What began as a smooth start up to the academic year in mid-August turnedtumultuous as the statewas staggered byHurricane Katrina andthe university focusedon helping its students,employees, and otherscope with the disaster.

Although theMississippi State campus in Starkville

suffered minimal damage, and the Meridian Campuswas back in operation within a few days, many of themore than 1,100 MSU students from the hardest hitareas, along with more than 160 employees based incoastal counties, suffered calamitous losses.

The Bulldog family responded quickly, generously,and spontaneously to help meet the needs of our ownand of others across the state.

We streamlined and simplified administrative procedures to give students more time to drop classes orwithdraw from school, if necessary, while extending reg-istration by more than three weeks to admit students displaced from universities such as Tulane, theUniversity of New Orleans, and the southernmostMississippi community colleges. More than 50 suchstudents joined us, at least for the fall semester.

By the week of Labor Day, MSU also was housingmore than 140 non-student storm evacuees on campus,closely coordinating shelter efforts locally with the Red Cross.

Alumni and friends have responded generously toaid MSU students plunged into financial difficulty bythe loss of family jobs and resources. A Student ReliefFund created by the Student Association has attractedcommitments of $500,000 from private sources and willhelp to ensure that no student will have to leave MSUthis fall due to hurricane-related financial woes.

A “Bulldogs in Response” task force chaired byFirst Lady Pat Lee organized activities ranging from personal phone calls to students from impacted areas toweekend expeditions to the coast staffed by MSU med-ical, police, counseling personnel, and other professionals.

The MSU volunteer presence on the Coast and ininland communities affected by the storm will expandthroughout the fall as the recovery effort proceeds.

Initial responses from units throughout the universitywere numerous and varied as MSU brought its expertiseto bear on the catastrophe. A few examples among many:

The GeoResources Institute worked with the CoastGuard to identify precise geographic locations that guided helicopters to stranded survivors, and producedhundreds of maps in the days following the hurricane.

The Extension Service, Agricultural and ForestryExperiment Station, and College of Veterinary Medicineprovided feed, medical supplies, and other support tolivestock and poultry producers. The college helpedstaff rescue centers in Jackson and Hattiesburg, and provided medical supplies and equipment.

The Bagley College of Engineering accommodatedengineering faculty from Tulane University, offeringresearch and office space. At least three scholars fromNew Orleans area universities found a temporary homeat MSU’s Social Science Research Center.

The Early Childhood Institute in the College ofEducation began a nationwide solicitation for age-spe-cific educational materials that will be distributed thisfall as part of a campaign for “Hurricane Relief:Embrace Mississippi Children.”

The immediate response of the Bulldog family wascharacterized by the generosity and concern we wouldexpect from The People’s University, yet the greaterchallenges of relief and recovery may lie ahead. We arecommitted to applying the resources and expertise of theuniversity for as long as it takes to help Mississippiovercome the tragedy of Katrina.

The BULLDOG family responds to a state in need

J. CHARLES LEE, PRESIDENT

Fall 2005 | Volume 81 | Number 3USPS 354-520

PresidentJ. Charles Lee

Vice President for External AffairsDennis A. Prescott

Associate Vice President for External Affairs andAlumni Association Executive DirectorJimmy W. Abraham (’75)

Mississippi State Alumnus is published threetimes a year by the Office of UniversityRelations and the Mississippi StateUniversity Alumni Association atMississippi State, Miss. Send addresschanges to Alumni Director, P.O. Box AA,Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526;telephone 662-325-7000; or e-mailfcarr@alumni.msstate.edu.

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.eduwww.msstate.edu

EditorAllen Snow (’76)

Associate EditorKay Fike Jones

DesignersBecky SmithErin Norwood (’98)

PhotographersRuss Houston (’85)Megan Bean

Mississippi State UniversityAlumni Association National OfficersJoe L. Bryan (’63),national president;Betty L. Black (’74),national first vice president;David W. Jones (’81),national second vice president;Steve Taylor (’77),national treasurer;Keith Winfield (’70),immediate former national president.

Mississippi State

features’A marathon need’ | page 2The needs seemed overwhelming. Television images provided an unremitting senseof devastation, but MSU volunteers traveling to the Gulf Coast in the wake ofHurricane Katrina said no photos could convey the reality.

Labor of love | page 10After working for years in the corporate world, Tim Lacy has returned to his almamater as director of campus landscape to begin what he calls a “labor of love.”

Three soliders | page 14Three MSU students have spent months recuperating from debilitating injuries theyreceived in Iraq. Each expresses plans for returning to campus and continuing theireducation just as soon as possible.

Five million steps to Katahdin | page 18Last spring, MSU student Alan Lovett undertook an incredible journey—on foot—from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Along the way, hefound something.

On the cover: Lynn Reinschmiedt, associate dean and professor in the College ofAgriculture and Life Sciences, assists in cleanup after Hurricane Katrina. Photo byRuss Houston. This page: Hikers are silhouetted at dusk on the Appalachian Trail.Photo by Alan Lovett.

Campus news 23 | Sports talk 32 | Alumni news 35 | Foundation news 42 | Class news 47 | In memoriam 50

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On the Sunday morning that Hurricane Katrina ragedtoward the Gulf Coast, New Orleans resident Janet McCoyleft her adopted city with her husband, her brother, hersister, and three changes of clothes.

They drove north to Hattiesburg, chased by the storm.After spending one night there, they were told there wereno available hotel rooms, so they drove farther north toColumbus. There, they heard of an opportunity to behoused in a former residence hall at Mississippi State.

Just over two weeks after New Orleans was devastatedby winds and water, McCoy and her sister sat in MSU’sHerbert Hall guest housing and recounted their losses.

“My house is completely gone, and we’ve been toldthat we may not be able to return to Orleans Parish untilsometime next year,” said Janet, who is caretaker for thequiet Erra at her side.

An employee of J.P. Morgan Chase, McCoy has a jobthat will allow her to temporarily relocate to Dallas/Ft.Worth. Her sister, who has medical problems related to anear-fatal car accident 15 years ago, will remain in theStarkville area with their brother. He’s found localemployment.

Their family members are among 140 who foundtemporary housing, as well as community, solace, andassistance from Mississippi State following one of theworst natural disasters in the nation’s history. Their storyis replicated around Mississippi.

“We’ve typically housed evacuees for several daysduring past hurricane threats,” said Shay McDonnall,assistant director for guest housing, who coordinatedKatrina evacuee housing for the Department of Housingand Residence Life. Weeks after Katrina, guests still werein Herbert, although beginning to filter out and findlonger-term housing in other locations.

While at Mississippi State, those displaced byHurricane Katrina stayed free of charge, with meals pro-vided by the local Red Cross, free access provided byMSU to the Sanderson Center for exercise and recreation,and a lot of support from around the campus and commu-nity, McDonnall said. “There’s been a tremendousresponse,” she said, pointing to a library of games, videos,and other entertainment in the Herbert Hall lobby.

New Orleans residents Janet McCoy (left) and her sister Erra were amongmore than 140 who found temporary refuge in the university’s Herbert Hall.

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Around the spacious lobby in the convertedresidence hall, there are signs inviting guests tochurch dinners and campus cultural events, as wellas directing them to supplies of laundry detergentand personal care items. McDonnall knows indi-viduals by name and tells the story of twins, whoafter living only houses apart for their entire adultlives, left just the day before for their first significantseparation in nearly 50 years.

“They cried,” she said. She recounts the story of three generations of a

Waveland family who had just returned from theirfirst post-Katrina trip to the Gulf coast. “Theydidn’t locate a single salvageable item in any of thefamily’s three homes,” McDonnall said. “They leftyesterday with everything they owned in one car.”

From providing shelter for evacuees to apply-ing satellite technology that helped locate those whostayed behind, the Mississippi State family hasresponded to Katrina’s destruction with human,financial, and technical resources for those in need.

Personnel from the GeoResources Institute andthe Forest and Wildlife Research Center assistedthe Mississippi Emergency Management Agencywith mapping and with the use of GlobalPositioning System equipment during search andrecovery operations. [see accompanying story]

“The first task assigned to the MSU geore-sources personnel was working with the CoastGuard in search and rescue,” said GeoResourcesInstitute director David Shaw. “Using geocodingtechniques in Geographical Information Systems,our staff members were able to direct helicopterpilots to specific latitude and longitude locations torescue stranded survivors. This was done at a timewhen life and death was measured in minutes.”

The university’s georesources personnel alsoproduced hundreds of maps in the days followingthe hurricane as part of the recovery effort. Theyare credited with helping save hundreds of lives.

By providing free Internet access through itsextensive computer network, the Extension Serviceis credited with helping many of those displacedby the storm seek and find family members.

Bulldogs respond“This is what a land-grant university does,”

said President Charles Lee, who quickly mobilizeda task force, “Bulldogs in Response,” to focus anddirect MSU’s humanitarian relief efforts.

Chaired by First Lady Pat Lee, the cross-cam-pus group immediately organized an effort to con-tact MSU students affected by the disaster andbegan a series of weekly trips to the Gulf Coastregion, initially with teams of volunteers and spe-cialized staff members. Included were medicaland mental health personnel, engineers, landscapearchitects, police officers, and others.

The needs seemed overwhelming. Televisionimages provided an unremitting sense of devasta-tion, but those traveling to the area said no photoscould convey the reality.

“You just don’t know where to begin,” saidThomas Bourgeois, assistant dean of students anda New Orleans native who attended high school inBiloxi. You begin, the group decided, by rollingup your sleeves and doing one small thing at a time.

“We were reminded of the fable of thestarfish,” Bourgeois said. Credited to noted scien-tist Loren Eisley, the story recounts the actions ofone young man who walks down miles of beachlittered with starfish, throwing those he touchesback into the sea to save them from death.

A passerby tells him he can’t possibly make adifference. “It made a difference to that one,” theyoung man says, tossing a lone starfish into the water.

Thomas Bourgeois says his family, lifelongresidents of New Orleans, won’t return. A memberof the first “Bulldogs in Response” relief tripdesigned to assess area needs, he ironically foundhis work group at Mercy Cross High School inBiloxi, where some years earlier he had graduated.The school was so heavily damaged that it willhave to be rebuilt, he said.

The structural team began the morning byassessing the building and ensuring appropriatesupplies were on hand. They worked side by sidewith approximately 40 soldiers from the MexicanArmy, none of whom spoke English.

Left: Staff members load water and other supplies forthe first “Bulldogs in Response” relief trip to the GulfCoast in the week following Hurricane Katrina.Below: MSU President Charles Lee presented team leaderMike White, dean of students, a “Bulldogs in Response”T-shirt to identify team members.

Above: Thomas Bourgeois (right), assistant dean of students,worked side by side with soldiers from the Mexican Army, who

assisted with repairs at Biloxi’s Mercy Cross High School.

“It’s the first time since 1846 that Mexican troopshave been active on U.S. soil,” said Bourgeois.

After a day of intense labor, the group managed toshore up a 40-foot wall that had been leaning at a 45-degree angle. “We helped save the gym,” Bourgeois said,simply. For him, it meant one starfish was back in place.

“Bulldogs in Response” has continued its work onthe Gulf Coast, also assisting Gulf Coast universityemployees who lost their homes, and, in response to aparticular need, providing expertise to the NavalRetirement Home with recovery of artifacts.

The task force also organized a campus blood driveand continues to support a variety of other MSU initiatives,including a Student Relief Fund organized by the StudentAssociation to provide short-term support for MSU studentsfrom the Gulf Coast; and an Employee Relief Fund headedby the Professional and Support Staff Advisory Council.

The former has nearly $500,000 in commitmentsfrom alumni and friends to help keep MSU students inschool, said Jon David Cole, SA president. “Our MSUfamily has shown they care,” he said.

Calling on institutional strengthsBoth in the immediate aftermath of Katrina and in

the many weeks following, academic departments, col-leges and research centers responded by providing theirexpertise where needed.

In the Starkville community, students and facultymembers from the College of Business and Industryassisted evacuees with the FEMA paperwork that would

get them started on the road to recovery.Josh Harris, an MBA student from Jackson County

on the Gulf Coast, volunteered his time, and after anafternoon of FEMA-led training, worked with a numberof families to ensure forms were correctly completed.

His family was lucky, he said. “We lost some tiles onthe roof of our house, but there was no significant damage.”

By contrast, the families he assisted often had losteverything. “I gained a better understanding of what peo-ple go through,” he said. “You could feel their emotion.”

The art department, which had planned a fall exhibi-tion featuring the works of Ocean Springs artist WalterAnderson, provided expertise to the Anderson family fol-lowing the destruction of much of the family compound.Works exhibited at MSU already had been curated, andthus, saved for future generations.

“These are some of Anderson’s best pieces,” saidMSU art professor Brent Funderburk, an Anderson expert.

Mississippi State has deployed a wide range ofexpertise and assistance in Mississippi, including thatfrom the College of Veterinary Medicine and theMississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Stationin providing feed, medical supplies and other support tolivestock and poultry producers until normal supply serv-ices were re-established.

In addition to providing emergency care for animalsaround the state, the veterinary college also played a keyrole in helping save 26 bush babies—small primates—that were part of a research program at the hard-hitUniversity of Southern Mississippi. The animals were

“I’m comparing this to amarathon race. You have to

stop and replenish yourselfand be in this for the longrun. There are marathon

needs resulting fromHurricane Katrina.”~ Dr. Beatrice Tatem

Right: Students whose families were victims of thedeadly storm embraced during a campus prayer vigil.

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transported to Starkville, where they stayed at universityfacilities until power was restored in Hattiesburg.

“Because of the university’s outreach mission and itsstrengths in areas such as engineering, architecture, agri-culture, forestry, and social sciences, Mississippi Statewill be an integral part of helping the state recover as itmoves into the future,” Lee said.

Continuing needsBeatrice Tatem, a “Bulldogs in Response” task force

member and director of the university’s Counseling Center,believes the emotional issues resulting from Katrina willcontinue long into the future.

Part of the first MSU team that traveled to theMississippi Gulf Coast, Tatem says she was struck by theneeds of survivors and of emergency responders.

“I’m comparing this to a marathon race,” she said.“You have to stop and replenish yourself and be in thisfor the long run. There are marathon needs resultingfrom Hurricane Katrina.”

A volunteer counselor for evacuees at the local RedCross shelter and at Herbert Hall, Tatem said she has dis-covered people need to talk about the loss, grief and fearthey feel. They also have a need to talk about changes inroutine—or lack of routine—caused by the devastationand ways they can regain a sense of order.

She’s found that people feel the loss of communitykeenly. “Friends, shops, landmarks are no longer there,”she said. “I think long-term issues will be depression,anxiety and perhaps a sense of panic.”

Those affected also feel the loss of a community ofsupport, she added. “Many have united due to theirshared loss.”

To help respond, the Counseling Center has extendedits outreach to students, faculty and staff affected by thedisaster, as well as providing volunteer counseling locally.

The Social Science Research Center, meanwhile, isconducting a Web-based survey of university students tomeasure stress and mental health issues resulting fromthe disaster and the kinds of resources they say are mosthelpful. It will help the university plan disaster responsenow and in the future.

The SSRC also has completed a survey of 47Mississippi emergency shelters to provide timely infor-mation on shelter conditions and needs, especially relatingto children. The resulting research also will provide con-tinuing guidance about child and family service systemsafter a natural disaster.

For those whose homes, families, and neighborhoodsare forever changed, the help they’ve received fromMississippi State has made all the difference.

“Mississippi has made me feel so at home,” saidHerbert Hall guest Janet McCoy of New Orleans.“You’re the most gracious people I’ve ever met, and wecan’t thank you enough.”

Bob Ratliff of Agricultural Communications contributedto this story. For more information about MSU reliefefforts, see www.msstate.edu/web/katrina/response.

Advice from MSU’s Counseling Center for Katrina survivors

• Talk about the experience in groups, especially with other Katrina survivors

• Know when you’re in emotional overload and take a break.

• Understand that you’ll have an array of emotions.

• Limit the time children watch hurricane coverage on television.

• Take care of your physical needs with adequate rest and regular meals.

• Ask for professional counseling if you need it.

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Mississippi State scientists used their aerial imageryand mapping skills to help rescue hundreds of strandedsurvivors of Hurricane Katrina and are continuing to providevaluable assistance in the ongoing disaster recovery effort.

Thirteen faculty, researchers and graduate studentsfrom the university’s GeoResources Institute applied theirexpertise in geographic information and global positioningsystems to help U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilots findand pluck nearly 300 storm victims from danger at scat-tered locations along the devastated Mississippi Gulf Coast.

“There was an immediate need for geocoding—tak-ing street addresses and turning them into map coordinates,”said GRI director David Shaw. “Basically, there were nostreets left, so the Coast Guard used GPS units to guidetheir choppers to people trapped in the floodwaters.”

Even before Katrina, the campus-based institute was a“world leader in spatial technologies and resource man-agement,” observed MSU research vice president ColinScanes.

Rich Minnis, a GRI team leader and spatial technolo-gies expert at MSU’s Forest and Wildlife ResearchCenter, said at least “289 folks up and down theMississippi Coast” were rescued as a direct result of thegeocoding effort. In the days after the hurricane hit Aug.29, the MSU volunteers worked 12-hour shifts around theclock at the Emergency Operations Center in Jackson, headded.

Minnis said GIS experts from the Park Ridge, Ill.-basedUrban and Regional Information Systems Association’sGISCorps, Mississippi Automated Resource InformationSystem, and sister institutions University of Mississippiand Delta State University also participated in the MSU-led mapping effort.

“This was all done in real time where life and deathwere measured in minutes,” said another member of theMSU team, GRI research associate Louis Wasson. “Onecall came in that a man at a specific street address washemorrhaging. The address was geocoded, the man waspicked up and taken to a hospital, and his life was saved.

“Another call came in from a 74-year-old womanwho had walked to a power station on the coast,” addedWasson. “The power station had been mapped and thechopper pilot, using that map, navigated to the station topick up the woman.”

The MSU team’s Jackson operations continue to behoused in a mobile education unit owned by the StateInstitutions of Higher Learning and located at the EOC’sheadquarters on Riverside Drive. The bus-like unit’s 10-15 computer work stations gather remote sensing imageryfrom sophisticated aerial and satellite systems and turnthat into advanced maps.

“Maps are worth more than gold on the coast,” saidWasson. “You need a picture of what’s going on andmaps provide that visual perspective at a moment in time. The military needs detailed street maps for theirmissions, the media need maps, and maps have been stapled to poles to inform people where to go for aid and relief.”

The GRI team produced 186 maps on their first dayof operation immediately after the Aug. 29 storm cameashore. That number was upped to a total to 300 by thefollowing day.

As soon as travel to the coast was possible, teammembers moved to EOC field sites in Jackson, Harrisonand Hancock counties, as well as the neighboring coun-ties immediately to the north, to provide front-line help.

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Working on self-contained laptop computers hookedto large-format printers, Minnis said the field teams now“easily are turning out 1,000 maps a day.”

“We are helping with disaster response and disasterrelief planning by providing detailed road maps, locatingpower lines that have been downed by limbs, assessingdamage to houses, etc.,” added a sleepy Minnis during arest from a 22-hour shift.

The assistant research professor of wildlife and fish-eries said maps are being utilized by a wide variety ofdisaster response entities that include the Coast Guardand fire and rescue departments from as far away as NewYork and California, as well as the U.S. Marines, NavySeabees and Army National Guard.

“We will be compiling map books for the threecoastal counties for use in assessing housing damage,”said Wade Givens, another team leader and GRI researchassociate. “Where available, these books will includeimagery of streets, building footprints and parcels of landlabeled with owner names.

“We have shown damage assessment teams that byusing the imagery and parcel data, they can determine

which houses are concrete slabs,” Givens added. “Thatcan save a lot of man-hours in the field.”

Other members of the MSU team include GRIresearch associates Rita Jackson, Joby Prince, RyanWersal and Josh Cheshier; geosciences department gradu-ate students John Gilreath, Chitra Prabhu and RaviSadasivuni; wildlife and fisheries professor Wes Burger;wildlife and fisheries postdoctoral associate Mark Smith;and Charlie Hill, an undergraduate student in the depart-ment of electrical and computer engineering.

The GRI brings together faculty from 22 departmentswithin six colleges/units at MSU. An affiliate of the uni-versity’s ERC (formerly known as the EngineeringResearch Center), the institute collaborates with manycommunity colleges and focuses on agriculture, waterresources, state and local government, and economicdevelopment.

“This was a fantastic cooperative effort from acrossthe university,” said Shaw. “Faculty, staff and studentsfrom wildlife and fisheries, plant and soil sciences, geo-sciences, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and theAgriculture Research Service all provided support.”

GeoResources associates, from left, Wade Givens, Rita Jackson, and LouisWasson compile maps to aid in rescue efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

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AAfter working for years in the corporate world, Tim Lacy returned to his alma mater in March to beginwhat he calls a “labor of love.”

By that, Mississippi State’s new director of campuslandscape refers to a metaphorical garden cart full ofprojects that range from the modernization of aging irri-gation systems to the much-needed addition of periodlighting to increased fertilization of the greenery to, welljust about everything else. Lacy said he wantsMississippi’s largest university to “look loved like it didwhen Charley Scoggins (the now-retired longtime cam-pus landscape director and Lacy’s mentor) was here.”

“Because of years of budget cuts,” he continued, “theuniversity’s landscape has been neglected. When I washere before (1985-92), we had 11 ornamental employeesalone; now we have three and the campus acreage hasincreased by about a third from what it was.

“With a total of 32 full-time employees—and a seasonal crew of temporary workers—we are maintainingtwice the area with half the people and less than half thefunding of the average Southern university,” he said.

Lacy said President Charles Lee and Ray Hayes, vicepresident for finance and administration, earlier decidedthat “enough was enough” and hired him to return thecampus landscape to its former glory.

“It’s a challenge, but President Lee and Ray havebeen very supportive,” Lacy said.

Tim Lacy

Chapel of Memories

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The 1978 MSU ornamental horticulture graduate isno stranger to challenges. During his earlier campustenure as both a horticulturist and turfgrass instructor, Lacyalso served as superintendent of the MSU Golf Course.

Under his watch, the one-time nine-hole, no-challengecourse was expanded to become the Golf Digest-recom-mended par-72 links that now cover nearly 7,000 yards.The modern course has earned numerous accolades,including the national golf magazine’s glowing accoladeas the “best college course in the South.”

After the expansion of the MSU course, Lacy joinedPursell Technologies Inc. of Sylacauga, Ala., in 1992. Asthe company’s director of sales and marketing, heplanned and implemented the launch of POLYON fertil-izer, now a national market leader.

His biggest early challenge came in 1999, however,when he was named director of golf and grounds mainte-nance for FarmLinks, a Pursell division. Lacy helpedconstruct Pursell Farms, a 3,500-acre development nearBirmingham as a professional quality research anddemonstration golf course. It was from this position thathe retired earlier this year after being offered the MSU job.

Calling MSU “the last stop in his career,” Lacy hasbig plans for both the campus infrastructure and makinggreen plants green again. Upon taking over in the spring,he discovered that the entire campus hadn’t been fertil-ized in about a decade.

“There just wasn’t the money for it, so I made somecalls and got a fertilizer company to donate their productthis year,” he said. He also coaxed the donation of a bededger from another firm.

With the feeding of the ornamentals and grasses outof the way, Lacy said his crews now are concentrating ona variety of urgent projects. They include the reductionof overgrown vegetation, transformation of the formerFive Points/“Malfunction Junction” intersection into aninviting green space, pressure washing of main campushardscapes, and enhancement of trash containers.

As part of its effort to make the campus more pedes-trian-friendly, landscape crews recently completed an out-door cafe addition to the State Fountain Bakery. Also, anew master plan for tree planting soon will provide moreshade for strollers around the 127-year-old institution’shistoric Drill Field.

Historic Districtlighting

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Lacy said his long-range dream is to have the entirecentral campus designated a historic district with periodlighting and guided tours of the older buildings.

“I would love to find people who lived here whenthey were younger and use them as tour guides for, say,spring tours of the historic buildings,” he explained.

But, for now, there are those “immediate” projects.“All entrance roads to campus need attention,” Lacy

said. Frowning at what he’s about to say, he added: “Youcan get here without knowing you’re on campus.”

There also are plans to redo the walkways on the DrillField by using more brick than concrete, and Stephen D.Lee’s bust at the center will get a facelift to tie in withthe new flagpole area.

Campus landscape also is assisting with the volunteerEckie’s Pond project. “Many different university depart-ments have pitched in to revive Eckie’s,” Lacy proudlyobserved. “Our department is laying sod, planting treesand the forestry department has added some picnic tables.We’re now looking for donors for the plants around thepond and we hope to get some master gardeners involvedin the project.”

Lacy also is seeking industry donors for other cam-pus projects.

In terms of completed projects, an 18-hole flying discgolf course recently was built entirely by student landscapeworkers under the direction of Perry Sellers, campuslandscape construction superintendent. Beginning nearHerbert Hall and winding through woods to the east, theBulldog Disc Golf Park enables players to throw flyingdiscs toward elevated targets that serve as “holes.”

Lacy is quick to point out how pivotal a role the studentworkers play in the improvement of Starkville campuslandscapes.

“Eighty percent of our intensive landscape maintenancetakes place March-October, so we rely on our temporaryworkers,” he said. “Our student work force is a great groupand we couldn’t do it without them. In fact, except for thesupervisors, our athletic field crew and the MSU GolfCourse workers all are students.”

In spite of the budgetary and related challenges he’sencountering right now, Lacy genuinely seems, as he said,“very excited to be back at MSU.

“As I mentioned, this is my last stop and I want thisplace to look loved.”

MSU Golf Course/Russ Houston

Eckie’s Pond

Lantana on Drill Field

Far right: University officials recently visited with two woundedBulldogs and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical

Center. From left are Larry ('70) and Carolyn ('72) Brooksand their son William, MSU President Charles Lee, Aaron and

Kelly Rice, and MSU Dean of Students Mike White.Right: White later visited with wounded student T.C. Rollins.

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Three Mississippi State students arerecuperating from serious injuries theyreceived in Iraq, and all plan to returnto campus to continue their education.

William Brooks was steering his Humvee along agritty, sand-blown stretch of roadway 15 miles south ofBaghdad when the Army vehicle suddenly triggered ahidden explosive device.

Bam!In the blink of an eye, the young soldier’s life was

forever altered. He lost both legs, above the knees.“We veered off the road and hit an IED (improvised

explosive device) buried beneath the ground,” Brooksexplained. “I have no recollection of the impact. I wasout of it for a week and a half.”

The booby trap that spelled disaster for the 23-year-old Mississippi Army National Guardsman fromSouthaven was tripped during a routine convoy escortmission along San Juan Road in war-torn Iraq last March

29—just 20 days after his six-year term of enlistmentwith the 155th Brigade Combat Team was supposed tohave expired.

Another Mississippian, Marine Lance Cpl. AaronRice of Sumrall, was driving a Humvee during a combatmission in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province March 18 when hisvehicle struck a land mine. The explosion left a heap oftwisted metal and mangled body parts entwined along thedesert highway west of the Euphrates River.

“I looked down and my left leg, below my knee, waspointing back up at me,” said the 21-year-old reservistwith Jackson-based Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14thMarine Regiment. “My boot was lying in my lap.”

A 2002 graduate of Oak Grove High School, Ricelost his leg below the knee.

Thomas C. “T.C.” Rollins was manning a machine gunfrom his perch atop another Humvee on a convoy securityrun between the Iraqi cities of Falujah and Ramadi Feb. 9when the speeding vehicle swerved onto a gravel road,fishtailed and flipped one and a half times, sending theMarine reservist and some of his fellow soldiers airborne.

Photo provided by Mike White

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“I was thrown about 15 feet,” said the 21-year-oldColumbus native, who suffered a leg wound from thebody-piercing shell of a companion’s bouncing M-16assault rifle, which discharged upon impact.

The bullet severed an artery as it entered the back ofRollins’s left thigh, creating a gaping hole as it exited thefront part of his leg and leaving a fragment of shatteredbone protruding from the wound. His right lung also col-lapsed and his pelvis was broken in three places as thevehicle landed upside down.

“I’m pretty lucky to be alive,” said the 2002 New HopeHigh School graduate and member of Bessemer, Ala.-basedLima Company, 4th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment.

All three soldiers have spent the past several monthsrecuperating from their debilitating injuries, and undergo-ing inpatient and outpatient rehabilitative treatment—Brooks and Rice at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centerin Washington, D.C., and Rollins at the National NavalMedical Center in Bethesda, Md.

The three Purple Heart recipients were students atMississippi State University before their studies wereinterrupted by war. Each expressed plans for returning tothe Starkville campus and continuing their education justas soon as possible.

MSU President Charles Lee and Dean of Students MikeWhite visited Brooks and Rice at the Walter Reed center

June 13. White said “approximately 130 MSU students”have been called to active military service since the spring2003 invasion of Iraq.

“The entire Bulldog family is proud of our many stu-dents, alumni and staff who are serving in the armed forces,and we are grateful for the sacrifices that all of them havemade,” Lee said following the Walter Reed visit.

“We are particularly moved by the courage and opti-mism demonstrated by those who have been seriouslyinjured in the line of duty,” the president added. “The hopesand prayers of the university community are for theirspeedy recovery and for the safe return of all the men andwomen who remain in harm’s way.”

Brooks joined a New Albany military police detachmentof the Tupelo-based 155th at age 17, soon after graduatingfrom Southaven High School, because, “I have a lot of pridein my country and I just wanted to do something special.I wanted to be a part of something—make a difference.”

An earlier tragedy hit the Brooks family in the latefall of 2003 when William’s dad, Larry Brooks, a 1970MSU alum, was critically injured in an automobile acci-dent. Larry’s wife, Carolyn, a 1972 MSU graduate andformer high school algebra teacher, became her husband’sprimary care-giver. William dropped out of school to helptake care of the family, along with brother John, duringtheir dad’s slow recovery.

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“William had hoped to go back to school in the springof 2004, but then his unit was activated and that puteverything on hold,” said Carolyn. “He was deployed withhis unit in early January 2005.”

As an MP, Specialist Brooks guarded and processedenemy prisoners during his first months in Iraq. He wasperforming a convoy escort mission out of the Kalsu forwardoperating base, a mission he had performed “many timesbefore,” when he was hit. Three other soldiers blown fromthe Humvee were not as seriously injured as William.

“I woke up hallucinating,” he recalled. “I didn’t knowwhat was going on. I was in a state of shock and disbelief.I knew I couldn’t feel my legs and I kept asking why. I wasdoped up on pain medication. I lost both legs above the knees.”

After the amputations and surgeries for a broken pelvis,Brooks has spent months in painful rehabilitation. He hasbeen fitted with a prosthetic for his right leg, but waswaiting for his broken pelvis to heal completely beforeusing a prosthetic for his left leg.

“I can walk, but it takes a lot out of me,” he said dur-ing a recent trip home.

Rice’s mobile assault platoon was on its way to linkup with another infantry unit when the Marines decided toleave the road and cut across desert sand. As theyapproached their destination at a forward operating base,Rice’s Humvee hit a land mine and the unit came under asimultaneous mortar attack.

Stunned by the blast but still conscious, Rice realizedhis left leg was “hanging on by tissue” and his right legwas pinned in the wreckage. Three of his buddies crawledunderneath the Humvee, pulled him out and assisted in hismedical evacuation.

“The first thing I did was reach in my flak jacket andpull out a picture of me and my wife (Kelly),” he said. “Itold my buddies not to worry about me—that I was lucky.I was going home to see my wife.”

Recently, he said he learned only six members of hisoriginal 20-member platoon have escaped death or injurysince he was separated from the unit.

After field treatment, Rice was transported to U.S.medical facilities in Germany, where his leg was amputat-ed, and then flown back to the states. He was treated initially at the Bethesda facility and then at Walter Reed,which specializes in prosthetics.

“I was in the intensive care unit for four days aftergetting back to the U.S.,” he said. “I was hallucinating

because of the drugs in my system. I thought people inmy hospital room were trying to kill me. I thought mybed was a Humvee.”

Now on the road to recovery with the aid of a pros-thetic, Rice is walking, and is even doing some mountainbiking for exercise and fun when he gets the opportunity.He and Kelly hope to re-enroll for 2006 spring classes atMississippi State, where Aaron is a Stennis Scholar majoringin political science and Kelly enjoyed a perfect 4.0 grade-point average before dropping out to help take care of herhusband.

Aaron has a twin brother, Ryan, who also joined theMarine Corps about the time Aaron was deploying to Iraq,and three sisters. Their parents, Deborah and Charles“Randy” Rice, live in Sumrall, located east of Hattiesburg.

Looking up from the wreckage of his overturnedHumvee, T.C. Rollins thought the vehicle was going toroll over and crush him. With his adrenaline pumping fullsteam, however, he managed to use one of his legs to pushhimself out of danger. Then, a Navy corpsman (medic) cameto his rescue, got him medically stabilized and evacuated.

Back in the states, at Bethesda, the young Marineestimates he has undergone “more than 20 surgeries” onhis bullet-shattered leg, broken pelvis and injured areas ofhis chest. Pins were inserted into his leg to hold the thighbone in place, an artery has been reconnected, a screw hasbeen placed in his back to stabilize his pelvis, muscle hasbeen removed for skin grafts, and one knee will not bendbecause of torn ligaments.

“More surgeries lie down the road,” said Rollins, whogets around on crutches but is encouraged because, “Ibought a truck and I can drive it now.”

A junior majoring in banking and finance, T.C. hopesto return to fulltime studies at Mississippi State next spring.His girlfriend, Jocelyn Gong of Greenwood, is a seniorbiology major at MSU. T.C.’s father, Tommy Rollins, livesin Mathiston and his mother, Millie Kemp, resides inStarkville.

Despite his bad luck on the battlefield, Rollins plansto stay in the Marine Corps.

“I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done, except maybetell the driver of that Humvee to slow down before mak-ing the turn,” Rollins said. “I’m very supportive of thewar. I’d rather go and fight terrorists in Iraq than have mygirlfriend and my mom dodging bombs here in the UnitedStates.”

Last spring, student Alan Lovettundertook an incredible journey

—on foot—from SpringerMountain, Georgia, to MountKatahdin, Maine. Along the

way, he found something.

By Alan LovettPhotos provided by author

I

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In 1937, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail wasestablished as America’s longest hiking trail. Though ithas been re-routed and washed away over the years, theAppalachian Trail today is still a simple hiking trailstretching 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine, throughthe heart of the Appalachian Mountains. The trail’s unof-ficial motto is that it is “a footpath for those who seekfellowship with the wilderness.”

Every year more and more people attempt to thru-hike or hike the trail in its entirety; it takes a very longtime, and these thru-hikers are essentially cut off fromcivilization for much of the time. Given the opportunity,however, few endeavors are more rewarding.

On Feb. 28, 2005, I began this journey to which therest of my life’s achievements will forever be compared.On that day, I knew nothing of what would take placeduring the four and a half months that followed, in whichtime I would actually backpack from Georgia to Maine,often hiking alone and relying only on what I could carryon my back to keep me alive.

After completing the trail on July 12, and comingback home to Mississippi, I was able to relay stories andrecall events that made my life so incredible for whatnow seems all too brief a time; still, even my own recol-lection of the trail falls short of capturing its true quality,simply because my account could never completely con-vey the experience; however, that does not mean it is notworth telling.

Initially, one of the things that made this trip soexceptional to me was that it was perhaps the closestthing that I had to a “lifelong dream.” When I was 12 yearsold, I set foot on the Appalachian Trail for the first timeat its southern terminus, Springer Mountain, Ga. After thattrip, off and on for the next seven years, I thought of whatit would be like to thru-hike the granddaddy of all trails.

The only thing holding me back was my own inhibi-tion and a few minor details. With my outlook on thisnew undertaking often switching between idealistic confi-dence and nervous doubt, I finally decided to begin mythru-hike in the spring of 2005.

Eventually, with a lot of help from Dr. NancyMcCarley, director of the University Honors Program, andDr. Trey Hoyt of the Department of Kinesiology, I madearrangements to receive college credit through directedindividual studies from both departments here at MSU.

After all the other preparations, when I set foot onSpringer Mountain again—this time with intentions ofwalking to Maine—I was absolutely terrified. Despitemy own self-assurance, the support of friends and family,and even the kind words from complete strangers whoknew about my trip, I knew that hiking the trail would beexceptionally hard, and I was scared to death that Iwouldn’t have what it took to finish.

I was right on the first count: the trail was the hard-est thing that I’ve ever done. The physical task alonewas daunting: I walked through 14 states, often hiking a

Lovett on the top of Mt. Katahdin, Maine

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marathon while climbing and descending thousands offeet with as much as 55 pounds in my backpack—everysingle day for 135 days.

It was the mental aspect, however, that proved to bemuch more challenging, as is the case with anythingthat’s difficult. Sometimes it was honestly a struggle justto stay sane. I couldn’t have imagined before the trailwhat it’s like to go a couple of weeks without having aconversation with another human being, how genuinelydesperate I would become when I ran out of food for afew days, or how depressing it is to go a week and a halfwithout seeing the sunshine and still having to hike in therain every day.

These events, while definitely not always enjoyable,were part of what gave the trail much of its allure.

That isn’t to say, though, that the Appalachian Trailconstantly offers only struggles. I was rendered speech-less by how beautiful parts of the trail were. There’snothing like spending an hour or two climbing up a3,000-foot incline, to be so exhausted at the end of it and

then to break above treeline for the first time and lookout and up at all of God’s green earth.

It’s an awe-inspiring experience to be on top of amountain and see only trees, mountains, lakes, andclouds—no sign that people have ever set foot within 100miles of you. There was a satisfaction in looking at thehorizon in either direction, to the south where I’d beenand to the north where I was going.

I’m far too ineloquent to express fully how alive Iwas while on the trail. Somewhere between crossing aflooded river with my backpack over my head, runningacross a moose and her baby in a meadow, hiking abovetreeline in a lightning storm, walking in hurricane forcewinds while it was snowing, or swimming in a remoteglacial lake—somewhere in all this, I realized that byputting one foot in front of the other, I had finally ridmyself of all the unessential parts of living. I was experi-encing life the way it was intended to be.

When I climbed the final mountain of the trail onJuly 12, 2005, it was the instant culmination of every

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waking moment in my life for the previous four and ahalf months. I felt I’d taken a lifetime of experiences andsqueezed them into that short time, and as I ascendedMount Katahdin, my mind wandered over an experiencethat left me with an incredible sadness because it wascoming to an end.

If I took only one thing away from the entire experi-ence, it would be my firm belief that even the most diffi-cult accomplishment is attainable as long as I pursue itwith the same determination that has given people theability to do amazing things, from summiting Everest,battling back from cancer to win seven Tour de Franceraces—I guess even to hiking the Appalachian Trail.

There were times that almost pushed me over theline, when I would have given anything to be able to siton a couch with my friends, drinking sweet tea andwatching a baseball game, not having to hike 20-some-odd miles that day, and the next, and the next.

But I knew that if I ever actually quit, I would neverhave been able to forgive myself. I had aspirations ofcompleting something that, although difficult, was morerewarding than any other accomplishment in my shortlife. If I had walked away from that, not only would Ihave been ashamed to realize that a dream proved beyondmy ability, but I would have lost a little faith in thehuman ability to persevere.

Excerpts from Alan Lovett’s journal:

February 28, 2005, GeorgiaWell, this is it. I can’t believe I’m actually here. I can’tkeep my hand out of my sleeping bag long enough to writemuch, its freezing cold.… Well, I guess here goes nothing.

March 1, 2005, GeorgiaAll I’ve thought about for two days straight is how hugean undertaking this is. It scares me to death…that the ATis a measuring stick that I may not be able to meet.… Ithelps to think about all the extraordinary things that otherpeople have done…some other people’s accomplishmentsmake walking the AT for 5 months seem like no big deal.

March 18, 2005, TennesseeI went to the doctor this morning—he told me that I havetendonitis in my right knee, and I need to come off thetrail for a while.… I’m going to keep walking though.

April 1, 2005, VirginiaI’ve been thinking a lot about what it would be like towake up every morning and not have to walk all day.I’ve been on the trail for a month, and it seems so long;but I’ve still got four more to go.… No matter whatthough, I’m not quitting.

Opposite page: Lovett, cliffside in Maine. Above left: Lovett, looking at Franconia Ridge, New Hampshire. Above right: Lovett and two other thru-hikers in New Hampshire.

April 5, 2005, VirginiaToday was incredible.… a few minutes into hiking we cameacross a herd of wild ponies… they came right up to usand wouldn’t stop licking us because of the salt on our skin…The Virginia highlands are beautiful too; it almost remindsme of hiking out west. Huge open fields looking out ontomassive rock outcroppings, and just constant views of themountains… it’s not about the miles, its all about the smiles.

May 20, 2005, Pennsylvania… later on down the road, how much would I give to reliveany part of the trail, even if it’s just another day hiking inthe rain. I try to keep that in mind, to be grateful for everysingle day that I’m out here and realize that while I want tobe home sometimes, I’m here because this is what I choseto do with 5 months of my life—so I’d better cherish everyday of it—the good and the bad, because some day I’ll beback home or at school wishing for nothing else than to beout here in the rain on the AT.

June 15, 2005, VermontMiserable day—it rained on us all day again. I haven’t seenthe sun in a week, ever since we got into this state.… Myboots haven’t been dry since Connecticut. I think the wholeNorth East is one big mud puddle.… It’s raining evenharder now, but hey, at least that means no bugs tonight.

June 22, 2005, New HampshireIt’s getting close to July and its cold—In the 30s. That’sridiculous! Despite the chilly weather, I love NewHampshire. The Whites are absolutely amazing—wellbeyond description. Two days ago we climbed Mt.Moosalauke; the climb was the hardest thing we’ve had inmonths, but once we got to the top it didn’t matter one bit.I tripped so many times because I couldn’t concentrate on myfeet; I just kept looking around once we got above treeline…

July 3, 2005, MaineWow—today was awesome! Days like today make me notmiss home at all. I saw a spectacular sunrise from mysleeping bag this morning, swam in a gorgeous lake, andsaw maybe the best sunset of the trail from the top ofBigeleow Mountain. We’re sleeping out under the starstonight at right under 4,000 feet—it’s probably going toget really chilly, but I don’t care. We’re going to cross2,000 miles tomorrow morning! I can’t believe I walked

here from Georgia, and it’s almost over. Days like today,though, make me sad to bring it to an end.

July 13, 2005, MaineYesterday, at 12:30 on July 12th, 2005, I climbed the

last mountain of the Appalachian Trail. After 4 1/2 monthsof thinking day in and day out about Katahdin, standing ontop of it might have been the most incredible experience ofmy life. There’s a sign at Katahdin’s Baxter Peak, mark-ing the northern terminus of the AT—when I saw it for thefirst time through the clouds, it really was surreal.

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WWhen I was 12 years old on my first trip toSpringer down in Georgia, it was just another moun-tain that I couldn’t pronounce, then later on itbecame a dream, something I would do some daysome time whenever I got around to chasing all thoseother adventurous fantasies…that dream becamemore of a realization when I started my thru-hike onFebruary 28, and then Katahdin became an obses-sion, I thought about what it would be like to traceout the words ‘Katahdin’ in that old, wooden, weath-er beaten sign…. when I sat two feet from that signand touched it for the first time, nothing could stopthe tears…. I’m done. Now I guess I’ll come onback home.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live delib-erately, to front only the essential facts of life, andsee if I could learn what it had to teach, and not,when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

—Henry David Thoreau

Alan Lovett of Brandon is a junior at MississippiState, majoring in mechanical engineering. His pas-sions include hiking, kayaking, climbing, and biking.What’s next for the honors student? He has his eyeon the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail that runs fromMexico to Canada, through California, Oregon, andWashington. More of Lovett’s journal and photos ofhis Appalachian Trail hike can be found at www.just-lovett.com.

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Freshman increase drivesenrollment above 16,100

A 12 percent increase in new freshmen pushed MississippiState’s fall enrollment to 16,101, up by 167 students from last

year. The 1,966 first-time freshmenoutnumber last year’s newcomers by213 and make up the largest enteringclass at MSU since 2000.

About 77 percent of MSU’s newfreshmen and 77 percent of all studentsare Mississippi residents. African-Americans make up 19.5 percent of thetotal. The student body is 51.5 percentmale and 48.5 percent female.

This fall’s unduplicated headcountincludes 14,395 students on theStarkville campus, 723 at the MeridianCampus, 923 enrolled exclusively inonline courses, and 60 in graduatecenters at Stennis Space Center in BaySt. Louis and at the Waterways Experi-ment Station in Vicksburg.

MSU also saw growth in graduateand professional students, who total3,546 this fall, while the number ofinternational students continued a

decline that began after 2001, dropping to 574 this year.Fall semester classes began on Aug. 18 and this fall’s

preliminary headcount was calculated on Sept. 2, following thelast day to drop a class without receiving a grade.

Although regular registration for the semester ended on Aug.24, the university continued to accept students who hadplanned to attend classes this fall at institutions disrupted byHurricane Katrina until Sept. 9. The late-enrolling studentsdisplaced by the hurricane will not be included in official fallenrollment figures.

Engineering students design, build,fly UAV in competition

UAV competitors, from left, Blake Sanders of Byram, NathanWhitfield of Picayune and Ian Broussard of Carencro, La., show offthe unmanned aerial vehicle they and 14 other Mississippi Stateengineering students designed, built and flew in recentinternational competition.

MSU students are part of a new generation ofundergraduate university engineers who are designingand building unmanned aerial vehicles capable ofperforming real-world missions.

A 17-member team from the Bagley College ofEngineering finished seventh among 14 national andinternational groups in the third annual studentcompetition of the Association for Unmanned VehicleSystems International. The challenge was held earlier thisyear at the Navy’s Patuxent River/Webster Field Annex inSt. Inigoes, Md.

A Mississippi State geosciences instructor is receivingcutting-edge computer software and technical support worthmore than $2 million to help sharpen student research skillsand greatly enhance the study of the state’s existing petroleumresources.

Jonathan Harris of the geosciences department said SeismicMicro-Technology Inc. of Houston, Texas, is providing

$2.1 million software gift will enhance researchKingdom Suite of Geophysical Data Processing software andtechnical support valued at $2.1 million.

He said the software will be used to teach moderngeophysical interpretation to the next generation ofgeoscientists at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Harris also predicted it will enhance the marketable skills ofMSU students “in their search for employment in the 21stcentury energy industry.”

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A Mississippi State mechanical engineering major hasdesigned a “heads-up” scuba mask that could allow divers tokeep their hands free while monitoring air supply and otherlife-supporting vital signs under water.

Senior Harold S. “Tommy” Thompson’s high-tech proposalwould integrate a computer into the mask, allowing divers tomonitor a continuous display of vitals while keeping theirhands free to accomplish underwater tasks. His designeliminates the need for currently used tethered consoles orwrist-mount displays.

“The information that would be displayed in the viewingarea of the mask includes remaining air pressure, depth, totaldive time and remaining dive time at the current depth,”explained the 24-year-old entrepreneurial whiz from Decatur,Ala.

Thompson’s project won first place and a $500 cash awardin MSU’s 2005 Jack Hatcher Entrepreneurship Business PlanCompetition. He proposes marketing the product primarily tounderwater professionals and technical divers through his ownplanned business, Thompson SCUBA Co., which is only atheoretical company at this point.

‘Look, Ma, no hands!’

For one group of incoming Mississippi State freshmenthis fall, “learning” meant more than hitting the books,attending class and taking tests.

The students also are living together and immersingthemselves in the broad diversity of a university campus.

In a new teaching approach being implemented by theOffice of Academic Affairs, interested students—fromfreshmen through seniors—may enroll in 10 thematicallylinked “learning communities.” While not all will live inthe same residence halls, all of the special “communities”will be based on interconnected content.

Rich Raymond, head of MSU’s English department, isinterim director of the MSU Learning Communities and ateacher for one ofthe program’sprototype courses.He expressedconfidence thatthe learningcommunities’concept will helpencouragestudents to delvedeeper, makeconnections andshift their idea ofwhat it means to attend “class.”

“This experience is designed to foster interactivelearning,” Raymond said. “It takes the traditionalclassroom experience, with a professor lecturing andstudents taking notes, and turns it around.”

Among other topics, the communities will mergecommunication, composition and government;environmental design and special education; psychologyand communication; creative writing and art history;biological engineering and mathematics; physics,accounting, and agricultural engineering; and twomarketing classes.

Students to link subjects, classes inuniversity learning communities

A national surveyranks Mississippi Statethird in the nation in“best buys” amongaccredited, onlineengineering degreeprograms.

In a biennial surveyreleased June 14,GetEducated.com,based in EssexJunction, Vt., ranked MSU behind only North Carolina StateUniversity and California State University (Dominguez Hills)for affordability. The survey considered 56 accrediteddistance-learning master’s degree programs in engineeringand was based solely on tuition costs.

Survey ranks MSU No. 3in online ‘best buys’

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MSU again high in African-Americanengineering, education graduates

Mississippi State research scientists are playing a key rolein the development of a global ballistic missile defense shieldaimed at protecting America and its allies from nuclear attack.

While the Northrop Grumman Corp. is leading a nationaleffort to develop and test land-based Kinetic EnergyInterceptors for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, universityengineers will be determining effective ways of launching thedefensive missiles at sea.

Under a $200,000 contract recently approved byNorththrop Grumman’s Mission Systems sector, MSU’sComputational Simulation and Design Center will use itsexpertise in computational fluid dynamics to help the globaldefense company prepare the $4 billion KEI system for futuredeployment aboard ships and submarines.

“We’ll be using computational fluid dynamics technologydeveloped at the ERC’s SimCenter to predict the behavior ofthe KEI missile and its rocket exhaust during the initial launchsequence from a ship or other sea-based platform,” saidSimCenter director David Marcum.

Computational fluid dynamics utilizes computersimulations to predict what will happen when fluids flow—particularly as related to such complications as simultaneousheat flow, combustion, or other interactions; and themechanical movements of pistons, fans and rudders.

Marcum said the SimCenter applies very similar technol-ogy to a variety of applications that include NASA’s spaceshuttle, jet engines, passenger aircraft, ships and automobiles.Another area is the design of pediatric heart pumps, as relatedto predictions of how specific stresses may affect the flow ofblood.

Researchers focusing onmissile defense shield

Mssissippi State ranks among the top 15 in the nation inawarding bachelor’s degrees in both engineering andeducation to African-Americans, according to Black Issuesin Higher Education.

Based on the most current figures from 2004 published inthe national magazine’s June 2 edition, the university is11th in awarding education degrees and 14th in engineeringdegrees at the baccalaureate level to African-Americans. Theland-grant institution also ranks in the top 50 nationally inother fields: 25th in psychology, 32nd in businessmanagement and related areas, and 37th in mathematics andstatistics.

In all disciplines combined, MSU is 48th among allinstitutions, including historically black institutions, and28th among traditionally white universities.

MSU competing in SEC Challenge for annual gifts

From left, industrial engineering freshman Kristina Hodges, animal anddairy sciences freshman Camille Washington, and chemical engineer-ing junior Jeremy Johnson visit with Bagley College of EngineeringDean Kirk Schulz.

Mississippi State University entered an annual givingcompetition in July with other SEC schools for the right toclaim its place as the university with the most loyal alumni.The school with the highest percentage of recent graduateswho make a contribution to their alma mater wins. Theuniversities will battle it out for an entire fiscal year—July 1,2005, through June 30, 2006—for bragging rights.

Any alumnus who holds an undergraduate degree from theclasses of 1996 through 2005 is eligible to participate. Thesize and designation of a gift is not important–what doesmatter is the number of alumni who make a contribution andparticipate in the challenge.

The MSU Fund for Excellence will contact these alumnithroughout the year, encouraging them to give.

“We are really excited about the challenge,” said LauraKitchens, director of the Fund for Excellence. “It’s a greatchance for us to get our recent graduates involved insupporting the university, and an even better opportunity forus to help them understand the importance of—and need for—private contributions to Mississippi State.”

For more information on the SEC Challenge and how toparticipate, contact the MSU Fund for Excellence at 662-325-7000. Visit the challenge Web site at www.secchallenge.comto see how MSU is stacking up against the competition.

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Scientists trying to ward off global warming

Mississippi State scientists are playing a key role in the nation’s effort to slow globalwarming by reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions caused primarily by theexpanding use of fossil fuels for energy.

Three researchers from the university’s Diagnostic Instrumentation and AnalysisLaboratory—DIAL, for short—are members of a regional team seeking the best ways tocapture and isolate gases that could contribute to global climate change.

“Congratulations to Jeff Lindner, Chuji Wang and F-X Han for being a part of theSoutheast’s winning team for the Phase II carbon sequestration partnerships,” said formerDIAL director John Plodinec. “It provides an opportunity to show off our instrumentationcapability and to have an impact on how our country addresses carbon management.”

Colin Scanes, MSU’s vice president for research and graduate studies, said the effortillustrates DIAL’s ongoing development of “innovative solutions to some of today’s mostpressing problems involving energy, the environment, infrastructure, and industrialprocesses.”

In Phase I, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratorycreated a North American network of seven federal, state and private sector partnerships todetermine the most suitable technologies, regulations and infrastructure for future carboncapture, storage and sequestration in different geographic areas. The network includes morethan 216 organizations in 40 states, three American Indian nations and Canada.

Under Phase II, MSU and other members of the Southeastern Regional CarbonSequestration Partnership are conducting geological sequestration field tests that couldhelp the U.S. stabilize atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide without having to make large-scale and potentially costly changes to existing energy infrastructures.

“Our portion of the contract is $400,000 for four years, including $300,000 from DOEthrough the Southern States Energy Board, the prime contractor, and nearly $100,000 inmatching funds from MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering,” said Lindner, a DIAL researchprofessor and physical chemist who is the principal MSU investigator.

Researchers include, from left, Chuji Wang, Jeff Lindner and F-X Han.

A recent Mississippi Statesurvey finds that civic leadersaround the state support theestablishment of urban andcommunity forestry projects toenhance their communities.

Urban forestry specificallyfocuses on the management oftrees andforests inurbansettings tofoster social,environmentalandeconomicbenefits.

Theuniversitycanvass ofcity andtowngovernmentleaders, aswell as othercommunity planners, wasconducted by Forest andWildlife Research Centerscientists to identifycommunity needs and issuesrelative to urban forestry.

“About one-third of the 159respondents had initiated anurban and community forestryprogram prior to the survey,”said lead investigator SteveGrado. “However, the fact thatthe 74 percent majorityrealized the need for suchprojects is good news forMississippi’s cities andtowns.”

Survey: citiesand townsthink green

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MSU-AEA partnership to create new‘high-powered’ technology industry

A new partnership announced in July between Mississippi State and United Kingdom-basedAEA Technology will establish a research and development facility to produce portable powersystems in support of space, defense and homeland security missions.

Initially to be located in the university’s Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratoryin Starkville, AEA Technology Battery Systems anticipates developing a more permanent facilitynear the Golden Triangle Regional Airport east of campus.

DIAL, as it’s usually referred, is among facilities in the Thad Cochran Research, Technologyand Economic Development Park, which is situated adjacent to campus.

“AEA is an international company with several U.S. sites, and we’re delighted that they willexpand research, development and manufacturing operations into Mississippi,” said MSUPresident Charles Lee.

“AEA’s presence in Thad Cochran Park will build on Mississippi State’s research expertise andwill contribute to the creation of new high-technology jobs in our state,” he added.

One of the United Kingdom’s leading technology companies, AEA Technology was privatizedin 1996 from a former government agency, the Atomic Energy Authority. It now employs 2,700people across 50 locations worldwide, in three major divisions: rail, environment and portablepower.

Biological sciencesprofessor Donald N.Downer and Jamie C.Inmon, a staff memberwith the UniversityAcademic AdvisingCenter, received the IrvinAtly Jefcoat Excellence inAdvising Awards in a latesummer ceremony. Eachhonor was accompaniedby a $5,000 stipend.

Established earlier thisyear by 1950 chemicalengineering graduateHunter Henry of SanMarcos, Texas, the honorsare named for theuniversity’s currentHunter Henry EndowedProfessor in ChemicalEngineering. Jefcoat hasbeen recognized nation-ally by the AmericanInstitute of ChemicalEngineers as its outstand-ing student adviser.

A faculty member since1978 and a formerdepartment head whoreturned to teachingseveral years ago, Downerearlier this year wasamong 10 selected forspecial recognition incompetition sponsored bythe Kansas-based NationalAcademic AdvisingAssociation.

Jamie Inmon, who isreceiving the staffadvising award, directedthe University AcademicAdvising Center 1993-2000.

2 recognizedwith inauguraladvising award

When Mississippi State researchers start exciting concrete, you can bet they’re up tosomething good.

That’s because a new invention by engineers at theuniversity’s Diagnostic Instrumentation and AnalysisLaboratory—DIAL—generates enough excitement to test thestructural integrity of bridges and other things made ofconcrete.

The Automatic Chain Drag System—formerly calledHollow Deck—was developed several years ago by DIAL as aportable monitor for ensuring the safety of concrete bridgedecks. Since then, it’s been tested thoroughly by theMississippi Department of Transportation.

Now, the three-wheel, walk-behind device that lookssomething like a baby carriage, is being licensed toExcelerate Inc. of Huntsville, Ala., which has acquiredworldwide rights to commercialize the MSU-patentedtechnology.

The licensing agreement with MSU’s Intellectual Propertyand Technology Licensing office was finalized in July. MSUwill share in the royalties.

The invention “excites” the structure to be inspected with a chain, recording resultingvibrations with an acoustical sensor, or microphone, which is housed in the carriage. Signals fromthe sensor are processed to filter out unnecessary frequencies and pinpoint the presence ofstructural defects, providing a computer-generated “virtual map” of the bridge subsurface.

Researchers stroll with ACDS on aStarkville bridge.

Invention excites concrete—in interest of bridge safety, that is

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Mississippi State and Premier Radiology of Tupelo are movingahead with plans for a partnership that will facilitate researchinitiatives through MSU's Institute of Neurocognitive Science andTechnology. Participating in recent groundbreaking ceremoniesfor planned construction of an Imaging Center for Excellence inStarkville were, from left, Starkville Mayor Dan Camp, PresidentCharles Lee, Premier Radiology executive director Jim Schaeferand Premier Radiology physician Vernon Barrow. The newcenter, to be located near the intersection of Highway 82 andStark Road, will offer advanced radiology services to residents inthe Starkville area.

Mississippi State is among the top 100 national universitiesin a new college ranking based on “what colleges are doing forthe country.”

MSU is at No. 95 among 245 major public and privateinstitutions in the Washington Monthly’s first college rankings,which appear in the magazine’s September issue.

The guide assesses universities on the basis of communityservice, research and how frequently they admit and graduatelow-income students.

The ranking formula includes the percentage of studentsserving in ROTC or the Peace Corps, the percentage of federalCollege Work-Study grants devoted to community service, totalresearch expenditures, and the number of Ph.D.s awarded inscience and engineering.

The formula also considers the percentage of students whoqualify for federal Pell Grants for lower-income students, andthe university’s actual graduation rate compared with whatwould be expected, given the economic status of its students.

Thirty percent of MSU students receive Pell Grants, and 57percent graduate within six years.

MSU ranked amongthose cited for service

The National Center forIntermodal Transportation—an academic partnershipbetween the University ofDenver and MississippiState—received a $2.4 millionfederal grant.

NCIT officials said thefunds from the U.S. Depart-ment of Transportation willbe equally shared by bothinstitutions for transportationresearch and educationprojects over the next fouryears.

“We have enjoyed aproductive and rewarding six-year relationship withUniversity of Denver facultyand look forward to continu-

MSU, Denver share $2.4 million for research, educationing our work to improve thenation’s intermodal transpor-tation system,” said RoyceBowden, NCIT co-directorand head of MSU’s depart-ment of industrial engineer-ing, which is a part of theBagley College of Engineer-ing.

Patrick Sherry—associateprofessor in the counselingprogram and a board memberof the Intermodal Transporta-tion Institute at Denver andthe other co-director—saidthe university collaboration“is resulting in significantcontributions to the body ofknowledge of intermodaltransportation, and to the

public awareness andinformation of the benefits ofan integrated system for themovement of both passen-gers and freight.”

NCIT was established as aUniversity TransportationCenter with a federal appro-priation of $1.6 million in 1998after the initial signing of theTransportation Equity Act forthe 21st Century. The centeris a major national resourcefor research, educational andtechnology transfer activitiesinvolving intermodal trans-portation.

The latest $2.4 milliongrant was provided as part ofthe $286.4 billion, six-yearreauthorization bill of theSafe, Accountable, Flexible,

and Efficient TransportationEquity Act. Covering fiscalyears 2004-09, the bill wassigned into law by PresidentBush Aug. 10.

Denver officials said thebill received strong supportfrom members of the Coloradocongressional delegation,including Sen. Wayne Allard,a Republican, and Rep. DianaDeGette, a Democrat.

MSU President Charles Leealso praised the “strength” ofMississippi senators TrentLott and Thad Cochran, bothR-Miss., as well as Rep. ChipPickering, R-Miss., and Rep.Gene Taylor, D-Miss., inhelping secure the transporta-tion reauthorization.

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Two longtime faculty members in the Bagley College of Engineering are filling key administrativepositions in the office of Dean Kirk Schulz.

Donna Reese, professor of computer science and engineering, replaces Robert Taylor as associatedean for academics and administration.

Roger King, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is the new associate dean for researchand graduate studies. In his capacity as associate dean, King also is serving as interim director of theDiagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory.

An alumnus and onetime elementary school principal in neighboring Lowndes County is theuniversity’s new dean of the College of Education.

Richard Lee Blackbourn, a professor and administrator at Clemson University for the past 16 years,assumed the MSU position July 1.

A Mississippi State forestry alumnus is the new dean of the university’s College of Forest Resourcesand director of its Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

George M. Hopper assumed his new duties in July 15. The Vicksburg native succeeds interim deanBob L. Karr, who retired after 29 years of service.

An award-winning mechanical engineer and materials scientist at Pennsylvania State University isthe new director of Mississippi State’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.

Randall German, who officially assumed his new duties in July, also will hold one of three CAVSendowed chairs in the Bagley College of Engineering. He began his new duties full time in October.

Mississippi State’s vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine is taking on addedduties as interim director of University Extension and Outreach.

In July, Vance Watson began providing direct leadership for an organization that includes the MSUExtension Service, Division of Academic Outreach and Continuing Education and Office of IndustrialOutreach Services.

Professor Royce O. Bowden Jr. is the new head of the department of industrial engineering.A faculty member for the past 13 years and among the Hearin Eminent Scholars designated by the

Bagley College of Engineering, Bowden succeeded retiring department head Larry Brown July 1.Brown retired in early June after more than 30 years of service to the university.

Lauderdale County native Penny Kemp, a 1992 Mississippi State graduate, is the new marketingdirector of the university’s Riley Center.

To be operated by MSU-Meridian once restoration is complete next summer, the Riley Center forEducation and Performing Arts is named in honor of the local Riley Foundation, which made the $12.1million anchor contribution for the downtown project.

A P P O I N T M E N T S

Reese

King

Blackbourn

Hopper

German

Watson

Bowden

Kemp

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S T A T E Y O U r P R I D E

Continuing nine consecutive yearsamong the Top 10, Pi Omega Pi,Mississippi State’s business educationhonor society, now is ranked fifthfollowing recent national studentcompetition.

Swedish attitudes and Midwesternagriculture are the very different topicsof books produced recently by twoMississippi State historians.

Dennis S. Nordin, a lecturer in thehistory department, and history professoremeritus Roy V. Scott collaborated on“From Prairie Farmer to Entrepreneur:The Transformation of MidwesternAgriculture,” which was released inMarch by Indiana University Press.Nordin also is author of “A SwedishDilemma: A Liberal European Nation’sStruggle with Racism and Xenophobia,1990-2000.” The work is beingpublished by the University Press ofAmerica.

A doctoral student in counseloreducation and a senior graphic designmajor are receiving 2005-06scholarships from Mississippi State’sFaculty and Professional Women’sAssociation.

Yun Hui Gardner of Columbus andLauren Beth Cavadel of Vestavia, Ala.,were selected for the $500 awards basedon their outstanding academic recordsand demonstrated leadership at theuniversity.

Laura E. Walling, director ofrecreational sports at Mississippi State,is being honored for her work with aninternational recreational sportsorganization.

She recently received one of sixRegional Awards of Merit forOutstanding Contributions to Region IIof the National Intramural-RecreationalSports Association.

Composed of six regional groups,NIRSA is a non-profit organizationserving more than 4,000 professionals,students and associate membersthroughout the United States, Canadaand other countries.

A longtime member of theorganization, Walling now is in hersecond term as Mississippi director. Shealso serves as the Region II historian.

Six Mississippi high school seniors,along with three from Alabama and onefrom Tennessee, received MississippiState’s top scholarships for the 2005-06school year.

Seven will be Presidential EndowedScholars; the others, Ottilie SchilligLeadership Scholars.

The new Presidential Scholars includeDouglas M. Ansel of Starkville,Elizabeth B. Butler of Brandon, John M.Harrelson of Cottondale, Ala., James L.“Lan” Holloway of Clinton, Zachary T.“Zach” Jordan of Muscle Shoals, Ala.,Andrew D.M. Lindeman of Madison,Ala., and Christina M. Young ofVancleave.

The incoming Schillig Scholarsinclude William P. Cleveland ofGulfport, Jeral P. Self of Madison andChelsea V. Tiller of Kingsport, Tenn.

All scholarships provide a basic$34,000, which covers the costs oftuition and fees, food, and books for fouryears.

Starkville residents Tonya W. Stone,a graduate student in mechanicalengineering, and recent graduate Alan P.Boyle both received 2005 NationalScience Foundation Graduate ResearchFellowships worth $120,000 each forthree years of work toward a doctorate.

Boyle earned degrees, both summacum laude, in computer scienceengineering and biochemistry/molecularbiology during the university’s May 7commencement.

A longtime Mississippi Stateprofessor is receiving a national honorfor academic advising.

Donald N. Downer is among only 10collegiate faculty members receiving2005 awards in competition sponsoredby the Kansas-based National AcademicAdvising Association.

A longtime administrator with theCareer Center’s cooperative educationprogram at Mississippi State is receivinga national honor for his work in highereducation.

Associate director Mike Mathews,who began his career at MSU in 1975, isreceiving the 2005 Clement J. FreundAward from the American Society forEngineering Education. The honorrecognizes distinguished, continuingcontributions to cooperative educationat academic institutions.

A student-faculty team ofmeteorologists from Mississippi State’sgeosciences department finished secondin the 2004-05 National CollegiateWeather Forecasting Contest.

The university team of four facultymembers, seven graduate students and18 undergraduates recently placed justbehind the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology among 42 teams and morethan 1,100 participants from across thecountry.

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S T A T E Y O U r P R I D E

The Southern Sociological Society isnaming its Distinguished Service Awardin honor of Mississippi State professorMartin L. Levin to recognize his“extraordinary contributions” to theorganization.

Levin is MSU’s Thomas L. BaileyProfessor of Sociology and head of thedepartment of sociology, anthropologyand social work.

The head of Mississippi State’sCollege of Architecture, Art and Designis a new member of a national committeethat reviews architectural designs fornew federal buildings.

Dean James L. West recently wasappointed to a two-year term on theDesign Excellence Peer ReviewCommittee of the federal GeneralServices Administration.

A faculty member’s new history of aresurging 19th century British politicalparty could serve as a primer for theAmerican Democratic Party.

That’s a recent Wall Street Journalbook reviewer’s opinion of “The WhigRevival: 1808-1830” by universityassistant history professor William A.Hay. “At the very least,” wrote Darrin M.McMahon, Hay’s work “might make theDemocrats feel better.”

Within its 256 pages, “Whig Revival”(Palgrave-Macmillan, Britain) describeshow the political organization thatpreceded the later Liberal Party formed acoalition with provincial interest groupsto defeat the Tories—ancestors of theConservative Party—and regain power.

A Mississippi State chemicalengineering professor is receiving$400,000 over five years as a recipientof the National Science Foundation’smost prestigious award for juniorfaculty members nationwide.

Priscilla Hill, an assistant professorin the university’s Dave C. SwalmSchool of Chemical Engineering, haswon a 2005 NSF Faculty Early CareerDevelopment Award to support herresearch and education in the field ofparticle technology.

“The CAREER award is the mostprestigious NSF award given to newfaculty, and is a testament to theoutstanding research and teachingprogram that Dr. Hill has establishedhere at Mississippi State,” said KirkSchulz, dean of the Bagley College ofEngineering.

Hill, who will receive $400,000 overa five-year period, is the first member ofMSU’s chemical engineering faculty toreceive the major honor.

The CAREER award was establishedby the NSF in 1994 in recognition ofthe critical roles played by facultymembers in integrating research andeducation, and in fostering the naturalconnections between the processes oflearning and discovery.

A Mississippi State professor is a newFellow of the American Society of CivilEngineers, considered one of theprofession’s most esteemed honors.

James L. Martin, holder of theuniversity’s Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Chair(endowed professorship) in CivilEngineering and an MSU facultymember since 2001, became one of fourfaculty members from his department toachieve fellow status within theirrespective professional societies.

Shoppers looking for MSU’s famousEdam cheese and other MississippiAgricultural and Forestry ExperimentStation dairy items now have a moreconvenient location to visit. The storemoved to the front of the Herzer FoodScience Building on Stone Boulevardacross from Dorman Hall and theuniversity greenhouses in early August.

Debbie Huffman, manager of theMAFES Sales Store, said the newlocation is much more visible andconvenient to customers than theprevious one behind the building.

The store is open to the publicweekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Products includethree-pound Edam balls, two-poundcheddar blocks, two-pound Vallagretwheels, crocks of cheddar and jalapenospread, milk, chocolate milk, butter, and15 flavors of ice cream. Also availableare various cuts of beef and pork,muscadine juice and jelly, blueberrypreserves and honey.

Customers should park in the lotsouth of Herzer, between the Herzer FoodScience Building and Ballew Hall. Foradditional convenience, customers canshop and purchase many items onlinewith major credit cards, then pick theitems up at the store or have themshipped. Cheeses are shipped only incooler weather from the first ofNovember to the end of April, andVallagret is shipped only from Novemberto January.

For more information on products,pricing or shipment details, contact theMAFES Sales Store at (662) 325-2338 orvisit at www.msucheese.com.

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With papers strewn across his deskand boxes yet to be unpacked, JimmyBass sat in his leather-backed chairtalking on the phone to one of the manypeople who were so influential inbringing him to Mississippi State.

“The people here are terrific,” saidBass, who afterserving nearly 12years at his almamater, left NorthCarolina State tobecome the seniorassociate directorfor developmentand marketing, anew position withinthe MississippiState AthleticDepartment.

As he shookhands with thepeople ofMississippi Stateon one of his three

visits to Starkville before accepting thejob, Bass was amazed, but not surprised,at the love and dedication of the MSUfan base—a fan base that treated himwith what he calls “maroon hospitality,”a key factor in his decision to move froma place he called home to a place heknew nothing about.

“The fan base here has been throughthick and thin. They’ve been here whentimes were good, and they’ve been herewhen times were bad,” he said. “We’retrying to provide a foundation for goodconsistency.”

Bass has several goals in mind thatwill help to build that foundation. Oneof the major goals includes developing astrong, better-structured board ofdirectors.

“It’s important that we have a reallystrong board of directors for the Bulldog

New athletics marketing director set to build ‘fouClub if we’re going to have an effectivefund-raising organization,” Bass said.“We’re going to do some preliminarywork revising our bylaws, giving ourboard a better structure—a structure thatprovides for working committees.”

The second substantial goal on Bass’lengthy list of priorities isimplementing a large network ofvolunteers, who will be the BulldogClub’s “eyes and ears away fromStarkville.” Bass is in the process ofidentifying who those volunteers willbe.

“We’ll call them Bulldog ClubReps,” he said from his office in theBryant Building, which has amagnificent view of Chadwick Lake.“We hope to have those reps in placesoon.”

Bass reeled off a list of prioritiesthat he hopes will shape and mold theBulldog Club into a betterorganization.

Those priorities include creating amonthly publication for Bulldog Clubmembers, which would includeinformation about MSU student-athletes, along with general

New MSU Sports Hall of Fame inductees, from left, Mark Jeffrey, Walter Packer and JohnBond were recognized at the MSU vs. Murray State football game in early September. All-American tennis player Jeffrey lettered with the Mississippi State team 1979-91; Packer, aformer All-Southeastern Conference running back also ran track during his tenure at MSU,1973-76; and quarterback Bond was an All-SEC freshman selection and lettered 1980-83.

Bass

by Ross Dellenger

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Ross Dellenger is a junior at MSU,majoring in journalism andbroadcasting. The Biloxi resident issports editor for the studentnewspaper, The Reflector, and haswritten for Maroon and WhiteMagazine, the Commercial Dispatch,Rivals.com, and the CommercialAppeal.

undation for consistency’; seeks volunteersinformation on the club, and improvingthe Mississippi State Web site so thatit’s “Bulldog Club member friendly.”

“That’s the direction all the reallygood fund-raising organizations in thecountry are going: people go online tofind information, renew theirmembership and they order their ticketsonline . . . we are eventually headed thatway,” said Bass, whose first day on thejob was July 18.

Bass has fund-raising experience atthe University of Pittsburgh, EastCarolina University, the University ofNorth Carolina at Wilmington andDavidson College, including his 12-year stint at N.C. State, where he servedthe Wolf Pack Club—similar to theBulldog Club.

After settling in Starkville with wifeSarah and son Joseph Corey, Bass hasrealized the many similarities betweenthe two schools.

“They’re both land-grant institutions.They both market themselves as thepeople’s university within theirrespected states,” said Bass, who’s beeninvolved with collegiate athletics for 25years. “They’re both science andtechnology-based institutions, and theyboth like to consider themselves theengines that drive their state’seconomies. N.C. State’s alumni base is alittle bit larger than Mississippi State’s,but they’re the same kind of people.”

Bass was contacted in March by aconsultant about the newly-created jobat MSU. He took three trips to campus,two by himself and the final trip in Junewith his family, which convinced him toaccept the job.

“We jumped on it,” Bass said,referring to the time when the universityoffered the job to him after his finalvisit. “We got a pretty good idea whenwe were down here in our last visit thatif the job was offered, we wouldseriously consider it.”

A smile crossed Bass’ face when hewas asked about changing from theAtlantic Coast Conference, which N.C.State is a part of, to the SoutheasternConference, arguably the two mostcompetitive leagues in the nation.

“I don’t think there is any doubt thatthe ACC and the SEC are the twopremier Division 1 leagues in America,”he said. “I think one of the things that’sso appealing in those conferences is thattypically just about every time an ACCand SEC team jumps out, they cancompete for a national championship.”

Bass, an avid college sports fan, andhis family didn’t just watch “majorsports” competition at N.C. State. Theyattended swim meets and wrestlingmatches there, too. They watched allsports, and Bass said they’ll do the samehere at State, including going towomen’s basketball and soccer games.

“I don’t really have a favorite,” hesaid. “The bowl season is a wonderfultime of year. March Madness is terrific,and there’s nothing better than theCollege World Series.”

Bass’ son Joseph Corey, 19, passed onthe option to remain at N.C. State, wherehe finished his freshman year last spring.Instead, he moved to Starkville with hisparents and transferred to MississippiState, where he is a sophomore.

Starkville is the most southern andwestern place Bass and his family haveever lived. He has spent most of his lifein the Northeast and the Carolinas.

Again, Bass found similarities betweenthe two regions, just as he compared thetwo schools.

“The area here reminds me of ruraleastern North Carolina, with thefarmland and the forest. It’s a really,really beautiful area,” Bass remarked.“But making the transition toMississippi will work because of thepeople here. Everybody that I have methere has said to me, ‘We’ll doeverything and anything that you needto help the Bulldog Club besuccessful.’”

And that’s what Bass plans to do. Infact, he is going to do it.

“Everything will be improved here atthe Bulldog Club,” an optimistic Basssaid.

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Mississippi State’s men’s golf coachClay Homan won the 2005 MississippiState Amateur Championship thissummer at the Hattiesburg Country Club.

Homan wins 2005 state crown

Mississippi State placed 29 first-yearstudent-athletes on the 2005Southeastern Conference FreshmanAcademic Honor Roll, the fourth-highesttotal among league teams in the sports inwhich MSU competes.

MSU trailed only South Carolina (49),Florida (42) and LSU (39) on theacademic performance list recentlyreleased by the league office. Kentucky(28), Vanderbilt (27), Arkansas andGeorgia (25), Alabama and Ole Miss(20), Tennessee (19) and Auburn (13)rounded out the ranking. Those figuresrepresent honorees in Missisippi State-sponsored sports only.

29 on honor roll

Mississippi State’s 6-3 upset win over top-ranked Alabama on Nov. 1, 1980, inJackson is the No. 1 game of the last 25 years as voted on by MSU fans around theglobe.

The game, which was broadcast on Maroon to the Max, concluded M2M’s special“Top 10 Games of the Last 25 Years” feature.

MSU downed the Crimson Tide that season and broke Alabama’s 28-game overallwin streak. At the time, the Bulldogs had not beaten the Tide in 22 years. In thedefensive struggle, Mississippi State limited Alabama to just 180 total yards, whilechurning out 241 of its own. There were 12 punts between the squads in the game,and on only five occasions did either team penetrate the other’s red zone.

Alabama posted the only points of the first half on a 49-yard field goal as time ranout in the half. MSU knotted the score at 3-3 on its first possession of the second half,with Dana Moore connecting on a 37-yard field goal. Moore would give State its 6-3advantage early in the fourth quarter, connecting on a 22-yarder with 13:35 left toplay.

The Tide threatened to extend its streak late in the game as it earned a first-and-goal at the MSU four-yard line with just seconds to play. The Bulldogs forced afumble and Billy Jackson pounced on the ball with six seconds remaining inregulation play. On the ensuing play, MSU hearts stopped again when the ball cameloose once again, but Donald Ray King fell on the pigskin to preserve the historicBulldog victory.

MSU’s upset of Alabama is No. 1

Former Mississippi State footballstandout Walt Suggs was named tothe class of 2006 inductees to theMississippi Sports Hall of Fame.Suggs is one of six ’06 inductees.

Suggs played offensive tackle atMSU 1958-60 under head coachWade Walker. The Hattiesburg nativewas named to the UPI All-SECSecond Team in 1958 and 1960. Heexcelled in the classroom that seasonas well, being listed on thesophomore All-American academicsquad. He played alongside androomed with MSHOF member TomGoode. The tandem was noted bymany in the football circles as thebest line combination in the South.

Suggs was a third-round selectionof the Houston Oilers in the 1961American Football League draft andplayed 10 seasons for theorganization. Suggs made 137 startson the offensive line and played inmore consecutive games than anyother Oiler during his tenure.

He also was a part of history in1962 at Jeppesen Stadium inHouston, playing in the first AFLtitle contest aired on nationaltelevision by NBC. He also played inthe first game in the HoustonAstrodome when it opened in 1967.Suggs was honored in 1991 as amember of the Oilers All-Time 30Year Team.

Suggs now resides in Readyville,Tenn. He is an active member ofMSU’s M-Club and the NFL AlumniAssociation. The former Maroon andWhite standout was named to MSU’sAthletic Hall of Fame in 1989.

With the six inductees in 2006,the membership enrollment willincrease to 239 members. TheMSHOF is located in Jackson onLakeland Drive.

MSU’s Suggsnamed to hall

The second-year coach fired a final-round eight-under par 64 to finish the72-hole event at 13-under par.

This year’s title is the second forHoman. He captured the 1994 StateAmateur title at Colonial Deerfield.Homan qualified for the event onMonday with an even-par round to takethe last qualifying spot in the field.

The Fulton native came into the finalround trailing MSU signee Matt Fast byfour strokes. Fast finished at 11-underpar with a two-under par 70 to finishrunner-up to his future head coach.

MSU sophomore Josh Oller posted afourth-place finish after recording a finalround score of 73. Mississippi State’sJake Lambert finished the four-dayevent in 22nd-place.

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Jimmy W. Abraham, a veteran of nearly30 years in student affairs at MississippiState, has been named the university’sassociate vice president for externalaffairs and executivedirector of the alumniassociation.

The Clarksdale nativeand 1975 MSU graduatesucceeds John V. Correro,who retired in June after a36-year career in alumniaffairs. Formerly associatevice president for studentaffairs, Abraham began hisnew duties Aug. 8.

“Dr. Abraham has earnedthe highest respect of thecampus and thousands ofalumni for his energy,integrity and dedication,”said President Charles Lee.

“This appointment,coupled with the recent appointment ofan exceptional individual for athleticsmarketing and fund raising, provides usthe opportunity to literally put a new faceon the way we interact with our alumni,”Lee added. “Dr. Abraham is particularly

Abraham takes reins of alumni associationwell-qualified to encourage our studentsto move smoothly into active alumniroles.”

Abraham serves as the key liaisonbetween the universityand its more than100,000 living alumniaround the state andacross the nation. Theassociation has morethan 80 alumni chaptersin locations fromColorado to New York.

In his new role,Abraham will developand implementprograms to maintainlifelong connectionsbetween MississippiState graduates and theinstitution and providefeedback from alumniabout their concerns,

said Dennis A. Prescott, vice presidentfor external affairs.

“We are delighted to attract someonewith Jimmy’s breadth of knowledge,commitment to Mississippi State, and

wealth of connections to alumni,”Prescott said.

“I have full confidence that under hisleadership the Alumni Association willfind increasingly innovative ways tostrengthen relationships betweenMississippi State and an extensivealumni family,” he added.

Abraham will work closely with otherexternal affairs units that include theMSU Foundation, University Relations,campus radio station WMSV-FM, MSUGolf Course, and the flight department.

In student affairs, Abraham helpedlead a division that includes enrollment,housing, financial aid, health services,student organizations, counseling,police, recreational sports, and otherstudent service functions. He began hisstudent affairs career in 1977 as aresidence hall director.

“I am very thankful to have thisopportunity to work with those who careso much about Mississippi StateUniversity—our alumni,” Abraham said.“I welcome this new role with muchenthusiasm and excitement.”

As a longtime director of enrollmentservices at MSU, Abraham headedstudent recruitment efforts that resultedin unprecedented growth 1979-2000. Hesubsequently served both as assistantand associate vice president in thedivision, as well as interim vice president2002-04, overseeing the entire range ofstudent affairs functions.

He received an undergraduate degreein marketing in 1975 and a master’sdegree in student personnel andcounselor education in 1977, both fromMississippi State. He earned a doctoratein higher education administration fromthe University of Mississippi in 1985.

An in-depth look at Abraham’sassessment of and plans for the AlumniAssociation will appear in the springissue of Alumnus.

Abraham

Education puts us in touch with the world of ideas. Travel connects the intellectwith the senses. Together, they bring us face to face with the world in which welive.

Realize a travel dream with one of the 2006 travel opportunities listed below.Share with us the incomparable beauty from around the world whether by air,motorcoach or a luxury cruise ship. You’ll feel comfortable and confidenttraveling with experienced tour guides who will attend to all of your needs.

For more information, contact the Alumni Association at 662-325-7000, or seeour Web page at www.alumni.msstate.edu/travel/travel.htm.

2006 Travel Program

Chianti in a Tuscan VillaMay 7-15, 2006

Cruise the Majestic Passage on the Mosel, Rhine, and Neckar riversSeptember 18-26, 2006

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Sponsored and organized by the MSUAlumni Association, this year’s 16thannual Alumni Fellows Program featureseight graduates of distinction who sharewith students specific competencies,attitudes and efforts needed to succeed.

Chosen by each college, they carrythe honorary title permanently. JimmyAbraham, alumni association executivedirector, said the fellows programrecognizes the ultimate measure of auniversity—the quality of its alumniand their willingness to serve as rolemodels and mentors to students.

This year’s MSU Alumni Fellows andthe academic units that selected themare:

Phyfa D. Eiland of Clinton, Collegeof Education, received a bachelor’sdegree in English in 1967 and master’sand doctoral degrees in schooladministration at Mississippi State in1989. She became Hinds County’ssuperintendent of education in 2000.Since assuming the job, she has broughta business approach to education byprivatizing transportation, lawn care and

Alumni Fellows serve as mentors, role models

custodial services for the Hinds CountySchool District. The only school districtin the state with an online applicationsystem, Hinds County has passed a $21.5million bond issue and constructed threenew middle schools.

Charles E. Faries of Portland, Ore.,Bagley College of Engineering, receiveda bachelor’s degree in mechanicalengineering at Mississippi State in 1957.He later completed the ExecutiveProgram at Stanford University. Fariesretired as vice president formanufacturing, engineering and researchfor Boise Cascade Corp. in 1991, andcontinued to serve the company onretainer for some time afterward.Previously, the longtime paper companymanager and project leader worked forInternational Paper Co. and AmericanCan Co. as a project engineer. Hecurrently owns and manages commercialreal estate properties in Oregon, Alaskaand Mississippi.

Marion B. Harris of Plymouth,Mich., College of Arts and Sciences,received bachelor’s and master’s degreesin mathematics in 1991 and 1993,respectively. As controller of NorthAmerican Fleet, Lease and RemarketingOperations for Ford Motor Co., he isresponsible for the finance operations ofFord’s fleet business, including sales todaily rental companies, commercialaccounts, and government entities, aswell as Ford’s company-sponsoredvehicle auctions. Prior to joining Fordin 1999, he was a vice president forCrestar Bank in Richmond, Va.

R. Gerald Moore of Petal, College ofForest Resources, received a bachelor’sdegree in forestry in 1963. As owner andpresident of Pine Belt Foresters in Petal,a forestry consulting firm, Moore workswith landowners to help them reach theirforest management and utilization goals.Before starting his own business, Moorewas general manager for a small timbercompany, and worked in economicdevelopment and with the MississippiForestry Commission as an area forester

Eiland Faries Harris Moore

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newsALUMNI

and state purchasing agent. He ispresident and board member of theMississippi Forestry Association, and in2003, he and his wife Melleen receivedthe association’s Meritorious Award forForestry in Mississippi.

Timothy Waters Nichols of Atlanta,Ga., College of Architecture, Art andDesign, received his architecture degreein 1990. He is a vice president anddirector of design-interior architecturefor Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. inAtlanta, Ga. In addition to the numerousarchitectural projects he has completed,he has acted as a visiting critic, adviserand lecturer at institutions throughoutthe country. His awards include fourexcellence awards from the Georgiachapter of the American Society ofInterior Designers.

James Smith of Cleveland, Collegeof Agriculture and Life Sciences,received three degrees from Mississippi

State—a bachelor’s degree in agronomyin 1968 and master’s and doctoraldegrees in weed science in 1970 and1973, respectively. Smith is founder andpresident of Delta Rice Services, anagricultural consulting firm thatprovides rice farmers with the mostcurrent information on growing andharvesting the crop. Smith also operatesa sales and marketing office. A primarycustomer is Greenville-based UncleBen’s Rice, for which Smith currentlystores 1.2 million bushels of grain.

David Lee Watson of Atlanta, Ga.,College of Business and Industry, earneda bachelor’s degree in banking andfinance in 1979. He has spent more than25 years in the equity and fixed incomeinvestment management business,currently as vice president and portfoliomanager for Montag & Caldwellinvestment counselors. He has helpedgrow the company’s assets from $17

billion to $24 billion over the past sevenyears. In addition, he is responsible forthe firm’s European mutual funds andclients.

Jimmy Webb of Turlock, Calif.,College of Veterinary Medicine,received a bachelor’s degree in dairyscience in 1975 and a doctor ofveterinary medicine degree in 1982. Heis the owner of Webb Embryo TransferServices, which deals in livestockgenetics. In 1991, he was namedpresident of the American EmbryoTransfer Association. The former 1974All-American defensive end entered theMSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. Heplayed seven years in the NationalFootball League before earning aveterinary degree. He is a member of theAmerican Veterinary MedicalAssociation, the International EmbryoTransfer Society, and the AmericanEmbryo Transfer Association.

Nichols Smith Watson Webb

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ALUMNInews

The MSU Alumni Association’sBirmingham Chapter recently co-sponsored the Young Teen Asthma Camp,held at Camp Winnataska inBirmingham, Ala. Five campers wereable to attend because of thecontribution of the chapter members.This is the third year of theirsponsorship.

Campers participate in a wide range ofactivities including swimming,canoeing, horseback riding, low ropes,crafts, recreation, and night activities.Leaders are regular leaders and staff ofCamp Winnataska, who serve the campas volunteers.

Asthma education for self-management, daily peak flowmeasurements and discussion groups onteen issues are led by nurses withinterests in asthma care. Campersmeasure their own peak flow, implement

Chapter sponsorsasthma camp

an individual “Asthma Action Plan,” andrecognize how to avoid triggersincluding exposure to secondhandsmoke. The campers participate infollow-up surveys, and every year have

reported increased knowledge aboutasthma, increased self-efficacy in asthmamanagement and increased resilience inhandling difficult situations.

Alumni and friends of Mississippi Statecan support the university and showtheir Bulldog pride at the same time byordering an MSU license plate throughtheir county license office. Proceedsfrom the sale of the MSU collegiate tagsfund priority programs at the university.

Promoted by theMississippi State University Alumni

Associa-

Show your pride in MSU!

There were some happy campers at this year’s Young Teen Asthma Camp in Birmingham.Leaders included, back row from left, Ellen Buckner, camp director; Terri Russell (’84, M.S.’86), president of the MSU Alumni Association’s Birmingham Chapter; and Rona Johnson-Belser (’74), national board representative for the chapter.

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Top left: Bully traveled all the way to New York to truly make this year’s Mississippi inthe Park event a memorable one for some very young prospective students.

Top right: State of the Future giveaways were a hit in New York City. The MSUFoundation and Alumni Association manned a booth during the annual picnic withinformation for alumni and friends.

Bottom left: MSU head football coach Sylvester Croom was on hand in Central Park toautograph State of the Future footballs for the MSU faithful who turned out for the Julyevent.

Bottom right: Students help with campaign giveaways.

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MSUin the park

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FOUNDATIONnews

Anthony Vizzini became interested injoining the faculty at Mississippi StateUniversity based on the Bagley Collegeof Engineering’s noteworthy reputationand the integral role he could play inleading its department of aerospaceengineering.

Vizzini came to Mississippi State twoyears agofrom theUniversityofMaryland,where hewas anassociateprofessor.Sincethen, hehas notonlyassistedMississippiState, but also the Golden Triangleregion.

Vizzini played an instrumental role inconvincing Aurora Flight Sciences Corp.to locate a facility at MSU’s RaspetFlight Research Laboratory to buildsleek, unmanned aerial vehicles for abroad range of applications. Aurora’sfounder, John Langford, and Vizzini werecolleagues while at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology.

“When I came to MSU, one of the firste-mails I sent out was to John,” Vizzini

Vizzini makes impact as engineering chairholdersaid. “I knew he was looking forsomewhere to create an assembly plant,and I told him that Mississippi would beperfect. It wasvery exciting tobe a part of theproject.”

Vizzinibelieves theimpact of Aurorawill betremendous forMississippi State.He feels thealliance will allowMSU students toobtain internships that provide excellenthands-on work experience and real worldpreparation. Vizzini thinks Aurora willhave a significant impact on the regionand state of Mississippi as a whole.

“They get to learn from people who

are recognized as experts in their

fields. No book can teach better

than experience.”

Anthony Vizzini

Vizzini, who holds a doctorate inaeronautics and astronautics from MIT,recently marked a milestone in his

career.In March

2005, hewas namedthe

inauguralholder ofthe Bill andCarolynCobb ChairinEngineering.He says it

has been a great honor and it isrewarding to have someone put theirfaith and financial commitment behindhim as the Cobbs have done.

Vizzini

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FOUNDATIONnews

Bill Cobb taught petroleumengineering at Mississippi State in the1970s.Afterventuringout intoindustry fornearly 30years, he—along withwifeCarolyn—is reachingout to anewgenerationof MSUengineeringstudents.

TheDallas,Texas,couple hascreated theBill andCarolynCobbEndowedChair tosupport an outstanding facultymember within the Bagley College ofEngineering. Endowed chairs andprofessorships allow a university likeMississippi State to bring in high-caliber teachers and researchers intheir respective fields.

Cobbs teach lessons through giving

“I didn’t come to MSU to be namedthe holder of the Cobb Chair, but ratherto help this department move into thenational spotlight and to make sure thestudents receive the best educationpossible,” Vizzini said. “Being named

Donors like Bill and Carolyn Cobbunderstand the importance of making a

commitmentto the futureofMississippi

“We want to help young men and

women achieve their dreams, and

perhaps even go beyond them by

aiding their learning with first-rate

faculty.”

Bill Cobb

Bill Cobb earned both bachelor’sand master’s degrees in petroleumengineering from Mississippi State in1966 and 1967, respectively. Today,his company, William M. Cobb andAssociates, provides petroleum

State byestablishingan endowedposition.

“We wantto helpyoung menand women

achieve their dreams, and perhaps evengo beyond them by aiding their learningwith first-rate faculty,” Bill Cobb said.“We also hope our commitment willencourage others to support MSU or thecollege of their choice.”

engineering and geologicalconsulting services to clients on aninternational scale.

The Cobbs are proud to haveadded their names to the growing listof generous supporters of State of theFuture. Through the campaign, MSUis seeking $61.5 million for endowedpositions by December 2008. Aminimum five-year commitment of$1.5 million will establish anendowed chair and $500,000 willendow a professorship.

Bill and Carolyn Cobb

the Cobb chairholder was a wonderfulbonus,” he added.

Vizzini understands the value ofadditional endowed positions forMississippi State and notes the realbenefit is for the university’s students.

“The students who get to learn fromthese very talented faculty members getmore of a benefit than the university,”said Vizzini. “They get to learn frompeople who are recognized as experts intheir fields. No book can teach betterthan experience.”

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The following individuals, corporations and foundations have made commitments of morethan $50,000 from June 1, 2005, through September 30, 2005, for State of the Future: TheMississippi State Campaign.

A successful giving year of $51 million intotal funds raised during the 2004-05 fiscalyear, the third-highest total ever, indicatescontinued success for the university’s on-going State of the Future campaign.Campaign counting, which began July 1,2001, now stands at $251 million marchingtoward a goal of $400 million.

Of the total funds raised during 2004-05, new outright gifts accounted for $23.2million, while pledges—commitments tofuture giving—totaled $15.2 million.Deferred gifts—usually received after thedonor’s death—made up the remaining$12.6 million.

Some notable gifts during fiscal year2004-05 included:

—Former Brookhaven resident Dave C.Swalm is giving back to his community andhis alma mater. Through a $5 millioncommitment to Mississippi State, the 1955chemical engineering graduate hasestablished a scholarship fund forBrookhaven students choosing to major ina technical field at MSU.

—James W. Bagley and wife Jean ofTrophy Club, Texas, have once again made acommitment to teaching at MSU byestablishing three endowed funds. Thecouple has established the Billie J. BallEndowed Professorships in the BagleyCollege of Engineering with a $1.5 milliongift.

—A $1.25 million bequest from MaryDiane Roberts of Louisville, Ky., isdesignated for scholarships in the Collegeof Arts and Sciences. The Diane Roberts

SUCCESSFUL GIVING MOVES STATE OF THE FUTURE FORWARD

Memorial Endowed Scholarship will oneday benefit female students in theDepartment of Biological Sciences.

—A $1 million deferred gift from JoelC. Clements of Waynesboro will establishtwo funds. A portion of the gift will beused to support intercollegiate athletics(specifically football) through the BulldogClub, while another portion makespossible the Clements Fund inAccountancy for the College of Businessand Industry.

—James T. and Barbara White havegiven $1.75 million to establish the JamesT. White Chair in the Bagley College ofEngineering. White, president of H.C.

Price Co. in Dallas, is a 1961 civilengineering graduate of MSU. He creditshis engineering education and growing upin Mississippi as the foundation for hiswork ethic.

—An anonymous $1 million bequestwill establish an endowed scholarship inthe School of Accountancy.

All contributions to the universitythrough Dec. 31, 2008, will be considered acommitment to State of the Future.Campaign pledges are payable over a five-year period.

To make a gift, visit or call toll-free 877-677-8283.

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Ruth Williams Alford Estate; Mr. and Mrs. James

Worth Bagley; Mrs. Viola G. Bardsley; The Boeing

Co.; The Bower Foundation; Christine Brand Estate;

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Parker Burke; Mr. and Mrs. JoelC. Clements Sr.; Mr. Steve Davenport; The Day

Foundation; Ms. Isabel M. Devine; Ergon, Inc.; Mr.

and Mrs. W. Bruce Franklin; General Dynamics

Corp.; Ms. Gretchen Gulmon; Robert M. Hearin

Support Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Henry Jr.;

Mrs. Louise Howell; Mr. Louis A. Hurst Jr.; Mr. andMrs. Richard Johnson; Mr. and Mrs. Mark S. Jordan;

Mr. Malcolm H. Mabry Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Bobby P.

Martin; Medline Industries; The Riley Foundation;

Dr. M. Diane Roberts; Seismic Micro-Technology

Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Dave C. Swalm; Mr. Charles

Cullis Wade; Col. and Mrs. Russell Weathersby; Mr.and Mrs. James T. White and Mr. Joseph B.

Whiteside.

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While the academic areas of Missis-sippi State have had fundraisers for manyyears, the Division of Student Affairs hasnot had someone whose primary dutywas to secure private funds. Now, StudentAffairs is taking steps to become morestructured in its fund-raising efforts. Thefirst step was the hiring of a fundraiserresponsible for the division, a man who iswell-known at MSU for his achieve-ments.

“We are fortunate to have someonelike Dr. Roy Ruby as our new develop-ment director,” said Dr. Bill Kibler, vicepresident for student affairs. “His abilityto connect with people across genera-tions will be a huge benefit for thisdivision.”

Ruby, who retired in 2004 after 40years of service to Mississippi State, 17as vice president for student affairs, wasasked to stay on as director of develop-ment because of his knowledge of theuniversity and the division. He feels thatStudent Affairs has done an outstandingjob over the years, but believes more canbe accomplished with an increase inprivate support.

Kibler says the division was thrilledwhen they convinced Ruby to come backto the university following his retire-ment. He believes Ruby is laying thefoundation for years of successful fundraising specifically for Student Affairs.

“We believe that our efforts willbenefit a great deal,” says Kibler. “Therehas never been fund raising focused onStudent Affairs and its needs as a singleentity.”

The Division of Student Affairs doesplay an essential role in the life of theuniversity, providing for the safety,health and well-being of the students andworking to create a developmentalenvironment, just to name a few. StudentAffairs also promotes the out-of-classexperiences that broaden the college

FOUNDATIONnews

Student affairs looks to future and private support

education and that people remember wellafter graduation.

“What we do in Student Affairs is socritical to the university,” Ruby said.“Our work is vital to the students ofMississippi State and we want people tosense that, just as there are needs in theacademic areas, we, too, have needs.”

One of the biggest problems affectingprivate funding for the division, accord-ing to Ruby, is the newness of StudentAffairs fund raising and friends of theuniversity being unaccustomed tosupporting a non-academic unit. Alumniall graduated from different colleges, butall benefited from the work of StudentAffairs.

“We think we’re worthy of privatesupport just like the academic areas ofthe university,” Ruby says. “My belief is,when they look back on a collegeeducation, the things people oftenremember fondly about their collegeexperience are what happened outside

the classroom.”Ruby, along with Kibler and Dr.

Jimmy Abraham, executive director ofthe MSU Alumni Association andassociate vice president for externalaffairs, and others are mapping out a planto reach potential donors to the division.They are identifying the major needs ofthe division, and what groups to targetwith their efforts.

Some of the broad needs of StudentAffairs include more scholarships,enhanced programs for leadership andadditional campus life opportunities toinclude cultural and fine arts program-ming.

The Division of Student Affairs has alot to do with the perception of theuniversity. Ruby wants it to be seen as atotal educational institution where theout-of-class experience is second tonone.

Dr. Roy Ruby has long been active in the community as well as the university.

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MARINA PRESLEYVETERINARY MEDICINE

2025

Her future is the State of the Future. Make sure she has the facilities, professors and programs tomake it a bright one. Make a gift today. Call 877-677-8283 or visit www.msufoundation.com.

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newsClass

MURRAY S. GRIFFIN of Utica hasbeen named a 2005 Ageless Hero byBlue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi.He is retired senior project manager forRust International Corp. The AgelessHero program honors active seniors whocontribute to the welfare of theircommunities. Griffin engineered andhelped build the Utica CommunityVeterans Memorial in 2000, as well asboth of Utica’s Habitat for Humanityhomes.

HORICE JAMES of Metairie, La.,vice president of tax for the certifiedpublic accounting firm of LaPorte SehrtRomig Hand, has received the Society ofLouisiana CPAs’ Special RecognitionAward.

ROBERT E. SMYLIE (M.S. ’56) ofFairfield Glade, Tenn., has received thefirst GlobalSpec Great Moments inEngineering award on the 35thanniversary of NASA’s Apollo 13 moonmission. During the flight, an explosionin the spacecraft forced the threeastronauts to take refuge in the lunarmodule, creating a critical problem withair supply. Smylie headed the team ofNASA engineers who successfullysolved the problem, allowing theastronauts to return to Earth alive.

NICK CASTANIS of Frankfort, Ky.,has written a book, Delta, My Beloved,published by American Literary Pressand available through numerousbookstores and online booksellers.

W. MICKEY HOLLIMAN of Belden,chairman and CEO of Furniture BrandsInternational, has been honored by theAnti-Defamation League’s NationalHome Furnishings Division with its 2005American Heritage Award. Holliman

'49also recently was inducted into theMississippi Business Hall of Fame.

PAT F. MOONEY of Lacombe, La.,technical assistant to the director of thePropulsion Test Directorate at NASA’sStennis Space Center, has receivedNASA’s prestigious J. Harry GuinOutstanding Leadership Award.

LEWIS F. MALLORY of Starkville,chairman of the board of directors andCEO of the NBC Capital Corp., has beeninducted into the Mississippi BusinessHall of Fame.

HARTLEY PEAVEY of Meridian,chairman and CEO of PeaveyElectronics, has been voted into VintageGuitar magazine’s Vintage Guitar Hall ofFame. The magazine’s readers selectedPeavey for the honor.

KAY SHIRLEY of Atlanta, Ga.,founder and president of FinancialDevelopment Corp. in Atlanta, has beenrecognized by ING U.S. FinancialServices in its recognition series called“A Fresh Approach,” for her uniquefinancial planning strategies. Shirleyrecently was featured in MONEYmagazine, and is listed in Barron’s as oneof the top 100 wealth advisers in thecountry. Shirley also is a member of theMSU Foundation’s board of directors.

LAROY RUSHING is a civiliancontractor in Kabul, Afghanistan,assisting the U.S. Department of Defensein modernizing the Afghan military. He

is retired as a lieutenant colonel in theU.S. Army and is a former battalioncommander of the MSU Army ROTCunit.

GREG HINKEBEIN of Pass Christian,president and CEO of the MississippiEnterprise for Technology at NASA’sStennis Space Center, has been awardedNASA’s prestigious Public ServiceMedal.

VERA SIMPSON GAINES ofSenatobia has written a book, Call MeJobulene: A Story of Courage andDetermination, which has been publishedby Dorrance Publishing Co. and isavailable in many bookstores.

DAVID C. JONES has joinedBancorpSouth as senior vice president ofcommercial lending in Olive Branch. Heis a graduate of the Louisiana StateUniversity School of Banking and theUniversity of Mississippi School ofBanking.

JAMES H. CLAYTON (M.B.A. ’74)of Senatobia, chairman of the board andCEO of Planter’s Bank and Trust Co., hasbeen elected treasurer of the MississippiBankers Association.

GAY T. IRBY of Long Beach, deputychief in the Office of the ChiefInformation Officer for the CenterOperations Directorate at NASA’sStennis Space Center, has been awardedNASA’s prestigious ExceptionalAchievement Medal.

DAVE MCDONALD of Marietta, Ga.,head baseball coach at Wheeler High

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CLASSnewsSchool, has been named National Coachof the Year for Division I by theAmerican Baseball Coaches Association.In 2002, the Wheeler baseball field wasnamed in his honor. In spring 2005, theAtlanta Journal-Constitution published amajor feature article about McDonald’sexperiences in the Vietnam War.

THOMAS J. BUCKLEY (M.B.A.’78) of Columbus, a director and vicepresident with T.E. Lott and Co., hasreceived the 2005 Public Service Awardfrom the Mississippi Society of CertifiedPublic Accountants.

PATRICIA JONES COWARD ofMadison is marketing director forRidgeland Pointe Assisted Living.

DONNA BROWN SOUTH (M.A. ’79)of Panama City, Fla., a mathematicsteacher at Bay High School in PanamaCity, has received the school’s Henshaw-Whitley Teacher Excellence Award, formaking “major contributions to students’lives and for significantly elevating theprofession of classroom teaching in theeyes of the public.” The award includesa check for $10,000.

ROBERT CHAPMAN of Houston,Texas, owner of Utility Sales Agents ofSouth Texas, has been named 2005/06president of the Electrical EquipmentRepresentatives Association.

KEYLON GHOLSTON, EasternRegion sales manager for Delta and PineLand Co., has been elected president ofboth the Mississippi AgriculturalIndustry Council and the MississippiSeedmen’s Association.

AUSTIN SMITH of Portland, Maine,has been promoted to senior associate atScott Simons Architects in Portland. Hehas more than 20 years of experience inthe architectural field.

VICKI BLAKNEY EVELAND(M.B.A. ’83, D.B.A. ’88), a professor ofmarketing at Mercer University’s EugeneW. Stetson School of Business andEconomics in Macon, Ga., has receivedthe Vulcan Award for TeachingExcellence.

YASS ALKAFAJI, a certified publicaccountant and faculty member atNortheastern Illinois University, took aleave of absence to return to his nativeIraq as director of administration andfinance for the Ministry of Education.He returned to the United States whensovereignty was transferred to Iraq’sinterim government.

MICHAEL B. HUNTER ofMuskogee, Okla., has received a jurisdoctorate at the University of TulsaSchool of Law. Hunter is qualityassurance superintendent for GeorgiaPacific Corp.

CHRISTOPHER W. JONES (M.S.’85) of Greenville, S.C., has recentlypublished his third book, TheInheritance. Jones also is the author oftwo other books, The Foursome and TheFraternity.

RHONDA KEENUM of Alexandria,Va., has been named by PresidentGeorge W. Bush to the post of deputyassistant to the president and director ofpublic liaison. Keenum recently servedas assistant secretary for trade promotionand director general of the United Statesand foreign commercial service.

MICHAEL PETTIGREW, a lieutenantcolonel in the U.S. Army, recentlycompleted an assignment in Kabul,Afghanistan, with the Office of MilitaryCooperation as chief of training andfielding for the Afghan National Army.He now is assigned as intelligence cellchief, MNF-I, in Baghdad, Iraq.

LAURA LEIGH RICHARDSONCLARK of Collierville, Tenn., anexercise specialist at BaptistRehabilitation, has been named one ofthe 50 Women Who Make a Difference inMemphis for 2005.

JOHN M. RHODES, a lieutenantcolonel in the Mississippi Army NationalGuard, is serving as 1-155 InfantryBattalion commander in Iraq.

MARK E. TAYLOR of Fort Worth,Texas, has been named associate dean ofthe School of Theology at SouthwesternBaptist Theological Seminary in FortWorth.

RENEE COTTON of Clinton, directorof corporate health services forMississippi Baptist Health Systems, hasgraduated from the LeadershipMississippi program, sponsored by theMississippi Economic Council’s M.B.Swayze Educational Foundation.

JOHN D. DAVIS of Flowood, aneurosurgeon on the staff of theMississippi Neurosurgery and SpineCenter, has been elected president of theMississippi Neurosurgical Society. He isa graduate of the Johns Hopkins Schoolof Medicine.

DALE HANCOCK of Madison,customer service center manager forEntergy Services Inc., has graduatedfrom the Leadership Mississippiprogram, sponsored by the MississippiEconomic Council’s M.B. SwayzeEducational Foundation.

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MOHAMMED HOSNI, professorand head of the department ofmechanical and nuclear engineering atKansas State University, has receivedthat institution’s Presidential Award forOutstanding Department Head.

THOMAS P. KENDALL ofVicksburg, vice president of commerciallending for Trustmark National Bank,has graduated from the LeadershipMississippi program, sponsored by theMississippi Economic Council’s M.B.Swayze Educational Foundation.

MARTHA SCOTT POINDEXTER ofWashington, D.C., has been named staffdirector of the Senate Committee onAgriculture, Nutrition and Forestry bycommittee chairman Sen. SaxbyChambliss, R-Ga. Poindexter has spentmost of her career in Washington, eitheras a legislative staff member or lobbyist.

RONALD S. MCMINN ofCollierville, Tenn., has received amaster’s degree in engineeringmanagement from Christian BrothersUniversity in Memphis. He is a projectengineer for Allied Uniking Corp.

DEXTER L. CRISS (PH.D. ’99),assistant professor of chemistry at theState University of New York College atPlattsburgh, has received the SUNYChancellor’s Award for Excellence forhis dedication, commitment, andoutstanding performance as a facultymember.

KIRSTEN J. DORNEY of Asbury,N.J., a veterinarian, recently attended theSoutheast Veterinary Conference inMyrtle Beach, S.C. Along for the tripwere husband Mark Rauschkolb (’95)and their two daughters.

JAMES A. PLANT of Orlando, Fla.,has joined Andrew General ContractorsInc. as senior project manager.

RONALD R. WILSON of Pascagoula,program director for research anddevelopment for Northrop GrummanShip Systems, has graduated from theLeadership Mississippi program,sponsored by the Mississippi EconomicCouncil’s M.B. Swayze EducationalFoundation.

TERRI TABOR HICKEY of Chicago,Ill., has been named press secretary andspokeswoman for Illinois Republicangubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz.

DANA BEKURS of Hoover, Ala.,director of residence life at Birmingham-Southern College, has received theMortar Board Community Service Award.

THOMAS DUANE GORDON ofCanton has been named director offinance at the Community Foundation ofGreater Jackson. In his spare time, heoperates dollymania.net, an online newsmagazine dedicated to Dolly Parton.

CHRISTOPHER M. CHARLES, apediatrician at the McComb Children’sClinic, has won the 2005 Robert S.Caldwell Memorial Award given by theMedical Assurance Company ofMississippi.

JOHN M. SHAPPLEY of Hattiesburg,senior vice president and chief creditofficer for The First, A National BankingAssociation, has graduated from theLeadership Mississippi program,sponsored by the Mississippi EconomicCouncil’s M.B. Swayze EducationalFoundation.

CHRIS SHIVERS has been namedexecutive vice president of the AmericanBrahman Breeders Association,headquartered in Houston, Texas.

RICHARD SHANE MCLAUGHLINand Nicole Harris McLaughlin haveopened McLaughlin Law Firm in Tupelo.

JOSEPH HAGERMAN, a graduatestudent at Columbia University’s FuFoundation School of Engineering, haswon Metropolis Magazine’s 2005 NextGeneration Design Competition.

JENNIFER A. WEST of Memphis,Tenn., is enrolled in the master’s programin social work at the University ofTennessee Health Science Center. She isa member of the Student GovernmentAssociation and the National Associationof Social Workers, Tennessee Chapter.

KEVA MARTIN MCDONALD hasgraduated from the University of VirginiaSchool of Law and is preparing for thestate bar exam. While a student, shefounded the university chapter of theInnocence Project, an organization thatseeks to exonerate the wrongly convicted.

DESTEN S. SEGREST ofHermanville has been promoted tomanager of the Claiborne CountyFarmer’s Co-operative.

JOHN FORREST ENGLE of Slidell,La., is a member of the Tulane UniversitySchool of Medicine’s class of 2009. Healso is co-holder of a patent for a surgicaldevice developed during a senior designproject while an undergraduate at MSU.

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AMBROSE PRENTISSFATHERREE SR. (’26, M.S. ’45)—103,Jackson; MSU’s oldest alumnus, retireddirector of vocational and technicaleducation for the state Department ofEducation and retired president of theMississippi Rural Rehabilitation Corp.,June 22, 2005.

JOHN LEWIS WILLIAMS (’33)—97, Decatur, Ga.; retired InternationalHarvester employee, May 29, 2005.

INmemoriam

L.T. GUESS (’34)—93, NorthManchester, Ind.; retired productspecialist for Alcoa Aluminum, May 9,2005.

OSCAR R. HENDRIX (’34)—95,Madison; retired professor and formerdirector of student personnel andguidance at the University of Wyomingand World War II veteran, April 16,2005.

JAMES MONROE ALFORD JR.(’37)—89, Charlotte, N.C.; retiredSouthern Bell Telephone Co. employeeand World War II veteran, May 30,2005.

FRANK F. HILL JR. (’37)—Columbia, S.C.; retired manufacturer,July 6, 2005.

MURRAY F. RAY (’37)—91,Meridian; former employee of the

announcementsBIRTH

Alexander Wilson Byers, Sept. 5,2004, to KIM M. BYERS (’98) andhusband Steve of Columbus, Ohio.

Cecelia Ruth Dixon, Jan. 25, 2005, toJONATHAN DIXON (’02) and ERINSPEIR DIXON (’98) of Clinton.

Parker James Dobson, April 25, 2005,to DUANE DOBSON (’94) and AMYPARKER-DOBSON (’00) of OceanSprings.

Mia Camille Grass, April 11, 2005, toJANELLE MASSEY GRASS (’95) andM. KEVIN GRASS (’95) of Franklin,Tenn.

Laurel Reagan Hand, July 22, 2005,to SHANE HAND (’94, M.S. ’97) andPAIGE PASSONS HAND (’94, M.S.’96) of Wake Forest, N.C.

Lauren Grace Hinton and KatherineMichelle Hinton, Aug. 26, 2004, toMICHELLE MINGA HINTON (’95)and husband John of Alpharetta, Ga.

Kayden Leigh Huffman, April 15,2005, to WENDY CRUMP HUFFMAN(’00) and husband Richard of Houlka.

Walker Camden Long, Dec. 18, 2004,to CASEY LONG (’02) andJACQUELINE MCMILLIN LONG (’01,M.B.A. ’02) of Hattiesburg.

Aubrey Lauren McKenzie, Sept. 8,2004, to T. SCOTT MCKENZIE (’96)and Amy MCKENZIE (’95, M.TX. ’96)of Brandon.

Christopher Stevenson and SadieJules Stevenson, June 7, 2005, toTONYA COVINGTON STEVENSON(’99) and husband Christopher.

Jason Scott Walker Jr., April 21, 2005,to JASON WALKER (’95) and wifeCaroline of Memphis, Tenn.

Jacob Garrett Whitehead, April 26,2005, to TRACY WHITEHEAD (’94)and wife Michele of Athens, Ga.

FRANK E. LILLEY JR. of Jacksonhas completed a year as George MitchellScholar at the University of Limerick,Northern Ireland. The scholarship isnamed for the former U.S. Senatemajority leader, who had a pivotal rolein the Northern Ireland peace process.

C. ALLEN NICHOLS of Fairlawn,Ohio, director of Wadsworth PublicLibrary, has been named the 2005Alumnus of the Year by the Kent State

University School of Library andInformation Science. Nichols receiveda master of business administrationdegree at MSU.

KAREN CAUTHEN of Tupelo is anintern architect with Johnson Bailey

Henderson McNeel Architects in thefirm’s Tupelo office.

JENNIFER HOLLIS of Jackson is anintern architect with Johnson BaileyHenderson McNeel Architects in thefirm’s Jackson office.'05

Fall 2005

55A L U M N U S

memoriamIN

Mississippi Law EnforcementAssociation, June 27, 2005.

WILLIAM MILTON ROBERTS(’37)—91, Fairhope, Ala.; retiredmanager of Pickwick ElectricCooperative in Selmer, Tenn., and WorldWar II veteran, July 24, 2005.

MARGARET H. ARMSTRONG(’38)—89, Meridian; homemaker andformer schoolteacher, May 18, 2005.

JOHN WILLIAM BURRESS (’39)—89, Tupelo; retired pharmacist and WorldWar II veteran, March 31, 2005.

CHARLES E. ESTESS (’39)—89,Clinton; retired U.S. Army colonel,retired county agent for Hinds County,and World War II veteran, June 7, 2005.

MITCHELL B. BUTTS (’40)—Kennesaw, Ga.; retired InternationalPaper Co. employee, March 2, 2005.

JOHN S. FERRETTI (’40)—86,Shelby; retired founder and president ofJohn S. Ferretti Building Materials andWorld War II veteran, May 28, 2005.

WILLIAM BENNETT TAYLOR JR.(’40)—85, Raymond; retiredbusinessman and World War II veteran,March 27, 2005.

JACK HUDSON LUCAS (’41)—retired attorney and vice president andlegal counsel for J.W. Underwood andCo., June 4, 2005.

JULIUS C. REEVES (’41)—85,Jackson; retired Mississippi Departmentof Natural Resources employee andWorld War II veteran, June 11, 2005.

TOXIE H. TULLOS (’41)—89,Ridgeland; retired loan officer for theUnited States Department of AgricultureFarmers Home Administration and WorldWar II veteran, July 25, 2005.

RODERICK A. HICKMAN JR.(’42)—84, Monroe, La.; retiredprofessor of mathematics at NortheastLouisiana University and World War IIveteran, Dec. 24, 2004.

JOHN E. HUGHES JR. (’43)—83,Greenwood; retired farmer, member ofthe Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association,former president of the Leflore County

School Board, and World War II veteran,Aug. 4, 2005.

RYAN MCMURTRAY (’43)—83,Roswell, Ga.; retired engineer for AmocoOil Co. and World War II veteran, June4, 2005.

FITZ ROBERT MORGAN JR.(’43)—81, Morgan City; retired farmerand World War II veteran, March 4,2005.

WILLIAM SLEDGE TAYLOR JR.(’43)—83, Como; cattleman, farmer,owner of W.S. Taylor Co., and WorldWar II veteran, April 1, 2005.

COSPER LEE TULLOS (’43)—89,Altamonte Springs, Fla.; retiredmanagement agronomist, March 31,2005.

WARREN T. MCCREIGHT (’44)—Laurel; retired assistant executivedirector of the Pat Harrison WaterwayDistrict, Jan. 20, 2005.

THOMAS K. GRIFFIS SR. (’47)—82, Meridian; Mason and World War IIveteran, March 15, 2005.

PAUL VICTOR LACOSTE SR.(’47)—81, Jackson; retired owner ofCon-Plex construction company, realestate developer, and World War IIveteran, May 5, 2005.

SAMUEL RICHARD PINSON(’47)—79, Belzoni; retired farmer andbank courier and World War II veteran,March 6, 2005.

WILLIAM M. BACKSTROM (’49)—Clarksdale; retired accountant, June 23,2005.

JOHN WILLIAM CHATHAM JR.(’49)—81, Starkville; Methodist ministerand World War II veteran, March 3,2005.

CURRY S. PICKENS (’49)—82,Clinton; retired branch manager for theFederal Aviation Administration andWorld War II veteran, June 1, 2005.

ELMO JEWEL BOUCHILLON(’50)—88, Tupelo; retired U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers employee and WorldWar II veteran, June 12, 2005.

E. EARNESTINE RUTHERFORDDOHERTY (’50)—75, Alameda, Calif.;retired director of civilian training for theU.S. Naval Supply Center in Oakland,Calif., June 20, 2004.

LOREN ELI O’NEAL (’50)—Success Community; retiredschoolteacher, owner of A-One-All PestControl, and World War II veteran,March 11, 2005.

EUGENE A. PATOUT (’50)—NewIberia, La.; co-owner of Patout-Greenwood Insurance Agency, Feb. 20,2005.

ALLINE SALTER (’51)—82,Philadelphia; retired English teacher andthree-time winner of the MississippiEconomic Council’s STAR Teacheraward, April 2, 2005.

JOHN E. TAYLOR (’51)—86,Canton; retired director of the chemicaldivision of MFC Services and World WarII veteran, June 13, 2005.

JACK HOLMES THOMAS SR.(’51)—80, Starkville; retired U.S.Department of Agriculture employee andWorld War II veteran, March 11, 2005.

HOYT B. WOOD (’52, M.S. ’54)—75, New Albany; retired teacher andformer first lieutenant in the U.S. MarineCorps, June 28, 2004.

JOHN TIPTON LEWIS (’53)—72,Raymond; retired brigadier general inthe Mississippi National Guard, March 9,2005.

AARON S. KING JR. (’54)—73,Yazoo City; former dentist and owner ofStricklin-King Funeral Home, June 16,2005.

K. WAYNE FREEMAN (’55)—72,Snellville, Ga.; farmer and newspapereditor, March 23, 2005.

MARY VIVIAN MCKELL (’55)—Mobile, Ala.; homemaker, April 23,2005.

JEFF GREGORY (’57)—74, LongBeach; retired Internal Revenue Servicemanager and Korean War veteran, May26, 2005.

Fall 2005

56A L U M N U S

INmemoriam

HAROLD NOBLE HUTCHISON(’57)—70, Clinton; retired accountantand auditor for the state Tax Commissionand former member of the MississippiNational Guard, Oct. 14, 2003.

WILLIAM FRANCIS CASKEY SR.(’58)—75, West Point; retired agent forGM&O and Illinois Central railroads andKorean War veteran, June 9, 2005.

WYLIE E. DRAYTON SR. (’58)—Daphne, Ala.; retired plant manager forInternational Paper Co., May 30, 2005.

ROBERT KELLIS HUBBARD JR.(’58)—Starkville; retired minister andsales representative, March 25, 2005.

MARY HELEN JOHNSON ROOK(’58)—95, Caledonia; retiredschoolteacher and librarian, June 11,2005.

ROBERT DELANEYMONTGOMERY (’60)—71, Pearl;president of Engineering Associates Inc.,May 11, 2005.

RICHARD K. YERGER (’60)—76,Ocean Springs; retired Internal RevenueService agent, April 22, 2005.

ROY L. HORTON (’61)—75,Clinton; certified public accountant anda former vice president of DepositGuaranty National Bank, March 6, 2005.

ELIZABETH MAY FULTON (’64)—78, Philadelphia; retired schoolteacher,April 24, 2005.

OLLIE DEAN MCWHIRTER (’64)—91, Starkville; retired schoolteacher,home economist and 4-H specialist, May1, 2005.

HAROLD R. MCDONALD (’65)—84, Madison; retired Internal RevenueService employee and World War IIveteran, April 5, 2005.

WENDELL D. KOT SR. (’68)—59,Jackson; retired U.S. Army colonel,founder and instructor for the JROTCprogram at Yazoo City High School, andVietnam War veteran, April 16, 2005.

RALPH B. THOMPSON (’69)—64,McCool; retired case worker for the stateWelfare Department, May 5, 2005.

JOHN BERKELEY WALKER(’69)—58, Leland; farmer, March 29,2005.

BILLY L. OWEN (’72)—53,Florence; certified public accountant,March 23, 2005.

KENNETH R. SMITH JR. (’73)—56,Memphis, Tenn.; retired qualityengineering manager and Vietnam Warveteran, Aug. 23, 2004.

ROBERT CALVERY (’75)—62,Flippin, Ark.; superintendent of theFlippin School District and formerteacher and coach.

LOUIS JAMES FAGAN III (’75,M.A. ’77)—52, Tupelo; director ofcommunity services for ItawambaCommunity College, March 29, 2005.

FRED C. HANCOCK (’75)—62,Terry; field supervisor for the stateEmployment Security Commission, May25, 2005.

MARGARET GILLESPIE SEWELL(’75)—58, Jackson; director offundraising and field services for theAmerican Heart Association andcommunity volunteer, April 10, 2005.

JAMES S. MCKINNIE (’76)—51,Byram; accountant and auditor for thestate Department of Transportation, July4, 2005.

ROBINA MORRIS WHITE (’78)—49, Kennesaw, Ga.; retired insurancemedical underwriter and past presidentof the Georgia Association of HomeUnderwriters, March 5, 2005.

W.A. SPEIGHTS (’84)—77,Madison; former chief security officerfor the Governor’s Office, formerdirector of the Mississippi HighwayPatrol’s Cattle Theft Bureau, and WorldWar II veteran, May 14, 2005.

JAMES C. EDWARDS (’89)—66,Ethel; retired superintendent ofeducation, May 24, 2005.

MATTHEW ROBINSONBOUCHARD (’94)—37, Starkville;research associate in the College ofVeterinary Medicine’s Basic ScienceDepartment at MSU, April 2, 2005.

JASON MICHAEL MORRIS (’01)—25, Starkville; research technician forthe Department of Forestry atMississippi State, April 25, 2005.

Alice Turner Andersen(attended)—Madisonville, La.; ownerof Andersen Medical Gas andInspection Co., June 9, 2004.

Ronald McLain (attended)—58,Philadelphia; co-founder of McLainMechanical Contracting, March 5,2005.

Samuel Webb Scales(attended)—84, Starkville; retiredlieutenant colonel in the U.S. ArmyReserve, former civilian aide to theSecretary of the Army, and World WarII veteran, March 25, 2005.

Floyd Russell Smith (attended)—Amory; former Mississippi highwaypatrolman, retired Amory postmaster,and World War II veteran, Sept. 22,2004.

Marion Amelia Cartledge Hall(former employee)—77, Starkville;retired Transportation Departmentemployee at MSU, June 15, 2005.

James Kenneth Jones (formeremployee)—81, Amory; professoremeritus of physical education atMississippi State, May 18, 2005.

Tom Womack (formeremployee)—87, West Point;administrative secretary for the MSUDevelopment Foundation 1964-1985,May 28, 2005.

Paula Jones Salter (friend)—45,Forest; retired deputy director ofeconomic development for theMississippi Band of Choctaw Indiansand former stockholder in ScottPublishing Co., May 1, 2005.

Mississippi State UniversityAlumni AssociationP.O. Box AAMississippi State, MS 39762-5526

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Jackson, Mississippi 39201

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Mississippi State University complies with allapplicable laws regarding affirmative action and equalopportunity in all its activities and programs and doesnot discriminate against anyone protected by lawbecause of age, color, disability, national origin, race,religion, sex, handicap, or status as a veteran ordisabled veteran.

he 2006 edition of the

popular Mississippi State

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To order by credit card online via our secure Internet transaction server, go to

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T