The Magazine of Rhodes

Rhodes Rhodes

CubeSat Project Has Lift-off

Creating a Championship Culture

The Rhodes Musical Legacy

The Magazine of Rhodes College

FALL 2025 – WINTER 2026

Jennifer M. Collins PRESIDENT

Jenna Goodloe Wade P’28 VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT

Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84, P’22, J.D.

DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE RELATIONS

SENIOR GIFT PLANNING OFFICER

Mimi Reed Salazar ’96, P’26 DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Linda Bonnin

VICE PRESIDENT FOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Martha Shepard ’66 EDITOR EMERITA

Samuel X. Cicci ’15 EDITOR & SENIOR WRITER

Larry Ahokas

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jana Files ’78

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Charles Kenny

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

CONTRIBUTORS

Dionne Chalmers

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Caroline Allen ’25

Justin Fox Burks

Samuel X. Cicci

Lucia Rodriguez de Torres ’26

Meghan Reese

Madeline Rose

Breanna Stalsitz

On a sad note – Rhodes’ beloved campus mascot, PJ the cat, passed away unexpectedly over the winter break. For the past 10 years she has brought joy and brightened the days of students, faculty, and staff.

A LETTER FROM PRESIDENT JENNIFER COLLINS

Welcome to the Winter 2026 edition of our magazine! We have had a busy and joyful fall semester celebrating the 100th anniversary of our move to the wonderful city of Memphis. We have enjoyed meaningful academic programming featuring community leaders and alumni; a glorious celebration of jazz at the Overton Park Shell, highlighting our talented Rhodes students and faculty; and an extremely successful community service initiative titled Rhodes into Memphis, a commitment to contribute at least 50,000 hours of community service to our beloved city. We are almost at 40,000 hours as I write, so we are confident we will greatly exceed our initial goal. You can track our progress or sign up to get involved on our website.

We also celebrated another important milestone this semester—the 20th anniversary of the opening of our beautiful Paul Barret, Jr. Library, a building that has truly become the heart of our campus. We were honored to welcome back to campus the visionaries who turned the dream of a new library building into reality, including former President William E. Troutt and the architects and builders who helped realize his vision. We are so grateful to our dedicated library staff, who support our students and faculty in their academic pursuits every day.

This edition of the magazine features two programs that represent the very best of Rhodes—our incredible Department of Music and our participation in NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, led by our wonderful Departments of Physics and Computer Science. We are honored to be the only liberal arts college participating in the CubeSat program, and so excited that our RHOK-SAT satellite is currently orbiting the globe and

sending back important information related to renewable energy. Arriving at the point of a successful launch is a true testament to the ingenuity and dedication of our talented faculty and students, and I know you will enjoy reading about this six-year odyssey.

The many courses, performances, and collaborations offered by our Department of Music faculty and our Mike Curb Institute for Music provide countless opportunities for students to take full advantage of the musical heritage and lively arts scene that permeate the city of Memphis. I hope you will have the chance to enjoy one of our student or visiting artist performances in the near future.

Thank you for all the ways you have supported Rhodes this year. We had wonderful attendance at both our Family Weekend and Homecoming/Reunion Weekend, as well as at alumni events throughout the country. We are also very grateful for your generosity during our Athletics Day of Giving in November, which supports our talented student-athletes in their pursuits both on and off the field.

Thank you for being part of the Rhodes community, and we hope to see all of you on campus again one day very soon.

Jennifer Collins

For full versions of the following stories,

Rhodes Among Billboard ’s 2025 Top Music Business Schools

For the fifth year in a row, the college’s Mike Curb Institute for Music has made Billboard ’s annual list of Top Music Business Schools, which includes programs selected on factors including submitted information, industry recommendations, and alumni success.

Founded in 2006, the Curb Institute involves students in all aspects of the music business, from performance to sound editing to marketing. The Institute is intentional about centering the historically rich and artistically vibrant city of Memphis in its students’ experiences.

In recent years, the Curb Institute has brought to campus Grammy Award-winning artists Jason Isbell and Shelia E. to work with music students. Rhodes graduates who have participated in the Curb Institute’s music fellowship programs have received competitive graduate school placements and experienced noted successes in the music and entertainment industry.

Satterfield Receives Jameson M. Jones Award

Dr. Susan Satterfield, professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies, was presented the 2025 Jameson M. Jones Award for Outstanding Faculty Service on Aug. 15 at the college’s Opening Convocation.

Established in 1988, the Jameson M. Jones Award for Outstanding Faculty Service recognizes a member of the faculty who exemplifies a deep sense of service to the college’s mission. It is named in memory of Dr. Jameson M. Jones ’36, who served as chief academic officer for more than 15 years.

Satterfield joined the faculty in 2008. She currently chairs the Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies, a role she also held from 2017 to 2021. During her previous term as chair, Satterfield led the department through a systematic curricular revision and a significant name change—from Greek and Roman Studies to the current Ancient Mediterranean Studies— embracing not just Athens and Rome, but also the ancient Near East, North Africa, and Southern Europe.

In addition, Satterfield has served as director of the Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning, chair of the Archaeology program, and associate chair of the college’s signature Search Program. Beyond these academic programs, she has served on a variety of major faculty committees, key task forces, and campus-wide search committees.

Endowment of $2 Million Will Support New Center for Career and Professional Development

Agift from the Rhodes Family Foundation will be used to name the director’s position for the Center for Career and Professional Development, the college’s first endowed staff position. The gift supports the center’s vision of “ensuring all students graduate from Rhodes College prepared, engaged, self-aware, and confident in their abilities both to lead and to fulfill professional, academic, and personal goals.”

The gift also carries a challenge component, and the college aims to raise an additional $500,000 to support this new endowment.

The Rhodes Family Foundation is led by Bill Rhodes P’18, the former president and chief executive officer of AutoZone, and his wife, Amy. Both are tremendous supporters of the Memphis community and have

McKinney Book Named a Hooks National Book Award Finalist

Aserved on many local, state, and national boards, including the Rhodes College Board of Trustees.

Rhodes has reimagined its former Office of Career Services and established the Center for Career and Professional Development as part of its strategic plan. Because Rhodes is one of only a handful of liberal arts colleges located in a major city, its students and graduates have vast opportunities for internships and research opportunities and enjoy great success after college, whether pursuing a graduate degree or beginning a career. A national search is currently underway for The Rhodes Family Director of Career and Professional Development.

book co-edited by professors Dr. Charles McKinney, professor of history at Rhodes, and Dr. Françoise Hamlin (Brown University) has been named a finalist for the Hooks National Book Award, which is presented annually to a nonfiction book that best furthers understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and its legacy. The book is titled From Rights to Lives: The Evolution of the Black Freedom Struggle and was published in 2024 by Vanderbilt University Press.

“These works push audiences to view the Civil Rights Movement as part of a continuum in the fight for emancipation and view this crucial period as part of an ongoing project that directly impacts our present and remains crucial to shaping our future,” says Hooks Book Award Chair Dr. Terrence Tucker.

Erickson Awarded Grant for Digital Puppetry Project

Karl Erickson, associate professor of art, has been selected by a four-person jury panel to be awarded a $7,500 art grant for his project titled “A River of Trash-Puppets.” The grant is from Tri-Star Arts as a partner in the Regional Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Erickson makes digital animations and audio/visual performances about language, transformative experiences, self-betterment, and environmentalism. “My project is a series of experimental animations and puppet-sculptures about waste and non-native species along the Mississippi and Wolf Rivers in Memphis. To make these works, I collect trash from around the rivers and assemble it into puppet-like sculptures,” he says.

Because Erickson’s project combines environmental science with digital puppetry, he will reach out and collaborate with scientific and environmentalist communities around Memphis.

Rhodes Lands Spot on Wall Street Journal ’s “2026 Best Colleges in the U.S.”

The ranking, developed in collaboration with research firm College Pulse, names the top 500 universities and colleges in the nation, focusing on how well colleges set their students up for financial success.

Rhodes ranked second in Tennessee, behind only Vanderbilt, well outranking all other private and public universities and colleges in Tennessee. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings are one of the largest independent surveys of college students in the U.S.

Students Earn Tennessee CPA Society Awards

Rhodes has consistently ranked on “best colleges” lists for the last decade. Earlier this year, Forbes named the college to its list of America’s Top Colleges 2026. Other outlets including U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Money recently named Rhodes to its 2026 Best Colleges lists. U.S. News & World Report ranked Rhodes No. 15 for Service Learning, No. 28 for Undergraduate Teaching, and No. 38 for Most Innovative Schools. The Princeton Review ranked Rhodes No. 6 on its Most Beautiful Campuses list and in the Top 20 Best Schools (private) for Internships.

Ifft Decker Receives Best Article Prize

Dr. Sarah Ifft Decker, associate professor of history, is the recipient of the Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies Best Article Prize for her article titled “The Widow and the Notary: Death, Gender, and Legal Culture in the Jewish and Christian Communities of Medieval Catalonia.” The article was published in 2024, and the prize recognizes an article published in the preceding year.

According to the award announcement, “The committee found this article methodologically exemplary and thoughtfully crafted, with a sharp critical focus and a consequential thesis. Ifft Decker established a multifaceted comparative frame by juxtaposing and scrutinizing both Christian notarial documents and Hebrew responsa literature to explore how they illuminate not just the funerary and legal practices, but also the emotional experiences, of both Jewish and Christian women in Catalan cities in the late Middle Ages.”

A member of the Rhodes faculty since 2020, Ifft Decker teaches a wide array of courses on the global Middle Ages, many of which encompass both Europe and the Middle East and incorporate the lived experiences of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Drishti Bhatia ’26 and Anna Everly ’27 are recipients of awards from the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) after a competitive process. Bhatia is the recipient of a TSCPA scholarship. Everly is one of only five juniors in the state to receive the Calvin and Jean King Foundation Award. She also has been selected as a TSCPA Student Influencer for 202526, who will collaborate with staff and volunteer leadership to promote the CPA profession and student membership. Both are student members of TSCPA.

Bhatia, who is a mathematics and economics major from Collierville, TN, presented the winning pitch for her business plan at the 2024 Rhodes College Venture Challenge. She is currently a process and compliance accounting intern for Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Everly is an economics and business major from Jackson, MS, and serves as an instructor for Mid-South Chess. As part of the Rhodes Impact Summer Service Experience, she worked last summer for Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), organizing and analyzing survey data and helping to produce a video thanking the organization’s supporters.

Rhodes Historical Review Earns National Prize

Rhodes Historical Review, a student-edited journal published by the Rhodes chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society, has secured second prize in the honor society’s undergraduate print category of the 2025 Nash History Journal competition. Sarah Dassinger ’25 and Muhammad Waraich ’25 served as co-editors of the awardwinning edition. Dr. Sarah Ifft Decker serves as faculty advisor.

Rhodes students with works published in the edition include Luke Crocker ’25, Tanner Chapman ’26, Peyton Randolph ’26, and Ava Tighe ’26

2025 New Faculty Cohort

Rhodes College welcomes eight new full-time faculty to its ranks for the 2025-2026 academic year, bringing talent in a number of specialties, from chemistry to interdisciplinary humanities to computer science. New faculty members make up a small cohort who will receive guidance by faculty mentors. These mentors coordinate group and individual meetings, class observations, and programming.

Md Nure Alam — Chemistry

Gretchen Henderson — English

Jace King — Computer Science

Stephen Kipp — Politics & Law

Cameron Ogg — Biology

Sierra Peters — Psychology

Addison Schwamb — Computer Science

Julia Wefferling — Psychology

Published annually, the Rhodes Historical Review seeks out high-quality essays from students across the college, inviting them to delve into and uncover compelling historical subjects and themes from various periods and geographical locations.

The journal can be found in the Ned R. McWherter Library at The University of Memphis, the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Public Library of Memphis, The Paul J. Barret, Jr. Library at Rhodes, and online on the college’s website.

Adaria Crutcher ’29 Recognized for Mental Health Advocacy

First-year student Adaria Crutcher ’29 was one of six students nationwide recently honored by the Tommie Smith Youth Initiative at a gala held in Atlanta, GA. The initiative supports students in their educational pursuits and recognizes their efforts to serve their communities and to be advocates for youth, particularly in the areas of health and fitness.

While a student at White Station High School in Memphis, Crutcher co-founded StoryUnfinished, a platform to promote

suicide awareness and support students struggling with their mental health and to encourage them to not let their story go unfinished or untold.

Crutcher has served as the social media manager with the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH) Youth Council, and for her work as a champion for youth in Memphis she was presented the National Civil Rights Museum’s 2024 Keeper of the Dream Award.

Lawson Receives SAGE Emerging Scholar Award

Kailey Lawson

Dr. Kailey Lawson, assistant professor of psychology, has been selected for the SAGE Emerging Scholar Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP). She will be recognized at the annual SPSP meeting to be held in February 2026 in Chicago, IL.

SPSP, in collaboration with SAGE Publications, recognizes outstanding achievements and research by social and personality psychology scholars early in their careers.

Lawson joined the Rhodes faculty in 2023, after receiving a Ph.D. in social-personality psychology with a quantitative emphasis from the University of California, Davis in 2022. She teaches courses in statistics, personality, and adolescent development and serves on the college’s data analytics program committee.

Her research program focuses on the nature, development, and assessment of personality traits and the influence of these traits on mental health and academic achievement.

Previously, Lawson received both the Heritage Dissertation Award and Student Publication Award from SPSP. She also is the recipient of the Emerging Scholar Award from the Association for Research in Personality.

Mortar Board at Rhodes Receives Gold Torch Award

The Rhodes College chapter of Mortar Board is a recipient of the national office’s 2025 Gold Torch Award, which honors chapters that are dedicated to the organization’s purpose and its ideals and are active on campus in ways that improve the quality of student life.

The chapter also has been recognized in the Project Excellence in Community Service category for its Teacher Appreciation Drive. Members coordinated a campus-wide collection of handwritten thank you notes and small items to thank and encourage teachers and staff at a local elementary school during a tough week of state testing. Promotion occurred through social media and digital forms of communication; strategic planning required peer mobilization and follow-through, demonstrating Mortar Board members’ leadership, initiative, and ability to unite the campus around shared values.

Rhodes Earns National Science Foundation Grant for Chemistry Research

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized Rhodes with a grant of $180,000 for research conducted by Dr. Larryn Peterson, professor of chemistry and chemistry department chair. The award for the project, titled “RUI: Interrogating Catalytic Efficiency Through Kinetic, Structural and SmallMolecule Guided Investigation of L-DOPA 2,3 Dioxygenases,” will be distributed over three years.

Peterson will work in collaboration with Dr. Keri Colabroy of Muhlenberg College and Dr. Katherine Hicks of the State University of New York at Cortland to investigate how a specific family of enzymes rearranging catecholic carbon found in plants could lead to the production of natural products that have therapeutic properties, including antibacterial and antitumor activities.

Under the direction of Peterson, Colabroy, and Hicks, undergraduate research students will systematically change the size and electronic properties of the plant-based carbon sources, mutate the enzymes’ structures, and study the effect of these changes on the effectiveness of the molecular conversion. The students will have the opportunity to participate in each of the faculty mentor’s laboratories. In addition, parts of the project will be integrated into coursework at each of the home institutions to broaden the reach of original research and help develop the skills that undergraduate students need to succeed in graduate training and science careers.

Allison Jennings ’25 Among Newest Peace Corps Members

Allison Jennings ’25 of Yukon, OK, is one of the Peace Corps’ newest members. She recently graduated from Rhodes with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and Russian studies and will promote English literacy teaching and learning and leadership development at a primary school in Samoa.

“There is something to glean from living in and learning from another culture, and the values of the Samoan people are something I hope to see synthesized into my own,” said

Rhodes

Celebrates

OJennings. “There is always room to grow as a global citizen, and I want to walk away from this experience more self-sufficient, but also more compassionate. I love cross-cultural bridge-building and helping others, and with my service I would like to grasp a more tangible idea of how to employ these traits in a future career.”

In May, Rhodes was recognized as one of the Peace Corps’ 2025 Top VolunteerProducing Colleges and Universities.

Athletics Day of Giving

n November 12, Rhodes celebrated another remarkable Athletics Day of Giving—an annual tradition that continues to showcase the strength and loyalty of the Rhodes community. This year, more than 1,070 alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and students stepped forward, contributing over $450,000 to bolster Rhodes Athletics. The day drew support from every corner of the community: 22% alumni donors, 39% parents, 4% grandparents, 6% friends, 4% faculty and staff, 2% current students, and 1% Trustees. Together, these groups provided the equipment, travel resources, and nutrition our student-athletes need to compete at the highest level.

These gifts do far more than add to a total; they directly empower our student-athletes. From upgraded equipment and enhanced training

resources to improved travel opportunities and essential nutrition, this collective generosity ensures that Rhodes teams can compete with confidence, pride, and all of the tools they need to perform at their highest level.

The day served as a powerful reminder of something we see year after year: Rhodes supporters show up—consistently, passionately, and without hesitation. The unwavering commitment of our community is a cornerstone of the student-athlete experience, strengthening the legacy of Rhodes Athletics and fueling the success of the next generation of Lynx competitors.

Guiliana Hofheins ’22 Awarded Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship

Alumna Giuliana Hofheins ’22, a Ph.D. candidate in aerospace engineering at Cornell University, was selected for a 2025 Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship. She is one of 35 women globally to receive the award.

At Cornell, Hofheins works with Dr. Elaine Petro in the college’s Advanced Space Technology Research and Architectures Laboratory (ASTRAlab), with a focus on ionic liquid electrospray propulsion diagnostics. She is currently a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities Fellow and previously a New York Space Grant Graduate Research Fellow.

Hofheins earned a bachelor’s degree in physics (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), and served as co-founder of Rhodes’ Aerospace Engineering Club and president of the Society of Physics Students (SPS). She also completed a minor in mathematics and authored proposals that resulted in the Rhodes SPS chapter receiving two research awards to be used toward building RHOK-SAT, a four-inch, cube-shaped research satellite built by Rhodes students that launched into space last fall (read more in the feature story on page 22).

FALL SPORTS ROUNDUP

Women’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer capped a fantastic season by earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Lynx won their first-round game against Brevard 2-0, before bowing out of the tournament in a hard fought 2-0 loss to host and nationally ranked Emory. Head Coach McKinnon Pennell and Assistant Coach Schwartz were recognized as the SAA Coaching Staff of the Year.

First Team All-SAA selections included Barfield ’26, Taylor Theofiledes ’26, Sophia Rall ’26, and Grace Culver ’25. Second Team All-SAA honors were given to Blair Rice ’26 and Maddie Carter ’28, while Honorable Mention selections included Abby Bell ’29 Aurelia Kirby ’29, and Reese Owens ’26. Caroline Buendia ’26 was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Academically, five Lynx earned 2025–26 Academic AllDistrict Women’s Soccer recognition: Owens, Mallory Goldstein ’27, Kat Stanley ’27, Culver, and Rall. Rall, Theofiledes, and Culver all earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors.

Men’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer earned multiple postseason accolades, highlighted by Second Team All-SAA selections for Max Sosa-Haemmerli ’27 and Ben Novello ’27. Honorable Mention All-SAA recognition went to Henri Kettner ’28, Jason Viani ’26, and Vincent Stephens ’29. Viani was also named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Field Hockey

Field Hockey capped off a competitive season with an appearance in the Collegiate Field Hockey Conference Championship Game. First Team All-Conference honors were earned by Alder Dickey ’27 and Lora Chandler ’27. Second Team All-Conference selections included Bella Spina ’27, Lucy Frederick ’27, Ellie Pratka ’26, and goalkeeper Caroline Naifeh ’28 MaCaelan Rahn ’26 was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Volleyball

Volleyball qualified for the SAA Championship Tournament following a competitive regular season. Caroline Short ’29 and Yzzi Dsamou ’27 earned SAA Honorable Mentions, while K.K. Sowers ’26 earned a spot on the AllSportsmanship Team.

Football

Football produced several All-SAA honors. First Team All-SAA Defense was earned by Chyco Williams ’28. Honorable Mention All-SAA selections included Liam Sitz ’26, Lawrence Watts ’26, and Grady Jones ’28 Trey Hampton ’26 was named to the AllSportsmanship Team.

Women’s Cross Country

Women’s Cross Country finished third at the SAA Championship Meet. Junior Anna Cantrell ’27 led the Lynx, claiming the individual SAA title and earning SAA Athlete of the Year recognition. Elena Gentry ’28, Nina Brown ’28, and Caroline Wilder ’28 earned SAA Honorable Mention, while senior Vivian Kalb ’26 was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

The Lynx placed third out of 26 teams at the NCAA Division III Regional Championship. Gentry finished fifth overall out of 175 runners with a time of 21:48 in the 6,000 meters. Gentry and Cantrell both qualified individually for the NCAA National Championship Meet. Gentry, Cantrell, Brown, and Wilder were also named to the NCAA All-Region Team.

Gentry and Cantrell qualified as individuals for the NCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Championship Meet in Spartanburg, SC.

WELCOME CLASS OF 2029 A

nother year, and another group of new Lynx. The Class of 2029 arrived on campus this fall, comprising 510 students from 40 states and 25 countries, to kick off the 177th session of Rhodes College. Many high achievers are among the new cohort, with 44 percent of incoming students ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class and 86 percent having a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher. Eighteen percent of the Class of 2029 are firstgeneration college students, and 34 percent will suit up in Rhodes red to compete as student-athletes (and beat Sewanee).

At Opening Convocation, President Jennifer Collins noted “Many of you have founded nonprofits and worked on behalf of people around the globe, including international refugees in Germany, orphans in Kazakhstan, children of incarcerated people in Singapore, youth in Zimbabwe,

religious minorities in rural Pakistan, the visually impaired in India, and veterans and at-risk children right here in the United States. You are published researchers, writers and poets—one of you is even an advice columnist! You are artists and musicians, environmental activists and inventors. We have business owners and entrepreneurs—a cake baking business, a digital imaging production company, and an app developer, for example . . . each one of you has the power to make great things happen.”

“I’ve talked with faculty and staff about what Rhodes means to them and why we’re here,” said Dr. Courtney Collins ’05, assistant professor of economics, in her address to students at Opening Convocation. “And they talk about you. They talk about the privilege of being involved in your time here and what it means to them personally to see you succeed. They use words like home and community, and as you join that legacy, I say to you ‘Roll Lynx,’ and welcome home.”

18% are first-generation college students

86% had a high school GPA of 3.50 or higher

34% are student-athletes

THE RIGHT KEY

The Department of Music Helps Students Score Their Own Musical Stories

Music mavens have flocked to Memphis, seeking a flash of inspiration from the rich tapestry woven by icons of the blues, soul, and rock n’ roll. W.C. Handy took blues from Beale Street to the world, and B.B. King’s sophisticated electric blues and Elvis Presley’s hip-shaking rock swagger paved the way for generations of luminaries to follow. Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Justin Timberlake, Three 6 Mafia, and Glorilla are but a few major artists to have honed their craft in Memphis, harnessing the heritage and culture of the Mid-South to carve out their own spaces. With such a well to draw on, there aren’t many better places for aspiring musicians to get their start, and the Department of Music at Rhodes is always ready to shepherd students from the classroom to the stage.

It’s a common occurrence to hear the melodious notes of a piano or a soprano’s vocals drifting from Hassell Hall throughout the day. It could be classical, jazz, pop, or a student simply getting some extra practice in. They gather to practice composition, hone their performance skills, or chat with professors. There are so many paths to take in the world of music, and the department stays on its toes to constantly evolve and meet the needs of students. But composition and performance only scratch the surface of what students can expect. “We’ve redone the theory curriculum three times since I arrived in 2000,” says Courtenay Harter, department chair and professor of music theory and music cognition. “We have a lot of music majors, but many students from other majors also come to the department, so we redid the curriculum to where every single student would get an excellent foundation of music theory, and possess the vocabulary to further their music education and tie it in to their major.”

The Mike Curb Institute for Music led by John Bass, is frequently cited as a major player in the college’s music impact, having been recognized by Billboard as a Top Music Business School five years in a row. The Curb Institute involves students in all aspects of the music business, from sound editing to video production to marketing. Students gain experience working with professional artists, interning in recording studios such as Willi Mitchell’s famous Royal Studios, producing musical events at venues such as the Overton Park Shell, and doing research at the STAX Museum of American Soul Music. The Institute’s scope has seen it add creative new classes to the curriculum, from Music Urbanism to Songwriting in Memphis (the latter featured in the Summer 2024 issue of Rhodes magazine).

That creative approach to class creation department-wide has brought new focus to ways that music can collaborate with other departments. “Rhodes students are always asking new questions

that make us think about things in new ways. It’s all about being creative with our classes and finding new ways of integrating music into a curriculum,” says Harter. She points to the Music and Psychology major as a prime example of an interdisciplinary approach that fits a real-world need. “We’d seen a lot of students who wanted to pursue a career in music therapy after graduation, so we sat down with the psychology faculty and created this robust curriculum where students will be proficient in both music and psychology.”

Harter also references Post-Tonal Theory, which analyzes modern music of the early 20th century through set theory. Students categorize musical objects into numbers and describe their relationships, before turning those numbers back into music; the upperlevel class fuses a high-level understanding of theory with mathematics. Performance and Analysis pivots to a writing-intensive approach, where students build their awareness of the element of music and work to describe it through the written word.

“Students come to us asking what they can do with their music major, and the answer is anything. We’re here to help them focus on where exactly they want to go and make sure they get there.” — Courtenay Harter

“There are many interdisciplinary approaches with other departments,” says Harter. “But music itself is interdisciplinary. We have performance, composition, history, and so many other facets. Students come to us asking what they can do with their music major, and the answer is anything. We’re here to help them focus on where exactly they want to go and make sure they get there.”

Music majors also get the chance to interact with world-class performers thanks to programs such as the Springfield Music Lecture Series, named for John Murry Springfield ’51. Some of the recent Springfield guests have included Grammywinning artists Sheila E. and Jason Isbell. Isbell spoke to the Curb Institute for Music’s Songwriting in Memphis Class, while Sheila E. performed alongside the Rhodes Jazz Ensemble. “We’re able to secure artists, scholars, and performers who connect to our classes and what we’re teaching. So in that sense, we’re doing something local that can combine with these global influences.”

David Shotsberger

Faculty member Jacob Sunshine, assistant professor of music, teaches a dynamic range of courses that incorporate many of those global influences into the classroom. Specializing in sound cultures from the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States, Sunshine’s remit when he joined the faculty in 2023 was to focus on that global approach. His classes take an international approach, but many of them also hone in on popular music.

“Rather than high art music, these classes focus on music that is available and a part of cultural life of, I’d say, just regular people around the world, dance music especially,” says Sunshine. Music Cultures of the World explores popular music from Africa, Latin America, and many other regions, with styles including Gamelan from Indonesia and Qawwali from South Asia. “A lot of this popular music around the world stems from religious tradition. A good analog to this is gospel music in the United States, and the way that filters into popular music here. It’s musicians taking little kernels of what they learned in these devotional spaces and bringing it into the more mainstream popular contexts.”

One of Sunshine’s more popular classes is DJ Cultures and Dance Environments, which examines dance music scenes and the spaces in which communities congregate, and overlaps with Rhodes’ new dance minor. “In these histories of dance culture, they’re actually pretty subversive political spaces where the most marginalized

folks come together to party effectively, and you also see boundary crossing, where communities that might not have come together in the first place start to form these spaces.”

The electronic dance music focus in the class, which includes international spaces and a focus on Memphis hip-hop, has been appealing to students who are already interested in that genre of music. But it also traces a counter-history of communities of resistance that may not have found their way into the history books.

“In

today’s world, there’s sometimes change for the sake of change and a focus on the next new thing at the expense of values and traditions. The world is developing at a more rapid pace than most of us have experienced in our lifetimes, so I think it’s really important for an institution like Rhodes to be able to look at this program with an almost 90-year history.” — Jason Bishop ’98

“Sometimes these communities can herald things that are to come,” says Sunshine. “If you look at activist movements in America, movements like anti-apartheid in South Africa, a lot of these ideas got distributed in this dance context. And something like that is really intertwined with a place like Memphis, which has a deep history of both music and activism.”

While majors hone their understanding of music theory and history in the classroom, many are drawn to the department’s diverse vocal and instrumental ensembles available to all students. The Rhodes College Orchestra and Rhodes 100 Pep Band led by Jonathan Schallert, David Shotsberger’s Rhodes Jazz Ensemble, and Sunshine’s Archipelago Ensemble frequently perform on campus and around Memphis, while Chamber Ensembles offer more intimate experiences for students to further their performance skills. Many of these ensembles are deeply intertwined with Rhodes’ legacy in Memphis, but perhaps none more so than the Rhodes Singers vocal ensemble. Originating in 1934 under Louis Nicholas ’34, the program was cemented by Burnet C. Tuthill in 1937 and has been woven into the fabric of the college’s history. For almost a century, the college’s flagship vocal ensemble has performed a wide variety of choral repertoire in Memphis and around the country. Their prowess has even seen them tour internationally, with stops in Dublin, Rome, Poland, the Czech Republic, and many other destinations. For conductor Jason Bishop ’98, who also leads the Rhodes Choral Collaborative, taking up the mantle and continuing the Rhodes Singers legacy was a driving factor in his return to the college in 2024. “We’re not just integral to the history of music at Rhodes,” he

says, “but we’re integral to the history of music in Memphis. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra has its origins here as well, which was also founded by Tuthill.”

As a student, Bishop came to Rhodes with an interest in both languages and music, with a focus on Greek and Roman studies. Choir, it turned out, was the best path to pursue both. “My very first choir experience was right here at Rhodes, as a member of Rhodes Singers under Tony Lee Garner ’65, who had been here since the ’60s,” says Bishop. “I’d never done choir before, and I didn’t know at the time that choral music was an intersection of those two things. And the discovery that I could do both was huge for me.”

During Bishop’s senior year, Garner was unfortunately battling terminal cancer. The conductor decided that he would train Bishop to lead the ensemble when he was too ill and taught his understudy through intensive conducting lessons. Bishop ended up leading the Rhodes Singers tour his final semester, before Garner passed away later that summer.

The poignant experience has stuck with Bishop throughout his career. “It was nerve-wracking since I didn’t have a long history as a musician. But it was a professor who had confidence in me, and the willingness to push me. It was absolutely trial by fire, but in a very good way.”

Now back at Rhodes, Bishop feels a custodial responsibility as he takes the Rhodes Singers forward. “It’s as if I’m taking care of this really important program that, in a way, took care of me when I was a student.” Reflecting on his experience is a crucial part of how he views the Rhodes Singers as a whole. As the world continues to rapidly develop, he says, sometimes it’s beneficial

to take a breath and study what’s come before. “In today’s world, there’s sometimes change for the sake of change and a focus on the next new thing at the expense of values and traditions. The world is developing at a more rapid pace than most of us have experienced in our lifetimes, so I think it’s really important for an institution like Rhodes to be able to look at this program with an almost 90year history. It tells us a lot about who we are as a campus that we originated with music pretty high on our priority list. In that way, it’s really part of our DNA as an institution.”

In May, Bishop is taking the Rhodes Singers on its first-ever tour of the Baltic states, with stops in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to come the week after Commencement. “It looked like it could be a really fulfilling experience both musically and culturally,” says Bishop. “And that really fits into the ethos of our music department: to touch all things we think are required to be a complete musician. That’s theoretical knowledge, historical and cultural knowledge, and performance experience. And keeping this tradition going for further generations of students is a part of how we make that happen.”

From performing

to composing to leadership, Rhodes alumni are involved in every facet of the music industry.

Marcie Allen ’96, President and Founder, MAC Consulting

A The Music Makers

n interdisciplinary approach is vital to succeeding in the music industry, and Marcie Allen ’96 credits her Rhodes education as giving her the tools to do so. “It’s an industry where creativity and business have to coexist,” she says. “Memphis taught me that storytelling through sound can inspire change and bring people together, and Rhodes gave me the tools to turn that passion into purpose.”

Allen started small, handling artists’ management and marketing campaigns. She scaled up when she founded MAC Consulting 21 years ago, where she specializes in brand partnerships for artists. “We’re essentially the bridge between talent and the brands that want to connect with their audiences in a meaningful way.” Her skills have resulted in matchmaking between some big names: AT&T and John Mayer, Microsoft and Katy Perry, Samsung and Keith Urban. Her efforts are frequently recognized by Billboard, and have earned her board seats for the Country Music Association, Barclays Center, and Berklee College of Music.

Much of her work in music is forward-thinking, the connections she forges utilized to advance the industry. She recently helped launch the Sony Audio Institute at New York University, designed

to give creators and innovators access to industry professionals and new technology. “We look at this as an investment in the future of music innovation. It will benefit students now, but also have influence in ways that we will not see for many years by empowering the next generation.”

Allen also runs Anzie Blue, Nashville’s only female-owned music venue. “We’re creating a space for emerging and established talent to perform, connect, and grow. It’s a creative hub built on inclusivity, collaboration, and community—all values I first learned to appreciate in Memphis.”

But the key to success in the industry, says Allen, is people. “Build real relationships; don’t be afraid to start small and learn every aspect of the business. Be curious, be kind, and be prepared to work harder than you think you need to. The business side of music can be intense, but there’s also incredible opportunity for those willing to bet on themselves and stay true to their vision.”

Erick DeVore ’10, Composer for Film, Television, and Video Games

If you’ve turned on your television in the last decade, there’s a good chance the song you’re hearing was written by Erick DeVore ’10. And with his passion for music and computers, it’s no surprise he ended up scoring big Hollywood blockbusters and commercials. “I was a huge nerd growing up for movie soundtracks: John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman,” he recalls. And he credits Courtenay Harter for guiding him on the right path. “I was in her office and told her I wanted to pursue film music, and she helped me get an internship at 20th Century Fox.

The internship between his junior and senior year saw him meet Seth McFarlane during a scoring session for Family Guy, and later James Horner scoring the first Avatar film, before he had the chance to visit Zimmer’s studio. “I had just a couple minutes with a guy

named Mike Noble, and I told him I really want to meet Hans Zimmer and work for Hans Zimmer.”

Noble made a quick phone call, and DeVore landed an internship at Zimmer’s studio the summer after graduation.

In July of 2010 he packed his bags and moved straight to Los Angeles. He started freelancing in 2013 and built his own studio in 2018. Now, DeVore composes for television, movies, ads, and video games. “Stylistically, each medium is a different language that you have to adapt to, and within that each project can be so different. Sometimes we’ll get simple direction like ‘no piano,’ ‘mad dashery,’ or ‘final chapter action hero.’ I think back to my conversations with Hans and Steve [Jablonsky] about beauty through simplicity and how to build big, impactful cinematic scores, and shape it to whatever I need.”

DeVore has scored for some pretty big properties, including Transformers, The Lion King, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gears of War, and plenty others. For some projects, he’ll be aware of the full vision that he’s composing for. Other times, he’ll turn over his work without knowing how it will be utilized on screen. “It’s really exciting to see where my compositions will pop up.”

Raneem Imam ’20, Songwriter and Performer

The way Raneem Imam ’20 recalls it, she almost learned to perform before she learned to walk. “My mom loves to remind me that I was always singing and dancing on top of tables when I was young,” she says. “Performing was always instinctive to me, and I jumped at any chance to express myself.”

But her path to music wasn’t always so straightforward. Growing up, she wasn’t sure how to harness those natural abilities into something that would translate into a career. “Growing up in an immigrant family, creative paths weren’t the norm, and pursuing something unconventional wasn’t exactly encouraged.”

Her decision to follow music came gradually, and truly flourished when she dove into the industry during her time at Rhodes. “I owe a lot to Roc Sherrel ’17, who really took me under his wing my first year and taught me the ins and outs of recording and producing on my own. My professors were a constant source of support and guidance, and they saw potential in me before I even fully saw it myself.”

Imam immersed herself in every music class and off-campus opportunity, getting hands on experience at Royal Studios where she recorded her first EP, Dialogue. She’s now a fixture in the Memphis music scene, producing, writing songs, and performing at venues around Memphis. After releasing a live-recorded album, she plans to soon release her debut full-length studio album.

Rene Orth ’07, Composer

The accolades keep racking up for Rene Orth ’07

With a style described as “dramatic, reflective, and rarely predictable” from raving press outlets, and fresh off her three-year tenure as Composer-in-Residence at Opera Philadelphia and a “Best New Opera” award from the Music Critics Association of North America, Orth’s star floats high in the sky. And to think, she might have missed all that if she’d stuck with her corporate desk job shortly after graduation. “That job was soul crushing, and I was moving away from my passion: music.” But an email from Courtenay Harter, whom she had first met at Rhodes

After finishing up work on two additional documentaries and a movie in 2025, his attention turned back to Memphis after his recent Homecoming visit. “I’ve been talking to a producer, and we’re hoping to do a rock and roll and blues trailer album. I was visiting Sun Studios when I was in town for Homecoming and learned they still do sessions there, so if all goes well maybe we can record an album there.”

“I want people to feel something real at my shows,” she says. “I’m all about connection, emotion and storytelling; blending elements of pop, R&B, and soul with threads of my Arab heritage to create a sound that feels familiar and unexpected. The best songs usually start from a feeling, not a formula. What do you want to say, how do you see the world, what moments stay with you? That’s where the magic lives.”

Pursuing a career in music in her hometown of Memphis is an extra special experience. “There’s a rawness and honesty in the music scene here that reminds you why you fell in love with music in the first place,” she says. “You can’t help but absorb the history that lives in its street and studios, the legacy of artists like Otis Redding, Al Green, and Isaac Hayes.

“What excited me most, though, is being part of the next generation redefining what the city sounds like. We’re sitting on a gold mine of talent; the best DJs, rappers, singers, and producers are coming up right here in our streets.”

orientation, encouraged Orth to apply to a composition fellowship at University of Louisville. And she hasn’t looked back.

Orth’s compositions fuse mastery of classical tendencies with modern flourishes. Her 2021 opera TakTakShoo, for example, combines traditional opera with K-pop, electronic, and dance music. Much of her work incorporates electronic influences, whether it’s for opera, a large ensemble, or a small chamber group.

Her recent award-winning opera, 10 Days in a Madhouse (adapted from the Nellie Bly novel of the same name), follows the protagonist through her 10 days in an asylum, but bucks the operatic tradition of focusing on trauma and death in favor of something more timely and inspiring. “We set out to write something different,” Orth said about the opera. “A work focused on strength and perseverance against the continued societal biases working against us.”

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR LYNXKIND

The college’s small RHOK-SAT satellite could have big implications for renewable energy.

The Northgrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft carrying RHOK-SAT to the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)

T“Students have done everything in this project: They’ve handled computeraided design, fabrication of test pieces and actual space hardware, electrical design, solar cell science, creation of flight and communications software.”

Ann Viano

he Falcon 9 rocket carried within its cargo RHOK-SAT, a four-inch, cube-shaped satellite built entirely by Rhodes students for the purpose of testing novel solar cells in the environment of space. Its presence aboard the spacecraft meant that the satellite, the first of its kind produced by Rhodes, had received the stamp of approval from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and could officially embark on its scientific mission.

The road to that moment of triumph was a long one, filled with myriad challenges ranging from satellite construction to international technology partnerships and even to HAM radio certification and licensing with the FCC. But it’s a road that every contributor embraced from day one, when Board of Trustees member Dr. Charles W. Robertson, Jr. ’65 reached out to Rhodes with a proposal. Robertson, the founder of NanoDrop Technologies, Inc., has long been a staunch supporter of the sciences at Rhodes, providing financial support and his expertise for fellowships, projects, endowments, and facilities such as Robertson Hall, named for his parents. He’d had his eye on NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), a program that provides U.S. universities, high schools, and nonprofit organizations the opportunity to build and fly their own miniature satellites

aboard a NASA-sponsored rocket. If Rhodes applied to the program, he would be willing to provide funding for the project.

“I’d been watching other CubeSat projects, and it really looked like something that could get students really fired up and interested,” says Robertson. “I brought this to [professor of physics] Brent Hoffmeister P’25 in 2019, and we agreed Rhodes would be an excellent environment to take on a project such as this.”

But building the satellite was only one step; the proposal also required a scientific mission. In January 2020, professor of physics and department chair Ann Viano P’25 attended a conference where she began discussions with researchers from the Photovoltaic Materials and Devices Group, led by Dr. Ian Sellers of the University of Oklahoma (OU) (now at the University of Buffalo), about testing the behavior of perovskite photovoltaic cells in space. The group had expertise in characterizing cells but no way to check their performance in space. Together, Rhodes and OU could solve that problem. “If perovskite

“I’d been watching other CubeSat projects, and it really looked like something that could get students really fired up and interested,”

—Charles Robertson

’65

cells remain hardy in space,” says Viano, “they show great promise for long-duration missions far from the sun due to their high efficiency in converting light to electrical energy.”

Hoffmeister authored the proposal in 2020 in collaboration with other Rhodes faculty and Sellers’ team at OU, and it was officially accepted by NASA in 2021. Rhodes would build and produce the satellite, while OU provided a solar cell. Rhodes also looped in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO, to produce more cells. Work on the satellite, nicknamed RHOK-SAT due to the collaborative effort between Rhodes and OU, could begin.

Throughout the process, the Rhodes team was mentored by physics professors Bentley Burnham (who replaced professor Joseph McPherson after his departure from the college), Hoffmeister, and Viano, and mathematics and computer science professor Phil Kirlin. Students from those two departments, and others, have all contributed to the design of RHOK-SAT. While much of the background work proved bureaucratic in nature—Burnham frequently found himself on the phone with ISISPACE, a satellite solutions company in the Netherlands that manufactured various components required for the CubeSat model—the CSLI program is primarily educational in nature, and the faculty mentors stress that the students led the entire project themselves.

“Our focus was mainly on making sure students had the resources they needed to

complete the work,” says Viano. “Students have done everything in this project: They’ve handled computer-aided design, fabrication of test pieces and actual space hardware, electrical design, solar cell science, creation of flight and communications software. There is no class or set of classes that can give this extensive experience and foster a truer sense of teamwork for a common goal.”

Up to launch and beyond, there have been a lot of eyes on the project. The perovskite solar cells are layered thin-film materials with chemical compositions and atomic structures in the layers that lead to high output power when in sunlight. The name perovskite refers to the specific crystal structure in these thin-film layers, and the material has increased in solar efficiency in recent years. If successful, RHOK-SAT could showcase these cells as a viable new energy source for long-range space missions. “Our project is generating quite a bit of interest because there’s a lot of money behind developing this technology,” says Hoffmeister. “A lot of big players in the aerospace industry want to know how viable this is, but there really hasn’t been much research into it. So, they’ve been watching closely to see what we might find out.”

“Our project is generating quite a bit of interest because there’s a lot of money behind developing this technology. A lot of big players in the aerospace industry want to know how viable this is, but there really hasn’t been much research into it. So, they’ve been watching closely to see what we might find out.”

— Brent Hoffmeister

Jose Pastrana ’20 was introduced to the project shortly before graduating, but the nature of the work, and the excitement of building something to go into orbit, convinced him to stay involved in the project. Around his full-time job as an engineering manager at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Pastrana acted as lead engineer of the CubeSat program at Rhodes to liaise between the physics and computer science components of the project to make sure everything ran smoothly.

There have been plenty of moving pieces to maintain. In addition to constructing the satellite—putting together the durable shell, designing circuit boards and electrical components, and many other small implements—students also worked on software that ensured the satellite could consistently communicate with a ground station once it was in orbit.

“Students had to write all the software that keeps the satellite running while it’s up there,” says Kirlin, “which is much more challenging when the software is running on a computer up in space that you don’t have physical access to. That’s things like keeping the battery running, keeping the solar cells oriented towards the sun, handling any anomalous circumstances that might arise.

“Seeing it launch was the end of a pretty long journey for us. But it’s also the start of an exciting new one.” — Damian Nguyen ’25

“That software is also running and managing the scientific experiment,” he adds. “That’s data collection from the cells and sending it back to the ground station when the satellite is over either our ground station or one of the others around the planet we can tap into.”

When RHOK-SAT orbits above Rhodes, it will speak to a radio station that sits atop Rhodes Tower. The station—which includes an antenna, software-defined radio, and a microcontroller board—is part of SatNOGS, an open-source ground-station network in which users around the globe can receive satellite health data from other satellites. This means that, as RHOKSAT continues its orbit around the globe, Rhodes can tap into other stations in the network to gather data.

Getting licensed for that communication was another matter entirely. “There was so much paperwork and licensing we had to work through,” says Pastrana. “We were interfacing with so many agencies to get this approved. We had to make sure the Federal Communications Commission approved our signal. It just goes to show how many agencies are involved in a project like this, and we learned how to effectively maneuver within that framework.”

When a dedicated frequency for RHOKSAT proved prohibitively expensive, the team looked for other ways they could manage it. The answer came in the form of ham radio, and Rhodes filed an application with the International Amateur Radio Union. “We have a frequency to talk to the satellite, and a frequency for the satellite to talk to us,” says Burnham. The team then communicated that frequency to ISISPACE, who would tune electrical components to the appropriate frequences before shipping them to Rhodes.

Getting approval for an amateur frequency comes with the expectation of giving back to the amateur radio community; in addition to transmitting data, RHOK-SAT will be used as a “repeater” for amateur operators. “The frequences are made public,” adds Burnham, “so operators can talk to a buddy across the globe by bouncing it off our satellite.”

The lead-up to launch day was a nervous one for the Rhodes CubeSat team. Six years of research, labor, and painstaking craftsmanship from more than 30 students were about to come to fruition on a singular rocket launchpad in Florida. But first, the weather needed to clear up. Threats of rain and heavy cloud coverage could have indefinitely delayed the launch. But come launch day, the skies were mostly sunny. “NASA really turned the whole thing into a party,” says Burnham. “People were so excited about what was going to happen, and it was such a great experience for us to be there in person.”

RHOK-SAT was situated aboard Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, carried on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). After being pushed from the ISS on Dec. 2, it is expected to remain in orbit for about a year. Data collection will last for about nine months, and the satellite will act as a repeater until it wears down.

beyond the academic environment.”

The minutes leading up to launch offered a moment of reflection for the team. “I’ve made a lot of new friends working on RHOK-SAT,” says Tang, a computer science major who contributed to both the hardware and software aspects of the project. “Since the solar cells are easy to manufacture, we’re hoping that we can see some real applications from this research. Plus, having something sent to space is a very cool thing to have done in college.”

For Nguyen, who worked on developing the payload, it was an especially sweet moment. The CubeSat project had attracted him to Rhodes from Hanoi, Vietnam. But the experience and the launch were only the first step for him. “I really wanted to get real, hands-on engineering experience and have direct experience in the aerospace industry. This was one of the biggest factors in me coming to Rhodes, so I’m happy to see it pay off.”

Some of the earlier CubeSat participants have used the project as a launching point for their own careers in the aerospace industry. Olivia Kaufman ’23 works as a satellite systems engineer at CesiumAstro, Benjamin Wilson ’22 is an engineer at AVS US, while Guiliana Hofheins ’22 is a Ph.D. candidate in aerospace engineering at Cornell University, to name but a few. “Students who have participated in the project are garnering great success in aerospace engineering,” says Viano. “It has also opened doors to summer internship opportunities in the field. Several high school students have volunteered on the project as well, and hope to matriculate to Rhodes.”

Like some of his predecessors, Nguyen plans to continue working in the aerospace field. “After graduation, I became the technical lead of the continued CubeSat project in the physics department, and we hope that we can use all our experience to pursue another project,” he says. “Seeing it launch was the end of a pretty long journey for us. But it’s also just the start of an exciting new one.”

Viano, Hoffmeister, Burnham, and Robertson all gathered at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to watch the launch along with Pastrana, Damian Nguyen ’25, and Kerry Tang ’27. Back on campus, Theo Akritidis ’27 hosted a CubeSat launch watch party in the Spence Wilson Room in Briggs Hall. The chance for students to live these unique experiences is why Robertson supported the project in the first place. He recalls his own trip as a student with physics professor Jack H. Taylor ’60 to Alaska in 1963 to measure a solar eclipse. “At that time, there was really no way to get good data from the corona except during an eclipse, so we mounted spectroscopy instruments on World War II gun mounts at an airfield. That was an incredible experience, one led by students. I think back to the opportunity I had to tackle a big project like that, and it’s really important that students are able to continue having these scientific projects

2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

Established in 1983, the Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize alumni who have brought honor to Rhodes through extraordinary achievement in their profession and community. Recipients enter the Alumni Hall of Fame, which is located outside of Hardie Auditorium in Southwestern Hall. The awards are presented at the Annual Convocation of the Rhodes College Alumni Association during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend each fall.

Last year’s inductees were MaryKay L. Carlson ’81 (Distinguished Alumni Award), Darrell Cobbins ’97 (BSA Distinguished Alumni Award), and Kim Macharia ’18 (Young Alumni Award).

Dr. Charles W. Robertson, Jr. ’65 — Distinguished Alumni Award Winner

Charles Robertson, Jr. ’65 was named the Distinguished Alumni of the Year by the Alumni Executive Board. He has roots that run deep at Rhodes. His father, Dr. C.W. Robertson, a biology professor, was a member of the Class of 1929, and his mother, Lola Ellis Robertson, a teacher, was in the Class of 1933. His parents were both scientists and educators, and they inspired his lifelong love of science. Robertson shares his passion for science through his continued support of Rhodes and its students.

Robertson holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Rhodes and a Ph.D. in physics from Florida State University. He worked for the DuPont chemical company for 29 years before he and his wife, Patricia, founded NanoDrop Technologies in Wilmington, DE, which was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2007.

Under his leadership, NanoDrop pioneered microvolume instrumentation techniques that allow scientists to quickly and easily quantify and assess the purity of samples such as proteins and nucleic acids. NanoDrop instruments have been utilized in fields such as genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, molecular diagnostics, and bio-manufacturing.

A Rhodes trustee, Robertson and his wife are both members of the Benefactor’s Circle and Rhodes Society,

and have generously funded various fellowships, projects, and facilities in the sciences. Dedicated in 2017, Robertson Hall on campus is named for Robertson’s parents.

Robertson also established the Jack H. Taylor Scholarship in Physics and the Charles W. Robertson Endowment for Student Research and Engagement in Physics. His gift of the Zeiss Confocal Microscope System helps support faculty research in the Department of Biology. More recently, Rhodes College has established a $1 million endowment, thanks to the generosity of the Robertsons, that will support facultyled biology research projects.

Robertson encouraged Rhodes to develop a proposal for NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and generously provided funding for the project, which culminated in the successful RHOK-SAT satellite. He joined the Rhodes CubeSat team at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station this September to watch the successful launch of RHOK-SAT with the Northrop Grumman CRS-23 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Rhodes awarded him the 2008 Distinguished Service Medal. Robertson also received a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, in 2023.

Joy Bowen ’97 — BSA Distinguished Alumni Award Winner

Joy Bowen ’97 was the recipient of the Black Student Association (BSA) Distinguished Alumni Award, which is selected by the current members of the association. As a native Memphian, she has always held immense pride for both her hometown and Rhodes. And over her last two decades of success in the banking industry, she has embodied servant leadership, with a steadfast focus on always giving back to the community.

Bowen currently serves as senior vice president, treasury management for Pinnacle Bank, where she oversees all facets of treasury management for the Memphis market. Prior to joining Pinnacle Bank, she held various positions at First Tennessee Bank. But while her success as a financial executive has made her a big name in the local banking industry, she is equally well regarded by her peers in public service and philanthropic organizations. She continues to volunteer her time to several boards, including the Memphis Urban League, Dress for Success, RISE Memphis, Memphis Museum of Science and History, South City Museum

Brooks Lamb ’17 — Young Alumni Award

Brooks Lamb ’17 was named the recipient of the Young Alumni Award by the Alumni Exeutive Board. He published Overton Park: A People’s History in 2019, a book he began writing while a student at Rhodes. Now he has a second book out, titled Love for the Land: Lessons from Farmers Who Persist in Place.

In this new book, Lamb draws from in-depth interviews and on-theground experiences to tell the stories of small- and mid-scale farmers who continue caring for their land despite challenges such as farmland loss from suburban sprawl, agricultural consolidation, and, for farmers of color, racial injustice.

and Cultural Center, and Regional One Health Foundation.

“I have the pleasure of professionally working for an organization that is committed to Memphis and the betterment of its people through the engagement of financial services and education,” says Bowen. “I am also active with numerous community-focused organizations which are rooted in service. Memphis has a lot of both short term and extended needs, but it also has an enormous amount of opportunity for everyone to serve. I just want to do my part to help, and service is the ultimate way to help. My work and service allow me the opportunity to collaborate with others who also see the vision for a successful Memphis now and in the future.”

While at Rhodes, Bowen was a member of the Black Student Association and of the Omicron Chi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She served as president of the Omicron Chi chapter from 1996-1997, where she led the chapter in serving both the campus and greater Memphis community in the areas of the arts and civic engagement. After graduation, she strengthened her ties to Rhodes by serving as an adjunct faculty member and as a Rhodes International Alumni Association Board Member. Bowen’s involvement with Rhodes has continued to grow over the years, as she recently served on the Host Committee for the 2023 Women’s Breakfast and Business Cards series.

Regan Adolph ’16, also help care for his family’s farm in Chapel Hill, TN. He has also taught as an adjunct at Rhodes in recent years. Lamb received the Truman Scholarship while a student at Rhodes, and worked as rural conservation manager for The Land Trust for Tennessee after graduation.

He also earned a master’s degree from Yale School of the Environment. There, he won the prestigious Strachan Donnelley Award.

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME 2025

Daniel Brunner ’06 Football

Hunter Chandler ’11 Baseball

Bill Cochran

Head Men’s Golf Coach

Josh Cockerham ’00

Men’s Basketball

Lamb is the land protection and access specialist at American Farmland Trust. When they can find time, he and his wife,

“Rhodes is a special place. The college helped make me who I am,” says Lamb. “For experiences in the Memphis community, conversations with friends and classmates, and academic and life lessons from world-class professors, I will always be grateful for my holistic Rhodes education.”

Jessica Brown Harris ’14 Softball

Brad Jenkins ’92

Football and Baseball

Lauren Avant Sumski ’14

Women’s Basketball

GOING FOR GOLD

Student-athletes relish the competitive environment of Rhodes athletics

Athletes always strive for the greatest heights, aiming to hit the top spot on the podium or take home the gold no matter the competition. That competitive fire is constantly stoked among Rhodes students, who routinely appear on First Team rosters in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA). While change and turnover are common in organized sports, students who choose to pursue athletics at Rhodes always find both a winning and supportive environment waiting for them.

Athletics are a major part of the Rhodes appeal; there are 553 varsity athletes during the 2025-2026 academic year (almost a third of the student body) honing their craft among 23 men’s and women’s NCAA DIII athletic programs—not to mention the numerous club and intramural sports available to students. And with a history of competitive teams, those 23 successful programs are a major draw for prospective students looking to improve. “We survey outgoing studentathletes upon graduation, and 95 percent say they wouldn’t have picked a school if their sport wasn’t offered,” says athletic director Jim Duncan P’22. “Students who apply to Rhodes are academically gifted, but the athletic portion is pulling some really good students here who might not have looked here if we didn’t have that really good athletic component.”

In the 2024-25 season, Rhodes racked up the trophies, garnering seven SAA Championships, including team efforts from Men’s Swimming and diving, Baseball, Women’s Golf, and Men’s Lacrosse. Rhodes had 400 student-athletes named to the SAA Academic Honor Roll and 60 recognized by College Sports Communicators (CSC) as Academic All District Athletes. The overall athletics department GPA hovered around 3.5, speaking to excellence both on and off the field.

“The Rhodes mission is to help develop well-rounded students,” says Duncan. “Academics is the key component of that, so we work alongside faculty to make sure that our student-athletes are getting as much as they can academically, athletically, and from the community. It can be tough at times to balance those expectations of what

constantly in communication with all the relevant parties.”

Senior Giana Vlahakos ’26, a member of the women’s basketball team from Houston, TX, has felt that support since she first started her basketball career in Memphis. “I have felt supported at Rhodes from the minute I stepped on campus. Athletically, the coaches and our athletic director ensure that we have what we need, as they understand the demands of a rigorous academic institution. Moreover, they encourage us to take full advantage of

“On the academic side, professors are very accommodating and willing to work with us when we have to miss class for games. With such small class sizes, building relationships with professors is still very doable throughout our absences for games and something I really value about Rhodes. It’s been an environment where I feel like I can compete at a high level while still growing academically and personally.”

Outside of practice, games, and class, making sure a potential team is the right fit is a big part of choosing the right college. That was never a concern for Vlahakos during her college search. “I was initially

drawn to Rhodes by the welcoming coaching staff and the location of the school in a big city. Beyond that, I wanted to be a part of a winning culture and tight-knit group of players that were to become my teammates. During my visit, all the girls made a real effort to get to know me and my family, which made Rhodes feel like a great fit and somewhere I could see myself growing on and off the court.”

Vlahakos has been a mainstay in the Rhodes’ starting lineup during her four years, with a personal highlight coming in the 2023-24 season when she was named SAA Defensive Player of the Year. Playing basketball at Rhodes has allowed her to flourish as she has worked closely with head women’s basketball coach Judi VigneulleThurman on improving individual aspects of her game. “Playing under Coach T has been very rewarding,” she says. “She holds each of us to high standards but helps us meet those expectations. I appreciate that she puts an emphasis on winning, and she is extremely detail-oriented, especially on the defensive end. Coach T has helped me improve my midrange game and has made me a more confident and smarter player. I am extremely grateful to have a coach that cares about us not only as players, but as students and people.”

Even the newer athletic programs have quickly established a base for their athletes to succeed. The Men’s Lacrosse team, which started as a varsity sport at Rhodes in 2012, has quickly established itself as a dominant force in the SAA. Team captain

Rhodes has been an environment where I feel like I can compete at a high level while still growing academically and personally.

—Giana Vlahakos ’26

Lucas Pagliarulo ’26 from Medford, MA, has thrived as a key player on his team. “My experience as a student-athlete has been really great,” he says. “We’ve had a really good platform to succeed and have had a lot of success come with that. My first two seasons we were unable to win the conference, but last year we won the championship and went on to compete in the national tournament.” Pagliarulo credits Coach Billy Cameron with his

own personal improvement, as well as the team’s. “Thanks to him, we have been able to grow and succeed so rapidly.”

While Rhodes has elevated both their games, both Pagliarulo and Vlahakos note their personal growth as individuals. For Pagliarulo, that has manifested as a leadership role for a successful group of young men. “As a player voted captain for the last two seasons and this coming season, I have been fortunate to lead and represent Rhodes Lacrosse as we have built up our reputation as a nationally competitive program. The support from the coaching staff and athletic department has allowed me to grow as a leader and a person while at Rhodes, contributing to both individual and team success on and off the field.”

On the court, Vlahakos channels her energy and determination into stout defensive play that can turn defense into offense. “I go into games knowing that I can impact the game without even having the ball, and I can create opportunities for myself and others.” Off it, she harnesses that same mindset to benefit the student body as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), an organization dedicated to protecting student-athletes’ well-being, creating a positive environment for athletes, and promoting engagement within athletics. “SAAC gives me the space to collaborate and network with other student-athletes to advocate for changes they wish to see. This role allows me to make sure athletes’ voices are heard. I want to help shape the Rhodes athletic experience in a positive way and make sure everyone feels valued and supported, because I feel like that is important to be able to compete at this level.

“As president,” she continues, “one of the

most important things I do is bridge the gap between the athletes and the athletic administration as well as the greater Rhodes community. Leading SAAC has given me the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than just my team alone, and I see it as both a responsibility and a privilege to listen to what my fellow athletes need.”

The support from the coaching staff and athletic department has allowed me to grow as a leader and a person.

— Lucas Pagliarulo ’26

Athletes like Vlahakos and Pagliarulo continue to drive Rhodes Athletics forward, but there are many making their mark (see the Athletics Recap on page 10 for updates from the fall 2025 semester) both individually or as part of a team. Alumni continue to support athletes by attending football games at Homecoming or CajunFest, attending other competitions at Rhodes throughout the year, or through their donations. The 2025 Athletics Day of Giving donations of over $450,000 from more than 1,070 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and students surpassed last year’s total and will continue to provide resources for teams. “I like to tell people this isn’t a four-year commitment to athletics,” says Duncan, “but a 40-year commitment. Because it’s amazing how people stay connected to the teams they were part of and continue to show their support in many ways.”

a points component, and we tally them all up based on results and see who wins between us at the end of the season.

Underpinning it all is the healthy RhodesSewanee rivalry that has flourished for decades. Rhodes and Sewanee football have contested the Edmund Orgill Cup for generations, and that rivalry has been expanded to include a comprehensive running head-to-head tally between all the sports teams. “We call it the Battle of the Bluffs,” says Duncan. “Whenever one of our teams plays each other head-to-head, there’s

“A lot of athletes had been requesting that they have something similar to the Orgill Cup. Two like-minded schools in what we’re trying to achieve, battling it out across the season. It’s another way to add a new chapter to this historic rivalry, and is just really fun for our athletes and community to be involved with.”

Student Spotlight JOHNATHAN BURCH

The Rhodes Student Government President is on a mission to serve others, both at home and abroad.

Shortly after the start of his college career, Johnathan Burch ’27 knew he eventually wanted to study abroad. There was just one problem: he didn’t have a passport.

The easy option would have been a quick solo trip to the post office to fill out an application; but if you pay attention to his time at Rhodes, it’s quickly apparent that Burch prioritizes others first. After joining Rhodes Student Government (RSG) as a senator during his first year, he quickly set up a passport fair on campus, inviting passport agents to help students through the process. He also looped in the student government at nearby Christian Brothers University so that their student body could also take advantage of the opportunity. “All told, we were able to secure passports for about 20 students, including myself,” says Burch.

Now as RSG president, the Posse Foundation Scholar and junior from Charlotte, NC, continues to prioritize the student body through his campuswide efforts. For Burch, a vital component of his role is to make sure that his constituents are

heard. He recently supported the initiation of campuswide Passion Projects, which give students a platform to share their ideas for improving campus. “They will come to us with a proposal and an application to apply for funds to realize their vision,” says Burch.

“For projects that are approved, an RSG senator will make the official request for funding, but we’re just here to support; all the credit goes to the students who bring the idea forward.” Burch says the project has been a big success so far, with some students striving to improve indoor and outdoor on-campus spaces and others looking to host workshops that bring local artists to campus. “Our idea was to show that every student voice will be heard.”

Service comes naturally to Burch thanks to his grandmother. “I remember one day she sat me and my cousins down and said that she wanted us to serve society,” recalls Burch, “whether that be through the church, medicine, law, education, or however we wanted to do it.” While most of his family members gravitated toward medicine or education, he found himself drawn to politics and law.

The summer before his sophomore year, Burch secured an internship with Church Health. As a clinical quality improvement intern, he worked closely with the Memphis community and helped uninsured patients find care. Following that internship, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to be a junior faculty advisor for the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. The advisors served alongside teaching and faculty members from around the country as they provided college advice to more than 1,000 students.

As part of the program, Burch spent a day shadowing Senator Cory Booker, following him through the Congressional tunnels and all the way to the Senate floor, where he watched Booker cast a vote. “I was able to talk with him about my interest in healthcare policy and medical law, and he said I should follow the issues that I’m truly passionate about. And it crystallized that my path forward would be through the political science major, along with the health equity and philosophy minors at Rhodes to give me a full picture.” Health care is a personal issue for Burch, who lost his mother to brain cancer in high school. “There was something about her case that didn’t sit right,” he recalls. “As we looked into it, we met others who struggled with a lack of clear information about relatives’ cases or struggled to find the right treatment due to problems with insurance. And it really drove home that this is an area that we could really improve in our country.”

While continuing to hone his policy skills through RSG and as a member of Rhodes’ highly competitive Mock Trial Team, Burch was selected for the prestigious Douglass-O’Connell Global Internship Award. That passport came in handy, as the internship provided a fully funded, eightweek international internship program in Dublin, Ireland, this past summer. Sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange and the African American Irish Diaspora Network, the internship provides students with real-world work experience in Ireland and a chance to learn about Irish history and culture, as well as the social justice impact and business acumen of civil rights leaders Frederick Douglass and Daniel O’Connell. “Daniel was known as a liberator in Dublin, fighting for emancipation from Britain, and Dr. Douglass was doing the same thing in America,” Burch says. “The two men met in Ireland, and it was really inspiring how their paths crossed and that we could look at what they did and say, ‘OK, this is the kind of work I want to do.’”

they’ve experienced a miscarriage of justice and have also exhausted other legal means,” says Burch. He dove into reading and revisions, studying the Irish constitution and watching Irish barristers in court. He later attended the O’Connell 250 Symposium at Trinity College in Dublin. During one of the talks, the presenter put Burch and his colleague’s photo on screen and lauded their work. This drew a standing ovation from the audience, which included Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin.

His work with the Innocence Project built on Rhodes’ two-part Justice in the Courts class, co-taught by politics & law department chair Erin Dolgoy and director of mock trial Anna Eldridge in collaboration with criminal justice nonprofit Just City (led by Josh Spickler ’97). Burch and other students were introduced to professionals working in and around the legal system, from forensic investigators to public defenders to police officers.

Those experiences gave Burch pause on which track of law he would like to pursue as a professional. But before he decides whether he’ll tackle healthcare policy or criminal defense, he remains focused on listening to his peers and improving the campus experience. In the fall 2025 semester, he opened a dialogue with the Sewanee student body president to coordinate a group of presidents among other institutions in

The trip saw stops in Cork and Belfast before Burch began his eight-week internship with the Innocence Project at Griffith College Law School. He worked alongside a student from Maynooth University in Ireland, as well as with Irish Innocence Project co-director Jane McGowan. “As an extension of the work done in the United States, the Irish Innocence Project works to exonerate wrongly convicted individuals who believe

the Association of Colleges in the South. “We’re putting together a group where we can exchange ideas about things that are happening in the current climate, see how other schools are responding to that, and just get a gauge on the national pulse. But that collaboration with Sewanee,” he says, “doesn’t extend to the football field.”

While he mulls another run for RSG president his senior year, Burch wants to continue bringing more voices to the table. “We want to build a stronger Rhodes community with all the unique perspectives from students, alumni, faculty, and staff.”

Celebrating 100 Years in Memphis

Throughout 2025, Rhodes celebrated the 100th anniversary of the college’s move to Memphis from Clarksville, TN. For a century, Rhodes has nurtured a connection to Memphis that runs deep, building relationships with the friends and organizations that also call this city home. To celebrate that legacy, the college hosted several special events showcasing alumni, faculty, community partners, and plenty of good music.

On September 26, International Paper CEO Andy Silvernail visited with students to discuss his work, before joining President Collins later that morning for a public discussion in Blount Auditorium.

October 18 marked the 2025 iteration of Rhodes Night at the Shell. Special guest artist and trumpeter Muneer Nasser headlined the show at the Overton Park Shell, along with performances from the Rhodes Faculty Players and Rhodes Jazz Ensemble. Alumni

mingled with faculty and staff in a special VIP section sponsored by Truist.

Stephen Haynes, professor of religious studies, moderated “Lynx to the Past: A Conversation About Rhodes’ Connections to Memphis” on November 11, a panel discussion featuring Dr. Russ Wigginton ’88, president of the National Civil Rights Museum, and Sally Jones Heinz ’81, executive director of the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association.

The Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center for Community Engagement is leading the ongoing Rhodes Into Memphis: 100 Years of Service campaign throughout the centennial year. Building on the legacy of the Laurence F. Kinney program, the campaign pledges 50,000 hours of service to local community partners through the 2025-2026 academic year.

It is impossible for me to imagine Rhodes campus without the Paul Barret, Jr. Library.

— President Jennifer Collins

ABARRET LIBRARY TURNS 20!

midst all the centennial celebrations taking place at Rhodes over the last year, the college also commemorated another important milestone. The Paul Barret, Jr. Library, a cornerstone of campus, marked its 20th anniversary with a large gathering of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and many key players involved in its construction.

“It is impossible for me to imagine Rhodes campus without the Paul Barret, Jr. Library,” said President Jennifer Collins at the event. “This is such a beautiful and inspiring space—filled with books and knowledge, our talented and dedicated library and information services staff, and so much more.

On any given day, you will find classes, faculty meetings, and student organization programs; early morning, late night, and weekend study sessions and group projects; community gatherings, reunion celebrations, board of trustee meetings, receptions, dinners, academic lectures, and private graduation ceremonies. It is a place where Rhodes community members gather with friends, classmates, faculty, and colleagues, consume large quantities of coffee, and literally live during exam week.”

Opened on August 23, 2005, the $42 million, 140,000-square-foot Barret Library remains the largest single commitment in the college’s history.

“We dream of a library that is the new heart of the campus, serving as its architectural, intellectual, and emotional center,” former president William E. Troutt told the Rhodes community when the library first opened its doors. Its award-winning design, created via the longstanding partnership with architectural firm Hanbury, is a testament to Rhodes’ signature Collegiate Gothic Style, filled to the brim with both inspirational and functional spaces for academic and student life.

pray/meditate, and, partnering with Student Disabilities Services in Student Life, we have the Distraction Reduced Testing Room for students,” says Barret Library director Darlene Brooks. “The Writing Center is located on the main floor, and a Peer Coaching room is located on the second floor along with an Entrepreneurial Hub.”

The library is also home to the archives, comprising five unique collections from old photos to documents to rare books. Curated under the meticulous eye of Associate Director of Library Services Bill Short ’71, the materials contained within trace the college’s history and offer student workers the chance to engage with that history in a hands-on way. “Whatever items come into our archives,” says Short, “they are here for the purpose of teaching and learning.”

On August 22, 2025, the Rhodes community and representatives from Hanbury and the general contracting firm Grinder, Taber, & Grinder, along with Troutt and former members of the library information services staff, gathered for a reception in the library to celebrate the heart of campus and reminisce on all the memories created there over the last two decades.

Many students have found themselves at home in the beautiful library, settling in with study materials among its Gothic limestone arches, chandeliers, stained glass windows, and shelves upon shelves of books.

Through the last 20 years, Barret Library has continued to expand, building out further spaces and services to enhance the student experience. “Now we have a state-of-the-art podcast studio, a flexible space for teaching and learning, a space for students to

Scott Newstok, executive director of the Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities and professor of English, spoke to those gathered on the significance of Barret Library. “I arrived at Rhodes in 2007, two years after Barret opened. Yet I saw the library in my mind well before I ever wandered its stacks in person,” he recalled. “In short, the centrality of this library was one of the many things that drew me to Rhodes. Barret has since become my second home, as I know it is for many colleagues and students and alumni and friends. We come here for books, of course—but also for classes and for meetings, for lectures and for screenings, for solitary study and for group gathering, for respite—and for help . . . Together, we renew the library whenever we bring our minds to bear upon its collections—something I trust that Rhodes College will continue to support for decades to come.”

Barret Trustees John Douglas ’48, Graves Leggett, and Barret Trust attorney Lewis R. Donelson ’38 break ground on December 12, 2002.

HOMECOMING/REUNION WEEKEND 2025

For more Homecoming/Reunion Weekend 2025 photos, please scan the QR code or visit rhodes.edu/homecoming.

Rhodes Royalty Court (l to r): Seniors Rachel Carroll, Nur Hamada, Jasmine Jeffries, Anthony

Malcolm Oliver, and Ellen Ouyang

Rhodes College alumni, students, faculty, and staff gathered on campus to celebrate Homecoming/Reunion Weekend 2025 on the weekend of October 24. The whole Lynx community joined together to swap stories, catch up, and reminisce about their favorite memories from college. Some alumni dropped in to classes or rekindled their passion for Whiteball, while others gathered outside Rhodes Tower on Friday evening to witness the annual Pumpkin Drop.

CajunFest 2025

For more CajunFest photos, please scan the QR code or visit rhodes.edu/CajunFest.

The Rhodes community feasted on gumbo, jambalaya, po’ boys, and plenty of delectable Louisiana cuisine at CajunFest on Nov. 8. Created in 2004 by former Rhodes athlete Joby Dion ’99, CajunFest has grown to become one of the most anticipated annual events on campus: a celebration of Rhodes pride steeped in the best flavors of Louisiana.

Did you graduate prior to 1957 and have news you would love to share?

Please send your news to:

Tracy V. Patterson ’84, P’22 pattersont@rhodes.edu

Senior Gift Planning Officer, Director of Corporate Relations Rhodes College, 2000 N. Parkway Memphis, TN 38112

If you are not receiving requests for updates from your Class Reporter, please send your e-mail address to alumni@rhodes.edu. You may also need to add your Class Reporter’s email address to your list of contacts.

1955

class notes

1956

Discover the Adventure of a Lifetime! In Blue Collar Doctor: An Adventure in Living, step into the extraordinary life of Dr. Jeff Justis—orthopedic and hand surgeon by profession, adventurer and pilot by passion. In this captivating collection of vignettes, Dr. Justis shares stories from his 45-year medical career and his remarkable 71 years of flying.

Charlotte Ann Black (center, front row) was in Atlanta, GA, on May 25, 2025, for the wedding of her granddaughter, Charlotte Hurst. A number of Rhodes graduates, including Charlotte’s daughters (pictured to her right and left), were also in attendance. Front row: Toddie Peters ‘89, Charlotte P. Sargent ‘86, Charlotte Ann Black Sargent ‘56, Ann Sargent ‘90, Stacy Gerard Miller ‘90. Back rows, from left: Katie Cowan Sentilles ‘89, Rucker Agee ‘91, Marci Deshaies Woodmansee ‘90, Randy Mason, Oliver Hurst ‘24, Heather Johnson ‘90, David Hurst ‘90, and Caroline Ball ‘90

1957

Reporter: Mary Frances Files Silitch silitch@gmail.com

From Mary Files Silitch: “My dear friend Aleta Chappelle has been producing Shakespeare plays in the Botanical Garden in Lisbon, Portugal, for several years. She recently formed a nonprofit, Open Air Shakespeare, and I’m on the board as treasurer. Last year’s production was Macbeth, starring Harry Lennix, who this year received a Tony nomination for his role in Purpose on Broadway. The production won Best Play, and Aleta and I went to see it!”

1958

Reporter: John Quinn jhquinnjr@gmail.com

Robert Templeton reports: “First, I am alive and well! Life is filled with family happenings. Three college graduations, two weddings and one granddaughter expecting twin girls. Travel has consisted of going up and down the east coast to sporting events. We do host Sunday family dinner with ten to fifteen attending. We are fortunate to have so many close by.”

John Quinn recently visited Donnie Cross ’60 (The Rev. A. Donovan Cross) at the Parsons Memorial Church in Yankeetown, FL, of which he

1959

Reporter: Dan Logan danlogan318@gmail.com

1960

is the pastor. “We had a nice visit in Florida with Donnie, his wife, Sue, and his son, Patrick, and Patrick’s wife. Donnie graduated from Southwestern/ Rhodes in 1960 and went to (now) Union Presbyterian Seminary from which he graduated in 1963.

Reporters: Dale Pflug (229)392-1738 Morris Reagan trawickr@aol.com

1961 65th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Harvey Jenkins whjenkinsjr@gmail.com

This past year I published my fourth small book of sermons under the title For Goodness’ Sake. Johanna and I continue to have various health issues monitored by medical practitioners, but we are pleased to say that compared to the health of the world and that of many of our friends, we are doing rather well.

We will celebrate the 50th anniversary in February. Ken Barker states that he has received a copy of the book The Essential Mack Prichard: Writings of a Conservation Hero from Mack’s sister Delores Keller. The book was edited by Mary Priestly. Ken writes, “During my teaching days at Canisius College, I invited Mack Prichard to give a presentation to the Tri Beta Society, a biology club. He held us enthralled. He was a magnificent photographer and his slides were striking.”

Adele Wolf Grilli writes from Locust Grove, AR, “Greetings to all ’61 classmates. Wish I could say I’m working on my third novel and have just finished a month-long trek up and down Everest. Alas, I am sitting on my back porch watching

the White River flow by. Guido and I don’t do much traveling other than to Memphis to see our daughter and son-in-law and other family, or to Fayetteville to see our son and his family.”

Bill and Marlene Peeples Howard ’62 have enjoyed retirement for the last 23 years at Wintergreen, a planned development in Nellysford, VA. Bill reports that last year Here to Stay Wintergreen was organized to provide resources for those who are aging in place. He goes on to say, “HTSW is one of the sponsors of Blue Ridge Respite, a program for those with Parkinson’s or early dementia which meets three times per week at another primary sponsor, Rockfish Presbyterian Church.”

Harry Swinney tells us that having recently attended several 50th wedding anniversary parties, he and his wife Beth decided to celebrate their 25th anniversary. He writes, “On August 12th, we had a lively gathering where Beth’s son (a guitarist) and his wife (a soprano) provided the music. Beth’s granddaughter now lives with us and is a freshman in a nearby college.”

1962

Reporter: Diane McCullough Clark granddiva@charter.net

Laney R. Mills writes that between August 13 and Sept. 13 he suffered an episode of “brain bleed.” He had never heard of that condition, which is something akin to a stroke. He thinks and acts normally but can only walk a step or two and can’t type worth a “%tfjk6.” He hopes to have a more positive report in the new year.

Warren Nance says he still has the time and ability to walk at least five days a week for 45-50 minutes. He is still preaching every Sunday and reads for enjoyment on a daily basis.

From Dave McAdoo: “There are those who would say I’m crazy, but I’m still doing the farming thing, albeit much, much more slowly. Dragging this 85-year-old body around can be a challenge at times, but with significant help from a terrific neighbor we manage to get it all done.”

Catherine Liddell Skapura writes that she is the house hostess for a 1-year birthday party for her granddaughter, Viviana. Her only duty is to clean the bathroom! Otherwise, she can just enjoy being a doting grandma.

From Cookeville, TN, Juanita Shettlesworth writes that she is not doing much kicking but still manages a morning mile-and-a-half walk around the neighborhood and has no major health issues, so life is good.

Diane McCullough Clark reports: “In July, Memphis-born poet Richard Tillinghast, who has presented his work at Rhodes, invited about 70

of his high school classmates to a book-signing at Burke’s Book Store for his newest book, Night Train to Memphis. One email led to a flurry of others, and I offered to host a Zoom reunion for the Memphis Central High School class of 1958, which originally included some 23 members of the Rhodes class of 1962.”

From Carolyn Bunky Haigler Ikenberry: “In June I moved from a four-story house packed with trash and treasures, where I lived for 40+ years, raised our family, and made a beautiful native plant garden. I’m now in a house ¼ of that size, near one of my daughters—perfect for me at this stage of life.”

A report from Chris Mays indicates that he finally “retired” from the organ responsibilities at his church in April of 2025. He had been playing the organ at churches intermittently for 72 years, having started in Memphis at the age of twelve.

Charles and Martha Ann Gooch Hogrefe write: “Greetings, Rhodes classmates! We were again able to travel to Colorado this past summer for a wonderful vacation with our family. A highlight of our time there was having lunch with Bill and Mary Beth Mankin who live in Boulder and are still able to travel.”

Comments from Jocelyn Dan Wurzburg: “So lucky to live in Memphis: Nine theater companies, jazz in numerous venues, and classical music available with chamber concerts and two symphonies. Just trying to feed my soul. I throw in a Grizzlies basketball game sometimes, and Rhodes has terrific speakers and adult ed classes. Still working—just mediating now, no law. Can we Zoom more?”

Marilyn Stewart Daniel writes that she and John ’60 welcomed their second great-grandchild this year: Marilyn Mae Syed.

Duke McCall reports: “I practiced law in Greenville, SC, for fifty years, and I am now enjoying retirement working with the Salvation Army.”

Musings from Bill Davidson: “On the 100th year of the college arriving in Memphis, two themes come to mind. First, I am moved to remember fondly early colleagues of my father, Junius E. Davidson, Jr. ’32, when he was at Southwestern: the Jones brothers, Rev. Paul Tudor ‘P. T.’ ’32 and Dean Jameson ‘Hinkey’ ’36, Dean Charlie Diehl ’32, Peyton Rhodes, and ‘Mr. Johnny’ Rollow ’25 (and his wife Louise Mayo ’30, who was from Holly Grove, Dad’s home town in Arkansas.) Also, my debt to tennis coach Derrick Barton is expressed”. Ran Pickell comments: “The most of our activities seem to concentrate on visiting doctors! However, it could be worse. Many of our emails have to do with the passing of friends or their spouses. Time continues, even if we don’t!”

Dick Diamond writes that he has something unusual to share with his friends: “Barrett is our great-grandson who is 3 1/2 years old and a miracle kid. At just 27 weeks, his mom Sarah was admitted to Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare with severe preeclampsia. After his birth, Barrett spent 93 days in Level III Natal Intensive Care before graduating. This football season, Florida State University and TMH are featuring a special child as their Kickoff Kid, posting his picture on five billboards in the city, and they will show him off at a home game for the Seminoles.”

1963

If you are interested in serving as the Class of ’63 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

1964

Reporter: Mary Lou Quinn McMillan maryloumc1@comcast.net

Hayden Kayden sent news from Mexico: “Bonnie and I sold our homestead of 52 years in Alaska. Fortunately, we sold it to our nephew who wanted to keep it in the family and gave us visiting rights whenever we ventured north. We have moved to what was our 2nd home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, which we have owned for 50 years, and are so very happy we have done so.”

From Liz Currie Williams we heard, “I did hardly anything this summer, but we did have a Currie Family Reunion at MoRanch (the Presbyterian conference center in Texas, our version of Montreat or Massanetta) in late July, organized by the next generation (so nice!) We had about 30 of us on the shores of the North Fork of the Guadalupe River and we had a great time. It was the South Fork of the Guadalupe that flooded so badly.”

From Rita Edington Odom: “In the July 4 flood in Hunt, TX, I lost everything in my home. My house is standing but everything in it is gone. We were having our annual family reunion so there were 18 of us there. Seven of us were staying at my house. A wall of water hit my house and six of us made it out the back door to cling to a tree for over an hour. It was about 4:00 in the morning so very dark. I was swept out the front door and luckily landed in a cedar tree, then back to a post on my front porch. We all survived but many didn’t. I am living in a friend’s home awaiting how to proceed. I am hopeful that I can restore my home.”

Tom Lappage writes: “In July we took a threeweek cruise on Viking Cruise Lines called Viking Homelands. We started in Sweden then went to Estonia, Poland, Germany, Denmark, and Norway.”

From Scott Hallford we hear, “While walking our two Goldies, 115 lbs. apiece, a few months ago, we were surprised by a fox who bolted, followed immediately by my two boys, who jerked me off my feet (I had my hands in the leash loops, duh) and got face planted. The boys came loping back a minute later as I got up, wiped the blood off my face, and picked up my broken glasses.”

Tom Geiger reports on a grand adventure with his son: “From August 29th-31st, our younger son Ben ‘celebrated’ his 50th birthday by trail running the famous Ultra Trail Mont Blanc 108-mile race (UTMB) which starts in Chamonix, France. The trail goes into Italy, Switzerland, and back to Chamonix making a huge loop around the Mont Blanc Mountain. I was his one-person team and met him 50 miles into the race at an aid station in Courmayeur, Italy with some dry, long sleeve tees as the trail conditions had been blizzard like in places. We enjoyed some Raclette and Fondue after the race.”

Marilyn Meyers writes of her travel: “In January, I planned a trip to the West Coast to visit friends in San Diego and also Los Angeles. Bad timing re: LA as the fires there were burning fiercely. On to San Diego and then to Hawaii to visit a friend from early days in the Foreign Service.” Further adventures included a Viking Cruise tour of the Great Lakes, a Revolutionary War walking tour of Boston, and a trip to Cape Cod.

From Nancy Wasell Work we hear, “Leigh Townes Mansfield and I were suitemates in Voorhies our senior year and recently reconnected and now enjoy corresponding regularly, she from St. Louis and I from Washington, DC. I see Marilyn Meyers, also on the hall with Leigh, Liz, and me in Voorhies our senior year, regularly at Washington National Cathedral for Evensong and for special services. I serve on the Cathedral Dean’s Fine Arts Committee that approved the St. Phoebe statue (for deacons) to be dedicated in the main nave next to the slype in October.”

Dossett Foster reports: “Two more greatgrandchildren on the way.”

1965

Reporter: Harvey Caughey hcaughey@hotmail.com

Virginia Lowry Ives recalls that in 1955 at age 12, her dad took her on a business trip. “The stewardess gave me a ring that said Junior Stewardess. I knew then that’s what I wanted. All through high school and college, that was in my heart. Decades of flying later and I received my 60-year pin from Delta CEO, Ed Bastian, in August. I’ve logged 30 million air miles, visited more than 200 countries and still enjoy flying out of Atlanta to Asia, Africa, Europe and South America with a flexible and reduced schedule. I flew multiple trips

into Vietnam taking soldiers on R&R. Our Geneva Convention cards assured us that if we were captured, as “officers”, we would not be killed, “just tortured.” Being young, we laughed it off, but the danger was real. Husband Bill died in 2020. I love living in Chapel Hill, NC, in the same CCRC near Jacqueline Dowd Hall.”

From Teri Sewell Hornberger comes news that in July 2025, Vivienne Guest Strickler invited Teri to her condo in Laguna Beach, CA, for what Teri relates was one of the best experiences of her life! She considers the top event to be the “Pageant of the Masters” and “Festival of the Arts”, where attendees pose to fill artwork exactly as people in the original portraits.”

1966 60th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Sammy Ann Primm Marshall sammyannmarshall@gmail.com

Isabell Van Merlin is always on the go and doing something interesting. She writes about celebrating her birthday soon. “On my actual birthday (October 17) I will be having lunch in an opal mine, underground, in the middle of Australia, an off-train excursion! I will be riding The Ghan Train, from Darwin to Adelaide.” She is also moving to Oroville, CA, in late October.

Susan Fisher Cheairs writes that the football season and having a player from her hometown of Covington, TN, playing for the Lynx reminds her of the afternoon games when Walter Howell and his pep band played at halftime.

Bob Wild still leads an active life and writes: “Hello to classmates and friends from central Pennsylvania. I have been retired for 16 years and have enjoyed and have looked forward to almost every day. For the last several years I have been on the board of our small local Dyslexia Reading Center. As a dyslexic, I have always been a slow reader, but I never let it stop me. Now, I can do a tiny part to help others so afflicted.”

1967

Reporter: Eleanor Jackson Howe eleanorhowe@icloud.com

2025 was the year members of our class turned 80! Below are some reflections on reaching this milestone, as well as how some of us celebrated (or tried to ignore) it.

Rose Gladney celebrated her 80th birthday with brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, and grand nieces and nephews.

Larry Churchill writes, “In celebration of my 80th, Sande and I are taking our daughters, Shelley and Blair, on a high desert walking tour in New Mexico, visiting Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and Canyon de Chelly.”

To celebrate their shared 6/2/45 birth date, Jim Durham and Sue Durham Powell, mother of Carol Durham Meyer ‘02, had a 160th birthday celebration in Memphis on June 2 “with a large gathering at an event space. A whole bunch of Rhodes grads were in attendance: Charlie ‘71 and Sandy Cook Durham ’72, Dave ’78 and Kim Freeman Durham ’78, Neal ’02 and Carol Durham Meyer ’02, and Rob Durham ’04.”

“My youngest brother and my daughter organized ‘Kris-fest’ at a lake in northern Minnesota, my birth state,” Kris Pruitt reports. “There were 26 of us, and it was the first big birthday celebration of my many, many adult years.”

Jim McKnight writes: “Call me ‘Grumpy.’ When my wife suggested we throw a big party on my 80th birthday in May and invite seven hundred and twenty of our closest friends, I refused. I said I’d like to revisit the Steamtown National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) in Scranton, PA, and stay in the Lackawanna Station Hotel, built in 1907 as the headquarters of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad.”

Jeanne Hope Jacobs Buckner says, “When I hit 79, I decided to celebrate my 80th year by spending time with eight women who had significantly influenced my life over the past fifty years. The following twelve months took me to Florida, California, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Maine.”

Connie Schorr Finch “enjoyed my birthday with my two children. I am still in Birmingham and working part-time for Chico’s. Jessica lives here and Wilson is in Nashville.”

Aaron Foster “was having birthday dinner with friends when someone mentioned that I was turning 80 years old. What a shock! It had not really dawned on me that I could possibly be so old. That jogged my resolve to start back playing pickleball. My feet don’t move as fast as I would like and I keep forgetting the score, but I can still play, and I enjoy it.”

From Thomy Barton: “Since I love to dance for body and spirit, I hired my favorite R&R band and held a dance party in a lovely old church, now a venue. Almost 100 people attended—SO FUN!!! I live in the high desert of Central Oregon; my 20 acres adjoins the Deschutes National Forest. I love to hike. I’ve had prostate cancer for 16 years, the last 11 in Stage 4 (average survival rate 4.5 years). It’s been a fascinating journey. In its way, this experience has given me far more richness spiritually than it has taken from me physically. I’m happy to discuss with anyone who’s interested.”

Linda Robinson Overly celebrated her birthday with friends and family at a fabulous dining out. “I would have told my 20-year-old self that all the ‘lessons and blessings’ lead to terrific knowledge and understanding that are both rewarding and fun! I have learned not to worry if my ‘do list’ is not completed, because I have learned what is important to believe in, to respond to, and to continue enjoying all the blessings.”

Pam Richardson Hays decided to celebrate her 80th all year long, beginning in September, her birthday month. “Besides just having fun and doing interesting things, I am planning to CELEBRATE one particular ‘thing’ each month. For September I celebrated FRIENDS, with five different regularly scheduled meetings with groups of friends, and at each one I surprised them with a gift. Small, like bookmarks for my two book clubs, or more meaningful, like jewelry for a long-term friends’ group.”

Bill Heiter says he loves reading about what classmates are up to but he’s “a bit peeved ... in that we are missing contributions by a number of my old buddies that I would really love to hear from. I’m going to start naming names!”

Mary Ann Rambo McDow and her husband Clarkson, a Citadel grad, have had several fun trips this year with Herbert and Jann Riddle Hill. In the spring the four of them took a two-week Viking river trip from Amsterdam to Budapest. Robert and Mimi Anderson Mehrle had planned to go with them but had to cancel for health reasons. Fortunately, Mary Ann reports, “We did get all six of us together in August in northern Idaho”.

Greetings from Bill and Noni Harvin Buchanan ’68: “We have enjoyed reading the reports from Eleanor and enjoyed the exploits of all my fellow ‘senagers’. Noni and I are living in Davidson, NC,

having made the move to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), the Pines at Davidson. We have been here four years and it’s nice having our son, Chris ’93, and his wife, Amanda Ellison Buchanan ’95, nearby in Charlotte. Our oldest grandchild is 24 and living in Philadelphia, PA; our youngest, 21, is a senior at Appalachian State in Boone, NC. “Noni and I have missed the reunions since our 50th, both hers and mine. I enjoyed seeing the photo of Wayne Shelton, Garry Sharp, and Jim Moon in Rhodes Magazine Spring/Summer 2025; they haven’t changed a bit since our 50th Jim Durham and Bob Wild ’66, my fraternity big brother, keep in touch some but it’s gotten less and less.”

1968

Reporter: Drue Thom White drueboo@aol.com

Sid Strickland shared this: “Our book club consisting of Rhodes alumni, the Books Brothers, had our first meeting on September 2 and 3, 2025, in New York City. Participants were Cary Fowler ’71, Dan Hatzenbuehler ’71, John Howell ’69, Bill Michaelcheck ’69, Bill Troutt, and me.” Jim and Linda Riggan live in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC, where he still enjoys playing golf a couple days a week. In September, his golf group had its annual “Dress Up Day” where Jim is decked out to pay tribute to September 11 as well as showing support for the USA Ryder Cup team. How ‘bout dem socks!?!

David Lehmann: “Ken and I celebrated our 42nd year together with a 14th trip to Greece. We spent the month of September on the islands of Andros and Naxos. Bill Hubbard and I traveled to Europe for the summer of 1967 and visited Greece. I have been coming back ever since. Bill, Jim Stewart, Steve Cole and I do Zoom

calls regularly. Nothing beats being in touch with Rhodes friends for 60 years.”  Luther Nussbaum: “Ginger and I went to India for 22 days in February. I lived in India as a child when my dad was a Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Mysore. My older sister was along for the trip and we discovered the location of our childhood home. As an eleven- and twelve-year-old I went to a boarding school in Bangalore with no time for travel.”

1969

Reporter: LouAnne Crawford Cooper louanne@me.com

Thanks so much to each of you who took the time to share. We are all eager to hear from each other! From Claudia Oakes we get this: “I have spent my summer recovering from a cracked pelvis which resulted from a stupid fall the day after Memorial Day. I was walking across a short stretch of polished hardwood floor in socks and just slid right down. No surgery needed, thank goodness, but I spent five weeks in in-patient rehab and am still doing PT twice a week out-patient.” It was good to hear from Rebecca Welton Sumlin that she still finds the retirement home she moved to a couple of years ago a good place to be. She tells us Naples, FL, is paradise. Not having done much traveling lately, she hopes to get back on a plane soon.

Ann Marie Hanlon and her daughter stopped in Waterloo, IA, to visit with Kathie Maddox Larkin in her new home there. “We had a great visit before going to Chicago to see the sights while retrieving my grandson after his summer internship there.”

George Elder writes how grateful he is for the opportunities and gifts life has brought him. In addition to his years at MUS that culminated in the April 2023 drama students reunion he shared with us last time, he reminisces about his years

as headmaster at Lausanne. He’ll soon release a book titled God Just May Like Me Better Than Most People. Sue Dunn Hall “worked at Rhodes for 45 years after graduation (1970-2015) in the Information Technology department. My boss for most of that time was one of our classmates: Charlie Lemond. Recently we were invited to the 20th anniversary of Barret Library, which was our work home for the last years of our employment. It was great to see former coworkers and to tour the building. I am a native Memphian and I still live here. My daughters Barbara Hall Miller ’92 and Debra Hall Bolton ’02 are Rhodes alumni along with Barbara’s husband Richard Miller ’93.”

Warren and husband William visited their oldest son and his wife in Burbank, CA, in July 2025. “One of the highlights was our visit to the Pacific coast. Back home in Germantown, TN, we enjoy the antics of our two grandsons, ages three and soon to be eight.”

Peggy Fritsch Woolley writes: “After being independent for the five years since my husband died, I decided that I was tired of making all the decisions. We implemented our longstanding plan to have my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson move in with me. They moved in on August 2 and I think it is going well.”

Doug Williams reports he’s still living in Tallahassee on a farm managing Wildlands Service. “A land management/fire operation, we prescribe burn and work wildfires. We prescribed burned almost 1000 acres for Beaches International Airport in Panama City this week. We currently have equipment and firefighters working on the Garnet Fire near Fresno, CA. Been

in operation 26 years now, worked around 75 firefighters last year on wildfires. Retire?”

Remember when Bill Harris shared this painting of Burrow Hall he started when he was 15 and finished as his grandson Logan Rayburn ’23 finished at Rhodes? Stephanie and Bill are presenting a print of it this month to hang at Rhodes!

Ken Cushing shares, “Rachel and I have not been doing a lot of traveling, staying close to home and visiting our place on Smith Lake when we can. I had colon cancer surgery in April and have

for telecom matters. During that period, I attended the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Republican and Democratic National conventions providing input to party platform issues relating to telecom matters.”

Bob Towery’s book Magnolia Song is now coming out in audiobook format. And there will be a sequel, Black Widow’s Waltz, which is expected to be in print for the 2026 holidays.

1970

Reporter: Ron Eades reades@juno.com

Bill Lyons is still gainfully employed. “After 30 years as a Professor of Political Science at UT and 16+ years as Chief Policy Officer including eight years as Deputy Mayor, I have returned to UT, this time as Professor Emeritus and Associate Director of the Institute of American Civics at the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. I also write a biweekly column for the USA papers in Tennessee: The Knoxville News Sentinel, The Tennessean, and The Commercial Appeal. Linda Henson: “I met my husband Richard in graduate school at Vanderbilt. We both taught English Literature there on fellowships while obtaining our degrees. Afterwards, I edited books for a Nashville publisher and later was a writer in Vanderbilt Alumni and Development for the Chancellor and three of the graduate schools. Then I moved on to a 20-year career at Nortel Networks in corporate communications, media relations, public affairs, internal and customer publications, and The Aspen Institute (joint venture).”

bounced back pretty well. Our grandson, Christian, lives close by (20 months old now) so we try to babysit once a week in the afternoon. Attached is a fairly recent picture of us and the grandkids. You might find this interesting--when I was looking through all my old Rhodes stuff, I found pictures I took on Mardi Gras, February 7, 1967. Apparently, a bunch of us Independents decided to have a Mardi Gras Party on the balcony of the old refectory during our evening meal. Hard to believe it was 58 years ago. Until next time, Go Lynx!”

Linda Gill Rutherford tells a little-known factoid about her husband, Robert ’68: “He’s been composing music for about 20 years. No, he is not formally trained for it. (He is a retired lawyer.) He simply decided to do it. He has written more than 50 pieces for our church, Trinity Pres in Nashville. We will sing in our first Pub Choir in October. The music of Queen.”

David Owens writes: “After graduating from ‘Southwestern at Memphis’ I taught 7th-8th grade Math for four years in my hometown of Covington, TN, just 35 miles from Memphis. I attended grad school at what was then “Memphis State” where I met Carlene, my wife of 53 years (an Ole Miss girl). In 1973 I began a 30-year career in the old Bell System working for South Central Bell, BellSouth, and AT&T, where I ended up registered as a corporate lobbyist for BellSouth spending three days a week in DC working with congressional leaders and committee members with oversight

From Yen Walters: “After graduation from Southwestern, the Draft was on my back, so I enlisted in the army for three years. My Basic and AIT were at Fort Jackson, SC. After graduating 6th in my leadership school and 1st in AIT military personnel, we went straight to Vietnam. My first duty was 54th Signal Battalion. After four months, I was reassigned to 122nd Infantry. There I was doing E6 work as an E3, but was promoted after seven months to Specialist five, equal to sergeant. After 18 months in Vietnam, I returned to the US, having earned nine medals including the Presidential Unit citation and Army commendation medal. Back in Florida I was hired with the Florida Department of Labor as an assistant veterans’ employment rep. After retirement in 1994 I worked as a supervisor for American Express and AT&T in customer service. Most of my family is in Vietnam and I have returned to Vietnam eight times since 1972. My daughter and two granddaughters are in Saigon.”

Ron Eades: “Retired and living in the Charleston, SC, area with my wife Lillian Aivazian Eades ’71. Retirement is great, and we enjoy time with our children and grandchildren. I continue to update some law books I wrote while a Professor of Law at the Law School, University of Louisville from 1977-2008.”

1971 55th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Jim Mulroy mulroyj@me.com

Cary Fowler wrote: “Just a quick note to let you know that after leaving my role as Special Envoy for Global Food Security at the State Department, I became the President of the Food Security Leadership Council. In July, I was honored with the Leadership in Public Service Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists and even got to give the keynote address at their annual conference.”

Glen Cunningham shared some interesting details about his educational and travel adventures. “After graduation, I made it into the restaurant industry, eventually owning part of the Stagecoach Restaurant in Bartlett. Partners were Bill Pendergrass ’69, Mike Hornbeck ’72, Russ Owen ’70, David Wiley, and Jimmy MacArthur. We managed to stay in business for about three interesting years! My career then went on to cover electric power and energy efficiency roles,

and over the past 25 years, I have been fortunate to work for many large industrial companies and travel the world from South Africa to Russia, China, Brazil, Ukraine, Great Britain, Surinam, etc.”

James Dobbins: “My spouse and I retired from the faculty of Oberlin College in Ohio in 2019 and moved to Seattle, where our two children live. We still travel frequently, including to Japan for about a month every year or so. These days, we are particularly enjoying the company of our two-year-old granddaughter, Indigo. I continue to do research on Japanese Buddhism and to publish

academic articles occasionally. A recent tragedy in my life was the loss of my beloved sister, Dot, in a pedestrian traffic accident in Nashville in June 2025.”

Hadley Hury: “Here’s my news: At the Villa Borago was released in October, and I hope you’ll find it interesting. Roughly half of the novel is set in a small hotel in the hills overlooking Florence, the other half in Memphis—with a few scenes in Nashville.”

Tom Morgan: “I don’t have any news for my classmates—other than I’m still alive as of this writing and living a wonderful life in Hendersonville, NC, leading a nonprofit, Project Dignity of WNC, Inc. https://projectdignitywnc.org which was founded by my late, angelic wife, Barb.”

From Daisy Craddock: “I reconnected with an old friend and soulmate, the artist Stephen Westfall, just before the pandemic. We were married under a tree in his backyard three years later by our

classmate, the Rev. Peter Casparian, surrounded by friends and family, many from Memphis. Peter had also performed my dear daughter Georgia’s wedding, with even more Rhodes classmates in attendance. Now retired from my other passion, painting conservation, I’m painting full time in a studio that Stephen and I share in Clermont, NY. I continue to exhibit regularly in New York City, Connecticut, and the Hudson Valley. In memory of my beloved brother Houston Craddock ’73, who died during the pandemic.”

Beverly Cole Hooker: “My husband Bill and I live in Cordova, TN. I worked in the Memphis school system for 32 years. I also worked in Marietta, GA, for four years. I was a teacher and later a guidance counselor. When I retired in 2007, I started volunteering at Regional One Hospital.”

Jim and Nancy Mulroy: “In June, we welcomed our fourth grandchild. It is the first girl, Lucy Ruth Becker, named for two great-grandmothers. I hope I am currently recovering from back surgery at the time of publication and preparing for an annual family trek to Whistler.”

Jeff Williams: “UT dental school, Memphis. Married lovely Patti Knowles. Pediatric dentistry residency. Army dental corps, AL. Three wonderful children. Private practice, Memphis area. Now? Nashville. Travel, garden, four grandkids, church, prison ministry, trying to stay fit, trying to play golf, doctor visits, enjoying life.”

Amy Evans was pleasantly surprised while in Clarksville, TN, co-chairing the 2025 Women Artists of the West National Show, when Rob Reilly ’72 and his wife attended the show’s opening on March 6. Rob later participated as a student in Amy’s plein air class that she taught in the summer of 2025 at an art center in North Carolina.

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Jane Anglin Jarrell writes: “In late June my son, Bryant, who lives in Texas, visited for a week with his wife and three very wonderful active children. We enjoyed them so much and don’t get to see them enough. The following week we had my daughter, Meg, and her husband and two (also active) little boys visit along with her in-laws from Raleigh, NC.”

1972

Reporter: Robin McCain robin@slmr.com

1973

Reporter: F. Clark Williams, Jr. f.clark.williams@gmail.com

Tom Aune, wife Patsy, and their two children, Jessica and Zach, moved to Nashville in 1995 when Tom joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University. On May 9, 2025, the Aunes celebrated Tom’s retirement and the conferment of Professor Emeritus status.

Rachel Frasier and husband, Jim Ward, celebrated their 10th anniversary in June. They moved to Highlands in the mountains of Western North Carolina after Jim’s retirement, where they built a new home. Rachel and Jim bought an Airstream trailer in the Fall of 2024 and have spent much time traveling the East and Gulf Coasts. “We traveled all the way to Maine including pulling a 25-foot trailer through the Bronx!”

Memphis divas Victoria K. Gore and Frannie Taylor hang out on occasion, often in the company of Vicki’s grandson, Asher. On a relatively recent outing, the two toured the Dixon Gallery and Gardens.

As is her wont, Jane Howze summoned Nashville friends to a “hidey-do” in the lobby of her hotel when she was in that city on a business trip last August. For about three and a half hours the quintet comprising Jane, Judy Brooks Tygard, Chip Ramsay, McChesney “Mac” Ramsay, and F. Clark Williams swapped memories and lies, which pretty much amounted to the same thing.

Pam McNeely Williams and husband Brian celebrated his 80th birthday with a large gathering of family, friends, and attorney colleagues. The Williams’s three adult children gave their dad a “beautiful leather briefcase to stop him from using his car as a filing cabinet for legal folders.” Pam observes, “I told him I was going to get a vanity license plate saying ‘File Cabinet’ if he didn’t stop storing papers in the car!”

Patricia Spears Jones has a new volume of poetry coming out soon. Look for the particulars in forthcoming social media posts.

Anthony Richardson reports recently celebrating not only his 75th birthday, but also his 50th wedding anniversary. On a recent trip to Texas, he donated a video to the Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. He had recorded the video in 2005, interviewing the B-17 pilot who flew from Australia to a remote island in the Philippines to rescue General MacArthur.

Jim Shumard is the part-time “priest in charge” of an Episcopal church in Clayton, which is in the mountains of North Georgia, and lives in Savannah, GA, the other part of the time. One of the church members, John Templeton ’60 is also an Episcopal priest. Jim is headed “back to Sewanee” to work on a third doctor of ministry, this one in liturgy.

Natalie Honan Vernon and husband Minor ’71 enjoyed much of the summer in the Western North Carolina mountains where they escaped the brutal Georgia heat and entertained visiting family and friends. The Vernons have since returned to the real world, which Natalie describes as “not bad!”

F. Clark Williams complains that classmate Amy Bailey Evans has been a very bad influence of late. “First she lures me up to the Women Artists of the West National Show at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, where, of course, I find a painting I can’t live without, then she goes and paints a portrait of one of the window arches at Arches National Park, and dad blame it if I’m not compelled to acquire that one as well!”

1974

Reporter: Wendlandt Hasselle jahlove2222@yahoo.com

Jim Drummond finally retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March 2025. Jim is now getting into good trouble supporting litigation to blunt the assault on climate science. Along with wife Allison Jones ’75, P’12, Jim plans to remain in Bethesda, MD, “to be near our children and grandchildren in the Mid-Atlantic.”

Wendlandt Hassell reports: “After a long trip to the Philippines, I limited travel to a few longish U.S. road trips. My husband, Bard Selden, and I took a three-night trip to visit our various cousins and friends in Sewanee, TN. The next road trip was the Bourbon Trail for my husband’s cousins organized by Neely Draughon ’03.

I recently joined Friendship Force and look forward to their events and travel. There I met Rick Thomas ’66, who was a good friend of Randy Hayes ’66 and had even visited my brother Bob Hasselle ’66 when he lived in Cincinnati. Niece Corena Hasselle ’17 and I explored the newer parts of Taylor, MS.”

Kathy Trammell Scruggs sent in this news: “Hello Friends from Rhodes Class of 1974, GOD BLESS YOU ALL! I transferred to the University of Texas after only one year as a member of this prestigious class. To this very day, I am grateful for the impact that the friendships, leadership opportunities and, in particular, Fred Neal and the six-hour Man course offered my soul, curiosity, and love of learning.

1975

Reporter: Libby Drewry Dorris libbyddorris@gmail.com

Blair Shamel writes: “2025 has been a big year and it looks to continue! On June 14, Cindy and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary! We were married by the late Professor Fred Neal, a beloved Southwestern Professor of Religious Studies. My groomsmen were all fellow Kappa Sigmas from Southwestern at Memphis. My brother, Rick Shamel ’72, and Kelly Rando ’77 are the only ones remaining alive. Ted Eastburn ’76, Jeff Hudgens ’75 and Andy Branham ’75 are gone and sorely missed. We started this year visiting our son Andy and his amazing family in Oxford, England, and further trips included Budapest, Maine, Florida, Tennessee, and California.

Bob Cain reports: “My life as it is now started 33 years ago when I met Cris and her (our) two

teenage daughters, Alex and Catherine. Five years after we married, we had our own daughter, Laighton. Now we have two granddaughters. We all live within a couple of miles of each other in Charleston, SC. A year and a half ago through Facebook and 23 and Me, my son, Matt, tracked me down. This is my story about winning a lottery. Now I have a wonderful daughter-in-law and three grandsons as well!”

From Rosamond Goldman Quay: “After years of living, working, and raising our two children in Houston, TX, in 2016 we moved to Litchfield, CT, where my husband Richard grew up. We enjoy the country life in CT, so I feel relatively close to my childhood growing up in rural Waterproof, LA.”

Libby Drewry Dorris: “This summer Larry and I spent almost three weeks in Switzerland and Germany seeing family and friends, retracing some of the path we followed in 1976 on Euro Rail passes. We saw Basel with Norman and Theresa Cloys Carl, visited a nephew working in Stuttgart where we visited the Porsche museum, toured Zurich with the young woman I babysat when I lived in Paris, and traveled to Andernach, Germany to reconnect with the families of several exchange students we hosted over the years.”

1976 50th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporters: Julie Allen Berger jab0539@gmail.com

Georgia Atkins atkins.georgia@gmail.com

From Henry Kinslow: “I obtained an Arkansas law license in 1980, and a license from Louisiana in 1983, as El Dorado, AR, is only 16 miles from the state line. I served as the elected, part-time city attorney of El Dorado for forty years (1983-2022) while maintaining a private general practice now concentrated in the oil, estate, and real estate areas. I was appointed to two fiveyear terms (1997-2007) as co-chair of the Arkansas State Claims Commission by Governor Huckabee, who is presently our ambassador to Israel. I was further appointed to said commission by Governor Hutchinson for two more terms (2016-2026). The commission hears monetary claims against the state. I’m married to eye surgeon Dr. Ivory Kinslow and we have one child, Rachel, who’s studying forensic pathology at the University of Central Oklahoma.”

1977

Reporters: Jill Fuzy Helmer jillhelmer25@gmail.com

Bonnie Moore McNeely bonniemcneely2@gmail.com

Pinkney Herbert reports, “Janice and I have been splitting our time between Memphis and Brooklyn. We like to say we have ‘Dual Citizenship.’ Why not? Suzannah, our oldest, gave us a healthy grand baby girl a year ago. Her sister, Aunt Waverly, lives a half block away in Brooklyn. I am painting and making sculptures in my shared Brooklyn Navy Yard studio.”

The Rev. Sam Godfrey reports that he is serving in his 15th year as Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Vicksburg, MS. He is also now serving Christ Episcopal Church in Church Hill, MS, a small rural parish which is the oldest Episcopal congregation in Mississippi. “The church will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2028 and I hope to be here for the celebration. Our son Russell is getting married this fall and continues to live in the Los Angeles area. A visitor at the parish recently was the Rt. Rev. Dorothy Sanders Wells ’82, the current Bishop of Mississippi.

Curtis and Mary Ellen Hopper recently enjoyed a long weekend at their home in Lascassas, TN, hosting Buck Henry Thompson, Buck’s friend Ralph Patterson, and Woods Falls. Good food and music were served throughout the weekend, and the group was joined Saturday by Rebecca and Paul Buchanan.

Sarah Powell’s 70th birthday brought Merry Noel Miller, Pat Schenck Robertson and Susan O’Donoghue Witek together for a delightful week in Florida. From college roommates to today, they have navigated life together for a long and cherished time.

John and Amelie Christian Weems have taken an extraordinary bicycle trip to the moon. [See photo!] They commented, “We just needed a little break from the Earth for a while. We invite any of our Rhodes friends to join us. It is a bit cool, so dress accordingly, and there’s no Starbucks here.… yet.” When not on the road, John and Amelie enjoy living in Greenville, SC.

Steve Wade reports, “I retired from a 42-year banking career at the end of 2024, the last 23 years of which were spent with Simmons Bank. George Makris ’78 will retire at the end of 2025 as Chairman and CEO; Bob Burnside ’79 serves as Division Credit Officer, and Mark Doramus ’80 is a member of the Board of Directors.”

Kelly Hinman ’76, Pat Williams, and Raymond Fitzgerald ’76 met at Marynell Branch’s Hot Springs Village, AR, lakeside home for a long reunion weekend. Golfing, boating, barbecuing, and SEC football were all on the menu. Many beers gave their lives while reliving great Southwestern memories. Raymond is living in LA, Kelly in Ashville, NC, Marynell is full-time in Hot Springs Village and Pat is still in Orange Park, Fl. Kelly is acting and teaching part time and all others are happily retired.

This summer, Bill Hulsey and his wife Donna Bell Hulsey ’78 joined Austin’s Conspirare Choral Ensemble Group, “Friends of CHJ,” for a tour of Berlin and Prague. In addition to his passion for music, Bill continues his academic journey, pursuing graduate studies in the online M.S.–Ph.D. program in nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University. Professionally, he serves clients across the South through his law firm, Hulsey PC, with offices in Tulsa, OK; Bentonville, AR; Memphis, TN; Ridgeland-Madison, MS; Austin, TX; Birmingham, AL; and Shreveport, LA. Recently, he supported the second annual Rhodes College Venture Challenge as a judge and financial backer.

Shari Cruse Greene enjoyed a Rhodes campus visit this summer accompanied by her daughter Melanie Carter Morris ’10 and possible future Rhodes student, grandson Oliver Morris! The visit was a welcome break for Shari after coordinating a recent move to The Village Germantown.

Nancy Crowell: “I am having a great time working as the photo editor of our start-up weekly town newspaper, which is funded by a nonprofit started by locals when our former paper ceased publication last fall. We are bucking the national trend by not only being online, but also putting out a weekly print edition. Online subscriptions are free and the news is not gated. Check it out at www.laconnercommunitynews.org.”

1978

Reporter: Sandy Schaeffer sandeford.schaeffer@gmail.com

Chuck Cobb reports that he recently attended a FedEx IT Town Hall about the future of digital global supply chain technology. Ruthann Ray says, “My husband of 43 years, Rex Deloach, died in May. He had glioblastoma brain cancer. At our last reunion in 2023, I was there Saturday night, then we flew to Mayo Clinic early Sunday morning to make this terrible discovery. He got wonderful care and treatment through Mayo Clinic, and his remaining months were difficult, but good. The adage that ‘life is short, so make

haste to gladden the hearts of those you travel the journey with’ is certainly true. While his life was not short, the months we had remaining after that bad news were. But life goes on. I am about to travel to France to visit my stepson and daughterin-law who are living there for a year. They were a wonderful resource to me during Rex‘s illness.”

From Jane Terry: “One of my girls has moved back to Knoxville and one remains in Rochester, NY. Three big grand dogs help fill my house! I’ve taken a few short hikes on various Appalachian Trails with my husband Larry so he can do peaks in the Adirondacks. My daughter Anna has six more of the 46 trails to complete.”

Pam Portwood has multiple bits of news to share: “After I retired from my second career as a residential interior designer in 2016, I eventually ended up going back to my first career: writing. Last spring, I published a series of personal essays called “A Life of Journeys” on Substack. Ultimately, I expanded my Substack series into a collection of 19 essays that form a full memoir of the same name, which is now available as a free eBook on my website, pamelaportwood.com.

Jim Porter reports that he retired in January from managing advanced, active laser sensor programs and has spent most of his time in the wood shop with his lathe and CNC. He and his wife Nancy bounce between Arizona and the east coast (family) and are trying to downsize and be more in their friend’s lives. Jim says to write “if you need a bridge 4th or a snow ski buddy!” He also noted that Walt McCanless ‘77 was the minister for his daughter’s recent wedding.

1979

Reporter: Mary Palmer m0palmer@icloud.com

I am an adoptive mother of an almost four-yearold (and multiple grown) and still evaluating child maltreatment at East TN Children’s Hospital. I am planning retirement in mid-2026 and subsequent adventures. Spring adventure to present a poster at Ped Endocrine Society led to delightful dinner,

beer and “sleepover” with Alice Smith, when planes could not get out of DCA to Knoxville one crazy weather night.

Billy Kennedy and Becka Saunders are enjoying retirement. “We are building our senior home in downtown Black Mountain. We still have our farm near Boone, NC, with cows and goats. Helene destroyed all our fences and laid down at least 30 acres of old growth forest. We are still recovering! Regina Morrison Newsom writes: “I am still serving my second term as Shelby County Trustee and will be leaving in 2026 at the end of this term. We have been in the (good) news lately for the successes of the Greater Memphis Financial Empowerment Center, a nonprofit sponsored by my office. It provides free one-on-one financial counseling to any resident of the county and as of the end of August, our clients have paid off more than $7 million in non-mortgage debt! I am thankful to have received a Legacy Award from RISE Memphis for that work. The office continues to set records and has the best staff in County government, including several Rhodes grads like Herman Morris ’73 and Aubrey Howard ’72!

Li Li Chung: “I have lived in Singapore now for 32 years, after gallivanting all over since graduation. Retired from Asia Pacific management of American multinational IT companies in 2011 and went back to school for three years to London to study Asian art history and contemporary art theory. I have commissioned photography art projects on Singapore issues since 2015 and should complete my goal of 30 projects in 2027. Hence, I am already transitioning to exploring food history and issues. This past year, I made many trips to Cambodia, Thailand, and Japan to better understand superpower cuisines of Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese food and their ecologies.”

Catherine Caldwell Eagle: “I am still working as a federal district judge though I have taken senior status and hope to move to a half-time schedule next year. Last year in just five weeks my husband and I became grandparents twice. We recently celebrated the first birthdays of our two granddaughters, one in Boston and one in DC.”

Elaine Toulon Carroll reports: “I played basketball for three years under Coach Sarah Hatgas. After leaving college, I began teaching and coaching (basketball and softball) at a private school until my children were born. I had to give up coaching due to the long hours. After 35 or so years as a high school biology teacher and Dean of Students, I moved to the Lower School as Assistant Principal!”

Mark Carroll shared this: “After playing four years of basketball for Southwestern/Rhodes from 1975-1979, I began my career as a high school teacher and basketball coach. I spent five years

as a JV basketball coach, three years as a college assistant coach, and 23 years as a varsity head coach in the metro-Atlanta area at five different schools. After 31 years of teaching and coaching, I retired and began another career involving basketball. I began officiating and this November, I will begin my 14th season as a varsity high school official in the state of Georgia.”

After over two decades as the historian for the Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, NY) where she cared for the memorials of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and WC Handy, Susan Olsen has settled in Newport, RI. “I now have time to research, write, and support the jazz community by attending the annual Newport Jazz Festival!

“Thanks for gathering our news. I enjoy reading about our classmates and continue to travel with Marlee Mitchell ’80 and Ellen Geiger Ryan ’80 every year. Next fall we head west again.”

Taylor Phillips: “Following Rhodes 45th class reunion in November ’24, I was able to attend my 40th class reunion at Columbia Seminary and 50th class reunion from Lakeside High School, both in Atlanta. Alice Jackson Smith and I grew up not quite a mile apart, so we were in class together from the third grade through our first (terrifying) two essay-question exam in Intro to Philosophy freshman year and on to graduation in Fisher Garden. After twenty-five years in Tallahassee, Pam and I moved to Westminster-Lakeland Retirement Community in Lakeland, FL. Readers and book clubs across the country continue to discover my book, Queen of the Clouds: Jerrie Mock and Joan Merriam Smith’s Epic Quest to Become the First Woman to Fly Solo Around the World.

Ruth Deufel Saling (Ft. Collins, CO), Helen James Ronderos (Houston, TX) and Carolyn Crenshaw Carl (Atlanta, GA) had lots of fun connecting at our 50th reunion of Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, LA.”

1980

Reporter: Taylor Todd taylortodd57@gmail.com

From Andy O’Donnell: “After graduating from SAM, I promptly got married to my wife Terrie. We

moved to Nashville shortly thereafter, where I got my MBA at Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. We lived in the Nashville area for about a decade, after which we moved around a bit from New Mexico to Kentucky before settling in Frisco, TX, in 1995, which we now call home. All told, I spent 40 years in healthcare management in both hospitals and physician practices.”

Dave Granoff: “As an avid snowboarder for the last 40 years, a friend who was a professional snowboarder prodded me into competing. This past winter I entered competitions and qualified for the US National Snowboard Championships held in Colorado the first week of April. I ended up making the podium winning two silver medals in Halfpipe and Boardercross.”

“Imagine being on a tour of North Africa and the Iberian coast and discovering that your tour director is a graduate of Rhodes College!” That’s what happened to Mark and Kathleen “Kats”

Smith Barry ’80, who met Mary Munn Laronge ’87 aboard the Swan Hellenic Diana in August 2025.

Steve Dowell recently retired from Johnson & Johnson as WW Director of Regulatory Compliance. In 1993 Steve married Lana Kabrich,

and they have two daughters, Jessica and Elizabeth, who live nearby. Steve and Lana live on the Barbee chain of lakes in Kosciusko County, IN.

1981 45th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Sherri Godi Cox rhodesalum81@gmail.com

Charlotte Thompson reports a Rhodes reunion all the way from The Netherlands! “This summer was lucky enough to have a mini-Rhodes reunion in The Netherlands with a wonderful visit from Fred ’80 and Jill Johnson Piper ’80 and Luke ’80 and Jane Dawson Coley ’80. What a grand time we had exploring Amsterdam and environs together! I am still working full-time at Microsoft Netherlands, and the job and company continue to challenge me in this exciting time of artificial intelligence. My exciting news: I bought a house this summer and my son Peter (23) and I moved in July.”

Margaret Davis Freeman shares. “I retired at the end of June after 40+ years in ministry. I was filled with joy and shed happy tears on my last Sunday when I saw three dear Rhodes friends who had traveled many miles to be there for my celebration: Gina Salvati, Stacy Abernethy, and Katie Kennedy!

Paul Ward has “an interesting Rhodes connection to life in Ann Arbor. We moved here from Little Rock in Jan. 2017. A couple of months later, my wife met Judy Malcolm in a Pilates class. They started talking. “We moved from LR”. “Oh, my husband is from LR. He went to a small liberal arts college”. “My husband went to a small liberal arts college too”. They invited us to dinner. During dinner,

Clark Malcolm ‘74 asked me if I knew his long time LR friend

Mark Lester ’74

“Yes, he lived up the street from me.” Clark called Mark right then and we connected the dots. Mark and Clark went to a rival high school from mine, and we all went to then Southwestern at Memphis. The Malcolms have become our best friends.”

Kelley Bass has launched a new career and is making lots of new connections. “When I left the Museum of Discovery in October after 12 years as CEO, I thought I was retired. But Greg Hatcher, the owner of the largest insurance agency in Arkansas, thought differently. After a three-hour visit one Sunday in December, this 65-year-old had a new career, starting February 3.”

Joyce Holladay Doyle, now that she and her husband have both been retired for the past three years and they have a granddaughter, is making lots of family connections and connecting big time with our National Parks. “We spend as much time with our almost 3-year-old granddaughter as her parents will allow. We are also spending a lot of time traveling since we rarely were able to align our schedules to do so while raising kids and working. One of our goals is to visit as many National Parks as we can. Most recently, it was Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Grand Canyon National Parks. I am keeping a travel journal in case anyone asks me for tips!”

Steve Crabtree is connecting with his inner self as a chicken. I do believe that if, almost 45 years ago, we had asked who would most likely be apt to dress up like a chicken in their late 60s, Steve would have been on the list! He sends “greetings from Deep River, CT. My grown children are in Nova Scotia (Jefferson ’17), Sarah is heading back to SoCal, and Mom is in south Florida. Nancy and I just bought a new house in Connecticut to retire in someday. I keep in touch with some of our old class of 1981, and I get to be a giant chicken in our church pledge drive!”

1982

beautiful and wild Alaska and checking off our 50th state. Wildlife and glaciers were found in abundance, and of particular note was the sighting of two polar bears just north of Barrow, AK, the northernmost community in the US. We both still enjoy our work: Becky is the senior director of behavioral health at the American Hospital Association, and Joe is the senior vice president with the Sharpe Group, a leader in planned giving consulting. Earlier this year, we rescued two kittens, a brother and sister, named Mitchell and Pisgah, in honor of the beautiful mountains we now live in!”

Dorothy Sanders Wells writes: “I’ve immensely enjoyed my first year as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi! I relocated from Memphis to Jackson, MS, last April, and I’ve been on the road traveling to our 82 churches and our schools and seeing all of the amazing ministry happening here! I’m looking forward to continuing this amazing ministry.”

Patterson ‘84, P’22 and Anne Gaudet Beard ‘84, P’27, both classmates and Kappa Delta sorority sisters of Ruth Metcalfe Rye ‘84, P’16 for drinks, dinner, and catching up.

Alicia Franck writes: “I moved to New Orleans in 2017 and happen to see Rusty ’81 and Beth Vensel ’81 and Cindy Marchese Wallace ’82, occasionally – usually along Mardi Gras parade routes. For the last six years, I have been the vice president of Institutional Advancement at The National WWII Museum. Reach out if you are in New Orleans and want to visit the museum!”

Cherrie Barton Henry reached out. “I have a 2-year-old granddaughter, Cora, who is sweet as pie. I celebrated being an ordained PCUSA 38 years in March and am the Congregational Care and Missions Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Durham, NC. My spouse Andy retired 2 1/2 years ago. I’m not retired, but I do have a sabbatical coming this spring!”

Trice Gibbons shared, “On July 18, 2025, my niece Ashby Glover ‘21 married Tim Neighbor in New Rochelle, New York’s Glen Island Park overlooking Long Island Sound. Ashby and Tim met as freshmen in high school. Ashby’s Rhodes classmate Niharika Tayade ’21 officiated!

Bob Edwards writes: “I’m actively pursuing a Missionary Ridge National Park project starting with our Ridgeside Farm. We hope to tell the story of Tennessee’s greatest battle that changed the course of American history. I am president of Chattanooga Civitan Club where we host compelling speakers each week and continue to serve the less fortunate since our founding in 1920.”

1983

Reporter: Ted de Villafranca edevillafranca@gmail.com

Reporter: Margaret Fain mfain@sc.rr.com

Joe ’84 and Becky Butler Chickey: “We celebrated our 40th anniversary by visiting

Scott Rye ‘83, P‘16 completed a master’s degree with a concentration in History and Politics from Rutgers University in May. In July, he participated in a week-long Paris Writers Conference led by New York Times-bestselling author Lauren Grodstein, Scott’s advisor on his capstone project. While in Paris, Scott met up with Tracy Vezina

Betsy Panky-Warren sent a note: “Well, I turned 65 and got my Medicare card, but I’m not retiring. I am an emotionally focused psychotherapist working with couples and individuals. I still teach yoga and serve as a clergy associate at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church here in Boca Raton where I’ve lived for over 30

years. And I became a grandmother! It was my joy to baptize my granddaughter Catherine Grace in June at my daughter’s home in Newport Beach, CA.”

Bruce Jones writes: “I have retired from a career in tech sales leadership and just completed building a home on our ranch in Magnolia, TX. Moving to the Houston area was motivated by having four grandchildren in Houston. My lovely wife and I recently celebrated our 42nd anniversary!”

Trish Spore noted, “After spending the last 38 years in Memphis, Richard ’84 and I decided to move to Nashville to be nearer to our grandson. We’re having fun exploring a new city!”

Terry Bate: “This year Paul and Charlotte Patton Parks, Richard ’84 and Trish Witherspoon Spore, and Terry and Julee Carroll Bate held our annual reunion in Oxford, MS, and were hosted by Paul and Charlotte. We competed at Pickleball (Julee and Charlotte won!), a highly contentious board game (Paul and Charlotte won!) and were shown the gorgeous campus of Ole Miss by the Vice Chancellor herself … Charlotte. The tour of Oxford’s Main Square and Rowan Oak was truly memorable.”

Paul Watson sent a note: “My wife Vanessa and I are living on our used-to-be-a-ranch in Madison County, MS, and enjoying our (so far) two grandchildren. We are handing off our stormwater automation company to our two sons and wondering what’s next.”

Rhonda Lindsey shared, “I’m a psychologist working in private practice for the last six years in Santa Rosa, CA. I spent 22 years at Kaiser Permanente, with the last 11 of those years as the manager of Child Psychiatry. In early 2019, I retired from Kaiser and re-specialized to perform Parenting Plan Evaluations (child custody) for Family Court Services.”

Brian Sanders sent a note saying that “after officially retiring a year ago (who thought we’d ever reach this age!) Susan and I have spent much of our time traveling and visiting our grandchildren.”

Perry Dement added, “I am coming up on 30 years at Memphis University School where I am assistant head for Advancement (fundraising and marketing/communications). That retirement thing sounds enticing! How do I go about that??”

I heard from Liz Morehead who wrote: “It’s still ‘Morehead,’ although I’ve been married to Martin Hilton since 1994. I’ve had a few different careers after graduating. My husband and I will be celebrating the 10th year of operations for our tiny Fiji dive/snorkel/sport fishing eco resort, Oneta Resort, where many of our guests come to swim with the manta rays. A few brave-soul Rhodes alums have visited already, including Robert ’82 and Catherine Harrell Morehead ’82; Wayne Nathan ’86, Mary Masters ’82, and Cecil Godman ’82. Perry Dement is also heading our way in 2026. Our two children, Eva Hilton (25) and Noah Hilton (20) live and work in California, where we maintain a residence.”

1984

Reporter: Linda Odom linda.odom@klgates.com

Joanna McIntosh writes: “My husband Brian and I traveled across Europe in September with the National World War II Museum on the Band of Brothers tour. (Shout out to Alicia Franck ’83, who is VP and Chief Development Officer at the museum). The tour follows the wartime path of the 101st Airborne’s Easy Company, documented in Steven Ambrose’s book and mini-series of the same name, from England to Normandy, Holland, Belgium, and Austria.”

1985

Reporter: Ann Webb Betty 11webby@gmail.com

1986 40th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Jerry Kennon kennoninsurance@gmail.com

1987

Reporter: Mimi Swords Fondren mimifondren@outlook.com

Nancy DiPaulo reported in. “I have completed my first year serving on the Board of Directors for Carpenter’s Shelter and have just been elected chair of Development for all the shelters and services offered to reduce homelessness

in the DC area. In July, Marianne Blackwell, Karen Summers, and I took our 60th birthday(s) celebration to Montreal and Quebec City, Canada.”

Mary Margaret Bailey has been elected to serve as President of the Mobile Bar Association for 2026.

Leslie McCormick Darr wrote: “Since I was celebrating what Bryan ’84 calls an “odometer” birthday this summer, we set out on a one-month adventure through the Mediterranean. Along with 10 friends and family, including Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84 and Jennifer Frost Ramos Stark ’84, we took in the sights of Venice and then boarded a ship for the Dalmatian coast, Greece, and Turkey!”

1988

Reporter: Brooke Glover Emery brookegemery@gmail.com

1989

Reporter: Julianne Johnson Paunescu jpaunescu@yahoo.com

Kara Babin Gee shared an international success: Smith Gee Studio has been selected as one of 52 exhibitors for PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity, the U.S. Pavilion exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.

Another exciting accomplishment in the creative arts is the recent children’s book by noted author Barry Wolverton. The New York Times, in its review of The Boy who became a Parrot: A Foolish Biography of Edward Lear, Who Invented Nonsense, described it as “an absolute joy of a picture book — celebrating nonsense, play, art, storytelling and the life of the writer and artist Edward Lear.”

Combining both the arts and Rhodes reunions, David Jones had the opportunity to see Charles Holt in the musical Bull Durham with David’s son Sterling Jones. David and Charles also met up with Marcus Kimbrough ’90 prior to one of the shows and enjoyed some great catching up.

The 40th Homecoming for Hillsboro High School in Nashville brought Joe Bandy, Sara Hodges, and Liza Wade together for a mini- Rhodes reunion.

Ann Dixon Pyle and her husband Hoyte visited good friends

Robin Meredith Kelly and Keith Kelly ’88 at their Highlands home in May and spent time together hiking, fishing, dining, visiting, and climbing Whiteside Mountain.

The big annual event in Southwestern Virginia in August is Floyd Fest. Susanna Smith, a long-time resident of Floyd, works at the music festival every year and sings (pun intended) its praises. Liza Wade and Julianne Paunescu were enticed to attend this year. They brought their Rhodes picnic blanket with them which led Georgia Loftis ’14 to introduce herself and join them for a few tunes!

1990

Reporter: Trish Puryear Crist nashvilletrish@gmail.com

Jason Files: “My wife Stephanie and I, along with her sister, just bought the Baja Grill in the Heights area in Little Rock. When not busy taste testing, I practice law, mostly in the area of estate planning.

I also publish a weekly newsletter for attorneys and judges, ‘The Arkansas Court Bulletin.’”

Lisa Lawrence: “After achieving ‘empty nest’ status (three daughters - Nashville, Raleigh, Memphis), I celebrated my 57th birthday this year by RETIRING (!) as a Managing Director with PFM (municipal financial advisor) on March 31st! My husband (John Hodges) and I have filled the last six months with some epic travel adventures (Peru, Alaska, Pacific Northwest and Appalachians) and a major home remodel in Memphis.”

Anne Payne Schutte: “My husband of 18 years, Howard Schutte, and I live in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta. After a 1-year career with Georgia-Pacific I ‘retired’ early to help care for my mom. She passed away in August at almost 91 years of age. Currently I am figuring out the next chapter of my life. Howard and I enjoy traveling and I added a new continent to my list this year with a visit to Africa (only Antarctica remains).”

David Tomlinson: “My wife, Leslie, and I still live in Florence, AL, where we have raised our family of three. I have been an attorney since 1994, spending over 20 years of that time as in-house counsel to several private companies. In 2022, I had the opportunity to do something different and help people from the plaintiffs’ side. I became General Counsel for my friend’s new environmental, toxic tort law firm based in Florence, AL.”

Trish Puryear Crist: “I have loved every second of working with the 35th Reunion Committee— getting closer with old friends and making new ones from our class of great and kind people. Thank you, dear ’90-ers for laughing at some or all of our jokes.”

1991

If you are interested in serving as the Class of ’91 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

1992

Reporter: Sara Hawks Marecki saramarecki@yahoo.com

Kristi Bolton Snyder: “I have been in the car business for 18 years and was recently named Dealer Principal and Minority Owner of Parker CDJR in Starkville.”

Charles West Hammond lost a rental real estate enterprise during the pandemic, but was privileged to have worked at FedEx for 30 years (mainly in Denver, CO.) He has retired to Las Vegas, NM, where he’s letting his hair grow out.

Carolyn Sharp wrote a book that’s won a couple of awards (Fire It Up: Four Secrets to Reigniting Intimacy and Joy in Your Relationship), went on a podcast/speaking tour, has been invited to lead a retreat at Kripalu this fall, and is giving her first TEDx talk this December. She also moved from Seattle (after 32 years) to the north shore of Massachusetts.

Beverly Hayden officially revived her business (opendoortravel.com) from its pandemic travel shut down. She is once again designing and leading 2-week-long small group cultural adventure tours in Vietnam and Bali. She carefully curates the itineraries as a delightful deep dive into the culture of each of these locations based on the many years she’s spent there. She typically leads three to six tours per year. The rest of the time, she is either having her own adventures in Southeast Asia or elsewhere or she’s home piddling in her flower garden!

Laura Landers Duke is now the Director of Alum Relations and Outreach at Linden Waldorf School in Nashville. She is glad to be working with her former students and also still able to teach middle school choir. She also welcomed her first grandchild, Ellis Duke this summer!

Bryan Pepper is a divinity student at Emory studying Catholicism and corrupting masses of Protestants. He joined the Church last Easter Vigil after three years of intensive study with three of the best priests imaginable. He now teaches 3rd grade Sunday school at his parish, attends mass every day, and writes ferocious homilies denouncing materialism, patriarchy, and poverty.

Brock Sides retired after 24 years working in IT for the US District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. He intends to spend time reading, cycling, and enjoying his morning coffee on the porch.

Brad Todd has transitioned from an occasional guest to a CNN Commentator, appearing three or more times a week on shows like AC360, Out Front with Erin Burnett, NewsNight, The Source, and The Arena. In September, Brad appeared on Paul Ollinger’s ’91 podcast “Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger.”

Congratulations to our classmate, Brad Jenkins, for being inducted into the Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame!

After five years of steroid injections, Sara Hawks Marecki had a total knee replacement. She is looking forward to more adventures once “Nellie the Knee” is fully healed. Sara enjoyed a recent trip to Las Vegas with other Rhodes alumni Liz Cotham Furman, Shannon Emerson Myatt, Jimmy Myatt, Cindy McCraw Dircks, Chris Emanuel, Claiborne Ferguson, and Kevin Thompson.

1993

Reporter: Wendy Mullins wendy.mullins@yahoo.com

Kelley Slagle: “I recently got my son off to the University of Alabama, my daughter back to her junior year at Notre Dame, downsized homes (jumping the state line into Kansas) and began a new adventure as a Hospice Social Worker.”

1994

Reporter: Judy Brown judyporterbrown@gmail.com

1995

Reporter: Sarah Hall Stump sarahhallstump@icloud.com

From Natasha Wood: “I have been an art therapist with Friends of Kids with Cancer at Mercy Hospital

in St. Louis for 27 years. This past winter I presented my work with our Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) oncology patients at the 6th Global AYA Congress in Melbourne, Australia. I was interviewed by Sesame Street about artwork with preschoolers and consulted to approve scripts concerning artmaking and grief. Most importantly, I married the love of my life, Rob. We have worked together for 26 years and built our region’s only formal AYA program together.”

1996 30th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Jennifer Larson larson_jennifer@yahoo.com

1997

Reporter: Brendan Minihan bminihanjr@gmail.com

From Carrie Archie Russell: “Dear friends from the Rhodes College class of 1997 gathered in Paso Robles, CA this summer to collectively celebrate their 50th birthdays. Maria Massey Hagan, Robin Hille Michaels, Carrie Archie Russell, Leah Daniels (and her partner Steph) along with Brooke Porter Hawkins and Elizabeth Tilghman McFadden toured wineries, broke open piñatas, laughed the past away and listened to the music play!”

Sarah Curtis Graziano’s debut memoir Daughter of a Song was published this year by the Texas Tech University Press. It is the winner of the Lou Halsell Rodenberger Prize, awarded to a manuscript illuminating women’s roles in the history, culture, and

letters of Texas and the American West. Sarah lives with her family in Michigan. When she gets too cold, she travels back to her hometown near Nashville, where she always manages to catch up with Shelley Roberts McLay and Shannon Bevins ’96

Brendan Minihan joined the McDonogh School community, outside Baltimore, MD, as Head of the Middle School.

From Jason Woods: “After nearly three decades of life after Rhodes, many of us have shared accomplishments or milestones here, and I enjoy reading each of them. Those four years were an essential part of my professional success over the years, but continuing friendships and social connections made at Rhodes have been just as important, so I thought I’d share something from a 32-year friendship: Justin Lennon and I have kept in good contact and have sailed together many times over those decades; this past spring he flew down to sail with me and my wife Sarah in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for a week.”

From Rob Marus: “My partner James Adams and I traveled to Philadelphia earlier this year to visit classmate Tess Farmer and enjoy her hospitality at her delicious annual Mardi Gras gumbo party. We also got to enjoy a visit to her (and Benjamin Franklin’s) parish while there, the historic Christ Episcopal Church.”

1998

Reporter: Susan Meredith Meyers susanmeyers26.2@gmail.com

The Reverend Melanie Dickson Lemburg has been named as Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas. Based in Little Rock, she will serve as chief of staff to the bishop and will work with congregations in the diocese searching for new clergy as well as with individuals in the ordination process.

Judith Smelser was recently named by the Orlando Sentinel as one of “Ten People Who Make Orlando a Better Place to Live.” Judith, president and general manager of Central Florida Public Media, came up with an idea to promote real journalism by getting local news groups who normally compete to work together on important stories. The collaboration involves 10 different news sites that team up to cover community wide issues.

1999

Reporter: Kathryn DeRossitt kathrynderossitt@yahoo.com

Kristen Boswell Amonette continues to practice family law in Nashville, TN, at her law firm Lindsey Amonette McCarter Beauchamp + Glassford, PLLC. In 2025, Kristen was selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers for the 12th year in a row and was also selected to the Top 100: 2025 Tennessee Super Lawyers and Top 50: 2025 Nashville Super Lawyers lists. Kristen is the proud mother of a soon-to-be college graduate, a junior in high school, and an eighth grader.

Laura Odom Matthews and husband Peter ‘00 have transitioned from Rhodes grads to Rhodes Mom and Dad, having moved their oldest son, Pierce ’29, onto campus this fall! Little brothers Henry, Oliver, and Wyatt have enjoyed exploring campus as prospective students and are already big fans of the Lair’s chicken fingers and ping pong table!

Kevin Willoughby moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco in early 2025 to join United Airlines as a corporate sales manager covering the San Francisco Bay Area supporting business travel from United’s SFO Asia/Pacific hub. Kevin has also joined San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) volunteering in three capacities: SFMOMA Curators’ Circle, Contemporaries, and The Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art (SECA).

Tara Loux, husband Diego, and son Rafael, 13, live in Danville, PA. Tara works at Geisinger Medical Center as a pediatric surgeon. They share their home with their pitbull mix, Genevieve. In their spare time, they enjoy biking, camping, and

cooking together. They also love having visitors if anyone is in the area!

As for me, Kathryn DeRossitt, I have just finished my first book, Wild River, a narrative non-fiction book of 365 true, dark events of Memphis’s early years. Fair warning, I am biased, but when you start reading this book, it will be hard to put down. That is not bragging about my book—it’s an observation that the early years of Memphis were engrossing and fascinating!

2000

Reporter: Nicki North Baxley nickinp@gmail.com

Sheila Jacobson Purcell finally left Memphis this year and moved to northern Colorado, where she finished a master’s program and was licensed as a Family Nurse Practitioner. The highlight of the summer was camping in the Rocky Mountains with Matt Dekar, Emily Waller Ensor, Elizabeth Smith Ritter, Peden Harris, Hunter Freeman, Andrew Robertson and our families.

Andy Whitten hit his 25th anniversary at Smith & Nephew. He will be inducted into the Builders Club in October.

2001

25th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Katy Minten Gray mkminten@hotmail.com

2002

Reporter: Shannon Cian shannoncian@gmail.com

2003

Reporter: Scott Holmes holmes.scott@gmail.com

Lauren Sefton is thrilled to be traveling the world on behalf of Rhodes. This fall she helped usher in the largest international class in Rhodes history!

Shayla White Purifoy got married in May 2025 and is running for Judge, August 2026. Please go to www.shaylapurifoy.com for volunteer opportunities, updates, and ways to support.

2004

Reporters: C. Kyle Russ ckyleruss@yahoo.com

Katie Walsh ’04 married Craig Locke at the historic Masonic Temple in Downtown Memphis on April 12, 2025. The wedding was a true Rhodes reunion, with plenty of alumni in attendance, including Dan Schrader ’10, Mike Clary ’77, Mark Strickland ’94, Traci Blair Strickland ’91, Catherine Harris Hughes ’04, Ashley Kutz Kelley ’04, Whitney Garman Sink ’04, Julie Clary ’04, Katie Maxwell ’04, Maggie Goodman, ’04, Jane Wells ’03, Miriam Dillard Stroud ’03, Laura Borg Scott ’04, Allison Grabias Pera ’03, Liz Glass Burgess ’04, Brian Clary ’01, Veena Rangaswami ’04, Jessica Paz Jones ’03, Amber Shaw ’04, Leslie Isaacman Yohey ’04, Toney Walsh III ’09, Jenny Dill ’04, Jordan Badgett Perelle ’03, Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84, Ted Davis ’89, and former Rhodes staff members Chrystal Russell, Beverly Vari, and Joe Vari.

2005

Reporters: Brandon Couillard (last names: A-M) brandon.couillard@gmail.com

Molly Fitzpatrick (last names N-Z) mhfitz11@hotmail.com

2006 20th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Rachel Methvin rachel_methvin@icloud.com

2007

Reporter: Meg Sizemore Clark megrebeccaclark@gmail.com

2008

Reporter: Madoline Markham Koonce madolinemarkham@gmail.com

Victor Evans writes that in July he launched a public affairs firm, Hankins Young Group, which specializes in government affairs, strategic consulting, and political campaigns. Francesca Davis McKee is the new Middle School Learning Specialist at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School in Memphis.

Casey Roman writes that, “In addition to opening a brokerage I now work full-time fighting for the soul of America in the comment section of local news sites and have recently become a single mother to six ungrateful baby possums.”

2009

Reporter: Kelsey Dean Griffith kelsey.dean.griffith@gmail.com

Morgan Nichols: “I have some good news to share. In May 2025 I graduated with a certification in Quantitative Statistical Analysis from UNC-Charlotte. I teach there part time as an adjunct professor in the ABA certification program. In June 2025 I graduated with my Ph.D. in Special Education and Child Development from UNC-Charlotte. I am proud to say I work full time

running a company that advocates for children with special needs. We have one clinic open, about to open our second clinic, and are working on opening a school that focuses on children with special needs holistically. In August 2025 my husband and I finalized our adoption of our fouryear-old daughter, Riverlynn Luera Nichols.”

Allison Squires writes: “I got married in June to the love of my life, then we took time to travel around Croatia and Italy. In July we moved to Carlisle, PA, so that my husband can attend Army War College over the next year! It has been an incredible adventure living on an army base with other military families and exploring a new part of the country. I am working remotely as a marketer for Visa and am also an assistant women’s volleyball coach at Dickinson College.”

2010

Reporter: Amanda Law Maxson amanda.h.law@gmail.com

Caitlin Loder Bagwell and her husband recently purchased their first house! She also has made great strides in her career, taking on the role of Systems and Reporting Analyst at the University of Mississippi, thereby almost doubling her salary!

Walter D. Clapp was married in May 2024 to Kamila Kudelska, News Director of Wyoming Public Radio. They live in Laramie with their animals. Walter runs a firm out of Red Lodge,

MT. In 2023 Walter ran in the Republican primary for U.S. President and has since co-founded the No Cap Fund and Representation Foundation. Walter was awarded his second patent in July 2025 and is presently building on the patents and finishing up his first book.

Trey Lowery shares this excellent update: “This year has been one of the most exciting and meaningful of my life, filled with milestones in both my personal and professional worlds. The biggest highlight was getting engaged to Mariko Krause ’16, and I couldn’t be happier to start this next chapter with her!

On the career front, I graduated from the UT Houston Space Medicine Fellowship, where I had the privilege of working with NASA astronauts and contributing to projects with Blue Origin, VAST, and SpaceX. The fellowship gave me experiences I never imagined when I started in medicine, from training in commercial diving and underwater welding to serving as the expedition doctor on a trip through the Arctic, where I provided medical care in one of the most remote and austere environments on Earth. Most recently, I stepped into a new leadership role as Chief Medical Officer of Minerva Medical, where I’m working to expand advanced medical support for commercial spaceflight, high-risk industries, and expeditionary missions. Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate for the growth and transitions of this past year, and I’m so excited for adventures ahead with my soon-to-be wife Mariko!”

Lily Elfrink Mahoney was recently elected to the board of the Junior League of St. Louis, where she serves as Sustainer Director. She is also currently President of the Spoede School Association at her children’s school—Russell (9) and Bennett (7). In addition to her community involvement, Lily earned the Certified Professional Organizer® (CPO®) designation in July 2025, marking a significant milestone in her professional career, where she specializes in downsizing and decluttering. Additionally, Lily and husband, Nate Mahoney ’11, celebrated their 13th anniversary in June 2025! Emily Jenkins owns a small CrossFit gym in northern Spain and gives seminars for the company throughout Europe for trainers to earn coaching credentials.

2011 15th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Grace Weil gracem.weil@gmail.com

Chelsea Hennessy Papachristou and her husband Chris live in Memphis and have two rambunctious boys and four lethargic cats. She recently finished her A220 type rating.

Michael Castellarin and Lindsey Dortch Brock reunited at the University of Michigan this spring to celebrate Andrew Millis as he completed his General Surgery Residency Program. Shortly thereafter, Andrew and his wife Cala moved to Nashville where Andrew began his Abdominal Transplant Fellowship at Vanderbilt. Michael lives in Colorado where he splits his time as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, and working with homeless vets at the VA. Lindsey lives in Asheville, NC, with her husband Phillip and daughter Cora (9). She works as a psychotherapist in private practice.

Greg and Meredith Palm welcomed their second baby boy, Luca James Palm, on February 27, 2025. Big brother Miles could not be happier. They are still in Waco, 11 years and counting. Send Greg a text/voice memo/phone call to catch up, it will always be well received.

Anna Laymon is working hard to build a bipartisan coalition of leaders to help build the first National Monument dedicated to women’s

history on the National Mall. You can learn more at: https://womensmonument.org/.

Dr. David “Jay” Travis Jr. and his wife Dr. Brooke Overbey-Travis welcomed their little girl, Ramsey Rae Travis on Aug. 20, 2025. Their son, David Travis III (Tripp), is enjoying his new role as big brother.

2012

Reporter: Kelly Parry kparry1211@gmail.com

Jaime Hopkins Brandon and her husband Joseph welcomed their second child, Jack Allen Brandon, on July 1, 2025. Jack arrived happy and healthy at 8lbs, 8oz. and 20.25”. He joins big sister Bette (2), and loyal canine companion Millie.

Alex Phipps Vise and husband Adam welcomed their second child on May 19, 2025, Carter Lynn Vise. Parents and big brother Bobby are so excited for him to join their family! They are currently residing in Birmingham.

Anne Weems Raffety is living in Greenville with husband William and children Hal and Frances. Anne is hoping to join her parents John ’77 and Amelie Christian Weems ’77 on their next trip to the moon! (See page 52 under Class of ’77.)

2013

Reporter: David Dorris david@vepartnersllc.com

2014

Reporter: Matt Washnock washnockm@gmail.com

Austin Armstrong is entering his third year as a geriatrics attending physician with MedStar

Health, offering home-based primary care in Washington, D.C. and serving as the Geriatrics Rotation Director at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Shelby Lund just celebrated her 10-year anniversary at HBS Systems and was recently promoted to a senior Business Analyst position with the software company. She has been taking advantage of time off to take trips across the U.S. and abroad, including trips to England, Italy, and a two-week trip to Greece with other Rhodes alumni. In her free time, she sings in her church choir and pursues her passion for writing, which was developed as an English/Creative Writing major at Rhodes.

Matthew Washnock and Megan Barnes ’16 were married at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX, with many members of the Rhodes family in attendance. They live with their cat, Stevie, in Atlanta, GA, where they are both attorneys.

2015

Reporter: Caroline Ponseti caroline.ponseti@gmail.com

2016 10th Reunion

Homecoming/Reunion Weekend

November 13 – 14, 2026

Reporter: Tina Tran tinatran.tm@gmail.com

2017

Reporter: Mason Brown marymason.brown910@gmail.com

2018

If you are interested in serving as the Class of ’18 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

2019

If you are interested in serving as the Class of ’19 reporter, please contact alumni@rhodes.edu.

2020

Reporter: Ben Griffith bengriffith3@yahoo.com

2021

Reporter: Cassidy Le Pham cassidylpham@gmail.com

Mary Thomas reports: “After graduating Rhodes, I spent almost three years in Los Angeles working in humanitarian immigration law. This past fall, I started my J.D. at Emory School of Law in Atlanta and will be returning to Memphis this summer to intern at the Shelby County Law Office of the Public Defender.”

Rachel Novak and C.J. Laws got married on 5/4/2024 and welcomed their son

Dmitri Reign Laws who was born on 01/14/2025.

On July 18, 2025, Ashby Glover married Tim Neighbor in New Rochelle, New York’s Glen Island Park overlooking Long Island Sound. Ashby and Tim met as freshmen in high school. Among those present were uncles Trice Gibbons ’83 and Paul Shaw. Ashby’s Rhodes classmate Niharika Tayade officiated.

2022

Reporter: Priya Tummalapalli Priya.Tummalapalli@alsac.stjude.org

2023

Reporter: Kofi Whitehead kofi.whitehead12@gmail.com

2024

Reporter: Nicholas Dillon nicholasmdillon01@gmail.com

Maddie Allen: “After graduating from Rhodes with a degree in Media Studies, I moved back

home to Long Beach, NY, where I spent the summer scrolling LinkedIn while suntanning at the beach. After an alarmingly high number of job applications, I landed a position with the New York Islanders, one of New York’s NHL teams, where I moderated the Islanders’ app and created minor graphics. This past summer, during hockey offseason, I decided to change gears and drive up to Maine. For the past four months, I’ve been living on an island off the coast called Vinalhaven, working as an organic farmer. As the farming season winds down, I’m preparing to return to Long Island to rejoin the Islanders—this time as an Assistant in Entertainment and Production, where I’ll dive deeper into graphics creation and learn the ropes of live sports broadcasting from the control room.”

Bella Solarek and Dante Messina tied the knot on September 6, 2025, celebrating their special day with friends, family, and fellow Rhodes alumni in Dickson, TN. Their wedding was filled

with joy, laughter, and plenty of dancing. After honeymooning in Aruba, they are excited to begin their next chapter together and make new memories as newlyweds in Nashville.

Aaron Cooper spent his gap year working at Magnolia Medical Foundation (MMF) in his hometown of Jackson, MS, an organization dedicated to improving health outcomes in underserved communities. In July, he began medical school at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Since starting medical school, he has been elected Vice President and PresidentElect of his school’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), where he continues his dedication to service, mentorship, and advocacy. Aaron proudly received his white coat in September, a milestone symbolizing the beginning of his journey as a physician-in-training.

IN MEMORIAM

’42 Jeannette Birge Thompson of Memphis, TN, July 23, 2025. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity and Rhodes Theater. She is survived by daughters Marion Morgan ’69 and Jeannette Birge ’72

’43 Katharine Meacham Conover of Saint Petersburg, FL, April 11, 2025. She was president of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity and a member of Torch. She is survived by her daughter Laura Meacham Keane ’83

’46 Emily Williamson Haizlip of Memphis, TN, July 29, 2025. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity and the Sou’wester staff.

’49 Dr. Robert Bedford Watkins, Jr. of Indianapolis, IN, April 6, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and Rhodes Singers.

’51 Eleanor Isabelle Clarke Miller of Memphis, TN, March 22, 2025. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity.

’51 Patricia Flippin Smithwick of Lubbock, TX, November 30, 2024. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity.

’51 James F. Springfield, Sr. of Memphis, TN, April 30, 2025. He was a member of the Baseball Team, Rhodes Singers, Sou’wester staff, and Sigma Nu Fraternity. He is survived by his son James F. Springfield, Jr. ’87 and grandchild Robert Evans ’12

To view full obituaries, please scan the QR code or visit https://news.rhodes.edu/memoriam

’51 Helen Holt Deupree Brandon of Memphis, TN, May 20, 2025. She was president of both Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity and Women’s Panhellenic Council, a member of Torch, and on the Election Commission. She is survived by her granddaughter Elizabeth Barker ’06 and grandson William Brandon II ’08

’52 Ann Rollow Ross of Clarksville, TN, May 27, 2025. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity.

’55 Charles R. Kennon of Jackson, TN, March 24, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and Rhodes Singers.

’55 Reginald N. Germany, Jr. of Memphis, TN, April 16, 2025. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, captain of the Rhodes Football Team, and served on the Rhodes Alumni Association Executive Board. He is survived by his wife, Bette Carol Germany ’55.

’55 Peggy Crocker Strong of Roanoke, VA, April 25, 2025. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity. She is survived by her husband Dr. Thomas E. Strong ’54; her sons Thomas E. Strong III ’79 and Robert C. Strong ’81; and daughter Cynthia Strong Thompson ’88.

’57 William H. McLean of Spanish Fort, AL, March 23, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, the Rhodes Football Team, and served on the Rhodes Alumni Association Executive Board. He

is survived by three children: Lisa McLean Butkus ’82, Susan McLean Haws ’85, and Nolan Stuart McLean III ’89; and cousins: SaraJean Jackson ’59, Paul Jackson, Jr. ’62, Nancy Jackson Williamson ’66, and Patsy Jackson ’69

’58 Ben M. Dukes of Spanish Fort, AL, March 18, 2025. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and served on the Rhodes Alumni Association Executive Board.

’58 Barbara June McClaran Matthaei of Eagleville, TN, August 4, 2025. She served as the poetry editor of Stylus.

’58 Carolyn Caldwell Rogers of Youngsville, LA, August 24, 2024. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity. She is survived by her husband Rev. Robert Rogers ’57.

’58 Lynda Graham McCarty of Black Mountain, NC, May 13, 2025. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity and served on the Rhodes Board of Trustees.

’59 Jane Aquino Osuga of Grove City, OH, May 30, 2025.

’59 Uhland Redd III of Florence, AL, August 24, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.

’59 Mary Alice Masters Carrell of Anderson, IN, September 20, 2025. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.

’60 Beverly Finch Ballard of Davis, CA, February 20, 2024. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and Rhodes Student Government.

’60 Edward “Tom” Tomlinson Elam of North Carolina, March 8, 2025.

’60 Rann L. Vaulx of Blountville, TN, April 17, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, Rhodes Student Government, and Phi Beta Kappa.

’60 John C. Turley III of Houston, TX, August 12, 2025. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

’61 Sue Bracewell Whittle of Knoxville, TN, April 12, 2025. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and Stylus. She is survived by her daughter Allison Whittle Hodges ’97.

’62 Robert L. Echols of Nashville, TN, August 2, 2025. He was president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and a member of both the Rhodes Baseball Team and the Rhodes Football Team. In 2006 he was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. He is survived by his son Robert L. Echols, Jr. ’95

’63 Philip J. Green of Albuquerque, NM, March 2, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

’63 Patricia Ann Karnowsky of Memphis, TN, March 12, 2025. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity and Rhodes Student Government.

’66 Carol Pickens White of Memphis, TN, August 10, 2025. She was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity, president of Mortar Board, elected Miss Southwestern, and inducted into the Student Hall of Fame. She is survived by her son Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” White IV ’94.

’67 Anne Fraser Clarke of Saint Louis, MO, April 17, 2025. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity.

’67 Mary Lindsay Andrews Dickinson of Coldwater, MS, July 12, 2025. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity.

’68 Mary Louise O’Kelly of Mason, TN, July 28, 2025. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity.

’70 Marilyn Elayne Pearlman of Decatur, GA, April 3, 2025.

’70 David Walter Hardy of Cold Springs, NY, July 16, 2025. He was a member of Rhodes Theatre.

’70 Norman Randall Mullins of Tacoma, WA, June 22, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity, ODK, and both the Rhodes Football team and Baseball Team. He is survived by his son Andrew MullinsWilliams ’11 and daughter-in-law Lindsey Gibson Williams ’09

’70 Barbara Condra “Mimi” King of Memphis, TN, August 21, 2025. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity. She is survived by her daughter Whitney King Forgerty ’96

’71 Julian T. Bolton, Sr. of Memphis, TN, August 4, 2025. He was involved with Theatre, was a founding member of the Rhodes Black Student Association, and was named BSA Distinguished Alumni in 2002 and 2009.

’71 Laila Adams Eckels of Memphis, TN, August 25, 2025. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity and served on the Rhodes Board of Trustees. She is survived by her husband Rick Eckels ’70

’71 Nanette Simonton Paci of Long Beach, CA, June 30, 2025. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity and Rhodes Singers.

’71 Rev. Samuel P. Marshall III of Oxford, MS, June 26, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and Phi Beta Kappa. He is survived by his wife Cecilia “Cissy” Miller Marshall ’70.

’73 Hugh Arthur Hines, Jr. of Memphis, TN, July 23, 2025. He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

’74 Prudence Owens McGehee of McComb, MS, April 21, 2025.

’74 Patrick L. Matlock of Okatie, SC, March 3, 2025. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and the Pep Band.

’77 Charlotte Winford Zehring of Memphis, TN, July 21, 2025. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity.

’79 Fred Palmer Wilson of Bartlett, TN, July 21, 2025. He is survived by his daughter Angela Wilson ’18.

’83 Anne Eaton Bennett Clarke of Louisville, KY, March 30, 2025. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity.

’88 Wilbur Donald Stansell of La Quinta, CA, June 18, 2024. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

’94 Newton Jasper “Jay” Wardlaw IV of Atlanta, GA, September 2, 2025. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Rhodes Student Government, Mortar Board, and ODK. He is survived by his wife Lisa Tomlinson Wardlaw ’95 and daughter Patsy Wardlaw ’23

’09 John Landon Jackson of Elizabeth City, NC, April 16, 2025. He was a member of the Black Student Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Philosophy Club, and the Anime Club.

’20 Guilford Cole Henderson of Boston, MA, July 9, 2025. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and the Squash Club.

’29 Mary Frances “Ray” Forbes of Memphis, TN, October 14, 2025. She was a Clarence Day Scholar and a member of the Mock Trial Team.

FACULTY

Dr. Bette Ackerman, a member of the Rhodes faculty from 1987 – 2015. She was Dean of Students from 2001 to 2004.

William L. Daniels of Amherst, MA, September 28, 2025. He was a Professor in the Department of English and a Professor Emeritus since 1990.

Dr. Robert J. Strandburg of Memphis, TN, June 13, 2025. He was a member of the Rhodes faculty from 1988 – 2013 and served as a Professor, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for Undergraduate Research and Service, and Director of Rhodes CARES. In 2013 he received the Rhodes College Distinguished Service Medal.

Donald W. Tucker, a Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and a Professor Emeritus since 1988.

rhodes.giftlegacy.com

“The opportunity to study, live, and compete at Rhodes significantly helped the trajectory of my life.”

—David Carr ’98

David Carr ’98 still remembers stepping onto the Rhodes campus and instantly feeling a sense of home. He had found a place where professors challenged him, friends supported him, and mentors helped shape the direction of his life. Over four years, Rhodes became the environment where he grew as a student, an athlete, and a young adult preparing for the world beyond North Parkway. Those experiences led him toward graduate school, professional success, and a network of lifelong friendships that continue to enrich his life today.

When David later looked for a meaningful way to give back to his alma mater, he chose an option that did not require substantial resources early in his career. Making a deferred gift allowed him to support Rhodes in a thoughtful and accessible way, one that aligned with his deep appreciation for the opportunities he received. By including the college in his will, David is helping ensure that future students will find the same sense of belonging and inspiration that shaped his own journey. Making a planned gift is simple, impactful, and a powerful way to help the next generation of Lynx begin their own Rhodes story. A small step now, a big impact later.

For more information on the benefits of making a planned gift to Rhodes please contact Senior Gift Planning Officer Tracy Vezina Patterson ’84, P’22, J.D. at (901)843-3856 or pattersont@rhodes.edu.

More information about planned gifts is also available at http://rhodes.giftlegacy.com

rhodes.edu/summer-programs

Rhodes Summer Academy is a unique two-week residential program offering motivated high school students an immersive credit-bearing experience with college-level courses in academic fields such as chemistry, medicine, creative writing, art, coding, and business. Courses are all taught by Rhodes faculty, and the dates of the program are June 21–July 2. Apply before March 15 to receive a $200 early registration discount!

Rhodes Mock Trial Academy is a weeklong residential program where students learn to build courtroom skills, explore constitutional law, and experience life at Rhodes. This credit-bearing program includes daily instruction, trial prep, social events, and final trial performances. Taught by expert faculty and national champions, this immersive experience is ideal for aspiring legal minds. Limited scholarships are available. The dates of the program are June 21-29.