Southscapes Spring 2008
Lead Dogs
1950s
Henry E. Bohn, BSA — Agriculture, '59, DVM, '62, has been named to the State Board of Veterinary Medicine by Governor Sonny Perdue. He is an associate and veterinarian at the East Cobb Veterinary Clinic, the Animal Emergency Clinic of Sandy Springs and the Cherokee Emergency Veterinary Clinic.
1960s
Ray Earl Clifton, BSA — Agronomy, '60, is executive director of the Colorado Rural Electric Association in Denver, Colorado.
Gary P. McElhenney, BSA — Dairy Science, '69, is employed with the Putman County Commission and has been the Putnam County coroner since 1985. He was recently awarded the A.R. King Award as Coroner of the Year 2007 by the Georgia Coroners Association.
1970s
Chip Dorminy, III, BSA — Agricultural and Applied
Economics, '72, was
elected to the post of vice-chairman
of the CBC Holding
Company, parent corporation
of Community Banking
Company of Fitzgerald.
Dorminy is a career farmer
active in local, state, and
national farm organizations.
He serves on the boards of
both ABAC and East Central
Technical College. He is
director of the Georgia Peanut
Producers Association and the
Georgia Forestry Association
and is a trustee of the Georgia
Agrirama.
Regina Downey, BSA — Biological Science, '79, DVM '83, owns and operates Holistic Animal Healing Clinic P.C. in Exeter, New Hampshire. The small animal practice blends traditional medicine with alternative medicine and offers the standard medical and surgical veterinary services as well as a number of alternative modalities for targeting a complete wellness program, including homeopathy, herbal medicine, chiropractic and acupuncture therapy.
Stanford Grist, BSA — Poultry Science, '70,
DVM '73, is a veterinarian
at Richland Creek Animal
Clinic in Greenville, SC
and operates Pet Med
Mobile which he started
in 1975. Pet Med Mobile
travels throughout upstate
South Carolina delivering
discounted vaccinations
to cats and dogs. In 2007,
Pet Med Mobile's five
veterinarians, including
Grist, gave 47,000 rabies
shots through the clinic in
Greenville and the mobile
clinic.
George Lee, BSA — Animal Science, '72, MAEX '88, of Ware County serves on the staff of Lt. Governor Casey Cagle. In addition to his CAES degrees, Lee holds a public policy certificate from the University of Arizona.
Ronnie C. Massengale, BSA — Agricultural Business, '72, recently started a new career with the U.S. Air Force as a civilian employee. He is a flight director for avionics and instruments flight at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins.
1980s
Nancy Youngblood Dearnley, BSA — Animal Science, '88, is a home builder and owner of Youngblood Properties LLC in Hanover County, Va. One of her houses received four awards in the 2007 Parade of Homes. The Homebuilding Association of Richmond has 220 members who are builders. Dearnley is one of less than a dozen female builder-members.
Walter Kinbrough, BSA — Biological Science, '89, is the twelfth president of Philander Smith College, Arkansas' oldest historically black college. A national expert on black fraternities and sororities, Kinbrough has been interviewed by The Washington Post and the Chronicle of Higher Education and has been a guest on the National Public Radio show, "Talk of the Nation." He is also the author of Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities. A member of the board of directors for the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and the Heart of Arkansas United Way, Kinbrough was named one of the 25 most influential African-Americans in Arkansas by Powerplay Magazine in 2006.
Patricia Norris, BSA — Agricultural and Applied Economics, '82, has been named the first holder of the Guyer-Seevers Chair in Natural Resources Conservation at Michigan State University. The chair was created to address critical issues in the use and conservation of Michigan's natural resources, with an emphasis on stakeholder involvement and teaching students to take leadership roles in natural resource fields.
Jo Phillips, BSA — Horticulture, '80, is the horticulture manager at Hills and Dales Estate near LaGrange. Having worked for the estate since 1994, Phillips is now responsible for the maintenance of all the plantings at the Visitor Center and the acres of flower beds and boxwood parterres and supervises a staff of seven. Some of the estate's plantings date to the 1800's when Sarah Coleman Ferrell began the popular gardens.
1990s
Bennie Branch, BSAE — Biological and Agricultural Engineering, '88, MS — Biological and Agricultural Engineering, '90, is president of Kelley Manufacturing Company in Tifton. Branch has been employed by KMC for 17 years. He began his career as a design engineer. KMC manufactures and distributes a diverse product line for tillage, peanut harvesting and poultry house equipment and is 100 percent employee owned.
Kim B. Chester, BSEH — Environmental Health Science, '96, is an educational consultant for Wesley Educational Services and Northwest Georgia Learning Resource System. She is a member of the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Council for Exceptional Children, Oakland Heights Baptist Church Angel Ministry and Autism in Bartow. Chester is also a parent-mentor with Bartow County Board of Education.
Rodney Fowler, BSA — Agribusiness, '99, has joined AgSouth Farm Credit in Statesboro as a commercial lending officer. He also serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Crop Production Alliance and is a Georgia AgriLeaders graduate.
Art Ordoqui, BSA — Biological Sciences, '99, is the director of programming for Community Connections of Northeast Georgia. Ordoqui oversees the 2-1-1 information and referral system and the Hands on Northeast Georgia volunteer program, each servicing a 14-county region.
John Phillip Tucker, BSA — Agricultural Communication, '99, is the new annual giving coordinator for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Bo Warren, BSA — Agribusiness, '95, is working in State and Local Government Affairs with Monsanto Company. He manages all government affairs functions within a 10-state area and works with state and local legislative and regulatory officials on agricultural, chemical, plant biotechnology and manufacturing issues. He has been based in Washington D.C. for the past two and a half years, but will relocate back to Georgia in the same position this year.
2000s
Lyle Brackin, BSA — Agricultural Education, '04, is an agricultural teacher and FFA sponsor at Gladden Middle School in Dalton. He also serves our country as a second-lieutenant in the Army National Guard.
Jennifer Thompson Broun, BSA — Biological Science, '01, MAL — Agricultural Leadership, '03, was recently hired as the Community and Youth Services Representative at Walton EMC. Broun coordinates co-op activities and works to build community relations.
Sallie Drew, BSA — Agricultural Education, '07, is an agricultural education teacher in the Crisp County school system. A native of Henry County, Drew has been recognized by the Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association with an Outstanding First Year Teacher's Scholarship.
Patricia Hayes, MS — Agronomy, '04, teaches seventh grade at Platte Valley Schools in Kersey, Colorado. She previously taught seventh through twelfth grade science in the Maxwell Schools in New Mexico.
Mitch Lathem, BSA — Agricultural and Applied Economics, '05, is an Associate Broker with Southern Heritage Land Company, specializing in land sales and acquisitions throughout the southeast (www.southernheritageland.com). He also started his own photography business in 2007, Foxfire Photography (www.mitchlathemphotography.smugmug.com), selling mainly fine art photography but also doing some portraiture and wedding photography.
Elliott Marsh, BSA — Agricultural and Applied Economics, '02, was elected to be a member of the Board of Directors for the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia and is also a participant in the 2008 class of the Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum. He is the Agribusiness Instructor at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro.
Gerome Morgan, BSA — Agricultural Education, '07, is an agricultural education teacher in the Crisp County school system. A native of Wilkes County, Morgan formerly served as a Georgia Department of Natural Resources Conservation Ranger in Murray County.
Austin Brett Tucker, BSA — Agricultural Business, '05, is a land agent with the Georgia Transmission Corporation in Tucker.
Clint Tolbert, BSA — Turfgrass Management, '02, is the head golf course superintendent at the Nanea Golf Club in Aloha Kona, Hawaii. Nanea is ranked No. 44 in the U.S. and No. 76 in the world in top golf courses. It is also the seventh most exclusive club in the world.