georgia magazine june 2015

GEORGIAGEORGIAGEORGIAJune 2015 • Vol. 94, No. 3 Magazine

The University of

WashingtonUGA in

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More than 1,000 students participated in the annual Dance Marathon in February, spending 24 hours dancing, singing and playing on inflatable obstacle courses while raising $683,251 to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Photo by J.P. Bond

GEORGIA MAGAZINEAllyson Mann, MA ’92, EditorLindsay Robinson, ABJ ’06, MPA ’11, Art DirectorPamela Leed, Advertising DirectorFran Burke, Office ManagerPaul Efland, BFA ’75, MEd ’80; Peter Frey, BFA ’94; Robert Newcomb, BFA ’81; Rick O’Quinn, ABJ ’87; Andrew Davis Tucker; and Dorothy Kozlowski, BLA ’06, ABJ ’10; UGA PhotographersDaniel Funke, Editorial Assistant

PUBLIC AFFAIRSTom Jackson, AB ’73, MPA ’04, PhD ’08, Vice President Alison Huff, Director of Publications

ADMINISTRATIONJere W. Morehead, JD ’80, PresidentPamela Whitten, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and ProvostRyan Nesbit, MBA ’91, Vice President for Finance and AdministrationKelly Kerner, Vice President for Development and Alumni RelationsRahul Shrivastav, Vice President for Instruction David C. Lee, Vice President for ResearchJennifer Frum, PhD ’11, Vice President for Public Service and OutreachVictor Wilson, BSW ’82, MEd ’87, Vice President for Student AffairsJ. Griffin Doyle, AB ’76, JD ’79, Vice President for Government RelationsTimothy M. Chester, Vice President for Information Technology

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FINE PRINTGeorgia Magazine (ISSN 1085-1042) is published quarterly for alumni and friends of UGA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:University of Georgia, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North,Athens, GA 30602

In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Georgia does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or military service in its administration of educational policies, programs, or activities; its admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other University-administered programs; or employment. In addition, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation consistent with the University non-discrimination policy. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the director of the Equal Opportunity Office, 119 Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Telephone 706-542-7912 (V/TDD). Fax 706-542-2822.

JUNE 2015 • GEORGIA MAGAZINE 3

ON THE COVER

Senior Bernadette Green was one of 29 students this spring who were the first residents of Delta Hall, UGA’s new $12 million facility in Washington, D.C.

Photo by Peter Frey

June 2015 • Vol. 94, No. 3

Magazine

The University of

GEORGIA5 Take 4 An interview with President Jere W. Morehead

6 Around the Arch Campus news and events

Closeups

18 Playing it forward Southern rock legend Gregg Allman endows a

scholarship for UGA music students

20 Bulldog bookworm Athlete Malcolm Mitchell encourages kids to

read

Features

24 UGA in Washington Delta Hall and expanded internship programs

open doors for more students to live, work and learn in the nation’s capital

30 Beating the odds UGA researchers develop a new rabies vaccine

using a platform that has promise for treating other diseases

34 Pitch perfect UGA is home to five a cappella groups that

don’t just bring it—they sing it

Class Notes

38 Alumni profiles and notes


Why do you give? Tell us at giving.uga.edu/whyigive.

2015

I give to UGA because it has made the

biggest impact on my life. I received a

wonderful education, made many friends

and found my way into the world! I intend

to stay involved by showing my support for

the university. Go Dawgs!

Brittany Byrd, BSED '15


Q: UGA’s research enterprise is growing in strength. Why is enhancing this part of the university’s mission important?

A: As a land-grant university, UGA has a special obligation to extend its resources to improve lives and to improve communities

in the state of Georgia and around our nation and the world. Research is one of the most important ways the institution meets this obligation. A case in point can be found in the work of Rick Tarleton, UGA Athletic Association Distinguished Research Professor of Biological Sciences. A team of researchers led by Tarleton is working in collaboration with a biopharmaceutical company to develop a new drug for the treatment of Chagas disease. Chagas kills more people in Latin America than any other infectious disease. This potentially life-saving research is being funded by a $5.3 million grant from the Wellcome Trust.

Q: UGA and Emory University are working together on several significant projects in infectious disease. How is this partnership beneficial?

A: Since I became president, senior leaders from UGA and Emory University have been meeting regularly to explore opportunities to collaborate more closely as research institutions, especially in this critical area of human health. The two institutions are currently working on grant- and contract-funded projects totaling more than $45 million. Some of the significant global health challenges being addressed through this groundbreaking research include influenza, malaria and tuberculosis. This research partnership with Emory not only is paving the way for improvements in health care, but also is advancing the state’s economically important bioscience sector. Emory President Wagner and I are committed to building on the strong ties we have established between our two institutions.

Q: What other steps is the university taking to enhance the research enterprise?

A: Nothing is more important to this effort than recruiting and retaining outstanding research faculty. Toward that end, each of the past two years the university has launched a major hiring initiative to recruit world leaders in research. Esther van der Knaap—who will join UGA this fall—represents a perfect example of the type of high-quality research faculty the institution is recruiting through these hiring initiatives. Van der Knapp is a leading expert in plant genetics and genomics, and much of her work examines the genomics of the tomato. She will join an already outstanding group of faculty studying commercially relevant plants at

UGA. Research like van der Knapp’s plays a vital role in Georgia’s agricultural economy. For instance, 95 percent of the peanuts grown in this state are harvested from UGA-improved varieties.

Q: The university also has recruited three Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars this year. What impact will these individuals have on campus?

A: Hiring three GRA Eminent Scholars in one year is remarkable. Robert Haltiwanger, a world-leading glycobiologist, and Arthur Edison, an internationally renowned metabolomics researcher, will join UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. Ted Ross, a pre-eminent infectious disease researcher, will join the College of Veterinary Medicine. These individuals are highly accomplished scientists who have demonstrated an exceptional ability to foster science- and technology-based economic development. We expect them not only to make significant contributions in human health but also to advance the university’s growing commercialization efforts, which placed 28 new products into the market this year alone, including vaccines for animal health, plant varieties and educational software tools.

TAKE — An interview with President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80)

Rick Tarleton is working to develop a new drug for the treatment of Chagas disease.

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UGA’s new outdoor teams challenge course includes a section where participants move along a single high line while holding hands and ropes to stay balanced. Located next to the Lake Herrick Recreational Sports Complex in Oconee Forest Park, it includes two zip lines, a giant swing, rope ladders and bridges as well as a staircase and platform for those with a fear of heights. The course aims to improve participants’ communication, trust and teamwork and is open to UGA and non-UGA groups.

PAUL EFLAND

Study abroad scholarships A record-breaking six UGA students have been awarded Boren Scholarships that will enable them to travel abroad to study languages and cultures that are critical to U.S. interests.

Named in honor of former U.S. Sen. David L. Boren, the scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program and offer up to $20,000 for language study abroad. The six scholarships bring UGA’s total number of Boren Scholars to 21 since 2010.

UGA’s 2015 recipients, languages and locations are Brent Buck, Modern Standard Arabic and the Moroccan dialect, Morocco; Melanie Kent, Swahili, Tanzania; Cecelia Kuehnel, Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial Arabic, Jordan; Katie Mann, Russian, Kyrgyzstan; Kevin Steele, Modern Standard Arabic and the Jordanian dialect, Jordan; and Chenee Tracey, Portuguese, Brazil.

STUDENTS WIN PUBLIC POLICY CHALLENGE With an innovative proposal addressing a silent public health problem for homeless women, four UGA students won the top prize in the fourth annual Public Policy Challenge National Invitational. The team of master’s students Brianna Roberts and Phillip McAuley, from the School of Public and International Affairs, and Nicole La Tournous and Paula Buchanan, from the College of Public Health, will receive a $10,000 prize for implementation. The winning proposal is a plan to distribute feminine hygiene products to homeless and transitional women in Athens and ultimately throughout the state of Georgia. The program will raise awareness about the lack of access to feminine hygiene products that vulnerable women experience and the mental and physical health problems that follow.


NEW GRA EMINENT SCHOLARS UGA will welcome two new Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholars—Arthur S. Edison and Robert Haltiwanger—this fall. Edison, one of the leading experts on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, will join the department of biochemistry and molecular biology, the department of genetics and the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) as the GRA Eminent Scholar in NMR Spectroscopy. Haltiwanger, one of the nation’s leading glycobiology researchers, will join the CCRC as the GRA Eminent Scholar in Biomedical Glycoscience. These appointments bring UGA’s total number of GRA scholars to 17. Since 1990, the GRA has partnered with Georgia’s research universities to recruit world-class scientists who foster science- and technology-based economic development.

UGA launches Women’s Leadership Initiative President Jere W. Morehead and Provost Pamela Whitten have launched an initiative to enhance the representation of women in leadership roles on campus.

The Women’s Leadership Initiative will address issues such as recruitment and hiring, career development, work-life balance and leadership development. The initiative will be supported first by a 10-member planning committee, with a larger implementation committee to be formed at a later date.

In the past year, the university has implemented a series of initiatives that aim to ensure that women on campus experience a supportive environment within which to learn and work. Last fall, Morehead and Whitten launched a three-pronged Women’s Resources Initiative to enhance awareness of the resources available to women and to look for ways to improve programs and services.

“Gender inequities in higher education and elsewhere are deep-rooted and complex, and I don’t anticipate easy answers or quick solutions,” Whitten says. “But I am confident that a concerted and sustained effort can move this institution toward greater diversity and inclusion for the benefit of the entire campus community.”

For more information, visit the Women’s Resources web portal at women.uga.edu.

Minnie, supervised by veterinary technician Daina Rollor, uses a brand-new underwater treadmill at UGA’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The 10-year-old yellow Labrador retriever was one of the first patients when the hospital opened in March at its new location, 2200 College Station Road. More than double the size of the old facility, the hospital is part of the new UGA Veterinary Medical Center, which encompasses just over 300,000 square feet and includes an education building for teaching veterinary students. Look for coverage of the new complex in the September issue of Georgia Magazine.

SUE MYERS SMITH

Wilson named Truman Scholar UGA Honors student Kathleen Wilson was named a 2015 Truman Scholar—UGA’s fifth in the past five years. Truman Scholars receive a $30,000 scholarship toward graduate school plus professional development programming to prepare them for careers in public service leadership.

Wilson is a native of Beaumont, Texas, and a recipient of UGA’s premier undergraduate scholarship, the Foundation Fellowship. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Terry College of Business and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs. After graduation in 2016, she aims to pursue master’s degrees in public policy and Middle Eastern studies.

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BEST IN SHOWA BARK OUT TO

… Carla Williams, executive associate athletic director for the UGA Athletic Association, who was named one of the top 10 senior woman administrators in the NCAA by the website CollegeAD.org.

… Nathaniel Grow, assistant professor of legal studies, who won the 2014 David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Legal History/Biography for his book Baseball on Trial: The Origin of Baseball’s Antitrust Exemption.

… UGA’s Professional Development School District program, which won the Award for Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement from the National Association for Professional Development Schools, in recognition of a partnership that helps shape future educational leaders.

… K. Paige Carmichael, professor of veterinary pathology, who received the 2015 Iverson Bell Award from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. The award is given for outstanding leadership and the promotion of diversity.

… Joel Lee, the John A. Drew Professor of Health Administration, who is the 2015 recipient of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health/Pfizer Award for Teaching Excellence.

… Elizabeth Burch, associate professor of law, who was awarded the American Law Institute’s Young Scholars Medal.

… David Dickens, professor of forest productivity, and Michael Kane, professor of quantitative silviculture and director of the Plantation Management Research Cooperative, who won awards from the Southeastern Society of American Foresters. Dickens received the public education/technology transfer award, and Kane received the research and development award.

… Juanita Johnson-Bailey, director of the Institute for Women’s Studies, who was named the 2015 recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award, given by the American Association of University Women for outstanding contributions to equality and education for women and girls.

… Samantha Joye, Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences and professor of marine sciences, who was named UGA’s 2015 recipient of the Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award.

… Tim Foutz, professor of engineering, who won the 2015 Outstanding Teaching Award from the American Society for Engineering Education’s Southeastern Section.

Juanita Johnson-Bailey

K. Paige Carmichael

Nathaniel Grow

New graduate dean Suzanne Barbour, a former graduate program director at Virginia Commonwealth University who is currently a National Science Foundation program director, has been named dean of UGA’s Graduate School. Her appointment is effective July 13.

Barbour is a professor in the VCU School of Medicine’s department of biochemistry and molecular biology. Since 2013 she has served as a program director in the NSF’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and she is currently leading the division’s cluster focused on cellular dynamics and function.

“Dr. Barbour’s academic background makes her ideally suited for this critical position at the University of Georgia,” says President Jere W. Morehead. “She has a strong vision for enhancing graduate education that will further elevate UGA’s national and international reputation as a leading research university.”

FUNdraising UGA students raised nearly $900,000 to support charitable organizations this spring. In February, the annual Dance Marathon brought more than 1,000 participants to the Tate Student Center, where they spent 24 hours dancing, playing on inflatable obstacle courses, singing “Glory, Glory” and raising $683,251 to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Two months later, 2,000-plus students participated in the 16th annual Relay for Life overnight at the Ramsey Center, raising $203,396 for the American Cancer Society.


Read Across Georgia Sandra Deal, wife of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, reads T.J.’s Discovery during a March visit to the pre-K class in UGA’s Child Development Lab at the McPhaul Center. A former sixth-grade teacher, Deal used facial expressions and sound effects to engage the group of 4- and 5-year-olds who gathered to meet her. Georgia’s first

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

lady has spoken to students in all 159 counties and more than 430 schools as part of a campaign to promote literacy. The Read Across Georgia campaign was launched in 2012 and supports the governor’s Grade Level Reading Initiative, which aims to have all Georgia third-graders reading at grade level or better by the end of third grade.

NEW ONLINE MUSIC DEGREE Beginning this summer, UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music will offer a new master of music education online degree program. Geared toward certified music educators who wish to enhance their practitioner and research skills, the program will prepare teachers to assume professional leadership roles in curriculum design, mentorship and teacher research. “Offering an online degree will open the doors of opportunity to those otherwise unable to complete their post-graduate studies,” says Dale Monson, director of the Hodgson School. For information on coursework and prerequisites, visit online.uga.edu/mmed.

Board of Visitors welcomes 23 new members UGA’s Board of Visitors welcomed 23 new members at its quarterly meeting: Terry Adamson, Alex Albert, Bryan Anderson, Karen Anderson, Allison Ausband, Fred Bergen, Steve Burdette, Beth Chandler, Jennifer Flanagan, Curtis Foltz, John Heyman, Boland Jones, Mark Kauffman, Ken Kendrick, Calvin Klitz, Robin Loudermilk, Bruce MacLane, Bart Newman, Daniel Shoy Jr., Wade Stribling, Tisha Tallman, Matt Tarkenton and Chris Womack.

The board serves to establish new relationships and strengthen long-standing ties between the state’s flagship university and its elected officials, business leaders and community organizations. Members acquire in-depth knowledge of UGA’s accomplishments in teaching, research and service to become ambassadors for the university.

For more information, visit dar.uga.edu/bov.

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TOP FIVE IN FULBRIGHTS UGA is listed among the top five research institutions producing the most 2014-15 Fulbright U.S. scholars. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced the top-producing institutions in all classifications in The Chronicle of Higher Education, and UGA tied for a fifth-place ranking. Five UGA scholars were awarded the Core Fulbright Scholar Award for 2014-15. The Core Fulbright Program provides teaching and research grants to U.S. faculty and experienced professionals in more than 125 countries. Faculty members and the countries they are visiting are Terence Centner, a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (United Kingdom); Christy Desmet, a professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences (South Korea); Mark Eiteman, a professor in the College of Engineering (India); Vanessa Ezenwa, an associate professor in the Odum School of Ecology and College of Veterinary Medicine (France); and Christine Franklin, senior lecturer in the Franklin College (New Zealand). In addition, Jane Gatewood, former UGA director of International Partnerships, received a Fulbright International Education Administrators Program Award to conduct research in India.

New Regents Professor Levon Ambartsumian, Franklin Professor of Violin in UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, has been named a Regents Professor, effective July 1.

Regents Professorships are bestowed by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on faculty members whose scholarship or creative activity is recognized nationally and internationally as innovative and pace setting. Only one Regents Professorship is given in any year at UGA.

An acclaimed violinist who has performed and taught classes on four continents, Ambartsumian is founder and conductor of the renowned ARCO Chamber Orchestra as well as a featured soloist who has toured the globe and recorded 40 music albums.

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

Three named Goldwater Scholars Three Honors students and Foundation Fellows—Lauren Dennison, Erin Hollander and Karishma Sriram—received the 2015 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. These awards bring the university’s total of Goldwater Scholars to 49.

Dennison, from Raleigh, N.C., is pursuing a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology, and genetics. She aims to earn a Ph.D. in cancer biology to explore the pathology of leukemia and the mechanisms that lead to drug resistance.

Hollander, from Athens, is pursuing a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology, and genetics. She plans to earn a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering with the goal of conducting research into treatments for neurological disorders using gene therapy techniques.

Sriram, from Athens, is pursuing a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and plans to enroll in a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree program and pursue research into the use of stem cells in healing bone injuries and other tissue damage.

Lauren Dennison

Erin Hollander

Karishma Sriram

SCHOLARSHIP HONORS FORMER DEAN UGA’s School of Law established the Rebecca Hanner White Scholarship, named in honor of the former dean who served more than 11 years. The scholarship was initiated by Kathelen V. Amos (JD ’82), law school board of visitors chair, and her husband Dan (BBA ’73), who agreed to match up to $100,000 in new gifts. In February, more than $210,000 in gifts and pledges had been secured. “It is a testament to Dean White and her record of leadership that members of the Georgia Law community responded so quickly and generously to this fundraising challenge,” says Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge. “This effort was dedicated to one of her top priorities during her tenure—growing private funding for student scholarships.”


Hands-on learning now required UGA has taken a significant step toward ensuring that all students engage in hands-on experiences that enhance learning and position them for success.

A new graduation requirement approved in April by the University Council stipulates that all undergraduate students will be required to engage in experiential learning, through opportunities that include undergraduate research, study abroad, service-learning, internships and other experiences.

“With a spirit of innovation and a deep commitment to student learning, faculty at the University of Georgia continue to push the boundaries of undergraduate education,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead says. “Offering a tailored, hands-on experience to our undergraduate students not only will further enhance this institution’s world-class learning environment but also will further distinguish them as graduates.”

The requirement will go into effect no sooner than fall 2016 for incoming freshmen, and each student will be able to select from a diverse slate of opportunities that reflect their individual interests and aspirations. The new requirement will not increase the number of credit hours required to earn a degree, and a number of experiential learning opportunities—such as undergraduate research, service-learning and internships—come with no additional cost.

For more information, visit www.ugaexperience.com.

Kevin Copp, an English major, gains experience working as a radio announcer for the Gym Dogs.ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

SREL TO OFFER RADIOECOLOGY UGA’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory will offer undergraduate training in radioecology this summer, thanks to a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation. The program—the first of its kind at the undergraduate level—will offer 10 students unprecedented access to SREL laboratories, where they will study the transport, fate and effects of radioactive elements in the environment and on wildlife. Some of the earliest work in radioecology in the U.S. was done at SREL—home to the only facility in the world designed to replicate and evaluate the distribution of low doses of radiation on aquatic organisms. The lab is known internationally for its research on the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima. The research experience for undergraduate program, or REU-radioecology, “will be an unprecedented research opportunity—unlike anything else they could get in the U.S.,” says SREL Director Olin Rhodes.

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Ernst named Madison Fellow Honors student and Foundation Fellow Megan Ernst was awarded a 2015 James Madison Graduate Fellowship. The fellowship provides up to $24,000 for graduate study for individuals who desire to teach the American Constitution at the secondary school level. This is the second consecutive year that a UGA student has earned the award.

Ernst, who is from Atlanta, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a bachelor’s

degree in political science and master’s degree in public administration. She will use her fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in teaching in secondary social studies education at the College of Education.

ALONG CAME A SPIDER When Wesley Huffmaster spotted a big, brightly colored and boldly patterned spider near his home in Colbert last fall, he knew it was unusual. Analysis of its physical characteristics and DNA by scientists at UGA’s Georgia Museum of Natural History have proven him right, confirming the first known occurrence in North America of Nephila clavata, the East Asian Joro spider. Their findings appear in the online open access journal PeerJ. Huffmaster brought the spider to the attention of UGA entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke, who identified it as the Joro spider based on its markings, size and other physical features. Museum Director Byron J. Freeman and Hoebeke photographed and collected specimens from nine locations in Barrow, Jackson and Madison counties, based on reported sightings. Freeman, a faculty member in the Odum School of Ecology, analyzed the DNA from two of the spiders and compared it to that of Joro spiders available from GenBank, a database containing all publicly available DNA sequences. He confirmed that the Georgia spiders were indeed Joro spiders and that they were closely related to individuals from China and Japan.

JEREMY HOWELL

BULLOCK NAMED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR Charles S. Bullock III, the Richard B. Russell Professor of Political Science in the School of Public and International Affairs, has been named University Professor, an honor bestowed on faculty who have had a significant impact beyond normal academic responsibilities. Bullock, who is also a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor, joined the UGA faculty in 1968. During his more than four decades at the university, he has established himself as the state’s pre-eminent scholar on Southern politics. “Dr. Bullock’s exemplary contributions to the teaching, research and service mission of the University of Georgia span decades and continents,” says Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “He epitomizes the extraordinary impact that our faculty have on our state and world.” Bullock has mentored hundreds of future leaders in the classroom and as director of the Georgia Legislative Internship Program. He has authored, co-authored or co-edited 30 books, 85 book chapters and 140 journal articles. He also served as consultant to attorneys general in 11 states and more than 70 local and state governments. Bullock has been quoted in media such as The Wall Street Journal and Al-Jazeera. In 2012, he was named to James Magazine’s Most Influential List.

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Raise the roof A ceremonial house framing marked the opening of the Habitat for Humanity International records at UGA’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The structure was raised on the lawn of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries in April. Habitat’s materials are the latest and largest addition

PAUL EFLAND

to a growing body of related collections at Hargett that revolve around the topics of housing, philanthropy and social change. After the ceremony, the structure was disassembled and moved by Athens Habitat for Humanity to a permanent location, where local volunteers worked to complete the home for a local family.

ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR The Black Male Leadership Society was named UGA’s “Organization of the Year” during the 14th Annual H. Gordon and Francis S. Davis Student Organization Achievement and Recognition Awards in April. “I am incredibly proud of the work the Black Male Leadership Society has done this year within our community, across campus and within the Athens community,” says Charles E. King, a senior education major from Atlanta and chief executive officer for the society. The SOAR Awards celebrate the accomplishments of student organizations at UGA. This year, 170 nominations representing 70 student organizations were submitted for the 14 award categories. The awards are sponsored by the Center for Student Organizations and the Leadership Resource Team.

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MFA ROADSHOW Allan Innman’s “Hell Hounds,” an oil on canvas mounted to a panel, was displayed as part of the 2015 MFA Exit Show at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center. For the first time, UGA master of fine arts degree candidates took their exit show on the road, taking advantage of partnerships in Atlanta and New York City that gave them the opportunity to gain exposure among the nation’s top art scenes. The 19 students—with disciplines ranging from drawing and painting to photography to sculpture to jewelry metals—exhibited concurrently at the Georgia Museum in Athens and the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center during April. In May, work selected from the two exhibitions went on display at Rogue Space Chelsea in New York.

SPECIAL

WELCOME TO THE GIF-OFF UGA’s Alumni Association battled its counterpart at the University of Florida in a social media war waged with pop-culture references to shows about politics. It all started when a Peabody Award statue appeared in the Netflix series “House of Cards.” The UGA Alumni Association retweeted the Peabody Awards’ original post, and a few days later, Florida responded by posting a gif of a ’Gators mug that appeared on the former NBC show “The West Wing.” The Twitter war escalated from there, with UGA posting gifs from “House of Cards” and Florida posting gifs from “The West Wing.” Tensions were high, and disaster seemed likely with discussion of a debate between U.S. Representative Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey on “House of Cards”) and President Jed Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen on “The West Wing”). Fortunately, only virtual blood was shed. To relive the epic battle, visit https://storify.com/ufalumni/ufaa-vs.

Lavelle named Udall Scholar Honors student and Foundation Fellow Torre Lavelle was named a 2015 Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation Scholar—UGA’s eighth in the past five years. The scholarships of up to $5,000 are awarded to sophomores and juniors pursuing careers focused on environmental or Native American public policy.

Lavelle, who is from Macon, is majoring in ecology and also pursuing an Honors interdisciplinary studies

degree in political ecology and environmental economics. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in environmental management as well as a law degree to fulfill her aspiration of becoming a conservation policymaker.


UGA GETS $1.7 MILLION GRANT IN NUTRITION A team of UGA researchers has received a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve the nutritional habits of low-income Georgians. The goal is to help Georgians eligible for SNAP benefits—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—establish healthy eating habits and a physically active lifestyle through evidence-based, behaviorally focused and culturally appropriate nutrition education and obesity prevention interventions. “Food insecurity, people having problems getting the type and amount of food they need, exists in this nation, but it’s hidden and not many people think it’s actually happening,” says Jung Sun Lee, principal investigator and associate professor of foods and nutrition. “In all indicators, Georgia always ranks poorly (in obesity and chronic disease statistics). We definitely need to think about … the barriers that prevent Georgians from healthy eating.” Faculty and students from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the College of Education, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, as well as UGA Extension, will be involved in the project. ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

Meigs Professorships awarded Four UGA faculty members have been named Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors, the university’s highest recognition for excellence in instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The 2015 Meigs Professors are Malcolm Adams, a professor of mathematics and department head in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; Mark Harrison, a professor of food science and technology and graduate coordinator in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Erica Hashimoto, the Allen Post Professor of Law in the School of Law; and Cynthia Ward, a professor of small animal internal medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“Our Meigs Professors demonstrate an enduring commitment to the success of their students,” says Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Their reputation for excellence in instruction extends well beyond our campus, and their impact on the lives and career trajectories of students and alumni is incalculable.”

In bestowing the Meigs Professorship, the university communicates its commitment to excellence in teaching, the value placed on the learning experiences of students and the centrality of instruction to the university’s mission.

Adams Harrison

Hashimoto Ward

GATES GRANT EXPANDS RESEARCH UGA has received an additional $710,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its research into the elimination of schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of people throughout most of Africa and some of Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. This grant adds to the more than $22 million in support awarded to UGA by the Gates Foundation since 2008. “We’ve made great progress in our understanding of this disease and what must be done to stop it,” says Dan Colley, director of UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and principal investigator. “This latest supplement will expand our research to include parallel studies on the debilitating and even more widespread soil-transmitted helminthes, round worm, whipworm and hookworms, and it will carry the project forward to 2018.”

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Faculty recognized for classroom creativity UGA faculty members Richard Menke and Montgomery Wolf, in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Brock Woodson and Siddharth Savadatti, in the College of Engineering, were recognized with 2015 Creative Teaching Awards.

Presented by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction, the Creative Teaching Awards recognize UGA faculty for excellence in developing and implementing creative teaching strategies to improve student learning.

“Our faculty continue to develop innovative teaching strategies to improve student engagement,” says Rahul Shrivastav, vice president for instruction. “The recipients of this year’s Creative Teaching Awards demonstrate our faculty’s commitment for improving student learning by incorporating active-learning strategies that extend teaching on a variety of platforms outside the physical classroom through the use of technology.”

Menke, an associate professor in English, has developed an innovative approach to analyzing a novel in collaboration with another faculty member and class from North Carolina State University. Wolf, a senior lecturer in history, uses a variety of teaching methods, including service-learning, game-based learning and active-learning strategies. Both Woodson, an assistant professor, and Savadatti, a lecturer, strive to impact learning and retention rates by incorporating active engagement strategies in their statics and fluid mechanics courses.

(Left to right) Faculty members Brock Woodson, Montgomery Wolf, Siddharth Savadatti and Richard Menke received 2015 Creative Teaching Awards during the Faculty Recognition Banquet in April.

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

Three recognized with Russell Awards Three UGA faculty members have received the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the university’s highest early-career teaching honor.

The 2015 winners are Peter Jutras, an associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Hugh Hodgson School of Music; Andrew Owsiak, an assistant professor of international affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs; and Jennifer Palmer, an assistant professor of history in the Franklin College.

“This year’s recipients of the Russell Awards share an exemplary dedication to creating life-changing learning experiences for students,” says Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Their innovative teaching methods and commitment to student success epitomize the world-class learning environment that the University of Georgia provides.”

The awards were established by the Russell Foundation and named for Richard B. Russell, the alumnus who served Georgia in public office for 50 years, including almost 40 years as a U.S. senator.

Peter Jutras

Andrew Owsiak

Jennifer Palmer

PRESERVING THE ARCH UGA’s iconic Arch is undergoing a preservation process that began in May and will continue through the summer. During the process, the Arch will receive a thorough cleaning as well as new primer, paint and wiring. Preservation repairs will be made, and a corrosion treatment will be applied. UGA’s Facilities Management Division will complete the work prior to the start of fall semester. “The Arch is a very historic campus landmark, and it will be handled with the utmost care throughout this process,” says Brett Ganas, director of the grounds department. “These preservation efforts will last for decades and will ensure the Arch continues to be a longstanding part of UGA’s campus.” In addition, a 6-foot path will be created to the west of the Arch to allow for easier access to and from the Broad Street bus stop and the rest of North Campus.


812.74.8

6,350-245,000 metric tons**

Estimated mass of plastic waste floating at the ocean surface

Jambeck et al., Science 2015

The 192 countries with a coast bordering Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, Mediterranean and Black seas produced a total of 2.5 billion metric tons of solid waste. Of that, 275 million metric tons was plastic, and an estimated 8 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste entered the ocean in 2010.

Plastic waste inputs from land into the

ocean in 2010

Generated by 2 billion people within 50 km (30 miles) of the coast

Mitigation options: Reduce plastic in waste stream

Improve solid waste managment

infrastructure

Increase capture

*Plastics Europe, "Plastics—the Facts 2013" (2010 data)**Cózar et al., 2014; Eriksen et al., 2014

million metric tonsGlobal plastic production*

270 275

99.5

31.9

Million metric tons of plastic waste goes into the ocean

million metric tonsTotal plastic waste

million metric tonsCoastal plastic waste

million metric tonsCoastal mismanaged

plastic waste

Monitoring marine waste Jenna Jambeck, UGA assistant professor of environmental engineering, made international news when her research on plastic waste going into the world’s oceans was published in the Feb. 13 edition of the journal Science. Jambeck and colleagues in the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis estimated that 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans per year.

“Eight million metric tons is the equivalent to finding five grocery bags full of plastic on every foot of coastline in the 192 countries we examined,” she says.

Jambeck’s research was covered in approximately 1,800 outlets, including The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, PBS “NewsHour,” TIME magazine, NPR and Scientific American. Coverage ran on national television networks and appeared in countries as far away as China and Australia.

Jambeck also is co-developer of the mobile app Marine Debris Tracker, a tool that allows people to report trash they find along the coast and in waterways.

Jenna Jambeck, shown at the Athens-Clarke County Landfill, is featured in the documentary film “eXXpedition,” which chronicles a 19-day trans-Atlantic voyage she took last summer on a sailboat with a crew of 13 other women.

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER

GRAPHIC BY LINDSAY ROBINSON


During a lull in her internship last summer at the Nashville Symphony, senior Katie Black checked her email. As she quickly scanned subject lines, one in particular caught her eye. It was from Dale Monson, director of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, and the message asked her to call him ASAP.

“My first instinct was, ‘Oh no, something went wrong,’” Black recalls. “So I called him and he said, ‘I have good news.’”

Monson told her that she had been chosen to receive a scholarship—and that it was coming from Gregg Allman.

“You mean Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers?” she asked Monson.

“It was so surreal,” she remembers.

With that, Black became the inaugural Gregg Allman Music Scholarship recipient. A voice performance major and talented soprano, she was selected for demonstrating an aptitude for leadership and for her involvement in the Hodgson School and the Terry College of Business’ Music Business Program.

“The extra money will help me get through the year,” Black says, “but just the fact that my teachers, the professors, the people that really shaped my time here would consider me for it … just knowing that they would think that I am worthy of this scholarship makes me believe [that] I can move on to the next step and succeed.”

CLOSE UP

Playing it forwardSouthern rock legend Gregg Allman endows a scholarshipto support UGA music students

by Emily Williams

Katie Black, first recipient of the Gregg Allman Music scholarship, practices with the Hodgson Singers. A voice performance major, she’s passionate about classical music and opera.

“

PETER FREY


Allman and his manager, Michael Lehman, created the scholarship with funds raised from a 2014 Gregg Allman tribute concert in Atlanta. They divided the money and started one scholarship at Syracuse University, where Lehman’s daughter attended college, and another at UGA, to benefit students at the flagship university in Allman’s home state.

In January, Allman announced the scholarship and its first recipient at a sold-out show in Athens. Black met him in the green room at the Georgia Theatre.

“It was so exciting,” Black says. “I was kind of shaking, and I couldn’t figure out if I was cold or nervous. But he was down to earth, easy to talk to [and] so humble, and it was really wonderful.”

From the stage, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Dean Alan Dorsey announced the new scholarship and introduced Black.

“Before we start the music, it is my honor to announce an important new relationship between Gregg Allman and the University of Georgia that will benefit our students for many years to come,” he said. “The Hugh Hodgson School of Music, a proving ground for so many fantastic musicians, is also now the home of the Gregg Allman Music Scholarship.”

Black took the stage and thanked Allman, who then said a few words.

“When I first started playing music, I, of course, played for myself,” Allman said, “meaning I played to feed the appetite for knowledge. I wanted to play because I wanted to play and learn... But later on you realize you can do things for other people, you know,

just doing what you love to do, and why not pay it forward? I really, really thank you so much and believe me, this is such a pleasure for me.”

Black understands Allman’s philanthropic passion for music, and she’s driven to make sure music is available for the public to enjoy. She graduated in May and plans to dedicate her career to sharing music with the world.

“I feel really passionate about classical music and opera in the U.S. because it is a dying art form,” Black says. “So for me, that is kind of what I want to do with my career. I want to be in a position where I can help to foster that music and make it available to people.”

Black is a member of the Hodgson Singers, a premier vocal ensemble at UGA that won the prestigious Ave Verum prize in an international choral competition in Baden, Austria, last year.

“I’ll never stop singing,” she says. “Singing is such a human activity. It connects you to other people. You carry this instrument with you, so why not?”

—Emily Williams is senior director of communications for the division of development and alumni relations.

...the fact that my teachers, the professors, the people that really shaped my time here would consider me for it … just knowing that they would think that I am worthy of this

scholarship makes me believe [that] I can move on to the next step and succeed.”—Katie Black

Gregg Allman performs at the Atlanta Symphony Hall in December. A founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, he launched a solo career after the death of his brother, Duane, in 1971.

“

Want to give? Visit giving.uga.edu or contact Suzi Wong at 706-542-9867 or [email protected].

KATIE DARBY/INVISION/AP)


CLOSE UP


Bulldog bookwormAthlete Malcolm Mitchell encourages kids to read

by Allyson Mann (MA ’92)photos by Andrew Davis Tucker

Malcolm Mitchell sits in front of 67 fifth-graders who’ve assembled in the media center at High Shoals Elementary School in Bishop. The UGA student and

football player greets the children on this sunny February day and then asks a question.

“Does anyone know why I’m here today?”“Because you’re awesome,” someone replies.Everyone laughs, including Mitchell, and then he gets serious.“I’m here because I read.”

Mitchell may be as well known for reading as he is for athletics. A top recruit out of Valdosta, the wide receiver posted

impressive numbers his first two seasons but was sidelined for a year after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in the 2013 opener. Last fall he was back on the field, and the Bulldog Nation exhaled in relief when he announced that he would return for his senior season.

But Mitchell has gotten just as much attention—if not more—for his off-the-field hobby. In August, UGA’s Athletic Association posted a video about his love of reading and how a chance encounter led to him joining a book club. While perusing bestsellers at Barnes & Noble, Mitchell asked a stranger, Kathy Rackley, for recommendations. In the course of conversation Rackley mentioned that she’d joined a book club, and Mitchell asked if he might be able to join too. Rackley explains her reply in the video.

“I said, ‘Well, I don’t know if you want to join ours. We’re all 40-, 50- and 60-year-old women,’” she remembers. “And he said, ‘I don’t care. I just like to read.’”

So Mitchell joined the book club, becoming fast friends with a group of women who are twice his age—or more. But stepping out of his comfort zone has had benefits, he tells the High Shoals students.

“This is one of the things reading did for me—it brought me to meeting great people, great new people, just like today,” he says.

“I just really want to encourage y’all just to keep reading, because it will make you smarter,” he says. “It’ll make you a better person. And some of you might come to really enjoy it and love it just as I do.”

UGA wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell talked to 5th-graders at High Shoals Elementary School about the importance of reading and how it made him more confident: “Every time I used to talk, I used to say ‘Um.’ And I guess the more I began to read, the more words just started flowing in my head. So now they just come out.”


The 21-year-old didn’t always enjoy reading. As a kid, he spent his time outside playing football and basketball

with friends. When he began college he was reading at about a junior high level, he told CBS News, which did a story on him in September. But, he tells the kids, several things convinced him that he needed to step up his reading game.

First, he read a label incorrectly and picked up the wrong item at a grocery store, not realizing it till he got home. Second, the movie buff was having trouble reading captions onscreen before they disappeared. And third, after watching interviews with people who he looked up to, he noticed that many of them said reading helped them to be successful.

“That’s when I picked up my first book and started reading,” he says.

These days, Mitchell has a book in his hand every spare moment. He reads after practice, in between classes and even during commercial breaks when he’s watching “SpongeBob SquarePants.” In addition to books, he reads magazines, journal articles, comics and sometimes newspapers. He prefers fiction to nonfiction, and his favorite genre is mystery.

He read the three-book Hunger Games series in two days—one of his proudest accomplishments, he told CBS News.

“[Football] came natural. That’s a gift,” he says in the video package. “I had to work to read.”

With acclaim comes the opportunity to have an impact on others. When the UGA Libraries instituted a “Student Picks” list, Mitchell was asked to make the inaugural pick. He chose The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, a memoir about the author’s unconventional upbringing. He’s set up special email and Twitter accounts to communicate his message about the importance of reading. And when he visits Georgia schools—he receives dozens of invitations—he tries to inspire children to embrace something that’s made a difference in his life.

“When I started reading I started liking it because it helped me have better conversations with people. It helped me be a better person, make better decisions,” he tells the kids. “It helped me be a better football player, to be honest, because the more I began to read the smarter I got. That’s just one of the many things that comes from reading.”

When I started reading I started liking it because it helped me have better conversations with people. It helped me be a better person, make better decisions.”

—Malcolm Mitchell“


Get Morewww.youtube.com/watch?v=16qmS26C08w

Twitter: @ReadWithMalcolm

[email protected]

The Malcolm Mitchell File

Favorite books: Probably the Harry Potter series

His comfort book: Anything from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

Cell phone ring tone: Whistle from “The Hunger Games” movie

Favorite superhero: Batman

Favorite movie: “The Dark Knight”

Nickname given to him by a former roommate: Dr. Seuss

His idol: His mom

Mitchell is visiting High Shoals Elementary today as a favor to

one of the therapists who helped him rehabilitate his knee. The therapist’s child is in the audience, which seems to have an inexhaustible supply of questions.

Was it hard to read the Hunger Games series in two days? (No, because he loved it.) Who is his favorite character on “SpongeBob?” (Patrick Star.) Did he play baseball when he was little? (No, and he calls his mom several times a week to ask why.) Does he like all the traveling he does with the football team? (Yes, he loves going to new places.) What does it feel like to lose a game? (It feels terrible. He goes home and doesn’t want to talk to anybody.)

The kids give Mitchell a book—

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, the 2015 Newbery Medal winner—and a recommended reading list. In a few minutes he’ll pose for pictures and then hand each child a UGA backpack as he or she heads back to class. In the backpack is a Read With Malcolm poster, a UGA folder containing stickers, and other assorted swag. But first he’s got to answer a question that’s more difficult.

“Would you rather read or play football for the rest of your life?”

Mitchell pauses.“If you’d asked me this last year,

I probably would have said football,” he says. “But now I will have to put a lot of thought into answering that question. Because reading does so much more for you than football possibly can.”

Above, Mitchell gets a hug from Ashlyn Joost as he gives out backpacks containing UGA swag. Left, Mitchell fields questions on everything from Coach Mark Richt (“He’s the nicest person in the world.”) to his favorite NFL team (“My motto is whoever’s giving me the most money is my favorite team.”) to reading recommendations (“Have you read all the Harry Potters? You’ve got to start there.”).

24 GEORGIA MAGAZINE

UGA’s new Delta Hall provides ample space for studying and relaxing. The three-story building was constructed in 1931 and purchased by the UGA Foundation in 2013.

Washington

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Bernadette Green stands in a narrow hallway of the U.S. Capitol, as Sen. Johnny Isakson prepares to film two 45-second videos. The senior public relations major created memos to

prepare Isakson and now reiterates key points, standing by press secretary Amanda Maddox (ABJ ’10). With one take each, Isakson (BBA ’66) returns to the Senate chambers.

Later that afternoon, Green tweets photos from Isakson’s meeting with Bulldog legend Herschel Walker (M ’85) in the senator’s office. When another senator had an opening for a press assistant, Isakson recommended Green. She moved into the full-time, paid position in March, two months before her May graduation from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“We’re all getting opportunities, and they’re great opportunities,” Green says.

Green was among the first students—a group of 29—to live in UGA’s Delta Hall this spring. The $12

million residential learning community houses UGA in Washington, the overarching term for the university’s various programs that extend UGA’s mission of teaching, research and service into the nation’s capital and offer students new opportunities year-round. UGA in Washington and Delta Hall will serve as home base for the Congressional Agricultural Fellowship Program, offered through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; the Washington Semester Program; Honors in Washington and additional opportunities for UGA students.

“As you look around the building, one point will become immediately clear: Delta Hall is a premier facility, providing students with all of the amenities they need to live and learn in Washington, D.C.,” says UGA President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80). “The true value of this facility, however, lies not in its design, but in the life-changing learning experiences it will facilitate for UGA students.”

WashingtonDelta Hall and expanded internship programs open doors for more students to live, work and learn in the nation’s capital

by Lori Johnston (ABJ ’95)

UGA in

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UGA first established a presence in Washington, D.C., in 1997 with the start of the Congressional Agricultural Fellowship program. The university’s footprint expanded in 2002 with the introduction of the Honors in Washington program. Several other schools and colleges followed with their own academic and internship programs, and in 2008, UGA made internship opportunities in the city available to all undergraduate students through the Washington Semester Program.

“It’s very important for the University of Georgia to have a permanent residence and program in Washington, D.C.,” says Bill Young Jr. (BBA ’78), UGA Foundation trustee and immediate past chair, who helped arrange the purchase of the building.

With Delta Hall, UGA joins institutions such as Stanford, Cornell and the University of California system with facilities in D.C.

“What this building does, it solidifies the program and it gives our

students the foundation and the sense of place that they need to fully leverage the experiential learning options that are available in the form of internships,” says John Spalding (AB ’82, JD ’85), chair of the UGA Foundation.

And the students, in turn, increase UGA’s visibility in D.C., says Andrew Dill, UGA’s director of federal relations.

“[The students] become such a big part of our mission because most of them are working on Capitol Hill, and they are the best advocates and the best promoters that we have,” he says.

Hosting government leaders and other key policy influencers at Delta Hall has a payoff for students too, he says.

“The ability for them to easily connect with their elected leaders inside the place where they live is such a unique opportunity,” Dill says. “If a member of Congress is having a breakfast there, and they’re able to connect with him… For a student, I’m just not sure it gets much better than that.”

Delta Hall is a homey brick Colonial befitting Washington’s history. It sits

on a residential street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, near Stanton Park and a statue of Nathanael Greene that points in the direction of the U.S. Capitol, less than a 10-minute walk away. Constructed in 1931 as a church society and club, the three-story, 20,000-square-foot building served as home to the American Society of Interior Designers before the UGA Foundation purchased the facility in 2013.

The purchase and renovation of Delta Hall was funded by private gifts to the UGA Foundation and without a single state dollar, according to Morehead. Trustees undertook a fundraising campaign to raise $12 million for an unrestricted endowment. The investment earnings from the endowment will be used to pay off the debt and then will be used in perpetuity to support UGA in Washington.

The building was named in honor of a $5 million grant from the Delta Air Lines Foundation in support of UGA in Washington. The grant also funds a lecture series and internships.

The opening of Delta Hall marks the first time UGA students have been able to live, study and take classes under the same roof while interning in the nation’s capital, and UGA pride is evident in its decor. The university’s seal is above the red front door, which opens to exposed brick and red walls and chairs with “G” logos. The building includes classroom and study space, common living areas, conference rooms, kitchens and suite-style rooms. Delta Hall can accommodate up to 32 students each semester in dorm-style rooms, in addition to staff housing and two guest suites.

President Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80) and UGA Foundation Trustee Bill Young Jr. (BBA ’78) pose with a rendering of Delta Hall at the building’s dedication Feb. 26. Young was instrumental in arranging the purchase of the facility, located in the heart of Capitol Hill.

DENNIS KAN


During spring semester, students in the Washington Semester Program (WSP) were the first to reside in Delta Hall. From

17 majors, they represented UGA in full-time internships with members of Congress, federal agencies, think tanks, nonprofits, PR firms, public policy and legal centers, broadcast outlets and museums.

Morehead, who also founded the Honors in Washington program in 2001 during his tenure as director of the Honors Program, started the WSP to expand experiential learning opportunities for all undergraduates.

“Our students needed a more sustained and structured way of participating in internships and learning opportunities in the nation’s capital,” he says.

The UGA Foundation awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships for the 2014-15 academic year. The Foundation also is seeking gifts to support more scholarships for D.C.-bound students.

“I want to make sure that in the long term this is a program that any student at the University of Georgia can aspire to participate in, and that finances will not be a barrier to a student achieving their dream of going to Washington, D.C., and living and learning there,” Morehead says.

The WSP combines demanding internships—at least 30 hours a week and typically unpaid—with rigorous coursework.

At least two nights a week, students meet in Delta Hall’s ground-floor classrooms to take classes in law, political science and journalism. Some remain in their suits and skirts while others trade business attire for yoga pants and slippers. The classes last up to three hours, then some students congregate in glass-enclosed conference rooms and lounge areas to read, study and write papers.

The upper-level classes bring a uniquely D.C. perspective to academics, says WSP Director Don DeMaria. During spring semester, Paul Kurtz, associate dean and J. Alton Hosch Professor Emeritus in the UGA School of Law, taught

Top left: During spring semester, 29 students in the Washington Semester Program (WSP) resided in Delta Hall. The residential learning community features classroom and study space, common living areas, conference rooms, kitchens and suite-style rooms.

Top right: Senior Kathleen Wilson, an intern with the U.S. Department of State, finds a quiet place to study.

Bottom right: Delta Air Lines’ Tad Hutcheson (left), vice president of community affairs, and Allison Ausband (ABJ ’83), senior vice presi-dent of in-flight service, attended the February dedication ceremony.

DENNIS KAN

PETER FREY

COOPER CARRY/JOSH MEISTER PHOTO


“Supreme Court and the Constitution,” and Frank LoMonte (J.D. ’00), executive director of the nonprofit Student Press Law Center, taught “Social Media and the Law.” Students also attend events, such as panel discussions at the Newseum and artist talks at the Smithsonian, and are encouraged to experience activities such as Supreme Court oral arguments.

“This is the busiest they will ever be as an undergrad,” DeMaria says. “If they’re not tired, I didn’t do my job or they didn’t do theirs.”

This summer, students in the Congressional Agricultural Fellowship through CAES, Honors in Washington and the new Grady @ D.C. will occupy Delta Hall.

CAES Dean Scott Angle is looking forward to having the students together even after work hours.

“Because they would all scatter out and live in a different place, we never had the ability to hold them together as a cohort,” he says. “What we can do now—since they all live in the same place and all have essentially the same schedules—we’ll be able to bring seminars in for them, to bring guest speakers, to take them out to lunch and to dinner, and to have visitors with an agricultural background come interact with them on a fairly regular basis.”

Above, Betty Hudson (second from right) talks with (from left) senior Stephanie Lightfoot, senior Jackie Ryback, senior Javier Trejo and junior Megan Smith after leading a seminar for WSP during spring. Hudson (ABJ ’71) is chief communications officer of the National Geographic Society. Below, Delta Hall sits on a residential street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, less than a 10-minute walk to the U.S. Capitol.

PETER FREY

COOPER CARRY/JOSH MEISTER PHOTO


Living at the same location will naturally create tighter bonds among the students, says David Williams (AB ’79, MA ’82), director of UGA’s Honors Program.

“Having Delta Hall as a place to call ‘home away from home’ facilitates personal relationships and helps develop a stronger sense of community. Each student will get to hear and learn about others’ internships and daily experiences, which will broaden their own understanding of our nation’s capital.”

“Work starts now,” says Nylah Oliver, a junior digital and

broadcast journalism major interning at Voice of America, a broadcast network funded by the U.S. government. It’s around 8:45 a.m., and Oliver grabs a copy of a daily paper outside a Metro station entrance within view of the Capitol. While she waits each day for the train, she looks for stories that may appeal to Voice of America’s international audience.

“You feel proud of your school, so you want to do your best,” she says.

Chris Devine, a senior majoring in political science and international affairs, says interning in Isakson’s office confirmed his decision to work in energy policy. He was among five UGA interns

working for the senator during spring.“The Washington Semester

Program is a meaningful program for students at a critical time in their life,” Isakson says. The senator, who attended the dedication of Delta Hall in late February, adds that the facility is a “godsend” for the interns because of the security and quality of affordable living arrangements.

Before 2015, UGA students lived in apartments in The Congressional on Capitol Hill, offered through Washington Intern Student Housing. UGA also had to secure other places to hold nighttime classes.

Living together gives students a support system that even some employers say they appreciate UGA providing. During orientation, the students learn how to navigate the city, where to buy groceries and other tips so they can focus on their internships.

“I could not have asked for a better living situation in D.C.,” says Trang Nguyen, an Avalere Health intern and Foundation Fellow pursing her bachelor’s in communication studies and master’s in health policy and management.

Senior Torie Ness, who received a public policy fellowship offered by Isakson’s office and the School of Public and International Affairs, did not want

to pass up a D.C. internship and the chance to work on veterans’ issues for Isakson, chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. She plans to be a lobbyist.

“I’ve got to learn how things work on The Hill. Working on The Hill is an integral part of my plan,” she says. “I’ve got realistic work-world experience, and I haven’t even graduated.”

Former UGA interns now work for congressmen, the federal government—including the departments of Homeland Security and State—and for consulting, government relations and PR firms.

“My replacement is probably going to be one of these interns,” Isakson says.

—Lori Johnston is a writer living in Bogart.

Get More

dcsemester.uga.edu

honors.uga.edu/c_s/internships/honors_in_washington.html

grady.uga.edu/studyabroad/DC

Want to give? Visit giving.uga.edu or contact Will Willimon at 706-542-3059 or [email protected].

Junior Nylah Oliver poses on set at Voice of America (VOA) while “Africa 54” host Vincent Makori prepares for a broadcast. During her VOA internship this spring, Oliver ran the teleprompter and did voice-over work for “Africa 54,” a TV news show broadcast in Africa.

PETER FREY

BEATINGTHE ODDSUGA researchers develop a new rabies vaccine using a platform that has promise for treating other diseases

by Denise H. Horton (ABJ ’83, MPA ’11)

photos by Peter Frey (BFA ’94)

Cells infected with the PIV5 virus—which UGA researchers have used to create a new vaccine for rabies—are shown as magnified by a microscope.


IMAGE COURTESY OF BIAO HE


BEATING

Amy Scarborough (AB ’97, MS ’03) has no trouble remembering the year she turned 30. It was 2004, and

she was working on her master’s degree in historic costume design while battling Hodgkin lymphoma—and she was bitten by a rabid cat.

“I heard a cat meowing outside our house, walked out and, with no warning, it flew through the air and attached itself to my calf,” Scarborough recalls. “I’m sure it looked like a cartoon with me shaking my leg and that cat hanging on!”

While her experience was, no doubt, terrifying, Scarborough was actually very fortunate. Had she lived in a remote part of the world, she might have died, according to Biao He, professor of infectious diseases, Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator and the Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in Veterinary Medicine.

“Each year, at least 50,000 people die worldwide from rabies according to the World Health Organization,” He says. “There are many contributing factors. The current post-exposure treatment is expensive—$3,000 to $5,000. That means a lot of people in a resources-limited area can’t afford it. People in these areas often live far from a hospital. It might take them several days to even get to a hospital. The current protocol requires four shots over the course of two weeks, which is difficult if you live far away. And … you may not know you were exposed to rabies until you begin to have symptoms. Currently, once you exhibit symptoms it’s too late for treatment. You are probably going to die.”

As part of an effort to reduce the number of people who die from rabies, He and colleague Zhen Fu, an internationally recognized expert on rabies and a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s pathology department, have developed a new vaccine that requires only one shot, is substantially cheaper to make, doesn’t expose patients to the live rabies virus, and, perhaps most important, can be administered several days after exposure.

Rabies is a viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal,

according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vast majority of cases reported occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes. Rabies infects the central nervous system, and early symptoms are similar to other illnesses—fever, headache and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, symptoms may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, increase in saliva, difficulty swallowing and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms.

After freeing herself from the cat, Scarborough immediately went to Athens Regional Medical Center.

“I told them I was on chemo and had just been attacked by a cat,” she says. “They immediately treated the wound, gave me a big dose of antibiotics and started me on the rabies shots.” (There was little question the cat was rabid since it also attacked two of Scarborough’s neighbors. It was eventually caught and euthanized.)

Scarborough can’t recall if she had four or six rabies shots, but does remember having a month of daily shots of blood thinner in her stomach. The rabies vaccine was interfering with other blood-thinning medication she was receiving to prevent blood clots caused by her chemo treatment.

“The doctors really had no idea how this would go,” Scarborough says of the rabies shots. “My immune system was so low because of the cancer treatments. The doctors didn’t tell me how serious it was, but looking back, I’m sure I was very fortunate to have come through all of this OK.”

Today Scarborough is completely healthy and lives with her husband and two young daughters in Savannah, where she works as a consultant.


“Currently, once you exhibit symptoms it’s too late

for treatment. You are probably going to die.”


In creating their new treatment, He and Fu used a rabies protein, rather

than the current standard of using a killed (inactivated) version of the whole virus.

“Vaccines are like a training tool,” He explains, using a fairy tale analogy. “It’s like training a village to recognize a monster when it is coming. You use a small piece of the monster that the villagers learn to quickly recognize and arm themselves.”

The second step in He and Fu’s work focused on the “platform” that carries the rabies protein.

“To become trained, something has to carry the bit of the monster to the village,” says He, returning to his analogy. “If the villagers have had a scary experience with the messenger, say it’s a dog, they might begin responding every time a dog comes around, rather than only to the monster. It’s important that the messenger is viewed as completely benign, like a unicorn, perhaps.”

The “unicorn” in He and Fu’s rabies vaccine is paramyxovirus parainfluenza virus 5, or PIV5, a virus that is completely harmless to humans.

“This virus has only seven genes,” He explains. “We know its entire genome sequence and can re-engineer it and add additional genes.”

The re-engineering does more than just provide a benign carrier for the rabies gene, He says. When the vaccine is injected, it “self-amplifies” and becomes much more potent, causing an immune response that is far greater than that of current rabies vaccines.

“This growth is very transient, though,” He says. “It’s gone in a few days, which makes it safe.”

In their studies, He and Fu exposed mice to a strain of rabies that generally reaches the brain within three days. The

mice usually begin showing symptoms by day six that indicate the infection has become fatal.

Using the new vaccine, however, 50 percent of the mice survived, even when the treatment wasn’t given until six days after they had been infected with the rabies virus.

“These preliminary results are very exciting, but we are confident that we can combine this new vaccine with other therapies to boost survival rates even higher,” He says.

Testing the vaccine on dogs is likely the next step in He and Fu’s research. If

successful, the treatment might become a new method for vaccinating dogs and cats, even those that are feral, He says.

“This could become a very cost-effective way to vaccinate stray animals and control rabies in a population,” He says. “Not only can it be made less expensively, but if we are successful in making it edible it will be a much easier way to eliminate rabies, especially for animals in the wild, than having to use injections.”

While work on the new rabies vaccine continues, He also is busy developing other

new vaccines using the PIV5 platform. To date, he has inserted genes for emerging avian influenza viruses, malaria, HIV, Ebola, and tuberculosis into the PIV5 virus and seen positive results for all of them.

“One of the benefits of this platform is that we can rather quickly create new vaccines,” He says. “And, having a high-containment research facility on our campus allows us to work safely with pathogens like emerging avian influenza viruses.”

He’s new platform is a significant change in how vaccines are made. However, he credits much of his success to his UGA colleagues.

“My research has flourished and I’ve been able to expand into new areas because there are so many faculty working on such interesting issues,” says He, who moved to UGA in 2009 after spending eight years at Pennsylvania State University. “That’s why I like my job. We are going to develop new vaccines that are going to have a positive societal impact.”

—Denise H. Horton is a freelance writer in Athens.

The new rabies vaccine created by UGA researchers Biao He (left) and Zhen Fu (right) is cheaper, safer and can be administered several days after exposure. In addition to saving lives—the WHO estimates that 50,000 die each year from rabies—their platform using the PIV5 virus shows promise for treating additional diseases.


UGA is home to five a cappella groups that don’t just bring it—they sing it

It looks like a version of musical chairs. Just without chairs.Young women stand in a circle as junior Jordan Adam plays two notes

at a piano, and they all begin to sing “Al-le-lu-ia.” The voices climb higher as her fingers proceed up the keys.

“Switch!” she says.Five singing women exit the circle, walk around it and then join in at a

different spot, leaning in to listen to the singers on their right and left. The piano notes rise higher and higher, and the voices respond until Adam says, “Good,” and the music stops.

There’s an ever-so-slight sigh of relief.

PITCH, PLEASEFive of the young women in the circle are vying for a coveted spot in

Noteworthy, a women’s a cappella group on the UGA campus. To get to the finals, they had to pass the first hurdle two days earlier, by singing a solo, doing some sight-reading and displaying range and tonal memory. Now they’re singing with members of Noteworthy—who are evaluating them—on either side and trying to blend in with the established group. It’s critical they sound good together, because in a cappella the voice is the only instrument.

“I’ve been singing my whole life,” says Adam, assistant music director and a member for two years. “Noteworthy actually visited my high school.

PERFECTPITCH

by Rebecca McCarthy

Members of UGA’s five a cappella groups came together for a photo shoot at the Georgia Center in March. On the front row (left to right) are Leah Shedrow (Classic City Jazz), Sarah Gooding (the Ecotones), Gemille Walker (the Accidentals), Amanda Wolfe (Noteworthy) and Robert Thomas (With Someone Else’s Money).

PHOTO BY ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER


A cappella groups choose their songs, arrange the music, choreograph their numbers and rehearse several times a week to prepare for performances and competitions. Clockwise, from top left: Kip Lacy sings a solo during an Ecotones rehearsal. Accidentals members (left to right) David Miller, Hunter Ballard, Tony Rhone and Jacob Plunkett sing during a rehearsal. Andrew Ivonov plays piano and Justin Han directs during a Classic City Jazz practice. Marcus Whitten sings a solo during a rehearsal for With Someone Else’s Money. Ally Ulmer sings while practicing with Noteworthy.

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN LEE


When I saw them, I knew I wanted to be a classy and sassy lady of Noteworthy.”

The women’s group, established in 1988, isn’t the only campus outlet for a cappella student singers. There’s also the all-male Accidentals, whose beginnings date to the 1970s. And there are more recent coed groups, With Someone Else’s Money (WSEM) and the Ecotones, whose members are largely ecology students. Classic City Jazz, also coed, sings both a cappella and with instrumental accompaniment.

“I knew I wanted to be in a coed group,” says senior Dina Zolan, a member of WSEM. “You’re singing music and making something together, it’s really unlike anything else in the whole world. We really enjoy doing it.”

To sing well together, a cappella singers say they have to get along. The members choose what they will perform, arrange the songs, choreograph the numbers and rehearse hours each week. They sing on campus and in town, for nonprofits and for private parties. They raise money for competitions, create and market CDs of their work and maintain an active online presence.

“If we didn’t get along so well, we couldn’t do what we do,” says senior Courtney Purvis, who counts the other 12 women in Noteworthy among her closest friends. Four of them even share a house.

HANDS IN“There are so many groups

that just pop up here and there, it’s kind of amazing,” says Amanda Newman, executive director of Varsity Vocals, which runs the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). “Before ‘Pitch Perfect’ it was, well, kind of a joke for people who didn’t know about it.”

Released in 2012, the movie “Pitch Perfect” stars Anna Kendrick and tells the story of the underdog Bellas, a

women’s a cappella group from fictional Barden University, as they learn to sing together and compete for a national title. In “Pitch Perfect 2,” released last month, they advance to an international competition.

“After the [first] movie, I think, more people began to think that a cappella singing was cool,” Newman says. “It was a huge bump for us. Now it’s in the general public awareness, and it’s really exciting. I think ‘American Idol’ is also helping to drive interest in a cappella singing.”

The ICCA tournament is structured sort of like the NCCA basketball finals. There are quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, and even a wild card spot, which bring 10 teams to New York’s Beacon Theatre for the championship. Each team has 12 minutes to fill with songs and choreography. In 2010, the Accidentals came in third, the closest they’ve come to winning. In January, Noteworthy placed third in the 2015 quarterfinals, with Adam winning an award for best solo.

Although its popularity is surging, a cappella—Latin for “in the style of the chapel”—has been on college campuses for more than 100 years, Newman says. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Rensselyrics may be the oldest college a cappella group, evolving from the RPI Glee Club founded in 1873. In 1909, a few members from Yale University’s glee club began meeting to sing songs of their own choosing; the group became the Whiffenpoofs, said to be the longest continuously operating a cappella group in the country.

CRUSHING ITLike the other a cappella groups

on campus, the Accidentals perform at private parties and nonprofit events like UGA’s annual Dance Marathon. They also give concerts around the state and region, and they stage UGAPalooza, an

a cappella fest at the Morton Theatre in Athens. Every other year they enter the ICCA, trading off with Noteworthy, and they’re usually in the finals. During the off year, the Accidentals often record an album, says music director Gemille Walker, a UGA senior.

“We sound as good as we do because of our awesome music director,” says senior Jacob Plunkett, a member of the Accidentals for four years. “Gemille arranges the music to make us all sound good together.”

The Accidentals sound like they’re using instruments, but they’re not. The sounds of drums or guitars or trombones or cymbals or a tambourine—or some combination of pieces of a drum set—are coming from freshman Harold Liu, the group’s beatboxer, or vocal percussionist. Though he plays the trombone, guitar and piano, he’s also been “making those noises” since the seventh grade, he says. His many contributions keep things moving along and make the singing snap, crackle and pop with electricity.

At a recent rehearsal, the group is singing Walker’s arrangement of Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True.” Walker stops the singing a few times: The baritones need to fade a little, and the tenors need to sing a little louder, in harmony, he tells them.

“And it’s da-da-DAH! Not da-da-daaaaah,” he says. The tenors crisp up their da-da’s, and Walker nods as he snaps his fingers.

He and junior David Miller, assistant music director, work to hear when someone is a little flat or is rushing the song. If Walker hears a false note when they’re performing, he’ll smile at the audience but make eye contact with the singer and raise an eyebrow or change his facial expression slightly.

“It’s helped us in performance,” he says with a laugh. “I think everyone is getting better at reading my expressions.”

—Rebecca McCarthy is a writer living in Athens.


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CLASS NOTESCompiled by Daniel Funke

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Alton Brown (AB ’04) conducts a “large, potentially dangerous and impractical” cooking experiment during his Alton Brown Live: Edible Inevitable Tour. Billed as a culinary variety show, it features food, comedy, music, puppets and a poncho zone—audience members in the first few rows get protective gear in case there is “airborne particulate matter.” Cooking demonstrations involve fire extinguishers, liquid nitrogen and the creation of a giant easy-bake oven. Brown, the host of Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and “Cutthroat Kitchen,” visited campus last month and served as keynote speaker for the UGA Alumni Association’s Return to the Arch Alumni Seminar.

DAVID ALLEN

1950-1954Terry Wingfield (BBA ’51) of Athens received the Billy Hudson Distinguished Citizen Award from the Northeast Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America during a banquet Feb. 24. He is the former secretary treasurer of the UGA Athletic Department’s Georgia Student Educational Fund. Mary Compher Stevenson (BSPh ’53) of Smyrna retired from Emory Adventist Hospital in 2010. She is the widow of William Stevenson (BSPh ’53).

1955-1959William Hitt (BSPh ’55) of St. Simons

Island retired from his family medicine practice after more than 50 years in the pharmacy and medicine industry. He and his wife, Mary Barton, have five children and nine grandchildren. Dewey Bedingfield (BSPh ’56) of Cumming retired in 1993 after 37 years as a pharmacist in the Atlanta area. B. Joel Massey (BSPh ’58) of Macon owned Massey’s Pharmacy for 22 years and retired from Eckerd Drugs in 2008 after 50 years of practice. His wife, Jeanette Massey, died in 2012.

1960-1964Jim Buckner (BSFR ’64, MS ’69) of Thomaston is mostly retired after working at International Paper’s Southlands Experiment Forest in Bainbridge for several years.

Butch Parrish (BSPh ’64) of Swainsboro was selected as a 2015 Legislator of the Year for his support of the life sciences industry and university research in the 2014 Georgia General Assembly. He is serving his 15th term in the Georgia House of Representatives.

1965-1969Tim Fendley (BSFR ’65, MS ’68) of Seneca, S.C., retired in 2003 after working as a professor of wildlife ecology at Clemson University. Tom Pullen (BS ’65, MS ’67, PhD ’71) of Byram, Miss., retired from the Mississippi Valley Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2003 and now works part time for the National Audubon Society. He is also president of the Mississippi Ornithological Society.


Chad Eikhoff (BFA ’97), founder and director of TRICK 3D in Atlanta, spends his professional life immersed in a digital universe. He acknowledges that he likes “creating new things. I love creating unique worlds by utilizing and creating new technology.” TRICK 3D’s demo tape showcases the company’s innovative computer-generated images. A glowing cityscape at night, for example, appears to be a real metropolis, but is actually a creative work of the imagination. “Christopher Nolan (director of the ‘Dark Knight’ movies) contributed a map of Gotham City,” he says, “and then we built a digital version of it. That was our first high-profile project.” “I get to play for a living. We make amazing virtual reality, animated and interactive experiences, in photo-real and cartoon styles. It’s my 6-year-old self’s dream come true, except there wasn’t virtual reality then,” Eikhoff says. Eikhoff’s most visible project to date has been a 30-minute animated TV show based on the immensely popular children’s picture book and toy, The Elf on the Shelf. “Our Christmas special hit #1 on CBS, iTunes and in Barnes & Noble” he says. “The highlight for me was being interviewed during the Macy’s parade and having a giant balloon of our character float through NYC! It’s an incredible honor to have so many families embrace ‘An Elf’s Story’ as part of their Christmas tradition.” Eikhoff began experimenting with animation in high school and later studied photography and filmmaking at the Lamar Dodd School of Art: “It was a blessing that I took classes with (Professors) Jim Herbert and Mary Ruth Moore. They were important in my development as an artist and in my life.” He made his first feature right after graduation with film donated by Kodak and a miniscule budget of $6,000. Eikhoff produced two more features—“Other Side” and

Animated awesomenessAlum’s studio specializes in creating commercial and original entertainment

by John W. English

SPECIALChad Eikhoff

ALUMNI PROFILE

“Dance of the Dead”—before delving into visual effects, animation and interactive virtual reality by establishing his own production facility. With a digital skill set, Eikhoff and his creative team began producing architectural renderings in 3-D, visualizing luxe apartments in buildings that hadn’t yet been constructed. “You’re looking inside beautiful spaces that don’t yet exist,” he says. “It is the exact same skill set we used for creating the virtual Gotham City.” In addition to producing CG-animation, Eikhoff films live actors in virtual environments. Standing in the first “green room” for virtual-reality programming in the Southeast, Eikhoff asks a staff videographer to demonstrate how the studio space is digitally converted into a realistic stage setting. With a flip of a switch, the studio instantly becomes a centuries-old cathedral on the monitor, visually accurate in every detail. “This is a brand-new tool we created at TRICK 3D. We use it… on larger movies and commercial productions.” “I hope some of our work will stand the test of time,” he says, “so I [strive] to imbue our work with a deeper sense of artistry and technique.”

—John W. English, professor emeritus of journalism, is a frequent contributor to GM.

CLASSNOTES


June 30 will mark the end of my two-year term as president of the UGA Alumni Association. Since relocating to the Athens area with my college sweetheart, Kitty (BBA ’78), it has been my privilege to represent University of Georgia alumni. There are many memories as president that I will cherish for the rest of my days; however, what I will remember most is the Alumni Association staff. I will remember how tirelessly they work to provide top-shelf programming and events, and how they prepared me for this position. Most importantly, I will remember how they made me feel like royalty each time I entered a room. On July 1, Ruth Bartlett (BBA ’76) will take over as president. Ruth has served on the UGA Alumni Association board of directors since 2009 and helped launch our alumni chapter in Hilton Head. I look forward to Ruth’s leadership as the university moves toward the public phase of its comprehensive fundraising campaign. I invite alumni and friends to the final stop on the 2015 UGA Day Tour on July 27 in Atlanta. The other six stops this spring have been outstanding, and I expect even more excitement as we close the tour in the city that’s home to approximately one-third of UGA alumni. As I conclude my term, I ask you to assess how you have given back to UGA since last summer. Do not think multimillion dollar gifts are the only ones that matter to the university. The rate of alumni giving is a factor in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings. Therefore, if a larger percentage of alumni contribute to UGA—in any amount—the university’s rankings should continue to climb. As UGA’s reputation is enhanced, so is the value of the degree each of us holds. Support the academic excellence in Athens by making a gift at giving.uga.edu. Making an annual donation to the Georgia Fund is just one way to help your alma mater. There are numerous other ways to show your love of/for UGA—attend an event hosted by the Alumni Association or your specific school/college; join your local alumni chapter; return to campus to interact with students; work with the Career Center to hire interns and graduates; or simply boast about UGA to everyone you know. Come to Athens soon (and often), and stay closely connected to UGA. I sincerely thank you for allowing me to serve as your UGA Alumni Association president. Always a Dawg, Tim Keadle (BBA ’78), president UGA Alumni Association

®

Tim Keadle

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WEBSITEwww.alumni.uga.edu800/606-8786 or 706/542-2251

ADDRESS CHANGESwww.alumni.uga.edu/myinfo 888/268-5442

Meredith Gurley Johnson(BSFCS ’00), Executive Director

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERSTim Keadle (BBA ’78)President, StathamRuth Bartlett (BBA ’76)Vice President, Hilton Head Island

Jennifer Chapman (BBA ’97, MAcc ’98, JD ’02), Treasurer, AthensBonney Shuman (BBA ’80)Assistant Treasurer, St. Simons IslandJulie Reynolds (BSHE ’81)Secretary, LawrencevilleSteve Jones (BBA ’78, JD ’87)Immediate Past President, Atlanta

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

John Sweeney (BSFR ’67, MS ’71) of Central, S.C., retired from teaching at Clemson University in 2009 and now spends time with his wife, Sheron Sweeney. William Moore (BSFR ’68, MS ’71) of Union, S.C., has been working as a wildlife biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources since 1990. He and his fiancée, Jackie Petty, have been dating for 23 years. Carroll Allen (BSFR ’69, MS ’77) of Arnoldsville retired from his job at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 2005 and now spends time with his wife, Linda Allen, and their grandchildren. Richard Chandler (AB ’69, JD ’73) of Buford was named Citizen of the Year by the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce in February. James Cobb (AB ’69, MA ’72, PhD ’75) of Athens received the 2015 Woodard-Franklin Award for Historical Writing from the Fellowship of Southern Writers during a Southern Lit Alliance event in April. He is the Spalding Distinguished Professor of History at UGA and has written several books on cultural and economic interactions in the American South. Robert Folk III (BSFR ’69, MS ’75) of Green Pond, S.C., founded Folk Land Management Inc. in 1988. He has been married to Sharon Folk since 1972 and has two sons named Travis and Clay. Charles Roberts (BSPh ’69) of Griffin retired from Rite Aid Pharmacy Oct. 5. He and his wife, Vicki Roberts, have two children and three grandchildren. Lewis Rogers (BSFR ’69) of Rocky Ford retired from his job as a wildlife biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in 1995 and moved to Statesboro, where he works with his brother, Gene Rogers (BSFR ’59), in forestry and wildlife consulting.

1970-1974James “Bud” Brown (BSA ’70) of Villa Rica joined the sales team at Residex, a distributor of pest control


For more information:[email protected](800) 606-8786www.alumni.uga.edu

ALUMNI calendar

Sunday, June 17, 6 to 7:30 p.m.UGA in Washington Reception, Washington, D.C.

Gather with fellow UGA alumni and friends as the university hosts a reception for those living in the largest alumni-populated city outside Georgia. Mix and mingle at Union Station while hearing updates from campus.

Friday, June 26, 9 p.m. to midnightUGA Young Alumni Night at SweetWater, Atlanta

Young alumni are invited to this annual gathering at SweetWater Brewing Company.

Monday, July 27Doors: 6 p.m. / Program: 7 p.m.UGA Day in Atlanta

The university brings the Bulldog spirit to alumni, friends and fans in the Atlanta area on the final stop of the 2015 UGA Day Tour. Special guests for this family-friendly event will include UGA President Jere W. Morehead, Football Coach Mark Richt, Men’s Basketball Coach Mark Fox and Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin. Visit www.alumni.uga.edu/ugaday for event details and registration.

Sunday, Aug. 16Fifth Annual Freshman Welcome, Athens

The UGA Student Alumni Association and the Student Government Association will officially welcome the Class of 2019 by inviting new students to Sanford Stadium for a class photo Between the Hedges.

Thursday, Sept. 10Doors: 11:30 a.m. / Lunch: Noon2015 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon, Atlanta

Join the UGA Alumni Association as it recognizes and celebrates 40 of UGA’s most successful alumni under the age of 40. For more information about attending this event at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta or serving as a sponsor, visit www.alumni.uga.edu/40u40. To learn about these and other events, please visit www.alumni.uga.edu/calendar.

Kabbage Inc. co-founder Marc Gorlin (second from left) celebrates Kabbage being named the 2015 Bulldog 100 fastest-growing business Feb. 7 in Atlanta. Gorlin (ABJ ’95) is joined by (left to right) Meredith Gurley Johnson (BSFCS ’00), executive director of alumni relations; Charles Davis (MA ’92), dean of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; and Tim Keadle (BBA ’78), president of the UGA Alumni Association.

WINGATE DOWNS (ABJ ’79)

UGA alumni, staff and students gathered in Los Angeles in February for the first Alumni Leadership Assembly held on the West Coast. Leaders learned best practices for operating successful alumni chapters in their cities.

UGA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

CLASSNOTES


WHYIgive

Donor by designStudent began giving back to UGA as a sophomore

by Kellyn Willis (ABJ ’09)

Senior Elizabeth Tarver is a third pillar donor, having made gifts to the university three years in a row. She’s a big supporter now, but there was a time when she wasn’t sure if UGA was the right place for her. Tarver’s father and brother both attended UGA, and she didn’t want to follow too closely in their footsteps. An independent soul, she wanted to forge her own path. But one campus tour was enough to change her mind. “I fell in love with campus, classes and the Athens experience,” she says. Tarver has embraced campus life and served in a number of student organizations, including the Student Government Association, the Arch Society, a national Panhellenic sorority and a student-run philanthropy called Shop with a Bulldawg. “These student-run organizations have had a major impact on my UGA career,” she says. “The one thing I’ve noticed through the organizations is that all the students have this passion… that they dedicate to that organization that makes them advance that organization every year.” This same passion carries over into her yearly donations to the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication or to the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Tarver gives to allow others the experience of being part of the Bulldog Nation. “I give because I see the results on this campus. I see where the money goes. I see how it helps, not just me but other students. It gives people a chance to be at this university that might not have had the chance to be here.” Tarver knows that her dedication to supporting the advancement of UGA will continue even after graduation. “Not many things affect you in your life that make you want to give back to it. I already love this university, and I want to be the kind of donor who gives continuously and comes back to this university and sees how my donations have impacted the student body and student campus life.”

—Kellyn Willis is assistant director of communications for the division of development and alumni relations.

EMILY WILLIAMS

and turf grass management supplies, in January. Richard Herzog Jr. (AB ’70, JD ’79) of Atlanta was elected to membership in the American Law Institute in January. Bill Hendrick (ABJ ’71) of Marietta was hired by the Associated Press in January to help cover the 2015 Georgia legislative session. Daniel Redden (BSPh ’71) of Neptune Beach, Fla., is a staff pharmacist at the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville. Bill Wallace (ABJ ’71) of Signal Mountain, Tenn., was elected vice mayor of Signal Mountain after serving for four years on the Town Council. Clint Drane (BSPh ’73) of Tampa, Fla., is now working at Winn-Dixie. Previously he served as the operations manager for Eckerd Drugs and the inventory director of Pharmerica. Henry Jackson (BS ’73) of Martinez received the Significant Sig Award, which recognizes successful Sigma Chi fraternity alumni. Fred Sharpe (BSPh ’74) of Albany was named the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus of the UGA College of Pharmacy for his work at U-Save-It Pharmacy, of which he owns stores in five different states. He also serves on both the College of Pharmacy Comprehensive Campaign Board and the Pharmacy Advisory Board.

1975-1979Ron Anderson (AB ’75) of Columbus retired from his position as associate artistic director at the Springer Opera House in January. Katherine Bridges (BLA ’77) of New York City was recognized as one of the winners of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation’s Built by Women New York City competition, which highlights 100 outstanding structures and environments created by women. Dawn Worthey (ABJ ’77) of Canton hosted an exhibition titled “F-Light,” which showcased the “Butterfly Effect Series” by artist Rubem Robierb, with Sam Champion, anchor and managing


editor for The Weather Channel, in January. Robert Warnock (BSPh ’78) of Bishop was appointed to the Georgia Board of Pharmacy. He is the senior vice president of pharmacy services at UHS-Pruitt Corp. Deborah Norville (ABJ ’79) of New York City celebrated her 20th year of working at CBS’ news program “Inside Edition” in February.

1980-1984Earl “Buddy” Carter (BSPh ’80) of Pooler is serving his first full term as a Republican senator representing Bryan County and parts of Chatham and Liberty counties in the Georgia state legislature. Roger “Bo” Ryles (BSA ’80, MAEx ’88, EdD ’96) of Watkinsville received the 2015 Georgia 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award in February for his former work as a state 4-H leader and director. He will be honored Aug. 8 at the annual Georgia 4-H Gala. Barry Bryant (BSPh ’81) of North Augusta, S.C., received the Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award at the 24th annual Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference for his work as owner of Barney’s Pharmacy in Augusta. Ellen Crane Schulman (ABJ ’81) of Lighthouse Point, Fla., was appointed director of public affairs at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Global in February. Previously she served as president of her own public relations firm, which will be merged into Fort Lauderdale-based Pierson Grant Public Relations. Cynthia Vickery (BSPh ’82) of Valdosta was named administrative director of pharmaceutical services at the South Georgia Medical Center, where she has worked for 25 years. Leslie Johnson (ABJ ’83, MA ’87) of Cartersville was appointed dean of Georgia Highlands College’s Cartersville campus. Tami Barron (BSAE ’84) of Fayetteville was named CEO of the Southern Co.’s SouthernLINC Wireless network in January. David Chandley (ABJ

Reflections from a Bulldog Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley (ABJ ’14) graduated in December but is

staying busy, much like he did as a student. Last July “Retribution,” a “Star Wars” fan-fiction film that he wrote and directed, garnered more than 376,000 YouTube views in two and a half weeks. In September he was named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an award that recognizes student-athletes committed to making a difference in their communities. Five months later Conley became the first collegiate athlete to receive the Community Spirit Award from Georgia Power. The award is presented to an Atlanta-area athlete or coach who is actively involved in the community and epitomizes the highest standards for leadership, sportsmanship and integrity. That same month he put in a powerhouse performance at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. And in March, Conley penned a letter to the Bulldog Nation that was published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. An excerpt:

“My current transition into the real world has been surreal and abrupt in some instances. I am adjusting to not being in the locker room around the boys or going to the same workouts. I will forever be indebted to Georgia for the work ethic and attitude that was sharpened during my time in Athens. I will always be a part of the Dawg Nation and always hope to represent the ‘G’ with pride. I may be in a different city or state in the coming months but a part of my heart will always remain in Athens, between the hedges.”

JOHN KELLEYStudents from Barrow Elementary School in Athens surprised Chris Conley when he was named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in September.

’84) of Atlanta was hired as the chief meteorologist for the FOX 5 Atlanta Storm Team in January. Richard Read (AB ’84, JD ’87) of Conyers took the oath of office for a fifth term as the district attorney for Rockdale County in December.

1985-1989

Jon Bridges (BBA ’85) of Peachtree City was promoted to senior vice

president for Chick-Fil-A and is now a member of the company’s executive committee. Gary Cunningham (BSEd ’85) of Rome established the William Gary Cunningham Scholarship for students in the UGA College of Pharmacy. Michael Forstl (AB ’85) of New Canaan, Conn., was named managing director and head of intermediary distribution at the investment firm Morgan Creek Capital Management. David Adelman

CLASSNOTES


For most people, turning 66 years old means retirement. For Donald Ingram, growing older motivates him to research how people can live longer, healthier lives. Ingram (MS ’77, PhD ’78), a researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, traces his interest in aging back to the National Center of Health Statistics, where he worked after completing his undergraduate degree in psychology at LSU. There he learned about the “Silver Tsunami,” or the demographic increase in the number of people above 65 years old. “I was 22 years old and didn’t know much about aging,” he says. “The first time I started thinking about aging, it just fascinated me. Here I am feeling invincible, but my life is going to be finite. I’m going to decline and my loved ones are going to decline. Is there anything that we can do about it?” Since 1980, when Ingram began researching age-related illnesses at the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, he has patented four drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Now he’s exploring an interesting paradigm in the science of aging: calorie restriction. “Aging is very complicated. It occurs through multiple processes,” he says. “And to think that just a simple reduction of food could have this profound effect—that just grabbed me right there.” At NIA and Pennington, Ingram conducted preliminary tests using lab rats and monkeys to see how energy consumption affects memory and aging. When a rat’s food intake was limited, memory and longevity were substantially improved. “My behavioral lab did stereotyped things you see in cartoons and New York Magazine, which is rats running through mazes,” he says. “It was amazing how young rats could perfect it and old rats could do it, but they made many more mistakes.” Although many products and treatments promise to hinder aging, Ingram says there is currently no scientifically proven method to retain youth. But he may be close to finding one. For the past 10 years, Ingram and his colleagues have been studying mannoheptulose, a compound found in unripe avocados that has shown promise in restricting how many calories are absorbed by the body. He and his team of researchers are now working to raise money for a human trial, after which they hope to move forward with clinical testing. In the long run, he says, this compound could help slow aging. “It’s impossible to live forever. We’re not trying to do that,” he says. “The issue is, how long can we push our functional life and still contribute to society? With all this knowledge, why should I just decay now?” For Ingram, it’s about more than just scientific research—it’s a personal goal. “At 66 [years old], there may be physical things that limit me some, but intellectually I feel really, really wise. So I’m still on the top of my game,” he says. “If you can function up to 100 then slowly decline, that’s a lot better than 65, you know?”

A test of timeAlumnus leads the way in anti-aging research

by Daniel Funke

ALUMNI PROFILE

Donald Ingram SPECIAL

(ABJ ’86) of Decatur joined Reed Smith LLP’s New York City office as a partner in the firm’s Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group. Previously he served as the managing director of Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong and Singapore as well as the 15th U.S. ambassador to Singapore. Kerrin Gillespie (BBA ’86) of Provo, Utah, joined the Orlando, Fla.-based nuclear pharmacy Triad Isotopes as chief financial officer and chief operations officer in January. Hugh Chancy (BSPh ’88) and his wife Tina Chancy (BSPh ’88) of Hahira established the Hugh and Tina Chancy Leadership Endowment for the UGA College of Pharmacy in honor of Hugh’s father, Hubert Chancy (BSPh ’62), who died in 2003. Andre Mackey (BSPh ’88) of Avondale Estates established the Andre Mackey Fund for students in the UGA College of Pharmacy. Wendy Cope (AB ’89, MEd ’92) of Kennesaw was named the 2015 Cherokee County School District Media Specialist of the Year in March for her work at Woodstock Middle School. Marisa Reynolds (BSHE ’89) of Watkinsville received the 2014 Jerry Keenan Award from PaymentsFirst for her work in e-banking at Oconee State Bank.

1990-1994Angie Watkins Ellis (BS ’90, BSPh ’93) of Alpharetta is now working as an adoption consultant while studying to get her master’s degree in counseling. Billy Green (BSPh ’90) of Corpus Christi, Texas, is now the pharmacy informatics director at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital. Susannah Kinsey (BBA ’90) of Atlanta was named principal at the risk management and insurance brokerage Sterling Risk Advisors in March. William Lacy (BBA ’90, JD ’97) of Peachtree City formed the Lacy Law Firm, which represents individuals and businesses that have insurance-related needs, in February. Kevin Landers Sr. (BLA ’90)


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of Waltham, Mass., is now commander of the Wilmington, N.C., district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Steven Sears (ABJ ’90) of Athens was appointed chairman of the board of directors at The Red & Black Publishing Co. in February. Maria Chisholm-Burns (BSPh ’92, PharmD ’93) of Germantown, Tenn., received the 2013 Literature Award for Sustained Contributions from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation for her work as dean of the University of Tennessee’s College of Pharmacy. Bob Ellis (BBA ’92) of Milton was sworn in as commissioner of Fulton County District 2 in January. Jeanna Mastrodicasa (ABJ ’92, JD ’95) of Gainesville, Fla., is now the associate vice president of operations for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida, a role in which she oversees the budget, facilities maintenance and government relations. Paul Waller (AB ’92) of Athens was promoted to Georgia State Patrol lieutenant and assistant commander for Troop E, which covers 21 counties in Georgia. James “Trey” Allen (BBA ’93) of Martinez was appointed to the Georgia Board of Education by Gov. Nathan Deal in January. Drew Pyrz (BSPh ’93) and his wife, Shanda Pyrz (BSPh ’93), of Cairo are now co-owners of the pharmacy Center Drugs. Austin Scott (BBA ’93) of Warner Robbins was named to both the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research and the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Georgia’s 8th Congressional District and is chairman of the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit for the 114th Congress. Lori Tillman Sego (BSPh ’93) of Clayton is now a pharmacy manager at U-Save-It Pharmacy. Dave Thomas (AB ’93) of Atlanta was named director of strategic initiatives at the infrastructure firm

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A Pledge of Better Times

Gallica Press (2015)By Margaret Porter (MA ’83)A historical novel about ambition, treachery and passion that incorporates 17th-century historical figures, royalty and events.

A Southern Gentleman’s Kitchen

Oxmoor House (2015)By Matt Moore (BBA ’05)Part cookbook and part guidebook, Kitchen takes readers through the life of a Southern gentleman.

The Amazon Murders

Permuted Press (2014)By S.W. Lee (BSEd ’88, MEd ’91, EdS ’95)In this thriller, research scientists investigate the deaths of illegal loggers in the Amazon rainforest.

Diamonds in the Rough

University of Alabama Press (2013)By James Sanders Day (MA ’89)Diamonds reconstructs the historical moment that defined the Cahaba Coal Field, a mineral-rich area in central Alabama.

Literary Butte

The History Press (2015)By Aaron Parrett (MA ’96, PhD ’01)The author surveys the wealth of literature inspired by Butte, Montana, known as the “Richest Hill on Earth.”

Red Dirt

Breakaway Books (2015)By Joe Samuel Starnes (ABJ ’89)This novel tells the story of an unlikely professional tennis player from rural Georgia.

Death Metal

Damnation Books (2015)By Mark All (BMus ’84, MEd ’95)In this horror novel, a musician’s songwriting partner returns from the dead and the resulting album leads to violence.

Spiritual Maturity

JOY Publishing (2014)By Cresenda Jones (MEd ’91)Written from a Christian perspective, this book explores how to achieve emotional and spiritual maturity.

Reading list Books by UGA Alumni


Submit new books written by UGA alumni to [email protected]. Please include a brief description of the book and a hi-res cover.

Moonlight Through the Pine

CreateSpace Independent Publishing (2014)By Charlie Fiveash (BBA ’83)In this novel, an investigative journalist finds herself in the middle of an international conflict.

Where the Bones Are Buried

Poisoned Pen Press (2015)By Jeanne Matthews (ABJ ’67)In this fifth Dinah Pelerin mystery, the American anthropologist is living in Berlin when her mother arrives with a “little detective job.”

Recovery Groups

Oxford University Press (2014)By Linda Farris Johnson Kurtz (DPA ’83)A guide to creating, leading and working with groups for addictions and mental health conditions.

The Ragged Road to Abolition

University of Pennsylvania Press (2014)By James J. Gigantino II (PhD ’10)This history chronicles the experiences of slaves and free blacks, as well as abolitionists and slaveholders, during slavery’s slow death.

Twenty Forty-Four

12th Media Services (2014)By Paul A. (Tony) Darnell (BBA ’00)A novel about the events leading up to a dystopian society where one political party controls the government, and the government controls everything.

Land Grab

Professional Press (2014)By Alan Harper Preston (AB ’96, BSFR ’00)An examination of how the federal government can seize private property without fair and just compensation.

Anything Could Happen

Scholastic (2015)By Will Walton (AB ’13)In this debut novel, a 15-year-old boy realizes he’s in love with his straight best friend.

Making A Difference for Millions Around the World

WAVE Enterprises Inc. (2013)By T.N. Oglesby Jr. (ABJ ’53)An autobiography of Oglesby, adapted from “Philosophy of a Country Editor at Work.”

Running to Save America

Don Flanders (2014)By Don Flanders (BBA ’65)A novel about two lifelong friends, a U.S. congressman and his campaign manager, who work to save the country from economic collapse.

Into the Pacific Fog

Amazon Digital Services (2014)By Henry Eason (MA ’74)After Pearl Harbor, a ragtag band of American counter-intelligence agents work to stop a Japanese invasion.

Forgotten Memories

The Nutly Press (2012)By Michael McNulty (ABJ ’79)In the author’s first novel, a small Southern town struggles with a failing mill and racial politics during a mayoral campaign.

Enterprising African American Youth—The Challenge!

Karen May Wicker/Amazon Digital Services (2015)By Karen Wicker (MSW ’93)This self-help book provides insight and strategic planning designed to empower African-American youth during their early adult years.

CLASSNOTES


Hala Moddelmog likely would have cheered alongside Meryl Streep when “Boyhood” actress Patricia Arquette accepted her Oscar in February and urged wage equality for women. As the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s first female president, Moddelmog hopes to help women gain confidence to start and grow businesses. In research of the “confidence gap,” Moddelmog notes that an article in The Atlantic found that men apply for a promotion when they think they meet 60 percent of job requirements, while women wait until they believe they meet 100 percent of those requirements. If Moddelmog (ABJ ’81) had waited, her career path would have been different, she says. In 1995, she was named president of Church’s Chicken—the first woman to lead an international restaurant chain—with nearly $1 billion in system-wide sales. She helped Church’s achieve record profits and eight years of consecutive comparable sales increases. “I was in my 30s when I became president of Church’s. If I waited until I had 100 percent of the competencies, I would never have gotten the job. I certainly wouldn’t have the opportunities that I’ve had in my career,” she says. “I definitely encourage young women to take risks.” When a UGA professor, Roger Wimmer, asked Moddelmog why she was pursuing her master’s degree in journalism and mass communication, she responded: “To get a job as soon as possible, because I’m paying for this myself.” She remembers going to Athens City Hall and requesting $1,000 to purchase the data for her thesis on cable systems. “I received the grant and I got the research done. I couldn’t believe it.” The practical experience researching her thesis set her up for her first job in market research with Atlanta-based Arby’s Restaurant Group. She returned in 2010 to Arby’s as president and helped the restaurant chain grow to annual system-wide sales of about $3 billion by focusing on new brand positioning, introducing a value menu and tightening up operations. “She can access situations successfully and adeptly and make change,” says her close friend, Martha (Popowski) Berlin (ABJ ’78, MA ’82). Moddelmog joined the chamber in 2014 after a 20-year career in the corporate world and in the nonprofit sector. Moddelmog, a breast cancer survivor and mother, served as president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure from 2006-09. Today, Moddelmog is focused on boosting Georgia’s economic development, influencing public policy and assisting businesses, from start-ups to Atlanta’s 16 Fortune 500 companies. Only one of those is led by a woman—Mary Laschinger of Veritiv Corp., a distribution solutions company. Encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship are priorities for Moddelmog. She was thrilled to celebrate with the fastest-growing companies owned and operated by UGA alumni at the 2015 Bulldog 100 event, where she was the keynote speaker. “There are many, many entrepreneurs coming out of the University of Georgia in all sorts of fields,” she says. “We are very proud of them.”

Chamber chiefFrom fast food executive to Metro Atlanta Chamber’s first female president

by Lori Johnston (ABJ ’95)

ALUMNI PROFILE

Hala Moddelmog SPECIAL

Gannett Fleming in February. Scott Seydel Jr. (BBA ’94) of Atlanta is president of Seydel International, a branch of the chemical manufacturer The Seydel Companies, which won the GLOBE Award from the Georgia Department of Economic Development in February for its international business efforts. Bobby Soper (BBA ’94, JD ’97) of Uncasville, Conn., was named president of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority in March.

1995-1999Phillip Avant (BBA ’95) of Richmond, Va., was named president of SunTrust Banks Inc.’s central Virginia market—which includes the greater Richmond and Fredericksburg areas—in February. Stephen Gurr (ABJ ’95) of Flowery Branch was certified as a criminal defense investigator by the Criminal Defense Investigation Training Council in February. He has been a senior investigator for the Georgia Northeastern Judicial Circuit public defender’s office since 2010. Parrish Stapleton (AB ’95) of Athens became chairman of the Dixie Canner Co., a manufacturer of can packaging and processing machinery, in January. Georgie Donovan (AB ’96) of Boone, N.C., joined the College of William & Mary as assistant dean of Swem Library in January. Previously she was associate dean of libraries at Appalachian State University. Michael Gallen (AB ’97) of Bradenton, Fla., joined the Manatee Chamber of Commerce as vice president of public policy and small business in February. Previously he taught politics and government at Bradenton’s IMG Academy. Claire Bush Green (BSPHR ’97, PharmD ’98) of Albany is now a clinical pharmacist working in critical care at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. Joyette Holmes (AB ’97) of Kennesaw was named chief magistrate court judge of Cobb County in March. She is the both the first African American and the first woman


to hold the position. Teresa Quiles Kehler (BSPHR ’98) of Kennesaw has two children with her husband, Jason Kehler — Grayson, 9, and Christian, 2. Jennifer Rooks-Lopez (BLA ’98) of Rolling Meadows, Ill., was hired as director of planning for the Plainfield Park District outside of Chicago in March. Jason M. Shepherd (AB ’98) of Marietta was accepted into the global business graduate program at the Saïd School of Business at the University of Oxford in England. Jodi Bossak (BBA ’99) of Marietta was promoted to vice president of finance and chief financial officer at HD Supply Interior Solutions in May 2014. Rob Snyder (BA ’99, JD ’08) of Atlanta joined the law firm Butler Wooten Cheeley & Peak as an associate in February. Po-Ming Wong (AB ’99) of Durham, N.C., celebrated the five-year anniversary of her clothing business, Magpie Boutique, in January.

2000-2004Joe Costello (BSEd ’00) of Bethlehem was profiled by the Barrow County News for his work as a history teacher at Snodon Preparatory School. E. Wycliffe “Cliff” Orr Jr. (BBA ’00, JD ’03) of Atlanta joined the board of directors at the business development company Rand Capital Corp. in January. Cory Bennett (BBA ’01, MAcc ’01) of Sandy Springs was promoted to partner at the accounting firm Bennett Thrasher in January. Mandy Wooley Edwards (BBA ’01) of Statesboro was named on StatSocial’s list of the Top 100 Social Media Power Influencers of 2015. Todd Lowther (BBA ’01) of Houston, Texas, was elected to partner at the Thompson & Knight law firm in February. Sally Baker (BSEd ’02) of Athens was named director of the Columbus-based Springer Theatre Academy in

March. Sara Brady (ABJ ’02, JD ’05) of Atlanta was inducted into the leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa. Andrew Cathy (BSEd ’02) of Atlanta was promoted to senior vice president for Chick-Fil-A and is now a member of the company’s executive committee. Chandler Conner (BSA ’03, PharmD ’08) of Valdosta is now co-owner and operator of C2 Medical Solutions, an alternate site care and compounding pharmacy in Hahira. He and his wife, Jodi Towson Conner (BBA ’02), have three children: Coley, 4, Pace, 2, and Clarke, who was born Oct. 24. Seth Swan (BBA ’03) of Greenville, S.C., was named a shareholder of the Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd law firm in January.

2005-2009Sara Dunn (BSA ’05) of Athens was inducted into the Georgia Southern University Circle of Omicron Delta

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CLASSNOTES


1.

Red Dress Boutique’s success is all because of Diana Harbour, says her husband Josh Harbour. Her sense of style keeps customers ordering clothes from the website. She travels to markets and buys the inventory. She finds the models, sets up the shoots and does the photography. She supervises all the marketing.And she convinced Josh that, yes, they could take Red Dress Boutique into the choppy waters of ABC’s hit “Shark Tank” and emerge better than ever. She was right: Last fall, billionaire Mark Cuban invested $600,000 in the Harbours’ company in return for 15 percent equity. “If this company makes money, it’s because of Diana,” says Josh (AB ’03, JD ’13). “She’s the creative force behind everything we do.” Josh works behind the scenes, overseeing legal, accounting, technical, human resource and warehouse operations. His law degree has been helpful, he says, for dealing with issues involving intellectual property and employment. In the last eight months, the company has gone from 40 to 90 employees, meaning more regulations. His law school negotiating skills have helped him deal with third parties. Originally from Columbus, the Harbours married in 2004. Both began working for TSYS, a credit card processing company in their hometown where Josh’s father used to work. “It was not something we wanted to do for the next 30 or 40 years,” Josh says. They sold their home, quit their jobs, moved to Athens and took out a six-figure loan, “something you have to be young and dumb to do,” he says.For three years their shop was on Baxter Street, but eventually they moved to College Avenue—the heart of downtown, right across from the Arch. Red Dress Boutique saw an increase in business, and the expensive dresses were selling steadily until the fourth week of September 2008, “when the entire world turned upside down and no one could afford a $400 dress,” Josh says. “We had to change our business plan immediately or we would go out of business.” So they moved to a lower price point, with Diana scouring other brands to find fashionable, good quality clothes. For the first several months under the new plan, customers came looking for a sale rack, only to learn Red Dress Boutique didn’t have one. “I would tell people, ‘I have a $50 item, not a $200 one at 75 percent off,’” Josh says. “It took time, but everything turned out better because we branched out online and gained many more customers.” Now, 95 percent of their business comes from the website. The investment from Cuban will allow the Harbours to give the company a technical upgrade, with a new website, a back-end system and a mobile app. “There’s a lot of market share still out there,” Josh says. “There’s a limit as to what you can do in a bricks-and-mortar store, but online, there’s really no limit.”

—Rebecca McCarthy is a writer living in Athens.

Shark Tank successAlum takes Athens boutique to the next level

by Rebecca McCarthy

ALUMNI PROFILE

Diana and Josh Harbour with their son, Robert. SPECIAL

Kappa honor society. Lauren Carroll (AB ’06, ABJ ’06) of McAlester, Okla., placed second in best video at the North Carolina Press Association banquet for her presentation titled “Same place, same time, every year,” which showed what goes on behind the scenes at the annual music festival MerleFest. Stephanie Mundy-Self (BBA ’07, BMus ’07) of Nashville, Tenn., was one of the principals involved in the opening of Farris, Self & Moore, a boutique firm for songwriters, producers and national touring acts. Matthew Phillips (AB ’07) of Buford was named the Hall County School System’s Teacher of the Year for his work as the social studies department head at West Hall High School. Mackenzie Cole (AB ’08) of Atlanta and Chalmer Edwin “Chuck” Delting II began their law partnership Delting Cole in January. The firm specializes in civil litigation. Alan Pope (AB ’08) of Athens and his brother Ryan Pope (BBA ’09) of St. Simons Island opened a Southern restaurant in Athens called The Place in February. Katy Seagraves (BBA ’08) of Winterville received the 2014 Outstanding Office Manager Award from the Georgia Farm Bureau in December for her work at the Clarke County Farm Bureau. Aaron Souto (BSFR ’08) of Fort Pierce, Fla.,


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celebrated his one-year anniversary as a Rockdale County forester in February. Rebecca Stavick (AB ’08) of Omaha, Neb., was named executive director of Omaha’s first digital public library by Heritage Services in February. Payton Bradford (AB ’09) of Rome was named editor-in-chief of the Georgia Law Review in March. His tenure will begin in the fall for the 2015-16 school year. David Cromley (BSA ’09) of Brooklet was named chair of the 2015 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee. Randall Godfrey (BSFCS ’09) of Duluth wrote a foreword for the book Playing While Hurt by Terri Steward, which deals with generational domestic violence. Kristen Ashley MacCarthy (AB ’09) of Athens opened the Kristen Alley Artist Shop in downtown Athens in November after four years of successfully selling paper products and shoes on Etsy. Anthony Tilton (AB ’09) of Colbert spoke about defenses firms can use during Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigations at the Volusia-Flagler Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors Association monthly meeting in Daytona, Fla., in January. Tilton is a construction law associate at the Trent Cotney law firm.

2010-2014Kevin Copp (AB ’10) of Baltimore, Md., was named director of new media for the Towson University athletics department in January. Morgan Maclellan (BBA ’10) and his wife Lisa Maclellan (BBA ’10) of Atlanta hosted the grand opening for their first Your Pie pizza restaurant location in Atlanta Jan. 31. Joshua Alexander (BSEd ’11) of Athens was named the football coach at Athens Academy in January. Hans Appen (BBA ’11) of Alpharetta launched the North Atlanta Business Post July 14 as a part of Appen Media Group, which owns six publications in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Travis Christopher (BFA ’11) of Athens

opened the custom motorcycle shop Bedlam Werks in Athens. Thomas Davis (BSFCS ’11) of Charlotte, N.C., was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his work as a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers football team as well as his community service efforts. Emily Ruzic (BBA ’11) of Mountain Brook, Ala., joined the law firm Bradley Arant Boult Cummings as an associate in the litigation practice group. Jessie Hyatt (BFA ’12) of Athens is now the marketing coordinator at Bedlam Werks, a custom motorcycle shop in Athens. Clay Oliver (BSA ’12) of Danville won the Good Food Award in the oils category for his business Oliver Farm Pecan Oil. The award is given through a collaboration of food producers, farmers, food journalists and independent grocers. Savannah Williamson (ABJ ’12) of Athens received an Emmy Award in the best newscast for a small market category at a banquet in San Francisco, Calif., in June 2014. She won the award for a segment she produced about a wildfire in the Big Sur region of California. Jessica Harston (BSA ’13) of Winder was crowned Miss Rodeo USA at a January rodeo pageant in Oklahoma City. Cleveland Jackson (BSA ’13) of Cave Spring was named a finalist in the 2014 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer competitive events at the organization’s annual convention on Jekyll Island. Savannah Levins (AB ’14, ABJ ’14) of Alpharetta joined WLTX News 19, a television station in Columbia, S.C., as a multimedia journalist in January.

GRAD NOTES

Agricultural and Environmental SciencesGregory Evanylo (PhD ’82) of Blacksburg, Va., was named a fellow by both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America for his work as a professor

CLASSNOTES


Twenty years ago, Will Harris was debt free. White Oak Pastures, the family farm established in Early County by his great-grandfather, was going strong. “We were living comfortably,” says Harris (BSA ’76). “In the years when prices for cattle were high, we made more money. In years when prices were low, we made less money. But we always made money.” But in 1995, Harris took what he now describes as a “foolish risk.” Rather than remaining a traditional cattle farmer, he opted to focus on the growing number of consumers who wanted grass-fed beef that hadn’t been treated with growth hormones or prophylactic antibiotics. “We did that for a little while, but then we took the next step and decided to quit putting chemicals on our land,” he says. “Pretty soon, we realized we couldn’t be just a cattle farm, we had to add sheep, hogs, goats and chickens.” Today White Oak Pastures is much closer in operation to the farm Harris’ great-grandfather started. He pasture-raises 10 animal species on the farm, including multiple types of livestock and chickens, ducks, geese and turkey. Both the meat and poultry are hand butchered on-site in one of two USDA-inspected abattoirs. “We’ve come full circle,” he says. “When this farm began, everything had a purpose and everything was used and reused. Nothing went to waste. That’s what we’re doing today.” However, all of these changes and expansions have meant that Harris went from being debt-free to owing more than $7.5 million. “We went from making money to losing money… We lost money every year for a while and were fortunate that we caught traction before we went broke,” he says. Today, the farm is on stable footing. Meat products are sold to grocery distributors along the East Coast and can be found in Whole Foods, EarthFare, Publix and Kroger stores, in addition to being purchased by a food service distribution company. The fastest-growing segment of the farm’s business is online sales, where customers can buy

Full circleAlumnus takes family farm back to its roots

by Denise Horton (ABJ ’83, MPA ’11)

ALUMNI PROFILE

everything from an eighth of a cow for $475 to pasture-raised turkey feet for $6.40. As the farm has grown, so has its workforce—from three employees to 120. Two of Harris’ three adult daughters have opted to join the business, while the third has chosen to follow her mother, Yvonne (BSEd ’77), into the teaching profession. Success has led to recognition: Harris was named Georgia’s 2011 Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Georgia Conservancy’s Distinguished Conservationist of 2012, Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Farmer of the Year for 2013 and Georgia Trend’s Most Respected Business Leader for 2014. “There’s no how-to book you can pull off the shelf,” Harris says of his farm’s transition. “I was a really good cattleman, and my dad was the best cattleman in Georgia. But you can know everything there is to know about cows and [not] know anything about sheep. And, if you know all there is to know about cows and sheep, you don’t know anything about goats or hogs.” Despite the challenges, Harris says that he loves bringing in multiple species. “The symbiosis is just fantastic,” he says. “I would hate to go back to just raising cattle.”

Get More at whiteoakpastures.com

SPECIALWill Harris at White Oak Pastures.


of crop and soil environmental sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Shimat Joseph (MS ’06, PhD ’10) of Salinas Valley, Calif., was profiled by The Salinas Californian newspaper in February for his work as an entomologist researching ways to lessen the negative effects that pest insects have on crops.

Arts & SciencesVincent Keesee (MFA ’65, PhD ’72) of Tifton opened his own one-man art exhibit at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in January. Larry Durrence (MA ’68, PhD ’71) of Lakeland, Fla., was named interim president of the Owensboro Community and Technical College in January. James Day (MA ’89) of Maylene, Ala., won the Alabama Historical Association’s 2014 Clinton Jackson Coley Award for his book Diamonds in the Rough: A History of Alabama’s Cahaba Coal Field. Jean DeHart (PhD ’92) of Boone, N.C., was named chair of the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University in January after teaching for 20 years. Laura Hudson (MA ’93) of Raleigh, N.C., was hired as marketing director at the law firm Brooks Pierce in October.

EducationCathleen Blair (MEd ’79) of Okeechobee, Fla., retired as director of exceptional student education in February after 39 years of working in the Okeechobee County School System. Lynn Chastain (MEd ’79, JD ’84) of Atlanta was promoted to senior vice president for Chick-Fil-A and is now a member of the company’s executive committee. Loren Blanchard (PhD ’91) of New Orleans, La., was named executive chancellor for academic and student affairs for the 23-campus California State University

system. Jeffrey Stachura (MEd ’95) of Watkinsville was named middle school director at Athens Academy in January. Suzanne Brooks (MEd ’96) of Chapin, S.C., was named a finalist for the 2015 Lexington 1 District Teacher of the Year in January. John Peters (MEd ’96) of Atlanta was named head of school at St. George’s Independent School, a role he is expected to assume in July. William Zadernak (EdS ’97) of Gainesville received the Exemplary Leadership Award from the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals for his work as principal of Riverview Middle School. Vernon Finley (EdD ’99) of Polson, Mont., was sworn in as chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ government in January. Shea Kidd Houze (MEd ’06) of Hattiesburg, Miss., graduated with a Ph.D. in educational research from

the University of Memphis. Jennifer Frum (PhD ’09) of Athens, UGA’s vice president for public service and outreach, was named to Georgia Trend’s 2015 list of Notable Georgians.

Forestry & Natural ResourcesMichael Pelton (MS ’66, PhD ’69) of Middlebrook, Va., taught at the University of Tennessee for 40 years before retiring in 2008. He now lives on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley in western Virginia with his wife. James Dickson (MS ’67) of Ruston, La., has been a professor and wildlife program coordinator at Louisiana Tech University since 1999. He and his wife, Elizabeth Donnally Dickson, have two children: John, a biologist with the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service, and Jamie, an attorney in San Francisco, Calif.

Acclaimed anchor

Journalist Amy Robach (ABJ ’95) spoke at UGA’s spring Commencement ceremony in May, just a few months after receiving the Distinguished Achievement in Broadcasting and Cable Award from DiGamma Kappa, UGA’s national broadcast society housed in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The award was presented at DiGamma Kappa’s annual awards banquet in January. Robach serves as news anchor for “Good Morning America” on ABC. She joined ABC News in 2012 and has covered major events including the campaign to free captive schoolgirls in Africa, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 2014 Winter Olympics. She also has anchored “ABC News” and “20/20” on multiple occasions. After undergoing an on-air mammogram, Robach discovered that she had breast cancer and was treated in 2013. She visited Athens in October and served as the featured speaker for Suits and Sneakers, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

HEIDI GUTMAN/ABCAmy Robach

CLASSNOTES


Chances are good that you’ve heard of MailChimp. Maybe you’re one of the company’s seven million clients that uses the email platform to communicate with customers. Or maybe you’re on the receiving end of email sent via MailChimp—like eGaMorning, UGA’s daily news digest. Every time a client (often a business) sends email via MailChimp, data is generated—for example, who opens an email, who clicks on a link, who makes a purchase via a link—and brought back so that the client can follow up. With half a billion emails sent via MailChimp every day, there’s a lot of data generated, and someone has to make sense of it. That someone is John Foreman (BS ’06), MailChimp’s chief data scientist. In the nine years since Foreman graduated with a math degree, businesses have realized the value in understanding transactional data—information that’s generated when people interact with technology. “Companies realized ‘Oh wow, this data is messy, it’s complex, there are a lot of different questions we can ask, and there are a lot of different ways to answer those questions. We need people who can answer these questions using data,’” he says. “And lo and behold there were all these math majors wandering around.” After graduating from UGA, Foreman earned a master’s degree in operations research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as an analytics consultant for clients including the federal government, the Coca-Cola Company, and Royal Caribbean. He joined Atlanta-based MailChimp in 2012. In his current role, Foreman turns data into products for both end users and internal teams. He helped create MailChimp’s send time optimization tool, which helps users determine the best time of day to reach their audience. He also built an artificial intelligence product called Omnivore that helps MailChimp identify spammers when they sign up for an account. When Foreman isn’t building data products, he’s conducting research for both end users and internal

Data smartUGA math graduate helps companies make sense of big data

by Allyson Mann (MA ’92)

SPECIALJohn Foreman

ALUMNI PROFILE

teams. He supervises a team of 12 that travels the world interviewing customers and using that qualitative data to inform product development and design. In 2013, Foreman published Data Smart. He wrote the book for the people he often encountered at large organizations—the ones who didn’t want to do math, but found themselves working with spreadsheets. “The intent of the book was trying to explain cutting-edge, big data concepts simply but thoroughly. For example, that amazing (and perhaps creepy) artificial intelligence modeling that Target is doing to predict and market to pregnant customers, it’s actually pretty easy and I can teach the reader in the span of 30 pages and a spreadsheet how to do it,” he says. At UGA, Foreman took classes in film studies—which improved his communication skills—as well as math, which taught him the patience to work on complex problems. “The math degree is very tough, and… it really taught you how to think,” he says. “The discipline behind seeing a problem that you don’t understand at first and being able to kind of stare at a wall for three hours and work through it slowly over the course of days… I feel like I learned that at Georgia.”


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Journalism & Mass CommunicationBret Kofford (MA ’85) of Imperial, Calif., wrote the feature movie “12 Dog Days Till Christmas,” which debuted during the 2014 holiday season on the UPtv cable television network.

LawGary Blasingame (JD ’61) of Athens received the Billy Hudson Distinguished Citizen Award from the Northeast Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America during a banquet in February. He is a partner at the law firm Blasingame, Burch, Gerrard & Ashley. Brenda Holbert Trammell (JD ’77) of Madison was appointed to be a Supreme Court judge for the Ocmulgee Circuit by Gov. Nathan Deal in December. Jere W. Morehead (JD ’80) of Athens, UGA’s president, was named to Georgia Trend’s 2015 list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians. Kelly Brooks (JD ’87) of Folkston was appointed a judge on the Waycross Judicial Circuit Superior Court by Gov. Nathan Deal in February. Alice Benton (JD ’94) of Atlanta was selected for membership in the Charles M. Weltner Inn of Court as a barrister and for participation in the 2015 Leadership Academy for the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers. Jenny Adams (JD ’96) of Columbus opened an I Love Juice Bar in Columbus in December. Stan Baker (JD ’04) of St. Simons Island was sworn in as magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of Georgia in February.

PharmacyAmanda Hudgins Dean (PharmD ’02) of Leary is a pharmacist at Winn-Dixie. Jason Van Landingham (PharmD ’02) and David Pope (PharmD ’04) of Augusta published the article “Teed Up for a TOC Spike,” which looks at patients

that move through the healthcare system, in the September 2013 issue of America’s Pharmacist. Jaime Payne Wynn (PharmD ’02) of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., is manager of Farmuet Pharmacy. She and her husband, Michael Wynn, have a 3-year-old daughter named Cannon. Ibrahim Aljuffali (PhD ’10, MS ’13) of Athens is now vice dean for development and

quality and director of the Regulatory Sciences Research Unit at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. Leigh Dye Jacobson (PharmD ’10) of Powder Springs is a pharmacy manager at Publix. Christine Sheets (PharmD ’11) of Anderson, S.C., is a pharmacy manager at Walgreens. Andrea Sikora (PharmD ’13) and Robert Newsome (PharmD ’13) of Madison were married

CLASSNOTES


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May 10, 2014. Both are working toward completing residencies.

Public & International AffairsRoger Hartley (MA ’93, PhD ’99) of Asheville, N.C., was named dean of the University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs in January. Previously he served as director of the master of public affairs program and professor at Western Carolina University. Kellie Brownlow (MPA ’00) of Decatur was hired as deputy chief to Cobb County Chairman Tim Lee in January.

Social WorkKaren Wicker (MSW ’93) of Decatur

Thank you berry much Retired UGA horticulturist Gerard Krewer (left) holds a container of a new

blueberry variety named in his honor. UGA blueberry breeder Scott NeSmith (right) named the new cultivar in honor of Krewer (BSA ’77, MS ’81) in recognition of his 20 years of service to Georgia’s blueberry industry. “The Krewer” is an early-harvest rabbiteye with large, easy-to-pick fruit. NeSmith introduced the new cultivar to blueberry growers at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Growers conference held in Savannah in January. Krewer retired in 2013 and now owns and operates Harriett’s Bluff Farm, a pick-your-own organic blueberry farm in Woodbine.

MERRITT MELANCONGerard Krewer and Scott NeSmith

published her first book, Enterprising African American Youth–The Challenge!, and serves as a substitute teacher for Decatur and Atlanta public schools.

Veterinary MedicineBruce Widdowson (DVM ’77) of Pilot Mountain, N.C., retired from Pilot Mountain Animal Hospital on Dec. 31 after 38 years of practice in veterinary medicine. Gregorio “Greg” Rosales (MS ’83, PhD ’88) of Athens, Ala., received the Lamplighter Award from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association in February for his work as vice president of veterinary services at Aviagen, a poultry breeding company.


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On student reactions to their 10-day experience in Ghana:

“It’s amazing for them to realize that even though we come from a place where we have all the material comforts in the world, some of the best teaching they’ve ever seen and some of the most amazing learning they’ve ever seen happens in places where the floors might be dirt, or the teachers are not formally trained, or the walls are not completely plastered or painted.”

On Mary Frances Early (MMEd ’62, EdS ’71), UGA’s first African-American graduate:

“In a time when many women specifically and Black women more particularly were not traveling the world like we do today, this woman was everywhere! She was in Austria, she was on the continent of Africa including in Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria, she was in Latin America and Brazil. She was everywhere learning about the world’s music. And those experiences really shaped her ability to be able to teach in then-segregated schools, a kind of lesson that Black kids would not have gotten any other way. So she’s my touchstone… She’s always in the middle of my thinking, as I wear multiple hats both here and in Ghana. ‘What would Mary Frances Early say? What would Mary Frances Early do?’… It’s like she’s there with me as I do this work and my research.”

Cynthia DillardMary Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education

Director, Ghana Study Abroad in EDUCATION! Programhttp://coe.uga.edu/directory/profiles/cdillard

Photo shot by Peter Frey at the UGA Photography Studio in the Georgia Center.

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