mississippi state alumnus spring 2004

The Early Childhood Instituteat MSU works with day-care centersaround Mississippi to improve learningopportunities for very young children.

Spring 2004 | Volume 80 | Number 1

USPS 354-520

PresidentJ. Charles Lee

Vice President for External AffairsDennis A. Prescott

Alumni Association Executive DirectorJohn V. Correro (’62)

Mississippi State Alumnus is published threetimes a year by the Office of UniversityRelations and the Mississippi StateUniversity Alumni Association atMississippi State, Miss. Send addresschanges to Alumni Director, P.O. BoxAA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526;telephone 662-325-7000; or access byweb browser athttp://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/alumni/alumni.htm.

Editorial offices:102 George Hall,P.O. Box 5325,Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325.Telephone 662-325-3442; fax, 662-325-7455;e-mail, [email protected]

EditorAllen Snow (’76)

Associate EditorKay Fike Jones

DesignersBecky SmithErin Norwood (’98)

PhotographersRuss Houston (’85)Clint Parish (’02)

Mississippi State UniversityAlumni Association National OfficersGary Blair (’81),national president;Keith Winfield (’70),national first vice president;Joe L. Bryan (’63),national second vice president;David W. Jones (’81),national treasurer;Allen Maxwell (’78),immediate former national president.

Mississippi State

features2 | More than child’s playThe Early Childhood Institute at Mississippi State works with more than 200 day-care centersaround Mississippi in its Partners for Quality Child-care—one of nearly 20 projects aimed atimproving the learning opportunities for very young children. The five-year-old center, a part ofthe Department of Curriculum and Instruction, is headed by Cathy W. Grace, a lifelong earlychildhood educator.

8 | Thirty years through the lensFor more than three decades, the photographs of Fred Faulk virtually defined the visual publicimage of Mississippi State University. When Faulk passed away in November 2003 at the ageof 54, he left a remarkable legacy on film. As coordinator of photographic services for theUniversity Relations office, he chronicled the life and breath and growth of the universitythrough the administrations of five presidents.

12 | Illustration is going swimmingly for Delta alumnusGrowing up in the Mississippi Delta, Chuck Galey always wanted to be an artist—so, naturally,he opted to study physics at Mississippi State! To date, he has produced illustrations for threebooks, and the awards are piling up.

14 | Triceratops, crocodiles and sea turtles—Oh, my!The Dunn-Seiler Museum in Hilbun Hall, operated by the Department of Geosciences, was re-opened to the public during Homecoming weekend last fall, following a four-year renovation.The hiatus allowed an updating and modernization of museum collections, re-cataloging ofthousands of specimens, installation of more attractive display cabinets, and the computerizationof records.

18 | First class of Schillig Scholars proves that life isn’t always predictableIn 1986, MSU selected among the first class of Schillig Scholars an aspiring doctor, astronaut,accountant, and aerospace engineer. Seventeen years later, the four have become—respective-ly—an attorney; a corporate magician; a professional speaker and author; and an orthopedic sur-geon. Regardless of the detours in their career paths, all have built on skills easily recognizedby the 1986 selection committee.

Campus News 22 | Athletics 28 | Alumni News 30 | Philanthropy 34 | Class News 39 | In Memoriam 43

Cover photo by Clint Parish | This page South Farm at sunset, photo by Fred Faulk

More than

By Maridith Walker GeuderPhotos by Clint Parish

A L U M N U SSpring 2004

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Child-care advocate seeks to create learning opportunitiesfor the very young

On a dreary, nearly spring day just past noon, theRockhill Angels Daycare Center is eerily quiet.

In three rooms of the modest brick home that has beenconverted to its present use, about 15 one- to four-year-oldsare napping on small floor-level cots, covered carefullywith blankets. A worker stationed in each room keeps aneye on the peaceful figures, and, when needed, will pull upand tuck in an errant cover that has been carelessly thrownoff in slumber.

Center owner Vinnie Bond says that her work—whichbegins long before the facility’s 6:30 opening every morn-ing—is a labor of love. Serving the children of mostly single-parent homes in rural Oktibbeha County, she has fewof the resources that larger, more well-funded centers areable to access. What she does have, however, is a desire tolearn and to help her children learn.

The Early Childhood Institute at Mississippi State ishelping her reach both goals. “They’ve worked with us toset up our rooms and arrange a science center, a readingcenter and other learning areas,” she explained. “They’vealso been invaluable in providing curriculum modules wecan adapt for our needs and in helping train our workers.”

Because of her collaboration with the College ofEducation-based institute, Bond feels that she’s better ableto provide the children for whom she cares a safe, nurturingenvironment that stimulates their minds.

“We want them to be engaged,” she explains. “Fromthe moment they enter the door, we try to teach them some-thing, whether it’s saying our ABCs every day or learningcolors or exploring science.”

Her experiences are reflected by more than 200 daycarecenters around Mississippi with which the Early ChildhoodInstitute works in its Partners for Quality Child-care—oneof nearly 20 projects aimed at improving the learningopportunities for very young children.

The five-year-old center, a part of the Department ofCurriculum and Instruction, is headed by Cathy W. Grace, alifelong early childhood educator. With recent $2.18 millionfunding from the U.S. Department of Education, she nowwill expand her efforts to create the National Center onRural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives, also based atMississippi State.

Its focus will be the next generation of researchdesigned to improve the quality of childhood programsserving rural children from birth to 6 years old. In theprocess, the national center will develop improved trainingand technical assistance programs, generate research-testedmodels of early childhood education that can be replicated,and provide research-based information for policy decisionsat the state and national level.

It is a huge undertaking, but one that department headEsther M. Howard believes is suited to Grace’s skills and toMississippi State.


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“Because the Early Childhood Institute is based atMSU, a land-grant institution with a research focus, wehave the capability to cross all barriers and invite allparties to participate in a cohesive, systematic effort toserve Mississippi’s youngest children,” she explained.

“As researchers, we are gathering the data to directour choices and decisions concerning the future. Aspractitioners, we are in the field providing immediateassistance. As leaders, we provide data to guide policyand serve as catalysts to the state to ensure appropriateprograms and services for children are being developedand implemented. We believe that through research,service, and leadership, our outreach will have thegreatest impact,” Howard said.

Rural beginnings“I knew from the time I was eight years old that I

wanted to be a teacher,” said Grace, a Proctor, Ark.,native. As a single mom, she attended the Universityof Arkansas, returned to her home to teach first grade,and, as a graduate student at nearby Arkansas StateUniversity, wrote her first $5,000 grant.

“The year before we received grant funding, wedid a summer program for children entering the firstgrade,” she recalled. Her dad owned a country store,and she would gather her class on the front porch ofthe wooden building. After the children’s lessons, herdad provided popsicles on the porch he cleaned withcoal oil.

“We did reading, the alphabet and numbers.When we received funding the next summer, wemoved to a community center and tripled the numberof children involved,” Grace said.

Cathy Grace still has a photo of that store in heroffice, a reminder of her roots and her commitment tochildren who live in areas compromised by poverty,isolation and lack of early childhood education options.

After leaving Arkansas, Grace taught in publicschools in Cleveland, Miss., at Mississippi Valley StateUniversity, and at the University of Southern Mississippi;worked to support the Education Reform Act of 1982;and eventually was asked to coordinate early childhoodprograms for the state Department of Education.

A call from Tupelo-based CREATE Foundationled her to a position with community schools and thearea Head Start program. She started Lee County

Families First, one of the first family resource centersfunded by the Mississippi Department of HumanServices. “It’s a model the state uses now,” Grace noted.

An active public speaker, Grace made a connec-tion with Clarence Day of the Memphis, Tenn.-basedDay Foundation, who attended one of her presentations.

“With his support, we put together a partnershipthat allowed me to come to Mississippi State,” Gracesaid. “We have a capacity at this university to helpchildren through the expertise of the institution as awhole,” she believes. From the MSU ExtensionService to social science departments to the School ofHuman Sciences, the Early Childhood Institute isworking to bring the experts together to addressuniquely rural issues.

Ff Gg HhIiKnowing where to start

Since its inception, the Early Childhood Institutehas built collaborations with those both on and off campus.With more than $5 million in funding, staff membershave worked with the U.S. Department of Education,Civitan International Research Center, GeorgetownUniversity, and the Oxford, Miss.-based BarksdaleReading Institute, among a host of others, to focus onchildhood education issues particularly relevant to therural South.

“It’s not sufficient to allow licensed child-care centers to serve only as custodians of children,” saidClaiborne Barksdale, chief executive officer of theBarksdale Institute, established in 2000 with a $100million endowment from former Netscape CEO JimBarksdale and his wife, Sally.

The Barksdale Institute has worked with Grace ona pilot project with child-care facilities and Head Startin two communities, West Point and Greenville.Called “Leaders in Literacy,” the effort, Barksdalebelieves, can be replicated at other Mississippi locations.It soon will be rolled out in Jackson, with plans tobegin McComb and Meridian centers.

The two-year-old project is offering strategies forimproving language skills in a state where many veryyoung children do not have the advantage of earlyexposure to books and reading, Barksdale said.

Grace calls it “challenging real-world field work.We’re trying to address the struggles staff membersface, from facilities to funding. We’re seeking ways toassist based on the realities of their situations.”

Barksdale believes the program is making a differ-ence.

“While it’s still too soon to evaluate the change inlanguage skills, we’re seeing a definite improvement inenvironment,” he noted. “Children are being talked toand read to. Books are at eye level so children can seethem, and we’re pleased with an increased emphasis onpersonal hygiene such as hand-washing.”

The program currently is undergoing an externalevaluation to determine “where we are and where we’dlike to go,” he added. “More than 90,000 Mississippichildren are in child care centers. I see it as very criti-

cal to begin this process early. It’s a long-term under-taking, and we hope this is what the state will support.”

But Barksdale is convinced of one definite outcome.“Through Cathy’s work, I think there’s a changing consciousness about how we approach child-care. She’snationally known and respected. This is an untiringmission for her.”

Success storiesThe essence of what Cathy Grace has accomplished

is reflected in the artwork on her office walls. Children’swritings, photographs, paintings, and paper creationsfill her working area. It’s all about the children to her.

When pressed, she will cite some successful proj-ects, with an eye always toward how her efforts helpthe youngest and the most vulnerable. “This work is soimportant to the future of our state,” she said.

Among the most visible projects, Partners forQuality Child-care, headed by doctoral student LaurieTodd, is bringing national standards of child-care toMississippi for the first time. Working with child-carecenters in every section of the state, Todd’s teams pro-vide evaluations, recommendations, technical training,and follow-up.

“They have given me an insight into best practices,”said Georgia Boss-Robinson, director of NewBeginnings Child-care in Clarksdale. “They comedirectly to us to provide hands-on training and tailorprograms to our specific needs.”

Because of the Mississippi State assistance, Boss-Robinson said, her center is focusing more than ever onage-appropriate toys, as well as those that teach specificskills. She’s conscious of creating a clutter-free envi-ronment, placing items on shelves that are accessible tochildren, and relating the environment to the curriculum.

“All of this results in more learning taking place,”she said. “It’s been wonderful. I want to partner withMississippi State as long as possible, because I seeimprovement here.”

At the Webster Care Children’s Center in Eupora,director Lynn McCafferty—a 17-year veteran at headingthe center—says “we’re eating up all of the knowledgeMississippi State is feeding us.”


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The center, funded by North Mississippi MedicalCenter-Eupora, serves approximately 55 children, sixweeks to 5 years old. “The MSU team visited us andevaluated us. They let us know where we couldimprove and have sent people to help us implementtheir suggestions,” McCafferty said.

She said both she and her teachers have expandedtheir philosophies of child-care, increased in levels ofprofessionalism, and placed more emphasis on teaching.

On a recent day at the center, five rooms of childrenwere engaged in high-energy, high-volume activitiesranging from pumping, dumping and filling objects atthe water center to exploring the world of dinosaurs. “While these children play, they are learning,”McCafferty said. “Having Mississippi State profession-als come into our classrooms has been an incredible

experience. They work with the teachers and with thechildren. They teach by example.”

In the projects under way at the Early ChildhoodInstitute, that is exactly what Cathy Grace is working todo. In collaboration with the Mississippi BroadcastingNetworks and the Mississippi Department of HumanServices, the institute developed outreach material for astatewide educational program titled “Right from Birth.”The video parenting series and caregiver guide provideinformation on early brain development in children andsuggestions for creating a stimulating environment.

An Early Learning Mentoring Program in coopera-tion with Delta State University serves more than 85families with infants, providing in-home parent educationto improve language skills and prepare children forschool. “This is being implemented by Delta State witha curriculum developed by the Early ChildhoodInstitute,” Grace explained. “It has real promise for at-risk children.”

In collaboration with the national PublicBroadcasting System, U.S. Department of Education,and Mississippi Broadcasting Networks, the instituteconducted research to investigate the effectiveness ofthe award-winning PBS children’s program, “Betweenthe Lions,” a television series designed to promote literacy skills. Testing took place at three Mississippischool districts, including multiple Sunflower Countylocations and Head Start Centers at the MississippiBand of Choctaw Indians.

And, on the Mississippi State campus, the EarlyChildhood Institute worked with ICS/Head Start andthe Day Foundation to improve Aiken Village Preschoolon the campus. The result was accreditation by theNational Association for the Education of Young Children.

Life at the Early Childhood Institute is busy, andwith Grace at the helm, it’s about to get even busier.“Working with partners such as the Department ofHuman Services, the Barksdale Reading Institute, andothers in the state, we want to build a system of com-prehensive quality early childhood education that canbe replicated nationwide,” Grace said.

A tall order, for sure, but all in a day’s work for thewoman Claiborne Barksdale, only half-jokingly, refersto as “Amazing Grace.”

For more information about the Early ChildhoodInstitute, see http://www.educ.msstate.edu/cni/eci.

Jj KkLlMm


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In January dedication ceremonies atMississippi State, Gov. Haley Barbourcited the new campus research centeras an example of universities helpingbusinesses become better.

Barbour joined MSU President Charles Lee and otherstate and university officials to open the Franklin Center forFurniture Manufacturing and Management. Rep. BillyMcCoy of Rienzi, new speaker of the Mississippi House ofRepresentatives, and Senate Appropriations Committee ChairJack Gordon of Okolona also participated.

The facility is named for Houston furniture executiveHassell Franklin, who made a $1 million signature contribu-tion to begin construction. Another $3 million was providedby the state, with additional corporate and private donationsmaking the center a reality.

Saying Mississippi must embrace change in bold ways,Barbour told the audience that “it is fitting that this be a newexample of universities helping business be better. What isimportant is what will be done in this building.”

Lee said the 35,000-square-foot facility will house acomprehensive furniture research, testing and technical assis-tance program that “will bring a new level of research anddevelopment capability for our state.”

The center also will house the new Institute of FurnitureManufacturing and Management, which consolidates andcoordinates efforts of a number of MSU units. In addition tothe College of Forest Resources and Forest and WildlifeResearch Center, they include the colleges of Architectureand Business and Industry, as well as the Bagley College ofEngineering, and MSU Extension Service.

Lee said the institute will address needs expressed bymany of the state’s 200 firms that account directly for morethan 27,000 Mississippi jobs. Mississippi produces about 70percent of the nation’s upholstered furniture, he added.

“We’ve seen increasing industry requests for researchand technical assistance,” Lee said. “Because the industry ismade up of many relatively small firms, it is often difficult toaddress these concerns on their own. We’re now in a better

position than ever to provide that assistance.” Franklin, founder, president and chief executive officer

of the Houston (Miss.)-based Franklin Corp. and a 1959MSU industrial management graduate, said more than 50percent of the wood furniture sold in the U.S. last year wasmanufactured offshore.

“We must respond in a positive and proactive way, andthis center can be a huge part of that process,” Franklin said.“This land-grant institution will raise the bar on lifting for-ward the furniture industry in Mississippi.”

Lee said the institute will support the furniture industry“through research that aids in the design, production, market-ing, and distribution of high quality products that meet thechanging needs of families and businesses here and abroad.We will also offer technical support to deliver new technolo-gies, methods and findings to industry, help to ensure a highquality workforce, and educate future managers and leadersfor the industry.”

In addition to laboratories for quality testing, engineeringand automation and product design, the Franklin Center alsofeatures an auditorium, distance learning classroom, comput-er classroom, furniture showroom, and administrative offices.

Commemorating the formal opening of the Franklin Center for Furniture Manufacturing

and Management were, from left, Gov. Haley Barbour; MSU President Charles Lee, furniture

executive Hassell Franklin, and Vance Watson, vice president for agriculture, forestry and

veterinary medicine. Franklin, president and chief executive officer of Houston-based

Franklin Corp., made a $1 million signature contribution for construction of the center

that bears his name.

MSU OPENS MAJOR

furniture research,By Maridith Walker GeuderPhoto by Russ Houston

development center


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Self-po

rtrait


9

For more thanthree decades,

the photographs of Fred Faulk virtually defined the visual public image of Mississippi State University.

Anyone who has ever thumbed through an Alumnus magazine,studied a recruiting viewbook, or

admired the university calendar is—knowingly or not—familiar with his work. His photos also

appeared regularly in the Reveille.

WHEN FAULK passed away in November 2003 at the age of54, he left a remarkable legacy on film. As coordinator of photographic services for the University Relations office, hechronicled the life and breath and growth of the universitythrough the administrations of five presidents. A Vicksburgnative, he began his career at Mississippi State in 1972 followinggraduation from Belhaven College.

Many of his scenes have been featured in two books aboutthe university, a pictorial survey, published in 1993, and InsideDudy Noble—A Celebration of MSU Baseball, published in 1992.His last major project was a book of photos to commemorate theuniversity’s 125th anniversary, 125 Years at Mississippi StateUniversity: A Pictorial History of the People’s University,released in October just prior to his death.

Post-9/11 Vigil

John Grisham

Rare snowfall

View from the library

Long shadows

Chapel ofMemories

Armed with a dry wit


11

and a tendency toward practicaljokes, Faulk approached life withsteady and deliberate energy,whether on the job, the tenniscourt, traveling with his belovedfamily, or listening to the songsof Elvis Presley, his music idol .For many years, a life-sizedElvis poster adorned his officewall, and often the strains of“Blue Suede Shoes” drifteddown the second-floor corridor of George Hall .

FAULK RECE IVED numerous awards for photographic excellencefrom the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. He wasamong the first recipients of a university-wide Distinguished StaffAward, recognizing exceptional contributions to Mississippi State.

A typical day on the job for Faulk might have included snap-shots at an early morning breakfast meeting, a portrait photo of afaculty member for a news story, a group shot of the women’s soccerteam, a “grip-and-grin” check presentation, a quick airplane flightfor an aerial photo of campus, an hour or so in the darkroom, photosof a visiting dignitary chatting with the president, assorted shots ofcampus scenes, and basketball photos at Humphrey Coliseum. And,somehow, during the lunch hour he usually found time for a quickgame of tennis—the hobby he pursued with passion.

Faulk was an institution on campus, known literally by almosteveryone in the university family for the span of 31 years. Thousandsof students and faculty and staff members passed through his studio,and none was a stranger. He was a familiar sight, as well, hurryingacross the Drill Field, a bulging camera bag slung over his shoulder.He had a quick smile and quick word for everyone he met along the way.

Pages more could be written about the man whose passing insome way signals the end of an era at MSU, but it seems more fittingto let him speak for himself through this representative collection ofhis photographs.

Jack Cristil

South Farm silhouette

GROWING UP in the Delta


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Growing up in the Mississippi Delta,Chuck Galey always wanted to be anartist—so, naturally, he opted tostudy physics at Mississippi State!

“IN GREENWOOD,” he remembers, “I took private art lessons,but I didn’t know anyone who was making a living doing art.”

Deciding he needed to study courses leading to a “real”job, Galey initially attended Mississippi College to studyoceanography. (“I liked scuba diving.”) After a tough bout ofseasickness, he was forced to reconsider both his major andhis college.

In the mid-’70s, he transferred to Mississippi State. Aftera year in physics, Galey discovered that he could study artand have a career in the field. Changing his major to graphicdesign, he went on to graduate in 1978 with honors.

After a series of early jobs in advertising and public relations, he left the corporate world in 1985 to open his ownillustration studio in Jackson. He continues to live inMississippi’s state capital with his wife Forrest and 17-year-old son Sean, a student at Murrah High School.

“I got a little burned out with advertising,” Galey says.“I found I wanted something more enduring.” That “some-thing” turned out to be the illustration of children’s books.

“When my son was born, he was given some books withbeautiful illustrations,” he says. “As I looked through them, Ithought, ‘I could do this!’”

To date, he has produced illustrations for three books:My Brother Dan’s Delicious, written by Steven L. Layne,SantaSaurus by Delano Holmquist and Jazz Cats by DavidDavis. Jazz Cats won a 2002 Children’s Choice Award,presented by the Children’s Book Council, a nationwideassociation of publishers. In 2003, the book also won aSpecial Award for Illustration in Children’s Literature bythe Mississippi Library Association.

All three picture books are produced by PelicanPublishing Co. in Gretna, La.

“It’s a nice thing to be part of kids’ experiences,”says Galey, the parent. “I feel like what I do helpskids learn to read.”

He adds, “Someone buys the book and reads itto children which, hopefully, will make the kidsbecome lifelong readers. Lifelong reading thenleads to better students with more compassion,which leads to them being better citizens.

“I think reading opens up doors and shows

people different views.”Galey, the artist, also is confident that a book’s illustra-

tions help sell it to both parent and child. Perhaps the bestexample of this, he observes, is the wildly popular GoodnightMoon. Although written by Margaret Wise Brown in the1940s, Moon, with its 200 or so words, remains a favorite ofthe “it’s-time-for-bed” crowd.

“When I lead a conference on illustrating, I always showwhat the entire text of Moon looks like with no art; it’s onepage long,” he says. “I then show the book and let audiencessee what illustrations can do.”

Explaining art has led Galey to share his talent with hisalma mater. He recently began teaching a once-a-week classfor the Mississippi State art department each fall.

“I teach concepts and how to use your talents, as well ashow to market yourself and how to make it in the businessworld,” Galey says.

He also stresses to students that success in the businessworld, especially as a free-lancer, takes constant effort andvigilance. “When a free-lancer, you basically ‘eat what youkill,’” he explains. “If you don’t work, you don’t bill it out.”

Galey works primarily in watercolor on the children’spicture books, but admits they are his “premium” jobs. Healso maintains a “day job” that helps keep the wolf from thedoor.

“I do illustrations for Highlights for Children magazine,including the hidden picture spot, as well as work for StoreyBooks, which publishes illustrated how-to books,” he says.

He also counts Rainbow Books in San Diego as a regularclient, producing pen-and-ink line drawings for the Christianpublisher during the last five or so years.

Continuing business relationships are important, evencritical, for most free-lance artists. “In essence, we produce awidget and I hope they keep buying widgets,” Galey sayswith a laugh.

Not content just to be an artist, the avid runner now is trying his hand at writing a children’s book. Because most children’s books contain only a few hundred words, he still islearning to work with a limited vocabulary. “It’s hard to tell astory in so few words,” he admits.

And, while Galey doesn’t miss getting seasick onresearch boats out in the Gulf of Mexico, he has discoveredthat the would-be oceanography career still may swim in hissubconscious. “Interestingly enough, I continue to leantoward water in my thoughts and in my stories.”

If that’s the case, perhaps his first complete children’sbook can be about an enthusiastic young artist from the Deltawho once wanted to swim like, and with, the fishes.

However it turns out, sweet dreams, Chuck Galey.

BY KAY FIKE JONES PHOTO BY RUSS HOUSTONILLUSTRATION FROM JAZZ CATS


15

A skull replica of the three-horned, parrot-beakedherbivore that roamed the earth during the Cretaceousperiod, some 65 to 72 million years ago, is among featured exhibits at the Dunn-Seiler Museum, located onthe ground floor of MSU’s Hilbun Hall.

Often hunted by Tyrannosaurus Rex, one of thelargest terrestrial carnivores of all time, the massive butshort-legged Triceratops roamed the western UnitedStates and Canada in its ancient heyday. About 50Triceratops skulls and partial skeletons have beenunearthed since an initial skull find by John Bell Hatcherin 1888.

The plant-eating dinosaur measured up to 25 feet inlength and 20 feet in height, weighed roughly five-seventons, and had a large skull that could reach up to 10 feetlong. The skull on display at the museum is a plaster-cast model of an original specimen, according to curatorChristopher Dewey.

Triceratops, thethree-horned

dinosaur, is playingat a museum nearyou–that is, if youhappen to live near

the MSU campus.BY PHIL HEARN | PHOTOS BY RUSS HOUSTON


16

An associate professor of geology and MSU facultymember since 1984, Dewey said the museum also ownsthe skull of a Cretaceous crocodile and the shell of aCretaceous sea turtle. Both are original specimens thatwere found in Mississippi, but neither currently is on dis-play. The crocodile skull, which measures about four feetin length, is on loan to the Pink Palace museum inMemphis.

“A specimen like that, as rare as it is, would be valuedin the tens of thousands of dollars,” Dewey said of theprehistoric crocodile, one of the dinosaur-devouring behemoths that grew to the length of a school bus andweighed as much as eight metric tons.

The Dunn-Seiler Museum, operated by the departmentof geosciences, was re-opened to the public during home-coming weekend last fall. Geography instructor JoanMylroie spearheaded the organization of a ribbon-cuttingceremony marking the occasion and notified more than500 department alumni.

The museum was closed in 1999 for a complete reno-vation of Hilbun Hall and relocation of the facility fromthe second floor to the ground floor.

“This ground-floor location will allow for easy accessto the museum by our visitors,” said Mark Binkley, professor and geosciences department head.

The four-year hiatus also allowed an updating and

modernization of museum collections, re-cataloging ofthousands of specimens, installation of more attractivedisplay cabinets and the computerization of records, somedating to the 19th century.

“It has been an identification nightmare, a numberingnightmare and a very challenging piece of work,” saidDewey, who owns the Starkville Martial Arts Academy,where he also serves as chief instructor. A black belt inJudo, Jujitsu and hapkido, the wiry, bearded Englishmansaid he began learning the arts of self-defense to deterschoolyard bullies as a youth in his native London.

“I’d say we’re about 90 percent complete with thedisplay materials,” he said of the museum cataloging proj-ect, noting he has been assisted by senior geology studentVictoria Egerton of Ocean Springs and graduate studentKaren Persons of Noxapater. “We’re basically having todatabase the whole thing from scratch.”

In addition to Triceratops and the Cretaceous croco-dile, the museum also houses a surprisingly varied mineraland rock collection—as well as meteor fossils from everyperiod of the Phanerozoic Eon, a period of half a billionyears that constituted the age of multicellular animal life onEarth. Some of the collections were obtained in the 1800sand displayed at McCain Hall by the university’s olddepartment of geology and geography.

“Other specimens were donated or purchased overthe years and come from all over the world,” said Dewey.“They date from the age of the earth—from billions ofyears old to very young specimens that are just hundredsof years old.”

The museum, formally founded in 1947, is named inhonor of Paul Heaney Dunn (1895-1962), who was geologydepartment head from 1934 to 1962; and Franklin CarlSeiler (1916-1945), an MSU student and later an instructorwho was killed in Europe during World War II. Deweybecame museum curator following the 1984 retirement ofProfessor Ernie Russell, who played a key role in buildingthe museum’s collections.

More than 1,000 people, ranging in age from 7 to 70,traditionally have visited the museum each semesterthrough the years, including organized tours of schoolchildren and drop-in visits by adults on football week-ends. There are no admission fees.

“The Dunn-Seiler Museum is a unique learningopportunity, not only for college students but for peopleof all ages,” said Binkley. “I think visitors will beimpressed with the collection.”

CHRISTOPHER DEWEY

Mechanical engineering freshman Brandon Witbeck, left, of Starkville demonstrated a

motion capture suit during opening ceremonies for the university’s Center for Advanced

Vehicular Systems. Looking on were J. Donald Trotter, center, CAVS interim director, and

John P. Calandro, Nissan/North America director of human relations and administration.

auto research centerPOISED TO ADVANCE productivity, safety

MSU By Maridith Walker GeuderPhoto by Russ Houston

The state of Mississippi and MississippiState have unveiled a state-of-the-artresearch center designed to reduceproduct development time, improve efficiency and increase safety in automobiles.

Officially opened in early December, the $9 million,45,000-square-foot Center for Advanced Vehicular Systemsdraws on the university’s longstanding high-performancecomputing expertise to develop manufacturing methods thatyield high-quality vehicles with advanced features.Researchers also will be working to reduce time-to-marketand production costs.

A companion facility, a 23,000-square-foot CAVS exten-sion center near Canton was officially dedicated Dec. 15.

The Mississippi State-based automotive research pro-gram was established in 2001 as part of the state’s successfulbid to attract Nissan Motor Co. The automobile manufacturerin May 2003 rolled its first Quest minivan out at its new 3.5-million square-foot facility at Canton, where the companywill employ more than 5,000 and produce more than 400,000vehicles annually.

Then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who called the center “aninvestment in our future,” said CAVS is “a welcome additionto our growing automotive industry.”

MSU President Charles Lee said CAVS also will have animpact beyond the state.

“This facility, and the engineering extension center inCanton, will significantly expand the state’s potential tobecome the hub of a new automotive development and manufacturing corridor in the Southeast,” Lee said.

While there has been an initial partnership with Nissan,both state and university officials emphasized that the CAVScenters have a broad mission of extending technology to avariety of industries.

“One of the overarching goals of CAVS is to makeMississippi a competitive player in a global marketplace,”said Donald Trotter, MSU’s associate vice president forstrategic initiatives and the center’s interim director.

Research efforts at the new facility are focused in threeareas: computational manufacturing and design; alternativepower systems; and human and systems engineering.Through the center’s outreach and extension effort, researchwill be translated to direct engineering support, on-site educational programs and workforce development.

Included in the new high-tech center are 5,000-square-foot high-bay laboratories, and a 9,000-square-foot lab formaterials, human factors and alternative power research. Asa major unit within the university’s already establishedEngineering Research Center, CAVS will draw on a varietyof high-performance computing resources.

Over the past decade, the ERC’s computer capabilitieshave placed MSU in the top 20 supercomputing powersamong national academic institutions.


17


18

ONE

First class of Schillig Scholarsproves that life isn’t always

PREDICTABLEBY AGA HAUPT | ILLUSTRATIONS BY BEN POWERS

ONE OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY’S mostprestigious honors started out more than 15 years ago as a suspected practical joke, recalled DonaldZacharias, president emeritus.

IN 1986

IN JANUARY 1986—a few months after being namedpresident—Zacharias received a letter from James T. Baird,the trustee of the Ottilie Schillig Trust of Port Gibson. “I amsomewhat early in writing you, but it occurs to me you havehad nothing but discouragements since arriving inMississippi, and I hope, in a small way, to alter that,” beganthe letter explaining that the Schillig estate planned to donate$1.5 million to establish a leadership scholarship program atthe university.

“I thought it was a cruel joke,” Zacharias said. ButBaird was not kidding, and the trust subsequently donated $2million to support entering freshmen who demonstratedexceptional leadership abilities. The Ottilie SchilligLeadership Scholarships, now funded through earnings onthe endowment invested in various stocks and bonds, coversrecipients’ tuition, housing and books.

In 1986, MSU selected among thefirst Schillig class an aspiring

doctor, astronaut, accountant, and aerospace engineer. Seventeen

years later, the four havebecome–respectively–an attorney,

a corporate magician, a professional speaker and author, and an orthopedicsurgeon. Regardless of the

detours in their career paths,all have built on skills easily recognized by the 1986 selection

committee, Zacharias said.

“THEY ALL IMPRESSED ME with their sense of confidenceand their determination to pursue their careers in a highlyprofessional way,” he noted.

For the first recipients of what has become a premierMSU honor, selection was a dramatic opportunity. “Whenformer Dean of Students Bill Foster called me to tell me thatI had been selected, I actually screamed into the phone,” said

Judy Thomas Martin, originally ofJackson. “I was completelyshocked.”

So was M. Wade Shrader, orig-inally of Pontotoc. “When I was ajunior in high school, I met theBairds at a football game in thepresident’s box and Dr. Zachariasintroduced me as a kind of studentwho might qualify for the scholar-ship,” he said. “I was excited when

it became available but I didn’t expect to receive it,” he said. During their four years at MSU, the Schillig Scholars

were involved in various campus activities and organizationsand met on a regular basis with Zacharias and guest speakers,Zacharias said.

“Spending time with Dr. Zacharias on a regular basiswas far and away the outstanding benefit of being a SchilligScholar,” said Joe M. Turner, originally of Brandon. “Hewas patient, encouraging, insightful, funny, and interested inhelping us develop as leaders and as people.”

“The first year, we were an intimate group of four, and it was a wonderful experience to sit one-on-one with thepresident of the university and discuss his ideas about highereducation,” said Shrader. “I learned the value of hard workand the experience opened a lot of doors.”

IN SOME CASES, the scholarsdidn’t realize until years later justhow many opportunities had cometheir way.

“My favorite memory is alsomy most embarrassing moment,”said Mandi Marett Stanley, origi-nally of Amory, recalling a lunchinterview the four students had witha then-unknown author, John Grisham.“I was totally enthralled as he

discussed a new manuscript he was working on, and I acci-dentally flung a piece of pork chop from my fork into his lap.I was mortified,” she said.

Stanley is a certified speaking professional and theauthor of an executive tips book. She and her husband Boblive in Olive Branch with their son Rett.

Martin also fondly recalled meeting Grisham. “Severalyears later, I saw his picture on a dust jacket,” she said,explaining that she then realized who she had met. “I think

Mandi Marett Stanley

Judy Thomas Martin


21

IT’S

it’s my favorite memory because I had completely forgottenabout it until I saw that picture,” Martin said.

“The experience of being a Schillig Scholar has immea-surably impacted my life,” said Martin, who came to MSUwith a desire to become a physician and work in the missionfield.

“Truthfully, I absolutely despised chemistry andphysics,” she said. “It’s difficult to pursue a medical careerwith that kind of disinclination.” Instead, Martin attendedthe Vanderbilt University School of Law and now works as aspecial assistant attorney general assigned to prosecuteappeals in cases where the death penalty has been imposed.

“In that role, I work with the loved ones of victims ofthe most terrible crimes,” she said. “I’m pretty proud of thefact that I get to stand up for people who have lost so much.”Martin and her husband Gerald live in Raleigh.

ALL FOUR of the first SchilligScholars say the MSU experienceprovided much more than an academic preparation for their lives.

“My years at Mississippi Statewere all about broadening myvision,” said Turner, who graduatedwith a degree in physics and chemistry education as well asnumerous hours toward a degree incommunication with an emphasis intheater.

“I am now a professional corporate magician,” Turnersaid, explaining that he uses sleight-of-hand as a theatricaldevice to promote products, services or ideas in an engagingand memorable way. Turner, his wife Rosemary, theirdaughter Hayley, and son Preston live in Tucker, Ga.

SHRADER WAS the only one ofthe four who graduated with thedegree he planned to earn, workingfor a couple of years after graduationas a flight engineer for NASA. “Ibecame aware that the opportunitiesat NASA were limited and I couldn’tsee myself in front of a computerscreen,” he said. Instead, he turnedin a new direction. A graduate ofthe University of Chicago Medical

School, he is now the chief resident in orthopedic surgery atthe Mayo Clinic. He lives in Rochester, Minn., with his wifeCarol and their triplets Benjamin, Mason and Claire.

“It’s so unfair that people are asked to decide what they want to

do with the rest of their lives at age 17,” Martin said.

“Career planning is not what it once was. The best thing to

do is to be mentally preparedto adapt,” Turner added.

Since 1987, more than 80 studentshave been selected as MSU

Schillig Scholars.

Joe M. Turner

M. Wade Shrader

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CAMPUSNews

Final enrollment figures for fall 2003released in December by the StateInstitutions of Higher Learning showedMississippi State with an unduplicatedheadcount of 16,173 students, including15,416 on the main campus at Starkville.

The final headcount represented adecline of about 400 students from fall2002, but MSU remained the state’s largestuniversity by a margin of more than 1,000.Preliminary reports last fall, which turnedout to be faulty, had identified MSU as thesecond-largest university.

Enrollment last fall in Mississippi’seight four-year institutions and the medicalcenter in Jackson grew by 1.5 percent to67,380.

Unduplicated headcounts were: MSU,16,173; University of Southern Mississippi,15,050; University of Mississippi, 13,804;Jackson State University, 7,815; Delta StateUniversity, 3,902; Mississippi Valley StateUniversity, 3,506; Alcorn State University,3,309; Mississippi University for Women,2,048; and University of MississippiMedical Center, 1,773.

More than 75 percent of MSU’s fallenrollment was made up of Mississippiresidents, and more than 79 percent of thestudents were undergraduates. African-Americans represented 18 percent of thetotal.

Fall enrollment figures included 1,688first-time freshmen and 1,617 new transferstudents, 1,038 of whom came to MSUfrom Mississippi community colleges. Fora third consecutive year, MSU freshmenreported the highest average ACT score(23.5) among entering freshmen in thestate’s universities. The freshman classincluded 22 National Merit Scholars.

Current MSU enrollment is lower than itwas during the previous three record-breaking years, but remains higher than atany point in university history prior to fall2000. The decline of about 4 percent fromthe peak figure of fall 2001 is the product oftwo extremely large graduating classescombined with smaller classes of incomingfreshmen.

MSU awarded about3,700 degrees at thebachelor’s throughdoctoral levels in both2002-03 and in 2001-02.That level is more than500 higher than theaverage of the previousfour years, when thenumber of degrees rangedfrom 2,991 to 3,340.

With the number ofstudents classified asseniors at MSU at a recordhigh this year, anotherlarge graduating class isanticipated this spring. It will take a stellarrecruiting year to bring in enough newfreshmen and transfer students to offset thelikely drop in returning students next fall,but enrollments are expected to reboundmore rapidly after that, said JimmyAbraham, interim vice president forstudent affairs.

Continuing improvement in retentionrates will contribute to enrollment growth.The freshman-to-sophomore retention rateis now above 81 percent, an increase of 5percentage points in five years and thehighest in the state. MSU’s graduation rateof 57 percent also leads among stateuniversities.

Mississippi State also is working onseveral fronts to strengthen freshman andtransfer student recruiting.

The application deadline for studentsentering as freshmen in fall 2004 has beenset at Aug. 1, the same as for transferstudents, rather than the May 1 deadline ineffect for the past two years. It’s not toolate for alumni and friends to recommend ahigh school senior or other prospectivestudent to the Office of EnrollmentServices, Abraham said.

To recommend a prospective student,send e-mail to [email protected], visit theWeb site at www.enroll.msstate.edu andselect the information request form,telephone 662-325-3076, or write to P.O.Box 6334, Mississippi State, MS 39762.

MSU also is offering enhancedscholarship aid for many students who willbe entering the university this fall.

Information about these and other MSUscholarships, as well as financial aid, isavailable on the Web atwww.sfa.msstate.edu.

Looking beyond next fall, a universitypriority is to expand scholarshipavailability, particularly for students whodo not qualify for the current EnteringFreshman Academic Awards. Raisingfunds for such scholarships will be apriority of State of the Future, the capitalcampaign now in its pre-announcementphase.

MSU also is working with the Noel-Levitz higher education consulting firm ona year-long review and fine-tuning ofrecruiting processes and procedures.

“We’re committed to recruiting allqualified students,” Abraham said. “Ourresearch shows that students who havegood high school grades tend to do well atMSU, regardless of ACT scores, and we’replacing great emphasis on mentoring,academic advising and support programsto help students succeed.

“We need the help of our alumni andfriends in communicating our desire toprovide the best possible education, insideand outside of the classroom, to allstudents.”

MSU looks for long-term enrollment growth, emphasizing access and excellence

Spring 2004

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Spring 2004

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CampusNewsAg Library project bringsresearch to desktops

A collaboration betweenMississippi State and theMaryland-based NationalAgricultural Library isallowing Mississippiresearchers easier and fasteraccess to the most recentscience-based agriculturalinformation available.

Called DigiTop—or DigitalDesktop—the service nowbeing demonstrated at MitchellMemorial Library on campusprovides full-text electronicaccess to resources in theagricultural sciences, as well asreference and article deliveryservices. The project also istesting the feasibility, costs andeffectiveness of the system,with the goal of potentiallyexpanding to other universities.

Watson named newdivision vice president

A longtime administratorand researcher at MississippiState has been named head ofthe university’s Division ofAgriculture, Forestry andVeterinary Medicine.

Vance Watson, a 37-yearMSU employee, has beennamed vice president foragriculture, forestry andveterinary medicine as well asdirector of the MississippiAgriculturaland ForestryExperimentStation anddean of theCollege ofAgricultureand LifeSciences.

He hadserved sinceJanuary2002 as interim vice presidentand interim dean. Hisappointment to the permanentposts was approved by the stateCollege Board at its November

meeting on therecommendation of MSUPresident Charles Lee.

Watson was director of theexperiment station from 1996until becoming interim vicepresident. The Missouri nativehas spent his entire careerserving the people ofMississippi. He graduated fromSoutheast Missouri StateUniversity in 1964 with adegree in general agricultureand earned a master of sciencedegree in agronomy at theUniversity of Missouri in 1966.He completed a doctorate inagronomy with a minor inbotany at MSU in 1969.

Kibler is new student affairsvice president

A veteran student affairsadministrator will become vicepresident for student affairs atMississippi State. William L.Kibler will join the universityby early June.

Kibler has served for thepast nine years as associatevice president and currently isinterim vice president forstudent affairs at Texas A&M.In addition to administrativeduties there, he is an associateprofessor of educationaladministration and humanresource development.

At Mississippi State, he willhead the division responsiblefor enrollment services,housing, financial aid, healthservices, student organizations,counseling, police, recreationalsports, and other studentservice functions.

“Dr. Kibler has a longrecord of solid performanceand experience in every aspectof student affairs,” said MSUPresident Charles Lee. “Hebrings a combination ofadministrative talent andrapport with students that willhelp us build on our excellentprograms and services thatenhance student life anddevelopment.”

Kibler received bachelor’s,master’s and educationalspecialist degrees from theUniversity of Florida, wherehe began his student affairscareer. He completed adoctorate from Texas A&M,which he joined in 1980.

Active in nationalprofessional organizations, hehas published and presentedextensively on a variety ofstudent affairs issues. He alsohas been heavily involved incivic and community affairs.

He succeeds Roy Ruby,who gave up the vicepresident’s post in late 2002 tobecome dean of the MSUCollege of Education.Associate vice presidentJimmy Abraham has served asinterim head of the studentaffairs division.

Jack White receiving 2003Humanities Scholar Award

The veteran director ofMississippi State’s honorsprogram is the 2003 selectionfor the Scholar Award of theMississippi HumanitiesCouncil.

Jack H. White, who for twodecades hasled theuniversity’sprogram foracademicallytalentedstudents, isalso a memberof the Englishfaculty.

The honorrecognizes a humanitiesscholar who has participated inMHC programs and been aneffective interpreter of thehumanities to publicaudiences.

Former budget officerreturning as vice president

Former Mississippi Statebudget and planning officer C.Ray Hayes is returning to MSUas vice president for financeand administration after morethan 12 years ina similarposition atTexas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Hayes, 50, isa MississippiState graduatewho spent thefirst 16 years ofhis career at hisalma materbefore moving to the CorpusChristi campus. He assumedhis new duties as MSU’s chieffinancial and business officerin March.

Hinds senior namedprestigious Mitchell Scholar

Joining 11 other students inthe nation, senior Frank E.“Smith” Lilley Jr. of Clintonwill spend the next year as aGeorge J. Mitchell Scholar ininternational studies.

Named for the former U.S.senator from Maine whoplayed a leadership role in theNorthern Ireland peaceprocess, thehighlycompetitivescholarshipsallowacademically

talentedstudents toconduct post-graduate studiesin Ireland.Followinggraduation inMay, Lilley will enroll in the

White

Hayes

Lilley

Watson

Spring 2004

24A L U M N U S

CAMPUSNewsinternational studies program atthe University of Limerick.

Seiler named engineeringcollege outreach coordinator

Emma E. Seiler is the newcoordinator of educationaloutreach and student programsfor the Bagley College ofEngineering.

Co-developer of anovel shoedesign activityfor high schoolstudents called“TheCinderellaProject,” Seilerwill beresponsible for

planning and directing collegeinteraction activities with thepre K-12 educational systemand coordinating undergraduateprograms in leadership.

Three engineering gradsreceive special certificates

Three December 2003engineering graduates are thelatest recipients of JackHatcher EntrepreneurshipCertificates, a program thatpromotes careers combiningtechnical and business skills.

Completing the programprior to fall semestergraduation and being awardedthe certificates by the BagleyCollege of Engineering wereJustin T. Rucker, an electricalengineering major fromColumbus; and Andrew J. Stahrof Covington, La., and Nils E.Wahlander of Plymouth, Minn.,both of whom majored inmechanical engineering.

Engineering faculty membernamed to international post

Noel N. Schulz is the newsecretary of the Institute ofElectrical and ElectronicsEngineers Power EngineeringSociety.

The associate professor ofelectrical and computerengineering will serve a two-year term on both the PESgoverning board and executivecommittee in her role assecretary. She has taught in theBagley College of Engineeringfor the past three years.

Welfare recipients face race,transitional challenges

A new study by MississippiState sociologists providescompelling evidence thatMississippians seeking to movebeyond federal welfareassistance may be significantlylimited by a combination ofplace and race.

In a report published by thejournal Rural Sociology, a teamfrom the university’s nationallyrecognized Social ScienceResearch Center examined thepotential long-term impact offederal legislation thatoverhauled the welfare system.

Through the TemporaryAssistance for Needy Families(TANF) program, the WelfareReform Act passed by Congressin 1996 gave more autonomy tolocal communities and imposedtime limits and workrequirements for personsseeking to qualify for cashassistance. But, eight yearslater, are the changes working?

For some in the MagnoliaState, the answer is “probably,”MSU researchers said. Forothers—especially African-Americans in economicallydisadvantaged rural

communities—the answer is“probably not.”

“We discovered that, underthe new welfare system, therural poor are the most likely toneed TANF because workalone cannot protect them fromeconomic hardship,” saidprincipal investigatorDomenico Parisi. “Both placeand race matter.”

Emeriti researchers expandcivil rights encyclopedia

When the unique book firstwas published in 1992, thenational Library Journal calledit “one of the best referencesources of the year.”

Now, two emeriti historyprofessors at Mississippi Statehave produced a significantlyexpanded version of theirinitial survey of African-American civil rights. Theytrace events from PresidentAbraham Lincoln’s 1863Emancipation Proclamationthrough the 1995 “Million ManMarch” and developments asrecent as 2002.

The new two-volume“Greenwood Encyclopedia ofAfrican American CivilRights” is the product of MSUco-editors Charles D. Loweryand John F. Marszalek, alongwith Thomas A. Upchurch, anMSU doctoral graduate nowteaching at East GeorgiaCollege in Statesboro.

The work was released inDecember by GreenwoodPublishers of Westport, Conn.,among the world’s largestprinters of reference, academicand general interest books.

Clinton siblings honor theirfather with scholarship

A new endowment provideseducational assistance forstudents while honoring aUnion native and 1936agricultural education graduateof the university.

Anna Majure Royston andDr. Troy V. Majure Jr., bothClinton residents, recentlyestablished the Troy V. MajureSr. Endowed Scholarship as amemorial to their father, whodied in 1983. The award isdesignated for deservingstudent-leaders enrolled in anyCollege of Agriculture andLife Sciences major.

Administrator honored for‘uncertainty analysis’ work

The head of the mechanicalengineering department isreceiving a prestigious nationalaward for his contributions inexperimental uncertaintyanalysis, which measures the“goodness” of a test result.

W. Glenn Steele, also oneof the university’s William L.Giles DistinguishedProfessors, will receive a 2004American Institute of

Seiler

Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.),Mississippi’s senior U.S.senator, was featured speakerfor the university’s Decembercommencement program.Nearly 1,300 students werecandidates for degrees at theconclusion of the university’s2003 fall semester and theinstitution’s 125th anniversaryyear.

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25A L U M N U S

CampusNewsAeronauticsandAstronauticsGroundTestingAwardduring aJune 29conferencein Portland,Ore.

Hugh Coleman, amechanical engineeringprofessor at the University ofAlabama-Huntsville andformer MSU faculty colleagueof Steele, also will receive theaward that consists of anengraved medal, a certificateof citation and a rosette pin.

Biological engineeringprofessor promoted

The former head ofagricultural and biologicalengineering is now associateprovost for academic affairs atthe university.

Agricultural and biologicalengineering department headsince 1996, Jerome A. Gilbertsucceeds George Rent, who isreturning to the department ofsociology, anthropology andsocial work. Rent served asassociate provost for sevenyears.

A Jackson native, Gilbertcompleted his bachelor’sdegree in biological

engineeringfrom MSU in1977. Fiveyears later,he received adoctorate inthe major atDukeUniversity.

After ayear asvisiting

assistant professor ofmechanical engineering atNorth Carolina StateUniversity, he joined theUniversity of North Carolinaas assistant professor of

orthopedic surgery andbiomedical engineering. Hereturned to MSU in 1988.

He became department headat his Mississippi alma materafter a year as its interim head.For the past two years, he alsohas been coordinator of thedepartment’s biomedicalengineering graduate program.

Chemical engineeringprofessor, majors in spotlight

Atly Jefcoat, holder of theHunter Henry Chair ofChemical Engineering, isreceiving national recognitionfor his work advising a studentorganization in his professionalfield.

Jefcoat recently was namedthe 2002-03 Outstanding

StudentChapterAdviser bytheAmericanInstitute ofChemicalEngineers, aprofessionalorganizationof more than

50,000. He has held theuniversity’s Henry Chair, orendowed professorship, since1998.

Veteran history professorheads scholarship programs

A Mississippi State historyprofessor emeritus is returningto campus to lead theuniversity’s two mostdistinguished scholarshipprograms.

John F. Marszalek, a GilesDistinguished Professor whoretired in 2002, is the newSchillig Scholar Mentor andhead of the PresidentialScholars Program. He alsowill serve as chair of theCompetitive ScholarshipSelection Committee.

The Schillig andPresidential scholarships arethe highest academic honorsMSU bestows on incomingfreshmen. Competitivelyawarded on the basis ofacademic and leadershipaccomplishments, they coverthe cost of books, tuition androom and board for four years.

Marszalek earlier served asSchillig mentor for the fouryears leading up to hisretirement. He succeeds MSUPresident Emeritus Donald W.Zacharias, who is steppingdown after several years in theposition.

Insurance teachers invited toinaugural summer institute

Officials in the College ofBusiness and Industry areannouncing the university’sfirst Insurance EducationSummer Institute, to be heldon campus in mid-summer.

Organized by the Peter K.Lutken Chair of Insurance andthe College of Education, theJuly 18-23 program isdesigned especially for high

school teachers, counselors andadministrators, communitycollege instructors, anduniversity graduate students.The cost of tuition, room andboard and educational materialexpenses will be covered by agrant from the sponsoringInsurance EducationFoundation.

“The course is designed foreducators who teach insuranceeither as a specific course or aspart of another subject,” saidDr. Edwin H. Duett Jr. “Thegoal is to help them becomemore effective instructors byproviding the tools needed foran understanding of all formsof insurance, particularly as itrelates to high school studentsand their families.”

More information about theinstitute may be found atwww.distance.msstate.edu/iei/ .For answers to specificquestions, contact Duett [email protected] orRiddle [email protected] telephone number for bothis 662-325-2341.

Steele

Gilbert

Jefcoat

During a day-long visit to Mississippi State in February, MartinLuther King III, second from right, was welcomed by, from left,Jimmy Abraham, interim vice president for student affairs, PresidentCharles Lee, and Aretha Jones-Cook, director of the campusHolmes Cultural Diversity Center.

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CAMPUSNews

New structure aims tostreamline outreach efforts

Mississippi State has co-aligned the statewide MSUExtension Service with theuniversity’s Division ofContinuing Education to helpexpand and better coordinateoutreach efforts.

Both the MSU ExtensionService and ContinuingEducation now report to theexecutive director of University

ExtensionandOutreach.Extensiondirector JoeMcGilberrywasappointed tothe expandedposition,

effective Oct. 1.An industrial outreach

program will also be part of thenew administrative structure,serving Mississippi’smanufacturing and processingsector.

The extension and outreachdirector reports jointly to theuniversity’s vice president foragriculture, forestry, andveterinary medicine and to theprovost and vice president foracademic affairs.

McGilberry has beendirector of the MSU ExtensionService since July 2001. He hasworked with Extensioneconomic development effortssince 1978, including 10 yearsas head of the Enterprise andCommunity ResourceDevelopment program.

Administrator Fuller to directfederal relations effort

A longtime administrator isbeing named to the newposition of director of federalrelations.

Marty Fuller will coordinatethe university’s efforts to securefederal funding for research andother initiatives. Formerlyassociate director of theMississippi Agricultural andForestry Experiment Station, heassumed the new role inOctober 2003.

In addition to serving as theuniversity’s primary liaisonwith Congress and federalagencies, he now will assist theuniversity in developinginitiatives that link federalprioritiesandinstitutionalgoals.

Fullerhas servedas associatedirector ofMAFES forthe pastthree yearsand asassistant director for two yearsbefore that.

House building problemsunique to South studied

Terry Amburgey wants tobuild his dream house and he’slooking for a perfectly awfulsite—preferably one on slopingground with plenty of naturalpotential for drainage andfoundation problems.

Throw in plenty of Southernheat and humidity, add adecay-prone wooden frame,and the Mississippi Statescientistwill be wellon his wayto creating aresidentialbuffet sureto enticeeven thepickiesteatersamong thestate’svoracioustermite population.

Amburgey, a researcher inthe university’s Forest andWildlife Research Center, is anexpert in preventing thedeterioration of woodstructures.

In a cooperative project nowunder way at MSU, he andothers are seeking to solveclimate-related housing

Dr. Richard Holmes, center, officially presented his papers to theMississippi State University Libraries in February ceremonies. Joininghim were, from left, Donald W. Zacharias, president emeritus;Frances N. Coleman, dean of libraries; Michael B. Ballard, universityarchivist; and Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute ofGovernment. Holmes, who entered MSU in 1965, was theuniversity’s first African-American student. He currently is a staffphysician at Longest Student Health Center.

McGilberry

Fuller

construction problems endemicto the Deep South: high heat,humidity, decay fungi, mold,high-wind events, and a varietyof insects that include beetlesand termites. The idea is tomake sure newly constructedhomes in this part of thecountry have a chance ofsurviving to a ripe old age.

Funded by an initial$126,000 grant from the U.S.Forest Service’s Forest ProductsLaboratory, the projectAmburgey directs is a part ofthe federal agency’s Coalitionfor Advanced Housing andForest Products ResearchLaboratory. It includes MSUfaculty members in forestproducts, civil and mechanicalengineering, landscapearchitecture, and architecture.

Henry Center constructiongarners state awards

Building contractors forMississippi State’s HunterHenry Center have chalked upan impressive list of awards incompetition sponsored by theMississippi Associated Buildersand Contractors.

Completed in fall 2002, the41,000-square-foot, $12 millionfacility houses offices of theMSU Foundation and the MSUAlumni Association as well asfacilities for campus andcorporate meetings, charityevents, reunions, andreceptions.

JESCO Inc. of Tupelo, thecenter’s general contractor,received an MABC 2003 MeritAward for general constructionprojects in the $5-15 millioncategory, Triplett Electric Co.of Louisville won a MeritAward in the electrical category,and American Glass of Walnutand F.L. Crane of Fultonreceived honorable mentions fortheir work on the center.

Foil Wyatt Architects andPlanners of Jackson designedand oversaw construction of thefacility.

Amburgey

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28A L U M N U S

Sylvester Croom, a veteran of 28 yearscoaching on the professional and collegiatelevels, was named the new MississippiState head football coach in December.

“Sylvester Croom met all of the criteriawe laid forth for the selection of a newhead football coach at Mississippi State,”Director of Athletics Larry Templeton said.“We went after the best football coach andwe’re confident we found that individual inSylvester Croom. We’re excited towelcome him to the Mississippi Statefamily.”

Croom, 49, came MSU from theNational Football League, where he spent17 years of his coaching career, includingthe last three as running backs coach withthe Green Bay Packers. He also workedwith Detroit, San Diego, Tampa Bay, andIndianapolis on the professional level. Hehelped the Chargers to a berth in SuperBowl XXIX in 1995.

The new MSU head coach also has 11years of experience on the college level atthe University of Alabama, helping theCrimson Tide to back-to-back nationalchampionships in ‘78 and ’79.

A 1975 graduate of the University ofAlabama, Croom was a three-yearletterman for coach Paul “Bear” Bryant,earning all-Southeastern Conference andall-America recognition following hissenior season. He was the starting center onAlabama’s 1973 national title team.

He recently completed his coachingstaff. New members join retained coachesRockey Felker, coordinator of footballoperations, and assistant coach GuyHolliday. New coaching staff membersinclude:

Shane Beamer, 26, was the graduateassistant football coach for the defense atthe University of Tennessee for the pastthree seasons. Prior to joining Tennessee,he spent one year with the Georgia Instituteof Technology. The son of VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State Universityfootball coach Frank Beamer, Shane earneda bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in1999.

Stan Drayton, 32, formeroffensive quality control andassistant special teams coach forthe Green Bay Packers. Formerlyworked eight years in the collegecoaching ranks, includingBowling Green State University,Villanova University, theuniversities of Pennsylvania andEastern Michigan, and AlleghenyCollege. The Cleveland, Ohio,native holds a bachelor’s degree in Englishfrom Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa.

J.B. Grimes, 48, is the former assistanthead coach and offensive line coach forEast Carolina University. Prior to his stintat East Carolina, the Memphis nativecoached at Texas A&M University, theUniversity of Arkansas and VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University.He holds a bachelor’s degree fromHenderson (Ark.) State University and amaster’s from Northeast LouisianaUniversity.

Brick Haley, 37, comes to MSU fromthe Georgia Institute of Technology. Priorto his work in Georgia, he spent threeseasons at Baylor University, one year atClemson University, and stints at theUniversity of Arkansas, Austin Peay andTroy state universities. The Gadsden, Ala.,native starred as a linebacker at AlabamaA&M University in the mid-to-late-’80s.

Ellis Johnson, 51, is MSU’s defensivecoordinator. He spent the last three seasonsas head coach of The Citadel, his almamater. The Winnsboro, S.C., native also hascoached at the universities of Alabama,Southern Mississippi and North Carolina,as well as Clemson University.

Amos Jones, 43, comes to MississippiState from James Madison Universitywhere he was tight ends and special teamscoach. He also has coaching experiencefrom the University of Cincinnati, TulaneUniversity and the University of Pittsburgh.He is a graduate of the University ofAlabama.

Freddie Kitchens, 29, is the formerrunning backs coach at the University ofNorth Texas. He earlier served as agraduate assistant with the nationalchampion Louisiana State UniversityTigers. He was a three-year starter atquarterback for the University of Alabama.

Woody McCorvey, 53, is the newoffensive coordinator. He comes to MSUfrom the University of Tennessee where heserved as running backs coach. He also hascoaching stints at the universities of SouthCarolina and Alabama. He holds abachelor’s degree from Alabama StateUniversity and a master’s from theUniversity of West Florida. McCorvey is anative of Atmore, Ala.

Jim Nowell, 37, former director of skilldevelopment on the strength andconditioning staff at West VirginiaUniversity. A Level I USA weighlifting andstrength coach, he is a former strengthcoach for Louisiana State University.Before joining the college ranks, Nowellwas assistant athletic director, footballdefensive coordinator and head strengthcoach at Madison High School. He wasnamed Mississippi Strength Coach of theYear for 2000. A native of Magee, he holdsa bachelor’s degree from the University ofSouthern Mississippi and a master’s fromWilliam Carey College.

Brad Pendergrass, 27, was a recruitingassistant with the University of Tennesseefor two years. The Huntingdon, Tenn.,native holds a bachelor’s degree inbusiness/marketing and a master’s inhuman performance and sports studies,both from Tennessee.

Croom named football coach

Croom addresses the crowd at his first pressconference as a Bulldog.

AthleticNews

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AthleticNews

MSU’s sports teams physician is the 2003 SoutheasternConference Team Physician of the Year.

Dr. Robert Collins, director of the Longest Student HealthCenter, is a 26-year veteran of MSU. He spent 11 years as ahealth center physician before being named director of the facilityin 1988. He also is a clinical associate professor in familymedicine at the University of Mississippi Medical School inJackson.

Collins is board certified in family practice and holds aCertificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine.

The award, presented annually to a family or orthopedicphysician in the league, provides Mississippi State $1,000 for usein the student athletic training program. A formal award presenta-tion to Collins is planned for an upcoming men’s basketball game. The award, now in its second year, is sponsored by the Hughston Orthopedic Clinic ofColumbus, Ga., and DJ Orthopedics of Carlsbad, Calif.

Health center director named team physician of the year

Collins

For the third-straight year, Mississippi State head softball coach Jay Miller will lead theUSA Elite team in the 2004 Canada Cup, U.S. Champions Cup and other events to bescheduled, the USA Softball organization announced earlier this month.

Miller, who began his 13th year with the USA Softball organization this month, will beassisted on the USA Elite staff by Cal State-Fullerton head coach Michelle Gromacki, aswell as Oregon State head coach Kirk Walker.

The USA Elite team will take on the title of defending champions at the Canada Cup inJuly after defeating Australia in the championship game of the international tournament lastsummer. In that game, current Mississippi State all-American Iyhia McMichael sent a 2-2offering from Australian ace Melanie Roche over the left field fence in the bottom of the10th inning to give the USA Elite Team a 2-0 win.

“This is a tremendous honor for our program, as well as Mississippi State University,”Miller said. “I am really looking forward to working with some of the best athletes in thecountry and to defending our Gold medal at the Canada Cup.”

The 2004 USA Elite squad was announced as well and was chosen from the USA Softballplayer pool. Eight of the 14 players named were members of the 2003 Junior Women’s WorldChampionship team which captured the silver medal in Nanjing, China, in October.

As the National Governing Body of Softball, USA Softball is responsible for training,equipping and promoting women’s, men’s, junior girls’ and junior boys’ national teams thatcompete in international and domestic competitions. USA Softball is one of the only twowomen’s sports to capture back-to-back gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996.

Mississippi State placed 20 footballstudent-athletes on the 2003Southeastern Conference FallAcademic Honor Roll.

Of the those recognized for theirwork in the classroom, sophomoreplace-kicker Keith Andrews led theway with a perfect 4.0 grade-pointaverage in biological sciences.

Seniors named to the team include:Brittan Cross (3.55 in biologicalengineering), Blake Jones (3.61 ininterdisciplinary studies), Joey Judge(3.13 in history), Brent Smith (3.97 ingeneral business administration), andRobert Wallis (3.75 in geosciences).

Juniors who earned nomination tothe team include: Jared Cook (3.84 ingeneral business administration), TylerFreeman (3.47 in general businessadministration), Reginald Harris (3.31in secondary education), Logan Owens(3.28 in physical education), McKinleyScott (3.10 in general businessadministration), and Gabe Wallace(3.00 in general businessadministration).

In addition to Andrews, first-yeareligible sophomores on the squad, are:Willie Evans (3.04 in general businessadministration), Kenny Kern (3.52 inbanking and finance), Brett Morgan(3.04 in physical education), SamuelMyers (3.67 in biological engineering),Will Prosser (3.17 in physicaleducation), Gregory Shelton (3.52 inbanking and finance), Brad Weathers(3.02 in physical education), and KyleYork (3.82 in general businessadministration).

20 football Bulldogs makeSEC Academic Honor Roll

Miller to lead USA Elite Team again

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30A L U M N U S

The Perspective Editor of the Clarion-Ledger is this year’s MississippiState University Alumnus of the Year.

Sidney L. “Sid” Salter of Forest received the MSU Alumni Association’shighest honor in January at the annual awards banquet on campus.

Salter, a 1988 political science graduate of the College of Arts andSciences, also is a longtime syndicated columnist who published and editedthe Scott County Times in Forest before joining the Clarion-Ledger staffseveral years ago.

A Philadelphia High School graduate who enrolled at Mississippi State asa John C. Stennis Scholar, he was designated in 2002 as one of theuniversity’s Alumni Fellows, another lifetime honor recognizing career andpersonal achievements.

“Sid Salter is considered by his peers to be among the premier journalistsin Mississippi,” said MSU President Charles Lee. “He has won every majorhonor given by the Mississippi Press Association, including the J. OliverEmmerich Editorial Excellence Award on two occasions.”

The Emmerich Award, which recognizes the top editorial writer among Mississippi’s two dozen dailies and nearly 90 weeklies, is namedfor the late Mississippi State alumnus who was editor and publisher of the McComb Enterprise-Journal. Salter received the award while atthe Forest weekly and remains the only weekly editor to have won the honor more than once.

Salter honored as Alumnus of the Year

Sidney L. “Sid” Salter of Forest, center, was named the 2004Mississippi State University Alumnus of the Year. Presenting the awardare MSU President Charles Lee, left, and MSU Alumni AssociationPresident Gary Blair of Brookhaven.

College Alumni of the Year namedCollege Alumni of the Year were honored at the January alumni banquet. The 2004 groupincludes, seated from left, Fred P. Burke of Atlanta, Ga., managing partner of SQ Concepts, Collegeof Engineering; Dr. Sharon F. Grace of Starkville, an associate clinical professor at MSU, College ofVeterinary Medicine; J.L. “Jim” Tisdale of Starkville, retired manager of Noxubee National WildlifeRefuge, College of Forest Resources. Standing from left are Thomas S. “Steve” Davis of Jackson, anarchitect and partner with Canizaro Cawthon Davis, College of Architecture; Jerry B. Slocum ofColdwater, a farm owner and operator, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Robert D. “Dan”Camp of Starkville, owner of Camp Real Estate and Development, College of Education; and AlbertC. Clark of Starkville, president of C.C. Clark Inc., College of Business and Industry. Unable toattend was Mark C. Rohr of Richmond, Va., president and CEO of Albemarle Corp., College of Artsand Sciences.

Class ring tradition continuesErin Brinton, a senior engineering

major from Tupelo, was among thosereceiving their class rings fromPresident Charles Lee in recentcampus ceremonies. The AlumniAssociation sponsors the event tocommemorate the institutional ringdeveloped in 1935. The specialpresentation ceremony takes place inMay and December. For moreinformation about the proud traditionof MSU class rings, visitwww.msubulldogs.msstate.edu/classrings.htm.

ALUMNINews

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ALUMNINews

Roger R. Summerour of Lucedale, left, and EdGholston of Starkville have received DistinguishedService Awards for their years of service anddedication to the Mississippi State UniversityAlumni Association. The two, along with SamuelT. Stacy of Vicksburg, received the awards at theassociation’s annual awards banquet in January.Summerour is a 1973 chemical engineeringgraduate now working with CIBA SpecialtyChemicals. Gholston, a 1942 and 1947graduate, is a retired agronomist who formerly ledthe Soil Testing Laboratory at MSU. Stacy is a1983 and 1988 graduate and is a civil engineerwith the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Distinguished Service Awards given

Outstanding alumnichapters announced

The Alumni Association namedoutstanding chapters for 2003 at theannual alumni banquet in January. Therecipients were selected from amongchapters throughout the state andnation.

In-state chapters honored forexcellence in giving, chaptermembership and activities, andleadership were:

Category I, selected from chapterswith membership potential of under325—1. George-Greene County; 2.Covington County; and 3. Claiborne-Jefferson County.

Category II, selected from chapterswith membership potential of 325 to749—1. Tippah County; 2. LincolnCounty; and 3. Prentiss County.

Category III, selected from chapterswith membership potential of 750 ormore—1. Central Mississippi; 2.Oktibbeha County; and 3. Lee County.

Outstanding out-of-state chapters for2003 were—1. Houston, Texas; 2.Memphis, Tenn.; and 3. Mobile, Ala.

Chapters meeting their membershipquota and accumulating a minimum of400 points according to the ChapterRecognition Point System were theDesoto, Lowndes, SoutheastMississippi, Warren, and Washingtonchapters within the state, and theAtlanta, Ga., Baton Rouge, La., FortWorth, Texas, Huntsville, Ala.,Nashville, Tenn., and New Orleans, La.chapters out-of-state.

Each chapter will receive an honorbanner in recognition of their service.First- second- and third-place winnerswill receive $1,000, $750 and $500,respectively, designated toward theirlocal alumni chapter scholarshipprograms.

Everette Ryan Nelson of Vicksburgreceived the Outstanding YoungAlumnus award for 2003 at the annualMSU Alumni Association awardsbanquet in January.

Nelson, a claims representative forthe Social Security Administration, is a1999 business graduate and president ofthe Warren County Chapter of theAlumni Association.

Since assuming his duties in August2002, he has guided the MSU chapter inbecoming the leading university chapterin the county in terms of scholarshipsawarded and banquet participation. Healso was instrumental in organizing hischapter’s golf tournament, which raisesmoney for scholarships for WarrenCounty high school students.

The 1999 business graduate has promoted the chapter banquet in local radio interviewsand newspaper ads, and he organized a successful student recruiting party that broughtrepresentatives of Enrollment Services to Vicksburg to visit with students and parents.

Outstanding Young Alumnus honored

Nelson, left, is presented the Outstanding YoungAlumnus award by Alumni Association nationalpresident Gary Blair.

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32A L U M N U S

Dear Alumni and Friends of MSU:As the new governor and Legislature address state budget matters, active participation by our alumni in the state

appropriations process is crucial. The state’s economic development is directly tied to the quality of education for ourcitizens. Our state university system has not had stable funding for four years.

Recently the Joint Legislative Budget Committee released its recommendations for the fiscal year 2005 budget whichincludes a recommendation to cut the universities by $72 million. State support of our universities already has beenreduced $70 million over the last four years, while enrollment has increased by more than 20 percent.

Higher Education Commissioner David Potter is encouraged, however, by Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck’s recent statement thatduring the upcoming session of the Legislature, any extra funds will be targeted to “gap areas.” She has identified IHL asone of those gaps.

Mississippi is the only state in the nation that did not raise tuition for 2003-2004. The Board of Trustees, Institutions ofHigher Learning made this decision based on the legislature’s action during the last legislative session. The board hadpreviously raised tuition to recover some of the lost funds. University tuition increases and efficiencies are permitting theuniversities to maintain their levels of service for the short-term, but a full recovery cannot occur without additional funds.

Enrollment has been at record levels throughout the public university system for eight consecutive years. Currently,67,380 students are pursuing degrees at our public universities. Our state, however, still has too few citizens withuniversity degrees. Resources are sorely needed to serve the growing student body.

Unfortunately, students are facing the consequences of the budget cuts, such as fewer class sections in which to enrolland larger class sizes. In addition, faculty members continue to resign or retire at a rate 30 to 40 percent beyond ourtraditional average. Faculty salaries are on average $7,000 behind other faculty salaries in the Southeast. The board hasproposed a commitment to raise our faculty salaries by 12 percent over three years.

We have all read reports of the additional budget challenges the state faces, and the Board of Trustees has been mindfulof the budget challenges in making its request for the FY 2005 budget. We believe that an investment in Mississippi’spublic institutions of higher learning is the surest way to secure the future of our state and the well being of its citizens.Our voices need to be heard by legislators, the governor and other decision makers about the need to provide stableeducation funding for a growing student population. We ask that Mississippi residents contact their legislators and thegovernor and express their concerns about the cuts to higher education. Urge them to take action to stabilize funding.Resources for all education (K-12, community colleges and universities) are desperately needed for our citizens tosucceed.

Alumni of the eight universities can receive information on university issues throughout the legislative session bysubscribing to the IHL Inter-Alumni Council’s Network information line. To sign up, go towww.mississippiuniversities.com/alumni and complete the contact information on the front page. The IHL Inter-AlumniCouncil is a group of appointed alumni from each Mississippi public university. As your alumni association president, Iam a member of the council. The council members work together as advocates for the needs of education and to increaseaccess to public higher education in Mississippi.

Your support of our public universities’ budget is needed. Please be active in letting your legislators know that highereducation needs their support. Thank you for your actions on behalf of our system of higher education.

Gary A. BlairNational PresidentMSU Alumni Association

A letter from national president Gary Blair

ALUMNINews

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33A L U M N U S

ALUMNINews

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CALENDAR OF EVENTSAPRIL

26 Memphis Maroon Club Golf Tournament

27 Faculty Recognition Banquet

28 Class Ring Ceremony, Hunter Henry Center

MAY7 Commencement, Meridian Branch

8 Commencement, Main Campus, Humphrey Coliseum

12 Warren County Chapter Golf Tournament, Vicksburg

14-15 Alumni Association Former National Presidents’ Weekend

25 DeSoto County Chapter Golf Tournament

JUNE12 Mississippi in the Park, New York, N.Y.

Mississippi on the Mall, Washington, D.C.

16 Sharkey-Issaquena County Chapter Golf Tournament/dinner

21 Birmingham, Ala., Chapter Golf Tournament/dinner

JULY15 Central Mississippi Extravaganza, Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson, 5:30 p.m.

Alumni and friends of Mississippi State can support theuniversity and show their Bulldog pride at the same time byordering an MSU license plate through their county licenseoffice. Proceeds from the sale of the MSU collegiate tags fundpriority programs at the university.

Promoted by theMississippi State University Alumni Association

P.O. Box AAMississippi State, MS 39762-5526

662-325-7000www.msubulldogs.msstate.edu

Show your pride in MSU!

The Mississippi State University AlumniAssociation and the Department of StudentLife are partnering withTaylor Publishing’sMilestone Division toproduce and publish anew and expandedReveille, theuniversityyearbook. Twonew featuresinclude adirectorylisting of allstudents withclass year, hometownand honors, and an optionalbest wishes message from familymembers.

Through this partnership, the Reveillestaff will continue to produce and maintaineditorial control of the Reveille. Allmarketing will be a joint venture betweenthe Alumni Association and Taylor/Milestone, with resulting revenuesupporting student programs.

“The Reveille has a longstanding historyof documenting student life on the campusof Mississippi State,” said John Correro,executive director of the AlumniAssociation. “We are excited to be joiningthe Reveille staff and Taylor/Milestone incontinuing to create lasting memories of ouruniversity.”

Association supportsReveille marketing

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34A L U M N U S

James C. Forbes grew up the son of asharecropper in the Mississippi Deltaduring the Great Depression. He and hislate wife lived frugally throughout theirlives, never spending unnecessarily whenthey could save instead.

The 1941 electrical engineeringalumnus never imagined he would beamong the Bagley College of Engineering’slargest individual donors.

Born in Tomnolen, Jim Forbes movedaround the northern part of the state with

his family duringhis youth. Theywere farming nearthe TallahatchieRiver in 1929 at theonset of theDepression. Theysoon moved to landnear Sidon, wherethey lived “so farback in the woods,the roads weren’teven graveled.”The school buscould not reachthem, and he andhis four brothersand sister had towalk the milesbetween home andschool. “We got sodiscouraged, wejust didn’t go,” hesays. Eventually,he completed high

school in Benoit.Forbes has fond memories of his time at

then-Mississippi State College. He playedbaseball under the venerable Dudy Noble,who nicknamed him “Gramps.”

Initially, he wanted to become a forestranger. MSU offered only one forestrycourse, so he was placed in the agricultureprogram.

“Eventually, I realized I wouldn’t be aranger, and I had had all of farming Iwanted,” Forbes says.

On an upperclassman’srecommendation, he choseengineering. Graduating thirdin his class, Forbes accepted amuch-coveted job with GeneralElectric.

He entered the company’straining program in 1941,making $1 per hour. After a fewyears in the Northeast, hetransferred to West Virginia. Itwas here he met a youngwaitress named Hazel Ruby, thedaughter of a coal miner.

In 1955, the coupletransferred to Dallas and boughtthe house in which he still lives.At that time, G.E. began anemployee investment program,offering to match employees’contributions. The Forbesesdecided to participate, investingthe maximum in G.E. stock andagreeing between themselves totake nothing out. Today, Mr.Forbes, retired from the companyafter decades of service, ownsapproximately 75,000 shares of GeneralElectric.

“I owe a lot to Mississippi State,” hedeclares. “They gave me a good education,and they got me an interview. Withoutthem, I wouldn’t have gotten a job withGeneral Electric.”

Forbes was the first college graduate inhis family. Now, he says, he intends tohelp others get a college education byincluding the Bagley College ofEngineering in his will. The contributionof his GE stock will provide financialassistance for many future students, whowill be encouraged to repay the opportunityin turn.

At the age of 86, Forbes prefers tocontinue living unpretentiously and leavehis wealth intact. “My needs are prettysimple,” he says. “It will be more

Forbes believes in sticking to the basics

satisfying to leave it to students than for meto use it.”

The value of Jim Forbes’ projecteddonation makes him one of the college’stop donors. He didn’t get there by foundinga Fortune 500 company. He didn’t do it byinventing an indispensable gadget. Thisengineer and his wife did it togetherthrough a lifetime commitment to longtimeAmerican values—savings, moderation andbasic hard work.

For his bequest, the MSU Foundation ishonored to recognize James Forbes as amember of the Old Main Society, adistinguished group of donors who havemade significant investments in theuniversity through planned gifts. For moreinformation on making a bequest or otherdeferred gift, please contact Vance Bristowat 662-325-3707.

Forbes

“I owe a lot toMississippiState. Theygave me a

goodeducation, andthey got me an

interview.Without them, Iwouldn’t havegotten a jobwith General

Electric.”—Forbes

PHILANthropy

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35A L U M N U S

PHILANthropy

There is always one professor who trulyinspires a student—a professor who goesthe extra mile and challenges the student toachieve, oftenturning him or herinto a promisingyoung scholar alongthe way.

Hundreds ofMississippi StateUniversity studentshave the opportunityto receive hands-ontutelage fromexceptionalchairholders anddistinguishedprofessors who areimpacting the worldaround them. Theseprofessors areshaping the future inscience, education,the arts andhumanities, and in national and

Endowed positions needed to help MSU make the gradeinternational affairs. They also areextending the university’s resources toassist families, communities, public

education, and business andindustry. A goal of MississippiState is to develop andenhance programs ofexcellence in teaching,research and service thatbenefit Mississippi andbeyond. To do so, MississippiState must maintain the abilityto recruit and retain first-ratefaculty in those areas. For universities likeMississippi State, there is nota more valuable tool thanpermanently endowedpositions as a means forattracting champion faculty.These integral positions allowstudents a rare opportunity tolearn and conduct research

with an outstanding professor, an

experience that often makes these studentseven more marketable to corporaterecruiters.

A named chair or professorship islinked to a premier faculty position filledby a truly outstanding scholar and teacher,as judged by rigorous, nationally acceptedstandards. These distinguished scholarsmake significant contributions to theresearch and teaching missions of theuniversity, and they increase theuniversity’s visibility, which aids inattracting superior faculty, excellentstudents and external resources forresearch. “Instructional quality at any universityis only as good as its faculty, andcompetition for the best teachers andresearchers is intense,” said Peter W.Rabideau, provost and vice president foracademic affairs at Mississippi State. MSU draws its faculty from a nationalmarketplace, competing head-to-head withleading institutions from coast to coast.

“Instructional qualityat any university isonly as good as itsfaculty, andcompetition for thebest teachers andresearchers isintense.”

—Peter W. RabideauProvost and Vice President

for Academic Affairs

continued next page

You are our future. Make a gift today. Visit www.msufoundation.com

Spring 2004

36A L U M N U S

“An endowed chair orprofessorship wouldallow the College ofEducation to attract anationally knownscholar/researcherwho would addimmeasurably to thereputation of thecollege.”

—Roy RubyDean of Education

PHILANthropy “Our campus frequently is a recruitingground for other institutions,” said MSUPresident J. CharlesLee. Rabideau agrees.

“Too often ourfaculty–particularlyup-and-coming juniorfaculty–are lured awayto other institutionsthat offer betterresources,” he said.

A significant gapexists between thenumber of endowedchairs andprofessorships inMississippiuniversities and thenumber currentlyfound in peerinstitutions in theSoutheast, according toa 2003 survey. In fact,the total number ofendowed chairs and professorships in allpublic universities in Mississippi is fewer

than the total of any single SoutheasternConference university outside the state.

Mississippi State lagswell behind institutions suchas Auburn University, theUniversity of Tennessee andthe University of Kentuckyin the number of establishedendowed positions.

Although only a smallpercentage of MississippiState’s 731 tenure andtenure-track facultymembers hold endowedpositions, the university hasexperienced some growth inrecent years.

The Bagley College ofEngineering is leading theway with 18 endowedpositions, many of which arethe result of private support.The colleges of Business andIndustry and Agriculture and

Life Sciences have less than a handful ofendowed positions between them, and the

College of Veterinary Medicine acquired itsfirst chair a mere four years ago. Someother academic units, such as Arts andSciences, Education, Forest Resources, andArchitecture still are seeking their first-everendowed chair or professorship. “An endowed chair or professorshipwould allow the College of Education toattract a nationally known scholar/researcher who would add immeasurably tothe reputation of the college,” said RoyRuby, dean of education.

“As we seek to produce stronger andstronger teachers for the state and region,an endowed position would add a level ofquality that has been out of our financialreach,” he added.

The university has made little progressin recent years toward meeting the regionalaverage faculty salary. Closing that gapwill take time and significant state support,but the university can make significantgains in critical areas by attracting anucleus of outstanding faculty who arenational and international leaders in theirdisciplines.

Hatcher family understands importance of chairThe list of those who have chosen to

support Mississippi State University byfunding endowed faculty positionscontinues to grow. From individuals tocompanies to families–many areestablishing these positions to give theuniversity an edge in recruiting andretaining distinguished faculty.

One such example is the Hatcherfamily of Pinehurst, N.C., which hasestablished a chair in the Bagley Collegeof Engineering. Jack Hatcher, his wifeNell and their children made a $1.25million contribution to establish the JackHatcher Chair for EngineeringEntrepreneurship.

“My husband Jack really didn’t wantthe chair to be named for him, but our sonJack Jr. said that’s my name, too, so let’scall it that,” said Nell Hatcher. “We werereally pleased that all the children wantedto get on board and help us create thisextraordinary position.”

Ultimately, the chair was named forHatcher Sr., who has enjoyed a longtimecareer as an entrepreneur, oftenencouraging others to become involved inhis entrepreneurial ventures, as well.

Together with former employees,Hatcher bought several troubled orunderachieving companies, turned themaround and sold them. His enjoyment and

satisfaction in these relationships led himto create the chair.

Hatcher co-founded the nation’s second-largest metal building manufacturingcompany. After selling it to aninternational firm, he became president ofthe combined companies. Later, he servedfor 10 years as chairman and chiefexecutive officer of Chicago-basedRobertson-Ceco Corp., a Fortune 500manufacturer of pre-engineered metalbuildings.

“Mr. Hatcher’s entrepreneurial spirit isevident through his many successes and hisinput is invaluable to us,” said GeraldNelson, MSU engineering instructor anddirector of the entrepreneurship program.

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37A L U M N U S

PHILANthropy

Hatcher now leads an advisory board ofalumni who provide continuing input to thechair as a member of the engineeringcollege’s development council. Through aseminar series, coursework, projectexperience, and a business plan, MSUentrepreneurial students acquire knowledgeand credentials that will take themwherever they choose to go.

“These students and this university owea great deal to the Hatcher family and I amproud to be a part of their legacy here atMississippi State,” Nelson said. “Being anendowed chairholder has been a rewardingexperience for me and has provided me theresources to greatly impact my students.”

The family portraitincludes Nell and JackHatcher Sr. with theirchildren (seated, left toright) Barbara Hatcher,Jack Hatcher Jr., TereHatcher Smart, andHayley Hatcher Dettor.

Photo by Thomas Brown

“To keep stellar men andwomen on the faculty atMississippi State so theymay continue to educatefuture generations andconduct cutting-edgeresearch andscholarship, we must beable to provide themwith competitive salariesand opportunities.”

—J. Charles LeePresident

more attractive when an endowed positioncan be offered,” said Dennis Prescott,

vice president forexternal affairs. “Andprivate gift support isthe vehicle that canmake this happen.” Through thegenerosity of alumniand friends,Mississippi State isable to offer endowedpositions to facultywho have achievednational andinternationalrecognition for theirscholarly work. Inaddition to receivingan annual monetarysupplement, endowedchairs and professorsreceive furtherfunding to be used attheir discretion for

professional travel, research or outreachprojects that truly make a difference.

Naming opportunities for chairs andprofessorships are available throughoutcampus. A minimum gift of $1.5 million isneeded to endow a chair, and $500,000 willcreate a professorship.

“A world-class university faculty is anasset for the institution and a magnet forothers to join us,” Lee said.

Equipped with funds comparable tothose of its peer institutions, MississippiState can not only succeed in building astrong faculty, it can succeed in buildingstrong foundations for the future of thestate, the nation and the world.

For more information on supportingendowed positions, contact the MSUFoundation at 877-677-8283.

“To keep stellar men and women on thefaculty at Mississippi State so they maycontinue to educatefuture generations andconduct cutting-edgeresearch andscholarship, we must beable to provide themwith competitivesalaries andopportunities,” Leesaid.

The creation of anendowed chair orprofessorship can helpattract significantadditional funding for arelated researchprogram, and it canattract some of theworld’s leadingresearchers toMississippi State.

“Relocating toMississippi becomes

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39A L U M N U S

ClassNews51

Mack Lofton of Mountain Brook, Ala.,has written and published his third book, Inthe Name of the Law. Retired from a 34-year career with Sears, Roebuck and Co.,he also is the author of Voices fromAlabama and Healing Hands: An AlabamaMedical Mosaic.

58Robert S. Moss of Stringer is retired

from the U.S. Forest Service and was thefirst Mississippi State forestry graduate toserve as State Forester.

62C. Gerald Cotton of

Brandon, executive vicepresident of BaptistHealth Systems, hasbeen elected to serve aschairman of theMississippi HospitalAssociation’s Board ofGovernors.

Rodney ForestPersons has retired from Entergy Corp.after more than 41 years of service.

63Charles C. Calhoun Jr. of Vicksburg,

an engineering consultant, has been named2004 president of the Coasts, Oceans,Ports, and Rivers Institute of the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers.

64Gerald Wilbanks, a principal engineer

with Documentation & EngineeringServices in Birmingham, Ala., has beennamed a Fellow of the Instrumentation,Systems and Automation Society.

66Jere W. Hess Jr.

(M.B.A. ’67) ofWiggins has beennamed associate vicepresident fordevelopment atMississippi Gulf CoastCommunity College.He retired from PeaveyElectronics in 2001.

68Stephen W. Alderman of Canton,

Mich., has retired from Ford Motor Co. ashuman resources manager of the FordCustomer Service Division, following a34-year career with the auto maker.

John B. Noblin (M.S. ’70, Ph.D. ’72)of Goodyear, Ariz., manager of systemsengineering at Lockheed MartinManagement and Data Systems-ISRSystems, has been named the 2003 TechFellow for Systems Engineering by theGovernment Electronics and InformationTechnology Association.

70Christopher J. Ward of Germantown,

Tenn., has been named senior vicepresident of the National Bank ofCommerce Trust Division in Memphis. Heis a certified public accountant.

72Tom T. Flowers of Universal City,

Texas, a senior analyst for OperationalTechnologies Corp., has earned a Ph.D. inpost-secondary and adult education atCapella University.

Karen D. Hulett ofJackson, a physician, hasbeen recognized asMedical Consultant ofthe Year for theSoutheastern U.S. forher work with the SocialSecurityAdministration’sDisability DeterminationService.

74Bob Blakely of Goldvein, Va., has been

promoted to vice president at ITTIndustries. He also has received an M.B.A.degree from the Fuqua School of Businessat Duke University.

Alan F. Hunter (M.S. ’96) of Slidell,La., has been promoted to area engineer,

New Orleans Area Office,U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers. Last year, hereceived the MississippiValley Division’sConstruction ManagementExcellence Award.

Tim Lawrence ofFlowood, a Jackson-basedinvestment consultant, hasbeen elected president ofthe Jones County JuniorCollege Foundation.

William L. Waller Jr.of Jackson has beennamed a presiding justiceof the MississippiSupreme Court. Wallerjoined the Supreme Courtin 1998 and is chairmanof the court’s Rules Committee. He hascompleted 29 years of service in theMississippi National Guard, having mostrecently commanded the 66th TroopCommand headquartered in Jackson.

75Catherine C. Dunn of New Orleans,

La., has been named a Woman of the Yearby the newspaper New Orleans CityBusiness. Dunn is deputy director for portdevelopment for the Port of New Orleansand an adviser to the New Orleans PublicSchool Board.

78Jess H. Dickinson of Gulfport is a new

associate justice of the MississippiSupreme Court. He practiced law for 20years in Gulfport, and for the past year hasserved as a special circuit judge in Forrestand Perry counties.

George Loden (M.P.P.A. ’79) ofBelden, a broker with Century CommercialReal Estate Services, has been namedRealtor of the Year by the NortheastMississippi Board of Realtors.

Brooks Taylor, publisher and co-ownerof The Tunica Times, has received theprestigious McKinney Award of the

Cotton

Hess

Hulett

Hunter

Lawrence

Spring 2004

40A L U M N U S

ClassNewsNational Newspaper Association forproviding distinguished service andleadership through the community press.

79Jonni R. Webb has been named one of

the state’s 50LeadingBusinesswomen for2003 by theMississippi BusinessJournal. She is thepublisher of CoffeeNews in the Jacksonarea and owner ofJRWebb Pottery inMadison County.

80William F. Long (M.B.A. ’91) of

Vinings, Ga., an attorney with Needle &Rosenberg, has been named a shareholderof that firm.

81Johnny Bratton of Huntsville, Ala., an

engineer with Northrop Grumman,completed a master’s degree in businessmanagement at the University of Alabamain Huntsville in December 2002.

Vickie Smith Graves of Madison, amortgage lender and owner of AMSMortgage, has been named one of thestate’s 50 Leading Businesswomen for2003 by the Mississippi Business Journal.

Bob Kremer of Columbia, Mo., amicrobiologist with the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture, has been named a Fellow ofthe American Society of Agronomy.

82Eva Ann Beasley

Dorris (M.E.E. ’89)of Pontotoc is editorof the regionalagriculturalpublication On theFarm in the Mid-South. She previouslywas editor of

Mississippi Farmer magazine and is theauthor of several syndicated columns instate publications.

Bobby Marzine Harges of NewOrleans, La., a law professor, has beennamed the Adams and Reese DistinguishedProfessor of Law II at Loyola UniversityNew Orleans School of Law. Theprofessorship is in the field of alternativedispute resolution and business law.

83Mark Keenum

(M.S. ’84, Ph.D. ’88)of Alexandria, Va.,chief of staff for U.S.Sen. Thad Cochran, isthe 2003 recipient ofthe Mississippi FarmBureau Federation’sprestigiousDistinguished ServiceAward for hisnumerous contributions to agriculture inMississippi.

85Gary D. Jackson

of French Camp hasbeen elected to theMississippi Senate,District 15, whichincludes Choctaw andWebster counties andparts of Attala,Calhoun, Montgomery,Oktibbeha, andWinston counties.

87Jo Ann Streiff Herold of Atlanta, Ga.,

has been promoted to vice president formarketing at Honey Baked Ham Co.

89Doug Wert has been named program

director for the Professional GolfManagement program at the University ofColorado at Colorado Springs.

90William McLemore has been promoted

to information technology methodologyand process analyst at Hughes Supply Inc.in Orlando, Fla.

91Jose A. Rosado has joined Deutsche

Bank in New York, N.Y., as an associate inthe Leveraged Lending Portfolio Group.

Dennis Seid has been promoted tobusiness editor/assistant city editor at TheJackson Sun in Jackson, Tenn., a dailynewspaper with a circulation of 40,000.

J. Jay Vinicki has been appointeddirector of strategic planning and budgetingfor the suburban Atlanta city of Roswell,Ga. He previously was operating budgetmanager for the Gwinnett County (Ga.)Board of Commissioners and a seniorpolicy analyst for the state Office ofPlanning and Budget.

92Shane Crowe of Jackson has joined

Cellular South as system performancemanager.

Brian Currie of Long Beach has joinedAccess to Money Inc. as vice president ofdealer sales and processing development.He also is owner of Southern CashSystems.

Spencer J. Flatgard (M.P.P.A. ’94) ofRidgeland, a partner in the law firm ofSmith, Reeves & Yarborough, has beenselected to participate in the 2003-04Leadership Mississippi program, sponsoredby the Mississippi Economic Council’sM.B. SwayzeEducational Foundation.

Tony Jeff has beennamed executivedirector of theManufacturingExtension Partnership ofMississippi. Hepreviously was projectmanager for theMississippi AlternativeEnergy Enterprise.

Chandler Seagravesof Meridian, a major in the U.S. MarineCorps, is events coordinator for the BlueAngels Navy Flight DemonstrationSquadron.

Webb

Dorris

Keenum

Jeff

Jackson

Spring 2004

41A L U M N U S

ClassNewsScott Stricklin has joined the

University of Kentucky AthleticDepartment as assistant athletic directorfor media relations. He previously heldsimilar positions at Tulane and Bayloruniversities.

93Fred Tyner of Flowood, an engineer

with Engineering Associates Inc., becamea registered professional engineer inMississippi in May 2003.

94Lea Henderson Byers of Memphis,

Tenn., is a renal dietitian with the RenalCare Group.

Cass Everitt has been promoted to 3-Darchitect at nVIDIA in Austin, Texas.

Nancy M. Hill of Ellisville has co-authored a novel, Incommunicado,published by BookEnds Press.

John P. Works is an associate with thelaw firm of Smith, Bundy, Bybee &Barnett in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

95Susanne Allen Heartsill has opened

Downtown Animal Hospital in Memphis,Tenn. She previously was employed atTerrell Mill Animal Hospital in Marietta,Ga.

Kevin Ikenberry has been namedexecutive director of the ChallengerLearning Center of Kansas, located nearWichita. He previously was director ofeducation at Challenger Learning Center ofArizona.

96Joe Gibbs III of Jackson has joined

Engineering Associates Inc. as atransportation engineer.

Danielle Louys Hampton (M.B.A.’99) of Cincinnati, Ohio, has joined PfizerAnimal Health as a therapeutic specialist.

Patrick Plourde has joined StructuralDesign Group in Birmingham, Ala., asproject manager.

Clay Williams of Ocean Springs iseconomic development coordinator andfield representative for U.S. Sen. Trent Lottin the senator’s Gulfport office. Williams

previously worked on the staffs of Lott andCongressman Chip Pickering inWashington, D.C.

97Jay Aldy of The Woodlands, Texas, is

national account manager for HolmesFoods Inc.

Tempy Segrest has joined MississippiMagazine in Jackson as art director.

98Jason Bush of Madison has joined the

law firm of McGlinchey Stafford as anassociate in the commercial litigationsection of the firm’s Jackson office. Priorto that, he clerked for Chief Judge Glen H.Davidson in the Northern District ofMississippi.

Daniel Cassidy of Knoxville, Tenn., iscompleting work on a Ph.D. in forestry atthe University of Tennessee.

Stephanie Mills is a contract specialistfor the U.S. Air Force at Holloman AFB,N.M. She previously was store supervisorat the MSU Bookstore.

99Steven R. Wood of Picayune has been

promoted to assistant vice president withHancock Bank.

00Alan F. Hayes of Brentwood, Tenn., has

joined Thomas, Miller & Partners ofBrentwood as an intern architect.

01Lauren Holmes Furniss has been

promoted to marketing coordinator atCreative Entertainment Services inBurbank, Calif.

Adam G. Howell of Lebanon, Tenn., isa U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine,teaching English in a secondary school.

Thomas Adams Upchurch ofStatesboro, Ga., an assistant professor ofhistory at East Georgia College, has writtena book, Legislating Racism: The BillionDollar Congress and the Birth of JimCrow. It is published by University Pressof Kentucky.

02Jason R.W. Weir (M.S. ’03) of Du

Pont, Wash., a second lieutenant in the U.S.Army, has graduated from the U.S. ArmyMedical Officers School at Ft. SamHouston, Texas. He has been assigned tothe Headquarters Company of the 62ndMedical Brigade at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

03Kim Bradberry teaches mathematics at

Clinton Junior High School.Meredith Broyles of Starkville has

joined the staff ofMississippi FarmBureau as agovernmental relationsassistant. Shepreviously served as anintern with the U.S.Department ofAgriculture’s EconomicResearch Service and inthe office of Sen. ThadCochran in Washington,D.C.

Michael Volk of Jackson, an engineerwith Engineering Associates Inc., hasreceived a master’s degree in civilengineering at MSU.

Broyles

Spring 2004

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BIRTHAnnouncementsSophia Walker Abraham, Sept. 30,

2003, to William Abraham (’94) and wifeShannon of Clarksdale.

Jaxon Forrest Adcock, Feb. 5, 2003, toEric Adcock (’99) and wife Holly ofPhiladelphia.

Samuel Allen Arender, Sept. 1, 2003, toLaura Curto Arender (’99, M.B.A. ’00)and Allen Arender (’99) of Baton Rouge,La.

Caitlyn Presley Atkins, June 6, 2003, toHarold Atkins (’94, M.P.P.A. ’97) andSusan Moses Atkins (attended) ofColumbia, Md.

Annsley Elise Baxley, Nov. 6, 2003, toKimberly Wilkins Baxley (’93) andhusband Allen of North Augusta, S.C.

Emily Elizabeth Beckham, June 25,2003, to Hugh Beckham Jr. (’88) andwife Elizabeth of Olive Branch.

Brandon Sanford Broadway, July 9,2003, to Brent Broadway (’89) and wifeDannet of Houston, Texas.

Kathryn Brooks Bell, March 10, 2003,to Criston Loyd Bell (’90) and Loren S.Bell (’91, M.Ed. ’93).

William Everett Broocks, Feb. 23, 2003,to Jeffrey Broocks (’97) and AshleyEverett Broocks (’99) of Brandon.

Brooks William Byers, April 11, 2003,to Lea Henderson Byers (’94) andhusband Brad of Memphis, Tenn.

Robert Gibson Cheney, Nov. 3, 2003, toNancy Bigelow Cheney (’91) and husbandBill of Jackson.

Marlene Chmielewski, Sept. 9, 2003, toBess L. Combs-Chmielewski (’94) andhusband Richard of Atlanta, Ga.

Maggie Grace Clifton, Aug. 29, 2003,to Ann Chappell Clifton (’93) and RickyClifton (’90, M.B.A. ’93) of Olive Branch.

Chyna Tonia Crayton, Oct. 31, 2002, toIndya Everson Crayton (’97) andhusband Torris of Winston-Salem, N.C.

Kara Wells Daly and Owen PatrickDaly, July 3, 2003, to Gina Wells Daly(’96) and Douglas Patrick Daly (’93) ofMeridian.

Daniel Alexander Del-Castillo, Nov. 3,2003, to Jennifer Watkins Del-Castillo(’00) and Dennis Del-Castillo (’99) ofVirginia Beach, Va.

Jacob Nelson Domingue, June 18, 2003,to David Domingue (’94) and Lora

Nelson Domingue (’94) of Carrollton,Texas.

Robert Samuel Draper, Nov. 21, 2003,to Mike Draper (’91, M.S. ’93) and KatieStrickland Draper (’93) of Corinth.

Regan McKensie Felder, Nov. 3, 2003,to Bill Felder (’91) and KimberlyBuskirk Felder (’93) of Madison.

Grayson Elizabeth Gardner, July 22,2003, to Courtney McCain Gardner(’97) and Chris Gardner (’95, M.S. ’97)of Kennesaw, Ga.

William Thompson Gibbs, Sept. 30,2003, to Natalie Sorrels Gibbs (’95) andDavid A. Gibbs (’94) of Ridgeland.

Lily Grace Herold, Aug. 22, 2003, to JoAnn Streiff Herold (’84) and husbandMark of Atlanta, Ga.

Gatlin Bryce Huber, Sept. 29, 2003, toCorey Huber (’02) and Jamanda WalkerHuber (’01) of Purvis.

Annalee Jane Hunniford, Sept. 13,2003, to James Hunniford (’90) and wifeMelissa of Dumfries, Va.

Anne Marie Hurt, Dec. 23, 2002, toMarianne Warren Hurt (’84) andhusband Stan of Ocean Springs.

Race Cooper Hutson, March 18, 2003,to Brian S. Hutson (’87) and wife Angieof Plano, Texas.

Bradley Keffer Jones, Oct. 2, 2003, toEd Jones (’98) and Paige Craig Jones(’96) of Flowood.

Henry Patton Kincaid V, Nov. 4, 2003,to Patton Kincaid IV (’94) and RebeccaGathings Kincaid (’98) of Madison.

Charles Reece King, Sept. 27, 2003, toJustin W. King (’98) and wife Patricia ofStringer.

John Coulson Mars, Sept. 22, 2003, toSam Mars (’98) and wife Wendy ofRidgeland.

Hannah Grace McLaughlin, Oct. 15,2003, to Jennifer Felder McLaughlin(’93) and husband Brian of Gulfport.Haley Nicole Monroe, June 11, 2003, toMichael Monroe (’92) and wife Cynthia.Michael Jonathan Moore, April 30, 2003,to Roger Moore (’84) and wife Charlotteof Rogers, Ark.

Jane Claire Newman, March 21, 2003,to Christina Clark Newman (’95) andMonroe Newman (’95) of Columbus.

Thomas Taylor Olinger, May 9, 2003,to Christy DeBerry Olinger (’97) andPhilip Olinger (’97) of Newark, Ohio.

Mattie Frances Powell, June 18, 2003,to Brent Powell (’94) and Natasha GoffPowell (’94) of Brandon.

Jensen Collins Presley, Aug. 16, 2003,to Julian Presley (’97) and wife Chelesaof Clarksdale.

Caycen Colter Ratliff, Sept. 19, 2003,to Brandi Jessee Ratliff (’02) and ColtRatliff (’02) of Wiggins.

Elizabeth Ann Ray, May 28, 2003, toJames Ray (’96) and wife Nicole ofOklahoma City, Okla.

Katherine Hope Shurden, Aug. 27,2003, to Chris Shurden (’96, M.B.A. ’97)and wife Amy of Nashville, Tenn.

Stratton Holt Smith, Sept. 18, 2003, toAngel Whatley Smith (’94) and husbandBrandon of Oxford.

Seth Lane Sorgen, Oct. 13, 2003, toVirginia Leigh Herring Sorgen (’91,M.B.A. ’92) and husband Dale of Everett,Wash.

Abigail Katelan Tucker, July 22, 2003,to Colin Tucker (’94) and AllisonWallace Tucker (’94) of Wright PattersonAFB, Ohio.

Allyssa Faith Turner, July 31, 2003, toKim Whitaker Turner (’95, M.Tx. ’96)and husband Andy of Eupora.

Madelynn Elizabeth Wicks, Nov. 4,2003, to Lori Lewellen-Wicks (’90) andhusband Rocco of Fort Worth, Texas.

Callie Ellis Willett, Aug. 7, 2003, toJamie Short Willett (’97) and husbandPhilip of Birmingham, Ala.

Sidney Wood, Oct. 8, 2003, to StevenR. Wood (’99) and Karey Jarrell Wood(attended) of Picayune.

Brantlee Luke Wright, July 10, 2003, toRobin Jefcoat Wright (’99) and GregoryLee Wright (’97) of Louisville.

Due to space limitations, we are unable topublish birth announcements that arereceived more than one year after the babyis born.

Spring 2004

43A L U M N U S

INMemoriamJOE THOMAS CARDWELLprofessor emeritus of dairy science

Joe Thomas Cardwell of Starkville,longtime professor of dairy science atMississippi State, died Nov. 1, 2003. Hewas 81.

Cardwell received bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees in dairy science at TexasTech University and a doctorate in animalscience at North Carolina State University.

He joined the Mississippi State facultyin 1952 and subsequently held jointappointments with the MississippiAgricultural and Forestry ExperimentStation and the MSU Extension Service.He retired in 1994, following 42 years ofservice to the university.

The World War II Air Corps veteran wasa scout master for local Troop 45, a formerstate president of Civitan Club, and arecipient of the Starkville Chamber ofCommerce T.E. Veitch Award.

LINDA OGG BRASHEREnglish instructor

Linda Ogg Brasher of Starkville, aninstructor in English and literature atMississippi State, died Dec. 20, 2003. Shewas 55.

Brasher received bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in English at Mississippi State in1982 and 1985, respectively. She had beena member of the MSU Department ofEnglish faculty for more than 17 years.

In addition to her teaching duties, shewas undergraduate director of English and astudent adviser for a number of years.

JAY TAYLOR KEEHLEYassociate professor of philosophy

Jay Taylor Keehley of Starkville, anassociate professor in the department ofphilosophy and religion at Mississippi Stateand board attorney for Oktibbeha CountySchool District, died Nov. 29, 2003. Hewas 60.

Keehley, who also had a private lawpractice, received a bachelor’s degree at theUniversity of South Florida in 1966, adoctorate at Florida State University in1974, and the juris doctorate at theUniversity of Mississippi in 1987.

Keehley specialized in teaching businessethics and philosophy of law.

Cameron W. Burch (’30)—94,Jackson; retired district engineer for thestate Highway Department and vicepresident and chief engineer for theconsulting firm of Michael Baker Jr., andWorld War II veteran, Sept. 20, 2003.

Hubert H. Wolfe (’30)—97,Tuscaloosa, Ala.; retired civil engineer,co-owner of Southern Construction Co.,and World War II veteran, Dec. 14, 2003.

Oliver Kenneth Power Jr. (’32)—94,Kosciusko; owner and manager of O.K.Power Ford dealership and former directorof Merchants and Farmers Bank, Dec. 19,2003.

Thomas Henry Suttle (’32)—92,Jackson; retired plant engineer for FiltrolCorp., Nov. 7, 2003.

Wade J. Finger (’35)—91, Tupelo;retired sales representative and ChanceryCourt employee and World War II veteran,Jan. 8, 2004.

Charles Owen Nicholson (’36)—91,Jackson; retired manager for CommercialCredit Corp., tree farmer and World War IIveteran, Oct. 14, 2003.

Paul William Gaither (’38)—86,Jackson; former Mississippi MotorVehicle Comptroller, retired director oftransportation for the state Public ServiceCommission, and World War II veteran,Oct. 6, 2003.

Roy A. McCarley (’38)—86, Jackson;former teacher and retired statistician forthe Employment Security Commission,Nov. 2, 2003.

V. Miles Patterson Sr. (’38)—87,Gainesville, Fla.; retired Southern Baptistminister, Oct. 19, 2003.

Elbert Smith Pounds (’38)—89,Jackson; retired Veterans Administrationemployee and World War II veteran, Dec.6, 2003.

Roy Michael Donahoe Sr. (’41)—84,Jackson; retired office manager forHoward-Wilson Chrysler-Plymouth andWorld War II veteran, Oct. 11, 2003.

Robert Owen Sparks (’41)—Huntsville, Ala.; retired NASA andHuntsville Space Center engineer andWorld War II and Korean War veteran,Oct. 11, 2003.

Paul C. Bacon Jr. (’42)—83,Wiggins; retired field auditor for the Stateof Mississippi and World War II veteran,Dec. 3, 2003.

George Rogers (’42)—83, Clinton;retired senior vice president forProduction Credit Association and WorldWar II veteran, Nov. 8, 2003.

Jack F. Truitt (’43)—81, Hoover,Ala.; retired from Memphis Bank andTrust Co. and World War II veteran, Jan.10, 2004.

Robert Edmund Waring (’43)—82,Vicksburg; retired, World War II veteran,Nov. 28, 2003.

W.G. Gray (’47)—89, Hattiesburg;former Mississippi Highway Patroltrooper, Public Service Commissioninvestigator, and sheriff of ForrestCounty, Nov. 6, 2003.

Anthony Brocato Jr. (’48)—80,Shreveport, La.; retired home builder,Dec. 17, 2003.

John F. DeCell Jr. (’48)—Baytown,Texas; retired sales representative andWorld War II veteran, Feb. 23, 2003.

William Carmen Jefcoat (’48)—82,Bay Springs; retired county agent forJasper and Jackson counties and founderof Jefcoat Pest Control, Nov. 22, 2003.

John Frank Gillentine (’49)—80,Bartlett, Tenn.; retired executive withWilliams Co. of Tulsa, Okla., and WorldWar II veteran, Sept. 26, 2003.

Lewis C. Kittrell (’49)—83, SandHill; retired review appraiser with thestate Highway Department and WorldWar II veteran, July 25, 2003.

William H. McCann (’49)—76,Shuqualak; owner of Prince Lumber Co.and World War II veteran, Oct. 1, 2003.

Edgar Lee Shotts (’50)—83,Mendenhall; retired U.S. Postal Serviceemployee and World War II veteran, Jan.4, 2004.

Yancey Lea Adams Bittle (’51)—Columbia, S.C.; retired secretary, July2003.

Everette Howard Lamar (’51)—75,Meridian; retired certified publicaccountant, Jan. 7, 2004.

Spring 2004

44A L U M N U S

INMemoriamTheodore Bratton Brister (’52)—73,

Lakeway, Texas; retired marketing managerfor Exxon Coal and Minerals and KoreanWar veteran, March 9, 2003.

Ralph Lee Carter Sr. (’52)—89,Noxapater; retired salesman for ColeBrothers, Dec. 23, 2003.

Mary Nell Hand Mansell (’54)—86,Starkville; Oct. 4, 2003.

Arthur Milton Cook (’56)—69,Kosciusko; civil engineer and retiredKosciusko city engineer and Attala Countyengineer, Dec. 4, 2003.

James Dewitt Martindale (’56)—70,Bay Minette, Ala.; retired chairman of theNatural Science Department at James H.Faulkner Community College, Oct. 16,2003.

Donald E. Richmond (’56)—McComb;retired director of computer services forMcComb Schools.

Harold N. Hutchison (’57)—70,Clinton; retired accountant and auditor forthe Mississippi State Tax Commission, Oct.14, 2003.

Wilbur Earl Jones Jr. (’57)—73,Ridgeland; retired vice president forDeposit Guaranty Bank and Korean Warveteran, Dec. 20, 2003.

Billy H. Ashley (’59)—71, Brandon;retired chemist and Korean War veteran,Oct. 27, 2003.

James Robert Mullen (’60)—66,Oakland; retired plant manager for JimmySanders Chemical Co. in Cleveland, Sept.1, 2003.

Warner Carroll Snell (’60)—64,Starkville; former educator and retiredowner of Gun Dog Supply in Ridgeland,Sept. 24, 2003.

David Stribling Divine (’61, M.A.’65)—65, Sharon; retired Sharonpostmaster, Sept. 30, 2003.

Jamie W. Hurley (’61, M.S. ’67)—Germantown, Tenn.; civil engineeringprofessor at the University of Memphis,Oct. 1, 2003.

George R. Mars (’61)—62,Philadelphia; retired owner of Mars Bros.Dept. Store, Sept. 29, 2003.

Carey Griffin (’62)—64, Selmer,Tenn.; retired mechanical engineer forHarmon Automotive, Oct. 9, 2003.

Joel D. Rice (’62)—63, El Dorado,Ark.; financial adviser and broker forEdward Jone Co., Aug. 30, 2003.

John Rufus Sims (’62)—62, BaySprings; former Bay Springs mayor,member of the Jasper County Board ofSupervisors, and farmer, Sept. 8, 2003.

Lottie Faye Hood Owen (’64, Ed.S.’74)—74, Vestavia Hills, Ala.; retiredbusiness teacher in the Durant SchoolSystem, Dec. 3, 2003.

Lester Peterman Jr. (’65)—Ferriday,La.; former school superintendent forConcordia Parish, Oct. 2, 2003.

Emmadine S. Owen (’67, Ed.S. ’70)—81, Jackson; retired state facilitiessupervisor for the state Department ofVocational Rehabilitation, Dec. 31, 2003.

Otha Charles Phillips (’67)—60,Vicksburg; civil engineer with the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, June 13, 2003.

George Gilmer Richey (’68)—59,Charlottesville, Va.; Mint Printing Co.employee, Oct. 3, 2003.

Samuel Thomas Rayburn (’70)—56,Oxford; attorney with Rayburn CoghlanLaw Firm, Nov. 30, 2003.

Ray Glenn Jones Jr. (’74)—74, Boone,N.C.; retired finance, insurance and realestate professor at Appalachian StateUniversity and World War II veteran, Nov.8, 2003.

Bennie Gregory Jones (’76)—49, SanAntonio, Texas; owner and president ofProfessional Software Services, Nov. 7,2003.

Michael E. Luft (’76)—54, Jackson;electrical project manager and VietnamWar veteran, Oct. 20, 2003.

Donald L. Purvis (’76)—53,Kennesaw, Ga.; engineer for the FacilityGroup, Eagle Scout and scouting leader,Aug. 29, 2003.

Judy Reinschmiedt (’80, Ed.S. ’83)—53, Starkville; librarian at OverstreetElementary School and longtime educator,Nov. 12, 2003.

Stephanie Anne Edwards Knight(’93)—32, Florence; former Union PlantersBank employee, Oct. 29, 2003.

Garvin Harold Deshler (’99)—52,Eupora; retired welder for Babcock &Wilcox.

M. Shannon Mallard (’02)—30,Starkville; Nov. 3, 2003.

Frank George Carney Jr. (attended)—77, Crystal Springs; farmer and cattlemanand World War II veteran, Dec. 21, 2003.

Camille Hogan Davis (attended)—74,Jackson; Nov. 7, 2003.

Norman Mitlin (former employee)—85, Rock Hill, S.C.; former adjunctprofessor of entomology and researchassociate at Mississippi State and WorldWar II veteran, Dec. 6, 2003.

Cecil Rigel Stott (former employee)—83, Arlington, Texas; former records clerkat Mississippi State, Nov. 30, 2003.

Lola Smith Hunter (friend)—84,Lucedale; retired city clerk for the City ofLucedale, Nov. 5, 2003.

Frankie Clark Monroe (friend)—87,Lucedale; homemaker, July 12, 2003.

Jane Turnage Perry (friend)—99,Spanish Fort, Ala.; homemaker andphilanthropist, Jan. 3, 2004.

Clover Dyess Turner (friend)—Jackson; schoolteacher and homemaker,Dec. 23, 2003.

mississippi state alumnus spring 2004

Documents

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mississippi delta

mississippi statefeatures2

class of schillig scholars

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