John Franklin Murphy of Cleburne, Texas, retired senior planner and scheduler for Brown & Root Inc., is serving as a member of the Advisory Board of the History Complex-Confederate Research Center, Hill College, Hillsboro, Texas.
Carlton M. “Bo” Reid has been promoted to regional business development officer for Merchants and Farmers Bank, Starkville and Ackerman offices.
Wes Simpson has been promoted to vice president of manufacturing of the Contract Division of La-Z-Boy Chair Co. in Grand Rapids, Mich. He formerly was vice president of operations for the company's Leland, Miss., plant. He will continue to oversee operations of the Leland facility from his Grand Rapids office.
Harry F. Hardin of Alexandria, Va., has retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C., after more than 34 years of service. Hardin worked in Vicksburg, Little Rock, Ark., and Fort Worth, Texas, prior to his assignment in Washington. At retirement, he was chief of the Management Information Division of the Directorate of Information Management. He will continue to work as a computer consultant.
Faye Wilkinson of Vicksburg has been named assistant dean for Hinds Community College, Vicksburg-Warren County Branch. She has served as a business technology instructor at the campus for 15 years.
Dr. V. Thomas Rhyne of Piscataway, N.J., director of Microelectronics and Computer Technology Company's ATLAS Standards Laboratory, has been elected 1994 treasurer by the Assembly of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. He also will serve as a member of the IEEE Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
Bill Carl Flynn of Mathiston is director of foundation and corporate giving and Economic Project director at Wood Junior College.
Floyd Goar (M.S. '70) of Richton has retired as a vocational teacher after 30 years of service to the Richton School District. Goar has been a class sponsor and Future Farmers of America sponsor, and in 1982, was chosen STAR Teacher at Richton High School.
Dr. Mildred F. “Midge” Smith has been named acting assistant to the dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Maryland at College Park. Smith is a professor in the college and coordinator of program planning, evaluation, and staff development for the state's Cooperative Extension Service. She received the Award of Honor from the Maryland Extension Specialists Association in 1991.
Mickey F. Milligan of Jackson, director of economic development for South Central Bell Telephone Co., has been elected president of the Mississippi Industrial Development Council for 1993-94. Dennis S. Nordin (Ph.D. '69) of Lund, Sweden, is an Achievement Club Winner at Dataproducts-Hitachi, where he is Scandinavian marketing manager.
Dr. Charles H. White (M.S. '69), professor and head of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Mississippi State, received the 1993 Milk Industry Foundation Teaching Award during the American Dairy Science Association's annual meeting at the University of Maryland. He was cited for his valuable contributions to teaching in the areas of dairy foods, microbiology, and related courses.
Dr. Jimmy L. Solomon, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State, has received a Certificate of Meritorious Service from the Mathematical Association of America. Solomon was nominated for the honor by the association's Louisiana-Mississippi Section.
Stan O. Harbour of Englewood, Colo., has been assigned to Tengizchevroil, Chevron Corporation's new joint venture in Kazakhstan. As a construction manager, he is responsible for completing construction of an oil and gas processing plant in the Tengiz Field.
Nada L. Harris of Washington, D.C., has been named associate deputy assistant secretary of telecommunications for the Veterans Affairs Department. She formerly was manager of the Information Technology Systems Division at the Federal Aviation Administration.
Thomas McKnight, president of Ralph McKnight and Son Construction Inc., has been named an associate board member for Sunburst Bank of Kosciusko.
Leon Monroe, CLU, ChFC of Atlanta, Ga., has been promoted to regional vice president of The Travelers, Financial Services Division, for the Southern Region, covering Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Dr. Walter E. Phillips Jr. (M.S. '72), director of microbiology at Serelogy, Allied Clinical Laboratories in Chattanooga, Tenn., has been certified as a clinical laboratory director by the American Board of Bioanalysis.
Anna L. Hillman, who currently is completing doctoral work at Mississippi State, has received the 1993 Technology of the Year Award from the Mississippi Educational Computing Association for “contributions to the advancement of technology in education.”
Sterling P. Jones of Greenwood has been named vice president for cotton services for Staplcotn.
W.R. Richerson Jr. has been named manager-environmental relations for International Paper Co. He will be located in Dallas, Texas.
G. Hamp Cooley (M.S. '82) of Purvis has been named Southeast regional sales manager for Mycogen Plant Sciences. Mycogen, with offices across the country, produces and researches hybrid seeds.
Paul J. Karre of Memphis has been named director-employee relations, packaging, for International Paper Co.
James A. Koerber has been named manager of Horne CPA Group's Hattiesburg office. Koerber has 14 years of accounting experience.
Robert S. “Bob” Latham is senior vice president at National Bank of Commerce, Columbus.
Samuel A. Smith has been named vice president of Magnolia Federal Bank in Jackson.
Dancy Sykes of Meridian has been named vice president, chief financial officer, and cashier at Great Southern National Bank.
Harold “Hal” S. Thompson of Decatur, Ala., and Michael “Mike” J. Harris of Hartselle, Ala., both consulting engineers, have formed State Engineering Company Inc. in Decatur. The firm specializes in HAZOP review, per OSHA 1910.119—and yes, the company colors are maroon and white!
Sellers Cole has been named president of Sunburst Bank in Philadelphia.
Martin J. “Marty” Farrell of Kaneohe, Hawaii, has been promoted to director of Asia/Pacific Sales Operations for Information Handling Services, a database publishing company headquartered in Denver, Colo.
Dianne T. Faulk of Starkville, a first grade teacher at Overstreet Elementary School, has been inducted into the Mississippi Hall of Master Teachers. Faulk was named the 1991-92 Educator of the Year by the Starkville Professional Educators and 1991 First Grade Teacher of the Year for Starkville Public Schools.
Preston D. Williams has joined United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co. as assistant vice president of servicing carrier operations at the company's home office in Baltimore, Md.
Everett P. Hailey, district manager for Trane Commercial Sales and Service of Memphis, has been named the Memphis Joint Engineers Council's 1994 Outstanding Engineer. Hailey was selected from a field of 2,200 engineers in the Memphis area. The award is based on professional engineering registration, civic and community activities, and significant achievement.
Thomas A. Wasson Jr. has been appointed general manager of Redd Pest Control's Jackson branch.
Dr. Cathryn T. Goree, director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Education at Mississippi State, will serve as one of nine members of the U.S. Department of Education's Environmental Assessment Development Committee, which will oversee the way universities collect information about student attitudes toward alcohol and other drugs.
Mary Grace Moore has been promoted to vice president of market research for Sara Lee Accessories of New York. She joined Coach Leatherware, a subsidiary of Sara Lee, as manager of market research in 1988. In 1990, she was promoted to senior manager, and was named director in 1991.
Danny L. Pace has been promoted to general manager of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station near Port Gibson. He had been director of design engineering at Grand Gulf since 1991.
Patti K. Drapala (B.B.A. '83, M.P.P. '85) has been named director of public relations for the Bureau of Plant Industry, state Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
Nelle Elam (M.Ed. '85), art teacher at Starkville High School, has received a Milken Family Foundation National Educators Award for excellence in teaching. The foundation annually honors six outstanding educators in each of the 25 states in which the program operates. The award carries a $25,000 cash stipend. Earlier this year, the Starkville High School Art Department was named the best in the United States by the National Education Association and was featured on The Learning Channel.
W. Bruce Franklin of Franklin, Tenn., has been included in the 1994-95 edition of Who's Who in Finance and Industry, according to the Marquis Who's Who Publications Board. He is a certified financial planner and a certified fund specialist, and is president of Franklin Financial Services of Tennessee Inc.
Diane Norman Vance, formerly of Hattiesburg, has moved to Enid, Okla., with husband Tommy to raise emus.
Eugene Winn of Pattison, a radiological chemist and health physicist technician, served as a support technician for the Georgia Power Nuclear Unit 2 third refueling outage.
William L. Burle Jr. (M.S. '82) of Greenville, a design engineer, received a Ph.D. in civil engineering at the University of Mississippi in 1993.
David W. Jones of Jackson has been promoted to vice president in the audit area of Trustmark National Bank in Jackson. He is a member of the EDP Auditors Association and is president of the Mutual Benefit Fund Credit Union. In 1992-93, he served as chairman of the Mississippi State Alumni Association's Constitution Committee, and also has served as president of the Alumni Association's Hinds County Chapter. He is a past board member of the Inter-Alumni Council, State Institutions of Higher Learning, State of Mississippi.
The National Bank of Commerce has named Leslie McKee of Starkville local investment services counselor for Holden Financial Co., the investments firm associated with NBC. She will maintain an office at the bank's main Starkville branch.
Sandee Stribling McPherson and her husband, Scott ('80), of Jackson are the proud parents of a baby boy, Cole Harris, born Aug. 16, 1993. The new Bulldog weighed in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces. Daddy Scott is a physician specializing in interventional radiology at St. Dominic's Hospital, while Sandee is kept busy at home by Cole and his siblings, Allison and Hunter.
Charles W. Farrior of Diamondhead has been named New Orleans Civilian of the Quarter by the Department of the Navy, Supervisor of Shipbuilding. As contract specialist, he resolved key contractual issues “in a notably exceptional manner that included consistently outstanding initiative.” Prior to his current position, he worked at the Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, where he received the Army Customer Service Excellence Award.
James Michael Hughes has been promoted to vice president/branch manager of the Ackerman branch of Merchants and Farmers Bank.
Dr. John E. Forde, assistant professor of communication at Mississippi State, has been awarded the rank of senior practitioner by the Southern Public Relations Federation. Forde has served as president of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi for the past two years and was that group's Practitioner of the Year in 1992.
Markel B. Hudgins of Houston, Texas, has been named manager of customer support for Simon Petroleum Technology Corp. The company provides petroleum software and consulting services for worldwide exploration and production. Hudgins is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Dr. R. Barry Lurate of Pensacola, Fla., graduated from the Louisiana State University Medical Center's Orthopaedic Surgery Program in June 1993 and at the same time was promoted to lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. He currently is on staff at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, where he performs sports medicine, spinal surgery, and general orthopaedics.
Air Force Capt. Shelia Purser Scott of San Antonio, Texas, has received a master of science degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas.
Paul D. Smith has been promoted to sales manager for Wm. Cameron & Co. in Atlanta.
Scott D. Spivey, a senior programmer analyst, has transferred to Johnson Controls World Services government contract at Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
John Sabine DeGroote of Dallas, Texas, has been named assistant vice president and counsel at First USA Inc.
Samuel F. Hartzog Jr. has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army at a Pentagon ceremony in December. A 20-year veteran of the Army, he currently is working for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management, exploring innovative ways in which that branch of the military can save money.
Troy B. Little has been appointed manager of engineering and operations for Aiken Electric Cooperative Inc. in Aiken, S.C.
Jerry Nash of Starkville, currently a graduate student at Mississippi State and a registered medical technologist with Oktibbeha County Hospital, has received the R.J. Strawinski Award for best research paper presentation at the master's level. He presented his paper, “Peripheral Blood and Milk Derived Leukocytes Harbor BIV Provirus,” last November at a joint meeting of the American Society of Microbiology and the Mid-South Biochemists at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge.
Randy and Stacy ('87) Ramsey of Jackson are the proud parents of a new daughter, Allison Melissa, born Dec. 5, 1993. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces.
B. Drew Godfrey, a design engineer with Engineering Resource Group Inc. in Jackson, obtained the highest score on the P.E. exam in 1992, with a score of 93.
Dr. Susana Goggi (Ph.D. '89) has been named manager of the seed testing laboratory of the Seed Science Center at Iowa State University. Previously, Goggi was co-leader of the sorghum and millet breeding program at Mississippi State. She also has worked with INTSORMIL, an international sorghum/millet research and support program.
Kevin W. Holley has recently transferred to Eddie Bauer's Madison Ave., New York, store from the company's Atlanta location. Holley is in retail management.
Pam Loveless Rose recently joined the staff of Nathan, Evans, Taylor Architects in Memphis, Tenn.
Charles “Stan” Speed of Okeechobee, Fla., is a pasture foreperson with Lykes Bro. Inc. in Okeechobee. He has been with the company for two years.
T. Clay Rogers is a senior insurance underwriter in Unionville, Conn.
Louis H. Watson Jr. is practicing law with the firm of Phelps Dunbar in Jackson. He specializes in labor and employment law.
Suzanne Bigelow Cain (M.S. '91) is a student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and youth minister at the Monticello (Miss.) Baptist Church. Suzanne's husband, Jimmie Dan Cain, also a 1989 graduate, is student body president at the seminary.
Renee Rodemacher Dyess of Brandon recently joined Answer Stat Inc. as an inbound communications consultant. She and husband Andy Dyess ('85, M.B.A. '89), an environmental engineer, have two sons, Brian and Mark.
Janie R. Gregg of Shuqualak has been awarded the Certified Management Accountant designation by the Institute of Certified Management Accountants. Gregg is an instructor of business at Mississippi State's Meridian Campus.
Navy Ensign Gary. L. Gressett has been designated a Naval Aviator. He was presented the coveted “Wings of Gold” at ceremonies at the Naval Air Station in Meridian.
Melissa Miller (M.B.A. '92) of Meridian has been named accounting officer at Great Southern National Bank.
Capt. Joel Thomas Muirhead, an Army physician, is serving a transitional internship at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colo.
Dennis Shanholtzer has been named associate professor of management at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn.
Jeff P.W. Skelton, a Jackson attorney, is associated with the law firm of Copeland, Cook, Taylor, and Bush. He received the Juris Doctor degree in 1993 from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.
Michele Murphree Thames (M.P.P.A. '91) has been named assistant marketing director for National M Prints/National Scrubwear.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Philip K. Trest has received the Navy Achievement Medal for superior performance of duty while serving at the Naval Hospital at Cherry Point, N.C., where he currently is assigned.
Michael Sandelli has joined the Garrison Barrett Group Inc., Architects and Interior Designers, in Birmingham, Ala.
The stork dropped off a heavy load at the home of Michael Meyers and his wife Chrystal in Gulfport. They're the proud parents of twins, Kirstin Nicole and Lauren Michelle, born Feb. 6, 1994.
Sarah Jones Skelton of Jackson, a Certified Public Accountant, is controller for St. Dominic's Hospital.
Amber Kennedy Thompson (M.S. '93) has been named a career counselor in the Student Development Services Department at Auburn University. Her husband, Mitchell Thompson, also a '91 graduate, is an assistant baseball coach at Auburn.
Navy Seaman Dawn M. Warren has completed basic training at Recruit Training Command, Orlando, Fla.
Tricia Pace of Starkville has been named administrative assistant at the Starkville Visitor's and Convention Council. She previously worked in the new accounts department at National Bank of Commerce.
Mark Alexander Ross has joined Fibreboard as a sales representative in Standard, Calif.
Marine 2nd Lt. Chandler P. Seagraves has graduated from Marine Corps Basic School in Quantico, Va., in preparation for assignment to the Fleet Marine Force.
Updated and adapted by Chris Brown <brownc@ur.msstate.edu>.
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