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Mississippi State UniversityAlumni Association NationalOfficersSteve G. Taylor (’77),national president;Robby Gathings (’81)national first vice president;Allen Maxwell (’78),national second vice president;Keith Winfield (’70),national treasurer;Lamar A. Conerly Jr. (’71),immediate former nationalpresident.

DesignersBecky SmithDale Dombrowski

PhotographersFred FaulkRuss Houston (’85)

Editor/DesignerAllen Snow (’76)

Mississippi State University does not

discriminate on the basis of race,

color, religion, national origin, sex,

age, disability, or veteran status.

Summer 2001 Volume 77Number 2

USPS 354-520

www.msstate.eduOn the cover:

Campus News

Athletics

Alumni Activities

Philanthropy

Class News

In Memoriam

16

25

26

31

34

42

7

14

2

C O N T E N T SC O N T E N T SC O N T E N T SC O N T E N T SC O N T E N T S

A new home for the MSU family

12

PresidentMalcolm Portera (’69, M.A. ’71)

Vice President forExternal AffairsDennis A. Prescott

Alumni AssociationExecutive DirectorJohn V. Correro (’62)

Mississippi State Alumnus ispublished three times a year bythe Office of University Rela-tions and the Mississippi StateUniversity Alumni Association atMississippi State, Miss. Sendaddress changes to AlumniDirector, P.O. Box AA, Missis-sippi State, MS 39762-5526;telephone 662-325-2434; oraccess by web browser at http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/alumni/alumni.htm.Editorial offices:102 George Hall,P.O. Box 5325,Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325. Telephone 662-325-3442;fax, 662-325-7455;e-mail, snowa@ur.msstate.edu.

A L U M N U S

10

Stennis Institute is lending a hand

Students ‘joggle’ modern skillsand old boards

Rowan Taylor’s second brushwith history

Victorian-era culture goes onlineHealth education master’s programgains in popularity

8

The Stennis Institute of Government atMississippi State provides research, training,and service to state and local governmentswhile promoting citizen involvement in thepolitical process.

Mississippi State broke ground for its newalumni and foundation building, the HunterHenry Center, during Super Bulldog Weekendceremonies in March.

The Templeton Sheet Music Collection, housedin Mitchell Memorial Library, is beingpreserved electronically for future generationsto study and enjoy.

The stunningly beautiful cover art for W.C.Polla’s Dear Heart is but one of the 22,000pieces in the Charles H. Templeton SheetMusic Collection, currently being digitized byMitchell Memorial Library. Story on page 12.

MSU students in a furniture productionclass bring 19th century “joggling” boardsinto the 21st century.

The distance learning program in the Departmentof Health, Physical Education, Recreation andSport is already a success—and it’s only beginningits third year.

When 76-year-old Rowan Taylor of Jacksonretired from a real estate law practice severalyears ago, he decided to come back to MSU topursue an old love–history.

Summer 2001

2A L U M N U S

Down the seemingly unending blacktop

of Highway 61, the Mississippi Delta lies

open to unobstructed view. The fields

stretch on forever, without contour, without

defining architecture, and frequently

without sign of human activity.

The towns huddle on the periphery of

thousands of acres of farmland or cluster

along the banks of rivers with names such

as Yazoo, Sunflower, and Tallahatchie.

While their history is myth, their future has

the Faulknerian potential for tragedy and

decline.

The Stennis Institute of Government is

helping some of these small communities

refocus and restore them-

selves.

On a blustery spring day

when rain threatens, the

Bolivar County community

of Shaw vividly illustrates

some of the challenges for

small towns whose tax base

and resources are stretched to

capacity.

Roger Carter, a native of

Shaw who lived in Detroit

for 25 years before returning

home, is serving his first

term as mayor. He has a

vision of what his city can be and where it

can go.

Today, he shows visitors the possibili-

ties. A new cultural center, created from an

abandoned Piggly Wiggly grocery store,

anchors a main street on which fire has

gutted many of the structures. Mayor

Carter sees the center as the figurative heart

of the town, a place where families can

hold reunions, the Boy Scouts can meet,

cultural events can draw people from

beyond the city limits, and citizens can

vote.

But to make these visions reality, he

needs hard-to-come-by dollars. Many of

his dreams and many of the needs of Shaw,

population 2,300,

require resources far

beyond the city’s

capacity.

A chance to attend

the Stennis Institute’s

State Executive

Development Institute

introduced him to

professors and research

scientists whose

knowledge could

provide help and hope.

“The Stennis Institute helped bridge a

gap with our city’s finances,” he said.

Stennis Institute research assistant Judy

Phillips has been instrumental in helping

the city write grants to the Mississippi

Emergency Management Agency to plan

for hazard mitigation. She also has assisted

in helping leverage that grant into a $1

million project that will focus on improv-

ing the city’s badly decaying storm water

drainage system.

By Maridith Walker Geuder Photos by Fred Faulk

Mayor Roger Carter of Shawstands before the city’s newcultural center. He believes itcan serve as a unifying force forthe community.

Mayor Carter points out street drainageproblems to Stennis Institute directorMarty Wiseman and research assistantJudy Phillips.

“America’s system will not operate itsededication, from the ground up,

From city halls to the halls of state, the

STENNIS INSTITUTE

is lending a hand

“Any time there’s a two-inch rain, our

streets flood,” Carter noted, standing near

water pooled on Dean Boulevard, a main

thoroughfare on which the city’s Shaw

High School sits.

With 60 percent of his city’s residents

living below the poverty level, finding

alternative funding mechanisms is critical

to the city’s future, Carter said. “Without

the help of the Stennis Institute, it would

have been difficult to locate these re-

sources,” he said.

“We don’t want to say ‘no’ to anyone

who has a problem,” says political science

professor Marty Wiseman, who since 1990

has directed the institute named for former

U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis (’23). “When

people call us, it’s our philosophy to find a

way to help solve that problem.”

The Stennis Institute of Government

was established in 1977 and reflects John

C. Stennis’s desire to provide research,

training, and service for Mississippi’s state

and local governments and to promote

citizen involvement in the political process.

Wiseman says the 22-member staff of

the institute takes those goals seriously,

through outreach around the state, promot-

ing Mississippi’s role in the region, and

advancing civic education.

That may mean assistance to some of

the smallest Delta communities such as

Shaw, Jonestown (pop. 1,465), or Coahoma

(pop. 500), or it may mean serving as a

resource for thriving cities such as Tupelo,

Meridian, and Ocean Springs.

“We see our job as leveraging university

resources wherever the needs exist,”

Wiseman explained.

One of the collaborations of which he’s

proudest is an ongoing relationship with

the city of Jonestown. “Mississippi State’s

contributions are an illustration of cross-

campus cooperation,” Wiseman said.

In 1997, the process began with a social

work class and a plan to involve students in

interventions for a day-care facility. The

School of Architecture’s Small Town

Center became involved in planning for the

rehabilitation of an abandoned school as a

community resource. The Mississippi

State University Extension Service helped

plan a nature trail.

To help the city define its needs and

prioritize goals, the Stennis Institute invited

Mayor Joe Phillips and key city leaders to a

two-day strategic planning session at an

Olive Branch meeting facility. The effort

was underwritten by the institute.

“The meeting was designed to organize

our community goals for the future and to

help us plan where we wanted to be in

2010,” Phillips explained. “We wanted to

discover our problems internally and to

develop solutions.”

Jonestown mayor Joe Phillips, left, believes his city’sabandoned elementary school can be reclaimed toserve as a community center. He shows Wiseman

some of the recent damage to the building.

Wiseman, Mayor Joe Phillips,community leader Rev. BennieBrown, and Stennis researchassistant Phillips discuss possibili-ties for a formerelementary classroom.

NO PROBLEM IS TOO SMALL

lf. It takes leadership, sacrifice, from the street level up.”

John C. Stennis, February 4, 1972

E OF GOVERNMENT

Summer 2001

3A L U M N U S

Summer 2001

4A L U M N U S

Among its goals, the city identified

rehabilitating an abandoned school as a

focus for its efforts. Refurbished, they

believe the 1920s-era structure could

provide 24-hour daycare facilities, after-

school programs for youth, computer

training, a central recreation area, and a

convenient location for job training.

Feasibility plans drawn by the School of

Architecture’s Small Town Center today

hang on the walls of the city hall lobby,

and Mayor Phillips has a goal of making

those plans reality. “The project would

require about $1.5 million, and the Stennis

Institute is helping us identify granting

agencies to

which we

can submit

applica-

tions,” he

explained.

“The

school is a

monument

in our

community,

and the

need for a

facility that

can provide

multiple

resources is

great.”

In nearby Coahoma, Mayor W.J. Jones

describes similar needs dealing with

infrastructure and resources. “Coahoma

has been incorporated only since 1981,

although the community has been estab-

lished for a long time,” he said.

“We know what our needs are, but we

have a very low tax base. The Stennis

Institute is trying to help us find funds for

issues such as drainage problems, sewer-

age, and wastewater treatment.”

As in Jonestown, a Stennis-Institute-

sponsored planning retreat provided citizen

leaders a chance to review objective

information about their city, to assess

strengths, and to plan for the future.

“I don’t think we’ll ever be the same

after that day,” Jones said.

In the East Central city of Meridian

(population 40,000), Mayor John Robert

Smith faced some issues of an entirely

different nature. His city, which had lost

about 10 percent of its population in the

1980-90 U.S. Census, saw a population

drift of about 2 percent to surrounding

areas in the 2000 census.

“We knew we were helping grow the

region, but we wanted to look at how to

grow the tax base and population inside the

city,” he said.

To address the issues, Smith appointed a

wide cross section of citizens to serve on a

Grow Meridian team headed by Bill

Crawford, a member of the state College

Board and vice president of community

and business development for Meridian

Community College. Their charge:

research the issues and bring back some

concrete, achievable goals.

Smith asked the Stennis Institute to

serve as facilitator for the effort. “The

institute was an invaluable resource for

providing statistical information, helping

the team understand the data, and provid-

ing examples of what has worked in other

areas,” he said. “They were a partner in the

process without dominating the process.”

The team generated ideas ranging from

creating a downtown retirement community

to developing a comprehensive performing

arts and technical arts education frame-

work. Each recommendation will be

addressed in depth by a council member

and staff person, Smith said. “There were

some very exciting ideas.”

For many of Mississippi’s municipali-

ties, much of the work performed by the

Stennis Institute deals with what director

Wiseman calls the “nuts and bolts” issues

of evaluating compensation and job

descriptions.

An online database at the Stennis

Institute web site [www.sig.msstate.edu]

contains typical job descriptions and duties

for a variety of municipal positions,

including police chief, city clerk, public

works director, and others. Research

assistant Jeff Markham directs approxi-

mately five compensation analyses

annually.

Judy Phillips of theStennis Institute isworking with communityleaders such as Rev.Bennie Brown to seekfunding sources forrestoration of the town’s1920s-era schoolstructure.

The Stennis Institute is working withCoahoma to identify funding sourcesfor an upgrade of its wastewatertreatment system, shown behind MayorJones.

Mayor W.J. Jones of Coahomasays the Stennis Institute hasbeen an invaluable resourcein helping his community planfor the future.

ON A DIFFERENT SCALE

In cooperation with the Capitol

Press Corps and the Mississippi

Press Association, the Stennis

Institute hosts a monthly Stennis

Capitol Press Lunch on topics of

public interest. Speakers during

2001 have included Billy McCoy,

chair of the House Ways and Means

Committee; Speaker of the House

Tim Ford; former Gov. William

Winter; Gov. Ronnie Musgrove;

State Auditor Phil Bryant;

Attorney General Mike Moore;

State Treasurer Marshall Bennett;

and Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, among

others. The events are coordinated

by research assistant Phillip S.

Pierce and Bobby Harrison of the

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

ACAPITOL

IDEA

One of the increasingly important roles

of the Stennis Institute is that of translator,

says Wiseman.

“More and more, we’re an interpreter

for information on technical issues such as

the economic impact of welfare reform,

telecommunications reform, or water

quality. Almost every department of the

university has worked with us.”

One particularly complex issue for

Mississippi was that of telecommunications

taxation reform. In the late 1990s,

telecommunications tax policy, established

during a time of limited competition, was

in need of updating to reflect a changing,

highly competitive environment. Among

policy issues was developing new strategies

for the taxation of property.

Agreeing on a taxation approach

became a critical point of discussions

among groups as diverse as the Mississippi

Municipal League, telecommunications

industry representatives, and county

governments. For both industry and local

governments, the stakes were high.

Counties, cities, and schools that

benefited from telecommunications

property taxes had much at stake, with as

much as 4 percent of a county’s property

tax proceeds often related to communica-

tions firms. Industry came to the table

knowing that there were sometimes

significant differences in how the property

of communications companies were taxed

and assessed, affecting their ability to

compete effectively. These were but two

concerns in a morass of complex issues that

also included the long-term effects of high-

capacity, low-cost communications

equipment on property values and the

effects of revised taxation on attracting

future infrastructure development.

The Stennis Institute was asked to

clarify issues and became a key player in

bringing interested parties together.

“The Stennis Institute was instrumental

in developing detailed data, listening to all

sides, and presenting possible solutions,”

RESOURCES FOR POLICY MAKERS

said Randy Russell, executive director of

regulatory and external affairs for

BellSouth. “They saw the complexities

and understood both industry and govern-

ment issues. They were an important

player in helping resolve the issue to the

satisfaction of all parties.”

Jeanne Smith, executive director of the

Mississippi Municipal League, concurs.

“Because of the detailed work of

Stennis Institute researchers such as Keith

Smith, who generated massive amounts of

data, we were able to come to a negotiated

understanding in the telecommunications

tax reform issue,” she said.

“We could never have obtained the

staffing and the resources that the Stennis

Institute provided.”

That kind of information was especially

important to cities and counties, said Joe

Young, tax assessor for Pike County. “The

efforts of the Stennis Institute were

invaluable in helping us run different

scenarios to understand the specific impact

on specific counties. I don’t think the

Legislature would have passed a bill like

that without knowing the impact in their

home county.”

The Mississippi Telecommunications

Tax Reform Act was passed in the 2000

legislative session. “Ultimately, it did not

cost cities or schools a major source of tax

revenues,” Young said.

Executive director Jeanne Smith said the

Mississippi Municipal League routinely

turns to the institute for assistance and

research. “We have ongoing projects on

sales tax issues and data base issues,” she

explained, “and we’re developing a

working relationship on legislative issues

for the next legislative session.”

Summer 2001

5A L U M N U S

Director Wiseman says one of his goals

is to make the Stennis Institute the “go-to”

resource for policy analyses and decision-

making. “We’re just starting on that

journey, but it’s a logical role for us as part

of a land-grant institution,” he noted.

THE ‘GO-TO’ FOLKS

Secretary of State Eric Clark, who holds

a doctorate from Mississippi State, has

found the institute a resource for gathering

information on public policy issues ranging

from term limits to reforming the way state

agencies make rules and regulations.

“The work of the Stennis Institute is

respected across the state as thorough,

objective, and fair,” he said. “It gives

government policy makers the hard facts

they need to make wise decisions. As a

Mississippi State alumnus, I take a great

deal of pride in the institute’s work and

reputation.”

When Northern District Public Service

Commissioner Bo Robinson needed

detailed information about issues surround-

ing drinking water and wastewater systems,

he also turned to the Stennis Institute.

“For a water policy meeting for North

Mississippi, the institute helped identify a

wide variety of issues we should be

considering,” Robinson said.

“There are increasing demands on our

water supplies, and I think everyone is

becoming aware of the seriousness of some

of the issues. Their detailed analysis is one

example of the powerful resources

available to all government agencies who

seek their help.”

Drawing on the expertise of the Water

Resources Research Institute at Mississippi

State, his team was able to help generate

discussion of water-related issues.

An important component of the

institute’s work, Wiseman believes, is

developing educational and leadership

opportunities for students.

As an example, he cites the John C.

Stennis-G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery

Association, which was formed two years

ago to give students a greater involvement

in the political process. In January,

Wiseman accompanied 20 members of the

association to Washington, D.C., where

they witnessed the inauguration of George

Summer 2001

6A L U M N U S

Majority leader TrentLott discusses policymaking issues withmembers of MSU’sStennis-MontgomeryAssociation.

STUDENT LEADER TRAINING

READY FOR THE FUTURE

Members of MSU’sStennis-MontgomeryAssociation stand on thesteps of the United StatesCapitol.

Photo courtesy of Stennis Institute of Government

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f St

enni

s In

stitu

te o

f G

over

nmen

t

W. Bush as 43rd president of the United

States.

Last year, the group visited with

members of Mississippi’s congressional

delegation before attending sessions of the

House of Representatives and Senate.

They also toured the offices of Yazoo City

native Haley Barbour, one of Washington’s

leading lobbyists and Republican Party

strategists, and the offices of the Demo-

cratic National Committee.

“In politics, you don’t have to win every

time, but you do have to play,” Wiseman

observed. “This organization introduces

students to the process.”

The Stennis-Montgomery Association

also sponsors, in cooperation with the

Stennis Institute and Mitchell Memorial

Library, a newly inaugurated speaker series

named for the institute’s first director.

Speakers in the Morris W.H. “Bill” Collins

Speaker Series have included city, state,

and national political leaders, as well as

journalists.

One of the most important issues facing

the state, according to the Stennis Institute,

is capacity development—ensuring that

sufficient infrastructure is in place to grow

and to attract industry. Mississippi also

must face the twin needs of developing

human capital and finding opportunities for

all of its citizens in the post-welfare era,

Wiseman says. The Stennis Institute has

begun a collaboration with several state

universities, MSU’s College of Education,

and state community colleges to address

work force issues in particular.

Because politics is ever-changing,

constantly shaping itself to the needs of

citizens, there never will be a shortage of

ways to serve in the political process,

Wiseman believes. And in Mississippi, he

says, that opportunity is among the most

exciting anywhere. “Mississippi has some

of the most interesting politics in the

world.”

Summer 2001

8A L U M N U S

“I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE

IN THE WORK PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN SUCCEED

WITHOUT BEING PRODDED.

THE OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AT MISSISSIPPI STATE

HAS CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE

THAT CAN HAPPEN, AND THIS STRUCTURE

IS SOMETHING I WANT TO BE A PART OF.

MY INPUT IS THAT OF ENABLING DR. PORTERA

AND HIS TEAM TO CONTINUE MAKING

THIS GREAT UNIVERSITY BETTER.”

—HUNTER W. HENRY JR.

H

Hunter W. Henry Jr., left, and President Malcolm Porteradiscuss plans for the Hunter Henry Center during Marchgroundbreaking ceremonies for the 34,000 square-foot facility.

Summer 2001

9A L U M N U S

unter Henry Center

See related article on page 32

A NEW HOME FOR THE MSU FAMILYHMississippi State University broke

ground for its new alumni and foundation

building, the Hunter Henry Center, during

Super Bulldog Weekend ceremonies in

March. The ceremony took place near the

future site of the building, on the western

edge of campus at the intersection of Barr

Avenue and University Drive.

The 34,000 square-foot building will be

named for Canton native and lead contribu-

tor Hunter W. Henry Jr. A 1950 MSU

chemical engineering graduate now

residing in San Marcos, Texas, he is the

retired president of Dow Chemical USA.

Henry made a cornerstone commitment

of $3 million toward the center. His gift is

a substantial portion of the $8.5 million

needed to complete the facility.

Henry, among 100 persons in atten-

dance for the March 24 ceremony, told the

crowd that his contribution for the center

was not typical of his support of the

university. “In the past, I have been averse

to donating toward bricks and mortar,

limiting my contributions to scholarships

and activities for faculty enhancement. But

when a need for a facility becomes so

obvious, I think about the leadership

qualities that guided me in my life,” Henry

said.

During the groundbreaking ceremonies, HunterHenry visited with past and present recipients ofthe Hunter W. Henry Endowed Scholarship inEngineering.

By Maridith Walker Geuder Photos by Fred Faulk

“I have always tried to create an

atmosphere in the work place where

people can succeed without being prodded.

The outstanding leadership at Mississippi

State has created an atmosphere where that

can happen, and this structure is something

I want to be a part of. My input is that of

enabling Dr. Portera and his team to

continue making this great university

better.”

Henry has combined a career as a top-

level executive of a major multinational

company with a lifetime of philanthropy

and public service. He long has been a

major donor to his alma mater and was

selected in 1988 as MSU’s alumnus of the

year. Henry recently was awarded an

honorary doctor of science degree by

Mississippi State.

MSU President Malcolm Portera was

on hand to thank Henry for his commit-

ment and to reflect on what the new

facility will mean for Mississippi State.

“This really is a major milestone for this

university,” he said. “We’ve wanted to

create a facility that could be a landmark

for Mississippi. It will be a place where

we can develop and grow partnerships

between state and federal government and

business and industry that are critical to

the success of institutions like Mississippi

State.”

Designed by Foil Wyatt Architects of

Jackson, the center will house offices for

the Alumni Association and the Foundation,

a 400-seat capacity ballroom, meeting

rooms of various sizes, and a large donor

recognition area.

Construction is scheduled to begin this

summer and should take approximately 12-

18 months. “Following the most optimistic

timetable, we could have the building open

some time in the fall of 2002,” said Dennis

Prescott, vice president for external affairs.

When completed, the Henry Center will

enable the university to prepare for the

inevitable growth of its alumni and fund-

raising efforts.

Henry, center, shares a laugh withLeo Seal Jr. and Steve Taylor.

Officially kicking offconstruction of the HunterHenry Center are, from left,national alumni presidentSteve Taylor, architect E.Bowden Wyatt, foundationboard president Leo SealJr., Henry, PresidentMalcolm Portera, statecollege board memberBryce W. Griffis, and vicepresident for externalaffairs Dennis Prescott.

Summer 2001

10A L U M N U S

Like many Mississippi State students,

Rowan Taylor is an avid Bulldog baseball fan.

But unlike most students, who sit in the sunny

grandstand areas of Dudy Noble Field, Taylor

enjoys the baseball games from his skybox.

And, at age 76, he’s entitled to his comforts.

Taylor, a retired Jackson real estate lawyer

and current chair of the Mississippi

State Board of Education, is back at

MSU learning more about one of his

favorite subjects—history.

“I’ve always been crazy about

history,” said Taylor. “History has been

a lifelong interest, but I never pursued

it.”

According to John Marszalek,

professor of history and a Giles

Distinguished Professor, Taylor’s return

to the classroom started at a reception

given by former Mississippi State

President Donald Zacharias.

“As my wife and I were going

through the receiving line, Dr.

Zacharias said that there was someone

he wanted me to meet because he had a

real interest in history,” Marszalek

recalled. “He told me the person was a

donor to the university, and a few

minutes later, I was talking to Rowan Taylor.”

Marszalek recalls Taylor telling him he had

been interested in history for a long time and

that he was thinking of coming back to school

to work on a master’s degree in that area.

“We talked for awhile and I told him to

come over to the history department,” said

Marszalek. “He came over and talked to some

of the people in the department. After that, he

enrolled.”

Taylor returned to school part-time in the

spring of 1996.

“I retired about six years ago and all of

my academic background was in physics,

law, and business,” said Taylor. “I never

had done anything in humanities, so after I

retired, the idea came to me one day:

‘Why don’t I go and study history?’

That’s why I’m here.”

Following the 1998 fall semester,

Taylor graduated with his master’s degree.

“The master’s degree I earned was

primarily in Civil War history,” he said.

Taylor, whose primary residence is in

Jackson, commuted to his classes at MSU.

“When I started, I was commuting from

Jackson two and three days a week,” he

said. “A couple of years ago, I finally

decided to buy something up here, so I

purchased a little town house over in the

Cotton District, so I can come up and have

a place to spend the night.”

Marszalek said Taylor had a party after

his graduation and a group of history

professors who were there asked him if he

planned to continue his education in history.

“We told him that since he had come this

far, he might as well continue on for his

Ph.D.,” said Marszalek. “Rowan told us he

had been thinking about doing just that.”

After taking the spring semester

off, Taylor began work on his

doctorate in history the next fall.

“I’ve always been interested in

World War II since I participated in

it,” said Taylor, “So now, in the

doctoral program, I am studying

military history, especially that of

World War II.”

It was the war, Taylor recalled,

that interrupted his first stint as an

MSU student in the early 1940s.

“I originally entered Mississippi

State as a freshman in 1942 when I

was 17 years old,” he reflected,

“But when I turned 18, I joined the

Navy and they sent me to their V-12

program at Mississippi College.

“I spent three semesters there

and was sent to the midshipman

school at Northwestern University,” he said.

“Mississippi College accepted all of my

courses at Northwestern, which included

naval history and navigation, and I had

enough credit to get my bachelor’s degree in

physics in 1945.”

Taylor said receiving his degree in 1945

had a twist of irony associated with it.

“I graduated while sitting out in the

middle of the Pacific Ocean,” he said.

In addition to his undergraduate degree,

Taylor went to law school after leaving the

Navy and later earned an MBA.

Rowan Taylor and history professor John Marszalek

By Dale Dombrowski Photos by Russ Houston

Rowan Taylor’s seRowan Taylor’s se

Summer 2001

11A L U M N U S

Being back in school after retirement and

actively pursuing something he loves is

important to Taylor.

“I have had friends who have looked

forward to retirement,” he said. “They

worked until they were 65 so they could go

play golf or fish or whatever, but I have seen

many who have pursued that course of

action not live very long.

“I’m not saying I’m back in school to

keep on living, but I have a strong belief that

you must be interested in something or be

involved with pursuing something,” he said.

“You can’t go play golf every day of your

life. Studying history is something that

interests me and it is something I want to

do.”

He also believes his philosophy toward

being back in school is important.

“I’m here for the pleasure of it,” Taylor

said. “I don’t care what grades I get, and

actually it doesn’t matter if I get the Ph.D. I

don’t need the degree, but it is a goal of

sorts.”

Taylor said that despite being more than

50 years older than almost all of his

classmates, he feels he fits in well and they

accept him.

“Obviously, there is a big age difference,

but my classmates are full of energy and

enthusiasm and for me it is a pleasure to be

Rowan Taylor, seated, and,from left, assistant historyprofessor Richard Dammsand students Brian Smith,Jeremy Thornton, ShannonMallard, and Jeff Witheeenjoy an afternoon at DudyNoble Field, Polk-DeMentStadium in Taylor’s skybox.

econd brush withhistoryhistoryecond brush with

around them,” said Taylor. “They seem to

enjoy being around me, and I enjoy being

around them. Actually, it’s a lot of fun being

back in class.”

And, in addition to the fun, his younger

classmates benefit from having him in class.

“The last couple of courses I have taken

dealt with the Holocaust during World War

II and these kids have no knowledge about

that except what they have gotten out of a

book,” he said. “I was there.”

Summer 2001

12A L U M N U S

Against a vivid blue background, a

decidedly turn-of-the-century young woman

laughs into her hand, catching the spirit of

an era known for its exuberance and sense of

fun. “Giggling Rag” reads the heading on

this amazingly colorful illustration, inside

which one finds the sheet music for Howard

M. Guthen’s ragtime melody.

It’s one of more than 22,000 pieces in the

Charles H. Templeton Sheet Music Collec-

tion, now being digitized by Mississippi

State University’s Mitchell Memorial

Library. The fragile paper-works, many a

century old, are being preserved electroni-

cally in a collection available to scholars

worldwide at http://library.msstate.edu/

ragtime/main.html. The sights, the sounds,

and the history of the collection are being

consolidated in one of the most extensive

online sheet music archives in the nation.

“At this point, the digital collection

contains only a sampling of the sheet

music,” said Frances N. Coleman, MSU

dean of libraries. “We launched the web site

in August 2000, but digitizing a collection

of this magnitude will take several more

months,” she noted.

The sheet music is part of a wide range of

musical memorabilia amassed by Starkville

businessman Charles H. Templeton, who

died last year. His interests led him to focus

especially on the commercial aspects of

music at a time when the widespread

availability of sheet music and pianos made

music sales soar.

His entire collection, donated to Missis-

sippi State in 1987, includes more than 200

musical instruments, 15,000 records, and the

sheet music representing a time from the Gay

Nineties to the Depression-era 1930s. The

library currently is configuring space to

house the collection of musical artifacts.

Stephen Cunetto, library systems

administrator, said digitizing the sheet music

collection was a significant undertaking.

“Providing access to the collection in

electronic format will expand its availability

to students of early 20th century American

culture and ensure the protection of often

fragile paper documents,” he said.

The project is a collaboration with

university archivist Michael Ballard and the

library’s Instructional Media Center, which is

under the direction of Cunetto and Paula

Lehman. Together, they worked with the

university’s administrator of network

systems to ensure appropriate conservation

and preservation of the unique collection.

For scholars, the collection will have

broad appeal beyond just its musical

interests, library dean Coleman explained.

“With composers such as W.C. Handy,

Charles L. Johnson, Arthur Pryor, and Irving

Berlin represented, the history of

a nation is reflected in the

Templeton music,” Coleman said.

“The often elaborate illustrations

of the songs also provide a

window into the ideas and politics

of the times.”

Before he donated the

collection, Charles Templeton

arranged the music into categories

that included Rags, Blues, Movie

Tunes, Foxtrots, Popular, Show

Tunes, War Songs, Irving Berlin,

and Specialty. The digital version maintains

these categories, with illustrations and

historical background that introduce each

section. Each section is a distinctive cultural

snapshot of a country embarking on a new

century and a new identity.

Dating from the 1890s, ragtime devel-

oped from a blend of African-American

syncopated rhythms superimposed on

Western dance. Among the most popular

composers were Scott Joplin, Herbert

“Eubie” Blake, James Scott, and Sophie

Tucker. The first published instrumental

Victorian-era MUSic gVictorian-era MUSic gVictorian-era MUSic gVictorian-era MUSic gVictorian-era MUSic gBy Maridith Walker Geuder

13

Summer 2001

A L U M N U S

music to use the word “rag” was “The

Mississippi Rag,” published in 1897.

“Beale Street Blues,” “Alabama Moon,”

“The Yellow Dog Blues,” and a galaxy of

other 1920s melodies represent the blues,

which were born and nurtured in the South.

Like ragtime, the blues had their

genesis in the African-American

experience.

Dating from the early days of

the talking pictures, tunes such as

“Evangeline,” “Joan of Arc,” and

“Don’t Break My Heart With

Goodbye” signal the shift to a

ground-breaking arena for musical

composition. Many songs for the

new movie medium were composed

to showcase a particular star of the

period.

“The Gaby Glide,” “Everybody Two-

Step,” and “Do the Funny Fox-Trot”

illustrate a 1920s dance craze set off by two

Americans who gained fame in the cafes of

Paris. Vernon and Irene Castle introduced

one of the most popular ballroom dance

steps of all time.

Music met machine in the early 20th

century, as Thomas Edison’s “talking

machine” cylinders gained popularity. Show

tunes such as “Can’t You See I’m Lonely,”

“A Little Bit of Everything” from the

Ziegfield Follies, and “Who’ll Be Your

Sweetheart Then?” often originated in

American musical theater. Edison’s record-

ing system allowed broad audiences to enjoy

the new music.

Although he barely read music, Irving

Berlin—whose life spanned much of the 20th

century—was among the most prolific

American songwriters. In 1911, the then-

23-year-old launched a spectacular career

with the popularity of his major hit,

“Alexander’s Rag Time Band.” Over more

than five decades, he would compose such

all-American favorites as “White Christmas,”

“There’s No Business Like Show Business,”

and “God Bless America.”

As the United States approached World

War I, music helped galvanize the nation.

President Woodrow Wilson drew on the

talents of Tin Pan Alley for tunes that would

rally Americans. “Military Waltz,” “My

Dream of the Big Parade,” and others written

by composers such as Berlin roused a

patriotic resolve.

“Thanks to the vision and generosity of

Mr. Templeton, a rare look into American life

now will be available to a wide audience,”

Coleman said.

goeSgoeSgoeSgoeSgoeSThe Templeton Sheet Music Archive is

housed in the library’s special collections

department, where the original collection

will continue to be available to scholars by

appointment.

MSU President Malcolm Portera said the

archives also are important to the library’s

research status.

“The Templeton Archives is enhancing

research opportunities available at Missis-

sippi State’s libraries and will contribute to

a university goal of achieving membership

in the Association of Research Libraries,”

Portera said.

Mitchell Memorial Library also houses

the papers of novelist and 1977 MSU

graduate John Grisham, along with those of

journalists Turner Catledge, Hodding Carter,

Bill Minor, and Sid Salter, and the Missis-

sippi Press Association. In addition, the

library is home to the Congressional and

Political Research Center, which houses the

papers of former U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis,

Rep. Chip Pickering and former representa-

tives David R. Bowen, Mike Espy, Charles

Griffin, and G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery.

onlineonlineonlineonlineonline at MSUat MSUat MSUat MSUat MSUPhotos courtesy of Mitchell Memorial Library

Summer 2001

16A L U M N U S

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Montgomery, Henryreceive degrees

Mississippi State again hasrecognized the significantlifetime contributions of former3rd District Congressman G.V.“Sonny” Montgomery andformer Dow Chemical Co.executive Hunter W. Henry.

The two MSU graduatesreceived honorary degreesduring May commencementceremonies.Montgomery’sis a doctor oflaws degree;Henry’s, adoctor ofscience.

“Theseindividualshave achievednationalprominence for their energeticand far-sighted leadership ingovernment and in industry,”said MSU President MalcolmPortera. “Along with theirprofessional and politicalaccomplishments, they havedemonstrated deep commit-

ments to service.“Their lives

and their workembody theprinciples thatThe People’sUniversitystands for, andwe are pleasedto bestow onthem Mississippi

State’s highest honor,” Porteraadded.

Both men have beenrecognized earlier with nationalalumnus of the year awards.Montgomery, a 1943 businessgraduate, was selected in 1978;Henry, a 1950 chemicalengineering graduate, in 1988.

Montgomery, now working

as an Alexandria, Va., consult-ant, served in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives for 30 yearsuntil his retirement in 1996.He spent 28 years on the HouseVeterans Affairs Committee,including 14 as its chairman.He also was a 12-term memberof the Armed Services Commit-tee.

Much of his legislativeeffort was devoted to strength-ening the Army Reserves andthe National Guard. Montgom-ery was chief architect of the1984 peacetime GI educationbill that bears his name. TheMeridian native also played akey role in securing support forthe Veterans Administrationhospitals in Jackson and Biloxi,

He began his public servicecareer with election to theMississippi Senate in 1956.

Hunter Henry, who nowresides in San Marcos, Texas,has combined a career as a top-level executive of a majormultinational company with alifetime of philanthropy andpublic service.

The Canton native began hiscareer with Dow in 1951. Herose quickly through the ranksto hold a series of vicepresidential positions, includ-ing management of Dow’slargest operating division. Hethen was named president ofDow Brazil and, in 1982,president of Dow ChemicalUSA.

From there, he was pro-moted to executive vicepresident of the Dow ChemicalCo., with responsibility for allcompany activities outside theUnited States. Due to companypolicy regarding boardmembers who reach age 60, herelinquished his managementresponsibilities in 1988 butcontinued to serve on the board

of directors until retiring in1993.

At Mississippi State, Henryserved five terms on theuniversity foundation’s boardand 15 years on College ofEngineering advisory boards.

He is the lead donor for anew $8 million building tohouse the university’s founda-tion and alumni association.

Researchers rootfor ‘bear’ facts

After 11 years of research,Mississippi State scientists nowcan speak with authority aboutthe two black bear subspeciesnative to thestate.

TheForest andWildlifeResearchCenterrecentlyconcluded an intensive studybegun in 1990 to learn as muchas possible about the Americanand Louisiana black bears.Both are on the state’s list ofendangered species.

“The number of black bearscurrently in Mississippi isanyone’s guess, but mostbiologists tend to agree that itranges between 20 and 50,mostly young males,” saidproject leader Bruce Leopold.“The goal of our research wasto learn enough about them tohelp increase the population.”

Leopold, a wildlife biologistin MSU’s wildlife and fisheriesdepartment, said black bearswere quite abundant throughoutthe Mississippi Delta until theearly 1900s.

Leopold’s team recentlycompleted a habitat study that

involved capturing, radio-collaring, and tracking morethan 30 bears in neighboringArkansas. Several importantfacts surfaced, among them therole of the Mississippi River asa physical barrier for mobilebears.

“Young male bears rou-tinely swim the MississippiRiver from Arkansas toMississippi, but most femalesrefuse to make the swim,”Leopold said. “This indicatesMississippi’s bear population isunlikely to increase throughdispersal from the highnumbers in Arkansas withouthelp from wildlife biologists.”

Another part of the researchfocusing on habitat evaluationfound MSU scientists samplingplots of land in all ofMississippi’s national forestsand national wildlife refuges.As a result, suitable habitatsare determined to exist in theDeSoto National Forest inSoutheast Mississippi and theHomochitto National Forestnear Brookhaven.

“When the introductionstudy begins, four to sixfemales will be placed in oneof the forests with suitablehabitat,” Leopold said.“Following the study, theMississippi Department ofWildlife, Fisheries and Parksand the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService will review the dataand conduct public hearings tolearn the concerns of Mississip-pians about the re-introductionof bears to the state.”

Montgomery

Henry

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College Board leaderaddresses spring grads

The state College Board’snew leader urged more than2,000 Mississippi Stategraduates to “be more than acobblestone on the highway oflife.”

Bill Crawford of Meridian,who recently became presidentof the Board of Trustees of thestate Institutions of HigherLearning, was the university’sspring commencement speaker.He also is president of theMeridian-based G.V. “Sonny”Montgomery Institute, a newleadership developmentorganization, and vice presi-dent for community develop-ment at Meridian CommunityCollege.

Holding up a piece ofcobblestone, Crawford told theaudience that it had come homewith him from a visit toDresden, Germany.

“I have no idea how old thispiece is, but when I look at it, Iwonder,” he said. “Did MartinLuther walk on it in 1517 onhis way to incite the Reforma-tion?”

While cobblestones “can benear and can witness much thatis grand, cobblestones them-selves are never grand,”Crawford said. But he told thegraduates that they have thecapacity and knowledge “tobecome more than a cobble-stone. . . . You can change theworld.”

Nearly 2,200 MSU studentswere candidates for degrees atthe end of the spring semester.Of approximately 1,540receiving bachelor’s degrees,15 graduated with perfect 4.0grade-point averages.

HONORED BY MSU—Three graduating international studentsare being honored by Mississippi State for outstandingacademic and leadership achievements at the university. Theyinclude, from left, senior architecture major Sze Mun “Matt”Lam of Hong Kong; Yi “Tracy” Cui of the People’s Republic ofChina, a master’s degree candidate in management andinformation systems; and Sewon O of the Republic of SouthKorea, a doctoral candidate in accounting. Congratulatingthem is Helen K. Zuercher, director of the sponsoring Interna-tional Services Office.

Technology educationmodel expands toadditional schools

A Mississippi State-organized program that worksto increase technologyintegration in state classroomsis making plans to involve atotal of 20 public schooldistricts spread among all fivecongressional districts.

Coordinated by theuniversity’s Center forEducational and TrainingTechnology, the project isknown as CREATE forMississippi. CREATE is anacronym for ChallengingRegional Educators to AdvanceTechnology in Education.

The Tupelo Public SchoolDistrict serves as the leadagency of the two-year, $1.5million project.

Funded by the United StatesDepartment of Education, theeffort mixes student “techno-teams” with wireless comput-ers, digital cameras, technol-ogy-based lesson plans, andother innovations.

School districts implement-ing the project during the 2001-02 year will include Drew,Greenville, Hollandale, andSouth Delta school districts;East Jasper, Lauderdale, andLowndes county schools; andWest Point Municipal.

Mechanical engineeringstudents win again

For the fifth consecutiveyear, Mississippi Statemechanical engineeringstudents hold the top spotamong regional chapters.

The 130-member universitychapter recently captured theIngersoll-Rand Award at theAmerican Society of Mechani-cal Engineers’ Region XIStudent Conference in WestPalm Beach, Fla. The annualrecognition goes to the campusorganization with the mostservice and leadership activitiesduring the past year.

The region includes 14universities and colleges in fivestates.

The Ingersoll-Rand Co., amajor supporter of ASMEprograms and activities,sponsors the award. A $300check accompanies the honor.

MSU students previouslywon the award outright in1998, 1999, and last year.They shared in 1997 withChristian Brothers Universityin Memphis, Tenn., and theUniversity of South Florida inTampa.

Cornell researcher tohead biotech institute

A Cornell Universityscientist has been nameddirector of MSU’s new LifeSciences and BiotechnologyInstitute.

Alan Wood, who assumedhis duties this spring, comes tothe state from the BoyceThompson Institute for PlantResearch at the Ithaca, N.Y.,institution. His research therehas included the development

Summer 2001

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of biologically based pestmanagement strategies.

The Jackson-based RobertM. Hearin Support Foundationand Mississippi TechnologyInc. are partners with theuniversity in establishing thebiotechnology institute. Theinstitute’s goal is to increaseeconomic development inMississippi based on thebiological sciences.

The MSU-based MississippiAgricultural and ForestryExperiment Station coordi-nated the institute’s creation.

Wood is co-founder ofAgriVirion Inc., a producer ofinexpensive, environmentallysafe bioengineered pesticides.

In 1994, he was appointedto the USDA’s AgriculturalBiotechnology AdvisoryCommittee.

Wood holds a bachelor’sdegree in biology fromMiddlebury (Vt.) College and amaster’s and doctorate invirology from Purdue Univer-sity.

Beach party was workfor landscape students

When a group of Missis-sippi State students recently hitthe beach in Biloxi, it wasn’tfor a spring break fling.

Thirty of the university’slandscape architecture majorstraveled to the Gulf Coast tocreate a three-acre salt marshacross U.S. Highway 90 fromBiloxi’s Miramar Park. Whenthe work was complete, theyhad set out 6,000 plants alongwhat had been an empty stretchof white sand and water.

“The class planted 11cabbage palms on the beachand black needle rush and

smooth cord grass in thewater,” said landscape architec-ture professor Pete Melby.“They also installed bitterpanic grass and salt marsh hay.”

The plants, which are nativeto the Gulf Coast, had beendonated by Northrop GrummanLitton Ingalls Shipbuilding inPascagoula.

Melby said that while therecently planted grass and treeswill have aesthetic value, thisproject is designed to do morethan improve the scenic viewfor Highway 90 travelers.

“The plants in the marsh are

taking toxins and pollutants outof runoff water,” he explained.“As a result, this area can serveas a blueprint for creatingbetter water quality in the Gulfof Mexico.”

MSU introduces no-costfurniture mill software

New software recentlydeveloped at MSU promises tobe a boon for the furnitureindustry by taking the guess-work out of managing lumbercut up by rough mills.

Rough mills turn lumberinto rectangular pieces thateventually become finishedfurniture components.

Named RIP-Xcut—RIP-Xfor short—the software assistsin maximizing yields byproviding an analysis ofproduction.

“While the rough mill taskof producing rectangular partsfrom lumber appears to be asimple one, there are numerousfactors at work that simulta-neously influence lumberyields,” said software designerPhilip Steele. “The numberand sizes of parts cut fromlumber constantly change, asdoes the lumber grade mix.”

Steele, a professor of forestproducts, said the programprovides digital simulations for1,500 to 2,000 board feet oflumber in each of six grades.In addition to analyzing partyields and costs, it determinesthe best lumber grade mix.

Available free of charge tolumber mills and furnituremanufacturers, RIP-X can beordered online atwww.cfr.msstate.edu/fwrc/products/software/ripx.html.

MSU named centerfor computer security

The nation’s largest andmost secret intelligence agencyis adding Mississippi State to aselect public list it maintains.

The National SecurityAgency recently invited MSUto join 22 other schools in itsCenter of Academic Excellencein Information AssuranceEducation program. Carnegie-Mellon and Georgia Techuniversities and the U.S.Military Academy are amongthe others in the group.

MSU HONORS WOMEN—Eight Mississippi State and Starkvillewomen are this year’s selection for an honors program sponsoredby the MSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women andStarkville branch of AmSouth Bank. Recently recognized foroutstanding achievement are, seated from left, Rebecca K. Toghiani,Outstanding Faculty Woman; Ruth W. Josey, Bettye DouglasMemorial Outstanding Secretarial/Clerical Woman; Liesel A.Ritchie, Outstanding Professional Non-Faculty Woman; standing,second from left, Kay C. Krans, Outstanding Community Woman;Clytee T. James, Outstanding Service/Maintenance Woman; seniorSara S. Smolensky of Waveland, Outstanding UndergraduateWoman; and Barbara A. Spencer, Outstanding Executive/Adminis-trative/Managerial Woman. Presenting the awards were AmSouthbranch president Larry Jones,left, and MSU President MalcolmPortera. Not pictured is doctoral student Patricia Dillon ofDeLand, Fla., Outstanding Graduate Woman.

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NSA officials establishedthe assistance program twoyears ago as a way to encour-age American highereducation’s help in overcominga national shortage of special-ists trained in informationsystems security.

Inclusion in the centers ofexcellence program “recog-nizes that Mississippi State hasreached a high level of successin the area of computersecurity,” said computerscientist Rayford Vaughn.

Among several immediatebenefits, the university nowbecomes eligible for NSA’ssponsored scholarship program.

Survey shows stridesin tobacco education

With more than 40 percentof Mississippi homes reportingthey now are smoke-free, theMagnolia State leads the nationin many aspects of tobaccocontrol.

These are among findings ofa new survey released thisspring by Mississippi State.

In 1999, the university’sSocial Science Research Centersurveyed 3,040 residents abouttheir tobacco use and attitudesas part of an overall evaluationof the state’s tobacco pilotprogram. A recent follow-upsurvey provides evidence ofchanges in the social climateregarding tobacco use, saidSSRC director Arthur G.Cosby.

“In one year, Mississippihas experienced some signifi-cant changes in the socialclimate for tobacco control,”said Cosby, also a projectinvestigator.

The follow-up studycoincides with the first

complete year of the Missis-sippi Tobacco Pilot Project, acomprehensive tobaccoprevention and educationprogram directed by thePartnership for a HealthyMississippi.

“Perhaps the most notablechange occurred in our homes,”said research psychologistRobert C. McMillen, whohelped design the survey. “In2000, some 42 percent ofMississippi householdssurveyed were smoke-free.That compares to less than 26percent the previous year.”

Other findings:—More than 80 percent of

Mississippi adults nowconsider teenage tobacco use aserious problem.

—More than 80 percentbelieve that tobacco companylogos should be prohibited onclothing and gear students wearto school.

—More than 77 percent feeltobacco company advertisingshould be prohibited atsporting and cultural events.

‘Urban’ forestry growingnew academic option

A new area of specializationfor Mississippi State students isaddressing a need for profes-sionals who can manage treesin towns and cities.

Majors in the College ofForest Resources’ urbanforestry option learn to takecare of trees along city streetsand in municipal parks, privatewoodlots, and utility right-of-ways. Potential employersinclude all levels of govern-ment, private consultants, andindustry.

Begun last fall, the nation-ally accredited curriculum is

offered within MSU’s tradi-tional forestry major, saidforestry department professorKeith Belli.

“The urban forestry optionis available at only a few otherschools in the South,” saidBelli, the department’sundergraduate programcoordinator.

Belli said urban forestersusually work with city plannersin designing parks and woodedareas, as well as in managingland between urbanized andrural areas.

Teacher candidatesrecord near-perfectpass rate

MSU students have a 99percent passing rate on thestate’s licensing exam foraspiring school teachers.

Of 300 MSU studentscompleting requirements in ateacher preparation programwho last year took one or moreof the required Praxis tests,298 passed all of the tests theytook—a success rate of 99.3percent.

Mississippi requirescandidates for teacher certifica-tion to pass both a professionalknowledge test for teachersand a test on an academiccontent area.

Out of 169 at MSU whotook the Principles of Teachingand Learning test required forall prospective teachers, 168passed. Of 247 who took asubject area test such asmathematics or history, 245passed. All 13 students takinga separate test for specialeducation teachers also passed.

CVM offers info serviceto state veterinarians

The College of VeterinaryMedicine provides a weekdayinformation resource desk forveterinarians and other animalcare professionals.

Located at the Wise Centerlibrary, the collection ofveterinary medical-relatedbooks, journals, multi-mediamaterials, handbooks andtextbooks, and electronicdatabases are available 8 a.m.-5p.m., Mondays-Fridays.

Both quick-referenceassistance and in-depth supportare provided for professionalclients at no cost via e-mail,telephone, or fax.

Also available are referencelists of books that may beordered through hometown orarea libraries.

Telephone requests shouldbe directed to JohnCruickshank at 662-325-1256;fax 662-325-1141; e-maillibrary@cvm.msstate.edu.

Lab in big searchfor tiny technology

An MSU engineer is joininga federal government-sup-ported research projectinvolving a new frontier oftechnology that’s both tiny andhuge.

Stephen E. Saddow, directorof the Emerging MaterialsResearch Laboratory, hasreceived the university’s firstresearch award focusing onnanotechnology—technologyto create materials on the scaleof nanometers or one-billionthof a meter.

Saddow will be collaborat-ing with colleagues at Carnegie

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Mellon University in Pitts-burgh, Pa., who earlier receivedthe comprehensive Departmentof Defense grant to applynanotechnology to the manu-facture of compound semicon-ductors.

The five-year project is oneof only 16 selected this year forfunding by DOD’s UniversityResearch Initiative onNanotechnology, or DURINT.MSU’s portion of the DURINTgrant totals $625,000.

MSU, child healthcenter join forces

Mississippi State has joinedwith a major national instituteto promote research that canimprove the health of childrenaround the nation.

The Center for Child HealthResearch, an independentaffiliate of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics,announced recently that it isjoining with the university’sSocial Science Research Centerto conduct studies of criticalissues facing children and theirfamilies.

Additionally, the twoinstitutions will take steps todevelop links between ongoingresearch and public policy andto provide a bridge betweenhealth-care professionals and awide variety of academicdisciplines.

The new CollaboratingCenters for Child and FamilyHealth Research will involveresearch scientists, physicians,and others with an expertise inchild health issues and socialscience research.

Linda H. Southward,coordinator of the SSRC’sFamily and Children ResearchUnit, will lead the MSU effort

and serve as liaison to theCenter for Child HealthResearch.

SSRC director Arthur G.Cosby said the new alliancewould address issues withspecial relevance of one kindor another in every region ofthe country.

“While some of the initialprojects will focus upon thehealth of Mississippi’schildren, we also will developstudies that are national inscope and substantiallycontribute to improved healthof children throughout thecountry,” Cosby said.

Engineering centercelebrates a decadeof contributions

Though there were no capsand gowns or diplomas in sight,Mississippi State recently heldan important graduationceremony.

The university celebratedboth the 10th year of itsNational Science FoundationEngineering Research Centerand the center’s “graduation”from fixed federal funding.

Created in 1990 as one ofthe NSF’s first 18 engineeringresearch centers, the facility’s

mission is to find new ways toreduce the time and cost ofcomplex engineering analysisand design problems. Cur-rently, 37 engineering researchcenters operate nationwide,each pursuing that samemission in its own high-technology specialty.

Speaking at the graduationcelebration, Bruce M. Kramer,NSF director for engineeringeducation and centers, calledthe university’s facility a“shining star” and “primeexample of how the nation hasregained its internationaltechnology edge through thecooperation of state andnational government agencies,universities and industry.”

An interdisciplinary effort,the ERC involves scientistsfrom engineering, computerscience, mathematics, thebiosciences, and other MSUprograms. Each year, about100 undergraduate andgraduate students are selectedto participate in the researchprojects.

Institute to address gapin math education

America’s elementary andjunior high school students arefalling behind their overseascounterparts in the develop-ment of math skills, said JaneHarvill, an assistant professorof mathematics and statistics atMSU.

“A recent study publishedby the National ResearchCenter shows U.S. third- andfourth-grade students do wellcompared to their overseascounterparts,” Harvill said.“But by the eighth grade theyscore below the internationalaverage in math and science.”

HONORED BY LEGISLATORS—Senior Jenny M. Reeves of Oxford,center, is the 2001 HEADWAE Student of the Year at MississippiState. The honor is given as part of the MississippiLegislature’s annual Higher Education Appreciation Day/Working for Academic Excellence program. Reeves recentlycompleted a yearlong term as president of the MSU StudentAssociation. The political science major and Oxford HighSchool graduate, here with parents Carolyn and Jim Reeves atthe recent Jackson awards ceremony, also holds two of MSU’smost prestigious academic honors, the Ottilie Schillig Leader-ship and the John C. Stennis scholarships. Dr. Robert C.Cooper, director of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s AnimalHealth Center and former Holland Faculty Senate chair, isMSU’s 2001 faculty honoree.

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The problem is especiallyacute in Mississippi. Accordingto a report in Education Weekmagazine, only 7 percent ofeighth graders in the state aremath proficient, compared to 23percent for the nation.

To help the state deal withthe problem, Harvill and facultycolleagues at MSU andMississippi University forWomen recently established theInstitute for Algebra andQuantitative Literacy on theStarkville campus. The Boardof Trustees, Institutions ofHigher Learning is providingsupport for the institute throughthe federal Title II EisenhowerProfessional DevelopmentProgram.

As a first step in remedyingthe situation, the instituterecently sponsored an algebraand quantitative literacyworkshop on the MSU campusfor 20 teachers from 15 areacounties.

New biomedicalengineering degreesapproved for MSU

The university is adding twonew degree programs in a fieldat the forefront of advancingquality of life.

Starting in August, univer-sity students will have theopportunity to pursue master’sand doctoral degrees inbiomedical engineering.

“These biomedical engineer-ing graduate programs build ona tradition of nearly 30 years ofMSU research and graduatetraining in the field,” saidJerome A. Gilbert, head of thedepartment of agricultural andbiological engineering.

Because it includes such

areas as tissue engineering, drugdelivery, and the development ofartificial joints, biomedicalengineering “will be at thecenter of upcoming technologi-cal advances in medicine,”Gilbert said. The graduateprogram will complement andsupport MSU’s new LifeSciences and BiotechnologyInstitute, he added.

The department of agricul-tural and biological engineeringwill administer the program.Faculty from MSU’s aerospaceengineering, electrical andcomputer engineering, industrialengineering, chemistry, animaland dairy sciences, and veteri-nary medicine, as well as theUniversity of MississippiMedical Center in Jackson, alsowill be involved.

‘Brat’ memoirs providingsupport for libraries

His father was a 1917Mississippi A&M alumnus whospent a career teaching botanyon the Starkville campus. As achild, he was raised—literally—in the shadow of Scott Field andathletes like Dudy Noble whocompeted there.

Now, J. Chester McKee Jr. isputting parts of seven decadesworth of memories in a book

whose sales provide supportfor the MSU libraries.

Campus Brat is publishedby Friends of the MSULibraries, a local privatesupport group. McKee’sreminiscences cover a periodfrom the 1920s until the early1940s, when he left Missis-sippi State College to serve inWorld War II.

The 130-page book isavailable for $24.95 (plus $5for shipping and handling) bywriting to Friends of the MSULibraries, P.O. Box 5408,Mississippi State, MS 39762.All proceeds will supportlibrary services.

“Chester McKee is anatural storyteller with anincredibly keen memory fordetails,” said MSU historyprofessor emeritus WilliamParrish, who edited the work.“Many of the stories includedin his book are being told forthe first time.”

Like his father, McKeedevoted his professionalcareer to Mississippi State.He served as electricalengineering department head,graduate school dean, and thefirst university researchofficer. He retired in 1979 asvice president emeritus forresearch and graduate studies.

Order your 2002 MSU calendars now

Orders are being taken for the 2002 edition of the MississippiState University calendar. The 14-month, 9”x12” format hangingwall calendar features color photographs of campus scenes andlistings of holidays and events. These calendars make ideal Christ-mas gifts for the Bulldogs on your list. They will be available forshipping in early fall.

To order, go to https://www.ur.msstate.edu/calendar/ and placeyour order by credit card online via our secure Internet transactionserver. You also can place credit card orders by calling the MSUFoundation at 662-325-3410.

WMSV broadcasts‘Conference Call’

One of the nation’s mostpopular syndicated sports talkshows is airing on MississippiState’s radio station.

WMSV-FM, which broad-casts to a 60-mile radius of theuniversity, carries “SECConference Call” 5-8 p.m.Monday through Friday at 91.1on the dial. Host ScottMcKinney is joined on eachlive program by commentatorsTim Brando of CBS Sports andformer Auburn University headfootball coach Terry Bowden ofABC Sports.

Heard on more than 70affiliate stations throughout theSoutheastern Conference area,the year-round show providescomprehensive information onseasonal sports of the numer-ous regional universities andcolleges.

“Conference Call” is apresentation of the UnitedSports Talk Network ofMemphis, Tenn.

Located at the StudentMedia Center in the heart ofcampus, WMSV is a 14,000-watt community licensedstation on the air 24 hours aday, 365 days a year.

Visit the Conference Callweb site at http://ustn.net.

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University involvedin Fulbright exchange

Mississippi State is sendingand receiving scholars this yearthrough the nation’s flagshipinternational exchange pro-gram.

A retired university facultymember and a biologicalengineering student are 2001Fulbright American Scholars,while a leading Albanianveterinary professor will visitthe Starkville campus as aFulbright Visiting Scholar.

Established in 1946, theawards enable Americans tostudy, teach, lecture, andconduct research abroad.Foreign nationals also areencouraged to engage in similaractivities in the U.S.

Participants are selected onthe basis of academic orprofessional qualifications.

Armando de la Cruz, MSUprofessor emeritus of biologicalsciences and zoology, is at themid-point of a 10-monthFulbright-sponsored tenure atthe University of Andalas onthe Indonesian island ofSumatra. He is lecturing onecology and environmentalsciences and presentingseminars at other Indonesianschools and in neighboringcountries.

Graduate student ChadWinter of Pontotoc, a biologicalengineering major, is leaving inAugust for a nine-monthresearch fellowship at theUniversity of Nyjmegen in theNetherlands. His study willfocus on an area of bone cellresponse to mechanical strain.He is a 1998 MSU graduate inbiological engineering.

Later this year, Dr. Edmond

Panariti, deputy director ofAlbania’s Veterinary ResearchInstitute, joins the MSUCollege of Veterinary Medicinefaculty for a six-month researchproject.

Senior named national‘Mo’ Udall Fellow

A forest resources manage-ment major is among some 80university and college studentsreceiving national scholarshipsthat memorialize a leadingenvironmentalist.

Senior Amanda L. Grau ofMarion, Ky.,is a 2001Morris K.UdallFoundationFellow. The$5,000fellowshipwill supporther furtherstudy of theenvironment.

Grau is the second MSUstudent in as many years toreceive the honor. Last year,forestry major William H.Howell of Davenport, Iowa,was a selection for the fellowsprogram.

Congress created the UdallFoundation in 1992 to honorthe former U.S. representativefrom Arizona who served 1961-91. As chair of the HouseCommittee on Interior andInsular Affairs, “Mo” Udall ledefforts to double the size of thenational park system and triplethe size of the nationalwilderness system.

Grau is a 1998 graduate ofCrittenden County HighSchool, where she maintained aperfect 4.0 grade-point average.

At MSU, she is a NationalMerit Scholar, Sharp AcademicExcellence Scholar, andPresident’s Scholar.

Her campus activitiesinclude the Golden Key HonorSociety, Society of AmericanForesters, and the MSUForestry Club, among others.

Following her May 2002graduation from MSU, sheplans to pursue a master’sdegree, then work in the area ofnatural resources managementeducation.

Grau

Graduates named tointernship program

Two Mississippi Stategraduate students who receiveddegrees in May are selectionsfor the nation’sleadinggovernmentinternshipprogram.

Roger D.Crowder Jr. ofLouisville andMusette C.Edwards ofStarkville areamong some550 master’s-and doctoral-degree graduates from through-out the United States recentlynamed to the two-year Presi-dential Management InternProgram.

Both are receiving master’sdegrees in public policy andadministration from thedepartment of political science.Their selection raises to ninethe number of MSU politicalscience graduates selected forthe PMI program over the pastfive years.

“The PMI selection processis very competitive and the

positions are highly sought,”said Doug Feig, politicalscience department head.“That’s why the program isconsidered to be the mostprestigious method by whichrecent graduates can enterfederal service.”

Crowder, who previouslyreceived an MSU bachelor’sdegree in communication/public relations, is joining theU.S. Department of Defense asa budget analyst in thePentagon with the Office of theChief of Naval Operations.While completing his master’s,Crowder has worked as anassistant in the MSU ExtensionService’s Center for Govern-mental Technology.

Edwards, a cum laudepolitical science/pre-law

graduateofJacksonStateUniver-sity, willbe amanage-mentsupportspecialistin theSocialSecurity

Administration’s Atlanta, Ga.,regional headquarters. She hasbeen working as a graduateassistant in the political sciencedepartment.

Both will begin their workassignments in late summer.

Established by PresidentCarter in 1977 and reconsti-tuted by President Reagan in1982, the program providesinterns with a starting salary ofapproximately $35,000 and thelikelihood of permanent federalemployment upon completionof their work period.

Edwards and Crowder

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▼20012001200120012001

FOOTBALL SCHEDULFOOTBALL SCHEDULFOOTBALL SCHEDULFOOTBALL SCHEDULFOOTBALL SCHEDULEEEEESeptember 3 (Mon.) MEMPHIS

September 15 BRIGHAM YOUNG

September 20 (Thurs.) SOUTH CAROLINA

September 29 @ Florida

October 6 @ Auburn

October 13 TROY STATE (Homecoming)

October 20 LSU

November 3 KENTUCKY

November 10 @ Alabama

November 17 @ Arkansas

November 22 (Thurs.) MISSISSIPPI

All dates subject to change, times TBA.

A May graduate who plans a career inphysical therapy is among 30 selected for a2001 Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence.

Annemarie E. Pimentel, a physicaleducation/fitness management major fromMason, Ohio, will apply the $1,000 scholar-ship towards a master’s degree. She is a three-year player on the MSU Lady Bulldog SoccerTeam and graduated this spring with a perfect4.0 grade average.

Phi Kappa Phi is the collegiate academic honor organizationfor superior students in all fields of study.

Pimentel also is receiving a $5,000 scholarship from theSoutheastern Conference for being among this year’s BoydMcWhorter Award finalists. Named for the long-time formercommissioner, the annual award recognizes top scholar-athletesat the 12 SEC member schools.

Earlier this year, she was selected for a David HalbrookAward, Mississippi’s highest academic achievement recogni-tion for athletes at state colleges and universities.

Student-athlete tapped fornational academic honor

Pimentel

Generally favorable weather over thewinter has enabled construction teams toapproach the halfway point on major east-side additions to Davis Wade Stadium atScott Field. The $28 million remodelingincludes 50 luxury skyboxes, 1,700 club-level seats, a 17,000 square-foot club-level

lounge, and severalthousand more top deckseats. When complete latethis year, the expandedfootball stadium will seatapproximately 52,000.

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Eight alumni were honored recently asthe university’s 2001 College and SchoolAlumni of the Year.

The honorees include:Dr. Sharon Sue Gibbons Black of

Starkville, College of Veterinary Medicine.In 1985, she earned a doctor of veterinarymedicine degree from MSU. After workingfor several years in a veterinary diagnosticlaboratory, she returned to Mississippi Stateto earn a 1994 doctorate in veterinarymedical sciences. She currently works as ananatomic pathologist at MSU’s veterinarycollege. The Hattiesburg native also is anassociate professor in the college’sDiagnostic Laboratory and Field ServicesProgram. Her expertise in wildlife forensicpathology has earned her widespreadrecognition, including a 1999 stint on theFood Quality Protection Act ScienceReview Board for the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency.

A.P. “Jack” Hatcher Jr. of Pinehurst,N.C., College of Engineering. Hatcher is a1949 civil engineering graduate and Ripleynative. He is a member of both the engi-neering dean’s Development Council andthe MSU Foundation board of directors. Asa council member, he provided $1.25million to create an endowed chair in thecollege promoting entrepreneurship. Henow leads an advisory board of alumni whoprovide continuing input to the chair. Anentrepreneur himself, Hatcher currently co-owns Inland Steel Buildings in Pinehurst.He also serves as chairman ofEagleventures Inc., Inland’s holdingcompany.

Dr. Karen D. Hulett of Jackson,College of Arts and Sciences. Hulettgraduated in 1971 with a degree in generalscience. Now a medical doctor in Jackson,the McComb native spent eight yearsworking for the Mississippi Department ofHealth before leaving to become a self-employed medical consultant. She and herhusband Bill recently put a stop to agingcampus traffic signs when they fundedreplacements. And, last year, the coupleendowed a scholarship in the college.

2001 College and School Alumni of the Year are selected

Dr. Mark E. Keenum of Alexandria,Va., College of Agriculture and LifeSciences. Keenum has earned threeagriculture-related degrees from MSU: abachelor’s in 1983, a master’s in 1984 and adoctorate in 1988. As chief of staff to U.S.Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, theCorinth native keeps close ties to his almamater by teaching a course each fall on“Agricultural Legislative Policy.” His workwith MSU has earned him the College ofAgriculture and Life Sciences’ OutstandingPublic Service Award. He also was namedits Alumni Fellow.

E.B. Martin Jr. of Jackson, College ofEducation. Martin earned a bachelor’sdegree in general science from MississippiState in 1978. He went on to graduate fromboth the Vanderbilt University Law Schooland the Harvard Business School beforepracticing securities and corporate financelaw for three years. Moving into thecorporate sector, he spent 10 years withMercury Communications as its chieffinancial officer. Last November, he wasnamed vice chairman of the board ofdirectors for the Jackson office ofTeleCorpPCS, a newly formed telecommu-nications company. In addition, he serves assecretary/treasurer for Mercury Communi-cations, Alaska-3 Cellular Corp., andMercury Wireless Management. TheJackson native is a shareholder with the law

firm of Young, Williams, Henderson,Fuselier & Associates Ltd.

Curtis “Skip” McCollough of Purvis,College of Forest Resources. McColloughgraduated from MSU in 1979 with abachelor’s degree in forestry. He is ownerand president of Hattiesburg-based SouthMississippi Forest Products and SouthernTimber Resources of Louisiana Inc. Clientsinclude New Orleans district attorney HarryConnick Sr. and his famous crooner son,Harry Jr. In 1998, McCollough and his wifeJulie established the South MississippiForest Products Annual Scholarship for thecollege.

Ben Puckett of Jackson, College ofBusiness and Industry. Puckett, whoreceived a bachelor’s degree in accountingand marketing in 1951, is chairman ofPuckett Machinery Co., a heavy equipmentfirm with offices around the state. A sportslover, he served as Mississippi’s U.S.Olympic Committee chairman 1972-1988,and was its co-chair 1988-1996. He hasattended every summer Olympics in whichthe U.S. participated since 1968. In 1993,Puckett was honored with the MississippiSports Hall of Fame’s DistinguishedAmerican Award.

David L. Wooley of Knoxville, Tenn.,School of Architecture. Wooley is a 1978architecture graduate. He is president andpartner-in-charge of planning and design atBarber & McMurry, a 34-person architec-ture firm in Knoxville. In addition to hiscorporate experience, the Mobile, Ala.,native spent 11 years as an adjunctprofessor at the University of TennesseeSchool of Architecture. Among his awardsare the American Institute of Architects/Tennessee Society Presidential Award forDistinguished Service in both 1995 and’96, and the group’s Leadership Award in1997.

Alumni are, seated from left, Black, Martin,and Hulett; standing from left, are Keenum,Wooley, Hatcher, and McCollough. Notpictured is Puckett.

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▼A 1950 graduate from Rolling Fork is

Mississippi State’s 2001 National Alumnusof the Year.

James R. “Jimmie Dick” Carter is afarmer who, for the past 15 years, also hasserved as vicepresident of theMississippi FarmBureau.

After attendingMississippiCollege for a year,Carter enrolled atMississippi Statein 1947. Threeyears later, hegraduated andreturned to thefamily farmingoperation that he and his brothers stilloperate.

Active in the MSU Alumni Associationsince graduation, Carter was instrumentalin organizing its Sharkey-Issaquenachapter. Since graduation, he has heldnumerous leadership roles with both thealumni association and the MSU Founda-tion.

Of Carter, a nominator for the nationalalumni honor said: “Mississippi StateUniversity may have alumni who are morevocal, who are more visible, or who havemade larger financial contributions, butMississippi State University does not haveanyone who has been a stronger or morefaithful supporter.”

Born in Vicksburg, Carter’s associationwith agriculture began at an early age. At15, he took over management of hisfamily’s farm following the death of hisfather. He successfully led the operationuntil an older brother could come homefrom military service and take over theresponsibilities.

In addition to the Farm Bureau leader-ship position, he is Mississippi’s producer-representative to the National CottonCouncil.

Melinda A. Miller of Waveland received the Prestigious Young Alumnus Award for 2001at the annual MSU Alumni Association Awards Banquet in January.

Miller earned a bachelor’s in biology and general science education from MississippiState in 1993.

A teacher at both Hancock High School and Pearl River Commu-nity College, she has won numerous teaching awards in a short time,including the 1995 National Association of Biology Teachers’ NewTeacher Achievement Award. In 1998, Miller was selected as one of40 national Woodrow Wilson Foundation Fellows. In addition, theWaveland native has acquired almost $25,000 in grant monies for herstudents.

She has served as president of the Hancock County alumni chaptersince 1994, as well as the chapter’s recruitment chairperson. Milleralso has participated in the MSU Leadership Conference since 1994.

Carter is ’01 NationalAlumnus of the Year

Young alumnus award winner is announced

Carter, left, and PresidentMalcolm Portera.Miller

Three alumni were honored at theannual Alumni Association Awards Banquetin January for their service to the universitythrough local chapters.

Janet C. Anderson of Collins, JerryFulton of Yazoo City, and Rebecca H. Jonesof Madison, Ala., were DistinguishedService Award winners for 2000.

Anderson, a Collins native and 1988banking and finance graduate, has served innumerous offices for the Covington Countyalumni chapter. In addition to her term aspresident, she has served as secretary/treasurer, publicity chairman, and youngalumni/student social chairman for thegroup. While president, she was instrumen-tal in making Covington County the No. 1

honor chapter in the alumni association.She also helped organize the Covington

County Bulldog Classic Golf Tournamentto raise money for the Shelby S. ShowsScholarship.

Fulton, a Meridian native and 1971industrial technology graduate, has held avariety of major leadership positions in theYazoo County chapter over the past 20years. Among his contributions is helpingto establish the annual Yazoo County MSUAlumni Golf Tournament.

As agency and office manager for theYazoo County Farm Bureau, Fulton helpedthe company establish an MSU freshmanscholarship program.

Jones is a retired English teacher andTremont native who completed a bachelor’sdegree in 1964 and a master’s in 1970. Asa member of the Huntsville, Ala., alumnichapter, she has served in many offices,including Annual Fund chair for 1997 and1999, vice president in 1995, and presidentin 1996.

The longtime member of the BulldogClub also worked on phone-a-thons, callingcommittees, and other events. At thenational level, she was a regular at bothleadership conferences and annual businessmeetings. She also was a member of thenational Alumni Association board ofdirectors.

Winners are, from left, Anderson, Fulton andJones.

Distinguished service winners named

Summer 2001

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Faculty Award winners announced

2002 Travel ProgramRealize a travel dream with one of the

2002 travel opportunities listed below.Share with us the incomparable beautyaround the world, whether by air,motorcoach, or a luxury cruise ship.You’ll feel comfortable and confidenttraveling with experienced tour guideswho will attend to all of your needs.

Trans-Panama CanalJan. 5-18, 2002

Swiss Winter EscapadeFeb. 2-9, 2002

Renaissance Cities of ItalyApril 26-May 7, 2002

Cotes du Rhone PassageMay 1-14, 2002

SEC Alaska CruiseCruise/Tour, June 17-29, 2002;Cruise only, June 22-29, 2002

Alumni College in SorrentoJune 24-July 2, 2002

Alumni College in NormandyOct. 21-29, 2002

Contact Dianne Jackson in theAlumni Association atdjackson@alumni.msstate.edu, 662-325-3444, or see our web page at http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/~alumni/travel.htm.

Five faculty members—including the first husband-wife honorees—received 2001Faculty Recognition Awards during the annual banquet sponsored by the MSU AlumniAssociation. Award winners are, from left, Dr. J. Paul Thaxton, professor of poultryphysiology, Department of Poultry Science, Research Award; Dr. Barbara P. McLaurin,MSU Extension Service specialist, Service Award; Maria E. Elmore, lecturer, Depart-ment of Mathematics and Statistics, Lower-Level Teaching Award; Dr. Allison W.Pearson, associate professor, Department of Management and Information Systems,Graduate Level Teaching Award; and Dr. Rodney A. Pearson, professor, Department ofManagement and Information Systems, Upper-Level Teaching Award. The honorsprogram recognizes significant contributions to the welfare of humankind and thestature of Mississippi State in the categories of classroom teaching, research, andservice.

Grisham Master Teachers namedJohn Grisham Master Teachers for 2000-2001recently were selected. They include, from left,Dr. Louis R. D’Abramo, professor, Departmentof Wildlife and Fisheries; Dr. William N.Smyer, associate professor, Department ofIndustrial Engineering; Dr. Kenneth M.Coffey, associate professor, Department ofCurriculum and Instruction; and Dr. MasoudRais-Rohani, associate professor, Departmentof Aerospace Engineering. Each receives acash award and is responsible for conductingworkshops and other instructional improve-ment activities for faculty colleagues. Thehonors are named for the best-selling novelistwho graduated from MSU in 1977.

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Dawgs abroadTaking in the sights of Interlaken, Switzerland, during the alumni association’s SwissWinter Escapade in February were front row, from left, Gloria Correro; Sally and WillieHamilton; center, from left, Karen McClure; Hiram Hill; Mona Sanders; Judy McLain;Peggy Tew; Barbara Hill; Dorothy Beach; back, from left, Bill, Martha Ann, Jonathan,and LeighAnne Kittrell; Charlotte and Hiram Walters; Rose and Bill Schaub; Bill Beach;and Larry and Catherine Stroud.

Nominations for national officers anddirectors of the Alumni Association arebeing sought prior to elections scheduledfor January 2002.

The Nominating Committee will presenta slate of names for election at theassociation’s annual business meetingduring Leadership Conference weekend.

The new officers’ terms will begin onJuly 1, 2002. No person is eligible to serveas director for more than two consecutiveterms.

The officer positions open for consider-ation include national president, nationalfirst vice president, national second vicepresident, and national treasurer.

Positions on the national board open forconsideration include North 1 RegionDirector: Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma,DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall-Benton,Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica,and Yalobusha chapters; Central 3 RegionDirector: Central Mississippi (Hinds,Madison, Rankin), Leake, Scott, Smith, andWarren chapters; South 2 Region Director:

Nominations sought for officers, board of directorsAdams-Franklin-Wilkinson, Amite,Claiborne-Jefferson, Copiah, Covington,Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Lincoln, Pike,Simpson, and Walthall chapters; CentralRegion Young Director: Attala, Bolivar,Central Mississippi (Hinds, Madison,Rankin), Holmes, Humphreys, Kemper,Leake, Leflore-Carroll, Neshoba, Noxubee,Scott, Sharkey-Issaquena, Smith, Sun-flower, Warren, Washington, Winston-Choctaw, and Yazoo chapters; and Out-of-State Director.

A young director must be 32 years oldor younger at the end of the term to whichhe or she is elected. No state shall havemore than one out-of-state director.Current directors are from the states ofAlabama, Tennessee, and Texas.

All alumni are eligible to recommendnames for consideration. Send the namesto: Nominating Committee, MSU AlumniAssociation, P.O. Box AA, MississippiState, MS 39762-5526.

Recommendations must be received nolater than Oct. 1, 2001.

CALENDAR OF EVENTSMississippi State University

Alumni Association

JUNE20 Sharkey-Issaquena Golf

Tournament/BBQ

JULY5 Prentiss County Chapter; Bulldog

Family Celebration, SparkyWoods and Jim Tompkins

9 Bolivar County Chapter; BulldogFamily Celebration (luncheon),Jackie Sherrill, Melvin Smith,Glenn Davis WashingtonCounty Chapter; BulldogFamily Celebration(dinner); Jackie Sherrill,Melvin Smith, Glenn Davis

10 Coahoma County Chapter;Bulldog Family Celebration(luncheon); Jackie Sherrill,Melvin Smith, Glenn DavisLeflore-Carroll Chapter;Bulldog Family Celebration(dinner); Jackie Sherrill,Melvin Smith, Glenn Davis

12 Warren County Chapter; BulldogFamily Celebration; JackieSherrill

19 Central Mississippi Chapter;Extravaganza, Dr. MalcolmPortera, Jackie Sherrill, LarryTempleton

23 Birmingham, Ala., Chapter;Bulldog Family Celebration,Golf Tournament; JohnHendrick, Carroll McCray,David Wilson

24 Montgomery, Ala., Chapter;Bulldog Family Celebration;John Hendrick, CarrollMcCray

28 Mississippi Gulf Coast; BulldogFamily Celebration; JackieSherrill, Terry Lewis

OCTOBER1 Deadline for nominations for

Alumni Association nationalofficers and directors for termbeginning July 1, 2002.

13 Homecoming

Summer 2001

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1/2 page ad for license plate--provided

Welcome to ThailandA group of MSU alumni from the Bangkok, Thailand, area hosted a dinner recently forDr. John Fuquay, center, professor emeritus of animal and dairy sciences. Fuquaywas in Thailand to give a keynote lecture at the annual academic conference of theRajamangala Institute of Technology and to consult with colleagues at severalagricultural research stations. Organizers of the dinner were Dr. Tawee Keawkhong(’93) and Dr. Suntorn Wittayakun (’99).

Noticed more Mississippi State licenseplates on the road lately?

No wonder. Sales of the plates haveincreased steadily during the program’seight years, and the most recent figuresreleased by the state Tax Commission’sMotor Vehicle Licensing Bureau show that6,008 MSU tags currently are on the state’shighways. A total of 1,723 were sold in thefirst three months of 2001.

The collegiate tags, featuring the “M-State” logo and the university’s “ServingMississippi” motto, are available at allcounty licensing offices for an annual fee of$50 above the normal cost of the tag. Ofthat, $32.50 helps fund priority programs atMSU. That portion of the fee is tax-deductible.

Tennessee residents can purchase aTennessee license plate promoting MSU for$25 above the regular cost, with proceedspromoting the Tennessee Arts Commission.

According to MVLB figures, Missis-sippi State license plates outnumber thoseof the next most popular design by morethan 1,000.

License plate salesreach record high

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Dear MSU Alumni and Friends,As college costs continue to climb at almost double the rate of inflation,

it has become increasingly important for parents to plan for the education oftheir children. If you have children or grandchildren who will need helppaying for their education, it might seem impractical to contemplate makinga significant gift to a favorite charity; however, several planned givingmethods are available to meet educational funding needs and designatefunds for eventual charitable use. As highlighted in a previous Alumnusmagazine article, one such method is the establishment of a charitableremainder trust. As a charitable remainder trust can be designed to provideincome for a period of time up to 20 years, it is an especially effectivesolution in this situation.

Since the 1960s, individuals and families across the United States haveused charitable remainder trusts to help realize long-range objectives forfamily—such as funding educational expenses—and charity. The charitableremainder trust is especially attractive to individuals and families holdinghighly appreciated assets that produce relatively low yields. The exampleon the right explains how a donor might use a charitable remainder trust tohelp fund the education of a child or grandchild.

Executing a trust such as the one described in this example can be anexcellent tool to provide payments to children or grandchildren over aperiod of time and make a charitable gift. And remember, when you providethe MSU Foundation with a copy of the trust, you will qualify as a memberof the prestigious Old Main Society, our recognition program for plannedgift donors. If you have any questions on this method of planned giving oron other giving options, please contact me at the address below.

Sincerely,

C. Richard Armstrong ’68Director of Planned GivingMSU FoundationP. O. Box 6149Mississippi State, MS 39762Toll Free: 877-677-8283E-mail: ramrstrong@foundation.msstate.edu

• Include the MSU Foundation as a beneficiaryin a will (and provide a copy of the will or thatportion of the will pertaining to MSU)

• Make a deferred gift to the MSU Foundation(i.e., charitable remainder trust, charitable giftannuity, or life estate)

The Old Main Societyrecognizes donors who:

• Co-equal status with other donor recognition clubs,including invitations to special donor events oncampus

Benefits of membershipinclude:

• Make the MSU Foundation a beneficiary in alife insurance policy, IRA, qualified retire-ment plan (pension plan), or revocable trustand provide a copy of the form or documentto the Foundation

• A special edition copy of the book,Old Main:Images of a Legend

Gift planning in actionAfter consultation with her financial

adviser, Mrs. Davis, a 65-year-old grand-mother, has decided to create a charitableremainder trust to help fund hergranddaughter’s education. Mrs. Davis willfund the trust with stock purchased for$10,000. The appreciated value of the stockis now $60,000. The trust can sell the stockfree of capital gains tax and reinvest in adirect income-producing security. From thetrust income, 8.5 percent ($5,100) will be paidper year to her granddaughter for five years.The income will be taxed at thegranddaughter’s rate, not Mrs. Davis’,resulting in substantial income tax savings.After five years, the remainder in the trust willbe transferred to the designated charity.Because the remainder will be transferred tocharity, Mrs. Davis’ income tax deduction isapproximately $39,000, which may bededucted on this year’s income tax.

By using appreciated property and sellingit tax-free through the trust, Mrs. Davis willsave $10,000 in capital gains taxes. Theincome will be taxed at a very low rate to thestudent, which could save Mrs. Davis $3,000to $4,000, and the current income taxdeduction could save her an additional$11,000 to $12,000. The “net savings” ofapproximately $25,000 in this plan, plus theincome to the student, make it an appealingplan for Mrs. Davis.

Armstrong

Summer 2001

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Summer 2001

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Two challenge grants will enableMississippi State alumni and friends toactively play a part in making the HunterHenry Center a reality.

Donors have committed more than $7million to date for the Henry Center, andnow the university is turning to its morethan 90,000 alumni for support in con-structing the new facility.

“We’re excited that more than $7 millionhas been pledged to date. This will allowthe project to go forward this summer.However, we still need every alumnus andfriend of Mississippi State to consider howthey would like to participate in thisproject,” said Dennis Prescott, vicepresident for external affairs.

Henry made a lead gift commitment of

Challenge grants to support Hunter Henry Center construction$3 million toward the project, including$500,000 to challenge other MSU alumniand friends. “How typical of Hunter Henryto reach deeper into his own resources inorder to inspire others to commit to thisworthy project. It is Mr. Henry’s hope thatother alumni and friends will make gifts tosupport the facility,” Prescott said.

Henry will match gifts between $50,000and $150,000, provided they occur beforeSept. 30, 2002, or until the additional$500,000 challenge is met.

In addition to other commitments,Prescott said another $600,000 for theHenry Center would come from an MSUAlumni Association matching grant.Donors who give a minimum of $100toward the facility’s construction will have

their gift matched by the AlumniAssociation’s Challenge. The names ofChallenge contributors will be displayedprominently in the Henry Center.

“The leadership of the MSU NationalAlumni Association has made a significantcommitment of resources in the form of thisAlumni Challenge. This matching poolgives every alumnus an opportunity to helpbuild the Hunter Henry Center and receivepermanent recognition within the facility,”Prescott said.

“With these two challenge grants inplace, now is the perfect time to make alasting commitment to build the finestalumni and foundation center in thecountry,” Prescott said.

Remaining naming opportunitiesinclude the alumni and foundation wingsand the donor rotunda, as well as threemeeting rooms. The garden areas and adistinctive spire provide opportunities aswell.

Larger commitments to date include a$1 million pledge from Hal and LindaParker of Bolton to name the grandballroom. There are nine other meetingspaces of varying sizes to accommodatedifferent user needs. Commitments for sixof these rooms have come from Mrs. W.W.Brunson of Tupelo, Mr. and Mrs. BryceGriffis of Starkville, Mr. and Mrs. Alvis T.Hunt of Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. C.W. “Tex”Ritter of Kosciusko, Mr. and Mrs. Leo W.Seal Jr. of Bay St. Louis, and the DowChemical Company.

The staffs of the Alumni Association andthe Foundation have committed funds toname a pillar, one of 50 internal columnsthat will bear the names of those whochoose to contribute at the $50,000 level.Commitments for eight additional pillarshave come from Mr. and Mrs. Richard C.Adkerson of New Orleans, La.; Mr. andMrs. Johnny Crane of Fulton; Mr. Louis A.Hurst Jr. of Houston, Texas; Mr. and Mrs.Bobby P. Martin of Ripley; Ms. Jane A.Moring of New Orleans, La.; Mr. and Mrs.Robert Whitehead of Brandon; Mr. JosephB. Whiteside of Tupelo; and Mr. and Mrs.E. Bowden Wyatt of Jackson.

Henry Center $2,500,000 $3,000,000Parker Grand Ballroom $1,000,000 $1,000,000Alumni Hall (Wing) $1,000,000Foundation Hall (Wing) $1,000,000Legacy Hall (Donor Recognition Area) $1,000,000Spire $1,000,000Vice President’s Suite $500,000Alumni Executive Committee Room $500,000Foundation Executive Committee Room $500,000Brunson Seminar Room $500,000 $500,000Alumni Executive Director’s Suite $250,000Foundation Executive Director’s Suite $250,000Ritter Conference Room $250,000 $250,000Conference Room #2 $250,000Large Reflecting Pool $250,000Large Water Garden $250,000Amphitheater $250,000Griffis Meeting Room $100,000 $100,000Hunt Meeting Room $100,000 $100,000Seal Meeting Room $100,000 $100,000Dow Chemical Meeting Room $100,000 $100,000Planned Giving Suite $100,000Small Water Garden $100,000Alumni Alley $100,000Spire Walk $100,00050 Pillars @ $50,000 each $2,500,000 $400,000Flag Podium $50,000Study Garden $50,00012 Planting Beds @ $25,000 each $300,000All Other Gifts $1,550,000*

TOTAL $7,100,000

Remaining naming opportunitiesNAMING OPPORTUNITY AMOUNT COMMITMENTS

*includes a matching grant from MSU Alumni Association and one anonymous gift.

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By taking part in the Alumni Association Challenge, you can play a vital role in theconstruction of the Henry Center. Your gift will enable the MSU Alumni Association andthe Foundation to build a permanent, on-campus headquarters that will yield itself togrowth, further benefiting Mississippi State and allowing the Alumni Association to betterserve its constituents.

Benefits of giving:• Your tax-deductible gift automatically makes you an active member of the MSU Alumni

Association.• Gifts from $100 up to $50,000 will qualify you for recognition in the Fund for

Excellence giving level.• The Alumni Association Challenge will not only match your gift, but your company’s

matching gift dollars as well, which can at least quadruple your contribution to the HenryCenter.

• Your name will be displayed permanently on a centrally located recognition piece.

How to make your gift:Send your contribution today to the MSU Foundation, P.O. Box 6149, Mississippi State,

MS 39762 or telephone the MSU Foundation at 877-677-8283 (toll-free) and ask aboutgiving to the Henry Center through the Alumni Challenge.

Renowned antique clock collectors CullisWade and his wife Gladys have helped tosupport a variety of Mississippi StateUniversity athletic endeavors since 1991.The Wades have given more than $1.4million toward the football stadiumexpansion project and have funded acharitable remainder trust for more than$800,000 that also will benefit intercolle-giate athletics.

How the Alumni Association Challenge works

��������� �� �

MSU FoundationP.O. Box 6149

Mississippi State, MS 39762-6149toll-free 1-877-MSSTATEwww.msufoundation.com

Mississippi State University

Make a gift now to the Fund for Excellence and get a free MSU alumni mouse pad. Simply fill out our secure online giving form atwww.msufoundation.com and we’ll send you a mouse pad! Our thanks to you for supporting current students and programs at MississippiState.

Annual contributions through the Fund for Excellence enable the universityto provide the highest level of excellence in teaching, research, and serviceprograms. Gifts may be designated for a particular college, school, department,or activity.

For your gift to the Fund for Excellence, you will receive:• Active membership in the MSU Alumni Association• Alumnus magazine three times a year• A membership card• An invitation to chapter events in your area• Recognition in one of the Fund for Excellence giving levels• Your MSU alumni mouse pad

Make your gift now and get a free MSU alumni mouse pad!

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34A L U M N U S

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Is it September yet?Sporting newBulldog outfits,quadruplets, fromleft, James, Clark,Jacob, and AndrewBeard eagerly awaitfootball season.Their parents, Dr.Herman (’88) andKathy Beard ofRidgeland, havepromised thefoursome a trip to agame this fall.

42Paul K. Adams of Alexandria, La.,

founder of Adams PestControl is being honoredby several organizationswith the establishment ofthe Paul K. AdamsEndowed Chair of UrbanEntomology at Louisi-ana State University. In1996, he received theNational Pest ControlAssociation’s highest honor, the PinnacleAward.

49Harry M. Wilson Sr. of Tupelo, an

engineer with Cook-Coggin, is a Fellow ofthe American Consulting EngineersCouncil.

51Howard Clark of Morton, a family-

practice physician, has been namedCountry Doctor of the Year by Staff Care, anational temporary physician staffing firm.The award honors Clark’s 44 years (andcounting) of service to the people ofMorton.

54Thomas R. Crawford of South Lyon,

Mich., is president of Crawford Enterprisesand a member of the South Lyon CityCouncil.

57Raleigh T. Ferguson (M.Ed. ’69) of

Perkinston has retired as dean of vocationalinstruction at Mississippi Gulf CoastCommunity College, Perkinston Campus.His career in education spanned more than40 years.

60Roxene H. Atkinson (Ed.S. ’69) of

Starkville has beenhonored by the Missis-sippi CounselingAssociation for herservice as one of the firstseven high school pilotcounselors in the state.She is retired following25 years in schoolcounseling, primarily inStarkville.

62William H. Holley Jr. (M.B.A. ’65) of

Auburn, Ala., a professor at AuburnUniversity, has been elected to a secondterm as executive secretary-treasurer of theNational Academy of Arbitrators. Hiscollege textbook, LaborRelations Process, is inits seventh printing.

63Vernon Trevathan of

St. Louis, Mo., hasjoined Atkins BenhamInc., an architecturalengineering company, asvice president of the systems division. Heis retired from Monsanto Co. and itschemical spin-off, Solutia Inc., after 35years of service.

65Ken Sample of Jackson has retired from

Xerox Corp. following 31 years of servicein marketing and senior management. Mostrecently, he was marketing operationsmanager for the Central U.S. and regionagent manager for the Southeast U.S.

67Milton A. Jones Jr. of Rijswijk, The

Netherlands, has begun a new assignmentas business group manager-pipelines forShell Global Solution International B.V.He previously was innovative surfacefacilities leader with Shell E&P Technol-ogy.

Hollis P. Posey (M.S.’69) of Cary, N.C., hasbeen named an IBMDistinguished Engineerand elected to the IBMAcademy of Technologyfor his pioneering workin point-of-sale technol-ogy. Systems designedby Posey are used inmore than 70 percent ofsupermarket chains and 90 percent ofdrugstore chains in the U.S.

69Thomas McKnight (Ph.D. ’75) of

Spokane, Wash., has received the Presiden-tial Service Award from the AmericanAcademy of School Psychology at thegroup’s annual meeting in Washington,

Adams

Atkinson

Trevathan

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D.C. McKnight, who is board certified inclinical psychology and school psychology,is in private practice in Spokane.

70Robert C. Maxson, president of

California State University, Long Beach,has been named the 2000 winner of theChief Executive Leadership Award by theFar Western District of the Council forAdvancement and Support of Education.Prior to accepting the presidency at CSULBin 1994, Maxson was president of theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas, for 10years.

71Norris G. Cotton (M.B.A. ’72) of

Bahama, N.C., vice president-investmentsfor Paine Webber, has earned CertifiedInvestment Management Analysis certifica-

tion through the Investment ManagementConsultants Association’s Wharton Schoolof Business program.

A. Michael Juniker of Magnolia, Ark.,has been named executive director of theMagnolia Economic Development Corp.

74Jim Koerber of Hattiesburg, owner of

the Koerber Company, has been namednational state chapterchairperson for theNational Association ofCertified ValuationAnalysts.

James W. HamiltonJr. has been electedmanaging director ofMorgan Keegan & Co.He is branch manager ofthe firm’s Atlanta office.

Donald T. Ward of College Station,

Texas, a professor at Texas A&M Univer-sity, has been elected a Fellow of theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics andAstronautics. He is being honored for morethan three decades of contributions toaircraft control, flight test engineeringresearch, and education.

75Gregory A. Jones of Canton, Mich., has

been named plant manager at theGainesville facility of North AmericanAluminum Wheels.

Richard Hugh Rigby has relocatedfrom Samara, Russia, to Atyrau,Kazakhstan, where he will continue asengineering manager for refurbishment of acrude-oil pipeline system for CaspianPipeline Consortium.

76Robert H. Darville III of Rome, Ga.,

received a doctoral degree in highereducation from Georgia State University in1999, and has been granted tenure asassociate professor of accounting at ShorterCollege.

Koerber

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78Edward C. Collum of Mobile, Ala., a

certified public accountant, has become amember of the firm of Nicholas & Lee CPAand the firm’s name has been changed toNicholasLeeCollum CPAs. He is presidentof the Mobile chapter of the MSU AlumniAssociation.

Bill Lee (M.Ed. ’83) has been namedhead football coach and athletic director atStarkville High School. He previously wasoffensive coordinator at Moss Point HighSchool.

80Marian Snowden Beck of Wichita,

Kan., a professional engineer, is owner ofWings Over Wichita, a flight store.

81Marvin L. Adams of College Station,

Texas, an associate professor of nuclearengineering at Texas A&M University, hasbeen named a Class of 2000 UniversityFaculty Fellow. The designation, whichcarries an annual award of $20,000 for fiveyears, helps the university retain top facultymembers.

83Tyrone Bledsoe (M.Ed. ’88) of

Huntsville, Texas, hasbeen named associatevice president for studentservices and dean ofstudent life at SamHouston State University.He most recently wasassociate vice chancellorfor student affairs atNorth Carolina CentralUniversity.

Kenneth A. Hackman of Madison hasreceived a Conservation AchievementSpecial Merit Award from the MississippiWildlife Federation for his work in teachingstudents real-life applications of science. Azoology/biology instructor and field studiescoordinator at Madison Central HighSchool, he also was honored by Madison

County Schools as 2000-2001 High SchoolTeacher of the Year.

Chris McGrath of Woodbridge, Va.,was promoted to lieutenant colonel in theU.S. Army in November 2000.

Marilyn McGrath of Woodbridge, Va.,teaches mathematics at C.D. Hylton HighSchool.

84Mitchell O. Glenn of Seoul, Korea, is a

major in the U.S. Army Reserve and aninstructor for the Command and GeneralStaff College in South Korea. In 1999, hewas named chief of emergency manage-ment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers, Far East District in Seoul.

Mark Shipman of Kennesaw, Ga., is amedical sales representative for ForestPharmaceuticals. He and his wife Trishhave adopted two little girls from China,Nicole and Julia.

85Roger J. Halphen III of Buras, La.,

teaches and coaches football at BurasMiddle School. He also owns and operatesthe Rex Club and is founder and presidentof Conch Inc., which provides videogaming devices in restaurants and bars.

David G. Mitchell (Ph.D. ’94) ofCorvallis, Ore., is 4-H Youth LeaderSpecialist at Oregon State University.

86Greg Howell of New Orleans, La.,

deepwater projects decision and riskcoordinator for Chevron, earned a master’sdegree in business administration at TulaneUniversity in December 2000.

Gregory Stuart Ross of Santa Fe,N.M., received a juris doctorate from TexasWesleyan University School of Law in1999. He has been admitted to the Texasand New Mexico bar associations.

Terry L. Turnipseed of Washington,D.C., has joined the law firm of Covington& Burling as an associate in trusts andestates.

87Susan G. Dillard (M.Ed. ’92, Ed.S.

’96) of Louisville was named BarksdaleVisiting Professor at Mississippi State inJuly 2000. The position represents apartnership of the Barksdale ReadingInstitute, the state Department of Educa-tion, and the Institutions of HigherLearning in implementing the state’sReading Reform Model.

Todd S. Edwards has transferred toExxonMobil Chemical Singapore fromExxonMobil’s Houston, Texas, office. Heis in a technology transfer position.

Patricia R. Hall-Hemphill of Vicksburghas been named chiefengineer of the districtfor the Yazoo-MississippiDelta Levee District.She previously was ahydraulics engineer withthe U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers, VicksburgDistrict.

William L. Stoppel (M.A. ’89) hasbeen promoted to lieutenant colonel in theU.S. Army. He is branch chief for officerassignments for the National Guard Bureau.

Lance Rutledge Wilson of Greenville isa professional pharmaceutical salesrepresentative with Schering Laboratoriesin Greenville.

88Beth Brock McBride of Collierville,

Tenn., teaches in the education departmentat the University of Memphis.

Mark McMillen of Columbus hasjoined Weyerhaeuser Co. as a controlsystems engineer.

89Chuck Bates of Birmingham, Ala., has

a new sales position with Guidant-CardiacRhythm Management Division assistingphysicians with the implantation ofpacemakers and cardiac defibrillators.

Chrystal Galey Bell of Morganton,N.C., is an account executive with InformInc., a public relations and marketing firmin Hickory, N.C.

Gina Holland has been honored with astate Senate resolution commending herwork as Associated Press capitol correspon-dent and extending the Legislature’s bestwishes in her new position as a nationalwriter in AP’s Washington, D.C., Bureau.

Hemphill

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1/4 page ad for patio umbrellas --center ad in this spaceBlack and white adHard copy provided

Amy Irvin of Starkville, broker/ownerof RE/MAX Partners in Starkville, has beenchosen to participate in the MississippiAssociation of Realtors’ LeadershipMARprogram for 2001.

Chase C. Kasper (M.B.A. ’94) ofNacogdoches, Texas, has joined JM ClipperCorp. as market analyst.

Michael L. Luckett of Auburn Hills,Mich., has been promoted to seniorindustrial engineer for future programs withGeneral Motors.

Porter Richard Swann III (M.B.A.’94) of Starkville, assistant auditor in theOffice of Internal Audit at Mississippi State,has successfully completed the CertifiedInternal Auditor examination.

Douglas Todd Wert of State College,Pa., general manager/director of golf atPenn State University Golf Courses, hasbeen chosen 2000 Merchandiser of the Yearfor the Philadelphia section of the Profes-sional Golfers Association. Additionally,Golf World Business magazine has namedthe Penn State Golf Courses to its “Top 100Golf Shops” list.

90Mark Brumfield of Atlanta, Ga., has

been promoted to senior vice president atWachovia Securities Inc.

Scott Knight of Merritt Island, Fla., hasbecome a franchisee of Sonic Drive Inrestaurants in Orlando.

William David McLemore of Orlando,Fla., has been promoted to I.T. customerservice manager for Hughes Supply Inc.

Pamela Roza of Miami Beach, Fla., haswon the South Florida Critics’ CircleCarbonell Award for Best SupportingActress in a play, for her role in Killer Joeat GableStage in Miami.

Larkin E. Tucker III of Nashville,Tenn., is a pharmaceutical sales representa-tive with the neuroscience specialty salesdivision of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals.

Michelle Williams Strickland ofDecatur, Ga., is minister of discipleship andadministration at the First Baptist Church ofAvondale Estates in Decatur.

91Stephanie Brown DeClue of Memphis,

Tenn., has been promoted to site supervisorof the Randolph Branch of the Memphis/Shelby County Public Library. She ispursuing a master’s degree in libraryscience at the University of Tennessee.

Jere Trey Hess of Ridgeland is aprofessional engineer working with theMississippi Department of EnvironmentalQuality as Brownfields program coordina-tor.

Kimberly Ann Ivy of Houston, Texas,has been promoted to accounting manager/supervisor with Griffin/Juban PropertiesInc.

Lance Vardaman Porter of SantaMonica, Calif., is director of Internetstrategy for Buena Vista Pictures Market-ing, the motion picture distributioncompany for Walt Disney Co. He also ispursuing a Ph.D. in mass communication atthe University of Georgia.

Shelly Frazier Sheperis of MississippiState is pursuing a doctoral degree incounselor education at the University ofFlorida.

Jon Jay Vinicki of Lilburn, Ga., hasbeen appointed operating budget managerfor Gwinnett County, Ga., in metropolitanAtlanta, with a population of 550,000 andan annual budget of more than $500million.

Jennifer Jacobs Wilson of Greenvilleis a professional pharmaceutical salesrepresentative for the Primary CareDivision of Schering Laboratories inGreenville.

92Jason T. Beasley of Tupelo is a vice

president and loan officer for The PeoplesBank and Trust Co. in Tupelo.

Thomas C. Bickham III of Prairieville,La., has been appointed by Louisiana Gov.Mike Foster to serve as Undersecretary forthe Department of Environmental Quality’sOffice of Management and Finance.

Carole Ray Brumfield of Atlanta, Ga.,is an audit manager for BellSouth Corp.

Karilynn Elliott of Maryville, Tenn.,has been promoted to assistant manager ofthe Alcoa, Tenn., branch of NBC Banks.

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Joyclyn Theresa Galloway of BatonRouge, La., completed the BermudaInternational 26.2 mile marathon inJanuary, helping the Leukemia andLymphoma Society raise $1.5 million tosupport patient aid and research programs.

Donald Allen Hilsdon of Plano, Texas,has been promoted to corporal with theUniversity of Texas Southwestern MedicalCenter at Dallas Police Department. He isa member of the Bicycle Unit and is acertified instructor and field training officer.

Jon T. McCraw (M.S. ’93) ofWaveland has been named technologydirector for the Hancock County SchoolDistrict. He previously worked forNETschools Corp.

Melinda Amelia Mitchell ofBriggsdale, Colo., is a sales representativefor Eli Lilly and Co. and is pursuing aPh.D. at Colorado State University.

Patty Wilder Roberts of Carthage hasbeen named county executive director ofthe Leake County Farm Service Agency.

93J. Todd Arnold of Laguna Beach,

Calif., has joined SWA Group, a landscapearchitecture and planning firm, as amember of the construction administrationteam.

Denise McDonald Cosper of Starkvilleis coordinator of grant writing and prospectresearch at Wood College in Mathiston.

Deidra M. Gammill of Cambridge,Mass., teaches 6th-8th grade English andSpanish at Christian Center School.

Brenda Monk has been named assistantdirector of the Athletic Academic SupportProgram at Florida State University. Shepreviously worked for the Rankin CountySchool District in Brandon in severalcapacities, including principal, specialeducation assistant supervisor, and schoolpsychologist.

Tracey Sibley hasbeen named processspecialist for Gulf StatesPaper Corp.’s ContinuousProcess ImprovementInitiative. She works atGulf States’ nationalheadquarters inTuscaloosa, Ala.

94Bonnie T. Brown of Mobile, Ala., has

completed the NCIDQ licensing examina-tion for interior designers. She works forSteelcase Systems, a furniture dealership inMobile.

Stacey A. Bruff of Jonesboro, Ark., hasbeen promoted to senior technical servicesagronomist with Delta and Pine Land Co.His territory includes Northeast Arkansasand the Missouri bootheel.

Chris Cosper (M.A. ’96) of Starkville,an architect with Pryor & Morrow Archi-tects in Columbus, has completed theArchitectural Registration Examination andreceived his license to practice architecturein Mississippi.

Nancy Lischkoff Hamric of Birming-ham, Ala., is a pharmaceutical salesrepresentative for Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

Marvin Kemp of Baltimore, Md., hasbeen promoted to associate withAnshen+Allen Architects.

James E. Sanders of Atlanta, Ga., is afirst level network manager for BellSouth’sC-WINS Center in Atlanta. He recentlywas on assignment to BellSouth’s TrainingDepartment in Jacksonville, Fla., to traintechnicians for the company’s C-WINSCenter there.

Mary Susan Tyree of Nashville, Tenn.,is an associate producer with TBA Enter-tainment Corp. She currently is workingon the television series “Music in HighPlaces,” broadcast on DirecTV.

Camille Scales Young (M.S. ’96) ofJackson has joined the Mississippi FarmService Agency as public relations/outreachcoordinator. She previously was a govern-mental relations specialist for MississippiFarm Bureau Federation.

95Vance Stuart Durbin of Memphis,

Tenn., is a producer and announcer atWYPL-FM, the public library radio stationin Memphis.

Emily Turner Hayes (M.S. ’96) ofFlowood is a pharmaceutical sales repre-sentative with Abbott Laboratories.

Sandra J. Manning of Quitman, asecond-grade teacher at Quitman LowerElementary School, has received National

Board Teacher Certification in the earlychildhood/generalist area.

Tim May of Secane, Pa., has joinedCIGNA Healthcare’s HR&S ManagementDevelopment Program in Philadelphia, Pa.

Larry Tomkins of Brandon is GulfCoast regional engineer for AdvancedDrainage Systems Inc.

96Robert Michael Gammill of Cam-

bridge, Mass., is pursuing a master’sdegree in landscape architecture at HarvardUniversity’s Graduate School of Design.He achieved professional licensure inSeptember 1999.

Carman Henley of River Ridge, La.,has been promoted to senior engineer forExxon Mobil Production Co. in NewOrleans.

William Ray Holloway Jr. of Tupelohas received the Local Community Awardfrom the state Department of Rehabilita-tion Service for providing services to thosewith disabilities. He also has beenappointed to the advisory council for thestate Department of Health-Child CareAdvisory Board and to the MississippiYouth Soccer Association as TOPSoccerAdministrator for the state.

Danielle Jacolyn Louys (M.B.A. ’99)of Helena, Ala., is a perioperative salesspecialist for AbbottLaboratories.

Jonathan Lowery ofTuscaloosa, Ala., hasbeen promoted tomanagement forester atGulf States Paper Corp.’sSipsey timber manage-ment district.

William W. Walkerof Oxford is in his firstyear of law school at theUniversity of Mississippi.

97C. Jason Armstrong (M.B.A. ’98) has

been named assistant vice president forcommercial banking at Trustmark NationalBank in Tupelo. He is a member of theCollege of Business and Industry’s YoungAlumni Advisory Board. Gary Greene of Venice, Fla., is 2001president-elect of the Florida BusinessTechnology Education Association. Herecently was promoted to full professor atManatee Community College in Venice.

Sibley

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David Emmons of TarponSprings, Fla., is golf coursesuperintendent at Rolling Oaks GolfCourse in the World Woods GolfClub facility in Brooksville. Ralph David Roberts III ofJackson has been named one ofMississippi’s Top 40 Under 40 bythe Mississippi Business Journal.The program recognizes leadershipin the public and private sectors, aswell as community involvement.Roberts is Elections Divisiondirector for campaign finance andlobbying reporting for the Missis-sippi Secretaryof State’soffice. JohnShappley hasbeen promotedto loan reviewofficer at FirstState Bank inWaynesboro. ShannaGarrisonWalker (M.S. ’00) of Oxford is theassignments coordinator in theStudent Housing Office at theUniversity of Mississippi.

98 Eric Allen of Helena, Ala., workswith the commercial lendingprogram at the Bank of Birming-ham. John Case (M.B.A. ’00) ofOrlando, Fla., is associate relation-ship manager in the commercialbanking department of AmSouthBank in Orlando. Lacey St. Peter Fitts of Nash-ville, Tenn., is a third-year graduatestudent in chemistry at VanderbiltUniversity. Holly Polk Kennedy of Meridianis a second -grade teacher for theMeridian Public School District. Randy Ladale Shields ofDeSoto, Texas, is an engineer withGulfstream Aerospace Corp.

Shappley

Have you or a Mississippi State alumnus you know received professional recognition?

Share the word with former classmates through the class newssection in Alumnus and help the Alumni Association keep trackof you at the same time. Complete the form and return it to:

Mississippi State AlumnusP.O. Box 5325Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325fax 662-325-7455e-mail snowa@ur.msstate.edu

News for Class News:

So what’s new? New babyNew jobNew degree

Name

Soc. Sec.#

MSU major, degree(s) and years received

Occupation

Company

Address

Street/Box

City

State ZIP

Phone

Spouse’s name

Spouse’s MSU graduation (if applicable)

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Katherine Ellis Albrecht, Feb. 7, 2000,to Courtney Respess Albrecht (’94) andhusband Patrick of Montgomery, Ala.

Avery Elizabeth Anderson, April 19,2000, to Michael Andrew Anderson (’91,M.B.A. ’93) and Stacy Ball Anderson(’92) of Madison.

Morgan Todd Beasley, Jan. 30, 2001, toJason Beasley (’92) and Carolyn IngelsBeasley (’92) of Tupelo.

Madison Leet Beckham, Dec. 12, 2000,to Hugh Beckham Jr. (’88) and wifeElizabeth of Olive Branch.

Morgan Elise Brumfield, May 31, 2000,to Mark Brumfield (’90) and Carole RayBrumfield (’92) of Atlanta, Ga.

Macy Taylor Burgess, Feb. 8, 2000, toStacy Pope Burgess (’97) and husbandCasey of Ridgeland.

Jack Michael Burleson, Nov. 18, 2000,to Detra Rhodes Burleson (’92) and ScottBurleson (’94).

Leland Barrentine Cariker, Dec. 4, 2000,to Justin Barrentine Cariker (’89) ofDundee.

Laura Madelyn Carson, July 7, 2000, toJennifer Suzanne Slayton-Carson (’96) ofCharlotte, N.C.

John Michael Childers, June 1, 2000, toShane Childers (’93) and Holly Childers(’93) of Memphis, Tenn.

John Howard Corbin III, Dec. 23, 2000,to Amy Respess Corbin (’96) and husbandJohn of Lambert.

Ryan Christopher Cosper, May 23,2000, to Chris Cosper (’94, M.A. ’96) andDenise McDonald Cosper (’93) ofStarkville.

Brooke Diana Cunningham, Nov. 16,2000, to Carmen Mashburn Cunningham(’90) and husband Craig of Pelahatchie.

William Andrew Davis, Feb. 3, 2001, toWilliam Thomas Davis (’87) and wifeWendy.

Zachary Thomas DeWeese, Oct. 30,2000, to Tony DeWeese (’94) and MicheleHorton DeWeese (’93) of Madison.

Christopher Michael Elledge, Nov. 16,2000, to Mike D. Elledge (’96) and wifeMary of Plano, Texas.

Ian Thomas Gaude, Sept. 7, 2000, toKurt Gaude (’89) and Danielle WhelanGaude (’91) of Smyrna, Tenn.

Warren Kennedy Guest, Sept. 11, 2000,to Michael Guest (’92) and Haley Guest(’96) of Brandon.

Blake Rodd Helms, Oct. 23, 2000, toMichelle Bigham Helms (’87) andhusband Brent of Brandon.

Elizabeth Ann Hess, Jan. 2, 2001, toTrey Hess (’91, M.B.A. ’93) and wifeFrances of Ridgeland.

Hallie Elizabeth Hill, Jan. 2, 2001, toTripp Hunter Hill (’93) and SusanJennings Hill (’93) of Pensacola, Fla.

99 Beth Smith Allen of Helena, Ala., iscoordinator of campus visit programs in theOffice of Admission at Samford University.

Natalie Brooke Long of Jackson is akindergarten teacher at North JacksonElementary School.

Angela K. Mitchell of Atlanta, Ga., is agraphic designer for Avienda Technologies,an Internet company headquartered inAtlanta.

00Phillip Dobson of Randolph AFB,

Texas, received his commission as a secondlieutenant in the Air Force in August 2000.He will receive his navigator wings in Juneupon graduating from Joint SpecializedUndergraduate Navigator Training.

Justin Hamilton Laughlin of Knox-ville, Tenn., is pursuing a master’s degree inwildlife and fisheries.

Chad Joseph Mims of Tupelo works inthe sales and marketing department atFranklin Corp.

Bryan Samuel Moore of Mobile, Ala.,is an industrial engineer for IngallsShipbuilding in Pascagoula.

Brandy Patterson of Independence hasbeen accepted into the University ofMississippi School of Medicine, enteringclass of 2001.

Adrienne F. Spychalski of Gulfport hasjoined High Tech Inc., a research anddevelopment company, as a manufacturingengineer.

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Andrew Joseph Hoke Jr., Dec. 3, 2000,to Andrew Joseph Hoke (’89) andElizabeth Butler Hoke (’88) of Rapid City,S.D.

Garrett Stephen Johnson, Sept. 6, 2000,to Adele Dulin Johnson (’87) and husbandSteve of Madison.

Emma Rae Leathers, Sept. 11, 1999, toBrian Leathers (’91) and wife Kim ofTupelo.

Jackson Marshall Lee, Oct. 31, 2000, toKathy Hoven Lee (’91) and husband Johnof Alpharetta, Ga.

Zachary James Matula, Dec. 4, 1999, toTerry Matula (’91, M.S. ’94) andStephanie Matula (’94) of Austin, Texas.

Katy Elizabeth McBride, May 30, 2000,to Beth Brock McBride (’88) and husbandJohn of Collierville, Tenn.

Margaret Elyse McCarty, Oct. 4, 2000,to William McCarty (’93) and ElizabethWallace McCarty (’93) of Orange, Texas.

Allie Grace McMillen, Dec. 18, 2000, toMark McMillen (’88) and KerryMcMillen (’87) of Columbus.

Elizabeth Caroline Middleton, Sept. 9,2000, to Dalton C. Middleton (’90,M.B.A. ’93) and Melissa Beck Middleton(’92, M.B.A. ’93) of Verona.

Grace Elizabeth Rayburn, April 22,2000, to James A. Rayburn (’88) and wifeMissy of Prairieville, La.

Ramsay Joseph Revennaugh, Oct. 30,2000, to Robin Ramsay Revennaugh(’86, M.A. ’88) and husband Brian ofKennesaw, Ga.

Maggie Elizabeth Rhodes, Aug. 30,2000, to Celeste Myatt Rhodes (’89)and Derrick Rhodes (’90).

Olivia Catherine Rials, Feb. 22,2001, to Harold R. Rials II (’90) andwife Sandra of Brookhaven.

Marlie Nicole Riddell, Sept. 9, 2000, toRandy Riddell (’91) and wife Amy ofKillen, Ala.

Brooks Walton Roney, Dec. 14. 2000, toErin Ingram Roney (’92) and husbandChristopher.

Tucker Riley Shaw, Jan. 20, 2000, toHeather McLemore Shaw (’98) andhusband James of Bellefontaine.

Joseph Lee Sheperis, Oct. 4, 2000, toShelly Frazier Sheperis (’91) and husbandCarl of Mississippi State.

Luke Thomas Sims, Feb. 8, 2001, toReggie L. Sims (’84) and Laura SinclairSims (’88) of Madison.

Lee Thomas Smira, Nov. 14, 2000, toAmanda Lee Smira (’00) and husbandKevin of Flora.

Paul R. Snider Jr., Feb. 28, 2001, toPaul R. Snider (’91) and wife Sherie ofPensacola Beach, Fla.

Ashley Melissa Sproles, Jan. 9, 2001, toMelissa Taylor Sproles (’91) and husbandBrian.

Jacob Murphy Stanard, Jan. 26, 2001, toDavid Stanard (’89) and wife Lisa ofClinton.

Christy Alana Steen, Oct. 11, 2000, toGary Steen (’86) and wife Sheila ofLiberty.

William Francis Stoppel, Dec. 27, 2000,to William L. Stoppel (’87, M.A. ’89) andwife Sandra.

Madison Faith Storment, Nov. 28, 2000,to Paul Storment (’00) and wife Mandy ofRamer, Tenn.

Noah Zachary Strickland, July 22, 2000,to Michelle Williams Strickland (’90) andhusband Jason of Decatur, Ga.

Abigail Claire Stricklin, Nov. 21, 2000,to Scott Stricklin (’92) and Anne HowellStricklin (’94) of Waco, Texas.

Sydney Helen Swafford, Nov. 27, 2000,to Stacey Swafford (’91) and LeannJarzen Swafford (’89, M.Ed. ’91) ofBrandon.

Tristan Lewis Tigrett, Jan. 10, 2001, toPaul Lewis Tigrett (’95) and ChristyWhite Tigrett (’98) of Brandon.

Landon James Tomkins, June 23, 2000,to Larry Tomkins (’95) and TracyTomkins (’95) of Brandon.

Kaelin Ann Turner, Oct. 31, 2000, toKim Whitaker Turner (’95, M.S. ’96) andhusband Andy of Grenada.

Lucile Mae Turnipseed, Aug. 27, 2000,to Terry L. Turnipseed (’86) and wifeLydia of Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Marie Weaver, Feb. 10, 2000, toStan R. Weaver (’88) and wife Wanda ofDuluth, Ga.

Elizabeth Camille White, July 20, 2000,to Allen White (’86) and Tracy ByrdWhite (’89, M.A. ’90) of Austin, Texas.

Maggie Lynn White, Dec. 23, 2000, toJeannie Atkinson White (’91) andhusband Brady of Lauderdale.

Reagan Grace Wilson, Aug. 22, 2000, toLance Rutledge Wilson (’87) and JenniferJacobs Wilson (’91) of Greenville.

SM U

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Stevens A. Renfrow (’16)—108,Jackson; retired teacher, coach, andadministrator for Lincoln County andBrookhaven schools, former director ofadult education for Jackson Public Schools,and World War I veteran, Dec. 8, 2000.

L.C. Murphree (’31, M.S. ’47)—92,Starkville; retired senior salesman forVelsicol Chemical Co., former county agentand Extension entomologist, Feb. 27, 2001.

Ernest Edwin McCoy (’32)—90,Jackson; retired chief of the thermalresearch section, concrete division,Waterways Experiment Station and WorldWar II veteran, Jan. 5, 2001.

Vincent William Guy Jr. (’33)—90,Crystal Springs; retired engineer for thestate Department of Transportation, March23, 2001.

Theodore Smith (’34)—88, Corinth;retired U.S. Air Force colonel, former statesenator and representative, and farmer, Dec.15, 2000.

Harold S. Mustin Sr. (’35)—87,Jackson; retired insurance agent for NewYork Life and former office manager forMillsaps College, Jan. 30, 2001. Mr.Mustin was instrumental in promotingMississippi State College to universitystatus.

Herbert Dabney Maxwell Sr. (36)—86, Clarksdale; retired Western Auto storeowner and World War II veteran, Jan. 6,2001.

Charles Lewis Snyder Jr. (’36)—86,San Antonio, Texas; retired senior engineerfor Dow Chemical Co. and consultant, July8, 2000.

Joe K. Cochran (’37)—91, Richton;retired loan officer, Dec. 19, 2000.

Charles Everitt (’37)—84, Effingham,Ill.; retired Southern Baptist minister, Feb.7, 2001.

Eric Larkin Turner (’37)—93, Canton;retired employee of the Vocational Techni-cal Division of the state Department ofEducation, Jan. 20, 2001.

Jesse W. Austin Sr. (’38)—84, Forest;retired medical doctor and World War IIveteran, Feb. 12, 2001.

Bayard Lamar Broome (’38)—87,Clinton; retired civil engineer for the StateAid Division of the Mississippi Highway

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Department and World War II veteran, Nov.30, 2000.

Fletcher Abraham Rhinehart (’38)—84, Waynesboro; retired owner of RhinehartFeed and Milling Co., farmer, and WorldWar II veteran, Dec. 20, 2000.

G.C. Golden (’39)—85, Woodville;retired ASCS agent for U.S. Department ofAgriculture in Wilkinson County, March30, 2001.

Denton Odell Scott (’39)—88, Colum-bia; retired extension agent, Dec. 16, 2000.

Esther G. Jackson (’41)—80, Cleve-land; homemaker and former parliamentar-ian, Dec. 29, 2000.

Morris J. Priebatsch (’41)—80,Jackson; retired director of family insuranceservices for the state Welfare Department,Jan. 7, 2001.

Felix Jerome Lann Jr. (’42)—80,Aberdeen; retired colonel in the ArmyReserves, Sept. 27, 2000.

Billie Nowlin (’42)—80, Starkville;retired administrative assistant for theMississippi Agricultural and ForestryExperiment Station, Dec. 11, 2000.

Alberta Hogan Smith (’42)—79,Canton; retired teller for Merchants andFarmers Bank, Feb. 13, 2001.

Patty Grice Burns (’43)—84,Vicksburg; retired school teacher, Dec. 27,2000.

Garland F. Vaughn Sr. (’43)—81,Brandon; retired employee of MississippiDepartment of Agriculture and World WarII veteran, Feb. 6, 2001.

Vernon Thomas Hughes (’44)—74,Clarksdale; former owner of Village DrugStore and Army Air Force veteran of WorldWar II, Aug. 30, 2000.

R.E. Mason (’44)—81, Memphis,Tenn.; retired coach for Memphis cityschools and World War II veteran, Nov. 17,2000.

Louis Eugene Spruill (’44, M.S. ’48)—76, Starkville; businessman, Aug. 12, 2000.

Mary Elizabeth Abernethy Dendy(’45)—75, Oxford; homemaker and retiredsecretary, June 30, 2000.

Earl Linford Lewis (’45, M.S. ’55)—82, Quitman; retired assistant principal andchairman of the board of trustees of JonesCounty Junior College, Jan. 29, 2001.

Oliver Lee McCaskill (’45)—78,Leland; retired engineer for the U.S.Ginning Lab in Stoneville and World War IIveteran.

William Walker Moore (’45)—77,Cary; owner of Moore Planting Co., realestate investor, and World War II veteran,Sept. 4, 2000.

Elsie Aleene Ray (’45)—79, Starkville;retired school teacher at Starkville HighSchool and poet, March 12, 2001.

Margaret Byrd (’46, M.Ed. ’68)—76,Chattanooga, Tenn.; retired elementaryschool teacher, Oct. 7, 2000.

William A. Cox Sr. (’47)—76,Starkville; retired state employee, Sept. 12,2000.

R.P. Stringer Jr. (’47)—74, Forest;former U.S. congressman, retired salesbroker, council member for the city ofForest, and World War II veteran, Jan. 15,2001.

Troy D. White Sr. (’47)—79, Union;retired educator, Oct. 1, 2000.

William Russell Holland (’48, M.S.’56)—78, Maben; retired district directorfor the Agriculture and StabilizationService of the U.S. Department of Agricul-ture and World War II veteran, Jan. 8, 2001.

Ferdinand Andre Wise (’48)—73,Birmingham, Ala.; certified public accoun-tant, Aug. 31, 2000.

John H. Arthur Sr. (’49)—77, Bran-don; retired state director for Farmers HomeAdministration and World War II veteran,Jan. 20, 2001.

William Goodwin (’49)—77, Aber-deen; retired rural mail carrier, Sept. 8,2000.

Willie E. Phillips (’49, M.S. ’55)—Baltimore, Md.; retired physicist anduniversity professor, Sept. 3, 2000.

Aubrey Rogers Jr. (’49)—77,Nettleton.

Henry O. Sessums (’49, M.Ed. ’52)—74, Baton Rouge, La.; retired seniorengineering associate for ExxonMobil andWorld War II veteran, Aug. 6, 2000.

Truett H. Smith Sr. (’49)—Jackson;insurance agent, retired U.S. Army major,former professional football player, andWorld War II veteran, Dec. 28, 2000.

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Roger D. Malkinagricultural pioneer

Roger D. Malkin of Scott, chiefexecutive officer and chairman ofDelta and Pine Land Co., died Nov.22, 2000. He was 69.

A Brooklyn, N.Y., native, Malkinearned a bachelor’s degree fromDartmouth College in 1952 and amaster’s the following year from thecollege’s Tuck School of Business.

In 1978, he led a team of investorsthat acquired Delta and Pine Land Co.Under his direction, the enterprisefocused on developing better seedvarieties and became the foremostcotton breeder in the world, withcommercial activities in 19 countries.

In 1996, D&PL commercializedthe first transgenic row crop with thesale of its cotton seed withMonsanto’s bacillus thuringiensisgene technology.

A tireless supporter of education,Malkin was a major benefactor andmember of the advisory board of theMississippi State UniversityAgribusiness Institute. He alsoprovided a major endowment forMSU’s new Biotechnology Instituteand served on the steering committeethat recommended its formation.

Allen Lamar Edwards (’50)—75,Indianola; retired farmer and World War IIveteran, Dec. 8, 2000.

Jack Williams Hayden (’50)—76,Batesville; retired manager of operationsand engineering for Tallahatchie ValleyElectric Power Association and World WarII veteran, March 17, 2001.

Felix Thompson Henley (’50)—79,West Point; teacher and leader in radiology,Sept. 20, 2000.

Lonnie S. Meaders (’50)—75, Laurel;retired coach and teacher, July 22, 1999.

James C. Nicholson (’50)—74,Gulfport; retired senior vice president ofHancock Bank, Sept. 15, 2000.

William H. McFarland Sr. (’51)—72,Baton Rouge, La.; retired Air Forcelieutenant colonel and retired administratorfor Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation,May 11, 2000.

James P. Minyard (’51, Ph.D. ’67)—Harrisonburg, Va.; professor emeritus ofchemistry at Mississippi State and statechemist 1967-91, Jan. 24, 2001.

John A. Montgomery Jr. (’51)—73,Houston, Texas; retired petroleum geologistfor Exxon Oil Co. and World War IIveteran, Oct. 14, 2000.

Earl Kenneth Reynolds (’51, M.S.’55)—71, Greenwood; retired insuranceagent, former county agent for LefloreCounty, and Korean War veteran, Dec. 15,2000.

Oscar H. Johnson Jr. (’52)—Decatur,Ala.; retired chemical engineer forMonsanto, Dec. 20, 1999.

Donald Myron Keady (’52, M.S.’57)—72, Starkville; retired geologyprofessor at Mississippi State, Dec. 10,2000.

Karl H. Miller (’53)—69, Plantersville;retired Soil Conservation Service employeeand Korean War veteran, Feb. 12, 2001.

R. Jack Freeman (’55, M.S. ’66)—88,Columbus; retired education administrator,Oct. 16, 2000.

Edgar E. Sharp (’55)—Longboat Key,Fla.; retired businessman, July 13, 2000.

Bob Branum (’56)—67, Destin, Fla.;retired lieutenant colonel in the MississippiAir National Guard, Dec. 29, 2000.

Liz Depoyster (’64, M.S. ’79)—58,Mooreville; retired business manager for theLee-Itawamba Library System, Aug. 7,2000.

Ray Jenkins (’65)—57, Marks; certifiedpublic accountant, Aug. 9, 2000.

David M. Shaw (’65)—59, Forest;election commissioner of Scott County, July26, 2000.

Charles Leslie Herron (’66)—56,Forest; retired area director for the stateDepartment of Human Services, Feb. 18,2001.

Marion Logan Laster (’66)—68, Alco,Ark.; employed by Delta Branch Experi-ment Station in Stoneville, July 13, 2000.

David McNeil Megginson (’67)—65,Tupelo; People’s Insurance Agencyemployee, Dec. 2, 2000.

Lawrence Mullins (’56)—70,Starkville; retired merchant, Aug. 17, 2000.

Albert S. Munsch Jr. (’56)—AlexanderCity, Ala.; retired Air Force Lt. Col., June 9,2000.

Lowell T. Livingston (’57)—66,Brandon; retired director of intermodaltransportation for the state Department ofTransportation.

William W. Sykes (’57)—69, Jackson;retired licensed engineer and president andchairman of the board of the EngineeringService of Jackson, Sept. 14, 2000.

Avis Elizabeth Mullins (’57)—88,Meadville; retired schoolteacher in theHazlehurst, Greenville, and FranklinCounty schools, March 25, 2001.

Kenneth Geno Sr. (’58)—67,Booneville; retired advanced agricultureadult farmer specialist for Prentiss County,Oct. 2, 2000.

Thomas A. Hester Jr. (’58)—93,Shelby; retired conservationist for USDASoil Conservation Service

Elio Tarsi (’58)—64, Boyle; salesman,Sept. 5, 2000.

Walton E. Finley (’59)—66,Mendenhall; plant engineer for PrestoIndustries and Magnetek, March 5, 2001.

William R. Lacey (’59)—El Paso,Texas; retired English teacher and WorldWar II veteran, Dec. 16, 1999.

Anjel Winston Lopez (’59)—68,Escatawpa; retired aeronautical engineer,Aug. 1, 2000.

L.L. Bishop (’61)—66, McKinney,Texas; convenience store owner and formerplant manager for Nemanco Buildings inPhiladelphia, Jan. 13, 2001.

Robert D. Cox (’62)—57, Jennings,La.; comptroller for Bolton Ford Inc. inLake Charles, March 10, 2001.

Carlos Dale Smith (’62)—59, Vaughan;physical therapist, June 17, 2000.

Mary Sue Wood (’62)—94, Birming-ham Ridge; retired teacher for Lee CountySchools, March 15, 2001.

Phillip Edwin Jacks (’63)—59,Kilmichael; health care manager, July 27,2000.

Leon Polewoda Jr. (63)—63, Green-wood; retired sales representative, March15, 2001.

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How to reach usHow to reach usHow to reach usHow to reach usHow to reach usAlumni may submit items for Class News and In Memoriam in any of thefollowing ways:

Mail: Allen SnowMississippi State AlumnusP.O. Box 5325Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325

Phone: 662-325-3442

E-mail: snowa@ur.msstate.edu

Fax: 662-325-7455

Wayne M. Gressett (’68, M.A. ’74,Ph.D. ’78)—54, San Antonio, Texas;president and CEO of ETS K-12 Works andformer adjunct professor at MississippiState University-Meridian, March 27, 2001.

Lawson Everett Sheldon (’68)—55,Houston, Texas; exploration drillingsuperintendent and interim drilling managerfor VICO Indonesia, July 20, 2000.

Paul Vincent Carollo (’69)—58,Houston, Texas; retired senior powerconsultant for Houston Lighting and PowerCo., Jan. 6, 2001.

Rufus M. Langford III (’69)—53,Kenner, La.; accountant, Aug. 29, 2000.

Phillip L. Browning (’70)—59,Madison; civil engineer, Aug. 20, 2000.

Robert Q. White (’71)—50, LongBeach; Sept. 11, 2000.

Fred William Yates (’72, M.Ed. ’76)—Tupelo; assistant principal at Tupelo HighSchool, Jan. 29, 2001.

Pauline Nason Jackson (’75)—73,Sturgis; retired school teacher, Jan. 3, 2001.

James Edward Petty (’75)—54,Carthage; superintendent of education forLeake County Schools, March 23, 2001.

Beverly Garrett Kennedy (’76)—46,Walnut; retired elementary school teacherin Kossuth, Nov. 29, 2000.

Dennis C. Roberts (’77)—46, Oxford;attorney for Global Industries, Feb. 16,2001.

Kelly Balius (’81)—43, Madison; vicepresident of Spectrum Management forWorld Comm, Feb. 15, 2001.

Robert J. Young (’83)—45, Jackson;director of recruitment for the statePersonnel Board, Feb. 2, 2001.

Kermit Koenig (’86)—45, Tuscaloosa,Ala.; basketball coach, Dec. 5, 2000.

Sharolyn Slay (’91)—31, Brandon;sales representative for Derma Sciences,Jan. 18, 2001.

William C. Bates (attended)—93,Madison; retired heavy-equipment sales-man and World War II veteran, Jan. 23,2001.

Walter H. Burns Sr. (attended)—93,Saltillo; retired school teacher, electrician,and World War II veteran, Nov. 2, 2000.

Virgil Dwane Collins (attended)—77,Jackson; retired certified purchasingmanager for Universal ManufacturingCorp., Feb. 19, 2001.

Wilkins Dedwylder Sr. (attended)—73, Cleveland; retired farmer, Dec. 16,2000.

Van Buren Fleming (attended)—79,Starkville; retired contractor and co-ownerof Fleming Building Supply and World WarII and Korean War veteran, March 3, 2001.

Howard W. McDuffie Jr. (attended)—73, Jackson; retired salesman and WorldWar II and Korean War veteran, Jan. 11,2001.

Robert L. Moorer (attended)—52,West Chester, Pa.; computer sales executiveand Vietnam War veteran, March 17, 2001.

Lloyd H. Stinson (attended)—82,Greenwood; retired U.S. Air Force colonel,pilot, and World War II veteran, March 17,2001.

William S. Thomas (attended)—90,Jackson; co-owner of S.N. Thomas’ Sonsand World War II veteran, Feb. 17, 2001.

Anne M. Holder (former employee)—75, Senatobia; retired house director forDelta Gamma at Mississippi State, March30, 2001.

Gertrude Beall Pepper Holland(former employee)—77, Starkville; retiredmanagement professor at Mississippi State,Dec. 24, 2000.

George Lee Rogers (former em-ployee)—92, Starkville; retired custodian atMississippi State, Jan. 27, 2001.

Helen Poirier Buck (friend)—WestPoint; retired from Helen Buck Jewelry andAntiques, Nov. 29, 2000.

Lady Mary Dawson (friend)—55,Douglas, Wyo.; Feb. 27, 2001.

Paul Raymond Geer (friend)—84,Vicksburg; retired from U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers and World War II veteran, Jan.29, 2001.

Donald Earl Sullivan (friend)—78,Starkville; founder and owner of Sullivan’sOffice Supply, Feb. 1, 2001.