Ole Miss Alumni Review Winter 2017 Vol. 66 No. 1
Winter 2017
ALUMNI REVIEW
In Their Element
UM physicists gain renown for research, global collaboration
Tallahatchie Hunts’ Mike Flautt remains true to his roots despite success Alumna grows from preemie to neonatal nurse
A community whose heart is rooted as much in the promise of its future as in the richness of its past.
OXFORD COMMONS theoxfordcommons.com
Features ALUMNI REVIEW
20 In Their Element
UM physicists gain renown for research, global collaboration
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34
By Mitchell Diggs
28 Family & Fellowship on the Mississippi Flyway
Tallahatchie Hunts’ Mike Flautt remains true to his roots despite success By Annie Rhoades
34 Baby Steps
Alumna grows from preemie to neonatal nurse By Brian Hudgins
Contents Vol. 66 No. 1
Departments
2 Chancellor’s Letter
winter 2017
On the Cover
4 President’s Letter 6 From the Circle
18 Calendar
40 Ole Miss Sports
Rebs welcome 2017 signing class Wunderlich kicks his way to the top
46 Just Published
48 Rebel Traveler
52 Alumni News
20 Star trails above Kennon Observatory. UM physicists are among international collaborators at the forefront of landmark discoveries in the field. Cover photo by Robert Jordan
O le M iss A lumni R ev iew Publisher Kirk Purdom (93) 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 Kevin Bain (98), Stella Connell, Ruth Cummins (82), Bill Dabney (89), Mitchell Diggs (82), Sydney Slotkin DuPriest, Joe Ellis, Jessica Evans, Jay Ferchaud, Thomas Graning, Brian Hudgins, Robert Jordan (83), Joshua McCoy, Michael Newsom (05), Edwin Smith (80, 93), Christina Steube (11) Officers of the University of Mississippi Alumni Association Dr. Hal Moore (76) president Bobby Bailess (73, 76) president-elect Augustus L. “Leon” Collins (73, 76) vice president Andy Kilpatrick (87) athletics committee member Deano Orr (93) athletics committee member Alumni Affairs Staff, Oxford Kirk Purdom (93), 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 Sheila Dossett (75), senior associate director Sunny Eicholtz (09, 11), coordinator of student engagement 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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C hancellor from the
Sharon and I were delighted recently to celebrate our one-year anniversary as Ole Miss Rebels. Since January 2016, we have confirmed what we already knew — not only is Ole Miss a great university, it is a family. Speaking of family, I was thrilled to celebrate my investiture in November with so many of my family members and friends. The music performed during the ceremony was spectacular; I especially enjoyed my favorite traditional jazz pieces: “Clarinet Marmalade” and “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” The investiture also offered the perfect opportunity for a “Hell Yeah, Damn Right!” response when IHL Commissioner Glenn Boyce presented me with the official charge as chancellor. Do you think you’ll hear those words at any other university inauguration? No, it was a uniquely Ole Miss response! I would like to say thanks for the many wonderful gifts I received. Two that I would like to note are the framed official university crest from the Alumni Association and the visualization of Arthur Guyton’s extensive mathematical model of human circulatory physiology from Dr. LouAnn Woodward and her team at UMMC. My investiture address — which you can watch online at inauguration.OleMiss.edu along with all the pomp and circumstance — was a time to talk about how we can collectively elevate our great university to ever greater heights. We are currently standing atop a peak in our history, and from where we now stand, we can see yet higher peaks. I am excited about several new initiatives unveiled at the investiture that will help us scale those higher peaks. One is to increase our endowment to support academic and athletics excellence. Another is to develop a cultural gateway on our Oxford campus to enhance our arts and cultural programs. A third initiative is to establish Flagship Constellations — multidisciplinary research teams of faculty, staff, students, alumni and external partners — to tackle grand challenges. The final initiative I want to share is that we will channel the talents of our entire university and partner with towns and cities around our state — one at a time — to enhance every aspect of community life. It is through the contributions of the entire Ole Miss family that our university will reach these new heights. The next chapter in the life of this magnificent university sits squarely in all of our hands. As alumni, your active engagement is one of our greatest resources — you have a preeminent role in our continued success. I would like to close with a personal note of gratitude to Morris Stocks. After nine productive years as provost and executive vice chancellor, Morris has returned to the faculty. I am personally grateful to him for his friendship, guidance and institutional knowledge during my transition to Ole Miss. I look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming alumni events to share more details about these new initiatives and how they will harness and build upon our tremendous energy and momentum. It is our destiny as a flagship university to desire more, to give more and to be more. Just imagine all we will accomplish in our calling to transform lives, communities and the world! Sincerely,
Jeffrey S. Vitter Chancellor P.S. I encourage you to reach out to me at chancellor@OleMiss.edu. And be sure to stay connected by following me on Twitter @UMchancellor and signing up for my communications at http://chancellor.olemiss.edu/chancellors-communications/.
President from the
“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” — Eudora Welty Dear Friends, As I write this, the new year has begun, and I would like to look back on 2016 with an album of snapshots from a banner year:
• Ole Miss defeats Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl. • The Pavilion at Ole Miss opens with an SEC victory over Alabama. • O ur student-athletes obtain the highest Graduation Success Rate in school history.
When You
• Vaught-Hemingway is bowled in and otherwise improved; new lights and grass are installed. • Ole Miss baseball’s recruiting class is ranked No. 1 in the country by Baseball America. • K irk Purdom, an Ole Miss baseball letterman, returns to lead the Ole Miss Alumni Association as executive director.
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• Ole Miss is included in the elite group (115) of R-1 Doctoral Universities, achieving highest research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the definitive list for the top doctoral research universities in the United States. • USA Today recognizes Ole Miss as the nation’s most beautiful campus. • Ole Miss posts record enrollment (24,250) for the 22nd consecutive year. • Entering freshmen have the highest average ACT score (25.2) and highest average GPA (3.57) in school history. • Ole Miss Alumni Association hits a record high of 27,057 active members. • C onstruction on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) building begins. With 207,000 square feet, this massive building will be one of the country’s leading student-centered learning environments for STEM education. Funded by a lead gift from the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation, this structure will be the jewel of the campus’ science district. • On Nov. 10, the investiture of Jeffrey S. Vitter, the university’s 17th chancellor, took place at the Ford Center. When asked by Glenn Boyce, commissioner of higher education, if he accepted the charge of leading Ole Miss, Dr. Vitter answered as only a Rebel would: “Hell Yeah, Damn Right!” It was a very good year!
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Circle from the
The l ates t on Ole Miss s tudents, facult y, s taff and friends
Armed for Success
UM STUDENT PASSES HIS WAY TO A $100K SCHOLARSHIP
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hrowing winning touchdown passes is always gratify- votes each record one-minute videos to gain even more votes. ing, but for Jarrius Adams on Dec. 3, 2016, lobbing the Company officials then select 16 finalists who compete football also proved to be very lucrative. in preliminary throw-offs before appearing at ACC, Big 10, The University of Mississippi sophomore successfully SEC and PAC-12 college conference football championships. threw 11 15-yard passes into a target to win the $100,000 Before the day’s telecast, Adams rehearsed throwing Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway scholarship. The 30-second footballs alone with a friend. throw-off against another finalist was televised live during “I really wasn’t nervous, but being on live television halftime at the Wisconsin-Penn State Big 10 Conference in front of thousands of people was a bit distracting at championship. first,” he says. “Once The windfall is a the whistle blew and I welcome surprise for started actually throwthe Hattiesburg native, ing the balls, I focused w h o i s m aj or i n g i n on winning. Only after public policy leadership it was over and I was and political science at being presented the Ole Miss. check did I realize “It’s a truly wonthat I’d won. It felt so derful blessing,” the good!” 19-year-old said a couThe runner-up got a ple days after the event, $20,000 scholarship. still giddy f rom the A UM orientation prize-winning weekleader, Adams is the end. “I worked really son of Taquanna and hard to get to reach this Ya h m a n i Ad a m s o f level, but honestly, it’s Hattiesburg. hard to believe it really “ To n o t h a v e t o happened.” worr y about college A d a m s’ j o u r n e y tuition anymore is such to the winner’s circle UM sophomore Jarrius Adams holds the $100,000 check he won during the a huge blessing for me,” began in August, when Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway football throw-off in Indiana. Submitted photo he said. “I really hope he ran across an ad for that my good fortune the competition on his Facebook page. inspires others to seek such opportunities in the future.” “Years before, I’d watched another Ole Miss student I He shared his short- and long-term goals for his unexknew win second place in this same competition,” he says. “I pected funds. told myself then I would one day enter it myself, but forgot “There are two issues that I hold dear to my heart: educaabout it until I saw the ad. That’s when I decided to enter the tion and voter registration,” Adams says. “With my degree, I contest.” will work to rebuild the current educational system to ensure The soft drink company contest invites students ages 18 that all students have access to a free and adequate public to 24 to submit 350-word essays on how they would use their education. I will continue to be an advocate for voter regiseducation to change the world. Social media users vote for tration, making sure that it is more feasible for all citizens to the entries, and those whose entries receive a minimum of 50 participate in the voting process.” 6
Alumni Review
from the Circle
Up and Running
MANUFACTURING STUDENTS ORGANIZE AUTOMOTIVE SOCIETY CHAPTER
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s the auto industry in the United States continues to rebound, University of Mississippi students are positioning themselves for future productivity and success. Twelve students formed a campus chapter of the Collegiate Automotive Manufacturing (CAM) Society in 2015 as a result of an idea presented by Ryan Miller (BA 02, JD 08), programs manager for the Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence and the group’s adviser. A member of the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association (MAMA) board of directors, Miller suggested to the CME students that they found a collegiate engineeringbusiness-accounting honors society with MAMA as the parent association. The goal is to better connect automotive manufacturers with millennials and try to help the manufacturers better understand them through more direct contact. Miller’s dream is that all the Automotive Manufacturers associations will develop CAM Society chapters of their own in their respective states’ public universities. “Ryan approached me with the idea, looking for input and assistance from a student perspective,” says Harleigh Huggins of Oxford, a junior mechanical engineering major and chapter president. “Together, we developed the officer
structure and planned the first recruitment meeting. “It has grown from there. We are the guinea pigs for this project, as we are the first CAM Society to get past the planning stage into the recruitment stage. We will hopefully pave the way for future CAM societies.” Other CAM Society officers are Tyler Thompson of Madison, a junior mechanical engineering student and vice president; and Taylor Scism, a junior business management major from St. Louis, who serves as the chapter’s chief financial officer. Representatives of the group attended the Southern Automotive Conference this fall in Biloxi, where they served as panelists in two sessions dealing with a multigenerational workforce and working with “millennials.” “It was a great opportunity for us to network with Southern automotive manufacturers and their suppliers,” Huggins says. “Giving members that exposure and opportunity for networking is extremely important to CAM.” The students’ presentation received high marks from those in attendance. “It is our goal to get students in higher education more involved with the automotive manufacturing industry and make it easier for those already in the industry to engage with potential future employees,” Scism says.
Members of the UM chapter of the Collegiate Automotive Manufacturing Society include Joseph Reed (left), a mechanical engineering major; Taylor Scism, a business management major; and Tyler Thompson, who is majoring in mechanical engineering. Photo by Kevin Bain
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from the Circle
ROWAN OAK HOSTS VISITORS FROM 58 COUNTRIES Israel, Nigeria and the United Kingdom. “We’re exceptionally proud of the fact that the University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses attract such demographically diverse audiences, and the compilation of the number of foreign countries represented in the Rowan Oak visitor count is such strong evidence of its appeal internationally,” says Robert Saarnio, UM Museum director. “ With collections and exhibitions representing several millennia of world cultural and artistic heritage, the museum also appeals to wide-ranging visitor interests, backgrounds and points of origin.” Photo by Robert Jordan
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owan Oak is a destination known around the world, as guests from 58 different countries visited the estate of Nobel Prizewinning author William Faulkner in a year’s time. The home and 33-acre grounds are part of the University of Mississippi Museum. After a review of the guestbook from December 2015 to December 2016, museum staff discovered visitors from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and 58 countries stopped by the preserved home of Faulkner. “William Faulkner’s work is read throughout the world, so Rowan Oak’s visitors reflect his global influence,” says Bill Griffith (BA 76), Rowan Oak curator. The countries represented include Argentina, Cambodia,
Special Collection
J.D. WILLIAMS LIBRARY CELEBRATES STATE BICENTENNIAL WITH EXHIBIT
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t e r r i t o r i a l d o c u m e nt s , materials related to the women’s suffrage movement and the civil rights movement in Mississippi, sound recordings, photographs of the state through the years and Mississippithemed sheet music. The archives will showcase various items from the display in a monthly video series through the end of the exhibit on Dec. 11, 2017. Blues curator Greg Johnson arranges a new exhibit featuring the Mississippi bicentennial at the Department of Archives The department also will and Special Collections. host several brown bag lectures and events throughout the year. Room throughout the year, instruction, Patrons are invited to check the J.D. as well as through other programming,” Williams Library website at libraries. Ford says. “We invite all the public to olemiss.edu, as well as events.olemiss. come experience what our collections have to offer during this seminal year.” edu, during the year for details. The Department of Archives and “We are very pleased to be able to reach out to those interested in the his- Special Collections is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. tory and culture of the state through a Monday-Friday, except for university physical display, the video project, online holidays. For more information, contact media, lectures held in the Faulkner Jennifer Ford at 662-915-7408.
Photo by Thomas Graning
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he Department of Archives and Special Collections in the University of Mississippi‘s J.D. Williams Library is celebrating a historic anniversary of the state with the exhibit “Mississippi: 200 Years of Statehood.” Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state on Dec. 10, 1817. The library is commemorating that recognition with an ongoing exhibit focusing on the history and culture of Mississippi that opened on Jan. 9. “The Department of Archives and Special Collections has pulled together some of our rarest items documenting the state’s 200-year history,” says Jennifer Ford (PhD 10), head of special collections. “Commemorating this bicentennial year has been the focus of the department’s faculty and staff for several months.” The exhibit features a wide variety of items that helped define the state, including 18th-century maps of the South by European cartographers, historical Mississippi textbooks, early
from the Circle
Called to Teach
MORRIS STOCKS RETURNS TO ACCOUNTANCY FACULTY
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retained ever since. Before his service as dean, Stocks was associate provost for three years, with responsibilities for the academic budget and undergraduate curriculum. Stocks’ accomplishments include a number of actions to advance diversity and inclusion on the UM campus. “Dr. Stocks has long been a strong and consistent force Photo by Kevin Bain
fter serving in high-level administrative roles for over 14 years, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Morris H. Stocks returned to the faculty of the Patterson School of Accountancy effective Jan. 1. For the past nine years as provost, interim chancellor and executive vice chancellor, Stocks has provided vision and leadership related to many academic honors and advancements at the university. “I consider it a high privilege and a great honor to have served the University of Mississippi as provost for the last nine years,” Stocks says. “The university has changed tremendously during that time and is poised for new academic directions and challenges. I am confident about the future of the university and look forward to joining my colleagues in the Patterson School of Accountancy as a faculty member.” “Dr. Stocks has served the University of Mississippi exceptionally well for almost a quarter of a century, and in the last nine years he has played a pivotal role in our dramatic gains in important metrics such as enrollment and retention rate,” Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter says. “I am personally grateful to Morris for his friendship, guidance and institutional knowledge during my transition to Ole Miss. “I believe that we are all ultimately remembered for what we leave behind. Morris’ administrative legacy is substantial, and the fruits of his work will be visible across our campus and state for years to come.” Noel Wilkin, previously senior associate provost, is serving as interim provost and executive vice chancellor pending a national search for a permanent replacement. “I am very grateful to Dr. Stocks for his leadership and for serving as both a mentor and friend to me over these past years,” Wilkin says. “It is my goal to continue the commitment to excellence and access that he started as we build on this solid foundation of accomplishment. I am happy to know that he will stay in the Ole Miss family as a professor.” Under Stocks’ leadership as the university’s chief academic officer, overall student enrollment grew by over 40 percent and minority student enrollment has grown by over 60 percent. Student success measures also improved with freshman retention and six-year graduation rates each increasing by roughly 7 percent. “While we respect and reluctantly accept Dr. Stocks’ decision to leave his administrative role, we are thrilled that he will reassume a faculty position and continue to influence the lives of our students,” Vitter says. Before assuming the provost responsibilities, Stocks served the university as senior vice chancellor for planning and operations and as dean of the Patterson School of Accountancy. Under his leadership as dean, the Patterson School was ranked for the first time in its history as one of the top 25 accounting programs in the country, a status it has
Morris H. Stocks announces his return to the faculty of the Patterson School of Accountancy.
in the development and implementation of measures such as the UM Creed and the 2014 action plan for diversity,” says Donald Cole (PhD 85), assistant provost and assistant to the chancellor for multicultural affairs. “Morris is a trusted friend and seasoned administrator who realizes the importance of diversity in the pursuit of academic excellence, and I have leaned heavily upon his wisdom during my tenure here. His legacy of service forms a strong base for our continued focus on these important areas.” Stocks received his undergraduate degree in accounting from Trevecca Nazarene University, his master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. He is a certified public accountant in the state of Mississippi. He and his wife, Cindy, have four adult children. w i n te r 2 017
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from the Circle
New Chief of Staff
KEISER REPRESENTS CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE ON CAMPUS AND BEYOND
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that opened the doors to a completely new world of knowledge and opportunity that changed the direction of my life and my children’s lives more Photo by Kevin Bain
hancellor Jeff Vitter announced that Sue Keiser (BA 83), special assistant to the chancellor, is his new chief of staff. “I am very pleased that Sue has agreed to assume the role of chief of staff,” Vitter says. “For almost 20 years now, she has been a cornerstone for our university and brings tremendous experience, knowledge and dedication to the position. “Sue is one of our most respected and well-known ambassadors. She is absolutely the best representative Ole Miss could have, and I rely on Sue on a daily basis.” Keiser has been with the university since early 1998, serving primarily as assistant to four chancellors. However, her connection to Ole Miss goes back much further. She came to UM from Greenville as a nontraditional student in the late 1970s, when she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. “To be asked to serve as chief of staff to the chancellor for the University of Mississippi — an institution
Sue Keiser
than 35 years ago — is one of the most wonderful things that has ever happened to me,” Keiser says.
“I am honored that Chancellor Vitter has entrusted me with this responsibility, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to change and transform lives through education in the future.” Her duties include responding to a variety of questions and concerns from IHL board members, alumni, students and other members of the university community. She acts as a liaison between the office of the chancellor and vice chancellors and various departments and constituents on the Oxford campus. Keiser also oversees the chancellor’s office and its staff, and serves as a chancellor’s office representative on many university committees. She was honored with the Staff Council’s Outstanding Staff MemberOverall award in 2006. She is married to Edmund Keiser, professor emeritus and chair emeritus of the university’s Department of Biology. She has four children and six grandchildren.
DRUG DISCOVERY GRANT RENEWED FOR NATURAL PRODUCTS CENTER
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Photo by Sydney Slotkin DuPriest
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he U.S. Department of Agriculture has renewed a grant for the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy for the discovery and development of bioactive products that have potential to become pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals or alternative crops for small farmers. The grant project, “Discovery and Development of Natural Products for Pharmaceutical and Agrichemical Applications,” has been renewed every five years since it began in 1996. A panel of outside experts convened by the USDA’s Office of Scientific Quality Review reviews the project, which awards $2.4 million per year for five years. This grant also helps foster commercialization of newly discovered products that may have wide-ranging benefits, such as pesticides, antibiotics and anticancer agents. The research funded by this project is complementary to the university’s research and has resulted in patents for both pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals. “We continue to appreciate the USDA’s support and partnership with the NCNPR and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy,” says David D. Allen, UM pharmacy dean. “This grant
The NCNPR grew stevia and bitter gourd this summer at the UM Medicinal Plant Garden as part of the USDA partnership.
makes it possible for us to remain dedicated to the research of natural products to solve health and economic issues.” The grant will be up for renewal again in 2021.
Photo by Jay Ferchaud
from the Circle
Drs. Mark Earl (right), associate professor of transplant surgery, and Fauzia Butt, assistant professor of medicine, prepare a liver for transplant. That organ was transplanted in March 2013, the first liver transplant at UMMC in 22 years.
Gift of Life
TRANSPLANTS IN 2016 AT RECORD HIGH t’s not unusual for the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s abdominal transplant team to do a couple of surgeries in a 24-hour period. But 11 over a long weekend, on top of trauma cases from the ED and other emergency surgeries vying for the Medical Center’s 15 operating rooms, is a new record. Since the abdominal transplant program for liver and pancreas was rejuvenated in 2013, “hands down, that’s the busiest run we have had,” says Dr. Mark Earl, associate professor of transplant surgery, who was on call the weekend of Oct. 27-30. Earl and Dr. James Wynn, professor of transplant surgery, together handled the transplanting of 10 kidneys and one liver. All told, the transplant team performed 16 transplants over a seven-day period ending Oct. 30, Earl says. “It’s not uncommon to have days where we are very busy, but a seven-day period where we’re doing multiple organs a day is very unusual,” he says. “This would be unusual for the biggest programs in the country.” 2016 is a record year in each of kidney, liver and heart transplants. “Our team at University Transplant has risen to that challenge many times, and this particular four-day stretch is a prime example,” Dr. Christopher Anderson, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, says of the Oct. 27-30 run. “There was no panic or stress — just the team doing its job,” says Anderson, an abdominal transplant surgeon. Of particular note is the rise in heart transplants through the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. As of Dec. 1, 16 patients had received a new heart during 2016. That
compares to just four hearts in 2013, increasing to nine in 2014 and 13 in 2015. Three factors came into play, says Dr. Charles Moore, professor of cardiology. “We have a new head of cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Anthony Panos. He’s brought new enthusiasm for transplants and given us an additional transplant surgeon,” Moore says. Organ recovery in the state has increased along with referrals of patients in need of a transplant. “This allows us to increase our waiting list, and our transplants,” Moore says. As of Dec. 1, the record number of transplants through the Division of Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery for 2016 included liver, 36; kidney, 136; and pancreas, six. “It seems like every year, we’re challenged with one or two periods like this, but I can’t remember ever taking on 11 like we did,” says Bill Brister, nurse manager on 2 South, which has 10 beds dedicated to post-transplant care. The breakdown: four kidneys on Oct. 27, two kidneys on Oct. 28, four kidneys on Oct. 29 and one liver on Oct. 30. “When I think about the whole weekend, it’s why I love working here,” Brister says. “It’s a group effort. You’re only as good as your team.” There wouldn’t be any transplants if not for the many teams that come together to set them in motion, Earl says. “There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes to pull off even one transplant. There are a very large number of people involved. Any break in that chain can ultimately lead to the transplant not happening.” w i n te r 2 017
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from the Circle
‘Mr. Magazine’ Lauded
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amir Husni, professor and Hederman lecturer in the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi, has been named to Folio’s 2016 list of the top 100 “Most Important People in Magazine Media.” Known as “Mr. Magazine,” Husni says it’s a great honor that the industry he loves and serves through teaching and consulting recognizes him as the lone person on the list from outside the industry. “What adds to this honor is the category in which I was recognized, which is Industry Influencers,” Husni says. “Although it feels great to be the only educator on the entire list, it even feels greater to be in such great company as David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, and Bob Sauerberg, CEO of Condé Nast.” Husni, who calls magazines “the best reflectors of American society,” has more than 30,000 first editions of magazines and uncounted numbers of specials and test issues. He says they’re housed in five storage units, waiting to be donated to someone to help open a magazine museum. He says earning a place on the list is a reflection of his students’ work. The magazine notes that each year, Husni attracts industry leaders to Ole Miss for the ACT Experience
conference. This provides students with opportunities to brainstorm ideas and forge connections with industry professionals they would not meet without Husni. Folio, a well-known magazine industry-focused publication, observes that although his students are “digital natives,” Husni is a powerful voice in the industry and a major proponent of print magazines. “Mr. Magazine – the name itself is synonymous with magazine industry positivity,” Folio writes. “Husni is the printed magazine’s most avid collector. He has preached the gospel of print globally, and consulted on more magazine startups and advised more legacy titles than possibly anyone in the world.” When Husni was hired at Ole Miss in the early 1980s, he knew more about magazines than most magazine publishers and editors, says Will Norton, UM journalism dean. “For more than 30 years, he has demonstrated that expertise and, by naming him to Folio’s 100 list, the industry acknowledges his influence during these decades,” Norton says. “As a senior member of the Meek School faculty, he has elevated Ole Miss to a place of prominence in graduating students who become leaders in the magazine industry.”
Photo by Robert Jordan
Samir Husni has been named to Folio’s 2016 list of the top 100 ‘Most Important People in Magazine Media.’
See maginnovation.org/act/register for more information about this year’s ACT conference.
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from the Circle
Beautification Guru Honored
MCMANUS RECOGNIZED WITH NATIONAL SOCIETY’S PRESIDENT’S AWARD He also thanked fellow UM Landscape Services employee Jimmy Dickerson, who coordinated and developed the video project that was recognized. “Jimmy’s high-quality work allowed us to professionally showcase and engage our industry to a wider audience,” McManus says. McManus has been the mastermind for keeping the Ole Miss campus, more than 1,500 acres, looking gorgeous for 16 years. Those beautification efforts have been nationally recognized four times during his tenure, including being named Most Beautiful Campus by the Princeton Review, Professional Grounds Management Society and Newsweek. Most recently, USA Today’s Reader’s Choice travel awards contest named UM the nation’s most beautiful campus, while Thrillist named the university on its unranked list of the 20 most
Photo by Robert Jordan
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he man in charge of keeping the “Most Beautiful Campus in America” looking photogenic has received yet another major accolade. Jeff McManus, UM director of landscape, airport and golf operations, was honored with the Professional Grounds Management Society’s President’s Award. He was recognized in October at an awards banquet in Louisville, Kentucky, for outstanding service and contributions to the group, particularly for his pro bono leadership education programs for the group’s members and coordination of its promotional videos. “PGMS does an excellent job of professionally developing its members, and I am proud to have been a part of its education programs nationwide,” McManus says. “I would like to thank PGMS past president John Doiron and all those across the country who participated in the PGMS projects over the year.”
Jeff McManus
beautiful public college campuses. Earlier this year, McManus was named the Auburn University Department of Horticulture’s outstanding alumnus for 2016.
INSTITUTE OF CHILD NUTRITION HELPS SCHOOLS TRANSFORM THEIR MENUS
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he Institute of Child Nutrition at the University of Mississippi promotes best practices for child nutrition programs across the country and is an influential voice in efforts to ensure students have safe, healthy meals. The institute coordinates the Chef’s Move to Schools initiative, which is part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to end childhood obesity. ICN also provides resources to promote continuous improvement of child nutrition programs, including guidance on making school meals healthier and safer, while keeping costs feasible for school districts. “We have had people come to us in tears and say that our training has really inspired them to go to the next level,” says Aleshia Hall-Campbell (PhD 08), ICN acting executive director. The Chefs Move to Schools initiative called on chefs to adopt a local school and work with teachers, parents, school nutritionists and administrators to lend their culinary skills and teach children that eating healthy can be fun. As a result of their work, three ICN staff members recently were honored with a trip to the White House to host an event for chefs involved in the program. Part of UM’s School of Applied Sciences, ICN is the only
federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education, training and technical assistance for child nutrition programs. Congress established ICN in 1989, and it’s funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service grant. The institute has four divisions: Education and Training, Information Services, and Administration are all at Ole Miss. ICN’s Applied Research Division is housed at the University of Southern Mississippi. Since its creation, ICN has become a go-to source for information, resources, research and on-site training at schools across the country, all at little to no cost. It offers online training resources, free online courses for child nutrition personnel and an expert help desk in support of child nutrition program management. Research shows healthy food and better academic performance go hand in hand. “If schools are providing healthy and nutritious meals, they’re also more likely to have children who perform better academically,” Hall-Campbell says. “If the schools can transform themselves, it can make a big difference in the lives of their students.” w i n te r 2 017
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from the Circle
New Biomedical Degree Offered CURRICULUM WILL PREPARE STUDENTS IN CUTTING EDGE FIELD
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fter years of development, the University of Mississippi School of Engineering has launched its new biomedical degree program. The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved the curriculum for the new major during its November meeting. Students interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering are encouraged to apply now for admission for the fall 2017 semester. “Biomedical engineering at the University of Mississippi will prepare students for rapidly growing opportunities in three primary job markets,” says Dwight Waddell, associate professor of electrical engineering and director of the new program. “These include biomolecular engineering, biomedical systems engineering and bioinformatics.” “I believe that the addition of the new biomedical engineering program will definitely serve the university, state and nation well,” says Alex Cheng, dean of the engineering school. “With so much attention currently being given to the field, having such a program here keeps us highly competitive.” Biomolecular engineering is a growing discipline at the interface of molecular biology, biophysical chemistry and chemical engineering, whereby students gain expertise developing novel molecular tools. “These tools are used to translate understanding of fundamental principles of physical biochemistry into useful processes, devices, therapies and diagnostics,” Waddell says. Biomedical systems engineering incorporates elements of mechanical engineering design with physiological controls
and instrumentation. “Students can employ lessons from bioinstrumentation and systems mechanics to create sensors, test models and build devices to meet currently unmet needs in the medical field,” Waddell explains. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary hybrid combining computer science, statistics, mathematics and engineering to analyze and interpret biological data. “Techniques from bioinformatics have helped unlock the human genome, better understand evolutionary biology and are now pivotal in the coming era of ‘big data’ analysis,” he says. In addition to fundamental engineering courses, biomedical engineering students will take courses in biology, chemistry and systems physiology to more effectively apply engineering science to specific medical and industrial needs. The program has been requested by prospective students for several years, says Marni Kendricks (BE 90, BSCvE 04, MSCvE 10), assistant dean for undergraduate academics in the engineering school. “I’m delighted to finally be able to direct them to this exciting new opportunity,” Kendricks said. “I believe it will attract some of the best and brightest.” The idea and initial work for the new program was initiated by Ramanarayanan “Vish” Viswanathan, chair of the UM Department of Electrical Engineering, and Cheng. Waddell, also a research associate professor of health, exercise science and recreation management at UM, moved into the School of Engineering to facilitate program development in 2013. Photo by Kevin Bain
Biomedical engineering students soon will be among those using engineering laboratories such as this one. Classes in the new degree program begin in fall 2017. 14
Alumni Review
from the Circle
Athletics Director Promoted
ROSS BJORK NAMED UM VICE CHANCELLOR FOR INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
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Photo by Nathan Latil
le Miss Athletics Director Ross Bjork was named athletics representative. “That facilitates communication vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics at the between athletics and academics, which is good for all parts University of Mississippi. of the university.” In announcing that Bjork had been given the new vice Bjork has led Ole Miss athletics programs to unprecchancellor title, university officials also noted that an agree- edented success since his arrival in 2012. Under his guidment was reached in the summer to extend the athletics ance, support has increased with record private donations director’s contract to June 30, 2020. and record attendance numbers in football, basketball and UM’s request to give Bjork the title of vice chancellor for baseball. The athletics budget has increased from $57 million intercollegiate athletics was upon his arrival to $105.5 approved in October 2016 million for the 2016-17 by the Board of Trustees of season. State Institutions of Higher “My family and I are Learning. very grateful for the supThe new title, as well as port and confidence shown the extension of Bjork’s conby Dr. Vitter and the entire tract to reach the four-year u n ive r s it y c om mu n it y maximum allowed by t he with a renewed long-term state, reflects the university’s commitment to continue appreciation and support of leading Ole Miss athletics,” the athletics director’s exemBjork says. “Holding the plary work since coming to title of vice chancellor for Ole Miss, Chancellor Jeffrey intercollegiate athletics is Vitter says. not only symbolic of the “Athletics serves an impordepartment’s core values tant role at our university as but also solidifies our role our ‘front porch’ – capturing in the university’s overall the hearts and minds of mission of educating people and bringing them t he next generat ion of to campus so that they can America’s leaders. experience the full richness of “I am a big b eliever our great university,” he says. in being fully integrated “Athletics has played a big with the university and role in elevating the Ole Miss w i l l c ont i nu e f or w a rd brand to its strongest point in with a great sense of school history. responsibility.” “The success of our athletAs a result, Stephen ics program is unprecedented Ponder, senior executive and is directly attributable Ross Bjork, vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics at the University associate athletics director to Ross’ leadership. Naming of Mississippi, has been given a four-year contract extension to remain for external relations, was him as the vice chancellor the leader of the UM athletics program. promoted to deputy athletfor intercollegiate athletics ics director. will continue that momentum. I expect under Ross’ leader“Stephen has shown great leadership in so many areas ship that athletics will continue to be an integral part of our since his arrival four years ago,” Bjork says. “His energy growth and increased visibility.” level and ‘can do’ attitude have allowed us to grow our entire Ole Miss is the fifth school in the SEC to give its athlet- athletics program physically, financially, competitively and ics director the vice chancellor designation, which more emotionally. accurately reflects the all-encompassing role of the position. “This promotion to deputy athletics director is well“The idea is that this puts the AD at the table with the deserved and fitting for Stephen as my right-hand person. I provost and other academic leaders on campus on a regular am grateful for Stephen’s leadership and blessed to work with basis,” says Ron Rychlak, UM professor of law and faculty the best coaches and athletics staff in the country.” w i n te r 2 017
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T HIS IS M I SSISSIP P I AND HERE, WE CARE. Together, we can change the way we prevent and treat disease. We can help doctors care for more Mississippians. We can educate the caregivers we’ll all need tomorrow, today. We can do it. We are doing it. Please join us and help make a healthier Mississippi.
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Calendar February
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Ole Miss Luncheon Series: Tupelo, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. BancorpSouth Conference Center. Call 662-915-7375 or visit olemissalumni. com/events.
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Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Mizzou. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. Visit olemisssports.com. Women’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. Texas A&M. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 4 p.m. Visit olemisssports.com.
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March
Applied Sciences Career Fair: The Inn at Ole Miss Ballroom, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Call 662-915-7375 or visit olemissalumni.com/events. School of Applied Sciences Networking Reception: 2-4 p.m. Call 662-915-7375 or visit olemissalumni.com/events.
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-25 Leadership Ole Miss: The Inn at Ole Miss. Various times and locations. Call 662-915-7375 or visit olemissalumni.com/events to register.
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Performance: Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Known for high theatricality, gutsy moves and virtuosic musicality, the dance company explores typical, real-life situations. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-9152787 or visit fordcenter.org.
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Honors College Reception: Memphis, 5:30-7 p.m. The Crescent Club. Call 662-915-7294 or visit olemissalumni.com/events.
Photo by Robert Jordan
-26 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. UNCW. Swayze Field, 4 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and Sunday. Visit olemisssports.com.
Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Memphis. Swayze Field, 4 p.m. Visit olemisssports.com.
Men’s Basketball: Ole Miss vs. South Carolina. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. Visit olemisssports.com. Performance: “42nd Street” (national tour). The quintessential backstage musical comedy classic, “42nd Street” is the songand-dance fable of Broadway with an American dream story and includes some of the greatest songs ever written. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit fordcenter.org.
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-8 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Georgia State. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 3 p.m. Wednesday. Visit olemisssports.com.
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-12 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Furman. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit olemisssports.com.
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-19 Baseball Reunion: Ole Miss M-Club. Various times and locations. Deadline to request tickets is March 10. Call 662-915-1869 or visit olemissmclub.org/event/2017-baseballalumni-weekend/ to register.
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-19 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt. Swayze Field, 7 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Visit olemisssports.com.
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Ole Miss Luncheon Series: Jackson, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Old Capitol Inn. Call 662-915-7375 or visit olemissalumni.com/events.
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Ole Miss Luncheon Series: Gulfport, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Great Southern Club. Call 662-915-7375 or visit olemissalumni.com/events.
Baseball: Ole Miss vs. UNCW Feb. 24-26 18
Alumni Review
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-23 Ole Miss Insurance Symposium: The Inn at Ole Miss. Various times and locations. Call 662915-2377 or visit olemissalumni.com/ events to register.
Calendar Performance: ‘Sleeping Beauty’ April 25
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-25 Law Weekend: Various times and locations. Contact Scott Thompson at sthompson@ alumni.olemiss.edu or visit olemissalumni.com/events to register. Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Little Rock. Swayze Field, 11 a.m. Visit olemisssports.com.
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-1 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State. Swayze Field, 7 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Visit olemisssports.com.
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-9 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Alabama. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit olemisssports.com.
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Grove Bowl: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, 11 a.m. Free admission. For more information, visit olemisssports.com.
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Baseball: Ole Miss vs. ArkansasPine Bluff. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Visit olemisssports.com.
-23 Baseball: Ole Miss vs. Mizzou. Swayze Field, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Visit olemisssports.com.
-23 Performance: Benjamin Britten’s “Albert Herring.” UM Opera Theatre with full orchestra. Benjamin Britten’s comic opera takes the audience on a journey to East Suffolk at the turn of the 20th century. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit fordcenter.org.
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-28 2017 Rebel Road Trip: Various times and locations. Call 662-915-7375 or visit olemissalumni. com/events.
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Performance: “Sleeping Beauty,” Russian National Ballet. A baby princess, condemned at her christening by an evil fairy to prick her finger and die on her 16th birthday, is saved by the gift of the good Lilac Fairy, who declares the princess will only sleep until awakened by the kiss of a prince. Gertrude C. Ford Center, 7:30 p.m. Call 662-915-2787 or visit fordcenter.org.
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-27 Conference: ACT 7 Experience, “Magazines Matter, Print Matters.” Magazine Innovation Center, Meek School of Journalism and New Media. Visit maginnovation.org/act/ register.
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Student Alumni Council Random Acts of Kindness: Butler Auditorium, Triplett Alumni Center, 5-6:30 p.m. Call 662-915-7375.
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Reception: Young Alumni Council. The Inn at Ole Miss. Time TBD. Call 662-915-2367. For a complete and latest listing of Ole Miss sports schedules, visit olemisssports.com.
For more Oxford events, news and information, go to visitoxfordms.com or call 662-232-2477. w i n te r 2 017
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UM physicists gain renown for research, global collaboration B y M i t chell Dig g s
1856 Department occupies Barnard Observatory, conceived for that purpose by Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard, former chair of physics and astronomy.
1939 Lewis Hall and Kennon Observatory completed
1912 William Lee Kennon named department chair 20
Alumni Review
Photo by iStock
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ‌ two black holes performed a kind of cosmic tango, spinning around each other faster and faster as they edged closer and closer, finally grabbing hold and locking into a cataclysmic embrace. The collision shook the universe. As the celestial titans spiraled together at half the speed of light, they converted the mass of three suns into pure energy. Much like the waves of a tsunami, the forces released spread outward, stretching and distorting the very fabric of space.
1963 Dynamitron accelerator installed in special protective underground laboratory (now the Bike Shop)
1952 A.B. Lewis succeeds Kennon as department chair.
1969 Andrew Harper joins department as machinist, begins tradition of talented precision machinists in the department. w i n te r 2 017
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ome 1.3 billion years later, faint ripples from that impact whispered past Earth, almost imperceptibly nudging the path of laser beams inside two of the most precise measuring instruments ever created. That tiny change registered on sensors in Louisiana and Washington, setting off celebrations among astrophysicists worldwide, confident that they had finally detected gravitational waves, a phenomenon predicted decades earlier by Albert Einstein. As those researchers popped champagne corks, another group of physicists was still exuberant about its own triumph, one that occurred a couple of years earlier in the Swiss Alps. There, this team of scientists fired a microscopic stream of protons (positively charged subatomic particles) in both directions around a 17-mile circular tunnel bored deep beneath the mountains and lined with powerful magnets. When the particles met midway around the loop, hurtling along at nearly the speed of light, the minuscule collision was so violent that it shattered the protons, breaking them apart into even tinier bits of matter, including the long-sought Higgs boson, one of the fundamental particles of all matter in the universe. Although these two landmark discoveries occurred on vastly different scales and measured events more than a billion years apart, both made worldwide headlines and were accomplished through the collaboration of large teams of the best physicists from the world’s premier research institutions, a roster that includes the University of Mississippi. While UM might not have the “brand name” of Stanford or Cal Tech or some of its other research partners, Ole Miss physicists made critical contributions to both efforts and share credit for important discoveries in the field. “At the University of Mississippi, we have the somewhat rare coincidence that our physics department is at the forefront in searches for gravitational waves, massive new elementary particles and exotic black hole phenomena,” says Lucien Cremaldi, a UM physics professor who served as the department’s chair from 2009 to early 2016. The expertise in the Department of Physics and Astronomy doesn’t stop there. The Atmospheric Physics group is renowned for its insights into the electrical structure of storms and how lightning forms inside clouds. And the Physical Acoustics
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Henry Bass joins faculty, begins researching acoustical phenomena.
Congress charters the National Center for Physical Acoustics.
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group, including many researchers at the National Center for Physical Acoustics, has pioneered the study of how sound waves travel and methods to use acoustic energy to investigate other phenomena. “On many levels, our department — even with only 17 or so tenure-track physicists — is doing research on the level of any university in the country,” Cremaldi says. “It’s a fun place to come to work every day.” The department’s standing in research circles is reflected in U.S. News’ 2017 listing of Best Global Universities, where the university is ranked No. 11 globally for overall international collaborations in physics. Also, the department’s faculty ranks No. 6 in the world in terms of producing work that is cited by others in their research publications. “Our department’s worldwide reputation and competitiveness has been increasing in recent years because of the quality of our research and our strong ties to global collaborations, and we have been able to attract high-quality faculty and graduate students with international backgrounds,” says Luca Bombelli, chair and associate professor of physics and astronomy. So just how did a relatively small physics department in Mississippi become a major player in international collaborations exploring some of the greatest scientific questions of our time? The answer involves decades of dreams and hard work, a willingness to consider new directions for growth, a “can-do” attitude and a bit of serendipitous good fortune. The department’s leaders long aspired for the university to be a leader in research and education, but for the first half of the 20th century, both laboratory space and funding for equipment were scarce. Things started to change in the late 1950s, when the Mississippi Legislature provided funding to boost the university’s science departments. Nuclear physics was a rapidly developing field, so then-physics chair Abbey Cullen decided
Research in atmospheric physics begins in earnest after the severe tornado outbreak in spring ’74. Alumni Review
Photo by Robert Jordan
The full-time faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and their research specialties include (front row, from left) Cecille Labuda, acoustics; Katherine Dooley, gravitational physics; Kevin Beach, condensed matter; Igor Ostrovski, condensed matter; Josh Gladden, acoustics and condensed matter; Tom Marshall, atmospheric physics; Luca Bombelli, gravitational; and (back row) Robert Kroeger, high-energy physics; Lucien Cremaldi, high-energy; Joel Mobley, acoustics; Breese Quinn, high-energy; Likun Zhang, acoustics; Don Summers, high-energy; Emanuele Berti, gravitational; and Marco Cavaglia, gravitational.
1992 Researchers produce first devices capable of emitting a single beam of ultrasound; groundbreaking work published on stable singlebubble sonoluminescence (where bubbles in liquid emit bursts of light when excited by sound).
1988 High-Energy Physics group created to work in experimental and theoretical particle physics w i n te r 2 017
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to use much of his department’s share on a particle accelerator for research and contract work. Purchased for $168,000, the Dynamitron accelerator was housed in an underground building behind Lewis Hall. (The “atom smasher” is long gone, but the building remains and is home to the Ole Miss Bike Shop.) Faculty researchers used the Dynamitron to test materials for military and industrial partners for several years, but the device was quirky, prone to breakdowns and never ran properly at full power. Also, it often needed parts, which were expensive, so Cullen assembled a collection of World War II-surplus machine shop equipment and hired a machinist to produce them. Although the Dynamitron never brought Ole Miss the reputation or the revenue stream that administrators hoped, the machine shop did. “We became known as a place that could do quality machining,” Cremaldi says. “We were able to build components for some of our experiments, and that helped us do a lot with a small budget. We were able to do some innovative work here, and we started producing components for other universities and some large collaborations. There are a couple of components at the big collider at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s laboratory in Switzerland) that we built here in our machine shop.” Those components, parts of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, include the hadron calorimeter, which measures the energy released in violent subatomic collisions, and a pixel-tracking detector able to determine the precise origin of particles in the interaction, down to 30 micrometers. Both components were part of the landmark experiments in 2011-12 that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson. That success bolstered the department’s High-Energy Physics (HEP) group (created in the late 1980s), enabling it to attract physicists from across the country. “Particle physics experiments are big collaborations, and this department has done a really good job of identifying the
components we can build that no one else can,” says Breese Quinn, an associate professor of physics who joined the group in 2004 after completing a fellowship at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) near Chicago. “We’ve been very smart and strategic about picking which projects our expertise really fits. And when we make that decision, we’re dedicated to meeting those needs and contributing to the overall effort in a significant way.” Other members of the HEP group include scientists who have substantial experience with cutting-edge projects at some of the world’s premier particle physics labs, Cremaldi says. “These included the UA1 experiment at CERN, which discovered the W and Z boson, and the D0 experiment at Fermilab, which discovered the top quark and saw evidence for the Higgs boson.” But nearly two decades before the particle physics group began to flourish, the university developed a reputation for groundbreaking acoustics research. Henry Bass, who joined the faculty in 1970, was interested in acoustical phenomena and recruited other members of the department to assist. Lee Bolen, for example, specialized in nuclear physics but had expertise in precise measurements, so Bass persuaded him to help the acoustics group with measurements. And Roy Arnold, who originally came to UM to work with the Dynamitron, switched his research emphasis to solid-state physics, and Bass got him to help with ultrasound studies. “He gathered people together who had interest and expertise in acoustics and got them to work on some important problems in the field,” says Tom Marshall, who joined the faculty in 1981. “He got a lot of people who had no real training in acoustics, or maybe some experience in the field, to all start moving in the same direction.” Marshall, whose expertise focuses on the electrification of thunderstorms, was invited to join the faculty because Arnold was interested in recording thunderstorm sounds as part of efforts to predict and track tornadoes. In the mid-1970s, Arnold and others partnered with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Severe Storms Laboratory in Oklahoma to chase thunderstorms across the Midwest.
1995 Completion of Lewis Hall Research Wing
1995 NCPA researchers get patent for acoustic tornado detector. 24
Alumni Review
1997 Kennon Observatory refurbished and a 17-inch Corrected Dall-Kirkham refractor telescope with CCD camera added to small dome
“I was interested in electricity, and he was interested in acoustics,” Marshall says. “The electricity — lightning — is responsible for a large part of the noise, so I got an offer to come here and help with the work.” The team eventually gathered enough data from its storm recordings that they were able to identify a specific lowfrequency “signature” of tornadoes. They later used this information to obtain a patent for an acoustic tornado detector, one that can provide a critical warning that a twister is approaching. A turning point came when the acoustics group began conducting research for the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, all of which were interested in how sound travels and is absorbed by various materials. By the early 1980s, the group had attracted several large research grants and had converted several vacant spaces on campus — including the old Band Hall and the Accelerator Building — into acoustics laboratories. Working with Mississippi’s Institute for Technological Development, the university submitted a proposal to Congress to create a national center for acoustics research. Because of the acoustic group’s success in assisting the military and other government agencies, the plan attracted support in the nation’s capital and won congressional approval. The National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA) was founded in 1986, and the impact on the entire physics department was dramatic. “We now have become accustomed to doing frontier physics, leading edge physics, as opposed to doing ‘me too’ physics,” Bass said in a 1994 interview. “We don’t have to do ‘me too’ physics anymore. We don’t have to chase dollars quite as much as we used to, so we can be selective in the type of research projects we take on. … I think the quality of the work and the way we view ourselves has improved dramatically.” That confidence continues to benefit the department as it branches out into new areas, says Josh Gladden, who joined the faculty in 2005 and is the university’s interim vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs.
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“When you raise the bar like that in a department, the standard becomes nationally and internationally recognized work, and that breeds more nationally and internationally recognized work,” says Gladden, who also became NCPA director in 2013. “If that’s what you’re around — your colleagues are publishing papers and getting invited to present at conferences around the world and being recognized for their contributions to their fields — then that’s the bar you’re going to try to jump over. It really elevates the work that everybody does.” Bass served as NCPA director from 1992 to 2008, and during his tenure, the center’s scientists conducted numerous research programs for the U.S. military, including projects to better detect submarines and approaching tanks, muffle sonic booms of supersonic planes and find buried landmines, all using their discoveries about the properties of sound. They also developed a thermoacoustic refrigerator, made advances in understanding sonoluminescence (where bubbles in liquid emit bursts of light when excited by sound) and pioneered using infrasound to detect faraway nuclear blasts and severe storms. NCPA celebrated its 30th anniversary this fall, and the center’s scientists are moving ahead with research in several areas of national importance. For example, one team has a major grant from DOE to develop acoustic methods and tools to assess the structural integrity and inside conditions of giant concrete casks used to store spent nuclear fuel rods. By the late 1980s, both the Physical Acoustics and Atmospheric Physics groups were thriving. But rather than enlarging these groups, James Reidy persuaded Bass to use new hires to build a new group to concentrate on high-energy physics. “They saw there was an opportunity related to some important work going on in high-energy physics,” Marshall says. “They recognized the advantage of adding another major group and started putting together a team. We had a couple of older faculty retire, and Dr. Cremaldi and Dr. (Donald) Summers were hired because of their interest in high-energy work. Dr. (Robert) Kroeger came a couple of years later, so we had a good group to start building a research program.”
2005
Creation of aeroacoustics research group; research starts on jet noise and turbulenceinduced aircraft noise
Thermoacoustic piezo energy conversion (using sound to convert heat into electricity) research group formed; ultrasonic research increases
2002 Formation of formal NCPA-Army partnership, Acoustic Center of Excellence established
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2012
Researchers at CERN use the Large Hadron Collider to isolate the Higgs boson for the first time; collider includes components built in the UM machine shop, and UM physics researchers are part of international consortium.
2006 Tri-sonic wind tunnel facility starts operation at NCPA. 26
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Photo by Robert Jordan
The High-Energy Physics group was successful from the onset, Cremaldi says. “Our funding began in 1988 or ’89 and has continued,” he says. “That really changed the complexion of the department because everybody realized that when we hired new faculty, we didn’t have to go solely for applied physics guys. We could go after people doing experimental work and really be successful in that area.” But experimental physics — particularly projects focusing on the fundamentals of matter — requires massive computing power to work through incredibly complex problems. Even with the supercomputing resources available on campus, the HEP group often had problems completing the calculations necessary for its projects, so the team began to assemble its own computing system. This Physics faculty members Luca Bombelli (left), Cecille Labuda, Breese Quinn and development, in turn, helped the group Tom Marshall discuss their research projects over coffee at a local bakery. achieve national prominence, Cremaldi says. “We actually made a major impact on an experiment at Fermilab,” he says. “We analyzed 50 terabytes of “Some of these big-name physics departments that have data, and that was more data than had ever been analyzed for a gotten so huge have become segregated and divided themsingle experiment. It was more than all the projects combined selves off into their groups,” he explains. “They may have little that we had completed by that point! That opened a lot of or no interaction with faculty working in other fields. We people’s eyes to what we could do here. don’t have those wide divisions, and that may be a benefit of “With this foundation, we were able to make major contri- being small: We don’t have a lot of people to work with, so we butions to the BaBar experiment, which shared in the discov- share ideas across the fields we have and figure out how to use ery of CP violation in March 2001, and the CMS experiment, everybody’s expertise to tackle the challenges we face. which shared in the discovery of the Higgs boson in July 2012.” “For example, I’ve talked a lot with Dr. Marshall about the Another major boost for the department came in the early role of cosmic rays in lightning formation, and that has helped 1990s, when the National Science Foundation helped fund an both our research programs. Members of the particle physics, expansion of Lewis Hall, home of the Department of Physics gravity and physical acoustics groups are often seen in deep and Astronomy, to provide office space and laboratories. The discussions at the lunch table. We share a common curiosity department also renovated and modernized its machine shop gene, I suppose.” with computerized equipment. When the research wing was When money became available for more faculty members completed in 1995, it allowed all the groups except NCPA to in the late 1990s, Bass again took a bold step by bringing in be housed under one roof, greatly increasing opportunities for novel collaborations, Cremaldi says.
Bombelli, a theoretical physicist studying gravity and black holes, as a visiting professor. Marshall served as department chair from 1998 to 2009, and he continued that direction a few years later by hiring Quinn for the High-Energy Physics group and Marco Cavaglia, another gravity specialist. “If I had a role, it was only in saying, ‘Let’s try to hire in acoustics, high-energy and gravity and just see who applies,’” Marshall says. “You never know what you’ll get — who will apply — but when you have an opportunity to get somebody really good, you have to take advantage of it.” Cavaglia helped get the university into the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, an international consortium dedicated to the search for gravitational waves. The group operates the two giant detectors in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington, that first detected gravitational waves in late 2015. “A big part of the success here is that the department as a whole has done a very good job of being strategic about which particular problems our set of resources and expertise could be best used to address,” Quinn says. “The investment the department has put into the gravity group is another example of an opportunity we saw and jumped in and took advantage of.” But joining LIGO was risky in some ways, Gladden says. “LIGO is one of those high-risk, high-reward kinds of endeavors, and at the time, nobody really knew if it would work,” he says. “But it did work, and the payoff for this department has been tremendous.” The department’s successes have raised the university’s national and international profile. For example, Cavaglia serves as assistant spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and chair of its Diversity Committee. Quinn is a leader in the high-energy physics community’s advocacy efforts in Washington and regularly meets with congressional staffs to gain support for more science funding. And Maribeth Stolzenberg, who joined the Atmospheric Physics research group in 1996, serves on NASA’s Lightning Advisory Panel and is a commissioner of the International Commission on Atmospheric Electricity.
“When you take on leadership roles in these large collaborations, that means your peers around the country and world have confidence that you can help lead the endeavor in a way that will bear fruit,” Gladden says. “That, in turn, makes us even more competitive when we make new hires. “It helps us attract some of the best and brightest people available to join our faculty, people like Kate Dooley (assistant professor of physics and a member of the LIGO Collaboration) and Emanuele Berti (associate professor of physics and a fellow of the American Physical Society), one of the world’s top theoreticians in gravitational-wave physics. Dr. Berti is so well-respected that he was invited to write the viewpoint piece that accompanied the paper announcing the discovery of gravitational waves in Physical Review Letters.” Despite the arrival of so many “stars” in their respective disciplines, the department has maintained a team atmosphere that helps everyone be successful, Bombelli says. “In addition to the ongoing research contributions of my colleagues, one aspect that has helped our development is their willingness to create and maintain an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual support,” he says. “Discussions on our vision for growth have almost always been of a constructive character, and I expect this to allow the department to become even stronger in the coming years.” When Frederick A.P. Barnard became the university’s third chancellor in 1856, he unveiled a vision to build one of the world’s great scientific institutions in Oxford. To that end, Barnard — also a professor of mathematics, engineering and physics — amassed a huge collection of scientific instruments and built an observatory to house the world’s largest telescope. The Civil War interrupted these plans, and Barnard left to become president of Columbia University. It took more than a century, but Barnard’s dream arguably has been realized, as the University of Mississippi has taken its place among the world’s great institutions for physics research.
2016 NCPA celebrates 30th anniversary
2015 First detection of gravitational waves; UM physics researchers work on data analysis and detector characterization as part of international LIGO Scientific Collaboration.
2017 U.S. News ranks university No. 11 globally for overall international collaborations in physics. Department’s faculty ranks No. 6 in the world in producing work cited by others in their research publications. w i n te r 2 017
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Family & Fellowship
Flyway
on the
Mississippi
Tallahatchie Hunts’ Mike Flautt remains true to his roots despite success
By Annie Rhoades
Photos courtesy of tallahatchiehunts.com
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A lum n i R e v i e w
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ost people are fast asleep in the hours just before dawn, but for Mike “Catfish” Flautt, owner of Tallahatchie Hunts in Swan Lake, Mississippi, his day begins with a ride across his sprawling 8,000acre plot of premium Delta hunting grounds in the heart of the Mississippi Flyway.
“My favorite part is when I’m out in the morning,” Flautt says. “I don’t hunt anymore, but I scout. I’m out at first light, and it takes me about three hours to ride through the property. We probably have 75 to 80 different spots to hunt on, so I try to scout and keep an inventory of the duck population every day. It’s really something to see when you’re out riding in the morning.” From massive whitetail bucks to ducks, geese, wild turkeys and beavers splashing around in the water, the grounds of Tallahatchie Hunts, where the Coldwater, Yocona and Tallahatchie rivers converge, are an outdoors enthusiast’s playground. “I’ve got really good binoculars, so I know where about five or six eagles’ nests are around here,” Flautt says. “And of course we have thousands and thousands of ducks every year. After I finish scouting, I come back in, and we have a big breakfast where all the hunters come up to my house. This morning I’ve got hunters from Phoenix, Tulsa, South Africa, Trinidad and some from California — you never know who’s going to come in here. I love meeting all the different people that come through my kitchen.”
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Humble Beginnings
The son of a catfish farmer, Flautt grew up hunting, farming and playing basketball. He graduated from Delta Academy in 1971, then went on to Millsaps College in Jackson, where he played basketball and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1975 with an emphasis in accounting and economics. He continued his education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he received a master’s degree in business administration in 1977, before returning home to Swan Lake to pursue a career in cotton farming. “My wife, Hedy (BBA 75), and I had always planned on moving back to Tallahatchie County and farming,” Flautt says. “We moved back in 1977 and had three children (Bolton, Alben and Clansey). We had a big cotton gin and did that forever. Cotton farming was pretty tough on a lot of the farmers. A lot of guys didn’t quit farming because they wanted to; they quit because they had to. But we were able and fortunate enough to hold on.”
After a bad crop due to back-to-back hurricanes Isidore and Lili in fall 2002, Flautt lost $1.3 million. “We needed a wintertime job and income because there wasn’t any money coming in,” Flautt says. “So everybody said you need to start a guide service.” After meeting with a friend in Florida who had already been in the business for a few years, Flautt stuck to advice and his own instincts on how to implement a business strategy for his guide service. “I have a degree in accounting, so I know my numbers pretty well,” he says. “I tell everybody my master’s is in creative finance, because I always had to create equity every year during the winter to talk the bankers into loaning me money to farm 30
Alumni Review
again. My friend told me not to start out building a big lodge that I had to maintain all year, which was really good advice. “Then I had other people telling me I had to build these big, fancy blinds because all of these people love to be real comfortable when they come. I thought about it for a second and said, ‘You know everybody I’ve ever hunted with just liked to kill ducks, so I’m going to do it my way.’” With his basic expense being money spent on groceries to cook and feed the hunters, Tallahatchie Hunts was officially formed. “My brother and I would take people out hunting, and Hedy did the cooking, so we clicked right along like that averaging about 300 hunts a year,” Flautt says. “Hedy died in early November 2005, and I basically quit hunting completely and hired my sister-in-law to check my houses.”
Soon after, Flautt decided to offer the job of cooking for the hunters to his daughter, Clansey Flautt (BBA 09), and his daughter-in-law, Emily Flautt, despite knowing neither knew how to cook. “They both looked at me at the same time and said, ‘We can’t cook,’” Flautt laughs. “I told them how much I was going to pay them per person for everybody that walks in that door, and on top of that I was going to pay all of their expenses. They
quickly said they could do it. It’s funny how money motivates people.” Around the same time, Flautt decided to hire guides to take on that portion of the business, while he took on the sole role of scouting the land. “I’ve got about 20 boys that work for me, and most of them are Ole Miss students,” he says. “They just come and move in with me, and they love it.”
Selling Tallahatchie
Business was booming with the number of hunts booked each year steadily growing in the hundreds. Then amid the stock market mayhem of 2008, Flautt’s business all but came to a screeching halt. With most of his clients being large corporations and consulting companies, the cuts on spending trickled down to his bottom line. “They cut out all extra spending like that,” Flautt says. “I had done 700 hunts the year before, and my book at Thanksgiving for the season for December and January was zero. So I
That year, Tallahatchie Hunts went from 150 hunts in December to 500 hunts in January with 75 to 80 percent of those people being new clients all related to advertising. “I figured out the best way to advertise Tallahatchie Hunts, using Google AdWords, and monitor how much we spent to see which keyword searches were working and which were not and adjust accordingly,” Bolton Flautt says. He also served as a full-time guide and the “No. 2 person” in the organization. For him, working with his father professionally has been a rewarding learning experience. “He is my dad and one of the most generous and caring role models I have ever had the pleasure of interacting with, on both a personal and professional level,” he says. “He is smart, fair, honest and hardworking. The main reason we work well together is trust. He trusts me to spend our advertising dollars wisely, and we know that when any customer talks to either one of us it’s like talking to the same person. Being on the same page so often as we are is truly a blessing and makes everything I do so enjoyable. I’m so extremely grateful for a boss and a dad like him.”
TV Time
The next logical step in developing the business was to get involved in the outdoor trade show circuit. From Nashville, Atlanta and Birmingham to Pennsylvania and Charlottesville, Virginia, Bolton Flautt capitalized on numerous networking
basically had to start advertising again.” After revamping his website in 2008, his son, Bolton Flautt, a writer in Dallas at the time, jumped into the advertising side of the business with a few suggestions to help get the word out in a digital age. “He said let’s try Google AdWords, where you put in keywords and pay so much a click,” Flautt says. “So we put together a monthly budget, and I started getting a few people in. Then my phone started ringing about the middle of December, and it was these wives calling, saying their husband loves to duck hunt, and they don’t know what else to get them for Christmas. They asked if I could take a credit card over the phone, and I said absolutely. “That’s kind of how it got started, and it was just nonstop daily getting calls from folks all over. Then my job became more of a salesman’s job. And that’s pretty much what I do. I sell Tallahatchie County and get people to come here.”
opportunities, meeting the industry’s leaders. “I started organizing trade show events in different states across the Southeast to attract new customers from areas where we wanted to establish a presence,” he says. “From the trade shows, I made contacts in the outdoor television industry to get Tallahatchie Hunts on the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel, where we actually won a Telly Award for an episode called ‘Outfitters Showcase.’ Since 2008, we have [been on] several outdoor television shows and grown our business by an average of 25 percent every year.” More and more outdoor television shows started popping w i n te r 2 017
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up, one of them being “Mississippi Outdoors” on the Pursuit Channel. “I was on [that show] probably 15 or 20 times that year [2011],” Catfish Flautt says. “At that time DirecTV had over 40 million subscribers, so when that show played, my phone was ringing with all of these different numbers from people all over the world wanting to come to Tallahatchie County. We started getting 1,300 to 1,500 hunts per year. I even raised my prices three times during that period to slow them down, but it never stopped.” Another boost to booking duck hunts came from A&E Network’s “Duck Dynasty” series, featuring Duck Commander’s Phil Robertson and his family. A longtime Tallahatchie County hunter, Robertson’s rise to fame led to numerous referrals to Flautt’s hunting business. “All of these kids were watching the show and decide they wanted to go duck hunting,” Flautt says. “They would call [Robertson] or look people up on his website, and he couldn’t take them so the next person that popped up on Google was me. So many new people from all over the world that had never been hunting started contacting us. That [TV show] was a big push. It’s just been
amazing, and I’m really blessed to be in an area that’s kind of a mecca for ducks in Mississippi.” Flautt’s business has boomed so much that he now has the luxury of limiting the number of hunters he can take. Further bolstering Tallahatchie Hunts’ exposure was a recent article in Garden & Gun magazine featuring 25 dream trips for the Southern sportsman. Bolton Flautt looks back in awe on how much the business has grown since its humble beginnings with just his parents running it all. “Mom would cook, and Dad would guide. Fast-forward to present day, where we have a staff of probably 50 guides, 32
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cooks and house cleaners catering to a diverse clientele from all over the world coming to spend money and provide a much-needed jolt to our local economy — [it’s] indescribably wonderful. [But] probably the most important attribute of our business is that we treat every customer like family and have since day one, when Mom would cook eggs Benedict with tomato gravy for 30 people.”
Family Tradition
With his late wife, Hedy, and daughter, Clansey, both being Ole Miss alumnae, Catfish Flautt has been a Rebel for decades. “When Ole Miss hired Steve Sloan as the football coach, I went to a meeting in Clarksdale, and he started talking about what was called walk-on alumni back then,” Flautt says. “He
gave me an alumni card, and I’ve been an (alumnus) ever since. I love Ole Miss.” Flautt visits campus each year to speak to students of his f r iend Bill Luckett ( JD 73), University of Mississippi School of Law adjunct professor and partner at Luckett Tyner law firm in Clarksdale, about entrepreneurship, describing how Tallahatchie Hunts was built from the ground up. “Bill and I are good friends, and I come speak to his class every year about how my business got started,” Flautt says. “I never had a clue that this is what I would be doing. I tell them that every day is payday, and every night is Saturday night. We have two vacations a year, and each one lasts six months. My hunting season is my second vacation, and truly the people are what makes it fun.”
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Alumni Review
Baby Steps
Alumna grows from preemie to neonatal nurse By Brian Hudgins Photos by Joe Ellis rittany Boolos (BSN 15) was in the hospital for two months, unable to talk, walk or feed herself. Decades later, she turned that situation into a defining moment. “I was born at 27 weeks … three months early,” Boolos says. “I spent two months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. My passion for neonatal nursing was rooted in that. I tried to give every (career) a fair shot, but I wanted to give back for the care I got.”
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Photo courtesy of Brittany Boolos
The care Boolos received as a newborn helped give her a start with very few of the complications that premature babies typically encounter. Now as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Boolos can name those common preemie complications from both work experience and her education foundation.
Born prematurely at 27 weeks, Brittany Boolos spent two months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Preemies often have a low birth weight, and many suffer respiratory problems due to underdeveloped lungs. Sometimes they struggle with feeding issues. To help both preemies and full-term babies in a NICU, daily teamwork takes place at facilities throughout the country. Doctors, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, residents and a host of other hospital staff members must come up with care plans.
Birth of Neonatology
That big team is a far cry from the years when NICUs were in their infancy. Until the mid-to-late ’70s, an established blueprint for specific preemie care did not exist. The full development of neonatology as a specialty was still years away. Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston was the first hospital to treat pediatric respiratory failure with home mechanical ventilation. That development enabled at-home treatment instead of prolonged hospital care. The beginning of neonatology service followed. “Back then is not that far back,” says Dr. Michael Speer, a neonatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and a professor of pediatrics and medical ethics at Baylor College of Medicine. “The modern neonatology program was not established until about 1973. We didn’t have a ventilator for babies with lung disease until 1972. If a baby had lung disease, we had to use an incubator, and we didn’t have a ventilator to breathe for the baby.” Some high-profile cases highlighted preemie health care needs, which contributed to care advances on a large scale. 36
Alumni Review
President John F. Kennedy’s son Patrick, who had been born premature, died in August 1963, just a few months before his father was assassinated. Patrick’s death put a spotlight on respiratory distress syndrome and other conditions common among premature babies. That spectrum includes babies born many weeks early and those who are nearly carried full term. “The death of JFK’s baby Patrick … that baby was only about five weeks premature,” says Annie Rohan, an assistant professor and director of pediatric research at Stony Brook University’s School of Nursing in Stony Brook, New York. “There wasn’t a specialty of neonatology at that time. We learned that the use of oxygen is not always a good thing. (Musician) Stevie Wonder was exposed to too much oxygen.” As funding for research and development increased, doctors gradually gained ground in the effort to improve preemie outcomes. The late Dr. Mary Ellen Avery’s pioneering research found that preemies often struggled with breathing due to lacking a lung protein called surfactant. Being able to supply that artificially in a NICU setting became a huge step forward. Other vital tools came into play as facilities were able to devote additional resources to address the nutritional needs of preemies. “We had no formulas on hand in the early ’70s designed for premature babies,” Speer says. “We had no breast milk banking. We had primitive forms of nutrition [programs]. The mid’70s was a hotbed of innovation and acquisition of knowledge.”
Whole New World
While doctors and nurses were making progress, another group still had plenty of catching up to do to become familiar with a typical NICU setting: the parents who were anxiously waiting to hear good news about their respective sons and daughters. Boolos has experienced the environment as a patient and as a nurse. She knows the visual aspects and the sounds of the NICU can be jarring for many new parents. “One of the big things for me is to help the parents,” Boolos says. “For a lot of them, this is their first child. It can be very scary for them. There are a lot of cords and alarms in the NICU. Then teaching them how to care for a preemie — everything is so different.” Boolos says her own parents, Todd and Tammy, were in that sort of situation when she was born in Vicksburg. The absence of a local NICU meant that 2-pound, 7-ounce Brittany had to be transferred to Methodist Medical Center in Jackson (now Merit Health Central). “I always ask my parents questions about that NICU,” Boolos says. “My parents had hardly known about the NICU. Every baby is different. Babies of the same gestational age can have two totally different journeys.” Prior cases and pattern recognition give doctors tools to recognize the illness process and the rigid science behind it. Sometimes the journey does not end as every patient and parent wants. Often, complications occur, and short- or long-term mental or physical impairments are possibilities. “We have some babies who have medical conditions that
Boolos now works as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
we can address but not cure,” Speer says. “We sometimes are not able to do wondrous things.” Sometimes the outcome is death. “It is very gratifying to have the medical tools that we have,” Speer says. “But just because we can do something does not mean that we always should do something. Sometimes the best medicine is to say we cannot do anything for the baby, and we have to allow the baby to die with dignity and without suffering.” Boolos witnesses many of the ups and downs experienced by babies and parents. Her reward often comes from seeing a baby that “you don’t think will make it through the night” hang in there and move closer to survival. When a patient is able to do things like switch to bottle feeding or start wearing clothes, those moments may not seem like a big deal on the surface. However, they are major milestones for preemies. “It’s all part of it when you work in the NICU,” Boolos says. “It’s hard to see them fight for their lives. When you see their parents, it’s one of the hardest things.”
Answering the Call
It is difficult logistically for organizations such as the National Association of Neonatal Nurses to track an exact
figure representing the number of preemies who grow up to become medical professionals who work in a NICU. Rohan at Stony Brook estimates hundreds if not thousands of people have made that transition from being a patient to becoming a care provider. “People have choices when they get out of a general nursing program,” Rohan says. “If you have emotional connections to that environment … preemies who have listened to stories about the NICU go into it.” Once that decision is made, the process of getting accustomed to the ins and outs of a NICU begins. Students who are exposed to the new environment face linguistic challenges. “There is a lot of new language at the NICU, and getting around the language is tricky,” Rohan says. “Sometimes younger students could be intimidated by the skills of a neonatal nurse practitioner, and they are challenged by the conversations. Sometimes the news is not interpreted by a family the way you want it to be.” Preemies make up a fairly large portion of a NICU patient population, but many other full-term babies also are there who are dealing with setbacks such as infections or kidney issues. Many of those babies will have a few days or maybe a week on antibiotics and a relatively short-term hospital stay before heading home. For those parents of preemies who face a longer path, they w i n te r 2 017
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Boolos witnesses many of the ups and downs experienced by babies and parents. Her reward often comes from unexpected improvements in her patients. Seemingly minor advancements such as switching to bottle feeding are major milestones for preemies.
can find many examples of success, stretching from New York to Jackson to Houston. Rohan has some advice for them. “Try to take your fear and sadness that this wasn’t the original plan, and put it on the back burner,” she says. “Try to hear what the care providers are telling you. There are a lot of resources in the NICU. Embrace those resources. Don’t be afraid to ask the same question to two different people. Sometimes an issue will be unclear. Be part of the care team for your infant.” Video monitoring of preemies is a way to supplement cell phone calls and verbal communication. “We don’t have the ability to transmit bedside monitoring to parents, but we can set up a TV monitor and Skype,” Speer says. “There is not the technology to transmit minute to minute, so we are still dependent on cell technology if parents can’t be at the hospital.” The tense moments are not only part of the parents’ routine. “When I started nursing school, I had no idea what I was getting into,” Boolos says. “I never thought about how attached you can get to a patient. When you realize how fragile these babies are, it’s a lot of emotional investment. I catch myself thinking about patients, and sometimes it’s hard to leave work at work.” Boolos always sort of knew that she wanted to do something 38
Alumni Review
in the medical field, and the NICU allows her to experience a wide variety of cases. “The NICU is a whole different world from the rest of the floors,” she says. “Most of what people know about hospital settings is dealing with other adults. We take care of very small preemies from 23 weeks up to older babies with chronic conditions.” As treatment tools have improved, so have the odds of a good outcome for those smaller babies. “We have technology that allows smaller and smaller babies to survive, go home and become contributing members of society,” Speer says. “Unless we have a major malformation or major catastrophic illness, more than 90 percent of babies should be very normal at 1,000 grams and 27 to 28 weeks of gestation. If you get down to 23, 24 or 25 weeks, a significant portion of those babies will not survive, or the survivors will have major disabilities in learning, vision or hearing that may last their entire lives.” Boolos is in a unique position to keep the lines of communication open with parents who are anxious and looking for progress. “If it’s appropriate, I tell them about my journey to give them hope.”
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Sports Ole Miss
Rebs Welcome 2017 Signing Class 15 OF 22 NEW STUDENT-ATHLETES TO PLAY ON DEFENSE
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Photos courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
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le Miss Football addressed critical-need areas and came away from National Signing Day with a haul of 22 new student-athletes who will bolster the team’s chances for success, both on and off the field. Hugh Freeze and his Rebel staff focused much of their energy on the defensive side of the ball, garnering the signatures of 15 players who look to immediately help return the Landshark defense to its former glory. Ole Miss inked a whopping six linebackers between the December and February signing periods. The Rebels signed six high school All-Americans, including Under Armour All-Americans and high school teammates Breon Dixon and Tony Gray, as well as U.S. Army All-American D.D. Bowie. Eleven of the 22 signees received a 4-star rating by one or more of the national recruiting services — LB Dixon, OL Gray, DB Bowie, LB Josh Clarke, LB Chester Graves, DB Javien Hamilton, DB C.J. Miller, WR Braylon Sanders, LB Mohamed Sanogo, DB Kam’ron White and DE Markel Winters. Like every class, this one has some potential hidden gems. A couple mentioned specifically by Freeze that are in the mold of an Evan Engram or a Mike Hilton could be LB Zikerrion Baker, LB Brenden Williams or RB Isaiah Woullard. Early enrollees who will go through spring drills with the team include DE Ryder Anderson, Dixon, Hamilton, QB Jordan Ta’amu, Williams and Winters.
Ole Miss Sports
HARRISON NAMED ALLSTATE SEC BASKETBALL LEGEND
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Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
le Miss basketball great Jason Harrison (BA 02) has been named to the 2017 Allstate SEC Legends class. One of the most popular players in Ole Miss basketball history, Harrison earned All-SEC honors twice during his career from 1999 to 2002 and helped lead the Rebels to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of SEC West titles. The 5-5 point guard hit one of the biggest shots in Ole Miss history — a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left — that propelled the Rebels over Notre Dame in the 2001 NCAA Tournament and to the first Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history. Harrison still ranks in Ole Miss’ top 10 in assists, free throw percentage and wins. This marks the 19th year of the SEC Basketball Legends program.
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Ole Miss Sports Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
Field Goal Leader
GARY WUNDERLICH CROWNED NCAA STATISTICAL CHAMPION
W
ith the conclusion of the NCAA Division I football season, the season statistics became final, and Ole Miss junior kicker Gary Wunderlich finished atop the country in field goal percentage. Wunderlich is the 21st individual statistical champion in Ole Miss history and the first since Tyler Campbell led the nation in punting average in 2010. Wunderlich is the first Rebel to lead the country in field goal percentage. A native of Memphis, Wunderlich made 22 of 23 field goals for a school42
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record 95.7 percent success rate, besting Georgia Southern’s Younghoe Koo (19 of 20, 95.0 percent) and 106 other qualified kickers. The Lou Groza Award semifinalist also ranked fifth nationally with 1.83 field goals per game and 26th overall with 8.9 points scored per outing. His only field goal miss of the year was a 55-yard attempt. His 39-yarder with 37 seconds left won the game for the Rebels on the road at No. 8 Texas A&M, and he was tabbed Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
In the final team statistical rankings, Ole Miss finished top 15 in the country in passing offense (314.9 yards per game, 13th), fewest fumbles lost (5, 12th), fewest tackles for loss allowed per game (4.67, 13th) and fewest penalties (59, 15th). Senior quarterback Chad Kelly finished seventh nationally in total offense (343.3 ypg), ninth in passing (306.4 ypg), 13th in completions per game (22.78) and 20th in yards per pass attempt (8.41). Senior Carlos Davis finished 18th in combined kickoff and punt return yards (803).
Ole Miss Sports
Q-School Accomplishment WOMEN’S GOLF ALUMNA DORI CARTER RECLAIMS LPGA CARD
me where I needed to be going into the final round. I’m still shocked that it even happened! Sixty-three is a career low round, and 28 is by far my low nine-hole score. Qualifying school is always a grind, so I’m glad I was able to go low at the right time and right place.” In fall 2016, Carter returned to Oxford as a volunteer assistant coach for Ole Miss women’s golf. The Valdosta, Georgia, native shared her experiences with the Rebels during practices and workouts, on everything from course management to mental toughness. Head coach Kory Henkes was thrilled to see the M-Club Alumni Hall of Famer reclaim her spot on golf ’s biggest stage. “The entire Ole Miss women’s golf program is extremely proud of Dori and her huge accomplishment this past week
at Q-School,” Henkes says. “Dori is a great inspiration for our team on a daily basis. She shows us that big dreams can come true Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
A
fter three rounds of the LPGA Q u a l i f y i ng S cho ol tou r na ment, Dori Carter (BBA 09) sat tied for 58th, in need of a turnaround to climb into the top 20 and reclaim full-time LPGA status. In the fourth round, the Ole Miss women’s golf alumna came through with the best round of her life, a 9-under (63), including an incredible 8-under (28) on the back nine of LPGA International’s Jones Course to rocket into the top 10. When the five-round tournament concluded, Carter was tied for 14th at 5-under (355) and earned a spot back in the competitive LPGA ranks. “Overall, I’m thrilled that I met my goal of finishing top 20 and earning my full LPGA tour card for next season,” Carter says. “The back nine of my fourth round changed my entire week and put
when you put in the time and hard work. We are lucky to have Dori involved with our program and look forward to watching her thrive on the LPGA Tour next year.”
INTRODUCING THE 2017
SHIRT
FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
Help us honor 50 years of the Manning family’s association with
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Ole Miss Sports
EDIE, THOMPSON NAMED TO AVCA ALL-SOUTH REGION TEAM on the team with 374 digs and led the team with 487.5 points. This marks the third year in a row for the Rebels to have at least one person on the All-South Region Team. “I’m glad to see that Aubrey and Lexi have been recognized f o r t h e i r h a r d w o r k ,” h e a d coach Steven McRoberts says. “It’s nice for Aubrey to end her career with this award. For Lexi, it’s a great way to end this season as she looks forward to working hard to have an even better year next year.” Edie and Thompson are in contention to earn AVCA AllAmerica honors, which will be voted on and announced toward the conclusion of the NCAA tournament. Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics
S
enior Aubrey Edie and junior Lexi kills per set (3.50) and 10th in points per Thompson played a major role in Ole set (3.90). She recorded her 1,000th career Miss volleyball posting its third straight winning season for the first time since the mid- ’80s, and both were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-South Region Team. Edie set the career record at Ole Miss with 4,834 assists, which ranks fourth in the NCAA in active career assists. She ranks fifth in the SEC in assists per set and paved the way for the Rebels to have two hitters among the top 10 in the SEC and two players in the top 10 in kills and points per set. This is the second time for Edie to Lexi Thompson (left) and Aubrey Edie be honored by the AVCA, as she earned kill at Alabama to move up to fifth all-time honorable mention in 2014. Thompson led the SEC with 21 double- at Ole Miss and set the single-season kills doubles and ranked ninth in the SEC in record with 437. Thompson finished second
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Published JUST
You’ll Never See Me Again: A The Rector: A Christian Murder in two cities. Thompson sold the firm in Crime to Remember b y Robert Mystery by Michael Hicks Thompson, 2011 and turned his attention to full-time
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Magarian, 288 pages, $9.99 (Paperback), By Your Side Self-Publishing, ISBN: 9780997334807 Six weeks after Eva Bingham marries into Atlanta’s famous banking family, the Hamiltons, she vanishes after leaving work at Citizens Bank. The next morning, her car mysteriously appears in its parking spot at noon with items of women’s underwear neatly folded on the front seat and smears of Bingham’s blood on the steering wheel. Has Bingham been kidnapped, maybe even murdered? C ow b oy d e t e c t i v e Noah McGraw and his p ar t ner, Hol ly R o ark of t he At l ant a Pol i c e Department’s homicide division, are assigned to the high-profile “Vanishing Bride” case. They find evidence that Bingham is alive in North Carolina based on gas receipts signed by her early the next morning in Charlotte and later that afternoon in Raleigh. Did she fake her abduction? When the young b l on d e w h o re p l a c e s Bing ham at t he b an k is found charred in the trunk of a burned-out car, the case takes a bizarre twist. McGraw and Roark are put to the test by a suspect who is not only cunning but capable of great carnage. Will they put the pieces together before it’s too late? Robert Magarian (BA 56, BSPh 60, PhD 66) is the author of two thrillers, The Watchman and 72 Hours. He has also written two nonfiction essays, Follow Your Dream and A Journey into Faith. He lives with his family in Norman, Oklahoma. Alumni Review
336 pages, $26 (Hardcover), Shepherd King Publishing, ISBN: 9780984528271 If Solo, Mississippi, had any claim to fame in the 1950s, it was due to the small town’s proximity to notorious Parchman Farm Penitentiary. Martha McRae is obsessed with the sudden death of her Episcopal church’s young rector. A murderer could go free if she doesn’t investigate. But McRae is torn. If she pursues the suspect, her Bible study friend’s awful secret could be revealed, and it would be devastating. When the new rector arrives, she encounters
a new puzzle — one that takes her into Parchman, where she comes face to face with evil. The first book in a murder mystery series, The Rector is a thrilling mix of suspense and Christian allegory. Solo may be a speck on the map, but a story as large as the heavens is playing out in its boundaries. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss and a master’s in mass communication from the University of South Carolina, Michael Hicks Thompson (BBA 71) started a one-man ad agency in Memphis, which grew to 87 employees
Christian fiction writing. He and his wife of 44 years live in Memphis and have three sons and four grandchildren.
Going Up South ( Southern Hearts
Series, Book Two) by Janet W. Ferguson, 264 pages, $13.95 (Paperback), Southern Sun Press LLC, ISBN: 9780997482263 Actor Dylan Conner is furious. No one told him he had a son. Not only has he been left out of his child’s life, but the baby boy has been given another man’s last name. Determined to be a better father than the sorry guy who’d left him and his mother, Conner fights to ensure a place in his son’s life. Unfortunately, his bad-boy reputation overshadows his good intentions. Only one woman sees beyond his Hollywood image. And he’s falling for her. Too bad she’s the custody mediator. After her scandalous divorce in the small town of Oxford, Mississippi, attorney Cassie Brooks has no intentions of practicing law again. The humiliating experience left a bitter taste for love, marriage and her profession. Now friends need Brooks’ help in a custody negotiation, and her role demands she remain objective. She never expected to be drawn to Conner — the actor who everyone warns is bad news. Not only is the mediation at stake, but so is her heart. Janet W. Ferguson (BBA 86) grew up in Mississippi. She has served her church as a children’s minister and youth volunteer. Information presented in this section is compiled from material provided by the publisher and/or author and does not necessarily represent the view of the Alumni Review or the Ole Miss Alumni Association. To present a recently published book or CD for consideration, please mail a copy with any descriptions and publishing information to: Ole Miss Alumni Review, Ole Miss Alumni Association, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677.
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Traveler 2017 REBEL
T
he Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a number of spectacular trips for 2017. Alumni and friends obtain group rates and discounts. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change until booking. Airfare is not included unless noted. For a brochure or more information, contact the Alumni office at 662-915-7375. You also can find the most current and complete listing of trips and prices on the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s website at olemissalumni.com/travel.
CUBA: PEOPLE, ART AND CULTURE APRIL 2-10, 2017
C u b a b o a s t s a c a c h e o f v i b r a nt culture, fascinating history, heritage and welcoming locals. This peopleto-p eople educational exchange, licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department, is brimming with opportunities to learn and explore. Enjoy authentic
Trinidad, Cuba 48
Alumni Review
experiences as you uncover Cuban culture during presentations by local experts coupled with visits to historic sites, museums, schools and community projects. Begin by exploring Havana’s highlig hts and historic district. Visit Hemingway’s former home, ride in an antique convertible, and meet ballet and Afro-Cuban dancers. Discover Cuban art at a local art studio and the National Museum of Fine Arts. See cigar makers craft Cuba’s most famous export. En route to Cienfuegos, visit a sugar cane factory and talk with former workers. Then discover local life in Trinidad and e nj oy a C i e n f u e go s mus i c a l performance. The program includes round-trip charter flights from Miami, all excursions, and interactive activities and talks. Your small-group experience features first-class accommodations and an extensive meal plan including local beverages with dinner. — From $5,495
OUTRAGEOUS OUTBACK APRIL 7-23, 2017
Discover rugged outback scenery, cosmopolitan cities and whimsical wildlife on this odyssey aboard Oceania Cruises’ elegant Sirena. Relax on Eden’s golden beaches, take in Melbourne’s graceful Victorian architecture, and browse the Makers’ Workshop in Burnie, Tasmania. Then cruise the glassy waters of Milford Sound fjord, a magnificent sight with its towering cliffs swathed in verdant forests. Delve into the Scottish heritage of Dunedin, glimpse the fascinating Maori culture of Akaroa, and explore the artists’ galleries and boutique wineries of Nelson. Take a cable car ride to the top of Mount Victoria, offering stunning panoramic views of Wellington, and admire the art deco architecture of Napier. Before concluding your adventure in Auckland, laze on Tauranga’s pristine beaches or head to nearby Rotorua, renowned for its steaming geysers and thermal pools. — From $6,799
2017 rebel Traveler WORLD WAR I HISTORY CRUISE APRIL 15-23, 2017
During this enlightening river cruise, discover the charm of Amsterdam’s canals, the historic harbors in Dordre cht, and Namur’s enchant ing medieval squares and streets. Explore some of Europe’s most noteworthy cities during guided sightseeing and panoramic tours in Ghent, Antwerp and Maastricht. Visit the battlefields of Ypres and Eastern Flanders. Plus enjoy exclusive on-board lectures by Nigel Jones, British historian and writer, who specializes in 20th-century European history and biography. — From $3,995
EUROPEAN COASTAL CIVILIZATION APRIL 30-MAY 9, 2017
This unique itinerary captures the historical legacies and dynamic cultures of Portugal, Spain, France and the United Kingdom and features an eight-night cruise from Lisbon aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star M.S. Le Boréal and a memorable cruise up the storied River Thames to London’s Tower Bridge. In addition, the exclusive, expert-led C’est Bon! Culinary Traditions program celebrates the cuisines and wines of our ports of call. Special guest speaker Dwight D. Eisenhower II accompanies you to the hallowed beaches of Normandy. Explore Oporto in Portugal’s renowned wine country. Walk in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela. Visit Bilbao’s illustrious Guggenheim Museum and impressive Mont-St.-Michel. Lisbon pre-cruise and London post-cruise options are available. — From $4,995
INLAND SEA OF JAPAN APRIL 30-MAY 10, 2017
Experience the timeless splendor of Japan and South Korea on this unique itinerar y, featuring a seven-night cruise across the full length of the historic Inland Sea of Japan, plus two nights in Kyoto. On board the exclusively chartered, five-star small ship M.S. L’Austral, featuring only 110
Cinque Terre, Italy
ocean-view suites and staterooms, enjoy port calls at captivating points of interest, including five UNESCO World Heritage sites. From enchanting Kyoto to storied Hiroshima, from Miyajima to the Buddhist wonders of Gyeongju, South Korea, relish the awe-inspiring beauty of historic ports of Japan and South Korea. Tokyo/Kyoto pre-program and Kanazawa post-program options are available. — From $5,795
MEDITERRANEAN MASTERPIECE MAY 10-21, 2017
Experience an inspiring Mediterranean odyssey, where each port of call is a striking masterpiece. From ancient cities soaked in color and culture to cobbled squares framed by elegant cathedrals, encounter extraordinary sights in Italy, France, Monaco and Spain. From the comfort of Oceania Cruises’ Marina, set sail for Livorno, a gateway to Florence, Pisa and the soulstirring Tuscan countryside. Then take a journey to Sardinia’s Emerald Coast to discover the beauty
of Olbia or Porto Cervo. Stop at Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, an island of lush forests and scenic gorges. Behold breathtaking panoramas along Italy’s Cinque Terre, and savor the glamour of Monte Carlo and Antibes. Explore Marseille’s vibrant markets, and marvel at Palma’s Gothic cathedral. Before your adventure concludes in Barcelona, take in Valencia’s ultra-futuristic City of Arts and Sciences. — From $2,999
CELTIC LANDS MAY 16-25, 2017
Cruise for eight nights aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star small ship M.S. Le Boréal from Glasgow, Scotland, to Wales, Ireland and France, with guided excursions in each port. By special arrangement, walk the hallowed beaches of Normandy with Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of former Gen. and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and meet Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill, cousin of former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. Travel into the Scottish Highlands aboard the Jacobite steam w i n te r 2 017
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2017 rebel Traveler t r a i n ; v i s it t h e U N E S C O Wor l d Heritage site of Caernarfon Castle near Holyhead, Wales; experience the austere beauty of the Inner Hebridean isles; and view Celtic treasures in Dublin. Glasgow/Edinburgh pre-cruise and Paris/Giverny post-cruise options are available. — From $6,195
PROVENCE AND BURGUNDY MAY 17-25, 2017
Join this exclusive, nine-day French sojourn in the world-famous Provence and Burgundy wine regions during the best time of year. Spend one night in sun-kissed Marseilles before cruising for six nights from Provençal Arles to historic Lyon along the fabled Rhône and Saône rivers aboard the exclusively char tered, deluxe M.S. Amadeus Provence, launching in 2017. Dock in the heart of each port, and visit the Roman Amphitheater in Arles, the medieval Papal Palace of Avignon, the Roman city of Orange and the Hotel Dieu in Beaune. Enjoy an excursion to
Beaujolais for a private wine tasting. Aix-en-Provence pre-program and Geneva and Chamonix post-program options are available. — From $4,695
pre-cruise and Copenhagen post-cruise options are available. — From $4,595
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, ISLANDS AND NORWEGIAN FJORDS JUNE 1-9, 2017
Discover a region of southern Italy renowned for its beauty and fascinating history on a journey to Campania. Settle in Sorrento and explore the spectacular Amalfi Coast, featuring visits to picturesque Positano and Amalfi, where colorful villages cling to the mountainsides. In Paestum, explore the remains of a Greco-Roman city and the breathtaking ruins of ancient temples. Discover the impressive collection of the Archaeological Museum in Naples. Tour the compelling ruins of the Roman cities Pompeii and Herculaneum, consumed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Learn about life in Italy today during an open forum with area residents. Sample local delicacies, including a special tasting of the regional specialty, buffalo mozzarella. Local guides and expert speakers provide fascinating insights during included excursions and lectures. This Alumni Campus Abroad program includes first-class accommodations, engaging excursions, educational programs and an extensive meal plan, plus wine with dinner. — From $2,795
Join us for a unique, comprehensive, nine-day journey to Scotland’s rarely visited Inner Hebridean, Orkney and Shetland Islands and Norway’s majestic fjords. Cruise from Glasgow, Scotland, to Copenhagen, Denmark, aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star M.S. Le Boréal. Travel in the wake of early Viking explorers, cruising into ports accessible only by small ship. Highlights include two of the world’s most scenic rail journeys — the Jacobite steam train through the Scottish Highlands and the Flåm Railway through Norway’s fjordlands. Enjoy a special presentation by a local archaeologist in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney and a tour of Bryggen in Bergen. Edinburgh/Glasgow
SORRENTO JUNE 7-15, 2017
GREAT JOURNEY THROUGH EUROPE JUNE 15-25, 2017
Lerwick Harbour, Shetland Islands 50
A lum n i R e v i e w
This extraordinary 11-day “Grand Tour” of Europe features an incredible combination of river, rail, lake and mountain travel including five nights aboard the deluxe M.S. Amadeus Silver II. Journey through Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands, cruising the most scenic sections of the Rhine River. Spend two nights each in Zermatt and Lucerne; ride aboard three legendary railways — the Gornergrat Bahn for breathtaking views of the Matterhorn, the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Lucerne and the Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway, and enjoy a scenic cruise on Lake Lucerne. — From $4,395
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News ALUMNI
Class Notes
’40s
HON. WILLIAM WINTER (BA 43,
LLB 49) received the Freedom Award at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. The award comes with a $10,000 honorarium, which Winter is dedicating to the University of Mississippi, and honors women and men whose work in civil and human rights has made global and national impact.
’50s
ED BUTLER (BA 58), retired
federal administrative law judge, was recognized at a ceremony in San Antonio as a winner of the Texas Genealogical College’s Texas Hall of Fame Class of 2016. ROBERT MAGARIAN (BA 56, BSPh 60,
PhD 66), crime novelist, visited Oxford in October to sign copies of his latest thriller, You’ll Never See Me Again, A Crime to Remember.
RUSH ABBOTT PEACE, DDS (57), of Macon,
Georgia, retired after more than 50 years of practice in dentistry. He was named Humanitarian Doctor of the Year by the Middle Georgia Medical Society.
’60s
DR. J. EDWARD HILL (BS 61, MD 64) of Tupelo was presented the 2016 Dr. Felix J. Underwood Award by the Mississippi Public Health Association. The award honors an individual who shares concern for protecting the health of Mississippians with Dr. J. Felix Underwood, “the father of public health in Mississippi.” JUSTICE JAMES W. KITCHENS (JD 67) of
Crystal Springs was re-elected to serve as
52
Alumni Review
associate justice on the Supreme Court of Mississippi. HON. S. ALLAN ALEXANDER (JD 78), U.S. magistrate judge, retired after 22 years of service for the Northern District of Mississippi.
of Jernigan Copeland & Anderson, was presented the University of Mississippi Chapter of the National Football Foundation’s Distinguished American Award and was nominated by U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (BA 59, JD 65) to be the recipient of the Angels in Adoption Award.
HARRIS H. BARNES III (JD 72), partner with
LANCELOT L. MINOR (BA 71), partner with
’70s
Barnes, McGee and Associates in Flowood, was invited to join the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.
JUDGE M. RONALD DOLEAC (JD 72) of Hattiesburg was elected vice-chair of Mississippi’s Conference of Chancery Judges at the fall Trial and Appellate Judges Conference in Jackson. WILLIS L. FRAZER (BBA 73) of Clarksdale
received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America recognizing noteworthy and extraordinary leadership of citizens in communities across the U.S. DUKE GARRAWAY (BBA 79) of Madison was
elected to the board of directors of the Central Mississippi Multiple Listing Service for a two-year term. BRYAN HAWKINS (BBA 74, MBA 88),
founder, president and CEO of Hawkeye Industries in Tupelo, was named U.S. Small Business Administration Sm a l l Bu s i n e s s Pe rs on of t h e Ye ar and “Innovator to Watch” by Innovate Mississippi.
ARTHUR F. JERNIGAN JR. (BBA 71, JD
74), partner in the Ridgeland law firm
the Memphis law firm of Bourland Heflin Alvarez Minor & Matthews PLC, was selected a 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyer by Mid-South Super Lawyers Magazine.
K. GAIL RUSSELL (BA 76) of Louisville, Ken-
tucky, accepted the position of deputy secretary of public protection. H. HUNTER TWIFORD III (BA 71, JD 72), attor-
ney in the Jackson office of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, was named to Mid-South Super Lawyers in the areas of business litigation and class action/mass torts.
’80s
JANET W. FERGUSON (BBA 86) of
Brandon published three more books in her Southern Hearts Series that includes Leaving Oxford, Going Up South, Tackling the Fields and Blown Together.
JOE D. HAVENS JR. (BBA 80), executive
partner with Horne LLP in Ridgeland, was named to Accounting Today’s 2016 Class of the Managing Partner Elite. G . D EWEY HE M BREE III ( B BA 8 3 , J D 86), attorney in the Jackson office of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC, was named to Mid-South Super Lawyers in the areas of business litigation and civil litigation: defense.
ALUMNI News HON. DAVID M. ISHEE (JD 88) of Gulfport will return for another eight-year term on the Court of Appeals of Mississippi.
Legends class during the weekend of the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
KIN KINNEY (BBA 82) accepted the position
was presented the University of Mississippi Chapter of the National Football Foundation’s Distinguished American Award.
ROBERT L. LIVINGSTON (BAccy 85, MAccy 86) was named regional president of Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Arizona and Harrah’s Resort Southern California.
ROY D. PERCY (JD 96) of Oxford was sworn in as U.S. magistrate judge for the Northern District of Mississippi.
DEANO ORR (BBA 93) of Bartlett, Tennessee,
of Oxford market president with Memphis-based Paragon Bank.
’90s
HANK REICHLE (BAccy 98) of Greenwood
accepted the position of executive vice president with Staple Cotton Cooperative Association (Staplcotn).
S. TRENT FAVRE (JD 99) joined
the Gulfport office of Wise Carter Child & Caraway.
accepted the position of managing director with HDH Advisors LLC. KRIS MANGUM (BPA 96), former Ole Miss
football tight end, was honored as part of the 2016 Southeastern Conference
LATOYA GREEN (BBA 02), director of Walmart Technology in Bentonville, Arkansas, was named one of Walmart’s Leading Women in Tech. BRANDON ROSS (BA 06) of Washington,
D.C., joined the Pew Charitable Trusts as senior associate, multimedia.
SELENA STANDIFER (BA 01), deputy direc-
’00s
tor of public affairs at the Mississippi Department of Transportation in Jackson, was selected as one of Mississippi Business Journal’s top “50 Leading Business Women.”
MIKE FIECHAS (BBA 02) was elected national treasurer for the Executive Council
MATTHEW M. WILLIAMS (BA 04) of Gulfport was named director with the law firm of Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith PLC.
TIFFANY ORGAN-BOWLES (JD 03) was elected Superior Court judge, Office 34, in Kern County, California.
KYLE LANDERS ( B BA 9 1 ) of At l a nt a
of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity at its Grand Arch Council in New York for the 201618 biennium.
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ALUMNI News
’10s
ALEXANDRA B. EDWARDS (BS
15) accepted the position of express sales manager with Omni Houston Hotel.
Alumni Friends
Ross Bjork was named vice chancellor for
intercollegiate athletics at the University of Mississippi.
Samir Husni, professor and Hederman
lecturer in the Meek School of Journal-
ism and New Media at the University of Mississippi, was named to Folio’s 2016 list of the top 100 “Most Important People in Magazine Media.”
Jessi McCormick of Olive Branch, warrant officer, is the first female Apache hel i c opte r pi l ot i n t he Miss iss ippi National Guard.
Gloria Kellum, University of Mississippi vice chancellor emerita for university relations, professor emerita and recipient of the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award, received the Girl Scouts of America Woman of Distinction of the Year Award.
Charles Ross, University of Mississippi professor of history, shared his research on African-Americans who have had an impact on sports in the Magnolia State during a special program at the Crossroads Museum in Corinth.
New Benefits for Student Members FREE PRINTING, BLUE BOOKS AND SCANTRONS SAVE TIME AND MONEY he Ole Miss Alumni Association is ringing in the new year by offering new perks for members of the Future Alumni Network, the Association’s membership option for students. Easing the burden of paying for printing, scantrons and blue books, the Alumni Association now offers all student members these perks for free. “Students told us that they’d join just for the use of a reliable printer and free scantrons,” says Steve Mullen (BA 92), assistant director for marketing and membership. “We offer many more benefits, but we agreed this was an easy way to reach out to students with something they really need.” At a cost of 15 cents per sheet, printing on campus can quickly get pricey when students are assigned lengthy projects or midterm papers. With the Alumni Association’s student membership option, students have access to free printing Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Not only are students armed with access to a reliable printer, but they can also receive up to two scantrons and blue books per day. “As an IMC major and a graphic design minor, printing has added up over the years,” says senior Mary 54
Alumni Review
Garner Oden. “Oftentimes, the printers on campus aren’t working or they run out of ink, so I have to drive off campus to Office Depot or DocuMart.
get to campus and realize they need a scantron or blue book and don’t have one, and the closure of the Union for construction just makes things worse,”
Undergraduate Ian Morrison enjoys the perks of the Future Alumni Network.
I’ve paid over $60 to have a single project printed before, so with this new perk, joining the Future Alumni Network seems like a no-brainer.” In addition to the cost of printing, the ongoing construction of the Student Union has eliminated convenient access to scantrons and blue books. “We feel students’ pain when they
Mullen says. “We’re happy to help.” Student memberships offer several other perks, such as discounts at local and national retailers and access to special events, and come at a cost of $25 per year, or $75 for four years when paid in full. For more information on how students can join, please visit olemissalumni.com/students.
ALUMNI News Weddings
In Memoriam
Rachel Lauren Alles and Brad Robert Ward (BBA 09), July, 9, 2016.
1930s
Katherine Lee Barzizza and Phillip Anthony Sandifer (BA 08, MD 12), Nov. 12, 2016.
Phineas Stevens (BSC 39, LLB 41) of Asheville, N.C., Dec. 14, 2016
Ashley Nicole Brantley (BA 07, BSES 07, MOT 11) and Aaron Cornelius Rollins (BA 07, MA 09), Sept. 24, 2016. Emily Susan Kimbrell (BA 13) and Jeff Echols, Nov. 13, 2016. Mary Ivy Page (09) and Jonathan Gaston Box (BA 15), March 12, 2016. Tracy Alexandra Parker (10) and Matthew Davis Shoemaker (JD 09), Oct. 1, 2016.
Births
Frank Lorrain Tindall Sr. (BA 39) of Indianola, Dec. 11, 2016
1940s Curtis Barr Alexander (BA 49) of Bay Springs, Nov. 5, 2016 Mose John Allison Jr. (49) of Hilton Head Island, S.C., Nov. 15, 2016 Homer Best Jr. (BBA 49) of Jackson, Sept. 26, 2016 Michael Rosenbert Blouin Jr. (48) of Columbus, Oct. 3, 2016 Sarah Giles Bond (BA 44) of Denmark, Tenn., Oct. 5, 2016
Kennedy Kincaid, daughter of Kari Kohne Davis (BA 99) and Walter A. Davis (JD 94), Nov. 10, 2016.
Mary Christine Daniel Counce (MBA 49) of Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 17, 2016
Reid Irene, daughter of Kelly Blackstone Love and Samuel Hammond Love (BA 07, MD 12), Nov. 19, 2016.
Melba Anderson Darras (BA 42) of Conway, Ark., Oct. 29, 2016
James Archer, son of Sara Henderson Miller (BBA 08) and Michael Thomas Miller, Dec. 18, 2016.
John Thomas Frazier (BA 49, MedCert 51) of Columbus AFB, Dec. 1, 2016
Forest Milam Bowen Davis (BAEd 41) of Madison, Oct. 15, 2016
Foley McLaurin, daughter of Misty M. Murphy (BBA 08) and Benjamin David Murphy (BBA 04, JD 06), Sept. 5, 2016.
Lillian Prewitt Jones (BAEd 47) of Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 24, 2016
Reed Hooper, son of Jessica Fort Tolleson (BAccy 10, MAccy 11) and Erik Don Tolleson (BBA 09), March 14, 2016.
Hannah Pitts Kelly (BSHPE 48) of Ecru, Nov. 26, 2016
Sarah Grafton and Caroline Quinn, daughters of Ann Scarbrough Williams and Matthew Miles Williams (BA 04), Aug. 4, 2016.
Kenneth Harry Kellerman (BA 48) of Tupelo, Nov. 7, 2016 Eleanor Frances Patty Madison (43) of Brooksville, April 24, 2016 Maxie Noah McMullin (BSHPE 49, MA 50) of Germantown, Tenn., Nov. 4, 2016 William Charles McQuinn (MedCert 47) of Madison, Oct. 16, 2016
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ALUMNI News
The Shirt 2017: 50 Years of Manning n celebration of Archie Manning’s 50th anniversary as an Ole Miss Rebel, the Ole Miss Alumni Association is honoring the football legend by designating a portion of the proceeds of the 2017 Shirt to the Manning Family Fund. The fund supports initiatives to tackle childhood obesity, Alzheimer’s and other dementia, and also provides funding for minority males’ health through the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “This year marks the 50th anniversary since Archie Manning first put on an Ole Miss uniform,” says Kirk Purdom (BA 93), Alumni Association executive director. “We’re grateful for the Manning family’s relationship to Ole Miss and proud to support the Manning Fund in addition to our own scholarship initiatives.” The 2017 Shirt commemorates Manning’s legacy at Ole Miss with a design that includes the 18 mph speed limit sign and a button that reads, “Archie Who?” on the front pocket. The “Archie Who?” button dates back to 1969 when
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Alumni Review
undefeated Tennessee played Ole Miss. Tennessee fans taunted Manning with “Archie Who?” buttons at the game and chanted it in the stands before Ole Miss, led by Manning, beat Tennessee 38-0, ingraining the quarterback’s identity into the memories of those Tennessee fans. At $25 a shirt, 20 percent of the proceeds will go to the Manning Family Fund that supports the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The other 80 percent will be allocated to scholarship endowments and student programming sponsored by the Alumni Association. Each year, the Association introduces a new shirt showing Rebel spirit. To date, The Shirt has raised more than $49,000 for student scholarships and programs. The Alumni Association invites alumni and friends to make a difference in the Ole Miss and UMMC communities by purchasing The Shirt. Visit olemissalumni.com/the-shirt-2017 for more information or to purchase this year’s Shirt.
ALUMNI News Thomas Herron Mitchell (MedCert 45) of Vicksburg, Nov. 5, 2016
Charles Christian Kette (BSPh 51) of Vicksburg, Dec. 12, 2016
Margaret McCoy Moyse (BA 41) of Gulfport, Sept. 21, 2016
James Arden Larson (BBA 56) of Water Valley, Oct. 2, 2016
Mildred Taylor Mulhall (BA 47) of Como, Oct. 21, 2016
Homer McMillan Lindsey (BBA 58) of Westminster, Calif., Jan. 10, 2016
Eugene Moreau Murphey III (MedCert 43) of Tupelo, Nov. 4, 2016
Marion McManus (BBA 50) of Houston, Texas, Sept. 20, 2016
Patricia Goldberg Noel (41) of Germantown, Tenn., Oct. 14, 2016
John Lester Paris (BA 52, BSCvE 57) of Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 24, 2016
Walter Cooper Sandusky Jr. (45) of Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 3, 2016
Jane Arnold Phillips (BS 56, MS 59) of Booneville, Nov. 11, 2016
Richard Green Taylor (44) of Houston, Texas, Nov. 21, 2016
Kathryn Patton Pinkston (BA 58, MA 69) of Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 1, 2016
Wayne Moulder Walker (BSC 40) of Panama City, Fla., Dec. 5, 2016
James Robert Savage (BSPh 51) of Clinton, Sept. 22, 2016 George Faison Smith (MedCert 54) of Jackson, Oct. 19, 2016
1950s Veola Genevieve Williams Adams (BS 50, MS 52) of Raymond, Oct. 16, 2016 William Eugene Berry (BPA 52) of Braxton, Oct. 18, 2016 Virginia Donavon Bethany (BA 53) of Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 8, 2016 Elliott R. Bowman Jr. (BSCvE 53) of Jackson, Nov. 21, 2016 Norma Lee Herring Corey (BSC 55) of Redwood City, Calif., Sept. 24, 2016 L. Stacy Davidson Jr. (MedCert 55, MD 57) of Oxford, Dec. 6, 2016 Natalie Joanne Dunlap (BA 55) of Wichita, Kan., Nov. 9, 2016 Roy Franklin Harmon Jr. (BA 51, MSS 53, MD 59) of Brentwood, Tenn., Sept. 22, 2016 Edward Douglas Hodo Sr. (BBA 58, MS 65, MEd 65) of Boerne, Texas, Oct. 10, 2016
William Forrest Stevens (BBA 53) of Hattiesburg, Nov. 13, 2016 Harry John Stewart Jr. (BBA 50) of Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 19, 2016 John Williamson Stitt II (BBA 54) of Montrose, Ala., Oct. 2, 2016 Theodore Edward Stuart (BA 59) of Hattiesburg, Nov. 15, 2016 Emory Lawrence Warrick (MSS 57, MA 63) of Valdosta, Ga., Nov. 27, 2016 Jane Merrill Scruggs Watkins (BA 55) of Athens, Ala., Nov. 18, 2016 Lois Lucille Byrd Wold (BSHPE 55) of Conroe, Texas, Nov. 23, 2016
1960s Patricia Diane Abernathy (BAEd 66, MLS 76, EdD 85) of Gulfport, Dec. 1, 2016 Patricia King Allen (BBA 61) of Ridgeland, Nov. 10, 2016
Charles H. Humphrey Jr. (BBA 57) of Camarillo, Calif., Sept. 9, 2016
Jewell Jerome Breeland Jr. (MD 60) of Brookhaven, Oct. 21, 2016
Nancy Murray Ingram (52) of Tupelo, Nov. 29, 2016
Benjamin Davis Brock Jr. (BBA 60) of Livingston, Texas, Jan. 17, 2016
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ALUMNI News Larry Glen Broome (MD 63) of Biloxi, Dec. 17, 2016
William Gardner Todd III (BBA 69) of Senatobia, Dec. 12, 2016
Rebecca Walker Coleman (BAEd 69) of Greenwood, Oct. 28, 2016
Richard Anthony Williams (BM 68) of Centennial, Colo., Sept. 24, 2016
Mac Kelly Collins (JD 67) of Yazoo City, Sept. 20, 2016 Kenneth Leon Cox Jr. (63) of Lake City, Fla., Nov. 2, 2016 Janet Hailey Dean (BS 69) of Saint Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 16, 2016 Gloria Devan (MEd 64) of Savannah, Ga., Sept. 20, 2016 John Gelston Downer (BA 62, BS 63, MD 66) of Lexington, Dec. 16, 2016 Roderick Vernon Draper (BBA 63) of Mansfield, Texas, Oct. 8, 2016 Roger Seward Fitzgibbons (BBA 64) of Water Valley, Dec. 8, 2016 Daniel Jacob Fossler (MCS 62) of Cleveland, Okla., April 22, 2016 Paul Roger Googe Jr. (BA 64) of Madison, Dec. 10, 2016 William Neil Hall (BSG 62) of Lena, Oct. 12, 2016 Patrick Nicholas Harkins III (JD 65) of Jackson, Nov. 7, 2016 Everitt Covington Harriss Jr. (BA 62) of Ocala, Fla., Oct. 28, 2016 Ronnie Gene Heavener (68) of Ripley, Oct. 18, 2016 Mary Carolyn Bruno Hollis (BAEd 69) of Ridgeland, Oct. 15, 2016 Genora Swearengen Holloway (BAEd 67, MEd 72) of Grenada, Nov. 16, 2016 Ben Robin Howard Jr. (BBA 63) of Huntsville, Ala., Oct. 15, 2016 Shirley Joan Howard (MEd 67) of Jonesboro, Ark., Oct. 9, 2016 Calvin Travis Hull (MD 62) of Jackson, Dec. 8, 2016 Richard Keith Jacobson (BA 60) of Pauls Valley, Okla., Dec. 4, 2016 Joan Porter McMinn (BAEd 67, MEd 74) of Saltillo, Nov. 29, 2016 Kathryn Jeanell Gunn Meeks (BS 60, MA 70) of Hernando, Sept. 9, 2016 William Hardy Myers Jr. (BA 61) of Portland, Ore., Nov. 29, 2016 Jimmy Ray Nanney (BS 66, PhD 70) of Fulton, Oct. 28, 2016 George Leslee Pegram Sr. (BAEd 67, MEd 68) of Orlando, Fla., Sept. 19, 2016 Carrie Starnes Perez (BA 62) of San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 10, 2016 Jimmy Nolan Ponder (BBA 60) of Thibodaux, La., Nov. 19, 2016 James Larry Provence (BBA 67) of Norcross, Ga., Oct. 6, 2016 Thomas Jackson Riley (LLB 61) of Hattiesburg, Sept. 21, 2016 William Francis Roberts (BA 67) of Ridgeland, Nov. 30, 2016 Milton Lafayette Roby (BSPh 60, MD 65) of Flowood, Sept. 22, 2016 James Edward Ruff II (MD 62) of Dallas, Texas, Sept. 7, 2016 Chester George Senf Jr. (LLB 63) of Orlando, Fla., Nov. 8, 2016
1970s Romell Wayne Barry (BA 75, MPA 78) of Columbus, Nov. 1, 2016 Charles Albert Breath III (BBA 71) of Bay St. Louis, Oct. 16, 2016 Donna Kim Horan Bruner (BAEd 75) of Greenwood, Oct. 31, 2016 Lula Peeler Burton (MEd 74) of Holly Springs, Dec. 9, 2016 Ramona Dotson Caveness (BAEd 77) of Marietta, Nov. 5, 2016 Rodney Chamblee (BSHPE 70) of Flowood, Oct. 22, 2016 James Richard Cox (73) of Oxford, Dec. 10, 2016 Alvin Thomas Crumly (MCS 70) of Mission, Kan., Dec. 1, 2016 Frank Laverle Daniels (BPA 73) of Blue Springs, Sept. 30, 2016 Charles Robert Depro (MEd 70) of Sikeston, Mo., Dec. 12, 2016 Albert Earl Elmore (JD 79) of Athens, Ala., Nov. 3, 2016 Judith Mayr Fitzpatrick (BSN 76, MN 78) of Vicksburg, Nov. 20, 2016 Edwin Spivey Gault (JD 72) of Paducah, Ky., Oct. 30, 2016 Thomas Clay Hammack Jr. (MD 70) of Milton, Fla., Nov. 20, 2016 Kenneth Alan Huff (BBA 75) of Thompsons Station, Tenn., Nov. 6, 2016 Jimmy Ray Huggins (BSME 71) of Sanford, N.C., Nov. 20, 2016 Clifford Hill Irion USA (Ret) (BA 77) of Munford, Tenn., July 8, 2016 Cephas Wayne Johnson (BA 75) of Brandon, Dec. 1, 2016 Sarah Jill Sims Jourdan (MBEd 76) of Florence, Ala., Nov. 1, 2016 David Elias Kihyet Sr. (JD 73) of Gautier, Sept. 22, 2016 Ronald Lynn King (BBA 73) of Water Valley, Oct. 2, 2016 David Milton McIntosh Jr. (BA 72) of Ocean Springs, Oct. 1, 2016 Martha Alice James Mize (BAEd 75, MEd 78) of Oxford, Dec. 3, 2016 Lou Frissell Moore (MN 75) of Madison, Oct. 19, 2016 Ralph Lamar Morgan (BAEd 73) of Ridgeland, Dec. 17, 2016 Janice Vincent Nance (MLS 76) of Ripley, Sept. 19, 2016 Martha Jo Nickey (BAEd 76) of Jackson, Dec. 4, 2016 Lucy Rausch Parker (BA 73) of Katy, Texas, Oct. 5, 2016 Jerry Lynn Pettit (BA 72) of Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 15, 2016 John Philip Pickett II (BBA 74) of Brandon, Oct. 23, 2015 Frederick Allen Purchis (BBA 75) of Irondale, Ala., Oct. 4, 2016
John Michael Sims (JD 67) of Hattiesburg, Nov. 25, 2016
Alicia McGaha Robinson (BA 79, MEd 12) of New Albany, Oct. 29, 2016
Carolyn Chick Moore Thompson (EdD 69) of Lexington, Ky., Nov. 12, 2016
Alvis R. Rochelle Jr. (EdD 71) of Guthrie, Ky., Oct. 14, 2016
Laketa Rickly Thompson (BA 62) of Pine Island, Minn., Dec. 8, 2016
David Neal Roye (BBA 79) of Pontotoc, Dec. 17, 2016 William Lowery Sneed (JD 70) of Pontotoc, Nov. 11, 2016
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ALUMNI News
Well Advised
T
he University of Mississippi College of Liberal Arts Alumni Advisory Board held its first meeting in November. From left: Marilyn Mulherin, Dr. Steven Blake, Steve McKinney, Torie Marion, Dr. Mark Craig, Robert Harper, John Jacobson, Gail Russell, Phillip Wiggins, Nikki Neely, Dr. Wayne Alexander, Frances Smith, Dr. Clarke Holmes, Kathryn Black, Johnny McRight, Ron Wilson, Lee M. Cohen, Denson Hollis and Sanford Thomas. Not pictured are Dr. Mike Edmonds, Missy Edwards, Russell Hensley, Ken Lackey, Dr. Alan Partin, Leah Thomson, Jesse White and Al Williams.
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ALUMNI News
Nominate Someone Great OMAA SEEKS ALUMNI HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS
T
he Ole Miss Alumni Association annually inducts a selection pool for three years. Anyone may submit the few of its most distinguished alumni into the Hall of name of a University of Mississippi alumna or alumnus Fame. The ceremony is part of Homecoming Week- to be nominated. end festivities and will be held this year on Oct. 13. Criteria and eligibility information can be found on the Regular nominations are Alumni Association website at encouraged to ensure that the olemissalumni.com, along with a Criteria and eligibility information selection committee always has a complete list of information and can be found on the broad range of worthy individumaterials needed for nominaAlumni Association website: als to consider for each class. All tion submissions and list of past alumni are eligible for considrecipients. olemissalumni.com eration. From the nominations It is essential that all materisubmitted, not more than five als pertinent to the nominee outstanding alumni are chosen by a seven-member com- be submitted, as the Hall of Fame Committee will do no mittee and are inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame. further research. Materials may be submitted via email to For alumni to be considered for induction into the alumni@olemiss.edu and/or mail to Hall of Fame CommitHall of Fame on any given year, nominations are required tee, Triplett Alumni Center, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS on or before April 1, though nominees remain in the 38677-1848.
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ALUMNI News Mary Branch Sparks (BSW 79) of Tupelo, Oct. 20, 2016
William Jack Wooten Jr. (83) of Gainesville, Fla., Sept. 24, 2016
Karen Burns Stubbs (BAEd 74, MEd 78) of Tupelo, Dec. 16, 2016
Lon Adam Wyatt III (BSPh 80) of Brandon, Nov. 22, 2016
Samuel Riddick Sullivan (BPA 74) of Canton, Nov. 23, 2016 Shelah Mathis Teeters (BSN 77) of Florence, Oct. 16, 2016
1990s
Nancy Willingham Thompson (BAEd 72) of Hazlehurst, Dec. 12, 2016
Molly Adams (BSPh 95) of Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 1, 2016
Phyllis Britt Williams (BAEd 79) of Fulton, Oct. 29, 2016
Sherri Flowers Billups (MBA 95, JD 95) of Clinton, Oct. 4, 2016
1980s Robert Carroll Brasher (BBA 88) of Pascagoula, Sept. 21, 2016
Molly Kuykendall Carey (99) of Maitland, Fla., Sept. 20, 2016 Darrell Wesley O’Quinn (MD 98) of Hattiesburg, Nov. 28, 2016 Trevor K. Thompson (MA 94) of Ellendale, Tenn., Nov. 10, 2016
Kelly Colleen Fanning (BA 86) of Parma, Idaho, Oct. 8, 2016 Billy Gerald Floyd Sr. (BAEd 85) of Quinwood, W.Va., Oct. 30, 2016
2000s
Linda Campbell Garvey (MA 81) of Searcy, Ark., Oct. 24, 2016
Arron Rena’ Buchanan-Ray (BAccy 00, MAccy 01) of Cordova, Tenn., Nov. 29, 2016
Philip Haines Gwynn Jr. (BBA 85) of Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 23, 2016 Barbara Yvonne Hamilton (MPA 86) of Ridgeland, Sept. 30, 2016 David Asher Harris (MD 82) of Biloxi, Nov. 4, 2016 Michael Lynn Hawkins (BAEd 86) of Tupelo, Nov. 18, 2016 Julia Elizabeth Helgason (MA 86) of Nashville, Tenn., May 1, 2016 Deirdre McCrory Henry (JD 83) of Jackson, Sept. 24, 2016 Frances Downing Hunter (PhD 87) of Jonesboro, Ark., Nov. 17, 2016 Lennette Johnson Ivy (MS 87) of Oxford, Oct. 21, 2016 Charles Allen Killebrew (MBA 81) of Belden, Sept. 26, 2016 Shelia Foster Malone (BAEd 81) of Olive Branch, Nov. 12, 2016 Samuel Gregory Shute (BBA 86) of Ridgeland, Nov. 27, 2016 Tangie Miller Venson (85) of Booneville, Oct. 12, 2016
Belinda Webb Sandridge (08) of Coldwater, Oct. 28, 2016
2010s Frank Newton Anderson IV (16) of Winter Park, Fla., Oct. 2, 2016 Raegan Dare Barnhart (16) of Hernando, Nov. 18, 2016 Elizabeth Osborn Cheek (16) of Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 9, 2016 Johnathan Arthur Cleveland (16) of Byhalia, Nov. 1, 2016 Ralph Nixon Floyd III (16) of Greenville, N.C., Oct. 11, 2016 Katherine Victoria McDowell (10) of Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 15, 2016 Austin Rivers McGraw (16) of Flora, Nov. 10, 2016 Amanda Kaye Taylor (12) of Pearl, Nov. 10, 2016
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ALUMNI News Faculty and Friends Ann Ford Barrett of Macon, Sept. 16, 2016 Ronald Francis Borne of Oxford, Oct. 18, 2016 Danny Denton Brown of Oxford, Oct. 18, 2016 Fred J. Dorn of Phoenix, Ariz., Oct. 31, 2016 Martha Ferguson Drew of Cordova, Tenn., Nov. 5, 2016 Earnest Harold Fortenberry of Canton, Oct. 31, 2016 David Allan Furnas Sr. of Collierville, Tenn., Dec. 1, 2016 Bill Allen Hamric of Oxford, Nov. 16, 2016
Barbara Lee Maher Senf of Orlando, Fla., Jan. 17, 2016 Betty Bell Povall Staub of Oxford, Nov. 13, 2016 Elizabeth Thompson Tapscott of Nettleton, Oct. 3, 2016 Robert Dewitt Tollison of Clemson, S.C., Oct. 24, 2016 Amy Van Singel of Ellsworth, Maine, Sept. 19, 2016 George Eliot Walls of Water Valley, Nov. 4, 2016 Frances Patterson Walton of Jackson, Sept. 30, 2016 Charles LeRoy Weeks Jr. of Madison, Oct. 8, 2016 Shirley Wilroy of Hernando, Sept. 30, 2016
Anthony Eugene Harrelson of Saltillo, Nov. 15, 2016
Jerry Wayne Harrelson of Booneville, Oct. 13, 2016
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 386771848. Class notes also may be submitted through the Association’s website at olemissalumni.com. The Association relies on numerous sources for class notes and is unable to verify all notes with individual alumni.
Mildred Louise Knight of Oxford, Nov. 14, 2016 Sigurds Otto Krolls of Madison, Oct. 26, 2016 Sandra Baker Liles of Water Valley, Oct. 4, 2016 Shelby Long McLarty of New Albany, Nov. 19, 2016 Loretta Sharp Monts of Tupelo, Nov. 15, 2016 Lena M. Pegues of Oxford, Oct. 18, 2016
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
Fun in the French Riviera le Miss alumni and friends enjoyed a unique vacation in January during an exclusive eight-day “Ole Miss Only” trip to Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco. The trip was part of the Alumni Association’s travel program. For more information on upcoming travel opportunities, visit the Rebel Traveler department on page 48 of this issue, or visit olemissalumni.com/worldtravel.
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