940s
Thomas Ford Badon (LLB 47) of Liberty, May 21, 2015
Albert Coleman Bryan Jr. (BA 43, MedCert 50) of Huntsville, Ala., July 20, 2015 William A. Carlisle (BBA 49) of Olive Branch, Aug. 13, 2015 Ira G. Carter (BBA 49) of Columbus, July 14, 2015
Noel Taylor Clarkson Jr. (47) of Seneca, S.C., June 27, 2015 Theresa Murry Farrar (49) of Macon, Aug. 7, 2015
Peggy Horn Hardin (49) of Bessemer, Ala., Aug. 19, 2015
Dorothy Keys Hayes (BAEd 44) of Brandon, Aug. 23, 2015 Leland Hume Jr. (BS 47) of Jackson, July 4, 2015
Mary Grisham Joiner (BA 44) of Brandon, July 21, 2015
Mary Lillian Newton Landrum (BA 43) of Baton Rouge, La., Sept. 2, 2015 Eldon Lee McCarty (BAEd 47) of Merigold, Sept. 7, 2015
Cary Weathersby Salter Jr. (BSPh 49) of Jackson, Aug. 4, 2015
George J. Schweizer Jr. (LLB 47) of Arlington, Tenn., June 30, 2015 James L. Webb Jr. (BA 48) of Greenville, Aug. 16, 2015
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ALUMNI News 1950s
James Frank McKenzie (LLB 58) of Hattiesburg, July 17, 2015
Latha Mimbs Barnes (MS 59) of Eatonton, Ga., July 17, 2015
Oliver Marvin Oates Jr. (BA 50, LLB 56) of Bay Springs, Aug. 17, 2015
Mary Jo Stuart Amos (BAEd 52) of Garner, N.C., June 30, 2015 Sidney Ray Berry (52) of Jackson, Sept. 1, 2015
Don E. Blanchard Sr. (MEd 50, BSHPE 50) of Grand Prairie, Texas, July 24, 2015 James Edward Bodamer USN (Ret) (BSME 58) of Diamondhead, July 17, 2015
Rudy Peter Bourgeois (BSPh 58) of Baton Rouge, La., Aug. 21, 2015 Bonnie Markle Broxson (BA 59) of Metairie, La., Aug. 21, 2015 Richard A. Burton Jr. (BBA 50) of Laurel, July 11, 2015
Jonnie McWhorter Butler (BSC 54) of Oxford, Aug. 9, 2015
Charles Harold Cashon Jr. (51) of Jackson, Tenn., July 15, 2015
James Russell Clinton III (BBA 54) of West Memphis, Ark., July 17, 2015 Arvah Eugene Dyess (BA 50) of Jackson, July 10, 2015
Bruce Charles Meyer (BSME 56) of Carmel, Calif., Aug. 5, 2015
William Clark Pannell (BAEd 53, MEd 56) of New Albany, Sept. 2, 2015 W. Joe Reid (56) of Batesville, July 29, 2015
Muriel Oulpe Rogers (53) of Oakton, Va., Aug. 12, 2015
JoAnn Prophet Rone (BS 58, MS 82) of Hernando, Aug. 26, 2015
Thurston Hadley Sherman Jr. (BSGE 51) of Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 1, 2015 Hubert N. Stuart (BBA 51) of Walnut Grove, Aug. 1, 2015
Walter Travis Taylor (BA 52, MD 60) of Biloxi, Aug. 14, 2015
Allen Cavett Thompson Jr. (LLB 54, BBA 54) of Cordova, Tenn., Aug. 8, 2015
Alvin Hubert Tubb (BBA 56) of Flower Mound, Texas, June 25, 2015
Clementine Thomas Wehba (BSC 52) of Oklahoma City, Okla., Aug. 9, 2015 John Milton White (BA 56) of Germantown, Tenn., Aug. 4, 2015
William Malcolm Egger (BA 50) of Caledonia, July 13, 2015
Heber Clark Ethridge Sr. (MedCert 50, BS 50) of Madison, Sept. 3, 2015
Janie Therell Wood (BAEd 50) of Macon, July 6, 2015
Carl Eugene Fincher (BA 53) of Greenwood, Aug. 26, 2015
1960s
James Paul Henley (BSGE 50) of Jackson, Aug. 10, 2015
Harry Bartton Beatty Jr. (BBA 68) of Springfield, Va., Aug. 4, 2015
John Donovan Gautier Sr. (BBA 51, LLB 53) of Fairhope, Ala., June 29, 2015 Mary Frances Allen Huffman (BAEd 53) of Spring, Texas, Aug. 30, 2015 Norma Josephine Jackson (MEd 53) of Carrollton, Aug. 29, 2015
Roberta Xandra Williams Jenkins (51) of Sugar Land, Texas, Aug. 12, 2015 Edley Hicks Jones Jr. (BA 50) of Vicksburg, Aug. 19, 2015
Fred Ernst Lacey Jr. (BBA 54) of Suffolk, Va., June 28, 2015
Homer Alton Lamotte (BSChE 53) of Encinitas, Calif., Sept. 3, 2015 Thomas Taylor Lindley (BBA 50) of Baldwyn, July 18, 2015
William White Low (BA 59) of New Fairfield, Conn., Aug. 19, 2015
Robert von Elm Mayfield (MedCert 50, BS 50) of Metairie, La., July 19, 2015 Thomas Scott McCay Sr. (MedCert 51) of Jackson, Aug. 20, 2015
Fred Alvin Anderson III (BBA 63, JD 66) of Gloster, April 26, 2014 Maxie Gene Brown (BA 62, LLB 64) of Meridian, Sept. 6, 2015 Olivia Brock Brunson (BA 64) of Covington, La., July 5, 2015
Dewey Richard Bryant (MEd 66) of Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 7, 2014 Samuel Jacob Carroll III (BA 69) of Abilene, Texas, Aug. 6, 2015
Jerry Hickey Center (BBA 64, MA 67, JD 72) of Belleair, Fla., Aug. 26, 2015 Linda Harper Chisholm (BSC 64) of Pontotoc, July 24, 2015
Ottis Brazel Crocker Jr. (BA 60, LLB 62) of Bruce, June 29, 2015 Janellen Baker Day (BS 64) of Oxford, July 16, 2015
Jerry Campbell Dumas (BA 63) of Spearfish, S.D., July 31, 2015
Benjamin M. Hamilton (MA 65) of Hampton, Va., Aug. 19, 2015
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ALUMNI News Carole Green Henderson (MA 62) of Cary, N.C., Aug. 25, 2015
William Thomas Hendrick (MEd 66) of Lakeland, Fla., July 20, 2015 William Frank Hoyt (MS 63) of Columbus, Aug. 17, 2015 Thomas Roper Jones (BBA 63) of Saltillo, July 13, 2015
Angelo Demetrios Liollio (BBA 65) of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 28, 2015 Frederick Michael Logan (64) of Hattiesburg, July 31, 2015
Billy Quay McCord (BAEd 63, MEd 66) of Bruce, July 14, 2015
Harriet Franklin Outlaw (BA 63, MEd 94) of Baldwyn, July 14, 2015 Fletcher Crockett Patterson (MEd 66) of Wewahitchka, Fla., Aug. 15, 2015 Edward C. Prisock (JD 65) of Louisville, July 30, 2015
Jo Frances Edwards Richardson (BA 62) of Tallahassee, Fla., May 14, 2015
Jan Harris Robinson (BSHPE 65) of Vicksburg, Aug. 18, 2015
Sammie Joel Robinson (BBA 63, MCP 67) of Columbus AFB, July 10, 2015
Howard Lawrence Sinsley (MEd 69) of Spartanburg, S.C., Sept. 7, 2015 Jamie Aycock Taylor (MA 65) of Corinth, Aug. 14, 2015
Frank McDonald Thompson (BM 63) of Searcy, Ark., June 30, 2015 William Elzie Tims II (MS 61) of Cumming, Ga., Aug. 1, 2015
Barnett Glenn Triplett Jr. (MM 65) of Senatobia, Aug. 27, 2015 Michael Joseph Vizio (BBA 66) of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Sept. 3, 2015 Kenneth Carroll Willis (BBA 68, MA 75) of Washington, D.C., July 30, 2015
1970s
Mildred Jones Allen (MEd 71, EdD 75) of Jackson, Aug. 31, 2015 William Dallas Bethea III (JD 78) of Gulfport, Aug. 29, 2015
Frances Blissard Boeckman (MLS 77) of Jackson, Aug. 28, 2015 William Lawrence Bounds (BBA 70) of Clinton, July 17, 2015
European Journey
O
le Miss alumni and friends enjoyed “The Great Journey through Europe” in July as part of the Alumni Association’s travel program. For more information on upcoming trips, visit the Rebel Traveler department on page 48 of this issue, or visit the Alumni Association website at www.olemissalumni.com.
Fascinating History • Unique Culture • Vibrant Nightlife Ole Miss • Terrific Shopping • Four-Star Dining Genuine Southern Hospitality
Start planning your visit today.
www.visitoxfordms.com or 800.758.9177
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ALUMNI News Bruce Browning (75) of Waterford, Aug. 11, 2015
1980s
Patsy Webber Dinwiddie (MEd 77) of Trenton, Tenn., Aug. 6, 2015
Mark Clifton Carmichael (BS 89) of Madison, Aug. 24, 2015
Margaret Karel Kendall Cole (BA 70) of Starkville, July 25, 2015
Mary Bright Hensley Adams (BBA 81) of Germantown, Tenn., Aug. 16, 2015
Steven Marion Fletcher (BA 79, BA 79, MD 83) of Decatur, Ala., July 9, 2015 Debra Mitchell Gamblin (BA 77) of Brandon, Aug. 28, 2015
Benjamin Lee Greene (BAEd 72) of Bartlett, Tenn., July 18, 2015
Donna Lynn Enlow (BBA 83) of Olive Branch, July 6, 2015
Jeffrey Wayne Ingram (MBA 87) of Fairhope, Ala., Aug. 26, 2015
Irma Humphrey Greene (BAEd 73) of Bartlett, Tenn., Feb. 26, 2014
Charles Michael Jenkins (BSGE 81, MS 96, MSES 07) of Oxford, July 10, 2015
Lucy Young Hamilton (MA 74) of Holly Springs, Aug. 5, 2015
James Stephen McDonald (JD 85) of Lexington, Ky., Aug. 15, 2015
Carol Hiersche Kidd (BSN 75, MN 77) of Starkville, June 28, 2015
Susan Porter Overton (BA 89) of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 20, 2015
Melanie Nelson Matthews (BSN 70) of Jackson, Tenn., Aug. 4, 2015
Sammie Russell Ryan (MBA 83) of Candor, N.Y., June 11, 2015
Ronald Wayne McElroy (BBA 70) of Clarksdale, Aug. 8, 2015
Dorothy Hargrove Tatum (BA 88) of Oxford, Aug. 20, 2015
John Gladden Hall (PhD 72) of Arkadelphia, Ark., Aug. 14, 2015
David Byron Lee (BA 84) of Oxford, June 24, 2015
Lori Lynne Henderson (BBA 78) of Brentwood, Tenn., June 4, 2015
George Anna Hirst Muirhead (MLS 84) of Jackson, Aug. 11, 2015
James Grant Leker (MD 74) of Gulf Breeze, Fla., July 23, 2015
Lisa Roberts Pirkle (BAEd 83, MEd 85, SpecEd 89) of Belden, Sept. 9, 2015
Jennifer Douglas Mayo (BA 72) of Hurdle Mills, N.C., July 2, 2015
Mark Bedford Strickland (JD 89) of Biloxi, July 31, 2015
Peggy Sears Newman (BA 76) of Dallas, Texas, July 26, 2015
Daniel Vincent Tucker (BS 83) of Memphis, Tenn., June 30, 2015
Dorothy Shirley Williams Pouncey (BAEd 70) of Germantown, Tenn., Aug. 19, 2015
1990s
Flora Johnson Slate (MEd 76) of Oxford, Aug. 15, 2015
Bogue Reuben Miller III (95) of Marietta, Ga., June 29, 2015
Leah Jane Nuckolls (MA 74) of Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 4, 2015
Laforest Aloysius George (BSW 90) of Collierville, Tenn., July 29, 2015
Ronald Eugene Simmons (BSChE 72) of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 2, 2015
Allen Scott Jerome (BBA 94) of McHenry, July 9, 2015
Roger Allen Wigginton (BBA 78) of Jackson, Tenn., June 27, 2015
Stephanie Dianne Turgeon (BBA 96) of Baton Rouge, La., Aug. 29, 2015
Now ... TWO great ways to shop for exclusive alumni gifts!
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The Brandt Gift Shop at The Inn at Ole Miss
Our Alumni Shop at olemissalumni.com/shop
HOTTY TODDY! 60
Alumni Review
ALUMNI News
New Leadership
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS NAMED
T
Tenn., and Deano Orr (BBA 93) of Bartlett, Tenn. Crunk serves as president and chief operating officer of the RJ Young Co. in Nashville, overseeing an operation that covers seven states. Orr
serves as executive director of International Paper Foundation in Memphis. Sheila Dossett (BAEd 75), Ole Miss Alumni Association interim executive director, serves as treasurer. Photo by Jim Urbanek
he Ole Miss Alumni Association announced its officers for 201516 on Saturday, Oct. 10, as part of Homecoming festivities on campus. Eddie Maloney (BBA 72) of Jackson was named president, a one-year term that changes each Homecoming. Maloney is president of Cowboy Maloney’s Electric City, which includes 12 Cowboy Maloney appliance center locations throughout Mississippi. Hal Moore (MD 76), president of Singing River Radiology Group in Pascagoula, was named president-elect. Bobby Bailess (BBA 73, JD 76), attorney and former president of the Warren County Bar Association in Vicksburg, was elected vice president. Athletics Committee members include Chip Crunk (BBA 87) of Brentwood,
The 2015-16 officers of the Ole Miss Alumni Association are (from left) Chip Crunk, Dr. Hal Moore, Eddie Maloney, Bobby Bailess and Deano Orr.
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ALUMNI News 2000s
Katherine Henderson Shropshire (BS 01) of Ocean Springs, Aug. 5, 2015
2010s
Bryce Chrestman Berry (15) of Clarksdale, July 29, 2015
Anita Fields Jackson (BAEd 13) of Horn Lake, July 9, 2015
Tanner Easley Lafayette (15) of Calhoun City, Aug. 31, 2015
Faculty and Friends
Mattie M. Amos of Jackson, Aug. 28, 2015
Mildred Louise Axtell of Canton, Aug. 11, 2015
John William Bailey of Conway, Ark., Aug. 25, 2015 Max C. Barkley of Ripley, July 26, 2015
James Ronald Bartlett of Oxford, July 9, 2015
Hugh Elton Bateman of Anniston, Ala., Aug. 2, 2015 Thomas Ashley Crowe of Oxford, Sept. 2, 2015
Elizabeth Durley Field of Germantown, Tenn., March 19, 2015 Morris Lavonne Gray of Brandon, July 25, 2015 Lyman Leon Hellums of Jackson, July 4, 2015
Martha Shelton Hudspeth of Brandon, Aug. 13, 2015 Jeffrey D. Law of Iowa City, Iowa, Aug. 10, 2015
William Campbell Little of Madison, July 9, 2015 Haskel David Nicholson of Laurel, May 23, 2015
Johnny Faucette Page of Columbus, Sept. 8, 2015 Shirley Evans Presley of Oxford, June 29, 2015 Bobby Lynn Turner of Oxford, Aug. 21, 2015
Randy Herman Waddell of Little Rock, Ark., July 28, 2015
David Jordan Whichard II of Greenville, N.C., Aug. 9, 2015 Virginia Wright Williamson of Meridian, July 25, 2015
Due to space limitations, class notes are only published in the Alumni Review from active, dues-paying members of the Ole Miss Alumni Association. To submit a class note, send it to records@ olemiss.edu or Alumni Records Dept., Ole Miss Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848. Class notes also may be submitted through the Association’s website at www.olemissalumni. com. The Association relies on numerous sources for class notes and is unable to verify all notes with individual alumni.
HERE’S YOUR LICENSE TO BRAG! Now you can sport the official University of Mississippi license plate! For an additional $50 a year — $32.50 of which returns to Ole Miss for educational enhancement — you can purchase this “license to brag” about your alma mater. When it’s time to renew your license plate, simply tell your local tax collector you want the Ole Miss affinity license plate. It’s an easy way to help your University. This particular tag is available to Mississippi drivers only. Some other states, however, offer an Ole Miss affinity license plate. Check with your local tax collector for availability. 62
Alumni Review
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ALUMNI News Photo by Bill Dabney
Legacy of Leadership
T
he Alumni Association hosted the annual Past Presidents Dinner on Sept. 11 at The Inn at Ole Miss for past presidents of the Alumni Association, their spouses and guests. Past presidents in attendance were (seated, from left) former Gov. William Winter, Dr. Paul Moore, Rose Flenorl, Carole Lynn Meadows, Jan Farrington, Mary Sharp Rayner, Jim McClure, Sherman Muths; (standing, from left) Chance Laws, David McCormick, Bob Siebels, David Brevard, Dr. Bryan Barksdale, Bobby Elliot, Jon Turner, Larry Bryan, Dr. Briggs Hopson, Charles Clark, Frank Crosthwait, Bill Renovich, Richard Noble, Howard McMillan and Jimmy Brown.
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1 Finished Home Left! $299,000
Large screened-in porches overlooking Pat Lamar Park. Designer finishes, brick mantles, ceiling beams and real pine floors. All on one level!
3 Lots left, starting at $69,000 4 acre park, bike/walk path to the square, close knit community association & a community swimming pool!
504 Fazio Dr. Ext.
•Custom home in the country club •Walk to the club house •4 bedrooms/office/bonus room •Three-car garage
$625,000
Mid $300k’s Contact Mark Cleary
713-303-8924
1755 Jackson Ave E. Unit #5
•Walking distance to the Square •Luxury Living •Private Balcony
$715,000
1413 S Lamar
A charming Old-English style development located in the heart of the medical community and just minutes from Oxford’s downtown square ! Starting in the mid-$300,000’s Features include: Wet Bar Private Courtyards Gas Range
10’ Ceilings Garages available
Complimentary interior design service to help customize finishes on new builds.
•Victorian Home built in 1868 •Historic Downtown Masterpiece •4697 SqFt Completely Restored
2623 West Oxford Loop • Commercial Space • 6500 Square Feet • Great Location
$1,730,000
662.234.5621•1923 University Ave Oxford, MS 38655•Each office independently owned and operated. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice.
$800,000