News: Southscapes Fall 2008
Lead Dogs
1950s
Gene Murkison, BSA — Ag Econ, '59, is retired from Georgia Southern after 23 years and is now a Professor Emeritus of Management, where he continues to write papers concerning business history and conducts research on selection of managers for isolated and remote assignments. He is active in Kiwanis Club of Statesboro and the VFW.
1960s
Charlie Lowry, BSA – Animal Science, '69, owns 4L Ranch in Summerville. A former professional rodeo rider, Lowry was a two-time national competitor in calf roping and steer wrestling. He now herds livestock on his 400-acre ranch where he hand-picks the bulls, broncos, steers and calves he takes to rodeo competitions that contract with him.
1970s
Bob Farnsworth, BSA — Animal Science, '79, is with Farnsworth Insurance, Inc. in Gray, Georgia.
Pat Thompson, BSA — Agricultural Mechanization Technology, '77, is now the manager of Authoring Tools, Standards and Publishing Technical Information Services for the worldwide agricultural equipment division of John Deere. The Authoring system is used by more than 250 technical authors worldwide, publishing more than a million pages a month.
1980s
Gina Foil, BSA — Ag Econ, '81, has joined the residential sales division of Fickling & Co.
Bob MacDonald, BSA — Botany, '84, is Director of the Office of Planning and Accountability at USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.
Charlie Murphy, BSA — Food Science, '89, was featured in an article in The Advocate, a Fairhaven, MA, publication, noting his becoming the first unopposed Selectman in the city's recent history. Murphy recently served as president of the Rotary Club of Fairhaven and received three Paul Harris Awards and the Rotary Eagle Award. He is also the recipient of the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award for his work, life and advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities. He is a Rehabilitation Counselor for Gosnold Thorne Counseling Center and is Chairman of the Board of Health and Chairman of Disabilities in Fairhaven.
Gary L. Pool, BSA — Agronomy, '81, was installed as president of the Georgia Association of Orthodonists.
Barry L. Storey, BSA — Ag Econ, '82, was elected a director of Athens First Bank and Trust by the board of directors to help the bank's parent company, Synovus, grow in the Augusta market.
1990s
Jennifer Collins, BSA — Animal Science, '99, MS — Ag Econ, '01, currently teaches 5th grade at Georgia Mountain Christian Academy. She also coaches poultry judging for the Hall County Extension Office.
Donna Garren, Ph.D — Food Science, '96, is the vice president of Health and Safety Regulatory Affairs for the National Restaurant Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Garren is a nationally respected food science specialist. Her extensive background and expertise in food science and nutrition is instrumental in building and enhancing proactive efforts in food safety and nutrition, as well as addressing important regulatory and technical issues facing the nation's 900,000 restaurants.
Angela Jenkins Evans, BSA — Agricultural Communications, '95, is director of undergraduate university admissions at Kennesaw State University.
2000s
Jason Ferrell, Ph.D — Agronomy, '03, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida in the Department of Agronomy. Ferrell has authored or co-authored 27 refereed journal articles and more than 150 extension publications throughout his career, including time spent at his previous position as an extension specialist.
Ryan S. Grab, BSA —
Agribusiness, '07, is with
United Rentals, Inc, in Bogart,
Georgia.
Mitch Lathem, BSA — Agricultural and Applied Economics, '05, is an associate broker with Southern Heritage Land Company. He specializes in land sales and acquisitions throughout the Southeast (www.southernheritageland.com). In 2007, he started a photography business, Foxfire Photography (www.mitchlathemphotography.smugmug.com). He focuses on fine art photography, but also does some portraiture and wedding photography.
Joel McKie, BSA — Agribusiness, '05, graduated from UGA School of Law in May and is now an associate in the law firm of Hall, Booth, Smith, & Slover, P.C. in Atlanta. Wife Candice Clark McKie, BSA — Agribusiness, '05, MS — Ag Econ, '07, is employed by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners as a Program Analyst in their Division of Economic Analysis.
Emillie R. M. Skinner, MS — Hort., '06, is the new agricultural science teacher at Baldwin County High School in Milledgeville, Ga.
April Reese Sorrow, BSA –
Agricultural Communications, '03, recently joined the staff
of the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences.
Sorrow works as a public
relations coordinator and
news editor in the Office of
Communications.
Luke Williams, BSA — Avian Biology, '06 is working as a husbandry intern at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. Williams lives in Brunswick and is entering his third year of vet school at UGA.