From Super Bowl to Shatto:
Dungy to speak at Berry

In 2007, Tony Dungy made history as the first black head coach to win a Super Bowl. This spring, Berry is proud to welcome the recently retired coach as part of the Gloria Shatto Lecture Series. Dungy, who is also a best-selling author, will be taking the podium at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in the Steven J. Cage Athletic & Recreation Center. Tickets for this free event will be available starting Monday, March 30. Students, faculty and staff will receive e-mail instructions for picking up their tickets on campus. Alumni interested in attending should call 706-236-2226 for details. Please Note: All tickets must be picked up on campus prior to the event date. No tickets will be available at the lecture.

'Opportunity' knocks!

Audrey B. Morgan pledges $4 million
to support scholarships, Cage Center

Not even brisk winds and frigid temperatures could cool the enthusiasm of students, faculty and staff following the Feb. 19 announcement that Atlanta philanthropist and Berry College Board of Visitors member Audrey B. Morgan had pledged $4 million in support of student scholarships and the Cage Center. The bulk of Mrs. Morgan's pledge will be used to support the Gate of Opportunity Scholarship program, a unique new financial-aid partnership between students, their families, the institution and donors such as Mrs. Morgan. Gate of Opportunity Scholarships make it possible for recipients to graduate debt-free and with four years of progressively more responsible, meaningful on-campus work experience. You'll hear much more about these scholarships in the months to come.

Mrs. Morgan is seen here with Berry students at the naming ceremony for Audrey B. Morgan Hall, one of two new dormitories being constructed in the field behind Hermann Hall. Click here for more coverage of her gift and Berry's annual Scholarship Night celebration.

Sound of celebration

For nearly three decades, Roberto McCausland-Dieppa (81C) has thrilled audiences around the world with his amazing skills on the piano. In January, Roberto returned home to Ford Auditorium to help the Berry Alumni Association bring down the curtain on its 100th anniversary celebration. Roberto's concert was just one highlight of Founder's Day 2009. Another was the annual chapel service featuring Chaplain Steve Cantrell (90C), a major in the U.S. Army who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. Click here for more coverage.

An artist in any medium!

You may know Harry Musselwhite for his amazing voice, but now the artistic ability of this longtime faculty member has been recognized in an entirely different medium. Harry — who serves as executive director of the Rome International Film Festival in addition to his duties as senior lecturer in music and director of choral activities at Berry — has been honored as a semifinalist in Hollywood's Kairos Prize competition for his biopic screenplay, Martha Berry, a cinematic telling of the Martha Berry story that features major figures from 20th-century America.

Alumni Centennial
Profile Series — Part VII

As part of our ongoing profile series commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Berry Alumni Association, the Alumni Accent is proud to feature Dr. Thomas Dopson (78C), a noted orthopedic surgeon in Atlanta whose career path began to take shape when he first took an interest in his future wife. Click here to read more.

Hot off the presses!

The spring issue of Berry magazine is back from the printer and should be in your mailbox soon! In addition to the cover story featuring Berry's acclaimed animal science program, you also can look for news of a unique study-abroad program in Costa Rica, Berry's pending move to NCAA Div. III and two generous gifts to the college, one from the The Goizueta Foundation of Atlanta and the other from Dr. Tommy Mew and his wife, Mary Ann.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Berry. It's your alumni publication, after all, and we want to hear what you think about it!

Tweet, tweet, tweet ...

Communication is changing every day, and we are doing our best to take advantage of the amazing new tools available. In the last Alumni Accent, we told you about Berry-related social media opportunities on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, MySpace and LinkedIn. Now we're excited to add Twitter to the list. To read our "tweets" (quick-hitting news items), click the link above and become a follower today.

Call to action

Chick-fil-A President and Berry Trustee Dan Cathy knows a little something about successful business practices. Earlier this semester, he shared his expertise with students, faculty and representatives of the local community as the featured speaker for Berry's 2009 Executive Round Table spring dinner. Before addressing the crowd gathered at the WinShape Retreat, Mr. Cathy took a few moments to discuss the state of American business with Bryant Steele, business editor of the Rome News-Tribune. Read the story by clicking here.

Setting the standard for communication

The spring semester has been one to remember for students representing Berry's communication department. Already, the forensics union has claimed its 15th consecutive state tournament championship and a trio of individual titles at the Novice National Forensics Tournament. Not to be outdone, the Campus Carrier won seven awards at this year's Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. That total included five staff honors in Senior B Division (for schools with enrollments under 8,000) and two individual accolades, which came in competition with four-year institutions of all enrollments.

Welcome to the club!

The Daughters of Berry welcomed three honorary members during their first-ever Legacy Dinner. Inductees, pictured left to right, included Marti Berry Walstad, great niece of Martha Berry and a member of the Berry College Board of Trustees; Dr. Mary Outlaw, director of field experiences and student teaching at Berry College; and Brenda Briggs, wife of President Stephen R. Briggs. They join a select group of past honorees including Emily Vanderbilt Hammond, Kate Macy Ladd and Martha Berry herself, who was inducted in 1939. This was the first induction of honorary members since Maud Nichols in 1972.

Also recognized at the dinner were living charter member Ruth Thomas Hale (38H) of Charleston, Tenn., and two half-century members, Dr. Ouida Word Dickey (50C) and JoAnn Chambers (51H, 75G). Click here to read more about the 70th anniversary of the organization founded by Martha Berry for Berry alumnae and the wives of Berry alumni.

We want to see you!

Spring is here, bringing with it a wealth of opportunities for you to get together with friends and classmates. Already this semester, former athletes representing the college class of 1958 have returned home to Berry for a day of fun and fellowship that included a trip to Bowdoin Field to cheer on this year's Viking baseball team. Members of the alumni community also turned out for the second-annual Berry Half-Marathon, which drew more than 1,500 participants to campus March 7.

To learn more about the upcoming events listed here, please call 706-236-2256 or 800-782-0130 or e-mail alumni@berry.edu. We look forward to seeing you soon!

East Tennessee Alumni Chapter gathering
Noon, Saturday, March 28, Lakeside Tavern, Knoxville, Tenn.

Richmond, Va., Alumni Chapter gathering
4 p.m., Saturday, April 4, at the home of Fred (66C) and Nancy (67C) Anderson, Glen Allen, Va.

Daughters of Berry meeting
5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 16, Oak Hill Gift Shop, Garden Room

Berry High School Breakfast Club gathering
8 a.m., Saturday, April 18, WinShape Retreat

Agricultural Alumni Chapter gathering
3 p.m., Saturday, April 25, Berry River Farm in Rome  

Alumni Weekend
May 29-31. All alumni are encouraged to journey back to their alma mater for a weekend of fun and reminiscing with former classmates. The high school, academy and college classes of 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964 and 1969 and the college class of 1961 will be celebrating reunions. Click here for the complete schedule and registration information.

Alumni Work Week
May 31-June 5. Make plans now to join fellow alumni and friends for a week of fun and service to Berry. Click here for details and registration information.