U of M Magazine, Fall 2013

FALL 2013

Dynamic duos

Tigers ready for new athletic conference, page 24

Roaring success

Campaign surpasses lofty $250 million goal, page 29

A FOND FAREWELL After 12 years, President Shirley Raines bids adieu, page 10

The U of M’s Mighty Sound of the South marching band will roll out its 2013-14 edition Sept. 7 when the Tigers host Duke at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

FALL 2013

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From the President

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Angel of Hope by Andrew Clark

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University News Sports Bits Raines of Success by Greg Russell The University’s 11th president left an indelible mark that will be felt for the U of M’s next 100 years.

This U of M graduate uses art to help young people deal with physical and emotional problems.

Space Odyssey by Gabrielle Maxey A U of M professor’s study of space travel may have farreaching implications for future astronauts and space tourism.

Dynamic Duos by Greg Russell They may not wear capes, but these pairs of University of Memphis athletes’ performances are often super in nature.

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A Roaring Success

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Rock On by Samuel Prager

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A short story by Elizabeth Cameron

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The Columns Alumni Review

The U of M marked the culmination of Empowering the Dream with a June 29 gala in the University Center.

As the surviving member of acclaimed rock group Big Star, alumnus Jody Stephens still makes waves in the music industry.

“Tiny Rooftops, Tiny Homes”

Alumni Activities Class Notes In Memoriam

On the cover: Dr. Shirley Raines, pictured with her husband Dr. Bob Canady, retired earlier this year after serving as U of M president for 12 years. Story on page 10.

FALL 2013

EDITOR Greg Russell (MS ’93) grussll@memphis.edu

FROM THE

FEATURES DESIGNER Aaron Drown adrown@memphis.edu

PRESIDENT

COLUMNS DESIGNER Will Marshall wjmrshll@memphis.edu CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Gabrielle Maxey (BA ’80) gmaxey@memphis.edu PHOTOGRAPHERS Rhonda Cosentino rgcsntno@memphis.edu Joe Murphy WRITERS Laura Fenton Andrew Clark Sara Hoover (MFA ’13) Samuel Prager INTERIM PRESIDENT R. Brad Martin (BA ’76)

Dear Alumni and Friends: Since the announcement of my appointment to serve as interim president of the University of Memphis, I have frequently been asked two questions. First, why are you doing this? Secondly, how can I help?

I agreed to serve in this role out of gratitude for the experience I had while I was a student at the University. I am grateful for faculty members who challenged me, staff members and alumni who encouraged me, and students who befriended me. They have all helped make me who I am today.

The University has great momentum, but it also faces unprecedented challenges that can only be answered with strategic vision. If my skills and experience can be beneficial in

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING Linda Bonnin

addressing these challenges, then it’s my responsibility to help.

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING Rob Hoerter (BBA ’94, MBA ’96)

your time, counsel or resources, I want to be certain that we best match your interests.

MISSION

your area or areas of interest, and we will be in touch to make it happen.

The University of Memphis is a learner-centered metropolitan research university providing high quality educational experiences while pursuing new knowledge through research, artistic expression, and interdisciplinary and engaged scholarship.

The University of Memphis is one of 45 institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents system, the sixth largest system of higher education in the nation. TBR is the governing board for this system, which comprises six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 26 area technology centers. The TBR system enrolls more than 80 percent of all Tennessee students attending public institutions of higher education.

There are numerous ways that you can help as well. Whether you choose to give of So, let’s get connected. If you want to become more involved in supporting the University, I’d like to hear from you. Please email me at president@memphis.edu. Tell me Come help us make the University of Memphis even greater.

R. Brad Martin Interim President

The University of Memphis’ name, seal, logos and Tigers are registered marks of the University of Memphis and use in any manner is prohibited unless prior written approval is obtained from the University of Memphis. The University of Memphis Magazine (USPS-662-550) is published three times a year by the Division of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing of the University of Memphis, 303 Administration Building, Memphis, TN 38152-3370.

Periodical Postage paid at Memphis, TN 38152.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Alumni & Development Office, The University of Memphis, 120 Alumni Center, Memphis, TN 38152-3760.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Teacher Education programs ranked among nation’s best U.S. News & World Report, in conjunction with the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), has ranked the elementary and secondary teacher preparation programs at the University of Memphis among the Honor Roll in its first Teacher Prep Review.

Rankings were based on one to four stars. The U of M program was one of only 13 in the nation to earn high ratings (three or more stars) in two or more programs, suggesting a strong institutional commitment to teacher training. The Review evaluated 1,200 elementary and secondary programs nationally.

In addition, the U of M’s elementary education preparation program was listed as one of seven “best bargains,” those on the Honor Roll that have relatively low tuition. “Being recognized as a national leader in teacher preparation is a testament to the great work of Dean Donald Wagner, our students, and the faculty of the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences,” said U of M Provost David Rudd. “The college is on the leading edge of innovative and effective practices to improve the quality of teacher preparation and their impact in the classroom. Not only are we recognized as one of the best programs in the country, we’ve been identified as providing high quality instruction at low cost, certainly great news for our students and the state of Tennessee.”

The NCTQ advocates for reforms in a broad range of teacher policies at the federal, state and local levels in order to increase the number of effective teachers. NCTQ ratings were based on key standards for 608 institutions, ratings also used by U.S. News & World Report. Among standards evaluated were elementary reading, common core elementary math and student teaching.

“The favorable review from the NCTQ report is an affirmation of the serious reform work that our College has undertaken to improve teacher preparation programs at the University of Memphis,” said Wagner. “We are especially pleased to be on the honor roll as a high quality ‘bargain’ teacher preparation program, along with six other institutions across the country.”

U of M Up ’til Dawn chapter is tops in fundraising for St. Jude The University of Memphis chapter of Up ’til Dawn raised more than $122,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the 2012-13 academic year, making it the top fundraising chapter in the nation.

The largest portion of the money – about $75,000 – was raised through a letter campaign. ALSAC/St. Jude provided about 20,000 donation letters, which students personalized and sent to potential donors. More than 700 students sent letters this year.

In addition to the letters, students hosted smaller events throughout the year to bring in money for the hospital. Over the last three years, the U of M chapter has averaged 40 of these events. Activities range from small (bake sales) to large (a dinner and silent auction), all planned and carried out by individual students or groups.

“I am proud of our students and campus community,” said Jon Campbell, director of Leadership Programs. “Up ’til Dawn is a significant part of our campus identity, and every year our students contribute countless hours to ensure that we are able to support St. Jude with fundraising and awareness. I don’t know that there is another Up ’til Dawn chapter that so thoroughly commits itself to the program, and advising this group is one of the great joys of my work at the University of Memphis.”

Up ’til Dawn was launched on the U of M campus 14 years ago. Since then, it has spread to more than 275 schools nationwide, and now generates nearly $5 million annually for groundbreaking research and patient care at St. Jude. The U of M chapter has raised more than $1.3 million.

Overall, the program has raised more $20.6 million for the hospital.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Student project keeps rain out

It was sometime late afternoon on April 17 earlier this year when Daniel Nash was making his way to catch a bus home that three University of Memphis biomedical engineering students tried not to hold their breath. Nash’s two-day “test stage” was the last step. All they could do was hope for rain.

And rain it did. The next evening, it rained nearly an inch.

Nash (BBA ’13) uses a powered wheelchair, which normally means he must stay at home when midday rain is forecast. Without a barrier from rain over the chair’s joystick, the battery could stop working, leaving him stranded. Nash says a deep puddle could mean trouble, too.

The U of M alum says the remedy for traveling in the rain is usually an umbrella, poncho or plastic grocery bag that is used to cover the joystick and keep everything dry. “You’ve probably seen a number of wheelchairs with the bags,” Nash says.

It’s far from foolproof — Nash has broken three umbrellas, but luckily hasn’t been stranded in the rain.

But during a rainstorm the next day, his belongings and most of his body were completely dry as he traveled home from another location. A device dubbed the Rain Shield that was designed by the three Herff College of Engineering students had worked perfectly.

“The only thing that was wet were my feet and my ankles,” he says. “I’m glad I had it.

Otherwise, I would have been soaked.”

Nash was the brain behind the concept, a removable vinyl canopy attached to the back of his 300-pound wheelchair. It protects his body, wheelchair and belongings from rain and winds up to 40 miles per hour.

Former U of M students Andrew Chiego (BSBE ’13), Thamer Hasan (BSBE ’13) and W. Lanier Lannom (BSBE ’13) partnered with Nash to create the Rain Shield as a project for a biomedical engineering course.

Twice Nash submitted the idea for a wheelchair rain protectant to the U of M Disability Resources for Students (DRS) office.

The second time he made the cut.

“Daniel was one of the first to respond,” says Susan Te Paske, director of DRS. “He obviously had thought about this a lot.”

Daniel Nash (right) watches a demonstration of the Rain Shield device that three U of M Herff College of Engineering students designed.

The canopy covers a portion of a wheelchair, protecting it from the elements while ensuring it continues to operate during rainstorms.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Nash (BBA ‘13) thought up the idea of the Rain Shield because his electric-powered wheelchair would often become inoperable during storms.

Born with Phocomelia syndrome, a congenital abnormality in which a person’s hands or feet are underdeveloped or absent, Nash began using a motorized scooter in 2007.

When his insurance wouldn’t pay for another scooter five years later, he switched to an electric-powered wheelchair.

The DRS office collected suggestions from students and submitted ideas for possible projects or devices to the engineering department for the student-project course.

Regional medical companies also submit problems they would like students to solve.

Each design team selected one problem to solve.

“The problem (we chose) is that inclement weather poses a serious risk to the motorized wheelchair user,” Hasan says. “The joystick is not waterproof.”

If water gets on the joystick and stops the wheelchair, the user could be without a working chair for an extended period of time.

Nash said replacing something common like a battery for his chair could take a month. He can’t imagine how long it would take to place a claim, order the correct parts and wait for health insurance to reimburse the costs for a larger repair.

The student design team and Nash met throughout the year to brainstorm, research, test hypotheses, and finally, conduct a field test.

The construction of the Rain Shield prototype, supported by a grant from the W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

National Science Foundation’s program to aid people with general and age-related disabilities, was given to the U of M for the design and construction of custom devices for individuals with mobility disabilities. Biomedical engineering students create all the devices.

“Last semester, I was riding the MATAplus bus to campus and it dropped me off in front of the Panhellenic Building,” Nash recalls. “It was pouring down rain. Just from the street to the Meeman Journalism Building, where my Spanish class was, I got soaked — all the way soaked.”

Now when Nash rides a MATA bus or breezes across campus, he isn’t catching attention for being drenched. He is catching attention for the Rain Shield.

It’s a frequent occurrence for people to whisper while looking toward Nash, at least when he has the Rain Shield on his wheelchair.

“Over my headphones, I can hear them say ‘that’s a good idea’ and ‘I don’t understand why people haven’t thought of that already,’” he says.

Since the device is removable, Nash checks the weather before leaving the house to decide if he should bring it. It only takes about 10 minutes to secure the Rain Shield to the wheelchair.

Dimensions of the device adhere to all guidelines from the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it fits easily through doorways, on ramps and in elevators. The device’s frame and vinyl covering were also tested for durability,

ensuring the Rain Shield will last Nash many years.

“It was cool that we could give him the opportunity to not have to worry about that anymore,” Chiego says. “He could go throughout his day, rain or shine. That was the best fulfillment from throughout the project.

He seemed genuinely appreciative of what we did.”

The Rain Shield project fulfilled the graduation requirement for Chiego, Hasan and Lannom, but if they choose to patent it or put it into production, it could revolutionize the powered wheelchair industry.

Before deciding the next step for their device, the design team entered the project in the BMEStart undergraduate contest, which awards teams cash prizes up to $10,000 for creative and affordable technology solutions to clinical medical problems.

If the group does patent the Rain Shield, they could either sell the idea to a wheelchair accessory company or produce and sell the devices themselves. There is a large market for the device as 1.6 million people use a wheelchair in the U.S., and of that number, 155,000 people use a powered wheelchair, according to the Disability Statistics Center at the University of California at San Francisco.

Chiego, Hasan and Lannom may also consult on a project to create another Rain Shield for a second U of M student.

“Because of the success of the design of the first Rain Shield, we are developing a second generation design for another student with some of the materials left over from the first design,” says Dr. Joel D. Bumgardner, U of M biomedical engineering professor.

Whatever the U of M graduates decide, they have a lifetime spokesperson in Nash.

“If it ever does get to the market, you should buy it if you own a wheelchair,” Nash says.

“I mean, why wouldn’t you? It’s better than trying to hold an umbrella and go forward.” ­— by Laura Fenton

Visit www.memphis.edu/herff for more information on the Herff College of Engineering.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

University and Fogelman College MBA online programs ranked among best AffordableCollegesOnline.org (ACO) has ranked the University of Memphis 18th on its new list of the nation’s “Most Affordable Online Colleges.” Meantime, after evaluating online MBA programs from around the country, www.businessmba.org rated the Fogelman College of Business and Economics’ online MBA program as a “Best Value” (16th out of the top 25 in the country), and www.geteducated.com called the program a “Best Buy” (24th on its list of top programs).

For its affordable online colleges list, ACO identified 54 colleges across the country with distance learning options, affordable tuition and fees and alumni who earn top dollar immediately after graduation. The list was compiled from data published by the federal government, the Carnegie Foundation and other sources.

“Not only are the U of M’s online degree programs affordable, they’re of the highest quality and impact. The University has been fully engaged in online learning for decades and is committed to delivering a high-quality, affordable and accessible education to our students,” said Provost David Rudd.

The Fogelman College, too, has long been a leader in online degrees.

According to the businessmba.org website, “Students at the nationally

ranked Fogelman College at the U of M benefit from the school’s relationships with a number of major corporations and a commitment to nurturing new start-up companies.”

Geteducated.com gave the U of M program a grade of B+ for affordability, an A for student satisfaction, and an overall grade of A-.

A respondent to the site’s survey noted, “Unlike all the other MBA programs on this website, this is the only one that does not require prerequisite classes before actually starting the program. They also accept transfer credits from other AACSB-accredited schools. Price-wise, this program is well within my budget. Thank you, University of Memphis.”

“Prospective MBA students are seeking out quality programs like ours that are taught by research faculty who are at the cutting edge of their disciplines and who use sophisticated online learning tools and methods,” said Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, associate dean of the Fogelman College.

The Fogelman College’s accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business puts it in a very select group. Of the 13,000 business programs in the world, less than 5 percent are AACSB-accredited.

More information is available online at www.memphis.edu/onlinemba or from Rami Lotay at 901/678-3656 or rslotay@memphis.edu.

“I think the U of M provides one of the best values anywhere in the country for post-secondary education.

I want to see the University continue to fulfill its mission, and I want to be a part of it even after I am gone. If the University is important to you, if it served you well or someone you know, or if it has enriched your Memphis-based life, then include it in the planning for the distribution of your assets when you are gone.

Make a lot of lives better.”

– Deb Talbot ‘72

If you have already included the University of Memphis Foundation in your estate plan, or would like to learn about ways to do so, please contact Dan H. Murrell at 901-678-2732 or dan.murrell@memphis.edu or visit www.memphis.edu/pginfo.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Ground broken on innovative Community Health Building community, as well as the physical health of individuals in the Mid-South and West Tennessee for years to come.

“In order to remain a top-ranked graduate program, we desperately need a facility that will allow the program to grow and prosper,” said Dr. Maurice Mendel, dean of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

“State-of-the-art research facilities, additional classroom space equipped with the latest technology, and clinical space better equipped to provide hands-on training for our students will allow us to prepare more students while continuing to meet the many speech and hearing needs of the Mid-South community.”

The School’s audiology program has been ranked as high as sixth and speech-language pathology as high as 12th in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

Construction should begin this fall and take about two years, said Tony Poteet, assistant vice president for Campus Planning and Design.

The University of Memphis broke ground May 13 on a Community Health Building that will house the Loewenberg School of Nursing and the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders on the University’s Park Avenue Campus at Park Avenue and Getwell.

With 177,000 sq. ft., the building will accommodate more than 1,100 nursing students, 70 faculty and staff, and nearly 130 graduate clinicians, clinical and research faculty and staff in communication sciences and disorders.

The four-story building will feature a primary care education suite for advanced practice nursing education, a 170-seat auditorium and lecture hall, a new home for the Memphis Speech and Hearing Center, and research, health assessment and skills labs.

Donors contributed more than $15 million in private support in order to qualify for $45 million in matching funds from the state of Tennessee.

The Community Health Building was a priority capital project in the University’s $250 million

Empowering the Dream Centennial Campaign, which concluded June 30.

“The new facility will help us to not turn away hundreds of qualified applicants who want to be dreamers, thinkers and doers,” said Loewenberg School of Nursing Dean Lin Zhan, “and it will have a good return. Simply, an additional 100 nurses who are educated as a result of a new building will generate up to $10 million annually for our economy.”

Loewenberg has doubled its enrollment over the past several years and added a graduate nursing program, but many students are turned away because of space limitations. A study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality in 2012 projected a shortage of registered nurses across the country, with the severest shortage in the South and West. Zhan expects Tennessee will experience a shortage of 12,500 registered nurses by 2030.

The Community Health Building will impact the economic strength of the immediate

Marketing projects bring numerous awards to University

The University of Memphis recently collected multiple honors for its marketing work, including five awards at the Tennessee College Public Relations Association (TCPRA) spring conference held in Cookeville and one national award for its football television ads.

The Division of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing received three gold awards and two silver awards from the TCPRA. The gold awards were for “Lambuth, One Year Later,” a feature article in the fall 2012 University of Memphis Magazine; a series of Tiger football television commercials; and its Centennial Newsletter.

The silver awards were for the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards invitation and the University’s image television commercial, voiced by alumnus Fred Thompson. In addition, the Tiger football commercials won a gold award from the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA). Awards were presented in 13 categories, with each category divided into three groups based upon school size and conference affiliation. An association record of more than 1,000 entries was received for the 2012-13 year. Sullivan Branding of Memphis assisted with production on all of the television commercials, as well as the Centennial Newsletter and the DAA invitation.

“It’s always nice when outside organizations, particularly those on a statewide and a national level, recognize the work we do,” said Linda Bonnin, vice president of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing. “Our team has produced some really creative work this past year that has also been highly effective, so we’re honored that this was recognized by our peers.”

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SPORTS BITS

Former University of Memphis kicker Matt Reagan (BS ’10) is now a storm chaser. The former Third-Team All American hopes for a career in meteorology.

Weathering the storms While a kicker for the University of Memphis football team, Matt Reagan (BS ’10) paid attention to the weather. Knowing the wind’s direction and its velocity were crucial tools for a successful field goal or punt. Now, instead of watching the pigskin sail through the air, Reagan keeps an eye on Mother Nature as a storm chaser.

Reagan, a teaching assistant and doctoral student in atmospheric and earth sciences at Mississippi State University, uses the Great Plains as a hands-on classroom where students set up anywhere from Texas to South Dakota — wherever a storm might be. Reagan does frequent traveling and driving — as much as 15,000 miles in one month. But he thinks it’s worth it.

“It’s a way for students and myself to really apply what we’ve learned. To see it (a storm) in person gives you a new appreciation for it,” he says.

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The former athlete and a group of students chased the El Reno tornado, which hit Oklahoma a week after the devastating Moore tornado in May. El Reno, a suburb of Oklahoma City, was struck by the widest tornado in history, a twister 2.6 miles in length that was responsible for killing several storm chasers.

“We knew going in that day that there was a chance of some very powerful storms. It was intense,” he says. “We went back the next day and we saw houses and buildings that we had seen the day before the tornado that were completely gone. It was eye-opening. It just reinforces why we do what we do. Students will hopefully go on and do research and maybe better understand some of these storms.”

Weather is something that has always fascinated Reagan. While growing up, he would wake and immediately turn on The Weather

Channel. That fascination evolved into a geography major and math minor at the U of M, where he earned Third-Team All America honors as a kicker in 2009. A moment that shaped Reagan’s interest in storm chasing came when his geography class was dismissed early because of bad weather.

“I’ve seen the power that nature has to offer,” he says. “The tornado came through southeast Memphis. I could see myself going out and pursuing these storms.”

Reagan did an internship at the National Weather Service the summer before his senior year. He participated in storm surveys and helped with severe weather operations by recording any damage. The internship was a turning point.

“I thought, ‘This is something I could do: operational meteorology.’ I wanted to issue weather watches, weather warnings and give THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

forecasts. People know these jobs exist but don’t see the person on TV. At the same time, though, it is a very important job.”

When Reagan graduated from the U of M, he flirted with the idea of trying out in the NFL. When he got assistantship offers for graduate schools, he decided to go that route.

Reagan has already completed his master’s in geosciences.

As part of his dissertation, Reagan is doing a balloon research project in a partnership with the National Weather Service in Memphis.

On severe weather days, he and his team will launch balloons to collect data and help fine-tune the weather forecast. They wait for storms to form and keep a safe distance, but report any severe hail, wind or tornadoes to the weather service.

Although the situation may seem pressurefilled, Reagan is used to it from his football days.

“The thing that I really like is there’s pressure on you to perform your job just like in football.

And it’s a team setting. In a severe weather operation, there are six or seven meteorologists

who have to coordinate with each other and work together toward a goal to keep life and property safe. Honestly, there’s dire consequences if you don’t perform your job.”

Reagan is expected to graduate in 2015.

He is interested in pursuing teaching or a job in weather operations, which includes making forecasts, issuing warnings and weather research.

He hasn’t left the gridiron completely behind. Reagan spends his summers traveling the country doing specialized football camps for kickers and long snappers in high school and college. Although he’s not chasing after footballs anymore, he hopes his newfound storm-chases are having a bigger impact.

“When I’m doing the chases, I hope to educate and spark that passion in students.”

— by Sara Hoover

Student-athletes continue to excel When Tom Bowen was named U of M athletic director just over a year ago, he made it clear: if a student athlete doesn’t perform well in the classroom, he or she won’t play.

“Try me,” he warned. Based on recent academic numbers, athletes continue to excel.

In the most recent NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) rankings, compiled for 2011-12, 10 U of M teams achieved a perfect score of 1,000. The rate is a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of every student-athlete each term, with teams mandated to maintain a minimum score to remain eligible. Baseball, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and mixed rifle all reached the perfect mark. The 2012-13 APR scores will be released by the NCAA in October.

“This is indicative of the hard work of our Center for Athletic Academic Services (CAAS) staff as well as our student-athletes,” Bowen says. “We stress the importance of academic success at our University. We are becoming known for that among recruits and across the nation.”

In 2012-13, CAAS provided academic support services to 383 student-athletes.

During that period, 228 student-athletes were named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll for maintaining a cumulative gradepoint average of 3.0 or better, ranking the U of M first in the conference.

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The University’s 11th president left an enduring mark that will be felt for the U of M’s next 100 years.

By Greg Russell Shortly after Dr. Shirley C. Raines was officially introduced as president of the University of Memphis during a Tiger basketball game at The Pyramid in early 2001, several Memphis Police Department officers gave chase in hot pursuit.

No cuffs, no citations — “They were just trying to catch up to me to shake my hand,” says Raines, with a smile.

It was a telling moment. The four or five female police officers were just a few of the thousands of women in the building that evening who wanted to congratulate Raines: she had just become the first female president of a University that began offering classes in 1912. Women reached across their husbands in the stands to shake her hand as she slowly made her way up the stairs from the court back to the President’s Box. When she later visited the concession stand in the building’s corridor, workers couldn’t wait to congratulate her.

“That’s when I realized how significant it was that I was a female,” Raines says. “It was important in that I think it helped others believe they can do whatever they want in their profession, no matter their gender.”

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Looking back, that would become a small but albeit important part of a legacy of a president who would go on to dramatically transform a campus both physically and academically. From growing up on a farm in rural west Tennessee where she picked cotton to later using scholarships to keep her head above water in college, Raines would become the longest serving president in the school’s history and one of the region’s most visible and beloved public figures.

Raines has garnered national attention for her presidential leadership.

She was invited to the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce last October to take part in a panel discussion on entrepreneurship and innovation because, “We have been very impressed with the approaches taken by the University of Memphis in terms of corporate sponsorships, campus engagement and an entrepreneurship agenda, as well as its unique partnership with FedEx,” read a White House statement.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

In a way, Raines’ presentation that day was fitting, and it summed up what her presidency was about: The FedEx Institute of Technology has dramatically elevated the University’s research status, built worldwide collaborations among leading scientists, created a technology transfer office and championed interdisciplinary research — all major goals of Raines when she first entered office.

Others have taken note of her leadership skills. For six straight years, she has been a keynote speaker at Harvard’s prestigious Institute for Presidents and Chancellors. “That has been a thrill for me. I have to say I am stunned every year they ask me to come back,” she says in her usual gracious manner.

Raines says the 12 years have gone by “in a flash.”

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the University of Memphis as president. These have been 12 of the most enjoyable, challenging and professionally fulfilling years of my life,” Raines says. “I will certainly miss the campus, and most of all, the wonderful people I have had the honor to work with.”

Dr. Shirley Raines served longer than any other president in the 101-year history of the U of M. After 12 years, she stepped down June 30.

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with Dr. Raines and Dr. Canady

Shortly after she announced her retirement from the University in mid-April, Dr. Shirley Raines and her husband, Dr. Bob Canady, also a former educator, sat down with University of Memphis Magazine editor Greg Russell to reflect on her 12 years at the U of M. The result was a candid, often personal glimpse at a president known for her compassion, leadership and unwavering strength in difficult times.

Greg Russell (GR): Dr. Raines, you have mentioned before that you owe much of your work ethic and overall success to your parents and to being raised on a farm in rural West Tennessee.

Shirley Raines (SR): Greg, that is true and I have a story to illustrate that. When I was named president in 2001, Don Sundquist was still governor. Because of the 9/11 incident, we postponed the inauguration until the following April — it had been scheduled to be in September. By then, Phil Bredesen was in office. My mom and dad were at a luncheon with Gov. Bredesen as I took office and I heard my dad say to the governor, “Well, I don’t know what a college president does, but she’ll give you a good day’s work.” I thought that was so much like my farming dad and I loved it. It was precious for me, and a moment that always has stood out.

GR: You were very close to your parents.

SR: Yes, very close. You can’t grow up on a farm and work together without being close to them.

Bob Canady (BC): To add to that, I don’t know of many things that were more meaningful to you (Shirley) than to have your mother and father come to campus for your inauguration 12

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and the unveiling of your presidential portrait.

SR: Yes, at the inauguration my mom and dad were here as were my son and my brother and his wife. My mother had strokes shortly after that and really was not able to come back much more, so my dad didn’t come anymore either. But the one time they were here was for my inauguration. She had a blue dress on. I got it for her and I tried it on because I knew her size. She loved that dress.

She loved that dress very much. I will always remember her wearing it.

GR: What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment during your time at the University?

SR: There have been many, but they always have to do with the programs for the students and faculty. Creating the School of Public Health was big. The expansions of the Helen Hardin Honors Program and the Emerging Leaders Program are ones I am proud of because the honors program is now the largest in the state. All great universities have at least 10 percent of their students as honors students and we have reached that mark. That has helped increase the caliber of students the

University is graduating and is increasing the visibility of the fine standards we have academically. I am also proud of what we have been able to do research-wise with the FedEx Institute, and the creation of the Office of Technology Transfer within the Institute.

Those are greatly increasing our visibility as an outstanding research university. The downtown law school, the University Center and the Wilson School all, too, are things I am very proud of.

GR: Bob, what do you think her legacy will be at the University?

BC: I know this may sound silly because it is used very often, but I cannot get over her posiTHE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Opposite page: Dr. Raines with her mother, Irene, on the day Raines was inaugurated as president. At left, with her husband, Dr. Bob Canady.

tive attitude. I admire that so much. I guess I am more critical sometimes than I should be.

And as soon as I come up with criticism, she comes right back with a positive view of it, and it can be about the University or about a car … “I hate the look of that car,” I’ll say, but she will come back with, “Well I understand it gets good gas mileage.” Her positive attitude has led to so many successes at the school.

GR: Dr. Raines, it appears you always handle situations with ease even in the most difficult of times. I just don’t see how you continuously do that.

SR: It may appear that way, but I haven’t always handled them with ease. I’ve been torn many times when something difficult happens and with what the right course of action is to remedy the situation. I have anguished over tenure decisions. I have anguished over decisions that have to do with students or faculty or staff.

It is not always easy, but I try not to stay in that anguished state. Once we’ve (President’s Council or myself) made the decision, we W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

move forward because if you stay in that state, you’re paralyzed. I, as the leader, as with any leader, find a way forward. And that is the challenge.

GR: Has there been one situation that was most difficult for you?

SR: Certainly people out there in the community think the on-campus stadium issue is the biggest issue, and that will always come up as associated with me. It certainly caused a lot of anguish for everybody on all sides. I feel we made the right decision and it was a collective decision, although it is not always viewed that way. Every leadership position will have critics.

It doesn’t matter if it is a church group or a community group or a university or a corporation. There will be criticism. It is important to hear the criticism and think about whether it is valid or not and take actions based off of that.

GR: One aspect of your legacy certainly will be your push for stronger community involvement, engaged scholarship and collaboration.

SR: I remember that the first time I used the phrase “engaged scholarship” in an interview, people stared at me. I noted that we face the same issues that the community faces, and we use real research to investigate and try to work toward resolutions or advancing towards resolutions of those problems in the community. Very important to the idea of “engaged scholarship” is interdisciplinary research.

A sociologist may take on a project in the Binghamton neighborhood and need the help of a group in engineering that may need the help of a computer science group for a large data set. That is why the University is extremely important in this city — we are able to link all these highly knowledgeable and skilled people, and embrace the community as partners. It is about helping people come together to solve problems.

The reality is we are a major research hub for this whole area and that we collaborate with people from all over the world. The Artificial Intelligence Group and the FedEx Institute have collaborators from all over the country. Not only are we seen here but we’re seen in other places as being a major research university.

But we need to be more major. We need to get to that $100 million research mark and we’ll compete for major NSF, NIH, Department FA L L 2 013

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Just a few of the notable achievements during Dr. Raines’ tenure Capital projects completed: l A newly designed student center l The FedEx Institute of Technology l The Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management l The student activities plaza, fountain and clock tower l The relocation of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law to the historic U.S. Customs House and Post Office in downtown Memphis l First Living/Learning Residence Complex

Enrollment, program and research funding growth: l Enrollment recently topped 22,000 for the third straight year, the highest in the 101-year history of the school l Annual research funding has grown 53 percent and now exceeds $633 million

Raines says she will miss her “daily interaction with students” most upon retirement.

of Defense and other grants. And I really believe that if the recession hadn’t come along, we would already be there.

GR: What is your proudest moment at the University?

SR: Commencement is always my proudest day.

GR: Dr. Raines, you are often seen at two, three or four events in one day. Where do you get the energy?

SR: I am not sure I know. I said this when I first came here, that I am people-oriented and goal-oriented. When I think of an event, it is to either reaffirm people or get to know people. It may be my fifth event of the day, but that may be their one important event of the semester. And if you think about it from the other person’s perspective, that is how I try to think about it. That keeps me energized.

GR: Was being a university president a goal?

BC: She kept trying to stay in the classroom.

She wanted to teach, but they kept drafting her into administration.

SR: That is true. I thought about becoming a president when I was vice chancellor and dean of the College of Education simultaneously at the University of Kentucky. I learned a lot in that process and I was able to observe the president up close. A former president 14

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l The largest capital campaign in the school’s history — $256 million — was completed in late June suggested that I would be a good president someday. I thought about it, and the opportunity at Memphis came along. I was nominated and it was something I wanted very much because I wanted to come back to Tennessee. This may sound mushy, but I have to say it: without the citizens of Tennessee providing a good higher education opportunity and without donors providing me with scholarship funds, I would have never been able to go to college. So I am indebted just like our students today are indebted to the citizens of the state who support higher education and donors who give to higher education.

I worked in the bookstore while I was in college. I had opportunities to go other places since I came here and before I came here. I said, “No, I need to find that right spot for me.”

But once I got to the University of Memphis, I knew this was the right place.

GR: Has there been one event that has stood out during your 12 years?

SR: It has to be the centennial year because it was a celebration of all the things the University has done for 100 years.

GR: Bob, you have been retired a few years.

Do you have any retirement advice for your wife?

SR (with a laugh): He has been giving me retirement advice for a long time, but I haven’t taken it.

l Enrollment in the Helen Hardin Honors Program — already the largest in the state — has increased to 1,852 students, up from about 700 prior to her arrival in 2001 l Enrollment in the nationally acclaimed Emerging Leaders program has increased from about 77 seven years ago to an average of 200 after a strong push by Dr. Raines to increase participation BC: Have you heard about the birthday present I gave her? It was a set of golf clubs. She kept saying when she retires she’s going to learn to play golf with me. Her birthday was the day she made the retirement announcement. I had put golf clubs in another room and had her go in and I said, “This is your birthday present.”

SR: I competed in a little putting contest with him and I won … he's still upset with me. But the only thing I can do is putt.

BC: I thought to myself, “I have a golfer here!”

GR: Any other special plans besides spending more time with your family in the Oak Ridge area?

SR: I have asked the chancellor to be named professor emeritus (something he has granted) so that I can help Brad Martin (interim president) for a little while in the transition period.

And I may start writing again.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Former Saks CEO Brad Martin leads U of M Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan named R. Brad Martin, a member of the University of Memphis’ Board of Visitors and retired chair and CEO of Saks Inc., to serve as interim president. He began his duties July 1, replacing Dr. Shirley Raines who announced her retirement in April.

“Dr. Raines’ 12-year tenure at the University has been marked by significant advancements in its critical mission of teaching, research and service,” said Martin. “The U of M is fortunate to have in place a dedicated and talented faculty and staff and enthusiastic and loyal alumni and friends. I look forward to working with them to maintain the outstanding momentum of this most important institution.

“In my conversations with Tenn. Gov. Bill Haslam, Chancellor John Morgan and Vice Chairman Greg Duckett of the TBR about this responsibility, it was clear to me of their strong commitment to the University and its unique mission. I share that commitment and hope I can be helpful,” he said.

In making the announcement, Morgan said the choice of Martin “is a unique opportunity that will serve the U of M well.”

“Martin will maintain the momentum at the U of M while leading the institution through a time of important transition,” he said. “He has deeply established connections to the campus and the community, as well as a sincere respect for the academic mission and a strong commitment to shared governance.

“Martin’s interim leadership will provide a new perspective to the University’s business operations and a broader view on the relationships with the local, regional and state economy,” Morgan added.

Martin began working with Raines in mid-April to begin preparing for the role.

A 1976 graduate of the University, he served as Student Government Association president and as a member of the Student Ambassador Board while a student at the U of M. He has been a guest lecturer and speaker at the University on multiple occasions and has taught a class in state and local politics in the Department of Political Science. He and his family have provided significant financial support for U of M academic and athletic programs for decades.

Martin currently chairs his private investment firm RBM Venture Co. He has chaired the University’s Board of Visitors and the U of M Foundation Board of Trustees, and received the Distinguished Alumni Award. He currently serves as a University Athletic Ambassador and is a member of the Tiger Athletic Advisory Board.

Martin also earned an MBA degree from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. He holds the distinction of being the youngest person elected to the Tennessee General Assembly, where he served five terms in the House of Representatives. As a member of the House, he created and sponsored legislation that founded the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University. He participates on a variety of corporate, civic and charitable boards, including FedEx, First Horizon National Corp., Dillard’s and Chesapeake Energy.

Martin retired in 2007 from Saks after serving nearly 20 years as an executive with that firm. He was the principal investor in RBM Acquisition Co., an entity that acquired Saks’ predecessor business, Proffit’s Inc. Martin became the W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

Dina and Brad Martin and sons Jack, Myles and Wesley.

chief executive officer of the company in 1989 when it was comprised of 10 stores with annual revenues of approximately $70 million. Over the subsequent decade, Proffitt’s grew to become one of the largest department store businesses in the United States, generating revenues in excess of $4 billion.

He is also involved in a number of philanthropic and civic activities through the R. Brad Martin Family Foundation. Among the interests of the Foundation is the work of the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence, housed at Presbyterian Day School in Memphis, which provides world-class professional development opportunities for K-12 public and private school teachers. Martin’s wife, Dina, also a U of M graduate, is active in a variety of University, community and philanthropic programs.

He is the co-author of the book Five Stones: Conquering Your Giants and author of the children’s book, Myles’ Pesky Friends.

The search for the U of M’s next president will begin this fall.

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hough it may be her profession, art isn’t simply a job for Christina Katrakis. As a painter, sculptor, instructor and philanthropist, Katrakis is truly a modern day Renaissance woman. She calls art “the only universal international language,” a form of expression that has allowed her to cope with numerous personal tragedies, including throat cancer and the loss of a child — both associated with the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in 1986.

And while art has been a way to heal for Katrakis, the Kiev, Ukraine, native has used it as a conduit for helping others.

“Art offered me another world where I was the master,” says Katrakis, who earned a master’s in fine arts from the U of M in 2005.

“I could change my path, I could erase or add to it. Through art, I created my own life, my own world. In it, everything was the way I wanted it to be, and it was my secret, my little universe where my soul (could) dwell.”

Chernobyl and beyond With a father who was a sculptor and a mother who was an art historian, it was evident early on that Katrakis was destined to enter the arts world. She has memories of drawing from as far back as when she was only 2 years old. For her, there was a strong pull toward the arts early on — and became something she would lean on later.

“I was not understood in any manner by children my age, so I was a bit of a loner living in a world of my own,” says Katrakis. “The situation in my family was difficult, too, and art became my family, my love, my everything. I no longer had to hide or fear or run away. It was my home, perhaps the only true home I ever had.”

She turned to canvas to confront personal tragedies that haunted her, including the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Her works are owned by the likes of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Angelina Jolie and George Clooney.

But now this U of M graduate uses art to help young people deal with physical and emotional problems of their own.

by ANDREW CLARK

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Katrakis’ earliest years were marred by the kinds of tragedy that most never have to endure, experiences that would ultimately permeate her art. When the Chernobyl disaster struck, Katrakis — who was 6 at the time — was just 15 miles away and was forced to evacuate.

Soon after, she developed throat cancer and spent two years recovering from subsequent surgery. A short time later, Katrakis lived through the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict. Since age 12, she has lived alone.

For the artist, surviving the Chernobyl disaster was immensely transformative — she has sought to find the silver lining within the tragedy.

“It made me stronger,” says Katrakis. “It gave me a magic journey which, back then when I was only 6 years old, seemed to be a fairy tale moment. I never felt like a victim. On the contrary, I always did feel like a survivor and did feel very lucky to survive and be alive, while so many people did die in front of my eyes in the same hospital where I had the surgery.”

She says the impact of Chernobyl has stayed with her throughout her life. “Radiation will linger in my body forever,” Katrakis says. She tragically lost her first child due to a condition known as Chernobyl Heart.

“I coped with the realization of the child's loss and my personal past the best way I could and probably the only way I knew how — via art.”

it Out,” where Katrakis depicts her body into her beloved Greek island of Milos, using drawing, mixed media, print and monochromatic painting in an effort to “explore the relationship between the physical and the encrypted reality.”

Then there is her art that deals with Chernobyl. Her work, “The Zone,” is a striking, powerful collection that consists of paintings that illuminate the tragedy of the disaster. In one painting, a figure wearing a gas mask pulls dolls out of a body of water. The images are haunting, replete with emotion. In the series, Katrakis seeks to combine local folklore with her own grief.

“The very realization of just how close the tragedy really is and how omnipresent it is in my life even today, and in my body where it dwells as a hidden sleeping beast, made me wake up to the call,” she says of the effect of Chernobyl on her artwork.

“These paintings were created on one breath. I didn’t eat. I didn’t sleep.

I didn’t cry. I only painted day and night without leaving the studio, without seeing anyone or anything. I fully devoted myself to it. It was my cry, my mourning, my lament, my pain, my love, my dream — my everything.”

The first time the paintings were shown to the public was at the Memphis Botanic Garden gallery. According to Katrakis, the response was incredibly cathartic, as those who were thousands of miles away

Expressing herself One glance at Katrakis’ work, and it’s obvious that she’s not your typical artist. Her work is evocative, capable of drumming up an entire spectrum of complex emotions. A number of different topics are explored through her work. For instance, consider her work, “Mapping

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U of M alum Christina Katrakis overcame throat cancer that was caused by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 to set up a foundation that aids orphans and children with cancer in her native Ukraine.

She uses art to help sick and needy children cope with their physical and emotional problems. Her artwork is owned by two U.S. presidents and numerous celebrities.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

when the disaster hit were able to feel the power of Chernobyl’s impact decades later.

“I saw people cry just by looking at the work. These were Americans who never before had even heard of Chernobyl or of what happened, but they did feel what I wanted them to feel. They saw my pain, they saw my Chernobyl, they saw my loss.”

A speaker of eight languages, Katrakis has shown exhibits all around the globe, from Greece to Kiev to Memphis. According to her blog, Katrakis actually considers her hometown to be the world itself.

“The question I am often asked is, ‘Do you consider yourself an American artist or a Memphis artist or Ukrainian, Greek or European?’” she says. “And I hate that because I think a real artist should belong to the world.”

Giving back These days, Katrakis is traversing the globe with a philanthropic mission, simultaneously working on her art while striving to improve the lives of those in need. For her, it is just one of the many powers that art holds.

“I believe that the artist has a great power much greater than that of all the CEOs of the world combined,” says Katrakis. “The artist is a creator who creates his or her world and shares it with the viewer, forces the viewer to become a participant, and through this, influences the vision of millions who see his or her work.”

With the aid of friends, Katrakis established the Give a Voice to Children foundation. The aim of the foundation is to help children overcome their “inner sorrows and despair.” The foundation has been able to deliver art kits — which include art tools, books and educational materials — to children who have undergone tragedies such as natural disasters and wars. The children then submit their artwork and it ultimately gets displayed in galleries and children’s hospitals, with the hope that it inspires others.

Her activities have also supported orphans and children with cancer.

Katrakis delicately balances her busy life as an artist and philanthropist. In her eyes, having the chance to spend her days helping others makes everything worth it.

“Just a few days ago I was able to raise money for food for 50 children who were starving in the orphanage in Lviv, Ukraine, with no help from the government or state,” says Katrakis.

“And I did it with my own example by giving them all I had and by reaching out to all the people in my network (Facebook, etc.) who were inspired to help as well. In the end I was able to find a permanent sponsor for this small, private orphanage, thus I know that these kids will never starve again! You cannot even imagine what a great and magic feeling it is to know that you made a difference. It’s worth living for.”

Andrew Clark is a freelance writer based in Boston.

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A study by a U of M professor that focuses on space travel may have far-reaching implications for future astronauts and space tourism.

By Gabrielle Maxey “To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith.”

– Astronaut John Glenn

A

stronauts, cosmonauts, engineers, space tourists and others who venture into space often describe overwhelming sensations of a spiritual or religious nature when they return to Earth.

Others, although they may not have a religious reaction, can’t help but feel a sense of awe and wonder as they watch the “big blue marble” that is Earth shrink behind them. A University of Memphis professor is investigating their perceptions as well as those of “test subjects” who are taking part in simulated space flights that may prepare future space travelers for long missions and may also mean a boon for space tourism.

“Space, Science and Spirituality,” a two-year project funded by the John Templeton Foundation, brought together a team of scientists, philosophers and scholars in the humanities to investigate the experiences of awe, wonder, curiosity and humility reported by astronauts during space flight.

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Shaun Gallagher, the Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence in Philosophy since 2011, brought the U of M into the study along with partners at the University of Central Florida and Humboldt University in Berlin.

While serving as chair of philosophy at UCF, Gallagher developed an interest in the subject of space travel after he was exposed to several research projects that involved National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA). “I thought it would be interesting to have a humanities component if we could join in on the NASA research,” he says.

It took Gallagher years to find the right people to put the experiment together. Once he saw the call for proposal from the Templeton Foundation he knew he had to put a team together. “I had to find a psychologist and someone who could do the neuroscience,” he explains.

Gallagher found a humanities professor who worked at the UCF campus in Cocoa, near the Kennedy Space Center, who for years had been collecting interviews and everything THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

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he could find on spirituality and religious experiences recorded by astronauts. “He had statements and interviews from astronauts and cosmonauts, people who had gone to space from different countries such as Saudi Arabia and Israel that represented various religious backgrounds and cultures,” he says.

Gallagher also researched numerous accounts recorded by astronauts on NASA’s website.

The study was done at UCF, which provides highly sophisticated simulation capabilities through its Institute for Simulation & Training. As part of the project, the research team built a Virtual Space Lab, a simulated environment similar to some aspects of the International Space Station (ISS). The idea was to create a sensation of being in space and present to subjects the kind of moving images that astronauts said were the basis for the experiences they had. “If you read

account of the subject’s time in the simulator.

These interviews were compared with journal entries written by more than 50 astronauts, cosmonauts, engineers and others.

“Some of their experiences were aesthetic, overawed by beauty of what they were seeing.

Some were just highly intellectual, looking at things, being extremely interested and having an intellectual curiosity in what they were seeing,” Gallagher says. “Others had spiritual experiences involving a kind of internal transformation that they felt; they suddenly realized something that was so significant to them that there was some kind of internal spiritual change. Some were more explicitly religious.

They would look out and see it in terms of creation or God’s power. Not all had religious or spiritual aspects, but most had the aesthetic.”

Astronaut Jeffrey Williams served as a consultant on the study, offering suggestions

trained for years as an astronaut and gone into space as opposed to non-space travelers. In analyzing the results, the study tried to identify in precise categories the experiences they were expressing. “Most reported being overwhelmed, beauty, feeling small in comparison to the universe,” Gallagher says.

“We pulled those out, and in the end had 37 categories. They (test subjects) might not have strength or depth of astronauts’ experiences, but many of them came back and explained what the experience was to them.”

Many mentioned movies that they’ve seen, he says. “Apollo 13 and some other space movies quite frequently came up. Some of their expectations going into it had to do with science fiction,

“It is actually hard to come up with the appropriate adjectives to adequately describe the beautiful ball that is our planet. You often hear ‘magnificent,’ ‘beautiful,’ ‘serene’ and ‘warm.’ The view is all of this and more.”

– Astronaut Sandra Magnus

astronauts’ accounts, they all seem to indicate they had these experiences when they were sitting looking out the window of the Space Shuttle or International Space Station, seeing the Earth from a certain perspective, looking out into deep space,” says Gallagher. “The question was whether we could simulate that to replicate these experiences.”

Most of the non-space test subjects were undergraduate psychology students.

Researchers hooked them up to various technologies to measure neurological and physiological measurements, including brain activity and heart rate.

Immediately after the simulation, the team used a “phenomenological” interview technique designed to get the most accurate 22

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for improving the simulator. Williams was a flight engineer and space walker on three missions aboard the International Space Station. During his six months aboard the ISS in 2006, he orbited Earth more than 2,800 times and took more photographs of Earth than any astronaut in history. Some of the photos are published in his book The Work of His Hands: A View of God’s Creation From Space. “Many people have stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon and have experienced the awe and wonder and grandeur of it,” says Williams. “That’s an example I like to give to suggest a glimpse of what it’s like to experience the view of Earth from orbit.”

Gallagher says there was a great difference in the experiences reported by those who had

IMAX, the planetarium, Disney or Universal (Studios).”

The study used a standard questionnaire about religious beliefs and practices. Subjects ranged from having strong religious values to being atheists. Researchers have finished the data collection and are still compiling the results. “We correlated the experience as it’s expressed in interviews, mapping it on to the timeline of the simulation in order to know what neurological and physiological changes they were going through as they watched the simulation, and correlated these with information provided on questionnaires.”

While some accounts were not exactly THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Shaun Gallagher, the Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence in Philosophy, brought a humanities component to the “Space, Science and Spirituality” study on the experiences of awe, wonder, curiosity and humility reported by astronauts after traveling in space.

“When I looked back and saw that tiny Earth, it snapped my world view.

Here we are, on kind of a physically inconsequential planet, going around a not particularly significant star, going around a galaxy of billions of stars that’s not a particularly significant galaxy — in a universe where there’s billions and billions of galaxies. Are we really that special? I don’t think so.”

— Astronaut Bill Anders

religious, most subjects reported some sort of response. “They started to think about the value of human life, looking at the planet and how fragile it is,” Gallagher says. “They talked about the fragility of the atmosphere.

Many of them talked about ecological concerns and ethical concerns, but also all the hungry people down on Earth and how there aren’t a lot of political borders they can see from space and what is keeping us apart, that kind of thing.”

Three U of M graduate students in philosophy assisted with conducting interviews for the study. The interviewers used special techniques to help the participants recall the event as they originally experienced it. “The aim was to try to gauge their immediate reaction to the simulator rather than any thoughts they had about it after reflection,” says U of M graduate student Chris Lucibella.

A high percentage of the subjects reported strong reactions to the simulator, he says. “It definitely seems that people experience a degree of awe or wonder from seeing the Earth shrinking behind them, even in a simulated environment.”

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Benjamin Aguda, a U of M PhD candidate, found the results were across the board. “I didn’t notice much regularity as far as how people interpreted their experiences. I did see awe in many people, but it seems that the expectations that people bring into the simulation with them are the major factor in how they react to it. Religious people talked about God, non-religious people talked about their families, scientific-type people talked about the universe, conscientious people talked about the Earth or humanity as a whole. I didn’t see any nonreligious people becoming religious or anything like that.”

The findings could have many applications, Gallagher says.

Psychologists may use the results to study problems that might arise during long-term space travel and determine who might be best suited for an extended flight. The study could prove to be a new initiative for space tourism as well. “One application might be therapeutic,” he adds. “We might be able to put someone in a simulator and give them experiences of awe and wonder. That might be an interesting treatment for depression.”

Gallagher’s study wraps up later this year.

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They may not wear capes ...

but these pairs of University of Memphis athletes’ performances are often super in nature!

By greg russell

Quick U of M

football primer: When was the last time a University of Memphis coach could tell his team in preseason, “Guys, if we win conference this fall, we are going to the Sugar, Orange or Fiesta Bowl?”

The short-order answer: Never.

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is not lost on junior defensive back Bobby McCain, one of two dynamic duos being previewed for the upcoming Tiger football season (with nine starters back from one of C-USA’s top-rated defenses, picking two was not an easy chore).

“A year ago in preseason, coaches weren’t even whispering ‘bowl,’” McCain says. “This year, it is in the back of everyone’s mind. It is a motivator. It gives us a lot more to play for and gives the program a chance to be recognized nationally.”

The Tigers’ new affiliation, the American Athletic Conference, will have an automatic qualifier to an elite bowl for this season.

“Playing in the new conference with tougher competition, it is a big step up,” says Martin Ifedi, who is scooping up one preseason honor after another as a Tigers defen-

That Fact...

sive end. “We don’t plan on being at home in December.”

Ifedi and McCain are two defensive players Tiger fans will want to focus on when Memphis opens against Duke Sept. 7.

Ifedi is easily recognizable: you won’t need a Jumbotron to spot his No. 97 jersey: it looms large enough when spread across his 6-3, 240pound frame. Watching him chase after opposing quarterbacks is worth admission alone.

“In our defense, I am usually in a one-onone situation with a lineman,” Ifedi says. “I work hard at beating that man, then I worry about the quarterback.”

And quarterbacks should be worried: Ifedi led Memphis with 11 tackles for losses and 7.5 quarterback sacks last season. He registered 44 solo tackles and in addition to the sacks, had four quarterback hurries and recovered two fumbles. He has been named FA L L 2 013

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Ifedi

MCCain Sherrod

to the preliminary watch list for the Lombardi Award and to College Football Performance Awards’ Defensive Lineman Trophy Watch List.

One game Tiger fans should pay attention to is the Nov. 23 matchup with conference favorite Louisville and its record-setting quarterback Terry Bridgewater. Last year’s Big East Offensive Player of the Year led the Cardinals to an upset win over Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

Containing Bridgewater will be the key to what could be a season-defining win.

“Games like that one give our program a chance to be on the national stage,” Ifedi says. “Playing against quarterbacks like that is a challenge I look forward to.”

After the worst defense in the conference in 2011, last year’s turnaround to third best was special, says McCain.

“As a team, everyone bought in,” he explains, “a whole new attitude. Off the field, we were a much closer unit, spending a lot of social time together. You hear that all the time, but that really makes a difference on the field. With nine starters back, some really good transfers and new guys, we will be even better.”

The junior cornerback started all 12 games for Memphis last year, recording 26 solo 26

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stops. He also adds a flair for the dramatic to Memphis’ special teams unit — he returned a kickoff 95 yards against Duke last year and enters this season on the first-team special teams preseason all-conference list.

Claiming a conference title will be difficult with Louisville and Cincinnati returning strong units, but that won’t stop Memphis from trying, McCain says.

“We don’t see names, we just see their numbers,” he says of defending opposing teams.

“We have the chance to knock off some of the best and make a name for Memphis.”

OFFENSIVE REMARKS Even if you are not a soccer fan, run — no sprint — out to Mike Rose Soccer Stadium this fall to see two of the best college players in the game: Christabel Oduro for the U of M women’s team and Mark Sherrod for the men’s squad. And if you need any proof of this dynamic duos’ almost superhero exploits, note that the pair were tabbed C-USA Offensive Players of the Year each of the past two seasons, a first in the history of the men’s league.

“If Mark were on our football team, with his talent, he would absolutely be mobbed by fans,” U of M coach Richie Grant says.

“As for Oduro, she’s like the Pelé of Memphis women’s soccer,” says a U of M alum.

The pair dazzle in their approach to the game, using uncanny speed and a bit of “magic” to score.

“I try hard to beat them to the ball then I use some trickery, some wizardry and explode to the net,” Oduro says.

Sherrod can score with his left foot, his right foot and even in a socked foot, as Tiger fans witnessed two years ago when he netted a goal after losing a shoe — a feat that went viral on the Internet.

Sherrod was recently named a preseason All American by College Soccer News. His name has been on “National Player of the Year” watch lists each of the past two seasons as he gathered National Player of the Week honors. In 2011, he tied for second in the nation for goals scored, breaking the U of M season record with 19.

“My size is a huge part of my success,” the 6-4 Sherrod says. “I can out-jump others on offense so it helps me with headers. It helps me barricade off other players.”

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

PHOTOS BY JOE MURPHY

Oduro finished eighth in the nation averaging 2.13 points per game last season and had a league-high 13 goals and eight assists. In 2011, her nine points against UT Martin set an NCAA Tournament record for most points recorded in an NCAA tournament match. She has appeared on numerous National Team of the Week lists. Oduro was named to Canada’s National Team roster last January.

“Last spring she got called in for a friendly match against Brazil and I think this speaks volumes of her ability,” says coach Brooks Monaghan.

WHOLE LOTTA LOVE Joe Salisbury and David O’Hare might have found their version of “kryptonite” last fall on the tennis court, but fortunately for this dynamic duo, it was easily undone.

After spending much of the two previous seasons as successful doubles partners in tennis, the pair split last fall in an “experiment.”

“We kind of rearranged, changed up a bit to see how that would help the team overall,” says Salisbury, a native of England.

Oduro W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

“But we started off slow and things didn’t go our way,” says the Dublin-born O’Hare.

But the pair got back together in the spring and recorded the biggest win in U of M doubles history when they upset No. 3 ranked Nik Scholtz and Jonas Lutjen of Ole Miss in last year’s NCAA regionals, 8-5. The victory helped Memphis defeat the No. 7-ranked Rebels and earn the school’s first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.

“Huge wins for our program,” says Tiger coach Paul Goebel, whose Memphis team fell to defending national champion Pepperdine in the Sweet 16. “Ole Miss (playing at home) had a great crowd and our guys came out with great energy in doubles.”

O’Hare’s and Salisbury’s goal for this season is quite simple: win a national doubles championship, and why not? Besides Ole Miss, the pair — 14-2 in doubles play last year — has upended tough teams from Brigham Young, Baylor, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Cornell and Tulsa, a win that helped Memphis claim its first C-USA championship.

“David and I, we feel we can do some real damage next year,” says Salisbury. “We feel we can really go far and win a doubles championship.”

Memphis ended the season with a No. 20 ranking while Salisbury and O’Hare picked up a No. 39 doubles ranking after a slow start, a number that should be much higher come this fall.

Goebel urges Tiger fans to find an opportunity to watch the pair.

“The most important key to their success is the enjoyment they get from playing together,” Goebel says. “Their high energy levels during matches make them great to watch. They each have a true passion for doubles and putting them together for their senior year will be exciting for our program.”

Salisbury, who lives 10 minutes from Wimbledon, had a stellar summer, recording his first ATP singles points with a pair of wins in the Aegon GB Pro-Series Manchester event.

“Beating so many top teams gave us a lot of confidence,” says O’Hare. “At Oxford, beating a genuine Top 10 team gave us the belief we can beat anyone. But losing in the Sweet 16, no one on our team was satisfied. That will make us better next year.”

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Jim and Judy Baker

Carolyn and Marino Hardy

Dan and Betty Forrester and Bill Morris

Jeanette and Bill Watkins

Al and Alison Hollingsworth and Nan Landess

Allie and Barbara Prescott

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

The U of M marked the culmination of Empowering the Dream with a June 29 gala in the University Center. Above, co-chairs Judy and Charles Burkett.

A roaring success Shirley Raines and Rita Sparks

Janice Holder and Butch Childers W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

Mission, accomplished — and then some.

The University of Memphis’ most ambitious capital campaign ever — the $250 million Empowering the Dream Centennial Campaign that ended June 30 — raised more than $256 million that will go toward funding scholarships, new educational facilities and faculty and research support, among other things.

“This is a historic moment that will rank as one one of the great days in the history of our University,” says Dr. Shirley Raines, who retired as U of M president June 30. “Our donors’ campaign contributions show that they value the learning experiences, economic opportunities, research endeavors and outreach activities that the University of Memphis contributes to our region and to the state.”

About 73 percent of the funds will support students through scholarships, graduate fellowships and assistantships, and annual operating funds for crucial programs across campus.

Another 18 percent is going toward new and renovated facilities. These include the new Community Health Building, which will house the Loewenberg School of Nursing, the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and the Memphis Speech and Hearing Center; a new music center for the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music; a newly renovated building for the Crews Ventures Lab; the downtown Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law; and new and renovated athletic facilities. The remaining funds are directed toward faculty support through professorships and chairs.

“The heart of our campaign aimed to maximize investment in scholarships, facilities and faculty support to build academic excellence that translates to economic and workforce development for our state and region,” says Julie Johnson, vice president for Advancement.

Bobby Prince, associate vice president for Development, says the campaign provided an opportunity for the U of M to “communicate that private support will continue to play a crucial role in the University’s ability to recruit and retain talented students and faculty.”

The Empowering the Dream campaign was co-chaired by Charles and Judy Burkett. Charles Burkett graduated from the U of M in 1973 and is a former president of First Tennessee Bank.

Visit www.memphis.edu/development for more information about giving to the University.

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Beverly Bond, Shirley Raines, Pat Murrell and Lin Zhan

Hilliard and Harriett Crews

Charles Burkett 30

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Brad Martin and Shirley Raines

Diane Vescovo and Rita Sparks

Dina Martin

Shirley Raines with her grandson, Bryson THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

What takes you back

connects you today.

Rediscover your alma mater and inspire the next generation of Dreamers. Thinkers. Doers.

Support the University of Memphis with a generous gift today.

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He performed o n THE TONIGH T SHOW in 1993 and his name ca n be found on th e liner notes of of Rolling Stone’ three s “500 Greatest Albums of All T As the sole surv ime.” iving member o f critically accla rock group BIG imed STAR, alumnus JODY STEPHEN is still making w S aves in the musi c industr y.

by

Samuel Prager

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

U of M alum Jody Stephens is the only surviving member of legendary rock group Big Star. Photo by Rhonda Cosentino.

In the early 1960s,

music was in a period of renaissance, with the British Invasion, Stax soul and an explosion of music of all genres. At this pivotal point in music history, many of the next-generation rockers would explore these sounds and form groups of their own that would carve the path for the generations that followed them.

A U of M alumnus was part of the list.

In the mid-1960s, a teenage Jody Stephens would find himself banging on the backs of chairs and other assorted furniture to the rhythm of Beatles albums, eventually convincing his parents to buy him his own drum set. With his brother, the two would practice and play in bands around their neighborhood near Overton High School in East Memphis.

It was the early makings of a musical career that would eventually draw international critical acclaim and inspire a recent nationwide documentary and concert in New York’s Central Park.

“My brother and I put a band together when we were really young that covered British Invasion songs,” Stephens says. “Then Stax came out, which we were as profoundly impacted by as we were by The Beatles, so we had to start a soul band. We played in neighborhood bands until we got hired to play in the band for what was then Memphis State’s production of Hair while I was still in high school.”

The U of M’s 1970 Broadway production of Hair proved to be fertile ground for Stephens, paving a path that would ultimately direct the rest of his life — not only his academic career and love for the U of M, but a chance encounter with Andy Hummel, a founding member of iconic band Big Star, a group whose story just came to the big screen in Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me. W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

After the show, Hummel invited Stephens to jam with him; he soon was introduced to Chris Bell, who would end up being a prominent songwriter and guitarist for Big Star’s debut album.

“The first time that Andy and Chris and I got together, it was just to kind of play, to jam so to speak,” says Stephens. “Their drummer was going to school in Texas, so they needed a drummer and that’s how I was introduced to it all. Chris, Andy and I were the nucleus of several different lineups of bands and we played whatever party we could find that might pay us a little bit.”

There was never a shortage of gigs.

“Overton Square, at least for Memphis, was the center of the universe for entertainment,” Stephens recalls of the Midtown institution that has undergone a recent revival. “Even the University would have local bands, or some groups that were maybe passing through town, playing in the University Center every Friday. It was great – the ’70s were great.”

Stephens became fully dedicated to the still-forming band that would transform into Big Star the following year. The three-piece group would go to Ardent Studios in the wee hours of the night to practice and cut demos.

Soon the trio journeyed to New York to shop the recordings they had made and look for a label. “Being only 18, I was kind of just fascinated with being in New York,” remembers Stephens.

While not finding a record company, the Big Apple provided something else that would be the final piece of one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the era. In late 1970, Bell met Alex Chilton, the FA L L 2 013

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singer of the famed but recently disbanded Box Tops, who was living in New York City at the time. “Alex came to Memphis to see us playing just a three-piece gig at the VFW Hall downtown,” says Stephens. “I guess he liked what he saw, because that was the beginning of Big Star.”

The band was now a four-piece consisting of Stephens on drums, Bell on guitar and cowriting, Hummel on bass and Chilton singing, writing and playing guitar.

Stephens recalls that across the street from the Ardent Studios’ former location was a Big Star grocery, which is where the band got its name. The group now had the lineup, the sound and an identity. All it needed was an album. And that’s exactly what happened a few months later.

The band cut #1 Record in April ’72, which, as did their subsequent two albums, received rave reviews from Rolling Stone, Billboard and other national publications. Many of the reviews focused on Chilton, known for his time with the Box Tops and his chart-topping hit “The Letter,” recorded in 1967 when he was only 16.

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Two years later in 1974, the band recorded Radio City but lost Bell and Hummel for various reasons.

“The press would focus on Alex, which was understandable,” says Stephens. “They would say, ‘Well you don’t know who Big Star is, but you know who Alex Chilton is.’ I guess Chris thought he would have to live in that shadow, so he left the band.

“Andy quit the band because he figured he couldn’t make a living playing music. It’s really hard to make a career of writing music.”

Radio City followed in the path that #1 Record had set, receiving glowing national reviews. Stephens and Chilton, though, split up eight months later after recording a third album, Third/Sister Lovers. But the legend of Big Star was just beginning to grow.

As the documentary (released nationally July 3) details, the group never achieved great commercial success, but critics and future musicians recognized their talent — Rolling Stone writer John Luerssen recently called their music “brilliant.”

All three of Big Star’s releases are featured in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” alongside many of the legends of

the music industry including The Beatles, Elvis and AC/DC. And many bands of today such as The Posies, R.E.M. and The Replacements have cited Big Star as a major influence. One of the bands biggest hits, “In the Street,” re-recorded by Cheap Trick, is the theme song for That ’70s Show.

“A lot of people don’t connect Big Star with being the initial writers of that song. Even in the credits, it only mentions Alex and Chris,” says Stephens.

“Wilco played at The Orpheum a few years ago and I sat in with them playing drums on ‘In the Street.’ After the show my wife said to me, ‘While you were playing that song, someone in the crowd said, ‘Wow! Why is Wilco playing That ’70s Show’s theme song?”

After Big Star broke up, Stephens returned to the University. “I waited tables and played with different bands on and off,” he says. “I graduated in ’84 and got kind of a straight gig in sales.”

Stephens found himself back in the music industry in 1986 when Big Star mentor and Ardent owner John Fry hired him to coordinate a Memphis-based production company THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

PHOTO BY RHONDA COSENTINO

Opposite page: Big Star members Hummel, Stephens and Chilton in the 1970s. Above, Stephens now works as studio manager at Ardent Studios in Midtown Memphis. At right, Big Star was featured in a recently released documentary that has drawn rave reviews.

designed to develop local talent. He serves as Ardent’s studio manager.

Like many great bands, Big Star found it had a second life. The Posies’ guitarist Jon Auer and bassist Ken Stringfellow joined Chilton and Stephens to revive the band in the 1990s. The reformed group played many shows around the world until Chilton died of a heart attack in 2010.

The U of M itself has taken notice of Stephens’ musical influence. In 2011 he was chosen to receive the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, which was a great surprise to the former Big Star drummer.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t really have a grasp about what the Distinguished Alumni Awards were or who they went to. I just thought it was pretty cool that academics and music got together, and that someone who had been a part of music was recognized by the University.

“It was really exciting for a lot of different reasons. I love the University and I loved that opportunity to be a part of the production of Hair when I was still in high school. I had some wonderful teachers there. To be recognized liked that was a thrill to me; it meant a lot.”

Being a member of Big Star brought Stephens a sense of community and musicianship.

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“Memphis is the birthplace of rock and roll and the home of the blues. So many amazing artists have come out of Memphis and it’s funny when I travel outside of Memphis to make the rounds at the record companies in New York and Los Angeles because a Memphismusician song will sometimes come on the intercom inside the lobby, and you can feel a bit of Memphis right there.”

This summer a newly reformed tribute version of Big Star – christened Big Star Third – has been playing across the country, including a concert in Central Park. The all-star lineup consists of Mike Mills from R.E.M., Mitch Easter from Let’s Active, Stringfellow from the Posies, Stephens and a handful of other notable artists, including a 20-piece chamber orchestra.

“Memphis music is so pervasive worldwide you can’t really get away from it,” Stephens says, “from Elvis to Otis Redding, W.C Handy, all kinds of people. There is such a rich heritage and at the end of the day you know that you come from fertile ground, so maybe you can make your mark in music just like these folks have. I love being from Memphis and I’m really proud of it.”

Samuel Prager is a journalism major at the U of M. FA L L 2 013

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In this issue, The University of Memphis Magazine presents its second original short story written and illustrated by U of M students.

“Tiny Rooftops, Tiny Homes” was selected by professors in the U of M’s creative writing program.

Meet the author and the artist: Elizabeth Cameron, author of “Tiny Rooftops, Tiny Homes,” is drawn to nonlinear narratives. “That’s the way my brain works because that’s the way experience shapes our understanding,” she explains. “A present event throws a new light on a past one, but you have to experience the second event before you can understand the first. But that takes a while to become clear, so mostly when I’m working on a story, I just sit at the kitchen table with a pot of coffee and stare despairingly at my notebook.”

Cameron grew up in the coastal town of Seaside, Ore., where she gets much of her material. “I’m always fascinated by the dynamics of family life in a small town, where every event is etched into the town’s collective memory,” she says. “A story always starts for me with an image I can’t shake for whatever reason. So when I kept seeing this image from a memory I have of my father taking me on a plane ride when I was a little girl, I started to wonder what it would be like for a man to suddenly see his hometown, whose history he knows by heart, laid out so simply and unfamiliarly beneath him.”

With this story, Cameron wanted to try something short and more linear. “Normally I end up writing these sprawling, spiraling stories that everyone thinks are too long,” she says. “I can’t help it. I think a long short story is the perfect length for exploring a life. A novel is like going into someone’s house and exploring all the rooms, and a story is more like walking by the house at night and stopping to look through their lit window. I think a story should linger long enough to marvel at how they arranged the living room furniture and wonder what the rest of the rooms look like.”

Cameron, a recent U of M graduate, has been “sort of obsessed” with Alice Munro since she first read her at 18, and admires the works of Don DeLillo, Charles Baxter and Jonathan Franzen. “I came to Memphis because I love English Professor Cary Holladay’s stunning attention to unique details, and the masterful tone and pacing of former professor Richard Bausch’s stories.”

Illustrator Kathryn Hicks says some would call her work very dramatic and detailed.

“Personally, I like to change up styles and experiment,” says the senior who’s majoring in graphic design with a minor in art history.

Hicks has been an artist since her earliest days. “I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon in my hand,” she recalls. “When I was 3 years old, I only used black crayons. I see life in detail, and am constantly looking at my surroundings.”

Today her work – which she describes as character design, concept art and animation – is decidedly more colorful. Hicks enjoys drawing, painting, photography and design, both digital and traditional, using Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Her works have included vivid comic images, portrait photography, and even package design. She draws inspiration from legendary poster artist Drew Struzan as well as Alex Ross, Phil Hale, Glen Keane, Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens.

In translating Cameron’s story, Hicks wanted to portray a loving family theme. “I wanted the reader to have the experience of going through a warm memory of a father-daughter moment, and flying through different scenes,” she explains. “Spreads two and three are connected; they depict the Oregon coast and the Tillamook lighthouse.”

She considers herself a bit of a nomad. “I have moved six times in five different states. Memphis is my first in-state move,” she says. “I was born in Frederick, Maryland, moved to San Francisco, Las Vegas, the Tri-Cities in Washington state and Knoxville.”

After completing her final semester at the U of M, Hicks hopes to attend graduate school in visual effects or animation, or work in entertainment art.

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Tiny R O O F T O P S, Tiny H O M E S

A Shor t Story b y Eliz a bet h C a mer on I llus t rat ed by K a t hr y n Hic k s

F

OR THE THIRD anniversary of his best friend Haubner’s death, Cooper decides to take his daughter on a plane ride over their corner of the Oregon coast. He’s been feeling low, but his daughter is old enough to notice the world around her, and he wants her to see his neighborhood from the air. Haubner loved flying so much that he’d gotten his pilot’s license and built his own plane, a buttery yellow bush model which even now resides at the Seaside airfield, owned by its inheritor, their mutual friend Charlie, who has often expressed his willingness to take Cooper for a ride.

Emma is not yet four. When he tells a childless friend about the airplane ride, she asks why they don’t wait till Emma’s older and can remember that sort of thing. He would’ve thought that himself, a long time ago. But Emma remembers instances that should have sunk in the tender putty of her brain—a cracked pane of glass that slit her W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

finger, a ladybug that drowned in the shower. And she sees a world inhabited by giant feet and giant tables and giant rooftops. He lies on the floor sometimes to see what she sees.

The undersides of things! There’s a whole opposite surfaceworld the grown-ups are missing out on, he tells Christie, his wife. He holds Emma above his head, but everything still looms to her; he can tell by her eyes. He wants to take her in the air, show her how the world looks to him.

“I don’t know,” Christie says, wiping her brow with her forearm. “It doesn’t seem safe.”

“Of course it’s safe. They have years of training under their belts.”

When he wears her down, he calls the airfield. The voice on the other end sounds like a kid’s.

“I’m looking for Charlie,” Cooper says.

“He’s not here.”

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He’s workin’ on his plane.”

“Tell him I called. I want him to take me and my daughter up. To see the area.”

The kid exhales. “What’s your name? ” Cooper gives his information and hangs up, defeated.

Christie looks at him from across the room. He nods his head toward Emma.

“We’ll teach her some manners, right? ” Charlie calls back almost immediately. “Come in tomorrow at two. I’ll get her all shined up. You haven’t been up around here, have you? ” “Actually I went up with Haubner a few times,” he says.

“Before.”

“Hey,” Charlie says, “did you recognize the kid? ” “Who? ” “The one who answered the phone. He’s not supposed to.”

“Who is he? ” “Haubner’s kid. You know, the oldest.”

(Sam, Cooper remembers. Irrepressibly curly hair, face like his father’s. His pajamas with the little feet on them.)

When he’s silent, Charlie continues, “He and his mom moved back to town, practically next door to the field. He asks if he can come help out, learn stuff. Doreen asked, too, or I would’ve said no. He’s only nine or ten. She thought he’d be lonely with the new school and all.”

“Huh,” Cooper gets out. “He didn’t sound too excited.”

Charlie snorts. “He can be trouble, actually. But he catches on quick.”

“So he’s doing all right? ” “I look after him.”

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HE TRUTH IS, Cooper is a lousy father, the opposite of fathers. The child from his first marriage is now a high-schooler stuck with a drugaddled mother in Colorado, and it’s his fault that he doesn’t see her more, that he gave up waiting, that he got a new wife and a new daughter.

And it’s his fault that Haubner died, that Sam has to grow up a lonely troublemaker without a father.

Now that Cooper’s faith is rattled to dust, he can sit and play the blame game all day long with nobody but himself.

Sooner or later Christie reminds him that it went as God ordained: courts don’t award custody to fathers (you did all you could), and Haubner was ill, very ill (you did all you could). It’s true, he admits—you can’t help others before you’ve helped yourself—and yet, it’s an easy thing to say: he did all he could.

THE NEXT DAY it stops him right on the tarmac, to see, through the control shack’s window, the curly-headed kid sitting on a stool inside. Cooper shifts Emma on his hip and opens the door.

“Hey,” he says. “You don’t—do you remember me? ” The kid—Sam—just nods. “I know who you are.”

“Yeah,” he says. The sea washes in his ears. “I’m an old friend of your dad’s.”

“I recognized your name,” Sam says. “I remember who you are.”

The manager swivels in his chair and squints at them.

“You looking for someone? ” “Charlie,” Cooper says with relief. He looks down at the kid. He wants, so badly, to touch that head, to palm it the way he would Haubner’s when they wrestled as boys. But Sam scowls up at him and he looks away, looks at Emma.

“She’s too little to fly,” Sam says scornfully. “She’ll be scared.”

“When you were this age your dad and I packed you all over the place. You weren’t scared.” As soon as he says it he regrets it. Sam had been scared, scared whenever his father and Cooper showed him something new and inescapable. A tent, a canoe, a sickbed.

“I see him coming out there,” the manager says, pointing his pencil out the window, and Cooper murmurs thanks, shoulders the heavy door back open.

Into the white sunlight where Haubner would go up, up.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

H

E CAN HEAR Christie’s voice as they lift off: Are you sure it’s safe? Does it have a car seat?

Of course it isn’t safe, he thinks, gripping the seat. How could he bring his child in this tin can? The plane rattles and Emma tries to scrunch up her face to cry, but it’s held tight under goggles and a leather aviator’s cap.

He aims a finger out the window along her line of sight, hoping to distract her—shouting is pointless.

He isn’t thinking about Haubner, or the kid, or even Christie; he’s thinking that for a moment he and his daughter are seeing the same, feeling the same, tiny the same. The sky filling the world, everything they touch shaking. The world is giant—they sit together in the back to watch the ground swoop away—and then, as the plane climbs, they are giant and the world is tiny. The tarmac is a line in the sand. The trees are blades of grass. They head over the river, its disorderly progress into estuary. Funny how it breaks the blocks up, makes a town that has always seemed charming and rundown to Cooper look industrial.

He picks out his mother’s house, built in ’38. When she was born, the town was a jazz-age wooden boardwalk and a sprawling manor-house resort, where ladies with parasols and jersey swimwear strolled. They pass the blocky aquarium, once a natatorium pumping seawater over the fifteen rocky feet of beach. They pass patchy dune grass, Scotch broom clumped darkly like lost cattle, the dun stretch of sand in place of the old rocks, now two or three hundred feet, striated by an outgoing tide. It is a rare sunny day; beachgoers dot the tideline. Even from here he can tell the barechested from the windbreakered.

The plane lumbers on and upward, over the waves. He’d expected them to be neat from here, to make sense, but they reign unevenly, with long impastoed smears trailing like capes. Emma has grown wide-eyed and silent with awe.

“I’ll take you out to the lighthouse,” Charlie yells, and the plane veers south. Cooper’s stomach rises as they shave the impossible rise of Tillamook Head. He imagines that they pass bears, mountain lions, folk living in secret beneath the emerald greenery. The cliff shears down to the sea, white-capped and violent against the rocks, skirting coves he’s only heard about, from more adventurous climbers and surfers who had to be rescued by helicopter.

He puts a hand on Emma’s knee, another around her slight shoulders, their rodent quickness. She wriggles and points, and again it is humbling to feel equal to her, to chart the landscape anew.

Charlie swings them out, westward, and they close in on the lighthouse on its lonely rock. He wants W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

to explain everything they see to Emma. It is such a holy and beleaguered position, to have lived in this place all his life, to know everything about it and have so little to show for it. He wants to tell her about the lighthouse: a cursed place, decommissioned and made a columbarium for the loneliest souls. A spume of a wave can crest the tower in a high storm. It occurs to him that this is the sort of description that Annabelle, his daughter in Colorado, would enjoy.

Despite her disrupted childhood, she is studying history and geography with a steady interest. But when he writes her letters it becomes hard to put so trivial a detail down; he ends up saying the same thing every time. We love and miss you. Emma remembers who you are when we say your name. Whether she honestly loves Emma or just pretends, when she visits, he can’t say. Either way he is grateful for whatever instinct she acts upon: the instinct of the lonely to bestow love, of the left-behind to encourage. He looks at Emma, bouncing in her seatbelt, and wonders if she’ll grow up to harbor a debt to her half-sister. By all rights he should love no one but Annabelle’s mother. Of course, by all rights Haubner should be alive and cured of the foolishness that kept them both from taking him to the hospital.

Once it had been the four of them: he and Annabelle’s mother, Haubner and his wife. But they disintegrated, as ties do. To disintegrate—the saddest word, the saddest process. They had been deeply involved in a group which taught that the mind was much stronger than the body. And when Haubner’s wife called to say I think he’s really sick, I’m not sure what to do, and when both Haubner’s and his own answer had been: pray, they were all detached enough to trust that this thin cerebral process would hold the flesh-andblood Haubner together, hot and breathing. Only when Cooper reached their far-off house did he realize Haubner needed what God alone would not bring: cool white coats and

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hallways, syringes, charts with orderly check marks. You were supposed to take him to the hospital, the kid, Sam, had said. He was old enough to know and tell the truth.

Finally, when Emma seems overstruck and the plane’s whine gets tired, they circle Gearhart and the shingled house she’s grown up in. Cooper searches for its pitched roof and his wife, a tanned figure waving a white towel on the lawn. From here, the pines he’d planted, with Emma nosy at his side, look like cabbages.

“There’s your mom! ” he shouts, flashing her a reassuring smile. “Do you see her? ” He watches the glint of Christie’s sunglasses as she tracks them across the sky, waving her towel in what he is sure is a distress signal. Charlie waggles the plane’s wings, and Emma shrieks in nervous delight.

T

HEY HAVE A bumpy landing, during which he clutches Emma and imagines their heads knocking together, his skull cracking hers, and decides that would be better anyway. Quick and soothing, attributable to the known. For those long seconds all he can picture is a yellow yolk leaking from a fractured egg.

“Did Haubner show you all that? ” Cooper asks when the plane noses to its berth and Charlie slides his goggles over his forehead.

“Not legally. I got my pilot’s license the hard way, with somebody else. But he used to take me up and show me his favorite places, let me try out some tricks. I would’ve shown you a few if you didn’t have Emma. And the lovely wife.”

“I’m sure she’d appreciate that.” Cooper laughs, unbuckling Emma. “Man. You had some of the last good times with that guy.”

“I don’t know,” Charlie says. “I think he looked up to you more than anybody. I know Doreen was grateful that you came and tried to get him to the hospital.”

“Lot of good that did. Wish we’d a known what we were doing.”

“Nobody did,” Charlie says. They swing out of the plane, Emma blinking and unsteady.

“What about the kid,” Cooper says. “Does he ever talk about Haubner? ”

40

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“Not about when he got sick, if that’s what you mean,” Charlie says. “He has lots to say about—” They hear a shout, and turn to find Christie. “I wanted to make sure you landed! ” She beams, embarrassed.

Cooper shakes Charlie’s hand, claps him on the back.

“I’ll come by sometime, take you out for a beer,” he says.

“Sure, man.” Charlie squeezes his shoulder. “Take care.”

Emma falls asleep as Christie buckles her into her car.

“I remembered about the anniversary on my way,” she says through the window, turning the key. “Haubner’s. I’m sorry I didn’t before.”

“You know his son works here? Shadowing Charlie, sort of, and that old plane? ” She blows a long stream of air between her teeth. “Did you see him? ” He shakes his head. “He remembers me, from that night. He talked to me when we got here. It was so easy to forget about him growing up all this time.”

“You could talk to him, you know,” she says, running a thumb along the wheel. “Tell him about his dad. I’m sure he would appreciate that. I’m sure he remembers you from more than just that night.”

“Maybe.” Cooper leans in to brush her cheek in a kiss.

“I’ll see you at home.”

Walking toward the control shack, he thinks of things he could say to Sam. Your dad first got the idea to fly when we were on a plane to Hawaii. I was there the day they knew your mom was pregnant with you. I knew your dad when he had curly hair and buckteeth like you. And he was a whole lot uglier, too…

He hears the sputtering roar of the yellow plane as it bumps along the runway and spies the heads of Charlie and Sam shadowed against the windshield. Cooper watches it lift, improbably, into the air, and jingles his keys in his pocket. He turns back toward his car without watching for the waggle of the wings. Probably Charlie has told the kid everything, will tell him all that he needs to know.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

THE

ALUMNI REVIEW

“The University of Memphis gave me a top-notch undergraduate education and inspiring work experiences, and provided me with the opportunity to create friendships that last a lifetime.”

Marla Johnson Norris (BA ’81), co-founder and CEO of Aristotle Inc.

FEATURE STORIES

ON THE RECORD

ALUMNI ACTIVITIES

CLASS NOTES

IN MEMORIAM

Alumna has vision for service

By Gabrielle Maxey

More than 50 million people in the world are blind. About half of them have little or no vision because of cataracts, a condition that can be corrected with a surgical procedure that takes 12 to 20 minutes. In fact, it’s the most common surgery performed.

As executive director of the World Cataract Foundation (WCF), Lori Hudson has organized 43 medical trips to destinations like Ometepec and Huatulco, Mexico, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Honduras. The mission trips have restored sight to thousands of people living in poverty and without access to medical care.

Hudson’s degree from the U of M is in education, but volunteering to help on a WCF

Lori Hudson poses with a patient on one of the many mission trips she has organized for the World Cataract Foundation.

medical mission trip to Ometepec steered her in a different direction. “In my life, healthcare was always readily available, something we took for

relatives because they couldn’t see. I remember

granted,” she says. “If you or a family member

the humble disposition and patience of the

needed to see a doctor, no problem, make an

individuals in the midst of a crowd of about 800

organization and was promoted to executive

appointment and go. To this day I have a vivid

people.”

director in 2004. Her duties include requesting

twice a year,” she says.

Hudson moved up rapidly in the WCF

recollection of what I witnessed on my first trip

The team worked together to organize the

donated supplies, recruiting team members,

to Ometepec in 1996. I was overwhelmed by

large group and was able to schedule about 200

working with government and airline officials

the vast number of people crowding around

surgeries. “The realization that so many people

coordinating the logistics of travel, and meeting

us the first day, hoping they would be among

had to be turned away was heartbreaking. They

customs and immigration requirements.

the ones chosen to have cataract surgery. Many

would have to wait another year. Because of the

were led in with sticks or were guided in by

great need, in 2003 we began sending a team

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During a typical medical mission week, about 200 cataract surgeries are performed, without FA L L 2 013

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FEATURE STORY

charge, by world-class ophthalmologists who volunteer their time and skills. Surgical assistants,

able to see it.”

Board of directors member Dr. John Vandyck,

with WCF altered that decision.

“In the ’70s, I made the choice to postpone

translators, technicians, and others round out

an ophthalmic surgeon from Paris, Tenn.,

my college education until my youngest son

the team. Hundreds of pairs of prescription

says that Hudson is the “backbone of WCF,

entered kindergarten,” Hudson says. “I really

eyeglasses are distributed to patients who have

working tirelessly to make certain that each of

appreciated my college courses when I returned

vision problems that don’t require surgery.

our campaigns is a success. Her dedication to

to school in my 30s. I was that older student

One of the favorite parts of Hudson’s job is

our cause, her attention to endless details, her

who sat on the front row and never missed a

assembling the mission teams. “After months

boundless energy and enthusiasm, and most

class. The education I received at the University

of talking with team members on the phone

importantly, her true compassion for those who

of Memphis provided me with the knowledge,

and swapping emails, it’s inspiring to see

are less fortunate inspire us all.”

confidence and skills I needed for my work with

people, many of whom have never met, come

Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a Swiss-trained

together to perform as a group,” she says. “I’ve

physician living in Mexico, puts it simply: “What

others to continue their education. It is never too

never been disappointed in the attitudes and

they do is everyday procedure, but to us it is a

late to take a class or pursue a degree.”

enthusiasm of team members. They work long

miracle.”

hours without complaint because they realize

At age 36, the mother of three received

the World Cataract Foundation. I encourage

Hudson continues to put those skills to use at WCF. “Our heartstrings are pulled every time

that the surgeries they provide will allow people

a bachelor of science in education degree as

we embark on a mission,” she says. “We recently

to see their loved ones again and become

part of the last graduating class of Memphis

sent a team for the first time to Peru. I just

productive members of society.”

State University in December 1993. Her plan

received word that the trip was a success.”

Hudson recalls the experience of a blind woman in Mexico who gave birth to a child

was to teach school when her daughter began kindergarten, but the life-changing mission trip

and raised her without ever seeing her. After surgery, the mother – completely overcome with emotion – couldn’t take her eyes off her daughter’s face.

A photo opportunity also brings back memories for Hudson. “Several years ago I snapped a picture outside of the Hospital de la Amistad,” she says. “It’s of a little boy leading his blind grandmother in with a stick. It takes two people to care for one blind person. When sight is restored, it frees up not only the blind person, but loved ones are able to become productive members of society again.”

There was also the time that a missionary named Malory brought some people down from the town of Tlamacazapa, Mexico. “Malory decided to stop at the beach on the way home because they had never seen the ocean,” recounts Hudson. “Malory sent me a photo of one of the patients, Catalina, looking at the ocean. She was so happy she could see the water and she kept exclaiming, ‘Aren’t you afraid of the waves?’ Catalina was overwhelmed by the massive body of water that seemed to never end. Two days earlier she wouldn’t have been 42

FA L L 2 013

A World Cataract Foundation patient was overwhelmed by ocean waves she had never been able to see before her cataract surgery.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

Engineering a new path

By Sara Hoover

Race and gender barriers began falling in the 1960s with civil rights and women’s liberation movements.

A young woman from India helped open doors at the U of M.

Rekha Patel (BSME ’76, MS ’78) might have grown up in an era when women were discouraged from pursuing an education and a career in engineering, but that didn’t stop her. Whether by design or not, the young woman contributed to an exploding national women’s liberation movement in the 1970s by pushing her own envelope. In 1976 she became the first female in the history of the University of Memphis to earn a degree in

Alumna Rekha Patel forged a successful career in engineering at a time when women were discouraged from entering the field.

mechanical engineering, a major that at the time was comprised of less than 5 percent females.

In an era when women were still discriminated against in the workforce, she was not met with a

women credit or loans. The women’s liberation

to learn English and about American culture. It

lot of encouragement.

movement that included highly publicized

was a very tiresome job and frustrating being on

“When I was growing up in India during the

marches by tens of thousands of women across

your feet every day for 10 hours. I couldn’t go on

1960s, I didn’t even think about engineering

the U.S. changed much of that by the mid-

living like that.”

school,” says Patel, who went on to become

1970s.

an executive leader at some of the largest

Ironically enough, a cultural tradition in India

With then-Memphis State University nearby, she decided to explore the campus for a few

aerospace and defense contractors in the

that required Patel to get married might have

days. Three weeks later, Patel quit her job to

world. “My father felt we needed to get a

actually been the event that put her on the road

go to school. Since her five brothers and her

good education to better our lives. Boys were

to her own “liberation.”

husband were engineers, the youngest of eight

encouraged to go to engineering school but not the girls. I didn’t go to engineering school.”

Those feelings in India largely mirrored what

When Patel graduated from college in India in 1971 at the age of 21, her father arranged a marriage for her to a man who was coming from

decided to apply to the University’s engineering program.

She started in the fall of 1974 and chose to

was going on in the United States at the time. In

America. Afterwards, the newlyweds went to

pursue mechanical engineering to be different

the late 1960s, newspapers were still publishing

Detroit, where Patel’s husband worked, but soon

from her brothers.

help-wanted ads on different pages, segregated

he got a job in Memphis.

by gender. It was still legal for employers to

“When I came here, I didn’t speak English —

“Not one of them was a mechanical engineer, so I thought, ‘Let me fill that gap,’” she

pay women lower wages for the same jobs

everything was new,” Patel says. “I got a job at

says. “My brothers worked in factories, so I’d

men were performing. Banks denied married

Sears Crosstown pushing the mail. It helped me

seen electrical. Mechanical engineering was for

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FEATURE STORY

me even though I was criticized with phrases like ‘Why pursue mechanical engineering? You’re a

graduate school, she became pregnant.

“People didn’t treat me any differently

Anaheim, Calif.

Patel is a big fan of the Herff College’s

woman. Mechanical engineering is a man’s job.’ I

because of that,” she says. “I didn’t feel out of

“Girls Experiencing Engineering” (GEE)

just decided to go with it.”

place.”

program because she feels women are still

Although the engineering program at the

Luckily for Patel, Dr. Billy Mac Jones was the

underrepresented in engineering (only about 20

University was male-dominated, Patel didn’t feel

University president, known for his progressive

percent of engineering degrees earned are by

out of place.

stances on social issues. At the time, several

females). The popular program exposes young

universities still would not allow pregnant

women in the Memphis area to the different

women to register or work at their schools.

fields of engineering through hands-on activities

“They really didn’t treat me differently at all,” she says. “I didn’t have a single thought about it. I’m so amazed there was not one day of the

Once she had her master’s, Patel got her

and engagement with female engineers.

whole school year where I felt treated differently.

first engineering job at The Babcock & Wilcox

All the people were so nice and friendly. I really

Company as a systems performance engineer

“Why did they wait this long to embrace women

had a great time.”

building nuclear reactors and designing nuclear

in engineering? I’m glad they’re bridging that

steam generators. That job was when Patel first

gap.”

Patel had earned a bachelor’s in chemistry in India. Her father had a high school education, and her mother married at 16 years of age and

felt the male-dominated aspect of the field.

“I really didn’t feel as comfortable,” she says.

had no education, which was considered normal

“I felt like, ‘OK, I’m not sure I should be here.’ As

at the time. Patel and her seven siblings were

time progressed, I got comfortable.”

the first in their family to go to college.

During her 30-year career, Patel worked for

“I think it’s an excellent concept,” Patel says.

Patel saw surviving and excelling as one of the few women in a male-dominated field as a major accomplishment.

“Just to deal with it in the beginning was worrisome,” she says. “But it gave me more

10 years at General Dynamics, a Department

courage to deal with the real world. It prepared

College of Engineering had become the newest

of Defense partner, and aerospace company

me because I was always going to be in a male-

college on campus, created in 1966. Memphis

Raytheon for five years. She got a risk

dominated field and the only female at work.

auto dealer and philanthropist Herbert Herff

management certificate from UCLA, and later

That was the real education besides the piece of

gave a $100,000 gift to the University in 1963 to

became a risk manager and systems engineering

paper I received.”

implement a graduate program in engineering.

manager. She retired last year and lives near

A few years before Patel enrolled, the Herff

The first engineering classes were offered through the Graduate School, and a year later an undergraduate engineering program was approved.

Patel recalls classes being small, usually 15 to 20 students.

“Many of the teachers were super smart, like Dr. Edward Perry (associate professor of mechanical engineering). He was very demanding and one of the best teachers.”

The self-funded student lived off campus with her husband.

“I was married to a traditional guy who had expectations of a housewife. My focus was very, very narrow: Get up, go to school, learn, do your homework. I was not allowed to do other normal outside events. Education was the only focus.”

After getting her bachelor’s, Patel enrolled in the graduate program and received her master’s in mechanical engineering in 1978. While in 44

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Each summer, middle- and high-school girls get hands-on experience in engineering and interact with female engineers through the Girls Experiencing Engineering program.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

On the Record We asked five people on campus to answer a few questions:

LILY AFSHAR

AUTUMN MCGHEE

DAVID RUDD

MELISSA MCFERRIN

RAJIV GROVER

U of M professor of classical guitar and international musician

senior hospitality major

U of M provost

U of M women’s basketball head coach

dean of the U of M Fogelman College of Business & Economics

If I had an extra hour in the day, I would…

write a poem

get more work done

spend more time with my children

exercise, read a book or just allow my mind to be quiet and still

work, but I’d rather watch avant garde movies

The hardest subject in school for me was…

math

calculus

art

political science

analog circuits

If I could star in a movie, I’d be in…

a horror movie

Transformers

It’s a Wonderful Life

The Godfather

Death of a Salesman or A Streetcar Named Desire

I wish I understood why I…

wasn’t good at math

am loved so much

find golf relaxing

have a hard time keeping up with the minds of 18to 22-year-olds

care and try so much

I am most inspired by…

a brilliant performance

my family

Winston Churchill

the comfort and tranquility that comes only from God

selflessness

My favorite place on campus is…

the TIGUrS garden

the University Center

the Ned R. McWherter Library

the balcony of the University Center overlooking Alumni Mall

wherever food is served

What I wish others knew about the U of M…

the racquetball program

that this is an institution of higher learning

the cutting-edge faculty research and world-class education

our campus is situated in a beautiful, quiet residential area

it is surrounded by so many “on the brink” supporters

I want to be remembered for…

my guitar playing

brightening someone’s day

playing a role in providing affordable, quality higher education

competing and always doing the right thing

believing in education

The phrase I use most is…

practice makes perfect

try to behave

persistence in the face of adversity is essential to success

what we do is hard. If it were easy anyone could do it

think and do the right thing

In 10 years, I think the U of M will…

will be more internationally renowned

still be a great place to earn a degree from

be recognized as one of the nation’s leading public research universities

become an academic and athletic jewel with a growing student enrollment

surpass everybody’s expectations

W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

FA L L 2 013

45

Alumni Activities

1

2

3

4

1. Alumni from the Tampa/Orlando area attended a Tiger pre-game reception in Orlando.

2. Attending the Master of Public Administration Alumni Club luncheon and Pi Alpha Alpha induction were (from left) Eva Mosby (MPA ’06), Dorcas Young (MPA ’05) and Anna Kathryn Word (BA ’01, MPA ’07).

3. Brandi Ervin Murphy (BPS ’09) and Elizabeth Flannigan (BPS ’09) enjoyed the Young Alumni Spring Mixer.

4. The Luther C. McClellan Alumni Chapter presented its 2013 scholarships. From left are Dr. Rosie Bingham, Andrew Bailey (BBA ’00, EMBA ’05), Daniel Tillman, Matt Hotz, Keeisha Kenan (BA ’01), Taylor Dodd, Dr. Shirley Raines and Lofton Wilborn (BBA ’02).

5. Student Ambassador Board members Hunter Dawson, Jasmine McGhee, Francesca Biggam and Evan Kelly assisted at the Law Alumni Chapter spring reception.

6. Melissa Meeks (BSEd ’97, MA ’02) and Denice Perkins (MA ’84) attended the Communication Sciences and Disorders Alumni Chapter Outstanding Alumni Awards.

7. Arif Shakeel (MSME ’77) and Gregg Ladd (BSME ’84) celebrated at the Engineering Alumni Chapter Outstanding Alumni Awards.

8. Attending the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences Alumni Chapter 2013 Hall of Fame induction were (back row, from left): Dr. William Bibb, Jr. (MEd ’82, EdS ’92, EdD ’09); Dr. John Timothy Fite (BS ’76, MEd ’81); Dr. Shirley Raines; Dr. James Mitchell Jr. (MEd ’74, EdD ’89); Dr. Mike Hamrick (BS ’66, MEd ’67); and Dean Donald Wagner. Front, from left are: John Avis (BA ’74, MEd ’76); Beverly Robertson (BSEd ’73), Carolyn McDougal (BSEd ’51, MEd ’65), Dr. Jane Hooker (BS ’68, MEd ’69), James Selbe (MS ’84, EdD ’95), Dr. Joris Ray (BSEd ’96, EdD ’10), Dr. Randall McPherson (BS ’81, MS ’84, EdD ’94) and Dr. Donald Lollar (BS ’66).

9. The University College Alumni Chapter awarded its 2013 Book Scholarships. From left are Jerry Hearn (BS ’60, MEd ’70), Lawrence Hall, Sherri Stephens (BPS ’07), Stephanie Berry, Mary Brignole (BPS ’99, MS ’03), Christina Andrews, Nancy Perry Lubiani (BBA ’81, MALS ’01) and Jessica Hardy.

10. Tiger fans celebrate with Pouncer at the True Blue Pep Rally at the C-USA Tournament in Tulsa, Okla.

46

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

5

7

9

W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

6

8

10

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CLASS NOTES

1957

Cary Whitehead (BBA) was promoted to

Rick Masson (BA, MS ’87)

Mildred Chandler Utley Hestand (MA) is

executive vice president at Boyle Investment Co.

joined Caissa Public Strategy

happily retired and living in Mineral Wells, Texas.

He leads retail development for the Memphis

as senior director. He also

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Lambuth

office and mortgage finance for the company.

was named special master to

College in 1950.

oversee the city-county school

1974

merger. Masson is former chief

1963

Carolyn Hardy (BBA, MBA ’87) was honored

administrative officer for the city of Memphis

Karen R. Stafford (MA) is a writer, speaker

with the Legends Award from the Women’s

and was the first executive director of the Shelby

and seminar consultant. She has authored and

Foundation for a Greater Memphis. The award

Farms Park Conservancy.

published 10 Biblical studies for both New and

recognizes her contributions to the Memphis

Old Testament books. Stafford was a teaching

community.

leader and southeastern U.S. area adviser for Bible Study Fellowship for 20 years before her retirement and concentration on writing and Bible teaching. She is a Life Member of the U of M Alumni Association.

1964 Dr. James Simmons (BS) was inducted into the Phi Beta Mu Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame. He is a former president of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and previously was a woodwind instructor and assistant director of bands at Memphis State University.

1971 Don Donati (BA) of Donati Law was honored as a Human Rights Advocate by the Tennessee

1979 Randall J. Fishman (JD), a partner in Ballin,

1975

Ballin & Fishman, was elected a Fellow of the

Maria Alexander Holmes (BA) received

Tennessee Bar Foundation.

her EdD in educational leadership in higher education from Sam Houston State University,

1980

where she serves as assistant director of the

Terry Brimhall (BBA), founder

Bowers Honors College. She is married to Frank

and president of Brimhall

R. Holmes (BA ’75), who is in his 11th year

Foods Co. Inc., was named

as vice president for university advancement at

Entrepreneur of the Year by

SHSU.

the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce.

Eddie Peters (MA) received the George Morrissey Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Richard Alan Bunch (JD) has written a new

Central Florida Chapter of the National Speakers

book, Sailing Above the Clouds: Stories, Poems,

Association.

and Sayings. The literary fiesta features short stories such as “Lifeguard,” “The Hunt” and “A

Human Rights Commission as part of its 50th

1977

Summer in the Lives of Two Rebels” and poems

anniversary celebration. The honor recognizes

Dr. Robert F. Wright (BS) was appointed

including “Bus Station at the Border,” “Native

individuals who have made a significant

professor and chair of Prosthodontics at the

Spirit” and “Maybe Someday.” Bunch currently is

impact in advancing human rights in their local

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School

working on a novel and has finished the poem

communities and across Tennessee.

of Dentistry. He is an adviser to the executive

“Boise del Apache Wildlife Refuge.” His website is

director of the U of M Alumni Association.

richardalanbunch.com.

Dr. Barbara Prescott (BSEd, MEd ’73) was honored with the Legends Award from the

Mike Yohanek (BBA) joined the accounting

James Thompson (BSEd)

Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis.

team at engineering/architectural/planning firm

is U.S. marshal for the District

The award recognizes her contributions to the

A2H.

of Utah. Thompson is a career

Memphis community.

Marshals Service employee.

1972

1978

He began his law enforcement

J. Kenneth “Chip” Marston Jr. (BBA), CEO

career with the agency in 1983

Allie Bond (BBA), director of diversity and

and founding member of The Marston Group,

as deputy U.S. marshal for

compliance for International Paper, was named to the board of directors of Catholic Charities of West Tennessee.

joined the board of directors of Visible Music

the Middle District of North Carolina. He was a

College and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens.

member of the USMS Special Operations Group and went on to become an inspector in the Witness Security Division. Thompson also served

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

as an instructor at the U.S. Marshals Service

attachment to a mysterious box draws the

Commander, 147th Reconnaissance Wing in

Training Academy in Glynco, Ga., for four years

curiosity and unkind attention of the other boys.

Houston, to Air National Guard Advisor to the

before becoming chief deputy U.S. marshal

The withdrawn Daniel is befriended by Aaron

Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General at

for Utah. He served in that post for 17 years

(based on the rabbi), a stutterer who also

the Pentagon. A distinguished graduate of Air

until his appointment as U.S. marshal in 2010.

endures the taunts of the other boys.

Force ROTC Detachment 785, Lipcaman has

Before joining the Marshals Service, Thompson

served in the Air Force, Air Force Reserves and

was a ranger with the National Park Service,

1986

serving in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Jim Strickland (BA, JD ’89) received the

He has received numerous awards during his

Bobby Dunavant Public Servant Award from

career, including one for his contributions to the

the Memphis Rotary Club East. This award was

Michael Watson (MS) was

community partnerships for public safety during

established in honor of the late Probate Court

named president and CEO of

the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

clerk to recognize distinguished work by elected

Duck River Electric Membership

and non-elected public officials and further the

Corp. He began his career with

Teri Van Frank (BBA)

discussion of good government. Strickland is a

Duck River Electric in 1992 as

became the first woman to be

member of the Memphis City Council and an

promoted to president/CEO

attorney with Kustoff & Strickland.

the Air National Guard for 24 years.

1991

an electrical engineer. Watson later served as district manager and director of operations before being named vice president

and chair of the Share One Inc. board of directors. She has

1987

in 2012. The electric distribution cooperative,

been with the financial services

Florence Roach (MEd) was honored by Delta

with headquarters in Shelbyville, Tenn., provides

technology company for 31 years, most recently

Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. with the Shining Star

electric service to all or parts of 16 counties in

as senior vice president/COO.

Award at a Hollywood gala in January. She was

south central Tennessee.

recognized for her performances on stage and

1981

film. Roach appeared in Steven Spielberg’s

Tim Griffin (BA) has been a journalist for more

Academy Award-winning film The Help and in

John Hayes (BBA) was

than 30 years at a variety of newspapers and

Craig Brewer’s Black Snake Moan, as well as

promoted to vice president of

websites, including more than 25 years at the

several independent films, stage productions

risk management for Ingram

San Antonio Express-News. He has covered all

and commercials. She is a singer, director,

Industries Inc. of Nashville.

four Spurs NBA championship series victories,

producer, playwright, songwriter and actress. She

along with 12 national championship football

produced, directed and starred in a one-woman

games and five Final Fours. Griffin has been

play Calling All Men, which debuted at the Rose

honored nationally and regionally for his writing

Theatre in June 2011. Roach is president of

and enterprise and is a former national president

Ettaro Theatre Company and a retired vocational

of the Football Writers Association of America.

and theatre teacher for Memphis City Schools.

1982

1988 Anna Olswanger (MA) is an

Marilyn Califf (MFA) showed her watercolor

author and literary agent with

“Early Treatment Helps Prevent the Cloud of HIV”

Liza Dawson Associates in New

at Caritas Village during AIDS Awareness Month

York City. Her newest book

in December. In February she showed her cloth

is Greenhorn, an illustrated

collages at the Art2Frame Gallery in Oxford, Miss.

middle-grade novel based on

Her website is marilyncaliffart.com.

a true story by Rabbi Rafael Grossman, a former instructor at the U of M. In Greenhorn a young

1989

Holocaust survivor named Daniel comes to a

Col. Suzanne Biesiot Lipcaman (BA) has

Brooklyn yeshiva in 1946, where his obsessive

been reassigned from Mission Support Group

W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

1992

1993 Hamlett Dobbins (BFA), director of the Clough-Hanson Gallery and teacher at Rhodes College, was selected as a 2013-14 Rome Prize winner to attend the American Academy in Rome, the premier overseas center for independent study and advanced research in the arts and humanities. Recipients of the prize are invited to spend six months to two years in Rome, immersing themselves in the Academy community and expanding their professional, artistic or scholarly pursuits. Dobbins will spend 11 months there.

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49

CLASS NOTES

Molly Glover (JD) joined

Morrow & Marston, was elected a Fellow of the

the law firm of Burch, Porter

Tennessee Bar Foundation.

& Johnson, where her practice

1995

and mediation. Glover

Stacey Williams-Ng (BFA), an interactive

has successfully defended

book designer, is the subject of a documentary

malpractice cases for professional disciplines

for learning company Lynda.com in its Creative

including nursing homes, dentists, pharmacists,

Spark series. The series of short films features

nurses and attorneys. She has experience in

creative individuals doing interesting things with

litigating and trying cases of all types, including

their processes, media and subjects. The website

significant complex matters involving automotive

provides online courses primarily for graphic

design, construction equipment design, sexual

designers, photographers and web developers.

harassment, breach of contract and bad faith Supreme Court as a Rule 31 mediator and was

Julie McLaughlin (BA, JD

selected by her peers as a Mid-South Super

’01) joined the Kiesewetter

Lawyer in 2012.

Law Firm as a senior associate.

She had been an associate at Lawrence & Russell.

Lodie V. Biggs (BBA) was named chair of the economic development team at Baker Donelson.

Dianne Polly (JD) received the T.G. Kirkpatrick Annual Memorial Kiwanian of the Year Award

Kirk Caraway (BA, JD ’97), a partner with

from the Kiwanis Club of Memphis. She is a club

Allen, Summers, Simpson, Lillie & Gresham,

past president and member of the club’s board

was certified as a member of the Million Dollar

of directors, and the current Lt. Gov.-elect for the

Advocates Forum.

Kiwanis Club Division 1C. Polly is vice president of compliance and community relations for the

Pamela Denney (MA) is a food writer and

Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA).

copy editor for Memphis Magazine. She also runs the magazine’s Memphis Stew blog, where she celebrates “the people who grow, cook and eat Memphis food.” Her first venture into books was as author of Food Lovers’ Guide to Memphis: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings, released in 2012. Denney also is an adjunct faculty member in the U of M’s Department of Journalism.

Miles Mason (JD) authored his second book, The Tennessee Divorce Client’s Handbook: What Every Divorcing Spouse Needs to Know. He practices family law in Memphis.

Shea Sisk Wellford (JD), a director and partner with the law firm of Martin, Tate, 50

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appointed president/CEO of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Ind. She previously served as executive director of the Germantown Performing Arts Centre and director of the Buckman Performing and Fine Arts Center.

2000 Jerome Mahaffey (PhD) published the book The Accidental Revolutionary: George Whitefield and the Creation of America. He is the John and

1996

1994

1998 Tania Castroverde Moskalenko (BFA) was

focuses on general litigation

litigation. Glover was listed by the Tennessee

company’s overall operations.

1997

Corrine Graf Chair of Communication Studies at Indiana University East.

Wendy Ray (BA) was named to the Memphis Business Journal’s inaugural class of “Super Women in Business.” She is director of communications at Pfizer Inc. Jordan E. Reifler (BA) was elected a partner at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.

Jenny Smith (BA) received four Emmy nominations for promos she created while serving as executive producer of marketing at WMC-TV. The nominations included PSA spot, Promo Spot Image, Promo Spot News Image and Director-Short Form. Smith has a total of

Courtney Liebenrood Ellett (BA) opened

11 nominations; she won two Emmys, one for

a new branch of her company, Obsidian

Promo Spot News and one for Writer-Short Form.

Public Relations, in Dallas. She is the founder

While at the U of M, she performed in Top Girls,

and owner of Obsidian, which she opened in

Lysistrata Erotica, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Memphis six years ago.

and Five Women Wearing the Same Dress. She currently lives in Shreveport, La., where she is

Jean Skorupa-Moore (BA) is director of

marketing director for KSLA News 12.

admissions for St. Agnes Academy Upper School.

2001 Robert J. Walpole (BSCE) was promoted

Lauren Isaacman (BA, MA ’05) is assistant

to president of Causseaux, Hewett & Walpole

vice president in the Chicago office of Marsh U.S.

Inc., a civil engineering and surveying firm

Consumer.

in Gainesville, Fla. In addition to overseeing engineering, land planning and construction

Summer Owens (BBA) received two honors

engineering inspection services, he leads the

during Black History Month in recognition of THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

her efforts to discourage teen pregnancy yet

2004

2007

encourage teen mothers and others who face

J. Eric Butler (JD), a Knoxville attorney,

Richard Otto (PhD) is chair of the Media

challenges. She received the U of M NAACP

was appointed to a three-year term on the

Communication and Technology Department at

chapter Young Alumni Freedom Award and the

nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. Panel

East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania.

Epsilon Epsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha

members listen to taxpayers, identify issues

Sorority Inc. Award for Social Justice and Human

and make suggestions for improving Internal

Nathan Stevens (BBA) is an audit manager

Rights Initiatives. Owens is the author of Life

Revenue Services processes, procedures and

with Reynolds, Bone & Griesbeck Certified Public

After Birth: A Memoir of Survival and Success as

customer satisfaction.

Accounts and Advisors.

Tesfa Wondemagegnehu (BM) won the

2008

a Teenage Mother and president and founder of S.O. What! LLC.

Macy’s Magic of Teaching Award at the Florida

Tiffany Langston (MA), online content and

Frances M. Riley (JD) is serving as 2013

Teacher of the Year Gala. Outside the classroom,

public relations specialist for the Memphis

president of the Association for Women

“Mr. Won,” a chorus teacher at Freedom High

Convention & Visitors Bureau, was named one

Attorneys. She is law clerk to the bankruptcy

School in Orlando, created the Class Voice

of the Memphis Flyer’s “20 Under 30” young

judges of the Western District of Tennessee,

Program. He offers students private singing

Memphians who are shaping the city’s future.

Eastern and Western Divisions. Before joining the

lessons and has helped them earn more than

She also keeps a food blog, tiffanytastes.

bankruptcy court, Riley was in private practice,

$850,000 in scholarships.

com, and serves on The Commercial Appeal’s

focusing on business bankruptcy reorganization and general business law.

Southern Tastes panel.

2005 Kacey L. Faughnan (JD) was elected a partner

2002

2009

for Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.

Lakeisha Chism (BS)

Justin Fox Burks (BFA) released his first

graduated from Meharry

cookbook, The Southern Vegetarian, written

Anna Mullins (BA, MFA ’08), executive director

Medical College in May. She

with his wife, Amy Lawrence. They are authors

of the Cotton Museum, was named one of

has begun a residency in family

of the popular blog The Chubby Vegetarian

the Memphis Flyer’s “20 Under 30” young

medicine at North Mississippi

(chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com). Burks is a

Memphians who are shaping the city’s future.

Medical Center in Tupelo.

professional photographer and Lawrence teaches

2006

Janet Dale (BA) earned her MFA in creative

Stephen Gostkowski (BSEd), placekicker for

writing from Georgia College & State University

Aparna Hebbani (PhD) teaches

the New England Patriots, was inducted into

in May.

communication at the University of Queensland

the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in May. An

in Australia. She won a prestigious research

all-conference athlete in baseball and football at

Alex Knight (BLS) was

grant, “Refugees’ Employment Aspirations and

the U of M, Gostkowski has made 84 percent of

selected Big Brother of the

Inter-generational Communication About Future

his field goal attempts during his seven seasons

Year for the state of Tennessee

Occupational Pathways.” This project is the

with the Patriots.

by Big Brothers Big Sisters of

English at The Hutchison School.

first to investigate the long-term employment

Greater Memphis. He also is

aspirations of recently arrived refugees and how

Scott Vogel (BLS) was named head football

they communicate them to their children.

coach at Christian Brothers High School after

Big Brother of the Year Award. Knight has been

serving as the team’s defensive coordinator for

matched with his “little brother” Marquette

the last two seasons. Vogel was a defensive

since 2008. The award recognizes mentors in

Jay Ebelhar (JD) was

back for the Tigers and captained the team in

the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for their

elected a shareholder at Baker

2004. He was a graduate assistant at the U of M,

contributions of time, service and support in

Donelson. He concentrates his

coached at Franklin Road Academy in Nashville

transforming the life of a child.

practice in employment law and

and volunteered at Memphis University School.

2003

in contention for the National

the financial services industry.

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51

CLASS NOTES

Shannon R. Little (BA, MA ’11) is marketing and events coordinator for the Huey’s restaurant chain.

1981 Marla Johnson Norris, co-founder and

Sarah Maurice (IMBA, MHA ’11), chief

CEO of Aristotle Inc., has been honored

operating officer of Campbell Clinic, was named

with the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for

one of the Memphis Flyer’s “20 Under 30” young

Entrepreneurship.

Memphians who are shaping the city’s future. She The award recognizes those who contribute

oversees four clinic locations with 450 employees,

significantly to the vitality and strength of the

44 physicians, an after-hours program and a

economy, combining business achievement

physician assistant program.

with service to humanity. Beta Gamma Sigma is an international honor society serving

2010

programs accredited by AACSB International

Kimberly Johnson (PhD) accepted a tenure

(Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of

track position as an assistant professor of speech

Business).

communication at Tennessee State University.

“I am so grateful to be one of the three Shirley Oakley (PhD) is academic chair of the

awarded the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion

Communications Department at St. Petersburg

for Entrepreneurship in the country. The

College Clearwater Campus.

opportunity gave me a platform to say ‘thank you’ to all who have contributed to Aristotle’s and my success,” Norris says. “I was especially

2011

honored that my former international relations adviser and professor, Dr. Rex Enoch, attended the

Jordan Caviezel (BM) is choral director at

awards ceremony. I was able to personally and publicly thank him for everything he’s done for

Oxford (Miss.) Middle School. In addition to

me.”

directing the choirs, he does vocal coaching and serves as the music director of the annual musical

Norris (BA) co-founded Aristotle, an Internet and interactive design company, marketing and

theatre production.

consulting firm, as a four-person operation in 1995. Today the Little Rock-based company has 75 employees and is recognized as a pioneer in a rapidly changing industry. Aristotle develops

Bevan Lee (BBA) joined the board of directors of

new approaches to interactive web services, emerging technologies and communication

Volunteer Mid-South.

opportunities. Its clients include museums, hospitals, tourism, the arts, government and politics.

Chris Niswonger (BA) is a videographer with the University of Rochester Department of College Enrollment.

2012 Gregory T. Gaston (JD) joined the law firm of McNabb, Bragorogos & Burgess.

Norris may be as well known for her philanthropic activities as for her entrepreneurship. She has served the University of Memphis as a member of its Board of Visitors and on the Centennial 100 committee of the Empowering the Dream Centennial Campaign. She was honored with the U of M’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005.

Aristotle supports the arts and non-profit organizations in central Arkansas by donations and by providing pro bono web services, consulting and interactive marketing support. In 2005 Aristotle was named an Arkansas Community Foundation Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation.

Norris graduated summa cum laude from the U of M with a triple major in international relations, urban studies and political science. “The University of Memphis gave me a top-notch undergraduate education and inspiring work experiences, and provided me with the opportunity to create friendships that last a lifetime,” she says.

She earned her MA degree in education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

52

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U

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53

IN MEMORIAM

Clinton Ray Pearson ’41, Feb. ’13 James Harold Boswell* ’42, Dec. ’12 Inez C. Stark ’42, Nov. ’12 Evelyn Gertrude Mattox Love* ’43, Jan. ’13 Virginia Hall Wallace ’43, March ’13 William D. Crosby ’46, May ’13 Alicia Anne Berryhill Boswell* ’47, May ’13 Mary Alice England Hudson ’47, March ’13 Ralph Jones Pearson ’47, May ’13 Fanchon Gordon Sabel ’47, April ’13 Frank Tamble Stegbauer ’48, April ’13 Ralph Byron Farrar ’49, Dec. ’12 Hubert Ray Threlkeld ’49, Feb. ’13 John Whitaker Hamilton ’50, Feb. ’13 Asbury Lewis Jones Jr. ’50, March ’13 Ralph D. McDowell ’50, Feb. ’13 Jo-Ann Ragland Widney Booker ’52, April ’13 Shirley Ann Hartman Romine ’52, ’69, Jan. ’13 Alex J. Migliara ’53, ’56, Jan. ’13 Tommy Perkins ’53, April ’13 Bennett Brock Tillman Jr.* ’53, May ’13 Robert L. Sorce ’54, Jan. ’13 William James Tyrrell ’54, March ’13 Elwood L. Qualls ’55, Dec. ’12 Tom Staed ’55, Feb. ’13 Bobby Joe Keough ’57, ’64, April ’13 William H. Nace* ’57, April ’13 George Eckerly Scarbrough ’57, Jan. ’13 Joe B. Baker ’58, April ’13 Amelia Ball ’58, Feb. ’13 Sam Holmes Haskins ’58, Dec. ’12 Thomas G. Richardson ’58, March ’13 Stanley R. Zellner ’58, Feb. ’13 Shelton Harrison ’59, Feb. ’13 Ruth O’Donnell ’59, April ’13

Billy Lee Dillard ’65, April ’13 James Blake Crawford Jr. ’66, May ’13 Alice J. Hardin ’66, March ’13 Fred Perry Von Hoffe, ’66, ’72, ’79, ’98, April ’13 John M. Whited Jr. ’66, March ’13 Donald Wayne Clark ’67, ’76, April ’13 W. Otis Higgs ’67, Feb. ’13 Sara Ray Mitchell ’67, Feb. ’13 Jeanne Marye Bunn Nuckolls ’67, ’69, March ’13 Laura Sherman ’67, March ’13 Guy E. Treece ’67, May ’13 Joseph Wilse Akin ’68, Feb. ’13 John David Beeson ’68, March ’13 Olivia Buck Fesmire Holcomb ’68, Dec. ’12 Estie Register Ripley ’68, Feb. ’13 Norman W. Carroll Jr. ’69, Feb. ’13 Shirley Broadhead Turner Hamilton ’69, Feb. ’13 Ruth Ann Pierce Meadows* ’69, ’74, March ’13 Susan Hopping Mize ’69, March ’13 Ann Hilliard Lockhart ’70, Dec. ’12 Carol Elizabeth McCraw ’70, ’78, March ’13 Martin Albert McNulty ’70, Jan. ’13 Ouita T. Brown ’71, April ’13 Richard Fields ’71, April ’13 Beverly Lila Barry Frazier ’71, Jan. ’13 Mildred Jeanne Dupuy Thompson ’71, May ’13 John Barry Barton ’72, Dec. ’12 John Charles Findley ’72, April ’13 John E. Singleton ’72, Feb. ’13 Aline Drake Jones Bartley ’73, Feb. ’13 Mary Lou Hayes ’73, April ’13 James M. Hodges ’73, March ’13 Alice Fretz Morrison ’73, March ’13 Mary Aileen Jolley Sneed ’73, March ’13 James R. Corcoran ’74, ’76, Oct. ’12 Willie B. Kelley ’74, March ’13 James McKenzie Madison ’74, April ’13 Eugene L. Milner ’74, Feb. ’13 Joanne Putnam ’74, March ’13 W. Clyde Tilley ’74, April ’13 Juanita Hammett ’75, April ’13 James Michael Vaughn ’75, Jan. ’13 William Stephen Anderson Jr. ’76, Jan. ’13 Wrennie Love Jr. ’76, May ’13 Mark D. Slagle ’76, March ’13 David L. McKee Allen ’77, Feb. ’13 Sam L. Crain Jr. ’77, ’83, Feb. ’13 Harriet Wise Stern ’77, Dec. ’12 Mary Elise Ackermann ’79, Feb. ’13 Liza Shannon McClure ’79, March ’13

1960s-70s

1980s-90s

Bill Clifton ’60, May ’13 L. Wade Harrison Jr. ’61, March ’13 Beverly Frizzell Magee ’61, March ’13 James Clifford Stanfield ’61, Dec. ’12 Prince Albert Worley ’62, March ’13 Elna Adelle Arnold Johnson Cooper ’63, Jan. ’13

Fern Cross Brewster ’80, ’82, April ’13 Donna Kay McGee ’80, ’85, Feb. ’13 Larry Ragland ’80, March ’13 O.P. Timbs ’80, Dec. ’12 Douglas R. Dadisman ’82, Jan. ’13 Betty Joyce Raber ’82, ’83, Jan. ’13

The University of Memphis Alumni Association expresses its sympathy to the families and friends of the following individuals:

ALUMNI (Listed alphabetically by graduation date)

1920s-30s Faye Hazel Wallis ’34, Jan. ’13 Mary Riepma Cowell Ross ’38, Feb. ’13 Ellen C. McCord ’39, ’71, Nov. ’12

1940s-50s

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Mary Morris Berryhill ’83, Jan. ’13 Elizabeth Clewell Epp ’83, Jan. ’13 Bobby Parks ’84, March ’13 Leon E. Sheppard ’85, Dec. ’12 Stephanie Harter ’86, ’89, May ’13 Dee James Canale Jr. ’87, May ’13 Lillian Tullos Smith ’87, Feb. ’13 Barry Wayne Burns ’88, March ’13 Susan Jeanne Scott ’89, March ’13 Maj. Howard Nichols ’90, Jan. ’13 Susan McEwen Clark ’91, April ’13 Lisa Alyce Buckley Harris ’92, May ’13 Claudia A. Ballentine ’93, Nov. ’12 Nancy Tilley ’93, April ’13 Steven Earl Hoggard ’94, April ’13 Kenneth Eugene Paul ’94, March ’13 William Christopher Grove ’95, April ’13 Jason Allen Parrish ’96, Dec. ’12 Frank Arthur Coyle Jr. ’97, March ’13 Elizabeth Vaughn ’97, Dec ’12

2000s George Gogonelis ’00, March ’13 Lori Ann McKenzie-Jones ’00, Jan. ’13 David Michael Medlock ’01, Jan. ’13 Mary Elizabeth Davis ’03, Jan. ’13 Christy L. Malone ’04, Dec. ’12 Christian Dale Soronen ’07, Jan. ’13 Jantwnette “Jan” Smith ’08, Dec. ’12 Scott David Brothers ’10, April ’13

Faculty/Staff Frankie Conklin ’05, May ’13 Robert Edward Dalton ’71, Jan. ’13 Margaret White Fristick ’69, ’70, Feb. ’13 William Delbert Gatliff, March ’13 Janice Scott Harry-Okuru ’88, ’92, May ’13 Joseph S. Layne, April ’13 Mary Rebecca Marler, April ’13 Ethel Taylor Maxwell ’56, Jan. ’13 Gerald Christopher Papachristou ’88, May ’13 Robert Spencer Rutherford, Dec. ’12 Devoy Ryan, March ’13 William Spencer ’73, ’81, ’82, Jan. ’13 David Russell Williams, Dec. ’12

Friends Edgar Hull Bailey, Dec. ’12 Griffith Corbin Burr Jr., Jan ’13 Dr. Edward Charles Leonard, Jan. ’13 Richard Louis Lightman, Jan. ’13 Beverly C. Ross, March ’13 Harry B. Sharp, Dec. ’12 Dr. Harold W. Stephens, Feb. ’13

* Lambuth University graduate THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

This summer the Green Machine, Memphis’ first mobile food market, began providing residents of 15 low-income neighborhoods without full-service supermarkets with access to fruits, vegetables and dried goods. Research by U of M students from the Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning helped to identify the underserved areas and plan the routes. The former MATA bus also includes a nutritional, health and wellness corner. Volunteers helped design the bus.

Alumni Association National Executive Board of Directors: Anita Vaughn (BA ’77, MPA ’83), President; Allie Prescott (BA ’69, JD ’72), Past President; Kim Barnett (BA ’95, MBA ’99), Vice President for Membership; Wei Chen (IMBA ’98), Vice President for Communication; Ben Watkins (BBA ’78), Vice President for Finances; Renee DeGutis (BS ’83), Vice President for Programs and Events; Hon. Robert L. “Butch” Childers (BBA ’71, JD ’74); Roberto Young (BSEE ’02, BSCE ’03); Karimeh McDaniel (BA ’02); David Kustoff (BBA ’89, JD ’92); Ron Hart (BBA ’81, MBA ’83); Eric Robertson (BA ’03); Dana Gabrion (BA ’98); Jim Strickland (BBA ’86, JD ’89); Andrew Bailey (BBA ’00, EMBA ’05); Greg Siskin (BBA ’85, MBA ’00); Marla Johnson Norris (BA ’81); Jamie Russell (BBA ’02) Advisers to the Executive Director: Deanie Parker (BPS ’77, MPA ’88); Mark Long (BSEE ’85); John Lawrence (BA ’94, MS ’98); Theopolis Holeman (BSET ’71); Cathy Ross (MBA ’82); John Bobango (JD ’83); John Koski (BA ’88); Dr. Robert Wright (BS ’77); Paul Jewell (BA ’78); Hon. Diane Vescovo (JD ’80) Club and Chapter Presidents: Arts & Sciences: Amani Barnett (BS ’99, MHA ’09); Band: Jeremy Stinson (BA ’02, MAT ’06); Blue Crew: Cole Roe; Business & Economics: Shannon McDowell (BBA ’01, MS ’02); Communication Sciences and Disorders: Denice Perkins (MA ’84); Education, Health and Human Sciences: Randy McPherson (BS ’81, MS ’84, EdD ‘94); Engineering: Eddie White (BSEE ’09, BSCE ’09, MA ’13); Fraternity Alumni Advisory Council: David Wadlington (BBA ’75); Frosh Camp Alumni Club: Justin Hipner (BBA ’97, MBA ’00); Half Century Club: J.B. “Pappy” Latimer (BS ’52); Hispanic Alumni Council: Nestor Rodriguez (BA ’02); International MBA: Daniel Bradford (BBA ’07, IMBA ‘09); Journalism: Chris Sheffield (BA ’90); Kemmons Wilson School: Anthony Petrina (BBA ’10); Law: Hunter Humphreys (JD ’77); Luther C. McClellan: Lofton Wilborn (BBA ’02); Master of Public Administration: Peter Abell (MPA ’08); Nursing: Collin Johnson (MSN ’10); Professional MBA: Robert Peters (BBA ’97, MBA ’01); Student Ambassador Board: Sheridan Sinclair; Theatre and Dance: Josie Helming (BFA ’67); University of Memphis Association of Retirees: Sheryl Maxwell; University College: Sherri Stephens (BPS ’07); Young Alumni: Rachel Jacques (BBA ’09, MBA ’11) Out of Town Groups: Atlanta: Don Sparkman (BSEE ’87); Austin: Northern Sherrod Hendricks (BA ’00); New England/Boston: Bob Canfield (BBA ’59); Chicago: Lauren Isaacman (BA ’02, MA ’06); Dallas: Chris Godwin; Denver: Laura Laufenberg (BBA ’11); Houston: Andrew Glisson (BBA ’07); Little Rock: Courtney Powell (BS ’10); Nashville: Mike Dodd (JD ’01); New York City: Janet Griffin (BS ’95); Orlando: Katie Schwie Perrine (BA ’98); San Antonio: Marcus Jones (BSEE ’87); St. Louis: Dennis Breakstone (BBA ’92); Tampa: Bob Riggins (BBA ’70, MS ’80); Washington D.C.: Michelle Whyte (BA ‘01) Alumni Staff: Associate Vice President, Alumni and Constituent Relations & Executive Director, Alumni Association: Tammy Hedges; Director: Joe Biggers; Assistant Directors: Holly Snyder (BA ’09), Terez Wilson (BSEd ’08); Alumni Coordinators: Emma Boyd Elliott, Brandon Hoyer, Shannon Miller (BA ’98), Kaylee Heathcott Pierce, Jacki Rodriguez (BA ’03) Alumni Administrative Staff: Shanette Jenkins-Parks, Monique Udell, Ben Zawacki

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55

Back page Reflections on the Legacy of President Shirley Raines

by Linda Bonnin As we say farewell to Shirley Raines, a president who will be remembered as much for her grace and character as the indelible mark she left on this university, we pause to reflect on her legacy.

The Commercial Appeal once described her as “powerful, prepared and personable.” To that we would add “productive” as she was phenomenally effective at building productive partnerships, both on and off the campus.

Her emphasis on partnerships enabled the university to realize significant gains in annual giving, and her focus on engaged scholarship in the community doubled the number of sponsored research grants and awards. She spearheaded the creation of the Memphis Research Consortium, a community-wide collaboration, and established the U of M Research Foundation. However, the greatest tribute to her ability to build partnerships is reflected in this year’s successful completion of the $250 million Empowering the Dream capital campaign.

The second facet of her legacy is the facilities she leaves behind. In an era when state funding has been nearly impossible to secure, and the economy has faltered dramatically, Raines took the unimaginable and made it possible.

On her watch, she opened the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management and the FedEx Institute of Technology. She relocated the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law to its historic downtown location, and she led the move to open the U of M’s Lambuth Campus in Jackson, Tenn. Along the way, she also cut the ribbon on a new University Center, a residence hall for honors students, an athletic training facility, the Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway Hall of Fame and a softball stadium, among others.

During her final groundbreaking in May, Raines shoveled dirt for the new Community Health Building, after struggling hard to secure the necessary private and state funds. She brought along 30 shovels so those who had played a role in its funding could share in the celebratory dig. “I will be back for the opening,” she vowed, to cheers from the crowd.

During her tenure, Raines oversaw renovations to the former Millington Naval Hospital, now a satellite campus, and Wilder Tower.

She branded the top of Wilder, formerly a library but now a student services center, with the U of M logo and lit it up for all to see. The clock tower emerged as a new campus icon, along with the fountain, and a massive bronze tiger was erected in honor of the University’s Centennial celebration. Inside is a time capsule for future generations to open.

The third, but perhaps most important aspect of her legacy, involves her relentless work with students. She grew the Helen Hardin Honors Program into the largest in the state, while also expanding Emerging Leaders. Her emphasis on student success peppered all of her conversations, and she backed that up by focusing on such initiatives as internships, curricular learning communities, degree completion strategies and enhanced study abroad opportunities. In her final months as president, she saw the University lauded by U.S. News & World Report as being among the best in the nation for internship placements and 56

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teacher education preparation, both of which were a personal focus.

“Students first,” she often said, reminding those within earshot that students were the most important people on campus.

During her tenure, enrollment surpassed 22,000 for three consecutive years, and the U of M led the state in offering online degree programs, further defining the University’s role in an increasingly technological world.

She picked up trash while walking across campus, encouraged everyone to wear “Tiger blue,” and logged over 200,000 miles on her sedan driving herself to and from Nashville, fighting for every penny for “her” students.

She was the face of the University, serving not only as the first female president of the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce, but also as a member of the NCAA Board of Directors, chairing the NCAA Presidential Task Force Oversight and Monitoring Group.

As a child growing up on a farm in the small town of Bells in west Tennessee, Raines used to gaze at the airplanes flying overhead and ponder who was on them. “I knew they were going to Memphis,” she said, “and I wanted to go, too.”

And that she did. She adopted the city, and it adopted her back. She cared deeply about the University, its city and its people.

So, as we bid adieu to the longest serving president in the University’s history, we also want to say thank you, not only for 12 years of exemplary service, but for giving us her heart and soul; for always choosing to see the good in us; for being our champion; and for leaving us in a better place than when she found us.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

M

Ma ers

ERSH B M IP E

DR. JA NE HOOK ER BSEd ’68; MEd ’69

University of Memphis Alumni Association Life Member • Current adjunct faculty member – Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) • University of Memphis – retired associate professor emeritus, CEHHS, and former coordinator, PETE • Taught 38 different courses for the U of M and authored four textbooks • Vice chair – Faculty Senate • President’s Society member • Columns Society member • Former head coach, U of M women’s volleyball team • Co-founder of the Tennessee College Women’s Sports Federation Awards include: • 2013 College of Education, Health and Human Sciences Hall of Fame • 2012 Center for Research on Women selection for “100 women who made a difference to the University of Memphis” • 2000 Conference USA and University of Memphis Women’s Athletics Award for Outstanding Achievements and Contributions to Girls and Women in Sport • 1993 Earl Crader Award for Outstanding Teaching, Service and Research • 1990 Tennessee and Southern District Associations for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Honor Award • 1979 Glenn Johnson Memorial Award for Outstanding Physical Education Teacher

BECOME A N A LUMNI A SSOCI ATION MEMBER TODAY. Stay connected and network with other graduates and friends of our beloved University.

A single membership is only $35 per year.

Visit memphis.edu/alumni or call 901.678.ALUM.

A Tennessee Board of Regents Institution An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action University

The University of Memphis Division of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing 303 Administration Building Memphis, Tennessee 38152-3370

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