Question: What's 100 years old and just getting started? Answer: The Berry Alumni Association! That's right, folks — this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Berry Alumni Association. This is a milestone in the life of Berry College, and we want YOU to help us celebrate at events held throughout the year. First up is Alumni Weekend, which kicks off May 30 with a grand birthday party and concert by acclaimed operatic tenor Michael Hendrick (89C). Other highlights of the weekend will include an alumni history exhibit prepared by Dr. Jennifer Dickey (77A, 80C), a jazz reception in the Oak Hill backyard and reunions for the classes of 1948H, 1953C, 1953H, 1958C, 1958H, 1963C, 1963H and 1968C. While you're on campus, you can pick up a signed copy of a new book written by Dr. Ouida Word Dickey (50C, FFS), One Hundred Years of Service: The Berry Alumni Association 1908-2008. Check your mailboxes in the days to come for the brochure above. Online registration will be available in early April by going to www.berry.edu/alumni. The centennial celebration will continue at Mountain Day (Oct. 3-5) before concluding with a Founder's Day spectacular (Jan. 29-31, 2009). Look for more information about these events in future issues of the Alumni Accent and Berry magazine. If you can't wait until Alumni Weekend to begin celebrating, you can get an early start by contributing to the centennial fundraising project: "100 Years, 100 Seats, $100,000." Our goal is to raise $100,000 for the Campaign for the Cage. Gifts of $1,000 will be recognized with a personalized nameplate on a bleacher seat. A $2,000 gift will name a floor-level stadium seat. Contact Milton Chambers (78A, 82C) at 800-782-0130, 706-236-2256 or mchambers@berry.edu.
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Still young
Ties that bind Two people with strong ties to Berry — Randy Berry and Rick Gilbert (77c) — have been elected to regular membership on the Berry College Board of Trustees. Randy (top left) is the great-nephew of Martha Berry, while Rick and his wife, Debra Bourne Gilbert (76C), are members of the alumni community. Randy previously served the board via his role as chairman of the Berry College Board of Visitors, a term that expires in April. Rick also has served on the Board of Visitors. His election brings to 12 the number of alumni serving on the Board of Trustees. More about both men can be accessed online at www.berry.edu/pr/news/pressdetail.asp?ID=573.
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A great season for Berry's Lady Vikings got even better with the announcement that Mickey Duncan has been named a national finalist for the V Foundation Comeback Award. After missing last season with a debilitating back injury, Mickey returned to the lineup in 2007-08 and led the Lady Vikings to a 26-8 record and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament. The third-team All-American broke the career 1,000-point barrier in the final women's game played in Ford Gymnasium, then followed that up by netting the first basket in the history of the Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center. The Comeback Award is presented in memory of Jim Valvano, the late basketball coach and ESPN commentator whose personal battle with cancer inspired the creation of The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The award is presented in conjunction with ESPN and will be announced during ESPN's Final Four/NIT coverage. More on this tremendous honor can be found at www.jimmyv.org/archives/pressreleases.cfm?newsid=282. Mickey was one of three Berry basketball players to be named All-Americans this season, joining Nikki Jackson (women) and Daniel Ferguson (men), each of whom were recognized as honorable mentions. Women's coach Jonathan Norton also made news as the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Region 6 Coach of the Year. For more on Berry athletics go to www.berry.edu/athletics.
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March Madness: Berry style
Do you have opinions about Berry magazine? If so, we want to hear them! To weigh in with your thoughts, just go to www.berry.edu/pr/magsurvey and complete the new online survey. You'll have the opportunity to comment specifically about the Spring 2008 issue featuring pediatrician Persharon Mathis Dixon (86C) as well as the publication in general. Awards are nice (and Berry magazine has won more than its share), but the only way we can really know how we're doing is to hear directly from the people who matter most — Berry alums! We look forward to hearing what you have to say.
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We want to hear from you!
No one on the Accent staff doubts that Berry alums are among the world's best! What never ceases to amaze us is how many other people recognize it as well. Need evidence? Just take a look at Jay A. Maupin (91c), who has been named one of "40 Under 40 Leaders in Business" by the Savannah Business Report and Journal. Jay, seen here with wife Stephanie Lowery Maupin (91C), is founding president and CEO of Maupin Engineering Inc. Need another example? Greg Hanthorn (82C) has been named one of "Georgia's Super Lawyers" in the area of business litigation by Atlanta Magazine and Law & Politics Media. Only five percent of Georgia attorneys are chosen each year for this recognition. Greg is a partner at Jones Day's Atlanta office, active in the trial practice.
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Making the hot list(s) You can make a difference Spring commencement will be here before you know it. That means hundreds of Berry students are getting ready for the transition from college to career. If you would like to extend a helping hand during this stressful time, we've got the perfect opportunity: the Alumni Career Network. As a participant in this unique collaboration between alumni relations and the Career Development Center, you agree to make yourself available to students and fellow alumni as they explore various career fields and assist with questions about job and internship searches. You may even have the opportunity to invite students to shadow you for a day. To get started, simply go to www.berry.edu/stulife/career/acn.asp and complete the online registration form. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Do your recollections of Berry include strangely colored lightning, two weeks of spring break and a dining-hall line that stretched all the way to the bookstore? If so, consider yourself a proud member of the "Storm of the Century" club. As impossible as it may seem, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the mid-March blizzard that buried the Berry campus under more than a foot of snow. Trees fell, power lines were severed and the campus community bonded like never before. If that's not enough to kindle memories of one of the most amazing — okay, strange — weekends in Berry history, just click this link to read one of the many stories about the storm that appeared in the April 1, 1993, issue of the Campus Carrier. You might just read about someone you know!
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Remember when?
Are you looking for a reason to get a jump on this year's Mountain Day celebration? Well, if you're a member of one of our reunion classes (1973C, 1978C, 1983C, 1988C, 1993C, 1998C, 2003C and 1965A-1984A), we've got the perfect thing — a Reunion Leadership Retreat. Scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 25-26, this event is open to anyone in the reunion classes who wants to get involved in the planning process. Highlights will include leadership training by Mike King, director of the Berry BOLD Program; dinner at the award-winning WinShape Retreat Center; and sessions led by the alumni relations staff that will provide critical information essential to planning a successful event. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with your classmates and learn lessons that will pay dividends long after Mountain Day has come and gone. If you would like to participate contact Jennifer Tucker Beard (93C, 00C) at jbeard@berry.edu, 800-782-0130 or 706-290-2170 with your name and class year.
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Sophomore Katie Keegan may not possess a great deal of experience as a filmmaker, but that didn't stop her from claiming third place in the Two-Year/Small College category of the 2008 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) National Video Competition. Katie's short film, Has No One Than This, deals with how young people cope with grief after losing a friend. It was judged against hundreds of student entries from across the country by a panel of BEA members and industry professionals. To read more about Katie's accomplishment go to www.berry.edu/pr/news/pressdetail.asp?
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Move over, Spielberg
In our last issue, we took great pride in the fact that 1958 college alumnus Jerry Shelton was set to join Dr. Garland Dickey (42C) as the second Berry coach/administrator to be inducted into the Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame. After the publication was distributed, we were excited to learn that he's actually No. 3! Also included in that group is former Berry Academy coach, teacher and dean of students Bill Thornton (68C), who was inducted in 2005. Two years later, Bill made news again, this time as a recipient of the Heart of the Community Award in Rome. Kudos to Bill on both distinctions!
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It's never too late to celebrate
Jonah Williams (far left) has enjoyed a semester to remember thanks to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education. The junior Spanish major is Berry's second Gilman Scholar. To read about his adventures in Argentina go to loveforthepeople.blogspot.com.
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Distance learning When the governor calls Betty Anne Rouse Bell (52H, 56C) has been tapped by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to serve as the Fourth Congressional District Representative for the Georgia Council for the Arts. She is the latest in a long line of Berry alumni to be appointed to leadership positions by the Georgia governor. Betty Anne is retired after performing as a singer and serving as a teacher in the Atlanta School System. She also served as the soloist for Southern Charm Ltd., and has sung for numerous presidents, governors and foreign dignitaries. Leadership positions she has held include president of the Atlanta Music Club and board service for the Atlanta Repertory Opera Company, Atlanta Children's Civic Theater, Southern Ballet Company and Woodruff Arts Center. She and husband Bob have two grown children and six grandchildren.
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 Back home again
Baseball alumni from as far away as New Jersey, Indiana and Pennsylvania returned to campus Feb. 22 for a special reception preceding an early-season game against Southern Poly. A total of 50 people turned out for the event, held in the Ford Living room. Afterward, the group proceeded to Bowdoin Field to experience a whole new sensation — night baseball at Berry! Former coach Larry Taylor (second from left) threw out the first pitch. More pictures can be accessed at www.berry.edu/alumni/reunions/baseball. If this event has you thinking about your college days, perhaps it's time you took a step away from the daily grind to attend a Berry alumni event. Upcoming events are listed below. Unless otherwise noted, contact Fred Mercer at 800-782-0130, 706-290-2164 or fmercer@berry.edu for information or to RSVP. Oak Hill Discussion Series featuring Cathy Fussell Gloria Shatto Lecture featuring New York Times columnist David Brooks Berry High School/Academy Breakfast Club Meeting Agriculture Alumni Chapter Barbecue and Silent Auction Southeast Georgia Alumni Chapter meeting Charter Fellows Alumni Teacher Conference Reunion Leadership Retreat Rome Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Event Reunion Zero Spring Commencement East Tennessee Alumni Chapter Meeting Alumni Weekend/Centennial Kickoff Alumni Work Week
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Got news? Maybe a new job or a new baby? Recently married? Share the good news with your friends through class notes in Berry magazine. E-mail your news, including your year of graduation, to alumni@berry.edu. If you would like to subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list, send an e-mail message to Justin Karch, gifts and records specialist, at jkarch@berry.edu. Please include your full name and e-mail address. You also can reach us at 800-782-0130.
If you have
questions, comments or suggestions for our e-newsletter, e-mail Chris Watters at cwatters@berry.edu.