Delta State University Alumni Magazine - Spring 2007

Delta StateDelta StateTHE MAGAZINE FOR DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI & FRIENDS

Spring 2007

Dave “Boo” Ferriss Museum Opens

Crawford Center Dedicated

The Year of Health & Wellness in the Delta

Delta Bellesin Review

plus:

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contents

features

4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

5 CAMPUS BRIEFS

10 HEALTH & WELLNESS

14 THE SCHOOL OF NURSING

16 TOP SECRET

18 “BOO” FERRISS MUSEUM

22 DELTA BELLES IN REVIEW

23 DEVELOPMENT

25 ATHLETICS

28 WITH THE CLASSES

SGA changes administration

Delta State Student Government Association outgoingPresident Emily Jennings (at right), a senior political sciencemajor of Clinton, presents the president’s gavel to the newlyelected Student Government President, Deborah Brick, a juniorart major of Oxford. The presentation of the gavel and theinauguration of elected Student Government Association officerswere held recently at the Lena Roberts Sillers Chapel on theDelta State campus.

Delta State Alumni MagazineSpring 2007 Issue 2

The Delta State Magazine is published by the DSU Alumni/Foundation

with assistance from the Office of University Relations

and Sports Information, Box 3141, Cleveland, Mississippi 38733,

E-Mail: [email protected]

President ..............................Dr. John Hilpert

Alumni-Foundation:Executive Director ....................Keith Fulcher

Chief Financial Officer..............Deborah Cox

Director of Annual Giving ......Missy Pearce

Director of Development .. Jeremy McClain

Director of Alumni Affairs ......Vicki Fioranelli

Administrative Assistant ..............Ann Giger

Bookkeeper ..............................Sharon Kuhn

Alumni Secretary....................Sharon Krugler

Development Secretary ......Sheryl Stephens

Annual Giving Secretary ........Dameon Shaw

Office of University Relations:Director ................................Rori E. Herbison

Photographer ................................Bill Moses

Graphic Designer ..................Laura Fleeman

Secretary................................Gloria Enriquez

Athletic Media Relations Director Matt Jones

Board of DirectorsDelta State University Alumni Association:Daye Dearing, president; John Cox, presidentelect; Mandy Gardner, secretary/treasurer; BillGreenleaf, past president; Pat Chambless,Ryan England, Will Simpson, Frank Sibley,Charles Pittman, Carrie Boykin, Dwaun War-mack, Peyton Warrington, George Bassi, Dun-can Baird, Nancy Gerrard, Karen Swain,Edward Pope, Dr. Wayne Lee Jr., ChelseaShepherd, Deborah Brick, Cory Donnelly, LynnWeaver, Mary Luther, Lauren Lewis, MichaelAguzzi

Board of DirectorsDelta State University Foundation, Inc.:Frank Sibley, president; Judson Thigpen, vicepresident; Mike Neyman, secretary/treasurer;James A. Newquist, past president; LouisBaioni, finance committee chair; Scott Coop-wood, development committee chair; AnneWeissinger, trusteeship committee chair;Danny Abraham, David Abney, William Alford,John Brewer, Glenn Brown, Hunter Cade, JeffRoss Capwell, Kevin Cox, Harold Corbin, BillyDorgan, Sr., Carl Easley, John Hamner, MarkHargett, Tim Harvey, Archie James., TomJanoush, Peter Jernberg, Ed Kossman, Jr.,Jack Kyle, Derek Miles, Ned Mitchell, DougMurphy, Billy Nowell, Sam Polles, Carol Puck-ett, Nan Sanders, Charlotte Smith Hodges,Jeff R. Tarver, Jim Tims, Lynn Varner, Brian Wal-drop, Janet Webb, Jeanne Walker

Design and Layout byCoopwood Communications, Inc. Cleveland, Mississippi

Delta State University Alumni/Foundation • Box 3141 Cleveland, MS 38733 • E-mail: [email protected] • Phone: 662.846.4660 • 3

page 10

page 14

page 22

• Pig Pickin’Saturday September 15

• HomecomingSaturday October 27

Mark your calendars…

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president’s message

Dear Alumni and Friends,

What an academic year this has been! We have addressed more issues and packed moreaccomplishments into a few short months than would normally fill twice the span of time.Several items are covered in these pages, but so many things have happened that the limitedspace just could not contain all the copy. Here’s a sampling of news from the campus:

• The Delta Health Alliance, a collaborative effort in which Delta State University wasamong the founding partners, has grown to a $25 million budget with services provided toindividuals and organizations throughout the Delta and beyond.

• We searched and found outstanding replacements for our Chief Financial Officer, ourmen’s basketball coach, our football coach, and our Athletic Director.

• We successfully completed our institutional accreditation reaffirmation process, and wecompleted the first phase of the accreditation renewal process for our College of Education.Each of these situations involves dozens of faculty and staff and hundreds of hours of theirinvolvement.

• Over a period of months, we worked through an institutional image study and marketingplan. Now we are making decisions about the breadth (and budget) of this new effort. Wehave also completed a strategic plan in the area of information technology.

• Renovation and construction projects are underway across the campus, and we dedicatedthe new Crawford Center at the baseball field this spring. We are making good progress witha new classroom structure in Clarksdale, and we have restructured the management of thehigher education center in Greenville.

• Health & Wellness in the Delta is our campus-wide theme for the year. We use theseextended themes to give special visibility to various aspects of our mission. Several relatedactivities engage us each month. During 2005/06, we celebrated the Year of Cleveland.

• We’ve addressed a number of issues on campus with broad-based initiatives, including theadoption of a new merit pay system and an affirmation of commencement traditions at DeltaState.

• The second Women’s Leadership Conference occurred in March. Several hundred womenwho are making significant contributions to our state spent two days on our campus hearingwell-known, well-regarded speakers and participating in programs designed for theparticipating professionals.

Add to all of these developments the exciting title run made by the Statesmen football teamthat ended with a number three ranking in the nation, and you can see that we’ve had someinteresting times over these past few months. Plan a visit to your alma mater. You will enjoythe vibrancy of the campus.

Sincerely,

John M. HilpertPresident

Great expectations for 2007

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A dedication for a dedicated Senator

This past fall, Delta State University dedicatedThe Thad Cochran Center for Rural SchoolLeadership and Research with a ceremonyhonoring the United States senator inside theatrium of Kent Wyatt Hall.

The senior senator has long been a proponentof education in the Magnolia State, and thededication seemed most fitting, as Dr. John M.Hilpert, Delta State University’s President,directed, “Senator Cochran, your work on behalf ofour state makes all of us proud and grateful.

“We are particularly thankful for the attentionyou give to the universities and to our students.Delta State and the other seven public institutionsare better in all dimensions – teaching, research,and service – because of you and your purposefulpublic service. This day is not only about you andfor you, it is because of you,” Hilpert observed.

Housed in the College of Education, The ThadCochran Center for Rural School Leadership andResearch works to prepare educational leaders whocan address the unique challenges of the MississippiDelta region, by providing the knowledgenecessary to improve leadership effectiveness,teacher quality, and thus, student achievement.

Dually, the Center promotesa vibrant learningcommunity committed to thedevelopment of exemplaryeducational leaders.

Its Masters’ inEducational Leadershipprogram remains a vital cogto the Center. Firstconceptualized in 1997 by agroup of nation-wide, high-powers in education, theProgram has since earnedrecognition as winner of the2006 Mississippi Institutionsof Higher Learning Award forBest Practices; been featuredin Education Week and theDelta Business Journal; andprobably most significantly,

received honors from Stanford University, after anintense national study, as one of the top eightleadership programs in the nation.

As Delta State’s seventh president noted, “Mostoften, Senator, these ceremonies occur in front ofa building or a suite of offices that will bear yourname, but today we will name a center that is toobig in its scope and mission to be identified only asa fixed place. Of course there are offices andclassrooms in our College of Education wheresome of the work happens, but the Thad CochranCenter for Rural School Leadership and Researchembraces all of the Mississippi Delta as its place.Beyond the Delta, the rural schools of this nationwill benefit from the efforts and expertise of ourfaculty and students, as well as the hundreds ofDelta educators who work with us.”

In response, the Senator offered, “I am deeplygrateful and appreciative of your kind words today.It is no secret; education is a personal love of mine.Growing up in a school teacher’s household,education was so important and so valued. Wemust continually work to strengthen our state’seducation system, and this center is an importantfirst step, a step in the right direction.”

Dave Heflin, retired assistant professor in thedivision of Health, Physical Education, and Recre-ation, recently returned to Delta State to deliver asculpture he designed and created titled “Continu-ity of Creativity.”

Heflin dedicated the sculpture to former DeltaState band director, the late Ralph Franklin andwife, Dot, director of the Delta Belles from 1957-1973. The Delta Belles were among America’s firstdancing majorettes and performed from coast tocoast under Franklin’s direction. The Franklinswere pioneers and innovators in the arena of showband halftime performances, as they introducedfireworks and lights to their performances.

Heflin, himself, was a tuba player in the DeltaState Band from 1960-62 under the Franklins.

The sculpture of a trombonist was inspired byDSU alumnus, Doug Scarborough and his solotechnique delivered during halftime performancesfrom 1986-1990.

Heflin and his wife, Brenda, reside in Louin,where he enjoys designing and sculpting yard art.

Heflin’s sculpture is on display in the lobby ofZeigel Hall on the Delta State campus.

Dr. Lynn Varner, Director/Chair for The Thad Cochran Center for RuralSchool Leadership and Research, smiles moments after unveiling theplaque bearing Senator Thad Cochran’s name. The Senator looked onwith Delta State University President, Dr. John Hilpert.

Dave Heflin and Dot Franklin with the recentlydonated sculpture titled “Continuity of Creativity.”

campus briefs

Alum and retiredfaculty donatesculpture

Students continue to aid in rebuilding effortsHoliday giving was the theme of English 492: The

Literature of the Holidays under the instruction of Allan“Chip” Mitchell, as 12 of his students worked in theGulfport area from December 11-22 building andrebuilding homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina.Students spent their time clearing debris, constructinghouses and working with a local chapter of the Boys andGirls Club. As part of the class, students were also requiredto keep a detailed journal of their experiences, as well asinterview hurricane survivors.

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6 • Delta State University Alumni/Foundation • Box 3141 Cleveland, MS 38733 • E-mail: [email protected] • Phone: 662.846.4660

campus briefs

Alum honored by State legislators following his promotion to COO for UPS

Alumnus and recently promoted COO ofUPS, David Abney earned extremely high praise, ashe was recently recognized on both the State Senateand House of Representative floors in Jackson.Concurrently, Abney’s employer, United ParcelService of America, Inc. (UPS) was honored withits own resolution, recognizing “its 100th yearanniversary and commending the company for itscontributions to the citizens of Mississippi.”

The resolution, initially authored byRepresentatives Linda Coleman and DavidNorquist of Bolivar County in the House and inthe Senate, Delta State graduate, Senator BobDearing and Senators Buck Clarke, WillieSimmons and Johnnie Walls of Bolivar Country,honored Abney “on being named Chief OperatingOfficer of UPS, for his interest in the future ofyoung Mississippians and for his continuedsupport of Delta State University.”

In response to the recognition, Abneyrecognized “all those that made today possible,”including the legislators, the Delta State staff andadministration and the UPS family in attendance.“I have been fortunate to live the Americandream,” he explained. “I have been blessed to havea wonderful family.”

He continued, “I am grateful to the state of

Mississippi and Delta State University for taking achance on a kid in 1974 whose hair was as long ashis dreams were big. I was the first in my family toattend college and would not have without thatscholarship, and I would most certainly not havehad any of the successes I have had without DeltaState University. They gave me the confidence Ineeded to succeed in the business world.”

Two-time Grammy Award winner rocks out on campus

Ashley Cleveland rehearsed with Ol’ Skool Revue while oncampus. Pictured l. to r. (front row) Cole Furlow (Jackson),Cleveland, Greg Cobb (Memphis); (back row) DavidCunningham (Greenville), Travis Metcalf (Grenada), MatthewWood (Cleveland), Audie Aderholt (Clarksdale) and Phillip Carter(Clarksdale).

Award-winning vocalist Ashley Cleveland rocked out on the Delta State campus recentlyin a pair of appearances sponsored by the Delta Music Institute (DMI) and the Delta StateWesley Foundation.

Blending rock, blues, gospel and folk with her distinct open-tuned guitar playing,Cleveland has forged an unmistakable sound that has won her two Grammy Awards, threeDove Awards, a place on countless year-end Top Ten lists and a legion of devoted fans.Christianity Today.com voted Ashley its top Female Vocalist of 2006.

Cleveland is one of Nashville’s most in-demand session singers, having performed on over300 albums, for artists including Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Jars Of Clay, Don Henley,Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Delbert McLinton, Etta James, Rodney Crowell, Pam Tillis, PattySmyth and Michael McDonald.

She is also one of the original members of the Women in the Round, a songwriter’sperformance group founded by DMI director Tricia Walker and featured often at Nashville’sfamous Bluebird Cafe.

While on campus, Cleveland gave a master class at the Delta Music Institute andrehearsed with the Ol’ Skool Revue band.

The Delta Music Institute is a first step towards a broad program in Media ArtsProduction. It began with a generous donation by Fred Carl of the Viking Range Companyin 2003. The focus of the DMI is to provide students with a broad and thorough education inthe technological, business, and creative areas of the music industry.

David Abney stands with fellow Delta StateUniversity graduate, Senator Bob Dearing, as theresolution honoring his achievements is read onthe State Senate floor.

Watson crownedMiss DSU

Following an afternoon and night ofcompetition, a panel of judges crownedCoriss Watson Miss Delta State University.A Grenada native, Watson, 19, is asophomore music education major at DeltaState. For her talent, she played “Prelude inG Minor” by Fredric Chopin, on piano.

In addition to the crown, she was alsoawarded the Career Services InterviewAward. Miss Delta State University willcompete in the Miss Mississippi Pageant inJuly.

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Hundreds gathered on the south end ofthe quadrangle to remember the victims ofthe Virginia Tech tragedy, as Delta Stateaccepted Virginia Governor TimothyKaine’s invitation to join the State ofVirginia in its day of mourning withsimultaneous observances at noon (EDT),April 20.

Delta State’s program consisted oftolling of the hour at 11 a.m. and theplaying of “Amazing Grace” by the carillon;as well as opening reflections by PresidentDr. John M. Hilpert. "This is a time whenfamilies come together. Now our nationalfamily should come together to reflect, pray,encourage, and support," President Hilpertoffered.

Fall commencement celebrated, 390 graduates including 3rd generation graduate

Delta State University celebrated its 80th FallCommencement inside Walter Sillers Coliseumthis past December. Friends and family, along withDelta State faculty and staff, gathered to honor theaccomplishments of the 390 graduates.

Delta State President, Dr. John M. Hilpert,opened the morning service, offering, “Each oftoday’s graduates has reached a milestone, and weare here to recognize their achievements. On behalfof the faculty and staff, I extend congratulations toall graduates.”

On the day, 13 educational specialist degreeswere conferred, while 148 master’s degrees and 229bachelor’s degrees were awarded through theCollege of Arts and Sciences, the College ofBusiness, the College of Education and the Schoolof Nursing.

Graduating senior, Leila Weissinger, aninterdisciplinary studies major of Rolling Fork,offered, “Delta State has been such an incrediblyspecial place to me and my family. The sense ofcommunity you feel at Delta State just warms yourheart. Every time you step on campus, you get thatfeeling. It delivers.”

With the completion of her degree inDecember, Leila became a third-generationgraduate of Delta State, as her mother, Anne, andgrandmother, Leila Wynn are graduates of theinstitution.

Her mother, Anne reflects, “The very first timeI ever stepped foot on the Delta State campus wasin the summer of 1975. My mother had completedher course work for her teachers' certificate at DeltaState and she thought my sister and I would benefitfrom some summer school. I had just finished my

first year at Newcomb College and needed a mathcourse. My sister who had just graduated fromhigh school also attended the first summer sessionwith me.

“All those years ago, I had no idea that morethan 30 years later Delta State would continue to besuch a big part of my life, as well as the life of severalof my family members. My two sisters, Maggie andMartha, and I - all three - earned our master’s ofEducation degree at Delta State,” she continued.

“The small classes, dedicated professors, andsupportive atmosphere were a tremendous part ofour daughter's success here at DSU. All of thesemembers of my family benefited greatly from thewonderful opportunities here at Delta State and weare proud of our association with DSU. I have tosay that, other than my church work, Delta State ismore important to me than any other organizationin which I am involved,” she concluded proudly.

Dr. Phyllis Bunn, Virginia Tech alumna andDelta State professor of office administration,reflected on her “Thoughts of Virginia Tech.” Sheremembered, "When I think about Virginia Tech,

Virginia Tech victims remembered at Delta State

campus briefs


Three generations of graduates: Anne, Charles,Leila Weissinger and Leila Wynn.

I think of the pageantry of Hoakiefootball, the smell of lilacs and the picnicson Henderson Lawn."

Incoming Student GovernmentPresident, Deborah Brick, a juniorgraphic design major of Oxford, read aletter on behalf of the Delta StateUniversity student body, addressed to theVirginia Tech student body. Followingthe ceremony, the letter was mailed toVTU Student Government President.

Dean of the College of Business, Dr.Billy C. Moore offered a closing prayer,followed by the Delta Chorale’s

performance of “Calling My Children Home." Delta State’s memorial observance was one of

many held across the nation.

Forever FriendsTwo members of the Class of 1941

continue the friendship they formed atDelta State Teachers College (DSTC) inthe early 40s. During World War II,Capt. Viola “Pinky” Brown Sanders(left) was commanding officer of theWAVES and served as the highestranking female in the armed forces.Frances Fox Hardin (right) worked forRepresentative Jamie Whitten inWashington D.C. and then taughtschool in Calhoun City. Sanders andHardin recently met at the home ofMinnie Fox Richter, ’44, in Greenwoodto reminisce about their days at DSTC.

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campus briefs

On a day President Dr. John M. Hilpert always calls “a highlight” and “an opportunity to recognizethe faculty for the key role they play at this university,” the Foundation continued its recognition ofdedicated and professional faculty with the annual announcement of the recipients of the Excellence inTeaching, Research and Service Faculty Prizes.

Dr. Phyllis Bunn, professor of office administration; and Dr. Clifton Wingard, associate professor ofmathematics were honored with the Excellence in Teaching Prize. John Ford, assistant professor of English,and Dr. Nina Baghai-Riding, associate professor of Biology and Environmental Science, were honored withthe Excellence in Research Prize; while Margaret Tullos, professor of Social Work; and Emily Weaver,university archivist and assistant professor of library services were honored with the Excellence in ServicePrize.

During the award ceremony, Hilpert offered, “I congratulate Phyllis, Clifton, John, Nina, Margaret andEmily on their accomplishments. They are a great example. I also thank the Foundation for its continued

support and vision.”Award recipients received a plaque, a clock

and a $5000 check honoring theiraccomplishments.

Keith Fulcher, Executive Director of theDelta State University Alumni-Foundation,concurred, “The Delta State UniversityFoundation Board of Directors are pleased topartner with the University in recognizingfaculty members who are dedicated to theirprofession and who excel in the areas ofteaching, service, and research. TheFoundation’s mission is to help provide privatesupport to the University and the Boardcommends Dr. Hilpert and Dr. (John)Thornell for their decision to honoroutstanding faculty.”

Six honored for their scholarly efforts

(l. to r.): Emily Weaver (Service); Phyllis Bunn(Teaching); John Ford (Research); Nina Baghai-Riding (Research); Clifton Wingard (Teaching) andMargaret Tullos (Service).

Nine set to retire on July 1 Front row, from left: Sherry Bailey, Evening Shift Supervisor, DSU Student Health Center;Dr. Stella B. Wear, Professor of Mathematics; Kay C. Ware, Payroll Administrator; ; VickiFioranelli, Director of Alumni; (back row, from left) Dr. Darvin E. (Duke) Barnes, Chair andProfessor of the Division of Health, Physical Education and Recreation; Albert C. Prewitt,Assistant Director of the Physical Plant; Paul L. Lindsey, Director of the Physical Plant;and Dr. John G. Thornell, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will retire at theclose of the 2007 academic year. Not pictured: Dr. Edward R. Bahr, Professor of Music.

16-year legislaturevet receives degreefrom Delta State

Representative Bobby B. Howell recently had oneof his life-long goals accomplished, as the Mississippilegislator received a degree from Delta StateUniversity. The Kilmichael resident attended DeltaState in the summer of 1959 through the fall of 1961.At a recent ceremony in the State’s Capitol, Dr. JohnM. Hilpert, President, presented Howell his degreefrom Delta State. A pharmacist by profession, Howellreceived his pharmacy degree from the University ofMississippi. He has served in the House ofRepresentative since 1992, representing the 46thdistrict of Attala, Carroll, Grenada, Leflore andMontgomery counties.

Thornell retires after 32 years, moving on to North CarolinaDelta State Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. John Thornell officially announced his retirement after

32 years of service to the university. Thornell has accepted an offer to become the chief academic officer at North Carolina Wesleyan University. He is set

to begin his new post July 1. “Dr. Thornell has given Delta State many years of strong leadership and we are deeply grateful for his service and

commitment,” President Dr. John Hilpert said. “We are obviously disappointed to be losing him and wish him and hisfamily the best in their move.”

Of his decision, Thornell offered, “Delta State University has been a very important part of my life and my family’s lifefor the past 32 years, so it is with mixed emotions that I made this decision. I will be saddened to leave the colleagues Ihave grown so close with over the years, but am excited by the great opportunity that awaits me in North Carolina.”

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International Business Symposium proves successful for second yearDelta State University’s International Business

Symposium proved a success, yet again. Now in its second year, the symposium was

presented through the College of Business andDivision of Management, Marketing, and BusinessAdministration and was sponsored by David Abneyand wife, Sherry, both Delta natives who currentlyreside in Atlanta.

A 1976 graduate, Abney earned his bachelor’s ofbusiness administration from Delta State, and todaysits on the University’s Foundation Board. Recentlyelevated to Chief Operating Officer (COO) andPresident of UPS Airlines, he highlighted this year’sprogram which featured top-ranking internationalbusiness professionals.

Dianne M. Stokely, President and ChiefOperating Officer (COO), FedEx CustomerInformation Services, Inc.; and Diana M. Leonard,Senior Vice President, Orange Business Services,France Telecom Group also spoke at the two-dayevent.

Abney’s goal of the event, as he later said, “is toensure the youth of Mississippi and the youth of the

world grow up aware of the internationalopportunities available to them. I grew up thinkinganything north of Memphis was international and Iam determined today’s generation don’t fall victim thatway of thinking.”

It was the Abney’s generous gift that also helpedto initially launch Delta State’s International Businessand Development program almost two years ago.Designed to prepare students for the constantlyexpanding world of business, the InternationalBusiness and Development program aims at providingstudents with the necessary skills and understanding tosucceed in the international business arena.

Of his continued support of not only the program,but the Symposium too, Dr. John M. Hilpert, DeltaState’s President offered, “David Abney has beengenerous with not only financial support, but alsotime. He has helped us every year, offering us access tospeakers we would not otherwise have.

“This symposium is an eye-opening experience toour students,” Hilpert continued. “I think David andhis wife, Sherry, have established a model that works,and I hope other alumni are inspired to replicate it. I

David Abney shared a laugh with some DeltaState students following the International Busi-ness Symposium. He and his wife, Sherry,sponsor the symposium.

Former football player and 2003alumnus Keith Pate, a native of Net-tleton, is serving a tour of duty in Iraqwith the U.S. Army and is attachedto the HHC 1-198th Task Force inAmory, Miss. Sergeant Pate is respon-sible for all Human Resources needsof 700 soldiers. He handles all legal,financial, morale and welfare issues,in addition to taking part in convoysand patrols as a driver, gunner orcombat medic. Pate was the longsnapper on the 2000 National Cham-pionship Football team. He and hiswife have a nine-month-old daugh-ter, Anna Thomas.

Former footballplayer serving inIraq

Redlin welcomed to VP for Finance postDelta State University introduced Greg Redlin as the

University’s new Vice President for Finance andAdministration in late December. The position was leftvacant after Billy Morehead accepted a position in theCollege of Business, as the Chair of Accountancy,Computer Information Systems and Finance.

“I am extremely proud to be a member of this greatUniversity and lovely community,” Redlin offered. “Iwant to thank everyone for the kindness they haveshown me and my wife, Ro Ann, since arriving.”

Redlin comes to the Delta after 15 years of service atthe University of South Dakota, where he served as theVice President for Finance & Administrationresponsible for business affairs and physical plantmanagement. Several major building projects were

completed during his tenure, including a $13 millionroof replacement on an indoor football stadium, a $4.5million and journalism/communications buildingrenovation, a $2.2 million enrollment services buildingrenovation and the construction of a new $36 millionSchool of Medicine.

The son of Don and Virginia of Watertown, S.D.,Redlin is married to theformer Ro Ann Cameron.The couple has two children,Kathleen, a junior at theUniversity of MinnesotaMorris, and Daniel, afreshman at the University ofMinnesota.

Alumnus named by Tyco as President for Southeast Asia

Laird Hamberlin, ofCumming, Ga., was recentlypromoted by Tyco Fire andSecurity Services to President ofSoutheast Asia, a divisioncomprising 14 countries,annual sales of $150 million,and over 12,000 employees.Hamberlin, a native of YazooCity, earned his BBA in 1987.

“My office is in Singapore,which is a long way from my birthplace of Yazoo City andfrom Greenville where I lived most of my life,” saidHamberlin. “Most recently I was part of the team that

established the first ADT Central Monitoring Centre inChina and Taiwan, which now enables us to offer acomplete range of electronic security solutions to Chineseconsumers.”

Tyco Fire & Security designs, manufactures, installsand services electronic security systems, fire protection,detection and suppression systems, sprinklers and fireextinguishers. With $11 billion in annual sales and morethan 90,000 employees, Tyco products and services areused to safeguard firefighters, prevent fires, deter thievesand protect people and property. Tyco Fire & Securityprotects 300 international airports, transportation systemson 5 continents, 75 percent of refineries, 80 percent of theworld’s top retailers and 2 million commercial enterprises.

know it would make a tremendous difference to DeltaState University and the region.”

campus briefs

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:28 AM

health & wellness

The 2006-2007 academic term hasbeen proclaimed “The Year ofHealth and Wellness in the Delta”

by Delta State University. Throughout this year,students, faculty, staff and departments will takepart in a broad range of activities designed toraise awareness of the health issues facing theregion and its residents.

This initiative follows on the heels of lastyear’s successful “Year of Cleveland” theme—atheme chosen to honor Delta State’s eightdecade-long relationship with its hostcommunity, Cleveland. Says Dr. Myrtis Tabb,Senior Administrator, Special Projects at DeltaState, “We had such a good response to lastyear’s theme and the related events that weknew we wanted to find another good themefor the new academic year. From the time westarted planning, we followed last year’s modelclosely.”

The theme was proposed by Delta StateUniversity President Dr. John Hilpert, whoproclaimed “The Year of Health and Wellness inthe Delta” as part of his “State of the University”address in early September. In that address,Hilpert promised that faculty, staff, students, andthe community would have many opportunitiesto participate throughout the year.

Tabb reports several factors led to theselection of this particular theme. “Delta State isone of the collaborative partners in the DeltaHealth Alliance, which has received significantfunding to look at health initiatives in the region.In addition to our participation in the Alliance,we considered such things as our School ofNursing, which is certainly one of Delta State’sreal assets, as well as the research being done in

various fields by members of our faculty, andother factors—we felt that health and wellnesswould make an excellent theme.

“We hope to accomplish several thingsduring the year with this initiative,” shecontinues. “We want to bring about greateremphasis on health issues, and increasedawareness, both on campus and throughout the

community. We want to highlight both theSchool of Nursing and all the exciting researchthat’s being done. And, we hope to fosterstronger partnerships with health programs inthe local schools.

“We want to offer quality programming thatfirst, educates the community on how to meettheir health and wellness goals, and second, helpsthe community in achieving if not surpassing

those goals,” Tabb concludes.As the new academic year kicked off,

the Health and Wellness theme wasfeatured in a number of events, includingseveral held during the month of October.These included a Breast Cancer AwarenessForum that incorporated panel discussionson both prevention and treatment, and (inconjunction with the Bolivar MedicalCenter) a screening day where vital screensfor heart disease and prostate cancer were

provided. Also held in October was the annualElliott-Nowell-White Science Symposium, aprogram established to introduce Delta Statestudents and faculty to outstanding scientists ofinternational stature whose careers in researchserve as models for students majoring in thesciences.

In November, the theme was celebrated at the

By Alan Taylor


We want to bring about greateremphasis on health issues, andincreased awareness ,both on campusand throughout the community.”

“– Dr. Myrtis Tabb

THE YEAR OF‘Tis the year…

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:29 AM


Third Annual Community RecognitionLuncheon, with the recognition of individualsand agencies who have made significantcontributions to health and wellness in the Deltaregion.

As Tabb commented at the time the themewas proclaimed, “January is traditionally a timefor resolutions and a renewed commitment tohealth and physical fitness.”

Thus, one of the major events of “The Year ofHealth and Wellness in the Delta” was held inJanuary—the Third Annual Delta Health andWellness Day. This event, which was free andopen to the public, took the form of a largehealth fair, and featured exhibitors offering freehealth screenings and information, educationaloutreach, and opportunities to meet with areahealthcare representatives.

The event was sponsored through theUniversity’s Center for Community andEconomic Development (CCED) along withthe “Leaders of Delta Health and Wellness”committee, which is made up of both Delta Stateand community representatives.

“The annual Delta Health and Wellness Dayprovides opportunities for many Delta residentsto take advantage of free health screenings, andto receive information regarding different health

related illnesses,” Deborah Moore, CCEDdirector, relayed. “This yearly event is the perfectway for DSU to bring together health careprofessionals with community members who are

in need of their services. Not only do adults havethe opportunity to gain valuable services andinformation, elementary school studentsparticipate in fun activities to better understandtheir health and wellness.”

Delta Health and Wellness Day is just one

example of the wide variety of programmingplanned for 2007, Tabb promises. “One thingplanned for the spring—we have a researchcommittee which holds a symposium each year,and this year it will focus on health and wellnessissues. Also, the University is funding mini-grants for faculty members to conduct uniqueprograms or do original research. We really wantto support our faculty members in these efforts.

“Something I’m really looking forward to isbringing in speakers to address various healthconcerns for the Delta,” she adds.

Among other related projects and eventsplanned for the year is a Health ChallengeProgram for faculty and staff members under theauspices of Delta State’s Physical EducationDepartment, Tabb reports. The program will beoffered in the spring and again in the fall, andprizes will be awarded to those who mostimprove their level of physical fitness.

For more information about “The Year ofHealth and Wellness in the Delta,” please contactUniversity Relations at Delta State University,(662) 846-4675.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Visitors to the Third Annual Delta Health and Well-ness Day, which was free and open to the public,took advantage of the free health screenings andhealth related information.

IN THE

DELTA

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:31 AM

health & wellness

With its “Health and Wellness in theDelta” initiative, Delta StateUniversity’s various departments

are actively participating in efforts to address thoseissues which are among the most challenging facedby the region. The School of Nursing continues toaddress the critical nursing shortage which isaffecting all parts of the country, and maybe mostespecially the Delta. Other DSU departments thatoffer health-related studies are also participating inHealth and Wellness activities and providingimportant services to the community, while at thesame time preparing students for professionalcareers in many fields.

The Department of Speech and HearingSciences offers pre-professional instruction leadingto the Bachelor of Science degree. The departmentalso operates a clinic for diagnosis and/or therapyfor a wide range of communicative disorders,including language difficulties, speech pathologiesand auditory disorders.

Department Chair Dr. Gloria Brister, herself aDelta State graduate and a member of the DSUfaculty for 26 years, reports dramatic growth in theprogram: “Over the last two years, enrollment inour program has increased from 60 students to 120students. During 2007, we’ll have a renovatedsetting in Kethley Hall, adding classrooms andclinic space. We’ve also recently submitted a grantproposal that will help us in preventingcommunicative disorders—we are hoping to getequipment that will allow both better training andbetter services.”

She adds that the department’s best recruitinggoal is sending its students back to the high schoolsand community colleges to conduct outreachprograms. “This helps us introduce others to thiscareer field, showing what a good job market it is—one with good salaries and flexible job settings.”

The Coordinated Program in Dietetics,wherein students are trained to become RegisteredDieticians, is one of Delta State’s newest programs;its first graduates were in 2003. The program hasalso doubled in enrollment size over the past year,reports Program Director Dr. Kathy Davis, whopoints out that this is a field of study that movesbeyond the classroom.

“In addition to lectures, etc. we also providesupervised practice in the field, including takingour students to health fairs to give out nutritioninformation to children and adults,” she says. “Onething we’ve been adding to the program is more‘hands-on’ opportunities to work with realpatients.”

Students in the program are working more withchildren these days, Davis adds, including suchefforts as body measurement clinics for smallchildren up to teenagers. “It’s a good opportunityto counteract all the news you hear about anorexiaand eating disorders, for example,” she observes.“We work to reinforce the truth about a healthybody image, and we’re planning another one ofthese clinics in the near future.”

Of The Year of Health and Wellness in theDelta, Davis says, “We need to increase awarenessof the correlation between nutrition, physical

fitness, and health. Out students are active ingetting out information on nutrition, giving peoplethe tools they need to improve their health.”

Since its founding, Delta State has offeredexcellence in education which extends to manyfields of endeavor, and certainly the University hasproduced scores of graduates who have gone on todistinguished careers in medicine. Delta Statealumni are active in a broad range of health care-related fields. Some began their medical studies atDelta State, while others later built on theeducational foundation that the Universityprovided. One thing is clear, however, even fromconsidering just a few of these individuals--DeltaState alumni are making a difference in a broadrange of health care professions.

A native of Sunflower County, Dr. TravisRichardson graduated from Delta State in 1956with a Bachelor of Science degree. He went on toattain a Masters and a PhD, in Physiology andBiophysics.

Richardson taught while attending the TulaneSchool of Medicine, where he received his MD in1966. He followed this up with three years of post-doctoral study before opening his own practice inthe town of Drew, where he practiced full-timeuntil 1994 and continued on a part-time basis untilhis retirement in 2004. He now lives in Gulfport,MS.

He comments, “I’d say it’s pretty evident that Ibelieve Delta State University offers a good pre-med program. My three children attended DeltaState; two of them are now physicians, and the

By Alan Taylor


MMaakkiinngg aa HHeeaalltthh

&& WWeellllnneessss

DDiiffffeerreennccee

DSU SP07 mag 6/4/07 3:48 PM


third is a nurse-practitioner. I also helped influenceseveral of my grandchildren to attend Delta State,as well as two of my nephews, who are also bothphysicians.

Dr. Wilmer Nichols, who received his BSdegree at Delta State in 1960, is currently Professorof Medicine with the Department ofCardiovascular Medicine at the University ofFlorida. He says Delta State University made adefinite difference in his life and career choices.

“If I’d never gone to Delta State, and perhapsinstead to a bigger university that didn’t offer thekind of personal interaction Delta State does, Imight have not gone any further,” he comments.“Like a lot of kids, during my first year or two atDelta State, I was more interested in fun than instudies. But then I realized I needed to get seriousabout a career. I changed my major from English toMathematics, took all the math courses, andgraduated with a Mathematics Degree. Dr. EleanorBoyd Walters, who was chair of the MathDepartment at the time, really helped guide me inthe right direction. “

Asked about The Year of Health and WellnessIn The Delta, Nichols states, “People need to beaware of the fact that something needs to bedone—with many who have cardiovascularproblems, such as hypertension, it goesundiagnosed and untreated until it becomes life-threatening. So awareness is key in improving thehealth of Delta citizens.”

Ken Causey, who was born in Clarksdale andraised in Cleveland, graduated from Delta State in1986 with a BA degree.

He is now the Director of OutpatientRehabilitation Services with Baptist Health

Systems in Jackson, and oversees sixoutpatient facilities for

physical therapy,occupational therapy,speech therapy, andpediatric physical

therapy.“I received a

strongscience

background at Delta State, which helped meimmensely when I went back to school to get myphysical therapy degree,” he says. “One of the reallypositive things about Delta State is the low teacher-to-student ratio. This makes the learning processmuch more personal, and to my mind, much morebeneficial.

“Focusing on health and wellness issues this yearis a very good idea. The Delta is so underserved,and knowledge and education are the main keys toaddressing the region’s health problems. We have toimprove the awareness of the problems, as well as ofthe services and facilities that are available.”

Stephen “Step” Roberts is the AssistantAthletic Trainer for the Atlanta Thrashers NHLhockey team, a position he assumed in 2005. Inthis role, he assists the head trainer in all treatmentand rehabilitation procedures for injured players.Prior to joining the Thrashers, Roberts spent aseason as head athletic trainer for the MississippiSea Wolves of the East Coast Hockey League(ECHL), and two seasons as a trainer for theJackson Bandits of the ECHL.

Roberts earned a Bachelor of Science inPhysical Education from Delta State University in2000. He was a member of the University’sswimming team, and served as its captain duringhis final year at Delta State. He continues tocompete in triathlons during the off-season.

“My swimming career was my life while I was atDelta State,” he says. “I knew I couldn’t swim mywhole life, though, but I also knew I wanted to stayin sports. So now I’m still around water—it’s justfrozen.

“I wouldn’t trade my days at Delta State foranything. I know I couldn’t have received a bettereducation anywhere, and it’s great to see how thesports medicine program at Delta State has grownjust since I’ve graduated. I’m proud to be a DeltaState graduate.”

Health & Wellness in the Delta

September 2006

October 2006

November 2006

Surviving the Holidays with Meal PlanningCommunity Recognition Luncheon

December 2006

World Aids Day

January 2007

February 2007

March 2007

April 2007

May 2007Staff Development Day

The Faculty will present at the 3rd Annual Researchand Scholarship Symposium

Health Care CareersHistory of Nursing ExhibitWalk a Mile in My Shoes

Spring Sports Day

Junior Auxiliary Health & WellnessNational Athletic Training Month

National Nutrition MonthHand Washing

E-Statesmen Newsletter

Health Screening & EducationMS Delta Women in Leadership Conference

Tool Box KitTeen Mississippi

Health Career Day

3rd Annual Delta Health & Wellness DayHealth & Wellness Research & Awareness Fund

B.E.E.P. (Breast Education & Early-detection Project)Health Screening Initiative

Mississippi in Motion CampaignDSU Health Challenge

Adult & Infant CPR Certification Class

Breast Cancer Awareness ForumHealth Screenings

SymposiumOctoberfest

Health Challenge

The Department of Speech and Hearing Sciencesoperates a clinic for diagnosis and/or therapy for awide range of communicative disorders.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:35 AM


The Delta State University School ofNursing is celebrating its 30thanniversary this year. The school that

is built on the site of the old City Hospital, whichis well remembered by many people who grew upin Cleveland (many of them were born there), hasgrown to be one of Delta State’s strongest assets.

Indeed, it is an asset that grows increasingly vitalas the nursing shortage in the region—like in muchof the country—becomes ever more critical, and theSchool of Nursing’s value and success aredemonstrated by the fact that its graduates areknown throughout Mississippi for their exemplarynursing care, knowledge and caring as practitioners,educators and administrators.

The School of Nursing offersundergraduate degrees for individualswanting to become baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses, and RNsseeking a baccalaureate degree. As Dr.Lizabeth Carlson, MSN, DNS, RN,BC, Dean of the School of Nursing andan associate professor of nursing, pointsout, “We have the only baccalaureatenursing program within a 100-mileradius.”

The web-enhanced Bachelor of Science inNursing degree is for students who are not yetnurses, but are preparing to take the licensure examto become registered nurses. Students applying tothe RN-BSN program are registered nurses whoalready have an associate degree or diploma, andwho are often pursuing the BSN in order to obtainor maintain a management position or pursueadvanced study. A master’s program, with FamilyNurse Practitioner, Adult Health Educator andNurse Administrator tracks, is also offered.

The School of Nursing also partners with therural communities in the Mississippi Delta topromote good health habits and to help meet the

unique health care needs of the region. As Carlsoncontinues, “We are committed to helpingindividuals, families and communities by strivingto meet their health care demands both now and inthe future.”

Carlson, who was born in Arkansas and raised inMissouri, has been a nurse for over 25 years, part ofthis time spent as a nurse officer in the U. S. AirForce, stationed at Keesler Air Force Base on theGulf Coast. She received her BSN at Missouri StateUniversity, a master’s at the University of SouthAlabama, and her Doctor of Nursing degree atLouisiana State University. She has been a memberof the Delta State faculty for eight years. Named

Acting Dean of the School ofNursing in 2004, she was thenappointed Dean the following year.

With the growing need fornurses, it is perhaps not surprisingthat the School of Nursing has seendramatic enrollment growth inrecent years. Carlson reports, “In thefall of 2003, we had a total of 63students in all three of our programs.In the fall of 2006, that number wasup to 152. We’ve recently admitted

while in need:

The School of NursingBy Alan Taylor

Meeting needs,while in need:

Meeting needs,

Classroom size for the School of Nursing has become a critical

issue that limits enrollment.

The School of Nursing

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:37 AM


another 57 students, putting our total over200.”

She goes on to cite one reason the Schoolis working so hard to turn out registerednurses. “Nationally, there is something like aseven to ten percent shortage of nurses. In theDelta, it is 23 percent or more—some of ourhospitals have a vacancy rate in nursingpositions of over 30 percent.”

A recent grant from the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation will significantly aid theSchool of Nursing in its efforts to train nursesand address the Delta’s nursing shortage, aswell as face the challenges of student attrition,Carlson says. “We have initiatives in place toaddress the problem of attrition amongnursing school students. In some places, thisis running at 50 percent or more, but I’m gladto say that we’re running at slightly less than10 percent here at Delta State.

“It’s a problem that we’re addressing inseveral ways. The mentoring that our RobertWood Johnson grant is making possible is onevery big part of our effort. We are starting anumber of mentoring projects with ourstudents—a number of our faculty membersare active in student mentoring, and we alsohave some of our older students mentoringthe younger students.”

Sessions where faculty meets with studentsand practicing nurses to gather input on whatneeds to be done to meet the student’s needsare another part of the effort, she adds.

“We really work to support our students.For example, we’ve put in place what we call‘student navigators’ who have master’s degreesin counseling. They provide help to our students oneverything from study habits to life skills—we’veseen this have a major impact on the students’successful path through their course of study.

“Also underway is a family project, where wemeet with the families of our students and try tohelp them better understand what the student isgoing through. Hopefully, we’re encouraging thefamilies to provide a stronger level of support,”Carlson reports.

The School of Nursing is also actively providingservices to the greater community. Carlsonacknowledges, “We were very much involved in theHealth and Wellness Day and the Octoberfestscreening day. We also send people to talk at localschools about diabetes and heart disease, and ourstudents do various on-campus projects.

“One of our faculty members, Vicki Bingham,who is chair of academic programs, has piloted aneffort to establish good hand-washing programs inelementary schools. A big part of this is meeting

with the children and teaching them how regular,good hand washing can prevent illness and decreaseabsenteeism from school.”

Even with its vital role in helping address thenursing shortage—surely one of the Delta’s mosttroubling health care challenges—and the valuableservices it provides to a region which unfortunatelyleads the nation in instances of serious healthproblems, the Delta State School of Nursing faces itsown challenges.

A program that has more than tripled itsenrollment in the past few years needs to grow tocontinue its mission to both students and thecommunity. As Dr. Carlson points out, “We’repacked in pretty tight. Our building was designedfor small classes, and we have a desperate need toexpand.”

A grant from the Delta Health Alliance isallowing the School to add to its faculty and enlargetwo of its classrooms; and while certainly neededand welcome, Carlson says this alone, cannotaddress all the School’s needs. “We’ve worked with

the Delta Health Alliance for several years, and theyhave been very supportive of the School. Butadding to our two smaller classrooms has onlyallowed us to add eight students; we really needanother large classroom. We’re in the position ofhaving to turn people away from our programs, inspite of the urgent need for nurses in the Delta.”

Also needed, Carlson says, is a new and largerclinical skills lab for the School’s students. “Ourcurrent lab has five work stations. That is not nearlyadequate for 185 baccalaureate students, like wepresently have.”

While it may face challenges, the Delta StateSchool of Nursing continues to strive for excellencein nursing education. Says Dr. Carlson, “The needfor well-educated, highly skilled nurses has neverbeen greater, and our graduates can be assured thatthey will be well prepared for positions ofresponsibility in all areas of health care.”

For more information about the Delta StateUniversity School of Nursing, call (662) 846-4255.

The current clinical skills lab for theSchool of Nursing, with five workstations, is filled beyond capacitywith as many as 9 students ateach station.

Dr. Libby Carlson, dean of theSchool of Nursing, always findstime to meet with her students andoffer an encouraging word.

Classroom size for the School of

Nursing has become a critical issue

that limits enrollment.

DSU SP07 mag 6/4/07 4:00 PM

Marion Marshall Cole Jr. flew asmany top secret United State AirForce missions as he made moves

around the Delta and elsewhere in the state ofMississippi with his parents in the 1930sthrough 1950s.

Attached to the Third Air Force European,Cole flew perhaps 50 courier flights,transporting classified war material fromGardemoer, Norway, (a base shared by the U.S.and Norway in the late 1940s and beyond) toheadquarters in London.

“I flew at least one mission a month, ferryingCold War top secret information to London.From there it was flown to the DefenseDepartment in Washington, D.C.,” the 1952Delta State University alumnus revealed.

Not until some 40 years later were thecontents of the material de-classified by the U.S.Department of Defense. Cole, who had earnedthe rank of captain by then, explained that theAir Force and other branches of the service hadsuch sophisticated spying techniques even back

He would eventually end up attendingschools in Campti, La., Rolling Fork, Tunica,Greenville, Jackson (Central High School),Picayune and Tunica (for the second time),where he graduated in 1947.

While playing basketball for the TunicaCardinals during his senior high school season,Cole recalled that Clarksdale came to play agame “on our home court. It was a rough andtumble, hard-fought contest. In fact, a fighterupted on the court and I got into it with afellow who would later become my best friend.”

Cole was a four-sport letterman at most ofthe high schools he attended. “I loved football,though, and I was set on going to Ole Misswhen I finished at Tunica. Coach (Johnny)Vaught sent me over to Northwest MississippiJunior College in Senatobia (often calledSenatobia Junior College in 1948.) It was hereduring fall practice that I met a guy who lookedvery familiar to me. I introduced myself to him,and then he told me he was from Clarksdale andthen both of us remembered the scrap with eachother on the basketball court in Tunica.”

That familiar person was Hugh Ellis Walkerand the two men have been close friends for 60years now. At Northwest, the two men playedtwo seasons together, and then both transferredto Delta State where they again spent two yearstogether on the Statesmen football team underthen head coach Eugene B. “Chad” Chadwick.

There he established fast friendships withBobby Barbour, Fred Foster, John Brewer,Edwin “Wimp” Reed, Bob “Ox” Terry, WigReily and many others. To this day, Cole andseveral others from the 1950 and 1951“Greenies” teams still get together at DeltaState’s last home football game.

Cole returns to the campus several times eachyear and joins Delta State University friends andalumni at the annual “Ole DSU” Grad ReunionWeekend each year at J.P. Coleman State Park inIuka.

Alumnus recalls top secret missions from his days in the Air Force

TOP SECRETthen, that “we immediately knew when theRussians were starting a jet or cranking one oftheir older prop-driven planes. I could tell you allsorts of information about what we were doing,but I don’t want to bore you with details. I willsay that our nation was much safer during theearly Cold War period than residents were led tobelieve.”

While stationed in Norway, Cole met hiswife Tove Henriksen, who was a dentaltechnician in an office near the base. Theymarried while he was deployed at Gardemoerand moved to Cleveland in June 1956. Whilethere, he and Tove reared four children – Bente,who lives in Cleveland; Marion Marshall ColeIII, a Delta State University telecommunicationssupervisor; Nina, who lives in Marion, Ark.; and

Hanne, who lives in Steiner.Because Cole’s father was

employed by the John DeerePlough company in the

1940s and 1950s, hemoved 11 times andattended ninedifferent schools.“I was six-years-old when Ienrolled in thefirst grade atPaceElementarySchool. I wentthere for two-and-one-half

years, thenRosedale for

about the sameamount of timebefore moving toCleveland for mysix and seventh

grade years.”

Members of the 1951 Delta State TeachersCollege Football Team: “the Greenies.” MarionCole (#30) is on the back row, second from right.

By Jody Correro

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:49 AM

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:50 AM


When John Crawford firststepped on to the Delta StateUniversity campus back in the

fall of 1974, little did he realize where hisdecision to matriculate would lead.

Since his graduation from Delta Statealmost 30 years ago, he has become a successfulbusinessman, husband and father. He has alsobecome recognized as one of the most faithful,ardent and loyal alumnus in school history.

He and his wife Beth, also a Delta Stategraduate, have raised three daughters in theirStarkville, Miss., home. Their youngestdaughter, Kendell has already signed a nationalletter of intent to play basketball with the LadyStatesmen next season.

Only a year ago, John a former statesman

baseball player, himself, and his family,including his mother Mabel, decided to dosomething very special to honor the memoryof John’s father, Robert L. Crawford. The

Crawford family made a substantial gift to theUniversity that resulted in the naming of itsnewest baseball facility—The Robert L.Crawford Center.

As the main entrance and exit point for allfuture Statesmen baseball games at Ferriss Field,the facility also calls for expanded restroom andconcession areas, an umpire’s locker room anda merchandising stand. Most significant,though, the Crawford Center will house TheDave “Boo” Ferriss Museum.

Set to open in late March, “Inning byInning: A Life in Baseball, The Dave “Boo”Ferriss Museum” will chronicle the formerlong-time Statesmen head coach’s illustriouscareer—including photos and personalmemorabilia from his early days at Shaw HighSchool, to a young man at Mississippi State, tothe height of his career with the Boston RedSox, to his days at the helm of his beloved DeltaState program.

The Crawford Center to house the new Dave “Boo” Ferriss Museum

A Life in BaseballFormer player makes lead gift for baseballfacility to honor father By Jody Correro

John Crawford, right,was an All-American

catcher for the Statesmen during his

collegiate playing days.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:52 AM


Visitors will know immediately they haveentered an environment that captures the auraand essence of the game that Ferriss, himself,and John Crawford played and continue to loveso much.

Inside, the floor is tiled to replicate a baseballdiamond, complete with green grass, a pitchingmound, home plate and first and third base foullines. On the west wall is an abbreviated versionof a “step up, step down” dugout, completewith a tin roof and “feel of baseball” displaywhere visitors can literally feel the game bytouching real wooden bats, baseballs, cleats,uniforms and artificial surface for a baseballdiamond.

Five large, glass-enclosed display cases willfeature much of Ferriss’ vast memorabiliacollection, including a wool uniform, glovesand an official Red Sox vs. St. Louis CardinalWorld Series pennant.

A three-tier, mock-up of baseball bleacherswill allow fans to climb up and settle down towatch a giant-screen display that features avariety of different video clips of Ferriss, both asa player and coach. Visitors can select from alibrary of clips by pressing any one of theilluminated buttons along the bottom of thescreen, including arguably one of the mosttouching memories of recent Statesmen lure.The clip captures an emotionally-charged headcoach Mike Kinnison leaping into the standsafter the Statesmen won their first national titlein 2004 and handing Ferriss the championshiptrophy.

University archivist, Emily Weaver hasdesigned the museum space, including caselayouts, floor plan and traffic flow. Shepartnered with University Relations’ graphicdesigner, Laura Fleeman to design the panelsthat will hangbehind each case.

“We wantedto be verymindful of flow inour designs,”Weaver explained.

“We knew this space would attract a lot ofattention from several different audiences, andwe worked very hard to be sure traffic will flowsmoothly without much congestion.

“The cases themselves, will run inchronological order – inning by inning, if youwill,” she continued. “We document Coach’scareer just as it happened in real time.”

The project initially began to take shape twoyears ago with talks between Weaver, Dr. BradTeague, then Delta State athletic director andKeith Fulcher, executive director of the DeltaState Foundation.

This past June, Ferriss and wife, Miriam,agreed to the project; and now, less than a yearlater, Delta State officials will dedicate theCrawford Center and the Dave “Boo” FerrissMuseum, Saturday, March 24.

“It’s going to be an exciting weekend on somany levels,” Teague predicted. “It will be theultimate culmination of a lot of hard work by alot of good people.”

The Dave “Boo” Ferriss Museum marketingteam and planning committee – Teague,Weaver, Fleeman, Rori Herbison, director of

UniversityRelations; and MattJones, director ofathletic mediarelations – allcontend this a“dream project to

work on.” “This is the type of project you only hope

will come across your desk when you wake upin the morning,” Herbison levied. “I think Ican speak for the group when I say it has beena tremendous honor and privilege to beassociated with the Dave “Boo” FerrissMuseum.”

Teague, an All-American pitcher for theStatesmen from 1988-1991, added, “There is

Former Statesmen head coach Dave “Boo”Ferriss has donated much of his storied memo-rabilia collection to the University for the Museum project; including the glove (picturedabove) he wore during his days as a profes-sional pitcher with the Red Sox.

Delta State officially dedicated the Robert L. Crawford Center with a ceremonial ribbon cut-ting Saturday, March 24. Pictured are: (from left) Dr. John Hilpert, president of Delta State;Mike Kinnison, DSU baseball head coach; Ronnie Mayers, Delta State athletic director;Emily Crawford Fowler, Kendell Crawford, Mabel Crawford, Beth Crawford, John Crawford,and Dana George, DSU assistant athletic director for development.

Ferriss and Crawford in the dugout.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:53 AM


no one like Coach Ferriss, no one. Other schoolofficials have told me before, ‘If we only had a“Boo” Ferriss, we would have a facility like this,too.’”

Not to be lost though, Teague cautions, thefacility, itself, would not be possible, if not forFerriss’ former player. “Withoutthe support of the Crawford family,The Dave “Boo” Ferriss Museumwould not be possible. Theirgenerosity will ensure thecontinuation of this baseballprogram’s legacy of success for yearsto come. It is a great facility thatwill surely enhance the wholebaseball operation. More than justbaseball fans will want to seeCoach’s memorabilia, and we want everyone toknow they’re invited to tour thefacility…especially on game days.”

Arguably as modest and humble as hisformer coach, Crawford stressed, “This gift toDelta State University is from the entireCrawford family. My father was an avidsupporter and fan of Delta State baseball, whilemy mother was a baseball fan of her son.”

And Mabel Crawford had much to cheer forduring John’s collegiate career. He was a two-time All-Gulf South Conference, All-NCAASouth Region and All-American catcher,lettering under Ferriss from 1975-78. Aversatile athlete, Crawford also punted for theStatesmen football during the 1974 and 1975seasons. He was honored with the Charles S.Kerg Senior Athlete Award in 1978.

For Crawford, though, beyond theaccolades, the most prized possession of hisplaying career was the relationship he gained

and still enjoys with his head coach. “There area lot of people who know what a good coachCoach Ferriss was, but those who have come toknow him as I have, know he is an even betterperson. I have very rarely met someone whokeeps up with us (some 500 former players) as

Coach Ferriss has. I talk to him every month orso,” he revealed.

Crawford has enjoyed other benefits fromhis relationship with Coach Ferriss,remembering a tale from his own minor leagueplaying days.Drafted by theDetroit Tigers,Crawford recalled anoccasion whentraveling with theteam during springtraining; he and histeammates weregetting ready to playthe Red Sox inWinter Haven, Fla.

“I saw TedWilliams. He wasthe Red Sox hittinginstructor at the

time. I approached him and told him aboutplaying for “Boo” Ferriss at Delta State. Westruck up a rather lengthy conversation, andwhen we finished, I walked back to myteammates – who were awe-struck andanxiously wanting to know how I knew theformer great hitter. ‘Oh, we go back a longways,’ I told them,” Crawford joked.

Of their relationship, Ferriss recalls hisformer player with the same level of respect andreverence. “I am so blessed and thankful to havecoached John,” the 85-year-old patriarch andRed Sox Hall of Fame member offered. “Johnwas one of the finest guys to ever wear a DeltaState baseball uniform, a top player and strongcompetitor. The Crawfords have beentremendous supporters of our program foryears. They have supported us like few othersand I am excited this facility bears their name.”

“I am honored and humbled by the decisionto have a special section in the CrawfordCenter, and you can bet that there will be a lotof DSU memorabilia in there,” Ferrisspromised. “I am glad I have some things ofinterest to our community, the Universityfamily and alumni and baseball fanseverywhere. I have been truly blessed with myassociation with Delta State and the Red Sox,and I am indeed grateful to the YawkeyFoundation/Boston Red Sox for its substantialgift in funding this facility.”

Several of Crawford’s former teammates hadonly words of praise for him and their formercoach after learning of the plans for the RobertL. Crawford Center and Ferriss Museum.

Judson Thipgen, current executive directorof the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber ofCommerce and former battery mate ofCrawford, commended, “It is awfully nice forJohn and his family to make the lead gift forthis facility. Anytime you can have a facility like

The patriarch of Delta State baseball, Dave “Boo” Ferriss addresses a small, intimate crowd offriends, family and former players the preview event for the museum bearing his name. “Inning byInning: A Life in the Baseball, The Dave “Boo” Ferriss Museum” is now open to the pubic or byappointment.

“I am so blessedand thankful

to have coached John.”[ ]

– Coach Dave “Boo” Ferriss

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:55 AM


Delta State University boasts over21,000 alumni, many of which are farfrom their beloved campus. Despite themiles, our alumni and friends keep theiralma mater close to their heart, proudlydisplaying their Statesmen pride wherevertheir adventurous travels may take them.

484 Miles Away: (L to R)Celian and Norma Lewis,

formerly of Indianola, Miss.,now residing in Destin,

Florida.

495 Miles Away: (L. to R.) NinaHorn (‘71), Carol Thigpen (’94)

and Carole Pleasants (‘65), nowresiding in the Sandestin,

Florida area.

Where has the roadtaken you?

Share your travels with us. Let us see where you’re reading

the Delta State alumni magazine.Email your photos to

[email protected].

MILES AWAY

1,209 Miles Away: (L. to R.) Meg Jones(’07) and Matt Jones, director of athletic

media relations at Delta State, visitingthe Statue of Liberty in New York City.

2,189 Miles Away:Robyn Marlow (’96)

at the 35th Annual SafariClub International

Convention held eachyear in Reno, Nevada.

MILES AWAYthe Crawford Center, it is a plus for thecommunity. When baseball fans come to thegames, they can visit a state-of-the-artfacility.”

Former Statesmen third baseman andCrawford teammate, Jimmy Newquist,lauded, “The whole facility is a fabulousenhancement to the already great baseballcomplex we have at Delta State. I am sureThe Ferriss Room will reach farther thanCleveland, Delta State and even Mississippi.The legacy of Coach Ferriss, already in place,will only be enhanced by this fitting tributeto him.”

Current Statesmen head coach MikeKinnison further contended, “Coach Ferrisshas been blessed with so many memoriesand so much baseball memorabilia. He iscompletely unselfish about sharing themwith us. The Ferriss Museum is unique,offering people who come to our games orjust to visit the campus, an enrichingexperience walking through that room.

“He and Mrs. Ferriss have been goingthrough 26 seasons of photos, clippings andother memorabilia of his years at Delta StateUniversity. Having all of his personal itemsin the Ferriss Museum will be comforting tohim, knowing that they will always be thereon permanent display so visitors and fanscan go back and revisit them.”

Clarion-Ledger columnist RickCleveland mused, “I consider myselffortunate that I have visited the Ferriss’lovely home several times, and sometimesfeel like I am stepping into a wing of theBaseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

“Coach—I have always called himCoach—has an incredible collection ofmemorabilia worth, I’m sure, hundreds ofthousands of dollars. I asked him years agowhat he was going to do with it all, and hesaid he had something in mind. Now Iknow what – and it’s perfect,” Clevelandcontinued. “Outside of his family and hisfaith, “Boo” Ferriss loves Delta State baseballmore than anything. A museum – next toFerriss Field – that will contain all thatmemorabilia is exactly where it should be.As I see it, it is perfect.”

For more information, please contact theDelta State athletic department at (662) 846-4300.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:56 AM


All the Belles and WhistlesThe Delta Belles in ReviewFifty years ago, in the fall of 1957, Dot and

Ralph Franklin came to Delta StateUniversity, then Delta State College, to takecommand of the marching band. Dot used theopportunity to create a precision dance team—the Delta Belles—who would perform with theband.

The Franklins came to the college fromCopiah-Lincoln Junior College at the request ofDr. James Ewing, President of Delta State Collegeat the time. Ralph had been the band director atCopiah-Lincoln, and Dot had worked alongsideher husband as the director of the Colettes, adance group similar to the Delta Belles.

“I did it because my husband did it,” Dotsaid, describing how she first became involvedwith precision dance teams. “It was nice becauseit was something we did together.”

Although Dot Franklin choreographed all ofthe routines performed by her dance troupes, she,herself, had never had formal dance training. Itwas not until after she married Ralph that shelearned to dance at all.

Ralph was in the service, and the youngcouple would often socialize with other militarycouples. Eventually, music would be played andpeople would begin dancing.

“When someone would come ask me todance, I would tell them I’d never learned how—and then they taught me,” Dot smiled.

When the Franklins came to Delta StateCollege, the entire marching band consisted ofsix majorettes and 19 instrumental members.

“[The Belles] were something new, and I wasnew to the campus,” said Maggie Garrett, one ofthe original Delta Belles of 1957, as she describedhow she decided to get involved with a precisiondance line. “I had transferred from HolmesCommunity College, where I was a majorette.”

Under the leadership of the Franklins, theBelles established a name for themselves, both atDelta State and throughout the South.

Half-time shows at the football games becameshows of pageantry and excitement with thecombined efforts of Dot and Ralph Franklin. Theshows would consist of 15 numbers—filled withlights, fireworks, props and flashy shows.

“Ralph was very good at putting on shows,”Dot recalled. “We had fireworks, spotlights and agirl who would dance as a silhouette in the moon.People would come to see that as much as towatch football.”

Props were staples for the Belles, who used

beach balls, giant dice, ladders and a variety ofother things in their routines.

“We had so many props,” Linda HollandRoss, a Delta Belle from 1965-69, reminisced.“There were ladders that we would climb up anddance on.”

Dot recalled keeping one of the ladders at thefamily’s home, in the kitchen, so that she couldwork out choreography in the evenings afterpractice.

“I would get up on the ladder to figure outroutines,” Dot confirmed. “I would have tohunch over a little bit so I wouldn’t hit theceiling.”

One prop was a metal hoop with a three-by-five base on the top and bottom. The Belleswould place the beach balls they were dancingwith inside the hoops and dance on the topplatform.

“It looked like we were just dancing on beachballs,” Ross explained. “We all had to have greatbalance to stay on those platforms and do ourkicks.”

In founding the Delta Belles, Dot Franklinestablished a legacy that inspired girls to join theirranks. Many young ladies would audition everysummer, though the group’s numbers stayedbetween 30 and 36.

“In the days before the sororities came, this iswhat most of the girls wanted to do, if theyweren’t cheerleaders,” Dot reminisced.

“I remember seeing the Delta Bellesin parades, and I always wanted to beone, too,” Ross admired. “The firstyear I auditioned about 50 girls triedout, and only 32 made it.”

In the 20 years that theFranklinsdirected themarching bandand the DeltaBelles, theBelles becamethe University’s“claim to fame.” Thegirls performed at conventions, inlobby shows and marched inparades.

“The first time we were askedto perform [outside of a footballgame], Mr. Ed Kossman [a localcar dealership] asked us to danceat an auto convention on the

Coast,” Dot remembered.After that, the Belles were asked to perform

in conventions and parades in many differentplaces. For years, the Delta Belles were asked toperform in the Rex Mardi Gras Parade in NewOrleans. They performed at the Gator Bowl, inWashington, D.C., Detroit and Cleveland, Ohio.

“We performed in every game,” Ross proudlyboasted. “We traveled all the time. The Franklinswere good about making us see everything. Onetime, we were on our way back [to Cleveland],and we were all asleep on the bus. Mr. Franklinwoke us up and made all of us get off the bus justto see the Shenandoah Valley.”

Although the original Delta Belles were aprecision marching and dance group in

a similar vein to the Rockettes, afterthe Franklins retired in the late1970’s, the Belles went through atransformation. Under new banddirector Bill Clark, the Delta Belles

turned into a majorette line.Eventually, the Delta Belles

returned to their dance roots,although in a different fashion fromthe precision work they wereoriginally known for. In the yearssince, the Delta Belles havefollowed dance team trends, usingmore jazz and hip hop moves. Thegroup still performs with the bandin the half-time shows at footballgames, and even dances in somepep rallies.

By Kaitlyn Tucker

Linda Holland Ross, a Delta Belle from 1965-1969 who served as the Head Delta Belle in the1968-1969 school year, poses on top of a beachball prop outside Walter Sillers Coliseum.

Founder and director of the DeltaBelles, Dot Franklin calls out instruc-tions to the dance line.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 10:58 AM

Dr. Billy Moore (left), dean of the College of Business, and Dr. Cooper Johnson(second from right), chair of the Division of Management and Marketing, and KeithFulcher (right), Executive Director of the Delta State University Alumni-Foundationpresent Ambassador Mike Retzer a Delta State logo cap in appreciation for his manyyears of supporting the Retzer Resources Scholarship for a Management and Market-ing major. In 1986, Retzer established the scholarship in memory of Dr. Lawton K.Owens, former chair of the Division of Management and Marketing. Ambassador Ret-zer, of Greenville, is serving as ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania.

Retzer Scholarship celebrates 20th year

IRA Rollover Act passed, offers new tax-free giving opportunityWilmer Nichols, Ph.D., a 1960 graduate of

Delta State University, is professor in the Divisionof Cardiovascular Medicine at the University ofFlorida’s College of Medicine. He is regarded asone of the nation’s leading researchers in theapplication of mathematical principals tounderstanding the dynamics of blood flow incardiovascular disease and aging.

It is not what those who knew Dr. Nichols as ateen might have envisioned for his future career.He grew up very poor, left high school after the10th grade and spent four years in the Navy,earning his GED along the way. He then attendedNortheast Mississippi Junior College for a yearuntil a friend convinced Nichols to join him atDelta State University. There, his life began totransform.

“It was challenging to compete with studentswho had the academic skills I lacked from highschool,” he admitted. “Delta State’s smaller classsizes and the guidance of dedicated professorsmade all the difference for me. Delta State, and myfriend Dr. Henry Outlaw, motivated me to pursuea higher degree so I could pursue a career intoacademics and research. My three years at DeltaState were some of the best times of my life.”

Nichols majored in Mathematics and minoredin Physics at Delta State, and then received hisMaster’s degree in Mathematics and Physics from

the University of Southern Mississippi and hisPhD in Physiology and Biophysics from theUniversity of Alabama Medical Center inBirmingham. Also, he completed specializedcourses at UCLA and Baylor Medical Center inthe area of Math and Physics applied to humanblood circulation (hemodynamics).

Years ago, Nichols told Keith Fulcher,Executive Director of the Delta State UniversityAlumni-Foundation, that he would make a giftfrom his IRA directly to Delta State if he didn’thave to pay income tax on the IRA funds. ThePension Protection Act of 2006 made thatpossible, and Nichols quickly arranged his gift.“Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006,recently signed by President (George W.) Bush,owners of individual retirement accounts (IRA)who have attained age 70 1/2 can make charitablegifts (up to $100,000) directly from their IRAcompletely tax-free,” Fulcher explained. “Weinvite anyone who is interested in learning moreabout this new giving option to contact my office.

“The University is very thankful to Dr. Nicholsfor his generous donation, and we hope his giftinspires others to consider supporting Delta Statethrough their IRA,” Fulcher continued.

To date, the Foundation has received four IRAgifts totaling $75,000.

To learn more about how to make a gift from

development


Former Tuskegee Airman visits campus in Foundation-sponsored event

The Delta State Foundation, in cooperationwith the Mississippi Delta Council for FarmWorkers, Inc. and alumnus Donald Green (’80),co-sponsored a visit by Lt. Col Washington DuboisRoss, a former Tuskegee Airman, to Cleveland,Mound Bayou and Clarksdale.

A native of Mound Bayou, Ross graduated in1943 from the Tuskegee Army Air Base in Alabamaas a fighter pilot with the rank of second lieutenant."Ten of us went overseas as replacements for the332d Fighter Group," Ross later explained.

His unit was transferred to the 15th Air Forcewhere they flew P-47s and P-51s on long escortmissions protecting bombers. "My unit had thedistinction of not losing a single bomber to enemyfighters," he continued.

Pictured Chip Cooper (right), Director of FlightOperations at Delta State, presented Lt. Col. Rosswith a commemorative DSU Aviation t-shirt andprovided Ross an opportunity to use the flightsimulator – the first time Ross had sat in a cockpit inover 60 years.

your IRA, contact the Delta State UniversityDevelopment Office at (662) 846-4708 [email protected].

Dr. Nichols (left), the first donor to make a giftunder the new IRA Rollover Act, recently pre-sented the University with the fifth edition of“McDonald’s Blood Flow in Arteries,” which heco-edited. Dr. Henry Outlaw accepted the bookon behalf of the University.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:00 AM


development

Graeber Foundation makes second $50,000 giftIn December 2006, Lewis A. Graeber, Jr.,

on behalf of the Graeber Foundation,presented a check for $50,000 to KeithFulcher, Executive Director of the Delta StateUniversity Foundation, Inc. The sameamount was given in December of 2005 fora total of $100,000 to support scholarshipsat the University.

Lewis Graeber and his brother, James P.Graeber, formed the Graeber Foundation inthe mid-1950s as an instrument to financiallyhelp schools, colleges, charities and otherinstitutions provide their much neededservices. Today, the Graeber Foundation ismanaged by Lewis Graeber, two of his sons,Clark and Bill, of Marks, and Jim’s son, Skip,of Clarksdale.

“Delta State University is one of the bestschools in Mississippi,” stated Lewis Graeber.“Delta State provides the opportunity for aquality education to our children, and it isright here at home.”

The donation was given in honor of Jeffand Donna Tarver from the firm Tarver,Tarver, Kirby and Jackson, CPA’s ofGreenville. Jeff is a 1976 graduate andDonna is a 1973 graduate of Delta StateUniversity and life long friends of the Graeberfamily. Jeff commented, “I am grateful to theGraeber Foundation’s very generous gift toour alma mater and deeply touched that it is

made in honor of my family’s long-timebusiness association and friendship witha family that I admire tremendously.The Graeber and the Tarver families haveknown each other since the late 1940swhen my father became the accountantfor Graeber Brothers. I am veryfortunate to be carrying on therelationship, which is both personal andprofessional.”

“The Tarver family has a long legacyof attending Delta State,” said Fulcher.“Jeff ’s father, Bill, was a 1938 graduateand his mother, Annie Louise Stovall, a1937 graduate of then Delta StateTeachers College (DSTC) and two oftheir children are graduates of theUniversity. We are pleased that theGraebers’ generous gift was made inhonor of Jeff and Donna, and I expressthanks on behalf of our 21,000 alumni,”stated Fulcher.

“I applaud the Graebers for theirdecision to provide scholarships to theUniversity that will allow us to recruitdeserving students. It is especially fittingthat the gift be used to help us recruitfuture alumni of the same quality as Jeffand Donna Tarver,” said President Dr.John Hilpert.

Brett Walker (l-r), Student Recruiter, and Lindsey Hudson, the firstrecipient of the Graeber Family Foundation Scholarship present Jeff andDonna Tarver with a DSU logo blanket and shirt in appreciation for theGraeber Foundation’s $50,000 contribution that will fund scholarshipsfor deserving students. Keith Fulcher (right) Executive Director of the DSUFoundation, Inc. stated, “We appreciate the Graebers assisting suchquality students as Lindsey to earn her degree in nursing and we lookforward to awarding additional scholarships to deserving students.”

Ferretti-Karnstedt endowed Art Scholarship FundThe Ferretti-Karnstedt Endowed Art Scholarship Fund was established in memory

of Jutta Ferretti’s late husband, John S. Ferretti. "The Ferretti-Karnstedt Art Scholarship is established in the Art Department in

recognition of my husband’s long-standing support of the arts and in his interest inassisting students in earning a college degree. It is my hope that the scholarship willprovide the means for a young person to complete their degree," Jutta offered.

John Ferretti was born in 1918 and passed away in May 2005. He attended what wasthen Mississippi State College, now Mississippi State University, on a baseball andfootball scholarship and earned his degree in 1940 in agronomy and engineering.

His minor league baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals was interrupted byWorld War II. He served in the South Pacific as a member of the U. S. Air Force. Heopened Ferretti Building Materials in 1959 in his hometown of Shelby and workedthere until retirement.

During retirement he was an avid golfer and attended cultural and art events at DeltaState University. He also volunteered as superintendent of the Shelby Country Clubfrom l986 until 200l.

“We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Ferretti for her generous gift and we invite othersto consider how they can best support the Art Department,” said Bill Lester, chair of thedepartment.

To make a gift to the Ferretti-Karnstedt Art Scholarship or to discuss establishing ascholarship, please contact the Delta State University Development Office at (662) 846-4708 or e-mail [email protected].

Jutta Ferretti (center), of Shelby, was joined by Keith Fulcher (l),Executive Director of the Alumni-Foundation and Bill Lester (r),chair of the Art Department in announcing establishment of theFerretti-Karnstedt Endowed Art Scholarship Fund.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:01 AM

Success is defined as the positive termination ofattempts or endeavors. Over the past year, theStatesmen and Lady Statesmen of Delta StateUniversity have enjoyed a wealth of successes onand off the field. In its last edition of 2006, TheClarion Ledger sports department named DeltaState’s athletic successes as one of its “Top 10 SportsStories of the Year.”

“Last year was a special one here at Delta State,”said Ronnie Mayers, Interim Director of Athletics.“The program claimed two GSC championships,four GSC West Division titles and eight teamscompeted in NCAA postseason play. It wascertainly a banner year for Statesmen and LadyStatesmen athletics.”

Delta State basketball ushered in 2006 with abang, as Delta State amassed a combined 60-5record during the year before making a run at theGulf South Conference championship. On March5, the top-ranked Statesmen defeated Montevalloand the 13th-ranked Lady Statesmen downedHenderson State to claim the men’s and women’schampionships at the BancorpSouth Center inTupelo. The Lady Statesmen would march to theNCAA Sweet 16, while the Statesmen wouldadvance to the second round of the NCAATournament before ending the year.

Success on the court parlayed to numerouspostseason accolades for the Statesmen and LadyStatesmen. Jasper Johnson, a 6-foot-8 seniorforward from Hollandale, was named the NCAADivision II National Player of the Year, while SteveRives was named the National Coach of the Year.Johnson also became the first Statesmen to benamed Mississippi’s top collegiate basketball playerwhen he was presented with the CellularSouthBailey Howell Trophy.

Legendary coach Steve Rives announced hisretirement after 400 career wins and a handful ofGSC championships. Rives guided the Statesmenfor 20 years and retired as one of the mostsuccessful coaches in the history of the Gulf SouthConference.

Lady Statesmen head coach Sandra Rushingclaimed her first GSC Coach of the Year Awardafter leading DSU to the conference crown. Seniorcenter Lawanda Stewart was named to the All-GSC First Team, while sophomore guard JenniferRushing was named to the Second Team. Stewartwas also named to the Daktronics All-SouthRegion Team.

Statesmen baseball and Lady Statesmen softballcontinued to make it an outstanding year in 2006.Delta State’s unrelenting dominance of the GSCWest in baseball continued for an unprecedented13th-consecutive year. The Statesmen finished theseason 37-17 overall and 20-4 in the GSC West.The Statesmen earned their 13th straight divisiontitle by three games over Southern Arkansas. SeniorBryan Williamson and junior Rusty Rayborn werenamed American Baseball Coaches Association All-Americans after guiding the Statesmen to the WestDivision crown.

The Lady Statesmen softball team also reachednew heights last year. David Kuhn’s squad rackedup a 49-26 mark and repeated as GSC WestDivision champs. Kuhn’s squad set a new schoolrecord for victories along the way. DSU’s AlyseHasty became the program’s first-ever NationalFastpitch Coaches Association First-Team All-American after being named the GSC West Playerof the Year for a second straight season. Hasty alsoreceived the prestigious Gulf South ConferenceCommissioner’s Trophy, awarded to the top femalestudent-athlete in the GSC. Her trophy case greweven further as she was named a finalist for theNCAA’s ultimate prize, Woman of the Year.

Statesmen football put an exclamation mark on2006. Coach Rick Rhoades’ squad delivered oneof the greatest finishes in school history afterposting a 12-3 record. Led by All-Americans ScottEyster and Michael Eubanks, the Statesmenfinished No.3 in the nation after marching to theNCAA semifinals. DSU reeled off three straight

road victories en route to the 12-3 finish. Along the way, Scott Eyster, a 6-foot-3 senior

from Hammond, La., became the all-time leadingpasser in the GSC and the second all-time inNCAA Division II history. Eyster garnered GSCOffensive Player of the Year honors, whileEubanks, who led the conference in sacks andtackles-for-loss, was tabbed the GSC DefensivePlayer of the Year. Eyster was also honored as afinalist for the CellularSouth Charles ConerlyTrophy. It was Eyster’s fourth-straight year to benamed a finalist for Mississippi’s top collegiatehonor.

Not to be outdone, Delta State’s swimmingand diving teams torched the pool for top 20finishes in the men’s and women’s NCAA NationalChampionships. The Statesmen and LadyStatesmen tennis teams competed in NCAARegionals, and DSU sophomore Kristin Williamshelped pace the Lady Statesmen cross countryteam to a solid season finish. Williams’ effortallowed the speedster to compete in the NCAARegional in Memphis for a second straight year.

Delta State also saw a record year for academicachievement, as over 90 student-athletes garneredacademic honors in 2006. Senior swimmers TrippDavis, III and Kristin Balius were awardedprestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships,and the DSU swim team was named an All-Academic Team by the College SwimmingCoaches Association.

“The dedication by our student-athletes in theclassroom is second to none,” Mayers attested.“Academic success is very important to ourstudent-athletes, coaching staff and administration;and I think that commitment shows.”

Sweet Success:Clarion-Ledger tabs Delta State top story of 2006

Sports News


athletics

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:03 AM

Roberts to lead Statesmen football program

NATIONAL POLL06-07

Delta State University recently announced RonRoberts as its 17th head football coach. Thedefensive coordinator for the Statesmen since 2005and the architect of the one of the top defenses inthe Gulf South Conference, Roberts assumed thereigns immediately from outgoing head coach RickRhoades, who stepped down after five seasons thispast January.

Of the University’s new hire, President Dr. JohnHilpert offered, “Ron Roberts has demonstrated toeveryone that he has what it takes to become head

coach of one of the most competitive NCAADivision II football programs in the country.

Delta State is fortunate to have a coach on staffwith the character and football savvy to take on thejob as head coach of the Statesmen. I’m excited towelcome him to the position,” Hilpert added.

In the last two seasons, Roberts has overseen therevitalization of the Statesman defense. Last season’smarch to the NCAA national semifinals saw theStatesmen leadd the Gulf South Conference inscoring defense (13.4 ppg), rush defense (83.7 ypg),and total defense (243.9 ypg). Delta State allowedjust 26 touchdowns in 15 games and onlysurrendered more than 17 points twice.

The Statesmen concluded 2006 ranked ninthin the NCAA in total defense, 14th in rush defense,seventh in scoring defense, and 25th in passefficiency defense. Michael Eubanks, an outsidelinebacker from Cleveland, was a unanimous All-American selection, and five Statesmen defenderswere named to various All-South Region teams.

During his own playing days, Roberts was atwo-time All-Conference selection at linebacker atthe College of Sequoias in his native Visalia, Calif.He transferred to the University of Tennessee atMartin, where he helped guide them to the 1988Gulf South Conference Championship. Hegraduated from UT-Martin with a degree inSociology and later earned his master’s degree inEducation from the University of Memphis in1992.

He is married to the former Didi Walker ofGermantown, Tenn. The couple are the parents ofthree children; Reed (8), Reilly (6), and Ryan (4).

athletics

Ron Roberts was introduced at a mid-Januarypress conference as the new head footballcoach. He previously worked two seasons asthe Statesmen’s defensive coordinator.


Statesmen football rank #3 in the nation

After capping one of the most successfulseasons in Delta State University footballhistory, the Statesmen (12-3) finished their2006 season ranked No.3 in the final AmericanFootball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. TheNo. 3 ranking is the second highest in theprogram’s history. DSU finished the 2000season No.1 after claiming the NCAAChampionship.

The Statesmen’s magical run through theplayoffs came to a close with a 49-30 loss toeventual-national champion Grand Valley StateUniversity in the semifinals of the playoffs.DSU had claimed three-straight road winsbefore the setback, including victories overpreviously-unbeaten North Carolina Centraland North Alabama. The 12 victories are thesecond most in school history.

1. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (28) 15-0

2. Northwest Missouri St. 14-1

3. Delta State University 12-3

4. Bloomsburg (Pa.) 12-2

5. Chadron St. (Neb.) 12-1

The Ron Roberts File:

Years School Position

2007- Delta State University Head Coach

2005-06 Delta State University Defensive Coordinator

2004 Mt. Whitney (Calif.) HS Head Coach

2003 Texas State University Defensive Coordinator

1998-2002 Tusculum CollegeAsst. Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator

1997 Greensboro College Defensive Coordinator

1994-96 Burroughs (Calif.) HS Head Coach

1992-93 Houston (Tenn.) HS Defensive Coordinator

09/01 Jackson State Jackson MS

09/08 Open TBA

09/15 Henderson State* Cleveland PIG PICKIN’

09/22 Ouachita Baptist Arkadelphia, AR

09/27 Southern Arkansas Cleveland

10/06 Arkansas Tech Cleveland

10/11 Valdosta State*-TV Valdosta, GA

10/18 North Alabama-TV Florence, AL

10/27 West Georgia* Cleveland HOMECOMING

11/03 West Alabama* Livingston, AL

11/10 Ark-Monticello* Monticello, AR

11/17 NCAA Regionals TBA

Mark your calendars today! * Gulf South Conference Game

2007 Football Schedule6:00p

TBA

6:00p

TBA

7:00p

6:00p

7:30p

7:30p

6:00p

TBA

TBA

TBA

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:05 AM

Head women’s basketball coachSandra Rushing has already topped twocareer milestones this season. OnJanuary 20, with a 55-44 victory overChristian Brothers University, Rushingearned her 100th victory as head coachof the Lady Statesmen. Five days lateron January 25, at Arkansas TechUniversity, Rushing topped 250 careerwins with a 60-55 victory over theGolden Suns.

In five seasons at Delta StateUniversity, the Biloxi native hasamassed a 102-34 record with one GulfSouth Conference title. In her 17seasons as a collegiate head coach,Rushing is 252-231.

Rushing earns100th victory

athletics


McClain to lead DSU athletic department

Jeremy McClain knows Delta State University,and moreover, knows what it takes to succeed atDelta State University. In the end, that knowledgeearned McClain the keys to the athletic department,as Delta State officially named him its next directorof athletic at a press conference held recently insidethe Chadwick-Dickson Field House.

Following a national search process, McClainwas selected as the “recommended finalist” by theDelta State athletic director search committee,chaired by Dr. Rose Strahan. McClain thenparticipated in two open meetings – one on campuswith faculty, staff and students; and one at theCleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commercewith interested community members – in which,he introduced himself, presenting his resume andvision for the Delta State athletic department, beforeanswering questions from those in attendance.

“Jeremy has shined consistently throughout thisprocess. He has shown tremendous character,readiness and capability; and ultimately, he provedhe was the right person for the job,” Delta StateUniversity President, Dr. John M. Hilpert offered. “Iam confident he will lead the Delta State athleticdepartment with diligence and drive. We lookforward to enjoying continued successes underJeremy’s leadership.”

Currently the director of development with theDelta State Foundation, McClain has beenassociated with athletics nearly his entire life. Astandout two-sport athlete at Houlka High School,McClain turned heads with his prowess on thebaseball diamond and earned a full scholarship toattend Delta State University.

An ace for the Statesmen pitching staff from1996-1999, McClain still holds many of DeltaState’s career pitching marks, including mostappearances (69), most victories (45), moststrikeouts (324) and most innings pitched (363.1).His perfect 15-0 season in 1999 earned the prolifichurler All-American, All-Region and All-Conference accolades, as well as team MVP honors.

The hard-throwing right-hander was drafted bythe Boston Red Sox organization in May 1999 afterhe earned his bachelor’s of business administration.McClain pursued his dreams of playing professionalbaseball for the next five years, completing stintswith the Red Sox (1999 – 2000), JacksonDiamondkats (2000 – 2001), Nashua Pride (2001),San Angelo Colts (2001) and Jackson Senators(2002 – 2003).

Although focused on making it to the next level,McClain remained realistic of his chances andcompleted work on his master’s degree in businessadministration at Delta State in 2002. Also duringthat time, he worked as an account executive with

the Jackson Senators. He contends, “If you can sell minor league

baseball, you can sell anything. That experience wasinvaluable in so many ways, and I’m thankful forthe opportunity.”

From there, McClain hung up the spikes andbecame a marketing representative for FederatedInsurance Company in Calhoun City, a firm hewould stay with from Nov. 2003 – Nov. 2006.During his tenure, he operated the most profitableterritory in a six-state region for two consecutiveyears, while also improving a two-year loss ratiofrom 20.4 percent to 3.3 percent.

This past fall, the opportunity to return to DeltaState presented itself and McClain did not hesitate,accepting the offer to become the director ofdevelopment for Delta State’s Foundation. Duringhis tenure, the Foundation has raised $1.4 million.

Of his newest position as director of athletics,McClain said, “I would like to thank Dr. Hilpert,Dr. Strahan and the search committee for their timeand efforts during this process. Giving of their timeto serve on this committee is a prime example of theimportant role athletics plays on the Delta Statecampus.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me andmy family,” he continued. “A great foundation hasbeen laid here at Delta State University, and it is mydesire to continue to build upon that foundation.We will graduate student-athletes and prepare themfor their futures. We will continue to be one of themost successful athletic programs in the nation, andwe will continue to strive for growth. We will notslow down.”

McClain is married to the former ChristieCannon of Calhoun City. The couple has one son,Cannon (2) and are expecting a baby girl thissummer.

Delta State University President Dr. John M.Hilpert presents Jeremy McClain with “a key tothe building,” after McClain was named directorof athletics recently at a press conference heldon campus.

Dr. Brad Teague resigned from his postas director of athletics at Delta State inlate January to accept Division IUniversity of Central Arkansas’ offer tolead its athletic department. A graduateof Delta State, Teague headed theathletic department for four years.

Teague resigns

To contact Jeremy, please call 662-846-4300 or e-mail [email protected] gostatesmen.com for the latest DSU Athletics news.

Rushing with her team.

Dr. Brad Teague

DSU SP07 mag 6/4/07 4:04 PM


with the classes

WITH THE CLASSES43Dr. Arthur Richter, of

Greenwood, was the founderof the Dental Hygiene School atMississippi Delta CommunityCollege in Moorhead in 2002. Hewas recently honored by having thelab named for him.

49 Jane Dunlap, of Cleveland,received the S.E. Kossman Award. It is the

Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber ofCommerce's highest award.

52Dean Spradling, ofClarksdale, received Delta

State University's Delta RegionChampions award at the ThirdAnnual Community RecognitionLuncheon.

53William "W.S." Donald, ofSouthaven, was honored by

having the Horn Lake High Schooltrack and field complex named forhim. He coached there from 1954-64. In 1984, Donald was namedNational Coach of the Year for boystrack. In 1990 he was namedMemphis City Coach of the Year.In 1999 he was inducted into theDelta State Coaches Hall of Fame.

54S. Bryce Griffis, of Starkville,was honored with the

opening of a new residence hallbearing his name at MississippiState University.

Jack Holmes, of Kosciusko, a 35year veteran of Holmes

Community College and vice president of theGrenada Center was named HCC's OutstandingAlumnus of the Year during homecomingactivities.

55William "Bill" Ray, ofHattiesburg, received Delta

State University's School of NursingVisionary Award at the ThirdAnnual Community RecognitionLuncheon.

61John McElroy ('73), of Columbia, wasinducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at

Pearl River Community College. He playedfootball at Delta State University from 1959-1961.

Walter Herbison, of Ridgeland, published a book"Head Games" about improving sportsperformance.

62Ned Mitchell, of Cleveland,received Delta State

University's College of BusinessOutstanding Business Person of theYear Award at the Third AnnualCommunity RecognitionLuncheon.

64Dr. James Pate, of Tupelo,published his latest book

When This Evil War is Over: TheCorrespondence of the Francis Family,1860-1865.

66David Rousaville retiredfrom the Department of

Human Services as supervisor of child supportservices after four decades of services.

68Larry Therrell, of Brandon, was inductedinto the inaugural class of Leake Academy's

Athletic Hall of Fame.

69Norris Ashley, of Ingomar, becameMississippi's winningest boy's basketball

coach with his 905th career win.

William Willard, of Clarksdale, waselected Chancery Court Judge forCoahoma and Bolivar counties inthe November election.

70Frank Beckman, of N.Richland Hills, TX, is

celebrating 20 years with Bell Helicopter.

Jeff Bogue III, of Germantown TN, is director ofstudent and alumni affairs at the University ofTennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis.

Kathy Hardy Rhodes, of FranklinTN, released her new bookMuscadine Lines: A SouthernAnthology, a gathering of shortfiction, essays, and poems.

71John H. Walker, ofBogalusa, LA, is the General

Manager and Managing Editor of The Daily News.

Charles "Chuck" Lauderdale, ofPelham, GA, is the utilities directorfor the city of Pelham.

72Clyde Lindley is thedirector of academic affairs

at the Mississippi School forMathematics and Science inColumbus.

Richter

Charles Jennings, is an artist residingin Hazelhurst. He was commissionedto draw a picture for former FirstLady Barbara Bush. He recentlydonated one of his drawings to theDSU South Central AlumniChapter.

William N. "Bill" LaForge, of OakHill, VA, was installed as presidentof the Federal Bar Association at theorganization's annual conference.An endowed scholarship has beenestablished at Delta State inLaForge's name in honor of his yearas president of the Federal Bar.

73Elizabeth Malatesta Scarbrough is the newprincipal at St. Elizabeth Elementary in

Clarksdale.

Ronnie Tubertini, is president and CEO ofSouthGroup Insurance and Financial Services inJackson. He was recently featured in the MississippiBusiness Journal.

74Phelix Raymond "Butch"Stevens, Jr. of Water Valley,

is President - elect of the MississippiCouncil of Administrators ofSpecial Education.

Paul Artman, Jr. of Greenville, isprincipal of St. Joseph Catholic School.

75George "Bubba" Bolm, of Vicksburg, wasnamed director of the Old Court House

Museum.

Fred E. Carl, Jr., of Greenwood, wasnamed Outstanding Alumnus of theYear at Delta State University's 2006Homecoming.

Carlton D. Campbell, of Gillette,WY, was selected as WyomingAssociation for Career andTechnical Education's Educator of the year.

76Larry Dean Meade, of Conyers, GA, retiredfrom General Motors after 30 years. He is

now a Business Education Instructor at Forest ParkHigh School in GA.

Sonny Clay, of Tuttle, OK, is employed with GreatDivide Consulting Firm (associated with the oilindustry) in Rock Springs, WY.

77Ralph Moore, of Jackson, was inducted intothe McComb School District Alumni Hall

of Fame. Moore was the first DSU freshman to benamed most valuable basketball player.

Rhodes

Lauderdale

Stevens

Spradling

Donald

Griffis

Ray

Mitchell

Pate

Williard

Jennings

LaForge

Carl

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:07 AM


Tracy Shute Vogel was promoted to MortgageAccounting Officer at Trustmark Bank in Jackson.

John A. Hatcher, of Booneville, won the positionof Chancery Court Judge, Place One, for the FirstJudicial District.

Charles "Tripp" Francis, III, of Madison, has beenelected president of the Board of Directors for theMississippi Health Care Association.

93Dr. Julie Massie Clark is chair of theAviation Management and Business

Department at Middle GeorgiaCollege in Cochran, GA.

94Anthony Todd Hubbard, ofWashington, D.C., is

Regional Radio Executive for theAssociated Press.

Kraig A. Smith is a Chaplain forthe USAF and is currently stationed at F.E. WarrenAFB in Cheyenne, WY.

Susan Gilbert, of Indianola, was named marketingand sales representative of Mid-Delta HomeHealth & Hospice.

95William "Bill" Ashley, of Pontotoc, is theChairman of the Business Administration

Department at Hinds Community College inRaymond.

96Marti Shannon Green, of Olive Branch,was promoted to manager of the Lease and

Portfolio Services with Trammell Crow Companyof Memphis.

Kathryn Bertin, of Atlanta, GA, isMarketing Manager for StraffordPublications.

97Jessie Lenard Whitley, ofGreenville, was promoted to

Assistant Vice President ofTrustmark Bank's Mortgage LoanDepartment.

Wendy T. Travis was named Office and BranchManager of Mid-Delta Home Health & Hospicein Indianola.

Linda Nicole Stringfellow, of Greenwood, isdirector of the Mississippi Delta ServiceCorps/Americorps VISTA Program at Delta StateUniversity's Center for Community andEconomic Development.

Ryan Travis, of Cordova TN, is a pilot and firstofficer for Federal Express.

Teresa E. Scruggs, of Sumrall, was named STARTeacher by the Mississippi Economic Council'sSwayze Educational Foundation.

Stacey Flores, of Phoenix, AZ, is the Manager for

86Katrina Myricks, of Madison, was namedthe Community College Business Educator

of the Year. She is a professor of business at HolmesCommunity College in Ridgeland.

Terri Ferguson is the business/education editor ofthe Delta Democrat Times newspaper in Greenville.

Rebecca Flowers Wilkinson, of Jackson, wasnamed Secondary Art Educator of the Year.

88Britt Stender, of Westerville, OH, is theState Sales Director for American Family

Insurance with 200 agents and district managersreporting to him.

Burns Strider, a native of Grenada, is the policydirector in the House of RepresentativesDemocratic Caucus in Washington D.C.Previously Strider was the spokesperson for former4th District U.S. Rep. Ronnie Shows. Striderrecently joined Senator Hillary Clinton'spresidential campaign team.

Trudy Fountain, of Lantana,TX, was promoted toSenior Vice President and Deputy Group Counselat Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., in Atlanta,GA.

Kalen Graves, of Batesville, was selected to serve asguidance counselor and junior high principal atMagnolia Heights School.

89Dr. David McDaniel, ofIndianola, was named to the

Indianola advisory board at PlantersBank & Trust.

Kathleen McClain Jenkins, ofNatchez, is the Superintendent ofNatchez National Historical Park.

90Reggie Harris, is DistrictRecruiting Coordinator for

Hinds Community College andsponsors "Hinds Connection." He isa former member of the DSUfootball team and a native ofVicksburg.

91Billy Ray Burt, of Southaven, opened PalaCasino Resort & Spa, the first Vegas style

casino in southern CA. He is now Director ofMarketing at the Great Kiowa Indian Nationcasino in southern OK.

Rhett Nelson, of Cleveland, has recently beenaccepted to the St. James University School ofMedicine on the island of Bonaire in theCaribbean.

92Bill Flemings, of Edwards, has been namedprincipal at Clairborne Educational

Foundation.

Jeffrey Paul Arnold is president of Design Source,Inc., a commercial and residential design group inBrandon.

78Hal Sterling, of Summit, is the SouthwestMississippi Community College's marching

band director.

79Dr. Edward Lee Childress, Superintendentof Corinth Public Schools, was elected

chairman of the Public Employment RetirementSystem of Mississippi.

Julie Quave Sanders is the Coordinator ofAdvanced Academic Studies for the AlliedIndependent School District located in southwestHouston, TX.

81Tucker Mitchell, ofRidgeland, was recently

selected for membership in theFederation of Defense andCorporate Counsel at Copeland,Cook, Taylor and Bush, P.A.Mitchell was also recently named asone of The Best Lawyers inAmerica in the specialty ofInsurance Law.

83Michael Enriquez, of Batavia, OH, isserving as President of the Board of

Education of Batavia Local School District.

Nancy Loome, of Clinton, won the Parent of theYear award presented by the state Board ofEducation.

84Carla Brownlee Martin is in private practiceas a family therapist in Murfreesboro, TN.

85Edward Pope, of Cleveland,is Regional Director for

Quick Cash Financial Services andChief Executive Officer ofCommunity Bridge Builders, Inc.He also is the InternationalDirector of Sigma Beta Clubs ofPhi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

Keith C. King, of Cleveland, is serving as Presidentof the Catfish Farmers of Mississippi.

Shelia Washington, of Greenville, is theAdministrative Assistant for the 21st CenturyCommunity of Learning Center and President ofthe Greenville Association of Educators.

Dr. Tim Mills is the Professor of Accountancy atEastern Illinois University.

Dr. Steve Stanford ('86), Vice President forAdministration and Government Relations atMississippi College, was recently installed as the2007 President of the Clinton Chamber ofCommerce.

Dale Douglas Wigginton, along with her husband,led the Tupelo High School band and color guardto first place in the Mississippi Band MastersAssociation Competition.

Jenkins

Mitchell

Pope

Harris

Hubbard

Whitley

with the classes

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:10 AM


with the classesUS Airways Express.

Dameon Shaw was selected as one oftwo Mississippi Mayors to serve on apanel at the Tri-State LeadershipSummit held in Tunica. He is mayorof Shaw.

98Brindley "Lee" Kuiper, ofEdwards, is the Assistant

Vice President at Trustmark Bank in Jackson. He isthe manager of the PC Services Group.

Steven Handley, of Jackson, was named HindsCounty Schools Superintendent.

99Stephen Anthony Glorioso,of Cleveland, was named

Director of the Park Commission inCleveland after serving as AssistantDirector for seven years.

00George Crump Miller, Jr., isDirector of Major Gifts at

the Pi Kappa Alpha EducationalFoundation in Memphis.

Pamela Jossell, of Clarksdale, waspromoted to comptroller ofClarksdale Public Utilities.

Vincent Henry Ricotta, ofFlowood, is vice president of State Bank and TrustCompany at the Ridgeland location.

Carlos Lloyd, of Greenville, has joined CooperPower Systems as plant manager for the Lumbertonoperation.

Ronda L. Anderson, of Cleveland, was chosen asone of Mahogany Magazine's Top 40 womenunder 40 and received a $10,000 entrepreneurialgrant. She is the owner of Inspiration by Design.

William Ryan Strawbridge, ofMadison, is Vice President ofCommercial Lending at MadisonCounty Bank.

Dr. Jeanne Williams Holland, ofStarkville, graduated fromMississippi State University with aPh.D. in Curriculum andInstruction.

Bill Durham, of Clarksdale, has released a CDentitled, "My Kind of Music," a mix of classiccountry, rockabilly and Southern roots music.

Michael Christopher Maddock, of Brandon,received his wings and will be flying Harrier jets forthe Marine Corp.

Guy Mitchell Erwin, of Collierville, TN, waspromoted to Manager - Financial Reporting atFedEx Freight Headquarters.

Shana Robison, of Batesville, was named South

Panola School District's Teacher of the Year for2005-2006.

Brian Jordan, of Jackson, is a Financial ServiceRepresentative for Regions Bank.

Thomas Christopher Klinck, ofGrenada, tennis coach at GrenadaHigh School was namedMississippi's Tennis Coach of theYear by the US Tennis Association.

Roger Dale Russell, of Greenwood,was elected president of the DeltaHuman Resource ManagersAssociation. Russell is employedwith Viking Range Corp.

01Jason Lunceford, ofClarksdale, is branch

manager of AmSouth Bank inClarksdale.

Crystal Bentley Sims is the Life Science Instructorat Cossatot Community College in DeQueen, AR.

Jami Schrader Truitt, of Greenwood, was promotedto assistant vice president of accounting at StateBank & Trust Co.

Courtney McMaster Austin, of Cleveland, is thedirector of the Healthy Community Program atDelta State University.

Jennifer Hunter, formerly ofCleveland, was featured on HGTVairing of "I Want That Bath", withher bathroom designs, December 2,2006. Hunter is a designer inDestin, FL.

02Stephanie Eddleman is anEnglish faculty member at Harding

University in Searcy, AR.

Christy Bramlett is an Orthobiologics Specialistwith Medtronic, where she oversees Certificationsand FDA registration for Tissue Banks.

Valorie Kimbrell, of Southaven, was promoted toBranch Manager of Kelly Scientific Resources inMemphis.

03Joshua C. Vincent, formerly of Indianola, isemployed with the South Carolina Arts

Commission.

Heather Dudula Lloyd, of Indianola, is a familynurse practitioner at Greenville Clinic.

04Judy Couey, of Clinton, is the AssistantSuperintendent of Starkville Public Schools.

Melissa S. Love, of Goodman, is the AssistantDirector of Public Information at HolmesCommunity College.

Rhonda Boyd, of Cleveland, wasnamed the Administrative Assistantof the Delta Music Institute at DeltaState University.

Marcellus Chatman, of MoundBayou, was named MississippiState Hospital's August Employeeof the Month for Direct CareServices.

William Edwin Edgar, of Yazoo City, is an associateproducer for the POWER 107.1 FM/WELZ 1460AM radio and the outdoors columnist for theYazoo Herald and the Madison County Journal.

James Andrew "Drew" Owens, of Cordova, TN, isa commercial pilot with US Airways Express basedin Manassas, VA.

Parker Lipscomb ('06), ofGreenville, is a State Farm LifeInsurance Representative with AndyDaniels Agency in Indianola.Lipscomb completed his Mastersdegree at DSU in 2006.

Josh Westcompleted his Masters degree atMississippi State University andaccepted a position with ParkwayProperties, a commercial real estateinvestment trust in Jackson.

05MatthewPierce Jones,

of Greenwood, and Chris Reed, ofRosedale, completed lawenforcement training at the PoliceAcademy in Jackson and areemployed with Wildlife, Fisheriesand Parks in Holmes County.

Alkie Edwards is Oxfam America'sHumanitarian Coordinator for theMississippi Gulf Coast. Oxfam is aglobal non-profit organization thatworks toward strengtheningcommunities.

06Geani Clark, of Boyle, isfinancial services specialist

of AmSouth Bank in Clarksdale.

Merry Claire Ballard, of Jackson, was elected vicepresident of the School of Health RelatedProfessions at the University of Mississippi MedicalCenter.

Iris Hurt, of Greenwood, is the assistant principalat Amanda Elzy High School.

Cathy Haynes Conico, of Cleveland,received the first diploma at theDecember 2006 graduation. Sheearned a 4.0 GPA.

Glorioso

Miller

Strawbridge

Klinck

Russell

Hunter

Boyd

Lipscomb

West

Jones &Reed

Edwards

Conico

Shaw

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:11 AM

In Memoriam

Kathy Jackson ’97 to David LoydSmith on March 4.

Megan Allison Little '04 to JoshuaKyle Cunningham '07, on March11, in Cleveland.

Christy Dale Ellington to WayneShannon Orr, III ‘00, of Memphis, onApril 8.

Sarah Lynn Consul ’95 to DouglasA. Calkins, in Las Vegas, NV, onMay 9.

Courtney Marianne McMaster ’01to Thomas Cory Austin, of Cleve-land, on May 20.

Allison Kitrell Roncali to JohnDavid Hawkins (attended) on June 5.

Amanda Louise Dunnagan ’05 toChristopher Scott May, on June 10.

Dorie Camille Hertlein ’91 to Don-nie Kisner, of Tupelo, on June 29.

Marilyn Marie Bland (attended) toMason Alexander Bassett on July 1.

Catherine Louise Bishop ’05 toJoshua Christian Vincent ’03 inFolly Beach, SC, on July 7.

Carrie Davis to Matthew Adam Edgar ’03, onJuly 8.

Ann Elizabeth "Beth" Bailey '89 to MatthewVanderloo on July 10.

Holly Cates ’01 to Kevin Lyle Tharp’04, of Cleveland, on July 15.

Chassity “Lee” Deerman to JasonMcArthur Whittington on July 22.

Kristie Perkins ’02 to BenjaminHogue, of Rome, GA, on July 29.

Jamie Leigh Boyd ’04 to Christopher Whitneyon August 12.

Jennifer Brooke Reynolds ’01 toCasey Brandon Manning ’04 on Au-gust 12, 2006.

Starr Mone’t Parker ’03 & ’06 toHarrison Lee Austin, Jr., on August24.

Vicki Lynn Ellis ’99 to ChristopherMichael Lindsey, of Southaven, onSeptember 2.

Candice Elizabeth Corbett (at-tended) to Brenton Michael William ofGreenville on September 9.

Margaret Jane Stone to John BlakeHilburn ’04, of Oxford, on Septem-ber 9.

Brook Elizabeth Turner ‘05 toBlakely Malone Newsom ‘03, ofCleveland, on September 9.

Katherine Gee Waggoner ’04 toChad Stribling, of Clinton, on Sep-tember 9.

Kristen Brooke Sherron ‘01 to Billy RaymondSears, Jr. ’03, on September 30, in Cleveland.

Era Melissa Ware ‘02 to Shawn Neal Harris, onOctober 28, in Ruleville.

Kim Mosco Blackwood ’91 to Dr.Nathan Wade Buehring, of Cleve-land, on October 28.

Lisa Delane Sudduth ’03 to JamesWilkes Bradham ’01, on December2, in Clarksdale.

Lindsey Lee Farris ’04 to Brett Cannon Byrd’05, on December 16.

Natalie Kay Feaster ’05 to MichaelChristopher Maddock ’00, on De-cember 23.

Pamela Cecelia Ward ‘75 toWilliam Thomas Browder, on De-cember 9, in Memphis.

Anna Marie Sledge ’05 to Charles LeightonJanes ’02, of Cleveland, on December 16.

Andrea Elizabeth Atchley ’03 to Daniel John-son Rives, on December 16, in Indianola.

Jayme Elizabeth Jennings ’05 to Jesse DanielCother, on December 16, in Clarksdale.

Grayson Elizabeth Verner ’06 to Andy DaleAdams, on December 16, in Leland.

Janice Marie Johnson ’99 to Ronald TerrellFord, on December 31, in Dunleith, GA.

Ellen Cassels Tabor ‘30, of Gloster, on October 15, 2005.Charles Maxwell Griffin, Sr. ‘52, of Immokalee, FL, on January 23.Dr. Howard J. Aylward ‘39, of Aliso Wiejo, CA, on June 8. Hewas a retired ear, nose, throat and allergy doctor and was the first DeltaState University student to attend medical school.Jim Lewis (attended DSU), on July 19.Helen Frances Clay Caldwell ‘38, of Hattiesburg, on July 26.William A. Carr ‘62, of New Albany, on August 6.Pauline Lucille Watson ‘41, of Shelby, on August 12.Anita Hyde Dawson ‘75, of Lucedale, on August 27.Dr. Robert N. Walters, of Hattiesburg, on August 29.Thomas A. Jones, III ‘71, of New Albany, on September 4.Margaret Holt Gunn, of Cleveland, on September 8.Charles H. Lipe ‘54, of Memphis, TN, on September 12.Robyn Michelle Mosley Gee, of Indianola, on September 12.Mamie J Tucker ’54, of Aberdeen, on September 20.Dr. Charles Wagoner, Associate Professor of Economics at DeltaState, on September 30.Barbara Bush Creekmore ’39, of Clarksdale, on October 7.

Pauline Fink Adelson ‘59, of Merigold, on October 16.Jerry Ferrell Fortenbery, of Cleveland, on October 18.Robert Michael Langley, of Oxford, on October 21.Nell Kathryn Cleveland May, of Madison, on November 7.John R. Tabb ’56, of Raymond, on November 8. He was Delta StateUniversity’s Outstanding Alumnus in 1989 and retired as ExecutiveDirector of Mississippi Department of Transportation in 1993.Mary J. Whittington, of Greenwood, on November 14.Claude Abel ’50, of Greenville, on November 16. He was a U.S.Army veteran and also served 30 years in the National Guard and U.S.Army Reserves.Nick Siciliano ‘06, of Cleveland, on December 3.Eugenia B. Rutland ‘29, of Lafayette, LA, on December 5. She wasa graduate of Cleveland High School and earned a Bachelor of Sciencedegree from Delta State University. She obtained her Master's Degreein Education at Louisiana State University. Paul H. Anderson ’78, of Rolling Fork, on December 7.Ruthel Turner Poe ’39, of Cleveland, December 15.

All deaths are in 2006 unless otherwise indicated.

Little

Ellington

Consul

McMaster

Dunnagan

Cates

Reynolds

Parker

Waggoner

Stone

Feaster

Blackwood

Wedding Bellswith the classes


All dates are in 2006 unless otherwise indicated.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:12 AM

Baby Statesmenwith the classes

William Duncan to Mr. & Mrs. Heath Franklin (Katherine Anne Erwin’02), of Greenville, on December 5, 2005.

Jacob McKay to Mr. & Mrs. Michael Thomas (Kelli O’Brien ’94), of Lex-ington, on December 31, 2005.

Tristan Wester to Dr. & Mrs. Daryl Lance Johnson, DDS ’90 (Susan “Scot-tie” Williamson ’89), of Cleveland, on January 20.

Jackson Douglas to Mr. & Mrs. Sean Douglas Keady ’96, of Gulfport, onFebruary 13.

Cathryn Keeley to Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Kane Wilson ’95 (CandaceCeleste Embrey ’97), of Southaven, on February 13.

Hubert “Trey” Dwaine, III to Dr. & Mrs. Hubert D. Taylor, II ’00(Tiffany Scott ’00), of Grenada, on February 16.

James Beckett to Mr. & Mrs. James Christopher McCaslin ’00 (JenniferBritt), of Clarksdale, on March 20.

Henry Daniel to Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Cooper ’01 (Mary Gaston ’02), ofMacon GA, on March 30.

Jesse Isaiah to Mr. & Mrs. William James Randolph, Jr. (Jennifer Bain ’94),of Brooklyn, NY, on April 2.

Cooper to Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Mitchell (Emily Cooper ’99), of Madison, onApril 24.

Avery Elizabeth to Mr. & Mrs. William Monroe Lewis (Dana Mobley ’00),of Jackson, on May 22.

Mason Paige to Mr. & Mrs. Owen McLellan ’98 (Natalie Sykes ’97), ofWest, on June 16.

Benjamin Alden to Mr. & Mrs. Warren Bell ’96 (Jamie Holeman), of Dun-can, on July 11.

Morgan Alyce to Mr. & Mrs. Brett Marchant ’99 (Shaun Tackett ’98), ofCleveland, on July 12.

Parker Lyn to Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Key Cohen ’93 (Andrea Broadway ’93),of Brooksville, on June 14.

Kendall Lynne to Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Hughes (Carla McMaster '86), ofFlower Mound,TX, on July 18.

Peyton Alexander to Mr. & Mrs. Scott L. Knight (Michelle N. Knight’98), of Saltillo, on June 19.

Olivia Layne to Mr. & Mrs. Guy Mitchell Erwin ’99 (Traci Childers at-tended DSU), of Collierville, TN, on June 20.

Andrew Garrison to Mr. & Mrs. Christopher R. Langley ’94 (AmySanders), of Horn Lake, on June 27.

Anthony Caden to Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Whitworth (Gwen Calhoun ’91),of Walls, on July 19.

Walker Brantley to Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Robey ’99 (Ginger Moore ’01), ofBatesville, on July 25.

Noah Nickels to Mr. & Mrs. John Frank Coker ’99 (Margaret “Meg” Tay-lor ’02), of Walls, on August 14.

George Morgan to Mr. & Mrs. George Russell Green ’98 (Amy Morgan’97), of Cleveland, on August 15.

Hamilton Reed to Mr. & Mrs. Spencer Lem Holman ’98 (Carolyn AnnCollier ’98), of Cleveland, on August 17.

Anna Siage to Mr. & Mrs. William Blaine “Billy” Finnie ’00 (Memorie Mc-Creary ’02), of Shaw, on August 19.

Samantha Michelle to Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Boyd Thomas ’05 (SarahThomas), of Cleveland, on August 20.

Havens Thomas to Mr. & Mrs. Eric Fioranelli (Lee Anne Havens ’04), ofCleveland, on August 23.

Madeline Alexandra to Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Hampton “Jody” Holland ’99(Jeanne Williams ’00), of Starkville, on August 26.

Anna Grace to Mr. & Mrs. Adrian Britt (Jeanette Byrne ’03), of Natchez,on August 28.

Sylvana Michele to Mr. & Mrs. Sylvanus Maurice Burgess ’96 (MarShellWillard ’96), of Pine Bluff, AR, on August 28.

Franklin RandolphThomas CohenMcCaslin HughesCooper

Knight Erwin QuintonMorganHavens

Johnson Keady Wilson Taylor Mitchell

Langley Coker Green Thomas Britt Burgess Vassel


DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:13 AM

To announce your newborn, wedding, job change

or other significant eventin your life, send an email to

[email protected]

Or mail to Box 3104,

Cleveland, MS 38733

Please include a photo and detailed information.

Alyssa Grace to Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Vassel (Tana Pittman ’89), of Clarks-dale, on August 30.

Addyson Claire to Mr. & Mrs. Craig Morgan ‘02 (Jessica Morgan), ofSouthaven, on September 14.

Elizabeth Gray to Mr. & Mrs. Lee Havens, Jr. ’99 (Emily Ratliff ’98), ofCleveland, on September 15.

Isabella Marisol to Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Rivino (Cecilia Lopez ’00), ofOlive Branch, on September 16.

William Tyler to Dr. & Mrs. William Neil Quinton ‘99 (Crystal Coleman),of Cleveland, on September 20.

Chaney Marie to Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Jackson Clark ’97 (Serena Rasberry’97), of Kosciusko, on October 3.

Rachel Frances to Dr. & Mrs. Robert C. Tibbs, III (Shelley Scarborough’96), of Cleveland, on October 10.

Landrie Grace to Mr.& Mrs. Charles Bradford Bland ’96, of Southaven, onOctober 10.

Complete the form below to become an active member of theDELTA STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION!

Class of or years attended _____________

Name: ____________________________________________

Nickname: ______________Birthdate: ________________

Address: __________________________________________

City/State/Zip:______________________________________

Employer: ________________________________________

Job Title: __________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________

Phone (H): ____________(W): ______________(C): ___________For our tax records, please use your full legal name.

spring 07

Pleach check the type membership that best suits your needs:

1 year ($20 single, $30 joint) Life ($300 single, $400 joint)

I would also like to join the following alumni groups:

Accounting ($10) Aviation ($5) Music ($5)

Art ($5) Black ($5) Nursing ($5)

Athletic ($10) Family & Consumer Science (H. Ec.) ($5)

Total amount enclosed: ______________________________

Check VISA Mastercard

Card #: __________________________________________

Name: (exactly as it appears on card) __________________

Signature:________________Exp. Date: ________________

Life dues can be paid in installments of $50 each year.

Make Checks payable to: DSU Alumni AssociationMail to: Box 3104, Cleveland, MS 38733

Clark Coleman SimpsonBrownBland

Saylor Ann to Mr. & Mrs. William Chance Coleman ’98 (Chrisann Cole-man ’97), of Lakeland, TN, on October 25.

Griffin Montague to Mr. & Mrs. Michael Montague Brown (Jamie Giles‘87), of Memphis, TN, on October 31.

William Michael, III to Mr. & Mrs. William Michael Simpson II ’00 (Alli-son Carter), of Madison, on November 6.

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:14 AM

What better way to let your classmates know where you are and what youare doing than through the “Alumni Updates?”

Tell us about yourself: Recently married? Taken a new job? Been pro-moted? Changed addresses? Welcomed new children?

Name

Maiden Name

Address

Phone(s): (H): (W): (C):

City State Zip

Graduation Year or Year attended:

Date of Birth E-mail address

Here’s my update:

Mail to: Alumni Office, Box 3104,DSU, Cleveland, Mississippi 38733

or Fax to (662) 846-4713 or e-mail to [email protected]

Alumni Update

SHOW YOUR PRIDE IN DSUPurchase a logo car tag!

spring 07

The North Mississippi Alumni Chapter met in Tupelo. Offi-cers and planning committee members included: Front:Cindy McNair, Joby Collins, president; Janeil Stutts Back:Brad Prewitt, Janice Fleming, Henry Outlaw, Nob Peek,Linda Dennis, Andy Pearson, Gene Boggs, and Mary Wilson.

DSU alumni meet annually for the “Ole Grads” Reunion atJP Coleman State Park near Iuka. The next event is sched-uled for Friday, Aug. 3. Pictured are: Janeil Pickett Stutts,of Booneville, Miss.; Maggie Garrett, of Red Lodge, Mont.;Kay Davis, of Edmond, Okla.; Denece Rozzell, of Quitman,Miss; and Dr. Elaine Fields, of Pensacola, Fla.

Members of the steering committee for the Black AlumniScholarship Reunion pose with key note speaker, Gwen-dolyn Sykes. Sykes is Chief Financial Officer for NASA andwas named by Black Enterprise as one of the 50 Most Pow-erful Black Women in Business. Pictured are: Edward Pope,chairman; George Boston, Gwen Sykes, Melvin Stimage,and Rodney Henderson.

Newly elected officers for the Memphis Alumni Chapter are:Beth Robinson Price ‘87; Elizabeth McGovern Malone ‘90;Kathleen McGovern Carter ‘90


DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:16 AM

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:17 AM

Box 3141Cleveland, MS 38733Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDBurlington, VTPermit No. 19

David Abney poses with the Mississippi legislators responsible for authoring theSenate and House of Representative resolutions honoring him and his employer,United Parcel Service. All sported Delta State baseball caps. From left: Sen. BillyHewes, of Gulfport; Sen. Bob Dearing, of Natchez; Rep. Percy Watson, ofHattiesburg; Sen. Willie Simmons, of Cleveland; Rep. Jack Gadd, of Hickory Flat;David Abney, Rep. David Norquist, of Cleveland; Rep. Linda Coleman, of MoundBayou; Rep. Willie Perkins, of Greenwood.

Delta State Universitycongratulates

David Abney and his employer, United Parcel Services, Inc. (UPS)on their recent recognition by the Mississippi legislature.

More inside.Page 6

Congratulations David & UPS!

DSU SP07 mag 5/23/07 11:19 AM

Delta State University Alumni Magazine - Spring 2007

Documents

Transcript of Delta State University Alumni Magazine - Spring 2007