George Bristow Jr. of Cordova, Tenn., owner of Furniture Factory Showroom, has been presented the Memphis Home Furnishing Association's Pinnacle Award for service to the home furnishing industry. He also wants everyone to know that he played with the Mississippi State Alumni Band the weekend of the Mississippi State-Northeast Louisiana game.
H. Rouse Caffey (M.S. '55), chancellor of the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, has been honored with a donation that will endow a professorship in his name in LSU's department of biological and agricultural engineering. The $60,000 donation comes from the Satake Corp. and the Powell Group, two firms involved in the rice industry. The Louisiana Board of Regents will provide a $40,000 supplement to the scholarship. Caffey has been a leader and major proponent of the rice industry for many years.
Country comedian and recording artist Jerry Clower was honored in Nashville recently for two new gold albums to go with the one he already had. To mark the occasion, Clower was treated to a party attended by some 200 celebrities, including, possibly, some Ledbetters.
Tenneco Gas, a unit of Tenneco Inc., has promoted Gilmer R. Abel of Houston, Texas, to senior vice president of field operations. Abel joined Tenneco Gas in 1960 and was named vice president of field operations in 1991.
Joe B. Bradshaw, headmaster and head coach of Strider Academy in Charleston, has been honored by the Mississippi Private School Association for more than 20 years of dedicated service. The MPSA also announced the establishment of the Joe B. Bradshaw Academy Activities Commission Service Award, which will be given annually to the MPSA member who demonstrates the attributes that Bradshaw has displayed in his career.
Dr. Clyde Muse (Ed.D. '69) of Raymond, president of Hinds Community College, has received the National Association of Developmental Education's award for "outstanding support of developmental education by a college administrator/public servant." Muse has been a member of NADE since 1987 and a member of the Mississippi Association of Developmental Education almost since its inception.
Florence Hearn Newman (M.S. '76) of Valley Park has retired as a first-grade teacher at Redwood Elementary School after a 37-year career.
John R. Taylor of McKinney, Texas, has retired as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation after nearly 26 years of service.
Raymond Pipkin of Germantown, Tenn., associate vice president for finance at the University of Memphis, has received the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants' award as Outstanding CPA in Business and Industry. Pipkin was honored for his contributions in developing accounting standards and principles for higher education.
James W. Lambert of Hazlehurst, publisher and editor of the Copiah County Courier, is the new president of the Mississippi Press Association.
Larry Graves (M.Ed. '67, Ed.D. '73) has retired as coordinator of the Center for Governmental Technology with the Cooperative Extension Service at Mississippi State. Earlier this spring, he received the award of excellence from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
Jimmy Moore (M.S. '70) of Leighton, Ala., is the 1994-95 Coach of the Year in Alabama 3-A football. His Colbert County High School team was state champion in its division. Moore also coached Hamilton (Miss.) High School to the 1982-83 Mississippi championship.
Patricia Gray, Texas state representative (D-Galveston), was selected as one of 49 lawmakers from across the country to participate in a national leadership program for state legislators last summer. The Program for Emerging Political Leaders was held in July at the University of Virginia. Gray was nominated for the program by Texas House Speaker Pete Laney.
W. Stan Pratt (M.B.A. '73) of Ridgeland, a banker, is president-elect of the Leadership Jackson Alumni Association. He has served as treasurer of the group since 1993.
Robert Neal of Atlanta, Ga., is director of information systems services for the 1996 Olympic Games.
Ralph Null (M.A. '72) of Columbus has co-authored a book on floral design and decoration. The former Mississippi State professor of horticulture and floral design, along with Bob Hampton ('75), wrote Christmas Collections, an informative and entertaining work devoted to floral artistry. The 120-page book, containing more than 125 photos, was published this summer. Null's floral creations have been featured at presidential inaugurations and state dinners, in Macy's windows, and in Neiman Marcus catalogs.
James F. Wheeler of Corinth has opened J.F. Wheeler Accounting Service. Wheeler has 23 years of experience in public accounting.
Greg Whittier, principal of Brookhaven High School, has been chosen Administrator of the Year by the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce.
Ronnie Parker of Dallas, Texas, has been named Alumnus of the Year by the Dallas Chapter of the Mississippi State Alumni Association.
Thomas H. Walker of Lees Summit, Mo., has been appointed chairman of the Government Buildings Committee of the International Buildings Owners and Managers Association at the organization's national convention in Denver. In addition, Ed's Trophies, a girls' softball team managed by Tom and his wife, Cindy, won the 1995 Lees Summit city championship.
Jean M. Bryan of Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, has been assigned to direct the U.S. Army-Baylor University graduate program in physical therapy, an entry level master's degree program in San Antonio. Bryan is a lieutenant colonel and physical therapist in the Army.
Meredith Williams Hightower of Arlington, Texas, a second-grade teacher at Dunn Elementary School, was named the Ft. Worth Star Telegram Teacher of the Week during the 1994-95 academic year. She also was Teacher of the Year at Dunn Elementary.
Charlie L. "Chuck" Ingram of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., has been coronated Captain Billy Bowlegs XLI, this year's leader of the Krewe of Bowlegs. As undisputed krewe leader, Bowlegs . . . uh, Ingram . . . had the honor of choosing this year's theme ("Marooned in the Islands") and colors for the krewe's costumes (take a wild guess). When not leading his rowdy krewe in plundering and pillaging, Ingram operates his civil engineering firm, Ingram Engineering. He also has served as city manager and public works director of Fort Walton Beach.
Robert "Rocki" Owen Katz of Sugar Land, Texas, has received the 1994-95 Presidential Citation award from the Houston Chapter of Certified Public Accountants. Katz was honored for his leadership in organizing the annual CPA Golf Tournament, a major fund-raiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Rick Gilbert (M.S. '77) has been named energy manager for Mississippi Chemical Corp. of Yazoo City. He has worked for Mississippi Chemical since 1981 in various capacities.
Bob Hampton ('75) of Memphis has co-authored a book on floral design and decoration. The owner of Hampton Designs Inc., along with Ralph Null (M.A. '72), wrote Christmas Collections, an informative and entertaining work devoted to floral artistry. The 120-page book, containing more than 125 photos, was published this summer. Hampton also is a consultant with Regency International, New York, in product design and development. He served as floral coordinator for the inaugurations of presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.
Pat Turner has been named grants officer for Westark Community College in Fort Smith, Ark. She previously was grants manager at Mary Holmes College in West Point.
Nancy A. Varian (M.S. '76), a third-grade teacher at East Canton Elementary School in East Canton, Ohio, has received a 1994 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award for excellence in elementary education. The award was accompanied by $25,000 in cash to each of the 150 national recipients. The awards were presented at a three-day educational conference held in Los Angeles in May. Also in 1994, Varian received a Christa McAuliffe Fellowship awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Robert Hand has been elected president of the New Orleans Chapter of the International Association for Financial Planning. The organization represents more than 12,000 individuals and institutions. Hand is a financial consultant and vice president for Smith Barney in New Orleans. He previously was president of the New Orleans Chapter of the Mississippi State Alumni Association.
Alfred A. Porter of Louisville has opened Porter Funeral Home. He has been in the funeral home business for 16 years in the Louisville area. He also is a member of the board of directors of the Louisville Chamber of Commerce.
Andrew Anthony Cox has been named one of 10 Outstanding Alumni of LaGrange College in LaGrange, Ga. He is an associate professor of psychology and counseling at Troy State University in Troy, Ala. He also is a professional counselor and family and marriage therapist.
David Sandefur of Ridgeland received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, with special distinction, from Mississippi College School of Law in May. In August, he became a law clerk at the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Cliff Huggins of Bloomington, Ind., has been named an associate partner in the architectural firm of Odle, McGuire & Shook Inc. He has been associated with the firm for 10 years.
Scott A. Martin has been named vice president and general manager, custom manufacturing, for Quality Chemicals Inc., a subsidiary of First Mississippi Corp. Martin joined the company in 1982 as an engineer for First Chemical Corp., and was named QCI vice president and plant manager at the company's Tyrone, Pa., facility in 1991.
Becky Ratliff of Amarillo, Texas, has completed a master of education degree at West Texas A&M University. She will be working at Tascossa High School in Amarillo.
Lane Frazier of Clinton has joined Jitney Jungle Stores as a computer systems programmer, after 13 years with IBM. Frazier received an M.B.A. from Mississippi College in May.
Steve Lesley (M.B.A. '91) and wife, Jenny Lesley (M.B.A. '86), of Tupelo are the proud parents of a new daughter, Mallory Paige, born Dec. 26, 1994.
Nancy Dorman-Hickson has joined Southern Living magazine as associate features editor. She previously was an associate editor for Progressive Farmer, a sister publication of Southern Living. In that capacity, she was nominated for a National Magazine Award for her work on an in-depth farm safety series.
Bryan Menetre and his wife Judy, of Plantation, Fla., are the proud parents of a son, Bryan Stewart Menetre, born May 14, 1995. Bryan is a key account manager for Florida Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Jason Daniel Pigg and wife, Robin Clark Pigg (currently pursuing a master's degree at Mississippi State), are the proud parents of Davis Clark Pigg, born Nov. 7, 1994, and weighing in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces.
Brian Wilson, AIA, of Charlotte, N.C., has been named an associate of Odell Associates Inc., a planning/architecture/engineering firm with headquarters in Charlotte. Wilson has served as project designer/architect for various projects, including the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and the Asheville (N.C.) Regional Airport.
Charles Bruce Brown (M.B.A. '86) and Vickie Wittlief Brown ('85) are happy to announce the birth of a son, Christopher Bruce Brown, born Jan. 26, 1995. Christopher weighed in at 9 pounds, 4 ounces. Bruce is an attorney in Starkville, and Vickie is business administrator for the Mississippi State Alumni Association.
John Fairley has been named purchasing agent-technical with Mississippi Chemical Corp. of Yazoo City. Fairley has worked for Mississippi Chemical since 1992 as assistant process engineer.
Tracy Simpson Ford and husband, David R. Ford (B.B.A. '88, M.B.A. '90), of Ridgeland are proud parents of a son, David Roland Ford Jr., born June 26, 1995.
Colleen Fahey Johnson of Fayetteville, Ark., is assistant director of profit sharing for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., at the company's Bentonville, Ark., headquarters. Her husband, Hayes Johnson ('89), attends the University of Arkansas School of Law. Hayes previously was a newspaper reporter and editor for 11 years, and Colleen was an accountant.
Max Floyd McKenzie and wife, Connie, of Tylertown, have established McKenzie's Office Cleaning Service.
Vicki Raybon Moran and husband, William, of Jefferson, La., are the proud parents of twins, Erin Rachel and Lauren Dianne, born Feb. 6, 1995. Vicki is an administrative secretary for Ochsner Medical Institutions.
Kenton H. Stamey of Greensboro, N.C., has been named vice president of Wachovia Bank of North Carolina. He is a business banker and certified financial planner.
Ivory W. Lyles of Chattanooga, Tenn., has been appointed administrator of the Cooperative Extension Program for Tennessee State University. He previously was district supervisor for the agriculture program at the University of Tennessee.
Winston P. Moore of Columbia, S.C., is pleased to announce the birth of Phillip Garrett Moore, July 17, 1995.
Brenda Shoop and husband, Brian,of Birmingham, Ala., are proud to announce that on July 3, 1995, the stork landed with a bundle under each wing. Sarah Megan and Jesse David came along just a couple of months after Brian, who is head baseball coach at Birmingham Southern College, led his team to the NAIA College World Series and a third-place national finish.
Timothy L. Alford of Clinton has been named vice president of Sunburst Bank in Jackson.
Robert Don. Baker and wife, Charlotte, of Amory are the proud parents of a son, Samuel Harris, born June 6, 1995. Samuel weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces.
Sharon S. Black (Ph.D. '94) of Starkville received a Ph.D. in veterinary medical sciences at Mississippi State in May 1994, and subsequently passed the board exam of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. She is an assistant professor and veterinary pathologist with the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Lisa Mooty Brown has been promoted to Personnel Officer I at the offices of the Institutions of Higher Learning in Jackson. Previously, she was an administrative assistant for IHL.
Bobby Eiland (M.Ed. '91) of Columbus has been named assistant principal of New Hope Middle School. He has been a teacher and coach there since 1989.
Sue Miller Perry of Madison has been appointed deputy administrator of family and children services for the state Department of Human Services. She received a master's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1994.
The Reverand Kevin Pridmore and wife, the Reverand Terri Pridmore, of Walls, are the proud parents of a son, George Armstrong, born May 24, 1995. Kevin is pastor of Minor Memorial United Methodist Church in Walls.
Ann Harris DiMatteo (M.B.A. '87) and husband, Joe, of Boynton Beach, Fla., are the proud parents of a son, Kevin Joseph, born Dec. 28, 1994. Kevin weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces.
Captain Michael L. Goolsby has been assigned as chief of military personnel flight at Howard Air Force Base, Republic of Panama. He recently was involved in planning and execution of Operation Safe Haven, a humanitarian relief effort for Cuban migrants.
Lori Andrews-Hendricks and her husband, Ken, now living in Amarillo, Texas, recently returned from Quito, Ecuador, where Ken worked for three years as a petroleum engineer. They have two children, Jordan, born in April 1993, and Regan, born June 8, 1995.
Marcus E. Killebrew of Springdale, Ark., has been promoted to sales manager of the Fresh CVP Division of Tyson Foods Inc.
Tony Stanford of Louisville is the new head football coach and athletic director at Louisville High School.
John S. Mullin and wife, Gail, of Boise, Idaho, are the proud parents of a son, John Stuart Mullin Jr., born May 11, 1995. Daddy John is computer aid design manager in the research and development department at Micron Technology Inc.
Rebecca Hoover Shelton and husband, Jeff, of Nashville, Tenn., are the proud parents of a daughter, Margaret Wilson Shelton, born March 23, 1995.
Rory Trapp and wife, Shea, of Philadelphia are happy to announce the birth of a daughter, Madaline Claire, born Feb. 2, 1995.
Tim White and wife, Marcia, of Brandon, are proud to announce the birth of Charles Michael White, Jan. 16, 1995.
Lisa Esther of Atlanta has been named division sales manager for the J.M. Smucker Co. She will act as broker manager for Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
William R. McDade (M.B.A. '91) of Columbus has been named financial analyst for Bryan Foods Inc. in West Point. Previously, he was controller for B.W.W.C., an oil and gas services company.
Kevin D. Nurre has received a master's degree in systems engineering and a certificate in software systems engineering from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.
Sid Salter of Forest, publisher and editor of the Scott County Times, has won the 1995 John Oliver Emmerich Editorial Excellence Award, presented by the Mississippi Press Association. The weekly newspaper also won first-place awards in its division [weekly, above 4,000 circulation] in general interest column, editorials, commentary, and layout and design.
Thomas F. "Freddy" Stokes Jr. of Meridian has been promoted to project engineer for the Meridian area of the state Department of Transportation.
George Bryant Swindoll (M.S. '90) of Cullowhee, N.C., is an area coordinator in the Department of University Housing at Western Carolina University, and is recently married.
Charles A. Henderson IV of Memphis, Tenn., has been promoted to tax manager with Arthur Andersen LLP.
Pam Echols Keenan of Memphis has been promoted to development manager at Youth Villages in Memphis. Previously, she was the agency's annual fund manager. Youth Villages, a nonprofit organization and United Way agency, is the largest provider of mental health treatment to troubled youths and their families in the mid-South.
Patsy Mangum of Bay City, Texas, graduated from nursing school in May and passed the state board exam for licensure as a registered nurse in Texas. She is a registered nurse at Matagorda General Hospital in Bay City.
Jennifer Sessions Shannon and husband, Michael, of Little Rock, Ark., are the proud parents of a son, Alexander Michael, born June 16, 1995.
Melvin R. Wilson of Newark, Del., was named chief of the Chaplain Service at the Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1993. Previously, he served as a staff chaplain for 12 years at the V.A. Medical Center in Jackson.
Carol Cook Bienstock of Athens, Ga., has received a Ph.D. in marketing at Virginia Tech. She will be working in the Department of Marketing and Economics at Valdosta State University in Georgia.
Mary Kay DiNunzio has completed a juris doctor degree at the National Law Center at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has accepted a position as a chemical patent attorney with the law firm of Cooper & Dunham in New York City.
Troy Randel Graham of Memphis, Tenn., passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountants Exam in May. He is a CPA with Fouts and Morgan CPAs in Memphis.
Jimmy and Roan Johnson ('91) of Ridgeland are the proud parents of a daughter, Mary Olivia, born April 19, 1995.
Michelle Panger Kirk (M.S. '92) and husband, Doug, of Orange Park, Fla., are the proud parents of a son, Kavan Landes Kirk, born March 28, 1995. Michelle had been promoted to environmental coordinator at Allied Chemicals a month earlier.
Frank M. Messina, assistant professor of accounting at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, is the first recipient of the Loudell E. Robinson Excellence in Teaching Award. Messina was selected by a faculty committee, which cited him for his innovative teaching methods and commitment to students.
Roger Skelton of Tupelo, a service representative for the Social Security Administration, was married to Sonya Everett on June 3, 1995. Skelton underwent a heart transplant in April 1994 at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Kenneth S. Trent Jr. and wife, Amanda, of Tupelo, are the proud parents of a daughter, Hannah Kathryn, born May 5, 1995. Kenneth is a cost controller for Action Industries.
Jeff Hood and wife, Kelly Wilson Hood ('90), of Hamilton, Ala., are the proud parents of a son, Wilson Tyler, born Oct. 20, 1994. Jeff is a salesman for North River Homes in Hamilton and Kelly is a teacher at Phillips Elementary School in Bear Creek.
Drew Murrah and wife, Amy, of Memphis are the proud parents of a daughter, Haley Michelle, born April 28, 1995.
Amber Kennedy Thompson (M.S. '93) has joined the faculty of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, as assistant director in the Office of Student Retention.
Alicia Webb, a sixth-grade teacher at LaFayette Middle School in Walker County, Ga., has earned a master of education degree at Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga.
Chris Bentley has been named special services manager with Shelby Residential and Vocational Services in Memphis, Tenn., a private, nonprofit agency that offers services to people with developmental disabilities.
Mark A. Cliett of West Point has joined the law firm of Tubb, Ross, and Lambert.
Chandra Smith Harmond and husband, Edward, of Columbus, are the proud parents of a son, Wilson Sidney, born June 26, 1995. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 6 ounces. Chandra is executive secretary for Deposit Guaranty National Bank in Columbus, and Edward is attending Mississippi State.
Navy Ensign Stephen E. Johnson has graduated from Officer Candidate School at Naval Aviation Schools Command, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.
Robin Burchfield of Jackson is campaign scheduler/administrator for Lt. Gov. Eddie Briggs. Prior to that, she interned at CNN in Atlanta and then worked for the Mississippi Republican Party.
Marine Capt. Brenton Harder recently participated in two weeks of active duty training for reservists with Headquarters and Support Company, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, Baltimore, Md.
Michael and Janice Williams of Ocean Springs are proud to announce the birth of a son, Michael Grey Williams, born May 14, 1995. Michael weighed in at 7 pounds.
Everett Robinson and wife, Jayna M. Robinson ('90), of Ocean Springs are the proud parents of a son, Jacob Morgan, born Sept. 27, 1994. Everett was promoted to supervisor of customer electric services at Mississippi Power Co. in November 1994.
John Works has been named intern at Johnson Bailey Henderson McNeel Architects of Jackson. A native of Jonesboro, Ark., he is a cum laude graduate of the School of Architecture.
Carl Henderson graduated in May in physical therapy from the University Medical Center in Jackson, and at the same time graduated from Mississippi State with a degree in fitness management. He now works for HealthSouth in Memphis, Tenn. While attending the Medical Center, he received the Celia C. Robson Orthopedic Award.
Updated and adapted by Chris Brown <brownc@ur.msstate.edu>.
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