Vol. 76 No. 1 Spring 2015
Liberal arts education still matters, say Rust administrators
Dr. Gemma Beckley makes history as Fulbright Scholar
Rustite takes helm of National Baptist Convention
2015 A’Cappella Choir Tour Schedule
Sunday, March 15
Sunday, April 12
3 p.m. Grace UM Church 1691 East Raines Rd. | Memphis, TN 7 p.m. Clarksdale Civic Auditorium 506 East 2nd St. | Clarksdale, MS
3:30 p.m. Ben Hill UM Church 2099 Fairburn Rd. SW | Atlanta, GA
10:30 a.m. Greenwood CME Church 3311 Kimball St. | Memphis, TN
Thursday, March 19
6 p.m. Memphis Civil Rights Museum 450 Mulberry St. | Memphis, TN
Sunday, March 22
3 p.m. Anderson UM Church 6205 Hanging Moss Rd. | Jackson, MS
Sunday, March 29
4 p.m. Lexington Multi-Complex Center Hwy #12 | Lexington, MS
Saturday, April 11
7 p.m. St. John AME Church 3980 Steamill Rd. | Columbus, GA
8:30 and 11 a.m. St. Marks UM Church 6795 Whitesville Rd. | Columbus, GA
Friday, April 17
4 p.m. St. Mark UM Church 8441 South St. Lawrence | Chicago, IL
Monday, April 20
7 p.m. Sigourney UM Church 2010 East Spring St. | Sigourney, IA
Tuesday, April 21
7 p.m. Grace UM Church 1612 E. Capitol Ave. | Springfield, IL
7 p.m. Christ UM Church 400 5th Avenue SW | Rochester, MN
Saturday, April 18
Wednesday, April 22
7 p.m. Tabernacle Community Baptist Church 25400 West Medford Ave. Milwaukee, WI
Sunday, April 19
8 a.m. New Hope Baptist Church 2433 West Roosevelt Dr. Milwaukee, WI 10 a.m. Tabernacle Community Baptist Church 25400 West Medford Ave. Milwaukee, WI
11 a.m. Walker Residence 3701 Bryant Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 7 p.m. Pilgrim Baptist Church 732 West Central Ave. | St. Paul, MN
Thursday, April 23
7 p.m. Iowa City First UM Church 214 East Jefferson St. | Iowa City, IA
Sunday, April 26
8 a.m. Rust College | Shaw Cafeteria 150 Rust Ave. Holly Springs, MS
Commencement 2015 Saturday, April 25
Sunday, April 26
Sunday, April 26
Senior Consecration | 6:30 p.m. Doxey Alumni Fine Arts Communications Center
Senior/Alumni Breakfast | 8 a.m. Brown Mass Communications Center
Commencement | 2 p.m. Dr. Johnnie B. Watson, President, LeMoyne-Owen College McMillan Multipurpose Center
President’s reception for seniors, parents and trustees immediately after senior consecration Airliewood Rust College 385 Salem Ave. Holly Springs, Miss.
Tree planting immediately after breakfast Class of 2015 Photo | 11:30 a.m. McCoy Administration Building
Table of Contents Spring 2015 Volume 76, No. 1
leaves mark 14 Newman on Beale Street Floyd S. Newman III’s music is known across the world, but a Blue Note on Memphis’ Beale Street marks the spot where he created some of America’s favorite music with the likes of B.B. King, Sam Cook and Isaac Hayes.
FEATURES 6 Beckley makes history
7 Liberal arts education matters
Dr. Gemma Beckley becomes first Fulbright scholar in school history.
While STEM fields grow, Rust College administrators and faculty still value liberal arts education
8 Founders’ Week 2014
14 Young love 53 years later
Bearcats descended onto the Rust College campus for the school’s 148th Founders’ Week celebration.
Barbara and Percy Bruce met in an economics class more than 50 years ago, but still love as if their romance is new.
ON THE COVER: The Rev. Dr. Jerry Young (’74) was elected to serve the National Baptist Convention in September of 2014. He remembers his time at Rust College and offers advice for those new to ministry. Read more on page 12.
Rust College
The Sentinel is published quarterly by the Rust College Office of Public Relations. Contact the Office of Public Relations at 150 Rust Ave. Holly Springs, MS 38635 publicrelations@rustcollege.edu 662-252-8000 ext. 4915 PRESIDENT Dr. David L. Beckley, ’67 VICE PRESIDENT FOR COLLEGE RELATIONS Dr. Ishmell H. Edwards, ’71 DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Tommiea P. Jackson, ’99 CONTRIBUTOR Kimberly Woods, ’10 PHOTOGRAPHY Sterling Photography Frank Wilson Carlyn Photography DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI DEVELOPMENT Jo Ann Scott, ’87 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI DEVELOPMENT Margie Green, ’74, Mississippi Industrial College RUST COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Fredrick Brown, ’62 MISSISSIPPI INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT Dr. Jessie Edwards, ’75
PRESIDENT
President’s Message Dear Rust College Family, In this edition of The Sentinel we fondly remember the past while celebrating the great accomplishments of our present. Those of you who attended Founders’ Week 2014 know it was one of the best in our institution’s 148year history. With many celebrating their 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, alumni came out in record numbers. Two special alumni, Barbara and Percy Bruce, celebrated 53 years of marriage last year, but they remember the first days of their courtship as if it were yesterday. I am very excited about our institution and the future of liberal arts education. Dr. Gemma Beckley, my wife of 47 years, made history as the first Fulbright Scholar in Rust College history. Next spring, she will travel to India to teach and continue her research in the field of social work. Those are just a few of the stories you will get to read in this edition of The Sentinel. I hope you enjoy them and that I will get to see you on campus soon. Make sure to visit our website and social media so that you will be among the first to know what is happening here at Rust College. Sincerely, David L. Beckley ’67 President, Rust College
The Sentinel | 5
AROUND CAMPUS
Beckley becomes first Fulbright Scholar in Rust history Dr. Gemma Beckley, chair and professor of social work at Rust College, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to do research in India during the 20152016 academic year, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced in February. Beckley is the first Fulbright scholar in Rust College’s history. “It feels wonderful,” Beckley said. “I am so excited!” And so is Rust College’s vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Sandra Vaughn. “This is a great honor for Rust College and is indicative of Dr. Gemma Beckley’s previous work as she has constantly made internationalizing our curricula her goal.” In the spring of 2016, Beckley will travel to Marian College in Kuttikkanam, Kerala, India to teach and continue research she has started in previous trips to the college since the mid-90s. This isn’t the first time Beckley has been associated with the Fulbright. She has directed five FulbrightHays Seminars Abroad Programs taking faculty from Rust and other institutions to China, Egypt, Israel, South Africa and Mexico. She has also been a recipient of study awards to the Philippines and an
Whitaker performs for UNCF
Rust College
Amber Whitaker, a senior music major from Greenville, Miss., performed at the United Negro College Fund’s Annual Meeting in New York City on March 5. Whitaker was chosen following an audition of The StarSpangled Banner. She performed that song and Lift Every Voice and Whitaker Sing at the meeting. “I’ve performed in front of large audiences before, but not on my own,” she says. “I’m usually with the choir so this was different.” Whitaker wants to study vocal performance in graduate school next year and dreams of becoming an opera singer.
6 | Rust College
exchange faculty participant through the University of Hawaii East West Center to China. Debra Butler is among those who participated in the seminars. The assistant professor of social work went to China in 2006 and India in 2012 with Beckley and the Fulbright-Hays program. “Every time we do a study abroad program, we make sure that we incorporate that into our curricula,” Butler says. “We get to present our research to students in all of our classes.” Beckley, an international authority in the field of social Beckley work, has taught at the University of Tennessee, Fordham University, Grambling State University, the University of Mississippi and Wiley College and has served as senior program associate at the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C. The Rust College Board of Trustee Distinguished Professor holds a bachelor’s degree from Dillard University, a master of social work from Atlanta University and a doctor of social work from Columbia University.
Rust Quiz Bowl Champions
Rust College students won first place at the Southern Conference on African-American Studies Quiz Bowl at Alabama State University on Feb. 6. “We’ve dominated this competition for the last ten years,” says Dr. A.J. Stovall, chair and professor of social sciences at Rust College. The Rust College team’s knowledge of AfricanAmerican history and culture allowed them to beat out Southern University of Louisiana and Alabama State University to claim first place. This year’s team included captain Atiyah Reed (’18), Chelsea Jackson-Smith (’17), Janeshia Mitchell (’18), Allison Sims (’18) and team alternate Christopher Thomas (’18). Members of last year’s winning team, Victoria Norfleet (’17) and LaMarco McClendon (’16), served as coaches.
AROUND CAMPUS
HEADWAE honors Rustites
Dr. Hilda Williams
Tenecia Williams
A Rust College student and faculty member were among those honored at the Higher Education Appreciation Day-Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) during a luncheon on Feb. 17 at the Marriott Hotel in Jackson, Miss. Representing Rust were Dr. Hilda Booker Williams, assistant professor of English, and Tenecia Williams, a senior business administration/accounting major, from Chicago. Outstanding students and faculty members from 34 Mississippi public and private universities and colleges received special recognition from the Mississippi Legislature during this annual event. Mississippi Economic Council President and CEO Blake Wilson chairs the event. Brian Cuccias, corporate vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding, delivered the keynote address at the event. HEADWAE was established by legislative resolution to honor individual academic achievement and the overall contribution of the state’s public and private institutions of higher learning.
Liberal arts education matters, say Rust College administrators When it comes to education, STEM seems to have become a very common buzzword. Millions of dollars have been invested in science, technology, engineering and math with goals to boost the economy and satisfy some of the world’s fastest growing professions. Even President Barack Obama’s administration seeks to increase the number of STEM graduates by one million by 2022. While those fields are very important, educators remind leaders how vital liberal arts education is to the world. “There is a school of thought that one ought to specialize,” says Dr. Sandra Vaughn, vice president for academic affairs at Rust College. “The whole mentality is about a job, but education should be more than about a job. I think it does a disservice for people of color because jobs are not permanent. A liberal arts education prepares you for lifelong learning. It makes you more agile and able to move from career to career.” Vaughn says that the curricula at Rust is built so that those in STEM fields are also exposed to general education and benefit from liberal arts teachings. Dr. Alisea Williams McLeod agrees with Vaughn’s sentiments. “I feel the need to call attention to the fact that we are no longer living in an industrial, manufacturing economy, in which people need to be trained to follow orders and to adjust themselves to the clock for efficiency’s sake,” says the humanities chairperson. “We are living in a creative economy that calls for an entirely different kind of thinking and even a different work ethic.” The Sentinel | 7
Founders’ Week 2014 Thousands of Rust College students, alumni and friends descended on the campus to celebrate the college’s 148th anniversary. With a bell-ringing, banquet, civil rights celebration, coronation, parade, alumni meetings, battle of the bands, step show and basketball game, Bearcats had a lot to enjoy.
The class of 1964 celebrated its Golden Anniversary during Founders’ Week 2014 with a number of activities including a banquet, civil rights discussions and a Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) civil rights marker unveiling. The class raised more than $175,000 for scholarships.
Rust College
8 | Rust College
Civil rights leader Dr. Cleveland Sellers was the featured speaker during a campus and community assembly during Founders’ Week 2014. Sellers, president of Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, was a part of Freedom Summer in 1964. Campus Royalty Miss Rust College 2014-15 Naomi Rahn and Mr. Homecoming 2014-15 Louis Brown enjoy their last Founders’ Week before graduation.
Student Government Association President 2014-15 Jessica Love thanks family, friends and advisors during the college’s first SGA inauguration ceremony.
Rust College alumna Dr. Alice Scales led the audience of students alumni, faculty and friends in an energizing cheer during her convocation address. Scales, a 1963 graduate of Rust College urged everyone to, “Speak a little louder, dig a little deeper and give a lot more!” Scales is Professor of Education Emerita at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. Thousands enjoyed step show performances by black Greek letter organizations. (Pictured left) Former Theta Upsilon members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Meghann Oglesby (’09), Hope Green (’13), Tenisia Russell (’14) and Keyasha Branch (’13). (Pictured right) Timothy Stallworth (’09) performed with former members of Gamma Psi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Theta Fraternity, Inc.
The Sentinel | 9
Martha Adams Jordan (’86) and her husband, Melvin Jordan, enjoy a moment with President David L. Beckley during the alumni banquet.
Josephine Muruako (’87) was recognized for her outstanding financial contributions to Rust College.
(Photo above) Mabel Wilson Wesley (’39) returned to campus to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee Anniversary. (Photo below) Rust College’s 1964 football team, the last one in school history, also returned during Founders’ Week 2014 to remember their winning past.
Rust College
10 | Rust College
1964 Bearcats Football Team
Margaret Campbell (’86), James Tucker (’74) and Jacqueline Riddle (‘87) meet after Saturday morning’s class meetings during Founders’ Week.
2011-12 Student Government Association President Marcus Bradley performs with fellow members from Upsilon Delta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
The Desoto Metro Rust College Club sponsored the Inaugural Emma Miller Beck Memorial 5K Run/Walk during the college’s 148th Founders’ Week activities on Saturday, Nov. 8. Beck’s 17-year-old grandson Ero Okhiria (left) won first place. Also pictured left to right are Beck’s granddaughter, Jada; daughter, Audrey; sister, Claudia and son-in-law Peter, who won second place. Kquan Lewis (’97) steps with former Zeta Omicron members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Barbara Redditt (’88) and Pamela McDonald Lawrence (’86) participated in the Inaugural Emma Miller Beck Memorial 5K Run/ Walk.
Tyrishameka Edwards (’09) and Lillian Kimmons participated in the Inaugural Emma Miller Beck Memorial 5K Run/Walk.
The Sentinel | 11
ALUMNI
Rustite takes helm of National Baptist Convention
Rust College
When the Rev. Dr. Jerry Young entered Rust College in the early 1970s, he was new in ministry. Having just completed his studies at the then-Coahoma Junior College (CJC), Young planned to enroll at Mississippi Valley State University. CJC’s student development director Zee Anderson Barron stepped in. She and Rust College’s Dean Theodore Debro convinced Young to attend a college he never knew existed. “I ended up coming to Rust on the words of those two,” said Young, now 63. “I had never heard of Rust College at the time, but I learned quickly.” Barron and Debro were confident of the young man’s future, but they probably never imagined that he would one day sit at the helm of one of the country’s largest Christian organizations. Young was elected to serve as president of the National Baptist Convention in September of 2014, after 15 years of working alongside two of the organization’s past presidents. The pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss. since 1980, Young is in for a challenge. He now also leads a convention of more than 33,000 churches and 7.5 million people across the country.
12 | Rust College
Young has received numerous congratulatory messages recently, but he is quick to explain that it has not been his intelligence to lead him to this opportunity.
“The bottom line is that my whole life is basically an exhibition of how providence always prevails,” says the 1974 alumnus. “I am not where I am based on decisions I made. It was God who ordered my steps.” Young is happy that his steps were ordered toward Rust College. He quickly became a part of a very supportive family. “I was having bad stomach problems at one time,” says Young. “I remember the cafeteria manager told me that he was going to prepare my food in a certain way that I could remain in school. You can’t find that everywhere. It was exceptional.” Not only was Young able to continue classes, he was able to serve as a leader on the campus. He is very proud to have been a co-founder of the Baptist Student Union at Rust College. Young’s time at Rust was not without challenges, however. Rust College former alumni director Emma Miller Beck once fired him. “We had some disagreement
about something and she said, ‘Jerry you are fired,’” Young says with a laugh. “She hired me back the very next day, but Emma Miller became a very good friend of mine.” Young describes Rust as a family, but it was on campus that Young met the young lady with whom he would create a family. Jerry and Helen Akin Young have two daughters and four grandchildren. As he gets settled into his first year leading the National Baptist Convention, Young has some very clear goals. “It is very simple,” he says. “We are going to spend a lot of time transitioning from a convention model to a denominational model.” Currently the convention meets three times a year, but Young sees the organization maximizing its strengths, developing a strong infrastructure and a 24/7 approach. Having been a minister for more than four decades, Young has advice for those new in ministry. “There is no substitute for character and integrity,” he says. “People would much rather watch what you do, than simply hear what you say. But whatever else you do, get an excellent education. There is no substitute for it. Do those things, and God can do a lot through your life.”
ALUMNI
The Rev. Dr. Jerry Young acknowledges his bride and college sweetheart Helen Akins Young (’74) at the National Baptist Convention.
The Sentinel | 13
ALUMNI
Newman leaves mark on Beale Street Floyd S. Newman III has no regrets about his music career. Why should he? A Google search shows that the 83-year-old saxophonist, Stax Records in-house musician and bandleader performed with some of America’s brightest talents including Sam Cooke, B.B. King, Etta James, Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes. “I’ve performed with Floyd S. Newman III all of them,” says Newman surrounded by prized memorabilia inside his Memphis home. “I was the first person B.B. King chose when he started his own band.” For contributions to music and the famous Memphis Sound, Newman was honored with a Brass Note on Memphis’ Beale Street on Nov. 1, 2014. “That was a great honor,” he says. “It is something that will last forever.”
Newman enrolled at Rust after having briefly studied at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and serving in the United States Army. “I enjoyed it. That’s why I stayed,” says Newman who graduated from Rust in 1965. “I knew a lot of people who were commuting from Memphis everyday.” Newman’s friend Isaac Hayes almost joined that commute to Holly Springs. “I told him he could probably get a scholarship and took him down for an audition.” Hayes must have done well during his spring audition. When Newman returned to school in the fall, the choir director was prepared to offer Hayes a scholarship. “In the three months it took for school to start, he had already blown up,” Newman laughs remembering the legendary artist known for Shaft and Hot Buttered Soul. Hayes might not have gotten the scholarship, but he always thanked Newman for giving him his first big break by hiring him as part of his band.
Barbara and Percy Bruce have been married for 53 years, but they remember the details of their courtship as if it were yesterday. “I was a year behind him and he had eyes for me, of course,” says Barbara McKinney Bruce, a biology major who’d come to Rust from Amory. “But he wasn’t bad to look at.” The two knew each other from their economics class in the Administration Building, but it was a choir trip to Starkville that provided the opportunity for them to get to know each other. “He stood in for his older brother, Louis, as the bus driver one weekend,” Barbara says from their home in Batesville. “I’d left my shoes on the bus, so I wrote him a note in class asking him to get my shoes for me. I guess that opened the door. After that he wouldn’t leave me alone.” Percy knew Barbara loved ice cream and doughnuts and made sure to supply her with those treats. “I was a veteran, so I had a little money in my pockets,” Percy said with a laugh.
It all worked out, but not until after Barbara played hard to get for a while. Percy proposed the day of her graduation in 1960 by the chinaberry tree near Shaw Hall. “I ran off to tell my play mother I had a ring!” Barbara laughed. “My roommate had to remind me that he was still out there.” They were married June 25, 1961 and say they have not regretted a day of their union. Two of the couple’s three children Raphael (’85) and JaCinta (‘94)graduated from Rust. Daughter, Javeeta, graduated from Jackson State University.
The Bruces found lasting love on campus
Rust College
14 | Rust College
ALUMNI
GoFundMe helps Rust College students graduate Rust College alumni answer the call when there is a need. This year, the school launched a GoFundMe account to help graduating seniors who need to clear small balances in order to receive their degrees. Within 24 hours of announcing the first student, Bearcats made sure Kevena Reed’s account was totally in the black. “I was so excited and thankful,” says Reed, a 21-year-old chemistry major from Chicago. “I had to call my mom to tell her the good news.” There are dozens of deserving students like Reed who need help clearing balances of less than $1,000, says Braque Talley, director of enrollment services, who came up with the idea. “We don’t want to have a situation where students have been here four years, completed 124 hours and then have something as small as $1,000 prevent them from getting their degree.” The help was especially great for Reed who never thought she’d even attend college when she was growing up. She’d lost several high school classmates to violence and her single mother had a hard time paying tuition. “Even when I got to school, I put myself in situations Mae Gill, Kevena Reed and Braque Talley where I had to not just excel, but over-excel. I even stayed for summer school to get myself on track. I’m graduating on time so I guess I did it.” While Talley may have been the first to contribute to Reed, it was the Holly Springs - Marshall County Rust/ Mississippi Industrial College Alumni and Friends who stepped up to make sure Reed’s balance was cleared. “Once our members heard of her story, everyone got excited about helping her,” says Mae Gill, president and 1982 alumna. “This is why our club exists. We want to challenge other clubs to catch this spirit of giving. Every dollar counts.” Daisy Ogila was the next student to benefit from the GoFundMe account. The 21-year-old from Nairobi, Kenya joins the class of 2016 having spent three years studying and maintaining a 3.9 grade point average. Unable to get scholarship money, Ogila thought she’d have to leave school after her first semester. Her parents were retired and unable to pay tuition, so Ogila’s siblings stepped up. “They decided they would pay and they’ve never failed,” she said. Daisy Ogila Again, the Rust College community stepped in to help. “As an alumnus from the science department as a chemistry major, I wish you all the best Daisy!!!!!!!!!!!!” posted 1999 graduate Danita Scott Broyles after making a $150 contribution. Ogila says it feels good knowing that people appreciate that she is doing her best. “And my family can see that no matter how far I am from them, there are still people taking care of me in their absence,” she says. Both ladies plan on pursuing graduate study. Reed wants to study dermatology and build a cosmetics empire for African Americans, while Ogila wants to become a medical doctor.
Donate to other seniors who need help www.GoFundMe.com/RustCollege 662-252-8000 ext. 4058 The Sentinel | 15
ALUMNI
PageClass16Notes ’50s
Cameron
The Rev. Dr. John E. Cameron Sr. (’57) celebrated his 45th year as pastor of Greater Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss. Cameron received his Bachelor of Theology degree from American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tenn. He also received his honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Rust College in 2004.
’60s
Shirley Cherry (’63) beat out four other candidates to win the Ms. Senior American at the Delta Fair in Memphis, Tenn. during the month of September 2014. Cherry
Cleveland Payne (’65) was featured in Jones (Miss.) County’s The Chronicle magazine. The retired educator has authored more than 12 books including histories, essays, novels and a biography. Dr. Marvin King Sr. (’65) was awarded the title of TRIO Programs Emeritus from Morris Brown College in Atlanta. King retired in 2014 after 40 years of service to the institution. This award was presented by President Stanley J. Pritchett Sr. along with Vice President, Gloria L. Anderson.
King
’70s
Dr. Leroy Frazier (’74) published his 20th book Early Spiritual Enlightenment which discusses the beliefs and practices of all major world religions. Frazier also was named Associate Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus from Morris Brown College in Atlanta. Brooks-Johnson
Hazel Brooks-Johnson (’72) was appointed to the Board of Trustees at East Mississippi Community College in June of 2014. Johnson received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Rust and a master’s degree in education from the University of Mississippi. Michael J. Smith (’77) went before the Olive Branch, Miss. mayor and Board of Aldermen requesting that a portion of Pigeon Roost Road to Mississippi Highway 305 be renamed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Road. As founder and president of DeSoto County African-American History Symposium, Smith will continue his effort speaking before other Desoto County municipalities.
Smith
The Ellises
Rust College
16 | Rust College
16 | Rust College
’80s
Judge Paula Drungole-Ellis (’83) and her daughter Portia Ellis, ’13 made UNCF history during the UNCF 67th National Alumni Council/57th National Pre-Alumni Council Conference in Charlotte, NC Feb. 21, 2015. Drungole was named to the UNCF National Alumni Council Hall of Honor while her daughter was named Young Alumni of the Year. This was the first time a mother and daughter were honored at once.
ALUMNI
’90s
Pamela Chatman (’93) is featured on truTv’s new show, “Breaking Greenville.” Chatman, the news director of WABG-ABC Greenville, Miss. has been on NBC’s Today Show and CBS’ The Talk. Ketrick Copeland (’95) is co-starring and co-producing Inner Dimension, a science fiction television series to be launched on iTunes and Vimeo on Demand this spring. Copeland
Julius Brownlee (’97) will release Church After Hours, a collection of inspirational songs this spring. The album will be available on iTunes and CD Baby. Andrew Patton (’97) was elected pastor of the Greater View Church, in Nashville, Tenn.
Brownlee
Dr. Lorenzo Esters (’98) became a senior program director at USA Funds, a $55 billion nonprofit corporation whose mission is to enhance postsecondary education.
’00s
Cornelius C. Clark (’00) opened Clarks Tax Services in Milwaukee, Wis.
Moore
Nicholas Cole (’00) preached his first sermon and received his ministerial license in July of 2014. Cole owns a marketing business, mynewmama.com, and lives in Sugar Land, Texas. Dr. Juliana Maria (da Silva) Trammel (’01) received tenure and promotion to associate professor in the department of journalism and mass communications at Savannah State University.
Trammel
Jewel Moore (’05) published her new book How Do You Love Me? which helps readers manage rejection and leads them on a path to freedom.
Marriages and Births Tonya M. Scott (’96) wed Ricky Bell on Oct. 5, 2013 in Inverness, Miss. Scott, who was Miss Rust 94-95, is regional deposit operational manager for Southern Bancorp Bank. The Calvins
Tamela Woods Calvin (’98) and Marshonn Calvin (’98), announce the birth of their son, Matthew Shomika Calvin, August 15, 2014. LaTanya Lofton Hogue (’98) wed Rodney Hogue on Aug. 28, 2013. LaTanya Hogue is the director of spinal cord injury rehabilitation at Carolinas Rehabilitation in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kimberly Abernathy (’99) announces the birth of her son, Kyle Langston Abernathy, born March 4, 2015.
Léon
Myskeshia Léon (’99) announces the birth of her daughter, Jasmine Louise-Marie Ceaser, born June 8, 2014. The Sentinel | 17
Marriages and Births (continued) Landon Scales (’99) wed Jeaneen Allen on July 26, 2014. Landon Scales is in his first year of pharmacy school at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Scales
Faith Cuevas Smith (’99) and Jason Smith announce the birth of their son, Christopher Smith, born Jan. 25, 2014. Dr. Juliana Maria (da Silva) Trammel (’01) and Michael Thomas Trammel Jr. welcomed their second son Tyler Thomas Trammel, born Dec. 12, 2014.
Smith
Karvis Jones (’03) is engaged to marry Carrisa Baptiste on May 24 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Jones is a production assistant at FOX Sports South/SportSouth in Atlanta. Nilse Furtado-Gilliam (’04) and Sean Maurice Furtado-Gilliam announce the birth of their daughter, Naya Lily Furtado Gilliam, born October 28, 2014.
Furtado-Gilliam
Eric Gardner (’04) Afrikka (Blackburn) Gardner (’05) announce the birth of their daughter, Bella Marie Gardner, born June 4, 2014. Catherine Denisha Cheney (’04) wed Courage Klutse on Dec. 27, 2014. Catherine Cheney Klutse is a family nurse practitioner at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Donnell
Erika Wright Donnell (’12) and Mario Donnell (’09) were married June 30, 2012. The couple welcomed a daughter, Avery Paige Donnell, on March 26, 2014.
Anniversaries
Rev. and Mrs. Earnest Lee and Clara Pearl Henry celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 27, 2014. Both are members of the class of 1964. The Henrys
Deaths
’49 - Otis Patton of Oxford, Miss., Jan. 29, 2015 ’49 - William McDougal of Clarksdale, Miss., Jan. 28, 2015 ’51 - Earnestine D. Moore of Chicago, Feb. 27, 2015 ’53 - Connie Dandridge-Brown* of Memphis, Tenn. Jan. 3, 2015 ’53 - Evia Moore of Jackson, Miss., Feb. 28, 2015 ’56 - Clen Dempsey Moore* of Waterford, Miss., Jan. 23, 2015 ’57 - Idella B. Rogers of Shannon, Miss., Jan. 21, 2015 ’57 - John Dickerson* of Columbus, Miss., Jan. 19, 2015 ’60 - Susie Jean Harden Matthews* of Byhalia, Miss., Dec. 10, 2014 ’61 - Shirley Brown-McDonald* of Memphis, Tenn. Jan. 5, 2015 ’61 - Artis Walton of Holly Springs, Jan. 18, 2015 ’62 - Etherlene Echols-Jones* of Holly Springs, Miss. Jan. 10, 2015 Rust College ’62 - John H. Long* of Tupelo, Miss., Jan. 23, 2015 18 | Rust College
’69 - Johnnie Edwards* of Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 23, 2013 ’68 - Marvie Robinson of Batesville, Miss., Dec. 21, 2014 ’64 - Mamie Ruth Fant Nunnally of Holly Springs, Miss., Feb. 13, 2015 ’73 - Joe H. Newsom of Athens, Ga., Oct. 6, 2014 ’78 - Gladys Dillard* of Shelby, Miss., Jan. 30, 2015 ’84 - Dr. Rosalind Hines Gooden-Martin, Memphis,Tenn., Feb. 22, 2015 ’96 - Cynthia Thomas of Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 26, 2014 ’97 - Frederic Hilliard of Dallas, Texas, Feb. 3, 2015 ’97 - Timothy Woods of Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 21, 2014 ’08 - Robina Mian of Holly Springs, Miss., Nov. 15, 2014 ’05 - Simon Henderson of Eudora, Ark., Nov. 25, 2014 ’15 - Belefonte Gulledge of Holly Springs, Miss., Feb. 12 2015 - Retired humanities professor Joseph Njoku of Holly Springs, Miss., Jan. 25, 2015 - Former A’Cappella Choir director Eddie Jones of Fayetteville, Ark., Oct. 16, 2014 - Retired business professor Fred Davis of Eads, Tenn., Jan. 31, 2014
*denotes alumni of Mississippi Industrial College
SAVE THE DATE
150
Years Celebration November 6 - 13, 2016 “One Hundred Fifty Years of Academic Excellence-Celebrating Rust College; Its History and Its Future” www.rustcollege.edu | 662-252-8000 ext. 4014
“By their fruits, ye shall know them”
#RustCollegeRYS15 Help Rust College win up to $50,000 for campus improvements! Vote daily on all of your electronic devices through April 20, 2015 www.retoolyourschool.com
RUST COLLEGE CONTRIBUTION FORM Mr. Mrs. Ms. Dr. Rev. First Name _________________________ Last Name _____________________________ Address _____________________________ City _____________ State ____ Zip Code ______________ Email Address _______________________________ Phone Number ____________________________ Alumni Information Graduation Year _________ Degree _____________ Major/Minor ______________________________ Greek Affiliation _________ Rust Club/Alumni Chapter _______________________________________ I am enclosing ___ a check/pledge payable to Rust College for $_________________________________ _______ 1866 Club _______ General Student Scholarships _______ Restricted Student Scholarships _____ Annual Fund _____ Annual Fund _____ Deferred Maintenance _____ Other_________________ Signature: ___________________________________________________ Date: ____________________
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RUST COLLEGE 150 Rust Ave. Holly Springs, MS 38635
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PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID RR DONNELLEY