Mississippi State Alumnus Summer 2009

Helping

just what the doctor ordered

others:

Transform your real estate into a meaningful gift for Mississippi State University. If you have questions about how to make a gift, or would like to request a free copy of our Guide to Giving Real Estate, please contact a member of our MSU Foundation real estate team today. You may also visit our website at www.msufoundation.com/ways/estate.

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C L M SU

And they say money doesn’t grow on trees...

Proceeds �om the Sharp Forest, part of the Bulldog Forest program, have provided over $1 million in scholarship support

for students at Mississippi State University.

featuresSummer 2009 | Volume 85 | Number 2USPS 354-520

The People’s University

PresidentMark E. Keenum (’83, ’84, ’88)

Alumni Association Executive Director and Associate Vice President, Development and AlumniJimmy W. Abraham (’75, ’77)

Vice President for Development and AlumniJohn P. Rush (’94, ’02)

Mississippi State Alumnus is published three times a year by the Office of University Relations and the Mississippi State University Alumni Association at Mississippi State, Miss. Send address changes to Alumni Director, P.O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526; telephone 662-325-7000; or e-mail [email protected].

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

Advertising:Contact Libba Andrews at 662-325-7000 or [email protected].

EditorAllen Snow (’76)

Associate EditorKay Fike Jones

DesignersMary Howell (’93)Judy Smith

PhotographersRuss Houston (’85)Megan BeanKristen Hines BakerKenny Billings

Mississippi State UniversityAlumni Association National OfficersCharles A. Cascio (’79),national presidentKaren Dugard Lawler (‘83, ‘94), national first vice presidentJerry L. Toney (‘96) national second vice presidentJodi L. White (’97, ’99),national treasurerAndrew D. Hunt Jr. (‘70) immediate past president

Campus news ..................22Alumni news .....................30 Foundation news........ 38Class news ...........................42In memoriam....................44

Helping others: just what the doctor ordered | pageFor many Mississippi State graduates who’ve gone on to become medical doctors, practicing in the southeastern United States isn’t an accident. It’s “just what the doctor ordered.”

The scenic route to self-discovery | pageLearning about other cultures, places and people while students at MSU led Josh Foreman and Sara McAdory to leave Mississippi to experience foreign lands.

National magazine profiles MSU in top-tier art programs | pageOne of the nation’s top graphic design magazines is taking a closer look at what’s happening at the university’s art department.

Mississippi’s Black Prairie fodder for art grad’s music, design | page“Big Joe” Shelton (’75) has written songs about voodoo queens, chitlins and Columbus’ Cat Fish Alley, while also parlaying a Mississippi State degree into a successful stained glass business and blues music career.

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On the cover: A bond with their patients, family and friends and the road to their current careers have kept Stephen Ball, Angela Chandler, Burt Nabors, and Brian Flowers in the place where progressive health care meets some of the most acutely ill patients.

Features photo by Russ Houston.

Forbes lists MSU among top 20 best college buys

Forbes magazine has ranked Mississippi State University among the top 20 of its top 100

best college buys in America.

As ranked this August in the national business publication's online edition, the university

has been given a higher designation than all other Mississippi public and private institutions

of higher learning.

The 131-year-old land-grant institution also is the state's only public university included

in the top 100.

Forbes said MSU is 18th among schools where students "get the most quality for each

tuition dollar spent."

"To be recognized by such a reputable publication confirms that we are succeeding in

our goal of being the premier education center for the state of Mississippi," said university

President Mark Keenum in response to the magazine's report.

The complete Forbes list is available at www.forbes.com.

For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.

2 Alumnus Summer 2009

just what the doctor ordered

ded

icated

Helping others:

For many Mississippi State graduates who’ve gone on to become medical doctors, practicing in the Southeastern United States isn’t an accident. It’s “just what the doctor ordered.”

A bond with their patients, family and friends and the road to their current careers have kept Stephen Ball, Angela Chandler, Burt Nabors, and Brian Flowers in the place where progressive health care meets some of the most acutely ill patients, from the rural back roads to the city suburbs.

As graduates of MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering, it’s a chance—and an instilled duty—to help someone in need.

By: Harriet Laird

Alumnus Summer 2009 3

“My only concern, ever, is whether I’m benefitting

the patients in my care,” said heart surgeon Stephen

Ball of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute and

an assistant professor in Vanderbilt Medical Center’s

department of cardiac surgery.

For a physician who performs 250 to 300 surgeries a

year, it’s about focusing on helping people the best way

he can and “not worrying about all the other stuff.”

“It’s very personal to me,” he said.

What’s not so personal about Ball is his innovative

approach to doing minimally invasive heart value

surgery, a less traumatic, ground-breaking technique

developed with another surgeon. Together, their practice

grew, from the mid-1990s to 2006, to be one of the

busiest in the country while at Nashville’s St. Thomas

Hospital, Tennessee’s largest not-for-profit medical

center.

Their success at St. Thomas caught the eye of a

new cardiac surgery department chair at Vanderbilt

about two and a half years ago who brought them into

the academic environment where Ball now says he’s

training and interacting with residents to teach them to

use some of these procedures.

Ball said, “It’s been a good move for me,”

explaining that he’s done further work in the

development of off-pump coronary bypass surgery

techniques or bypass surgery without the use of the

heart-lung machine. In addition, he does minimally

invasive bypass surgery, which involves smaller

incisions for quicker recovery, less pain and less time in

the hospital.

Also a dad who’s never far away from his kids’

soccer and lacrosse games, Ball’s lasting influence on

medicine, his patients and his children can be traced

back to the people who’ve shaped his life.

“What ends up mattering in life are the people that

you surround yourself with,” Ball said mentioning his

dad, a radiologist in Jackson, and his mother. He also

credits his fifth- and sixth-grade teacher, and faculty,

staff, and fellow students at Mississippi State for

motivating him to think out-of-the-box and be a medical

trailblazer.

Helping others:

Stephen Ball

Photo by Joe Howell, VUMC News/Public Affairs


While he admits he could have just ended up being

an “egghead” with a high aptitude in mathematics

and physics, he knew he wanted to be different from

that. A graduate of Jackson Preparatory School, Ball’s

smarts and personality meshed well with the course

offerings in MSU’s engineering school and with the

type of friends he found on campus in 1979.

“The group I was around was interested in being

well-rounded. Of course, we studied and made good

grades, but we were also very involved,” he said,

mentioning his stints on campus as attorney general

and vice president of the student body, and his

participation in Greek life.

He admits, “Until this current point in my life, the

best years were at MSU—no question about it. There

was always a feeling that regardless of your status or

level on campus, you were loved and had a home. It

was like being in a family.”

After graduating in 1983, Ball went on to

complete his medical degree at the University of

Mississippi Medical Center in 1987 and then spent

five more years there, finishing his general surgery

residency in 1992. Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s

Medical Center in Chicago was his next stop where he

completed a cardiovascular cardiac surgery residency

before entering private practice.

With all this training and even with being named

as a U.S. News and World Report “top valve surgeon,”

Ball still faces his fair share of challenge.

“It’s hard to deal with things I can’t fix,” he

concluded. “Everybody can’t get well—I can’t make

everybody better.”~

“Wha

t ends up

ma

ttering in life a

re the peop

le that you

surround yourself w

ith.”

Until this current point in my life, the best years were at MSU—no question about it. There was always a feeling that regardless of your status or level on campus, you were loved and had a home. It was like being in a family.

Photo by Joe Howell, VUMC News/Public Affairs

-Ball

-Ba

ll


Even though Angela Chandler is a young doctor in her

early 30s who’s been trained in the most innovative uses of

medical technology, she takes pride in being “old school” in

her practice of adult and pediatric neurology at Mississippi

State Hospital.

At the state’s publicly funded psychiatric treatment

facility where patient test results aren’t always immediately

accessible, Chandler relies on her clinical skills which

she said make her a “fairly decent investigator in medical

expeditions.”

“Many times my patients can’t necessarily speak for

themselves, and I have to know where to look—which stones

to turn over,” she explained of the many nervous system

disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases,

multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, and stroke.

The number of patients she sees daily varies and the

cases are complex, but, she said, “It makes me a better doctor

knowing I have to make decisions based on my clinical

findings as opposed to studies. The ability to do this is

becoming lost as we become more technologically advanced.”

Chandler discovered her interest in medicine when

she ended an early dream to be the first African-American

female astronaut. After graduating in the inaugural class

of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science

in Columbus, she enrolled in aerospace engineering at

Mississippi State in 1990 and spent three semesters in a

cooperative education program at NASA’s Langley Air Force

Base in Virginia.

“In the third semester, I decided I didn’t want to do this,”

she explained. “The work was interesting, but I wanted

to have a more immediate impact, more direct personal

interaction. At NASA, you might work on the same project

for years and never see an end result.”

She may have turned from her goal of space exploration

when she changed her major to chemistry/pre-medicine

at MSU, but was achieving another objective of being the

Angela ChandlerPho

to b

y Russ H

ousto

n, MSU

University R

elations

-Ball

first African-American to graduate as an Ottilie Schillig Scholar,

the university’s highest academic honor (now known as the

Distinguished Scholars Program).

The 1994 graduate said her fondest memories of Mississippi

State are those that involve then-president Dr. Donald Zacharias and

his wife, Tommie.

She said, “Being a Schillig Scholar was great and was a big

part of my decision to come to MSU. We were always over at the

Zachariases’ home. One day we had lunch with John Grisham,

who was then a legislator, but The Firm was getting ready to be

published. I can definitely say, ‘I knew him before he was famous.’”

Active while at MSU as an alumni delegate and in her sorority,

Chandler then entered medical school at the University of

Mississippi Medical Center and was on a neurology rotation when

she got word her father had suffered a stroke. This personal incident

saw her begin to take more neurology classes in 1999, her senior

year. She continued with a four-year neurology residency that ended

in 2003 at UMC, where she stayed on as an assistant professor of

neurology and pediatrics until last year.

When she’s not working, she’s spreading the word in the

community about the causes and prevention of stroke to families,

caregivers and others who are or may be affected.

“As a doctor, it’s important to me to be a good teacher, and it’s

my duty to educate the public,” the Bay Springs native said.

She’s also busy supporting her husband, who finishes medical

school next year, and enjoying family life with their four children

and English bulldog, Ozzy. According to Chandler, “Every time we

have an MSU ballgame on our TV, the little ones think it’s Ozzy

instead of Bully.”~

“As a doctor, it’s important to me to be a good teacher, and it’s my duty to educate the public.”


“Being a Schillig Scholar was great and was a big part of my decision to come to MSU. We were always over at the Zachariases’ home. One day we had lunch with John Grisham, who was then a legislator, but The Firm was getting ready to be published. I can definitely say, ‘I knew him before he was famous.’”

-Chandler

-Chandler

Photo by Russ Houston, MSU University Relations


As a doctor who spends each day treating patients

with primary brain cancer, Burt Nabors has learned

the value of treating people with respect and decency

during a time of tremendous stress and confusion.

“Unfortunately, this is the part of medicine you learn

through the years when you realize that sometimes you

haven’t always provided that feeling of security for

patients,” said Nabors, director of the neuro-oncology

division at the University of Alabama-Birmingham

Medical Center.

For those with cancer that begins in the brain,

a sense of caring is essential when those afflicted

with the disease aren’t always knowledgeable about

what’s wrong with them. According to Nabors, this is

especially true in the Southeastern United States where

the risk of brain cancer is the greatest.

He said, “The reason is not known, but each

day studies continue to look at factors such as diet,

occupation and environmental exposures that may put

people at a higher risk.”

The neuro-oncologist is involved in clinical trials,

research that is necessary to make improvements in

the level of care for this type of disease. Most of these

studies, he said, have a therapeutic angle, meaning that

patients take experimental drugs, with the ultimate

goal of discovering newer therapies that prove more

effective.

Nabors’ problem-solving skills, he claims, were

developed while a biomedical engineering student at

MSU, just down the road from New Hope where he

grew up. The son of a Columbus car dealer, he came

to the university with the intention of one day being

a physician after his parents recognized his ability in

chemistry and biology.

“The engineering school’s reputation then and now

is a big plus for the institution,” he said. “In my field,

biomedical research supports what we do every day, and

MSU is quite active in this and a number of other areas.

This component of the overall mission of academic

institutions like MSU and UAB is a critical one.”

Burt Nabors

-Chandler

Photo by Russ Houston, MSU University Relations

Photo by Steve Wood, UAB Media Relations


When Nabors wasn’t doing equations as a student, he enjoyed

the lighter side of student life. Mentioning several professors who

had an influence on him, he said that “they probably would be

stunned to know where I am now because they may have been

concerned then about my commitment to the academic side of

things.”

Nabors graduated in 1985 and went to work at the University of

Mississippi Medical Center for one year in a research role before

entering medical school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis

where he graduated in 1991. While there, he became a Howard

Hughes Research Fellow and did research on the cat’s visual system,

igniting his interest in neurology. He spent 1991 to 1992 doing an

internship at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.,

and was soon sent out to be a line medical officer and then flight

surgeon for the Navy.

“The Navy paid for me to go to medical school, so I paid back

my obligation during this time. For a guy from New Hope, it gave

me a variety of experiences,” the father of four said, also crediting

his wife for her support.

Finishing this commitment in 1995, Nabors came to UAB to

finish his four years of training in neurology and neuro-oncology.

He joined the faculty in 1999.

When he finds time away from the hospital, Nabors backpacks

and camps with his 16-year-old son, a Boy Scout, and has hiked

part of the Appalachian Trail. He also enjoys the beach and doing

whatever his three girls like to do.

He said, “Everybody needs to find time to be clear of the clutter.

It makes us more efficient and effective.”~

“Everybody needs to find time to be clear of the clutter. It makes us more efficient and effective.”

“The engineering school’s reputation then and now is a big plus for the institution. In my field, biomedical research supports what we do every day, and MSU is quite active in this and a number of other areas. This component of the overall mission of academic institutions like MSU and UAB is a critical one.”

-Nabors

-Nabors


Brian Flowers doesn’t have many warm

and fuzzy memories from childhood about

leisure time spent with his dad. There

weren’t many lazy afternoons of throwing

the baseball or casting a fishing line.

What Flowers does remember, though,

is making rounds at the hospital with his

dad, an internist, and seeing how grateful

patients were when their internal medicine

doctor came by to “just listen.”

“I really don’t remember seeing him

much as a child, but I did see how he

interacted with his patients and how they

truly appreciated what he did for them,”

Flowers said.

This must have had an impact on this

30-year-old chief internal medicine resident

who’s close to realizing his dream of

becoming a cardiologist at the University of

Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center.

He said, “I had to really consider

whether or not this was something I wanted

to do. Trying to figure out the balance

is a big challenge, my biggest struggle.

However, I feel like this is what I’m

supposed to be doing, and I don’t think it’s

at the sacrifice of family and friends.”

Flowers knows that his ultimate

goal–the light at the end of the tunnel–is

cardiology because this subspecialty is

“more procedural-based,” he commented,

having discovered as a biomedical

engineering student at Mississippi State

that he was most comfortable working with

methods and formulas.

Reminiscing about his junior and senior

years at MSU, he said, “What I remember

most is studying the cardiovascular system,

calculating systemic vascular residence and

studying it from a pressure and resistance

standpoint. All of that fit my personality.”

Of course, Flowers wasn’t just about

academics as a student and stayed an extra

semester to get what he calls “the full

college experience.”

“I did a little bit of everything,” he said,

explaining his involvement as a president of

Roadrunners, the student recruiting group,

and his membership in his fraternity and

a campus Christian organization. He even

participated in a summer exchange program

through the engineering college, visiting

England and Southeast Asia.

“They were all unique experiences that

helped make me who I am,” said the Tupelo

native who graduated from MSU in 2001.

He entered medical school at UAB

in 2002 and graduated in May 2006,

immediately beginning his residency in

internal medicine the next month. This past

June, he completed this three-year stint and

then was selected by the faculty and his

peers to become a chief resident.

While this delays his completion of a

cardiology fellowship for one year, he’s

appreciative of the experience he’s been

receiving. Teaching third-year residents

and handling administrative paperwork

are part of the job that will aid him

even further as he prepares for the next

three years in general cardiology among

myriad heart catheterizations, stress tests,

echocardiograms, and more as his patients’

best advocate.

“It’s rewarding when you can have

some influence or intervene in some way,”

Flowers said, “and when you really do sit

down and listen, like my father did, you

can create the opportunity to have a major

impact.”

When he’s not communicating with his

patients, Flowers is spending as much time

as possible with his wife and their newborn

son. He also works in some visits to the

Golden Triangle to attend MSU ballgames

or watch them on television with friends.

He’s anticipating another three

consecutive football seasons like 1998,

1999 and 2000 when the Bulldogs were

bowl bound.

“We were winning, and we were having

a great time,” he said.~

Brian Flowers

“It’s rewarding when you can have some influence or intervene in some way, and when you really do sit down

and listen, like my father did, you can create the opportunity to have a major impact.”

Next Top Doc-Nabors

-Flowers

The cliché about life being full of surprises became one

for a reason—it’s true. While we all are surprised in life from

time to time, two Mississippi State alumni set out to find life’s

surprises on another continent and, sometimes, in a different

language.

Learning about other cultures, places and people while

taking courses at MSU must have really gone to their heads,

because Josh Foreman and Sara McAdory left Mississippi, the

South and the Western hemisphere for experiences in foreign

lands, to see what surprises and adventures awaited them on the

other side of the globe.

Their experience at MSU helped prepare them for it.

Waking up and planning to visit the Taj Mahal, visiting

towering waterfalls or spending weeks riding a seven-

horsepower rickshaw to raise money for clean water aren’t

typical experiences for most MSU graduates.

Surprises waiting for Foreman after graduating from MSU

in 2005 included visiting about a dozen countries, becoming a

marathon runner, eating hundreds of bowls of kimchi chiggae

(a type of Korean stew) and preparing for an upcoming

“Rickshaw Run” with his Nova Scotian girlfriend to race

across India and Nepal.

For McAdory, surprise comes from finding a love for

teaching English to young South Korean children and

visiting exotic places most Americans will only view through

photographs or television.

While the two MSU graduates knew each other on campus

and have crossed paths during their time abroad, they have

spent time separately learning more about themselves in

foreign lands. However, Foreman, who arrived in Seoul about

two years before McAdory, helped acclimate her to her new

surroundings.

When Foreman took a five-week trip to India, McAdory

watched his two dogs and began her job search.

By: Robbie Ward

Photos: Josh Foreman

and Sara McAdory


11

As with many Americans looking for adventure overseas

and a job to help finance the experience, they both took jobs

teaching English to children at elementary schools.

Foreman said teaching has proved one of the best

job choices for the young world traveler. Both his and

McAdory’s employers provide 11 weeks of paid vacation,

which allows them opportunities to travel. South Korea’s low

cost of living also allows them to save much of their income

for priorities other than necessities, such as visiting new

places.

Foreman takes travel seriously. Here’s what he said

about his short-term plans with his girlfriend Melissa:

We are leaving on Tuesday to take the trans-Manchurian

train to Irkutsk in Siberia and on to Beijing. From there, we

are planning on traveling to Tibet and Yunnan Province in

China, then crossing into Vietnam. From Vietnam, we will

go to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, and fly to Myanmar.

We’re planning on being in India for the summer, then

doing the Rickshaw Run in September and finishing our

trip with a monthlong trek to Mount Everest in Nepal. Then

we’ll fly back to the U.S. and Canada for a little while and

contemplate our next move….

McAdory has spent plenty of time traveling, too. Her

adventures have included walking nine kilometers of the

Great Wall and watching events related to the Paralympics

in Beijing in 2008. One of her favorite experiences involved

hiking and biking with Foreman through Luang Prabang,

Laos. They rented bikes to cycle 32 kilometers to a beautiful

waterfall.

At one point, Foreman’s bike had a flat tire.

After flagging a truck to travel part of the way

and hiking the rest, they passed stair-step pools

of aqua water and stopped for a lunch of

baguette, gouda cheese and mango that they

picked up from a local market along the way.

“When we got to the waterfall, we

stood in awe for probably a full minute,”

McAdory said of experiencing the natural wonder. “It is such

a good memory.”

Here’s something not surprising about the experience

abroad: it has changed Foreman’s and McAdory’s lives.

Both appreciate parts of both worlds—home and abroad—

more than they ever could until they saw both for themselves.

Foreman loves the freedom of public transportation

provided in Korea and other parts of the world (and parts of

the United States, too, just not in much of Mississippi).

He doesn’t have to worry having a car when he uses

public transportation. However, he didn’t especially find joy

or many amenities while staying in a yurt in Siberia.

“It was cold as hell and had no plumbing,” he said. “Lake

Baikal was beautiful, but squatting in an outhouse in -15

degree weather, I longed for an old-fashioned commode.”

Visiting India changed McAdory’s sense of people’s

ability to control their station in life. While many people in

the United States talk about the gap between the “haves and

have-nots” in the country, other parts of the world have a

much wider gulf. Walking along Indian streets and seeing so

many impoverished people begging gave her a keen sense of

the disparity.

“It’s hard knowing that you have so much more than

most people there have, basically, only because of where you

were born, not because you’re more deserving in any way,”

she said. “It made me feel small, but also made me want to

contribute to reputable charities more often.”

Sometimes they see American influence creeping into

their experience aboard, sometimes in the most unsuspecting

places. During a trip to the small Laotian town of Vang

Vieng, McAdory saw something uniquely

American. Playing on

televisions screens in all of the area restaurants were

Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox Arquette.

“Here I am in rural Laos, a country where I

didn’t see a single McDonalds,” she said, “and all I

hear are “Friends” episodes blaring at me from all

directions.”

Living abroad also helps Americans appreciate

home. Few places make sweet tea and fried oyster

po-boys like Oby’s in Starkville, McAdory said.

That, in part, has her considering a return to the

United States within a year or so for graduate

studies, possibly law school.

As for Foreman, he still has a rickshaw race

to complete before he makes too many long-term

commitments.

One thing is certain—they will look back years

from now and know they took the scenic route to

discovering themselves and the many worlds they

have lived in and visited.~

Profiles:Sara McAdory: • The communication major graduated from MSU with a bachelor of arts degree in May 2007 with an

emphasis in journalism and a teaching English to speakers of other languages certificate.

• Teaches English to elementary school students in South Korea.• During her time abroad, she has visited Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China, India, Hong Kong, and

South Korea. Josh Foreman: • The communication and anthropology major graduated from MSU with a bachelor of arts degree in 2005.

• He moved to Seoul, South Korea, after college. He plans to race a rickshaw through India and Nepal to

raise money for clean drinking water. • Places he has visited while abroad include Australia, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam,

Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, South Korea, China, and Russia.

“Here I am in rural Laos, a country where I didn’t see a single McDonalds. And all I hear are “Friends” episodes blaring at me from all directions.” -McAdory


After noticing the national awards, number of

published submissions and originality of work being

generated by Mississippi State students, one of

the nation’s top graphic design magazines took a

closer look at what’s happening at the university’s art

department.

In a major feature in its July/August issue, HOW,

a Cincinnati, Ohio-based international publication,

profiles MSU as a “hidden gem” and one of three

top-tier “off-the-radar” design programs bringing

students into the national spotlight.

As a newcomer to the department and community,

incoming art department head Lydia Thompson said

she is “very impressed with the talent of our graphic

design students and the faculty who teach them.”

She added: “HOW is a premier magazine in the

field of graphic design, and it was only a matter

of time until MSU received recognition for its

accomplishments. The program is growing steadily,

and our faculty members are role models highly

respected by their students.”

Temple and Portland State universities also are

featured institutions at which the students and faculty

“are every bit as talented as their rivals at bigger-

name programs,” according to the publication.

NatioNal magaziNe PROFILES MSU IN

top-tier art programsBy: Maridith Walker GeuderPhotos: Russ Houston and Megan Bean


In her introduction of the special

themed issue, HOW editor Megan

Lane Patrick recalls that a poster by

former MSU student William W. “Will”

Bryant, winner of one of the magazine’s

design competitions, prompted her

interest.

“It turns out Bryant is a graduate of

Mississippi State University, a school

that’s produced several student winners

over the years,” she writes.

Patrick not only praised Bryant—

she dedicated the entire issue to the

2008 graduate who now is a freelance

artist in Austin, Texas. He also is among

17 “rising stars” profiled in the issue.

Professor Jamie Mixon, who leads

MSU’s highly competitive, limited-

enrollment graphic design program,

said 69 students applied last year for the

42 available slots.

“We accept students based on a

third-semester portfolio review,” she

explained, adding that students entering

the program must first be grounded in

the foundations of drawing, painting,

photography, and printmaking.

A veteran faculty member and

John Grisham Master Teacher, Mixon

expressed particular pride that students

in the program quickly are introduced to

a global design perspective. “Many of

our students are from Mississippi, and

most are from the South,” she observed.

“Many have an interest in art, but may

never have been exposed to thinking in

a national way.”

Graphic design majors are

encouraged to enter national

competitions, often through linkages in

their individual classes. They also must

subscribe to national design magazines

that help bring “good graphic design

directly to their mailboxes,” she said.

As HOW extensively noted, the results

belie the program’s small size and

geographic location.

In addition to seven awards of

As a newcomer to the department and community, incoming art department head Lydia Thompson said she is “very impressed with the talent of our graphic design students and the faculty who teach them.”


KRISTEN M. Brady

BEVERLy A. haymaN

WILLIAM W. BryaNt

merit in HOW competition since

2001, students received impressive

placement in 2008 and 2009 collegiate

competition sponsored by the Art

Directors Club of Washington, D.C.

Most recently, they brought home

a gold, two silvers, and six merit

awards, with winning entries exhibited

at the Corcoran Museum of Art.

Their work has been accepted in

highly competitive exhibitions from

among thousands of entries, and

students regularly earn top awards

in regional competitions such as the

American Advertising Federation.

Also, two MSU students have

their portfolios featured in a 2009

sourcebook released this year by

New Jersey-based Prentice Hall, the

world’s leading education publisher.

“Portfolio Laboratory for Graphic

Design” provides strategies in design

principles, illustrated with successful

student portfolios and tips from

professionals, Mixon explained.

“Our students have shown they can

compete and win on the national stage,

and the exposure they’ve received in

a publication as respected as HOW

will be invaluable in continuing to

motivate them and other students in

our program,” she said.

Not only is an MSU degree a good

value for the money when compared to

more prominent urban-based schools,

but its graduates are proving their

worth in the highly competitive world

of corporate design.

“Our graduates are working at the

Wall Street Journal and helping design

Wal-Mart’s new branding identity, just

to name two,” Mixon said. “They’re

in virtually every major city in the

country.”

Back in Starkville, the six

professors in MSU’s graphic

design program continue to prompt

students to learn the basics, use their

imaginations and strive to be among

the best. And, as HOW observes, their

work “has been . . .wowing us for

years.”

In addition to Bryant, the other

MSU graphic design majors and

graduates featured in the magazine

include Kristen M. Brady of Brandon,

a May graduate also in sculpture;

senior Andrew V. Le of Carriere;

senior Claire A. Gipson of Madison;

Beverly A. Hayman of Vancleave, a

2008 graduate; and senior Kanika A.

Dean of Boyle.~


CLAIRE A. gipsoN CLAIRE A. gipsoN

ANdREW V. le

He’s written songs about voodoo queens, chitlins and Columbus’ Cat Fish Alley, while also parlaying a Mississippi State degree into a successful stained glass business and blues music career.

Joseph P. “Big Joe” Shelton, a 1975 art graduate of the university, “discovered” the blues back in the rock ’n’ roll dominated ’70s. The more he heard it, the more the Columbus native wanted to learn about the soul-rockin’ tunes that grew from the cotton fields of Mississippi.

After realizing that both rock and rhythm and blues had blues roots, Shelton sought out a famous local source, Big Joe Williams of Crawford in southern Lowndes County. The internationally known performer was, by the 1970s, a recognized influence on music icon Bob Dylan, who even performed with him on occasion.

“I had a compilation album that had Big Joe playing with Dylan,” Shelton recalls. “Once I found out Joe lived at Rose Hill [near Crawford], I drove down there and introduced myself.

“We eventually became friends, but, at first, I was more or less his roadie,” he says with a laugh.


By: Kay Fike JonesPhotos: Megan Bean


“I had a 1960 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with a good air

conditioner, and I would go pick him up and we would start

around the Alabama line and play at joints, working our way to

the Crossroads between Columbus and Starkville. From there,

we would take a left and work our way south to Artesia and

Crawford, playing all the country joints.”

Shelton played harmonica—“not very well at the time”—but

said those road trips taught him what blues was supposed to

sound like.

“I learned from a master. I may not play guitar as authenti-

cally as him (Williams’ used a unique nine-string instrument), but

I know what it is supposed to sound like.”

Shelton must have learned a lick or two from Williams. In

the International Blues Challenge held last year in Memphis,

Shelton was a finalist in the category of Best Self-Produced CD.

In addition to being among six selected for the finals from 50

international entries, his “Black Prairie Blues” continues to be

featured regularly on satellite radio.

Black Prairie blues actually is a phrase Shelton coined to

distinguish talent hailing from the narrow region of rich, black

soil found in Central Alabama and Northeast Mississippi from

similar music usually associated with the Mississippi River

Delta. In addition to Williams, his compositions regularly

pay tribute to West Point’s Howlin’ Wolf [Chester A. Burnett],

Aberdeen’s Booker T. “Bukka” White and other East Mississippi

blues legends.

Shelton is a member of the Mississippi Arts Commission

Artist Roster and included on the Folk Arts/Folk Life Directory.

He also recently was honored with inclusion on the Columbus/

Cat Fish Alley Mississippi Blues Trail marker, installed by the

State of Mississippi in the city’s Southside area.

Beyond playing at numerous regional festivals and clubs,

Shelton has toured Europe. He keeps up with his fans through a

Web site, www.bigjoeshelton.com, and MySpace and Facebook

pages.

With all of his success, many people might assume Shelton

took one or more music courses while attending MSU. They

would be wrong.


“I was born quite young, some time ago. Ever since I was a baby, they called me Big Joe.”

“Before I went to State, I was at East Mississippi Community

College in Scooba and played football (recruited by legendary

head coach Bob “Bull” Sullivan),” he explains. “While there, I

took an art appreciation course under Jon Whittington, who was a

most inspirational teacher. I always had been visually oriented, so

I majored in fine art after transferring to State.”

Admitting to “a rebellious stage” while in college, Shelton

says he immersed himself in what then was a new academic

major at the Starkville institution. Happily, he continued to have

inspiring teachers.

“(Professors) Ken Clifford and Jan Webber were a big help to

me, and I graduated in the summer of 1975. Because I won the

undergraduate painting award in a statewide competition earlier

that year, I decided to get a master’s degree in printmaking.”

Since Clifford was an alumnus of Northern Illinois University,

one of the leading art programs in the country, Shelton chose to

attend the DeKalb school located some 60 miles west of Chicago.

After three years of study and lacking just an hour or so of

coursework for his advanced degree, with teaching the ultimate

goal, Shelton decided he had had enough of Up North. “I just

reached a wall or something,” he admits. “I just couldn’t do

it anymore. I think it was a combination of homesickness and

burnout.”

Returning to the Magnolia State, he determined there wasn’t

much work for a studio artist in a small town, ultimately acting on

a burgeoning interest in stained glass.

Columbian Bill Backstrom had a glass business and also

worked in stained glass. He let Shelton use his workspace after

hours.

“He basically gave me a key to his place and told me to

keep up with my supplies and I would go in at night and design

something and then make it,” Shelton says.

What began as night work eventually paid off. In time,

be came to own and operate a successful stained glass design

company. (For more, visit www.midsouthstainedglass.com).

But, while making a living with his art background, Shelton

never lost his love of the blues. While attending NIU, his favorite

day of the week was Friday when art gallery openings took place

in Chicago. “We would go hit all the gallery openings and then

go to the blues clubs afterwards,” he recalls.

The weekly club crawls let him experience the Chicago blues,

which, of course, is similar—though more “electrified” than

Mississippi music.

Bla

ck

pr

air

ie


“Talk about the Delta being home of the Blues. Out in the prairie we got ‘em too. I sho ain’t tryin’ to start no fuss. Theres’ plenty of Blues for all of us.”from “Black Prairie Blues”


Back in Columbus, he began playing in area venues and

writing tunes heavily influenced by Shelton’s love of local

“sayings” and colloquialisms. “I love to hear sayings that are

a little odd and a little different. I listen for them and I like to

think them up.”

A born lyricist, Shelton sprinkles those sayings—“She

got ears like a mule with a face like an orangutan,” “One’s

too many and twelve’s not enough,” among them—through-

out his creations, but much of his work comes from life

experiences.

“I’ve always said you don’t get in a mood to write a song,

it gets into you.”

While the words come easy for Shelton, the song pro-

duction process is not as easy to grasp. For “Black Prairie

Blues,” Shelton wisely sought the assistance of two estab-

lished musical “stars” living in the area, bass guitar player

Ean Evans of Southern rock supergroup Lynyrd Skynyrd and

longtime bluesman Willie King of Old Memphis, Ala. King

added guitar licks to the final product recorded at Evans’

Columbus studio.

Sadly for Shelton and many other rock and blues music

lovers, both men died earlier this year. He still finds it hard to

talk about them, especially Evans.

“He was very creative and a perfectionist and gave me a

lot of self confidence in my music. The record would never

have been as good without Ean. We got to be friends and I

still miss him.”

Although he has enough material for another CD, Shelton

says Evans gave him such a “great deal” on the production

costs through their friendship, that making another recording

currently is too expensive. “I would love for a record label to

sponsor it this time,” he says, with a broad grin.

In addition to writing, performing and creating stained

glass products, Shelton keeps busy working with the Jazz

Foundation of America and the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society’s

“Blues in the School” educational program, both of which

work to expose younger people to music.

Shelton also recently gave his niece an idea for helping

her students learn about the blues [see sidebar]. Jennifer

Caldwell, who teaches gifted fourth and fifth graders at New

Hope Elementary School, enlisted her class to illustrate a

recently published book she wrote. She used bluesmen to il-

lustrate the ABCs, such as a picture of Mississippi native Ike

Turner to illustrate the letter “I.”

Shelton continues to live in a 125-year-old cabin once

owned by his great uncle and located, where else, on the

Black Prairie of Lowndes County near Tibbee.

With his stained glass studio situated just down the road,

he can sit on his front porch, look out over land his family

settled in the 1830s, and strum his guitar with the look of a

contented blues man.~


learning the aBcs of BluesLast year, teacher Jennifer Shelton Caldwell was shadowing her Uncle Joe in his stained

glass business when she began telling him about a unit her fifth-grade class was doing on the

blues.

“I told him I hadn’t been able to find any children’s resources on the blues, so after we

talked, I decided to write one,” Caldwell explained.

She planned to create an ABCs book using blues performers to illustrate each letter.

Shelton suggested using her students to create the artwork and The ABCs of

the Mississippi Blues was born.

Fifty of the young artists’ work made the 68-

page book, and Shelton helped Caldwell identify the

bluesmen.

A 1991 Mississippi State elementary education

graduate, Caldwell lives in Columbus and teaches fourth-

and fifth-grade gifted classes at New Hope Elementary

School. She has been teaching for 16 years. The ABCs of the

Mississippi Blues is available at Barnes & Noble bookstores

and online at www.authorhouse.com.


09Campus newS

SUMMERAlumnus

Mississippi State’s Sustainable Energy Research Center is being honored by a regional think tank that works to improve economic opportunities and quality of life.

The non-partisan Southern Growth Policies Board recently named the university center as one of the 13 winners of its annual Innovator Awards. One award per state is presented among the 13-state organization.

Mississippi State has joined with the 11 other Southeastern

Conference institutions in the launch of a new SEC Academic

Network, a Web site designed to promote academic endeavors of

SEC universities using ESPN360.com technology.

The Web site, www.secacademicnetwork.com, was rolled out

mid-August.

“This is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase some of

Mississippi State’s key institutional strengths in research and

outreach, two of the guiding themes of the launch,” said MSU

President Mark Keenum. “We’re committed to generating quality

video that portrays the outstanding accomplishments of our faculty,

staff and students in these areas.”

The SEC Communicators Association, composed of key

institutional communication professionals, worked collaboratively

to develop major themes and guidelines for the project, he added.

Institutional support for the project at MSU is being provided by the

athletics department.

“The No. 1 defining principle in our athletics department is

to provide a quality education,” said MSU Athletic Director Greg

Byrne. “Our support of the SEC Academic Network reinforces

our commitment to the importance of the academic quality at

Mississippi State.”

The Academic Network, established by the SEC in partnership

with ESPN and the member universities, will feature content from

every institution ranging from research, innovation and economic

development to community partnerships, civic engagement and

service.

On the Web site, each institution has its own page that includes

videos categorized by topic. Alumni, fans and students worldwide

now have the ability in one place to learn more about SEC

academics through video features that are posted by the league

institutions.

The Academic Network is a component of the SEC’s 15-year

television package with ESPN, which is the most comprehensive in

the history of intercollegiate athletics.

University now part of first-of-its-kind web site

'Flu wATCH' aims to keep students, community safeCoinciding with the fall semester arrival of students, Mississippi State launched a major health awareness program to emphasize precau-

tions that can help prevent H1N1 and seasonal flu.

Sponsored by the university's Crisis Action Team and the Division of Student Affairs, the "Flu WATCH" campaign uses an acronym to

highlight specific flu-prevention techniques.

The "WATCH" acronym includes:

--Washing hands often with soap and water; or, when not available, an alcohol-based gel.

--Avoiding close contact with others showing signs of illness.

--Tossing tissues in the trash after one use.

--Coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your arm rather than your hands.

--Hibernating if sick to avoid contaminating colleagues and classmates.

"We're spreading the word through door hangers and magnets in residence halls, posters around campus, banners in high-traffic locations,

reminders on restroom mirrors, a Web site, shuttle bus advertisements, and public service announcements on our campus radio and television

station," said Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs.

In addition to other awareness steps, MSU's Longest Student Health Center also will provide thermometers to students to help monitor

temperatures, if ill. Fever, especially one reaching 100.4 or higher, can be an indicator of the flu.

For more information, see www.flu.msstate.edu.

watchflu

23Alumnus Summer 2009

09Campus news

SUMMER Alumnus

A senior wildlife and fisheries major is a new national Barry M. Goldwater Scholar.

Mitchell D. “Mitch” Weegman of Winona, Minn., is among nearly 280 university students being honored this year with the official U.S. tribute to the late former Arizona Republican senator and prominent American statesman.

In addition to membership in MSU’s Shackouls Honors College, Weegman is a member of the Bulldog track team.

MSU’s 12th Goldwater Scholar is specializing in wildlife science and planning a career as a waterfowl biologist.

student wildlife researcher named

After weeks of thinking constantly about the weather and waking early to check online temperatures, a Mississippi State team is being rewarded with the major honors of a 2009 national weather forecast competition.

In April, a broadcast meteorology group from the university topped peers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Georgia and even the National Center for Atmospheric Research to win first place in team, undergraduate, graduate, and faculty categories.

Known as the WxChallenge, the competition is considered by many to be the national championship of weather forecasting. Created in 2006 at the

University of Oklahoma, the annual event involves up-to-the-hour scoring on forecasting of cities throughout North America.

This year, more than 1,600 participants from some 70 universities and research organizations in the U.S. and Canada were involved. Each was required to accurately forecast maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation and maximum wind speeds for selected cities over a 20-week period.

Forecasting group again makes big national weather statement

The nation’s leading organization for early childhood development is accrediting the Aiken Village Preschool.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children notified the university that its year-round program for 3-5-year-olds has met a set of rigorous standards.

Located at the Collegeview Street entrance of Aiken Village campus housing and enrolling nearly 35, the preschool is a partnership administered by the Early Childhood Institute.

NAEYC accreditation comes only after an extensive self-study process measuring programs and services against 10 professional standards, followed with a site visit by an assessment team. Approved programs also may receive unannounced visits during the five-year accreditation term.

Preschool gets national stamp of approval

Alumnus Summer 200924

Campus news

Mississippi State is conducting national searches for two open positions on campus.

A new provost is being sought, following Dr. Peter Rabideau’s decision to return full time to the faculty as a professor of chemistry. He will continue to serve in the position through December. University officials hope to have the position filled by the start of the 2010 spring semester.

In addition, a search is proceeding to name a new vice president for research and economic development.

MsU searching for personnel

09SUMMER Alumnus

The Bagley College of Engineering now ranks 34th among all engineering colleges nationally in research and development expenditures.

The university also ranks fifth in agricultural sciences research.

A National Science Foundation report for fiscal year 2007—the most current year for which figures are available—also lists the university as a whole at 58th among all public institutions of higher learning.

The survey included 680 higher education institutions in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All grant bachelor’s degrees or higher in science and engineering fields and expect at least $150,000 in separately funded science and engineering research and development in a fiscal year.

From finding solutions to sustainable energy sources to protecting the public in the cyber universe, MSU research efforts have focused on the improvement of lives at the regional, national and international levels, said Glenn Steele, interim vice president of research and economic development.

In the recently released report, MSU’s $37.5 million in agricultural sciences expenditures and its Bagley College’s

$56.4 million in research expenditures placed the university one of only two Southeastern Conference programs--University of Florida is the other--in the top five and top 40 in the respective areas. The ranking places the MSU academic unit among the highest 10 percent of all engineering colleges in the nation.

MSU is ranked consistently in the top 10 in agricultural sciences expenditures.

The report covers rankings of all federally affiliated research institutions. MSU’s overall research expenditures totaled $206.2 million. The university, as a whole, moved up a notch from the previous year, 59 to 58, among public universities when expenditures were $189.9 million.

Among all universities, MSU rose from 86th to 83rd.

Research numbers: ‘movin’ on up’ Top prof, researcher honored for her leadership

A William L. Giles Distinguished Professor in Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine is the first woman to receive the international Society of Toxicology’s Education Award since its inception in 1975.

Janice E. “Jan” Chambers, who directs the college’s Center for Environmental Health Sciences, accepted the prestigious honor at the Washington, D.C.-based organization’s annual conference.

Toxicology is the study of adverse effects of chemical, physical or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, including their prevention and amelioration.

In addition to developing several specialized courses and programs during her 18-year CVM career, Chambers is currently the principal investigator of a $10 million Center of Biomedical Research Excellence grant from the National Institutes of Health. The funding is being used to support career mentoring and research development in pesticide toxicology for 14 junior faculty members.


MSU football players (l-r) Brandon Walters, Anthony Dixon, Jamar Chaney, and Derek Sherrod modeled the team’s new uniforms on the lawn of the Cullis Wade Depot. The new Adidas gear will have its official debut Sept. 5 when the Bulldogs welcome the Jackson State University Tigers for the opening game of the 2009 season.

NEW UNIFORMS

A veteran Mississippi State academic administrator now is the permanent director of the university’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.

Roger King, previously associate dean of research and graduate studies for the Bagley College of Engineering, recently was appointed to the position he has held on an interim basis since last July.

King named CAVS director

Bourgeois promoted to dean of studentsA seasoned Mississippi State administrator moved up in the university’s Division of Student

Affairs.Thomas Bourgeois is MSU’s new dean of students. The MSU alumnus has served since 2002

as associate dean and succeeds Mike White, who recently retired after a nearly 40-year student affairs career.

“Dr. Bourgeois was selected after a national search that drew extensive interest from a highly qualified and diverse candidate pool,” said Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs. “He has excellent experience and skills, and he is uniquely qualified to fill this position.”

As dean, he also will supervise the university police, Crisis Action and Behavioral Intervention teams, and the Honor Code office.

wal-Mart Foundation grant to benefit veterans’ centerThe Wal-Mart Foundation is saluting

Mississippi State for success of the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans and its various programs.

The university is among 10 colleges and universities receiving $100,000

grants to support the efforts of returning servicemen and women to pursue their higher educations.

“Mississippi State University is recognized nationally as a strong military- and veteran-friendly university,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum.

“With the aid of this generous Wal-Mart Foundation grant, the university will have the necessary dollars for school-related financial assistance for veterans and service members returning from active duty.”

- Jimmy Abraham

Campus news 09SUMMER

Alumnus

Dr. Shane Burgess, second from left, is congratulated by Melissa Mixon, interim vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine; President Mark Keenum; and Kirk Schulz, former vice presi-dent of research and economic development.

SHANE BURGESS

shane Burgess selected for Powe research award A systems biology researcher received the

university’s 2009 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award.

Dr. Shane Burgess is associate dean for strategic initiatives and economic development at the College of Veterinary Medicine and a professor in the college’s department of basic sciences.

The annual honor is a memorial to the MSU alumnus and longtime research vice president who died in 1996. The recognition program began the following year.

Burgess, a Fellow of the Institute for Neurocognitive Science and Technology, also directs MSU’s Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and is co-founder and co-director of the Institute for Digital Biology.

He holds a doctorate from Bristol University in the United Kingdom and the equivalent of a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from New Zealand’s Massey University.


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A Mississippi State professor and one of her students are recent selections for key leadership roles with a national business education honor society.

Connie Forde, a senior member of the instructional systems and workforce development faculty, and junior Brookes A. Mayes of Newton, a technology teacher education major, were chosen president and student representative, respectively, on the Pi Omega Pi national council.

Pi Omega Pi was established more than 80 years ago to promote scholarship and service among students and teachers in business education. It currently has more than 54,000 members spread among 25 chapters.

Two tapped for society kudos

An international conference at Mississippi State in June examined the maritime capacity building of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and other major ocean-focused nations.

Involve nearly 40 participants, the event was organized by the university’s Radvanyi Center for International Security and Strategic Studies, in cooperation with the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies at Vanderbilt University and the Tokyo-based Okazaki Institute, Japan’s premier independent think tank.

Shotaro Yachi, a foreign ministry adviser representing Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, was among participants welcomed by MSU President Mark Keenum and Janos Radvanyi, the center’s director and namesake.

Among featured speakers were Gary Weir, chief historian of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; retired Adm. Thomas Fargo, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; and retired Vice Adm. Eduardo Ma. R. Santos, president of the Philippines-based Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific.

Other nations or states represented included China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea.

world maritime expansion topic of conference

Janos Radvanyi, left, holder of the Radvanyi Chair in International Studies, received a plaque from Mississippi Sen. Gary Jackson of French Camp to commemorate the Senate resolution passed recognizing his service to the state and designating him as an “Honorary Ambassador for the State of Mississippi.” Radvanyi was a special guest of Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant before the official presentation on the Senate floor in March.

JANOS RADVANYI

The inauguration of Mark E. Keenum, MSU’s 19th president, is scheduled for Oct. 16. Be sure to visit www.msstate.edu/web/keenum often for the latest information.


Save the date!10.16.09

Campus news 09SUMMER

Alumnus

In a spring memorial service at Scott Field, former mascot Bully XVIII, also known as Dontae, was honored for his life and contributions to MSU team spirit. Owned by 1987 alumnus Greg Daly of Flowood, formerly Atlanta, he held the coveted mascot title 1999-2001. Following the cer-emony attended by President Mark Keenum and athletic director Greg Byrne, Dontae’s ashes were scattered over the midfield area.

Fourteen Mississippi State students are being recognized and rewarded for their creativity in developing online businesses.

Representing various majors in the university’s College of Business—and two in the College of Architecture, Art and Design—they comprised four teams seeking to win $5,000 in startup capital through the 2009 E-Business Plan Competition.

A panel of off-campus professionals evaluated the content of each group’s written plan and personal presentations. Winners were announced at the end of the spring semester.

The annual competition is a project of the business college’s Cochran Center and the Services Innovation Group, a part of the department of marketing, quantitative analysis and business law.

Communication staff members from four Mississippi State departments are winners of nearly 50 top creative awards presented by the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi.

During the organization’s recent spring conference in Vicksburg, the Office of Agricultural Communication received the 2009 Grand Award in Electronic Media, dually recognizing its long-running “Farmweek” and “Southern Gardening” television series.

CPRAM membership includes full-time employees of public and private senior institutions of higher learning, as well as community and junior colleges, who work on their institution’s public relations or public information staffs. Personnel in public information or public relations offices of state government educational agencies also may be members.

At MSU, agricultural communications, the Bagley College of Engineering’s media resources office and university relations offices on the Starkville and Meridian campuses received other high honors in the organization’s senior division.

Information offices score big in competition

Online entrepreneurs honored

A national architecture and design publication is ranking Mississippi State’s landscape architecture department near the top nationally in two key categories.

DesignIntelligence recently listed the university’s landscape architecture academic program second in both skills assessment and a deans’ survey of the undergraduate curriculum. The rankings are part of the Georgia-based publication’s 10th annual survey titled “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools.”

DesignIntelligence is the bi-monthly report of the Design Futures Council, an interdisciplinary network of design, product and construction leaders. In the survey, leading practitioners in the field rank schools they feel are best preparing students to practice in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and industrial design.

Landscape architecture ranks high



Cathy Grace to lead national childhood policy effortThe founding director of the Early

Childhood Institute at Mississippi State is being tapped to direct the early childhood development policy program of a national advocacy organization.

Cathy Grace recently was chosen by the non-profit Children’s Defense Fund to assume a yearlong post as the liaison between the Washington, D.C.-based organization and members of Congress, government policy makers and members of other advocacy groups. A professor in the College of Education, she will be working to promote the inclusion

of critical educational principles in various pieces of legislation, among other duties.

“This is an opportunity that I could not pass up because it holds tremendous promise for young children facing uncertain futures, as well as for the children not yet

born and their families,” Grace said. “The course set for young

children in the next 12-24 months will forever change lives and

determine the productivity of this country for the remainder

of this century.”Grace, a University

of Mississippi doctoral graduate, is a veteran

educator with more than 35 years of experience. She earlier worked as a classroom teacher, directed a university-based early care and education program, served as the early childhood coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Education, directed a regional early childhood professional development organization, and founded a local family support and preservation program, among other achievements.

In June, the Vicksburg National Military Park celebrated the 100th anniversary of a monument honoring Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee. After serving as founding president of what now is MSU, the former Civil War officer led efforts to preserve the historic battlefield. When the park was established in 1899, he chaired the facility’s administrative commission, then became the first park superintendent. Earlier this year, National Park Service officials added an M-State flag to the monument site.

“ This is an opportunity that I could not pass up because it holds tremendous prom-ise for young children fac-ing uncertain futures...”

- Grace

2009 Road Dawgs tour another successIn April and May, new head football

coach Dan Mullen and several university representatives hit the pavement for the third annual Road Dawgs tour.

Visiting 16 cities across five states, Mullen and crew helped “spread the fun” of Mississippi State athletics to nearly 3,000 loyal Bulldog fans.

“The Road Dawgs tour was outstanding,” said Jimmy Abraham, associate vice president for development and alumni and executive director of the Alumni Association. “Our fans showed their overwhelming enthusiasm and support of MSU at every stop.”

Along the way, Mullen, athletic director Greg Byrne, MSU Athletics staff, and others kept things fun by tweeting about their Road Dawgs adventures. Tweets are messages sent on the popular social networking site, Twitter. Twitter has become a popular way for universities, news writers, alumni associations, and other such organizations to stay in touch with their supporters.

The Road Dawgs tour was sponsored by the Bulldog Club, the MSU Alumni

Association and participating alumni chapters. In-state events were held in Clarksdale, Columbus, Corinth, Greenwood, Jackson, Laurel, Natchez, Pascagoula, and Vicksburg. The tour also made stops in Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala., Memphis and Jackson, Tenn., New Orleans, La., and Houston and Dallas, Texas.

Football season kicks off at home on Saturday, Sept. 5, against the Jackson State Tigers when Mullen will take the field for his inaugural game with the Bulldogs.

For information on the 2009 football season or MSU Athletics, visit www.mstateathletics.com.

Dan Mullen addresses a crowded room of Bulldog fans in Laurel.

Alumni news 09SUMMER

Alumnus



More than 200 Bulldogs joined the Alumni Associa-tion for a time of celebra-tion April 17 and 18. During Super Bulldog Weekend, members of the classes of 1939, 1944, 1949, 1954, and 1959 reunited for campus

tours, a special lunch and program, individual college gatherings, and plenty of Bulldog fun.

If you are a member of the class of 1940, 1945, 1950, 1955, or 1960, make plans to attend next year!

Alumni reunite during super Bulldog weekend

Class OF 1944

Class OF 1954 Class OF 1959

Class OF 1949

Class OF 1939


Alumni news 09SUMMER

Alumnus

Twenty new MSU students have been chosen to represent the university as Alumni Delegates, an organization that serves as a liaison between MSU students and alumni. With the addition of its new members, more than 40 students will serve as Delegates for the 2009-10 year.

Alumni Delegates are today’s student leaders preparing to be tomorrow’s alumni leaders. Each year, the Delegates serve the university at every home football game, Alumni Association events and other campus and community events. Their purpose is to improve understanding of the role of the Alumni Association by educating and involving

students in activities and events of the association.

Congratulations to all of the new delegates selected to represent the student body. New members include: Whitney Alford, Newellton, La.; Miles Backstrom, Tupelo; Natalie Bullard, Ripley; Catherine Carty, Brookhaven; Charles Clancy, Moss Point; Brooke Collins, Shannon; Keshia Collins, Vicksburg; Whit Cox, Memphis, Tenn.; Price Davis, Jackson; Ashley Edwards, Leland; Nnedi Ezeala-Harrison, Ridgeland; Mareio Harris, Columbus; Haley Haverstock, Murray, Ky.; Rob Heltzel, Vicksburg; Chris Herring, Starkville; Tyler Kuyrkendall, Brandon;

Morgan McPhail, Madison; Jared Moffett, Slidell, La.; Josh Shideler, Senatobia; and Meg Swindoll, Oxford.

Twenty Alumni Delegates selected

2009Alumni Delegates Program

Their purpose is to improve

understanding of the role of the

Alumni Association...

For the fourth year in a row, MSU alumni chapters hosted Send-off Parties for new and prospective students, parents, alumni, and friends.

The parties, which encourage excitement and enthusiasm about attending Mississippi State, are sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association and the Office of Admissions and Scholarships.

Chapters holding parties this year did so between July 27 and Aug. 6.

“Send-off Parties are a fun way of welcoming new Bulldogs to the MSU family,” said Jimmy Abraham, associate vice president for development and alumni and executive director of the Alumni Association. “We have had such great participation and support from our alumni chapters around the nation in the past, and this year was no exception.”

Alumni chapters “send-off” new students in July, August

Copiah County Send-off Party

Northeast Florida Send-off Party

Panola County Send-off Party

Northeast Florida Send-off Party

Nashville, Tenn., Send-off PartyAlumnus Summer 2009 33

09Alumni news

SUMMERAlumnus

On April 23, the Alumni Association welcomed the 2009 graduating class as the newest members to the Bulldog alumni family. Adding to the more than 115,000 living alumni, hundreds of students attended the event held at the Hunter Henry Center courtyard.

The annual Senior Celebration was co-sponsored by the Alumni Association, the Division of Student Affairs and the Student Association. The festivities included crawfish, MSU ice cream, music, and lots of fun. During the celebration, students received information about the advantages of being involved with the Alumni Association and a local chapter.

“The Senior Celebration was a lot of fun,” said Owen McGuire, a 2009 communication graduate from Macon. “I’m glad the Alumni Association cares so much about current students, because they are the future association members.”

Commencement for the 2009 class was held on May 2 at Humphrey Coliseum, where more than 2,200 students received diplomas.

“We are very proud to welcome the 2009 class as the newest members of the Alumni Association,” said Jimmy Abraham, associate vice president for development and alumni and executive director of the Alumni Association. “We know these graduates will be very successful and we encourage all of them to be active members in one of our 90 chapters worldwide.”

senior Celebration honors members of alumni family


SENIORCelebration

2 0 0 9

On May 15, a special reunion for the former national presidents of the Alumni Association was held at Mississippi State.

Guests enjoyed a lunch and program in the Hunter Henry Center, with guest speaker Blake Jeter, incoming Student Association president. Following the lunch, guests attended meetings with the Alumni Association staff, athletic director Greg Byrne, head football coach Dan Mullen, and university vice presidents.

A reception was held later in the evening in honor of the former national presidents at the home of MSU President Mark E. Keenum. Guests were honored for their service to Mississippi State and the Alumni Association.

Following the reception, attendees were recognized at Dudy Noble Field prior to the MSU vs. LSU baseball game. Omar Craig, Oxford resident and 1971 national president, had the honor of

throwing out the first pitch at the baseball game.

“We are so privileged to have so many great men and women serving our association,” said Jimmy Abraham, associate vice president for development and alumni and executive director of the Alumni Association. “Each one of these individuals has made a great impact on not only the Alumni

Association, but everyone in our Bulldog family. We are very grateful for all they have done and continue to do for Mississippi State University.”

Former association national presidents reunite

During the February annual conference, new national officers were elected to represent the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the 2009-10 year.

Charles A. Cascio of Cleveland assumed the role of national president on July 1, 2009. Cascio graduated in 1979 with a degree in industrial engineering. He is the business development manager for Baxter Healthcare Corp., Cleveland location. Most recently, he served as national first vice president. He also has been in the role of national second vice president and an at-large director. He has experience as Bolivar County chapter secretary, treasurer and vice president.

Others elected are Karen Dugard Lawler of Madison, Ala., as national first vice president. Lawler earned a bachelor of business administration degree in 1982 and a master’s in business administration

in 1994, both from Mississippi State. She is the team leader for the budget integration and analysis office within the Office of the Chief Financial Officer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. With the Huntsville-Decatur chapter, she has served as vice president and president.

Jerry L. Toney of Starkville serves as national second vice president. He is a 1996 business graduate with a degree in real estate, mortgage finance and economics. He is a certified financial planner and vice president of Cadence Bank in Starkville. He has served as president of the Oktibbeha County chapter.

Jodi White Turner of Montgomery, Ala., continues

her role as national treasurer. Turner received a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1997 and a master’s degree in business administration in 1997, both from Mississippi State. She serves as chief financial officer for PrimeSouth Bank in Tallassee, Ala.

A.D. Hunt Jr. assumed the role of immediate former national president at the end of his term. Hunt is the owner of Hunt Insurance Agency in Hattiesburg and is a 1970 graduate in management. He has served as an at-large director and national first vice president.

new national officers for Alumni Association elected

Officers are, from left, Jerry L. Toney, Jodi White Turner, Charles A. Cascio, Karen Dugard Lawler and A.D. Hunt



09Alumninews

SUMMERAlumnus

Traveling Bulldogs Upcoming Trips

• VILLAGE LIFE IN DORDOGNE: Sept. 17-25, 2009

• ISLAND LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE: Sept. 27–October 5, 2009

• SOUTH AFRICAN ESCAPADE: Oct. 20-29, 2009

• RIO, BUENOS AIRES: Feb. 9-23, 2010

• LONDON: TBA March/April 2010

• CANARy ISLANDS: April 8-16, 2010

• SAXONy ALONG THE ELBE: April 16-24, 2010

• BEST OF THE MEDITERRANEAN: Oct. 11-24, 2010

• PASSION PLAy OBERAMMERGAU: June 13-21, 2010

• ANCIENT GREECE AND TURKEy: Sept. 5-13, 2010

• GRAND JOURNEy THROUGH SPAIN: Sept. 5-17, 2010

• SEINE: Oct. 1-9, 2010

• CANADA/NEW ENGLAND: Oct. 7-17, 2010

For more information on trips sponsored by the MSU Traveling Bulldogs, please contact Libba Andrews at 662-325-3479 or [email protected].

Rachel McCann, professor in the School of Architecture, was honored as the 2009 recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award presented by the MSU Alumni Association.

A 1980 graduate, McCann received a bachelor of architecture degree from Mississippi State, followed by a master of architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986. She also holds a master of philosophy in history, a criticism of architecture degree from the University of Cambridge in England and a doctorate in histories and theories of architecture from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

McCann joined the university faculty in 1988, and currently teaches architectural theory, history and design.

By implementing a new paradigm for teaching architectural history, McCann has changed the process of learning in the School of Architecture. She believes history courses must

emphasize the relationships of architecture to culture, religion, political power, gender, philosophical ideas, climate, and materials.

The new format emphasizes deeper self-directed inquiry and learning with a closer relationship between architectural history and design, allowing the students to immerse themselves in the subject.

“Rachel is committed to new and innovative teaching methods,” said Jimmy Abraham, associate vice president for development and alumni and executive director of the Alumni Association. “She is an excellent teacher and mentor, and a valuable asset to her department, her college and her alma mater.”

McCann also won the 2008-09 Tau Sigma Delta Faculty Teaching Award given in May by the student members of the MSU chapter of Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society for Architecture and the Allied Arts.

McCann honored with undergraduate teaching award

President Mark Keenum with Rachel McCann


south Korea’s alumni chapter helps students achieveTwo students at Mississippi State recently were honored as

scholarship recipients by the South Korean Alumni Association chapter.

Jongtae Yu, a business information systems doctoral student, and Heejin Lim, a senior studying computer science, were the first students to be awarded scholarships from the international alumni chapter.

Yu is from Pusan, South Korea, and serves as a computer lab instructor at MSU. He has eight research publications in journals and conference proceedings.

Lim, a senior, serves as an undergraduate research assistant in the Uncertainty Reasoning Lab in the MSU computer science department. He is from Daegu, South Korea.

In October 2007, the MSU Alumni Association welcomed South Korea as its 88th official chapter. Dr. J.P. Shim, a management information systems professor, and Dr. Jimmy Abraham, associate vice president for development and alumni and executive director of the Alumni Association, traveled to South Korea to meet with more than 100 alumni living in the area.

Out of those meetings, a scholarship program for Korean students wanting to study at MSU was created. Shim oversees the program and helps select the recipients, along with Dr. Kirk P. Arnett, an emeritus professor of management information systems.

“We are very proud of our Korean students who represent our country so well,” said Shim. “They are bright, young

individuals who work hard and are well-deserving of this financial support. I believe this scholarship opportunity will be very beneficial to these students.”

South Korea is home to more than 200 MSU alumni. Currently, there are two chapters, one for graduates who hold a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, and one for those who hold certificates in international business strategy program.

More than 100 Korean students presently study at Mississippi State, including 68 exchange program students.

Each spring, Shim travels with American students to tour South Korea with the Global Leadership Program as part of an initiative to unite South Korea and MSU. Students visited South Korea and Japan in May to learn about culture, information technology and the ever-changing world of global technology.

For more information about the Korean Alumni Association Scholarship or the Global Leadership Program, contact Shim at [email protected].

From left, Jimmy Abraham, Jongtae yu, Heejin Lim, Dr. J.P. Shim

2009 Korean Study Tour representatives


09Foundationnews

SUMMERAlumnus

Alumnus James J. “Jim” Rouse is assisting Mississippi State by placing a focus on the recruitment of top-notch personnel—a management practice he emphasized during a successful 42-year career with ExxonMobil.

The Houston, Texas, resident credits his alma mater with providing him the background he needed to pursue an accomplished career with the largest publically traded international oil and gas company. Since retiring from his duties as a corporate vice president in 2004, Rouse has maintained even closer ties with the university.

Most recently, he and his wife Julie decided to help the College of Business step up its efforts to recruit and retain high-caliber faculty members by creating a professorship with a $500,000 gift. The Jim and Julie Rouse Endowed Professorship in Management will acknowledge exceptionally meritorious faculty. Earnings from the endowment will fund the academic position.

“We wanted to establish an endowed professorship for the College of Business, specifically in the management department, because that was my major. Endowed positions give the university an extra edge in attracting and retaining outstanding faculty which is critical to ensuring that MSU students get the best education possible,” Rouse said.

Rouse was Exxon’s senior official in Washington, D.C., with specific responsibility for overseeing the corporation’s lobbying activities and foreign relations program. His professional experience, coupled with volunteer work as vice president for the MSU Foundation Board of Directors and as a member of the business college’s advisory board, has given him a deep appreciation for the need for a high-

quality faculty. Business dean Lynne Richardson

agrees. “Our students’ experiences are dependent on great faculty teaching them,” Richardson observed. “In creating this professorship, Jim and Julie are making an investment in our students and faculty.”

Richardson said the Rouses long have supported key areas in the business college. These include the dean’s discretionary fund and a notable scholars fund, both of which provide faculty enhancements in one of the Southeast’s oldest collegiate business programs.

“I stay involved because Mississippi State had such a huge impact on the person I became. From ROTC instructors to professors in the then-industrial management department—they all had a profound impact on my development. It seems appropriate to give back so that others can hopefully have a similar experience,” explains Rouse.

The couple remains passionate about MSU athletics as well. Several

Retired exxonMobil exec, spouse fund professorship

naming opportunities for endowed positions are available throughout campus. Most professorships may be established with a minimum gift of $500,000 and endowed chairs may be funded for a gift of $1.5 million. A dean’s chair typically requires at least $2 million. Amounts may vary by college, school or department.

Jim, right, and Julie Rouse with President Mark E. Keenum


years ago, they funded the construction of a 9,000-square-foot strength and conditioning room at the Holliman Athletic Center. Jim Rouse serves on the Executive Committee of the Bulldog Club.

Over time, matching gifts from Exxon have strengthened the power of the couple’s contributions to Mississippi State. “By having some of our gifts matched by Exxon, we were able to support MSU fairly early in our career,” shares Rouse.

There is certainly nothing ordinary about the way the Rouses select causes to support. They recently found a way to benefit the MSU student body with a special gift-in-kind, a 1929 Ford Model A Roadster. Jim has been interested in automobiles–from the latest sports car

to classics and antiques–since he was a teenager growing up in Germantown, Tenn.

“Julie and I bought the Roadster about 10 years ago to drive our six small grandchildren around our Horseshoe Bay property in the Texas hill country, but as they grew up, we got fewer in the car at one time,” laughs Rouse.

Last year at the MSU vs. Georgia Tech game, “we saw Tech’s Model A and the thought struck us to give our maroon A to State,” Rouse said.

Now the maroon-and-white, two-door convertible is used by the Division of Student Affairs for campus recruiting and related activities.

Successful ventures for the Rouses extend to their personal lives as well. They have been happily married for more

than 47 years and are the proud parents of two daughters.

“I met Julie through a mutual friend while she was attending the ‘W,’ and as the old movie line goes, ‘she had me from hello,’” Rouse recalls. “Within a three-week period in June of 1962, I graduated, was commissioned as a second lieutenant, went to work for Humble Oil and Refining Co., which later became Exxon USA, and married Julie.”

Rouse, who was born in Libertyville, Ill., took a two-year leave early in his career to serve in the U.S. Army. Today, he remains active by speaking on lobbying and lobbying strategies before university and civic audiences. Julie Rouse is a native of Laurel who attended Mississippi University for Women and later taught first grade.

MSU

isan

AA/EEO

university.

The answer is simple. Private gifts allow MississippiState University to grow its scholarship endowment. Thisenables recipients, like Talisha Moore, to attend MSU in thehopes of one day positively impacting the world around them.

The Morgan Freeman Endowed Scholarship wasestablished to provide dedicated students with an opportunityto study veterinary medicine. Now, Talisha can prepare for acareer in the animal health profession.

A tax-deductible gift for scholarships brings theMississippi State experience to more students. Help us educatethe next generation of leaders of our state and nation.

www.msufoundation.com | 662.325.7000

09Foundationnews

SUMMERAlumnus

scholarships–a solid investment for students’ futures


Mississippi State University retains its position as the largest institution in Mississippi, enrolling nearly 18,000 students–the highest number in its 131-year history. The university ranks first in the state in retention and graduation rates.

The university is committed to helping students achieve their educational goals. University leaders believe the institution has an obligation to grant qualified students accessibility and to expand opportunities for scholarships.

One avenue to help students accomplish their goals is by providing necessary scholarships, which will allow them to focus their efforts on their education goals instead of the financial obligation that often comes with post-secondary studies.

According to MSU’s Office of Admissions and Scholarships, the estimated undergraduate cost of attendance for 2008-09 was almost $17,000 for in-state students and just over $24,000 for out-of-state students. Those figures include tuition and required fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses.

“Approximately 70 percent of MSU students receive some type of federal or state financial aid. The majority of that aid, however, is in the form of student loans which must be repaid,” said Bruce Crain, director of financial aid. “The average student loan indebtedness of MSU graduates who borrow student loans is approximately $20,000.”

“Students and their families have shouldered an increasing share of the costs of higher education in recent years as state support has lagged. At the same time, the state of Mississippi has a great need for larger numbers of workers with bachelor’s degrees, and it is vital that we make college more accessible to qualified students,” said MSU

President Mark E. Keenum. He continued, “Privately funded

scholarships are more important than ever in making it possible for some deserving young people to take advantage of a Mississippi State education. A gift to a scholarship fund is an investment that helps the state as a whole, as well as the individual scholarship recipient.”

One purpose of the MSU Foundation is to secure private support for university scholarships. This funding is necessary for the growth and progress of Mississippi State.

“Private scholarship support is a solid investment not only in the future of our university, but also the future of our state and our nation,” said John Rush, vice president for development and alumni.

Alumni and friends of Mississippi State have generously provided scholarship support through the years. Among the most prestigious university scholastic awards are the Presidential Endowed Scholarships and the Schillig Leadership Scholarships, which are given to students who excel in academics and leadership.

In the past few years, the MSU Foundation, through the support of benefactors, has established additional programs. The Medallion Scholarships, the Loyalty Scholarships and the Promise awards are given to recipients based on academic merit and financial need. However, additional funds are needed to continue these programs.

“It is a joy and an honor to award private scholarships to deserving and talented students,” said Phil Bonfanti, director for admissions and scholarships. “But more often than not, the need for scholarships outweighs the available funds.”

The availability of scholarships in the university’s eight academic

colleges, as well as those marked for general

university use, can make a significant difference in the lives of many students.

“In the years I have worked with scholarships, I have seen many students whose lives have been dramatically changed,” said Cathy Lammons, director of donor relations for the MSU Foundation. “We are so grateful to every individual who has made a donation to the university and impacted the lives of thousands of young people.”

As Mississippi State broadens its reach to enroll increasing numbers of students, the need for scholarship support will become even more important for its student base. Annual and endowed scholarships may be established at any time through the MSU Foundation. Scholarships also may be given in honor or in memory of a loved one, mentor, fellow classmate, family member, or friend.

For more information on establishing a scholarship or increasing an existing scholarship, telephone Bo Hemphill, executive director of development for the MSU Foundation, at 662-325-3686 or e-mail [email protected].

“ Private scholarship support is a solid

investment not only in the future of our university, but also

the future of our state and our nation.”

- John Rush

Defying national trend, MsU fundraising continues ‘up’ Although many U.S. universities

and charities recently experienced dips in private donations, Mississippi State marked the third-highest giving year in its 131-year history at the close of fiscal year 2009.

The MSU Foundation reported in July that a total of nearly $61.5 million was raised during the fiscal year. The amount represents immediate and deferred financial gifts, as well as pledges payable over five years, received from thousands of individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and estates.

“The generosity of our alumni and friends and their confidence in the university is evident from the fact that the level of private support has increased significantly from last year, despite the troubled economic climate,” said President Mark E. Keenum.

“Investments in scholarships and endowed faculty positions, in particular, are helping to keep our university accessible to qualified and deserving students while ensuring the quality of the education they receive,” he added.

Noting that the FY 09 amount represents a 19 percent increase over last year’s $51.6 million total,

Keenum expressed a “deep gratitude to the thousands of individuals and organizations who continue to recognize and value the contributions MSU makes to Mississippi and the nation.”

Echoing Keenum’s remarks, MSU’s vice president for development and alumni, John Rush, observed that recent statistics highlighted in the Chronicle of Higher Education “indicate a decline of nearly 6 percent in giving to U.S. colleges and other charities.”

Rush said “another record year in private gifts is a testament to the loyalty of alumni and friends who believe in the institution and understand that fulfilling its mission means even more success for our state.”According to Rush:

• New outright gifts accounted for $25.48 million;

• New pledges totaled $21.13 million; and

• Deferred gifts made up the remaining $14.89 million.

Rush gave credit for the record year, in part, to funds raised through a recently completed and highly successful capital campaign. “The momentum of the ‘State of the Future’ campaign, coupled with the

enthusiasm of new university leadership, was evident in our fundraising this entire fiscal year,” he observed.

Officially titled State of the Future: The Mississippi State Campaign, the seven-year drive concluded in December 2008 with more than $462 million in private gifts and pledges from nearly 60,000 MSU alumni and friends. Of that latter number, nearly half were first-time contributors.

Previously, MSU’s highest giving periods were during the 2002 and 2006 fiscal years.

“To build on State of the Future, the MSU Foundation is planning a new initiative that will focus particularly on university-wide student scholarships and endowed faculty positions,” Rush said. “This latest effort will assist with the university’s long-range plan for growing its enrollment.”

The MSU Foundation administers most of the institution’s fundraising activities and endowment funds. Visit www.msufoundation.com for more information on the work of the foundation.

Bring Southern Bulldog flavor into your kitchen with the special

Mississippi State limited edition of Southern Seasons—the coffee-table

cookbook with 140 new recipes by acclaimed chef Robert St. John and

59 new, beautiful watercolors by Wyatt Waters. This special edition,

available only through MSU, features an exclusive Wyatt Waters

watercolor of historic Lee Hall on the back cover and each book comes

with a signed print of this special work of art. Order your cookbook at

www.msufoundation.com or call 662-325-8847 for details.



09Classnews

SPRING Alumnus

’64 JaMES COggin of Jackson, retired

president and chief administrative officer of Saks Inc., has been inducted into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement of Mississippi.

’69 RiChaRd C. adKERSOn (M.B.A.

’70), president and chief executive officer of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, has received the Copper Man of the Year 2009 award from The Copper Club, a 65-year-old industry organization.

JOEl C. ClEMEnTS of Waynesboro, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Waynesboro-based First State Bank and the bank’s par-ent company, First State Corp., has been elected vice chairman of the Mississippi Bankers Association for 2009-10.

’73david MORRiSOn of Baton Rouge,

La., assistant vice chancellor of the Louisiana State University AgCenter and assistant director of the Louisiana Agri-cultural Experiment Station, has received the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors Excellence in Leadership Award.

’78 lynn PhilliPS-gainES of

Starkville has joined the Forbes Inves-tor Team, which offers insight on top financial news as it is being made. She is a financial and investment planner with Raymond James Financial Services.

’82TiM EaRnEST has been promoted

to executive vice president of the Simon Management Group, the nation’s largest public real estate company.

’86ROSiE King, assistant principal of

Horn Lake Elementary School, is one of 80 educators nationwide to receive the Milken Family Foundation’s prestigious National Educator Award for 2008.

’88 STan PURviS of Ridgeland has been

named partner in charge of HORNE Fi-nancial Services, a subsidiary of HORNE LLP.

iREnE dUMaS TySOn of Columbia, S.C., a senior architectural planner and designer with The Boudreaux Group, has received American Institute of Certified Planners certification.

’92 MaRy ann COMBS BRiggS of

West Point has been promoted to senior vice president with Cadence Bank.

’95 ShERRy RainEy of Madison has

been named president of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Jackson.

’96 Chad F. lUndEEn has been pro-

moted to senior director of development for Vornado Realty Trust, an owner and manager of commercial real estate.

’06 RaChEl FORd is the Missis-

sippi Public Broadcasting coordinating producer for “Between the Lions,” the national children’s show co-produced by MPB. The show has won eight Emmy Awards. In 2008, Ford was selected to attend the Center for Public Broadcasting/PBS Producer’s Academy on a WGBH scholarship.

Birth ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lorelei Marie Beck, March 10, 2009, to JOSEPh M. BECK (’02) and wife RaChEl of Birmingham, Ala.

Jackson Richard Greer, May 19, 2009, to JaMES R. gREER (’05) and MOlly MCdOwEll gREER (’05) of Brookhaven.

Bradley Lawrence Lewis, Jan. 29, 2009, to ChRiS lEwiS (’97) and aMaRiS BRadlEy lEwiS (’99) of Madison.

Addison Clark Morreale, Feb. 19, 2009, to EMily wOOTEn MORREalE (’03) and CaRl MORREalE (attended) of Naperville, Ill.

Alexandra Mae Roberson, March 31, 2009, to SUzanna FaRREll ROBERSOn (’97) and MiChaEl JaSOn ROBERSOn (’96) of Lakeland, Fla.

Sophia Marie Rocconi, Jan. 14, 2009, to laUREn wOOTEn ROCCOni (’00) and husband JOE of Rossville, Tenn.

Bradley Gage Woodall, Feb. 2, 2009, to BRad wOOdall (’90) and KaRiE wOOdall (’97) of Meridian.


Mississippi State alumni and friends desiring a favorite photograph of campus or a memorable athletic moment may obtain it with the click of a few computer keys.

nearly 120 selected images captured by the university’s award winning photographers now are available for online purchase. The site, http://www.replayphotos.com/mississippistatephotos, is operated by Replay Photos, a web-based company specializing in producing high-quality prints for universities, said Russ houston, coordinator of photographic services in MSU’s Office of University Relations.

www.replayphotos.com/mississippistatephotos

InMeMORIAM

Please send obituaries to Allen Snow,P.O. Box 5325, Mississippi State, MS39762-5526 or e-mail to [email protected].

09SUMMER Alumnus

ROBERT CiCERO wEEMS (’31)—98, Reno, Nev.; retired dean of the College of Business at the University of Nevada-Reno, former dean of the Col-lege of Business at MSU and World War II veteran, April 11, 2009.

hUnTER M. BRUMFiEld SR. (’39)—91, San Antonio, Texas; retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and World War II and Korean War veteran, June 21, 2009.

JaMES hOldEn COChRan (’39, M.S. ’41)—93, Biloxi; retired Mississip-pi State Extension and State Plant Board employee, May 15, 2009.

PERCy l. ThigPEn (’40)—90, Bir-mingham, Ala.; retired engineer for Rust Engineering Co., Nov. 30, 2007.

ROBin haRRiS BUTTS (’44)—86, Waterproof, La.; retired president of Hel-ena Plantation, March, 21, 2009.

PaTTiE JEan TaTE dEnT (’45)—Clinton; homemaker, October 2008.

hUgh h. hUdSOn (’47)—Lake-wood, Colo.; retired hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, April 1, 2009.

JaMES d. lanCaSTER (’47, M.S. ’48)—Huntsville, Ala.; retired professor of soil chemistry in MSU’s soil sciences department.

EaRl n. lOFTin (’48)—86, Bald-wyn; businessman, teacher and World War II veteran, April 8, 2009.

FREd K. ROBERTS (’48)—90, Purvis; retired office manager for the Agriculture Stabilization Conservation Service of Lamar County and World War II veteran, March 29, 2009.

PETE M. niCOladiS (’51)—80, Gulfport; retired district manager of National Supply Co., a division of Armco Steel, May 6, 2009.

andREw wESlEy BaiRd (’55, M.S. ’57)—79, Starkville; professor emeritus of sociology and research soci-ologist at MSU and Korean War veteran, April 13, 2009.

CORnElia SEaT BaRREnTinE (’55)—79, Pass Christian; retired math-ematician for General Electric Co., June 2, 2009.

williaM T. CagnOn (’57)—79, Temple, Texas; retired as owner and manager of Cagnon Tire, March 30, 2009.

MaBEl wilSOn RaSPET (’57, M.S. ’63, Ph.D. ’66)—92, Centre, Ala.; retired biology professor at Delta State University, May 27, 2009.

wadE h. TURnagE (’57)—73, Newton; retired owner of Climatic Con-trol Engineers, Nov. 29, 2008.

JaCK BaTTE (’59)—Mt. Olive; retired counselor for Pearl River Com-munity College, April 16, 2009.

PiCKEnS alFREd nOBlE JR. (’66)—66, Tupelo; sports director for the Tupelo Parks and Recreation Department and owner of Custom Cooking, May 23, 2009.

dEBRa ann naBORS ROBinSOn (’75, M.S. ’79)—55, Starkville; kinder-garten teacher at Sudduth Elementary School, March 12, 2009.

ROBERT allEn whiTFiEld (’75)—Hazlehurst; senior transportation engineer for ABMB Engineers, April 2009.

CECElia BEll dElBRidgE (’81)—49, Pearl; health science librarian for Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, Aug. 13, 2008.

laURa dEan EavES MURPhy (’84)—45, Booneville; attorney and case manager for the Prentiss County Youth Court, May 2, 2009.

MaTThEw gaTEwOOd (stu-dent)—18, Clinton; freshman civil engi-neering major at MSU, April 30, 2009.

lyndSi MaRiE dUlEMBa hill (student)—21, Columbus; junior human sciences/human development major at MSU, March 23, 2009.

galE R. aMMERMan (former em-ployee)—86, Aliceville, Ala.; professor emeritus of food service and technology at MSU and World War II veteran, April 21, 2009.

PaUl daviS (former employee)—87, Opelika, Ala.; former MSU head football coach 1962-66, March 31, 2009.

JaMES ROBERT ThOMSOn JR. (former employee)—82, Starkville; retired director of student teaching and teacher certification for the College of Education at MSU and World War II veteran, April 8, 2009.

44 Alumnus Spring 2009

Post Office Box AAOne Hunter Henry BoulevardMississippi State, MS 39762-5526www.alumni.msstate.edu

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Mississippi State Alumnus Summer 2009