The General
Remo Butler led soldiers
into combat. Now he’s
leading rappers through the
hip-hop music industry.
The Night Shift
Page 10
Fall 2009
Words of
Encouragement
Page 20
reader’s Guide
Contents
Austin Peay is published biannually—fall and
spring—by the Office of Public Relations and
Marketing. Press run for this issue is 32,000.
Bill Persinger (’91) Editor
Melony shemberger (’06) Assistant Editor
Charles Booth (2003) Features Writer
rollow Welch (’86) Designer/Photographer
Michele tyndall (’06, ‘09) Production Manager
shelia ross (’71) Alumni News and Events
Brad Kirtley Sports Information
steve Wilson (’97, ’06) Online Version
F e a t u r e s
About the cover
The General
remo Butler is always up for a challenge. When he
joined the u.s. army in the early 1970s and witnessed
a lack of black officers, he pushed himself through the
ranks, ultimately becoming the first black general in the
u.s. special Forces. Now in retirement, he’s not
slowing down. But his next challenge – conquering
the hip-hop music industry – may prove a little more
difficult. Fall in to Page 2 to see how it’s going.
How to change your address
or receive the magazine
Fill out and mail the form on Page 32 or
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Box 4676
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E-mail us: [email protected]
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How to contact or submit
letters to the editor
Fill out and mail the form on Page 32 or
contact the Public Relations and Marketing
Office in one of the following ways:
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Box 4567
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Let us hear from you!
Your opinions and suggestions are
encouraged and appreciated.
Austin Peay State University is one of 45
institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents
(TBR) system. TBR's six state universities, 13
community colleges and 26 technology centers
offer classes in 90 of Tennessee's 95 counties and
has a combined annual enrollment of more than
190,000 students, making it the nation's sixth
largest system of public higher education.
Austin Peay State University is an equal opportunity
employer committed to the education of a
non-racially identifiable student body.
AP-138/08-09/32M/Ambrose Printing/Nashville, TN
Page 10
The Night Shift
Classics professor. Catholic deacon. Cop. tim Winters is
truly a renaissance man. But when he trades his copies
of Homer for a Glock pistol most weekend nights, the
drive around Clarksville can get a little exciting.
turn to Page 10, slide in the back seat of the patrol
car and enjoy the ride with Officer tim Winters.
Page 20
Words of
Encouragement
susan Cole learned to handle pressure on the Lady
Govs basketball court. Making a clutch free-throw,
however, is nothing compared to speaking regularly
before the u.s. House of representatives. But she’s
making a difference – just ask the former president of
the united states. Check out Page 20 for more details.
Sections
APSU Headlines ..................................... 6
Alumni News and Events ................. 14
Faculty Accomplishments ................ 24
In a Flash: the infamous “Nacho Libre” (although it’s rumored that it’s really Mike ramsay, an austin Peay maintenance
supervisor) made a rare appearance during homecoming activities last fall, including this scene, during the annual bonfire
and pep rally. For more information on this year’s homecoming, guaranteed to be a real scream, turn to Page 16.
Sports News......................................... 26
Class Notes ........................................... 28
Special Sections
Homecoming 2009: Fear The Peay . 16
Alumni Awards ................................... 18
Bill Persinger
Austin Peay
Fall 2009
1
By CH ARLES BOOT H
Features Wri ter
Austin Peay
Fall 2009
the years, following his father’s military
career, but now, he looked to keep life stable.
He enrolled down the road at APSU, only a
couple of years after the University first integrated. He joined the football team and, while
out with his buddies one day, received a
close-up look at the racial divide still fresh
within the community.
“Me and some of the guys on the football
team went downtown to this little boarding
house that used to serve a meal on Sunday,”
he said. “We all went in, and the guy pulled
one of the players over and said, ‘You guys
can come in but the colored guy can’t.’ So we
all left. There was a lot of camaraderie as a
group among the Austin Peay students at
that time.”
Butler wasn’t sure what he wanted to do
with his life. The military didn’t particularly
appeal to him, but he joined the University’s
new ROTC program because it came with a
$50-a-month stipend.
“I thought, ‘Hey, free money,’” he said.
“But I was an 18-, 19-year-old kid. I was
having a good time, drinking all the wine I
could, chasing girls.”
But somewhere in the reveries of youth,
Butler made his way to class where, unbeknownst to him, he displayed a raw, undisciplined intellect. His professors took note.
“There were people like Dr. (Tom)
Pinckney. They realized I was fairly intelligent, even though I didn’t know it, and they
just pulled it out of me. They were mentors
without saying it. They mentored me because
they saw something I didn’t.”
Butler graduated in 1974 with a degree
in political science. He was also among the
first class of Austin Peay ROTC cadets to be
commissioned. The Army still wasn’t a career
option for him. He planned to stay two years
and then pursue whatever happened to come
his way.
This attitude helped contribute to an early
military career best described as “rebellious.”
A battalion commander, Lt. Col. Michael
Spigelmire, who would later become Lt. Gen.
Spigelmire, noticed Butler’s antics. He was
not impressed.
“He grabbed me when I was a lieutenant,
pulled me aside one day and said, ‘Let me tell
you something, young man,’ and he gave me
the gospel. But he also challenged me. He
was the first person who in the military actually mentored me. This is during the days
when blacks didn’t get a lot of mentoring.
We usually got kicked to the side.”
3
Rollow Welch
2
Bill Persinger
lone in the dark, somewhere within
the vast Uwharrie Forest in North Carolina,
Remo Butler (’74) asked himself, “What the
hell am I doing here?”
It was a little after midnight, and he was
tired. An 80-pound rucksack hung from his
shoulders and sweat stung his eyes. He’d
been hiking all day, but he didn’t have time to
rest. He had to make it over this mountain by
daybreak or he’d be sent back home.
A few months earlier, Butler, an Army
officer with a promising career ahead of him,
decided to commit what his peers called
“career suicide” by joining the U.S. Special
Forces. This solitary, weeklong trek through
the wilderness was a test of his mental and
physical endurance.
It was the late 1970s, and before setting out
into the woods, one of the Special Forces
instructors offered a few words of warning.
“He told us about snake bites, ravines,
moon shiners, stills, all the things to avoid,”
Butler recalled. “Then he said, ‘Oh yeah, by
the way, you black guys, they’ll kill you
out here.’”
Butler was one of only six black soldiers
involved in the training. Again, he had to ask
himself, “What the hell am I doing here?”
But he didn’t falter. He climbed that
mountain and, in the end, was one of the
few to make it out of the woods and move to
the next phase of training. As for committing
career suicide, that didn’t happen either.
Butler went on to become the first
black officer to reach the rank of brigadier
general in the Army Special Forces.
Three decades later, he describes his ascent
through the military as implausible because
he doesn’t fit the traditional profile of a general - he sports a small mustache, doesn’t play
golf and wears jeans and sandals when he
should wear more traditional attire. What he
did have, he readily admits, was a handful of
people, dating all the way back to his college
days, who believed in him. And now that he’s
retired, the General is looking to provide that
same guidance to a new theater of operation –
the hip-hop music scene.
Butler, an avid boxer until his late 40s,
still bears the physique and look of his former
hobby – a powerful build and a bulldoggish
face. He’s not a man you want to cross, but
when I met him last February at his home, he
was surprisingly affable.
The first thing he did after shaking my
hand was smile and ask me if I wanted a
scotch. I did, which brought on an unexpected
dilemma – where should he get it? You see,
in Butler’s stately Tampa, Fla., home, the
retired Special Forces general has three separate bars, fully stocked. I went with the
Johnny Walker Blue Label, easily $230 a bottle, and the General disappeared for a
moment. When he returned, he carried two
tumblers filled with ice and a generous portion of the drink.
“When you go to Austin Peay, they expect
great things out of you,” he said with a wink.
He led me into the living room where
Miguel Martinez, better known as the rapper
II Face, sat on a leather couch, watching the
news on an enormous flat screen television.
Butler introduced Martinez as his son, even
though the two have no biological or legal
connection. The 28-year-old rapper is the
General’s protégé, but he’s quick to defend
the familial description of their relationship.
“Biologically, we don’t have the same
DNA, but you can’t tell me that’s not my
dad,” he said.
And, to add a touch of verisimilitude to
this relationship, he occasionally speaks in a
somewhat frustrated tone about his “father,”
particularly when recounting a radio interview Martinez gave, after which the General
informed him that he said “uh” more than
13 times.
“Who counts the ‘uhs?’” he asked.
Butler does. For the General, a person is
defined by how he or she speaks. He believes
this so adamantly, I found myself speaking
slower, trying to construct each sentence
with as few mistakes as possible.
“If you watch TV,” Butler said to me, “and
you see a lot of black athletes come on, I
always like to say they can’t put a complete
sentence together without going ‘uh’ and ‘you
know what I’m saying?’ John Q. Smith who
owns a corporation doesn’t speak like that.
When he’s interviewing, he wants people to
speak like him.”
But Butler admits he didn’t always speak
so eloquently. No, he learned that in college.
“The best thing going to Austin Peay did
for me is it taught me how to associate with
and be comfortable with the majority, which
are older white men,” he said. “And it taught
me how to speak English.”
In 1970, Butler, an Army brat, finished
his high school education at Fort Campbell
(Ky.) High School. He’d moved around over
4
Butl
er
with rapper II Face
So two years after he retired, when a friend
approached him about investing in his record
label, Black Russian Music Group, the
General saw a unique opportunity. There, in
the hip-hop music industry, was a whole collection of intelligent, talented young black
men with no role models.
“A male figure has never been able to tell
me anything because of the way I grew up,”
Martinez said. He grew up as a fatherless,
high school dropout on the streets of northern
Virginia. But he had an uncannily high intellect, allowing him to achieve some success as
a rapper and music producer.
Martinez signed with Black Russian Music
Group and, during a music festival in the
Bahamas, he met the General on the third
Austin Peay
floor balcony of a barbershop. Butler fixed a
similar gaze on the young rapper as was
aimed at him years ago by men such as
Pinckney and Spigelmire.
“We just clicked,” Butler said. “I said,
‘This guy’s got talent, but he’s also a good
person. This guy needs a break, so I’m going
to take him and try to make him successful in
his endeavor.’”
II Face is talented. His music has a soulful,
kinetic sound that keeps a person moving.
And, as Butler proudly points out, he doesn’t
include “unadulterated profanity” in his lyrics.
“I want a clean-cut image,” Butler said.
“Guys who don’t have a clean-cut image,
yeah they’ll sell a few records now and
tomorrow, but 10 years from now they’ll
say, ‘II Face, he’s a good guy.’”
Martinez has put his career under the
General’s command. They both left Black
Russian Music Group, and the rapper bought
a home, with a built-in recording studio
inside it, in the same neighborhood as
the General.
He’d just finished scoring a Boot Camp
Fitness video for Jay Johnson, who trains the
Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, but more
importantly, Martinez has earned his GED
and is now enrolled in college.
“He (Butler) made a lot of strong points
on why it would benefit me,” he said.
“He doesn’t have two-feet eyesight.
All his moves are so strategic. He sees
way down the street.”
My glass of scotch was empty, making it
even more difficult to compose a good sentence. It was a good time to leave, but as I
headed toward the door, I noticed a few
chessboards on side tables and coffee tables
throughout the house. I asked the General if
he played.
“Life is a game of chess,” Butler told me.
“Life is human chess. You have to be thinking I’m doing this because I want this to happen now for something else to happen six or
seven moves later.”
In their off-hours, Butler and Martinez, like
father and son, are often found sitting silently
over a chessboard, analyzing the ever changing situation of the game.
“Ask him who won the last game,” Butler
said with a smile.
“He won the last game,” Martinez said,
but, sounding much like the General probably
did years ago when he defied the pleas of his
mentors and joined the Special Forces, he
added, “but I won the three before that.”
“”“Life is a game of chess.””“
“Life is human chess.
You have to be thinking
I’m doing this because
I want this to happen
now for something
else to happen six or
seven moves later.”
Rollow Welch
Spigelmire’s influence, along with the
mentoring of Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow,
and Lt. Gen. William Tangney, came at a time
when Butler realized he actually liked his job.
He was good at what he did and, with the
economy of the late 1970s on unstable
ground, a little job security went a long way.
This job security, however, was suddenly
threatened when, while stationed in Korea,
Butler fell under the spell of soldiers in the
Special Forces.
“These guys had outgoing, dynamic
personalities,” he said. “I said, ‘I like
these guys.’”
He decided to join. In the late 1970s,
the Special Forces were not particularly
popular among military professionals,
so Spigelmire intervened.
“He said, ‘You’re a good officer.
You’re going to have a good career.
Don’t go into Special Forces and ruin
your career.’”
Butler went anyway. No one was really
surprised. The man rarely took no for an
answer. Instead of abandoning him,
Spigelmire and Shachnow continued to
mentor Butler, who went on to have a
distinguished 30-year Army career,
culminating with him reaching the rank of
brigadier general.
Shortly after Operation Just Cause – the
1989 U.S.-led invasion of Panama – which
Butler participated in as the operations officer
for SOCSOUTH-resulted in an astounding
success, Spigelmire, at the time commander
of the Special Operations Command, traveled
to Panama and presented his former protégé
with a medal.
“I leaned over and said, ‘Hey sir, still a bad
decision?’” Butler recalled. “He laughed at
me, but I had to take the dig.”
“Not everybody can say they meet somebody with that background,” II Face said.
He was still sore from his last workout
with the General. Six days a week, the two
men box, run and lift weights, all to keep
Rollow Welch
contributed
Gen. Butler speaks with Colombian soldiers
during exercises in south america.
Martinez in shape for his live performances.
When I asked him what it’s like to have a
retired Special Forces general as his physical
trainer, he laughed and said, “It definitely has
its moments.”
When looking back on his success in the
military, Butler is sometimes troubled by the
fact that, of all the people who encouraged
him along the way, few were black.
All of the officers (Tangney, Spigelmire,
Shachnow) whom he considers mentors while
he was on active duty were white.
“I can honestly say, as I sit here with
Miguel, I did not have a black mentor in the
military. Lots of black friends and comrades
but no mentor. Hell, I was usually the senior
black officer wherever I went.”
5
APSU Headlines
Bill Persinger
Center for Field Biology to
help monitor bat fungus
T
Biologists across the country are trying to
find out more information about the whitenose syndrome fungus that has caused the
deaths of hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats in the last three years.
And the Austin Peay State University
Center of Excellence for Field Biology will
be an integral part of that discovery, being the
only university asked to participate in a state
plan to monitor the white-nose syndrome
(WNS) crisis.
In bat populations across the nation, WNS
is a fungus that attacks bats as they roost or
hibernate. It is called WNS because it is a
white fungus that attacks and lines the nose
and mouth of infected bats. The fungus has
been associated with bat deaths primarily in
the northern states.
The center was asked to develop acoustic
transects to monitor for bat calls or vocalizations along 20- to 30-milelong corridors in
Montgomery County and at Land Between
The Lakes National Recreation Area.
New academic colleges,
departments to be in
place by Fall 2009
students present project
at National sustainable
Design expo
By Fall 2009, APSU will have established
three new colleges, the result of a reorganization plan designed to enhance academic leadership. The School of Business will become
the College of Business; the School of
Education will transition into the College of
Education; and the College of Behavioral and
Health Sciences will be developed.
In addition, there will be three freestanding
academic departmental units: department of
sociology, department of agriculture and
department of geosciences.
Provost Dr. Tristan Denley said the
reorganization of the University’s academic
layout would help to improve the layers
of administration inherent in the
postsecondary setting.
Sergei Markov
aPsu offering B.B.a. at Dickson site
austin Peay state university students presented
their project during the National sustainable
Design expo held in april in Washington, D.C.
a record 824 grads earn diplomas from aPsu
2 degree programs planned
for new center in springfield
Austin Peay State University will offer two
degree programs in Springfield after voters
supported a city referendum to build
Robertson County's first higher education
facility. The building will host classes by
Austin Peay State University and Gallatinbased Volunteer State Community College.
City residents approved the construction
referendum with 1,393 votes of support and
463 in opposition.
APSU plans to offer bachelor's degree programs in professional studies and criminal
justice/homeland security. Springfield and
Robertson County officials are hoping to
6
break ground this fall. The intended site
includes five to six acres off William
Batson Parkway, southeast of Northcrest
Medical Center.
aPsu one of state’s most
diverse universities
As Tennessee’s fastest growing public university, Austin Peay State University also is
one of the state’s most diverse universities,
according to the latest enrollment data.
“That’s a good thing, since our students
will enter a diverse state and national work
force once they graduate,” APSU President
Tim Hall said.
From Fall 2007 to Fall 2008, APSU’s black
Austin Peay
student enrollment increased 9.22 percent.
The Hispanic student enrollment also
increased, by 7.24 percent, during the same
period. Total enrollment increase for the
University was 3.38 percent.
In addition, in the retention of APSU’s
first-time, full-time freshmen from Fall 2007Fall 2008, the retention rate for black students
was 68.8 percent, greater than APSU’s overall
retention rate of 67.6 percent and an increase
of more than 5 percent from the Fall 2006Fall 2007 rate.
APSU’s Hispanic retention rate was 72.7
percent, again higher than the University’s
overall retention rate. The current figure also
is an 18.9 percent increase from the previous
year’s rate.
Rollow Welch
he new Austin Peay @ The Renaissance Center in Dickson will offer the Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in
management this fall. Courses will be offered in 16-week semesters throughout the academic year. Core classes for the program will be
offered from APSU and Nashville State Community College. Upper-division business classes will be available from APSU.
along with a record number of graduates, the austin Peay rOtC installed 20 cadets, a record for the university.
A record 824 graduates received degrees
during Austin Peay State University’s commencement ceremony May 8.
“This is so far the largest class we’ve
had,” Telaina Wrigley, registrar for the
University, said. “I think it’s a positive sign
because it seems like we have more students
completing their degree requirements and
graduating.”
Last year, the University also saw an
increase, when about 750 students received
diplomas during the May commencement.
This trend of large graduating classes led
APSU to split its commencement into two
separate ceremonies – morning and
afternoon services.
In addition, during the morning commencement ceremony, 20 ROTC cadets took
the U.S. Army Officers Oath of Office –
also a record number for APSU.
Fall 2009
APSU students presented a research project
at the National Sustainable Design Expo held
in April in Washington, D.C., considered the
most prestigious national student research
program in the sustainability area of research.
For their project, the students, from the
departments of biology and engineering technology, explained how they converted solar
energy and waste CO2 (for example, carbon
dioxide that is released in power plants by
burning fossil fuels) into an array of biofuels
through the sequential use of microorganisms
in bioreactors.
First, the team used microalgae in a photobioreactor to produce oil using CO2, water
and light as an energy source. Produced oil
was converted into biodiesel. Next, glycerol,
a byproduct of biodiesel production, was used
as a substrate for making H2 and ethanol by
immobilized bacteria in a bioreactor. Finally,
students tested one of the produced biofuels,
hydrogen, in a fuel cell to run a small motor.
Dr. Sergei Markov and Dr. Joseph Schiller,
both associate professors of biology, worked
with the student team on the project and
accompanied them on the trip to
Washington, D.C.
7
aPsu retirees’ association
formally organized
The Austin Peay State University Retirees’
Association (APSURA) is now organized
after APSU officials signed the bylaws during
a brief ceremony May 1.
The purpose of the APSURA is to promote
the welfare of retired faculty and staff
through various programs and activities, to
support continued involvement with the
University and to participate in activities that
benefit the community in general.
The organization would serve as a partner
to the University and a resource for retirees
and employees nearing retirement.
Membership is open to retired APSU
administrators, faculty and staff and their
spouses, as well as spouses of deceased
University retirees.
Mathematics score high
in national contest
Three students from Austin Peay State
University participated in Spring 2009 in the
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical
Competition (Putnam Competition), a
prestigious national mathematics contest.
The three students who participated in the
Putnam Competition are Jonathan Fisher,
Michael Northington and Emily Stone. As a
team, the students scored a ranking of 136,
which is the highest ranking ever scored
by a team from APSU.
8
Charles Booth
art project features Obama’s
inaugural speech
Children’s author Michael shoulders signs books
during a special dinner and reading to celebrate
the formation of the Woodward Library society.
The APSU Department of Art presented a
three-day, print-making event, titled “The
First 100 Days,” in commemoration of
President Barack Obama’s 100th day in office
April 29.
During the event, art students in professor
Cynthia Marsh’s print-making classes printed
Obama’s inaugural address onto 100 T-shirts,
100 posters and on fabric squares for a quilt.
Each of the three finished pieces are part of
the African American Cultural Center’s art
collection.
The APSU Department of Art has gained
an additional printing press, the Chandler and
Price printing press, as well as three cabinets
of pristine metal type, typesetting equipment
and a selection of printed ephemeral works.
The press was donated by Martha
Goldsmith, whose late husband, Arthur
Goldsmith, is the namesake of the Goldsmith
Press and Rare Type Collection, an entity
within the APSU Department of Art and the
Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.
The donation is an addition to the existing
collection of type cases and printing presses
that make up the Goldsmith Press and Rare
Type Collection at APSU.
students dominate
‘Math Jeopardy’
contest at conference
the Monocle new
name of yearbook
The Austin Peay State
University yearbook is
back with a new name,
The Monocle.
The yearbook has not
been produced in several
years. In the early 1990s,
APSU ceased to publish
the yearbook, then named
Govs Pride. In earlier
years, the yearbook was called Farewell and
Hail. The new name signifies a distinctive
part of the University’s mascot, the Gov, seen
wearing a monocle as part of his costume.
The 2008-09 yearbook is on sale at
http://www.jostensyearbooks.com.
Austin Peay
North Carolina and South Carolina. APSU
team members Jonathan Fisher, Casey
McKnight, Michael Northington and Emily
Stone correctly answered multiple questions
in the preliminary and final rounds.
The APSU team finished with a landslide
victory. The team’s final score was 2,700
points, while the second-place team had a
score of zero. While the final Math Jeopardy
question was not necessary, since APSU was
the only team with a positive score, the
moderator decided to ask the final question
to give the other teams an opportunity to
reposition the standings.
Chandler & Price printing
press donated to art
department
The Woodward Library Society, a group of
library friends dedicated to the advancement
of the Felix G. Woodward Library, has been
organized formally.
The purpose of The Woodward Library
Society, a nonprofit organization affiliated
with the APSU Foundation, is to strengthen
the resources of the University’s library and
to increase awareness of those resources
through financial support, events and activities. Membership is open, upon payment of
dues, to any person, business or organization
that shares in the purpose of The Society.
students honored with
Drane, Harvill awards
contributed
APSU has organized a Green Committee to
help identify practices in which the
University can engage to make the main campus and Austin Peay Center @ Fort Campbell
campus greener. The committee may also
identify particular expenditures that the
University might consider funding to this end.
More than 50 members of the campus community volunteered to serve on this committee, with President Tim Hall appointing the
members. Dr. Robin Reed, chair of the
department of chemistry, will serve as chair
of the committee. Members represent various
academic departments and offices, with two
student representatives also serving on the
committee.
the Woodward Library
society newly formed to
benefit campus library
With a score of 31, Fisher was recognized
on the list of top participants and ranked
approximately 300th out of the 473 students
on the list. Fisher is the first student in APSU
history to make the list. His score beat the
previous high score for an APSU student by
more than 20 points.
contributed
Green Committee formed
to improve campus
emily stone (from left), Casey McKnight, Jonathan
Fisher and Michael Northington receive their trophy
after winning the Math Jeopardy contest during the
Mathematical association of america southeastern
section conference.
The APSU math team was victorious in the
Math Jeopardy contest, a highlight of the
Mathematical Association of America
Southeastern Section conference held March
13-14 at Belmont University.
Math Jeopardy involved 24 teams from 22
schools in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia,
Two APSU graduates were honored with
the University’s most esteemed awards during
Spring Commencement on May 8, 2009.
Michael Northington, a mathematics and
physics double major, received the William
McClure Drane Award. Michael Soward was
presented with the Halbert Harvill Civitan
Citizenship Award.
The Harvill Award is given every year to a
graduating student chosen by the faculty for
having made an outstanding contribution to
good citizenship during his or her college
career. The Drane Award is given every year
to a degree candidate chosen by the faculty
on the basis of character, scholarship, leader-
aPsu breaks ground on CetF, receives $2 million from
Hemlock to purchase lab equipment
Rollow Welch
APSU Headlines
austin Peay state university President tim Hall (left) is presented with a $2 million contribution from
Hemlock semiconductor Group, represented by terry strange, site manager of the new Hemlock
semiconductor plant in Clarksville. the check was presented July 10, 2009, during a groundbreaking
ceremony of the new Chemical engineering technology Facility on the aPsu campus, across the street
from the sundquist science Complex.
ship and service to the University.
Northington tutored at the APSU Academic
Support Center and served on the APSU
Student Non-Academic Grievance
Committee. He was president of Sigma Chi
Fraternity and was a member of the Pi Mu
Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society,
the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society
and Gamma Beta Phi Service Honor Society.
He also was a member of the first-place team
at this year’s Mathematical Association of
America Southeastern Section Mathematics
Jeopardy competition.
Soward helped found the Eagles, a campus
club to aid and support the children of soldiers and help provide them with emotional,
psychological and financial support. He also
developed a course to aid psychology students
to navigate successfully through the graduate
school application process. He also regularly
volunteers at the Night at the Inn winter
homeless shelter for men and Blanchfield
Army Community Hospital’s TBI Clinic.
Pr office wins
tCPra awards
The APSU Office of Public Relations and
Marketing garnered five gold awards and a
silver award during the Tennessee College
Public Relations Association spring conference
Fall 2009
and awards contest held May 14 at APSU.
TCPRA awarded gold, silver and bronze
distinctions in various writing, design,
publication and photography categories.
The University’s PR office captured the
following awards:
• Gold in the Video Advertisement
category for the APSU “Welcome” commercial, produced by Frank/Best International
advertising agency, Nashville, with assistance
by APSU staffers Terry Damron, assistant
director of marketing, Michele Tyndall,
technical editor/production manager, and
Steve Wilson, assistant director of Web
and multimedia design.
• Gold, Print Advertisement for “Stand out
for Your Work,” planned by Terry Damron
and designed by Charlotte Carlin, assistant
director of publications.
• Gold, Feature Article/Alumni Magazine
Article for “Making the Right Calls,” written
by Melony Shemberger, communication
specialist.
• Gold, Web Page/Site, APSU’s main
home page, designed by Steve Wilson.
• Gold, Specialty Item, “The Gov Static
Cling,” designed by Charlotte Carlin with
photography by Steve Wilson.
• Silver, Electronic Newsletter, InnerAction
faculty and staff weekly e-newsletter, designed
and produced by Melony Shemberger.
9
.
L
10
across the windshields of the patrol cars
parked in front of the District 1 Precinct.
Officer Arthur McCray, a tall cop with the
build of a linebacker, sat behind the wheel of
one of the vehicles, while Winters took his
place in the passenger seat. The two usually
ride together, and they’re a duo known as
“Ghost and The Professor.”
Winter’s nickname needs no explanation,
but McCray earned the moniker “Ghost” for
his ability to appear almost out of nowhere
when help was needed. It’s an unusual
attribute for someone so imposing.
The patrol car pulled onto ort Campbell
Boulevard, causing the other vehicles on
the road to suddenly slow down to below
the speed limit. The radio squawked out
reports of minor offenses occurring
throughout the city.
or about two and a half years, this has
been a somewhat weekly ritual for Winters. As
the patrol car turned onto a residential street,
he explained that in 2006, he enrolled in the
department’s Citizens Police Academy, a program designed to give the public a better
understanding of what local police
officers do.
As an enrollee to the program, he rode with
cops during their night shifts and, as he
described it, he was hooked.
“One thing that became clear that first
night is the police officer’s job is 100 percent
service to the community,” he said. “They provide service to the people of this community.
They’ll do anything that has to be done, from
Austin Peay
taking a bullet to getting a dog out of
your house.”
7:45 p.m.
Winters stopped talking to hear the chatter
on the radio. A caller in fact had a dog in his
house and didn’t know what to do with it.
Their patrol car was only a few miles away, so
McCray radioed back that they’d respond.
On the way, Winters explained how during
the ride-alongs he took with other cops, he
repeatedly observed situations where officers
didn’t have backup. So, after completing the
Citizens Police Academy, when he learned the
department was starting a reserve officer program, he was among the first to sign up. He
doesn’t get paid, he’s limited to working 20
hours a week, he must always accompany a
full-time officer, such as McCray, and he has
to pay for his own weapon.
It might not sound like such an ideal situation, but Winters sees it as a chance to serve
his community while also experiencing some
elaborate, multifaceted classroom that helps
keep his brain sharp.
“It’s more a job of the mind,” he said. “The
number of times we have to deal with people,
versus the number of times we have to get
physical with peopleCwe rarely go hands on.
It’s not that common.”
In 200 , reserve officers put in more than
2,500 hours of free labor for the city of
Clarksville, while providing much needed
assistance to officers.
“He helps me out,” McCray said. “When I
have to take somebody to jail, he helps me
with paperwork. You arrest somebody; you
can be up in the jail for 30 minutes to an hour
doing paperwork. He helps me cut down on
that time.”
The patrol car parked in front of a house,
and for about 10 minutes, Winters and
McCray patiently walked a father and son
through what they needed to do about a stray
dog named Demon they’d discovered.
:45 p.m.
McCray and Winters stopped to eat a couple of burritos and were cleaning up their
mess when the call about a possible suicide
came over the radio. The other patrons in the
restaurant watched silently as the two men
hurried to the vehicle outside. The blue lights
flashed against the building’s windows for
only a few seconds as the car sped out of the
parking lot.
McCray stepped on the gas and the needle
on the speedometer went beyond the 100mile-per-hour mark. He hit the brakes at an
apartment complex, sending smoke and
an odor of burnt rubber rising from
the back tires.
Within minutes, several police cars, fire
trucks and ambulances converged on the
scene. A woman was taken out on a gurney
while paramedics performed CP . Winters
accompanied another officer into an adjoining
apartment to help deal with the grieving, hysterical family members.
It was a starkly real and tragic situation.
Winters employed the empathy that serves
him well as not only a college professor, but
as an ordained deacon with Immaculate
Conception Catholic Church.
“Tim is older, mature, calm, intelligent,” t.
Steve Warren said. “He’s sort of like a calming
force. He really sets a good example for the
young officers.”
The lieutenant stood by the patrol cars,
talking with other officers about what happened. He pointed out that had Winters not
been there, they’d only have one officer to
send into a group of about five hysterical
family members.
“On a night like tonight, when we don’t
have too many units, he’s like instant backup,” Warren said. “You’d be surprised what a
difference one extra person makes.”
11 p.m.
A 17-year-old girl ran away from home.
She’d be found safe later that night, but when
McCray and Winters interviewed the parents,
something just didn’t seem right. They headed
back to the car, but then noticed the runaway’s younger sister walking around the
neighborhood in her pajamas.
After interviewing her, they learned the
father had abused the sister. The mother
confirmed this, and the father was then led
out of the home in handcuffs.
“The job is remarkably dependent on
psychology and verbal skills,” Winters said.
“Police officers are incredibly smart people.
“You don’t know if
the guy is sitting in
there with a weapon
just waiting for you
to come in, or what,
but you have to
go in there.”
Bill Persinger
By CHA S BOOTH
eatures Writer
ate on a riday
afternoon, Dr. Tim Winters
holstered a .40-caliber Glock
pistol on his hip. His eyes
were slightly red and bleary
from a nap, but a cup of
coffee or a soda would help wake him up. A
long night awaited him on the streets of north
Clarksville, and he needed to remain sharp.
arlier in the day, he’d taught a couple of
classes on Homer and Thucydides at Austin
Peay State University where, for the last 15
years, he’s worked as a classics professor.
Most students recognize him by the brown
corduroy blazer he sports around campus, but
on this night, he was dressed very differently.
A blue Clarksville Police Department
uniform complemented his slender frame. The
gun hung from his hip, and a yellow Taser was
strapped to his thigh. His face, with his white
hair and a pair of glasses covering his eyes,
still looked scholarly, leading the other cops to
call him “The Professor.”
or everyone else he’d encounter in the
coming hours, he’d simply be known as
“Officer Winters” A a volunteer cop who’s
dedicated his weekends as a reserve officer
with the CPD to keep local streets safe.
But it was almost 7 p.m., and he needed
to leave.
7:20 p.m.
The last, orange rays of sunlight blazed
.
Fall 2009
11
McCray tried to kick it down.
The officers, including Winters, went around
back and broke out a window. There was still
no reaction from whoever was inside.
“You don’t know if the guy is sitting in
there with a weapon just waiting for you to
come in, or what, but you have to go in
there,” Winters said.
With guns drawn, the officers made their
way up the stairwell. They slowly entered the
master bedroom, where they saw a body on a
mattress. Suddenly it grunted. The man was
asleep, but just above his head was a loaded
pistol, cocked and ready to fire.
“That one turned out OK, but that doesn’t
take away that spooky feeling when you’re
coming up the stairs with your weapon drawn
and no one is responding,” Winters said.
2:40 a.m.
On a curvy, residential road, the headlights
of the patrol car shined on the dispassionate
faces of three cows. They stood in the middle
12
of the street, not seeming at all interested
in moving.
“Great,” McCray said.
He hit the siren and, slowly driving toward
the animals, convinced them to go back into
the barbed wire fence from where they’d
escaped.
3:10 a.m.
No one that night recognized Winters as
anything but a cop. He wore the same uniform, with the only difference being a
“reserve” patch stitched onto his shoulder.
But some nights, he said, it’s not unusual
for him to come across members of his church
or students from his classroom.
“I’ve stopped a student for speeding and
I’ve seen them out in bars,” he said. “Most of
them do not know I do this.”
Ahead of them, in the parking lot of an
apartment complex, another patrol car had
pulled over an SUV. McCray and Winters
pulled in behind the vehicles, and the two
helped the other officer perform a field
sobriety test.
The underaged driver of the SUV stumbled
as he tried to walk a line, and he slurred his
words when he, unadvisedly, rushed to ask
the officers what else they wanted him to do.
The handcuffs went on, and
he bent down to get into
the cramped back seat of the other
police cruiser.
4 a.m.
The patrol car pulled back into the District 1
Precinct parking lot. The radio was quiet. The
night was cold and the bars were closed, so
there wouldn’t be too much more traffic
that shift.
Besides, McCray and Winters still had some
paperwork to file and a couple of reports to
complete. They opened the trunk and took out
several weapons they’d confiscated from the
attempted suicide call around 1 that morning.
A little after 6 a.m., Winters returned to his
house. It was Saturday morning, and the sun
would be up in only a few minutes. He was
surprisingly alert. The night’s adrenaline and
caffeine still lingered in his system.
But he needed his rest. At 7 p.m., he’d hit
the streets again, and when that shift ended
early Sunday, he’d have to get ready for Mass
at church. And, as always, there are papers to
grade and lectures to prepare for that Monday
morning at APSU.
Austin Peay
“I’ve stopped a
student for speeding and I’ve seen
them out in bars,”
Winters said.
“Most of them
do not know
I do this.”
“Tim is older, mature, calm,
intelligent,” Lt. Steve Warren said.
“He’s sort of like a calming force.
He really sets a good example
for the young officers.”
Bill Persinger
I think I can say this; they’re far smarter than
they know. Not only do they understand psychology in a way that’s absolutely first hand
and intuitive almost, but they have incredible
memories. They’re incredibly good at memorizing, and memorizing fast, which I wish my
students were.”
The patrol car stopped at a city fuel station
to fill up. Winters stepped out to stretch his
legs. The night was cold, and his breath came
out as steam. These nights, he said, riding
with the police, have given him some new
insight into human nature.
“It’s just surprising how quick people will
lie about anything. They will say anything if
they think they’re in trouble. But people will
also help you, do anything you need of them.”
He said one day, while working a fatal car
wreck, a passing motorist stopped and helped
administer first aid.
“You really do see the best and worst of
human nature,” he said.
1:05 a.m.
A call went over the radio of another possible suicide. The details were sketchy. A man
who’d been drinking and taking pills all night
was holed up in his townhouse with a cache
of weapons.
McCray and Winters reached the townhouse just ahead of two other patrol cars and
an ambulance. The building was dark. No one
answered the door, even after
Winters helps Officer McCray look through registration
papers during a vehicle stop for expired tags.
13
Alumni News and Even ts
District I ..........Dr. Robert Patton (’57, ’59) ([email protected])............2010
District II ..........Vacant .............................................................................................2009
District III ........Tony Marable (’81) ([email protected]) ...................................2010
District IV ........Fredrick Yarbrough (’70) ([email protected]) .................................2009
District V..........Brandt Scott (’89) ([email protected]) .......................2010
District VI ........Emily Pickard (’04) ([email protected])...........................2009
District VII ........Mark Hartley (’87) ([email protected]) .................................2010
District VIII ......Bob Holeman (’78) ([email protected])..................................2009
District IX ........Cynthia Norwood (’92) ([email protected])...............2010
District X..........Nelson Boehms (’86) ([email protected]) ..............2009
District XI ........Angela Neal (’98) ([email protected])..........................2010
District XII........Jim Roe (’65) ([email protected])............................................2009
District XIII ......Vacant .............................................................................................2010
District XIV ......Dr. Dale Kincheloe (’66) ([email protected])...................................2009
District XV........Don Wallar II (’97) ([email protected]) ........................................2010
Student Rep. ....Chris Drew, SGA president ([email protected])...........................2010
CHaPter PresIDeNts
African-American ...........................................Makiba Webb (’00) ([email protected])
Tri-Counties of Kentucky .............................Mike (’71, ‘76) and Diane (’90) MacDowell
([email protected]) (Todd, Trigg and Christian counties)
Greater Atlanta..............................................Peter Minetos (’89) ([email protected])
Montgomery County ..................................................................................................Vacant
Greater Nashville...................................................Lee Peterson (’90) ([email protected])
Tri-Cities......................................Lee Ellen Ferguson-Fish (’89) ([email protected])
Greater Memphis ..................................Jeff Schneider (’96) ([email protected])
Trane Support Group........................................................Veda Holt ([email protected])
Columbia.............................................Vivian Cathey (’80) ([email protected])
Nursing Alumni......................................Dr. Doris Davenport (’91) ([email protected])
Greater Carolinas ...........................................David Gleeson (’64) ([email protected])
Greater Birmingham ............................................Sam Samsil (’67) ([email protected])
Robertson County ......................................Bob Hogan (’78) ([email protected])
Huntsville (Ala.)......................................Jim Holvey (’74) ([email protected])
Cheatham County..........................................Cheryl Bidwell (’85) ([email protected])
Greater Chattanooga .........................................Kel Topping (’90) ([email protected])
Football Lettermen ................................Gary Shephard (’73, ’80) ([email protected])
National Capital Chapter ................................Gerry Minetos (’81) ([email protected])
Orlando (Fla.) Area.....................................................Steve (’83) and Cynthia (’85) Harmon
([email protected])
Tampa/St. Petersburg (Fla.) Area
Henriette Kaplan (’51)([email protected])
Governors Band..................................................Matt Whitt (’03) ([email protected])
Lady Govs Softball ....................................Ashley Elrod (’09) ([email protected])
Hispanic...........................................................Rosa Ponce (’03) ([email protected])
Looking for an alumni chapter in your area? For a complete listing of chapter names and chapter presidents, visit www.apsu.edu/alumni/chapters.
2008-09 Honor
roll of Donors
Due to the increasing costs of
printing and postage, the 2008-09 Honor
roll of Donors and subsequent donor
listings will no longer be published in
the austin Peay magazine but may be
viewed on the aPsu Web site at
http://www.apsu.edu/donor.
the donor list contains information
compiled in a database since 1986.
the 2008-09 donor list contains gifts of
$100 or more from donors during fiscal
year July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009.
every gift, regardless of the amount,
is needed and greatly appreciated by
students, faculty and staff.
every effort has been made to ensure
the accuracy of this listing. Please
contact university advancement for
any corrections that need to be made to
ensure accuracy in future years. If an
error has been made, please accept our
apologies. Contact Office of university
advancement, Box 4417, Clarksville, tN
37044, call (931) 221-7199 or e-mail
[email protected].
14
aLuMNI CaLeNDar OF eveNts
For the most up-to-date alumni event information, go to apsu.edu/alumni
sept. 18
Fall Fling
Clarksville Country Club
sept. 25
Book signing and reception for
stephanie Osborn (’83)
5-7 p.m., Pace alumni Center at emerald Hill
Oct. 6
alumni and Friends Card Party
10 a.m., Morgan university Center Ballroom
Oct. 10
Football Pre-Game tailgate Party
Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Oct. 26-31
Homecoming 2009 – “Fear the Peay”
see a detailed listing on pages 16-17.
Nov. 21
Basketball Pre-Game Party (tentative)
Daytona Beach, Fla. (Glenn Wilkes Classic)
Dec. 19
Basketball Pre-Game Party (tentative)
Lexington, Ky.
Feb. 24
“Cast Your Net” career networking event
Morgan University Center Ballroom
March 13
Candlelight Ball
renaissance Center Nashville Hotel
april 24
Class of 1960 50-Year reunion
Pace alumni Center at emerald Hill
Previous members of the Governors
Marching Band and Lady Govs softball team
are encouraged to contact the Alumni Relations
Office ([email protected] or 931-221-7979) to
update our alumni database in conjunction with
Austin Peay
the establishment of these two new alumni
chapters. Please provide full name, graduation
year or years attended, telephone number
and/or e-mail address.
National alumni association executive
Officers and Board of Directors
50-year anniversary Class of 1959
Executive officers
Cheryl Bidwell (’85)
District X, Pleasant view
([email protected])
President-elect (‘90)
Lee Peterson
District v, Nashville
([email protected])
vice president
Diane MacDowell (’90)
District X, Hopkinsville, Ky.
([email protected])
)
Past president
Dr. robert Patton (’57, ’59)
District I, Johnson City
[email protected]
Faculty adviser
Dr. Floyd scott (’65, ’67)
District X, Clarksville
([email protected])
executive director
shelia ross (’71)
([email protected])
Is there an aspiring
football or baseball
player in your home?
Bill Persinger
DIreCtOrs
update your alumni information online at www.apsu.edu
Members of the Class of 1959 who attended their 50-Year reunion in the spring were (front row, from left) Dr. rita
siler Gaither, Mary Dinsmore Hoffpauir, elinor thurman, suzy Crockarell, Marlyn Keel smith, Peggy Berry, Charlotte
Meadows Jolly. (second row, from left) Boyd Joiner, sara Martin roland, eleanor Jeane adkins Clark, anita Faulkner
Plummer, Barbara Barnette Wilbur, Manley Burchett, estel Norman Manasco, sara Claire Greer. (back row, from left)
Dr. George M. rawlins, Norman tunnell, Dan Dill, Dr. earnest Oblander, Dr. Ben stone, thomas Hardaway, James B.
Bogard, John McKay, L. J. sanders, Charles Cates, Harold thompson.
Responsible Sports is just another value-added
benefit that the Austin Peay Alumni Association
has brought to you as part of its relationship with
Liberty Mutual’s Group Savings Plus auto and
home insurance program. You can access this site
by going to www.responsiblesports.com.
Only APSU alumni are eligible to receive the
special rates from a Liberty Mutual auto or home
policy. Offers are not available to the general public. To learn more about other benefits you can
receive from this program, contact Liberty Mutual
at 800-524-9400 and mention Client #112506 or
go to www.LibertyMutual.com/apsu.
lished program by the APSU Office of Admissions
called Alumni Ambassadors. This program allows
alumni to go to an event and serve as a representative of APSU. If attending events is not feasible
for some alumni, another option is writing letters
to prospective students in your area, giving them
the most valuable insight about APSU – your
personal experience.
To learn more about Alumni Ambassadors
and/or to volunteer your assistance, visit
www.apsu.edu/alumni_ambassador/program.htm
or call Kristen Mashburn, APSU admissions
counselor, at (931) 221-7661 or 800-844-2778.
Foy Fitness and recreation
Center open to alumni
Career networking event
needs alumni participants
APSU alumni are now eligible to use the Foy
Fitness and Recreation Center and the Drew
Simmons Wellness Center for a fee. The cost is
$120 a semester, per person, plus a $10 application
Children learn so many things by being
fee. Cost for dependents younger than 18 is $80
involved in youth sports – strategy, agility,
per semester, per person. For details, go to
teamwork, sportsmanship. The Liberty
www.apsu.edu/alumni or contact David
Mutual Responsible Sports™ program
Davenport, director of University Recreation, at
offers a community-based Web site that
(931) 221-1242 or [email protected].
provides meaningful, easy-to-use educational resources for parents and coaches
involved in youth sports. The program
In order to aid in the recruitment of high school
includes access to a “toolkit” of on-thefield game and practice preparation tools, students, both in and out of state, and build a
stronger legacy at APSU as a result of a tremenas well as a “bookshelf” filled with selfdous enrollment growth on campus, help from
paced online learning tools and topics
APSU alumni is needed through a recently estabaddressing youth sports issues.
alumni ambassadors
Fall 2009
The fifth annual “Cast Your Net” career networking event will be held Wednesday, Feb. 24,
2010, in the Morgan University Center Ballroom.
Alumni volunteers from all professions are
encouraged to participate in this special activity to
share their experience and expertise with current
students in an informal setting. For more information or to volunteer, contact Shelia Ross at (931)
221-1279 or [email protected].
an alumni trip to Greece in
spring 2010 is being planned.
Details to be announced.
Check the alumni Web site at www.apsu.edu/alumni
or call (931) 221-7979 for updates.
15
Honoring
9, ’59, ’6
es of ‘4
the class
nd ‘09
9, ’99 a
9, ’79, ’8
Homecoming 2009 Calendar of events
Monday, oct. 26
Friday, oct. 30
steP-OFF
12:30 p.m., Morgan University Center Plaza
(rain location – Memorial Health Gym)
Enjoy the traditional Organization Step-Off.
Contact Student Life and Leadership,
(931) 221-7431.
31st aNNuaL HOMeCOMING
GOLF tOurNaMeNt
8 a.m., Swan Lake Golf Course
$60 per person. Open to the public.
Sponsored by Budweiser of Clarksville.
Fee includes ditty bag, refreshments on the
golf course and light lunch. Nelson Boehms
(’86) and Frazier Allen (’99), co-chairs.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
ParaNOrMaL eXPert Peter JOrDaN
6:30 p.m., Clement Auditorium
Sponsored by Student Affairs. Peter Jordan
will present “A Multimedia Investigation of
Haunted Places and People.”
Contact Student Affairs, (931) 221-7341.
Wednesday, oct. 28
aPsu aPOLLO (stuDeNt taLeNt sHOW)
7 p.m., Clement Auditorium
Free and open to the public. Sponsored by
Govs Programming Council. Students amaze
the audience with their talent.
Contact Student Life and Leadership,
(931) 221-7431.
43rD aNNuaL aLuMNI-varsItY GOLF MatCH
1 p.m. shotgun start, Clarksville Country Club
Men’s varsity golf alumni compete against the
current men’s golf team in this annual event.
Includes lunch from noon - 1 p.m.
Contact Jim Smith, (931) 645-6586
or (931) 648-0343.
aPsu PerCussION eNseMBLe
HaLLOWeeN CONCert
6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Music/Mass
Communication Building Concert Hall
Open to the public. Admission is $3 or two
cans of food per person. Tickets on sale
starting Oct. 26 and at the
door (if available).
Contact APSU Department of Music,
(931) 221-7818.
18tH aNNuaL Dave aarON reCePtION
6 p.m., Riverview Inn Montgomery
Room, 50 College St.
Free. Open to the public. RSVPs are
recommended. Friends and former players
16
Austin Peay
of the late Dave Aaron are encouraged to
reunite during this special event. George
Fisher (’52), Hendricks Fox (’51), Dick
Hardwick (’49), Brandon Buhler
(’51) an d Bill Cashion, co-chairs.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
aFrICaN-aMerICaN aLuMNI MIXer
7-9 p.m., Riverview Inn, 50 College St.
Free. Light refreshments, cash bar.
Makeba Webb (’00), president.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
sOFtBaLL aLuMNae GaMe
7 p.m., Lady Govs softball field
Contact coach Casey Dickson,
(931) 221-6190 or [email protected].
atHLetIC Letter-WINNers reuNION
8 p.m., Front Page Deli, 105 Franklin St.
Contact Athletics, (931) 221-7904.
HOMeCOMING street DaNCe
8 p.m.-midnight, Strawberry
Alley (downtown)
Free admission and open to the public.
Reunite with friends and dance the
night away to music by Mike
Robinson. Food and
beverages for sale. Sponsored
by Budweiser of Clarksville,
the Blackhorse Brewery and
the Front Page Deli. Terry (’80)
and Debbie Griffin, Craig (’85)
and Lori (’87) O’Shoney and
Garnett (’83) and Nancy (’80)
Ladd, co-chairs, along with
JoDee Wall Wright (’98),
Justin Wamble (’06) and
Sherry Weaver (’81).
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or
1-800-264-2586.
saturday, oct. 31
HOMeCOMING sCHOLarsHIP 5K ruN
8 a.m., Clement Building,
front lawn, College Street.
Registration $20 in advance, $25 day of race.
Open to the public, all ages. Fee includes
T-shirt and refreshments; prizes and cash
awards. Mike (’78) and Lisa (’81) Kelley,
co-chairs, along with Gloria Henshaw (’82),
Amelia Wallace (’66), Bill Harpel (’74), Lori
O’Shoney (’87), Sandra Fladry, Anna Murray
(’83), Jimmy Clark (’07) and Doug Molnar.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
FOOtBaLL LetterMeN CHaPter BreaKFast
9-11 a.m., Dunn Center (Governors Club area,
third floor) Free. All former football players
are invited to reunite for this special event
in support of APSU football. Advance
reservations requested.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
aLuMNI aWarDs BruNCH
11 a.m., Morgan University Center Ballroom
$25 per person. Open to the public. Advance
reservations required by Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Meet and mingle with other alumni and
friends as we honor this year’s selection of
outstanding alumni award recipients.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
aLuMNI art eXHIBIt aND reCePtION
11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Trahern Gallery
In conjunction with the exhibit, a free
reception will be held on the front lawn
of the Trahern Building for presenters
and attendees.
Contact Gregg Schlanger,
(931) 221-7789 or [email protected].
aLuMNI BaND reHearsaL
12:30 p.m., Music/Mass
Communication Building, room 152
Band alumni are invited to dust off their
instruments and batons for the 2009 edition
of the Alumni Band. APSU’s band staff looks
forward to continuing this great tradition,
which will feature a special performance
during the Homecoming game.
For more information and to RSVP,
contact Matt Whitt (’03), president)
at [email protected] or (931) 801-8870.
HOMeCOMING ParaDe
2 p.m., through center of campus
(Browning Drive to Marion Street)
Free and open to the public. APSU gathers
together to celebrate Homecoming 2009.
Tailgate Alley opens at 2 p.m. Contact
Athletics to reserve a spot, (931) 221-7904.
“Trunk and Treat” available for all kids
under the age of 12 in costume.
Contact Student Life and Leadership,
(931) 221-7431.
aLuMNI HOsPItaLItY teNt
2-4 p.m., Tailgate Alley (west side parking lot)
Stop by to meet and mingle with other
alumni, check and/or update your alumni
information, register for a door prize and
pick up the latest alumni trinkets.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
aFrICaN-aMerICaN aLuMNI
CHaPter taILGate
2-4 p.m., Tailgate Alley (west side parking lot)
Free. Makeba Webb (’00), president.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
GOverNOrs BaND aLuMNI
CHaPter taILGate
2-4 p.m., Tailgate Alley (west side parking lot)
Free. Matt Whitt (’03), president.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
HIsPaNIC aLuMNI taILGate
2-4 p.m., Tailgate Alley (west side parking lot)
Free. Rosa Ponce (’03), president.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
NursING aLuMNI CHaPter taILGate
2-4 p.m., Tailgate Alley (west side parking lot)
Free. Dr. Doris Davenport (’91), president.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
LaDY GOvs sOFtBaLL aLuMNae
CHaPter taILGate
2-4 p.m., Tailgate Alley (west side parking lot)
Free. Ashley Elrod (’09), president.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
HOMeCOMING GaMe – aPsu vs.
JaCKsONvILLe state
4 p.m., Governors Stadium
Open to the public. Presentation of
2009 Homecoming King, Queen and
court at halftime; Wyatt Award
announcement and presentation.
For admission prices, contact
Athletics Ticket Office, (931) 221-7761.
POst-GaMe aLuMNI HOMeCOMING sOCIaL
Immediately after the game ( 7-9 p.m.),
Pace Alumni Center at Emerald Hill.
Open to alumni and friends. $10 per person.
Payment in advance or at the door. Advance
reservations requested. Light hors d’oeuvres
and adult beverages. Casual attire. Sponsored
by the APSU National Alumni Association
and Budweiser of Clarksville. Group reunions
of the classes of ’49, ’59, ’69, ’79, ’89, ’99
and ’09 are encouraged to attend this event.
Lee Peterson (’90), Gloria B. Humphrey
(’89) and Robert Price (’03), co-chairs.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586 or
[email protected].
HOMeCOMING steP sHOW
7:30 p.m., Memorial Health Gym
$10 APSU students with I.D.; $15
in advance online; $20 at the door.
Contact Student Affairs, (931) 221-7341
sunday, nov. 1
SOFTBALL BANQUET
Contact Coach Casey Dickson at
[email protected] or (931) 221-6190.
stayinG
overniGHt?
a full listing of hotels/motels will be
available on the alumni and Friends
Web site. remember to ask for any
special aPsu Homecoming rates
when making reservations.
FOOtBaLL LetterMaN CHaPter taILGate
2-4 p.m., Tailgate Alley (west side parking lot)
Free. Gary Shephard (’73, ’80), president.
Contact Alumni Relations Office,
(931) 221-7979 or 1-800-264-2586.
Fall 2009
17
Alumni Awards
Outstanding Young
alumnus/alumna
robert James“Jamie”
spicer, M.D. (’94)
Dr. Jamie Spicer, of
Gainesville, Fla., may
best be remembered
around campus for his
days playing football
with the APSU
Governors. He came to the
University from Waverly Central
High School in Waverly on a football scholarship and quickly made a name for himself.
After graduating in 1994, he traveled to
Europe, where he played football for one
season in Nurnberg, Germany, for the
Nurnberg Rams. But while a student at APSU,
he built the foundations of his future career as
a physician, majoring in biology with a minor
in chemistry.
He then combined his two interests and
took a job as a science teacher and assistant
football coach at Joe Shafer Middle School in
Sumner County. The following year, Spicer
again found himself as a student at Meharry
Medical College, where he graduated in May
2005 with a 3.4 GPA.
From there, he traveled to Johnson City and
began an internship in internal medicine at
East Tennessee State University’s James H.
Quillen College of Medicine. A year later he
headed west, where he entered residency
training in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas’ Southwestern
Medical Center in Dallas. He completed this
training in June 2009 and was accepted into a
fellowship training program in interventional
spine, musculoskeletal and sports medicine.
A licensed physician in both Florida and
Georgia, Spicer now lives with his wife,
APSU alumna Benita (Lester) Spicer (‘97), in
Gainesville, where he works for the
University of Florida’s Shands Hospital.
He also works in Valdosta, Ga.,
evaluating personal injury claims.
The APSU National Alumni
Association proudly presents its top
awards during Homecoming weekend—
a tradition since 1992.
This year’s recipients will be honored
during the Alumni Awards Brunch at 11
a.m., Oct. 31 in the Morgan University
18
Bethany McKinney
Froboese (’00)
Seven years after
graduating from APSU
with a Bachelor of
Science, Dr. Bethany
McKinney Froboese
found herself back on
campus in a very
familiar setting. She was
in the University’s athletic
training room, where she once worked as a
student athletic trainer.
She had returned to campus, having earned
a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Belmont
University in 2003, to volunteer her time to
assist with sports physicals.
This idea of helping out APSU is nothing
new to her. In 2003, she gave talks for the
APSU National Alumni Association for new
student recruitment, and in 2005 and 2006,
she volunteered to help with the APSU
annual job fair.
Froboese first arrived on campus as a freshman in 1996 and became a student equipment
manager for the football team. Knowing she
wanted to pursue a career in physical therapy,
she became a student athletic trainer the next
year – a post she held until graduation.
After receiving her Doctor of Physical
Therapy, she took a job as a physical therapist
with Inmotion Rehabilitation. Three years
later, she joined Premier Medical Group and,
in 2007, she found her current position as a
physical therapist with Tennessee Orthopaedic
Alliance.
Froboese is a member of the American
Physical Therapy Association and the
Tennessee Physical Therapy Association and
is a Susan G. Komen lymphedema treatment
provider.
Her volunteer work also extends into her
community, such as assisting in a one-day
teaching experience for ClarksvilleMontgomery County School System anatomy
and physiology AP classes about physical
therapy and physiological principles used for
her profession.
Center Ballroom. Friends and relatives
are invited to celebrate with
the honorees.
The Outstanding Service Award was
established by the APSUNAA to give
special recognition to individuals who,
through fundraising, recruiting,
Outstanding service
Mark r. Briggs (’78)
Mark Briggs doesn’t
have much free time.
As CEO of Premier
BPO Inc., a global
outsourcing company
headquartered in
Clarksville, he
oversees around 800
associates in China,
Pakistan and the Philippines
who provide services for U.S. and Canadian
companies including accounting, purchasing,
IT and customer services.
But remaining busy is a way of life for the
Clarksville native. After graduating from
APSU in 1978, he went to work with the
accounting firm KPMG. He then took a job
with Ingram Industries, going on in his
11-year career to hold positions of COO and
CFO with Ingram Micro.
Briggs went on to serve as CEO of the distribution business Intelligent Electronics, a $4
billion computer reseller. He later founded
and served as CEO of ClientLogic Corp.,
headquartered in Nashville.
In 2003, he founded Premier BPO, but
throughout his career, he’s consistently kept
busy with other obligations. Briggs is a past
chairman of the APSU Foundation. He serves
on the board of directors of En Pointe
Technologies and SpeechCycle Inc., a privately held speech recognition software company.
He is on the advisory board of The
Salvation Army of Clarksville and he also
serves on the National Gas Acquisition Corp.
board and the Montgomery County Industrial
Development Board.
In his few remaining off-hours, he teaches
Sunday school at First Baptist Church and
spends time with his wife of 31 years,
Beverly, and their two sons Griff, 22
and Alec, 9.
advocacy or faithful service, have
brought honor and distinction to APSU.
This award, which may be given to
someone who is not an APSU alumnus
or alumna, represents the highest honor
conferred by the APSUNAA.
Austin Peay
The Outstanding Young Alumnus and
Alumna Awards are given to graduates
of APSU who are 42 or younger. It recognizes accomplishments in one’s profession, business, community, state or
nation that have brought a high level of
honor and pride to the University.
While living in
Alabama, Jim Roe
thought it’d be nice to
get together with some
fellow graduates of his
alma mater. Rather than
traveling back to his
native Clarksville, he opted
to seek out those living nearby. Roe led an effort to establish APSU alumni chapters in Birmingham and Huntsville,
serving as president of both chapters and
eventually as alumni director for District XI.
Roe graduated with a physics degree from
APSU in 1965 and later earned an M.B.A. at
the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Roe’s professional career began by working
on NASA projects during the height of the
space race between the U.S. and the former
Soviet Union. Among his many assignments,
he simulated propulsions for the Saturn V
rocket and conducted reliability studies on
Saturn V systems.
He eventually moved into academia,
accepting the position of computer services
director and instructor in computer science at
Athens State University. While at the school,
he co-designed the curriculum for a computer
science minor and a computer science concentration for the technical management major.
Roe returned to the aerospace industry as
project manager for Intermetrics, where he
developed software for the Space Experiments
Particle Accelerators (SEPAC) for NASA. He
moved back and forth between academia and
the aerospace industry in the years that
followed. He ended his illustrious career
working in business development for
Lockheed Martin.
He is a member of the Governors Club and
serves as a board member for the APSU
Foundation. He also played a key role in
developing an on-campus “Career Day” in
which APSU alumni mentor undergraduate
students.
The Outstanding Alumni Award
honors APSU graduates, regardless
of age, for outstanding accomplishments in his/her profession, business,
community, state or nation that have
brought a high level of honor and
pride to the University.
David alford (’89)
Outstanding alumni
Jim roe (’65)
Larry W. Carroll (’76)
In 1980, Larry Carroll
took a chance and
opened his own
financial planning
firm. He left a good
paying job and placed
his success on a simple
concept – “The best
interest of the client is the
only interest that matters.”
Almost three decades later, the decision
has more than paid off. The APSU grad is
president and CEO of Carroll Financial, which
currently manages or supervises more than $1
billion in advisory and brokerage assets and
employs 10 certified financial planner
practitioners.
The firm’s astounding success has led
Carroll to be featured regularly in many of the
country’s top financial publications. He has
been named to Worth Magazine’s listing of
The Nation’s Most Exclusive Wealth
Managers 12 times. In 2007 and 2008, he was
listed on Barron’s first two annual lists of “the
Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors.” In
2007, he was also honored as one of the 10
“Outstanding Advisors of 2007” by
Registered Rep magazine.
Carroll has also been interviewed in Money,
Newsweek, The New York Times, Medical
Economics, The Wall Street Journal,
BusinessWeek, U.S. News and World Report,
American Banker and other magazines. He
also appeared on “The NBC Nightly News
with Tom Brokaw.”
Carroll also serves as chairman of the board
of Park Sterling Bank. He and his wife of 36
years, Vivian, are committed to numerous
charities, including the YMCA, the American
Red Cross and the Cultural and Heritage
Foundation of York County.
The Austin Peay State University
National Alumni Association is
seeking nominations for the 2010
Outstanding Young Alumni Award,
Outstanding Service Award and
Outstanding Alumni Award.
Submit nominations in one of
the following ways:
Mail:
APSU
Alumni Relations
Box 4676
Clarksville, TN 37044
In person: Pace Alumni Center
at Emerald Hill
751 N. Second St.
Fall 2009
Shortly after graduating
from Austin Peay State
University, David Alford
packed his bags and
headed to New York City.
He was joining the
thousands who flock to
that city each year in the
hopes of pursuing a career
as an actor. But unlike some
of his fellow travelers, Alford had a leg up –
he was accepted into the esteemed Juilliard
School of Drama at Lincoln Center.
It was a smart move for the Adams native.
After being awarded the Saint-Denis Prize
upon graduating in 1991, he embarked on a
long, successful career in the field of drama as
an actor, writer, director and producer that
continues to flourish today.
In the years that followed, Alford has
appeared in more than 50 professional theater
productions, including David Mamet’s
“Glengarry Glen Ross” and Shakespeare’s
“Romeo and Juliet” and “The Tempest.”
In the early 1990s, he co-founded the
Mockingbird Theatre in Nashville, a professional nonprofit company, and he served as its
artistic director until 2004.
For the next three years, he worked as executive artistic director of the Tennessee
Repertory Theatre in Nashville, and in 2007,
he became the Rep’s first artist-in-residence.
He’s appeared in numerous films, such as
the 2001 Robert Redford movie “The Last
Castle” and the 2006 Michael W. Smith feature “The Second Chance.”
When not acting, he can often be found
working behind the scenes as both a writer
and director. His film “Prisoner,” which he
wrote and directed, was a finalist in 2004 for
HBO’s “Project Greenlight” competition.
He recently finished work on his first musical, “Smoke,” which focuses on the tobacco
wars that took place in northern middle
Tennessee early last century, and he intends to
direct and appear in the project in the
coming months.
By phone: (931) 221-7979 or
1-800-264-2586
By fax:
(931) 221-6292
E-mail:
[email protected]
19
By CHARLES BOOTH
Features Writer
O
“I thought he
was going to
get booed.
Things were
that bad in
Washington at
the time.”
Words of
encouragement
20
Austin Peay
The hallways under
the center grew muggy, and as students
fanned themselves with their mortarboards, their
cheeks grew red with their impatience.
It’s not the ideal audience for delivering a speech, but
after the storm clouds moved east, everyone filed back
Rollow Welch
S usanC ole
n a cold January morning, a courier
walked into Susan Cole’s (’86)
Washington, D.C., office to deliver
her a short, hand-written note.
It read, “Dear Susan, Your sweet smile and words of
blessing meant a lot to me last night. I thank you and
appreciate your kindness.”
While the courier explained how she’d never
delivered anything like this before, Cole
noticed the signature at the bottom of the
page. The cursive script belonged to then
President George W. Bush.
The note was prompted by what had transpired only a few days earlier. It was 2007
and the president’ popularity was plunging
to an all-time low. Cole, a deputy chief
clerk in the Office of Official Reporters
for the U.S. House of Representatives,
was presented with a unique opportunity
– a front row seat to that year’s State of
the Union address. The president’s
Cabinet sat near her, and their glum
expressions hinted at the tension of
that evening.
“I thought he was going to get
booed,” Cole remembered. “Things
were that bad in Washington at
the time.”
The president wasn’t booed as he
entered the House chambers, but
his hair was a little grayer, his face
a little thinner, than when he first
took office in 2001. As he made
his way up to the microphone, he
passed Cole and briefly made
eye contact with her.
That’s when she mouthed
the words, “God bless you,
Mr. President.”
“He leaned over just a little
bit and said ‘thank you,’” she
said. A few days later, the
president’s note arrived in
her office. But had you
asked Cole when she was a
young farm girl growing up in Sumner
County, Tenn., if she’d ever have the nerve to address
the president, she’d probably dismiss it as an
outlandish suggestion.
She admits she grew up shy with more of a talent for
basketball than public speaking. But, in the years that
followed, Cole used the lessons learned as a collegiate
athlete at Austin Peay State University to build her con-
fidence to not only speak regularly before the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives but also to
several hundred graduating college students eager to get
their diplomas and enter the world.
The latter happened to Cole in May when she
delivered the commencement address for the APSU
graduation ceremony. It wasn’t an easy task. About 20
minutes before her speech, tornado sirens sounded
across campus.
A heavy rain pelted the Dunn Center, where Cole, a
couple hundred graduates and about a thousand of their
family and friends, had to seek shelter in the
building’s lower levels.
Fall 2009
21
Stepping outside her box
Cole is a tall woman, easily identified as a
former basketball player, and she has an elegant, refined sense of style that often comes
from living near cosmopolitan Washington,
D.C. The day before commencement, she took
a solitary stroll across the APSU campus and
was continually stung by wisps of nostalgia.
“I really enjoyed it here,” she said. “This is
where I grew as an individual and a person.
When I was in high school, I was quiet. And I
was probably rather quiet my freshman year
here, but then, after my freshman year, I had
two roommates and they brought it out
of me.”
She played basketball for the University
and, during her senior semester, on the inaugural Lady Govs softball team. A pulled hamstring during the first game, however, sidelined her for much of the season. Oddly, she
doesn’t seem to regret this injury, but rather
accepts that it simply was a fact of life.
“She’s never taken herself too seriously and
she’s still quick to laugh,” former classmate
Cheryl Bidwell said. “Even working in an
environment where stress is routine, she’s
remained the same down-to-earth person who
came to APSU and sat down next to me at the
lab table in Dr. Ford’s (Biology 101) class.”
Cole graduated in 1986, and after marrying
fellow APSU student Grant Cole (’87), the
couple moved to the Washington, D.C., area.
In October 1994, she took a job with the
House Financial Services Committee. A
month later, the Republican Party, of which
she was a registered member, took over control of the House for the first time in 40 years.
“When we started in the majority, the committee needed a Republican reading clerk.
They said ‘Susan can do it. She’s got a
strong voice.’”
So Cole, only a month into her new job and
with little public speaking experience, found
herself reading aloud to members of the committee the legislation that passed through
their hands.
She was nervous, but her years playing
basketball in packed arenas had wiped away
that childhood shyness. Her diction and
enunciation were good, and no one seemed
to mind the southern accent. She did such a
capable job; a few people suggested she apply
for the House reading clerk position, should it
ever come open.
The reading clerk for the U.S. House of
Representatives is a unique and demanding
position that requires a person to read all bills,
resolutions, amendments, motions and presidential messages that come before the House,
as well as keeping track of changes to legislation made on the floor. It’s not a job for the
timid or scatterbrained. A bad reading clerk
can literally bring the legislative process that
runs this country to a halt.
“When no one is
there, I just
think about all
the people who
have come and
shaped our
history. It’s
truly amazing.”
Rollow Welch
to the gym floor to continue with
commencement. Cole was already nervous.
A few nights earlier, she dreamt she’d lost
her speech and had nothing to say to
the restless crowd. These distractions,
however, did not assail her.
“I’m here to tell you, if you have a dream,
go for it,” she said, her voice rising in pitch
with each sentence. “Get yourself prepared
and step outside your box.”
There are only two official reading clerks
for the entire House. The Republican Party
appoints one, and the Democrats appoint the
other. They don’t deal only with partisan legislation but rather take turns reading aloud
whatever comes before Congress during the
often long, late hours when they are in
session.
In 2007, Paul Hays, the Republican House
reading clerk for the last 19 years, announced
his retirement. Cole submitted her resume for
the post and, when she was called in for her
audition, she suddenly found herself feeling
the same pressure she previously only knew
on the basketball court.
“They gave us four different items to read,”
she said. “I read them and sat down, and they
said, ‘You missed a word on the third piece.’
I’m thinking, ‘I don’t think I missed a word.
OK, they’re trying to get me rattled and see
how I react.’”
Cole took a sip of water, flipped back to
the very first item she was asked to read and
started over again. What was she thinking
during all this?
“I went back to being an athlete. It’s a
one-on-one situation. My team is down
with one second left on the clock.”
She read the four items again without making a mistake. She got the job and soon realized, messing up in a basketball game is one
thing, but doing it in front of the U.S. House
is quite another. Cole keeps a cup of water, no
ice, near her at all times, and practices her
public reading regularly. When she reads legislation before the House, she keeps her head
down, never looking up, and imagines she’s
reading to her daughters.
“The very first day I read, I was very
nervous,” she said. “I actually had sweat running down my back. The next day, I was even
more nervous then the first day. It actually
hit me what I was doing.”
Those frightening, and sometimes exhilarating, moments of lucidity continue to affect
her, particularly at night, when the Capitol is
empty and her heels clap against the hard floors.
“When no one is there, I just think about all
the people who have come and shaped our
history. It’s truly amazing.”
And don’t forget, there’s the occasional
interaction with the leader of the free world.
After that January’s State of the Union
address, Cole’s colleagues stopped by her
office to ask, “What was going on with you
and the President?”
But all that pales in comparison with what
happened the day she left her home in
Alexandria, Va., to deliver the commencement
address at APSU. Her two daughters, who
often watch C-SPAN to see if “mom’s working late,” saw her off at the door.
“My oldest, before we left, gave me a big
hug and said, “I’m so proud of you.”
Cole sat in Einstein’s Bros. Bagels, inside
APSU’s Morgan University Center, as she
told this story and she had to stop to wipe the
tears from her eyes. A personal note from the
president of the United States is nice, but a
compliment like that from a middle-schoolaged girl is sometimes a lot harder to
come by.
“This is where I grew
as an individual and a
person. When I was in
high school, I was quiet.
And I was probably
rather quiet my
freshman year here,
but then, after my
freshman year, I had
two roommates and
they brought it out
of me.”
snapshots of a young susan Cole during her time on and off the court at aPsu.
contributed
22
Austin Peay
Fall 2009
23
Rollow Welch
24
E
Austin Peay
Dr. Stanley Yates, music professor and
coordinator of guitar studies, performed two
concerts in Bucharest, Romania, where both
were held at the National Radio Hall, a major
performance venue in the city, and broadcast
on Romanian National Radio.
Yates’ first concert was a solo recital of
music including guitar arrangements of two
suites by Johann Sebastian Bach and a longlost concert work by the 19th century guitar
virtuoso Giulio Regondi.
For the second performance, Yates was a
soloist with the Romanian National Radio
Orchestra in a presentation of an early 19th
century concerto for guitar and orchestra by
Johann Baotiste Viotti. This performance was
sold out.
Yates visited Romania last summer to film
concert and interview footage for an eight-part
documentary series on the classical guitar for
Romanian National Television.
He has been invited back to Romania for a
solo recital later this year sponsored by the
American Embassy in Bucharest. He will be
accompanying Romanian violin virtuoso
Alexandru Tomescu in concerts in the U.S.
and Europe in 2010-11.
Music
professor
featured on
new CD
New book,
‘Hollywood Politicos,’
penned by poli sci prof
Welch
Dr. Sharon Mabry,
mezzo-soprano and
professor of music,
is a featured soloist on a
recently released CD.
The CD was published by Naxos, one of
the leading classical music labels, and is
distributed internationally.
Titled “Lincoln Portraits,” this CD—
Mabry’s eighth thus far—has been issued
by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in
celebration of the 200th birthday of
Abraham Lincoln.
The CD includes orchestral works by
Charles Ives, Ernst Bacon, Elliot Gould,
George McKay, Vincent Persichetti, Paul
Turok and Roy Harris. Mabry is the soloist
for Roy Harris’ “Abraham Lincoln Walks at
Midnight,” with the subtitle “A Canticle
of Lamentation.”
Rollow
The opinions of a movie star may just
trump those held by our esteemed elected officials – an aspect of the American culture that
has intrigued Dr. Greg Rabidoux, assistant
professor of political science, for years.
In early 2009, his first book, “Hollywood
Politicos, Then and Now,” hit bookstores
detailing his research.
The book begins with Hollywood’s formation as an industry and discusses its early
collective political activism, such as its stance
against Nazism during the 1930s and 1940s.
Later, Rabidoux profiles individual celebrities
and their causes, and he develops his own
formula to measure a celebrity’s impact on
the community.
Rabidoux was helped in his four-yearlong
effort to research this book by members of the
APSU community, particularly from the
University’s instruction librarian, Christina
Chester-Fangman, and students Leslie
Crouch and Diana Darks.
Professor,
poet wins
national award
Dr. Blas Falconer,
assistant professor of
languages and literature,
was named a recipient of
the 2009 Maureen Egan
Writers Exchange Award,
according to Poets and Writers magazine.
The award gives emerging writers the
opportunity to interact with the literary community in New York City. Writers are annually chosen from one state to participate in the
competition. To be eligible, writers must not
have more than one full-length book
in publication.
Fall 2009
contributed
ed
Art professors Barry Jones and Kell Black
produced new work while in residency at the
Weir Farm Art Center in Wilton, Conn.
Black and Jones worked in digital media
editing, splicing and added new and old video
and audio segments together to create something new and original.
While in residency, the duo began two new
bodies of work, titled “2001 Retold” and
“Ursonata – Remix.” The duo also created a
third work, a documentary piece for Weir Farm.
“2001 Retold” is a re-edited version of the
movie, “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The work
combines excerpts from the movie with new
narration provided by people who were asked
Guitarist visits romania,
plays sold-out show
Falconer earned his Ph.D. in creative writing and literature at the University of Houston
and has taught at APSU since 2003. Falconer
has won numerous honors and is the author of
“A Question of Gravity and Light,” a collection of poems published in 2007 by the
University of Arizona Press.
Bill Pers
inger
Bill Persing
er
contributed
E
art professors in residency
at historic Weir Farm
contribut
E
E
Kathy Lee Heuston,
assistant professor of communication, participated in the Kyunpook
National University Visiting Scholar Program
over the summer.
Heuston taught a three credit-hour course,
titled Cultural Context of Communication,
from June 22-July 17.
With a thriving international program,
KNU is one of South Korea’s top universities.
APSU partnered with KNU last spring and
offered an exchange partnership that includes
faculty-exchange possibilities, studentexchange possibilities, short-term international programs and educational research collaborations. APSU has received two exchange student applicants for the Fall 2009 semester and
currently is recruiting APSU students to
study abroad at KNU.
In addition to teaching at APSU, Heuston
is the faculty coordinator of the KNU
exchange program.
to respond to what they saw after watching
parts of the movie.
“Ursonata – Remix” conjoins excerpts of
Dadaist, Kurt Schwitters’ “Die Sonata in
Urlauten,” with various videos, sounds and
music to create an abstract visual/audio
experience.
The Weir Farm Art Center was home to
19th-century impressionist painter, Julian
Alder Weir, and is the only national park in
Connecticut. It is also the only national park
dedicated to American painting.
Bill Persinger
E
Faculty
member part
of visiting
scholar program
Bill Persinger
E
Bill Persinger
Six faculty members were honored by
APSU during an honors and awards
ceremony April 29.
Dr. Tim Winters, professor
of languages and literature,
was honored as the 2009
APSU National Alumni
Association Distinguished
Professor Award recipient. The award is
based on exemplary
professional performrs
Winte
ance with a major
Dr. tim
emphasis on teaching.
Since arriving at APSU in 1997,
Winters has developed a strong B.A. program
in the classics, establishing and teaching
courses in civilization, literature, mythology
and archeology. He also developed a study
abroad program in Greece and has served as
an elected member of the University’s Faculty
Senate for nine of his 12 years on campus,
including three terms as the Senate president.
Dr. Samuel Jator, associate professor of mathematics, received the
Richard M. Hawkins
Award, given to a faculty member who has
demonstrated exceptional scholarly and
creative behavior. Jator
Dr. samuel Jator
is currently
conducting groundbreaking work in developing a new
method to solve higher order differential
equations, which, someday, could find
numerous applications and change the face
of mathematics.
Winners of the
Socrates Award,
given to APSU faculty members who
have excelled in
motivating and
inspiring their students, were Dr.
Kevin D. Schultz,
assistant professor
ltz
hu
sc
D.
Dr. Kevin
of physics; Dr. Minoa
Uffelman, assistant professor of history;
and Dr. Gregory A.
Moore, assistant professor of health and
human performance.
Schultz linked his
Modern Physics
course with a new
Science Writing
class in the English
department,
n
Dr. Minoa uffelma
ensuring the students
learn the writing skills needed to
convey scientific ideas.
Uffelman was recently praised by a
colleague for how
involved her students
were in her classroom.
Her enthusiasm for
history is demonstrated
by her leadership in the
campus Phi Alpha
Theta history honor
society.
Dr. Gregory a.
Moore
Moore was hired
about five years ago to oversee the Health
Service Administration (HSA) graduate program and improve the undergraduate internship program. The HSA program has doubled
in enrollment, and the number of
successful internship sites for students
has also grown.
Cindy Marsh, professor of art,
received the
ClarksvilleMontgomery
County Chamber of
Commerce Faculty
Distinguished
Community Service
Award, presented to a
faculty member based
Cindy Marsh on service to the
community.
As director of the Goldsmith Press and
Rare Type Collection at APSU, Marsh most
recently organized with her students the
First 100 Days T-shirt project, which
commemorated President Barack Obama’s
first 100 days in office.
ger
Bill Persin
Rollow Welch
Bill Persinger
6 faculty honored at
May commencement
Bill Persinger
Faculty Accomplishments
Gregg schlanger’s installation in Charlotte, N.C.
art professor’s installation
part of Green Light exhibit
To advocate the need for access to clean
drinking water for all humanity, Gregg
Schlanger, professor of art and community
continued on Page 33
25
Sports News
For the most up-to-date information on austin Peay sports, go to www.letsgopeay.com
26
Austin Peay
tenholder selected in 19th
round of 2009 MLB Draft
Right-handed
pitcher Daniel
Tenholder was
selected by the
Oakland Athletics in
the 19th round of the
Major League
Baseball's 2009
First-Year Player
Draft on June 10,
2009. He was the
573rd overall
Daniel tenholder
selection in the draft.
Tenholder, a Clarksville native, received
2009 All-Ohio Valley Conference secondteam recognition after leading the OVC with
nine saves. It was the second consecutive season he received second-team all-conference
recognition. He was the first APSU pitcher to
record more than five saves in two seasons
and now has a school-record 20 saves during
Kelley earns spot
with Mariners
APSU baseball alumnus Shawn Kelley
(2007) landed a spot on the Seattle Mariners
opening-day roster and one month later earned
his first Major League victory. Kelley was one
of three APSU alumni on a 2009 opening-day
roster, joining Baltimore relievers George
Sherrill and Jamie “Cat” Walker.
Kelley became the sixth APSU alumnus to
reach the Major League. He made eight
appearances with the club before earning his
first Major League victory in Seattle's 8-7 victory against Oakland, May 1, at Safeco Field.
Kelley was a non-roster invitee to spring
training and steadily gained acclaim from
Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu.
He made 12 appearances in the Cactus
League, posting two saves in three opportunities and finishing with 12 strikeouts in 13
innings while allowing only one walk.
In 2008, his first full season in the minors,
Kelley posted an organization-best 15 saves
and finished the campaign – with three different teams – with a 1.88 ERA and 68 strikeouts
in 62.1 innings pitched. Kelley was named
west Tennessee's "Pitcher of the Year" by the
Mariners organization.
Kelley makes the leap to the majors just 1½
seasons after being picked in the 13th round
of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He
also pitched this winter in the Venezuelan
Winter League, going 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA
and converted all nine of his save
opportunities.
One of the most decorated baseball players
in APSU history, he was a member of four
teams that won either the Ohio Valley
Conference’s regular-season (2003, 2004 and
2007) or tournament (2005 and 2007). He also
was named the OVC’s Pitcher of the Year in
2007 and was a first-team All-OVC selection.
Kelley also was named to the American
Baseball Coaches Association second-team
All-America after his senior campaign and
recipient of the Joy Award.
Former Gov hired as
scout for Jaguars
Former APSU and professional football
player Jeff Gooch (’96) was hired in June
2009 to be a BLESTO scout with the
Jacksonville Jaguars for the southeast region.
BLESTO is one of the two scouting
services used by the NFL.
Gooch, who became the first APSU player
in history to be invited and play in the Hula
Bowl in Honolulu in 1996, played in the NFL
for 10 years – eight seasons with the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers and two seasons with the
Detroit Lions. He is currently working on his
master’s degree at the University of Phoenix.
Burggraf selected
for 2 top honors
APSU junior track
and field student-athlete Carrie Burggraf
received the 2009 Ohio
Valley Conference
Steve Hamilton
Sportsmanship Award,
becoming the sixth
APSU athlete in 11
years to earn the honor.
The award is given
annually to an OVC
male or female stuCarrie Burggraf
dent-athlete of junior or senior standing who
best exemplifies the characteristics of the late
Morehead State student-athlete, coach and
administrator Steve Hamilton. Criteria include
significant athletics performance, good sportsmanship and citizenship.
She also was named first-team ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-District IV, presented
by CoSIDA.
During the year, Burggraf captured both the
OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in
the pole vault, marking the second straight
season she had claimed the outdoor crown.
During this year’s Indoor Championship, she
vaulted 12 feet, breaking the APSU record and
tying the OVC mark. At the outdoor meet, she
broke her own OVC record in winning the
championship by nearly a foot. She recently
set the OVC outdoor record of 13 feet at a
meet in Ohio.
Fall 2009
Burggraf, Bartkiewicz,
Obi compete in NCaa
track regional
Three APSU track athletes, junior pole
vaulters Carrie Burggraf and Molly
Bartkiewicz, along with sophomore 400-meter
specialist Chiamaka Obi, competed in the
NCAA Outdoor Mideast Regional Meet in late
May in Louisville, Ky.
Burggraf and Bartkiewicz both earned their
trips by reaching the NCAA qualifying height
3.85 meters (12-07.50) in early season meets.
Obi earned her way by winning the OVC
championship in the 400. This was the
second straight year Burggraf qualified for
the regional.
3 teams recognized
for perfect aPr
Three APSU teams – men’s basketball,
men’s tennis and softball – received a perfect
1,000 score on the Academic Progress Rate
(APR) data released by the NCAA.
The APR provides a real-time look at a
team’s academic success each semester or
quarter by tracking the academic progress of
each student-athlete. The APR includes
eligibility, retention and graduation in the
calculation and provides a clear picture of the
academic culture in each sport. The APR
awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet academic eligibility standards
and who remain with the institution. Every
Division I sports team calculates its APR
each academic year based on the eligibility,
retention and graduation of each scholarship
student-athlete.
APSU Sports Information
t
he dean of Ohio valley Conference basketball coaches will begin his 20th season leading the
Governors basketball team, becoming the first university basketball coach in OvC history to coach for
20 or more seasons.
Needing just six wins to become the OvC’s all-time career basketball wins leader, Loos enters the
season with 314 aPsu victories. Loos also is four wins shy of 400 in overall head coaching wins. His
396 wins has him ranked 35th among current NCaa Division I head coaches.
under Loos, the Govs have had 10 winning seasons in the last 13 years, including the 2007-08
team’s 24-11 mark–tying for the most wins in school history.
Loos also has earned OvC Coach of the Year honors five times—he is the only basketball coach in
aPsu history to earn more than one OvC Coach of the Year honor and is the only coach in OvC history
to win five such honors. He also was named the 2002-03 tennessee sports Writers association Coach
of the Year.
Loos also is aPsu’s athletic director—the only Division I basketball coach who serves in the dual
role. In his 13th year in the dual athletics director-basketball coach role, Loos also has the OvC’s
longest tenure as athletic director.
Loos, who came to aPsu in spring 1990, became the program’s all-time winningest coach
in Winter 2007, surpassing the legendary Dave aaron (258 wins, 1946-62). as a result of his
accomplishment, then aPsu President Dr. sherry Hoppe named the playing floor Dave Loos Court.
On Feb. 16, 2008, Loos was inducted into the aPsu athletics Hall of Fame, his fourth athletics-related Hall of Fame honor. In spring 1997, Loos was inducted into the st. Louis amateur Baseball Hall of
Fame; Loos was a former prep and amateur baseball star in Missouri during the 1960s and later
coached american Legion baseball in the city. a former baseball and basketball star in college, he
was inducted into the Memphis (M-Club) athletic Hall of Fame in Fall 2002. In June 2007, Loos
was inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
APSU won the 2008-09 Ohio Valley
Conference Institutional Academic
Achievement Award, ending a four-year
winning streak for Morehead State University.
The award is presented annually to the
member institution with the greatest
percentage of its student-athletes named to
the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll for
that academic year.
This is the second time that APSU has
claimed the honor in the 23-year history of
the award. APSU won in 2002-03. Morehead
State has won the award a record 10 times
followed by Eastern Kentucky University
with eight crowns.
APSU also received an OVC Team
Academic Achievement Award, presented
annually in each OVC-sponsored sport to the
member institution’s team with the greatest
percentage of its student-athletes named to
the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. APSU
claimed an OVC-best six team awards in the
following sports: men’s basketball, women’s
cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s
golf and men’s tennis.
APSU Sports Information
Nelson Chenault
Coach Loos to begin 20th season
his three-year career – ranking third most all
time in Ohio Valley Conference history.
He is the 26th APSU player selected
through MLB's First-Year Player Draft all
time, and it is the third consecutive year
APSU has had a player selected in the draft.
APSU Sports Information
aPsu wins 2nd OvC
Institutional academic
achievement award
Johnson
named new
volleyball
coach
Mike Johnson, an
associate head
coach for the past
three seasons at Cal
Mike Johnson
Poly, located in San
Luis Obispo, Calif., was named APSU
volleyball coach in early March.
Johnson replaces Jenny Hazelwood, who
continued on Page 33
27
Class Notes
Class Notes
S
ome people decide to take up running to lose weight, set a new goal or
begin a new hobby. Not Nicole Shea.
Nicole had always wanted to complete a marathon or a long-distance
event, but she needed a reason beyond self-gratification to accomplish the feat.
“I wanted to do it for a cause,” the 19-year-old nursing major and ROTC
cadet at Austin Peay State University said. “I want to make a difference.”
On Saturday, April 25, Nicole ran in the annual Country Music Marathon and
Half-Marathon event in Nashville as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society’s Team in Training. Since October 2008, she and other team members
had trained and raised funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin
lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.
And her motivation was someone she knows from church – a 7-year-old
boy battling cancer.
“No one in my close family has cancer, but I’ve known people who have
suffered from it. My life has been touched by someone who has cancer,” she
said. “Throughout my training, I have had hard days, especially those that
involved running hills or in the rain. But cancer patients go through hard
days every day.”
Nicole raised $1,582 toward cancer research. That’s 87 percent of her
$1,800 fundraising goal. Even in running, she has recorded some personal victories. On Jan. 16, 2009, she ran 10 miles. On March 7, she covered 15 miles,
the farthest distance for her and closer to the marathon goal of 26.2 miles.
“It was really hard, but I made it. That is over half the distance so I still have
work to do, but I promised I wouldn’t quit,” she said.
Nicole was tested on that promise. A couple of weeks before the Nashville
event, she sustained a small injury while training. She continued to train but
incorporated more rest days into her workout plan. However, in early April,
when she resumed her full training schedule, her injury progressed quickly,
resulting in inflammation in her hip and femur.
“My doctor said that the full marathon was out of the question, but
I knew I would still be participating in the half-marathon,” Nicole said.
Call it dedication. A strong will. Or persistence. But for Nicole Shea,
it’s a sacrifice she was willing to make.
“I’ve always been a determined person,” she said. “What made running this
race so special was knowing I was doing this for the people out there who
can’t do it for themselves.”
28
E
ditor’s note: Individuals who only
attended APSU have the full year noted
in parentheses. Those who graduated
from APSU will have their year of
graduation in parentheses.
1960s
FreD LaNDIss (’69), senior vice president and director of marketing for F&M
Bank, was the keynote speaker for the
Iowa Bankers Association’s Annual
Marketing Conference in May 2009.
1970s
JOHNNY CHaNDLer (’72) is director of
the Dickson County School System.
GarY (’73, ’80) and LINDa sHePHarD
(’70) and their son JOHN sHePHarD
(1997-2005) have opened Edward’s
Steak House in the former location of
Benne’s Steak House on Franklin Street
in downtown Clarksville.
MICHaeL J. evaNs (’75), executive
director of the Montgomery County
Industrial Development Board, was elected chair of the Tennessee Economic
Partnership for the 2009 term.
LarrY W. CarrOLL (’76) was ranked
No. 1 in North Carolina on Barron’s list
(Feb. 9, 2009) of the top 1,000 advisers
in the country for helping investors navigate through a period of financial uncertainty. He is the founder and president
of Carroll Financial Associates Inc., a
financial advisory firm in Charlotte, N.C.
Austin Peay
vICKIe BLaIr FLeMING (’78), coordinator of the Social Work, Home Schools
and Homeless Programs, was awarded
a plaque for outstanding service to the
Tennessee Board of Social Worker
Licensure.
QuINtON a. OsBOrNe (’78), of
Middletown, Ohio, was promoted to
human service program consultant of the
Ohio Department of Health’s Vaccines for
Children Program.
eLIZaBetH “sIssY” raNKIN (’78, ’84)
is Montgomery County General Sessions
Court judge. Before becoming judge,
she was a member of the County
Commission, serving District 1. She
also taught business law at APSU for
12 years.
MICHaeL K. rOss (’78), president
and chief operating officer of First Call
Ambulance Service, and WaLt
DOWNeY (’80), general manager, have
expanded their Nashville-based private
ambulance service into Montgomery
County, with their latest office at
186A E. Old Trenton Road.
stePHaNIe OsBOrN (’83) had her first
novel, “Burnout,” released April 15, 2009.
She also is the co-author of an e-book,
titled “The Y Factor” with Darrell Bain, the
second book in the Cresperia Series.
PauL MIttura (’84, ‘85), science
teacher at Clarksville High School
was selected as Clarksville-Montgomery
County 2009 Teacher of the Year.
MattHeW D. BurKe (1986-1988), of
Bartlett, is a volunteer faculty member at
the University of Tennessee College of
Pharmacy as a pharmacy preceptor,
teaching students about retail pharmacy
on a monthly basis. He has been a pharmacist at Walmart since 1992.
rOLLOW WeLCH (’86) is a graphic
designer and photographer in the APSU
Office of Public Relations and Marketing.
DeBOraH CHaNCeLLOr (’88), firstgrade teacher at Minglewood Elementary
School in Clarksville, was selected as
Clarksville-Montgomery County 2009
Teacher of the Year.
CMDr. aNtHONY L. sIMMONs (’89),
of Goodwater, Ala., relinquished duties as
commanding officer of the USS Lassen
during a change-of-command ceremony
April 23, 2009, at Commander, Fleet
Activities Yokosuka. He also was awarded his third Meritorious Service Medal.
He is in Washington, D.C., as the U.S.
Navy’s deputy to the Joint Integrated and
Missile Defense Organization.
1990s
KeItH LaMPKIN (’91) is director of
housing and community development
with the city of Clarksville. He had been
a senior planner with the ClarksvilleMontgomery County Regional Planning
Commission since 2004.
1980s
rON saMPLe (’82), a financial adviser
with MetLife in Clarksville, achieved Life
and Qualifying membership in the
prestigious Million Dollar Round Table.
He is a graduate of the 2009 Leadership
Clarksville class.
contributed
Nicole shea
Bob scott ('71) (left) and his wife, Pat (far right), talk with Wayne Pace ('68)
and Pace's daughter, amanda, at an alumni reception held recently at the
home of Wayne and Bobbi Pace in atlanta, Ga.
contributed
Rollow Welch
aPsu couple graduates together
Rollow Welch
contributed
the promise not to quit: student runs
half-marathon to help fight cancer
aubrey Flagg (’68), associate professor
of geology at Columbia state
Community College, was recently
awarded that school’s highest honor –
the Presidential Medal. Dr. Janet
smith, (‘61, ‘71) president of the
community college, presented Flagg
with the medal during a ceremony in
May. Flagg, a former Gov football
player, has worked at Columbia state
for 38 years. In 1978, he was the first
recipient of the school’s Outstanding
Faculty award. In 1996, he received
the Gamma Beta Phi Faculty
appreciation award. He maintains
close ties with his alma mater, promoting aPsu as a good next step for his
students at Columbia state. this dedication to his school contributed to him
earning the austin Peay alumni
admissions service award in 1987.
Dawn and ernest Cook
A
few nights before graduating from Austin Peay State University,
Ernest and Dawn Cook took their black mortarboards to a friend who happened
to be an airbrush artist. With a few quick strokes of the spray gun, he painted
the words “Mr.” and “Mrs.” on the tops of their caps.
The red and white letters were more than a cute nod at the married couple’s relationship. They represented a unique love story that helped carry the
two through the arduous years as nontraditional students at APSU. Dawn and
Ernest didn’t know each other when they both decided to enroll in classes at
the University. The campus is where they met and fell in love, and after eventually marrying, it’s where they walked one after the other on a cloudy May
morning to receive their diplomas.
“I tease him that my name starts with ‘D’ and his starts with ‘E,’ so I’ll get
to go first,” Dawn said before the commencement ceremony.
She and Ernest stood in their black gowns outside the Dunn Center, admiring the airbrushing work on top of their caps. The wind picked up, and the air
was heavy with the smell of rain.
“I’m kind of nervous and excited,” Dawn said. “I’m glad it’s here and that
we get to do it together.”
The Cooks met in 2002, while taking, of all things, an online course at
Austin Peay. Their professor required the class meet once face-to-face, to learn
about the people behind those names on their computer screens.
Dawn and Ernest struck up a friendship. Nothing more. They didn’t see each
other for another year, when again they found themselves taking the same class.
“I was going through a rough time, through a divorce,” Dawn said. “We
were nothing other than just friends. Then, after my divorce, we started dating.”
Ernest earned his associate degree soon after they became a couple, and
Dawn helped him fill out his financial aid paperwork so he could go on to earn
a bachelor’s degree with her.
“When we got married, we were in about the same place in our college
careers, so we saved on books, we had a study partner right there,”
Ernest said.
The Cooks pushed each other through the next several years in the
University’s Department of Public Management program, and in Ernest’s last
semester, when he could have taken a much-needed break, he pushed back
his graduation to the spring in order to support his wife.
“I was taking my last class, a math class, to graduate, and he took it, too,”
Dawn said. “He didn’t even need a math at that point. He took it just to support
me, and he hates math.”
A raindrop landed on the pavement in front of the Dunn Center. The Cooks
put on their mortarboard caps and hurried inside before the downpour.
“It’s an exciting day today,” Ernest said, “but the next degrees we’ll get will
be just as exciting.”
Linwood Hawkins (’92) (from left), Yovanda Long (’96) and Devora ramey (‘01)
attended the Nashville area traveling tailgate gathering in the spring.
Fall 2009
29
Class Notes
Class Notes
the lost diploma
did receive his diploma.
It wasn’t that he didn’t earn it. He got his degree and was listed as an
alumnus of APSU. It was the actual diploma - that piece of paper college grads
proudly display in their homes and offices - that never made it into his hands.
“Knowing me, I thought it was because of a parking ticket or something,”
he said.
Turns out, a minor technicality kept Wright from receiving that small,
expensive slip of paper showing he’d actually graduated from college.
Having the diploma meant a great deal to him because he didn’t have an
easy go of it while at APSU. By the end of his freshman year, he was an
18-year-old married father. In the fall, he played football for the Governors and,
after the birth of his second child, he struggled to find enough time in the
day to study. Sleep was often not an option.
“It was the hardest four years of my life,” he said.
Wright went on to get his master’s degree from Tennessee Technological
University, became the head football coach at the Alvin C. York Institute in east
Tennessee and later served as a high school principal. But through it all, there
remained that bare spot on his wall.
“Everybody had their diplomas up, but I didn’t. I had a master’s diploma.
Every now and then it popped in my mind, ‘I’d like to have that.’”
He attended APSU in the late 1980s, at a time when Barbara Wilbur
worked as an adjunct biology professor on campus. She and Wright struck up a
friendship, which continued after he graduated and left Clarksville. The two
regularly talk on the phone and occasionally visit each other. During one such
reunion, while meeting for lunch over the Christmas holiday, Wright mentioned
he never received his diploma.
“I was flabbergasted,” Wilbur said.
She’s not the type of woman to let something like that go unnoticed.
When she returned to Clarksville, Wilbur made a few telephone calls.
She must have made a compelling argument because eventually, a diploma
was mailed to east Tennessee.
“It’s not every day that a diploma means so much,” she said. “And he’s
used his degree well. He really wanted that piece of paper.”
So on a February afternoon, Wright opened a large envelope and
found something that he’d been missing for 17 years.
“I had pretty much given up hope,” he said. He quickly framed the long
missing diploma. It now covers that bare spot on the wall of his office.
at the May Commencement, another Northington was added to a long list of
austin Peay alumni. Michael Northington v (’09) (center) is surrounded by
family members and aPsu grads (from left) mother Jeannie (’73), sister
Carrie Northington (’04), father Michael Iv (‘73), sister Nancy Northington
Weaver (’02), aunt Nell Northington Warren (’74, ‘91) and aunt Nancy
Northington (‘80).
DarreN BaXter (’92) and sCOtt
saMueLs (’93) have partnered to create BFS Insurance Group, which also
includes David Fish. BFS in Clarksville
combines the former Baxter and Fish
Insurance with the Wyatt Group Insurance.
aNGeLa LOveLaCe (’92, ’08) is an
assistant principal at Ringgold
Elementary School in Clarksville. She
mostly recently taught at Northeast
Elementary, and she has gained teaching
experience in classrooms from New York
and Oklahoma to Hawaii.
CHrIs eDMONDsON (’93) is lead
pastor of Exit One Baptist Church in
Clarksville, which he and his wife,
KIMBerLY WILLIaMs eDMONDsON
(’93), started in 2007.
CarOLYN M. ruDOLPH (’93), of
Charlotte, N.C., owns a wedding/event
consulting service, Sanctuary
Beginnings, which opened in April 2006.
rOB sILvers (’93) is head coach of the
girls basketball program at West Creek
High School in Clarksville.
Bart DIXON (’94, ’98) is an assistant
principal at West Creek High School in
Clarksville. He previously served as band
director at Richview Middle School since
2004 and, in 2009, assumed additional
duties as the after-school program site
director at Richview.
DarYL DWaIN PHILLIPs (’96), of
Nashville, earned certified economic
developer designation from the
30
alicia Grubbs
Austin Peay
International Economic Development
Council. He is executive director of the
Hickman County Economic Development
Association in Centerville.
steve WILsON (’97, ’06), assistant
director of Web and multimedia design in
the APSU Office of Public Relations and
Marketing, presented a session, titled
“Integrating Online Social Media Into
Your PR and Marketing,” during the
Tennessee College Public Relations
Association Spring 2009 conference. He
has been accepted into the 2009-10
Leadership Clarksville class.
BetH GarZa (’98), functional support
specialist in the APSU financial aid office,
was presented with the first APSU Staff
Member of the Year Award, given by the
Faculty Senate, in May 2009.
KIrsteN H. vaN OrDeN (’98), fifthgrade teacher at Glenellen Elementary
School in Clarksville, was selected as
Clarksville-Montgomery County 2009
Teacher of the Year.
DONaLD Lee Metts Jr. (’99), of
Chapel Hill, N.C., graduated from the
North Carolina State Highway Patrol
Academy on Oct. 30, 2008, and was
assigned to Orange County, N.C., as a
state trooper.
2000s
taMMY sPrIGGs (’01), of Kingston,
Ohio, earned a Doctor of Education in
teacher leadership from Walden
University in December 2008.
Bill Persinger
Rollow Welch
n the rush to graduate
and head off into the world, it
isn’t unusual for a departing college student to overlook a thing
or two. A few months after
leaving campus, they suddenly
remember a memento left
behind – a favorite T-shirt or a
book lent to a friend but never
returned.
That’s what happened to
Derwin Wright in 1991, though
his case is a little more extreme.
Shortly after earning his bachelor’s degree in education and
getting a job teaching in
Nashville, Wright glanced
up at a bare spot on
his wall and realized he never
contributed
I
contributed
Derwin Wright
a nurse without borders
It was a family affair for the four Berry sisters from Dickson as older
sisters (from left) Patricia (‘57), erma Dean sears (’55) and sue (’53,
far right) were present at the 50-Year reunion of the Class of ’59 to
help Peggy (second from right) celebrate this special occasion.
CaPt. aLFreD s. BOONe (’03), of
Norwood, N.Y., returned home from Iraq
in May 2009 for a two-week leave. He is
now assigned as an Army Congressional
Fellow, working with a congressman on
military-related issues and pursuing a
master’s degree in legislative affairs at
George Washington University in
Washington, D.C. He has served many
roles with the U.S. Army, including his
latest command supervising the employment of 35,000 Iraqi security forces and
overseeing cultural sensitivity training for
more than 5,000 U.S. soldiers.
BraNDY NOeLLe MaPLes (’03), of
Grant, Ala., was promoted to director of
sports medicine at Marshall Medical
Centers in Marshall County, Ala.
CHarLes BOOtH (2003) is a staff
writer in the APSU Office of Public
Relations and Marketing.
eMILY MeDveCKY (’03) was promoted
to commercial banking officer at Planters
Bank in Clarksville. She began her career
at Planters as a teller before becoming a
customer service representative. She
was promoted to senior credit analyst in
2005 and served in that capacity until
her recent promotion.
taMIra COLe (’06) has had her new
book, “Hush,” published by Xlibris. The
reigning Miss Black Kentucky USA 2009,
she has been on tour promoting her
new book.
PatrICK MILLer (’06) is coach of a
new baseball program at West Creek
High School in Clarksville. He has been
teaching sixth-grade mathematics at
West Creek Middle School since 2007
and started a baseball program
there as well.
MeLONY sHeMBerGer (’06), communication specialist in the APSU Office of
Public Relations and Marketing, passed
the qualifying examination in the Doctor
of Education program at Tennessee State
University, Nashville. Formally admitted
to candidacy in the doctoral program,
she advanced with additional coursework and dissertation. Also, she competed in the Kentucky Derby Festival HalfMarathon on April 25 in Louisville. Her
chip time was 2:17:09. There were
9,412 finishers in the 13.1-mile race. Of
that number, 5,260 runners were female,
with 773 in the 35-39 female age division. Her overall finishing rank was
3,947, placing 1,510 in overall female
and 233 in the 35-39 age group. She also
has competed this year in several
triathlons, duathlons and other races.
MICHeLe tYNDaLL (’06, ’09) of
Clarksville, received a Master of Arts in
corporate communication, graduating
with honor, in May 2009 from APSU.
She is the technical editor in the APSU
Office of Public Relations and Marketing
and a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor
society.
MattHeW B. tYNDaLL ('06), of
Dismantle Design, is a freelance graphic
designer and was contracted by Cadence
Coalition Records to design the recently
released debut album for Dinosaur Party,
a band based in San Diego, Calif. In addition, he designed the band's MySpace
page, T-shirts and publicity poster.
Fall 2009
T
he ER’s waiting room was overflowing with people. Outside, rain
drenched the tropical countryside of Guyana, but inside, sick children and men
with machete wounds waited among dozens of others to be seen by the
overworked staff of nurses and doctors.
A steamy, muggy heat permeated that room where Alicia Grubbs ('06)
worked her way methodically through patients to carry out that most difficult
job of emergency nurses - triage.
As can be the case in any ER in the U.S. as well, "it's kind of like mass
chaos," she said. "When resources are limited, you basically have to pick who
is the sickest while prioritizing patient care. It's hard when you have an entire
waiting room full of people. Despite the chaos and bustle, it is amazing to see
the health care team work so hard taking such good care of their many patients."
On a gray February morning, Grubbs boarded a plane in Nashville for the
weeklong excursion to this South American country. On most nights, you'll find
her working a frantic 12-hour shift as a registered nurse in the Vanderbilt
Medical Center Emergency Room, but when the APSU alum learned her
employer was looking for volunteers to join a medical team to Georgetown,
Guyana, she jumped at the chance to go with them.
"I wanted to experience what it was like in a developing country, see how
their healthcare worked, what kind of cultural diversity issues they faced,"
she said.
Since 2003, Vanderbilt's International Medicine Division of the Department
of Emergency Medicine has sent teams of nurses and doctors to Guyana, to
work side-by-side with local health care providers on projects to improve
medical education. When Grubbs' plane landed that February afternoon, she
entered a humid, wet country where the local health care system is vigorously
developing new programs to train doctors and nurses to deal with growing
challenges like Guyana’s high rate of HIV infection.
Every morning, the medical team loaded into a couple of vans and headed
to the Georgetown Hospital.
"The overflow of patients was lined up outside the waiting room, in the
pouring rain, waiting patiently for their turn to be seen by a nurse or doctor.
We'd get swamped with loads of people with complaints ranging from the
common cold to necrotic snakebites," she said.
After treating these individuals, Grubbs often found herself being pulled in
by the patient for a hug.
"It was fantastic,” she said. “They are wonderful people, and they were just
happy there were people there to help."
The medical team also spent much of their time teaching courses for
doctors and nurses on such topics as wound care, cardiac life support and
emergency ultrasound. Many of the challenges of running a busy emergency
department are the same in Nashville as they are in Guyana, Grubbs said.
"We worked with them to think about ways to refine their triage system
and to improve the flow of patients in their department."
The trip lasted only a week, but Grubbs boarded her plane back to the
United States knowing the people of Guyana, if only a few, would receive
better medical care in the months and years ahead.
continued on Page 32
31
Faculty accomplishments continued from Page 25
Births
DOMINIQue BrOCKMaN (’09) will work on a master’s degree in intercultural humanities at Jacobs
University in Bremen, Germany.
stePHeN CaLLIs (’03) and BrOOKe HOGaN CaLLIs
(’03, ’04) announce the birth of their daughter, Mary
Brynlee Callis, on March 17, 2009, at Baptist Hospital,
Nashville. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was
20 inches long. The couple has another daughter, Faith.
Grandparents are BOB (’78) and CONNIe DOss
HOGaN (’78, ’82).
contributed
Weddings
austin Peay senior business major Callie Collins
(left) and her mother, trish Collins, were among
alumni and friends at the Knoxville traveling
tailgate in June.
KevIN C. KeNNeDY Jr. (’07), a third-year honor
student at the University of Tennessee College of
Dentistry, was awarded both the Leadership Scholarship
and the Academic Excellence Scholarship.
CHarLsIe rICHarDsON (’03) and Adam DeLoach
were married Oct. 18, 2008, at First Presbyterian
Church, with the Rev. Mary Margaret Flannagan
officiating. She is a registered nurse at Baptist
Hospital, Nashville. He is a school resourse officer with
the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. The couple
resides in Clarksville.
sHaWN a. KeLLeY (’06) and KeLseY McNaLLY (’07)
were married Oct. 27, 2007. He is a Major League
Baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, and she is a
teacher at Sango Elementary School in Clarksville.
BILL taLKINGtON (’07) won a prestigious National
Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship for the
2009-10 academic year. The fellowship offers a $30,500
stipend, with annual increases of $500 with good
academic standing, for a maximum of three years, full
tuition and fees paid and health insurance coverage up
to $1,000 a year. He is working on a Ph.D. in neuroscience and an M.S. in electrical engineering.
taBItHa GraCe Hart (’06) and Kale McBee were
married April 25, 2009. The couple resides in Millersville.
CaNDICe LeIGH McGee (’06) and Bradley Thomas
Jones, both of Dover, were married Saturday, June 6,
2009, at Dyers Creek First Church of God, Dover. She
currently is attending Nashville School of Law. He is
employed by Local Union 572 Plumbers and Pipefitters.
CrIssY Hester GraHaM (’00) and Kelly Graham
announce the birth of their first child, Mattie Elizabeth
Graham, on Feb. 11, 2009. The family lives in Gallatin.
BrIttNYe LYNNe sLaYtON CILK (’08) and Robert
Kendale Cilk announce the birth of their first child, Robert
Kaleb Cilk on March 19, 2009, at Vanderbilt University
Medical Center. He weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and
was 19¼ inches long. The family resides in Cunningham.
Grandparents are raNDY (’87) and Vicky Slayton.
School System until 1968. In 1968, he earned a doctorate in education administration at Auburn University,
where his career was spent as associate professor and
associate dean of the College of Education until his
retirement in 1989. His postretirement years were
spent on campus at Auburn assisting with student
admissions.
rICHarD MurrY HaWKINs Jr. (’64), of Ashland
City, died Thursday, March 26, 2009, following a brief
illness. He was city administrator of Ashland City. After
several years in private law practice, he became clerk
of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Tennessee. He also was an executive director in
several banks in Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Knoxville
and Maryville.
Deaths
JaMes HerBert stOWe (’64), 71, died Tuesday,
Feb. 17, 2009, of a heart attack. He was a longtime
Lexington High School head football coach, having been
inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame in 2002 with a
record of 241-123-2. He retired after the 1998 season.
The Lexington football stadium is named for him.
Dr. JaMes BOYD sCeBra (’54, ‘60), 76, of Auburn,
Ala., died Wednesday, March 4, 2009, at his home. He
is survived by his wife, Sue Davis Scebra, son, Jack, and
two granddaughters. He served four years in the U.S. Air
Force and later as business manager of the Clarksville
JONNIe rutH FLeMING HeNrY (’74), 77, died
March 8, 2009. She was a critical care nurse at
Clarksville Memorial Hospital and a retired registered
nurse from the Tennessee Department of Health. She is
survived by a son, Steven Henry, of Jacksonville, Fla.;
daughter, Connie Lehman, of Nashville; and siblings
Roxie Mathison, Jack Fleming and George Fleming,
all of Nashville.
Larue vauGHN PrYOr (’45), of Columbia, died Jan.
23, 2009. She was a retired teacher. She is survived by
her husband, HarOLD s. PrYOr (’46).
artist, contributed an
installation for the Green
Light exhibit, now on
display at the Bank of
America Plaza in
Charlotte, N.C.
All works in the Green
Light exhibit focus on
environmental issues
and are accessible by
the public through
November 2009.
Schlanger works
primarily in installations and community public art. He is interested in exploring the potential of creating a better “sense of place,”
which he hopes will lead others to a deeper
respect for these places and the environment.
Schlanger’s installation for the Green Light
exhibit is a continuation of work he created in
Potsdam, Germany. There are 48 one-gallon
glass bottles displayed on a wooden table.
Each bottle represents a different country and
indicates the amount of water used per person
per day in each country. The installation also
contains a simple three-dimensional line
drawing of a house, which is used to represent
the domestic use of water around the world.
!
specialist
on
terrorism
releases
new book
Dr. Thomas R.
O’Connor,
associate
professor
and program
manager of criminal justice/homeland security
and director of Institute for Global Security
Studies, has published a book, titled
“Bringing Terrorists to Justice: Investigation
and Adjudication” released in March 2009
by Indo-American Books (IABooks).
The book compares the way terrorism
investigations are done in five countries and
how homeland security practices can be
made more global. It also evaluates both
civil and criminal law responses in
common law countries.
O’Connor has hopes of it finding classroom
usage in such courses as Terrorism and Law,
Terrorism Prevention and International Justice
Systems. O’Connor is a comparative
criminologist who specializes in terrorism.
Bill Persinger
CaPt. tIMOtHY MICHaeL stePHeNsON (’08) is
commanding an artillery battery in the Wasit province of
Iraq, which is part of a team working with Iraqi police
and army units in three cities to improve living
conditions.
contributed
Class notes continued from Page 31
Been promoted? Honored? Awarded?
Recently moved? Married? Had a baby? What’s the scoop about you and your family?
sports continued from Page 27
We want to hear from you!
Personal Information
Colleges/universities attended (include undergraduate and professional schools even if
Date
degrees were not earned)
Name
(first)
(middle)
(maiden)
Institution
(last)
Major/Minor
Street
City
State Phone
Degree
Zip
Grad Class
Family Information
E-mail address
I would like my name and e-mail address to be included in an online directory of APSU
alumni:
o Yes
Year
Spouse’s name Did spouse attend APSU?
o No
Campus Affiliations and Activities
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Spouse’s employer
Address
Position
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Employer
Class
Address
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If retired, former occupation and retirement date
32
Phone
Please return survey to the Alumni Relations Office, Box 4676, Clarksville, TN
37044, or complete the online form at www.apsu.edu/alumni.
Austin Peay
resigned in January to accept the head coaching position at Mississippi State after leading
the 2008 Lady Govs to a 22-11 record and a
third-place finish in the Ohio Valley
Conference.
At Cal Poly, Johnson was charged with
defensive game management and recruitment.
He was named one of the top 30 assistants
under 30 years old by the American
Volleyball Coaches Association.
A native of Kahaluu, Hawaii, Johnson
graduated from the University of Washington
in 2003 with a degree in chemical engineering. He was a volleyball player who went on
to serve as an assistant coach and recruiting
coordinator for the Washington program.
Johnson has hired Alicia Lemau’u as assistant coach for APSU volleyball. A Long
Beach, Calif., native, and a former Middle
Tennessee standout, Lemau’u was the Blue
Raiders’ director of volleyball operations in
2008 while completing work on her
bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Lady Govs golfer Harris
named first-team all-OvC
APSU sophomore golfer Chelsea Harris
has been selected first-team All-Ohio
Valley Conference.
Harris, who was second-team All-OVC a
year ago, has been APSU’s leader in her second Lady Govs season. She entered the OVC
tournament with a team-leading 78.9 stroke
average for the season. She has seven top 20
finishes, including a season-best second-place
effort at the Eat A Peach Collegiate in
Macon, Ga.
The Metropolis, Ill., native also
took fourth place at the NewWave
Communications Classic at Murray
State to open the spring season.
GOvs win 7th OvC
Golf Championship
Valley Conference championship since 2003,
as the Govs came from five shots back to
pass Murray State in the final nine holes,
April 29 on the Robert Trent Jones Golf
Trail’s “Fighting Joe” course in Muscle
Shoals, Ala.
Credit for the comeback was APSU’s run
on the back nine, composed of 10 birdies
between holes 11 and 14. Senior Matt Coles
(’09) fired off four straight birdies to really
make up some ground down the stretch.
Sophomore Luke Sherrod finished third
and earned All-Tournament honors.
Sophomore Brian Balthrop was named
to the All-Tournament team.
It was the Govs golf team’s seventh OVC
tournament title, sending them to their fourth
NCAA Golf Regional. The Govs earned a
school-record 13th-place finish at the NCAA
Central Regional, played at The Club at Olde
Stone in Bowling Green, Ky.
A clutch come-from-behind performance
saw APSU’s golf team win its first Ohio
Fall 2009
33
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Clarksville, TN 37044
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