University of Georgia Magazine Fall 2018

fall 2018

TAYLOR MADE Grady College has helped launch the careers of many sports journalists, including ESPN’s Maria Taylor.

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CONTENTS

Meet the first woman to earn an undergraduate degree from UGA on p. 20.

the magazine of the university of georgia fall 2018

INSIDE 5 7

The President’s Pen President Jere W. Morehead on your generosity.

UGA to Z Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood sing a song for the Class of 2018.

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On the Bulldog Beat Happy birthday to the UGA Golf Course.

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Bulldog Bulletin News and events from the UGA Alumni Association.

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Class Notes

Chip Caray has been a fixture on Braves broadcasts for more than a decade. His journey began at UGA, p. 34 andrew davis tucker

FEATURE

ON THE COVER

18 Creating HOPE

The late Gov. Zell Miller’s legacy includes the HOPE scholarship, which has helped 1.8 million Georgians attend college and forever transformed UGA.

20 Opening a Door

In 1918, the first class of undergraduate women enrolled at UGA. The path to coeducation wasn’t easy, but the benefits are immeasurable.

Kevin Butler won a Super Bowl, but his newly earned UGA degree might be his proudest moment.

24 Recruiting the Next Generation

Faculty Focus

26 Fighting the Flu

Get to know Charlotte Mason, the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Chair of Business Administration from the Terry College of Business.

Take a trip with the Road Dawgs as they encourage high school students across Georgia to consider college.

A century ago, the world suffered through the worst pandemic in recorded history—Spanish influenza. Now, UGA researchers are working to prevent the next one.

Cover photo by Peter Frey

This fall Double Dawg Maria Taylor begins her second year as a features reporter on ESPN's flagship college football show, College GameDay.

30 Reporting Live

Maria Taylor, Ernie Johnson Jr., Chip Caray, and Taylor Bisciotti are all sports broadcasters at the top of their game—and they're all Georgia alumni. geo rgia maga z ine | fall 2 018

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Dogged Determination like many people, university of georgia researcher biao he loves dogs. But his affinity for man’s best friend runs a bit deeper than most.

The infectious disease specialist is using a common canine virus to fight lethal diseases that affect millions around the world. His research on the kennel cough virus is being translated into new vaccines and treatments for deadly infections such as rabies, tuberculosis, and HIV. “Ultimately, we want to develop products that can be used to help humans and animals as well,” says He, the Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in Veterinary Medicine. “Our goal is really just to make life better for everyone.”

The University of Georgia is committed to creating healthier populations throughout the world. UGA researchers are determined to find solutions for deadly diseases, to discover the key to longer, healthier lives, and to improve public health for all.

nancy evelyn

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fall 2018

VOLUME 97

ISSUE NO. 4

georgia magazine

Editor · Eric Rangus MA ’94 Associate Editor · Aaron Hale MA ’16 Writers · Kellyn Amodeo ABJ ’09, Leigh Beeson MA ’17 Art Director · Jackie Baxter Roberts Advertising Director · Pamela Leed Office Manager · Fran Burke UGA Photographers · Peter Frey BFA ’94, Rick O’Quinn ABJ ’87, Andrew Davis Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski BLA ’06, ABJ ’10, Chad Osburn Editorial Interns · Katherine Costikyan, Rachel Floyd, Mara Weissinger ABJ ’18

marketing & communications Vice President · Karri Hobson-Pape Executive Director · Janis Gleason Brand Strategy Director · Michele Horn

administration President · Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 Interim Senior VP for Academic Affairs & Provost · Libby Morris VP for Finance & Administration · Ryan Nesbit MBA ’91 VP for Development & Alumni Relations · Kelly Kerner VP for Instruction · Rahul Shrivastav VP for Research · David C. Lee VP for Public Service & Outreach · Jennifer Frum PhD ’09 VP for Student Affairs · Victor Wilson BSW ’82, MEd ’87 VP for Government Relations · J. Griffin Doyle AB ’76, JD ’79 VP for Information Technology · Timothy M. Chester

Change your mailing address by contacting e: records@uga.edu or ph: 888-268-5442 Find Georgia Magazine online at ugamagazine.uga.edu Submit Class Notes or story ideas to gmeditor@uga.edu

advertise in Georgia Magazine by contacting Pamela Leed at e: pjleed@uga.edu or ph: 706-542-8124 fine print

Georgia Magazine (issn 1085-1042) is published quarterly for alumni and friends of UGA. postmaster | Send address changes to: University of Georgia 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North Athens, GA 30602

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andrew davis tucker

The University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or military service in its administrations of educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD).

Fax 706-542-2822. https://eoo.uga.edu/

THE PRESIDENT’S PEN

Celebrating a New Academic Year Reflecting on the past five years and looking ahead to a bright future

Fall semester is underway at the University of Georgia, and our vibrant campus is abuzz with excitement for the new academic year. For the sixth consecutive fall, the incoming freshman class is once again the most academically talented in our institution’s history.

These newest Bulldogs join a university on the rise. Over the past five years, UGA has been on an incredible upward trajectory, and our momentum shows no signs of slowing.

Fundraising in FY18 set a new record, for the fifth consecutive year, at $242 million as UGA supporters gave generously to expand the impact of this great institution. I am particularly pleased that more than 260 Georgia Commitment Scholarships have been created since the program was announced.

“I remain grateful for all that our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends have done over the past five years to elevate the birthplace of public higher education in America."

The university’s research enterprise is stronger than ever, thanks to increased numbers of endowed chairs and professorships; new state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Center for Molecular Medicine; and hiring initiatives to bring world-renowned research faculty to our campus. This fall, we will break ground on an Interdisciplinary STEM Research Building that will further strengthen the university’s efforts to solve the grand challenges of our time.

The learning environment for UGA students has been greatly enhanced over the past five years, from construction and renovation of instructional spaces to accommodate the most advanced teaching methods to hiring initiatives that have increased the number of small classes and bolstered academic advising. The university’s pioneering experiential learning requirement and the entrepreneurship initiative have enriched the undergraduate experience as well.

UGA’s estimated impact on the state’s economy has reached an all-time high at $5.7 billion per year. Public service and outreach programs, such as the Georgia Certified Economic Developer program, are providing training and assistance to Georgians to help existing businesses thrive and attract new industries to our state. This fall, the university will begin taking the first steps to create an innovation district on our Athens campus, enabling UGA to become an even more powerful driver of economic development in the Athens community, the state of Georgia, and beyond.

As I begin my sixth year as president of the University of Georgia, I share the excitement of everyone on campus as we look to the important work that lies ahead. I remain grateful for all that our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends have done over the past five years to elevate the birthplace of public higher education in America.

Jere W. Morehead President

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UGA Z to

News, accomplishments, and accolades from the UGA community

COMMENCEMENT

A Song for 2018 Terry College of Business alumni and co-founders of the Grammy-Award winning trio Lady Antebellum, Charles Kelley BBA ’04 (left) and Dave Haywood BBA ’04, delivered the spring Commencement address to the Class of 2018 and their families and friends on May 4 in Sanford Stadium.

They encouraged the new graduates to take risks.

“It was a bit of a risk for us to go to Nashville,” Haywood said, “but at the same time, it wasn’t really that big of a risk at all” because they had their UGA degrees.

Haywood and Kelley concluded the evening with an acoustic performance of “Georgia on My Mind.”

dorothy kozlowski

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UGA to Z CAMPUS NEWS

The Search Is On UGA President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 named Libby V. Morris as interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, effective July 16. Morris took the position after Pamela Whitten, who had served as provost since 2014, was named president of Kennesaw State University.

A seasoned administrator and prolific scholar, Morris has directed UGA’s Institute of Higher Education since 2006 and holds the Zell Miller Distinguished Professorship of Higher Education.

A committee has been formed to lead a national search to select a permanent senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

This marks Morris’ second stint as interim provost. Morehead selected her for the role in July 2013 when he assumed the presidency following his own three-year tenure as UGA’s provost. From 2010 to 2013, Morris served as vice provost for academic affairs at UGA, during which she coordinated two major hiring initiatives to boost the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty.

michael loccisano/getty images 2018

PEABODYS

Time Together Libby V. Morris, top, will serve as the interim senior vice president for academic affairs as Pamela Whitten took a position as president of Kennesaw State University.

TITLE TOWN

UGA Men Win First Outdoor Track Title UGA’s men’s track and field team won its first outdoor national championship in June. That finish, along with the women’s track team’s second place result, helped power the Bulldogs to an eighth-place finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, the all-sports competition ranking collegiate athletic programs.

The finish marks Georgia’s 21st consecutive top-20 effort.

Georgia scored 52 points in winning the men's track title, a comfortable 10 points better than second-place Florida. Junior Denzel Comenentia led the way for the Bulldogs, winning individual national titles in both the hammer throw and the shot put.

On the women’s side, senior Keturah Orji won individual titles in the long jump and the triple jump—the seventh and eighth of her collegiate career. Orji’s eight individual national titles are the most by a women’s field athlete in collegiate history.

Denzel Comenentia, with first-place finishes in the hammer throw and shot put, led the UGA men's track and field team to its first national championship.

kirby lee

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Comedy icon Carol Burnett celebrated her Peabody Award in a way that only she can: with her signature Tarzan yell and an earlobe tug. Burnett, who earned her first Peabody in 1962, was presented with the first-ever Peabody Career Achievement Award in New York on May 19.

The 77th Annual Peabody Awards ceremony was hosted by Hasan Minhaj, a correspondent on The Daily Show. Rachel Brosnahan, the Golden Globe-winning star of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, presented the Peabody to Burnett.

“I was honored 56 years ago, so I’m hoping for another one in 2074,” Burnett joked during her acceptance speech. She concluded her remarks with the catchphrase that ended every episode of her legendary variety show of the 1960s and ’70s: “I’m so glad we had this time together.”

A full list of Peabody winners is available at peabodyawards.com/awards. The Peabodys are issued under the auspices of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

UGA to Z FUEL TO THE FIRE

Scientists Develop New Eco-Friendly Lighter Fluid Whether it's called a “barbecue” or a “cookout,” we love cooking outside. Grilling steaks, hamburgers, or even veggie burgers in the backyard or a favorite tailgating spot has become such a part of our culture that nearly three out of four adults own at least one grill or smoker.

Now, thanks to scientists at the University of Georgia College of Engineering and a company in nearby Monroe, backyard chefs can reach for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to petroleum-based charcoal lighter fluids.

EcoGreen Charcoal Lighter, manufactured by ESCOGO, is made entirely from plant-based products and is now available at retailers nationwide.

Vernacular Modernism

The Photography of Doris Ulmann

Georgia Museum of Art August through Nov. 18 Doris Ulmann, Two Men Preparing for Baptism, c. 1929-31 Posthumous gelatin silver print, printed by Samuel Lifshey, ca. 1934-37 Used with permission of the Doris Ulmann Foundation

PHOTO FINISH

GMOA Highlights Modernist Photographer

DYNAMIC DETECTION

Researcher Speeds Up Pathogen Detection Process Foodborne illnesses sicken almost 50 million people each year, sending 128,000 of them to the hospital.

Identifying disease-causing microorganisms before selling a food product is one of the easiest ways to reduce the number of people who will become sick, but traditional pathogen testing takes days.

At the UGA Center for Food Safety in Griffin, food scientist Xiangyu Deng is speeding up the process.

The assistant professor of food microbiology uses magnetic beads coated with antibodies to pull the pathogen’s cells out and amplify the microorganism’s DNA. Then he amplifies and sequences the DNA to determine which pathogen is in the food sample. Because Deng uses a smaller sequencer, this part of the process is shortened from a day or two to just 90 minutes, shaving significant time off the identification process from start to finish.

Deng’s research was featured in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Assistant professor Xiangyu Deng, center, working with his research staff at the Center for Food Safety on the UGA Griffin Campus.

This fall, the Georgia Museum of Art presents the exhibition Vernacular Modernism: The Photography of Doris Ulmann. Running through Nov. 18, it is the first large-scale exhibition to examine the work of the 1920s and 1930s photographer.

Ulmann has been somewhat overlooked historically, in part because her body of work is difficult to define, with a mix of studio portraits in New York, stylized pictorialism, and documentary work—the latter focused on rural craftsmen and women of Appalachia and the African American and Gullah communities of coastal Georgia and South Carolina.

andrew davis tucker

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UGA to Z PL ASTIC PROBLEM

Recycling Solution Needed for 111M Metric Tons of Plastic Recycling is often touted as the solution to the growing plastic waste problem, but upwards of half the plastic waste intended for recycling is actually exported from higher income countries to other nations.

Although China has historically taken the largest share of plastic trash, its new “National Sword” policy has permanently banned the import of nonindustrial plastic waste.

University of Georgia researchers found that more than 100 million metric tons of plastic waste will be displaced because of the policy. Their findings were published in the journal Science Advances.

“We know from our previous studies that only 9 percent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled, and the majority of it ends up in landfills or the natural environment,” says Jenna Jambeck, associate professor in UGA’s College of Engineering and co-author of the study. “About 111 million metric tons of plastic waste is going to be displaced because of the import ban through 2030, so we’re going to have to develop more robust recycling programs domestically and rethink the use and design of plastic products if we want to deal with this waste responsibly.”

andrew davis tucker

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Scholarship donors Ada Lee and Alston D. "Pete" Correll, with UGA President Jere W. Morehead, celebrate the ribbon cutting for Correll Hall in the Business Learning Community.

According to research co-authored

by UGA's Jenna Jambeck, more than 100 million metric tons of plastic will be displaced due to a new policy in China. That plastic has to go somewhere.

OPENING DOORS

Scholarships Make Mentors Scholarships blaze paths to futures that might otherwise be unattainable.

Ada Lee BSEd ’63 and Alston D. “Pete” Correll Jr. BBA ’63 committed $5 million to endow a need-based scholarship program to include mentorship and experiential learning opportunities. The couple are the honorary chairs of the university’s Commit to Georgia Campaign.

The first awards will be presented to 24 students this fall, giving preference to those with significant need who plan to pursue degrees in the Terry College of Business or the College of Education.

“Pete and Ada Lee are among the University of Georgia’s most loyal supporters,” says President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. “Their generous gift will impact the lives and futures of many UGA students, and I am deeply grateful for their strong commitment to supporting the next generation of leaders in business and education.”

UGA to Z FIRST CL ASS

Doctors for the Future The Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership graduated its first class of 10 residents on June 16. The Internal Medicine Residence Program, a joint effort of the AU/UGA Medical Partnership and the St. Mary’s Health Care System, concentrates on producing community-based physicians.

“I wanted to be hands on from the beginning,” says Brian Brewer BS ’15, BSEd ’15, one of the graduates of the three-year program. “I knew that by being at a new program I would be first in line for all the training activities. In addition, the strong connections to the city that I made in undergrad, as well as in medical school, afforded me the opportunities to organize rotations around my professional interests.”

Brewer's next step is a sports medicine fellowship.

As of July, three members of the inaugural class have accepted positions in the Athens area, helping address what has become a serious physician shortage in the state. In order to meet the national average of 36.6 physicians per 100,000 people, Georgia needs nearly 1,500 more graduate medical positions—a shortfall the new AU/UGA partnership was created to address.

andrew davis tucker

Medical resident Brian Brewer, right, makes the rounds at his AU/UGA Medical Partnership Internal Medicine Residency at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens.

CAMPUS NEWS

Morehead Elected to SEC Exec Committee UGA President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80 was elected to the Southeastern Conference Executive Committee, a seven-member body comprising three university presidents, two faculty athletics representatives, a senior woman administrator, and an athletic director. The primary responsibility of the committee is to oversee the financial and fiscal affairs of the SEC, including the approval of the annual operating budget of the conference.

Morehead also continues to represent the SEC as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Presidential Forum.

Denise Spangler, top, will serve as the new dean of the College of Education.

Kelly M. Smith will serve as the new dean of the College of Pharmacy.

LEADERSHIP MAT TERS

UGA Appoints Two New Deans UGA has named new deans for not one but two of its colleges. Denise Spangler PhD ’95, the Bebe Aderhold Professor in Early Childhood Education, was appointed dean of the UGA College of Education, and Kelly M. Smith BSPH ’92, PharmD ’93 is now the dean of the UGA College of Pharmacy.

Spangler joined the UGA faculty after earning her doctorate, and her career on campus includes service as senior associate dean and head of the department of mathematics and science education. Her research has been funded by $4.5 million in grants from various organizations, and she received the university’s Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2016.

Smith served as associate dean for academic and student affairs at the University of Kentucky’s College of Pharmacy since 2009 and was interim dean of UK’s College of Pharmacy in 2015 and 2016. At Kentucky, she launched the nation’s first statewide collaboration to support pharmacy residency training and directed UK Healthcare’s Postgraduate Year One Pharmacy Residency.

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UGA to Z HELPING HEROES

School of Law Opens Veterans Clinic

dennis mcdaniel

Alexander W. “Alex” Scherr, center, a public service lawyer and educator for more than 30 years who will direct the UGA School of Law’s Veterans Legal Clinic, discusses future clinic operations with law students.

'THOUGH POPPIES GROW'

Memories Live On It began with a simple idea from Georgia educator Moina Belle Michael: sell poppy flowers to raise money on behalf of soldiers killed and injured in World War I. Now, nearly 100 years and billions of dollars in donations later, the poppy has become the international symbol of remembrance and support for all military veterans, thanks to the tireless efforts of “The Poppy Lady.” Before Michael was known for red poppies, she was the house director of the State Normal School in Athens, which later merged with UGA’s College of Education.

Inspired by Michael, photographer and visual artist Lee Karen Stow created a portrait series Poppies: Women, War, Peace, which is on display through Dec. 14 at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The exhibition remembers women in times of conflict, from World War I to the present day.

Clockwise from top: A portrait of Moina Belle Michael; stamp commemorating Michael; disabled servicemen making Buddy Poppies to benefit the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

photos courtesy of the michael family

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Veterans living in Georgia will now be able to receive legal assistance regardless of their ability to pay, thanks to the UGA School of Law’s newly established Veterans Legal Clinic.

The clinic will give veterans in need access to attorneys who will help them navigate the Department of Veterans Affairs claims process.

Legal representation often means the difference between being approved for benefits or being denied or deferred.

“Law students will work directly with veterans and their dependents to ensure access to both benefits and services, especially for those with mental or physical disabilities resulting from their time in the military,” says Alexander W. Scherr, associate dean for clinical programs and experiential learning and the clinic’s operations director. “Our No. 1 goal is to improve how former servicemen and women receive assistance from the nation they have served.”

If these walls could talk, They'd say thank you. For being part of a very big thing. For being a part of this. Together, we've done some pretty amazing thing sIn here, out there and all over And started Every wewe're standjust for getting something more. answer leads to another hundred questions, And we are proud to be or the fifth consecutive year, both the birthplace and epicenter UGA donors have set a new record in fundraising, contributingof a total solutions of Of$242the pursuit For million in new gifts and pledges to the our world's grand challenges. And Commit to Georgia Campaign.

This brings total raised through the campaign to forthe our communities' futures. If more than $1 billion. these walls could talk, They'd say But this isn’t about dollars raised—it’s about And at thebell.

UniversityBecause of Georgia, gochanging ringlives.that of your improving lives is our passion. It drives us to commitment to to enhance this place, We remove barriers and open doors, the learning environment for our students, never run out of reasons to look and to continue to pursue solutions to the grand challenges facingproud. our world. back and be And because of your to our future, We To thecommitment 70,846 donors who helped make happen in fiscal year 2018, we thank you. getthisto open the doors for new ideas that need to be explored We get to take down the barriers for voices that need to be heard. Because of you, we get to grow. No matter how far away we are from these walls We hold close all that they stand for. We commit - to our family and our future We commit - to our community and serving it well. We commit - to generosity with all that we've been given and all that we have earned We commit - to our greatest achievements becoming the starting point for the next generation We commit - to Georgia

c o m m i t t o g e o r g i a c a m pa i g n

together F

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tyler daniels

All reported numbers are based on data through June 30, 2018.

i i i : s o lv i n g g r a n d c h a l l e n g e s

SAM TINGLE

CLASS OF 2019, GEOGRAPHY MAJOR AND FOUNDATION FELLOW

“My Foundation Fellowship has empowered me to discover what I find challenging, fulfilling, and exciting, and has provided unending support toward becoming a successful practitioner in my field.”

Sam Tingle’s opportunities to study abroad and intern with NASA, the United Nations, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been made possible thanks to both merit- and need-based scholarships, and will help prepare him for a career in geographic information systems.

260

Georgia Commitment Scholarships established since the program launched in January 2017. These endowed needbased scholarships are matched by the UGA Foundation.

37.4 MILLION

$

was raised in FY18 for student scholarships.

577

endowed scholarships created since the Commit to Georgia Campaign began in July 2012.

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c o m m i t t o g e o r g i a c a m pa i g n

TAHIRA ALLEN MEDIA RESOURCES TEAM, VOICE OF AMERICA

“My time in Delta Hall was lifechanging. It was the perfect bridge from academia to the real world. Because of my experience in the Washington Semester Program, I am able to happily say that I have an idea of what I want to do for my future, and I am in a position to make it happen.”

When Tahira Allen AB ’18 enrolled in UGA’s Washington Semester Program, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in the nation’s capital but wasn’t sure what path to take. Her time in Delta Hall introduced her to many career options and helped her land a full-time job with one of the country’s largest international broadcasters.

edwin hammond

96 PERCENT

of UGA students are employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation.

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96

students lived in Delta Hall during FY18, learning and interning in Washington, D.C.

WENZHAN SONG

18

new endowed faculty positions were established in FY18, bringing the total to

GEORGIA POWER MICKEY A. BROWN PROFESSOR IN ENGINEERING

“Integrating renewable energy into our power grid has the potential to reduce our impact on the environment, and the use of smart technology has the potential to reduce the world’s overall energy consumption. The benefits are significant.”

289

across campus.

Endowed positions help UGA recruit and retain outstanding faculty who are preparing the next generation of thought-leaders and are conducting research and service that will improve lives.

WenZhan Song’s expertise and research interests reside in the realm of “big data,” also called informatics, where massive data sets are collected and analyzed.

The engineering faculty member is developing “smart grid” energy systems that have the potential to increase the use of renewable energy sources to establish a more secure future for Georgians. He is also creating the first “subsurface camera” system for more efficient geo-energy exploration and production with less environmental impact.

Since the Commit to Georgia Campaign began,

131 MILLION

$

has been raised to support research endeavors at UGA.

dorothy kozlowski

We're just getting started.

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by aaron hale ma ’16

When former Georgia Gov. Zell Miller AB ’57, MA ’58 died in March, the dozens of remembrances for the legendary public servant recalled his tenacious public persona and his hallmark political achievement: the HOPE Scholarship.

HOPE w

hile Miller’s persona—a fiery, cowboy boot-wearing politician hailing from the north Georgia mountains—won’t soon be forgotten, it’s his contribution to education that produced the most profoundly influential part of his legacy and touched the lives of millions of Georgians.

Launched 25 years ago, the HOPE Scholarship Program forever changed the landscape of higher education in Georgia and arguably across the nation. It became a model for scholarship programs in seven other states and was the inspiration for a federal education tax credit.

HOPE, which stands for Helping Our Pupils Educationally, was based on Miller’s vision for providing greater access to higher education in Georgia. The merit-based scholarship program, funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education, has helped 1.8 million Georgia students pay for college and elevated the standing of Georgia universities—especially Miller’s alma mater, UGA. “You can step foot on any campus of the University System of Georgia and feel the immediate and lasting impact of Gov. Zell Miller’s legacy,” said Steve Wrigley, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, after Miller’s passing. “We see it every day in the thousands of students enrolled in our worldclass institutions with help from the HOPE Scholarship.”

Wrigley served as Gov. Miller’s

25 years ago, zell miller

transformed the landscape of higher education in georgia

chief of staff for five years and helped shepherd the implementation of the lottery and the HOPE Scholarship.

Speaking at a memorial service, Wrigley recalled that Miller was deeply involved in the process of crafting the scholarship program to fulfill his vision, a vision that no doubt sprung from the governor’s own experiences.

shaping zell Miller is best known as a politician, having served as a state legislator, chief-of-staff for Gov. Lester Maddox, lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. senator. But Miller, like his parents, was also an educator.

He was born in Young Harris in 1932 to Stephen Grady Miller, the dean of Young Harris College, and Birdie Bryan Miller. Things didn’t start off easy. Grady Miller, a professor who dabbled in politics, died when Zell was 17 days old. The widowed Birdie Miller, who had once been an art teacher, raised Zell and his sister alone. She worked various jobs to support the family and built the family house from stones pulled from a nearby stream.

After graduating from Young Harris College and briefly attending Emory University, Zell Miller joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1953. He credited that experience for developing his discipline and focus—skills that paid off throughout his career.

Through the educational benefits of the G.I. Bill, Miller enrolled at UGA, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in history. He worked a

Above, a portion of Senator Zell Miller's Official Portrait | Collection of Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta | By portrait artist Thomas V. Nash

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“You can step foot on any campus of the University System of Georgia and feel the immediate and lasting impact of Gov. Zell Miller’s legacy.” —steve wrigley,

the beginning of hope In 1990, Miller ran for governor and campaigned on the education lottery. He won, but he still had to convince a majority of Georgia voters to pass a constitutional amendment to establish it. That process was not without its complications. Recalling the debates to get the lottery passed, Miller once said, “I couldn’t even go to church without getting caught up into controversy.”

In 1992, voters approved the lottery, and the governor and his team launched HOPE. Miller was determined to make a student’s performance a determining factor in earning and keeping the scholarship.

Miller insisted that the scholarship be merit-based, arguing it would reward hard-working students and encourage them to earn their degrees in Georgia.

He laid out the goals of the program: to enhance the academic performances of Georgia students, to keep the best-performing students in the state, and to address socioeco-

nomic disparities in college enrollment.

In 1993, the first Georgia Education Lottery Ticket was sold, and the first HOPE Scholarship was awarded.

Twenty-five years later, the impact of HOPE has crossed generations.

Erica Gwyn BSEd ’00 was a promising student with a lot of options when she received the HOPE Scholarship in the early years of the program.

“I applied to, and was accepted at, several schools, including Clemson and Auburn, but the HOPE Scholarship was an unprecedented program that made UGA both financially and educationally attainable,” said Gwyn, who now lives in Atlanta and is owner and operator of The Nonprofit Guru and Kaleidoscope Kids Camp of Georgia.

According to a 2006 study, Miller’s three goals were largely met within a few years of implementation, with state SAT scores on the rise and fewer students attending out-of-state institutions.

HOPE is also credited with elevating higher education throughout Georgia, particularly in the academic excellence at Miller’s alma mater, UGA. In 25 years, the university has seen a steady rise in its academic rankings and the quality of student who enrolls at UGA. “Gov. Miller’s impact on higher education in Georgia—and indeed the nation—was profound,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80.

“The University of Georgia would not be the world-class institution it is today without his vision and dedicated leadership.”

While HOPE has continued to evolve since its implementation, it retains the fingerprints of its groundbreaking creator, and it continues to reward those Georgians who strive for excellence through higher education. GM

HOPE by the numbers STUDENTS

1.8M $ 9.4B HOPE scholars

AND

in assistance awarded

UGA SAT SCORES 1600

1344 1086

SCORES

variety of jobs as a student, including as a tutor for football players and a cook at Allen’s Hamburgers. Access to affordable education from his military service had been on his mind when he helped craft the HOPE Scholarship.

Following in his parents’ footsteps, Miller became a professor at Young Harris College and mayor of his hometown, but he was quickly wooed into state politics. Miller's political career had its ups and downs. He lost bids for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964 and 1966 and for the Senate in 1980. But he was also a stable force in Georgia politics, becoming the state’s longest serving lieutenant governor, with four consecutive terms.

chancellor of the university system of georgia

YEAR

1993

2017

This story is part of a series, called Georgia Groundbreakers, that celebrates innovative and visionary faculty, students, alumni, and leaders throughout the history of the University of Georgia and their profound, enduring impact on our state, our nation, and the world.

news.uga.edu/groundbreakers geo rgia maga z ine | fall 2 018

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UGA Marks a Century of Coeducation by aaron hale ma ‘16 photos courtesy hargrett rare book & manuscript library

100 years ago, the first class of undergraduate women enrolled at the University of Georgia. Today, it’s hard to imagine a University of Georgia without women. In the last century, female students have become part of the essential fabric of UGA—leading student organizations, spearheading community outreach efforts, offering diverse perspectives to the learning environment, and, in many cases, teaching and leading university research.

But the path to coeducation was long and hard fought. Mary Creswell (above right), the first woman to earn a UGA bachelor’s degree, described it as “prying open the doors of the university to undergraduate women.” It took a 25-year effort from dedicated advocates of coeducation in Georgia to break through.

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1. the origins

In 1889, a proposal backed

by Georgia women’s groups the Daughters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dames appealed to the university’s Board of Trustees for the admission of women to UGA. No action was taken on the proposal and wouldn’t be for years to come. But supporters of coeducation continued their push. A proposal to admit wom-

en to UGA finally came to a vote in 1897, but the motion lost 8-5.

Again and again, advocates for coeducation, including some members of the Board of Trustees, brought the issue up, but it was repeatedly denied.

2. the opposition

Opponents to coeducation argued that allowing women to study serious subjects alongside men would bring a

loss of morality and the end of wholesome womanly qualities.

While advocates were arguing that coeducation would give women more confidence and allow them to be less shy, traditionalists were decrying these outcomes. In a News Herald (of Lawrenceville) editorial, one writer noted that teaching women alongside men at the university would bring “the destruction of that modesty and

real refinement, which makes them so attractive to men.”

A thread to this argument went that women should not have to face the hard truths that one confronts in higher learning. As UGA Chancellor David C. Barrow, who oversaw the university during the transition of coeducation, explained, “The gentlemen who opposed coeducation did so under the impression that

The first class of women, sometimes called “The First Twelve,” were older students who enrolled as part of the Junior Class, transferring credits from other colleges. Chancellor David C. Barrow described them as “women-citizens” brought in to test the water before the school admitted “less mature” students.

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Built in 1920, Soule Hall was the first women's dormitory on the UGA campus. It was named after Andrew Soule, the president of the Georgia State College of Agriculture, who championed the creation of the home economics division and the admission of women at UGA.

women were too good for the university, rather than that the university was too good for women.”

For his part, Barrow admitted that he too was once resistant to the idea before he realized its value. “Since women are needed in solving the problems of society,” he said, “we must let them have a chance to learn these problems.”

3. summer sidesteps

While proposals before the trustees were getting nowhere, some women were finding ways to study at the university

anyway. In 1899, Chancellor Walter B. Hill was in favor of the admission of women and even began the process to scout locations to build facilities for women to study, but Hill died before his plans could be realized. However, under Hill’s watch, women did gain access to UGA’s Summer School sessions, which did not require official admission to the university but were taught

by UGA faculty.

Hill’s successor, Barrow, also opened the door for professors to direct the studies of women between summer sessions.

Through these means, Mary Dorothy Lyndon became the

first woman to earn a degree from UGA in 1914, receiving her master of arts degree from the Graduate School without ever officially enrolling at the university. Three other women earned UGA graduate degrees like this before 1918.

4. the opening

Necessity gave the advocates of coeducation the leverage to finally pry the door open.

With America’s entry into World War I approaching, a shortage of trained qualified nutritionists, extension workers, and secondary teachers in the state compelled a majority

of the Board of Trustees to finally allow coeducation at the University of Georgia. College of Agriculture President Andrew M. Soule paved the way with the creation of the Division of Home Economics. And in 1918, 12 women enrolled at UGA, all in the home economics program, which eventually became the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

More enrolled the following year as the Peabody School of Education, now the College of Education, accepted female students. And, soon, all programs were open to women. GM

The Women of UGA Scholarship Fund continues to remove barriers for students interested in attending UGA. Learn more at

GIVE.UGA.EDU/WOU. 22

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1918 marked a seminal year for the admission of women.

Others continued to break down barriers as the years went on.

Dawson Hall, completed in 1932, was built to house UGA’s School of Home Economics, which later evolved into the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

edith house

1925

The first woman to graduate from UGA School of Law.

1961

charlayne hunter-gault

The first African-American woman to be admitted to UGA.

1962

mary frances early

The first African-American to earn a degree from UGA.

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The Road Dawgs program has grown to include more than 70 UGA students in its three years.

UGA students travel the state encouraging high schoolers to consider college by krista richmond | photos by dorothy kozlowski

F

or many students, spring break involves a road trip. For UGA’s Road Dawgs, those trips are a little closer to home—and they mean a little more.

The March mornings began before daybreak for the more than 70 UGA students who gave up their spring breaks and hopped on buses at 6 a.m. to visit high schools in Atlanta, Columbus, and Lumpkin. They were off to share their college experiences and answer questions from the high schoolers. But as the sun rose, so did their excitement for sharing their stories.

“It’s definitely rewarding,” said Road

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Dawg Alondra Garcia BBA ’18 from Perry.

“I wouldn’t spend spring break any other way.”

The mission of Road Dawgs is to inspire high school students across the state to create possibilities for their future through higher education.

Who better to deliver that message than the UGA students who recently faced the same decisions?

“Through our engagement with the student body, one of the things we consistently heard is that our students wanted to do more to recruit the next generation,” said Arthur Tripp AB ’09, assistant to UGA

President Jere W. Morehead JD ’80. “This was an idea that was originally developed by our students.”

Road Dawgs, a partnership among the Office of the President, Office of Admissions, and the Office of Institutional Diversity, is in its third year and continues to expand its route across the state.

Since the program began, UGA students have visited a total of 26 schools. This year’s trip to Columbus and Lumpkin was the first overnight journey for the Road Dawgs and an important opportunity to reach rural high school students who might not be considering UGA as an option after graduation.

“Stewart County is one of the most highly impoverished areas in the state of Georgia,” said Joseph Gardner, principal of Stewart County High School in Lumpkin and assistant superintendent of the Stewart County School District. “Exposure is key to our students. Getting them exposed to college and to life after high school—this helps them so much.”

Michelle Sanchez, guidance director at Spencer High School in Columbus, shared the value in having UGA students travel to southwest Georgia.

“Coming into the school and letting

Road Dawgs arrive at a high school in Atlanta to share their experiences at UGA and answer questions about college life.

“For these students to give up their spring break to come and inspire and motivate other students, it means a lot to us.” michelle sanchez, guidance director at spencer high school in columbus

atlanta

athens

columbus lumpkin

More than 70 UGA students visited high schools in Atlanta, Columbus, and Lumpkin. They shared their college experiences and answered questions from high schoolers.

Group discussions are an important part of the program, allowing meaningful conversation between high school students and Road Dawgs.

them see their peers, I think that gives them more of a connection to the process,” she said. “For these students to give up their spring break to come and inspire and motivate other students, it means a lot to us.”

That is particularly true for recent Spencer High School graduate Ja’von Holmes. He accepted his admission to UGA in the fall to study computer science and joined the Road Dawgs to share his story with his fellow students.

The number of Road Dawg travelers continues to grow. During its first year, 18 UGA students participated, and that number more than tripled this year. Not only do the Road Dawgs help the high school students understand what is ahead, but the experience also helps the UGA students sharpen their public speaking skills and develop lasting friendships.

Each Road Dawgs program begins with UGA students charging into the gym to a cheer, telling high schoolers that “it’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog.” Then, a few Road Dawgs share their own experiences and answer a variety questions from the audience during a panel discussion. After that, the UGA students scatter into the audience for group discussions, which is

where the most meaningful conversation takes place because the high school students are free to ask specific, one-on-one questions on everything from applying for scholarships to finding the best coffee shop in Athens. It helps give them a sense of what college life is like.

Just before they leave, Road Dawgs teach the students to “call the Dawgs” before handing out souvenirs of their visit. But more importantly, the Road Dawgs hope they’ve left behind a seed of interest in higher education that will continue to grow.

It was important for students like Garcia, a first-generation college student, and Road Dawg Andrea Zayas BBA ’18 from Peachtree City to share their stories and help high school students understand the importance of working hard and continuing their education.

“I feel like I would have benefited a lot from hearing directly from students and what their experience has been like at UGA,” Zayas said. “What makes me really proud is thinking that maybe I was able to touch one or two future students and get them to start the process of getting to UGA.” GM

geo rgia maga z ine | fall 2 018

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FIGHTING THE FLU A century ago, the world suffered through Spanish influenza, the deadliest pandemic in recorded history.

UGA researchers are developing a new class of vaccines to make sure it doesn’t happen again. by eric rangus ma ’94 photos courtesy of laura bennewitz abj ’73, ma ’75

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John Hale's University of Georgia graduation portrait, Class of 1890.

In 1918, he was a doctor in Atlanta, and he treated many Spanish flu patients.

O

n May 7, 1867, John Hale, the 10th child of Joseph and Elizabeth Hale, was born in Elgin, Georgia, about 20 miles east of Griffin. John grew up working in the fields and listening to his oldest brother William tell stories of serving in the Civil War. As he grew older, John’s heart was set on attending the University of Georgia, where his second-oldest brother Samuel had earned a law degree.

By 1887, he was at UGA, making the most of his opportunity. He was elected president of the Demosthenian Literary Society. He was class poet. And when he graduated with a major in metaphysics and ethics in 1890, he received “the highest honor UGA could bestow.” His was a life brimming with potential.

After a stint teaching, Hale went to medical school and opened a practice in Atlanta. Mixed with professional success, unfortunately, was personal loss. He was twice widowed; his first wife died while giving birth to their fourth child. But by 1918, joy had returned to his family. He had married Annie Schoeller, and they were expecting their first child together.

In the spring of that year, Hale began seeing patients suffering from a particularly devastating type of influenza. The flu came in waves. The second, most severe hit Georgia in the autumn of 1918.

By that time, the fast-spreading, highly contagious disease had acquired a name— Spanish flu.

Despite the dangers, Hale continued to treat patients. On Oct. 7, he mentioned to his wife that he felt tired. Soon, he had difficulty breathing and dark spots appeared on his face, telltale symptoms of Spanish flu. Hale knew he was gravely ill, so he quarantined himself, making sure Annie was never in the same room. Instead, his mother-in-law sat with him and made him as comfortable as she could. On Oct. 17, John Hale died. He was 51.

On Oct. 27, Annie gave birth to a healthy baby boy she named Dan.

“

W

e weren’t prepared for the pandemic in 1918, and I don’t think we are as prepared for the next one that comes along as we could be, and it will happen,” says Ted Ross, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Infectious Diseases.

One of the country’s leading infectious

“What we need to do is target the major subtypes of influenza and come up with a vaccine that recognizes multiple versions,” Ross says. “It may take more than one type of vaccine, but at least we would be broadly protected against the viruses that have shown pandemic potential.”

peter frey

UGA professor Ted Ross, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Infectious Diseases, has been working on a flu vaccine for more than a decade. He’s had a lot of recent success. Clinical trials for one of the vaccines developed by his lab at UGA are planned to begin in 2019.

disease researchers, Ross came to UGA in 2015 to lead its newly established Center for Vaccines and Immunology. For more than a decade, Ross has fought influenza.

The virus, however, is a particularly tricky adversary.

Polio and smallpox—diseases that vaccines effectively eradicated—have limited or no variety of strains. Influenza has many, and they are constantly evolving.

Often, by the time a vaccine is manufactured to tackle a particular strain, it has already mutated, dramatically decreasing the effectiveness of the treatment. That’s what happened in the 2017-18 flu season, a particularly vicious one that saw more than 25,000 flu-related hospitalizations in the U.S.

A

century later, historians still don’t know how many people died from Spanish flu. Even the best estimate is so large that it lacks context: at least 50 million. The only comparable pandemic is the Black Death of the Middle Ages.

Spanish flu was worse.

The dreadful conditions faced by soldiers fighting World War I surely added to the death toll, but the front lines in Europe were not where most died from flu. Some rural areas in less-developed nations and colonies lost so many people to the flu they became impossible to count.

So they never were. That underestimation has only recently been explored, leading some researchers to raise the number of

geo rgia maga z ine | fall 2 018

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1918

the

O N E RECE N T E S T I M AT E P U T S T H E N U M BER O F 1918 F L U DE AT H S TO N E A RLY

flu pandemic A N E S T I M AT E D

100 MILLION

E V ERY C O N T I N E N T WA S A F F ECT ED

675,000

A M E RI C A N D E AT H S

13

A F F ECT ED

IN

A N E S T I M AT E D

30,000

G EO RG I A D E AT H S

P EO P L E

I N CL U DI N G H E A LT H Y YO U N G A DU LT S

flu casualties to an almost incomprehensible 100 million.

Even though there is compelling evidence that the flu started on an army base in Kansas, the U.S. wasn’t hit as hard as other parts of the world. Still, 675,000 Americans died from the flu. In places like Russia and China, that figure was likely 20 times higher. Maybe more.

Some 30,000 Georgians died from the flu, but that was less than other areas of the country. The autumn 1918 wave of Spanish flu began in early October at Camp Hancock near Augusta. Military trains brought the virus to camps near Atlanta, Macon, and Columbus before it spread to the cities themselves. At least 800 Atlantans died during the ensuing pandemic, which didn’t fully subside until early 1919. During its worst days, the city did what it could to stop the spread of the

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1918 SPANISH INFLUENZA

disease, and the local government’s bold action surely saved thousands of lives.

Atlanta banned public gatherings, including church services. UGA did its part, too, canceling classes for three weeks until the worst of the wave had passed.

Should such a pandemic take place in modern times, could governments and public health entities make similar tough decisions to save lives?

F

or more than a decade, Ross has been working on what’s been termed a “universal vaccine” for flu. That makes for easy shorthand, but Ross is quick to clarify that even if a vaccine can be discovered to wipe out influenza, it wouldn’t be a single compound that’s injected into everyone.

Instead, a future flu vaccine likely would be a collection of vaccines. The specific type would be given to patients based on a

variety of factors including geography, age, medical history, and other criteria. That’s why, instead of “universal,” Ross prefers the term “broadly protected.” He’s had some success, and he’s aiming for more.

In 2016, Ross, in partnership with Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest manufacturer of influenza vaccines, announced the development of a vaccine that protects against multiple strains of H1N1 influenza in animal models. Another of H1N1’s strains is Spanish influenza.

Last year, Ross’ lab announced the development of a vaccine that protects against multiple strains of H3N2 influenza. Again, in animal models. Clinical trials in humans for that vaccine are planned to begin in 2019. “The clinical trials will be important because we have to see how these vaccines work in humans,” Ross says.

A

fter John Hale died, his widow Annie was inconsolable. She didn’t attend his funeral. Her mother, wanting to protect her daughter, destroyed many of John’s photographs and burned most of his papers, including his poetry. She wanted Annie to look forward.

Still, despite her understandable efforts, mementos of John Hale remain. His death certificate is one, listing “pneumonia” as the cause and “influenza” as contributory—as millions of Spanish flu cases ended.

Also surviving: a four-page handwritten contribution to UGA’s 1901 Centennial Alumni Catalogue.

These pieces and a few others are held dear by Laura Bennewitz ABJ ’73, MA’75, Dan Hale’s daughter. Bennewitz’s grandmother, Annie, told her many stories about her late grandfather, John, and while neither she nor her father ever met him, they have always kept his memory alive. Bennewitz, who lives in Watkinsville, helped carry on his UGA legacy, too.

She is one of five of John Hale’s descendants to graduate from the University of Georgia. GM Right: John Hale's death certificate. The cause of death is in the right column. Below: Hale's handwritten contribution to UGA's centenial celebration in 1901.

Help battle deadly diseases. Support the Center for Vaccines and Immunology.

GIVE.UGA.EDU/VACCINES geo rgia maga z ine | fall 2 018

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Whether it’s the booth, the sidelines, or the anchor desk, some of broadcast media’s most engaging—and successful—personalities are Georgia alumni. by eric rangus ma ’94

MARIA TAYLOR ABJ ’09, MBA ’13

Anchor, Reporter | ESPN

M

ARIA TAYLOR LOVES THE UNIVERSITY of Georgia. Of course, as the lead features reporter for ESPN’s flagship college football program, College GameDay, it’s important to display at least a modicum of journalistic impartiality: She took off her UGA wind-breaker to report from the sidelines of the G-Day game in April.

But Taylor’s fellow broadcasters know where her heart lies, and while she’ll get occasional ribbing, there is sincerity too. While she was reporting from the field at the ACC Championship, play-by-play announcer and College GameDay host Chris Fowler congratulated her on air when UGA won the 2017 SEC Championship.

peter frey

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Maria Taylor isn’t the only Bulldog on the College GameDay crew. In 2005, following his junior year at UGA, three-time All-American linebacker David Pollack M ’05 was drafted in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals. He turned to broadcasting following a severe neck injury that prematurely ended his NFL career. Pollack joined College GameDay in 2011 and his easy rapport with Taylor was developed in part because of their Georgia ties. “It’s great to work with someone who gets you and allows you to be yourself. I feel like I can be that way around David because he’s so down to earth as well,” Taylor says.

WEDNESDAY:

Travel day and interviews.

THURSDAY:

More travel!

Onsite for College GameDay. Maybe one more feature.

FRIDAY:

Appear on College Football Live.

Prep for Saturday.

SATURDAY:

5 a.m Wake up.

GameDay! 9 a.m.-noon Hop a plane.

8 p.m.-midnight Game night!

SUNDAY:

Find out where I’m going next week.

MONDAY:

Repeat!

o o re

TEAMMATES

TUESDAY:

College Football Live.

nm

“Our program is focused around helping women and minorities break into the sports industry because there is obviously a diversity gap. When we find institutions that are hiring, we can act as a bridge to help them find a great, diverse candidate.”

MONDAY:

Planning for the week.

ua

MARIA TAYLOR ON THE WINNING EDGE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, WHICH SHE CO-FOUNDED:

MARIA TAYLOR’S

college gameday calendar

nj

to join this show that I had watched when I was in college myself,” she says. “They are an amazing group of individuals, and they really are like my family.”

While College GameDay is Taylor’s most well-known gig, her role at ESPN continues to expand. In March 2018, she stepped into the anchor chair for ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament and shared the desk with her mentor and former coach at UGA, Andy Landers. It’s a job she hopes to keep.

Now, though, it’s back to College GameDay, and Taylor is eagerly anticipating her second year. “I feel like I own the role; I’m not just babysitting it,” she says. “In your second year, you are much more comfortable, and you know what’s expected of you. The second year is better for anyone. Just ask Kirby Smart!”

do

T

HE REASONS FOR TAYLOR’S STRONG TIES TO the university are easy to discern. She was four-time all-SEC in volleyball for UGA and a starter on the women’s basketball team. She earned her degree in journalism from Grady, then came back and, while working in the sports information office, got her MBA from Terry. She serves on the Grady alumni board, and her younger sister recently graduated from UGA, too.

“The biggest thing I remember about the school is the willingness of everyone to make you be your best self,” says Taylor, who also made the SEC Academic Honor Roll. “I had wonderful professors who pushed you as hard as they could, but they also loved you and let you know you could accomplish any of your goals if you put in the hard work and effort.”

The lessons paid off. In a short period of time, Taylor has become one of ESPN’s most prominent, versatile, and well-traveled talents. She is, at times, a studio host, sideline reporter, game analyst, and features reporter—often all in the same week.

Each role requires a different skillset.

“As a sideline reporter, you have to be good at listening, both to your broadcast team so you can add value to what they’re saying as well as to the coaches and players so you can ask good follow-up questions and get a feel for what’s going on with the game,” she says. “As a host, you have to set up your analyst. It’s my job to make sure they shine.”

After debuting on-camera at the Comcast Sports Network, Taylor moved to ESPN in 2014 as the first-ever studio host for the SEC Network. In addition to her studio work, she paid her dues reporting from football and basketball sidelines across the country with a few analyst gigs mixed in.

Her big break came in fall 2017 when she joined the College GameDay crew, a tightknit group that includes fellow Bulldog David Pollack M ’05. “I was so excited

ERNIE JOHNSON ON JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: “I think you have a responsibility to be

prepared. Watching sports is the hobby of millions of people. For the athletes, this is their livelihood. You can’t just try to bluff your way through. You’ve got to be fully immersed in all these sports to deliver the product the viewers deserve to see.”

ERNIE JOHNSON JR. ABJ ’78

Anchor, Host | Turner Broadcasting

dorothy kozlowski

A

BOUT THREE HOURS AFTER HE delivered UGA’s 2017 Commencement address, Ernie Johnson Jr. ABJ ’78 was enjoying dinner with his wife at their favorite Athens restaurant, Five & Ten, in Five Points. Some of the graduates Johnson had spoken to earlier in the evening were celebrating with their families, and the atmosphere was electric.

On a high from the evening's excitement, Johnson stole a quick glance at his phone and saw an email from his publisher. It said that Johnson’s autobiography, Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary, had hit The New York Times bestseller list.

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“How did all of this happen? It was just one of those pinch yourself moments,” Johnson says. “From a commencement address between the hedges to the book in one night. That whole experience— I don’t think anything will be able to top it.”

At 214 fast-paced pages, Unscripted is a quick, engaging read. Johnson discusses his experiences over nearly two decades as the face of Turner Sports, but the most affecting parts of the book are about his family. He dives deeply and lovingly into his relationship with Cheryl, his wife of more than 35 years; the growth of his family, which includes

four adopted children; and his successful battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“There were a lot of nights where I would struggle because you are going to places where you haven’t been in a while,” Johnson says. “Whenever there was a chapter that was difficult, I’d run it by Cheryl. Sometimes she’d say I wimped out and should’ve gone deeper.

So, I’d go back and redo it. She was a wonderful sounding board.”

Johnson started his broadcasting career in news; he didn’t move to sports until 1983. In 1989, he joined Turner Sports, and the following year he helped launch Inside the NBA, which he has

anchored ever since.

He’s been called a point guard, a traffic cop, and a ringmaster, but Johnson says the best description of his role on Inside the NBA is that of a dad driving cross-country threatening to turn the car around if the kids keep acting up.

“It’s impossible to predict chemistry,” Johnson says. “Kenny [Smith], Charles [Barkley], and I have been together for 18 years, and you just don’t find that on TV anymore. I’m going to throw some stuff out there and you guys are going to answer it, and we’re not going to rehearse it. We get genuine, gut reactions to things and sometimes we’ll have a freefor-all. But it’s also a show where at some point you’re going to laugh.

It’s good to have a job where you laugh.”

Johnson is perhaps best known for his basketball work, but his first love is baseball. That’s not really a surprise. His father, Ernie Johnson Sr., was a legendary broadcaster for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, as well as a pretty good pitcher for the team in the 1950s. (He compiled a 36-22 record for them over seven seasons including a World Series john nowak/tnt

title.) Ernie Jr. played baseball in high school and walked on as a freshman at UGA. As a sophomore, he jokes that he was “asked to walk off” the squad.

Over the years, he’s covered almost every sport and called some all-time memorable events, ranging from Jack Nicklaus’ final round at the British Open to Dan Jansen’s gold medal-winning speed skating performance at the 1994 Winter Olympics. And he’s won three prestigious Sports Emmy Awards along the way, including one in 2015 that he gave to the daughters of fellow broadcaster Stuart Scott, who died earlier in the year. Through it all, Johnson has never forgotten where he came from.

“The thing that keeps pulling me back to UGA is the Grady College,” Johnson says. “I remember sitting in those desks. I love speaking to the kids, and I think that’s part of the responsibility that goes with having a long career in journalism.

You want to share the experience with the next generation of broadcasters and raise up that next wave of journalists, especially at the University of Georgia.”

GRADY:

A NATIONAL LEADER

T

HE GRADY COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS Communication has long been a national leader in producing sports journalists. Grady’s innovative Sports Media Certificate program improves on that already strong template.

Open to all UGA undergraduates, the program launched in fall 2014 and awarded its first certificates in spring 2015. UGA was the first Southeastern Conference school to offer the certificate.

According to director Vicki Michaelis (left) who worked as a sports reporter for 20 years before coming to UGA, the program focuses on learning in the field.

“We require that students complete the majority of their class assignments r ke tu c v is in the real world—the press a n d r e w da

Grady's sports media certificate program is the most in-depth in the country. box at Sanford Stadium, the sidelines at Clarke Central High School, or postgame with the Atlanta Hawks—and those experiences prepare them for the future,” says Michaelis, the John Huland Carmical Chair in Sports Journalism & Society.

Students have covered both 2016 Summer Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics, writing updates for the Grady website, and covering some of the Games’ most memorable events, such as the U.S. women’s hockey teams first gold medal in 20 years.

The curriculum includes six courses, totaling 18 credit hours, making it the most in-depth sports media program in the country. Students study the interplay of sport and media in society, learn how the relationships among athletes and media have evolved, and pick up the multimedia skills crucial for modern sports journalists so they can apply them in the field.

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CHIP CARAY ABJ ’87

Play-by-Play Announcer | Atlanta Braves FOX Sports South

andrew davis tucker

I

F YOU ARE A BASEBALL PLAY-BY-PLAY GUY AND your last name is Caray, it can be a lot to live up to. Preceded in the booth by his legendary grandfather Harry and father, Skip, Chip Caray learned long ago how to navigate the complications of his name.

In 1997, after seven years as the voice of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Caray was hired to work alongside Harry, the much-beloved Hall-of-Fame voice of the Cubs. Caray was excited about the role for many reasons, not the least of which was the opportunity to close a familial loop with his famous grandfather, whom he did not know well.

Sadly, the pairing wasn’t meant to be as Harry died just before Spring Training in 1998. That meant Chip, who had a decent amount of experience (albeit in basketball, not baseball), was stepping into the shoes of a man who was arguably the most famous person who’d ever done the job, in a new city with an unfamiliar (and passionate) fan base, almost cold.

“My first game, I’m sitting behind Harry’s desk, with his microphone, his producer, his director, his partner, his fan base, and his last name trying to make my own name for myself in a business that’s very personality driven. That was hard. Really hard,” Caray says with understatement.

“My dad said later, ‘You know, in hindsight, there were only two people in the world who could have done that job: you or me.

And you did a helluva job.’ ” That acknowledgment from his father has long meant a great deal to Caray. The familial loop he was unable to close with his grandfather was made whole after Chip moved to Atlanta in 2004 to broadcast Braves games with his dad, with whom he remained close until Skip died in 2008.

Since that time, Chip has made the Braves job his own.

The way he’s done it also doubles as advice he’d give to any young broadcasters just starting out: Be yourself.

CHIP CARAY RECALLING MAY 13, 1991, THE DAY HE, HARRY, AND SKIP BROADCAST A CUBS-BRAVES GAME TOGETHER, BECOMING THE FIRST (AND ONLY) THREE-GENERATION BOOTH IN MLB HISTORY:

“It was the first time Harry, who was an orphan, understood that there was a living, breathing lineage here. I look at the pictures now and think about how meaningful that had to have been for my grandfather.”

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“There are so many people who want to sound like Vin Scully or Gary Thorne or Skip Caray that their soul and personality gets ripped out of the broadcast,” he says.

“I sound like me, warts and all. Have the confidence to put yourself out there in a medium where you being you is going to generate a lot of love and sometimes a lot of not-so love. Have the strength and character to be able to withstand that.”

Caray, fortunately, doesn’t have to withstand it alone. Since Scully’s retirement in 2016, every MLB booth contains at least two people. For FOX Sports South, Caray’s partner for the last 10 years has been former major league outfielder Joe Simpson. Over that time, Caray’s energetic delivery has blended nicely with Simpson’s been-there-done-that straightforwardness to create an easy chemistry that wasn’t necessarily easy at the start.

“Chemistry is different with different people,” Caray says. “I’m hyper. I’m fired up every day. I got that from my grandfather. Joe is more like my dad. ‘OK, this is exciting, but calm down, son.’ Our relationship has evolved the last couple years and it’s turned into a tremendous partnership.”

A

FTER EARNING HER DEGREE IN BROADCAST JOURNALISM from Grady, Taylor Bisciotti started on the path trodden by many-an-aspiring broadcast journalist: She freelanced—for the SEC Network, The Sporting News, and Bleacher Report, among others. And like pretty much every one of those aspiring broadcast journalists before her, she eventually wondered if she’d made a mistake.

“There are times where you really question your decision about the job you’ve chosen,” she recalls. Bisciotti earned a marketing degree from the Terry College of Business and stayed an extra year to finish her degree in broadcast journalism at Grady. “You’re interviewing for full-time positions and nothing’s really happening, and you wonder if you are doing the right thing.”

Then in early 2017, she landed an interview at the NFL Network in Los Angeles. Bisciotti wasn’t sure what to expect, but the execs saw potential in the reel they’d seen and hired her.

In July, she began doing news desk updates but quickly moved to field reporting. In time for the 2017 NFL season, she began hosting her own studio show, ICYMI: All 32.

“So many of the NFL’s players have great personalities and contribute so much to their communities,” Bisciotti says. “That's what we try to show on ICYMI: All 32. We want to show the impact these players have on and off the field.”

Bisciotti picks out the best content produced by the reporters for the league’s 32 teams and pulls it together in a fast-paced 30-minute package each week. That content ranges from Carolina tight end Greg Olsen inviting children who’ve survived cancer to Panther games to members of the Detroit Lions playing video games with the troops.

Throughout the year, Bisciotti continues to contribute to news updates and field reports. She experiences a difference between the two. “I find that you come off a lot more natural when you don’t have a script,” she says. “You’re able to present your information to the viewer in a much more relatable way.”

That relatability is something she sees as crucial to her job.

Full episodes of ICYMI are available on YouTube, and she is a big proponent of social media communications. “You want to deal with viewers and fans personally,” she says. “They are the ones who consume your information and support and watch you. You want to be there to answer their questions.”

Bisciotti will be the first to say, though, that she is still learning on the job. She is quick to add that that’s the enjoyable part, too. “If you’re not getting a little bit nervous before you go on camera, is it worth it? The adrenaline rush is what’s fun,” she says. “Every day is a learning experience, and it’s an opportunity to grow. When you think you are at your peak, that’s probably the day to retire.” GM

TAYLOR BISCIOTTI ABJ ’15, BBA ’15 Anchor, Reporter | NFL Network

TAYLOR BISCIOTTI’S ADVICE TO ASPIRING BROADCAST JOURNALISTS:

Support the UGA Sports Media Certificate Program.

Visit GIVE.UGA.EDU/SPORTS

tori richman

“Learn digital. It really is the future. You might think that’s the easier route, but I disagree. What I do at work during the day doesn’t get utilized nearly as much on broadcast, but if I put that clip on social, there is the potential for many more views.”

UGA COURSE HOSTS APPROXIMATELY

ON THE BULLDOG BEAT

ROUNDS OF GOLF PER YE AR OF THOSE ROUNDS

6 12 8 TH

BEST COURSE YOU CAN PLAY IN GEORGIA —GolfWeek

TEE TIME UGA Golf Course Celebrates 50 Years by kellyn amodeo abj ’09

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TH

TOP 50 COURSES

—Golf Advisor

TH

2016 BEST UNIVERSITY COURSE —GolfWeek

F

ifty years ago, it started as a facility for the health and physical education department to use as a teaching tool. It was host to intercollegiate golf matches and training, and was a recreational facility for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests.

Today, it’s one of the country’s top collegiate courses and a factory for some of the nation’s best professional golfers.

Well-known players Kevin Kisner BBA ’06, Harris English BSFCS ’11, and two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson, BSFCS ’08 consider this a home course.

Nestled in the pines off Riverbend Road, only two miles south of campus, the University of Georgia golf course is a true gem. The par-71 course has become a favorite for locals and visitors alike, ranking as the No. 12 best public course in the nation, according to Golf Advisor reviews. No other university course or course in Georgia ranked higher.

“Every hole is unique and each green is a challenge. Without a doubt, the UGA team has a huge home course advantage as you need to play multiple rounds there to learn the greens that have few if any straight putts.”

“Each hole has unique characteristics. You will not be bored with this course.”

“One of the best courses you can play in the state of Georgia.”

ever wonder why there are so many pga tour players from uga? play here and you'll understand.

— A sample of Golf Digest reviews

“As far as the course itself, I’d put it up there with any of the best,” says Matt Peterson, BBA ’89, PGA head golf professional and UGA golf course manager. Peterson played the course as a student-athlete on the UGA men’s golf team. “I’ve played many other university courses. From a course perspective, very few would be considered better.”

This year, the course celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Completed in 1968, the course was established by Omer Clyde “O.C.” Aderhold, university president from 1950 until 1967, as part of a larger initiative to incorporate more outdoor recreation and research into the campus. Letters dating back to 1956 detail student and faculty desire for a course, saying, “The golf fee, $1.03, prevents students from playing [at the local course].”

The course hosts more than 55 tournaments each year, including fundraisers that benefit local organizations and students alike, such as the Ed Hoard Memorial Golf Tournament, which raises $25,000 annually in scholarship funds.

The 250-acre facility is much more than a golf course.

It’s a living classroom. Multiple campus departments utilize the course for research and experiential learning opportunities. For example, the course is used as a laboratory for the environmental turfgrass science class that tests herbicides, disease treatments, and heat sensitivity of different breeds of grasses on site. It’s also used by the Department of Kinesiology as a physical education resource.

After 50 years, the golf course continues to be a source of learning and recreation for students, faculty, and the community.

andrew davis tucker

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THE NATION

news and events

from the uga alumni association

UGA vs. LSU Travel Package

If you are planning to attend the UGA vs. LSU game on Oct. 13, take advantage of a travel package available exclusively to UGA fans. Interested?

Visit www.georgiasportstravel.com to learn more and get in on the fun!

Please note: the UGA Alumni Association will not host a tailgate prior to the game. A small pregame event will be included in the travel package but will only be open to those who purchase the package. Game tickets are not included.

Space is limited.

40 Under 40 Class of 2018

The 40 Under 40 Class of 2018 has been announced! As always, it is a group of passionate young alumni who are leading the pack in both their professional careers and philanthropic endeavors. View this year's list at alumni.uga.edu/40u40/gm.

contact us:

No Dawgs Bark Alone

UGA alumni chapters across the country will host game-watching parties for local alumni and friends throughout the 2018 season. See you there and Go Dawgs!

alumni.uga.edu/gamewatching/gm

Have you moved? Changed your name?

Keep your record up to date at alumni.uga.edu/myinfo.

For more information: (800) 606-8786 | alumni.uga.edu

A BULLDOG BARK TO ...

raccoon photography

In April, Chris O’Dekirk BS ’12, BBA ’12 and other alumni gathered in London with UGA administrators from Athens and the UGA at Oxford program. It was a wonderful event across the pond—thanks to those who attended!

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lauren (fylstra) mullins

Women of UGA events are popping up all over the country. In May, alumnae brunched in Chicago, and the event was such a success that the chapter hosted another gathering in July.

Look for Women of UGA activities being hosted by other alumni chapters near you.

DON’T MISS OUT THURSDAY, SEPT. 13 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon Join UGA alumni and friends to celebrate 40 of the university’s most outstanding young alumni.

This annual luncheon will be held at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and is open to the public.

To see this year’s honorees or to register to attend, visit alumni.uga.edu/40u40/gm.

SATURDAY, OCT. 6 UGA Black Alumni Homecoming Tailgate The UGA Black Alumni Affinity Group will host its annual Homecoming tailgate on Myers Quad prior to the UGA-Vanderbilt game. All alumni, friends, and their families are invited. Details at alumni.uga.edu/athletics/gm.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay connected with @ugaalumniassoc on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

The Phi Beta Sigma Zeta Nu Alumni Foundation donated $1,961 to The 1961 Club in May. The funds were raised during Zeta Nu’s inaugural G-Day Golf Challenge and will support the Black Alumni Scholarship at UGA. Featured (from left) are Bryan Russell BSEd ’02; Cory Garner BBA ’03; Raymond Phillips BS ’12, MBA ’18, immediate past president of the UGA Black Alumni Leadership Council; and David White ABJ ’10.

@zetanuaf Congratulations to Alondra Garcia BBA ’18, a first-generation college student and first-generation American who graduated in May. Garcia also is a proud Senior Signature donor who will forever see her name on the Class of 2018 Senior Signature plaque in Tate Plaza. The Class of 2018 donated a record $125,000 to UGA through the Senior Signature program.

THURSDAY, OCT. 11 UGA in New Orleans Reception UGA alumni, friends, and parents are invited to Brennan’s in New Orleans on the Thursday before the UGA-LSU football game.

Details at alumni.uga.edu/lsu/gm.

@officialalondragarcia

SATURDAY, NOV. 10 UGA Alumni Home Tailgate vs. Auburn The UGA Alumni Association will host a tailgate on campus prior to the UGA-Auburn football game. UGA alumni, friends, and family members are invited. Details at alumni.uga.edu/athletics/gm.

For more events, visit alumni.uga.edu/calendar/gm.

The Jacksonville Alumni Chapter participated in a (rainy) Dawg Day of Service in April. They provided support to Groundwork Jacksonville, a nonprofit that protects the streams and parks of Jacksonville’s Emerald Necklace.

@UGAJacksonvilleChapter

The New York City Alumni Chapter hosted its first SoulCycle ride in May for local alumni and friends. @nycdawgs

The Dallas-Fort Worth Alumni Chapter hosted a “view and brew” event for local alumni in June.

Attendees toured the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and concluded the afternoon with lunch at Rahr and Sons Brewing Company.

Masters winner Bubba Watson BSFCS ’08 shows his pride for the degree he earned in 2008 from the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, which is celebrating its centennial in 2018. #FACS100 @UGAGolf

®

@DFWDawgs

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class notes

Compiled by Katherine Costikyan, Rachel Floyd, and Mara Weissinger ABJ ’18.

1960-1964 Mack Crensha AB ’64, JD ’72 is assistant public defender in Florida’s 4th Judicial Circuit in Clay and Duval counties.

Judith Evans ABJ ’64 retired from Cox Enterprises and The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group in Atlanta.

1965-1969 Craig AB ’65 and Diana Barrow AB ’65 received the Margaret Douglas Medal from the Garden Club of America for their preservation work at the Wormsloe Institute for Environmental History in Savannah.

Earl Smith BSCH ’65, PhD ’72 retired from the Greenville Health System Laboratories in Greenville, South Carolina. He lives in Candler, North Carolina.

Nathan Levine BSA ’69 is enjoying retirement in Mount Dora, Florida, after working for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation until 2001.

1970-1974 Chuck Holland ABJ ’70 retired from capital medical equipment sales and recently built a waterfront home on Lay Lake in Shelby, Alabama.

Hoke Wilder Jr. AB ’70, MPA ’71 is a retired lieutenant colonel for the U.S. Air Force and retired assistant athletic director for UGA.

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Cliff McCurry BBA ’71 is chairman of the board of governors of Bethesda Academy in Chatham County.

Richard Hollinger AB ’72, MA ’73 retired after 33 years teaching sociology, criminology, and law at the University of Florida.

Al Hornsby AB ’72 published Face to Face: Up Close with Mother Nature, a collection of photos from his wildlife encounters.

Carlton Shuford BLA ’74 retired from his position as installation master planner for the U.S. Army civil service at Fort Gordon.

1975-1979 Sandra Tutt BSEd ’76 published Cooking with Momma Ladell: The Story Continues, her second book sharing stories and recipes from her mother’s life in rural Georgia.

Scott Blackman BBA ’77 is senior vice president of GWG Holdings in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Howard Walpole BS ’77 was named treasurer of the American College of Cardiology board of trustees.

Cindy Crotty BBA ’78 was appointed to the University of Akron board of trustees.

Wayne Allen BSFR ’79, JD ’92 retired from the Office of Legislative Counsel for the General Assembly of Georgia after serving for 23 years.

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special

AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE

Book Explores Athens Music For his first book, Michael Ramirez MA ’01, PhD ’07 explored a subject dear to many a Bulldog’s heart: the Athens music scene.

Destined for Greatness: Passions, Dreams, and Aspirations in a College Music Town is a sociological study of the paths that lead some men and women to careers in rock music.

The subject matter stemmed from Ramirez’s research while a doctoral student in sociology at UGA. Ramirez interviewed 48 Athens musicians over the course of several years, and the stories they tell offer a wide range of experiences and motivations.

“Some knew from an early age that music was in their blood and that music was their life's calling,” says Ramirez, currently an associate professor of sociology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. “Others were late bloomers who didn’t get the music bug until later in life.”

The book, which was published by the Rutgers University Press in April, is available for purchase at Amazon as well as other retailers.

CLASS NOTES 1980-1984 Susan Gordon BBA ’80 is the Contreras Family Executive in Residence for Risk Management at the Greehey School of Business at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.

Michael Valentine BS ’80 was named president of the American College of Cardiology.

Wanda Jenkins BSEd ’82 is the house director for Delta Zeta Sorority at UGA. She is also the president of the Athens Area Alumnae Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha.

Stephen Goss AB ’83, JD ’86 was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

1985-1989 Regina BBA ’85 and Herb Flanders AB ’85 celebrated the graduation of their son, Miles Flanders BSA ’12, DVM ’18, from the UGA Vet School in May. Lori Johnson AB ’86 was promoted to full professor in the Department of Political Science at Mercer University.

Tommy Tomlinson ABJ ’86 joined the newsroom of WFAE in Charlotte, North Carolina, providing weekly commentaries and analysis of regional news events. Tomlinson, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, is the host of the SouthBound podcast.

Dana Wall Lowe ABJ ’88 is volunteer supervisor at Ocmulgee Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization that recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in foster care.

Bruce MacLane BBA ’89 is the head of global talent acquisition at Newell Brands in Atlanta.

John Turner Jr. AB ’89 was named CEO of Regions Financial Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama.

1990-1994 Joel Bulger ABJ ’90 was appointed Zaxby’s chief marketing officer.

APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Medalist Mentor

M

peter frey

aritza mcclendon was destined to compete.

She was born in Puerto Rico and started swimming when she was 6 years old.

McClendon swam her first relay race as a fun finish to her first summer of lessons. When she touched the wall, her team was in the lead, but the next girl to swim didn’t dive in. McClendon waited a few moments. Still nothing. With the other teams gaining, she scampered onto the pool deck—and shoved her teammate in.

They won the race.

The rest of McClendon’s swimming career went much more smoothly. A six-time state champion as a high schooler in Florida, McClendon AB ’05 entered UGA in 1999 with a resume as good as any recruit in the program’s history. She didn’t disappoint. During her college

Maritza McClendon AB ’05

career, McClendon won 11 NCAA titles, was a 27-time All-American, and in 2004 became the first African-American woman to make the U.S. Olympic swim team. At the Athens Games, she won silver in the 400-meter freestyle relay.

McClendon brought that silver medal, along with her 100-meter freestyle gold medal from the 2001 Worlds, to a recent installment of the UGA Alumni Association’s Mentorship Mondays. Spearheaded by the Women of UGA affinity group, Mentorship Mondays is a new Atlanta-based professional development series that highlights engaging speakers offering career tips and helps UGA alumnae build their networks.

McClendon told the attendees that a lot of the lessons she learned in the pool have translated to her career outside of it as a senior brand marketing manager at the children’s clothing company Carter’s. Her comments also touched on the themes of the event. “I started watching other athletes, and they mentored me,” she says.

“That’s really important, even in the workforce.

Networks can help you get to a level that you never expected. You have somebody telling you what worked for them and what didn’t. They can help you through the hardships.”

In her own case McClendon credited her mentor, six-time Olympic gold medalist Amy van Dyken. In 2010, three years after she retired, McClendon became a mentor herself, to a young swimmer from Texas named Simone Manuel. At the 2016 Rio Games, Manuel became the first African-American swimmer to win individual Olympic gold. In a poolside interview, McClendon was one of the people she thanked.

“I had my husband rewind it,” McClendon says, beaming. “Did she just say my name?”

McClendon gives back to her sport in other ways. She volunteers with Swim 1922, a nationwide initiative that offers swim lessons to children of color around the country. And while at a previous position at Nike, she helped design the suit Team USA swimmers wore at the 2012 London Olympics.

“I don’t want to just be a person sitting at the table,” she says. “I want to make a difference in the world.”

written by eric rangus MA '94

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Finishing the Job

Kevin Butler AB ’18

walker montgomery peter frey

W

jason thrasher

hen kevin butler AB ’18 sets his mind to something, he gets it done.

He helped the University of Georgia football team make it to the national championship game—twice. Once as a player and once as a student assistant.

He left college early to master his craft of kicking before entering the NFL draft in 1985. He was chosen by the Chicago Bears and retired as the team’s all-time leading scorer. (He now ranks second.)

He even postponed his wedding because he believed his new team would make it to the Super Bowl. Turns out he was right: He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Bears, and he and his wife have been happily married for 32 years. written by kellyn amodeo ABJ ’09

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But it’s not just sports that reflect Butler’s dedication. In May, he graduated with a degree in economics from the Terry College of Business, completing his education 37 years after starting.

“I left UGA with only six credits to go, but I had to practice my trade,” he says. “I knew I was going to have a chance to be drafted, so I worked, worked, worked.”

But the idea of completing his degree stuck with him throughout his football career, his second career as an entrepreneur, and parenthood.

“The one thing that we always talked about once the kids got older, once they all get their education, was that dad would go back,” he says.

After his youngest daughter graduated college, he took the plunge. To complete the degree, he had to take three courses and write a thesis. “In that short time, I feel like I earned it,” he says.

But he wasn’t just getting back to the books. The retired NFL kicker returned to the Bulldog sideline as the student assistant to the kickers, working one-on-one with them to help with structure and technique.

He’s worked with the team for the last two seasons, including the historic win at the Rose Bowl and appearance at the National Championship Game.

No matter the outcome on the field, though, Butler’s true victory was completing his degree.

“I think it was important for me as a parent, as an alumnus, and as someone who represents this university,” he says. “Finishing my degree was a personal victory for me.”

CLASS NOTES Laura Green BSEd ’90 launched Ovation Funding Solutions to provide consulting and grant writing services to nonprofit organizations.

Laura Reese ABJ ’90 is senior director of media, digital, and PR for Church’s Chicken.

Todd Evans AB ’93, MBA ’11 is vice president of business development at Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects in Alpharetta.

Rebecca Lerner BBA ’93 was named to Forbes’ America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors for 2018.

Camille Russo BBA ’94 was named executive director of statewide development for Junior Achievement of Georgia.

Jennifer Whitaker BSFCS ’01, MEd ’03, EdS ’07 was named principal of Oconee County Primary School.

Sam Brown BLA ’03 of Atlanta was named to the Greenhouse Product News 40 under 40 class of 2018.

Patrick Saunders ABJ ’03 was named editor of Project Q Atlanta.

Taylor Hensel AB ’04 was named partner at Buckley Christopher P.C. in Atlanta.

2005-2009 Conrhonda Baker AB ’05 is the grants/program associate at the Howard Gilman Foundation in New York City.

Nathan Hardeman BBA ’05 is the founder of Engadi Ministries, a program that helps troubled youth in Guatemala.

Jason Brown AB ’06 is an assistant professor at the Emory School of Medicine.

Beau Bryan BS ’06 practices comprehensive ophthalmology and cataract surgery at The

Eye Center in Columbia, South Carolina.

Megan Doyle AB ’06, ABJ ’06 is the executive producer of branded video at Refinery29.

She also won a Sports Emmy for best daily sports show with MLB Network and two Clio Awards at Refinery29.

Andrew Lavoie AB ’06, JD ’09 joined Edenfield, Cox, Bruce & Edenfield, a law firm in Statesboro.

Natalie Smith ABJ ’06 is the marketing and public relations

1995-1999 David Thornton BBA ’95 is a corporate jet captain for Synovus Financial Corporation in Columbus, Georgia.

Celeste Marshall AB ’95 is the author of Memoirs of a Barren Woman: Faith, Fasting, Fervent Prayer.

Brian Vancil BS ’96 expanded Mall of Georgia Dentistry into the Hamilton Mill area and hired alumna Michelle Whyte BS ’97.

Rachel Fox ABJ ’97 is senior director of publicity for Scott Brothers Global. She is also a board member of the Grady Society Alumni Board.

2000-2004 Meg Beckum ABJ ’00 was named executive creative director of Elmwood, a global brand consultancy in New York.

Kevin Clark ABJ ’00 was promoted to general manager of Online Athens and the Athens Banner-Herald.

Lauren Kirkland AB ’00 married Kelly Kirkland in April 2018. She is an assistant district attorney in Swainsboro.

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Presidential Leadership

catmax photography

M

arch 1 was a big day for a pair of universities on opposite sides of the country. On that day, the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, and Elon University, near Burlington, North Carolina, installed new presidents.

UNM’s Garnett Stokes (above, right) and Elon’s Connie Ledoux Book are the first women to hold the offices, and both are UGA alumnae.

The trailblazing significance of their positions is not lost on either new president.

Stokes MS ’80, PhD ’82 says she understands the responsibility of being a first and is motivated by the community’s excitement. For Book PhD ’93, breaking ground and its effect on others is something she’s experienced before.

In fall 2015, Book became the first woman provost at The Citadel. Part of the process included a fitting for her uniform, which needed to be custom made. Prior to the fitting, Book learned that the head seamstress, Eartha Brown, had recently lost her nephew Tywanza Sanders in the most tragic manner. He was the youngest of the parishioners murdered by Dylann Roof at written by eric rangus MA '94

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Connie Ledoux Book PhD ’93 & Garnett Stokes MS ’80, PhD ’82

special

Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church just weeks earlier.

Upon meeting Brown, Book offered her condolences and added that it often must feel like nothing is ever going to change.

“Well, General Book,” Brown responded.

Academic and administrative titles at The Citadel are paired with military ones. Only the president and provost are identified as generals. “Just when I think things won’t change, here I am measuring the first woman to be a general at The Citadel.”

“I could see how much pride she had in that moment and how much it meant to her,” Book says. “That’s what being a first is. Women across all generations and experiences can see it, and that gives way to new thinking about future opportunities for all women.”

Stokes is no stranger to firsts either.

After earning master’s and doctoral degrees at UGA in industrial/organizational psychology, Stokes joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology, eventually becoming department head. In 2004, Stokes was named the first woman dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences,

a post she held for seven years. She then moved on to Florida State University, where she became that university’s first woman provost and interim president. Immediately prior to her move to UNM, Stokes was provost and interim chancellor at the University of Missouri.

Issues of diversity have long been one of Stokes’ administrative focuses. While Franklin’s dean, she instituted the college’s first diversity and climate inclusion survey; more recently, she led FSU’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. That experience makes her an ideal match for UNM, an institution whose undergraduate population is majority Hispanic.

“That resonated with me,” Stokes says.

“I’ve had a career where issues of diversity and inclusion are important, and because of its diversity, UNM is a university that could lead the nation in this area.”

Stokes first visited New Mexico as a UGA faculty member and fell in love. Now as the leader of the state’s first public university, she is touring New Mexico again. She is meeting with a variety of constituents, including representatives from several of the state’s Native American tribes, another significant UNM student population.

Book, too, has spent the summer introducing herself to Elon supporters—and in some cases reintroducing herself. She spent nearly 15 years as an Elon faculty member and administrator before moving to The Citadel. In fact, she is now in charge of implementing a strategic plan she helped write.

“I’m excited to be back,” says Book, who worked as a TV reporter before earning her doctorate in journalism at UGA. She is quick to credit former Grady professors including Jim Fletcher, Bill Lee, and Barry Sherman for helping to prepare her for a career in academia. “It feels like every step of my career has prepared me for this opportunity, and I’m making sure I talk to people to understand what they value most about this institution we all hold in such high regard.”

CLASS NOTES director for Anchal Project, a nonprofit that produces eco-friendly home goods and accessories.

Bryan Donahue BLA ’07 launched Insite Studio, a planning and landscape architecture consulting firm, with his business partner, Brian Terry.

Sam Paustian-Underdahl BS ’07 is an assistant professor of management in the Department of Management and International Business at Florida State University.

Cara O’Grady BFA ’08 is a financial adviser for Edward Jones in Brookhaven.

Justin Willson AB ’08 received a Fulbright Study/Research grant to study in Russia’s Moscow State University art history department and to research both Moscow and St. Petersburg’s archives.

Leah Farmer AB ’09 joined Franczek Radelet law firm in its Labor & Employment practice group in Chicago, Illinois.

Sara Hall BSW ’09, MSW ’11 is a member of the Emerging Leaders of DeKalb: Class of 2018.

Hillyer Jennings BBA ’09 opened Hydralive Therapy, which specializes in IV hydration, cryotherapy, and massage therapy in Athens.

Scott Schimmel BSES ’09 is an assistant professor in the School of Communications at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Vince Vance BSFCS ’09 was named to the 2016 President’s Club at Cox Automotive in Atlanta, an award given to the top sales representative of the year.

Danielle Wallace AB ’09 is an apprenticeship program manager for King County in Seattle, Washington. She also was appointed to her second term as co-chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission.

2010-2014 Brandon Giddens BSA ’10 works in commercial greenhouse sales with ATLAS Manufacturing in Alapaha.

He and his wife, Dana, recently

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CLASS NOTES welcomed a baby girl named Tinsley Grace.

Jessica Goldich BBA ’10 is production manager for New Image Dental Laboratory. Goldich was the recipient of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2017 Atlanta Woman of the Year award and was named the LLS National Woman of the Year.

She also raised the most funds through her campaign for blood cancer research.

Robert Rosenbleeth AB ’11 graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Helen Farmakis ABJ ’12 is a senior account executive for Fleishman-Hillard, a public relations agency in New York City.

Wells Ellenberg AB ’13 is governmental affairs manager at Southern Company in Washington, D.C. David Mapp AB ’13, JD ’16 was named assistant district attorney at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

Jasmin Severino AB ’13 is an associate at the Davis, Matthews & Quigley, P.C. law firm in Atlanta.

Lindsey Znosko ABJ ’13 is senior coordinator in the TV and film department at Universal Music Publishing in New York.

Russell Dye AB ’14 received a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Arkansas School of Law. Dye is employed by the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Jimmy Knoll BBA ’14 is a southeast sales manager for Anchor Plastics in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

Conner Reed BBA ’14 is a national account manager for Georgia-Pacific. Reed is pursuing a master’s degree at Belmont University.

APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Making Athens

D

avis knox likes beginnings. it’s actually kind of his forte.

As a UGA student, Knox BBA ’96 aspired to start or help start as many businesses as possible over his lifetime. Little did he realize that one of his startups would be a nonprofit dedicated to supporting others with that same entrepreneurial spirit—but more on that later.

As far as his business total: So far he’s at five, having worked for or started businesses that range from the simple (a fly fishing and bird hunting shop) to the complex (one adapted mobile technology to transform how airport’s coordinate wheelchair service).

Knox’s current business venture is Fire & Flavor, the Athens-based maker of trendsetting cooking products. Knox started the company with his wife, Gena BBA ’00, a food writer and cookbook author. Fire & Flavor began with Gena’s experiment developing a cedar plank for consumer grilling out of the couple’s written by aaron hale MA ’16

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peter frey

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Davis Knox BBA ’96

garage. The planks caught on quickly with regional grocers, and the Knoxes have cultivated the business into a nationwide supplier of seasonings, brines, and charcoals that can be found on the shelves at Publix, Kroger, and Lowe’s among others.

“We’re a brand for aspiring cooks by aspiring cooks,” says Knox. “We really just want to get people cooking more at home.”

It was when the Knoxes moved back to Athens in 2005 to expand the Fire & Flavor brand that Davis truly fell in love with the innovative culture of the Classic City’s entrepreneurs and creative professionals.

“There’s just a freedom of mind and spirit in this community that’s attractive for folks that tend to dabble and innovate,” he says.

While Fire & Flavor was thriving, Knox started on his next challenge, which was inspired by the creative possibilities in Athens.

With a group of entrepreneurial peers in 2015, he founded the nonprofit Athensmade, which works to support and promote Athens’ homegrown brands, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals. It represents entrepreneurs from a range of industries including art, tech startups, and consumer products (like handmade furniture, textiles, coffee, and chocolate).

The idea is to simultaneously spur collaboration and idea-sharing among Athens’ creative class while promoting Athens brands to external markets and luring entrepreneurs to the community.

The organization has also been collaborating with UGA to stimulate entrepreneurship and provide students with learning opportunities, including efforts to create best practices for creating experiential learning internships for students. And, Knox is on UGA's presidential task force to create an innovation district in Athens.

Even with all of this momentum, Knox sees so much work to be done.

“I still view Athens as a blank canvas with a lot of really talented people holding the paint brush,” he says. “They just haven’t been invited to paint yet.”

In other words, this is just the beginning. Knox’s favorite part.

CLASS NOTES COMMUNITY IMPACT

Fresh Perspectives Community service takes many forms. For Colleen Sullivan MMC ’06, senior associate director at Turner Broadcasting, that service includes her workplace.

On June 26, she received Time Warner’s Richard D. Parsons Community Impact Award at a ceremony in New York. The award honors Time Warner employees for exceptional community service. (Time Warner, the parent company of Turner Broadcasting, changed its name to WarnerMedia shortly before the ceremony but kept special its original name for the award presentation.) She also received the Excellence in Service award, which is voted on by Time Warner employees. The awards include a total of $10,000 to be given to the charity of Sullivan’s choice, Autism Speaks.

Sullivan got involved with Autism Speaks about three years ago, shortly after her son was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. She helped build the national nonprofit’s Atlanta chapter and serves on its board.

Sullivan soon brought that dedication to Turner, where she helped create a neurodiversity hiring initiative. The initiative promotes tailored job training and other programming for employees on the autism spectrum, and those diagnosed with ADHD, ADD, and other neurological differences.

The work is still in its early stages, but other companies have had a lot of success in the area.

“These employees approach their work from a completely different angle and mindset,” says Sullivan, who works primarily with TNT’s Emmy-winning Inside the NBA (alongside Ernie Johnson Jr. ABJ ’78, see page 32) and also with NBA.TV. “That offers companies a fresh perspective, and that leads to a lot of success.”

2015-2018 Reagan Dye AB ’15 received a master’s in political science from the University of Arkansas. Dye is pursuing a doctorate in political science at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Nick Snider BBA ’15 is an officer at the United States Army Airborne School at Fort Benning.

Desiree Sullivan ABJ ’15, MBA ’17 is an associate brand manager

at Georgia-Pacific for the Sparkle brand.

Julia Anderson AB ’16 is a program coordinator at the University of Connecticut’s Rainbow Center.

Melissa Bamsey BSA ’16 is a sensory scientist at Tyson Foods after receiving her master’s degree from Texas A&M University.

Bo Cown BBA ’16 is operations marketing manager for The

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Good Balance

S

uzy deering BSFCS ’92 is used to balancing her attention among varying and sometimes conflicting responsibilities. The chief marketing officer for eBay, Deering oversees all aspects of marketing for North America for the multifaceted e-commerce brand. She has to understand the needs of eBay customers (buyers and sellers), coordinate ads, and work with the Global Brand Strategy and Insights team.

Fortunately, she leads a strong team.

“You can’t do this job if you don’t have the ability to look for diversity in thinking and allow more time and space to allow your team to move projects and initiatives forward but, at the same time, balance that by educating. The team educates me all the time, which I love,” she says.

Deering has forged an accomplished marketing career. She’s the former CEO of Moxie, a marketing and advertising agency headquartered in Atlanta, and was previously a senior leader at Verizon. She credits the foundation of her success to her time at UGA. “UGA provides an incredible opportunity to really satisfy the whole person and not just a portion of it,” she says. “It teaches you passion and it teaches you the value of relawritten by mara weissinger ABJ ’18

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Suzy Deering BSFCS ’92

special

tionships, as well as academic discipline.”

While Deering received her degree from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, her love of the advertising field cultivated deep ties with the Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication during her time at UGA and after graduation.

One such connection was with Karen King, the Jim Kennedy New Media Professor of Advertising. When Deering took King’s campaigns class in her final year, it confirmed that she had made the right choice to go into the advertising industry.

“I had such incredible respect for Dr. King on two levels. One, just from an educational standpoint because she taught in an easy way to apply what you were learning,” Deering says. “The second, personally, she’s just been a huge impact for me. It’s almost like having a personal cheerleader because she’s so incredibly encouraging and a great role model.”

In 2017, Grady recognized Deering’s contribution to the marketing and advertising fields by naming her a 2017 Grady Fellow.

Grady Fellowships honor UGA alumni whose impact on their fields and industries have had a positive impact on the college.

Advisory Board Company. Cown is also a fitness instructor at Flywheel Sports, where he teaches indoor cycling.

Mike Mudano ABJ ’16 is co-owner of Routt66, a full-service photo and video boutique production company based in Atlanta.

Tony Raffa BBA ’16 is owner of Zombie Donuts in downtown Athens.

Merlyn Thomas BSA ’16 is pursuing a master’s degree in food science at UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Yujin Ahn BSFCS ’17 is pursuing her master’s degree at Yonsei University in South Korea.

Iyer Amruthur BBA ’17 relocated to San Antonio, Texas.

David Andriate AB ’17 is a video editor for Shootsta in Carlsbad, California.

Tyler Barron BLA ’17 is a landscape architectural designer at CPL: Architecture - Engineering - Planning in Suwanee.

Marcus Beverly BSEd ’17 is a talent relations coordinator with Turner Sports.

J.P. Fenn BBA ’17 is a technical recruiter for Google in Austin, Texas.

Thomas Jordan ABJ ’17 is coordinator for media relations at the National Retail Federation.

Wyatt Whitaker BSFCS ’17 is an associate at Akerman & Company in Sandy Springs.

Candace Young BLA ’17 is a designer at Design Works, a landscape architecture firm in Charleston, South Carolina.

Monika Ammerman AB ’18 recently relocated to Oakland, California, to begin her career as coordinator for Tesla.

Stacy Psomiadis BSEd ’18 was accepted into the Mercer University School of Law.

CLASS NOTES

gradnotes agricultural & environmental sciences John Floros PhD ’88 was named president of New Mexico State University.

Deanna Edmonds MAL ’14 married Joshua Bullins in September 2017.

arts & sciences Colin Baxter MA ’63, PhD ’65 wrote The Secret History of RDS: The Super-Explosive That Helped Win World War II. David Van Dyke PhD ’00 received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to conduct research and share his expertise on marriage and family therapy at Eszterházy Károly University in Hungary. He is an associate professor at Wheaton College and was elected to the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.

business Jim Watson III MBA ’75 retired after 33 years in banking, having spent the last five years with Farmers & Merchants bank in Clarkesville.

Kenneth Clark III MBA ’77 is managing director at Capital City Group in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Frank Marley MBA ’03 is head of North American operations and general counsel at Fiplex Communications in Doral, Florida.

Yvonne Riner MBA ’03 is vice president of sales for the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau in California.

Steven Faust MBA ’08 is the founder of Austin H.U.M.A.N., a nutritional distribution platform utilizing healthy vending machines and micro-markets. Faust was featured on the cover of Vending Times magazine.

Massee McKinley MBA ’17 is part-

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CLASS NOTES

my georgia commitment honoring a son’s legacy by removing barriers for students

Chip Clendon was welcomed into the UGA family with open arms— and will forever be remembered by the Chip Clendon Memorial Scholarship established by his mother.

W

hen chip clendon died at the age of 52, his obituary reflected a life

well-lived.

“Nearly everyone who [met] Chip became a friend for life,” it reads.

“They immediately fell in love with his playful spirit, his unforgettable laugh, his disarming honesty, and, oh, that sense of humor! You always felt a little happier and your soul a little lighter after spending time with Chip.”

When Clendon was diagnosed with a cognitive impairment in 1967, his mother, Ruth Langevin, knew that society would present a steady stream of challenges for her son.

Clendon thrived, though, and Langevin watched as her son matured into a happy and independent adult.

He secured a job in UGA’s Oglethorpe Dining Commons and took the bus to work each day. He found a home on campus and became an integral part of the university.

“I was driving Chip to work one day,” Langevin says. “As we drove down Lumpkin Street, he said, ‘Mom, I know you didn’t think I’d go to college, but look at me: I go every day.’”

Clendon lived on his own but required help with grocery shopping and caring for his apartment. The nonprofit Georgia Options, with funding from the state, allowed Langevin to hire young people to provide her

GIVE.UGA.EDU

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son with daily caregiving.

Jason Bales BSEd ’15 was a special education major in 2011. The opportunity for a part-time job supporting Clendon was compelling—it would give Bales experience in his career field while allowing him to maintain two other jobs. The two immediately hit it off, even working together at Oglethorpe Dining Commons. Bales, now a special education teacher at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, considered Clendon a best friend, despite their 30-year age difference.

Clendon was even a groomsman in Bales’ wedding.

“Chip had a great personality,” says Bales, who is pursuing a master's in education at UGA. “He was an allaround genuine man. His being in my life taught me to be a better person.”

When Clendon was born, his mother started a college savings fund that was later earmarked for his care after she was gone. When he died in 2015, Langevin used the funds to endow a scholarship in his name in the UGA College of Education. She loves knowing that the scholarship will perpetually support students who want to help others but may struggle to make ends meet while in school—just like Bales.

“This scholarship will go on forever and ever … and Chip will be remembered that way.”

Join Ruth Langevin as she provides scholarship support to the next generation of educators and advocates for individuals living with special needs. GIVE.UGA.EDU/CHIP

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photos courtesy of ruth langevin

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CLASS NOTES APPLAUSE FOR ALUMNI

Aim High

Walter Sams BS ’84

special

I

n the end, it only took one day for Walter “Buck” Sams to realize his calling.

He was 11 years old when his dad took him to see an airshow at what was then Turner Field in Albany. “I was hooked on flying from that moment on,” says Sams BS ’84.

A handful of years later, he was studying computer science at UGA when his roommate convinced him to take the test to qualify as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Sams gave it a shot and passed, launching him into Air Force ROTC and a military

career that has spanned more than three decades.

During his 15 years in active duty, followed by four in the Air National Guard and 14 (so far) in the Air Force Reserve, Sams saw multiple deployments overseas, served as an F-16 instructor pilot, and commanded a fighter squadron and fighter wing, among other accomplishments. But what sticks out to him most is the camaraderie.

“I joined the Air Force because I wanted to fly fast airplanes,” says the major general.

“I stayed in the Air Force because of the great people.”

When Sept. 11 catapulted the nation into a war overseas, Sams was serving in the South Carolina Air National Guard. He didn’t hesitate.

“While I was in the Middle East, I saw great airmen doing extraordinary work,” he says. “I saw doctors who left their lucrative civilian practices to work in surgical field hospitals. I saw pilots who left their jobs with major air carriers and quickly transitioned to combat military aviators.

All around me, there were great Americans doing amazing things for their country.”

After joining the Reserve in 2004, Sams became a full-time pilot for Delta Air Lines. His military obligations didn’t wane, though.

“The Air Force Reserve is no longer the one-weekend-a-month, two-weeks-a-year service from our previous generation,” Sams explains. He’s currently serving as the senior Reserve adviser to the commander, U.S. Pacific Air Forces at Pearl Harbor-Hickam base in Hawaii. “In the Reserve, we talk about balancing the three-legged stool: One leg is the civilian employer, one leg is Air Force Reserve, and the most important leg is your home and family life. It is a daily challenge to keep all three happy, balanced, and in harmony.”

But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“In no other country would an average farm kid from a small town be given the tremendous opportunities I’ve been given,” he says. “UGA prepared me well for the path I’ve taken and was the key in making this life happen.”

written by leigh beeson MA '17

ner/owner of Peerage Communications.

education Paul DeLargy EdD ’74 is president and director of Real LEDGE, a nonprofit promoting education and entrepreneurship. DeLargy is also president of the Georgia Association for

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Small Farmers and Environmental Planning and Management.

Keith Anderson PhD ’92 was named president-elect of the American College Health Association.

Stuart Usdan MEd ’95 was named dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences

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at the University of Alabama.

Eric Wearne MA ’02 was named provost of Holy Spirit College in Atlanta.

Jamie Tuttle MEd ’05 is the dean of students at Avenues: The World School, a new international school in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Stephen Bismark PhD ’09 received the University of South

Carolina Upstate’s Excellence in Teaching and Advising award for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Erica James PhD ’15 is an associate professor of psychology at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. James is clinical director for the Master of Science in Applied Psychology Clinical/Counseling option.

CLASS NOTES PERSONAL BRANDING

Marketing Honor The American Marketing Association (AMA) and the American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF), named Artis Stevens AB ’97 as the recipient of the 2018 Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award.

Stevens is senior vice president and chief marketing officer at National 4-H Council.

The award, which recognizes one national nonprofit marketer annually for their extraordinary leadership and achievement in the field of nonprofit marketing, is the highest honor bestowed by the AMA/AMAF on nonprofit marketing professionals. special Under Stevens' leadership, 4-H has revitalized its 100-year-old brand image to capture the modern organization it has become. Working in partnership with the 4-H system, Stevens developed and implemented a marketing strategy that leveraged the power of 4-H's 25 million alumni to drive brand relevance while exponentially increasing revenue and reach.

He previously worked at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where he helped spearhead the largest brand awareness campaign in the organization’s history.

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CLASS NOTES environment and design Shannon Mikus MLA ’14 founded LandStream Design, a landscape design firm in Chatanooga, Tennessee, in April 2017.

forestry and natural resources Sean Sterrett MS ’09, PhD ’14 is an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at Monmouth University in Monmouth, New Jersey.

journalism & mass communication Baxter Ennis MA ’87 published When Leadership Mattered: Inspiring Stories of 12 People Who Changed the World.

law Lewis Lamb JD ’87 was named district attorney of Georgia’s Southwestern Judicial Circuit.

Elizabeth Gobeil JD ’95 was appointed

by Gov. Nathan Deal to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Zachary Faison JD ’06 was named president of Edward Waters College in

Jacksonville, Florida.

Cameron Hawkins JD ’08 received the Young Alumni of Excellence award from the UGA School of Law.

pharmacy Frank Reynolds PharmD ’05 is the director of pharmacy at AcariaHealth, a specialty pharmacy in Columbus.

public health Shaakira Jones MPH ’15 was selected to Young Government Leaders - Atlanta’s 2018 Class of the YoungGov40 Awards. Jones is a public health advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

public & international affairs Katie Owens MA ’12 married Mark Owens PhD ’14 in October 2016.

Matthew Pepper MPA ’15 was named city manager of Oxford, Georgia.

want to reach the bulldog nation? advertise in Georgia Magazine Published quarterly and mailed to the household, your advertising message reaches your audience directly, giving you one of the strongest demographic buys in the region. For information on advertising in the award-winning Georgia Magazine, contact gmsales@uga.edu or 706-542-8124.

send us your notes Help UGA and your classmates keep up with what’s happening in your life—both personally and professionally—by sending Class Notes items to one of the addresses listed below. And please include your hometown to help us keep our alumni database up to date. If you send a photo, please make sure it is a resolution of 300 dpi.

Class Notes is the first section we work on, so keep these deadlines in mind: for the Spring (March) issue, submit by December 1; for Summer (June), submit by March 1; for Fall (September), submit by June 1; for Winter (December), submit by September 1.

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UGA Alumni Association Please submit online at alumni.uga.edu/classnote

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CLASS NOTES

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FACULTY FOCUS

Charlotte Mason C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Chair of Business Administration Terry College of Business

“Throughout my career, I have applied my background in engineering and statistics to develop models to improve decision-making—by both businesses and consumers—on topics ranging from new product development to data visualization. My teaching focuses on providing students with a toolset to analyze data as well as an understanding of the real-life challenges they’ll face during their careers.”

An expert in marketing analytics, customer relationship management, and direct marketing, Charlotte Mason has spent more than three decades educating the next generation of marketing professionals. For her, translating scholarship from the classroom to the real world is not just a job; it’s a calling. That commitment to making complex material accessible is paying off: Mason was awarded the MBA Outstanding Teacher Award last year and the Terry Outstanding Faculty Service Award the year before. peter frey

Endowed chairs, positions that receive supplemental support generated from private donations, are essential to recruiting and retaining leading faculty who are committed to world-changing research and preparing the next generation of problem-solvers, pioneers, and leaders. Learn more about supporting UGA’s leading faculty at give.uga.edu/gm.

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