VIRES Fall 2013

A Pu b l i c a t i o n o f t h e F l o r i d a S t a t e U n i ve rs i t y A l u m n i A s s o c i a t i o n

Fa l l / Wi n t e r 2 0 1 3 Vo l u m e V, I s s u e 2

VIRESVIRES®

seminole

aficionadocigar

SAFE TRAVELS: FSU FEDERAL AIR MARSHALS

TEN QUESTIONS WITH DISNEY’S MEG CROFTON

HOMECOMING: LEGENDS OF FSU

The Moment Saturday, October 26, 2013 3:36 p.m. Bobby Bowden, FSU football coach for 34 seasons and two national championship titles, marked the long-awaited return to his namesake field in spectacular fashion by planting Osceola’s flaming spear at midfield. The crowd was dadgum fired up, filling the stadium with cheers to welcome him home. Hundreds of former players were also in attendance to help FSU celebrate Bobby Bowden Day. The Seminoles played just like old times, trouncing North Carolina State 49-17. Photo by Jeremy Esbrandt

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Alan G. Marshall, FSU Ion Cyclotron Resonance

Program director, took part in a centuries-old

tradition as he commemorated his induction

into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

by signing the Book of Members.

Read more on page 31.

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®

C o n t e n t s

VIRES® is the first torch in the university seal and represents

strength of all kinds: physical, mental and moral.

Features

8 Into the Depths After a Deadly Shark Encounter, This Triathlete Takes Fear in Stride

14 Power Noles The Lottery Gets Lucky with a Roster of FSU Alumni

20 Relax and Enjoy the Ride Seminoles Join Forces to Ensure Your In-Flight Safety

24 The Don of a New Day Cigar Legend José Padrón — aka Don Orlando — is Passing the Torch to Seminole Son Jorge

47 The Gift of Time, Talent & Treasure How the Cottrell Family Has Expressed Gratitude

Departments

Catching Up With ... 7

University News 31Follow, Like, Comment 35Ten Questions 36

Association News 39 Class Notes 50

In Memoriam 59Parting Shot 64

Cover: Jorge Padrón takes a moment

to relax and enjoy the sweet smell of

the hard-earned success of his family’s

award-winning cigar company, Padrón

Cigars, which was founded in 1964 by his

father, José.

Photo by EloyProphoto

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UPCOMING EVENTS

SATURDAY JANUARY 25, 2014Big Cypress Reservation | Florida

Learn about the rich heritage of the Seminole Tribe of Florida with FSU.

• Tour the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Tribe Museum at a discounted rate

• Enjoy lunch and a program featuring Andrew Frank, FSU professor of history and

Seminole historian• Explore the Big Cypress Reservation on

swamp buggy tours and airboat rides

Find out more at fsuday.com

FEBRUARY 27 - MARCH 2, 2014Park City Mountain Resort | Park City, Utah

Join us on the slopes for the inaugural Seminoles at Ski!

• A reception with FSU President Eric J. Barron (B.S. ’73)• Exclusive FSU après-ski parties• Seminole Stroll down historic Main Street

Find out more at seminolesatski.com

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITYBOARD OF TRUSTEES

Allan Bense, ChairKathryn BallardEdward E. “Ed” BurrJoseph L. CampsRosalia “Rosie” ContrerasEmily Fleming DudaJoseph GrutersWm. Andrew HaggardMark HillisLeslie PantinMargaret A. “Peggy” RolandoBrent W. SemblerGary Tyson

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITYALUMNI ASSOCIATIONNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive CommitteeGordon J. Sprague, ChairS. Dale Greene, Chair-ElectThomas V. Hynes, Vice ChairAllen D. Durham, Immediate Past ChairSusan Sarna, SecretarySteve Pattison, TreasurerTom Jennings, Vice President of University AdvancementScott F. Atwell, Association President

Jean AcciusL. Carl AdamsBlythe AdreonRuth Ruggles AkersSamuel S. AmbroseJames J. BloomfieldFlecia BraswellDavid BrobstStephen T. BrownRobert CoxTracie DominoKyle DoneyJohn E. Doughney IVSandra DunbarMark S. EllisRichard EricksonSamantha K. GarrettMarion Taormina HargettConnie Jenkins-PyeRichard KurrasCraig T. LynchJoda LynnCailin MalloryEric MuñozMax OligarioTamara Wells PigottMichael J. SweeneyJames F. Thielen

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Scott AtwellPresident & CEOFSU Alumni Association

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS

VIRES®FOR MEMBERS OFTHE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITYALUMNI ASSOCIATION1030 West Tennessee StreetTallahassee, FL 32304850.644.2761 | alumni.fsu.edu

PUBLISHER:Scott Atwell

EDITOR:Katie Badder

DESIGNER:Jessica Rosenthal

DIGITAL DESIGNER:Louise Bradshaw

COPY EDITOR:Ron Hartung

STAFF CONTRIBUTORS:Robby CunninghamMeagan FlintBrian HudginsJenn MauckUniversity Communications

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STAFF:Scott AtwellKatie BadderGina BollottaLouise BradshawValerie ColvinRobby CunninghamMeagan FlintSue FulfordKathleen Harvey HelmDawn Cannon JenningsJenn MauckMichael McFaddenDavid OverstreetWhitney PowersJessica RosenthalJessica TancaDr. Tommie WrightMandi Young

The FSU Alumni Association would like to extend a special thank you to FSU Athletics, the FSU Photo Lab and others for allowing us to use their photographs in the magazine.

VIRES is a registered trademark of the Florida State University Alumni Association. All rights reserved. © 2013

An alumnus who’s active in the life of our university recently confessed surprise about many of the great things happening at FSU. How could someone so interested in his alma mater — he wondered aloud — be missing so much good news? And what does that mean about the FSU knowledge of graduates who are less connected?

The alumnus went on to suggest it’s the responsibility of graduates not only to be informed (he pledged to do better) but also to actively inform others. After all, if we won’t toot our own horn, who will?

FSU has an ardent platoon of volunteers who attend local elected delegation meetings to speak on behalf of their alma mater, armed with information like the success of our freshman class, perhaps the best in FSU history, boasting an average GPA of 4.0 and median SAT of 1830.

They brag about our rise in the rankings — up to No. 40 among public universities — according to U.S. News & World Report, the same magazine that named us the “most efficient” university in the nation. Kiplinger calls us a best value.

Florida State University’s graduate programs in library and information studies, criminology, public affairs, education and law are among the best in the nation and, overall, FSU awarded a record 443 doctorates last year.

We’re producing more Rhodes finalists and Fulbright Scholars, and our College of Law graduates rank first in the state …

Space does not permit a full accounting of these facts, but I hope you’ll view them online at AdvocateForFloridaState.com.

There’s one more thing you can do for your alma mater. When you are finished reading VIRES® magazine, pass it along to another alumnus, friend or potential student. Take it to your place of business and leave it where others can see. The alumnus who inspired this column has empowered you to become an advocate.

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITYBOARD OF TRUSTEES

Allan Bense, ChairKathryn BallardEdward E. “Ed” BurrJoseph L. CampsRosalia “Rosie” ContrerasEmily Fleming DudaJoseph GrutersWm. Andrew HaggardMark HillisLeslie PantinMargaret A. “Peggy” RolandoBrent W. SemblerGary Tyson

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITYALUMNI ASSOCIATIONNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive CommitteeGordon J. Sprague, ChairS. Dale Greene, Chair-ElectThomas V. Hynes, Vice ChairAllen D. Durham, Immediate Past ChairSusan Sarna, SecretarySteve Pattison, TreasurerTom Jennings, Vice President of University AdvancementScott F. Atwell, Association President

Jean AcciusL. Carl AdamsBlythe AdreonRuth Ruggles AkersSamuel S. AmbroseJames J. BloomfieldFlecia BraswellDavid BrobstStephen T. BrownRobert CoxTracie DominoKyle DoneyJohn E. Doughney IVSandra DunbarMark S. EllisRichard EricksonSamantha K. GarrettMarion Taormina HargettConnie Jenkins-PyeRichard KurrasCraig T. LynchJoda LynnCailin MalloryEric MuñozMax OligarioTamara Wells PigottMichael J. SweeneyJames F. Thielen

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AT THE GAME

SUPPORT YOUR

OR ON THE ROAD

SEMINOLES

DISPLAY YOUR PRIDE IN FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY with the purchase of an FSU license plate. Proceeds from plate sales are applied to the university’s general scholarship fund to support need- and merit-based scholarships for Florida Statestudents. Rebates for first-time buyers, as well as gift certificates and information on purchasing your FSU license plate, are available online at fsu.edu/mytag..

Photo by John Douglas

Jazz great and FSU Assistant Professor Marcus Roberts accomplished more during one week this summer than most in his profession could likely tackle in a year. Just weeks after his 50th birthday, the pianist and FSU graduate whisked his newly formed 12-piece band into the studio to record not one, but three albums. Between tracks, he was busily managing his burgeoning record label, promoting a successful Kickstarter campaign and performing three sold-out shows in Tallahassee, while always making time for his top priority — mentoring the next generation of jazz musicians to follow in his footsteps. As if his dance card wasn’t full enough, he also hosted a “60 Minutes” crew, who shot more than 30 hours of footage over three months to produce an in-depth story of his life and stellar career. “I’ve been watching ‘60 Minutes’ since I was a kid. I certainly had no idea I would ever be the subject of one of their pieces,” Roberts said. “It helped me put my own career in perspective. For once, I had to really think about, over the past 25 to 30 years, what have [I] been up to. It’s helped me to ... validate and confirm exactly why I do what I do and what the next big steps should be.”

Among those steps are a sharpened focus on promoting his recently penned piano concerto, touring with his trio and continuing to build J-Master Records — releasing three new albums of previously recorded material, with his latest material close behind.

He also remains steadfastly dedicated to his teaching, which includes nurturing and promoting his big band, the

Modern Jazz Generation, composed primarily of FSU students and recent graduates.

“I feel very connected to the university, and

one of my greatest joys is to help educate the young people. But,” he warns, “we really don’t

accept students who aren’t serious and who are not inspired to keep their grades

up. Like I tell them, ‘We don’t have any dumb great jazz musicians!’”

Hear more from Roberts at

alumni.fsu.edu/VIRES.

MARCUS ROBERTS (B.A. ’04)HITTING 50 ON A HIGH NOTE

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Nine days after a shark killed the man swimming beside her in the Pacific Ocean, Laurene Booth Rovins went back into the water. Three months later, she swam with sharks during a vacation in Hawaii. Today, she continues swimming in the ocean to compete in triathlons.

Rovins has made her peace with sharks, the ocean and the horrific 2008 event – and she has tried to use her experience to help others.

By Gerald Ensley (B.A. ’80)

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“I think of the shark attack every day. I know it will never go away,” she said. “But that’s OK. I’m lucky to be here, to be married, to see my dog. I left that morning not knowing a swim could change my life.”

At 35, she is a commercial insurance agent in the San Francisco area. She’s also a Florida State graduate (A.A. ’98, B.S. ’99). Daughter of the late Charlie Booth (B.S. ’54), a 1950s Seminoles football lineman, she comes from a Seminole family: Two uncles and two brothers also graduated from FSU.

At the university, Laurene Booth was a Seminole Ambassador, a Lady Renegade, an FSU bat girl, and a member of the Golden Key and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies and Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. A year ago, she married a fellow FSU grad, Michael Rovins (B.S. ’00). She returns to Tallahassee every fall for a football game reunion with friends.

But since April 25, 2008, she has become best-known as the FSU grad in the middle of a notorious shark attack.

PUSHED INTO THE LIMELIGHTOn that day, Rovins was doing a triathlon training swim near San Diego, her home at the time. She was one of nine swimmers who plunged into the Pacific at dawn, swimming about 150 yards offshore.

She was swimming beside Dave Martin, 66, a San Diego veterinarian and longtime triathlete. Martin’s presence was comforting, as his strong, rhythmic stroke provided good pacing for her.

Yet 20 minutes into the swim, she realized Martin was no longer beside her. And just then, she heard him yell, “Shark!”

She turned and saw Martin several yards back struggling and in obvious anguish. As she swam to him, a shark fin passed between them. It moved on, but blood was filling the water. The great white shark had bitten his legs.

Rovins held Martin afloat and screamed for help. The other swimmers hurried to them, and together they brought the unconscious Martin ashore.

Rescue workers arrived quickly and transported him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident was major news in San Diego, where Martin had been a large-animal veterinarian for many years before settling into a house-pet practice. And the story of an attack by a great white spread nationally.

Martin’s fellow swimmers were interviewed on ESPN, CNN and “The TODAY Show.” National Geographic did a story. The story of the attack now plays annually during Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Rovins was the focus of an Emmy-nominated ESPN feature story, as well as a story in ESPN magazine.

Overnight, she became a celebrity. Hundreds of people contacted her by email and Facebook. At business meetings, people peppered her with questions. Requests for interviews poured in.

At first she was uncomfortable with the attention. But her feelings changed as she was sought out for advice by people who were afraid of swimming or afraid of the ocean. Strangers and co-workers told her they were inspired by her story. A cancer victim told her he drew strength from her.

The reaction taught her she had a responsibility to share her story to help others deal with their fears of the ocean, swimming, sharks, even death.

“It’s not like I won the French Open; I was in the spotlight for being at a certain place at a certain time,” she said. “But I take the responsibility of having been in a situation that garners attention and use it to help people. Talking to others is part of the deal. That’s my job.”

Spread: Rovins took her fear in stride

and returned to triathlon training, in part

to honor the memory of Dave Martin. Photo by Chris Park

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Rovins has particularly embraced her sense of responsibility to Martin’s family. She became close friends with Martin’s oldest son, Jeff, a commercial airline pilot and fellow triathlete, as well as Jeff ’s three sons. Rovins and the Martins now stage an annual memorial swim in the name of Dave Martin to raise money for college scholarships. They have competed together in triathlons, runs and events such as the annual Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim.

Jeff Martin, 46, said Rovins has become a part of his family.

“I can’t tell you how impressed I’ve been by Laurene and how she has carried herself through this,” he said. “She was pushed into the limelight when she didn’t want to be. But she felt a responsibility to pick up the microphone and talk.”

FROM A FAMILY OF COMPETITORSRovins has always been an athlete.

She grew up in Winter Park but spent her junior year at Leon High in Tallahassee, where her father took a job with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

She grew up with horses and was a competitive trail rider for several years. She spent 13 years as a competitive dancer. She started playing tennis at age 3 and was on her high school team.

Her passion was volleyball. As a high school star middle blocker, she hoped to win a college scholarship. Starting in eighth grade, she attended former FSU volleyball coach Cecile Reynaud’s annual summer camp in Tallahassee. FSU Hall of Fame volleyball player, model, actress and sports announcer Gabrielle Reece was her hero: “She was what I wanted to be.”

But at 5-foot-9, Rovins was too short to play the front row for a major school like FSU. So, faced with the choice of playing for a small college or giving up volleyball to attend her “dream school,” the choice was easy.

Rovins got her competitiveness from her parents. It was 1951-53 when her father played guard on the FSU football team. Her mother, Catherine, was a horsewoman and fierce on the tennis court.

Indirectly, her parents also played a role in her becoming a triathlete. When she was still a junior at Leon High, her mother fell from her horse and died — and the grief-stricken daughter chose to return to Oviedo High in Central Florida for her senior year. Her father died two years after she graduated from FSU.

She had been living in Atlanta after graduation, working first for CNN, then Abercrombie & Fitch clothing stores and then Paychex, a payroll company. But sad and restless after her father died, she decided to take on the Big Apple and got Paychex to transfer her to New York City.

“My dad was always a big advocate for trying things, exploring, seeing the world,” she said. “I decided to expand my horizons.”

She spent five years in New York, where she found it difficult and expensive to keep up her tennis. So she cast about for a new physical activity. She attended a meeting for a group called Team In Training, which staged races to raise money for blood cancer research.

She left the meeting intending to sign up for a half-marathon. Then she got on the elevator with Earl Walton, the club’s triathlon coach. When she told him she’d signed up for a half-marathon, Walton snorted and challenged her to try a triathlon instead. Though she didn’t own a bike and had swum only in pools, Walton convinced her she’d enjoy the sport. And he was right.

Yet even though she competed in several triathlons, it wasn’t easy to train in New York. She had to take a subway to Harlem to use a pool. The weather was often frigid and nasty: She had to apply wax to the feet of her beloved dachshund, Zeke, every time she walked him on the icy streets.

One day a surfing apparel magazine, Swell, landed in her mailbox, with pictures of good-looking young people frolicking on the sunny beaches of Southern California. And she asked herself, “What am I doing in New York?”

In just two weeks, she got Paychex to transfer her, sublet her apartment, packed up a moving truck and relocated to San Diego. There she found “the triathlon capital of the world.”

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IF SHE HADN’T WORKED LATE…The first time Rovins swam in the Pacific Ocean, she became entangled in a wad of kelp — and freaked out.

“It was slimy. I didn’t know what it was. I almost jumped out of my wetsuit,” she said. “I grabbed the guy swimming next to me, who had been swimming there for 30 years, and he was like, ‘What is the problem?’”

That was her introduction to the San Diego Triathlon Club, a congenial group of triathlon competitors of all ages. The club met at the beach every Friday evening to swim, then retreated to a local restaurant to socialize. After her scary first experience, one club member befriended her, drawing a map of the buoys on a restaurant napkin and explaining the rituals and distances of swimming in the ocean.

“I was hooked,” she said. “I couldn’t believe people just showed up and swam in the ocean together. I didn’t have to pull on a parka, get on a subway, hide my money and go to an urban pool. It was epic.”

The same friend, Thomas Johnson, also answered her inevitable question: “What about sharks?” Johnson assured her there was nothing to worry about. He said there hadn’t been a shark attack along San Diego beaches in 50 years.

On Friday, April 25, 2008, Rovins knew she had to work late, forcing her to skip swimming with her regular group in the evening. But she’d been told about another group of triathletes who swam every Friday morning at a nearby beach. She showed up, introduced herself and joined the group.

Twenty minutes into the swim, the great white attacked Martin.

At first, she didn’t believe it when she heard him yelling “Shark!”

“In bad situations, your brain makes a quick search through its files to help you make sense of what’s happening,” she said. “So part of me was thinking of the conversation with Thomas and that there were no sharks here. When Dave said ‘Shark!’ I thought, ‘Clearly I’ve misunderstood him.’”

She never actually saw the shark. But as she approached Martin, the fin cut between them — and “I honestly thought I was next.” As she struggled to hold up the heavy man, she worried the shark was still beneath them. She said a prayer to her parents.

Rovins was raised in a religious family. Both her mother’s brothers are pastors. She didn’t go to church every Sunday, but she grew up “100 percent” believing in God and spiritual matters. And she remains convinced her parents saved her that day in the water.

“I just knew they were there and that’s the reason I was spared,” she said. “If the shark had gone right instead of left, I would not be here. I think my parents thought I had a full life to lead. I feel they were there and protected me.”

SURVIVOR GUILTAfterward, she took the advice of others and visited a therapist — who wasn’t much help. But about the same time, she did receive a life-changing message.

It was an email from Michael Rovins, an Army helicopter pilot in Iraq. The two had known each other casually at FSU, where they had mutual friends.

Michael heard about her story on Facebook from one of Laurene’s sorority sisters. And he had a similar story: Four men in his platoon had died in a helicopter crash. He was one of the first people to find the bodies after the crash.

Above: A move across the U.S. brought

Rovins to a new job, better triathlon

training and a tragic day that changed

the course of her life.

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“I knew what Laurene must be feeling — the survivor guilt of when you have actually been on the scene of death and can see it and smell it,” Michael said. “So I sent an email saying, ‘If you want to talk to someone who knows what you’re feeling, I’m available.’”

Laurene, already inundated with emails, sent a short note of thanks but didn’t follow up. Two years later, she posted on Facebook that she and some friends were taking a trip to Napa Valley wine country. Michael, by then a Secret Service agent in San Francisco, volunteered to be their guide.

The visit went well and the two started dating long-distance. A year later, they were engaged. On Sept. 1, 2012, they were married. Laurene moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and got a job in commercial insurance. Her husband is part of the new-product security team at Apple Inc.

“She impresses me and I get strength from her,” said Michael, an avid bicyclist and scuba diver. “She loves the water but understands we are guests in that environment. She knows sharks don’t prey on humans — but tragic things happen.”

Of course, such peace took a while to acquire. As she swam to Martin’s aid that day and screamed for the others to return, she began to panic a bit. The others seemed to be swimming toward them in slow motion. She worried the shark would return; she feared she wouldn’t be able to hold up the heavier Martin. By the time she got to shore, she was in shock. She ran to nearby bushes and threw up. She called a friend on her cellphone but became too hysterical to talk.

She was nervous throughout the nine days leading up to the triathlon she had already signed up for. But once it started, she was able to compete normally, in part because the swimming portion was conducted in a lake rather than the ocean.

“People talk about how sports help you heal after a tragedy. So many people talked after the bombing at the Boston Marathon about how running healed them and brought people together,” Laurene said. “Getting back in the water was healing and helped me process.”

She still competes in triathlons; since the attack, she’s been in 19. She can be occasionally spooked while swimming. Sea lions populate an area where

she and fellow competitors train in San Francisco, and sometimes one will “pop up and make me jump more than the others.”

But she shrugs off those moments as the tradeoff for the satisfaction she receives from competing in triathlons.

“I’ll never be as peaceful in the water as I was. There’s always a hesitation (when she enters the water), and it takes longer to ease into my stroke,” she said. “But I love (competing in triathlons). I love pushing myself to be better. More than anything, it shows if you set a goal and put your mind to it, you can really do the things you never thought possible.”

Rovins has also accepted the responsibilities of talking about her experience. People often approach her to share their own fears about sharks and swimming in the ocean and ask how she overcame her experience. She speaks at occasional charity events, such as the annual swim in Dave Martin’s memory in San Diego sponsored by Rovins and Martin’s family. Her voice and likeness are now part of the opening of an ESPN show, “SportsCenter Featured.”

She tells people they have a greater chance of being in a car accident than being attacked by a shark or any other animal in the ocean. She encourages people to “live life fully.”

“There is far too much to be enjoyed by being in the water and exploring the ocean than to limit oneself out of fear,” she said. “That is Dave’s legacy: one of enjoyment and living one’s life to the fullest.”

That’s why she’s grateful she got to know Jeff Martin and his sons. She considers her public comments “my way of leaving a legacy for (Dave Martin’s) kids and grandkids, so they’ll know what an amazing person he was.”

Jeff Martin appreciates that.

“She went through the same (emotions) we went through and became like a family member. She always will be,” he said. “If I have any regrets, it’s that I would have liked to be there when my father died. Laurene was holding him in her arms when he died. For that, I will be forever grateful.”

Top: Rovins ran in the June 2013 San

Francisco half-marathon. Center: The

couple's Seminole pride was on display

as they watched a 2011 Padres game.

Above: Her experience connected her

to fellow FSU graduate and now

husband Michael.

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Rovins found peace by immersing

herself in her passions and helping

others through sharing Martin’s legacy

of enjoying a full life.

Photo by Chris Park

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The Lottery Gets Lucky with a Roster of FSU AlumniBy Gerald Ensley (B.A. ’80)

A little after 9:15 p.m. on May 18, 2013, Carroll and Co. certified public accountant Randy Guemple oversaw workers as they removed numbered balls from a vault and loaded them into the Powerball machine.

At 10:59 p.m., as the machine randomly culled six balls, announcer Sam Arlen called out the winning numbers in his usual optimistic manner: 22, 10, 13, 14, 52 and the Powerball … 11.

Florida Lottery Deputy Secretary David Bishop, watching intently at home, kept checking his email until he got the notification from the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) at 12:20 a.m.: Florida

had a winner. Almost an hour later, he got a second notification: Florida had the only winner.

Bishop’s phone and email lit up with media requests for comment. He called Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O’Connell to do an interview with the Associated Press. Bishop and O’Connell were up until 4 a.m. doing interviews and answering questions.

No wonder: The lottery jackpot of $590 million was the second-largest in history, trailing only a $656 million Mega Money jackpot in 2012. But that was split among three winning ticket-holders. The $590 million Powerball jackpot was from a single ticket.

And that ticket belonged to a Florida Lottery player.

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“I was very proud to be working for the lottery,” Bishop said. “It boosted our awareness. It boosted the money we give to education. If somebody was going to win, they might as well be from Florida.” It would be June 5 before the winner came forward: Gloria MacKenzie, 84, of Zephyrhills.

At the center of all that Powerball excitement were three Florida State University graduates and an FSU-trained Tallahassee accounting firm.

Arlen, 29, has been a lottery announcer since 2006 and the announcer for the 43-state Powerball drawings since 2012. He graduated from FSU with a communication degree in 2006 and then a law degree in 2012.

Bishop, 45, is the lottery’s deputy secretary of brand management, charged with overseeing marketing, communication, special events and strategy. He graduated from FSU with a degree in political science in 2005.

Spread: Behind the scenes, Arlen is

ready to announce winning numbers for

May’s record-setting Powerball drawing.

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O’Connell, 56, has been lottery secretary since February 2011. A former marketing executive for the U.S. Olympics and member of the University of Florida Board of Trustees, she graduated from FSU with a communication degree in 1978.

Carroll and Co. Certified Public Accountants was founded by Rick Carroll in 1990. He earned his master’s degree in accounting from FSU in 1976, and most of his company’s 23 accountants and administrators — including Randy Guemple (B.S. ’73, M.B.A. ’74) — earned their degrees from FSU.

Under O’Connell, the lottery has rebranded itself and boosted its performance. In just two years, it has grown from $4 billion in annual sales to $5 billion and passed Massachusetts to become the nation’s second-biggest lottery (behind New York).

O’Connell and her team have remade the lottery logo, overhauled the agency’s website, amped up marketing, expanded the number and types of scratch-off games — the lottery’s biggest seller — and overseen the move of the twice-weekly Powerball broadcast from Orlando to lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.

Most of all, the lottery has continued its mission for education. Since its 1988 start, the lottery has given more than $25 billion to Florida education. And under O’Connell, the pace of that contribution has increased, jumping to $1.4 billion per year on those annual sales of $5 billion.

“Every day,” O’Connell said, “every lottery employee does all he or she can to make a difference for education in Florida.”

When Powerball moved to Tallahassee in 2012, MUSL hired Carroll and Co. to be the official observers. MUSL and the state of Florida have their own auditors for Powerball finances. But Carroll and Co. accountants provide official oversight of each Powerball drawing.

They supervise the opening of the vault with the four sets of lottery balls and selection machine, their transfer to the TV studio, the hourlong preparation and rehearsal, the Powerball drawing and the return of all the equipment to the vault. Twice a year, they oversee the cleaning and servicing of the equipment.

“We’re like PricewaterhouseCoopers and ‘The envelope, please’ (of the film industry’s Academy Awards),” said General Manager Carroll, 63, who has established a pipeline of FSU grads. “That’s big money. So we make sure everything is shipshape.”

Arlen, Bishop and O’Connell bring a wealth of experience — and a ton of enthusiasm — to their roles.

Arlen, a native of Albany, Ga., aimed at a law career from the time he enrolled at FSU, but his studies in communication led to radio and TV

work at WFSU — and then the lottery.

In 2006, Arlen (a stage name; his last name is Farkas)

graduated from FSU and applied to law school.

But former FSU communication instructor Triston Sanders (B.S. ’94), then a Tallahassee television broadcaster, encouraged him to audition for the job as announcer of the Florida Lottery

drawings of Cash 3, Play 4, Fantasy

5, Mega Money, Lotto and eventually

Above: Carroll’s accounting firm, with

ranks of FSU alumni, provides official

oversight of each potentially life-

changing drawing. Below: In the CNN

spotlight, O’Connell displays a check for

the $590 million prize won in Florida.

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Powerball. When the lottery offered him the job, he put law school on hold but eventually finished, passed the bar and now juggles two careers.

“I have this unique opportunity to change the trajectory of somebody’s life,” he said of the lottery job. “I feel it’s my responsibility to convey that sense of hope and joyfulness and the dream. I get to play a little bit like Oprah and give them the money to seriously change their life.”

Bishop also grew up close to Tallahassee, 70 miles west in Marianna, where he became a big FSU sports fan. He dropped out of the journalism program at Troy State to pursue a TV reporting job, which led him to Tallahassee and careers in television, politics and state government. Bishop enrolled at FSU, banging out a class here and a class there before finally graduating with a degree in political science after nine years. Though he never felt like a college student — “I was usually the oldest person in my classes” — Bishop has never lost his childhood love for FSU. He and his wife, Sonya, as well as son Blake, 3, attend as many FSU football, baseball and soccer games as possible.

At the lottery, Bishop led a revamping of the brand and continues to oversee new marketing and advertising ventures, expansion of sales and new games. He spearheads the lottery’s new partnerships, promotes the agency as a spokesman and emcees press conferences.

“We’ve set records for sales the last two years,” he said. “No one person deserves all the credit. But better marketing, the pride of our employees and a little bit of luck have all played a role.”

O’Connell is no stranger to the kind of success she has fostered at the Florida Lottery — or to the lottery.

A native of Lake City, she was the lottery’s first director of promotions and research, serving from 1987 to 1992 under the first two lottery secretaries. She was instrumental in rolling out all the first online and scratch-off games.

She spent 1995 to 2000 with the U.S. Olympics organization. For the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, O’Connell served as communications director for Olympic training villages throughout the Southeast, as well as directing the torch run in

several states. Later, she oversaw U.S. tourism and promotions pavilions for Olympics in Japan and Australia.

“I caught the Olympic bug,” she said.

In 2004, she sold a marketing company she founded to a global firm. She served as general manager and senior vice president of the firm’s Tallahassee office until she was appointed to the lottery in 2010.

O’Connell is the widow of former Florida Supreme Court Justice Stephen O’Connell, who also served as president of the University of Florida. While she has balanced her allegiances over the years, it has not dimmed her affection for FSU.

“I loved going to FSU. It was such a great window of opportunity for a girl from little Lake City,” O’Connell said. “FSU allowed me to meet my husband, build a life in Tallahassee and gave me the opportunity to receive a fine education that launched me into a career I have enjoyed for more than 30 years.”

And she remains passionate about the lottery, which thus far has provided $2 billion to the Bright Futures program, funding scholarships for more than 650,000 students.

“It’s a great privilege to serve this institution,” O’Connell said. “While we sell entertainment, we do it for one reason: to improve education.”

Above: Bishop, the Florida Lottery’s

deputy secretary of brand management,

received notification of the Powerball

winner and quickly began a lengthy, late-

night process of managing media requests.

Photos courtesy of the Florida Lottery

Vires 19

Though they went through the same criminology program at Florida State University, and though they occasionally crossed paths later at the Secret Service, it took years before Robert Bray (B.S. ’75) and Colleen (Buckley) Callahan (B.S. ’79) would partner to lead a prominent federal law enforcement agency — the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), part of the Transportation Security Administration.

These days, they’re at the helm of their department. Bray spends his days as assistant administrator in the Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) and director of the FAMS, while Callahan serves as deputy assistant administrator in the OLE and deputy director of the FAMS.

Their high-stakes jobs can get complicated and change without notice, but their overall goal is simple: to detect, deter and defeat hostile acts targeting our nation’s transportation system.

Seminoles Join Forces to Ensure Your In-Flight SafetyBy Andrew Clark

and enjoy the riderelax

20 Vires

Finding Their Way to the Nation’s Capital

Bray and Callahan each took a different path to the world of law enforcement.

When she was younger, Callahan’s dream was to be an astronaut. She grew up in Satellite Beach, just 15 miles from Cape Canaveral. During her formative years, her father was head of security at the Kennedy Space Center. Surrounded by the space world during a watershed decade that saw the first man on the moon, Callahan naturally wanted to follow in the footsteps of her idols.

But her detractors told her that girls couldn’t be astronauts. Later, when she wanted to enter the Naval Academy, she heard the same thing.

Instead, she decided to pursue law enforcement. After she was recruited by Florida State’s athletic department (more about that later), she became aware of the university’s world-class criminology program.

Bray, on the other hand, had always been interested in law enforcement. He was inspired to pursue the profession by the federal government’s Law Enforcement Education Program, which was created in 1968 to provide financial aid to those already in or planning to enter the field. So Bray made the move north from Broward County.

“The criminology program at Florida State already had a very good reputation nationally — even better than the football program’s at the time,” he says, adding with a laugh, “These were the days before the football program became what it is today.”

His days at Florida State provided him with a diverse background — which ultimately proved to be crucial in a field as complex as law enforcement.

“The classes that I took really stretched me,” says Bray. “I studied areas that I didn’t have a real interest in beforehand. I learned the discipline to focus on areas that were outside my comfort zone, and I was better off for it — courses like public policy and statistics.”

and enjoy the riderelax

"detect, deter and defeat hostile acts targeting our nation’s transportation system"

Director Robert Bray

Deputy Director Colleen Callahan

Vires 21

Callahan, too, notes that many of her classes had a direct impact on her career. Classes regarding the judicial system and psychology were especially beneficial. The Secret Service must investigate threats against the president and other high-profile figures, so Callahan’s coursework in abnormal psychology and deviant behavior helped her understand the criminal mind. She was able to sharpen skills that she’s taken with her since graduating.

But one of the most formative experiences during her college days actually took place outside of the classroom. She came to Florida State at an opportune time, in the wake of Title IX. A standout player in high school, Callahan was offered the first ever softball scholarship at Florida State. Initially it was worth $100. By her junior year, it had turned into a full ride. She became team captain.

“It was my first true leadership role,” says Callahan, “where I gained experience in building teamwork and camaraderie.”

Bray traversed the nation, taking posts in Denver, Palm Springs, Tulsa and Washington, D.C. He also spent time as a police officer in Miami before heading to the Secret Service. But Callahan joined just a year after graduating from college, after which she was assigned to a variety of protective and investigative duties in Jacksonville, New York City and Washington and on the Presidential Protective Division at the White House. Callahan, who started as one of fewer than 20 women in the agency, became a trailblazer. She was the first woman in the Secret Service to become a polygraph examiner, to supervise a presidential protection shift and to be assigned overall responsibility for a presidential candidate’s security. Now, she’s the first woman to hold her current position with the FAMS. “It’s very meaningful to me,” says Callahan of her groundbreaking accomplishments. “Our mission and role in protecting the homeland is very important. Equally significant is the opportunity to mentor those coming up in the organization. I also work at ensuring that women and minorities are treated equitably and that they have access to opportunities that were not available to me early on. ”

In the aftermath of 9/11, Congress passed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act in late 2001. The legislation established the TSA and gave it the responsibility for civil aviation security. Callahan joined in 2002, when there were just 35 federal air marshals.

Fast-forward a decade, and that number now is in the thousands.

A year after she took her post, Callahan’s office hired Bray. He started off as the assistant special agent in charge of the Mission Operations Center at the FAA Technical Center in Atlantic City. Over the next few years he would take a number of different posts within the agency before moving into his current role.

A decade later, Bray continues to be thrilled with the transition he made.

“We have a lot of great employees,” he says. “The federal air marshals are people who want to serve their country and to do the right things. It is very gratifying to see.”

Joining Forces with a Fellow Seminole

Before working together at the TSA, both Bray and Callahan worked for the Secret Service at the same time, but their career tracks were very different.

Below: Callahan, front and center, played

for the Lady Seminoles softball team.

22 Vires

Working Together to Protect the Nation

When it comes to protecting the nation’s airways, Bray and Callahan have a myriad of crucial responsibilities. For instance, every day they direct the deployment of air marshals in response to emerging intelligence and threats. These are highly trained federal law enforcement officers that blend in with airline passengers in order to protect the flying public. At the same time, they also deal with the challenges surrounding the management of a significant budget, as well as a variety of human resource and staffing matters.

When your job is that complex, no two days are the same.

“That’s one aspect of the job that attracted me to this field,” says Callahan. “When you wake up in the morning, you never know what the day will bring. It’s a 24/7 job that includes responsibility for a variety of operational and administrative functions, such as the deployment of federal air marshals, incident management, succession planning, staffing, budget, policy, workforce communications and conducting briefings on Capitol Hill.”

It’s not easy leading a division with thousands of employees. Callahan describes her position as “uniquely challenging.” As an agency newly

established following 9/11, they faced the significant task of not only starting from scratch, but also creating and fostering their own law enforcement culture. “Compared to the FBI and the Secret Service, TSA hasn’t been around very long,” she says. “But the men and women of this organization have accomplished a tremendous amount in a relatively short period of time. I’m proud to say that our personnel continue to work around the clock to protect our country.”

Though their jobs can get taxing, both Bray and Callahan have enjoyed the unique opportunity to work side by side.

“It’s been great,” says Bray. “(Coming from the same program) helps us understand each other. We have similar personalities. We’re both very proactive and expect a high level of performance, professionalism and accountability. We complement each other quite well.”

Callahan agrees with Bray’s sentiments — and keeps strong ties to the Florida State community. She stays in touch with Bernie (B.A. ’71, M.A. ’72) and Lisa (Kinch) Waxman (B.S. ’80, Ph.D. ’04), who were also athletes for the Seminoles in the ’70s. Both currently hold prominent positions within FSU athletic and academic departments. And nearly every autumn, along with husband Kevin, she travels to Tallahassee to take in a football game and visit friends, coaches and teammates.

“We both grew up in Florida,” she says of Bray, “and enjoy talking about how good the Florida State football team is this year. We love our university. I am happy that we’ve had the opportunity to work together and very much appreciate the great education that we’ve received.”

After all, it isn’t every day that the two people in charge of a national security agency graduated from the same university, with the same major.

Above: Bray and Callahan protected

U.S. presidents during their time in the

Secret Service.

Photos courtesy of the Transportation

Security Administration

Vires 23

24 Vires

ESTELI, Nicaragua — A cigar clenched between his teeth at 6:30 in the morning, Jorge Padrón leans forward in his office and jabs a finger at a production schedule for the industrial plant next door, where almost 400 people turn dark, rumpled tobacco leaves into aromatic delectations for the world’s smokers.

It’s an early start to the day’s labors, but Padrón likes it that way. “You have to take advantage of every minute,” he says with a smile, smoke swirling around his head as he discusses the paperwork with his plant manager.

For years, Padrón — who graduated from FSU with a marketing degree in 1990 — has been going back and forth between Padrón Cigars’ headquarters in Miami and its plantations here in northwestern Nicaragua, a highly productive refuge for Cuban cigar makers like Padrón, whose father founded the company in Florida in 1964 after fleeing the evolving grip of the Castro dictatorship.

“This is more complicated than making wine,” says Padrón, as he leads a visitor around the 50,000-square-foot plant, where enormous mounds of sun-grown tobacco leaves go through a long process of curing and fermentation, in some cases aging the leaves for a decade. Then, dozens of dexterous workers, their hands working at astonishing speed, turn the leaves into finely crafted cigars — as many as 28,000 a day.

The company, launched with a mere $600 by his father, José Orlando Padrón, almost half a century ago in Miami’s Little Havana, has sold 165 million cigars around the world. And, since establishing its tobacco farms here in 1970, Padrón Cigars has been instrumental in elevating Nicaragua to the pantheon of the world’s best tobacco producers, what some people call “the second Cuba.”

Vires 25

“We’re not so interested in numbers — we’re interested in quality,” says the younger Padrón, a 45-year-old, fourth-generation tobacco grower. “It’s a question of family pride.”

But it has not been an easy ride. The company’s buildings in both Florida and Nicaragua were bombed years ago, in Miami by anti-Castro extremists who considered the elder Padrón to be an ally of the Bearded One, and in Estelí

by Sandinista acolytes who viewed the cigar maker as an imperialist “Yanqui,” a Spanish word for a U.S. citizen. The paradox could not have been more startling.

The trouble didn’t end there. When the United States placed a trade embargo on Nicaragua in 1985, an act intended to throttle its economy and bring the Sandinista government to its knees, the Padróns’ properties were seized by revolutionary zealots, and the company was forced to move its operation to Honduras so that it could continue to produce and export its cigars. Five years later, after the blockade was lifted, the Padróns were back in Estelí, and haven’t looked back.

“I grew up doing this,” says the younger Padrón, whose father took him to the Nicaragua plantations for the first time when he was 8. As a teenager, he would spend summers working in

the Miami plant, the company’s main distribution center, while his friends — as he ruefully notes — would be frolicking on the beach.

Still, it was not a foregone conclusion that he would embark on a career in the family business. “I never thought of it that way,” he says. “But I realized what my father had created — it was impossible not to.”

With the family legacy at least partially in mind, Padrón pursued not only the marketing degree

at FSU but, later, a Master of Business Administration at the University of Miami,

both prompted by a desire to “maybe learn a few things that might be

useful down the road.”

For his freshman year at FSU — the first time Padrón had lived away from home, despite his travels — he checked into Kellum Hall, a communal experience made immeasurably easier by his sharing a room with a high-school pal from Miami, Jorge Mora.

“That first year was probably the biggest change for me,” Padrón recalls. “You know how Latin families are — they have an extra security blanket, and when you go away to college you have to do it all on your own. That whole thing took some getting used to. I had to take responsibility for a lot of things, and that was great.”

Padrón joined Delta Tau Delta, another “very positive” proving ground. “You have to interact with people from a lot of different backgrounds,” he says. “College was socially a good experience, as well as academically. I wasn’t a genius, but I did well.”

26 Vires

Two of his fraternity brothers, Gustavo Lage (B.A. ’90, J.D. ’92) and Peter González (B.S. ’90), earned law degrees and now represent Padrón Cigars’ legal interests. He also later became friends with Mark Stoops, who, as an assistant football coach at FSU, would stop by Padrón’s office whenever he was in Miami to smoke cigars and drink Cuban coffee with him.

Padrón says that attending FSU was “extremely important to me in the whole process of growing up.” Working toward a degree there — and later at UM — “also gave me time to think about how to proceed in life.”

In the three decades before Padrón formally joined forces in 1992 with his father, the company had sold 77 million cigars, mainly

in South Florida. But Jorge Padrón had bigger plans, and soon decided to take the company’s products to trade shows for the first time. In the ensuing years, with savvy marketing, Padrón expanded the brand into a true national presence, and ultimately established it in overseas markets as well.

As the company’s president — and in regular consultation with his 87-year-old father, whom everyone calls Don Orlando and who remains the very active chairman — Padrón oversees strategy, personnel decisions and the daily nuts and bolts of a cigar company with a burgeoning international reputation. Padrón cigars, known for their dark hues and dense flavors, can now be found in European capitals, in the Middle East and in Asia, and are being snapped up at a rate of about 6.5 million every year.

Awards have come thick and fast for Padrón cigars. They have been named Cigar of the Year on three occasions — in 2004, 2007 and 2009 — by Cigar Aficionado magazine, and have never been out of the top six. Similar accolades have been bestowed by Robb Report and Cigar Journal. Since 1996, Padrón cigars have received scores of 90 points or higher on at least 180 occasions from Cigar Aficionado and its digital sister publication, Cigar Insider.

“Jorge and his father have consistently produced classic cigars and devoted their lives to quality,” says Marvin R. Shanken, the editor and publisher of Cigar Aficionado and a leading authority on cigars. “Many of the successful cigar makers today have looked at them as a case study to follow and learn from.”

Family is a persistent factor in the Padrón company’s Little Havana headquarters. Jorge’s mother, Flory; his siblings Orlando and Elizabeth; his first cousin Rodolfo (whose daughters Kassandra and Kylie also attended FSU); and two nephews and a niece bustle about alongside other employees. Since the company does not employ a sales force and deals directly with tobacconists and other retail vendors, Padrón family members make frequent trips to cities around the world to push the brand. They host dinners and other events at which regular and potential customers are treated to the breadth of the Padrón output and regaled with tales of the company’s history.

Vires 27

“The first thing I do is tell them about my dad,” Jorge Padrón says. “When he started this business, he had no idea that he would get to where he is. But nothing would have been possible without the foundation that he laid over the years. My father would never tell you this, but he is an icon, a legend in the cigar business. He started with nothing.”

The story goes back four generations to Jorge’s great-grandfather, Damaso Padrón, who immigrated to Cuba in 1880 from Spain’s Canary Islands. He had a son named Francisco, who in turn had Jorge’s father in 1926. “They were all tobacco growers,” the younger Padrón says. “They didn’t make cigars — they just sold their crop.”

After Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959, most of the Padrón tobacco fields in Pinar del Rio — more than 400 acres — were seized by the new government, leaving the family only a small patch of land. Seeing no hope of progress there, José Orlando Padrón, then in his mid-30s and broke, managed to make his way to Spain, where many Cuban exiles were congregating. After a few months in Madrid, he boarded a ship bound for New York, where he arrived with less than a dollar in his pocket. He earned some cash by ironing clothes in a garment factory and working for a caterer at Idlewild Airport, and in early 1962 he took a bus to Miami.

28 Vires

Once there, he mowed lawns and did carpentry, using at the outset a small hammer that he was given and that he has kept in a glass case in the lobby of the company’s headquarters in Miami as a reminder of where he began. The U.S. embargo against Cuba had taken hold, and the only cigars available in Miami, Don Orlando recalls, were from the Philippines, “impossible to smoke.” He says he decided one day to give Miamians “the satisfaction of smoking cigars as good as the Cuban ones.”

The Cuban diaspora in Miami, which was to grow enormously over the decades, “pretty much had everything they wanted,” says Jorge Padrón, who knows his father’s stories well. “They had cafeterias, pastelitos. The only thing they didn’t have was the cigars.”

Don Orlando sold his first few, rolled by a single employee and filled with tobacco purchased from Brazil, Puerto Rico and Connecticut, to local cafés, restaurants and stores. Demand grew, and in that first year he sold 24,000 cigars.

In 1967, Don Orlando was invited to Nicaragua to assess its fledgling tobacco industry. His host was the country’s leader, Anastasio Somoza, who ended up asking him to become part of the president’s own business enterprise. Don Orlando declined that offer, but he was impressed by the quality of the crop and the region’s favorable climate and soil.

“He realized this was the second coming of Cuba,” Jorge Padrón recounts. “My dad said, ‘I’ll buy some of the tobacco and I’ll help promote it in Miami.’ So the first importer to bring tobacco from Nicaragua to Miami was my father.”

On a recent afternoon, the 49th anniversary of the company’s founding, the Padróns held a lunch in their courtyard here for two dozen supervisors and department heads. The chef was Jorge Padrón himself, who roasted an entire pig for the occasion.

“They’ve never forgotten their people,” says Lidia Rosa Rodriguez, who oversees teams that remove veins from tobacco leaves and sort them according to quality and size. “We’ve been through war and hurricanes, and we’ve had to fight to keep this place going. But they’ve always been kind to us.”

Later that afternoon, after checking out a Miami Dolphins game on television, the younger Padrón is back on his laptop, using Google Earth to look at a plot of agricultural land on the outskirts of Estelí that he is considering buying to add to the company’s inventory of tobacco fields. Then, he and his father climb into a Toyota 4Runner to inspect the plantations they already have. Concerned about industrial espionage — there have long been problems with counterfeit Padrón cigars — the younger man questions guards at the entrances, making sure they know who goes in and out.

In one field, where the Padróns are experimenting with a Brazilian tobacco seed that produces unusually large leaves, a guard with a rifle slung over his shoulder is asked whether anyone has been taking pictures of the crop. The guard says he doesn’t think so.

“We’ve been in the cigar industry rollercoaster for almost 50 years,” says Jorge Padrón, a father of two girls and a boy, one of whom — if tradition holds — may succeed him in the business. “It’s a very specialized product that not everyone gets into, but the people who do really enjoy it. We’ve never had a down year since I started here — every single year there’s been growth.”

Consumers today are much more educated than they were 25 years ago, he says. “They can distinguish nuances among cigars, and they realize that price is not always indicative of quality. We’ve never wanted to take advantage of the consumer, and we’ve never wanted to lose their trust. We live by those two things.”

Nick Madigan is a freelance reporter who writes for The New York Times and other publications. He lives in Palmetto Bay, Fla.

Opposite: The elder Padrón’s carpentry

hammer is on display as a reminder of

where he began. Above: (Left to right)

Jorge and father José work closely with

team leader Lidia Rosa Rodriguez to

check tobacco leaves.

All photos by EloyProphoto

Vires 29

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FSU SCIENTIST JOINS LIST OF STARS

One of Florida State University’s most distinguished researchers has been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Alan G. Marshall, world-renowned for his pioneering work in co-inventing and developing the revolutionary

chemical analysis technique called Fourier

transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, is director of the Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at FSU.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

WILCOX TAKES CHARGE AS FSU’S NEW A.D.

Florida State University announced the appointment of Stan Wilcox as the university’s new director of athletics Aug. 7. Wilcox came to FSU from Duke University, where he was the senior deputy athletics director.

Wilcox, who is responsible for planning and directing the administrative and operational activities of intercollegiate athletics for the university, has already experienced several notable moments in Seminole sports history thanks to the football team’s season.

“It has been an outstanding season so far with the potential to be a historic year,” said Wilcox. “It is obvious that our fans are enjoying being back in the national limelight, as are our players and coaches. We’ve had just tremendous media exposure with national television dates and, of course, the two appearances on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay.’ There is no question that it has been a fun season, and the future is equally exciting.“

President Eric J. Barron (B.S. ’73) said Wilcox’s expertise and experience made him the clear choice to head the department. Wilcox received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School. Prior to his position at Duke, he served as deputy athletics director at Notre Dame from 2005 to 2008. Wilcox was an associate commissioner of the Big East Conference from 1994 to 2005 and provided leadership and conference oversight for NCAA governance. He also worked as a legislative assistant with the NCAA from 1989 to 1994.

He replaced Vanessa Fuchs (B.S. ’01), senior associate athletics director, who served as interim athletics director following the transition of Randy Spetman into a new position at FSU.

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Stan Wilcox

Photo by Mike O

livella (B.S. ’75, J.D. ’77)

Vires 31

UNIVERSITY NEWS

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Marshall and the rest of the Class of 2013 were formally welcomed to the academy on Oct. 12 during an induction ceremony in Cambridge, Mass. The academy, whose membership includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and 60 Pulitzer Prize winners, is composed of accomplished leaders in education, business, public affairs, the humanities and the arts.

In addition to Marshall, Academy Award-winning actors Robert De Niro and Sally Field, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns, novelist

Martin Amis and jazz great Herbie Hancock were among the inductees.

Marshall is now one of two current FSU faculty members to have been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The other is Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (B.M. ’60, M.M. ’62), the Francis Eppes Distinguished Professor of Composition, who received the honor in 2004. Five previous FSU faculty members also were named fellows of the academy.

See a photo of Marshall signing the Book of Members on pages 2 and 3.

FLORIDA STATE CLIMBS THE RANKINGS

Moving another step closer to the goal of being a Top 25 public university, FSU was ranked 40th among all public “national” universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 edition of America’s Best Colleges. That is a six-point jump in the past two years, and FSU’s ranking has increased every year since 2010.

“Florida State University strives for academic excellence in a student-centered environment, and this is reflected in the upward movement in the U.S. News & World Report rankings,” said President Barron. “Our goal is to invest in academic excellence and student success. We expect this investment will be reflected in national rankings, where our goal is to be among the Top 25 public universities.”

In other rankings, the FSU College of Law was ranked the 9th best value law school in the nation by The National Jurist magazine and the nation’s 5th best law school for Hispanic students by HispanicBusiness magazine. In addition, FSU’s College of Medicine was ranked 8th among medical schools for Hispanic students by HispanicBusiness.

PRE-EMINENCE PLAN TAKES SHAPE

President Barron updated department chairs and deans on FSU’s pre-eminence plan, including the Path to the Top 25 initiative and the focus on an entrepreneurial university, with an emphasis on job creation and student career success.

The strategies to become a national leader in these areas include creating a culture of entrepreneurship; promoting patents, licensing

and startups; investing in innovation; participating in regional and statewide economic development; strengthening local university ties with other educational

institutions; and providing experiential learning and utilizing The Career Center to

further career readiness of FSU students.

32 Vires

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FLORIDA STATE NAMES NEW V.P. FOR FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Kyle C. Clark, vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer at Texas Tech University, was appointed FSU’s new vice president of finance and administration. He began Sept. 1, succeeding the late John R. Carnaghi, who served in the position for 22 years.

Clark held a variety of other roles within the Texas Tech University System, including assistant chief financial officer. He holds a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech, in addition to management certificates from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers.

ARTS FACILITY NAMED FOR CARNAGHI

Thanks to the work of the late John R. Carnaghi (see preceding item), FSU’s College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance has new studio and workshop space, which is named in his honor — the Carnaghi Arts Building. It was Carnaghi’s work and desire to create a better environment for art students that made obtaining the former Belle Vue Middle School possible. On Oct. 24, a dedication ceremony took place with his family and state Sen. Bill Montford (B.S. ’69, M.S. ’71), along with President Barron and Dean Peter Weishar.

COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT NETS MILLIONS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

The demand for graduates in computer-related fields is high. Now students looking to fill those vacancies will have a competitive advantage, thanks to FSU’s Department of Computer Science. Faculty members in the department secured federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation worth more than $3.2 million, which will be used to fund student scholarships at all degree levels.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Kyle C. Clark

Left to right: College of Visual Arts,

Theatre and Dance Dean Peter Weishar,

state Sen. Bill Montford and Carnaghi's

family with President Barron.

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CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS’ LEGACIES CEMENTED

Along Jefferson Street near Monroe Street is the memory of 58 civil rights activists from Tallahassee, who were honored in September with 16 commemorative sidewalk panels created by FSU’s Master Craftsman Studio. The effort to share local history with the community was made possible through the efforts of the Tallahassee-Leon Country Planning Department and committee member Jennifer Lisa Koslow, associate professor of history.

SCHOOL OF DANCE CELEBRATES 80 YEARS IN MOTION

The FSU School of Dance celebrated 80 years of dance and 50 years of professional degree programs in October with the special program “An Evening of Dance,” which highlighted works of current professors and retired faculty emeriti.

During this time, the school has gracefully grown from a small program with two types of dance — English country dancing and tap — to obtaining funding and an endowment for the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, which is housed in the renovated Montgomery Hall. The school presents six concert series each year and educates more than 500 students each semester. The research center’s state-of-the-art facilities and leadership have also brought in millions in grant money to support visiting choreographers and collaborators as they help educate the next generation of FSU dance students.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

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Above: A panel from the sidewalk pays

tribute to Tallahassee's 1956 bus boycott.

Photo by FSU's Master Craftsman Studio

Below right: Alumni gathered to

celebrate the School of Dance's

80-year history.

Photo by Jon Nalon

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capturing FSUAlumni, current students and even a few future Noles came together for a campus tour with a twist this fall.

Focused on capturing the beauty of campus, the Florida State Photo Walk encouraged Noles to share their FSU photos and stories during Seminole Sensation Week, Parents’ Weekend and Homecoming weekend.

FOLLOW US ONLINEFacebook /FSUalumniassociation

Instagram @FSUalumni | Pinterest @FSUAATwitter @FSUalumni | YouTube /FSUAlumniAssn

From Westcott Plaza to the Unconquered statue, the Florida State Photo Walk was a unique opportunity for Seminoles to walk down memory lane while making new memories of Florida State.

See more photos at www.FSUphotowalk.com or

search #FSUphotowalk on Instagram or Twitter.

@fsu_cci

@fsudsa

@FSUalumni

@FSUalumni

@lah11d@FSUalumni

@cooperlibrarian

@katie_esq

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TEN QUESTIONS W i t h M e g C r o f t o n ( B.S. ’ 74, M . B. A . ’ 75 )

We don’t know if she wished upon a star, but Meg Crofton’s career with the Walt Disney Co. has played out like a fairy tale. Not long after earning a pair of degrees from FSU, Crofton (née Gilbert) took a job with a communications subsidiary at Walt Disney World and then over a three-decade period worked her way up to the pinnacle of the world’s most popular theme park — president of Walt Disney World. A 2013 FSU Homecoming Grad Made Good, Crofton was recently promoted to a job overseeing all park and resort operations in the U.S. and France (read Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney World and over 100,000 Cast Members), entrusted with keeping the happy in the happiest places on earth.

Walt Disney World was not even open when you started at Florida State University. What advice do you have for students who will one day work for companies that have not yet been created? Start by doing the type of work you love. As you consider your career options, look for a company with values that match your own. Also, continue to develop your skill sets, stay current with trends and technologies and challenge yourself to be a lifelong learner.

What do you remember most about your FSU experience? I will never forget my first few days at FSU. As a shy transfer student from a small private college who was starting her sophomore year at Florida State, I was worried that I would get lost in the crowd. But from that first day on campus, I felt welcomed by my classmates and valued by my professors. FSU was a community of people who made “big” feel “small.”

Your recent promotion took you to California. How is the move going? Florida was home for me since age 6! Several years ago at a seminar, we were asked: “When was the last time you took an adventure in life … did something that you were not prepared to do … had to use tools that were not in your kit?” The instructor went on to say, “If you are not taking adventures in life, you are becoming more of who you already are instead of who you could be.” So far, it’s been just six months, but I can tell you that moving to California has been a great adventure, both personally and professionally.

What life or educational experience best prepared you for the job you have? When I was taking an undergraduate marketing class from one of my favorite professors — Dr. Persis Rockwood — I learned a valuable life lesson. A company’s brand and an individual’s character have much in common: Both are easy to aspire to, are created by making the right moment-by-moment decisions, take years to build and can be destroyed instantly by a bad decision, and can be hard to stick to when the going gets tough. This underscored for me the importance of developing my own personal brand, my own “true north,” my personal guiding principles.

What’s the quality you wish you had? Particularly in the international elements of my role, I frequently come into contact with people who can switch, fluently and effortlessly, between three, four or more languages, and I wish I had that same ability. Also, being surrounded by so many talented performers in our theme parks, I have always secretly wished I could sing!

How do you balance tradition with the need to stay relevant for future generations? Disney constantly works to balance nostalgia with the

contemporary. With the recent expansion of Fantasyland, we’ve made classic stories from the 20th century, such as “Dumbo the

Flying Elephant,” relevant by introducing new technology in our queue area. In other areas of our parks, we’ve

been updating other classic stories, such as the integration of Captain Jack Sparrow into the

story that spawned his character, “Pirates of the Caribbean.” We talk constantly with our Guests to learn about their perspectives and interests in relation to Disney.

Our country is more ethnically and culturally diverse than ever. How has Disney adapted its business strategy to cater to and benefit from this diversity? Our Cast Members come to us from more

than 100 nations and speak more than 60 languages. They represent diversity in so many

ways, all of which help drive our creativity and create a welcoming environment. For example, in

Florida, Walt Disney World is a favorite destination with visitors from Brazil. To help them get the most

from their visits, we placed Cast Members who were born and raised in Brazil in our food courts, gift shops, restaurants and

other high-traffic areas. They are fluent in Portuguese and familiar with the customs, needs and priorities of Brazilian families. We are making these cultural investments because we at Disney are in the experience business.

How has Walt Disney Parks and Resorts changed over the years? When I began at Walt Disney World, there were only three resort hotels and one park — Magic Kingdom. Today there are four theme parks, two water parks, 25 resort hotels, the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment district, the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex and some of the best-known championship golf courses in Central Florida.

Do you consider it a strength to be both strategic and detail-oriented? Yes! I believe you have to start with the big picture and think strategically to set the proper context. At the same time, Disney and the many people who have influenced me over the years have taught me it’s all about the details and executing with excellence.

How did you come to manage your work/life balance in this highly competitive environment? Slowly! I was fortunate that a boss added “balance” to my list of annual goals and made me report my progress every month, which helped me tremendously. I love great quotes, and one I heard had a great influence on me: “Balance is about making the right moment-by-moment decisions for yourself.” I try to keep this mentality each day. The best gift I can give my company is the gift of being a well-balanced leader.

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TEN QUESTIONS W i t h M e g C r o f t o n ( B.S. ’ 74, M . B. A . ’ 75 )

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Liberty Mutual is a proud partner of

FSU Alumni Association

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Prosperous 2014!

© 2009 Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

1. & 2. A little rain on our Homecoming Parade didn’t dampen the mood for FSU fans who lined the streets and showed off their legendary Seminole spirit on Nov. 15, as the Marching Chiefs and more than 60 student groups entertained the crowds.

Organized by the Student Alumni Association, Homecoming dates back to 1948. 3. The 2013 theme, A Legendary Spirit, highlighted those long-standing traditions plus the special guests in attendance this year, including Parade Grand Marshal Bobby Bowden. 4. President Eric and First Lady Molly Barron waved to FSU fans near Westcott Plaza. 5. Stay classy, Tallahassee! Zeta Tau Alpha and Pi Kappa Alpha’s “Anchorman” float brought to life the legend of Ron Burgundy. 6. The Florida State Golden Girls helped get fans warmed up for Homecoming.

Homecoming was a weeklong powerhouse of activities in addition to the parade: from Warchant featuring the Florida Georgia Line, to Pow Wow, Skit Night and an All College Alumni Tailgate before FSU crushed Syracuse. With so many traditions, campus was filled with FSU's legends and legendary spirit.

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SEMINOLE STUDENT SPIRIT

The Student Alumni Association engages students year-round to be involved as vital to the present and future of FSU through leadership, networking and community service activities. Homecoming is an especially busy time of year for the group, including the Homecoming Parade and crowning of Homecoming Chief and Princess. These students work tirelessly to ensure that Florida State students, alumni and fans have an experience to remember during Homecoming week.

1. The FSU Belly Dancers student organization brightened up the stage and helped set the tone for a fun night of student performances at Pow Wow. 2. FSU Cheerleaders brought Seminole spirit to the event. 3. The 2012 Homecoming Chief Carl Sharpe and Princess Megan Raesemann (B.S. ’13) awaited the 2013 Chief and Princess results from Voice of the Seminoles Gene Deckerhoff. 4. Gerald Law II and Sara Saxner reacted to the announcement that they are the 2013 Homecoming Chief and Princess. 5. Jr. Miss Florida Seminole Brianna Blaiz-Billie and Miss Florida Seminole Tia Blaiz-Billie entered the field at halftime to crown the 2013 Homecoming Chief and Princess.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

BRINGING ALUMNI TOGETHER

6. The 2013 Homecoming court was joined by 2012 Chief and Princess and SAA Homecoming directors for Homecoming on Nov. 16 at the All College Alumni Tailgate, which was organized by the alumni association. 7. Colleges set up tents to welcome back alumni at the President’s House for the tailgate, including the College of Music’s Instrument Petting Zoo! 8. Alumni poured into Tallahassee, gathering to celebrate Homecoming and enjoy entertainment from student groups.

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/FSUBookstore

FSU PRIDE

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Black & White

For Black background, there is a white

border around it.

DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR

Shop the latest Seminole gear from the FSU Bookstore online at shopfsu.com

ASSOCIATION NEWS

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KICKING OFF FALL 2013

The excitement for football season began with the association’s 62nd Annual Kickoff Luncheon (photos 1 and 2 by Ross Obley), which filled the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center with Seminole sounds and spirit from the Marching Chiefs and FSU Cheerleaders, plus Dr. Tommie Wright and Gene Deckerhoff. 1. Seminole student veterans came to support FSU, joined by President Eric and First Lady Molly Barron, Coach Jimbo and Candi Fisher and Director of Athletics Stan and Ramona Wilcox. 2. Fans mingled with this year’s players and coaches, including senior linebacker Telvin Smith. 3. Thousands of students from the Class of 2017 kicked off the fall semester at the Fourth Annual President’s Backyard BBQ, co-sponsored by the Student Alumni Association. 4. The BBQ turned out picture-perfect, as President Barron shared the advice, “Get off to a fast start and get engaged.” 5. With fall underway, alumni gathered to enjoy food and friends at the association’s Football Friday Open Houses. 6. A young Seminole fan in attendance prepared for FSU football.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

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Special events are held throughout the year to best serve the needs and interests of a diverse set of alumni groups. 1. This fall, events in Atlanta, Miami, Orlando and Tampa gave young alumni the opportunity to network with fellow alumni and employers, as well as association and FSU Career Center staff. 2. Future alumni were honored at a dinner, held for those who received Legacy Scholarships as they continue their family’s legacy of attending FSU. 3. Emeritus alumni, those who graduated at least

50 years ago, met for coffee chats and lectures, including in Maggie Valley, N.C. 4. During Homecoming, Band Alumni practiced with the Marching Chiefs and stepped back onto the field like old times. 5. Black Alumni held their annual Awards of Distinction event Homecoming week, honoring outstanding students and alumni, including (left) Derrick Brooks (B.S. ’94, M.S. ’99), pictured with host Sean Pittman (A.A. ’89, B.S. ’90, J.D. ’94). 6. Former FSU

standout women’s basketball player Alicia M. “Ice” Gladden’s (B.S. ’07) family accepted a posthumous award in her honor, alongside FSU women’s basketball coach Sue Semrau. 7. And (left) Felicia Brunson (A.A. ’91, B.S. ‘94), vice mayor of the city of West Park, Fla., accepted her award from Connie E. Jenkins-Pye (A.A. ’81, B.S. ’83, B.S. ’84, M.S.W. ‘85), FSU Black Alumni national president. Black Alumni photos by Charlie Jackson

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, FSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CLUBBIE AWARDS!

Seminole Clubs and Chapters are integral to the Alumni Association because they provide local connections, game watching parties, fundraising, kickoff and sendoff parties and more. The FSU Clubbie Awards were held at the Alumni Center on Nov. 1 to honor and thank our more than 80 clubs and chapters around the country.

1. Club leaders received red-carpet treatment as they arrived at the event held in their honor, including (left) Tara Lehan (Ph.D. ’07), Richmond Seminole Club past president and recipient of the Unconquered Spirit Society Award, and (right) Charlotte Seminole Club President Bryan Neil (B.S. ’94). 2. & 3. The winners of Membership Mania, where clubs competed against each other to win student scholarship money based on the greatest increase in association members, were announced at the event. 4. The gloves stayed on as Seminole Club of Greater Orlando’s Latarsha Jones (B.S. ’98) and Tampa Bay Seminole Club’s Max Oligario (B.S. ’99), alumni board director, had some fun with the Strongest Club Rivalry Award. Photos by Steve Chase

Visit SeminoleClubs.com for a full list of awards!

CLUB OF THE YEAR

FINALISTS FOR VIRES: (areas with < 1,000 alumni)

Greater New Orleans Seminole Club (winner)Richmond Seminole ClubSouth Carolina Midlands Seminole Club FINALISTS FOR ARTES: (1,001 to 5,000 alumni)

OUT-OF-STATE:Charlotte Seminole ClubSeminole Club of North Texas (winner)Triangle Seminole Club IN-STATE:Sarasota Seminole Club (winner)Seminole Club of NaplesSouthwest Florida Seminole Club FINALISTS FOR MORES: (> 5,000 alumni)Atlanta Seminole ClubSeminole Club of Greater OrlandoTampa Bay Seminole Club (winner)

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

RECOGNIZING THE LEGENDS OF FSU

FSU alumni, legends in their own right, are doing great things. With more than 300,000 alumni, their impact can be felt in all corners of the world, in all areas of life. 1. The FSU Alumni Association’s National Board of Directors Chair Gordon Sprague (B.S. ’65) was presented with the key to the city of Pensacola by Mayor Ashton Hayward (B.S. ’93).

CIRCLE OF GOLD

No more than 12 individuals are recognized each year with the FSU Alumni Association’s Circle of Gold award, given to those who personify FSU’s tradition of excellence through service and achievements. 2. On Nov. 1, (left to right) Scott Atwell, FSU Alumni Association president and CEO, congratulated award winners Ricky Polston (B.S. ’77, J.D. ’86), Marie Cowart, Kyle Doney (B.S. ’07) and Gene Stearns (B.A. ’66, J.D. ’72), also joined by Sprague. Photo by Steve Chase

HOMECOMING AWARDS BREAKFAST

3. William “Andy” Haggard (B.A. ’64), former U.S. Air Force judge advocate with an exceptional career in law at Haggard Law Firm, received the association’s highest honor — the Bernard F. Sliger Award — from Sprague. Alumni who have achieved outstanding success in their fields were honored by the FSU Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) and FSU Alumni Association as Grads Made Good. 4. Judy Bense (B.A. ’67, M.S. ’69), archaeologist and University of West Florida president, showed off her award. 5. Meg Crofton (B.S. ’74, M.B.A. ’75), president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. and France, received her award from Grace Chong (B.S. ’13), past president of ODK. 6. Jr. Miss, Little Miss and Miss Florida Seminole celebrated with Grad Made Good Jimi Cook (B.S. ’88), veterinarian, University of Missouri professor and eminent scholar, and co-founder of Be The Change Volunteers. 7. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (B.M. ’60, M.M. ’62) received the alumni award for distinguished writing, seen here with another famous composer, Dr. Tommie Wright. Photos by Steve Chase

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By Barry Ray (B.A. ’88)

THE GIFT OF TIME, TALENT AND TREASURE

How the Cottrell Family Has Expressed Gratitude

The year was 1967 when young Florida State University students Raymond Cottrell and Stella Schmahl first met in FSU’s Suwannee Dining Hall. It took two years before they went out on a first date, but they were pronounced both FSU graduates and husband and wife within the next few years.

Fast-forward to 2013. The Cottrells, still a happy couple but now with two grown children and successful careers, continue to look back at their time at FSU as one of the best and most rewarding of their lives.

That’s a major reason why, both in time and money, the Tallahassee couple has given generously to their alma mater over the years. It’s simply a matter of repaying a debt for all that Florida State has given to them, they explain.

“We have been so blessed in our lives, and so much of that is due to the support we received at FSU,” says Dr. Raymond Cottrell, a Tallahassee gastroenterologist. (He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Florida State in 1969, then conducted graduate-level research in analytical chemistry within the department before going on to earn his medical degree in Texas.)

“We’ve always wanted to give back to the university,” adds Stella, who graduated in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in French. “We’ve always felt that the spirit of community is greater here than it is at most other places. It was true when we were students, and even though FSU has gotten a lot bigger, it’s still true today.”

The couple’s first major “repayment” to the university came in 1995 when the Raymond Cottrell Family Professorship in Chemistry was established. The $100,000 endowment, which recognizes faculty with outstanding teaching records and a strong track record in motivating students to pursue careers in chemistry, was inspired by Raymond’s positive experiences as a young chemistry major at Florida State.

Above: Echoes of FSU can be heard

“ringing to the sky” when Stella shares

her talents by playing the piano she

and Raymond donated to the Pearl

Tyner House.

Photo by Ray Stanyard

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“I had wonderful professors who really supported undergraduate chemistry education,” he remembers. “Ed Mellon, Kitty Hoffman, Ron Clark and Tom Vickers in particular were instrumental in helping motivate me to achieve success, and their encouragement eventually led me to pursue a career in medicine.”

Once selected, faculty members hold the title of Raymond Cottrell Family Professor in Chemistry for three years, receiving $5,000 per year in cash as well as $2,500 per year in additional endowment proceeds. The funds allow them to pursue their research, travel to conferences and assist undergraduate and graduate students in attending conferences as well.

Stella and Raymond Cottrell Professor of Psychology in 2009, thanks to a $125,000 endowed gift from the couple. Supporting Joiner’s research was especially fulfilling to Stella, she says, because of his status as one of the nation’s experts in the causes of suicide, as well as the reasons that some people attempt suicide while others do not.

“I had lost a loved one to suicide shortly before that, so the topic was certainly weighing on my mind,” she says. “Someone gave me Professor Joiner’s book, ‘Why People Die by Suicide,’ and I read it from cover to cover. Out of the blue, I decided to call him up and just see if he minded if I stopped by to chat for 15 minutes. Although he didn’t know me, Professor Joiner invited me in and very graciously discussed his work with me for the better part of an afternoon. To me, it was just another example of how FSU, despite being such a large school, still feels like a small community where people are treated with respect.”

From that first meeting, a friendship developed between Joiner and the Cottrells. They respected the importance and quality of his work; Joiner found their commitment to Florida State just as admirable.

“Stella and Raymond Cottrell are an inspiration to the FSU community in general, and have been characteristically generous in their support of me through the Cottrell professorship,” he said. “Their support has furthered my already considerable loyalty to FSU, and has been a welcome vote of confidence as my group and I strive to understand and thus prevent suicidal behavior and related conditions.”

Other acts of generosity have come through the years. Their son, Keith (B.S. ’00, M.S. ’02), was the starting punter on the Seminoles football team from 1997 to 2000. Although he attended FSU on an athletic scholarship, the Cottrells realized that punters are rarely recruited and often don’t receive such support — so they endowed a scholarship specifically for Florida State punters that continues to this day.

(Their daughter, Catherine, also followed in her parents' FSU footsteps. She graduated in 2005 with a double major in international business and management. And Keith’s wife, Ginger, graduated from FSU in 2012.)

Oliver Steinbock is a physical chemist who currently holds the Cottrell professorship. He says the title is about far more than money.

“The generous support by the Cottrell family has been much more than a financial injection into my research operation and the inseparable training of my students,” Steinbock said. “For me personally, it has been a very motivating recognition of my work as an educator and a scientist.”

For the past four years, a faculty member in an entirely different discipline has also benefited from the Cottrells’ generosity. Thomas Joiner, the university’s Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology, added the title of

Above: The Cottrell Conference Room

sets the stage for groups like the FSU

Alumni Association National Board of

Directors to meet and give their time

to FSU.

Photo by Ray Stanyard

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In 2002, the Cottrells made another gift, this one to the then-new FSU Alumni Center. The Cottrell Conference Room is a highlight of the facility to this day. After that, Stella donated a piano to the Pearl Tyner House, which currently houses the university’s Veterans Center and Collegiate Veterans Association. Whenever she’s in the building, Stella can still be counted on to pull up her old piano bench and play a stirring, flawless version of “Hymn to the Garnet and Gold.”

More generosity was still to come. Since 2010, the Cottrells have funded a scholarship within the FSU Alumni Association’s Legacy Scholarship program, which encourages the children, stepchildren, grandchildren and siblings of Florida State alumni to attend their alma mater and perpetuate the legacy of Florida State within their family. Each year, a Cottrell Legacy freshman receives a stipend ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, depending on his or her state of residency.

Why do they keep on giving?

“One of the reasons for living is being able to give to others,” Raymond says. “We’ve been fortunate in medicine and in life, and it’s good to be able to give back to the institution that made so much of our success possible.”

While they’re certainly generous with their money, the Cottrells are just as generous with their time and energy. Both have served in numerous volunteer roles at the university over the past two decades.

Just off the top of his head, Raymond lists a slew of activities: “I served on the alumni association’s board starting in 1992 and was president in 2000. In 2001, I became national chairman of Seminole Boosters. I’ve also served on the Circle of Gold selection committee and the College of Medicine’s advisory council. And I’m a member of Nole M.D.s, which works to recruit more physicians to the Boosters.”

Stella’s list is no shorter: She is active with the College of Arts and Sciences’ Leadership Council and formerly served as chair. She is also the alumni representative for the Oglesby Union board and has been a member of the FSU Foundation’s board. In addition, Stella co-founded The Women for Florida State University (W4FSU), which she

Above left: The Cottrells with 2013

Legacy Scholarship recipient Caroline

Miller. Above center: Cottrell with

Pam Vierling (B.S. '82) at a Women for

Florida State University event. Above right: Former FSU punter Keith Cottrell.

“Ever since we left FSU in 1971, we always knew we wanted to come back to Tallahassee and live here one day,” Raymond says. “We finally reached a point in our lives and our careers when the timing was right.”

“We’ve just enjoyed being back,” Stella adds. “Tallahassee and Florida State University have always felt like home.”

For other FSU alumni who are interested in giving back to their university but perhaps aren’t able to do so at the Cottrells’ level, Raymond offers these words of wisdom: “It’s not the size of the gifts, it’s the size of your heart.”

For information about giving to Florida State University, visit foundation.fsu.edu.

provided funding for through a multiyear gift. In recognition of her many contributions, she received two awards in 2012: the Torch Award from FSU’s Faculty Senate and the Gift of Wisdom Mentor Award from W4FSU.

The Cottrells’ love of all things Florida State even motivated their decision to relocate to Tallahassee. After more than 24 years living in Orlando, where Raymond was managing partner of a successful medical practice and Stella worked as a professional musician at Walt Disney World, the two decided it was time to return to Tallahassee. In 2006, they built a new home on a golf course in the city’s SouthWood area, where ancient live oaks provide shade to the yard.

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David Luther Woodward (B.A. ’65, J.D. ’69) has been elected to a second term on the Escambia County (Fla.) Planning Board by the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners.

Carl Denny Abbott (M.S. ’68) had his memoir, “They Had No Voice,” published by New South Books. It details his life and work in Alabama in the 1960s and ’70s fighting on behalf of black children abused by the state.

Bruce B. Blackwell (B.A. ’68, J.D. ’74), attorney at King, Blackwell, Zehnder & Wermuth P.A. in Orlando, received the American Bar Association’s 2013 Pro Bono Publico Award.

Robert K. Rouse Jr. (B.S. ’68), DeLand circuit judge, received The Florida Bar’s William M. Hoeveler Judicial Award for his dedication to the ideals of justice and his diligence in inspiring others to the mission of professionalism.

James W. Mercer (B.S. ’69) published his second novel, “The Volcano that Changed the World.”

Leslie S. Waters (B.S. ’69, M.S. ’70), elected mayor of Seminole in Pinellas County, was also selected to serve on the Women’s Democracy Network Council and elected to the Florida League of Mayors’ Board of Directors.

1970s

Fred Baggett (J.D. ’70), shareholder at Greenberg, Traurig LLP, is named in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Class Notes indicates FSU Alumni Association membership

1950s

Lee Benjamin (B.S. ’51, M.S. ’54) was honored by Northeast High in St. Petersburg, where the school’s gymnasium was renamed the Lee Benjamin Athletic Center.

Bruce Jacob (B.A. ’57), dean emeritus and professor of law at Stetson University College of Law, received the Champion of the Indigent Defense Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Mary Jo Mansfield (B.M.E. ’57) was the 2012 recipient of the J. Min Ayers Lifetime Achievement Award for dedicating her life to the children of Gilchrist County as a music teacher for 41 years. She was also inducted into the Trenton Hall of Fame.

John Zilles (B.M. ’57) will sing in the St. Petersburg Opera’s production of Carlisle Floyd’s opera “Susannah” in February 2015, nearly 60 years after he

sang in its world premiere at FSU in 1955.

1960s

Helen C. Brittin (B.S. ’60), Texas Tech University professor emeritus, has a published book titled “The Food and Culture Around the World Handbook.”

William Howard Denson III (B.A. ’63) recently published three books: “Mowbray and the Sharks,” “Shoot-Out with a Wild-Eyed Moderate” and “A Quandary of Fibbles.”

Stephen Montague (B.M. ’65, M.M. ’67) was selected as one of only 20 composers for the first-ever UK-wide New Music Biennial, which supports and promotes brand-new commissions by some of the UK’s most exciting composers.

Thomas M. Woodruff (B.S. ’65), attorney at Woodruff Injury Law, cut 2 seconds off his time while racing in a snow skiing competition in his division at Snowmass, Colo. He ranks No. 1 in his division in Florida.

CLASS NOTES

▲ John E. Roueche

▲ Bruce Jacob

▲ Leslie S. Waters

▼ David Luther Woodward

SO LONG, SMALL WORLDOrlando’s theme parks have spawned a wide array of business ventures, but the one Marian Christ (B.S. ’69) operated for the past two decades seems only too self-evident: a child care company for parents in need of adult time in the kid capital of the world.

Christ started All About Kids in 1991 for vacationing parents who were hoping for a quiet dinner. “We sent baby sitters to the hotels,” said Christ, an FSU College of Human Sciences graduate whose first career was in retail. “We would also take care of groups of kids. We would go into a hotel and set up a camp.”

Usually the groups were small or medium size, but one of Christ’s more memorable moments came when the staff was in charge of 400 kids. “Overall, kids do behave, as long as you have stuff to entertain them.”

As Christ catered to parental and child needs, she started to hear one question repeatedly from parents: “Do you have strollers?” All About Kids started offering strollers and full-size cribs as rental items. Christ called it a wonderful experience. She met kids from all over the world and, like a grandparent, was able to hand them back at the end of the night and go home.

After 22 years, Christ said goodbye to the small world she created and retired to Tallahassee with her sister Betty. Having served on the Orlando Seminole Club’s Board of Directors for 20 years, Christ is excited to attend more FSU sporting events — especially softball and women’s basketball. There is also the prospect of being able to take classes through the university at her leisure … which she has earned.

50 Vires

Emerson R. Thompson (J.D. ’73), senior judge, took office July 1 as president-elect of The Florida Bar Foundation, a statewide charitable organization that provides leadership and funding for justice in Florida.

Theodore L. Tripp Jr. (B.S. ’73, J.D. ’76), Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP attorney, has been recognized as a 2013 Florida Super Lawyer and listed in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Jeff Gargiulo (B.S. ’74), owner and operator of Gargiulo Vineyards and chairman of Greenleaf Produce, was elected to the board of directors of Lipman’s, North America’s largest open field tomato grower.

Diahann Lassus (B.S. ’76), president and co-founder of Lassus Wherley, was named one of the “30 Most Influential” people in the National Association of Personal Finance Advisors’ 30-year history, and was also named to the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants’ inaugural “50 over 50.”

James W. Cortada (M.A. ’70, Ph.D. ’73), a historian who worked for IBM for four decades and is now a senior research fellow at the University of Minnesota, was part of a feature in The Chronicle of Higher Education about scholarly groups helping doctoral students learn about nonacademic careers.

Marsha Lyons (J.D. ’70), a former South Florida federal prosecutor and defense attorney now in private practice in Tallahassee, has announced the release of her publication “Murder: Take Three,” the third in a mystery series.

Douglas Sullenberger (B.S. ’70), Fisher & Phillips LLP partner in Atlanta, was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

Clifton Chadwick (Ed.D. ’72) published a book titled “How to Teach Your Children to Think Critically.”

Victoria Emmons (B.A. ’72), CEO of Hope Hospice in Dublin, Calif., was selected to serve from 2013 to 2015 on the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Cemetery and Funeral Bureau’s Advisory Committee.

Harold G. Fravel Jr. (B.S. ’72) was named executive director of the American Membrane Technology Association in January 2013, and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Southeast Desalting Association this past June.

Jeffrey L. Carrier (B.S. ’73), a Florida CPA, was appointed to Sebring Software Inc.’s Board of Directors on Aug. 1. He will serve as chair of the audit committee and on the acquisition, compensation and corporate governance committees.

Lonnie N. Groot (B.S. ’73, J.D. ’76), of the Lake Mary law firm of Stenstrom, McIntosh, Colbert & Whigham P.A., served as a judge at the Florida High School Moot Court competition.

Danny R. McKnight (B.S. ’73), retired U.S. Army colonel, published his latest book, “Streets of Mogadishu,” which looks at stories of the Somali battle described in the book and movie “Black Hawk Down.”

John Penick (Ph.D. ’73) received the Robert H. Carleton Award from the National Science Teachers Association for his contributions to science education at the national level.

CLASS NOTES▲ Victoria Emmons

▲ Emerson R. Thompson

▼ Theodore L. Tripp Jr.

ALUMNA DIRECTS N.Y. LIBRARIESAnn Thornton (M.L.I.S. ’94) enjoys learning every day. It is one of the perks of being the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries.

Thornton has been part of the second-largest library in the country (second only to the Library of Congress) since 1996. She started as an electronic training coordinator who taught people how to use the Internet and research databases. “We developed a training program for helping librarians as teachers,” she said. “We taught tens of thousands of people how to get online.”

Today, Thornton helps people do research and access material from the library system’s special collection. “People use our research material to create art … it could be anyone who has a research need,” she said. “I develop and preserve research collections to make them as accessible as possible.”

As many patrons have become more familiar with the Internet and the library’s equipment, that has freed Thornton to answer more complex questions. One of her main concerns is the constant battle to preserve material for future generations.

Thornton’s love of learning started early. Both of her parents were college professors. “My dad taught information systems. I was interested in how computers are used, and communications was something else I was attracted to. I had a lot of interests,” Thornton said. “Library science is good for that.”

So Thornton shadowed a family friend at a university medical school library — and was hooked. While working a summer job in Valdosta, Ga., she drove to Tallahassee and showed up on campus with no appointment. She spoke to Dr. F. William Summers, former dean of the School of Library and Information Studies, and received the opportunity to work in the dean’s office. “Even before my career started, many people helped me,” she said. “I have been fortunate.”

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Bruce Altstaetter (B.S. ’77), CFO of S&ME Inc., was selected “CFO of the Year” by the Environmental Financial Consulting Group Inc. from more than 120 CFOs in the architecture, engineering and construction industries.

Michael Cherniga (B.S. ’78, J.D. ’81), shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP, was named in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Anne Longman (J.D. ’79), Lewis, Longman & Walker shareholder, was selected as a Florida Super Lawyer for administrative law.

Alaine S. Williams (J.D. ’79), a labor and employment lawyer and partner at Willig, Williams & Davidson, was recognized by Thomson Reuters as a 2013 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer.

1980s

Craig T. Lynch (B.S. ’81), Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP partner and FSU Alumni Association National Board presidential appointee, was introduced as president of the University of North Carolina School of Law Alumni Association Board.

Kim Kiel Thompson (B.S. ’81, M.A. ’84), Fisher & Phillips LLP partner, was selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014 and was listed in Georgia Super Lawyers 2013 for her work in immigration law.

Colleen Fahey (A.A. ’82, B.S. ’84), FSU Center for Academic & Professional Development graphic designer, competed in the Master’s Division of the Reebok CrossFit Games in California and won the gold medal in her division.

H. Ainsley McNeely (B.A. ’82) is the subject of an article in Art Galleries & Artists in the South magazine (Vol. 10, Issue 2), which discusses Ainsley’s art and show based on Southern history.

Sam Rogers Jr. (B.S. ’82), CEO of Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn Insurance in Tallahassee, was installed as chairman of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents as of Sept. 1.

Julie Barroso (B.S.N. ’83) has been appointed professor and associate dean for doctoral programs at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, effective Jan. 1, 2014.

Chip Bifano (B.S. ’83) was named president of Paul Davis National and will oversee its restoration organization, assisting customers after catastrophic events.

Sheila Bolin (M.S. ’83), CEO/president of The Regal Swan Foundation based in Orlando, was nominated as one of the top 39 conservationists in the world, vying for the world’s leading animal conservation award, the Indianapolis Prize. She was also featured on ABC’s “Born to Explore,” which received the 2013 Telly Award.

Robert McDonald (J.D. ’83), attorney at Greenberg Traurig LLP, was named in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

CLASS NOTES

▼ Bruce Altstaetter

▲ Craig T. Lynch

▲ Sam Rogers Jr.

▲ Robert McDonald

CULTURE ON THE COURTAs secretary of state, Ken Detzner (B.A. ’75) is in charge of promoting Florida’s most prized cultural resources. He considers FSU women’s basketball among them.

Detzner is a bona fide women’s basketball aficionado, season-ticket holder and fan extraordinaire. His first date with wife Mary Kay (B.S. ’84) was at a Lady Seminoles game in the Civic Center.

“I watched women’s basketball when I was in school,” says Detzner, 61. “I had known Mary Kay for a long time, and one day she asked me to join her for a game. I guess that’s when we started dating.” That was February of 2011. Eighteen months later they were married in the FSU Alumni Association courtyard.

“It’s so cool to look over and see Ken cheering from his courtside seat at our games,” says Sue Semrau, FSU women’s basketball head coach. “He and Mary Kay have been loyal supporters, attend every home game and often travel to our road games as well.”

The secretary of state is a Cabinet-level position appointed by the governor and serves as Florida’s chief cultural officer, chief elections officer and custodian of the official state seal. The agency has spent 2013 celebrating Viva Florida, the 500th anniversary of Ponce de León’s arrival in Florida. “The State Department is different than any other agency,” Detzner says, “because we touch people’s lives in some way every day.”

Detzner credits his FSU professors with having incredible character and giving excellent career advice. He enjoys returning the favor. “I ask students, ‘What is your passion?’ If you don’t follow that, you won’t be happy,” Detzner says. “The people are passionate here. It is wonderful to be their leader.”

Detzner and wife Mary Kay are all smiles over women's basketball.

52 Vires

David Ashburn (B.S. ’84, J.D. ’87), attorney at Greenberg Traurig LLP, was listed in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

David Dotherow (B.S. ’84), president of New Traditions Bank, was among the top Business Executives of the Year named by the Orlando Business Journal.

Dominic C. MacKenzie (B.S. ’84, J.D. ’87), Holland & Knight attorney, took office July 1 as second vice president of The Florida Bar Foundation, a statewide charitable organization that provides leadership and funding for justice in Florida.

J. Stephen McDonald (J.D. ’84), ShuffieldLowman law firm partner, was named one of Florida Trend magazine’s Legal Elite in July.

Scott Evelyn (B.S. ’85) has been named president and general manager for Cigna’s Tri-State market, including New York, New Jersey and part of Connecticut, as of Sept. 1.

Manuel Farach (J.D. ’85), real estate and business litigation attorney and of counsel with Richman Greer P.A., has been elected president of the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches.

Shannon Fenn Hughes (B.S. ’85) was named the Florida Department of Health’s new chief of the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida.

Kathleen Purvis (A.A. ’85) had her book titled “Bourbon: A SAVOR THE SOUTH® Cookbook” published in the fall.

Bradley M. Saxton (B.S. ’85), Winderweedle, Haines, Ward and Woodman shareholder, was named a 2013 Florida Super Lawyer for his bankruptcy practice and was named one of Florida Trend magazine’s Legal Elite in July.

Angela Batey (M.M.E. ’86) has been promoted to full professor and named associate dean for diversity in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee.

David M. Caldevilla (J.D. ’86), de la Parte & Gilbert P.A. attorney in Tampa, has been appointed to serve as secretary of The Florida Bar’s Appellate Court Rules Committee.

Jeff Grady (A.A. ’86, B.S. ’87), president and CEO of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, has been elected to Disabled Veterans Insurance Careers’ strategic board.

Gregory W. Herbert (B.A. ’86), Greenberg Traurig LLP shareholder, was named Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

Gerald T. Roden (B.S. ’86), managing partner for Fort Pierce and Melbourne offices of the Roden Law Firm PLC, was appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to serve on the board of Volunteer Florida.

Mark Stein (B.A. ’86), partner at Miami law firm Higer Lichter & Givner, has been appointed chair of the Pro Bono Committee of the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar.

Birch Browning (B.M.E. ’87, M.M.E. ’99, Ph.D. ’02), music teacher educator, music performance researcher and music director of the Cleveland Winds, was appointed chair of the Department of Music at Cleveland State University.

Cheryl English (B.A. ’87), founder of Women’s Resource Center of Tampa Bay, was interviewed in the Tampa Tribune about her work and goals with the program.

Samuel Queirolo (B.S. ’87, J.D. ’90) has joined the Tampa office of national law firm Quarles & Brady LLP as a partner in its Real Estate Practice Group.

Jaimie Roberts (B.M. ’87) opened Power Dance & Fitness in Winter Garden, Fla., in April. She has spent 26 years singing and dancing at Walt Disney World and performing around the world.

Robbie Fox Castleman (M.A. ’88) earned a promotion to full professor at John Brown University this spring, and has had two books published: the third edition of her best-selling “Parenting in the Pew” and “Story-Shaped Worship.”

Mark Finster (B.S. ’88) was appointed insurance specialist with CollaborativeWEALTH™, a financial planning and wealth management company in Lake Mary, Fla.

CLASS NOTES

▼ David M. Caldevilla

▼ Mark Stein

GEDDES EXCELS IN SECOND SPORTS WORLDJane Geddes could have played it safe. However, when an opportunity came, she hardly had to wrestle with the decision to take a risk.

Geddes, a U.S. Open champion in women’s golf who became an LPGA executive, is now in a world that includes steel cage matches and submission holds. She is the senior vice president of talent relations and development for World Wrestling Entertainment.

That entails being on the road and routinely dealing with issues — such as management and travel — that affect WWE superstars. Geddes also oversees talent development at WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando. “I am the first person in this position who is not from the industry and I am a woman. That is a double whammy,” she said. However, as a former professional competitor, Geddes added, “I understand the challenges and the adrenaline of doing things that you love … and you would go to the ends of the world to do it.”

Geddes had to combine that passion with knowledge of the industry. She learned the nuances of the business side by watching “Monday Night Raw” and “Smackdown” — two program staples for WWE viewers. Ten years after she retired as a professional golfer, Geddes has embarked on a completely separate career. Geddes started golf during high school, later than many pro golfers. When she began contacting collegiate golf programs, she often heard, ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you.’ However, former FSU golf coach Verlyn Giles (B.S. ’61, M.S. ’63) gave her a chance to try out for the team. “I was fortunate it was Florida State. I had a great opportunity to learn,” said Geddes. “I went from a nobody to a member of a national championship team in three years.”

It is a lesson she has kept in mind throughout her career. “The WWE was very unlikely for me, but it felt like the right thing,” she said. “I could be in the golf world and doing things in my sleep. I enjoyed that. But I always enjoyed learning something new.”

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CLASS NOTES

Mike McCall (B.S. ’88), chief meteorologist at WCTV in Tallahassee, celebrated his 20th anniversary with WCTV Eyewitness News.

Alexander Douglas II (J.D. ’89), ShuffieldLowman partner, has been named co-chair of the Orange County Bar Association’s Estates, Trusts and Guardianship Committee.

Katherine Giddings (B.S. ’89, J.D. ’92), a shareholder with Akerman Senterfitt’s litigation practice group, was appointed a trustee of the Eleventh Circuit Historical Society.

David E. Johnson (B.S. ’89), CEO of Strategic Vision LLC, was named by Campaigns & Elections

Magazine as one of the Influencers 500 for 2013 for his grasp of politics and mastery of political strategy and communications.

Sherri Kelly (B.F.A. ’89) was promoted to executive director at Ernst & Young LLP’s advisory practice.

1990s

Jana Bielecki (B.A. ’90, M.A. ’92) earned tenure as an English (writing/composition) faculty member at Hillsborough Community College’s Ybor City, Fla., campus, where her work with the Phi Theta Kappa chapter earned her a Paragon Award for New Advisors in the spring.

Charles A. Julian (Ph.D. ’90) has been appointed director of the Paul Meek Library at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

Cheryl D. Lovell (Ph.D. ’90) was appointed president and CEO of Rocky Vista University in Parker, Colo.

Agustin D. Martinez (B.S. ’91) won Prize Americana from The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture and will have his submitted novel, “The Mares of Lenin Park,” published by Press Americana.

Kathryn Morgan (Ph.D. ’91), University of Alabama at Birmingham associate professor and College of Arts and Sciences affirmative action and diversity officer, has been appointed director of African-American Studies at the university.

Darren Bagert (B.F.A. ’92), theater alumnus and two-time Tony winner, is producing “The Glass Menagerie” on Broadway under his company name Infinity Stages.

Marie Fernandez-Leon (B.S. ’92), managing partner for Imagery Creative, has been named president of the American Advertising Federation Miami for a second term.

Gregory W. Meier (B.S. ’92), ShuffieldLowman law firm partner, was named one of Florida Trend magazine’s Legal Elite in July.

John M. Crossman (B.S. ’93), president of Crossman & Co., was inducted into the FSU College of Business Hall of Fame in the spring. He is the youngest graduate to receive the honor.

Robin Sankowski Grenier (A.A. ’93, B.S. ’95) has received a Faculty Fulbright Award to teach at the University of Iceland for the spring 2014 term.

Thomas O. Ingram (B.S. ’93, J.D. ’98) has joined Akerman Senterfitt’s Jacksonville office, where he will focus on land use, real estate, governmental relations and environmental matters in northeast Florida.

M. Hope Keating (J.D. ’93), attorney at Greenberg Traurig LLP, was named in 2014’s The Best Lawyers in America.

Carlos A. Kelly (B.A. ’93), stockholder in Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt P.A.’s commercial litigation practice group, has been appointed to the Southwest Florida Museum of History Foundation Board.

Leslie Mille (A.A. ’93, B.S. ’95) was recognized with the Outstanding Service to the Association of Business School Alumni Professionals Award. She has also accepted the position of associate director, administration at the FSU Career Center.

Hilary High (A.A. ’94, B.A. ’95, J.D. ’98), mediator/lawyer, spoke on a panel at the Working Women of Tampa Bay luncheon about “leaning in” to one’s career.

Carlos Campos (A.A. ’95, B.S. ’96) of Spring Hill, Fla., was named America’s Favorite Veterinarian during the 150th Convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Arleen Hunter (A.A. ’95, B.S. ’96, M.S.P. ’98), development services director for Bonita Springs, Fla., was named one of Gulfshore Business Magazine’s “Forty under Forty” for 2013.

Rachel Luria (B.S. ’96), assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University, had a book titled “Neil Gaiman and Philosophy” published in 2012.

Becca Gilbert (B.A. ’97) is the new senior manager of marketing and business development at Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A., a professional accounting, assurance and tax services firm headquartered in Tallahassee.

Gigi Rollini (B.A. ’97, J.D. ’03, M.P.A. ’03), Holland & Knight LLP attorney, was appointed by the chair of The Florida Bar’s Appellate Court Rules Committee to serve as vice chair of the ACRC’s Administrative Law Practice Standing Committee for the 2013-14 term.

▲ Darren Bagert

ALUMNA ROCKS AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREEDawn Reinholtz (B.S. ’96) has been a part of the best the Big Apple has to offer — including large-scale art installations such as Ugo Rondinone’s “Human Nature,” the 2012 NFL Kickoff, House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year, Wimbledon presented by HSBC, NBC Democracy Plaza, “The TODAY Show” and one of the most recognized holiday traditions, the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. As the director of events for Rockefeller Center® and Tishman Speyer, the company that owns and operates the famed New York City landmark, Reinholtz is in the middle of it all.

The 2013 Tree Lighting was the first week of December, but the work leading up to the event began months in advance. “The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is an NBC production, but our team is charged with managing all of the logistics and other events throughout the night,” says Reinholtz, whose FSU degree is in merchandising. “Once the Tree is lit, I can enjoy the beauty of the night, as it is truly a magical one.”

Television played a part in Reinholtz’s coming to Rockefeller Center. She worked on “MTV Cribs” and the network’s Video Music Awards before she made the move. “MTV produced the VMA Red Carpet at Rockefeller Center in 2003,” she said. “I met the staff at Rockefeller Center and accepted the position of event marketing manager in 2004. We manage a wide range of events — and my job is about creating and bringing to life the vision of our sponsors and partners.”

Reinholtz, originally from Boca Raton and Naples, Fla., enjoyed the various elements of her time at FSU, from participating in student government to Sigma Sigma Sigma and Big 8, the drumline of the Marching Chiefs. She recalls a thrilling environment that gave her a well-rounded education and the building blocks to handle her current responsibilities. “I am extremely lucky to be working where I am and to have this career path,” she said. “I love bringing the world’s Christmas Tree and all these events to life.”

54 Vires

CLASS NOTES

Daniel Harvell (B.S. ’98) reached the top 10 in Amazon.com’s “superhero” category for his e-book “The Survivors.”

Elizabeth “Betsy” Haslett (B.A. ’98) has joined McGlinchey Stafford as an associate in its Jacksonville office, where she will represent clients in litigation involving real estate, bankruptcy and other areas.

Brian McKenna (B.S. ’98, M.S. ’00) is co-owner of the anchor location Madison Social in College Town in Tallahassee, with fellow alumnus Matt Thompson (B.S. ’99, M.S. ’00).

John C. Moran (B.S. ’98), Gunster law firm shareholder, has been selected to be an American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Fellow.

F. Joseph Ullo Jr. (M.S. ’98, J.D. ’06), Lewis, Longman & Walker shareholder, has been named a 2013 Florida Rising Star in the area of environmental law.

Roberto M. Vargas (J.D. ’98), Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs P.A. shareholder, was elected president of HomeSafe, a nationally accredited nonprofit organization protecting Palm Beach County and South Florida victims of child abuse and domestic violence.

Julie Workman (B.S. ’98), chief advocacy officer of The Heights Foundation, was named one of Business Magazine’s “Forty under Forty” for 2013.

Michael McCormick (B.S. ’99, M.S.P. ’07) was appointed to the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research as a senior planner and serves as the local and regional affairs adviser.

2000s

Jeremey M. Davis (B.S. ’00) was promoted to the rank of major in the Florida Army National Guard following his second successful Battery Command.

Twanna A. Hines (M.S. ’00), sex and relationship advice columnist, was featured in Essence magazine’s “Love Your Body” July issue.

Brandae M. Johnston (B.S.N. ’00), navy lieutenant, participated in a system evaluation of a Chemically Hardened Expeditionary Medical Facility in Williamsburg, Va., where simulated emergencies tested the integration of a collective protection system.

Michael Lines (B.S. ’00) was hired at Cantor Colburn LLP as a patent agent in the Hartford, Conn., office.

Christin Decker Petroski (B.S. ’00) has joined the Midland, Mich., office of Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, where she will concentrate her practice in corporate law.

Jillian Weise (A.A. ’00, B.A. ’02) won the James Laughlin Award, one of the prestigious Academy of American Poets prizes, for her book titled “The Book of Goodbyes.”

▼ Melanie Griffin

RINGING IN THE NOLES YEARWhen calendars flip over to 2014, Joe Mahshie (B.S. ’08) will be standing where New Year’s Eve countdowns began.

Mahshie is the events coordinator for the Times Square Alliance in New York City. Amid the daily energy and excitement found in Times Square, the Port Charlotte, Fla., native is looking forward to experiencing his first New Year’s Eve where the party started.

During the rest of the year, local residents and visitors to Times Square are treated to a variety of art-based initiatives, yoga programs and other events staged by Mahshie’s organization. “I love the fast pace of the work, and there is always something to do,” Mahshie said. “It’s always something different. I have been in New York for a year and a half. I will never lose those Florida roots, but I feel a little more at home here every day.”

Those roots included taking on community service projects during high school and at FSU, in addition to working within the FSU Alumni Association. He believes his time at FSU played a big part in preparing him for the transition to New York, where his sister, Lisa (B.S. ’08), also relocated after FSU. “My experiences at FSU with advisers, organizations and professors are why I am where I am,” he said. “Going from a small-town kid from Florida to working on the largest events stage — I am humbled. It’s a testament to the university.”

“The scope of the events here — there is nothing else comparable anywhere on a daily basis. They created what New Year’s Eve is for the world. It’s great to be privy to that knowledge.”

Jann Wimmer (B.S. ’00), who works for Sony Pictures Animation, was the resource associate production manager for the movie “Smurfs 2.”

Phyllisa Deroze (B.A. ’01), FSU assistant professor of English, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholars Grant to the United Arab Emirates, near Dubai.

Matt Dross (B.S. ’01) was hired as vice president of insurance wholesaler Socius Insurance Services Inc. and will be based in Tampa.

Melissa Kuipers (B.S. ’02), an attorney and policy adviser with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s government relations group, was appointed to the board of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts.

Daryl R. Levine (B.A. ’02), special assistant for the Executive Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia, was on the steering committee for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Stephanie Smith (B.S. ’02), Tallahassee-based AT&T public affairs director, has received a top honor from AT&T for service excellence.

Curtis M. Williams (B.S. ’02) was appointed to the position of commercial lender at Centennial Bank and will serve clients in northwest Florida.

Justin B. Davis (B.S. ’03) has joined Blank Rome LLP as an associate in the consumer financial services team.

Melanie Griffin (B.S. ’03, J.D. ’06, M.B.A. ’06), associate attorney in the litigation department of Dean, Mead, Egerton, Bloodworth, Capouano & Bozarth P.A. in Orlando, was recently elected to lead The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division. She will take the role of president for 2013-14.

Yimeng “Eva” Jin (M.F.A. ’03), Chinese writer-director, created the romantic comedy movie “One Night Surprise,” which she hopes will find the success of her other film, “Sophie’s Revenge.”

Dawn Elliott-Gunter (B.S. ’04, M.B.A. ’06) has been appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to the North Florida Community College Board of Trustees in Madison.

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Chris Evans (B.S. ’08) was hired as the youth sports development manager for Miami-Dade County.

Dominique Gehy (B.S. ’08, Ph.D. ’13), The PhD Project participant, successfully defended her dissertation, “Three Essays on the Role of Short Sellers in Financial Markets,” and will join the faculty of Hofstra University.

Anne M. Littlejohn (B.S. ’08) has been appointed a health care interior designer in the Orlando office of HKS Inc., a top-five architectural engineering firm.

Myron Rolle (B.S. ’08), former FSU football safety, Rhodes Scholar and current FSU College of Medicine student, accepted the inaugural administrative fellowship position at AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies.

Erin H. Barker (B.A. ’05, J.D. ’08), associate director for development for the FSU Foundation and FSU’s John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, has been appointed to a three-year term on the board of The Florida Bar Foundation.

Megan Boone (B.F.A. ’05) stars as a rookie FBI agent on NBC’s government crime thriller “The Blacklist,” which began airing in the fall.

David Bumsted (B.A. ’05) is the new deacon in charge of youth ministry at The Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota.

Elsie B. Crowell (M.P.A. ’05, Ph.D. ’08) was selected as one of 25 Women You Need to Know by the Tallahassee Democrat for her civic, professional and community service contributions.

Tom Kay (J.D. ’05) has been named the executive director of the Alachua Conservation Trust, a nonprofit land conservation trust located in Gainesville, Fla.

Franny Kovelman (B.S. ’05), who coordinates ESPN’s community engagement for the Longhorn Network in Austin, received the 2013 Team ESPN Regional Volunteer Award.

Matthew H. Moore (B.S. ’05) was hired as an associate attorney in the Huntsville, Ala., office of Maynard, Cooper & Gale P.C. and is a member of

its Corporate, Securities and Tax Practice Group and the Government Solutions Industry Group.

James Walter Doyle (B.A. ’06) was featured in GQ magazine as a recipient of the 2012 GQ Leadership Award and also in the “Meet Mr. Doyle” video for DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit that named him its national director of teacher engagement.

Sarah Lindquist Pape (J.D. ’06), shareholder with Zimmerman, Kiser, Sutcliffe P.A., will be the board secretary for The First Tee of Central Florida.

Bryan Paschal (B.S. ’07), litigation associate at Rivero Mestre LLP, was named one of South Florida’s Top 40 under 40 Black Leaders in the Miami Herald.

CLASS NOTES

▼ James Walter Doyle

▼ Chris Evans

▲ Myron Rolle

▼ Anne M. Littlejohn

O SAY CAN SHE SINGLauren Lowrey’s (B.A. ’05) future in television may only be eclipsed by her potential as a premier singer of our national anthem. Lowrey, an anchor and reporter for WISH-TV, a CBS affiliate in Indianapolis, has become a sought-after opening attraction for professional sporting events, and last summer she became a good luck charm for the hometown teams.

“I performed the anthem for the WNBA Fever the night they won the championship,” says Lowrey, 28. “Then I sang at a regular season game for the Pacers and they won, so they invited me back for the playoffs.” Her performance earned the hashtag #yousingwewin.

Hitting the high notes is nothing new for Lowrey, who sang the anthem for her Myrtle Beach, S.C., high school basketball games while also serving as a cheerleader. She came to FSU to major in musical theater but eventually switched to communication and landed her first job at a hometown station. From there she moved to Toledo, Ohio, and then Indianapolis, where she was asked to sing the anthem at a minor league baseball game — her first performance in 10 years.

“The key to the anthem is knowing which key to start in because it requires such a range,” says Lowrey. “I also have to overcome nerves. Even though many more people watch my TV show, I’m 100 times more nervous to sing. You can become a YouTube video really quick.”

Lowrey has co-anchored WISH’s weekday morning “Daybreak” program since 2011. True to her FSU roots, she is also a lover of sports: “I like to be a part of it in any way. It just really makes me happy.”

56 Vires

Joseph A. Fisher (B.S. ’09), Navy seaman, returned to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after completing a successful six-month Western Pacific deployment aboard the USS Cheyenne, which included a stop in the Republic of Korea.

Shannon Richard (B.A. ’09) had her first novel, “Undone,” published in July.

Asa Brown (B.A. ’10) spent his summer as a clerk at the Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt P.A. law firm, where he was exposed to a broad range of practice areas.

Jodi S. Hart (M.B.A. ’10), director of purchasing at Palm Beach State College, received two sought-after national certifications in her field: the Certified Public Procurement Officer and Certified Professional Public Buyer.

Charles H. Olivier (B.S. ’10) has graduated from Navy Officer Candidate School and received a commission as an ensign in the United States Navy while assigned at Officer Training Command in Newport, R.I.

Kate Pankoke (B.S. ’10) was selected by TV viewers to receive a second chance on “Project Runway” on Season 12 after being cut the previous season.

Zachary Adams (M.S. ’11) has joined the College of Charleston Sports Medicine staff as an assistant athletic trainer and will work primarily with the baseball program.

James O. Kotey (B.A. ’11) has earned the title of U.S. Marine after graduating from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C.

Nick Meginnis (B.S. ’11), a former ROTC member, is an infantry officer in the U.S. Army and has served in Afghanistan with fellow alumnus

Ryan Rivas (B.S. ’11).

Emily Morris (B.M. ’11), a primary therapist in a music therapy private practice in Austin, is working on her first full-length album.

Mia Pilato (B.S. ’11) received a Certificate of Completion for an exclusive business leadership program created by the Buckhead Coalition.

Aaron Z. Savage (B.S. ’11) earned the title of United States Marine after graduating from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C.

Michael S. Speicher-Harris (B.S. ’11) has graduated from Navy Officer Candidate School and has received a commission as an ensign in the United States Navy while assigned at Officer Training Command in Newport, R.I.

Charles J. Abrams (J.D. ’12) has joined the law firm of ShuffieldLowman as an associate with the firm’s real estate section.

Layce Boswell (B.A. ’12) illustrated a new children’s book titled “An Infinitesimal Abundance of Color,” in collaboration with author Mark David Major, whom she intends to work with on a second children’s book to be published in spring 2014.

Kathryn Wolter (B.S. ’12) was hired by Clarke Advertising and Public Relations as a new account coordinator.

OTHER

Deion Sanders, former Seminoles football player, was one of five new inductees into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame in June.

Class Notes recognizes the professional, civic and personal accomplishments of Florida State University alumni. To submit items for publication, email [email protected] with “Class Notes” in the

subject line. Please include the names and class years of all alumni when submitting information. Photographs are happily accepted but should be print quality (at least 300 DPI at 4” x 6”). Items received between Oct. 1 and March 31 will be considered for the spring/summer issue. Kindly note that submission does not guarantee inclusion due to space limitations.

CLASS NOTES

▼ Nick Meginnis and Ryan Rivas

THE YOUNG AND RESTLESSBy the age of 18 years and 169 days, Gregoire Narcisse (B.S. ’13) had a Florida State degree and a focused goal: to become a sports agent. In typical fashion for the young but accomplished graduate, he began studying from the ground up.

Narcisse, the youngest graduate in FSU history, recently completed an internship with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. During the team’s August training camp, Narcisse served as a scouting intern. He analyzed game films and did research on players. “I went in thinking I knew all the stuff,” Narcisse said. “You realize in 10 minutes that so many people are there that know more. I had to start with a blank slate and push myself.”

That formula is nothing new for Narcisse. At 14, he enrolled in a Fort Lauderdale college academy where students earn a high school diploma and enough college credits for an associate degree at the same time. He entered FSU at age 16 and — with his college credits — needed only four semesters to graduate. “FSU was my first opportunity to connect with people and network on my own,” he said. Narcisse didn’t let his shortened time at FSU limit his involvement; he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Sport Management Student Association.

Narcisse’s first interest was politics, but he realized his passion is sports. This passion and his tireless drive led to a Bachelor of Science in political science and sport management as he graduated magna cum laude from FSU. His move to the sports world gave Narcisse something he has always enjoyed — a new challenge. “I love risks and diving into the unknown,” he said.

Narcisse’s latest pursuit is a master’s degree in sport administration at the University of Miami. On the fast track, of course, due in 2014.

Vires 57

mailto:[email protected]


Cabot Lodge Tallahassee 1653 Raymond Diehl Road Tallahassee 850-386-7500 800-255-6343 cabotlodgetallahassee.comLocaLLy owned by FSU aLUmni

Located near FSU, the Cabot Lodge conveniently accommodates any Tallahasee visit. The exceptional comforts also include complimentary full breakfast and nightly hospitality reception. No matter what’s on your agenda, we’ll make sure you’re rested and refreshed.

Always right there. AlwAys right.

IN MEMORIAM

1930sRuth L. Brown (B.A. ’31)Thelma H. Tatum (B. ’32)Doris T. Johnson (B.A. ’34, B.S. ’34)Mary B. Campbell (B.S. ’35)Mildred M. Woods (B.S. ’35)Josephine A. Pizzo (B.S. ’36)Betty Sweet Simmons (B.A. ’37)Elise B. Ashler (B.S. ’38, Ph.D. ’55)Julia D. Carter (B.A. ’38)Inez S. Davenport (B.S. ’38)Mary A. Howze (L.I. ’38)Mary V. Luellen (B.A. ’38)Larene H. Wambsganss (L.I. ’38)Viola M. Wilhelm (B.S. ’38)Margaret J. Brown (B.S. ’39)Petrea C. Roesler (B.A. ’39)Edna K. Warner (B.S. ’39)

1940sEunice M. Lasche (B.S. ’40)Eleanor H. Lundquist (B.A. ’40)Jeanne M. Sankin (B.A. ’40)Jennie C. Walker (B.A. ’40)Betty S. Graveley (B.S. ’41)Suzanne W. Zarzecki (B.S. ’41)Martha S. Austin (B.S. ’42)Sadie S. Gardner (B.S. ’42)Lillian R. Henderson (B.A. ’42)Muriel P. Luikart (B.S. ’42)Anita W. Ott (B.A. ’42)Dorothy R. Oxford (B. ’42)Dorothy F. Atwood (B.A. ’43)Jean T. Bennett (B.A. ’43)Eleanor H. Feagles (B.A. ’43)Roberta M. Golding (B.A. ’43)Virginia T. Gottlieb (B.S. ’43)Helen M. Harris (B.A. ’43)Lillian G. Harry (B.A. ’43)Shirley C. Heise (B.A. ’43)Leonora D. Lawrence (B.S. ’43, M.S. ’67)Dorothy A. Pierson (B.A. ’43)JoAnne P. Harvey (B.S. ’44)Marilynne S. Meikenhouse (B.S. ’44, M.S. ’74)Mary A. Smith (B.S. ’44)Ruth F. Taylor (B.A. ’44)Margaret U. Dawson (B.S. ’45)Sanna J. Demilly (B.A. ’45)Ruth A. Juvinall (B.S. ’45)Dorothy G. Prater (B.S. ’45)Marjorie F. Sparkman (B.M. ’45) Gene R. Burgess (B.S. ’46)Betty A. Gibbs (B.S. ’46)Danella M. Holden (B.S. ’46)Mary E. Irby (B.A. ’46)Carmen G. Leonard (B.S. ’46)Geraldine H. Pedroni (B.A. ’46)Elizabeth H. Pierce (B.S. ’46)Katherine S. Platt (B.A. ’46)Virginia Ricks (B.S. ’46)Aurora C. Sanchez (B.S. ’46)Bettie L. Ferguson (B.S. ’47)

Barbara C. King (B.S. ’47)Anita G. Maizel (B.S. ’47)Patricia T. Meginniss (B.A. ’47)Virginia A. Rankin (B.A. ’47)Aileen P. Barley (B.S. ’48)Patricia Y. Belcher (B.A. ’48)Joyce C. Garman (B.S. ’48) Elizabeth W. Jackson (B.S. ’48)Serena M. Roche (B.A. ’48)Glenn W. Terrell Jr. (M.S. ’48)Anna L. Deese (B.A. ’49)Doris C. Fletcher (B.S. ’49)Irma H. Gallie (B.S. ’49)Emery A. Maddox Jr. (B.S. ’49, M.S. ’50)Mary Ellen Proctor (B.A. ’49)Mae G. Shivers (B.A. ’49, M.S. ’72)Grace Elizabeth W. Taylor (B.A. ’49, M.A. ’50)Giles B. Thompson (B.S. ’49)Wiley D. Wilson Jr. (B.S. ’49)

1950sRay F. Allen Jr. (B.S. ’50)D. Gordon Bond (B.S. ’50)Benjamin K. Bussey (B.S. ’50)Ruth L. Cade (B.S. ’50)Victor A. Dunaway (B.S. ’50)Walter L. Foy Jr. (B.S. ’50, M.S. ’59)Marilyn M. Freeman (B.A. ’50)Helen C. Galloway (B.S. ’50)Julia G. Hoffmann (B.S. ’50)Luther E. Ingram Jr. (B.S. ’50)Danatta J. Merryday (B.S. ’50)William R. Schoneck (B.S. ’50)Ann Carlisle Smith (B.S. ’50)Frank Witham (B.A. ’50)Leondres P. Young (B.S. ’50, M.S. ’61)James M. Alford (B.S. ’51)Mary L. Babcock (M.A. ’51, B.S. ’55)Elizabeth Susan Bulger (B.A. ’51)Nathaniel W. Covington Jr. (M.S. ’51)Betty M. Dean (B.M. ’51)Nancy A. Dobson (B.A. ’51)Herman L. Drake (B.S. ’51, M.S. ’52)Dorothy W. Durden (B.S. ’51)Nan Durham (B.S. ’51)Loyal N. Gould (B.A. ’51)Rita H. Gress (B.A. ’51)Katherine N. Hiett (B.S. ’51)Jean B. Jacobi (B.M. ’51)Mary E. Lotterhos (B.S. ’51)Emma C. Meadows (B.S. ’51)R. Eugene Mitchell (B.M. ’51)Pat T. Ravo (B.S. ’51)Charles T. Self (B.S. ’51)

Thomas A. Souter Jr. (B.S. ’51, M.S. ’57)Frank C. Springer (B.S. ’51)Robert A. Van Slyke (B.S. ’51, M.S. ’53)Patricia P. Winters (B.S. ’51)George H. Cary Jr. (B.S. ’52)Arthur C. Chesnut Sr. (B.S. ’52, M.S. ’56)Jeanne C. Chesnut (B.S. ’52)Fazil S. Dean (B.S. ’52, M.S. ’58)Harvey E. Jeffreys (B.S. ’52, M.S. ’53, Ph.D. ’71)Marilyn F. Kasan (B. ’52)Kenneth H. Martin (B.S. ’52)Suzanne Massonneau (M.A. ’52) Elizabeth R. Millar (M.S.W. ’52)Hollis O. Pemberton Jr. (B.S. ’52)Virginia S. Prentice (B.S. ’52)Kathryn D. Rogero (B.A. ’52, M.A. ’54)Joan W. Schlueter (B.S. ’52)Jay D. Sykes (B.S. ’52)Jean C. Wyer (B.S. ’52)Betty P. Barnett (B.S. ’53, B.S. ’84)Claude K. Boyd (B.S. ’53)Patricia S. Carter (B.A. ’53)Nelson A. Italiano Sr. (B.S. ’53)Joseph G. Turk (B.S. ’53)Mary S. Courson (B.S. ’54)Norma G. Dolnick (B.A. ’54)Roy A. Forbes (B.S. ’54)Mary G. Lawton (B.S. ’54)Mary F. Trafford (B.S. ’54)Constance M. Zimmerman (B. ’54)Clydine M. Bridgeman (B.S. ’55)William H. Kelly Jr. (B.S. ’55)Betsy Kuck (B.S. ’55)Elizabeth H. LaPlant (B.S. ’55)Virgie M. Pafford (B.S.N. ’55)Barbara M. Simpson (B.S. ’55)Evelyn H. Tilghman (B.S. ’55)Thomas E. White (M.S. ’55)H.W. Asbell (M.S. ’56)Faith W. Laroche (B.S. ’56)Webster W. Teague Jr. (M.M. ’56, Ph.D. ’68)Richard G. Wells (B.S. ’56)Bernice M. Berwick (B.S. ’57)Charles J. Croteau (M.S. ’57)Charles M. Debats (B.A. ’57)Jesse S. Dyess Jr. (B.S. ’57, M.S. ’60)Clarence E. Field Jr. (B.S. ’57)Blanche A. Horne (B.S. ’57)Joe T. McCullough Jr. (B.S. ’57)Charles L. McKinney (M.S. ’57, Ph.D. ’62)Deborah G. McMillan (B.S. ’57, M.S. ’72)H. Pete Petry (B.S. ’57)Joseph M. Schor (Ph.D. ’57)Hassell A. Simpson (M.A. ’57, Ph.D. ’62)

Roderick B. Smith (B.S. ’57)Sara M. Stephens (B.A. ’57, M.A. ’61)Elizabeth A. Titterton (B.S. ’57)Ralph E. Upton Jr. (B.S. ’57, M.S. ’61)Margaret D. Urchuk (B.S. ’57)McCay Vernon (M.A. ’57)Frank M. Bethany (M.S.W. ’58)Lonnie L. Blaine (B.S. ’58)Joanie E. Burkhardt (B.S. ’58)Jesse W. Burt (B.S. ’58)John H. Carter (B.S. ’58)M.S. Feldman (M.A. ’58)James E. Howe (B.S. ’58)Phyllis S. McOmber (B.S. ’58)Charles W. Nabors (B.S. ’58)Theodore C. Rodrigue (B.S. ’58)Donald C. Schertz (B.S. ’58)Olivia A. Schlesier (B.A. ’58, M.S. ’64)Arnold A. Schmucker (B.S. ’58)Nyayapathi V. Swamy (Ph.D. ’58)Joseph L. Zingale Sr. (Ph.D. ’58)Margaret J. Allen (B.S. ’59)Carol C. Borgnaes (B.M. ’59)Jimmy Brookins Sr. (B.S. ’59)Walter J. Burgess (B.S. ’59)Mary I. Dull (B.S. ’59)Charlotte L. Feltyberger (B.M. ’59)Warrene P. Gaspard (B.S. ’59)Richard R. Jackson (B.S. ’59)Matilda D. Mathis (M.S. ’59)Roger G. Owen (M.S. ’59)Russell R. Rolinger (B.S. ’59)Paul L. Smith (B.S. ’59)Thomas H. Speck (B.S. ’59)

1960sJohn E. Corliss (B.S. ’60, M.A. ’61)Robert H. Dinius (Ph.D. ’60)Walter M. Jenkins Sr. (B.S. ’60)James D. Lavin (B.A. ’60, Ph.D. ’64)Robert H. Marrs Jr. (B.A. ’60)Rosalie P. Martin (M.S. ’60)Duane L. Rohlfing (M.S. ’60, Ph.D. ’64)Nathaniel F. Young (B.S. ’60)Edith W. Givens (B.S. ’61, M.S. ’76)Johnie F. Givens (B.S. ’61)Gary W. Hall (B.S. ’61)Connie B. Howard (B.S. ’61)Mary Hester Massey (B.S. ’61)Isaac A. McLain Jr. (M.A. ’61)Marjorie R. Rhoades (M.S. ’61)Lowell B. Sanders (B.S. ’61)Orin L. Searing (M.S. ’61)L. Ralph Smith Jr. (B.S. ’61)

Vires 59

BARRY MITTAN (B.S. ’38)

Meacham was a mid-century maverick who paved the way for women to serve in the military as a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. She joined the group of female aviators in 1942 to fill the void for domestic military pilots at a time when the majority of male pilots were serving overseas. Though the group was disbanded by Congress two years later without being officially commissioned into military service, the pioneering women would eventually be recognized for their contributions to the country.

In March 2010, Meacham and her partners in flight were awarded Congressional Gold Medals. In 2012, the FSU Alumni Association also honored her for her achievements, presenting her with the Emeritus Alumni Society’s Commitment to Excellence Award.

Joseph A. Strahl (B.S. ’61)Burette S. Tillinghast Jr. (Ed.D. ’61)James M. Walker (B.S. ’61, M.S. ’66)Barclay D. Wilson (B.S. ’61)James C. Clark (B.S. ’62)Charles N. Cleland (M.S. ’62)Spencer P. Davis (M.S. ’62)John T. Dockery (M.S. ’62, Ph.D. ’65)William M. Graham (B.S. ’62)Harry R. Hewitt (B.S. ’62, M.S. ’70)Mary A. Lewis (B.S. ’62, M.S. ’68)James C. Mayberry (B.S. ’62)Franklin R. Moore Sr. (B.S. ’62)Joseph H. Purser (M.S. ’62)John W. Summers (B.S. ’62)Linda R. Tesauro (B.S. ’62)William T. Wells (B.S. ’62)Rodney E. Willis (B.S. ’62)Gene P. Bardwell (M.S. ’63)Joyce E. Bryant (B.S. ’63, M.S. ’68, Ph.D. ’71)Nancy A. Caudle (B.S. ’63)DeMetro Cavitch (M.A. ’63)Faurest E. Coogle (B.S. ’63)Edwin L. Frizen Jr. (M.S. ’63)Philip R. Geiling (M.S. ’63)Frank E. Govett (B.S. ’63)Herschel C. Hayo Jr. (B.S. ’63)John B. Jordan (B.S. ’63)Linda C. Leffler (B.A. ’63)Janice B. Parker (B.S. ’63)Harold W. Todd Jr. (M.S. ’63)Lina E. Walker (B.S. ’63, M.S. ’67)Thomas C. Webber (B.S. ’63)Richard A. Basini (B.S. ’64)Nuna B. Flowers (B.S. ’64)Stephen L. Knight (B.S. ’64)J. Fred Schmidt III (B.S. ’64)Linda T. Simmons (B.S. ’64, M.S.W. ’96)Mary L. Bickers (B.S. ’65)Jane M. Brannon (B.M. ’65)Larry L. Densmore (B.S. ’65)Maria V. Diaz (B.A. ’65)Warren K. Giese (Ph.D. ’65)Donald J. Hall (B.S. ’65)Martha H. Kellogg (M.S. ’65)Sylvester J. Lopiccolo (B.S. ’65)James A. Martin (B.A. ’65)Fredrick C. Pfeiffer (B.A. ’65, M.S. ’67)Elaine W. Smith (M.S. ’65)David A. Snyder (B.S. ’65)Ivor L. Wetherby (M.S. ’65)Bobby J. Branning (B.S. ’66)Dorothea S. Brennan (M.S. ’66)Walter N. Creekmore Jr. (B.S. ’66, M.S. ’69)Peter E. Dingeldey (B.S. ’66)Robert S. Hearon (B.S. ’66)Linda K. Hemming (B.A. ’66)Jay T. Knippen (M.B.A. ’66, D.B.A. ’70)William L. Lohman Jr. (B.S. ’66)Robert W. More (M.S.W. ’66)Anne C. Petty (B.A. ’66, M.A. ’69, Ph.D. ’72)Louis T. Shepherd Jr. (B.M. ’66, M.A. ’68)Patricia F. Vice (B.A. ’66)Benjamin W. Waggoner (B.S. ’66)Donald C. Williams (M.S. ’66)

HENRY POLIC I I (B.A. ’67, M.F.A. ’69)

While working on his Master of Fine Arts from the School of Theatre at Florida State, Henry Polic II got his start in theater by appearing in many productions at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Fla.

Polic, who used that experience to forge a career as an entertainer in both movies and TV during four decades, died in California on Aug. 11 at age 68 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Following his graduation from FSU, Polic served as a military policeman at Fort Riley in Kansas. He associated with the Missouri Tent Theatre and a couple of other companies before moving to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

Polic got his break in TV as the Sheriff of Nottingham in a 1975 Mel Brooks series titled “When Things Were Rotten.” That led to Polic appearing in other series during the ’70s and early ’80s before he found a place in the hit sitcom “Webster,” where he played the character Jerry Silver. Meanwhile, Polic also showed up during daytime viewing as a frequent guest on game shows such as “The $25,000 Pyramid.”

Polic’s passion also extended to theater and education. He appeared in more than 70 regional and local productions, including the world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse of the eventual Broadway hit “Sister Act: The Musical,” and directed both a production of Dracula for the American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Neil Simon’s “Fools” for the Actors Co-op in Hollywood. Polic taught a class in acting for the camera at the Emerson College Los Angeles Center and a course in acting and performance at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.

Even after he went to Hollywood, Polic knew his foundation formed at FSU.

“Henry was a star who valued his relationship to Florida State and deemed it a privilege to come back often and share his talents,” said Jim Melton (M.S.P. ’75), former FSU Alumni Association president. “One dared not bring money to an auction he was conducting. He never passed the opportunity to visit our offices in Longmire, and I wish we could have recorded the laughs. One person does not define our alumni, but Henry was the best when we needed a host.”

He helped raise more than $2 million for various charities, including the Adam Walsh Foundation, Concern Foundation for Cancer Research, American Diabetes Association and Leukemia Foundation.

A memorial scholarship fund has been established in Polic’s name at FSU to assist the School of Theatre’s annual production of new works. Contributions can be made by contacting Fred Salancy at [email protected].

60 Vires


Janice O. Baggett (B.S. ’67)Louise S. Clay (B.A. ’67, M.S. ’69)John R. Grierson (B.A. ’67, M.A. ’71)Barbara M. McGraw (B.S. ’67)Eugene F. Obermeyer (B.S. ’67)Henry A. Polic II (B.A. ’67, M.F.A. ’69)Ruth H. Pyle (B.S. ’67)Lanue B. Ryan (B.A. ’67)G.F. Shanholtzer (M.S. ’67)Gerald T. Simon (M.S. ’67)Gretchen M. Witherspoon (B.S. ’67)Robert C. Blackstone (Ph.D. ’68)Paul D. Gallagher (M.S. ’68, Ph.D. ’70)Ann A. Hagins (B.S. ’68)Jo A. Jocis (B.A. ’68)Thomas F. Mathis Jr. (B.S. ’68)William R. Moremen (B.S. ’68)Georgina C. Roces (M.A. ’68)Frances M. Sanders (B.S. ’68, M.S. ’73)Wilbur E. Trotman (B.S. ’68)James L. Trower (B.A. ’68)Akel B. Akel (B.A. ’69)Robert S. Beers (B.A. ’69, M.S. ’73)Thomas E. Chaddock (M.S. ’69, Ph.D. ’70)Virginia K. Davis (B.A. ’69)Sheila B. Kerslake (B.S. ’69)Earl R. Kotlarz (B.S. ’69)Robert A. Nelson III (A.A. ’69)Harry J. Raymond (J.D. ’69)J. Louis Schlegel III (M.A. ’69)James D. Sellers (B.S. ’69)Barbara J. Stewart (M.A. ’69)Norman E. Zahn III (B.S. ’69)

1970sMary H. Albrecht (M.S. ’70)Joan T. Elefante (B.F.A. ’70)John T. Franklin III (B.S. ’70)John T. Kelly Jr. (M.S. ’70, Ph.D. ’77)George D. Knight Sr. (M.A. ’70, Ph.D. ’76)Jeffrey P. Kuehn (B.S. ’70)Maurice W. Lindauer (Ph.D. ’70)Mary M. Mulloy (M.S. ’70)Robert L. Page (Ph.D. ’70)William G. Pehta (M.S. ’70)Philip W. Pitts (M.S. ’70)Bobby J. Pryor (B.A. ’70)Bonnie L. Reed (B.M.E. ’70)Dennis L. Walker (B.S. ’70)Sarah C. Young (B.S. ’70)Dennis J. Allen (B.S. ’71)Gerald R. Carpenter (B.S. ’71)Robert L. Conley Jr. (B.S. ’71)Dean J. Fenn (B.S. ’71)Joseph H. Hiett (Ph.D. ’71)Scott G. Lounsbury (B.A. ’71)Richard F. Maeder (Ed.D. ’71)Donald E. Martin (M.S. ’71)John Michaels (B.S. ’71)Eugene R. Newcomb (B.S.W. ’71, M.S. ’77)Carl J. Selph (M.Acct. ’71, D.B.A. ’79)Mary F. Spears (B.S. ’71)Edwin P. Stewart (M.S. ’71)Ed M. Watford (M.S.W. ’71)John P. Welch (B.A. ’71, J.D. ’74)

Gilbert R. Worley (M.S. ’71, Ph.D. ’77)Glenn O. Adams (B.S. ’72)Coletta E. Arocha (B.S. ’72)Erik L. Barganier (B.S. ’72)William E. Bush (B.A. ’72)Angela Christi (B.A. ’72)Lenore A. Coffey (B.A. ’72)Cassandra Z. Etgeton (B.S. ’72)Dale A. Fisher (B.S. ’72)Richard A. Flynn (B.S. ’72)Jack W. Frickey (Ph.D. ’72)Kathleen N. Gaarde (B.S. ’72)Patrick J. Glavey (B.A. ’72)Christopher L. Holman (B.S. ’72)Randall A. Jones (B.S. ’72)Gayle G. Kendall (M.S. ’72)Alice D. Layne (B.S. ’72)William D. McGovern (B.A. ’72)Susan K. Olk (B.S. ’72)John C. Ryan Jr. (M.S. ’72)Michael W. Sayers (B.A. ’72, M.S. ’77)Kenneth G. Scharabok (M.B.A. ’72)John W. Sorensen III (B.A. ’72, M.A. ’76, B.S. ’79)Jerome L. Sullivan III (M.S. ’72, Ph.D. ’76)Kathleen D. Ugland (M.A. ’72)Cynthia H. Wade (B.S. ’72)Gordon J. Weidow (B.S. ’72)Dean W. Fuller Jr. (B.S. ’73)Thomas K. Hannah Jr. (B.S.W. ’73)Alton D. Holland (B.S. ’73)Harry K. Jowers Jr. (J.D. ’73)Diana Larsen (B.M. ’73)Carol S. Mareno (B.S. ’73)William R. McMillan (B.S. ’73)Ann C. Peyton (Ph.D. ’73)Betty R. Rubenstein (M.A. ’73, Ph.D. ’79)Jeanette C. Sikes (M.S. ’73)Frank C. Smith (B.S.W. ’73)Leonora I. Wicker (M.S. ’73)Glenda S. Crawford (Ph.D. ’74)Bradley E. Dehart Sr. (B.S. ’74)Tom R. Evans Sr. (M.F.A. ’74)Charles E. Gamber (M.S. ’74)William J. Hallau (M.S. ’74)Harlie B. Johnson (M.P.A. ’74, M.S.P. ’75)Merilyn Jones (Ph.D. ’74)Michael C. Jones (B.S. ’74)Loyd L. Karst Jr. (B.S. ’74)Don M. King (M.S.W. ’74)Paul D. Leitch (M.S. ’74)Jill D. Morris (B.S. ’74)Ellen T. Mullens (B.S. ’74)Steven E. Obrecht (M.S. ’74, Ed.S. ’79)Inez P. Sorensen (B.S. ’74)Winnett W. Wright III (B.S. ’74)Jack Alvarez (M.S. ’75)Thomas E. Craig (B.S. ’75)Robert W. Dukes (B.S. ’75)Kathleen W. Henry (B.S. ’75)Robert P. Hinz (M.S. ’75)Phillip J. Morton (B.M. ’75)Paul C. Pollei (Ph.D. ’75)James R. Taylor II (B.S. ’75)Lynn E. Wilhelm (B.A. ’75)Regina A. Brewster (B.S. ’76)

Thomas W. Childress (Ph.D. ’76)Ellsworth G. Dutton (M.S. ’76)William A. Eckert (Ph.D. ’76)Franklin J. Glunn (B.S. ’76)Robyn L. Green (B.S. ’76, M.A. ’86)Wylie F. Green Jr. (B.S. ’76)Harry H. Hornsby (Ph.D. ’76)Piero Morselli (M.A. ’76)Paula R. Pappas (B.A. ’76, M.S. ’81)Edward A. Sigelman (B.S. ’76)Judith A. Simmons (B.S. ’76)Jerry M. Smith (B.S. ’76)Frasier R. Williams Jr. (M.S. ’76)Mark R. Andersen (B.S. ’77)Marian L. Baker (B.S. ’77)John M. Brandon (Ed.S. ’77)Joy A. Breckenridge (M.F.A. ’77)Lawrence E. Grusky (A.A. ‘77)Sarah W. Haynes (Ed.S. ’77)Bessie R. McClendon (Ph.D. ’77)Lisa C. Montgomery (B.S. ’77)George E. Nickels II (Ph.D. ’77)Mary S. Sandifar (M.S. ’77, Adv.M. ’79, Ph.D. ’82)Jay P. Wilges (B.S. ’77)Karen K. Callahan (B.S. ’78)Rebecca E. Christy (B.S. ’78)Robert E. Hancock (M.S. ’78)Thomas W. Kenoyer (B.S. ’78)James W. Thomson (M.S. ’78)Mary E. Bryant (M.S. ’79)James S. Dingle (B.S. ’79)William S. Humbert III (M.P.A. ’79)Wayne G. Phelps (B.S. ’79)Robert S. Putnam (B.S. ’79)Charles E. Slater Sr. (B.S. ’79, J.D. ’83)Jane Warner (M.S. ’79)

1980sJoseph K. Brown (B.S. ’80, J.D. ’83)William W. Byrd (B.S. ’80)Jerry W. Gregory (B.S. ’80)Thaylon B. Hunt (B.S. ’80)Lola D. Littles (B.S. ’80)Teresa A. McGarrity (M.S.W. ’80)Howard J. Milchman (A.A. ’80, B.S. ’81)Evelyn A. Sebree (Ph.D. ’80)Gary S. Shimminger (B.S. ’80)Terry R. Turner (M.M. ’80)William J. Campbell (B.S. ’81)Kermit Daywalt (B.S. ’81)Leslie A. Howe (B.S. ’81)Judith A. Ladd (M.S. ’81, Ph.D. ’82)Sharon I. Parker (B.M.E. ’81)Sandy K. Perkins (B.S. ’81)Sidney C. Ross (B.A. ’81)Nella R. Thomas (M.S. ’81)Eke F. Wokocha (B.S. ’81)Mamie Wright (B.A. ’81)Jay J. Alligood Sr. (Ed.S. ’82)Toni J. Mason (Ph.D. ’82)Michael E. McLean (B.A. ’82)Julia A. Trevarthen (B.M. ’82)Evangeline L. Whitley (Ph.D. ’82)William E. Brunner (B.S. ’83)William B. Colantuono (B.A. ’83)

Christine M. MacLeod (B.S. ’83)Victoria S. Parson (B.S. ’83)Phyllis L. Straus (B.S. ’83, M.F.A. ’85)Robert H. Zukowski (B.A. ’83, B.S. ’06)Robert G. Hemme (B.S. ’84)Christopher F. Howell (A.A. ’84)Rachel D. Murphy (J.D. ’84)Wade F. Riley (B.S. ’84)James P. St. Pierre (B.S. ’84)Paul Beckett (A.A. ’85, B.S. ’85)Judith H. Salyers (M.S. ’85)Barry R. Sharrock (M.M. ’85)Elizabeth H. Weisman (M.S. ’86)John G. Bianco III (B.S. ’87)James E. Bobbitt (B.S. ’87)Debra A. Hartwick (B.S. ’87)Wayne L. Patrick (M.S. ’87)Lori T. Pickett (A.A. ’87, B.S. ’89)Jessica C. Saunders (B.F.A. ’87, M.S. ’91)Thomas J. Tobiassen Jr. (B.S. ’87, M.S. ’90)Susan M. Cordrey (B.S. ’88)Duane S. Gloyd (B.S. ’88)Michael K. Green (J.D. ’88)Joseph M. Kendy (M.A. ’88)M. William Libby (B.S. ’88, M.B.A. ’93)William T. Strong Jr. (B.M.E. ’88)Arnold T. Bell (Ph.D. ’89)Smith E. Counts Jr. (M.S. ’89)Colleen M. Mate (B.S. ’89)

1990sHolly A. Hale (M.S. ’90)Nicholas P. Thomas Sr. (M.S.W. ’90)Judith E. Thompson (M.S. ’90)Peter G. Chabator (B.S. ’91)Bryan D. Fuller (B.S. ’91)Nancy E. Graham (B.S. ’91, M.S.W. ’92)Audrey V. Obinyan (B.S. ’91)Tamara A. Olinger (B.S. ’91)Nancy M. Cuyler (M.S.W. ’92)Frances M. Morris (M.S.W. ’92)Gerard P. McDonald (B.A. ’93, M.A. ’94)Louis A. Vila (M.P.A. ’93)Edward M. Clayton II (B.S. ’94)Hedy Moscovici (Ph.D. ’94)Christopher H. Reynolds (B.S. ’94)Ed DePuy Jr. (B.S. ’95)John L. Gibeaut (J.D. ’95)John J. Quinn II (B.S. ’95)Lynn M. Schowalter (M.S. ’95)Shawn P. McKnight (B.S. ’96, M.S. ’07)Howard S. Rasheed (Ph.D. ‘96)Howard E. Young Jr. (A.A. ’96)David E. Serrano (A.A. ’97)Mark A. Walden (B.S. ’97)Kekai A. Case (B.S. ’98)Ronald F. Durand (M.B.A. ’98)Arthur J. Littesy Sr. (B.S. ’98)Patricia B. Rodriguez (M.S. ’98)Wendy L. Shaw (B.S. ’99, M.S. ‘99)Javonya L. Tyler (A.A. ’99, B.S. ’99)

2000sTracy L. Bullington (B.A. ’00)Joe L. Green-Johnson (B.S. ’00)

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John K. Ozbolt (B.S. ’00)Rachel L. Horlings (B.S. ’01, M.A. ’05)Cara G. Rosson (M.A. ’01)Jessica K. Reister (B.S. ’02)Toni A. Egan (J.D. ’03)Morton Erstling (B.S. ’03, B.S. ’07)Tamara C. Stoops-Duggan (B.S.W. ’03)Julie A. Blankfield (B.A. ’04)Robert G. Harbison (M.S. ’04)Lindsay D. Keller (B.M.E. ’04)Richard I. Koeteeuw II (B.S. ’04)Mary V. Lipple (M.F.A. ’05)Jenna B. Bredesen (B.S. ’07)Alicia M. Gladden (B.S. ’07)Robert D. Steiner-Duncan (B.S. ’08)Brandon K. Wood (M.M. ’09)

2010sAbby M. Fishburn (B.S. ’12)Bobby L. Guin (B.S. ’12)Tatum N. Jacobson (B.S. ’12)

Daniel J. Mas (B.S. ’12)Darin M. Schultz (B.S. ’12)Justin L. Sisson (B.A. ’12)Mindy L. Stephenson (M.D. ’12)

Faculty & StaffCharles H. BettsEvelyn ClaytonErnest W. CoxLynn M. DudleyArmand A. Dupont Jr. Richard G. Fallon Ernest C. GayRichard JoelMichael KashaVenita A. KinneyChia C. LinLloyd A. Lyday Jesse C. Nazworth Sr.James (Tony) ParedesElizabeth J. PiccardOpal G. PoppellEddie SpeightGregory D. TuckerDonald F. UnguraitLucille M. WakefieldMinnie S. WashingtonJacob WebbersEsther L. Yant

PHYLLIS STRAUS ( B.S. ’ 8 3, M . F. A . ’ 8 5 )

Phyllis Straus, a self-taught sculptor who shared her knowledge with aspiring artists at Florida State University for two decades and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in her 50s, passed away at age 84 on April 19 at her home.

Straus served as an adviser to the Department of Art for nearly 20 years before her retirement in December 2007. Her creativity often came to life in the form of life-size sculptures of heated and hammered steel. In many cases, Straus’ efforts reflected her love of both people and animals. One huge example was a bronze giraffe, which formerly cast an imposing figure in front of the Museum of Fine Arts. That giraffe was featured as part of a family effort when the MOFA also showed paintings by Straus’ son, Adam (M.F.A. ’82), in a 2007 exhibition titled “Straus and Straus.”

“She made this 20-foot-tall giraffe out of steel, and I don’t know how she got it together,” Adam said with admiration. “She did this in the 1990s, when she was 70. I think she broke into her own (as an artist) when she started doing sculptures of animals.”

Straus did not have to look far for motivation. She had a pack of rescue dogs that Adam said were undisciplined and would slobber all over people. “She did this pack of dogs in steel,” he said. “She had been doing figures that were incredibly well done, but there was something about (the dogs sculpture) that transcended what she had done before. It was her love of animals.”

Adam felt the love that FSU students had for his mother when he was going through her possessions. “I came upon hundreds of thank-you notes from students,” he said.

The new BFA Gallery at the Carnaghi Arts Building will be rededicated for Straus during the 2013-14 academic year.Straus is survived by her children Adam of Riverhead, N.Y., Judd Straus of Stuart, Fla., and Hannah Mitchell of Cocoa, Fla.; her brother, Paul Lindsey of Richmond, Va.; and four grandchildren.

Her son Matthew Straus died in 1993 at the age of 34.

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Photo by Mike Olivella (B.S. ’75, J.D. ’77)

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

When ESPN’s “College GameDay” arrived in Tallahassee for the Nov. 2 Miami-FSU game, alumnus Lee “Sunshine Scooter” Corso (B.S. ’57, M.S. ’58) surprised co-hosts Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit when he removed his jacket and revealed the No. 20 uniform from his FSU football days. Corso, with his chop in perfect form, selected the Seminoles to win. FSU did, of course — blowing away the Hurricanes 41-14.

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VIRES Fall 2013