Saying goodbye is never easy. As I prepare to step down as chancellor and

look back at my time on campus, I will treasure the moments and the friendships that have made UAM

such a special place for Judy and me. It has been my privilege to lead this institution and I am forever

grateful for the support I have received from alumni and friends. You are, and always will be, dear to my

heart.

While it’s easy to dwell on the past, I have always looked ahead to the next challenge. We still have

much to accomplish before Judy and I leave in January. We are

working in concert with members of the legislature to secure funding

for a new Science Center, a much-needed addition to our academic

program. Our science graduates continue to distinguish themselves by

achieving high acceptance rates into medical and professional schools.

We are also busy preparing for a campus visit from the Higher

Learning Commission in October. I am confident that the hard work

of our faculty and staff in preparation for the accreditation visit will

result in a positive review from the HLC.

As always, the fall semester is packed with activities and I would encourage you to visit the campus.

We will honor three outstanding alumni at Homecoming when we present the Alumni Award for

Achievement and Merit to Bill Lawrence and Jeff Wardlaw and the Continuing the Connection Award

to Ronnie McFarland. The UAM Sports Hall of Fame will induct the late Angela Meadough, as well as

David Stover, Kevin Parker, Jamie Tucker, and Corwin Elliott.

I am also proud of UAM’s role in securing a new industry for the city of Monticello. We recently sold

84 acres east of Monticello to the Monticello Economic Development Commission to be used as the site

of a new wood pellet biomass energy company that will bring new jobs to this region of the state.

As Judy and I prepare for a new chapter in our lives, we are happy to be staying in Monticello. We

decided a long time ago that this wonderful community is indeed our home. We hope to continue to see

many of you when you visit the Monticello area.

Best Wishes and Thanks,

Jack and Judy

On The COver: Jack and Judy Lassiter prepare to step away from UAM, but not from the com-munity they call home!

For information, you may contact:

Julie Barnes ‘00, Director of Alumni ServicesP.O. Box 3520Monticello, AR 71656(870) 460-1028barnesj@uamont.edu

Linda Yeiser, Vice Chancellor for Advancement and University Relations(870) 460-1028 (office)(870) 460-1324 (FAX)yeiser@uamont.edu

If you want to find out what’s happen-ing on campus, or want to contact us about something significant that’s happened in your life, check out our website at www.uamont.edu. When you reach the UAM home page, scroll down and click on Alumni & Develop-ment. Let us know what you think. We welcome your suggestions!

Parents, if your son or daughter at-tended UAM and is no longer living at this address, please notify our office of his or her new address. Thank you.

ALUMni AssOciAtiOn BOARD OF DiRectORs

Chair

Paul Griffin ‘95 / Monticello

Vice Chair

Beverly (Holloway) Reep ‘81 / Warren

Secretary-Treasurer

Amanda (Abbott) Ware ‘84 /

N. Little Rock

Angelia Clements ‘96 / Little Rock

Jennifer (Mann) Hargis ‘07 / Monticello

Donney Jackson ‘92 / Monticello

Jerrielynn (Moore) Mapp ‘75 / Monticello

Randall Risher ‘89 / Houston, Texas

Steve Rook ‘ 86 / Mena

CHANCELLOR’S | MessAGe

Directors

AU T U M N 2 0 1 4VO LU M E 2 2 • I S S U E 1

Autumn 2014 1

Alumni HonorsRonnie McFarland, Jeff Ward-law and Bill Lawrence will be honored at Homecoming.

Chancellor’s Letter | iFcCampus News | 2Homecoming Schedule | 6Centennial Circle | 22Foundation | 24Technology | 29 Sports | 30Alumni Spotlight | 32Alumni News | 33Friends We’ll Miss | 33

UAM MAGAZIne is published three times

a year by the University of Arkansas at

Monticello, the UAM Alumni Associa-

tion, and the UAM Foundation Fund.

Jim Brewer, EditorDirector of Media services

(870) 460-1274 (office)

(870) 460-1974 (fax)

brewer@uamont.edu

tHis issUe

Hall of FameThe UAM Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014 features four All-Americans.

Top FacultyDr. John Hunt is the 2014 Hornaday Outstanding Faculty Award recipient.

FEATURES

8YOU CAn GO hOMe AGAInWhen Jack Lassiter steps down as UAM chancellor in January, he leaves a legacy of achievement at a place he’ll always call home.

14 17 20

2 UAM Magazine

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SOUThern MAnIFeSTO

A document created to stop the racial desegregation of the south by members of congress, popularly known as the southern Manifesto, is the subject of a new book by Dr. John Kyle Day, associate professor of history. The Southern Manifes-to: Massive Resistance and the Fight to Preserve Segregation (http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/1678), chronicles the efforts of southern congressional delega-tions to fight the civil rights movement and the landmark Supreme Court decision which declared separate-but-equal public school systems unconstitutional.

Tappe heads Southern region of nAUFrPDr. Phil Tappe, dean of the School of Forest Resources and director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center of the UA Division of Agricul-ture, has been elected chair of the southern region of the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP). Tappe will serve as chair for a two-year term which began in July and will also serve on the NAUFRP’s executive committee. Tappe has served as dean of the School of Forest Resources, Arkansas’ only school of forestry, and direc-tor of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center since 2011. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Ph.D. from Clemson University.

Milstead To Lead International Debate Assoc.Keith Milstead, assistant director of debate and fo-rensics, has been appointed president of the Internation-al Public Debate Association (IPDA). Milstead is the organiza-tion’s sixth president since its founding in 1997 and the second UAM faculty member to hold the office. The IPDA is an inter-scholastic debate association that began in the southeast-ern United States but has spread across the country and internationally. In the 2013-14 academic year, nearly 1,000 competitors attended and debated in 32 IPDA tournaments in Ar-kansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma,

continued on page 4

he planning began in 2012 for what must be considered one of the

HLC SetsOctober VisitReaccreditation Visit Completes Two-Year Process

Tmost important moments in the life of any institution of higher educa-tion. From October 20-22, a team from the Higher Learning Com-mission (HLC) will be on the UAM campus to conduct a comprehensive review of all university programs to determine whether or not the institution will be granted reaccreditation from the HLC. Faculty and administrators have been working non-stop for the past two years to prepare for the visit. The preparation includes completion of an in-depth written self-study that examines all aspects of the campus. Accreditation means that the university adheres to rigorous academic standards that assure the value of all degrees. UAM is currently completing a 10-year accreditation period. “I am confident that because of the hard work of our faculty, staff and administration, we will receive a positive review from the accreditation team,” said Chancellor Jack Lassiter. “I’m not sure anyone outside of higher education understands or appreciates the amount of work required for the accreditation pro-

cess. I want to commend all those who have taken a leadership role in something that is absolutely vital to the continued success of the institution.” According to University catalogs, the North Central Association (now HLC) recognized the in-stitution’s junior level classes in 1928 under President Frank Horsfall when the institution was still known as Arkansas A&M College. Full accreditation of senior college work culmi-

nating in a baccalaureate degree was achieved April 14, 1940, under President Marvin Bankston. Ac-cording to Dr. Donald Holley’s book, Celebrating a Century of Opportunity, the next major NCA review was in 1966. After interim reports, the institution received a five-year renewal of accreditation in 1970.

Following Arkansas A&M’s merger with the University of Arkansas in 1971, Dr. Claude Babin led the institution through one more accreditation visit in 1976. In August 1980, UAM was accredited for five years and in 1985, the institution received a 10-year accreditation which was renewed in 1995 for an additional 10 years. UAM achieved accreditation for 10 more years under Chancellor Lassiter in 2005. The university has also received accreditation for a number of individual academic programs, including teacher education (the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation), forest resources (the Society of American Foresters), music (the National Associa-tion of Schools of Music), nursing (the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing), and social work (the Council on Social Work Education).

rUSSeLLvILLe reCePTIOnOn June 26, Bill and Doris Lawrence of Russellville opened their home to UAM alumni from central Arkansas for a reception with a view. As the sun set over Lake Dardanelle, alumni and friends enjoyed music by

members of the UAM Jazz Band while renewing old acquaintances.

On The DeCK (From left) Bill and Doris Lawrence with Judy and Jack Lassiter.

TeAMMATeS(From left) Former All-American tackle charlie James visits with Bill Lawrence.

UPDATechancellor Lassiter gives alumni and friends an update on the university.

WATChInG The SUnSeT(From left) Joellen Beard, LeAnne Bird, Linda Yeiser, Matt Whiting, Paul smith, and Betty Wright.

Autumn 2014 3

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vOLUnTeer LeADer

Faculty Member, Author,historian retires

Oregon and Washington. Milstead served as IPDA’s executive secretary from 2011 until his appoint-ment as president in April. He officially assumed the office on June 1. A native of Shreveport, La., Milstead joined the UAM faculty in 2010. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in speech communi-cation from Louisiana State University-Shreveport and a master of arts degree from UA-Little Rock.

Dr. Robert Ficklin (right), an associate professor of forestry, was recently selected to receive a Volunteer Leadership Award from the Ouachita chapter of the society of American Foresters. Ficklin was honored for his volunteer work with the sAF. A member of the forestry faculty since 2002, Ficklin holds a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. With Ficklin is Joe Friend representing the Ouachita sAF.

Dr. William Shea (below), a noted author, Civil War his-torian, and professor of his-tory retired recently from the UAM faculty after 40 years service to the university. “Dr. Shea will be sorely missed,” said Chancellor Jack Lassiter. “He was an out-standing classroom instruc-tor and a scholar who cared deeply about his profession.” Shea holds a doctorate from Rice University and is the author of a number of Civil War books, concentrat-ing on the conflict in the trans-Mississippi theater. His books include Pea Ridge: Civil War in the West, and Fields of Blood.

r. Robert Moore, a member of the UAM faculty who writes under the pen name “Red Hawk,” has won an international

 what harm he has done. I don’t knowanyone else who would have stopped;he finds the rabbit broken and thrashingbut not yet dead in the tall grass, goes to his trunk for a hammer, returnsand finishes what chance started. Thenwith the claw part, he digs a shallow holeand puts the body in, returns, drives home heavy with sorrow, feeling remorse,having performed his humble sacrament tomake right what has gone wrong in us;we have forgotten who we are andwhat we must do.

International WinnerRed Hawk wins 2014 Poetry of the Sacred competition

Dpoetry competition. The acclaimed poet captured the grand prize at the 2014 Poetry of the Sacred competition spon-sored by the Center for Interfaith Relations, a part of the Institute of Contemplative Practice based in Louisville, Ky. The competition drew entries from 34 states and four foreign countries. Red Hawk’s winning poem, “What Worship Is,” will be published in Parabola magazine, a two-time winner of the FOLIO Award for editorial excellence. “Parabola brings together some of the foremost writers and thinkers of the time to explore timeless themes of human existence through the wisdom of sacred traditions,” said Moore.

What Worship IsAt dusk, Cousin John is driving homewhen a rabbit darts in front of his car andis thrown, tumbling and spinning,into the tall grass beyond the shoulder. Now here is where John emerges fromthe pack of ordinary brutish humansand assumes a form we barely know:he stops the car, pulls off to see

4 UAM Magazine

Autumn 2014 5

Bed races and Pep rallyAlumni and friends are

invited to come watch the first ever UAM bed races with the annual Home-coming pep rally to follow at Cotton Boll Stadium on Thursday, October 9 at 4 p.m.

Alumni Lawn PartyAll alumni and friends are

invited for food, fun and music. We will honor the newest recipients of the Alumni Award for Achievement and Merit and the Continuing the Connection Award. The event is scheduled for Friday, October 10 from 6-8 p.m. on the lawn of the chancellor’s home. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and refresh-ments will be served free of charge. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the promenade of the library.For informa-tion, call the Office of Alumni Affairs at (870) 460-1028.

Face PaintingJoin us at the “Welcome

UAM Alumni” tent for face painting, balloons, and have your photo made with the Boll Weevil mascot on Saturday, October 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Our spe-cial guests will be members of the Class of 1964, who we encourage to join us and reconnect with classmates. For more information, contact Alumni Affairs at (870) 460-1028.

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Thursday, October 9, 20144:00 p.m. – Homecoming Bed Races and Pep Rally,

cotton Boll stadium.

6:00 p.m. – cotton Blossoms Volleyball, steelman

Field House.

5:00 p.m. – sports Hall of Fame Reception, Home

of Judy and Jack Lassiter, 471 University Drive.

All alumni and friends are invited to meet the

newest members of the sports Hall of Fame.

6:00 p.m. – sports Hall of Fame Banquet, Uni-

versity center Green Room. Please join us as

we celebrate five former, esteemed athletes

as they are officially inducted into the UAM

sports Hall of Fame. tickets are $35 per per-

son. Proceeds benefit the UAM Sports Hall of

Fame. For tickets, contact the Department of

Athletics at (870) 460-1058.

Friday, October 10, 20146:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Alumni Lawn Party, chan-

cellor’s Home, 471 University Drive. Free of

charge. in case of inclement weather, the event

will be held in the library promenade.

Saturday, October 11, 2014 – Judy & Jack Lassiter Day

8:30 a.m. – A&M/UAM Lettermen’s Breakfast,

indoor Practice Facility Room 107. All former

Boll Weevil and cotton Blossom letter winners

are invited to this reunion. tours of the indoor

Practice Facility will be provided. For informa-

tion, contact Matt Whiting, Department of

Athletics, at (870) 460-1758.

9:00 a.m. – A&M/UAM African-American Alumni

Reunion Breakfast, University center capitol

Room; tickets are $20 per person. Alumni

and friends are invited to attend this tradi-

tional celebration to reminisce with A&M/UAM

African-American Alumni. contact: shay Gil-

lespie, African-American Alumni Association,

at (870) 723-3582.

10:00 a.m. – Alpha sigma Alpha sorority (Gamma

Zeta chapter) Reunion Breakfast, University

center Gallery Room. there will be a silent auc-

tion to raise money for the special Olympics.

contact Julie Barber, Alpha sig representative,

at (870) 329-6754.

11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Weevil tailgate Parties,

Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. tailgate Row adjacent to

Weevil Pond.

11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – “Welcome UAM Alumni”

tent, Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. tailgate Row adja-

cent to Weevil Pond.

11:00 a.m. – Kappa Alpha Fraternity Reunion,

Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. tailgate Row adjacent to

Weevil Pond. contact John David Herren, KA

representative, at (870) 501-2254.

11:00 a.m. – sigma tau Gamma Fraternity Reunion,

Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. tailgate Row adjacent to

Weevil Pond. contact Jayson sandine, sig tau

representative, at (870) 820-4156.

12:00 p.m. – A&M/UAM track and Field – cross

country Alumni, Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. tailgate

Row adjacent to Weevil Pond.

12:30 p.m. – Weevil Walk of champions and

Homecoming Parade, Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr.

tailgate Row adjacent to Weevil Pond.

2:30 p.m. – Pre-Game ceremony, Willis “convoy”

Leslie cotton Boll stadium. the pre-game

show will feature the 2014 Homecoming court

and coronation of the Homecoming Queen.

3:00 p.m. – Homecoming Football Game Kick-off,

Willis “convoy” Leslie cotton Boll stadium.

come support the Fighting Boll Weevils as

they take on the Harding Bison.

Halftime – UAM Marching Band and special

Recognitions, Willis “convoy” Leslie cotton

Boll stadium. the Pride of southeast Arkansas

marching band, plus a tribute to Judy and Jack

Lassiter and the 2014 Hall of Fame inductees.

What’s new!

Homecoming Schedule ‘14New events highlight our traditional autumn festival

6 UAM Magazine

homecoming ParadeThis year’s Homecoming

Parade will be part of the Walk of Champions. Join us on Saturday, October 11 at 12:30 p.m. at Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. Tailgate Row adjacent to Weevil Pond as we welcome The Pride of Southeast Arkansas marching band, student floats, the 2014 Homecom-ing Court, and the fighting Boll Weevil football team.

Track and Field – Cross Country reunion

All alumni and friends affiliated with the A&M/UAM Track and Field – Cross Country programs are invited to this special gathering at 12 noon at the Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. Tailgate Row adjacent to Weevil Pond. Contact Matt Whiting, Depart-ment of Athletics, at (870) 460-1758.

Salute to Jack & JudySaturday, October 11 has

been designated Judy & Jack Lassiter Day in ap-preciation for their 10-plus years of service as UAM’s first family. The Lassiters will be honored by The Pride of Southeast Arkan-sas marching band with a special halftime salute at Convoy Leslie-Cotton Boll Stadium.

The PArADe MOveS TO SATUrDAY!the annual Homecoming Parade is being moved from its traditional thursday afternoon time to saturday at 12:30 p.m. as part of the Walk of Champions. This year’s parade will feature student organization floats as well as the 2014 Homecoming court.

Autumn 2014 7

A

8 UAM Magazine

hOMe ISWhere TheheArT ISAfter 10-plus years as chancellor, Jack Lassiter and his wife, Judy, say goodbye to UAM, but not to the community they’ve grown to love.

AUTHOR AND PLAYWRIGHT THOMAS WOLFE once famously said “You can’t go home again.” Jack and Judy Lassiter never took that advice and the University of Arkansas at Monticello will be forever grateful. The Lassiters first came to UAM in 1977 as a young just-married couple, beginning a love affair with a school and a community that has lasted nearly four decades. They left twice but kept coming back, and when Jack steps down as UAM’s chancellor on January 5, 2015, the couple will stay in Monticello. “This is home,” says Judy. “It just feels like where we belong.” “This is a very welcoming place,” adds Jack. “Our kids grew up on campus. They consider this home even though they don’t live here. We like the people we’ve worked with, like the people of the community. We feel like this is the right place to spend the rest of our lives.” Jack Lassiter’s journey from east Texas to Monticello mir-rors the struggle faced by generations of UAM students. Born in Waco, Texas, he grew up in Greenville about 50 miles north-east of Dallas, the son of Zelda and Harold Jackson Lassiter, Sr. His father worked as an electrician on military fighters for Ling-Tempco-Vaught and volunteered to go to Thailand during the Vietnam War to service the planes because it meant less expense for the government and more money for his family. Zelda was a housewife who cared for Jack and his little sister, Vanessa, who was born with a congenital heart defect when Jack was seven. When Vanessa was three she had to have open heart surgery, becoming one of the first pediatric patients of famed heart surgeons Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley.

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continued on page 10

Autumn 2014 9

LIKe FAMILYthe Lassiters have always felt a special kinship with UAM students.

10 UAM Magazine

The hospital stay lasted nearly 20 days and combined with the surgery, left the Lassiters with a staggering medical bill. “The first three years of Vanessa’s life, before she had heart surgery, was a really tough time for Jack,” explains Judy. “He couldn’t have any friends over because she couldn’t be exposed to any germs. They had to be really careful with her. Anytime Jack got sick, or caught a cold at school, they had to shut him up in his room.” Vanessa’s surgery was suc-cessful and meant a normal life (she just retired at 61 after a long career as a high school teacher in Greenville), but the medical bills forced Zelda to get a job. It took more than 20 years to pay the bill. When Jack graduated from Greenvil le High School, he didn’t have a lot of college op-tions. He was admitted as a pro-bationary student at East Texas State University in Commerce, the first in his extended family to attend college. “I don’t want to tell you what I scored on the admission test,” he says, smiling at the memory. “They let me come to school, but I had to take a set of 12 hours and if I didn’t pass them, I got to go home. Back then, they had a 3.0 system and I made a 1.0 my freshman year. I eventually got my GPA up to a 3.1 when they switched to a 4.0 system.” Lassiter graduated from East Texas State (now Texas A&M-Commerce) with a bach-elor’s degree in finance in 1968 and earned a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from East Texas in 1969. After trying his hand in retail business, Jack decided to go back to school to pursue a doctor-ate and make higher education his career. In February 1976, Jack was a doctoral candidate at East Texas State and an adjunct

instructor at Richland Community College in Dallas when he met an attractive blonde at a party in Commerce. Judy Harp was a guidance counselor in the Dallas suburb of Garland. Eleven months later, on New Year’s Day 1977, Jack and Judy eloped. It wasn’t love at first sight, at least not for Judy. “Back then Jack smoked. My dad smoked

and I hated it,” says Judy. “That was a big turn-off. But we wound up talking late into the night. He got my phone number, called me, and I cooked dinner for him. I always tell people he married me because I had a job and knew how to cook.” The couple had been married eight months when a job came open at a small school in south-east Arkansas. “I was working while Jack was finishing his doctorate and teaching an adjunct class,” says Judy. “I think he felt bad that he

was not being a bread winner, so he decided to apply for some jobs before he actually finished his dissertation. It was terrible because we kept getting all these rejection letters. We were try-ing to live on one little teacher’s salary. He’d sent out all these resumes and all these letters of interest for jobs we’d seen in The Chronicle of Higher Education back before the internet.

Everyday the mail would come and . . . sorry, sorry. Oh, he was getting so discouraged.” When he was offered a posi-tion as director of the Learning Development Center at UAM, Jack jumped at the opportunity although Judy had some doubts. “I had always lived in cities,” she says. “I grew up in Amarillo, which is about the size of Little Rock, and we lived in Dallas when we married, so I had some reservations about coming to a small town.” As the Lassiters drove east, then north through the thick pine forests of north Louisiana and southeast Arkansas, Judy, who grew up in the barren Texas panhandle, was stunned by what she saw. “I remember saying, ‘My gosh, Jack, the trees grow right up next to the road.’ I couldn’t believe it. I never dreamed there were this many trees in the world. And water. We didn’t have any lakes in the panhandle.

Growing up I never knew anyone who had a fishing pole or a boat.” Jack spent the next year directing the Learn-ing Development Center while completing his doctorate, then accepted a position as dean of college and student services at Wharton (Tex.) County Junior College. In 1980, he returned to UAM as vice chancellor for university relations and student services, beginning a 17-year stay on the Monticello campus. As vice chancellor, Jack maintained a hectic schedule, attending

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12Autumn 2014 11

student functions all over campus. He was also instrumental in the creation of the UAM Foundation Fund, the university’s private fund-raising arm. In 1993, he became UAM’s chief academic officer when he accepted the position of vice chancellor for academic affairs. In 1997, then-UA System President Alan Sugg chose Lassiter to lead Gateway Technical College into the UA system as the UA Community College at Bates-ville, a post he held for four years before joining the central administration staff in Little Rock as executive vice president of the UA System. When Fred Taylor retired in 2004 as UAM chancellor, the UA Board of Trustees selected Lassiter as the institution’s 11th chief executive officer. His impact was immediate and lasting. “I wanted to create a learning, living and working environment that was better than what I found when I got here,” he says. “That’s what’s guided me for the last 10 years.” One of Lassiter’s first goals was the creation of a Master Plan for the renovation of older fa-cilities and the creation of new ones. In concert with a team of architects, the university created a plan that included: •therenovation,restorationandlandscap-ing of Weevil Pond as well as the creation of a donor walk; •extensiverenovationofclassroombuild-ings, including Willard, Wells and Sorrells Hall; • constructionof theGeorgeH.ClippertForest Resources Annex, a 15,000-square foot addition as well as the renovation of the existing forestry buildings; •constructionofanindoorpracticefacilityfor athletics, the marching band and intramu-rals; •renovationstoConvoyLeslie-CottonBollStadium, including the installation of chair-back seating and an enlarged and modernized press box; and, •renovationstoboththebaseballandsoft-ball complexes.

the tale of how Jack and Judy Lassiter got married is a story worth telling, but first, some background. each had been married once before and the idea of a big wedding was beginning to lose its appeal as their January 1, 1977, wedding date approached. the logistics of getting the grandmothers and other relatives to the same location combined with the other details convinced Jack and

SherIFF PeTe, ChICKenS AnDA 10 DOLLAr WeDDInG

Judy that they should elope. Some of Jack’s fraternity brothers had tipped him off to a place in Oklahoma where they could get married in a hurry so on New Year’s Day Jack and Judy drove north across the Red River to Durant, Okla., to find Sheriff Pete. (Neither of them remember the officer’s last name.) Let Judy take the story from here: “sheriff Pete told us to come on up. We were supposed to be there at 10 a.m. some man had to come from home to the hospital to do a blood test before we could be married. When we got to the Sheriff’s office, Sheriff Pete calls the man who’s going to do the blood test and he tells the sheriff, ‘Well, can you wait til halftime?’ He was watch-ing the cotton Bowl. “sheriff Pete drives us to the hospital, we get a blood test and everything turns out okay. then the sheriff has to take us in his patrol car over to Atoka, Okla., which is in the next county. the county clerk from Atoka takes marriage licenses home on the week-end and sells them out of her dining room. So we drive to Atoka to this woman’s house. Sheriff Pete gets out and knocks on the door but there’s no one home. He says, ‘Oh, I bet she’s at the nursing home visiting her mother.’ So he gets back in the car and drives us to the nursing home. Pretty soon, here comes this little lady sashaying out and we go back to her house. She opens this book and fills out all the paper work, then says, ‘Now honey, there’s some turquoise jewelry down there at the other end of the table if you’re interested. She’s trying to sell me jewelry to go with the license.” it gets stranger . . . “On the way back from Atoka to Durant, sheriff Pete has arranged for a retired As-sembly of God minister who lives somewhere between Atoka and Durant to perform the ceremony. We get to his house and there are chickens and roosters running around the yard. so we go in the house and he asks Jack if he wants the long service or the short service. Jack says ‘What’s the difference?’ And the preacher says $10. Jack says ‘We’ll take the short one.’ So we got married in the retired minister’s house but before he started, he called to his wife. ‘Momma, come in here.’ So his wife came in and played the piano and signed as a witness and we got married. it took us all day. We went to Lake Texoma for our honeymoon and that’s how we got started.”continued on page 12

UAM MAGAZINE12 UAM Magazine

Lassiter has also overseen the renovation of residence halls, including the massive makeover of Bankston Hall. In 2006, leading to the university’s centennial celebration, Vice Chan-cellor for Advancement Linda Yeiser suggested the creation of a Centennial Circle Campaign to raise $1 million for an unrestricted endow-ment. Today, the center of campus is anchored by the Centennial Clock Tower, built with university funds, to honor the school’s first century and acknowledge the 100 donors who gave $10,000 each to create the endowment. The completed endowment now funds nearly $50,000 annually for special projects. Curriculum changes under Lassiter’s watch include the creation of online master’s degrees in coaching and creative writing, upgrading existing programs and trimming others to make sure most undergraduate degrees are now 120 hours and can be completed in four years. “We changed the perspective of the in-stitution in terms of broadening what we offer to students,” he says. “We can take students all the way from technical certificates to master’s degrees.” One of Lassiter’s most popular achieve-ments has been the creation of a big-time tailgating atmosphere prior to Boll Weevil football games and the institution of the Walk of Champions. A typical football Saturday at UAM now includes from 300 to 400 tailgat-ing fans around Weevil Pond with the smell of barbeque in the air. But perhaps the most important change under Lassiter is an intangible one. “When I became chancellor there was a true town and gown separation,” says Jack. “Judy and I worked hard to get the university involved in commu-nity activities and to open our campus to the community. We wanted to foster a relationship with the community.” Consider it done. “In my opinion, the relationship Jack and Judy have built between the campus and com-munity is going to be his lasting legacy,” says George Harris, president of Commercial Bank of Monticello and an Arkansas A&M graduate.

GOING HOME | Fe AtURes

“They have created a welcoming atmosphere that makes people, not just in Monticello, but all over southeast Arkansas, feel like they’re a part of the university.” Lassiter’s accomplishments in his decade as chancellor are even more remarkable when you consider he suffered a stroke five years ago that left him without the use of his left hand. “It hasn’t slowed him down,” says Judy, chok-ing back tears at the memory. “I really think so much credit goes to the people that work here and live here who have been so kind and so supportive.” In his 28 years on the UAM campus, Las-siter has always shared a special bond with the institution, its mission as an open admissions university and with the students with whom he readily identifies. “I was one of them when I went to college,” he says. “When I say I was the first in my family to attend college, that extends to my mother’s nine siblings and their children. No one in the entire Johnson family – that was my mother’s maiden name – had ever attained a college degree. My dad only had two brothers and none of them had ever attended college, nor their children. “I really do understand what our students are going through. When I first went off to col-lege, I felt like a lost fish in a big ocean. I guess that’s why I have always felt a special kinship with our students and why I am such a firm believer that institutions like this one play such an important role in higher education.” As the Lassiters step away from the campus, they plan to travel and spend time with their children and grandchildren, but Monticello and UAM will always be home to this pair of expatriate Texans. “When Jack worked at the system office in Little Rock, we went to the (Arkansas Repertory Theatre) one night,” remembers Judy. “We were waiting for it to start and he looked around and said ‘Look at this whole place full of people and I don’t know a soul.’ That really bothered him. Jack’s a people person and he likes to see people he knows. That’s why we’re staying in Monticello. It just feels like home.”

ThrOUGh The YeArS . . .

. . . showing his skill with a hula hoop at the an-nual faculty-staff party, as a young vice chan-cellor for student affairs, and as UAM’s chief academic officer.

Autumn 2014 13

UAM’S FIrST FAMILYthe Lassiters say goodbye to the Univer-sity after nearly four decades on campus.

B14 UAM Magazine

BILL LAWRENCE AND RONNIE MC-FARLAND were teammates and roommates as undergraduates at Arkansas A&M College in the early 1960s, so it’s only fitting that they be recognized together by their alma mater. Lawrence, a Russellville businessman, and McFarland, a Searcy insurance executive and guiding force behind the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, will be honored along with State Representative Jeff Wardlaw of Hermitage by the University of Arkansas at Monticello during the university’s 2014 homecoming celebration. Lawrence and Wardlaw will receive the 2014 Alumni Awards for Achievement and Merit while McFarland will receive the Con-tinuing the Connection Award for keeping alive the connection between UAM and Ar-kansas A&M. The awards will be presented at the Alumni Lawn Party at the chancellor’s home October 10. BILL LAWRENCE HAS BEEN A success at almost everything he’s tried in life – a two-time all-conference football player at what was then Arkansas A&M, a teacher, coach, school administrator, and since 1984, a highly successful businessman.

ALUMNI HONORS | Fe AtURes

SOUThArKAnSASBOYSBill Lawrence, Ronnie McFarland and Jeff Wardlaw share a common background. They’re all from south Arkansas and they all have fond memories of their time as students at UAM.

BILL LAWrenCe rOnnIe MCFArLAnD JeFF WArDLAW

Autumn 2014 15

His only failing – the man can’t throw a javelin. Lawrence was a four-year starter in the defensive backfield for head coach Red Parker from 1962-65, a glorious time for Boll Weevil football. From 1963 to ’65, A&M won 24 games, lost 5, tied 1 and won two Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championships. One spring during Lawrence’s off season, he and Ronnie Higgins were chatting when they were approached by Harold Steelman. Steelman was an assistant coach on Parker’s staff and the head track coach, and that day he had a problem. He was about to take his track team to a meet but needed someone to throw the javelin. Lawrence and Higgins had never thrown a javelin, but they had seen one leaned against a corner of the football locker room and decided to give it a try. How hard could it be, reasoned Lawrence. “Neither one of us had ever thrown one of those things, so when we get to the meet, we’re asking anyone we can find to tell us how to throw it,” remembers Lawrence. “They told us how to take the crossover step and how to release it, so I thought I was good to go. I did the approach and crossover like they told me and let it go, but instead of going straight, it went dead right. As I was watching it fly through the air toward the scorer’s tent, the only thing I could think to yell was ‘Fore!’ The javelin narrowly missed a group of meet officials, who decided Lawrence’s javelin days were over. “That was probably a good de-cision on their part,” says Lawrence, laughing at the memory. Javelin aside, not much has gone wrong in Lawrence’s life. He left A&M after the 1965 football season to play for the Savan-nah Chiefs of the North American Football League, a fledgling minor league that served as a farm system for the NFL. Lawrence was leading the league in interceptions after six games when he received an urgent message to call his father. “We had played Tampa that afternoon and didn’t get back until late,” says

Lawrence. “I had a message that my dad had called at 2 a.m., so I knew it was serious.” Lawrence didn’t have a phone in his apart-ment, so he drove around Savannah until he found a pay phone. “Son, you’ve got to get back here and get in school or you’re going to get drafted,” said Lawrence’s father. Lawrence immediately packed his bags, said goodbye to minor league football and drove non-stop to Monticello. School was already in session and Lawrence should have been too late to enroll, but Dean of Students John Downey Jones pulled some strings and got Lawrence back in school. Lawrence graduated in 1967 with a B.S. in physical education and a minor in social stud-ies, then took a job in the Hope school system as a teacher and coach. “If you were pursuing a degree in education or medicine, or had a job in those fields, you could keep from going to Vietnam,” Lawrence says. The job in Hope was the first in a series of teaching and coaching jobs for Lawrence. After two years in Hope (where he coached future Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in eight grade gym class), Lawrence moved to Little Rock to coach at Westside Junior High. A year later, he became the offensive line coach at Little Rock Central. When busing began in 1971, coaches and teachers were also shifted to different jobs in the district, with Lawrence landing at Booker Junior High where he coached future Arkansas All-American and NBA star Sidney Moncrief. Lawrence finished his master’s degree in education from Henderson State in 1972 and left coaching behind, accepting a position as an elementary school principal in Strong. He met his future wife, Doris, on a blind date, while working in Strong and the couple were married June 14, 1974. In 1975 he became principal at Gillette High School, moved to Wheatley as superintendent in 1979, then took a similar post at Hampton in 1982. In 1984, Lawrence made a drastic career change, leaving education behind to go into private business. A McGehee native, Lawrence

wanted to return to his roots in southeast Ar-kansas, and when the opportunity to purchase a business in his hometown became available, he jumped at the chance. Delta Pest Control was a small regional operation with just four employees. Lawrence took his teacher savings, borrowed the rest and bought the business. Thirty years later, Delta Pest Control is the second largest company of its kind in Arkansas with 42 employees and offices in Little Rock and Russellville. The company’s growth didn’t come without some sacrifices. Bill and Doris lived in a 12-by-56-foot trailer with no heat while the business was getting off the ground. Lawrence didn’t draw a check from the business for three years while the couple survived on Doris’ $12,000 a year teaching salary at Gillette. “We ate a lot of deer meat, fish and ducks,” says Lawrence. “Whatever I could kill.” Lawrence’s hard work and willingness to sacrifice paid off handsomely as the business grew. In 1995, the couple moved to Russellville where they live in a expansive home overlook-ing Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River valley. Today, Delta Pest Control has a $1.75 million payroll and counts among its clients Acxiom Corporation, the University of Cen-tral Arkansas, and Lawrence’s alma mater, the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Lawrence still holds fond memories of his days at UAM, most of it centered around the camaraderie and friendships built while part of a winning football team. “That was a really special time,” he says. “Living in the dorm with the guys. Back then we had a curfew and very few people had cars, so we spent a lot of time in that dorm just talking, telling stories, pulling pranks, really getting to know each other. A lot of those guys are still my friends to this day.” ONE OF THOSE GUYS IS RONNIE McFarland, whose first contact with Lawrence came when McFarland’s Warren Lumberjacks played Lawrence’s McGehee Owls. McFarland

continued on page 16

16 UAM Magazine

and Lawrence didn’t much like each other as football opponents but became best friends in college. “That was the best thing about A&M,” says McFarland. “The friends I made living in the dorm, the relationships I made with people who will be my friends for the rest of my life; not just students, but coaches and people in town. I still have great relationships with people I met at A&M.” When McFarland came to A&M in 1962, he thought he was a basketball player. He spent his freshman year on the basketball team before coach Leslie Beard pulled him aside. “Coach Beard called me in one day and said ‘Ronnie, you need to play football,’” says Mc-Farland. McFarland became a football standout playing in the same defensive backfield as Lawrence, earning All-AIC honors in 1966. He still remembers his favorite game, a 28-28 tie with Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) and its legendary quarterback, Bobby Tiner. The Weevils erased a 28-7 fourth quar-ter deficit to gain a tie that felt like a win. “Tiner called me 15 years ago and wanted me to write all his insurance,” says McFarland. “Bill and I laugh about it. It’s the only time either of us ever got close to him.” McFarland graduated from A&M in 1967 with a bachelor of science degree in education, then stayed on campus for a year as a graduate assistant on the staff of Boll Weevil Coach Bill Calaway. A year later he joined Ronnie Carter’s staff at Monticello High School and in 1970 became the Billies head coach, a posi-tion he held until 1976. After six seasons at Monticello High, McFarland was feeling a little frustrated and looking for something new when he was of-fered a chance to follow his late father into school administration. Ned McFarland was the principal at Banks High School when he died in 1966 en route to Livingston, Ala., to watch his son play football. Ten years later,

Ronnie accepted a position as principal at Watson Chapel Elementary School. In 1978, McFarland left education behind and took over a Farm Bureau Insurance agency in Searcy. Thirty-six years later, he’s never regretted the move. “I just felt like it was something I should do,” he says. “It turned out to be a great decision.” McFarland was recently honored by the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, receiving the Meritorious Service Award for his 18-plus

years of service on the Hall of Fame executive board. He is one of four former Boll Weevils currently on the board and he’s never lost his love for his alma mater. McFarland ’s roots in south Arkansas and at UAM run deep. His father, Ned, his mother, Eloise, and his wife, the former Betty Lou Maxwell, all attended Arkansas A&M. “When we go home, we’re Betty Lou and Ronnie Mac,” says McFarland. “You know, I’ve lived in Searcy for a long time, but I’ll always be from south Arkansas.” JEFF WARDLAW ALSO HAS DEEP roots in south Arkansas. A Hermitage native, Wardlaw farms 200 acres of produce and 100 acres of hay no more than a quarter mile from his parents’ home. He lives there with his wife of 10 years, Brittany, and their three children. He also owns and operates Mallard Medical Supply, LLC in Warren and is preparing to begin his third term in the Arkansas House of Representatives, representing District 8, which includes Bradley and Calhoun counties along with parts of Union and Dallas counties. Wardlaw was attracted to politics at an early age for one simple reason. “I’ve always been drawn to the idea of helping people,” he explains. “I wanted to do it for a long time, since childhood really.” Then, with a laugh, he adds “I believe in long-range planning.” Wardlaw spent nearly eight years planning

his entry into politics, waiting patiently for fellow UAM alum Gregg Reep to be term-limited, leaving the District 8 seat open. Wardlaw entered the race and won, and has been re-elected twice. A 2002 UAM graduate with a degree in agriculture with an animal science emphasis, Wardlaw places health care and education at the top of his priority list. He is a firm believer in pre-K education and a passionate spokesman for vocational education. “I made it a priority to

help secure more money for vo-cational education to get people ready for jobs,” he explains. “There are lots of jobs out there going begging because we don’t

have enough people trained to do them.” Wardlaw serves on numerous committees in the House, including the Committee on Education, the Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor, the Committee on Insur-ance and Commerce, and the Arkansas State Game and Fish Oversight Committee. He is also a member of the Joint Committee on Energy and a part of the Arkansas Legislative Council, where he participated in Joint Budget Committee budget hearings. Between farming, running a business, and serving in the legislature, Wardlaw maintains a hectic schedule. He and Brittany both spend time at the offices of Mallard Medical Supply, which sells durable medical equipment. Ward-law got into the business by accident. Looking for more income to augment his farm opera-tion, he accepted an invitation from Jonesboro businessman Joe Simpson to become a partner in his medical supply business. Wardlaw ended up owning the company, sold it, then bought it back in its current version. Wardlaw’s future includes a possible run for the Senate when Eddie Cheatham is term limited, but until then he is concentrating on making his business a success and living up to an honor that caught him by surprise. “When they called me and told me about the (alumni) award, I didn’t think I deserved it,” he says. “I’m very appreciative and hope I can live up to it.”

ALUMNI HONORS | Fe AtURes

“That was the best thing about A&M . . . the re-lationships I made with people who will be my friends for the rest of my life . . . ”

Autumn 2014 17

Hall of FameCorwin elliott, Jamie Tucker, David Stover, Kevin Parker, and the late

Angela Meadough thrilled us with their exploits on the diamond, gridiron and basketball court. now they’re part of the hall of Fame.

AnGeLA MeADOUGh JAMIe TUCKer DAvID STOver KevIn PArKer

COrWIn eLLIOTT

18 UAM Magazine

SPORTS HALL OF FAME | Fe AtURes

A two-time women’s basketball All-American, a first team football All-American, and the most prolific running back in school history highlight the class of 2014 chosen for induction into the University of Arkansas at Monticello Sports Hall of Fame.

The late Angela Meadough, Kevin Parker, Corwin Elliott and baseball stars Jamie Tucker and David Stover comprise this year’s Hall of Fame selections. The Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held on Thursday, October 9 at 6 p.m. in the John F. Gibson Uni-versity Center. Tickets are $35 each and may be purchased by calling the Department of Athletics at (870) 460-1058. Proceeds from ticket sales are earmarked for the UAM Sports Hall of Fame. Meadough earned first team All-America honors from the National Association of Inter-collegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 1992 after receiving third team honors in 1991. One of the most prolific scorers in school history, Meadough played two seasons for the Cotton Blossoms after transferring from Odessa (Tex.) Junior College. In two years, Meadough set records for free throws made in a season (304 in 1991-92) and career free throw percentage (.806, 546 of 677). In two seasons she scored 1,414 points and averaged 24.8 points a game, dished out 298 assists

and was twice selected first team All-AIC and All-NAIA District 17. “Angela was the best I ever coached at drawing fouls and get-ting to the free throw line,” says Alvy Early, who coached Mea-dough and is currently UAM’s softball coach. “She just had a

knack for it. She was a great, great player and a wonderful individual and she left us too soon.” Kevin Parker is one of six UAM football players to be se-lected as a first team All-Amer-ican. Parker became the school’s fourth first team All-American in 1992 when he anchored the of-fensive line for a Boll Weevil team that averaged 259.3 rushing yards and 26.4 points a game. The 2,593 yards is still the fifth best rushing season in school history. Parker was the Boll Weevils’ starting left tackle in 1990, ’91 and ’92, protecting the blind side of quar-terback Bryan Trucks and clear-

ing the way for running backs Undra Holman, Roy Watkins, and Wayne Denman. “I was very fortunate to play with Kevin most of my career,” said Trucks. “He made my job a lot easier. I never worried about Kevin picking up his block and it gave me confidence to stand in the pocket just a little longer knowing Kevin was on my backside.” Corwin Elliott’s UAM records are almost too numerous to list. The diminutive Elliott used a low center of gravity and strong leg drive to rush for a school record 3,820 yards from 1999 to 2002. He holds or shares 13 individual school rushing records, including career rushing attempts (755), single season rushing at-tempts (302), single-game rush-

ing attempts (40 vs. Henderson State), single-season rushing yards (1,616), 100-yard rushing games in a career (19) and a season (8), 200-yard rushing games in a career (3), and career rushing touchdowns (36). Elliott was named an honor-able mention All-American in 2001 by d2football.com and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette. He earned first team All-South Region honors in 2001 and sec-ond team honors in 2002. He was named to the All-Gulf South Conference second team in 2001 and the first team in 2002. Outfielder Jamie Tucker was

a second team All-American in 1999, earning the designation from the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawl-ings. During his four-year career, he set numerous records, includ-ing career doubles (37), doubles in a season (18), and career triples (14). He blasted a UAM career record 34 home runs and set the single season record of 14 in 1999. He also holds the career and single season records for runs batted in (147 for his career and 60 in 1999). He had the second most hits in a season in 1999 with 80, the same season be batted an astounding .500 (80 hits in 160 at-bats), also a school record. He was first team All-Gulf South Conference and All-South Re-

gion in 1999. David Stover was the best pitcher of his era and one of the best in school history. From 1971-74, he compiled a career earned run average of 2 .24, a

school record, while recording 285 strikeouts, also a school mark. As a freshman in 1971, Stover earned honorable mention All-NAIA District 17 honors and was a second team All-AIC selection. In 1972 he batted a team high .364, struck out 111 batters, and was honorable mention All-AIC. In 1973 he posted an ERA of 1.96 and followed that with a 1.97 in 1974. As a senior in ’74, Stover posted an 8-3 record with a 1.97 ERA and 114 strikeouts while earning first team All-AIC and All-NAIA District 17 recogni-tion.

“Angela was the best I ever coached at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. She just had a knack for it. She was a great, great player . . . ”

A

Autumn 2014 19

An UnQUenChABLe SPIrIT Gene norton has a unique gift. “People who spend time around him feel blessed,” says his mother, Betty nor-ton. “That’s a rare thing.” When Gene was in a Little Rock hospi-tal in 2008 recovering from spinal surgery, doctors and nurses didn’t want him to leave. “He asked one of his doctors one day when he could go home,” remembers Betty. “His doctor said, ‘Gene, you can’t go home. We’re not going to let you. You make us all feel too good!” Gene norton is 46 years old and has special needs. He lives with his parents, Marvin and Betty, in Monticello. Gene is confined to a wheelchair, the result of a spinal injury and two surgeries, but the setbacks haven’t crushed his spirit. in fact, it is that spirit that will be rec-ognized by the University of Arkansas at Monticello in October when Gene norton will become the 10th recipient of the UAM spirit Award, given annually to an individ-ual who best exemplifies the spirit of Boll Weevil and cotton Blossom athletics. the award will be presented as part of the UAM sports Hall of Fame induction banquet. Gene and his parents are at every home basketball and volleyball game, seated in their front-row seats at steelman Fieldhouse. Players, coaches and fans make it a point to stop for a handshake

and a smile from Gene. “He’s just one of those people who makes you feel better,” says chris Ratcliff, UAM’s director of athletics. “He’s been through so much in his life, but he always has such a great attitude. And he is our biggest fan.” the nortons rarely miss a home game, and if they do, there had better be a good reason. “When it’s raining real hard, we have a hard time taking him because we’ll get soaked trying to get his wheelchair out of the van and into the gym,” says Betty. “One time we told him we couldn’t go and he said, ‘But they’re counting on me to be there.’” the nortons began taking Gene to UAM athletic events in 2001, shortly after Mike Newell was named men’s basketball coach. newell bought a house across the street from the nortons and met Gene when he happened by to borrow a tool. “He asked Gene if he liked basketball and of course Gene said he did,” remembers Betty. “coach newell gave him a sched-ule and a shirt and told him that all three of us could come to the games and sit in seats he would provide. That’s how it started.” since then, Gene and his parents have become fixtures at Boll Weevil and Cot-ton Blossom games. During that time,

Gene has gotten to know players and coaches and they’ve gotten to know him. in 2008, when Gene was in the hospital in Little Rock, Ratcliff, who was the women’s basketball coach at the time, took his team to Little Rock to see Gene on their way to the Gulf south conference basketball tour-nament in Mississippi. the out-of-the-way trip should have been an inconvenience, but the players loved it, crowding around Gene’s bed and leaving the attending doc-tors and nurses speechless. “they had never seen anything like it,” says Betty. UAM holds a special place in the nor-tons’ heart. “Everyone out there, from the people who take up tickets to the coaches and players, have been wonderful to us,” says Betty. “Why, chancellor (Jack) Lassiter even offered to take us to the basketball tournament on the university bus.” the nortons, who have two other children – son Joey and daughter terry Funderburg – spent 18 years taking Gene to hospitals and clinics trying to find the cause of his condition and received a variety of answers. “i used to wish we could know what was really wrong with Gene, but our son, Joey, asked me why,” says Betty. “He said ‘Just look at the lives Gene has blessed.’”

20 UAM Magazine

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Autumn 2014 21

JOHN HUNT IS AN UNLIKELY COLLEGE professor. A native of Paron, a tiny unincor-porated community in rural northwestern Saline County, Hunt graduated from Paron High School in 1977 and lasted less than a year at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock before dropping out. “I wanted to chase girls and party,” says Hunt, laughing at the memory. “I was very successful at one and not so successful at the other.” Hunt eventually drifted into the auto parts business, managing several NAPA stores in Little Rock, but knew he wasn’t fulfilling his potential. “I always regretted not finishing college,” he says. With the support of his wife, Sarah, Hunt went back to UALR and earned a degree in biology in 1996. In 1999, he received a master’s degree in zoology from Auburn University and earned a Ph.D. in biology, also from Auburn, in 2004. He was 44 years old when he accepted his first full-time teaching job in the School of Mathematical and Natu-ral Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Ten years later, Hunt is the winner of the Hornaday Outstanding Faculty Award, presented annually to UAM’s top faculty member. “I’m very proud to be recognized for do-ing what I love,” says Hunt, “but this is really an award for the whole department. A lot of this award is based on the success of our pre-med program, which is successful because we have a fantastic faculty. Jeff Taylor is the best biochemist in the state. Our physicist, Juan Serna, is second to none. Our microbiologist, Mary Stewart, is outstanding and we’ve got a fantastic dean in Morris Bramlett who is crazy supportive of the pre-med program and pre-med students. This is recognition of the

whole math and sciences school.” Affable and easy-going, Hunt tends to downplay his teaching success, but his col-leagues aren’t shy about singing his praises. “John is an outstanding teacher and an ac-complished scientist,” says Bramlett. “We have an incredible group of faculty in math and science and John is a big reason for the success of our program. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.” Hunt teaches three to four classes and one or two labs each semester in a variety of sub-jects, including Introductory Biology, Prin-ciples of Biology II, Comparative Anatomy, Evolution, Mammalogy, Anatomy and Physi-ology II, and Environmental Science as well as their corresponding labs. He also teaches an occasional special topics course, such as the one he just completed in the Bahamas in marine ornithology. Hunt loves biology, drawn to the subject after taking up bird watching which led him to study the biology of birds and then the biology of everything. “I thought I was going to be a chemist when I first went to UALR,” says Hunt, “but the more I studied biology, the more it fascinated me. It’s the basis of all life.” His enthusiasm for biology is part of what Hunt says is necessary to be an accomplished teacher. “Obviously, you have to know your subject,” says Hunt. “But you also have to love your subject. Students can tell if you’re excited by what you’re talking about. I use Juan Serna as an example. Physics is hard and boring for most people, but he makes it exciting because he enjoys it, so his students appreciate it. I try to do the same thing. I love what I teach and I love talking about it.” Hunt says his experience as a nontradi-

tional student has made him keenly aware of the obstacles and challenges his students face. “It really hasn’t been that long since I was in their place,” says Hunt. “A lot of times in aca-demia, we lose sight of the fact that kids have real lives and real problems. It also helped me understand the importance of good academic advising because in 1977 at UALR, they had no one to advise me and I took the wrong classes and got bored and confused, which led me to drop out. Had I had good advisors, I might have stayed.” Hunt’s decision to come to UAM was a simple one. “I needed a job and they gave me one,” he says. “I really wanted to work in Arkansas. I’m from Arkansas. It’s my home.” UAM’s size has a number of advantages for an aspiring college faculty member, says Hunt. “This job is a great job for an academic,” he says. “We’re small. We know our students, know their strengths and weaknesses. Every student who comes in my classroom, I get to know their name, I know what they’re inter-ested in, what their goals are, and I can relate to a lot of them.” “That’s why John’s a great teacher,” says Bramlett. “He has a real connection to his students and they sense it. That’s a rare qual-ity.” The Hornaday Outstanding Faculty Award was created in 2010 by a donation from Dan and Charlotte Cruce Hornaday. Both Hornadays are graduates of Arkansas A&M and have many fond memories of the outstanding faculty that mentored and advised them through graduation and on to very successful careers with Exxon. Earnings from the investment of the principal of the endowment are used annually to provide a medallion and a cash award to the recipient.

HORNADAY OUTSTANDING FACULT Y | Fe AtURes

Making Up For Lost TimeDr. John hunt

CENTENNIAL CIRCLE | FOUnDAtiOn

22 UAM Magazine

Mike & Susan AkinJoe Bob & Missy AllaireHoyt & Susan AndresElizabeth (Libby) AnnulisBarbara & Claude BabinPervis (P.J.) Ballew (by Pervis &

Mary Nell Ballew)Mike & Patsy BerryJohn Falls Bowen (by William H.

& Constance Bowen)Prof. Alaga H. & Myrtle I. Boyd

(by Robert & Faye Boyd)Marty & Erma BrutscherThe Bulloch Family - Bud, Carole,

Liz, SarahKelton & Betty BusbyPaul R. & June Webb CarterJames & Sue CatheySteven L. Cathey M.D.Dr. Tim & Paige ChaseThe Centennial Class of 2009Jesse & Ernestine CokerIn Honor of Quentious A. Crews

1955 – NAIA Football All-American (by Jim & Rhonda Crews Woodruff)

Crossett Alumni & Friends Van & Eula Mae Cruce (by Dan

& Charlotte Hornaday)Drew County Extension Homemakers CouncilDumas Alumni & FriendsDavid B. & Nancy Kyle Eberdt

(by Bobby & Kimberly Eberdt Edmonds)

Searcy Elrod, Trustee & Frances Elrod

Anthony W. & Cathy H. FakouriVictor Felley, Ark. A. & M.

Trustee (by Wayne & Mellie Jo Owen)

First National Bank of McGeheeFrazer Family Jean C. & Oscar F. FrisbyLewis & Wanda Gardner - Lone

Star Station / Boll Weevil Café (by Lewis & Rhonda Gardner)

Barbara Blanks Gathen (by the UAM African American Alumni Association, family & friends)

Jerry, June, Jay & Judd GibsonLisa & Cliff GibsonJohn W., Martha (McDougald),

John, Jr. & Mark GibsonDiane Suitt GillelandRev. Shay & Mrs. Sherrie GillespieDwight & Linda Teague Goodwin (by Randy Risher,

Mark Risher and Roger Teague)

John DeWitt Halstead (by Harry E. “Pete” Halstead)

William A. & Bobbye A. Dunigan HarrisonJim & Betty Jo Hardy HercherFrank D. HickingbothamDan & Charlotte Cruce HornadayJohn & Nora Hornaday (by Dan

& Charlotte Hornaday)President Frank Horsfall & Margaret Vaulx Horsfall (by

Dr. & Mrs. Gordon D. Gates)Stephen W. Huselton, Sr. –

Sigma Tau GammaHerb & Cheryl HutchisonDr. Louis J. & Carol West JamesJane & Bobby JelksJ. Chester Johnson

CenTennIAL CIrCLe

Dr. Carl Briner JohnstonJordan Family - James T., Bonnie,

Terry, Jerry & CindyDon E. & Joyce M. KingDonnie & Charlotte KingCurtis W. Kyle, Jr.Judy & Jack LassiterSandra Joy Nimitz LawhonBill & Doris LawrenceBob & Freddie LeeRobert & Louine Selman Leech /

David, Jimmie Jo & Deborah Jo Leech / Charles & Sarah Leech

Rob & Carla Leonard – MBSF (by friends)

The Carl F. Lucky, Jr. Family Carol & Weaver L. MajorsGerald & Sue MajorsKenneth, Sharon & Jennifer

MannDot & M.L. MannBryan & Dr. Sue S. MartinDr. Betty A. MatthewsAllen & Dana MaxwellThomas V. & Sarah Beth Burchfield MaxwellGene & Harriette Mazzanti /

Vernon & Harriette BrooksNoel Waymon McDaniel (by

Noel A. McDaniel & Marlene Ballard)

Julian W., Sr. & Jean Mettetal (by Wayne Mettetal, Sherry Mettetal Woods, Ted Mettetal, Mike Mettetal, and Mary Ellen Mettetal McAllister)

Kim Lloyd MitchellMoffatt Family - Walter, Jr.,

Wells, Ruth, Minnie May & Pattie

Lamar G. MooreJim NeeleyDonetta F. McGriff, RN (by Ray

& Misty Paschall)D. John NicholsJ. C. & Carolyn Crain NicholsJeff & Sallie OwyoungR. David & Loyce Ray (by Dr. &

Mrs. B. Alan Sugg)Richard & Eddye Ann ReinhartJeffrey Hunter Reinhart, MDRandy & Neela RisherIn Honor of Jamie Troy Rochelle (by Dr. and Mrs.

Sean Rochelle)Bennie F. Ryburn, Sr. & Virginia

M. Ryburn (by Commercial Bank & Trust Co/First State Bank of Warren)

Dr. & Mrs. Harry L. RyburnMargaret Horsfall Schadler &

Harvey Walter SchadlerJohnny & Linda SmithTom & Dianne SpringerG. Warren StephensonJean & Alan SuggTed D. & Jack D. ThompsonUnion Bank & Trust CompanyJoseph Wallace Trust Joy Ann Waterfield (by Sandra J.

Lawhon)The Wilson Family – Frank, Delores, James, Karla, Jeff,

Harrell, Holley, Jeremy, Rachel, Tyler, Megan & BradTerri Wolfe - Beth ThurmanJimmie & Linda Yeiser

We made it! Thanks to your generosity, we recently reached our goal of 100 donors pledging $10,000 each to create the Centennial Circle Endowment of $1 million.

Autumn 2014 23

MISSIOn ACCOMPLISheD!Linda Yeiser, vice chancellor for advancement, and Chancellor Jack Lassiter stand next to the Centennial Clock Tower after the final donors’ names were inscribed.

FInIShInG TOUCheSA workman uses a sandblaster to etch

the final names of the Centennial Circle on the Clock Tower.

FInAL nAMeSWaterfield, Lawhon and Leech were the final names added to the Clock Tower.

24 UAM Magazine

ENDOWMENTS | FOUnDAtiOn

(Endowments as of August 15, 2014)Weldon B. Abbott Endowed Scholarship / Mrs. Betty S.

Abbott, Dr. and Mrs. Weldon S. Abbott, Mr. and Mrs. H. Lavon Abbott, Mr. and Mrs. Howard P. Taylor, and Ms. Mary Ross Taylor

James Edward and Joy Dell Burton Akin Award / Mrs. Joy Dell Burton Akin

Alumni Achievement and Merit Scholarship / Recipients of the Alumni Achievement and Merit Award

Alumni Association Scholarship / Alumni Association Board of Directors

Hoyt and Susan Andres Endowed Scholarship / Hoyt and Susan Andres

Arkansas Seed Dealers Association Scholarship/ Arkansas Seed Dealers Board of Directors

William R. and Katie B. Austin Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. William R. Austin, Jr.

Barbara Murphy Babin Scholarship / Dr. Claude Babin and Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Babin

Dr. Claude H. Babin Scholarship / Mr. & Mrs. Hunter Babin, Former Students, Faculty and Friends

Baker Family Natural Resources Scholarship / Terrell and Sheila Baker

K. Michael Baker Memorial Scholarship / School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Former Students, Family and Friends

Marvin and Edna Moseley Bankston Scholarship / Bob and Louine Selman Leech

C. H. Barnes, Jr. Football Scholarship / Tommy Barnes, Family and Friends

Robert Orum and Fernande’ Vicknair Barrett Scholarship / Family

Earl and Kathleen Baxter Memorial Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Earl Baxter

Beard Nursing Scholarship / Mr. Arthur R. and Mrs. Bettie Beard Pate

Leslie and Faye Beard Scholarship / Mr. Paul R. and Mrs. June Webb Carter

Major Thomas E. Bell, Jr. Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Jesse M. Coker and Coker Book Account

Fred K. Bellott Music Gift Fund / Dr. and Mrs. Fred K. Bellott

Fred and Doris Bellott Music Endowed Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Fred K. Bellott

*Henry (Mike) Berg Scholarship / Mrs. Helen BergDr. Van C. Binns Scholarship - Nursing / Mrs. Evelyn

Hogue BinnsDr. Van C. Binns Scholarship - Pre-medicine / Mrs. Evelyn

Hogue BinnsBirch-Johnson Endowed Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. J.

Chester JohnsonJohn Falls Bowen Scholarship / Mr. Bill Bowen and members of Battery B of the 206th Coast ArtilleryC. Alton Boyd Jr. Memorial Scholarship / Barbara BoydRuth G. Boyd Scholarship / Dr. Scott BoydDr. Scott Boyd Memorial Scholarship / Friends and Former

StudentsFay Brann Accounting Scholarship / Mrs. J. F. Brann

Richard “Dick” Broach Wildlife Management Scholarship / Southern Pulpwood Co., Mrs. Nancy Clippert Broach, Mrs. Maxine Clippert and Mr. David Clippert

B. R. “Bobby” Brown Scholarship / Mr. B. R. “Bobby” Brown and Consol, Inc.

Gene Brown Memorial Baseball Scholarship / Family and Friends

George R. Brown Professorship / The Brown Foundation, Inc.

George R. Brown Graduate Assistantship - Fellowship in Forest Resources / The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Joe Brown Memorial Scholarship / Family and FriendsMarty and Erma Brutscher Debate/Forensics Scholarship /

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. BrutscherMary Claire Randolph Buffalo Scholarship / Mr. Harvey

BuffaloJimmy Lee Buford Memorial Scholarship / Agriculture

Technology Dept. Advisory Committee, UAM College of Technology - McGehee

Montre Bulloch “Angel” Endowed Nursing Scholarship / William C. Bulloch and FamilyEugenia H. (Moss) Burson & Jack D. Burson Scholarship / Family and FriendsJeff Busby Memorial Scholarship / Family and FriendsVerna Hobson Cahoon, Elizabeth Coleman Cochran and

Cornelia Coleman Wright Scholarship / Tom and Julia Coleman Family

G. William and Verna Hobson Cahoon Scholarship / Tom and Julia Coleman Family

Alvin and Raye Carter Education Scholarship / Mr. Dale W. Carter and Mr. Robert Ira Carter

Paul R. and June Webb Carter Scholarship / Mr. Paul R. and Mrs. June Webb Carter

Paul R. and June Webb Carter - Drew Central High School Scholarship / Mr. Paul R. and Mrs. June Webb Carter

James P. Cathey Endowed Business Scholarship / Brooks and Lesa Cathey Handly

Centennial Circle / 100 Special FriendsChair of the Division Scholarship - Nursing / Dr. and Mrs.

Richard KluenderChamberlin Wildlife Scholarship / Mr. H. H. ChamberlinHank Chamberlin Memorial Scholarship / Family, Friends,

Former Students, Associates and ColleaguesMarjorie Lamb Chamberlin Music Scholarship / Family

and FriendsAnthony T. and Faye Chandler Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs.

Anthony T. Chandler, Family and FriendsGeorge H. Clippert Endowed Chair in Forestry / Mr. and

Mrs. George H. Clippert, Mr. David H. Clippert and Mrs. Nancy Clippert Broach

George H. Clippert Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. George H. Clippert

Coker Alumni Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Jesse M. Coker and Coker Book Account

Ernestine Coker Endowed Music Scholarship / Dr. Jesse M. Coker

Jesse and Ernestine Coker Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Jesse M. Coker

Dr. Jesse M. Coker Distinguished Service Scholarship / UAM Foundation Fund Board of Directors

Thomas C. and Julia Hobson Coleman Scholarship / Tom and Julia Coleman Family

Suzanne Cooke Memorial Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Paul Cooke

Steve Crowley Forestry Scholarship / Mr. James H. HamlenVan and Eula Mae Cruce Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Dan

HornadayJames Gordon Culpepper Scholarship / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Former Students

and FriendsHazel Owen Dahms and Angie Faye Owen Waldrum Nursing Scholarship / Estate of Hazel O. DahmsO. H. (Doogie) and Patsy Darling Scholarship / Mr. and

Mrs. O. H. DarlingBoyce Davis Award / Mr. Randy RisherTroy and Betty Davis Endowed Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs.

Andy Davis, and Mr. and Mrs. Kent DavisC. W. Day Scholarship / Day Farms, Inc., Danny Day, Sr.

Family, Raymond Day Family, Rickey Day Family, Sue Day Wood Family, William Day FamilyDean’s Scholarship - Forest Resources / Dr. and Mrs.

Richard A. KluenderHarry Y. Denson Scholarship / Family, Friends and Former

StudentsGregory Alan Devine Memorial Scholarship / Marion and

Fern DevineDr. Gene R. Dillard Education Scholarship / Mrs. Gerry

Dillard, Family and FriendsPeggy Doss Endowed Education Scholarship / School of

Education Faculty/Staff and Mr. D. John NicholsJohn Dougherty Choral Scholarship / Senator Jimmy

Jeffress, Senator Gene Jeffress, Former Students and Friends

Drew County Extension Homemakers Endowed Scholar-ship / Drew County Extension Homemakers Council

Drew County Extension Homemakers Endowed General Award / Drew County Extension Homemakers Council

David B. Eberdt Scholarship / Mrs. Nancy EberdtSusan Phillips Echols Memorial Endowed Scholarship/

Ronald K. Echols, Family and FriendsVance W. Edmondson Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Vance

W. EdmondsonDr. Albert L. Etheridge Scholarship / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Former Students

and FriendsHampton and Minnie Etheridge Scholarship / James and

Mary Sawyer, Stacey and Helen Toole, T. D. and Joy Howell, R. M. and Rose Etheridge, Hampton and Marie Etheridge

Jennifer and Rick Futrell Endowment for Football Student Athletes / Jennifer and Rick Futrell

Drs. Glen and Mary Jane Gilbert Endowed Scholarship / Drs. Glen and Mary Jane Gilbert, Family, Friends and Former Students

Wayne Gilleland Golf Scholarship / Dr. Diane Suitt Gilleland and FriendsShay Gillespie Phi Beta Sigma Leadership Scholarship /

Family and Friends of Mr. R. Shay GillespieGilliam Family Farm Scholarship / Barbie Gilliam Johnson

and Lou Ann Gilliam Sales

enDOWMenTS

Autumn 2014 25

Classie Jones-Green African-American Alumni Scholarship / UAM African-American Alumni Association, Family and FriendsHarold J. Green Scholarship / Harold J. GreenBill Groce, Jr. Scholarship / Family and FriendsWillie Katherine Coody Groce Scholarship / Estate of Willie Katherine Coody GroceEdward and Veronica Groebner Computer Information Systems Operations Support Endowment / Dr. James F.

RoigerJoseph Martin Guenter - Sigma Tau Gamma Scholarship / Sigma Tau Gamma AlumniE. Shermane Gulledge Non-traditional Scholarship / Dr.

Dexter E. and Mrs. E. Shermane GulledgeIzella Ruth Gulledge Scholarship / Dr. Dexter E. and Mrs.

E. Shermane Gulledge Annette K. Hall Scholarship for Music / Mr. Barry HallAnnette K. Hall Graduate Studies in Education Scholarship / Mr. Barry HallBarry Hall Endowed Scholarship / Mrs. Annette Hall, Mr.

and Mrs. Cleatous J. Hall and Mrs. Audrey BlasingameJames S. Hancock Memorial Endowed Nursing Scholarship/Mrs. Carolyn Grubbs Hancock, Mrs. Hilda

Hancock Malpica and Mrs. Becky Hancock CrossettSusie Hargis Nursing Endowed Scholarship / Charles

HargisArthur A. Harris Vocal Endowed Scholarship / Mrs. Annette Hall, Family and FriendsHelen Harris Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Harris,

Division of Music, and FriendsHani and Debra Hashem Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Hani

HashemCharles G. Hawkins Memorial Scholarship / Family and

friendsDr. Ann Haywood Scholarship / Dr. Cecil Haywood,

Former Colleagues, Friends and Students of the School of Education

Cecil C. Haywood Scholarship / Dr. Ann Haywood, Friends and Former Students of the School of Education

Henry G. Hearnsberger, Sr. Forest Resources Scholarship / Mrs. George H. ClippertMrs. Henry G. Hearnsberger, Sr. Nursing Scholarship /

Mrs. George H. ClippertPaul and Leone Hendrickson Endowed Scholarship / Mr.

and Mrs. Paul G. Hendrickson, Sr.Frank D. Hickingbotham Scholarship / Mr. Frank D.

HickingbothamWilliam and Anna Hill Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. William

T. HillIris Sullivan Hipp Nursing Scholarship / Ms. Sally Hipp

Austin, Ms. Sheila Nichole Austin and Mr. Hank E. Williams

Robert L. Hixson Memorial Scholarship / Family and Friends

Wilburn C. Hobgood Scholarship / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Former Students

and FriendsBenjamin and Jerri Whitten Hobson Scholarship / Tom

and Julia Coleman FamilyHornaday Outstanding Faculty Award / Mr. and Mrs. Dan

HornadayHornaday Unrestricted Endowment / Mr. and Mrs. Dan

HornadayCharlotte Cruce Hornaday Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Dan

Hornaday

Dan and Charlotte Hornaday Agriculture Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Dan Hornaday

Dan and Charlotte Hornaday Computer Information Systems Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Dan HornadayDan & Charlotte Hornaday Debate & Forensics Endowment / Mr. and Mrs. Daniel HornadayDan and Charlotte Hornaday Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs.

Dan HornadayDan and Charlotte Hornaday Music Excellence Fund / Mr.

and Mrs. Dan HornadayDan and Charlotte Hornaday Residence Life Scholarship /

Mr. and Mrs. Dan HornadayJames A. Hudson Scholarship / James A. Hudson Memorial

FoundationMr. Jim Huey Scholarship / Family, Friends and ColleaguesHenry B. Humphry Memorial Scholarship / Family and

FriendsLamar Hunter Scholarship / The Reinhart FamilyLamar Hunter Veterans and National Guard Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Jesse M. Coker and Coker

Book Account Dean and Mrs. James H. Hutchinson Endowed Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Charles JacksonJames H. and Elva B. Hutchinson Scholarship / Estate of

Dr. James H. Hutchinson, Jr.Dr. C. Lewis and Wanda W. Hyatt Endowed Scholarship /

Mrs. Charlotte Hyatt McGarr & Mr. C. Lewis Hyatt, Jr.Indoor Practice Facility Endowment Maintenance Fund/

Estate of Quentious CrewsBrigadier General Wesley Jacobs Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs.

Jesse M. Coker and Coker Book AccountVeneta E. and Louis Richard James Scholarship / Dr. and

Mrs. Louis J. JamesLoran L. Johnson Endowed Scholarship / Mississippi

Marine Corporation and other individuals known as “Loran’s Boys”

Virginia M. Ryan Jones Memorial Nursing Scholarship / Dr. C. Morrell Jones and Family and Friends

Donnie D. King Endowed Scholarship / Donnie D. KingKingwood Forestry Scholarship / Proceeds from sale of

Lake Monticello mapsRobert C. Kirst Agriculture Scholarship / University of

Arkansas at Monticello Agriculture Alumni SocietyGrady and Myrtle Burks Knowles Scholarship / Mrs.

Myrtle Burks KnowlesTimothy Ku Scholarship / Mr. Lawrence A. Ku and Mr.

Albert KuVictoria Ku Scholarship / School of Mathematical and

Natural Sciences, Former Students, Friends and FamilyCurtis W. Kyle Family Scholarship / Mr. Curtis W. Kyle, Jr.Curtis W. Kyle, Sr. Forestry Scholarship / Mr. Curtis W.

Kyle, Jr. Fred H. Lang Forestry Scholarship / Mrs. Elizabeth S. LangLeslie Larance Elementary Education Award / Family and

FriendsRandall Leister Scholarship / FriendsA.D. and Nellie Leonard Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs.

Frederick LeonardWillis “Convoy” Leslie Scholarship / Former Teammates,

Former Football Players and Members of the Arkansas National Guard

Gerald and Sue Majors Endowed Scholarship / Trinity Foundation

Kenneth, Sharon and Jennifer Mann Endowed Business Scholarship / Kenneth, Sharon and Jennifer Mann

Robert W.D. Marsh Scholarship / Mrs. Demaris MarshGary Marshall ‘Mars Hall’ Award / Alice Guffey Miller

and FriendsMartin-Wiscaver Endowed Scholarship / Dr. Jesse M.

CokerMathematics Scholarship / AnonymousMathematics and Physics Scholarship / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Former Students and FriendsBetty A. Matthews Women’s Athletics Scholarship / Dr.

Betty A. MatthewsJ. M. Matthews Scholarship / Mrs. J. M. Matthews, Sr., Ms.

Jane Matthews Evans and Mr. Jim MatthewsTommy Matthews Athletic Scholarship / Tommy and Pat

Matthews, Bynum Matthews and Ann Matthews JonesVirginia Lee Maxwell Memorial Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs.

Tommy Maxwell and FamilyPauline J. and Zach McClendon, Sr. Scholarship / Union

Bank & Trust Company Elizabeth Culbertson McDaniel Scholarship / Mr. Noel

Waymon McDaniel and Mr. Noel A. McDanielNoel Waymon and LaFran H. McDaniel Scholarship / Mr.

and Mrs. Noel Waymon McDanielJames and Nellie McDonald Scholarship in Memory of Mi-

chael Stapp / Chicot Irrigation, Inc.-Lake Village, James and Nellie McDonald, Glen and Beverly Rowe, Rick and Linda Rowe, Mike and Cindy McDonald

Paul C. McDonald Memorial Scholarship and Fund for Academic Excellence / Ms. Betty McDonald, Dr. James McDonald, Mr. Garrett Vogel and Dr. Betsy Boze

Thomas McGill Scholarship / Mr. Thomas W. McGillThomas McGill Forestry Scholarship / Mr. Thomas W.

McGillCecil McNiece Family Scholarship Fund / FamilyWillard G. Mears Estate Scholarship / Willard G. Mears

TrustMiller Sisters Scholarship - Education / Miss Jessie W.

MillerMiller Sisters Scholarship - Science / Miss Jessie W. MillerMinnie May Moffatt Business Scholarship / Miss Minnie

May MoffattPattie Phenton Moffatt Vocal Music Scholarship / Trust of

Pattie Phenton MoffattRuth and Wells Moffatt Forestry Scholarship / Mr. and

Mrs. Wells MoffattWalter A. and Myrtle Wells Moffatt Scholarship / FamilyDr. Walter A. Moffatt, Jr. Scholarship / Miss Minnie

May Moffatt and Miss Pattie Phenton MoffattMonticello High School Class of 1965 Endowed Scholarship / The MHS Class of 1965Monticello Life Underwriters Scholarship / Monticello

Association of Life UnderwritersWilliam E. Morgan-Weevil Pond Endowment / Estate

of William E. MorganJuanita Louise Moss Scholarship / Family and FriendsKermit C. Moss Scholarship / Family and FriendsRobert H. Moss Endowed Scholarship / Family and

FriendsWilliam D. Moss Scholarship / Dr. Steven C. MossP. E. and Melba Munnerlyn Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. P.

E. MunnerlynD. Anita Murphree Beta Sigma Phi Scholarship / Mr.

Samuel LightCharles H. Murphy, Jr. Memorial Scholarship / Deltic

Timber Corporation

ENDOWMENTS | FOUnDAtiOn

26 UAM Magazine

Jim Neeley Scholarship / Mr. Jim NeeleyD. John Nichols Scholarship / Mr. D. John Nichols and

Mississippi Marine CorporationLoyal V. Norman Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Sam SowellVelma Ashcraft Norman Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Sam

SowellDale Oliver Forestry Scholarship / Mr. James H. HamlenAl Peer Kappa Alpha Psi Leadership Scholarship / Family

and FriendsMerle and Deloris Peterson Scholarship / Merle and Deloris Peterson, Friends and Associates in the Dumas,

Arkansas, CommunityPhi Sigma Chi Memorial Award / Phi Sigma Chi Alumnae and FriendsEarl K. Phillips Math & Sciences Endowed Scholarship /

Mrs. Patricia PhillipsB. C. Pickens Endowed Scholarship / B. C. Pickens TrustBub and Beulah Pinkus Scholarship / The Pinkus FamilyEmeline Killiam Pope, Sally Pope Wood, and Velma Wood

Powell Scholarship / Estate of Velma Wood PowellJohn Porter and Mary Sue Price Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs.

John Porter PriceR. David Ray Debate and Forensics Scholarship / School of

Arts and Humanities, Former Students and FriendsRussell R. Reynolds Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Russell

Reynolds, Family and FriendsRandy Risher Fitness Scholarship / Mr. Randy Risher and

FriendsRaymond O. & Loretta J. Roiger Chi Iota Sigma Scholarship / Dr. James RoigerJames Roiger Computer Information Systems Scholarship / Dr. James RoigerJames F. Roiger Endowed Fund for Library Acquisitions /

Dr. James RoigerRoss Foundation Endowed Scholarship - Forestry / The

Ross FoundationRoss Foundation Endowed Scholarship - General / The

Ross FoundationJames A. and Mabel (Molly) H. Ross Endowed Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Don H. Ross, and Mr. and

Mrs. James A. Ross, Jr.Calvin V. Rowe Award / Mr. Calvin V. RoweBennie F. Ryburn, Sr. Scholarship / Family and FriendsCecil R. Scaife Scholarship / Mrs. Cecil Scaife and ChildrenThomas Robie Scott, Jr. Scholarship / Mrs. Opal Scott, Mr.

Thomas Scott III, Mr. Michael Robert Scott and Mr. Phillip Roland Scott

Elwood Shade Forest Resources Scholarship / Mr. Elwood Shade

Simmons First Bank of South Arkansas Scholarship / Simmons First Bank of South ArkansasHerman C. Steelman Scholarship / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Former Students and FriendsHarry H. Stevens Nursing Scholarship / Bradley County

Medical Center*Roy and Christine Sturgis / The Roy and Christine Sturgis

Charitable and Educational TrustFred and Janice Taylor Scholarship / Friends of UAMJack H. Tharp Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Jack H. TharpCarolyn Hibbs Thompson Chemistry Scholarship / The

Don Thompson Family and Thompson Electric Co.Horace E. Thompson Scholarship / Members of United

Commercial Travelers, Family and FriendsGeorge and Betty Townsend Journalism Scholarship / Mr.

and Mrs. George E. Townsend

George E. Townsend Mass Communication Scholarship / Mr. George E. Townsend

UAM Alumni and Friends Endowed Scholarship / UAM Alumni and Friends

UAM Campus Scholarship / UAM Faculty, Staff and Friends

UAM Forestry Alumni Scholarship / UAM Forestry Alumni

Richard Wallace Memorial Scholarship / Family and Friends

Lee Wallick Band Scholarship / Dr. Paul A. Wallick, Sr., Friends and Former Band Students

Dr. Paul Allen Wallick, Sr. Scholarship / Family and Friends

Peggy Wallick Scholarship / Dr. Paul A. Wallick, Sr., Fam-ily, Friends and Former Students

Webb/Carter Scholarship / Mr. Paul R. and Mrs. June Webb Carter

Bill and Marilyn Webb Forest Resources Scholarship/Mr. and Mrs. Kent Webb and Monticello Church of Christ

Maurice and Minnie Chambers Webb Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Bill Webb, Mr. and Mrs. Kent Webb, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Banwarth

West-Walden Family Scholarship / Dr. Louis J. and Mrs. Carol West James

Robert Weih Family Eagle Scout/Gold Award Endowed Forest Resources Scholarship / Robert and Marilyn Weih

George White Golf Award / Family and FriendsJames M. White Memorial Scholarship / Deltic Farm &

Timber, Inc., Family and FriendsJames M. White Professorship / Deltic Farm & Timber,

Inc., Family and FriendsJohn W. White Forestry Scholarship / Estate of Trannye

O. WhiteSara Horn Wigley Memorial Scholarship / Sam Wigley

Family, and Charles and Donna Bell Family**Larry Willett Endowed Scholarship / Family, Co-workers and FriendsSamuel A. Williams Scholarship / Mr. Sam W. DenisonEarl Willis Scholarship / Family, Friends and Drew Central

AlumniAnne Wilson Scholarship / Family and Friends Dr. George F. Wynne, Sr. Scholarship / Mrs. Matilda

WynneDr. David M. Yocum Family Endowed Scholarship / Dr.

David Yocum, Jr. and Mr. David Yocum, IVMadge Youree Scholarship / School of Education, Family and Friends *Held by UAM**Held by the UA Agricultural Development Council

Future endowmentsArkansas SAF / Ouachita Society of American Foresters &

Arkansas Division of Ouachita Society of American ForestersDr. Ed Bacon Scholarship / Ms. Isabel BaconCoach Tommy Barnes Memorial Endowed Scholarship/ Dr.

Seth and Scarlett BarnesKelly Bashaw Memorial Scholarship / Family and FriendsBramlett Scholarship / Dr. and Mrs. Morris BramlettStephenson-Dearman Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Charles

F. “Chuck” Dearman, Jr.Pat Grider Southeast Arkansas Veteran’s Scholarship / Eric

Grider

Jay and Laura Davis Hughes Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Jay Hughes

Jo Hutchinson Jackson and Charles E. Jackson Education Endowed Scholarship / Deborah Jackson

Thornhill, Jimmie Jo Jackson Leech, Dr. Charles E. Jackson, Jr. and Lucy Jackson Cyphers Jack Jordan Golf Scholarship / FriendsDr. Kathy Brown King and Family Endowed Graduate

Scholarship / Dr. Kathy Brown King and FamilyJudy and Jack Lassiter Endowment for Students / Randy

S. RisherE. Wesley McCoy Scholarship / Ouachita-Saline Surveying and Mr. Mike MileyErnest and Mary McFarland Scholarship / Mary I. Mc-

FarlandArhia Raymond Melton and Mildred Richardson Melton

Scholarship / Estate of W. F. ChumneyMonticello Rotary Club Scholarship / Monticello Rotary ClubRison High School Scholarship / Jasper Calaway, Rison

Business Community and FriendsE. R. ‘Bob’ and Sara Wall Scholarship / Sara Wall, Family

and Friends Robert W. Wiley Endowed Scholarship / Family and

Friends

Life InsuranceChristopher L. Johnson/ Mr. and Mrs. Christopher L.

JohnsonPhillip Pierini / Mr. Phillip PieriniTim Pruitt / Mr. Timothy R. PruittGus “Bubba” Pugh, Jr. / Mr. Gus “Bubba” Pugh, Jr.Guy “Butch” Sabbatini, Jr. / Mr. Guy “Butch” Sabbatini, Jr.

Charitable remainder UnitrustsMr. and Mrs. Carroll E. Walls, Sr.Mr. Kim L. Mitchell and Ms. Joyce A. Mitchell

Annual Awards/Scholarships Hunter Bell Memorial Scholarship / Mr. and Mrs. Jim

ManningCommercial Bank Business Award / Commercial Bank Farmers Grain Terminal Award / Farmers Grain Terminal Georgia-Pacific Crossett Paper Operations Award /

Georgia-PacificRalph McQueen Business Award / Ralph McQueen & Co.Jewell Minnis Award / Jewell Minnis TrustLucille Moseley Memorial Scholarship / Family and FriendsLinda Pinkus Scholarship / Mr. Lester Pinkus, Lee Pinkus

and Ladd PinkusJames and Venie Powell Award / James and Venie Ann

Powell FundA. O. Tucker Memorial Scholarship / Mrs. Glenda Carol

Tucker BakerUAM Institute of Management Accountants Scholarship / UAM Student Chapter of the IMAWallace Trust Scholarship / Wallace TrustBob White Memorial Foundation Scholarship / Bob White

Memorial Foundation

ENDOWMENTS | FOUnDAtiOn

Autumn 2014 27

CLUB DONORS | FOUnDAtiOn

The UAM Foundation donors list includes alumni, friends and other contributors whose gifts were received January 1 – August 15, 2014. Please report any corrections to Linda Yeiser at (870) 460-1128 or yeiser@uamont.edu

Unity & Movement Club

$2,500 or moreMr. William H. BowenMr. and Mrs. Alvy EarlyMr. Phillip and Dr. Laura EvansMr. and Mrs. Rick D. FutrellMr. Lance L. GasawayMr. and Mrs. Jerry GibsonMr. and Mrs. John W. GibsonMr. and Mrs. William A. HarrisonMr. and Mrs. Daniel J. HornadayMr. Stephen W. Huselton, Sr.Mr. and Mrs. Herb HutchisonMr. and Mrs. Bobby E. JelksMrs. Barbie Gilliam JohnsonMr. and Mrs. Donnie D. KingDr. and Mrs. Jack LassiterMs. Sandra J. LawhonMr. and Mrs. Bill K. Lawrence, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Bob Lee, Sr.Mr. and Mrs. Davis S. LeechMr. and Mrs. Robert LeechMr. Samuel C. LightMr. and Mrs. Kenneth D. MannDr. Betty A. MatthewsDr. Stephen C. MossMr. Lester PinkusMr. and Mrs. Randall S. RisherDr. and Mrs. Sean C. RochelleMrs. Lou Ann Gilliam SalesMr. and Mrs. Thomas M. SmithMr. and Mrs. Jeremy A. SparksMs. Beth ThurmanMr. and Mrs. Scotty WatkinsMs. Terri WolfeDr. and Mrs. Jimmie Yeiser

Galaxy Club $1,000-$2,499Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bob AllaireDr. and Mrs. Michael FakouriMr. John B. FrazerDr. and Mrs. Dexter E. GulledgeMr. and Mrs. Jay L. HughesMs. Dolores JonesMrs. Jane LuckyMr. and Mrs. Gerald W. MajorsMs. Angela Marsh

Mrs. Robin McClendon & Mr. Tom Wingard

Mrs. Debbie McKnightMr. and Mrs. Kent McRaeMs. Ann J. NeeleyDr. James F. RoigerDr. Thomas P. SpringerMr. and Mrs. Frank WilsonMr. William M. Winstead

Emerald Club $500-$999Dr. J. Morris BramlettMrs. Patricia B. AkinDr. and Mrs. F. David ChambersMr. and Mrs. Raymond C. ChaoMr. and Mrs. David G. FunderburgMr. and Mrs. George T. HarrisMr. William (Hud) JacksonMr. and Mrs. W. Brad KoenMr. and Mrs. Jim ManningHon. and Mrs. Eugene MazzantiMr. and Mrs. Hardy P. PeacockMr. and Mrs. Curt W. PrestonMr. and Mrs. Timothy R. PruittDr. John W. RamseyMr. and Mrs. Carl C. RoebuckMr. and Mrs. Bennie Ryburn IIIMs. Carol B. SlaughterMr. Dean SteinkeMr. Ted D. ThompsonMr. and Mrs. Bill Whiting, Sr.

Loyalty Club $200-$499Ms. Cynthia L. AdairMr. and Mrs. Whit BartonDr. Gregory A. BorseMr. James L. BrewerMs. Jacqueline D. BryantMr. and Mrs. John BullockDr. and Mrs. Robert H. Burch, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Carl G. CarlsonMs. Susan DannerMr. and Mrs. Andy DavisMr. and Mrs. T. Kent DavisMs. Susan DecanMs. Memorie S. DicksonMr. and Mrs. Bennie R. DunlapMr. Edward EavesMs. Martha EllisMs. Christine L. FeltsMr. and Mrs. Byron A. GallowayMr. Dan GibbsMr. and Mrs. Reginald GloverDr. Robert S. Graber

Mr. and Mrs. H. Randall GreenMr. and Mrs. Rogie GreenwayMr. and Mrs. Harry E. HalsteadMr. and Mrs. Werner HaneyMr. John R. HarmonMs. Lynn HarrisMr. and Mrs. Don HartleyMs. Marla HarveyMr. Phillip D. HerringMr. Rommie HodgeDr. and Mrs. Louis JamesMr. Richard JohnsonDr. Carl B. JohnstonMr. Jay S. JonesMr. Mark KaufmanLTC(Ret) and Mrs. Kelly M. KoonceMr. Scott R. KuttenkulerMr. and Mrs. Frederick C. LeonardMr. John B. LillardMs. Lucilla LoyaMr. and Mrs. Chris E. MarhenkeMr. and Mrs. J. Robert McCallieMr. and Mrs. John.C. McFarlandMs. Alice Guffey MillerMr. John T. Nannemann, Jr.Ms. Shelly NorthMrs. Joyce O’NealMr. and Mrs. Larry E. PatrickMr. and Mrs. Carl F. Preston, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Chris R. PruittMs. Linda F. RushingMs. Mary Ann RushingMr. and Mrs. Paul RussellMr. Del A. SmithMr. and Mrs. Peter SmyklaMr. Mark TinerMr. and Mrs. Arthur R. TiptonMs. Shela F. UpshawMr. and Mrs. William C. Wisener

Century Club $100-$199Mr. and Mrs. Mike AkinMr. and Mrs. Kevin J. ArcherMs. Melanie ArthurMs. Julie A. BarnesMr. Timothy BeckhamMr. and Mrs. Stephen B. BoydMs. Lolli BurgnerMs. Sandra K. CampbellMs. Patti J. CarterMHS Class of 1965Dr. Marsha ClaytonDrs. Lloyd and Peggy CrossleyMr. and Mrs. Dwight DavisMr. and Mrs. Fred DentonMr. Harvey Detillieux

Dr. and Mrs. Richard DunnMs. Patricia A. EwensMr. and Mrs. Mickey R. FindleyMs. Terri L. FlemingMs. Gail FoxMr. Wally FraserMs. Paula GathingsMr. and Mrs. C.C. (Cliff) Gibson IIIMr. and Mrs. Whitney GordonMaj. and Mrs. Eric J. GriderMr. and Mrs. Joseph M. GuenterMs. Sherry M. HarrisMr. and Mrs. Darren HartnessDr. Nan T. HaugMr. and Mrs. Jack HendersonMr. Calvin Hill, Sr.Ms. Dartha HodgeMr. and Mrs. Brandon HoggMr. and Mrs. Ed Horvath, Jr.Dr. and Mrs. B.J. JordanMr. and Mrs. Mark R. KarnesMr. and Mrs. Dennis Manees

Business/Corporate Donors

InDIvIDUAL DOnOrSMr. Jeffrey C. MartinMr. Quinton L. MorganMr. and Mrs. Tommy NeeleyMr. and Mrs. Michael H. PenningtonMs. Lou Ann PitchfordMr. Max T. RayMr. and Mrs. Richard A. ReinhartMr. and Mrs. Clinton RossMr. and Mrs. William F. RossMr. and Mrs. Charles SavageMr. Danny M. SheddMr. and Mrs. Jason SmithMr. and Mrs. Ralph SmithMr. and Mrs. Timothy H. SmithDr. and Mrs. Robert Stark, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Cody WallMr. and Mrs. James W. WillisMs. Patricia L. WithersMrs. Kay WolfeMr. and Mrs. Harvey L. Young

Arkansas Crop Protection AssociationArkansas State Plant BoardArkansas Superior Federal Credit

UnionBaker FinanceClearwater PaperCommercial Bank and Trust Co.Community Communications, Co.Deltic Timber CorporationDolores’ Family PharmacyEmployers Staffing Services, Inc.ExxonMobil FoundationFirst National Bank of McGeheeFirst State Bank of WarrenFrazer, Inc.Georgia-PacificH.B.H. EnterprisesK & K Veterinary Supply

KPMG FoundationLeesco, Inc.Martin Knee & Sports MedicineMcQueen & Co. Ltd.Monticello Chapter of Beta Sigma PhiOklahoma United Methodist FoundationPrice Services, Inc.Society of American ForestersSouthern Ag ResourcesSoutheast Chapter of ASCPAState Farm Insurance CompaniesTexas InstrumentsTri-W Logging, Inc.UAM Institute of Management AccountantsUnion Bank & Trust CompanyWells Fargo Foundation

if so, you can help UAM too! Just log in to smile.amazon.com and select University of Arkansas at Monticello as

your charitable organization. then, when you shop,

always log in through smile.amazon.com. Amazon will

donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to

UAM. (smile.amazon.com has the same products, prices

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28 UAM Magazine

SAnDrA LAWhOn DOnATIOnSandra Lawhon of San Diego, Calif., (left) and Sandra Campbell, director of library, with part of the collection of paintings Lawhon donated to the University.

eevil Walk is getting longer. Vice Chancellor for Advancement Linda Yeiser recently announced plans to

Weevil WalkGets LongerDonor Area To Extend Around East Side Of Weevil Pond

Wexpand the length of the donor walk to add 12 large stones that may be engraved to the donor’s specifica-tions. The stones and surrounding bricks will extend well beyond the current donor walk area, which ends along the south side of Weevil Pond. The added do-nor area will extend along the east walk adjacent to tailgate row with more room for future expansion. The tax-deductible gift is $1,500 to sponsor a stone. Persons interested in purchasing a stone should con-tact the Office of Advancement at (870) 460-1128 for more information.

The UAM Foundation Fund has received a number of recent gifts which will benefit everyone from ag-riculture students to football players to music students. the endowments will generate earnings which will be used in accordance with the gift agreement. endowments use only a portion of the earnings generated and none of the principal so that the initial gift will continue to grow. the recent gifts include: • Jennifer and Rick Futrell Endowment for Football Student Athletes – established by Jennifer and Rick Futrell. this fund will provide additional support for UAM football student athletes. • Gilliam Family Farm Scholarship – established by Barbie Gilliam Johnson and Lou Ann Gilliam sales to honor the legacy of their parents, eugene Frank “Gene” and Dorothy Lou “Dot” Ford Gilliam. the scholarship is for a junior or senior enrolled fulltime in the UAM School of Agriculture, with first prefer-ence to a student who graduated from a Desha or Drew county high school. • D. Anita Murphree Beta Sigma Phi Scholarship – established by samuel Light to memorialize his mother, Anita Murphree. This scholarship is for a full-time student of any major, with first preference to a student who graduated from a Monticello high school. • A Young Chang baby grand piano from the estate of Dr. Robert M. Farrar, Jr., in memory of Mrs. Mary eugenia sizemore Farrar and Dr. Robert M. Farrar, Jr.

neW GIFTSendowments and gifts to provide aid in numerous areas

Lassiter endowmentThe Judy and Jack Lassiter Endowment for Students was created earlier this year by Randy S. Risher to honor Chancellor and Mrs. Lassiter. Once it reaches endowed status, the earnings will be used for the addition-al support of UAM students and student organizations. All expenditures will di-rectly benefit students. If you would like to honor the Las-siters by making a gift to this future endowment, please make your check payable to the UAM Foundation Fund and mail to P.O. Box 3520, Monticello, AR 71656.

Tommy Barnes honorA bust of the late Tommy Barnes will be unveiled on Saturday, September 27 at 2 p.m. in the lobby of the Indoor Practice Facility. The event is open to the public. Lance Gasaway’s pledge to the UAM Foundation Fund will pay for the bronze bust created by nationally-known sculptor David Deming. Barnes is UAM’s winningest football coach with more wins (69) and more seasons (13) as head coach than anyone in school history. Gasaway starred at wide receiver for the Boll Weevils from 1982-85.

FOUNDATION | neWs

Autumn 2014 29

TECHNOLOGY | neWs

Certified ServeSafe TrainerLisa Kelley, a member of the hospitality faculty at the UAM College of Technolo-gy-McGehee, is now a certi-fied ServeSafe trainer. ServeSafe is a food and beverage safety training and certificate program administered by the Na-tional Restaurant Association. The program is accredited by ANSI and the Confer-ence for Food Protection. ServeSafe certification helps to ensure that people who are working in the food service industry have the most up to date information on industry standards and regulations. Anyone who works in food service and preparation is eligible to take the course. Classes can be set up at varying times and locations to help meet the needs of the industry.

he UAM College of Technology-Crossett received a $6,000 donation from Georgia Pacific to purchase equipment for the

EquipmentPurchaseGeorgia Pacific Gift Helps Electro-mechanical Instrumentation

Tcollege’s two-year Electromechanical Technology-Instrumentation program. This is one of several donations that Georgia Pacific has made to the college to enhance the program’s training of students for high-wage, high-demand industrial maintenance jobs. The program has continually enjoyed a high job place-ment rate which falls between 85 and 90 percent

each year. The entry-level wage for most graduates going to work in the field ranges from $20 to $28 per hour even without prior experience. “We are extremely thankful for the regional business and industry support we have received for this high tech program,” said Linda Rushing, vice chan-cellor of the Crossett campus. “Our graduates are highly recruited by industries in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and our instructors are known in the field for the quality instruction they provide to our students.”

MOre PArKInGGrowth creates greater need

students at the UAM college of technology-crossett are enjoying a new parking lot that was completed just in time for the Fall 2014 semester. the new concrete lot provides an additional 32 parking spaces. the need for this parking lot and the one completed in Fall 2011 was due to the campus’ increased enrollment. “Lack of parking for our students is a good problem because it reflects increased enroll-ment,” said Linda Rushing, vice chancellor for the crossett campus. Another completed project on the crossett campus is a new electronic sign at the campus’ main entrance.

nATUre nIGhTS “Nature Nights,” noncredit community educa-tion courses in partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, will be offered Sep-tember through December at the UAM College of Technology-McGehee. The classes, which are open to all ages, include

topics such as black bears, bats, birds, and how to make deer antler jewelry. The classes are sched-uled for the second Monday of each month and will be held on the McGehee campus. Children will make something each class to bring home. Admission is free but space is limited. Contact Amanda Kuttenkuler at (870) 460-2108 or kuttenkulerA@uamont.edu to reserve space.

30 UAM Magazine

New CoachIn TownKyle Tolin To LeadBasketball Program

SPORTS | neWs27 named All-Academic By Great American Conference

A total of 27 UAM student-athletes were included in a list of 476 to earn Great American Conference All-Academic honors for the 2013-14 year. The list was released recently by the league office. The UAM softball program led all GAC softball teams with a total of 11 All-Academic selections. The baseball team followed with five and women’s basketball had three honorees. The football, men’s basketball and men’s golf teams had two representatives each, rounded out by one honoree for the volleyball team. The women’s cross country team had three representatives, two of which also lettered in softball.

nAMInG rIGhTSthe tailgating area around Weevil Pond, a favorite autumn destination for UAM fans for the past decade and one of the most picturesque tailgating spots in college football, will have a new name in 2014. the UAM Department of Athletics recently auctioned off one-year naming rights to tailgate Row for the 2014-15 sports season. commercial Bank and trust of Monticello placed the winning bid and has elect-ed to name the area adjacent to Weevil Pond “Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. tailgate Row.” Bids were accepted online from June 1-August 1 and the proceeds from the auction will go to support the athletic depart-ment’s greatest need. UAM Athletics would like to thank all who participated in this year’s auction, and looks forward to welcoming fans to Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr. tailgate Row during the upcoming sports season. Pictured from left are George Harris, president of commercial Bank and trust of Monticello, UAM chancellor Jack Lassiter, Bennie F. Ryburn, Jr., Bennie F. Ryburn, iii, Athletic Director chris Ratcliff, and Matt Whiting, assistant athletic director.

yle Tolin is the new men’s basketball head coach at UAM follow-ing a decade-long assis-

as a student-athlete. The 2010 Bison team won the NAIA national championship, while the 2002 and 2012 teams finished as national runners-up. During that span, the team’s record in the national

tournament was 30-12. The 2010 national championship team fin-ished with a record of 34-2. Tolin helped OBU attain the highest winning percentage of any four-year university in Oklahoma. The Bison won three straight Sooner Athletic Confer-ence titles from 2010-2012. Tolin has coached and recruited two NAIA national players of the year, three Sooner Athletic Conference players of the year, six SAC defensive players of the year,

10 All-America honorees, 19 All-SAC selections and two academic All-America honorees.

McGee, early named To Pre-season All-America TeamUAM placekicker Jamie Mc-Gee and defensive back Mike Early have been selected to the USA College Football Preseason All-America team. McGee broke school and GAC season records for field goals made with 17 last season and became the first UAM placekicker to earn postseason All-America honors. He was also first team All-GAC and Dak-tronics All-South Region. Early was an All-GAC Honorable Mention selec-tion at cornerback in 2013 after ranking fifth in the league in interceptions. The Denham Springs, La., native totaled 36 tackles, four interceptions and 12 passes defended. He also returned kicks and punts for 350 yards, including an 88-yarder vs. Southern Arkansas, the second longest in school history.

Ktant coaching career at Oklahoma Baptist University. Tolin, the 15th head coach in school history, comes to Mon-ticello after helping Oklahoma Baptist reach 14 straight NAIA national tourna-ments during his 10 years as a coach and four years

Autumn 2014 31

sept. 6 eAst centRAL OKLAHOMA* Monticello 6:00

(Parent-Family Appreciation Day)

sept. 13 southeastern Oklahoma state* Durant, OK 6:00

sept. 20 northwestern Oklahoma state* Alva, OK 1:00

sept. 27 sOUtHWesteRn OKLAHOMA* Monticello 6:00

Oct. 4 Arkansas tech* Russellville 6:00

Oct. 11 HARDinG* Monticello 3:00

(Homecoming)

Oct. 18 OPen

Oct. 25 southern nazarene* Bethany, OK 4:00

nov. 1 Henderson state* Arkadelphia 3:00

nov. 8 OUAcHitA BAPtist* Monticello 3:00

nov. 15 sOUtHeRn ARKAnsAs* Monticello 3:00

* Great American conference game

sept. 5 Western new Mexico san Angelo, tX 10:00 a.m.

sept. 5 Missouri southern state san Angelo, tX 4:00

sept. 6 Angelo state san Angelo, tX 12:00

sept. 6 tarleton state san Angelo, tX 4:00

sept. 9 HARDinG* Monticello 6:00

sept. 13 texas college tyler, tX 4:00

sept. 16 Henderson state* Arkadelphia 7:00

sept. 23 southern Arkansas* and central Bapt. Magnolia 3:00

sept. 26 eAst centRAL OKLAHOMA* Monticello 6:00

sept. 27 sOUtHeAsteRn OKLAHOMA* Monticello 12:00

sept. 30 ARKAnsAs-Pine BLUFF Monticello 6:00

Oct. 2 Oklahoma Panhandle Goodwell, OK 7:00

Oct. 3 northwestern Oklahoma state* Alva, OK 6:00

Oct. 4 southwestern Oklahoma state* Weatherford, OK 10:00 a.m.

Oct. 4 cameron Weatherford, OK 6:00

Oct. 7 ARKAnsAs tecH* Monticello 6:00

Oct. 9 OUAcHitA BAPtist* Monticello 6:00

Oct. 14 Harding* searcy 7:00

Oct. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Pine Bluff 6:00

Oct. 21 HenDeRsOn stAte* Monticello 3:00

Oct. 21 MississiPPi cOLLeGe Monticello 7:00

Oct. 24 teXAs cOLLeGe Monticello 3:00

Oct. 24 MississiPPi VALLeY stAte Monticello 7:00

Oct. 28 sOUtHeRn ARKAnsAs* Monticello 7:00

nov. 1 southern nazarene* Bethany, OK 11:00 a.m.

nov. 4 LYOn cOLLeGe Monticello 6:00

nov. 6 Arkansas tech* Russellville 6:00

nov. 10 Mississippi Valley state itta Bena, Ms 6:00

nov. 13-15 GAc tournament Hot springs tBD

* Great American conference game

2014 Boll Weevil Football Schedule

2014 Cotton Blossoms volleyball Schedule

hOPInG FOr BIG SeASOnSSenior quarterback Colton Morrison (top) and senior volleyball players Tasha Evans (left) and Jessica Cuba are hoping for big seasons in 2014. The Weevils have five home games in ‘14, highlighted by Homecoming October 11. You’ll have 13 opportunities to watch the Cotton Blos-soms at Steelman Fieldhouse this fall.

SPORTS | scHeDULes

32 UAM Magazine

Hall of FameOfficialJoe Fakouri named toArkansas Officials Hall of Fame

SPOTLIGHT | ALUMNI neWs

oe Fakouri (B.S. ‘76) was recently inducted into the 2014 Arkansas Officials Association Hall of Fame class. Over a span of 34 years, Fakouri became

graduating with a degree in physical education and a minor in business, Fakouri began what he thought would be a career in coaching only to find himself in the banking industry.  He completed his master’s degree in educational administration at the University of Arkansas and graduated from the Banking School of the South at Louisiana State University. Still a banker 38 years later, Fakouri is a vice president at Commercial Bank and Trust in Monticello. He is a past member of the UAM Alumni Board and the UAM School of Business Advisory Board. He is president of the UAM Sports Association.

heidi (Martin) Cox Is 6A Softball Coach of the Year

Heidi (Martin) Cox (B.A. ‘03), head softball coach at Benton High School, was recently named the 2013-14 Arkansas High School Coaches Association Outstanding Coach of the Year. Cox led Benton to the 2014 6A State Champion-ship. A Texarkana native, Cox was an All-American outfielder at UAM and is a member of the UAM Sports Hall of Fame. She became Benton’s head coach in 2011 and since then has led the Lady Panthers to a 6A state semifinals berth and three consecutive 6A title games. Cox played on Gulf South West Division Cham-pionship teams at UAM in 2001 and ‘02 and was first-team All-GCS both seasons. She was also All-South Region in 2001. Cox holds the top two batting averages in school history with .457 in 2002 and .445 in ‘01. She also shares the single-season stolen base record with 17 and a career on-base percent-age of .487.

Addie Lees to Coach atClarendon CollegeAddie Lees (B.A. ‘09) is the new head coach of the Clar-endon (Tex.) College women’s basketball team. A native of Plainview, Tex., Lees earned an associate degree at Midland CC and went on to play basketball at UAM. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in health and physical education at UAM, graduating magna cum laude, and earned a master of sci-ence in sport administration from Eastern New Mexico University in 2011.

YOUnG PrOFeSSIOnAL OF The YeArAlecia Patton (B.S. ‘12), representing the Jacksonville Wastewa-ter Utility, has been named 2014 Young Professional of the Year at this year’s annual Arkansas Water Works & Water Environment Association (AWW&WeA) convention in Hot springs. Patton is the GIS coordinator for the utility. In her first year as a member of AWeA, she accepted the position as chair of the Young Profes-sionals Committee and implemented a young professionals’ meet and greet for the annual AWW&WeA conference. she also serves on the AWeA communications committee developing the AWeA website, represents the city of Jacksonville on the Pulaski Area Gis technical Advisory committee, and is a representative for the utility in the Arkansas Water and Wastewater Agency Response network. Additional professional initiative to obtain her class i wastewater license and to physically train to operate the treatment plant were cited as exemplary efforts to improve her professional experience and leadership skills in the water/wastewater industry. Patton has a bachelor’s degree in Spatial Information Systems from UAM. The award, specifically given to members of the AWEA, recognizes young individuals in the water/wastewater field who demonstrate outstanding performance and leadership within the industry.

Jone of Arkansas’ top basketball officials. Now, fel-low AOA members have voted Fakouri into officials’ immortality. “I had no idea,” Fakouri said recently on his election to the AOA Hall. “Usually this happens 5-10 years after you retire or you’re deceased when it happens. This was my first year of eligibility so I was shocked – and very flattered. I didn’t know I had that many friends. It was very humbling.” Fakouri, a native of Pine Bluff, was the starting quarterback for the Zebras and went on to play both football and baseball at UAM (Arkansas A&M College when he enrolled as a freshman). After

Autumn 2014 33

THROUGH THE YEARS | ALUMNI neWs Friends We’ll Miss

Evelyn (Hankins) Ashcraft, of Pine Bluff, May 23, 2014.Wilton Baines, Jr. (BS ’79),

of Monticello, July 10, 2014.

Mark “Tid” Branson (BS ’87), of Dumas, June 23, 2014.

William Y. Boykin, Sr. (BS ’58), of McKinney, Tex., June 16, 2014.

Dennis L. Chapman, Sr., of White Hall, June 17, 2014.

Lillie Ann (Kemp) Cross-land (BA ’80), of Hum-phrey, June 23, 2014.

Carolyn (Grubbs) Han-cock, of Monticello, May 25, 2014.

Frances (Harris) Hedrick (BSE ’55), of Warren, July 12, 2014.

Bankie Rae Holley, of Little Rock, August 7, 2014.

Bettie Jo (Carter) Hoover (BSE ’61), of Woodlawn, April 21, 2014.

James Tim “Dub” Ingram, of El Dorado, July 27, 2014.

Earl “Dell” Jarrell (BA ’80), of Star City, July 22, 2014.

David Charles Lipton (BS ’60), of Monticello, May 5, 2014.

Mildred (Wallis) Wallick McGinnis, of Monti-cello, June 1, 2014.

William E. Magness (BBA ’68), of Pine Bluff, June 14, 2014.

DeAngelo M. Martin, of Monticello, June 2, 2014.

Mary (Hood) Murphy (TC ’89), of Dermott, July 10, 2014.

Simmie E. O’Mary (BS ’48), of White Hall, May 5, 2014.

(Do you have news? Send it to the UAM Alumni Office.)

1960’sDr. Herman H. Ginger (BBA ‘64) received the 2014 Lifetime of Excellence Award from the Arkansas Opto-metric Association. Herman has practiced optometry in Pine Bluff for 42 yrs.Betty (High) Wright (BSE ’65) and Robert Wright (BSF ’65) recently renewed their vows at the Wesley Foundation on the UAM Campus. Robert and Betty met at A&M and were married at the campus chapel on July 9, 1964. The couple currently resides in Willow Park, Texas.

1970’sTommy Maxwell (BBA ’71) has been selected as Vice Chairman of the National Wood Flooring Association. Tommy is the President and CEO of Maxwell Hardwood Flooring in Monticello.

1980’sGreg Tiner (BS ’80) has accepted a position as as-sistant coach at Springdale High School. Greg leaves Monticello High School after 20 years with the Billies’ football program. Robert D. Jones III (BS ’86) and his family were selected as 2014 Drew County Farm Family of the Year. Other members of this family are Lori N. (Jacks) Jones (BA ’92), Robert “Beau” D. Jones IV (BBA ’12) and Kohl McCone Jones, Tyler Jones (AA ’13) and Korry Pat-terson. Beau and Tyler round out four generations of R.D. Logging Inc.

2000’sDavid Wesley Boney (BS ’13) and Jessica Elizabeth Talkington were married June 21, 2014, at Lake Village Baptist Church. David is currently employed with Ar-kansas Ag in Portland. Jessica will graduate in December from the Jefferson School of Nursing in Pine Bluff.John Carson (BBA ’09) and Courtney Kaye Taylor were married June 7, 2014, at First United Methodist Church in Monticello. Zachary Ray Robinson (AS ‘14) and Kelsey Jane Bryant and were married May 31, 2014, at Monticello Church of Christ. Zachary graduated in May with a degree in Land Surveying Technology from UAM. Kelsey graduated in May with a degree in animal science from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.Rebecca Smith (BS ’11) and Dave Nugent (BGS ‘12) were married July 12, 2014, at Levy Baptist Church in Little Rock. Rebecca is employed by UAM as the Director of Student Programs and Activities. Dave is employed with the United States Navy rendering military honors. Jesse Ryan Teske (BBA ’12) and Rhonda Nicole Palsa were married July 19, 2014, in Monticello. Jesse is a sales-

man for Steel Building Supply in Center, Tex. Monica Turchi (BBA ’12) and Allen Ross were married on July 20, 2014, at Pauline Baptist Church in Monticello. Trey Wyatt (BA ’01) has created a game app called the Degree of Separation. The game is downloadable on iTunes and Google Play for Android. Trey currently resides in Pine Bluff with his wife, Lesha. He is the Presi-dent and CEO of Wyco Games and is a Credit/Financial Analyst for Simmons First in Pine Bluff.

Wee Weevil BibsGarner Gail Abbott, born July 12, 2014, to Stefanie (Bounds) (AA ‘09) and Blake Abbott (BA ’10) of Mon-ticello.Anthony “Andy” J. Boykin III, born April 16, 2014, to Heather (Adcock) (BA ’11) and Anthony J. Boykin II (MAT ’13) of Monticello. Allie Kayt Cruce, born April 28, 2014, to Kaytlin (Out-law) (BGS ’12) and Benj Cruce of Monticello. Benaiah James Higginbotham, born May 1, 2014, to Esbeida (Arce) (BA ’07) and Ben Higginbotham (BA ’08) of Monticello.Callen Brooks Lucky, born June 19, 2014, to Ashley (Young) (BS ’02) and Carl Finch Lucky IV of Monticello. Ellis Reed Owyoung, born June 19, 2014, to Paisley (Pal-sa) (BSN ’12) and Chase Owyoung (BBA ’11) of McGehee.

GenTrY TWInSWilliam Thomas and Riley Elizabeth Gentry sport Wee Weevil bibs. The twins belong to Ruth Ann (Chapman) Gentry (MS ‘05) and WIlliam Scott Gentry of Van Buren.

University of Arkansas at MonticelloAlumni AssociationP.O. Box 3597Monticello, AR 71656

If you would like to send the Lassiters a message:Mail: UAM Office of Advancement,

PO Box 3520, Monticello, AR 71656Email: alumni@uamont.edu

Twitter: uam_alumniFacebook: University of Arkansas at Monticello

Alumni & Friends

#LassiterFarewell