Armstrong Magazine Spring12

8/2/2019 Armstrong Magazine Spring12

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Parent (P3)? Subscribe to theArmstrong parent newsletter

at armstrong.edu/parents.

TabloconTenTs

FROM the PRESIDENT

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Armstrongmaaine is produced b Marketin &Communications wit support rom te ArmstronAtantic State Uniersit Foundation.

Editor............................................ BRENDA FORBIS

Associate editor .................ERICA ARChANgEl 11

Desiners................................... JOAN lEhON 92JIll PhONgSA

Principa potoraper .......KAThERINE ARNTzEN

Editoria assistance .................KAREN COOPER 11EMIly BElFORD

Contributin writers ..................... AllISON hERShKOlBy hARREllChAD JACKSON

Let s hear fro o!

Wed oe our eedback on tis issue, as we as watoud ike to see in upcomin issues o Armstrong.Pease emai [email protected] or ca912.344.2904.

Find Armstron atacebook.com/ArmstronAumni

On te coer: Te Armstron MasquersDrowsy Chaperone, Noember 3, 2011

Creating an environment that osters student success and transormative

learning experiences inside and outside the classroom is Armstrongs mostimportant strategic goal. Simply translated, it is the reason each o us

our aculty, sta and administrationcomes to work every day. It is our

motivation, our inspiration, and at the end o the day as students leave us

to pursue their careers, it is our reward.

In this issue you will see many Armstrong students in their element,

whether in a traditional classroom or high-tech research lab, collaborating

virtually on a Dabbleboard, perorming on stage at a world-class music

estival or cheering a child who has learned a new word or made a new

sound.

You will also meet a number o extraordinary proessors who take

students on their intellectual journeywho serve as the link between

the student and the experience, between the classroom and a career. Inaddition, you will meet Armstrong alumni who have made their mark in

their proessions and their communities.

Armstrong celebrated an exciting rst this semester and continued

to honor our rich history in Savannah. Our Savannah Winds community

orchestra perormed or the rst time at the Savannah Music Festival,

which draws visitors rom near and ar. At the same time, our Masquers

theatre program, which began as the Savannah Playhouse, marked its

75th anniversary. In addition, more than 300 students, aculty, sta and

alumni turned out or one o our new traditions, Treasure Savannah day

o service, which represents more than 3,200 hours o service to the

community since the program began.

I hope you enjoy this issue oArmstrong magazine. I invite you to see

more student stories at ArmstrongExperience.com and to share your

successes with us.

Warm Regards,

3 Campus News

5 Pain it Forward

6 Teacin & Tecnoo

10 Te Armstron Eperience

12 Beind te Masquers

15 Notabe Numbers

16 Penomena Facut

18 Armstrons Arboretum

19 Pirates Treasure

20 Aumni lie Caners

21 Cass Notes


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Stdets Swoo oer Faos Athors

Spring semester at Armstrong was punctuated by a series oamous authors.

A group o 20 students won a writing competition or achance to see the king o horror himselStephen Kingbeorehe gave the closing address at the Savannah Book Festival.

Coinciding with the estival, Melissa Fay Greene, author oPraying or Sheetrock, came to campus and lectured to more than100 people on the topic Capturing Georgia History: IncredibleTrue Tales Are All Around Us. On the same day, author Jamie Fordheld a small seminar with a group o ve English communicationsstudents. Ford led a writing workshop with the students, and tworeceived a critique o their work rom the author.

I think its so important or students to see real writers and toknow that it is possible to become a writer, assistant proessoro English Monica Rausch said. I also think these writers can talk

about the industry as it is right now and how it operates. Thepublishing world is changing rapidly, particularly with e-publishing,and recently published authors can share their insights on thesechanges.

Pirates to Breathe Easier This Fall

Armstrong will ocially become a tobacco-ree campus as oAugust 2012.

The new policywhich bans cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewingtobacco and other tobacco productswill be implemented at thebeginning o the all 2012 semester. In the past, Armstrong hasallowed smoking in designated areas on campus.

A collaborative group o aculty, sta and students, led byhealth sciences proessor Sara Plaspohl, comprise the TobaccoPolicy Implementation Team. Were delighted to introduce thisimportant new policy, which supports the health and well-beingo our students, aculty and sta, said Armstrong PresidentLinda Bleicken. The decision to make Armstrong a tobacco-reecampus was made ater careul consideration and ater listening toa range o voices in the university community.

Armstrong is the 16th university in Georgia to go 100 percenttobacco-ree and will join the American Lung Associations list omore than 250 schools that are already tobacco-ree. Armstrongsnew policy supports the City o Savannah Smoke-Free Air

Ordinance o 2010, which is already in eect throughout theSavannah area. President Bleicken ormally presented the smoke-ree initiative to City Council members February 9, 2012.

Armstrong will institute a campus-wide education program

to raise awareness about the new tobacco-ree policy and toencourage tobacco cessation initiatives.

Treasre Saaah Takes it to the Streets

For the ourth time in as many semesters, more than 300students, aculty, sta and alumni turned out in a sea o greent-shirts early on a Saturday morning in March or TreasureSavannah, Armstrongs day o service. Ater photos and cheerso enthusiasm, groups dispersed to nonprot organizationsacross town. More than 130 Armstrong volunteers arrived in

Johnson Square to help the City o Savannah launch o the GreatAmerican Spring Clean-Up on Bull and Broughton streets. Other

teams painted, organized and readied gardens or spring plantingsat the West Broad YMCA, Union Mission, Hunter Army Aireldand on Armstrongs campus.

Armstrong was ounded in 1935 by the city o Savannah,and today is an opportunity or us to give back to the city. Whatsmore, its actually a way that we can give back to each other as

we go out to make better the place that we call home both ourcampus and our community, President Linda Bleicken said.

Anne Thompson, interim vice president or academic aairs,summed it up perectly: Treasure Savannah days o service haveprovided more than 3,200 hours o service to our community.Thats a great source o pride or Armstrong!

CAMPUS News


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Saaah Wids atWorld-Faos Festial

Loyal patrons and ans focked tothe Lucas Theater to take in theSavannah Winds debut perormanceat the Savannah Music Festival. Thehighlight o the American Band Classicsevening was internationally renownedcomposer Philip SparkesA Savannah

Symphony, which was commissionedto mark Armstrongs 75th anniversary.Approximately 630 people attendedand over $3,400 was raised to sendmore than 100 students to the event.

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Opeig the Doors to Readig

In February, the College o Education kicked o the Teens or Literacy program at EastBroad K-8 School with a pep rally dedicated to all things reading.

Teens or Literacy is a partnership between East Broad and Armstrong, aimed atpromoting literacy or inner city children. The program, unded through a grant receivedby Armstrong assistant proessor Jaime Berry and instructor Allen Berger, empowers EastBroads student leaders to help them strategize and develop novel ideas to inspire otherstudents to read.

We are so excited to launch this new program, Berry said. Promoting literacy inmiddle and elementary schools lays a solid educational oundation or their uture. Wehave an opportunity here to make a great dierence in the lives o these children.

Several members o the community attended the launch o the program, includingJohn Hobe, department head o childhood and exceptional student education, proessorsBerry and Berger, as well as several Armstrong volunteers. In addition, Christy Divine,oundation manager o Live Oak Public Libraries, came with her counterpart and librarymascot Twigs, and Lil G o E93 radio entertained the young crowd along with a DJ.

With this program, we are teaching our students that reading is not just an academictask, but something they should enjoy, said Amber Swain, East Broad teacher andcoordinator o Teens or Literacy. We want to help the kids increase their reading scores,and we can do that by promoting sel worth, showing them that they can read and bymaking it un.

Caps Chages Expad Serices ad Accessibilit

Gamble Hall was built in 1965 as one o the original buildings on Armstrongs campus.Now the aging building will receive a acelit, as renovations are set to begin in summer2012. The projects ocus will be to bring the building into ull code compliance, upgradesystems, modernize the interior and provide better technology or todays learningprocesses. The anticipated completion date is summer 2013.

In addition, Lane Library is expanding this spring and Inormation Technology Services(ITS) is moving across campus. This two-phase project will rst renovate suites at theArmstrong Center or use as the new consolidated campus data center. Once phase oneis completed this spring, the current ITS acility, located across rom Lane Library, will be

vacated and phase two will begin. The ITS acility will be repurposed as a 13,083 squareoot satellite addition to Lane Library.

The proximity o the ITS building to the Student Union and Lane Library makesit a perect location or the new Learning Commons area that will allow an extensiono both space and library services, said Vice President or Business and Finance DavidCarson. With these projects, we are better serving our students and providing them withacilities that will enhance their learning experiences on campus.

Further renovations at the Armstrong Center will include classrooms and oce spaceor Armstrongs ROTC program.

Arstrog Hosts GeorgiaSciece Bowl, Sposored bSiees Idstr, Ic.

Siemens Industry, Inc., the globalpowerhouse in electronics and electricalengineering, sponsored the 2012 GeorgiaScience Bowl. The event was coordinatedby Armstrong Atlantic State Universityphysics proessor Donna Mullenax andhosted on the Armstrong campus.

Thanks to Siemens, the best scienticminds in Georgias schools came toArmstrong to compete in a rigorous,academic atmosphere, Mullenax said.The industry support had a huge impacton this competition.

The annual high school science bowleatured subregional and state-levelcompetitions at Armstrong beore studentsheaded to the National Science Bowl inWashington, D.C.


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Te center is a auabe teacintoo and a reat resource.

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Maybe it was the replica Woody doll he carried and his brightred Buzz Lightyear t-shirt. Or, perhaps, it was his wide smile andunwavering energy. When 10-year-old Kevin Valente walked into

Armstrongs RiteCare Center or Communication Disorders, helooked like Andy rom Disney and Pixars Toy Story. But dont callhim Andy, or even Kevin or that matter, because he preers toshare a name with his avorite character, Buzz.

Kevin was born in Russia with bilateral clet lip and palate, andsoon ater the Valente amily adopted him, he received intensivecorrective surgery.

A large part o Kevins uphill battle has been speechdevelopment, which is what brought him to Armstrongs RiteCareCenter. Clet is known to cause problems within the entire ear,nose and throat cavity, and hearing is a critical part o learningto speak clearly. As i ongoing medical procedures and weeklyspeech therapy sessions werent taxing enough, Kevin wasdiagnosed with autism when he was seven.

Speech is just one part o everything going on with him,said his mother, Sharon. But, by helping with his speech, it hasaccentuated his positive improvements in other areas.

Kevin is just one o many clients at Armstrongs RiteCareCenter. Every year, graduate students in Armstrongscommunication sciences and disorders department who work

as speech pathologists at the center, perorm ree hearingassessments to as many as 1,600 kids rom 10 dierent schools.

Julie Burch, a speech and language pathologist in pediatricrehabilitation at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah,is also a clinical instructor at the Armstrong RiteCare Center.Burch has been at Memorial or 15 years and has been impressed

with the quality o students in Armstrongs program.The student clinicians at the center hit the ground running

when they arrive, and they are so engaged with the patients, saidBurch. The center is a valuable teaching tool and a great resourceor clients in the Savannah area who come here to get treatmentrom eager minds who are interested in excelling.

Founded in 1998, the Armstrong RiteCare Center is supportedby annual donations rom the Ancient and Accepted Scottish RiteSavannah Valleywhich is where RiteCare gets its name. Theirbeneaction assists with aculty development, provides test andtherapy materials and helps the clinic expand its services.

The Scottish Rite has been incredibly generous, saidDonna Brooks, interim dean o Armstrongs College o Health

Proessions. Their charity is ocused on supporting children, butbecause we are an academic unit, they dont restrict us rompurchasing materials that can also help with adults.

Enter Tommie McCormick.McCormick became a client at the RiteCare Center ollowing

a stroke in 2004. Common in stroke victims, he had a conditioncalled aphasia, which impairs language ability. Thanks toArmstrongs RiteCare Center, McCormick was able to speak againduring what ended up being the last year o his lie.

Shortly ater McCormick passed away in 2005, his wie Jeanneendowed a scholarship in his memory.

The Thomas Spencer McCormick Presidential Scholarship isawarded each spring to two graduate students in Armstrongscommunication sciences and disorders programallowing moreArmstrong students to become proessionals in their eld likethose who helped Jeannes husband.

Just to have one conversation is huge in lie, said JennyDixon, a current graduate student in the program. Not beingable to communicate eectively is very isolating, and I want to do

whatever I can to help people get there.Perhaps young Kevin Valente put it best as he sat in one o

the our therapy rooms at the RiteCare Center, working with hisclinician, Armstrong graduate student Chelsea Shoop, when hestarted singing lines rom Toy Story: The Musical.

To innity and beyond! To innity and beyond!

Buzz wasnt just singing lines rom his avorite movie, he wasalso echoing the hopes o Armstrong students at the RiteCareCenter who want to have a bigger impact in their community andhelp people communicate eectively.

I you are interested in giving to Armstrongs RiteCare Center,please contact the Ofce o Advancement at 912.344.2541 [email protected].

Paying it ForwardhOW ONE SMAll ARMSTRONg ClINICIS MAKINg A hUgE DIFFERENCE

by KOLBY HARRELL

Above: Armstrong graduate student Chelsea Shoop withBuzz at the universitys RiteCare Center.

Let: Cara Leigh Brumit perorming a hearing assessmenton Nathan Hunt in the RiteCare Center.


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rmstrong chemistry majormon Hartage with proessorzanne Carpenter in a high-tech

b on campus.

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Move over chalk and chalkboards. Say hello to interactive smart

boards, collaborative sotware, high-tech lab equipment, social

media, haptics and online learning.

At Armstrong, technology plays an increasingly important role

in teaching and learning, both inside and outside the classroom.

As part o the universitys mission, aculty members in elds

ranging rom the arts to the sciences are preparing students to usetechnology as a critical tool or collaboration, communication and

creativity.

Theres a real commitment at Armstrong to embrace

technology and to provide education through a range o delivery

ormats, said Director o Online and Blended Learning Kristen

Betts. In order to engage and retain students, its important or

our aculty to integrate technology into their classes.

From digital teaching tools

to hands-on experience in

the chemistry lab, Armstrong

students enjoy access to

new technologies and new

ways o learning.


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by ALLISON HERSH

BRInGInG SCIEnCE TO LIFE In THE LAB

Ramon Hartage, a junior majoring in chemistry at Armstrong,relishes the unique opportunity to work with delicate NuclearMagnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy instruments, which areused to determine the structure o molecules.

What I enjoy most about working with the NMR is theopportunity to use such advanced equipment, he said.These instruments can help to identiy the chemical structureand properties o unknown compounds. This data can give

inormation about a compounds chemistry that would beotherwise unattainable.

Working side by side with associate proessor o chemistrySuzanne Carpenter, Hartage is working to develop the bestprotocol or using NMR instruments in organic chemistry labs.We are trying to nd ways to make some o the equipment, suchas the NMR, more user-riendly so that hopeully they can beused even more requently by the students, Carpenter explained.

Students who take organic chemistry at most universitiesin the United States are not even allowed to touch an NMR,she explained. Many universities think the instruments are tooexpensive to let sophomores handle, but Ive always elt thattouching and using the instruments helps you better understandthe data you get rom the them.

For this winner o Armstrongs prestigious H. Dean PropstAward, hands-on experience in the lab with state-o-the-artequipment is an important way or students to learn. Evenmore important is encouraging students to tap into the joys ochemistry.

Organic chemistry is tremendously ascinating, she said. Ilove helping students access the magic o the subject. Once theydo that, theyre willing to work. The students really get into it.

21ST CEnTuRy TEACHInG TOOLS

Linda Wright, proessor o health sciences at Armstrong,incorporates the latest teaching tools in her courses on campus,as well as her online learning classes.

She gets student eedback in real time in the classroom onTwitter, encourages undergraduates to collaborate on projectsthrough Dabbleboard interactive whiteboard sotware and editsstudent white papers on Google Docs.

Im not araid to try new technology in and out o the

classroom, she said. Its all about engaging students and helpingthem learn in dierent ways. This technology makes it very easyto communicate synchronously or asynchronously with students.

In her introduction to health proessions research class, Wrightencourages students to use Dabbleboard technology to analyzethe various components o articles. Students can literally movethese pieces around and see how they aect the outcome o thestudy, she explained. Introducing students to creative ways touse technology in their studies helps them develop skills theyllbe using or the rest o their lives. Wendy Marshall, director o the Educational TechnologyTraining Center at Armstrong, agrees. Technology is an eective

way to engage students, she said. There are so many high-tech tools at teachers disposal today. The key is learning how tosuccessully harness the power o those tools.

The center has trained thousands o teachers rom across theregion over the past decade and also helped procure more than$3 million in educational grants or area schools to bring the latesttechnology to local classrooms. The center also trains pre-serviceteachers at Armstrong to master new classroom technology.

Our students leave here prepared to use the latesttechnology, Marshall explained, making them highly desirable intodays marketplace.


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...TEChNOlOgy AND CREATIvIT

Jessica Roche, senior, art education, working in theStudent Interactive Media and Research program

ART AnD TECHnOLOGy

Jessica Roche, a senior majoring in arteducation, recently collaborated withten other ne arts students to developWo(Men), an experimental play that usestechnology to explore gender roles.

Roches group project is part o a

landmark new collaboration among nearts aculty members called SIMR, whichstands or Student Interactive Media andResearch. During the spring 2012 semester,students in our dierent ne arts classesat Armstrongthe computer in art, abricdesign, scene design and acting or thecamerajoined orces to work togetherin groups. Each group used technology todevelop perormances that oer dierentperspectives on local 19th century artspatron Mary Telair.

Technology is integrated into eachproject in dierent ways, Roche explained. For instance,some students created digital paintings that each group willproject as backdrops.

The students presented their plays at the Women and ArtsSymposium at Armstrong on March 22. Students are learningproessional skills, said Angela Horne, assistant proessor o nearts. Theyre learning how to collaborate with people outsidetheir immediate discipline and using technology in creative waysduring the process.

Horne believes technology serves as an important tool orartists-in-training at Armstrong. In her class, the computer inart, she emphasizes the connection between technology and

creativity.A major goal is or students to see or recognize the computer

as another tool or artmaking, similar to paint, graphite or other

ONlINE SPEAKER SERIES BRINgS glOBAl CONNECTIONS

A campus-wide collaboration and a new tool called Collaborate will bring monthly lectures rom

abroad to Armstrong classrooms. The eort was spearheaded by Kristen Betts, director o the Oce

o Online and Blended Learning, and James Anderson, assistant to the vice president and director o

International Education.

The program kicked o in February with a lecture rom the Czech Republics Dagmar Skovoda

Parmova, an international marketing expert who addressed proessor Yassaman Saadatmands

multinational economic enterprises class. Betts and Anderson agree this series has tremendous value.

These classes will broaden the cultural experience o our students, expose them to new ways o

lie and prepare them to leave Armstrong ready to work in the global setting, Anderson explained.

Im really excited about Armstrongs commitment to globalization and accessibility, Betts added.

Its critical that students be exposed to an exceptional education in every delivery ormat at

Armstrong.

traditional media, she explained. We also integrate traditionalmedia with new media.

Horne exposes Armstrong students to developing trends incontemporary art, emphasizing the way technology is changingthe playing eld on the most undamental levels. She considersdigital technology to be a major revolution in the art world,one which is dissolving traditional boundaries and conventional

categories. Theres no question that technology and creativity arecompletely interdependent, she noted.


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OMPlETEly INTERDEPENDENT

Armstrong graduate students using innovativeNetwork Enabled Work Spaces on campus

Alice is not, as many would expect, a LewisCarroll character lost in Wonderland. Instead

Alice is an introductory programmingexperience at Windsor Forest High Schoolto teach students the basics o computeranimation programming.

Alice came to Windsor Forest thanks toa 2009 AT&T Foundation grant o $75,000given to the Armstrong Atlantic StateUniversity Foundation. The grant supportsLet the Games Begin!, an educational outreaprogram designed by Armstrongs College oEducation and the Educational TechnologyTraining Center (ETTC) to help 60 at-risk higschool students develop introductory compu

programming skills.The collaboration with Armstrong allowed

instructor Bill Harris, an expert in the Alicelanguage, to work with the Windsor Foreststudents and to pass on his skill set to WindsForest teacher Cameron Turner.

These kids have developed a good ideao how technology works and how to usetechnology in many dierent areas, Turnerexplained.

An advantage o students using Alice isthat the concepts learned are directlyapplicable to using languages such as Java

to write programs. Students become preparenot just or college-level work, but alsogain highly valuable technical skills or theproessional world.

I the results weve seen so ar areany indication, I think you will see bettergraduation rates o at-risk high school studen

who are engaged with technology, takeownership o their education, and learn attheir own pace, said Kaylyn Padgett, AT&TGeorgias regional director o southeast Georexternal aairs. Since the program started at

Windsor Forest, several students went on tocollege with expressed interest in computercareers. The current class is even moreinspired.

Ive already applied to Armstrong,Savannah State, Albany and the University oNorth Carolina, senior Okechukwu Ezeh saNo matter where I go, Im denitely going tdo something with computers.

Local High School Students

gET ANIMATED WITh AlICE

HIGH-TECH HAPTICS RESEARCH

Ben Page, a graduate student who recently completed his M.S. inComputer Science, used the universitys NEWS (Network Enabled WorkSpaces) laboratory to develop interactive three-dimensional simulations toteach physics.

My avorite thing about working in the NEWS lab is the energy that

comes rom working with a group, he said. I think that one o the bestways to learn something is to teach it to others.Under the guidance o NEWS laboratory director Felix Hamza-Lup, an

associate proessor o computer science and inormation technology, Pageand 30 other graduate and undergraduate students have collaborated on arange o training and simulation projects since the labs ounding in 2006.Students have also co-authored a number o research papers, which havebeen published in leading scientic journals.

Some o the most exciting work involves haptics, which uses tactileeedback and hand-held devices to manipulate virtual objects in space.This technology has many applications in the medical training ande-learning elds, Hamza-Lup explained. This is the next rontier olearning and training.

The NEWS laboratory recently partnered with the Anderson CancerCenter in Orlando to develop 3D Radiation Therapy Treatment (3DRTT),a patented simulation sotware system that enhances treatment plans orcancer patients and improves their saety. The acility has also partnered

with the Mercer University School o Medicine on Neuro Pathways, athree-dimensional neuro-anatomy simulator that helps medical studentsmore readily comprehend complex neurological concepts.

There is a huge market or simulation and training in the medical eldto improve patient treatment and medical personnel skills, said Hamza-Lup. There is also a vast potential or haptics integration into e-learningsystems.

Sprin 2012 | 9


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Laura Gonzalez earned the prestigious Goizueta Foundation Scholarship, whichrewards outstanding Latino students, or ve consecutive years at Armstrong. Ireally needed a scholarship that would cover my tuition, and I am very thankulthat I obtained the Goizueta Foundation Scholarship, she said. Otherwise it would

have been impossible or me to attend college.Gonzalez was a rst generation college student in Armstrongs Honors Program, and she also served as the vice

president o the Hispanic Outreach and Leadership at Armstrong (HOLA) club and volunteered at the Community HealthMission. Her involvement on campus was matched by her excellence in the classroom. She wonArmstrongs Nursing Class Outstanding Clinician Award in 2011, which is the highest honorin the universitys nursing department and was named a 2012 Whos Who Among Students inAmerican Colleges and Universities.

The Colombia native decided to pursue a degree in nursing because she wanted to make apositive dierence in the lives o others.

I wanted to become a nurse because I know that nursing is a caring and compassionate careerin which I can provide my skills to help people, she explained. I have always loved science and

wanted to go into the medical eld.She attended the six-week Nurse Extern Program at Memorial University Medical Center in the

summer o 2011, working with a registered nurse (R.N.) to strengthen her assessment and clinicalskills. She is now studying or the R.N. licensing exam.

I want to work in a pediatric unit and then eventually come back to Armstrong to becomea nurse practitioner, she said. All my proessors were great mentors. They were helpul,knowledgeable and cared about my success.

Gonzalez credits Armstrong or its ongoing commitment to diversity. I believe that our diversityhas increased thanks to dierent organizations, Dr. Bleickens support and the student body andaculty, she said. The university denitely has made me and other Latino students eel at home.

Kelli Bahr was ready to play college soccer rom themoment she stepped on campus.

Ater all, in her our years at Middleton High School inMiddleton, Wis., she helped lead her team to a state title

and became one o the top recruits in the state. Despite many accolades that came her way duringa stellar high school career, she claims that i it werent or her sisters involvement in soccer shemay have never played.

Bahr has been a staple on the Armstrong back line since her arrival on campus in 2007. In2010, she earned not only All-America honors on the eld or helping the Pirates become PeachBelt Conerence champions, but she was also named a prestigious Scholar All-America rom theNational Soccer Coaches Association o America.

In a career that has had many high points, the one that stands out to Bahr was a thrilling

3-2 overtime win against the deending national champions, University o Tampa, on their homeeld in 2007. There is nothing better than beating a great team on the road, Bahr said. Anotherimportant win that is close to Kellis heart is the 2010 victory over Columbus State University. Ater

years o alling short, going into that game we knew it was our time, she explained.As an active member o the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Bahr also helps give more than

150 student-athletes at Armstrong a voice within the athletic department and the campus in general.Though playing soccer is her passion, Bahr knows there is lie ater the game. In May 2011, she earned her

bachelors degree in early childhood education and is currently pursuing her master s in education. She recently wasawarded the 2012 College o Educations Deans Award and the Exchange Club o Savannahs Presidents Cup Award.Ater graduation, she wants to help kids develop good study habits and get them interested in learning at a young age.

Meet our Armstron students wo are makin a dierence and orin successu career pats.

Lara Gozalez 11Bogota, ColomBia

Kelli Bahr 11middleton, WisConsin

10 | armstron.edu


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In the movie Coming to America, Eddie Murphycame to America to nd a wie, but seniorPhung-Hoang Nguyen came or the education.She dealt with language barriers and culture shock,

but she has ound a love or chemistry and a home at Armstrong.In 2005, Nguyens entire amily moved rom Bienhoa, Vietnam to Savannah. The language

really shocked me, she said. Even though I had studied English back in my country, it was notenough or me to be able to understand what people said.But not having a ull grasp on the language did not stop her rom working hard. She

completed high school in 2008, nishing a year earlier than her classmates because o herEnglish reading comprehension skills. When I read a book, I can understand more, even i I cantunderstand every word, she said.

This is the same technique Nguyen employs now at Armstrong. She smashes through thelanguage barrier by reading and questioning, and continues to excel in school. I made thedeans list every semester, and the presidents list last year, she said. She also won the 2012Outstanding Chemistry Senior or Academic Achievement Award.

Since spring 2010, she has also contributed to a computational chemistry research projectspearheaded by assistant proessor o chemistry Cli Padgett. Nguyen is helping to develop a methodology that willallow pharmacists to correctly predict the three-dimensional shape o molecules in pharmaceutical products.

I like the American culture and especially the school system. Armstrong has given me a lot o opportunity and

reedom, Nguyen said. The interaction between teacher and student is more engaged, not like back in my countrywhere students are araid to talk to the teacher.Ater her graduation in 2012, Nguyen plans to enroll in either graduate school or pharmacy school. With my Ph.D.,

I want to do more research, and I also want to be a pharmacist in the Savannah area. I denitely want to stay here.

visit www.arstrogexperiece.co to read about oter successu Armstron students, acut and aumni.

He talks about his business, suave condence in one hand, double shot skim milklatte with hazelnut and caramel in the other. Moments later, Armstrong alumnusKevin ODonnell, owner o Soldi Crema LLC, and operator o a Jittery JoesCoee ca ranchise, dashes away to greet a guest standing at the gleaming

black counter.ODonnells ca is located inside Savannahs Ex Libris bookstore, a place requented by guests who range rom a

Vogueeditor to the average Joe. When Ex Libris and the ca closed or renovations in the summer o 2011, he made hismove and bought the ranchise.

Beore owning his own business and serving steaming cups o caeine to notable photographers and movie stars,ODonnell was a politically charged Pirate active in Armstrongs rst Moot Court competitions. Like any university,

you get out o it what you put in. And or what Armstrong has available to its students, itsremarkable how much you can get out o it, he said.

ODonnell joined Armstrongs rst Moot Court team in 2004 and won rst place at theSoutheast Moot Court Association Regional Tournament. But his aculty relationships oncampus are what he credits with his current success.

What I really gained rom Armstrong, I credit to a couple o proessors. John Kearnes, whois retired now, and William Daughtery were my avorite proessors. Daughtery is unbelievablynotable, and Kearnes was one o the most challenging proessors Ive ever had, he said.While ODonnell continues to grab opportunity by the mug ull, with plans to open a second

Jittery Joes Coee ranchise in the next ew years, the ormer Pirate keeps in touch with hisalma mater, noting a twinge o envy when he looks back.

Armstrong is growing at such an exponential rate. Theres so much more going on, that itsounds like more un and more like a community than it was even just ve years ago, he said.Im almost jealous that I was there then and not now.

Kei ODoell 08savannah, georgia

Phg-Hoag nge 12Bienhoa, vietnam

Sprin 2012 | 11


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All the worlds a stage,And all the men and women merely players:They have their exits and their entrances;And one man in his time plays many parts,His acts being seven ages.

William Shakespeare,As You Like It

The directors behind the Armstrong Masquers haveresponded to national and global issues or the last 75

years, using the world to set the stage in Jenkins Hall. Frompoignant productions to a theatre conerence that challenged thesocietal norms o the day, all were infuenced, in some way oranother, by the history swirling around them.

In the days o Armstrong Junior College, the theatres rstdirector arrived resh as a newly minted penny in the all o1936. Stacy Keach, bright with a vision o theatre that

Meet the directors o the Armstrong Masquers, the men and woman who

created a 75-year-old theatre legacy intertwined with national and local history.

combined the talent o the college and the community, createdthe Savannah Playhouse. The troops rst audience took their seatson February 4, 1937, at the original downtown Jenkins Theatreto perorm Three Cornered Moon, marking the beginning o aSavannah entertainment staple.

The Savannah Playhouse drew regular crowds and plenty opublicity in the subsequent years. Local newspapers requentlyreported on casting, set construction and costume creation. But by

September 1939, a war began brewing in Europe, one solarge that it would aect even a fedgling college nestled inthe Deep South.

Keach responded to World War IIs beginnings with hisproduction oPaths o Glory, a play based on HumphreyCobbs novel about World War I soldiers who mutiny

their glory-seeking general ater alling under re. I knowo nothing we could do that is more timely than Paths oGlory, Keach told the Savannah Morning Newsin 1940.

by ERICA ARCHAN

Bhd thMasquers

hreeCorneredMoon, 1937

Paths o Glory, 1940


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I dont believe Savannah audiences have ever seen anythingquite like it, its dramatic punch, its human appeal, the way itreveals the base motives behind the action o men gripped withthe glory ever.

In 1941, the theatre went dark as America stepped onto thebattleeld. Stacy Keach let the university, and the SavannahPlayhouse went on a six-year wartime hiatus.

In August 1947, Armstrongs theatre program was revived.But by 1949, the program downsized due to limited collegenances, and lights dimmed on the Savannah Playhouse. Whenspotlights ficked on and velvet curtains rose again in all 1950,the Armstrong Masquers took the stage.

AHEAD OF THE TIMESEnter stage let Jack Porter, who took over Armstrongs Masquersin 1952. Little did he know that being a theatre director couldmean being a creator o local history.

According to Porters memoir, Savannah, bastion o the OldSouth, got itsel racially integratedtwo years beore Rosa Parksreused to move to the back o the bus in Montgomery. Porter, inrather nave ashion, volunteered to host the 1954 SoutheasternTheatre Conerence, an integrated event, in Savannah. Herecalled the diculties o nding accommodations or the raciallymixed conerence luncheon, nally securing St. Pauls GreekOrthodox Church on Bull Street as the venue, ater being turned

down by other organizations.He also chose to produce Shakespeares Othello as

the conerence showcase piece, with aculty member JosephKillorin in the lead role. I really was not quite conscious that

we were out on the cutting edge o a momentous issue, hesaid. There was never any doubt in my mind, or, I am sure, inShakespeares, that Othello was a black man.

The perormance highlighted racial tensions in 1954, the yearo Brown vs. Board o Education, and inevitably caused socialpressure or the Foreman Hawes administration at Armstrong.But the telling question came rom one o Porters conerencecolleagues: What color is your Othello? Porter replied thatKillorins makeup changed with each presentation, but he realizedthat the real question addressed not the color o the skin but the

way in which the character was portrayed. How black could andshould Othello be?

At the close o the event, which went o without a hitch,Porter deemed the entire conerence a success. He recalledone conerees congratulations: Do you realize what you didhere, Jack? You had a racially-integrated public perormance in

your theatre in Savannah, Georgia! Porter replied, And we

integrated more than that, didnt we? Porter stayed with thecollege until 1955.

A STATEMENT PIECE

When Armstrong moved to its new campus in 1966, Frank Chewcame on the scene. Looking more like a student than a director,Chew brought with him a knack or modernizing classic theatrepieces and connecting with the college-age community. Hepresented what he called our unique production oThe Bacchaeby Euripides. In keeping with the anti-establishment and pro-rock-n-roll sentiments o the 60s, Chew substituted hippies or

Dionysus worshippers, used psychedelic lighting techniques andreplaced choral odes with electric guitars.

While The Bacchaebroke boundaries, Chews greatestcontroversy came with a production o Sam Shepards Chicago.The play pushed hard against the edge o Savannah communitystandards. Parents and local legislators protested the proanityand one particularly suggestive scene. Chew scrubbed out the

thello, 1954

Chicago,1968Purlie Victorious, 1975


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Masquers directors

ITS ThROUgh DRAMA ThAT WE lIvE OUR ExPERIENCES.

14 | armstron.edu

proanity but retained the controversial scene in which the malelead stood with low-slung jeans while his stage wie knelt andbestowed a kiss upon his navel.

Ater the production, an Inkwellreporter overheard onestudent ask, I really liked it, but where was the pornography?Another asked, Now, Mr. Chew, that the Jordan River has beencrossed, what lies ahead or the Masquers and or the whole oArmstrong State College?

The answer came with John Suchower in 1969, who providedthe Masquers with more than twenty years o theatre direction.Suchower was joined by Joe Mydell rom 1974 to 1976, at atime when every aspect o lie at Armstrong conronted issueso race and the legacy o southern racism. Mydell brought tothe campus and to the Masquers the perspective o an Arican-American theatre director, especially with the production oOssie Davis Purlie Victorious. Mydell told the Inkwell, I blackand white societies can look at the problem [racism] and laugh,and at the same time realize that they are the problem, thencommunication barriers can be eliminated.

BETTER WITH AGE

With the arrivals o Pete Mellen in 1993, Roger Miller in 1996and Pamela Sears (Armstrongs rst emale theatre acultymember) in 2005, the Masquers and Armstrongs theatre programskyrocketed to new heights, appropriate or a university-levelinstitution.

Miller retired in 2009, leaving Mellen and Sears to carry

orward the tradition o guiding Armstrong students to rethinktheir views on current events and allow history to engage theuniversity. We do a lot o shows that raise social issues, Mellensaid. And one o the things that I nd interesting is that a lot othese plays are not necessarily new.

From the discovery o the gay gene in The Twilight o theGolds, an issue that coincides with a national battle on gay rights,to the struggle o race and dreams deerred inA Raisin in the Sun,the Masquers repertoire continues to explore both contemporaryand traditional plays that resonate today. This is one o thereasons why theatre is such a powerul orce in our lives, Mellensaid. Its through drama that we live our experiences.

ARaisinintheSun,2009

Iron Mistress, 2011Pamela Sears

Stace Keac1937-1941

Carson Tomas1947-1950

Ross Duree1950-52 & 1955-69

Jack Porter1952-1955

A gordon1960-1962

Wiiam Starrs1963-1966

Frank Cew1966-1969

Jon Sucower1969-1992

Joe Mde1974-1976

Pete Meen1993-present

Roer Mier1996-2009

Pamea Se2005-pres


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Traci ness (stadig)

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ZAPHOn WILSOn

Department headCrimina Justice, Socia & Poitica Science

Zaphon R. Wilson, the department heado Armstrongs Criminal Justice, Social andPolitical Science Department, believes inthe power o giving back.

The recipient o the universitys prestigiousAward or Distinguished Faculty Service tothe Community, Wilson has spent mucho his proessional lie making Savannah abetter place or everyone. Originally rom

western North Carolina, he has served

as vice president o 100 Black Men oSavannah, overseeing a successul pen palprogram and connecting local businessleaders with students in public schools.

Its important to me to eel investedin the community, he said. We all havethe power to uplit the community and tohelp move it orward.

Over the years, Wilson has served onthe Mayors Crime Task Force, participatedin the job airs program at DeRenne

phenomenalFACULTYAsk Armstron raduates wat te oed most about teir time atArmstron and in amost eer instance, te wi te ou a storo a proessor wo ad an impact on teir ies. A ew sinin eampes

are te acut members wose dierse taents and contributions were

reconied wit specia awards in 2011.

Middle School, contributed to thevolunteer reading program at West BroadElementary and chaired the Arican-American Male Initiative at Armstrongin 2004. This dedicated community

volunteer currently serves as a boardmember or Big Brothers Big Sisters o theLowcountry, the Rape Crisis Center andClearChannel Radio.

I became a teacher because I wantedto be o service to others. In my opinion,part o being an educator is committing

yoursel to provide a service to thecommunity you live in, he said.

Wilson teaches courses at Armstrongin southern politics, Arican-Americanpolitical behavior and ethics and moralsin government. Sharing his passion orservice, he has inspired students to workin county and city government, sign upor the Peace Corps, volunteer at juveniledelinquent center oces and to read tostudents in public schools.

A community service component isa very important part o any education,he said. You learn more outside o theclassroom because you link theory topractice. Its important or students to belinked back to the community they live in.

TRACI nESS

Assistant Proessor o Bioo

For assistant proessor o biology TraciNess, research is not just part o hercurriculum, its her passion.

Ness is currently working with threestudents as part o a special collaboration

with the Mercer University School oMedicine in Savannah, studying howthe body recognizes pathogens. Usingthe yeastCandida as a model pathogen,students examine how cells in the mouthidentiy pathogens and initiate an immuneresponse.

The research gets the students intotrying techniques with broad applications,

she said. No matter which eld theychoose to go into, its great experience.

Ness also conducts ongoing researchwith undergraduate students to learnmore about the immune system o seaturtles. She and a group o students have

worked to identiy receptors or pathogenpresent in the turtles DNA.

I like sharing my interest in the subjectmatter with students, particularly in thelab, she said, where students get to dohands-on science.

As the director o Armstrongs Scienceand Technology Expansion Program(STEP), Ness encourages incomingreshmen to do serious scientic research.I we engage students early as pre-reshmen, they will be more likely tosucceed and will be better preparedor college, she explained, adding thatArmstrong received a $1 million grant to

support STEP student research.Over the years, her students have

gone on to become doctors, nurses and

research lab scientists. In the College oScience and Technology, were trying hardto build a strong research culture, shesaid. STEP has been key to developingthat culture with aculty and students.

Winner o Armstrongs 2011 KristinaBrockmeier Faculty Teaching and ServiceAward, Ness brings courses like virology,immunology and medical microbiologyto lie in the classroom. I have a lot o

by ALLISON HERSH


17/24Sprin 2012 | 17

energy in the classroom, she said. Inorder to engage students, you have tohave charisma when you teach. When youshow students your passion, it engagesthem in a more meaningul way.

KEvIn HAmPTOn

Proessor o Music

Armstrong music proessor KevinHampton rst discovered the magic o thepiano as an eight-year-old growing up inMissouri, and his lie was never the same.

I love the sound o the piano, he said.For me, music allows me to transcendthe three-dimensional aspect o lie andmove into an ethereal or spiritual realm.

Equally comortable as a soloist orcollaborative perormer, Hampton is aounding member o Trio Savannah anda member o the Forsyth Ensemble. Hisresearch interests have centered on pianomusic by Arican-American composersas well as twentieth century works or

piano our-hands. Additionally, he haspublished articles and given presentationson teaching students with joint laxity.

In classes like music appreciation, musictheory, piano literature and keyboardharmony, he strives to bring his instructionto lie, engaging students in the mechanicsas well as the magic o music.

I enjoy collaborating with colleaguesand students at Armstrong and teachingthe nuts and bolts to students, he said. I

like to explore how we use our bodies asthis xed instrument and make it produceall these colors that speak to the emotionso the audience.

A longtime member o the GeorgiaMusic Teachers Association and theGeorgia Music Educators Association,Hampton also encourages students in

his piano pedagogy class to work withlocal instructors as part o a special musicmentor program.

Ultimately, I want my studentsto become their own teachers and tounderstand the discipline o the art,he said. I hope they will eel ree toexpress their own musical ideas withinthe parameters o accepted perormancepractices and share their love o makingmusic with others.

Hampton is also known or hisimpressive service to the university.

He received Armstrongs 2010-11Distinguished Faculty Service to theUniversity Award in recognition o hiscontribution to the launch o the FacultySenate on campus and service on itsStrategic Planning and Resource Council.

mARK FInLAy

Proessor o histor and Assistant Dean,Coee o libera Arts

History proessor Mark R. Finlay, therecipient o Armstrongs Alumni Awardor Distinguished Faculty Service tothe Academic Discipline, has a strongcommitment to teaching and research.

An accomplished historian who alsoserves as an assistant dean in the Collegeo Liberal Arts, Finlay is the author oGrowing American Rubber: Strategic Plants

and the Politics o National Security (RutgersUniversity Press), which was named in theAgricultural History Society as the bestbook in the eld in 2009. He also servesas the book review editor or the journal

Agricultural History, and has authored over15 scholarly articles, written nearly 70book reviews and presented dozens opapers at academic conerences.

I care very much about research, hesaid. I think it helps my teaching andincreases my credibility as a proessor.

A member o the Armstrongaculty since 1992, Finlay was theounding director o the universitysHonors Program and teaches classeson environmental history, the history

o technology and German history. Hehas been honored or his distinguishedteaching in 1995, 1999 and 2000, andearned the Georgia Board o RegentsTeaching Excellence Award in 1999.

The recipient o numerous researchgrants, he recently served as a consultantor the renovation o Thomas Edisons

laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida, alongwith Armstrong chemistry proessorRichard Wallace. It was an honor to be inthe same room and read thousands o the

same documents that Edison wrote andread, he said.I nd history to be exciting and also

pertinent, he explained. History oersconnections to contemporary issues thatare still relevant today.

Scholars in other elds seem to agree,as Finlay has been invited to speak beoreproessional organizations o chemists,plant pathologists, industrial ecologists andrubber scientists.

He is already working on his nextbook, which explores the environmental

history o the Georgia sea islands.

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mThe arboretum spans Armstrongs

268-acre campus and includesseven major collections: thecamellia, conifer, fern, ginger,international, primitive and white

gardens.

mDepending on the season, 3500-4000 species thrive here.

m960 hours a month are spentmaintaining the grounds.

ArboretumArboretum

ARMSTRONGSARMSTRONGS

Photos by Katherine Arntzen and Vincent Haines


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Pirate,sTreasure

by LISA SWEANY, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

WOW, what a all!Armstrong Athletics hadarguably its best all season

ever, and I couldnt be moreproud o our student-athletes.The Pirate volleyball teamrecorded a school-best 31-0start on its way to a 36-3overall record. The Pirates

won the regular season PeachBelt Conerence (PBC) title and qualiedor the NCAA Southeast RegionalTournament or the ourth straight year.

Junior Brittany Wol was named the 2011Peach Belt Conerence Player o the Yearand Third Team AVCA All-American,

while head coach Will Condon sharedPBC Coach o the Year honors.

star th Fldad th clar

The womens soccer team rounded out aphenomenal all season with numerousrsts or the program. The Pirate soccerteam was crowned the regular seasonand tournament champions or the PBC,nishing with an 18-3-3 overall record.They clinched Armstrongs rst NCAASoutheast Regional title and made the rstappearance in the NCAA DII NationalTournament. The Pirates were oustedrom the seminal match by eventualnational champion, College o St. Rose,in a hard-ought 2-0 match. The Pirates

were led by junior Kristina Pascutti,PBC Co-Player o the Year and SecondTeam NSCAA All-American; senior KelliBahr, PBC First Team All-Conerenceand NSCAA Honorable Mention All-American; and head coach Eric Faulconer,

PBC and NSCAA Southeast RegionCoach o the Year. Equally as impressiveas these young ladies athletic talent istheir ability to get it done in the classroom.The womens soccer team nished with adepartment-best 3.265 overall team GPAand FIVE perect 4.0 GPAs. Outstanding.

The eort by our all sports playerslanded Armstrong in the top 25 in theall rankings o the 2011-12 LeareldSports Directors Cup or the best overallNCAA DII Athletics Department, all while

maintaining a department-wideGPA o 3.023.

We closed out a busy winter

season with our basketball teamscontinuing to show improvementand gaining ground in a verytough Peach Belt Conerence.

clbratg Htry

In February the athleticdepartment welcomed back more than100 ormer women athletes in celebrationo the 35th anniversary o womensathletics. A great time was had by allin attendance, and I want to personally

thank each attendee or making this sucha memorable event. Once a Pirate, alwaysa Pirate!

sprgg t th Tp

Our spring sports season is well underwayand all o our teams are competingat a top level. All Pirate squads are incontention or postseason play withmens and womens tennis, sotballand mens gol looking to return tothe NCAA postseason. This spring the

NCAA is hosting a spring estival orall spring national championships inLouisville, Ky., on May 15-19, 2012,

which encompasses all o the Piratespring sports except baseball (which willcompete in Cary, N.C.). The Pirates lookto make a splash in Louisville. Keep aneye on armstrongpirates.com to ollow theprogress o our teams.

We ask a lot o our student-athletes inboth the classroom and in their sports,but they all nd time to give back as

well. Several o our teams participated

in Celebrate Armstrong and TreasureSavannah, as well as other communityservice projects. Our coaches and student-athletes understand the importance ogiving back, and they do so with greatpride and proessionalism. I am extremelyproud o what these young men and

women are doing while representingArmstrong Athletics.

I hope to see you at an upcominghome competition so you, too, can enjoyPirate Athletics. Go Pirates!

hAll oFAMEThe Armstrong Atlantic State UniversAthletic Department inducted the2011-12 Athletic Hall o Fame class iceremony on March 29 at the ArmstCenter. Six new inductees, plus a servcitation award winner, bring the totalmembers o the Hall o Fame to 57, sthe inaugural class was inducted in 19

This years class includes: womenstennis player Luisa Cowper, who wasthree-time ITA All-American and the 1 ranked singles player in the nation 2004-06; mens goler Chris Eppersona Savannah native who was a GCAAAll-American during his three seasonsin 2002-05; womens cross country/track runner Nikki Garland, who wasthe most decorated Armstrong womecross country and track athlete in schhistory rom 1997-2001; volleyball pSarah Haynes, Armstrongs only three

time AVCA All-Region honoree rom1999-2002; sotball player Annie SelArmstrongs best two-way player, who

was a two-time NFCA All-Americanrom 1999-02 and mens tennis playeChristian Witt, who was a two-time ITAll-American and No. 1 singles playerom 1998-99.

Former university president ThomJones was honored with a service citaaward or his eorts in expanding theArmstrong athletic department duringtenure as president rom 2000-09.

Our Hall o Fame has a strongtradition o inducting deserving studeathletes, and this class is no exceptionArmstrong director o athletics LisaSweany said. I commend the commion an excellent job on their selectionthis years class.

All o the plaques honoring theArmstrong Hall o Famers can be seethe lobby o the Armstrong Sports Ce


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alumniLIFE CHAnGERS

AlumniConnections

Jlie Aderso Pal 01

Last summer, Candler Hospitalpediatric nurse Julie Anderson Paul

(top) planned to spend her day orelaxing on Tybee Islands NorthBeach with amily and riends.

She never expected she wouldsave a lie.

Just ater taking a walk down thebeach looking or shells with herson, Paul noticed a chaotic sceneby the shoreline. I heard peoplescreaming and saw them dragginga child up rom the shore, sherecalled. I dropped everything andtook o running towards them.

Bystanders were perormingCPR on a lieless toddler whohad been swept underwaterby a powerul wave, but thisexperienced R.N. knew thetechnique they were using was moreappropriate or adults, not children. As thechilds distraught mother pleaded or help,Paul took over the rescue, observing that thethree-year-old boy was in tough shape.

He was just lieless and blue, shesaid, explaining that time stood still as she

breathed into the toddler s mouth, over andover again. I kept praying that he wouldstart breathing. Eventually, he opened hiseyes. He gradually came around and thelieguards brought oxygen and took him toan ambulance at a nearby parking lot.

All that night and the next day, Paulcouldnt help but wonder how the boy wasdoing. She called around to nurses at areaemergency rooms and ound out that hiscondition was stable. One nurse put her onthe line with the childs mother, who tearullythanked Paul or saving her sons lie.

Then, Paul had the opportunity to speak withthe rescued toddler. He told me that he lovedme, she said. That was incredible.

Although she doesnt consider hersel a hero,this dedicated pediatric nurse credits Armstrong

with helping her save a childs lie on a hotsummer day on Tybee Island.

Armstrong prepared me or my job, and myjob prepared me or that moment, she explained.You never know what lie has in store.

Elea Sataaria 10

A bout with breast cancer interrupted Armstrong alumnaElena Santamarias dreams o going to college, but

surviving let her determined to help other victims andaccomplish her goals.

Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Santamaria put ocollege ater she got married and started a amily. Yet thethought o pursuing higher education never let her mind

She began taking classes at Armstrong in 1997,but postponed college again ater her husbands jobprompted a move to Atlanta. Shortly ater, doctorsdiagnosed her with breast cancer.

It is horriying to hear that you have breast cancer.I was rightened, angry, in despair and overwhelmed,she said. You go through a grieving period that is verydicult and painul, just as i you have lost a loved one.

Eventually, over time, you come to terms with what hashappened, and then you start healing.

In 2005, Santamaria moved back to the Low Countrycancer-ree, and upon her arrival turned her thoughts toothers as she noticed a need or interpreters at the localhospitals.

Armed with extensive research notes and data,she convinced Memorial University Medical Centersmanagement team to open an interpretation department,

where she now serves as coordinator or interpretationservices. The program has been running strongly or six

years, and the hospital continues to support her and her

cause.We provide not only interpretation services, butemotional support to the growing number o Hispanicsthat we have here in Savannah and in the surroundingareas, Santamaria said. I eel its not a job. I eel Imdoing a service.

Santamaria soon returned to unnished businessater starting the interpretation department at Memorial.She re-enrolled at Armstrong, as determined as ever tocomplete her degree. Santamaria graduated Magna Cum

Laude rom the Spanish program in 2010.Donning her cap and gown was the

culmination o years o struggle and success

or the Latina cancer survivor.I graduated at the age o 58. That has

been one o the proudest moments o mylie, getting that diploma, she said.

Santamaria plans to continuesupporting other breast cancer victims bysharing her story o survival and continuingto reach out to the local Latino communitythrough her work at Memorial.

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50sErnest Murphy, 51 word-cassteor ad two-te GrayAward wer perored atArstrog ast October adhas had a very dstgshedcareer. He has tored threecotets as a eber o thenew York Pro msca.

70sJohn R. Rogers, Jr. 72 haswrtte two oves ad sworkg o a thrd. Sceretrg, he s g a og-deayed tch to wrte cto.Both works are hstorcathrers vovg oreg

trge. For detas vstwww.athorjrrogers.co.

William Scarborough 75,77 recety copeted theproesoa exaatoor the Certed VaatoAayst (CVA) proessoadesgato ad certcato.He has aso copeted certedpbc accotat (CPA),certed rad exaer (CFE),certed tera adtor (CiA)ad certed aageetaccotat (CmA) certcatos.He s epoyed as a assocateche accotat the

eorceet dvso o theuted States Secrtes adExchage Cosso ocated Washgto, D.C., ad s othe adjct accotg acty atGeorge Washgto uversty.

Art Gnann 77 was hooredas a heath care hero by theGeorga medca Socety.The Georga medca Ceterbestowed ths hoor at theraa Heath Care Hero der the Heath Care iovatoCategory. Ga serves as vcepresdet o ace at HospceSavaah ad heads ther

Vetera itatve.

Z. Franklin Moore, Jr. 77 s thebroker/ower o Frak moore& Copay llC, a rea estateservces copay specazg property aageetad hoeower assocatoaageet the greaterSavaah area sce 1999.

80sSteve Bradshaw 80 s acaddate or a seat o theDeKab Coty Cosso.

Mary Lynn Glisson Zittrouer86 gradated ro Arstrogwth a bacheors degree rsg. She s epoyed atmeora uversty medcaCeter abor ad devery,where she has worked scegradato. Zttroer s ow arse practtoer Savaahad has three Prates herhose. Her so, ChrstopherZttroer s a jor ad s thestartg rst basea or theArstrog Prates basebatea. Her daghters, Kaya adKesey Zttroer, are reshe.Her ay s cotg thePrate tradto!

90sBetty E. Clarke 90 started Jaary 2012 as a adjctEgsh strctor at GeorgaHghads Coege at theDogasve caps.

Joseph (Chip) Lane 91 startedhs ow bsess, Frst CtyFs llC, 2008 to create adproote s ad eda that

se Savaah as a backdropor oca pot.my sso sto ake s abot ths areaad to proote oca actorsad ther edeavors, he sad.Hs atest project s Untouched,a -egth eatre thatstarted g October 2011.A crew o abot 40 has beehred to do the g, ad thecast cdes seve oca actors.i addto to hrg ocas orthe g, Frst Cty s asoprootg oca bsesses the .

Susan D. Stewart 96 has

worked the pp adpaper dstry or Rayoer,Abtbbowater ad GP. Herpostos have cdedprocess chest, abspervsor, sht spervsor,prodct deveopet adqaty aager. Stewarthas or chdre ad orgradchdre. Two o herchdre, Ercka ad Gretche,have aso gradated roArstrog.

Clay Chappell 97 hasacted three oves veoths. Chappe pays a ctycoca the recet boxoce ht Footloose, ad a1960s barber the JayneMansfelds Car. later thssprg, ook or Chappe asthe prosector Savannah,the tre story o Ward Ae,a whte arstocrat ad hsreatoshp wth a reed save the eary 1900s.

00sAudrey Gregory 01 has beeappoted che operatgocer at Sat Fracs Hospta-mephs eectve October 24,

2011. Gregory s a regsteredrse, hods asters degrees rsg ad heath careadstrato ro Arstrogad obtaed her Ph.D. corporate ad orgazatoaaageet ro lyuversty Boca Rato, Fa.She was recety hooredby Success agaze as oeo Soth Fordas 25 mostDstgshed ad ifetaBack Woe o 2010.

AlumniConnections

2011-12 Savannah-Chatham County

TEACHERS OF THE YEARCogratatos to the oowg a who were aedSavaah-Chatha Coty 2011-12 Teachers o the Year:

Tiany R. Aliotta 88, 05, Jacob G. Sth Eeetary SchooBeverly B. Godbee 88, 04, Bartow Eeetary SchooPatricia T. Ryan 90, 01, Pask Eeetary SchooAida E. Avendano 92, marshpot Eeetary SchooMayme L. Bostic 95, East Broad Eeetary Schoo

Catherine A. Moore 95, Carre E. God Eeetary SchooAngela Cuyler-Hunter 98, Specer Eeetary SchooElizabeth A. Ewbank 02, So C. Johso Hgh SchooChannil N. Scott 02, 04, 05, myers mdde SchooKathryn H. Whitney 03, Esther F. Garrso Schoo o Vsa ad

Perorg Arts

Selena Travis 04, Bartett mdde SchooVernita M. Quarterman 05, Sothwest Eeetary SchooPatra Rickman 06, Chares Es motessor AcadeyPatrick Lapollo 07, mercer mdde SchooAngella W. McCoy 07, Robert W. Gadsde Eeetary SchooKimberly G. Green 08, Port Wetworth Eeetary Schoo

CLASSnotesAdam W. Lee 02 receved abacheor o scece degreero Arstrog ad becaepoce ocer or the SavaaChatha metropota Pocei 2006, he joed EdwardJoes as a aca advsor.lee s aso actvey voved eros cotyorgazatos ad hods ead heath srace cesesHe crrety ves Savaawth hs we mary margaretad so Edward.

David A. Newcomer 02, 0510 has bee prooted todrector o poary servceat Abeare Hospta.

Jennier C. White 03 wasrecety recogzed as oeo the next Ge Power 25 byAqatcs iteratoa.

Patrick Riley 04 s a hoespector wth natoaProperty ispectos,resposbe or resdetaad coerca propertyspectos or byers adseers, cdg theraagg scag, carboooxde testg, cobstbgas eak testg ad poospectos.


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Darcey Krug 05 s absess costatwth mercr urva,based Argto,Va. She has a

bacheor o artsdegree ecoocsro Arstrog adspet te stdygabroad SothAerca ad Cha

wth the woes voeybatea. She joed mercr urva 2011, ad s expereced bsess strategy, recrtetad seecto, exectvecoachg, aageet teadeveopet, capabty revewad orgazatoa chage.

Danira Beckmann 06was aed ebershp

coordator at the mghtyEghth Ar Force mse.

Allison Hardy Cordero 06, 08s epoyed by Preer DetaDesgs as a deta hygest.

Richard A. Wright 06 recevedhs m.A. ro Easter mchgauversty ad s crrety am.F.A. caddate at mSu.

Constance (Connie) Hinely07 s may Howard EeetarySchoos oee or 2013Teacher o the Year.

Megan Leggett 08 s owerad presdet o ScereShppg llC, a teratoathrd-party ogstcs provderspecazg the shpeto cars to the mdde East adnorth Arca.

Ronessa M.Strickland-Roberts 08 worksor the OrageCoty HeathDepartet Orado, Fa.,coordatgthe Ceters or

Dsease Cotroad Prevetos

behavora tervetoprogra or Arca-Aercaeaes. She eared a astersdegree pbc heath 2010 ro Wade uverstyad s crrety workgo her doctorate pbcheath wth a specazato epdeoogy.

Javelle Johnson 09 s crretycopetg the mss SothForda uSA regoa pageat,mss Art Deco. She receveda natoa Servce Voteer

Award ro the natoaCva Coty Corps. Sheresdes Soth Forda, whereshe works wth a oprotorgazato ad pas toprse her m.F.A. .

Luis A. Ris 09 was aedthe yoth deveopetcoordator at the YmCA oCoasta Georga.

AlumniConnections

10sLandon D. Smith 11 begawork Jaary 30, 2012, as tbsess operatos aag

at Aderso Cacer istt

egageetMatthew James Mercer 1to wed Page Aexs mceApr 2012.

Wlla s. Ray, Jr., D.D.s.2011 DISTInGuISHED ALumnI AWARD WInnER

Dr. William S. Ray, Jr., a successul Savannah dentist, only attended Armstrong or one year, buit proved to be a pivotal year in his lie.

Armstrong gave me a lot o condence and helped me transition rom high school tobecoming a young adult, he said. It was very important to me.

This Savannah native started as an undergraduate at Armstrong in 1957, beore transerringto the University o Georgia to pursue his dream o becoming a dentist. Ater graduating romEmory Universitys dental school, he served in the U.S. Navy, developing his dentistry skills atthe Charleston Naval Hospital.

A proud Fellow o the Academy o General Dentistry, the American College o Dentists,the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the Georgia Dental Association and the International College

o Dentists, Dr. Ray served as a strong supporter o the ormer dental hygiene program atArmstrong or many years, oering a valuable clinical perspective.

This lietime member o the Georgia Dental Association has a busy dental practice withoces in Savannah and Pooler, where he specializes in general and cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Rayserved as a longtime member o the board o trustees or the Armstrong Foundation, alwaysmaximizing the opportunity to give back to the university through selfess acts o service.

Armstrongs Alumni Association honored him with the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Awardwhich recognizes signicant contributions to the growth and development o the universitythrough dedication and support o the institution and the Armstrong Alumni Association. Ibelieve you should give o your time, your talents and your resources, he explained. You dowhat you can and try to be a good alumnus.

Dr. Ray also believes in giving back to the community and supporting the next generationo dental proessionals through his extensive volunteer work. This community has reallysupported me, he said. I love Savannah and want to give back as much as I can.

Kw ay alu wh drvrgt?

Nominate Armstrong Notable Alumni atarmstrong.edu/alumni by June 1, 2012.


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Sbit or class otes olie at www.arstrog.ed, eail [email protected] or call 912.344.2541.

Sprin 2012 | 23

i eoriaNell Blanton Buord 41*noveber 5, 2011Comer Hymes Gay 45*October 2, 2011James Carlton Kimberly 48*noveber 3, 2011John Joseph Piechocinski 55*Jaary 6, 2012Lester Ray Kilpatrick 57*noveber 11, 2011James Larry (Jim) Miles, Sr. 60*October 12, 2011William D. Croom, Sr., 65, 75

Febrary 19, 2012Martha Bishop Coolidge 68October 18, 2011Patrick Glenn Mahany 69Febrary 17, 2012Brenda Bankston Bryant 72noveber 9, 2011Imogene Aranda Hopkins 72Jaary 4, 2012

AlumniConnections

Marguerite R. Weethee 72noveber 22, 2011John Harris, Jr. 73noveber 28, 2011Gloria Jean Thomas Mims 73noveber 30, 2011Hal R. Kent 74Jaary 31, 2011Angela Bright Williams 75Jaary 30, 2012Jettie M. Adams 78Jaary 24, 2012Fannie Mae Aaron Darnell 78Febrary 16, 2012

Thomas L. Fulton, Jr. 78noveber 28, 2011Cecil D. Buddy Cobb, Jr. 80Deceber 7, 2011Nora Jean Kelly 80, 90Deceber 8, 2011James S. Alif, Jr. 82,noveber 9, 2011Margie Ann Swain Williams 82Deceber 15, 2011

Jh Tby Brw2011 OuTSTAnDInG ALumnI AWARD WInnER

As a player, instructor and mentor, Toby Browne has made an indelible legacy on Peach Stategol. Thats why Armstrong presented him with the Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2011, inrecognition o his notable community involvement, proessional expertise and leadership skills.

In 1968, while attending Armstrong, Browne won the Georgia State Amateur

Championship. Ater earning a B.B.A. in Management and Marketing rom Armstrong in1969, he went on to become a Class A member o the PGA and to pursue a career in thegol business.

In 1970, he became an assistant gol proessional at Savannah Inn and Country Club. Oneyear later, he was named the head gol proessional and served in that capacity until 1979.Ater making his mark at Savannah Inn and Country Club, he took the head gol proessionalposition at The Savannah Gol Club in 1979, and still serves in that role today.

Throughout his career, Browne has tirelessly served the Savannah gol community. He hasserved as president o the Georgia PGA East Chapter, a member o the board o directorso the Georgia PGA, president o the Savannah Junior Gol Association and a member othe board o directors or the Savannah Junior Gol Association. In 1996, he was ociallyinducted into the Armstrong Athletic Hall o Fame, in honor o his achievements both on ando the gol course.

This PGA proessional rst discovered gol as a seventh grader growing up in Savannah. It

grabbed me, he recalls. I never stopped.Over the years, he has been recognized as PGA Georgia Section Proessional o the Year

and served as the host PGA proessional or the Georgia Open Championship, Georgia StateAmateur Championship and the Georgia Senior Amateur Championship. He and his wie,Frances, an Armstrong graduate, have two grown children.

Browne particularly enjoys working with junior players and serving on the rules committeeor Armstrongs gol tournaments. Armstrong denitely helped prepare me or what Im doingnow, he said. Im proud to be a graduate o Armstrong. I believe in giving back.

Lisa Dale Watson 83October 14, 2011Julius Angus Jay Smith 88October 3, 2011Helen Dale Wilkinson Sorrells 91October 27, 2011Wesley Dean Smith 93Septeber 16, 2011Michelle Gignilliat Harvey 96Febrary 18, 2012Terry Hughes Vangiller 00noveber 27, 2011

James E. Grifths

Dstgshed Costat Resdece at Arstrog AtatcState uversty, 1987-1994Febrary 15, 2012

Raymond A. LopezPat Operatos, 1976-2000noveber 11, 2011

Nasser MalekiAssocate Proessor omedca PhyscsJaary 6, 2012

Joan Weiner Epstein Schwart70, 74Assstat Proessor EaryChdhood Edcato,1998-2012march 5, 2012

Jane Brewer WilliamsonArstrog Assstat Proessor

o nrsg Eerta, 1976-2000Deceber 11, 2011

Clarke Stewart Stu WorthinProessor o Psychoogy Eer1967-1993Jaary 21, 2012

*Golden Graduate (1937-1962


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of AdvatArmstrong Atlantic State University11935 Abercorn StreetSavannah, Georgia 31419-1997armstrong.edu

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSAVANNAH, GAPERMIT NO. 380

To recommend a student oradmission to Armstron,

send a note to te Ofce o Admissionsat [email protected].

For questions about admissions

Your contributions can fll a critical gap.Imagine the Armstrong campus ull o students. Now imagine the campus i 82% o

those students couldnt aord to attend. Thats how many students depend on nanci

aid to help ll the gap between the cost o attendance and what amilies can aord.

Your multi-year donation to the Armstrong Commitment Fund directly benets our

students, making it possible or them to achieve their academic goals and ultimately

give back to the community that gave so much to them.

Please make a contribution today. Contact the Oce o Advancement at

912.344.2541 or [email protected]. Thank you.

PhiliP solomons, sr., 38*

November 26, 2011

Solomons and his wie Shirleyendowed the Philip and ShirleySolomons Eminent Scholar Chairin the Department o Economics.In 2009, Armstrong recognizedhis lie o service to the school and

his community by bestowing anHonorary Doctor o Letters Degree.

*Golden Graduate (1937-1962)

in memoRiAm

Documents

Armstrong Magazine Spring12