Spring 1997 - Austin Peay State University

AUSTIN PEAY 

Spring 1997 

THE PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF 

AUSTIN PEAY STATE UNIVERSITY 

Table of Contents 

Features 

Burnt Offering 

Ever the Performer 

I Gotta Say It! 

Karyn Crigler Bryant 

Govs Basketball: 

A year to remember 

Departments 

From the Director 

Making APSU Headlines 

Briefly at the Peay 

Sports 

Class Notes 

Alumni News 

New Board Members 

Whom to call? 

Let Us Hear From You 

Austin Peay Reader's Guide 

APSUwwAlumni/DevelopmentwwAthleticswwPublic Relations 

AdmissionswwFinancial Aid 

Austin Peay State University 

Office of Public Relations/Publications 

Post Office Box 4567 

Clarksville, Tenn 37044 

(931) 648-7459 

Maintained by: Laquita C Maxwell maxwelll@apsu.edu

Austin Peay -- Spring 1997 

The Publication for Alumni and Friends of Austin Peay State University 

Burnt offering: Ageless lessons of the Holocaust 

The word "Holocaust," with a capital H, entered the general vocabulary in the late 1950s. The literal 

meaning of the word is "burnt offering." 

Burnt offering. What god would require such a sacrifice? During 1933-45, the emaciated bodies of 

millions of Jews fueled Nazi crematoriums. Tall chimneys spewed human ash, and the stench of burnt flesh 

hung in the air. 

According to Dr. Dewey Browder, APSU associate professor of history and an authority on the 

Holocaust, the Jews were sacrificed, not to a god, but to man's own inhumanity to man. They were the 

victims of unchecked hatred, prejudice and intolerance. 

Browder served as an expert commentator for WSMV-Channel 4, Nashville, which aired "Schindler's 

List" without commercial interruption on Feb. 23. During the primetime news each night during the week 

preceding the movie, Channel 4 presented various thought-provoking prologues--discussions by a panel of 

high school students who had viewed the movie, a rabbi, a survivor of the Holocaust, Browder and others. 

In his WSMV interview, Browder stated honestly that he believed the movie softened the Holocaust, and 

he feared that people who viewed it might think they understood the totality of this genocidal attempt. 

"Watching `Schindler's List' is like looking through a keyhole at history--the view is very limited," 

Browder says. "The movie primarily depicts the Jews in labor camps and in the ghettos and the violence to 

which they were subjected there; that violence is bad, but it is far from being the worst thing that happened. 

In the movie, there are only insinuations of the gross inhumanities and genocide in the death camps. 

"Although the Jews were the primary victims, they were not the only victims of the Nazi machine. Others 

on the periphery of society, such as homosexuals and gypsies, met the same fate." 

According to Browder, the "final solution--industrialized mass murder," which dated from late 

1941-45--was a program designed specifically to annihilate all Jews. 

"While the German Nazi camp was the incubator of the Holocaust, others participated willingly: 

Lithuanians, Romanians, Ukranians, Poles, Russians," Browder says. He cites an example: In Bucharest to 

show their disdain for the Jews, the Romanians killed more than 120 Jews--then skinned them and hung 

them on meat hooks in a slaughter house. When Hitler was told of this, he reportedly said they had gone 

too far. 

According to Browder, there are many lessons to be learned from the Holocaust. However, there is one 

that is overriding. He says, "The Holocaust was not just a Jewish problem or a German problem. It was a 

human problem. 

"Hatred left unchecked led to the death of millions and the moral ruin of a great nation. In the end, Nazis 

killed Jews simply because they existed. Eventually, the Nazis were defeated but not before they ruined 

their own nation. Postwar Germans have rebuilt their nation and tried to come to grips with these crimes, 

but the consequences remain." 

Steven Spielberg, director of "Schindler's List," gave an epilogue to the WSMV telecast of "Schindler's 

List." One of Spielberg's quotes rings loudly because of its significance in today's world: "We are not born 

hating; we learn to hate." 

Through the establishment of the Survivors of the Shoah Foundation, Spielberg is creating a living 

memorial to the Holocaust victims through the remembrances of the survivors. The foundation is funding a 

video documentary. Survivors of the Holocaust are located and interviewed on film. Their words not only 

are a memorial, but they also are an oral and visual history for posterity. 

As impossible as it might seem, the Holocaust and the final solution were legal. According to Browder, 

this mass murder of millions was sanctioned by the government under Hitler's rule. However, when the

Allies broke the Nazi regime, they declared that there was a higher law. The Nuremberg trials set an 

international precedent: War criminals, such as Hermann Goering and Rudolf Hess, were held accountable 

for crimes against humanity. 

How could the Holocaust have occurred? According to Browder, it occurred because of the confluence of 

hatred, humiliation, scapegoating, the threat of communism, technical and organizational competence and 

charismatic leadership. 

Scapegoating of the Jews was nothing new. It began as early as the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages 

because of their religious beliefs, Christians were not allowed to borrow or lend money, whereas the Jewish 

religion did not prohibit this. Therefore, many Christians found themselves in debt to the Jews and began to 

hate those to whom they were indebted, accusing them of usury. During the 19th century, many Jews 

assimilated successfully in political, economic and cultural realms. Non-Jews, who did not do as well, 

blamed the Jews who seemed to dominate these areas. 

Factored in, also, was the widely held belief that the Jews had committed deicide. Until as late as the 

Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, many Christians blamed the Jews for killing the Son of God. 

Throughout the ages, too, the Jews tended to hold themselves aloof from society in general; they wanted 

to maintain their own culture and religion. Because they were "different," it was easy to blame them for all 

ills, according to Browder. Although this practice continues today among anti-Semitics, it reached an 

unparalleled crescendo just before the Holocaust. 

Additionally, the time was right for a charismatic leader to rise up: German's economy had hit bottom 

after World War I, the political system was threatened by communism and a proud German nation was 

looking for a strong leader who could right all wrongs. 

Browder says, "Hitler was that charismatic leader who seemed to have the solutions to their problems, 

and he lacked a value system consistent with society's time-honored system. Hitler was a master at sensing 

currents in public opinion. He made big promises for the future, but he demanded moral relativism from his 

followers. 

"Moral relativism can thrive in our imperfect world, but we need not surrender to it. If we believe 

something is counter to our value system, we must not follow. We should pursue what we know in our 

hearts is right." 

Did the German people know what the Nazis were doing and, if so, why did they accept the atrocities? 

Browder says, "The distortion of truth was a particularly important part of getting people to accept 

`different treatment' for the Jews. 

"Hitler blamed the Jews for all sorts of problems and elevated the Àryans.' He said the Jews were at fault 

for Germany's problems and claimed the Germans were entitled to reclaim their greatness. Nazi ideology 

dehumanized Jews. They were branded as `vermin,' as `rats' and as `subhuman.' They were deprived of all 

legal rights, including citizenship." 

According to Browder, the Jews were denied credit for their contributions to civilization. This is a special 

concern for historians such as he. He says, "Hitler hijacked history by stifling those who spoke objectively 

and pushing to the fore those who rewrote history to serve his political ends. History happened the way it 

happened. No one has a right to alter it to serve personal or political agendas." 

Browder works constantly to ensure that the light of history will continue to shine on that grisly epoch. 

He says, "We have an obligation to keep the light on so that the choices we make will be formed by 

accurate impressions from the past--so that the dark side of human nature can be kept in check. 

"It is ironic: Hitler proclaimed he was founding a 1,000-year Reich, but it is the evil he wrought that will 

live on forever in our minds. Hatred did not prevail because it was not allowed to prevail. We must not 

allow it to prevail today, and we must prepare the next generation so that hatred will not prevail in the 

future. 

"The responsibility will never end. We are our brother's keeper."

Dr. Dewey Browder came to APSU in 1992 after teaching history during 1988-92 at West Point Military 

Academy. It was during his stint at West Point that he first taught a course on the Holocaust, and he has 

continued to offer that course as part of the history curriculum at Austin Peay. 

During July 1-21, 1997, Browder will take a group of students to Europe for a study-abroad program on 

the Holocaust. Most of the coursework will be completed in Strasbourg at the Schiller University in the 

Chateau de Pourtales. 

After the coursework in Strasbourg, the class will travel to the concentration camp at Dachau near 

Munich, one of the camps where Jews were used for medical experiments. There, students will visit the 

museum and view the ovens where corpses were burned. 

Next, at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, the students will study the Nuremberg trials and visit the 

very courtroom where the trials occurred. 

In Berlin at the Wannsee House, which now is a Memorial and Education Center, the students will 

participate in a one-day seminar on the impact of the Holocaust on Post World War II German politics. This 

house is where, during the 1942 meeting of top Nazis, plans were laid for implementing "the final 

solution." The class then will visit Oranienburg/Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp just outside of 

Berlin. 

An optional weekend trip will be offered to Paris. Additional stops will be Munich, Rothenburg and 

Wittenberg. 

Browder will spend two weeks in Warsaw, Cracow, Auschwitz, Theresienstadt, Prague and Berlin with 

the Holocaust Education Foundation prior to the students' arrival. As a Holocaust Education Foundation 

Fellow, Browder attended a summer institute on Jewish civilization and religion at Northwestern 

University, Chicago, last summer. 

If you are interested in this trip or want to learn more about the Holocaust, contact Browder at (615) 

648-7919. 

For more information about the Survivors of the Shoah Foundation, telephone 1-800-661-2092. 







(931) 648-7459 




Ever the Performer 

by: Laurie Rogers, Assistant Director of 

Public Relations and Publications 

Born Aug. 7, 1919, Gregory no longer is a young 

woman. She's legally blind, and arthritis makes 

movement a slow and difficult process. But the artist 

and teacher in her still live and breathe. 

"I'm white-headed, but I'm not stupid," she says. 

No, indeed. 

A native of Houston, Texas, Gregory has traveled 

and performed all over. She began ballet lessons 

when she was 4 years old. She played piano and cello 

in middle school. Early in her career, she sang with 

Phil Spitalny's "All Girl Hour of Charm" on CBS. 

When she was 16 years old, she was singing on WSB 

radio, Atlanta. With a firm mastery of three and 

one-half octaves, she won a 1939 Gateway to 

Hollywood contest in which she sang, danced and 

acted. 

Gregory's marriage shortly thereafter to Joseph 

Gregory of Pembroke (who died of cancer in 1971) 

didn't keep her from continuing to perform on radio 

and stage throughout Kentucky, Georgia, Michigan, 

New York and Nashville, Tenn. She sang with 

Tommy Dorsey, Rudy Vallee and Eddie Camden. 

Buddy Morrow introduced her from the stage. 

After meeting folk singer Jean Ritchie, Gregory 

learned to play the dulcimer and autoharp and began 

singing and collecting folk songs and ballads. She has 

since sung with Ritchie, as well as folk singers Pete 

Seeger; Peter, Paul and Mary; John Jacob Niles; and 

many others. At the same concerts, authors such as 

Jesse Stuart would read from their works. 

Gregory says she'll sing anything, especially folk 

music. Why especially folk music? 

"Because it's genuine and genteel and something 

YVONNE BELMONT GREGORY ('72,'75): Singer, 

dancer, artist, teacher, author, hippie. She's a real 

character, say people who know her; she's sung with the 

best of them. At 77 years old, she's done everything. And, 

they add, the passing of the years has not dimmed her 

beautiful voice. 

Gregory's house, set back from the corner on a quiet 

Hopkinsville, Ky., street, doesn't offer anything out of the 

ordinary. Nothing dramatic in the front yard to indicate 

the extraordinary woman who lives within. The drama 

comes entirely from the woman herself. 

"Come in," she commands, leaving no room for 

argument. And the commands continue to pour out at a 

furious pace as she settles gingerly into a living room 

chair. 

"Move my walker over there so you can sit down. Put 

your coat on the couch. Turn off the heater so you won't 

get too warm. No, turn the button all the way toward me. 

Will that do?" But her commands give no offense; she's 

looking out for her visitor's welfare. 

As we organize, I take my first good look around her 

living room, a dusky jumble of furniture, paintings and 

sculpture. Some of the artwork is Gregory's, but she's 

given most of her work away. Much of the work on her 

walls was done by Olen Bryant, former art professor at 

Austin Peay and one of Gregory's mentors. Gregory 

knows where every piece came from, and she's proud of 

them all. 

Arranged up on the mantel is a Christmas village. A 

Christmas wreath is hanging on her front door. Christmas 

in February? "I really must take all that down," Gregory 

says with a quick grin. "But it's so pretty, and if you push 

a button in the back, all of them light up." She decides she 

will leave the village up until spring. 

"Go down the hallway," she commands, "to the end. 

Turn to your left. See that beadwork?" A brilliant flash of 

color from dozens of beautifully made necklaces catches 

my eye from beside the door. Gregory is part Sioux, and 

many of the necklaces she's made have a native influence. 

Pausing to admire her handiwork, I realize it will take 

much more than one interview to really get to know this 

woman. 

traditional," she says softly. "There's a pride imbedded in those people, an inborn culture. And I love it." 

As she talks, Gregory's speaking voice begins to fail. She coughs constantly and clears her throat. An 

operation in the mid-1940s to remove tumors from her vocal chords has left her with a scratchy voice. In 

fact, for a while, she could not talk at all. But on Easter Sunday in 1948, at a church service in Michigan, 

she says, "suddenly all three and a half octaves came pouring out." 

Despite her speaking troubles, Gregory still sings for schools, churches and community organizations, 

although she no longer charges for her performances. "I'm paying back," she says. "You must give back to

your community." 

She will open for an upcoming performance in Hopkinsville, she says, with a song from "Camelot." 

Suddenly, she breaks into song. "If ever I would leave you..." The scratchy voice has vanished; there is no 

hint of trouble in her smooth contralto. 

Over the years, Gregory has toured by herself and with many famous orchestras of the day, directed the 

Homemaker's Chorus in Hopkinsville, taught art at Hopkinsville Middle School for 18 years, and acted and 

sung in plays. She's recorded for a national recording company and written two books: one on folk music 

called "My Quest" and a novel on farm life called "Courage by Caney Creek." She's been featured in a 

television documentary on folk music. For several years, she owned a shop in Hopkinsville called 

Yvonne's, in which she taught weaving, rugmaking, painting and restoring antiques. 

She's also the mother of three children: Joseph Jr. who died in 1980; William who is an artist in 

Springfield; and Suzanne, deputy director of the Tennessee Supreme Court. She has eight grandchildren: 

Joseph, son of Joseph Jr.; Joseph, Della and Polly, all children of William; and Lex, Nathan and Martin, all 

children of Suzanne. There also are four great-grandchildren. 

It's a wonder that Gregory ever managed to fit into an already busy schedule her lifetime love for art. But 

fit it in she did. Gregory has done beadwork, weaving, sculpting, oil and watercolor, pencil, pen and ink. "I 

did the whole gamut," she says. "I did everything." 

In 1962, she was commissioned by the Junior Auxiliary in Hopkinsville, to paint a "Tell Me A Story 

Tree" in a pediatrics room at Jennie Stuart Medical Center. The tree, a brightly colored collage of squirrels, 

doves, hearts, Easter eggs and flowers, with a long-eared white rabbit in the tree's center, took Gregory 14 

hours to complete. 

Some years later, Gregory was chosen from more than 700 teachers in the Kentucky Art Educators 

Association as state chair for National Youth Art Month, a national art contest for public school students. 

As chair, she coordinated activities for all Kentucky art departments. 

Throughout the interview, however, Gregory continually says, "Don't put that in there. Don't put that in 

there." Why not? she's asked. "It's what you've done lately that counts," she replies. "You can't eat it; just 

remember that." 

It wasn't until she was 48 and her children were in college that Gregory headed back to school to finish a 

degree she'd begun many years before. In 1972, she obtained a bachelor's degree in art from Austin Peay, 

and in 1975, she earned a master's degree in administration and supervision. 

"I wasn't ready for the rag heap," she says. "I knew I could start life over with an education, which I did." 

At 52 years old, she began teaching, and she continued to teach for the next 18 years. In 1975, the Crayon 

Institute named Gregory one of the Top 10 art teachers in the nation. 

"I love Austin Peay," she says. "I loved the aura about the campus. I liked the feeling of belonging, that I 

had a home and that the professors cared. 

"Dr. Ed Irwin, Dr. Al Williams and all of the professors in the art department, particularly Olen Bryant, 

Lewis Burton and Max Hochstetler, were very good to me. Everything I learned in teaching, I learned from 

them. 

"Dr. Irwin opened my eyes to English." Gregory pauses, then laughs. "And he agreed with me." 

Hochstetler taught her watercolor; Bryant taught her weaving and sculpture. "They encouraged me to 

keep going and not stop," Gregory says, noting that at the time, she had stopped singing publicly on the 

road and in concerts. 

"Austin Peay gave me my life back." 

Education has always been important to Gregory. In addition to learning about art, she says, her students 

also learned about English and manners. They still come by and see her, even after they've married and had 

children. 

"I'm extremely liberal," she says about her teaching style. "Constructive criticism is needed, but too much

is subtle poison. It stifles the incentive." 

It's important to talk to young people, she says, not to talk down to them. "They're not bad, and they're not 

going to burn the city down. They need someone to talk to, to listen and understand. I had a marvelous 

teaching experience. My students did love me because I loved them and understood them and they knew 

it." 

Gregory also has been a member of many musical and community groups including the Kentucky Art 

Educators Association, Kentucky Folklore Society, Trail of Tears, Tennessee Folklore Society, Kentucky 

Arts and Crafts Guild, The Council of Performing Arts, National Folklore Society, Hopkinsville Art Guild, 

Retired Teachers Association, Pembroke Garden Club, 4-H Club, Red Cross and Community Concert 

Association. 

She says she is grateful for all the good fortune in her life. 

"The Lord has been so good to me," Greogory says, tears suddenly brimming in her eyes. "He's 

christened my life with goodness. And the people have been wonderful to me. I have so many friends in 

New Hampshire, California, Texas, Kentucky, Iowa, Idaho. You have to be a friend to have friends, and if 

you're kind to people, they'll be kind to you." 

And she has absolutely no regrets. "I never live in the past," she says firmly. " You can't put toothpaste 

back in the tube." 

Gregory says a good friend of hers in Hopkinsville, Rosemary Pace, is the reason she's singing today. 

"She kept after me and would not let me stop. She's a dear friend, and I love her children. 

"My theory is be kind to one another. My philosophy is Ìf your heart is cold, my fire cannot warm you.'" 

Who said that? she is asked. 

Gregory chuckles and replies, "Yvonne Gregory said that." 







(931) 648-7459 




Jack Jackson: Motivator and futurist: I Gotta Say It! 

By: Dennie B. Burke 

Director, Public Relations and Publications 

In addition to his job with the Housing Authority of 

the city of Dayton, Ohio, Jackson is a motivational 

speaker who travels all over the country talking to 

groups of people of all races, creeds, colors, 

religions. 

How did he get into motivational speaking? 

Without a pause, he says, "Lou Holtz. Lou (then head 

football coach for Notre Dame) and I met in 1991 at 

West Palm Beach, Fla. We started talking about 

young people and family values. 

After a while, Lou said, `Jackson, you could talk to 

a wall!' We became friends. He opened doors for 

me." 

One of six children, Jackson was born in Dayton. 

His father is deceased, but his mother, Piccola, still 

You may not agree with all he says, but spend some 

time with him and you'll never doubt the strength of his 

convictions. 

He won't be silenced. He preaches the Gospel According 

to Jack, and if the listener shows surprise at certain 

comments, he defuses the shock with four simple but 

powerful words: "I gotta say it." 

With a smile the size of Texas, JACK JACKSON ('75) 

catches you by surprise. He doesn't walk into a room; he 

bounces in. Before you can decide if you like this tall, 

dapperly dressed man, he takes your extended hand and, 

rather than shaking it, pulls you into a bear hug. 

To Jackson, everyone is his friend. He carries himself 

with the self-assurance of Donald Trump. But Jackson is 

rich in wisdom, and he has a burning desire to share this 

wealth that comes from the deep mines of experience, 

education and honest reflections on his own life, the black 

experience and society in general. 

Listen carefully. His words are like gold coins tossed 

into a placid lake; once they leave his lips, the ripples they 

create stretch into infinity. 

lives in Dayton. Jackson's wife, Shirley Ann, who is a graduate of Berea College, Berea, Ky., and he have 

two grown children. 

Jackson earned his master's degree in history from Austin Peay. At age 33, Jackson was a typical 

nontraditional student with a family and work responsibilities. But his professors encouraged him, and he 

had the determination to make it. After graduating from APSU, he did post-graduate work toward his PhD 

at the University of Cincinnati. 

His college education began in 1961 at Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, where he was one of the 

first five black students to enroll. Jackson was recruited by EKU because he was a high school track star 

and his track coach was an EKU alumnus. 

Although his collegiate days coincided with the social upheaval caused by integration, he was treated 

well at EKU for the most part. On the beautifully rolling EKU campus, just 20 minutes away from 

Lexington, Ky., Jackson was insulated from the marches and sit-ins. He says, "I don't have any horror 

stories to tell. It just wasn't a Little Rock, Ole Miss or Alabama situation. 

"I want to believe it went well because of who I am, not because I was an athlete. The way you are has a 

lot to do with the way you are treated." 

Today Jackson is on Eastern's Business School Advisory Board, and he has been nominated to serve on 

the EKU Board of Regents. 

He is president-elect of the EKU National Alumni Association, which is comprised of 75,000 alumni. 

Along with EKU President Hanly Funderburk, Jackson makes it a point to attend as many chapter events 

around the country as possible. 

He says, "I want to make all EKU graduates aware of the university's progress. I want to reach more 

black graduates. The ones I've met haven't shown me the `fire' I want to see. Maybe they had one bad 

experience at Eastern and they just hold onto it. I tell them `You're wrong. You need to move on.' 

"It is important for black alumni, like all alumni, to be included. If you're not contributing, you can't

gripe. I've told alumni and students, you can't initiate change from the parking lot. You have to get into the 

building. 

"Maybe some are too sensitive about past hurts. Any strife I encountered at Eastern or Austin Peay is OK 

because it broke a trail for black students. Now doors are open. I say `Walk in. If you don't walk in, it isn't 

because the door is locked; it is because you don't have the courage.'" 

Jackson leans forward and speaks with emphasis: "In my travels across the country, I hear the same story: 

`The white man has his foot on my neck.' I am tired of hearing that. Everyone has some handicap or 

problem that they can use as an excuse for not trying. 

"The blacks' real problem is not some phantom white man; it is the black community itself. Now, 

understand, I am not offering whites a window for their conscience to escape through, but I must be honest. 

The three-headed monster in the black community is apathy, lethargy and other blacks. 

"The biggest problems in the black community must be solved within the black community. The valuesystem 

is under fire. I see children having three and four children. The family as we knew it is gone. That 

is, in part, why we have problems in schools today -- kids don't respect authority because they haven't had 

an authority figure at home. 

"Their role models are bigger-than-life, hyped-up athletes. The kids need to realize that the real heroes are 

the grandmothers or mothers who raised them. Until we reclaim some of those values, the effect to the 

black community is devastating." 

Jackson talks about the importance of a positive attitude. He says, "A positive attitude is the fertile ground 

from which success will spring. Although it does make some difference, race doesn't make or break you. 

"When you come out of your mother's womb, you have nothing to do with how you look. You may be 

black; you may have a physical handicap. But it is up to you to play the hand you are dealt. Attitude is the 

underpinning of what you are about. It sets the tone for those you are around, and it determines how you 

will be treated." 

Jackson shrugs off racist remarks he hears from older people. According to him, he knows from 

education and experience that those people are the product of their time and environment. He says, "I'm 

upbeat, but I'm not insensitive. We all bring baggage with us. The dogma from our parents may make it 

hard for us to be objective. 

"This applies to blacks as well as to whites. But we cannot burden ourselves down with the past. We just 

waste precious time trying to change what is history. 

"To young people today, I say, `Take people one on one as you meet them. As best you can, be racially 

colorblind. Don't assume.'" 

He tells an anecdote that drives his point home: He met Pete May, executive director of the Atlantic Coast 

Cutting Horse Association, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Jackson says, "On the surface, he was the least likely 

person to become my friend. A `good old southern boy' from Augusta, Ga., Pete appeared to be the epitome 

of `red neck.' 

"We starting talking, and our spirits seemed to connect. I don't know what it was; we just clicked. I 

remember it was on Valentine's Day. He pulled out a Valentine his son had made him and showed it to me. I 

thought that was a very personal thing to share. Today Pete is one of my best friends. 

"My point is that, if I had been governed by predetermined ideas, I would have missed out on the chance 

to have Pete as my friend; that would have been a real loss." 

In addition to being a motivational speaker, Jackson bills himself as a futurist. What does he predict for 

the future? He says, "What I see is that this country is coming to a point where compassion for minorities is 

drying up. I foresee an even larger underclass. 

The federal government is tired of baby-sitting folk who don't want to work. 

"I see a time when more prisons are being built than schools. We are at a time in our history when it is 

every man for himself -- it's `me and mine.' We are in such a competitive mode that people are going to be

less compelled to help others, especially those who won't help themselves. 

"The day of trying to save the world is over. America simply can't afford it. A lot of folks sense this, but 

they won't say it. Only when people speak up will things happen." 

Isn't he being hardnosed, especially regarding other black people? He replies, "Most black people don't 

want handouts. They want decent opportunities. They don't want an unearned spot in the job market; they 

don't want to get a job just to fill a quota. 

"Because race is such a pervasive and sensitive issue in our country, it usually takes someone from the 

minority group itself to critique the group. If a white person, even a well meaning and sensitive one, dares 

to say the things I've said, he or she would put themselves at considerable risk. 

"I'm not seeking popularity, desirous of being a black `messiah' or courting the favor of anyone -- black, 

white or whatever. It's just that when anyone, such as me, has an audience, he or she should use that forum 

to make people think about the bigger picture rather than clinging to grievances born out of the antebellum 

era of this country." 

Jackson is on a roll. His words come quickly, like bullets fired from a machine gun. "I am a student of 

history. No one is as proud as I am of the legacy and odyssey of the black experience. I love knowing my 

history. In fact, it sustains, energizes and underpins me. It gives me that confidence people say I exhibit. 

"I wish more of ùs' knew more about our own past -- but the past does not equal the future! There is no 

way for me or anyone to reach back across the crucible of time, space and history to undo or alter any 

aspects of 243 years of legislated slavery in this country. 

"What everyone can do is partake of the table of opportunity, a table set by generations of diverse 

individuals, many of whom were and are of African descent. 

Does this sermon mean that Jackson doesn't support affirmative action? He says, "I do believe in 

affirmative action because I don't think the day is at hand when we can trust all people. However, what we 

need to realize is that affirmative action was designed to provide opportunity, not a job. 

"Anybody today who works hard, is a good citizen and gives his or her best effort should have a 

reasonable expectation of success in this country. 

"And that goes for all people regardless of whether they are black, white, sky blue or green." 







(931) 648-7459 




When 'mommy track' intersects with career track 

By: Dennie B. Burke 

Director, Public Relations and Publications 

Bryant says, "It was a bit unnerving. Thankfully, 

my part of the case was later, so I had about an hour 

to gather my thoughts and calm myself." 

It was a learning experience for Bryant. 

(Ultimately, the court dismissed the plaintiff's case.) 

According to Bryant, most judges around Nashville 

allow television cameras in the courtroom, and she 

agrees that there are instances where cameras are 

warranted. However, she says, "I do think it can 

distort what's going on. Cameras add an element to a 

hearing that wouldn't have been there otherwise. 

"As an attorney, you are no longer presenting your 

Tall and slender in a dark suit, she walks briskly toward 

the courtroom, prepared to defend her client -- a 

pharmaceutical company being sued for wrongful death. 

A daughter had alleged that the medicine prescribed for 

her mother, rather than healing her, had killed her. She 

was suing both the pharmaceutical company and 

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where the mother 

received care. 

Rather than settling out of court, as is often the case, 

both Vanderbilt and the pharmaceutical company wanted 

to take the case to court. 

Pushing open the courtroom door, KARYN CRIGLER 

BRYANT ('89) is blinded by television lights. 

WSMV-Channel 4, Nashville, heard about the case and 

decided to cover the trial. 

What was to have been a routine day literally thrust the 

young attorney into the spotlight. 

case to just a judge. It is impossible to forget that thousands of people are watching you on their television 

sets." 

The daughter of Dr. LuAnnette Butler, APSU assistant professor of psychology, and the stepdaughter of 

Dr. John Butler, professor of biology and former vice president for academic affairs at APSU, Bryant has 

strong ties to Austin Peay. Her brother, MATT CRIGLER ('91), attended the University. Now a resident of 

Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he works in marketing for a resort and cruise company. 

Graduating from Austin Peay in 1989 with a major in political science, Bryant began the study of law at 

the University of Tennessee-Knoxville that fall. She graduated with her doctorate of jurisprudence in 1992. 

Between her second and third years of law school, she clerked half the summer with Boult, Cummings, 

Conners and Berry and the other half with another Nashville law firm. Both offered her a position as an 

associate upon graduation. She accepted the offer from Boult, Cummings, Conners and Berry. She was on 

her way! 

In actuality, she began the long journey toward a career in law many years earlier. Her uncle and 

grandfather were attorneys in Hebron, Ky., a small town in northern Kentucky. Even as a child, she was 

intrigued by their work and wanted to follow in their footsteps. 

She graduated from the UT Law School with high honors. She was associate editor of the Law Review 

and a member of the Order of the Coif, an honor signifying that she graduated in the top 10 percent of her 

class. 

Her law school experience reflected her years at Austin Peay where her scholastic and social skills shone. 

She was president of Chi Omega women's fraternity, a member of Panhellenic Council and one of three 

judges on the Student Tribunal, which hears student disciplinary cases. Additionally, she was a member of 

Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa honoraries. 

Bryant sings the praises of Dr. David Kanervo and Dr. Vernon Warren, both professors of political science 

at Austin Peay. It was Kanervo who encouraged her to apply for an internship with the state legislature. She 

says, "During my senior year at Austin Peay, I had the opportunity to watch as laws were made. From 

January through May, I observed the senators at work. Many are lawyers." 

Bryant is a civil-litigation attorney, although she sometimes does healthcare antitrust work. As a civil 

litigator, she spends the majority of her time handling commercial disputes and products-liability defense

work. 

She says, "We really try very few cases. Ninety percent of our clients settle prior to trial." That in no way 

indicates that her work is easy. Arriving at an acceptable settlement takes keen negotiation skills and 

thorough knowledge of the law. 

Although most of her work is for corporate clients, the case that, to date, has been most gratifying 

personally for Bryant was one she handled in New Orleans. Her firm represented the parents of an 

18-year-old girl who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the apartment of some friends she was visiting. 

The suit was against both the property owner and the plumber who had installed a defective heater. The 

case was settled prior to trial and, as Bryant terms it, "on exceptionally good terms for our clients." 

She says, "It was a very sad case; yet it was a great experience for me -- working so closely with two 

parents who had lost a child. I felt I helped them achieve the justice they deserved. And I think what we did 

in that case, hopefully, will prevent a similar tragedy from happening again in that city." 

Bryant has little time outside her family and career. However, she is active with the Tennessee Bar 

Association Young Lawyers Division. Since she joined the firm, she has served for two years as chair of the 

state High School Mock Trial Competition. She says, "This May, we are hosting the National Mock Trial 

Competition in Nashville. There will be 41 states and 400 students participating. 

"The students on the mock trial team develop a sense of confidence. It can be an absolute transformation. 

And they get excited about the law. Even if they never pursue a career in law, they learn respect for right 

and wrong." 

Bryant has been with Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry for almost five years. She will be eligible for 

partnership in two years. Within the firm, there are 70 lawyers, 20 of whom are associates like Bryant. 

There are four female associates and four female partners. She says, "There are more and more women 

attending law school. 

"Law firms soon are going to reflect these new statistics, but it is a slower process because the majority of 

the partners are men. Until recently, most firms were predominantly male, and it is hard to buck that, 

especially in the South. 

"But my firm heavily recruits women. In 1996, 70 percent of our summer associates were female. In 

September, all three of the associates we hired were female, no males. 

"I think the partners are discovering that women attorneys are as capable as men. There are more women 

in corporate America, and we must reflect that if we want to represent them." 

The decision is made internally as to which attorney will represent which client, based on the attorney's 

strengths and the client's needs. She says, "More and more clients are requesting a female attorney. But 

there are some older men who don't want to be represented by a woman." 

With a smile, she says, "It is always fun to watch them slowly change their minds as one of our female 

attorneys begins to talk with them about the case. You can almost feel the shift in opinion, their growing 

respect." 

Bryant knows she is fortunate that she has not had to contend with bias against her as a female, either 

from clients or from other attorneys. In fact, she says there is almost a "sisterhood" among female lawyers. 

And, certainly, she enjoys great support at home from John, her husband, who is an attorney in the 

Nashville office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell. A Nashville native, his specialty is commercial 

real estate law. 

The two met during their first year of law school in Knoxville, started dating the following summer and 

married the summer after their graduation from law school. 

Is law a common dinner conversation topic for them? Bryant says, "We may discuss our cases some. John 

may give me his opinion on a point of law and vice versa. I admit that this would be an easy job to take 

home. But I spend all day here and John, at his firm, so it is important we have time together not related to 

our work."

The Bryants have a relatively new addition to their family. Their daughter, Katherine Grace, is 16 months 

old and, obviously, her mother's great joy. With a bright smile that crinkles the corners of her big, blue eyes, 

Bryant says, "Katie is wonderful. She is so...so funny. Now that we have Katie, both John and I try to limit 

our time away. 

"Obviously, there are days when I have to travel out of town and some nights when I have to work late, 

but generally I try to get to the office by 7:30 a.m., and I leave by 5 or 5:30 p.m. And technology is 

wonderful! If I have work to do at night, I can leave here by 5 o'clock and spend the evening with Katie. 

Then, after I put her to bed, I can pull out my laptop and work at home." 

Bryant knows she and her husband are fortunate to be able to employ a nanny to stay at home with their 

daughter during the day and on evenings when they must be gone. The nanny also keeps Josh who is six 

months older than Katie and the son of a neighbor. The two get along like most children their age: 

Sometimes they play well together; at other times, they struggle for power and turf. 

Like all working moms, Bryant copes with the guilt of leaving her daughter in someone else's charge. She 

says, "It is impossible not to feel that, especially when you learn that you missed the first time she rolled 

over. 

"But I am confident Katie has the best care during the day. Because I enjoy my work, I'm a better mother 

when I get home. I'm not sure that would be true if I didn't work. 

"My work is very rewarding to me. When I was on maternity leave, I learned that what I find interesting 

and challenging was missing." 

Bryant talks about being a good role model for her daughter, about the difficulty of balancing a 

demanding career with the needs of a child. She applauds the help she receives from her husband. She says, 

"He pulls his load at home. He is helpful with Katie. I love to cook, so I do the cooking. But John will run 

the vacuum or dust. He does his share. 

"Some day, especially if we have another child, I may decide to work part time. That's an option I have." 

Certainly, it is an option and, certainly, she has received great support from the members of the law firm. 

She says they respect her decisions to go home earlier in the evening and to try to travel less. However, she 

confirms that, should she elect to work part time now, it would make advancement more difficult. 

She realizes that in her situation, as with most marriages, it is the woman who has to cope with the added 

concern of being detoured onto the mommy-track at the most promising point of her career. She says, "It is 

a difficult balance for any working woman." 

For now, however, Bryant is walking the tightwire with ease. Her bright smile and enthusiasm indicate 

she is happy with her work, with her husband, with her daughter and, perhaps most importantly, with 

herself. 







(931) 648-7459 




Govs basketball: A year to remember 

By: Brad Kirtley 

Director, Sports Information 

It was a season that no one wanted to see come to an end. Although the Govs advanced to the NCAA 

Tournament in 1996, the program's renaissance came during the 1996-97 season -- actually during the 

1997 portion. 

Austin Peay basketball became the "in" thing to do in Clarksville, and for two months, it was the topic on 

the streets, around the courthouse and even in churches. In January and February, crowds in the Dunn 

Center grew to as many as 7,000 people. 

"There were a lot of expectations of this team, and it accomplished a lot this season," APSU Coach Dave 

Loos said. "We would have liked to have had the OVC regular-season championship without the `co-' in 

front of it, but it was the first time since the 1976-77 season that an Austin Peay team had at least a share of 

a regular-season title. 

"But I guess you could also say that some of the expectations were not met -- we didn't go back to the 

NCAA tournament." 

When the season abruptly ended in overtime at the Nashville Arena during the Ohio Valley Conference 

tournament finals, a sense of sadness swept the basketball community. No one wanted to see the "Bubba 

Wells Era" come to an end, especially because the All-America forward was forced to miss the season's 

first 12 games because of a leg stress fracture and subsequent surgery. 

"It came to a point where nothing he did surprised me -- I continued to be amazed but not surprised," 

Dave Loos said. "I will never understand how a guy can overcome the things he did -- he had stress 

fractures three times and surgery (to have tibial nails placed in each leg) twice -- and come back to raise 

his game to an even higher level each time. 

"It just tells you about his determination, about his competitiveness." 

The 1996-97 season opened with great expectations that quickly diminished into disappointment. After 

the Govs' final exhibition game Nov. 16, Bubba Wells was discovered to have a left leg stress fracture. It 

was similar to the one he suffered during the 1995 OVC title game. He had a tibial nail placed in his right 

leg; the recuperation took five and one-half months. 

The same surgery was recommended for the left leg, but this time, Dr. Cooper Beazley, APSU orthopedic 

surgeon, indicated the recuperation period would be much less because Wells was much stronger in his 

lower body and knew what pitfalls awaited. He insisted Wells would be back to play most of the OVC 

season. 

Meanwhile, the Govs struggled to find their identity while their leader was out, struggling through an 

eight-game losing streak heading into the final week of 1996. Although the losing streak was snapped 

against Pepperdine in the consolation game in a tourney at Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Govs limped into 

1997 at 3-8. 

Invigorated by the victory, APSU opened the new year with a rousing 85-69 win against Eastern Illinois. 

After that victory, Wells, who was not expected to come back for at least another week, spent a sleepless 

night wondering if he was ready. After telling his mother of his intentions, he informed the coaches he 

wanted to play against Southeast Missouri the next Saturday, Jan. 4. 

He was expected to play just 15-20 minutes in the ESPN2 televised game. 

"I have never been nervous before a ball game," Wells said. "But this one, I was. When Coach Loos 

finally motioned for me to go in and the crowd started getting up and cheering, I became even more

nervous. 

"I didn't know if I was going to hit anything when I shot. I didn't know if I was going to dribble the ball 

off my foot and throw a pass into the stands." 

He did none of that. In fact, according to several veteran APSU fans, what took place was the most 

amazing performance they had ever seen. 

Wells scored 39 points in 28 minutes, going 13 of 22 from the floor, including a career-best 7-of-11 effort 

from three-point range. 

"Considering what he has been through, I think that it is one of, if not the most amazing performance I 

have ever seen in sports," Loos said. "He was incredible. He didn't get to practice much and I thought his 

conditioning would have hampered him a bit. But for him to go out and get 39 points -- and just the way 

he played -- was simply fantastic." 

That was the start of college basketball's No. 1 comeback story, perhaps the No. 1 individual story period 

in 1996-97. 

Wells soon became a feature in "USA Today," in a story that detailed his surgery, rehab and comeback. 

"Los Angeles Times" reporter Chris Dufresne came all the way from the West Coast to write the Bubba 

Wells story. It didn't make the paper's front sports page. Instead, it was a feature story on the paper's front 

page. 

That prompted NBC's "The Today Show" to come to Clarksville to tape a seven-minute feature on the 

real "Rod Man." 

Then, it was CBS College Basketball "At-the-Half" featuring the "Man of Steel." 

"What was amazing about it all is that Bubba became a national story before he became a regional one," 

Loos said. 

At the same time, NBA scouts flocked to the Govs' games. The Chicago Bulls' general manager and 

scouting "guru" Jerry Krause visited Dave Aaron Arena, as did former NBA great and coach Don Nelson, 

now the Dallas Mavericks' general manager. 

"With everything that went on around him, with all the distractions, it amazed me what he got 

accomplished," Loos said. "It seemed to make him even more focused. You had to love his attitude. This 

guy was not playing for the draft and not playing for the scouts. He was playing for Austin Peay; he was 

playing for his teammates. His teammates knew that, and that's why there was no jealousy with all the 

attention. 

"His teammates knew what he had gone through. He is such a competitor. He wants to win, and that's all 

he thinks about when he steps on that court." 

Shortly after his return, Wells continued his course in rewriting APSU's record book. 

On Jan. 23, when APSU faced MTSU, he became APSU's all-time leader point scorer when he broke 

Tom Morgan's ('58) mark (1952-53, 55-58) of 1,850 points -- a record that had lasted 39 years. Wells 

finished with 40 points that night. 

The Wells saga continued performance after performance as the Govs steadily rose to the OVC regularseason 

title. 

In defeating Tennessee-Martin, Feb. 8, Wells became APSU's first 2,000-point scorer and 10th in OVC 

history. He finished with 2,267 points and climbed all the way to third among scorers in league history (had 

he played the first 12 games, it is likely he would have left as the OVC's all-time leading scorer). 

He was APSU's leading scorer in all 19 games he played in, and he finished his career with 58 straight 

double-figure performances. 

Of his 17 career 30-plus-points games, 11 happened in the 1997 season's portion, including three 40-point 

efforts. His 46-point effort at Morehead State was a career-best, and he followed it up with 43 more against 

Morehead just three days later during the OVC tournament. 

By missing 12 games, he was ineligible to qualify for the NCAA scoring title, but his 31.7 points-

per-game average was easily the best in Division I basketball. 

In early February, he was named "Info Sports" Comeback Player of the Year. 

In late February, he was among only 25 Division I players to earn consideration for the John R. Wooden 

Awards. He finished his illustrious career averaging 21.6 points per game for his four-season career. 

"Bubba is like a cult figure," OVC Information Director Rob Washburn said. "The way people swarm 

around -- I have never seen anything like it in our league." 

His performance and popularity saw him named OVC "Player of the Year" in a vote of league coaches 

and sports information directors. He also received his third straight first-team All-OVC selection. 

Meanwhile, Dave Loos was named "OVC Coach of the Year" in leading APSU to its first regular-season 

title in 20 years. 

Junior frontliner Reggie Crenshaw, who averaged 13.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, was named 

second-team All-OVC. 

Junior guard Joe Sibbitt rewrote his single-season records for three-pointers made (101) and attempted 

(258) and became the career leader in both categories. He also was named to the GTE Academic 

All-America All-District team for the second straight season. 

Senior point guard Colby Pierce, who finished 11th nationally in assists in 1995-96, ended in the Top 20 

again this season. He finished with 593 assists, becoming only the second APSU player (Norman Jackson 

637/1974-78) to ever have 500 or more career assists. 

But as exciting as Austin Peay's season was, fans and players alike were left with that empty feeling, that 

thirst for more. 

APSU's 17-14 overall record certainly would prevent the NCAA from offering a bid. The Govs held out 

hope for the NIT. 

Unfortunately, the NIT powers-that-be study power ratings, and the Govs hovered in the 200 range much 

of the season. As a result, they were denied a bid. 

"It's disappointing that we didn't get in, and I think we deserved it," Loos said. 

As a result, the college careers of seniors Wells, Pierce and Adrian Sensabaugh ended on March 1 in 

Nashville. 

"I am so proud of this team," Loos said. "These guys played with a lot of class. They were great 

representatives of this athletic department, this University and this community as well as this league. They 

will always have a special place in my heart." 







(931) 648-7459 




From the director 

I trust you are enjoying a pleasant spring and looking forward to the approaching summer months. On 

campus, we're beginning to see the first signs of spring, as students busily prepare for final exams and 

graduating seniors suffer all the symptoms of "senioritis!" 

In the Alumni Relations and Development Office, however, there are no signs of a slowdown. We're 

working on a full calendar of activities for the spring, summer and fall. 

These include a luncheon for graduating student leaders, the 50-Year Reunion, the annual summer alumni 

board retreat and Homecoming. 

In addition to campus and chapter activities, a great deal of work also is being done to prepare for two 

major fund-raising initiatives. The Emerald Hill Alumni Center Renovation and Expansion Campaign is 

continuing to progress, and the Committee of 1000 campaign will be launched in the fall. 

It is my hope that each of you will have an opportunity to participate in some of these activities in the 

coming months. If you haven't been involved with Austin Peay in a while, there never has been a better 

time to become reacquainted with your alma mater! Recently a large group of alumni and friends in the 

Washington, D.C., area did just that as they gathered for a history-making event. 

Billed as the first-ever Austin Peay gathering in the Washington area, the March 10 reception was an 

overwhelming success! Hosted by alumna JANE SLATE SIENA ('76) and the National Alumni 

Association, the event drew about 60 guests. Among the guests were several members of the Clarksville 

Area Chamber of Commerce legislative delegation. The Washington-area alumni and friends and visitors 

from Clarksville enjoyed themselves as they renewed old friendships and made new ones. 

Following a warm introduction by Ms. Siena, President Sal Rinella updated the crowd on the exciting 

progress taking place at Austin Peay. He emphasized that, with this progress, the value of their degrees -- 

and those of all Austin Peay graduates -- increases. The showing of the new University video served to 

reinforce his message. The Washington guests were particularly pleased by what they saw and heard and 

seemed to appreciate this video "tour." 

I am grateful to have been a part of this warm and happy reunion of old friends. Many of the Washington 

guests commented that they were pleased to be reconnected with their alma mater. 

Do you feel connected with Austin Peay? Whether you live in Clarksville, Washington, Knoxville or 

Chicago, near or far, I hope that you will take advantage of every opportunity to be a part of your 

University. There's never been a better time...don't let it pass you by! 







(931) 648-7459 




Making APSU Headlines 

Business and Community Solution Center is evolving 

Businesses and the community have a new vehicle for reaching Austin Peay when they need assistance 

with just about anything from research projects to simple business questions. It's called the Austin Peay 

Business and Community Solution Center. 

The solution center serves as the University entering point for businesses and the community, according 

to Dr. Robert Kopecky, interim administrator of distance learning and extended programs. 

The way the solution center works is this: Someone who has a problem can come to the solution center, 

and the center's staff will get in touch with a potential problem solver. The plan is to have a response within 

24-48 hours. 

The solution center is not just a problem-solving office. Several programs at Austin Peay report directly 

to the Business and Community Solution Center: the offices of Extended Education, the Elderhostel 

Program, Continuing Education, Distance Learning, Microsoft Academic Training Center and the Austin 

Peay/Economic Development Commission Data Center. An Austin Peay Faculty Consulting Network and 

the World Wide Web Consulting Site will be new features. 

The Austin Peay Faculty Consulting Network will connect faculty members with individuals and 

organizations that need assistance. Through the development of search programs, the World Wide Web 

Consulting Site will allow individuals to input their problems into our web site and find the resources they 

need. 

The Microsoft Academic Training Center is a partnership with ATHENA Computer Center Inc. The 

program provides industry-certified computer training courses on state-of-the-art software and hardware 

systems to both APSU students and business personnel. The solution center has a new computer lab, 

housing 16 Pentium computer stations plus testing facilities to document the learning process. 

A partnership between Austin Peay and the Economic Development Council, the APSU Data Center will 

be an information clearinghouse that will analyze and project Clarksville-Montgomery County's growth. 

The partnership will develop a database comprised of community facts, demographic/psychographic 

information and economic trends. Access to the data will be through calls to the solution center, published 

reports, special projects and via the Internet. The Clarksville/Montgomery County Economic Development 

Center will contribute funding to the program, which will rely heavily on the College of Business at Austin 

Peay. 

The initial funding for the solution center, mainly the computer lab, was borrowed from an Austin Peay 

telecommunications account. The center is paying back the money from the revenue generated. Eventually, 

Kopecky would like to see the solution center stand alone. 

APSU among top universities in opportunity for Hispanics 

Austin Peay has been cited in a national publication for providing excellent opportunities for Hispanic 

students. 

In the Nov. 22, 1996, edition of the journal, "The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education," the publisher, 

Jose Lopez-Isa, has compiled a HOT (Hispanic Outlook Tops) List of "more than 700 colleges and 

universities nationwide that offer outstanding opportunities to Hispanic students." 

Austin Peay is one of only three Tennessee institutions of higher education listed. The other two are 

Vanderbilt University and Bethel College. 

According to Lopez-Isa, "Inclusion on the list is based upon responses to a comprehensive survey as well

as an examination of the literature and catalogs of more than 2,500 programs, ESL, tutoring, mentoring, 

Hispanic studies departments, Hispanic campus organizations, Hispanic faculty and administrators and 

other services that are designed to help Hispanic students succeed." 

APSU's Chamber Singers perform in San Diego 

A combination of student talent in the Austin Peay State University Chamber Singers and the knowledge 

and experience of Director George L. Mabry paid off March 6 at an invitation-only National Convention of 

the American Choral Directors Association in San Diego, Calif. 

The group, which has been conducted by Mabry for the past 26 years, sang for an audience of thousands 

March 6. Only six college or university choral groups were invited to sing, chosen from three dozen groups 

at the convention. 

The group also has participated in other national choral conferences. 

`Hidden child' speaks at annual Holocaust event 

In addition to the legendary Anne Frank, there were other Jewish children who survived the Holocaust 

through the compassion and courage of people -- Jews, Christians and even the rare Nazi such as the 

now-famous Oskar Schindler -- who, by hiding these children, put their own lives in peril. 

One such "hidden child" is Lucy Smith. Smith was at Austin Peay April 2 and 3 as the focus of the 

University's annual Holocaust Commemoration, which is spearheaded each year by Dr. Dewey Browder, 

associate professor of history. 

Browder teaches a course at Austin Peay on the Holocaust -- possibly the only course in Tennessee higher 

education devoted strictly to teaching about the Holocaust. 

During an open forum in the Gentry Auditorium, Kimbrough Building, Smith talked about her 

experiences during the Holocaust. 

The next morning, Smith led a workshop for secondary education teachers, particularly those in teacher 

education training at Austin Peay, as well as secondary education teachers from the community. The goal of 

the workshop was to assist participants in learning how to teach the Holocaust to their students. 

Smith lives today in St. Paul, Minn. 

She was born in Cracow, Poland. She holds a master of fine arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts, 

Warsaw, and she also did extensive postgraduate work at the Sorbonne, Paris. 

In 1940, when Smith was 7 years old, the Gestapo took possession of the family's house and other 

valuables. Although the two Gestapo officers threatened to kill Smith and her mother, they did not. 

The mother and daughter fled to Tarnow where her aunt let them live in her apartment. Smith said, 

"Shortly after that, she (the aunt) was taken by the Nazis, never to return. Our extended family was 

gradually exterminated during that year. We managed to survive by hiding in various places." 

Ultimately, Smith and her mother escaped under assumed names and were reunited with her father who 

had fled earlier to Russian-occupied Lvov. Compared to the stories of many "hidden children," Smith's 

story has a relatively happy ending. 

However, that ending does not diminish the fear with which she lived for years as she and her mother 

made their way from one hiding place to another. It is a fear that still haunts her today. 



Austin Peay State University




(931) 648-7459 




Briefly at the Peay 

Gregory accepts new position 

The former head football coach at Austin Peay has been named assistant director of athletics for 

marketing and promotion. 

Roy Gregory, who has been head football coach at APSU since 1990, was offered this position in 

December when it was announced that the University's football program was to become a nonscholarship 

program, pending approval by the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Presidents Council. The council 

approved the petition during its January meeting in Nashville. 

Gregory said, "I am happy to have the opportunity to serve the University in this capacity, and I look 

forward to developing new opportunities for the University. I am pleased that I can continue to work with 

our coaches to promote Austin Peay athletics. 

"For our total athletics program to prosper, we must have a consistently aggressive marketing effort. In 

many ways, my focus will have to broaden because I am charged with promoting all Austin Peay athletic 

programs, not just football. This new challenge and its potential are exciting to me." 

Animator shares experiences 

Henry Selick, animator and director of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant 

Peach," shared his passion and experiences, conducted a workshop and critiqued student work at Austin 

Peay Feb. 25. 

At the California Institute of the Arts, he was in the first group to go through the Disney character 

animation program. 

After graduation, Selick went to work for Disney where he worked as an animator trainee on several 

small films and then as a full animator on "The Fox and the Hound." 

In 1986, he formed his own production company and began producing a series of station identifications 

for Music Television, including the award-winning "Haircut M" campaign, which featured a creature 

carving the MTV logo into a red Eraser-head-type hairdo. He also directed some commercials for Pillsbury 

and was at the helm of the award-winning Ritz Bits commercials. 

In 1990, Selick completed a film project sponsored by MTV called "Slow Bob in the Lower Dimensions." 

The six-minute film combined a live-action character with stop-motion and cut-out animation and finished 

first place at the Ottawa Animation Festival. 

Tim Burton, whom Selick met when he worked at Disney, then asked Selick if he would direct "The 

Nightmare Before Christmas." 

College of Education opens new technology lab 

The College of Education at Austin Peay recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newest addition 

to its technology program, the Technology Production Studio. 

The new facility is equipped to provide 26 students with advanced computer technology allowing them to 

create portfolios, graphics and other visual teaching materials. 

In another plus for the college, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Educators (NCATE) 

and the Tennessee State Department of Education Reaccredidation Team recently visited the University to 

review the college's curriculum, technology and instruction. The NCATE findings rated technology as a 

strength of the College of Education, and Austin Peay's technology program will be cited in the NCATE

publication as an "Exemplary Program." 

Austin Peay celebrates African American History Month 

Various departments and offices at Austin Peay sponsored events throughout February in celebration of 

African American History Month. Among the special activities: 

From Feb. 1-28, Felix G. Woodward Library presented an exhibit titled "Come See the Music, 

1976-1997," featuring the paintings of Marvin Posey Jr. ('85), an alumnus of Clarksville High School and 

Austin Peay. 

Posey's paintings hang in America's major museums and galleries. Entertainer Louise Mandrell and actor 

Charles Dutton are among the celebrities who have works of Posey in their private collections. 

On Feb. 3, Dr. Tommie Morton-Young, president of the African American Genealogical and Historical 

Society of Tennessee, presented a lecture/workshop "Before Bondage: Adaptation and Accommodation of 

the African American Family, Tracing Roots and Heritage." 

The famous Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble performed Feb. 10. The performance was sponsored by the 

Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts. 

FOCUS presented Jack Jackson ('75), a motivational speaker and alumnus of Austin Peay, on Feb. 11 (for 

story on Jackson, see page 14). He presented "Our Heritage: The Link Between Our Past and Future." 

The Second Annual Gospel Fest featuring the award-winning Pilgrim Jubilee Quartet of Chicago, Ill., was 

held Feb. 15. The fest also featured several local gospel groups. 

George Curry, editor-in-chief of "EMERGE: Black America's Newsmagazine" and a panelist on "Lead 

Story," a news analysis program on Black Entertainment Television, lectured on Feb. 21. The title of the 

lecture was "The Social and Political Obligation of this Generation of African American Students." 

The APSU Chamber Singers performed a new choral set to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" 

speech on Feb. 21. 

Leroy Dixon, chair and chief executive officer of Dav-Lear Systems Inc., lectured Feb. 27 on business. 

Dav-Lear Systems is a California-based systems engineering company that contracts with the government 

and private industry. His lecture was titled "African American Entrepreneurship." 

Social work students assist Families First clients 

Austin Peay provided help for case workers at the Department of Human Services and their clients who 

are participating in Tennessee's Families First program. Seven social work seniors are lending a hand and 

their time to assist Families First clients in finding employment. 

Austin Peay's Families First mentoring program is the first program of this type in Tennessee. 

Under the Families First program, participants have 18 months to find employment or their welfare is 

terminated. According to Glenn Carter, chair of the social work department, the average number of clients 

per DHS social worker is 200. Carter says it's difficult for the social workers to find the time to assist all 

their clients in finding a job. This is where Austin Peay social work students will bring relief. 

After noticing that case workers seemed to be struggling with their caseloads, DHS social worker BETSY 

ABRAMS ('84) and Carter decided to have social work seniors assist them. Carter said the students 

working with DHS are graduating seniors who are trained social workers and already have finished their 

field placements. 

The students, who receive three hours of class credit for their assistance, spend nine hours per week 

working with one to five clients, depending on their clients' needs. The students meet with their clients each 

week, assist them in finding a job and assess their progress.

APSU celebrates `women of courage' 

In honor of Women's History Month, Austin Peay celebrated "women of courage" -- remarkable women 

who defied social conventions or restrictions and achieved greatness as artists, film makers, musicians, 

writers and social activists. Among the events: 

On March 3, Sinking Creek Films presented independent films by and about women. 

On March 19, the W.N. Daniel African American Cultural Center held an African American Women 

Writers Panel. All of the writers were from Tennessee and are associated with Winston-Derek Publishers. 

The authors discussed their books and signed copies. 

On March 20, there was a reading and a lecture titled "Women of Courage" by Carolyn Forché, the 

occupant of the Acuff Chair of Excellence in the Creative Arts and author of several books, including 

"Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness." 

APSU receives NCAA grant for youth program 

Once again, Austin Peay has been selected as a site for a summer youth athletic program sponsored by 

the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 

Drew Simmons, director of intramural recreation at Austin Peay and project administrator, expects the 

grant to be for the same amount it was last year, $47,000, with Austin Peay providing a match, in cash or in 

kind, equivalent to 20 percent of the grant. 

Simmons said the program will be organized like it was last year. Classes will include swimming, 

basketball, softball, soccer, golf, track and field, volleyball, badminton, gymnastics and tennis. Courses in 

alcohol and drug abuse, nutrition, personal health and career opportunities also will be offered. 

Last summer, the program served more than 230 youths, ages 10-16, who are from low-income families 

and who reside in Montgomery County. 

Nursing professor receives grant for STD study 

According to Carolyn O'Drobinak, an assistant professor of nursing at Austin Peay, five to 20 percent of 

college-age students, age 18-24, are infected with chlamydia, an often symptomless sexually transmitted 

disease that -- if left untreated -- can cause infertility, tubal pregnancy and other serious complications. 

O'Drobinak, a registered nurse and nurse practitioner, is using a March of Dimes: Music City Division 

grant of $2,000 to help fund Comprehensive STD Education and Screening for Chlamydia. 

O'Drobinak hopes this program will have a variety of outcomes: increase Austin Peay students' 

knowledge related to various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the consequences of these 

conditions; and increase students' awareness of the need for diagnosis and treatment of STDs. 

Additionally, results from this study will be used to estimate the current rate of chlamydial infections of 

traditional college-age students at Austin Peay. This rate will be compared with local, state and national 

rates and with the rate of chlamydial infections previously treated at Student Health Services. 

According to the Center for Disease Control, chlamydia is the No. 1 sexually transmitted bacteria in the 

United States. 




Office of Public Relations/Publications



(931) 648-7459 




Sports 

Freshmen making difference in baseball 

Three freshmen made the difference in an 8-7 Austin Peay win over Ohio Valley Conference member 

Morehead State March 16 at Raymond C. Hand Park. 

The biggest impact was made by Lance Wampler, who drove a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a 

game-winning solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. 

Coach Gary McClure said the contributions from the underclassmen are a good sign for the future. 

The game started out poorly for Austin Peay (10-8, 2-1 OVC), as Morehead State (5-15, 1-2) jumped to a 

3-0 lead. But the Bat Govs responded with five runs in the bottom of the second, highlighted by a three-run 

homer by senior Benji Zimmerman to center field. 

Freshman Chris Shelton also came in and pitched 2 2-3 innings, giving up just two hits and no runs, while 

striking out three. 

With Morehead still up 6-5, freshman Greg Troy led off the seventh with a solo homer that tied the game. 

Austin Peay pushed another run across in the bottom of the eighth, when Zimmerman singled in sophomore 

Michael Frey. 

Another key play took place in the ninth when shortstop Billy Mortimore dove for a grounder and made a 

force play at third, getting Austin Peay out of a tight spot. 

"I was proud of the way the team responded," McClure said. "When we got down, we came back with a 

big inning." (Excerpted with permission of "The Leaf-Chronicle" and Joseph Myers) 

Leroux named golf coach 

Mark Leroux, former head golf professional at Citrus Community College (Azusa, Calif.), has been 

named golf coach at Austin Peay. 

Leroux replaces Joey Davis, who resigned during the summer. 

Leroux's trek to head APSU golf coach has been unusual. The New York native was a lacrosse and 

hockey player while growing up, and he played lacrosse at Broome Community College in Binghamton, 

N.Y. He received his bachelor's degree in physical education (1989) from S.U.N.Y. College at Cortland 

(N.Y.). His master's degree, from California State University, Fullerton, is in physical education with 

particular emphasis in sports psychology. 

Eventually, Leroux was bitten by the golf bug, first as a player and then by the desire to teach. 

Finally, he became assistant PGA Golf professional at Alta Vista Country Club in Placentia, Calif., from 

1992-94. In 1994, he moved to Supply, N.C., to become a teacher and head golf coach at West Brunswick 

High School. His team won the conference golf championship in his one-year stay, and Leroux was named 

conference coach of the year. 

APSU cheerleaders win second in nation 

Austin Peay's varsity cheerleaders are ranked second in the nation after competing in the University 

Cheerleading Association (UCA) National Championship in Orlando, Fla. 

The competition was held Jan. 9-11. Twenty-two Division One schools were invited after sending in 

video tapes of their squads performing. APSU's squad was ranked fifth in the nation after its video was

judged. 

The cheerleaders had only a couple of months to practice for the national competition and did not have a 

coach until October, when Shandy Ellis-Brown came aboard. Ellis-Brown was a cheerleader at the 

University of Kentucky last year, when members of that team were national champions. 

This was only Austin Peay's second year ever to compete. Cheerleaders competing included: Brian 

Monticello, Lonnie Jackson, Steve Skelton, Zack Gray, Dan Kreuter, Stephan Span, Sharrock Cobb, Brian 

Brown, Gus Rosa, Brandy Turbeville, Sally Webb, Tika Wilburn, Mandy Jenkins, Jodie Yarbrough, 

Jennifer Beals and Jon Doble. 

Lady Govs volleyball announces four signees 

Austin Peay's volleyball program signed four players for the Fall 1997 season: Laura Mitchell of 

Wheaton, Ill.; Becky Sowinski of Milwaukee Wis.; Amber Grundhoefer of Dale, Ind.; and Annie Glieber of 

Brookfield, Wis. 

Mitchell, a 5-10 outside hitter, attends Wheaton North High School. She won numerous volleyball awards 

during her junior and senior years, including Best Hitter Award, academic all-conference, "Daily Herald" 

all-area, Falcon Classic all-tournament and DuPage Area all-tournament. 

Sowinski, a 5-8 outside hitter, attends Wisconsin Lutheran High School. She is expected to help fill the 

void left by graduating seniors. As a senior, she led her team to a 44-2 record while earning first-team 

all-conference and all-state honors. She had 212 kills, 275 digs, 42 block solos and 25 service aces last 

season. 

Grundhoefer, a 5-10 middle blocker, attends Heritage Hills High School. Last year, she led her school to 

its second regional title ever, while setting personal records for most blocks in a match (10) and a season 

(80). Grundhoefer also was named to the Indiana South all-star team and the Indiana all-state first team. 

Glieber, a 5-8 setter, attends Pius XI High School. She helped her team to a state championship her 

sophomore year, then second and third-place finishes her junior and senior years. Last season, she earned 

first-team all-conference and second-team all-state honors. 

Schmitz to lead APSU into new era 

of nonscholarship football 

Bill Schmitz, head coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy the last four seasons, has been named the new 

head football coach at Austin Peay. 

Schmitz served as football coach at the Division III school (non-scholarship) since 1993. He took the Coast 

Guard Academy to the NCAA III playoffs this season for the first time in school history. 

His overall record was 20-19 in four seasons, taking over a program that went 1-8 in 1992. He led the Coast 

Guard Academy to 8-2 in 1996, and in the process, the Bears won their first Freedom Football Conference 

title, while 25 school records fell in his pass-oriented offense. 

The new coach will usher Austin Peay into the era of 1-AA non-scholarship football. 

"I am pleased to start our new venture into non-scholarship football with a successful person and coach like 

Bill Schmitz," said Dr. Sal D. Rinella, Austin Peay president. "He will fit perfectly with the individuals and

philosophy of Austin Peay athletics and the entire University. 

"I feel very comfortable and convinced that Bill is the right person for Austin Peay football." 

Previously, Schmitz served as an assistant at Columbia (1979-1981); as a coach of defensive backs, tight 

ends and receivers at Cincinnati (1981-1983); game coordinator at Rice (1983-1985); offensive coordinator 

(1989) and passing game coordinator (1986-1988) at Vanderbilt; and offensive coordinator at Eastern 

Michigan (1991-1992). He also served one season in 1992 as quarterbacks and receivers coach for the 

London Monarchs of the World League of American Football. 

Schmitz, a Cincinnati native, is a U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate (1976), where he lettered three years 

in football and four in baseball. He and his wife, Lynn, have two children, Matt, 15, and Allison, 12. 

Lady Govs: The final result doesn't tell the whole tale 

When the 1996-97 season began, uncertainty surrounded the Lady Govs. The defending Oho Valley 

Conference regular-season co-champions and tournament champions had lost three starters, SONIA 

WHITE ('96), CARRIE THOMPSON ('96) and SONJA COX ('96), along with their head coach LaDonna 

McClain. 

New Head Coach Susie Gardner was in search of a new starting backcourt and could rely on only one 

"new" face -- senior guard ANDREA MILLER. Much of the responsibility for carrying Austin Peay back 

to the NCAA tournament would belong to seniors COLLEEN POLZIN and SIMONE CALDWELL and 

junior AMANDA BEHRENBRINKER. A preseason poll of OVC head coaches and sports information 

directors placed the Lady Govs sixth. 

The Lady Govs gave Gardner her first Division I head-coaching victory on Nov. 27, dominating 

Tennessee-Chattanooga, 87-65, in Clarksville. 

In Eastern Kentucky Dec. 7, the Lady Govs won an intense battle, 59-53. The game was tough and 

physical, and the result both emotional and uplifting for the players and coaching staff. Behrenbrinker, 

running a 102-degree fever only hours before game time, scored a team-high 14 points and earned 

recognition as OVC "Player of the Week." 

Despite some tough losses, the Lady Govs proved they were a better team than their sixth-place predicted 

finish indicated, and with an early 3-0 conference record, the Lady Govs stood in first place on Jan. 9. 

By the end of January, the team was tied for second place with a record of 6-3, and trailed EKU by two 

games. In a game against Morehead State, seniors Caldwell and Miller created some come-from-behind 

theatrics. Caldwell scored 25 of a career-high 33 points in the second half; Miller tied a school record for 

three-point field-goal percentage in a game, hitting five of six and scoring a season-high 22 points. 

Caldwell's memorable performance earned her OVC "Player of the Week" honors. 

However, a troubled finish to the regular season left the Govs in third seed, hosting Middle Tennessee for 

the first round of the OVC tournament. 

After the Lady Govs built a nine-point lead with 10:20 remaining in the second half, the Lady Raiders 

managed to snatch the lead away. At nine seconds left, the Raiders had a 60-59 lead. 

A missed lay-up by Polzin and a missed one-on-one shot by Caldwell brought the season to a close as the 

final horn sounded. As often is the case, the final result did not tell the tale of a valiant battle by 

overachieving players. 

The 1996-97 Lady Govs tied a school record for single-season conference wins with 13, set just last year 

by the 1995-96 squad. 

Gardner's 17 victories were the most by a lady Govs rookie head coach since Marvin Williams in 

1984-85.

Caldwell, Miller and Behrenbrinker had outstanding individual seasons and were largely responsible for 

Austin Peay's second-place OVC finish. 

Behrenbrinker was named to the All-OVC first team; Caldwell was named to the All-OVC second-team; 

and Miller ranked in the top 10 nationally for three-point field-goal percentage for much of the season's 

second half -- an impressive achievement for a player who had taken a two-year hiatus from basketball to 

concentrate on softball and volleyball. 







(931) 648-7459 




Class Notes 

Please send news for this section to Class Notes, c/o Alumni Relations and Development, Austin Peay State 

University, P.O. Box 4676, Clarksville, TN, 37044. A form is provided on page 26. Your information also 

can be faxed to (615) 648-6292 or sent by e-mail to alumni@apsu.edu. 

'47 

Governors Guild -- Next Reunion: May 8-9, 1997 

(Includes all graduates who previously have celebrated their 50-year Reunion) 

Clarksville attorney and civic leader F. Evans Harvill recently received the Jaycee Boss of the Year Award 

from the Clarksville Jaycees. Harvill is co-chair of this year's 50-Year Reunion at Austin Peay. 

'51 

Ben S. Kimbrough was chosen by Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist as a member of a newly established 

24-person commission to evaluate the Tennessee higher education system. Kimbrough is a board member 

of NationsBank of Tennessee and the Austin Peay State University Foundation. 

'52 

45th Class Reunion: Oct. 3-4, 1997 

'57 

John W. Wallace was promoted to vice president of Farmers and Merchants Bank. He has more than 35 

years of financial services experience, is a member of the Clarksville Rotary Club and serves on the board 

of directors for the Montgomery County Chapter of the American Heart Association. 

'59 

James David McCutchen, along with 14 others, was named to the Austin Peay State University Foundation 

during 1996. McCutchen is the manager of the St. Bethlehem branch of First Union National Bank and is a 

member of the Clarksville Rotary Club, the Marine Corps League, Association of the United States Army 

and the American Legion. 

'62


Tennessee Secretary of State Riley C. Darnell received the Distinguished Achievement Award at Winter 

Commencement Dec. 13, 1996, after delivering the Commencement address. 

'63 

Fascinated since he was a child with the plant, trillium, DR. JOHN D. FREEMAN made an indelible mark 

in the study of this unique plant before he retired as a biologist at Auburn University. Among many other 

places around the world, trilliums grow in the Southeastern United States, taking as long as six to seven 

years before they flower. Freeman's research on the prehistoric trilliums in Alabama attracted the attention 

of scientists from as far away as Japan. Because of his research, he was featured in the Jan. 24 issue of "The 

Birmingham News." The article, which filled almost a full page, included four full-color photos of Freeman 

and his beloved trilliums. Freeman, who earned his doctorate from Vanderbilt University, is credited with 

discovering several new species of trillium, including some that are named by him, such as Trillium 

reliquum Freeman. In the interview in the Birmingham paper, Freeman says, "My granddad used to say that 

once a snapping turtle grabs a hold of you, he won't let go until it thunders. Well, trilliums have been like 

that with me." 

'64 

Ruth Elisabeth Fuller Lature ('64,'76), a teacher at Indian Hills Elementary School in Hopkinsville, Ky., 

received the Clifford W. Bears Consumer Award in November of 1996. The award, named in honor of the 

founder of the mental health citizens' advocacy movement, honors a Kentuckian who has worked to 

improve conditions or attitudes regarding people with mental illnesses. Lature is the founder and executive 

director of the Christian County Association for Specific-Perceptual Motor Disabilities and was 

instrumental in forming the Pennyroyal Alzheimer's Disease Support Group. 

'67 


'69 

John H. Gasaway III, along with 14 others, was named to the Austin Peay State University Foundation 

during 1996. Gasaway is a circuit court judge for the 19th Judicial District (Montgomery and Robertson 

counties) criminal division. He is a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association, the Robertson 

County Bar Association and the Tennessee Trial Judges Association. 

Douglas E. Pittenger recently transferred with The Berry Company to Memphis as a division manager for 

West Tennessee. He and his wife, Christi Forrester Pittenger, have three daughters, Katie, Kristen and Allie. 

John A. McGee has been appointed vice president of sales and operations with CSC Credit Services in

Houston, Texas. McGee now resides in Dallas, Texas. 

In conjunction with National Women's History Month, held each March, DR. LINDA RUDOLPH ('69,'70) 

was invited to speak at Motlow State Community College. Rudolph, Tennessee's commissioner of human 

services, spoke March 27 on the impact of the Families First Program, a program designed to help move 

welfare recipients back into the work force. 

'71 

The Clarksville Jaycees awarded WILLIAM T. (BILLY) BATSON with the Outstanding Law Enforcement 

award during their Distinguished Service Award and Bosses Night. 

DR. JIM HORN, Long Beach, N.Y., is an assistant professor for Long Island University, Brookville, N.Y. 

'72 


'73 

Samuel H. Johnson, along with 14 others, was named to the Austin Peay State University Foundation 

during 1996. Johnson is deputy garrison commander at Fort Campbell, Ky., and is a member of AUSA and 

the 101st Airborne Division Association. He has served as magistrate of the Montgomery County Quarterly 

Court and now is councilman for Ward 1. 

'75 

Navy Cmdr. Suzanne W. Hirsch has assumed duties in the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic 

Fleet, as Deputy for Assessments and Quality for Life for Director, Shore Activities Readiness, in Norfolk, 

Va. Hirsch joined the Navy in December 1977. 

'76 

Jeffrey Vincent Bibb, along with 14 others, was named to the Austin Peay State University Foundation 

during 1996. Bibb is a managing partner of Bibb, Lott & Fryer Marketing/Advertising. He is co-owner of 

the Clarksville Coyotes Professional Baseball Club and is on the board of managers of the Big South 

League of Professional Baseball. He is on the board of directors of Heritage Bank, a member of the 

Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Clarksville River District Commission. He and his 

wife, Sharon, have two children. 

'77


CONNIE ROSSON was promoted to executive secretary of Farmers and Merchants Bank. Rosson has 20 

years of banking experience and has completed course work through the American Institute of Banking. 

William Lawson Mabry, along with 14 others, was named to the Austin Peay State University Foundation 

during 1996. Mabry is a broker for Conroy, Marable & Holleman Real Estate Inc. He is on the board of 

directors of Heritage Bank and is vice chair of the board of trustees of the Clarksville-Montgomery County 

Public Library. He is a trustee of Leadership Clarksville and a member of Trinity Episcopal Church. 

ANTHONY (CORKY) CARTER ('77,'78,'81) was selected as one of the first nine inductees to the Texas 

Softball Hall of Fame. Inducted as one of two in the category of Umpire, Carter's achievements were 

written up in an article for "The Sandbagger Softball News," a publication of the United States Slo-Pitch 

Softball Association -- Southwest Division. According to the article, "Carter has been umpiring baseball 

for more than 25 years. He's umpired little league, high school and college baseball and was selected to 

umpire the Texas State Playoffs eight years in a row and the Texas high School All-Star Game played in the 

Astrodome while in Houston." Among Carter's many achievements, as detailed by the article: co-authored a 

book titled "Take Charge Softball Umpiring"; helped develop an umpire instructional video program; won 

many awards in softball; and umpired numerous men's major world series events. Carter is the USSSA 

Cumberland Region Director for Tennessee and Tennessee's State Umpire-In-Chief. He and his wife, 

MARY KAY ('82) -- head of the counseling center at Centennial High School, Franklin -- live in 

Brentwood with their two children, David and Chelsea. 

'78 

Quinton A. Osborne, Middletown, Ohio, has earned inclusion in "Who's Who in the Midwest 1996-1997." 

Osborne has been working as a psychiatric social worker at Warren Correctional Institution. To be chosen 

for inclusion, candidates must have held a position of responsibility or have attained a significant 

achievement in their fields. 

'80s 

CAROL ANN NESBITT ('80,'86) works for the Shelby County School System and was promoted from 

classroom teacher to curriculum coordinator. Nesbitt is married to Richard Ott, who is a safety director for 

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They live in Memphis. 

Gary T. Hightshoe ('80), along with 14 others, was named to the Austin Peay State University Foundation 

during 1996. Named the 1995 "Industrialist of the Year" by the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce, 

Hightshoe is human resources manager for Precision Printing and Packaging Inc. He has served as a 

member of the Chamber of Commerce and United Way and is on the boards of directors for Main Street 

Clarksville and the state of Tennessee Vocational Training Center. 

DAVID MORRIS ROYSE ('81,'83) has been tenured and promoted from assistant professor of music 

education to associate professor of music education at Kansas State University. Royse's wife, Molly, is a 

librarian at KSU. They have two children, Laura and Paul. They live in Manhattan, Kan.

Joyce Moody Brown ('82) has been selected as New Providence Middle School's Teacher of the Year. 

Brown teaches math at NPMS and has worked with the High School Upward Bound program at Austin 

Peay. 

Van G. Chase ('82) recently returned to Clarksville from Birmingham, Ala., and is living in Cumberland 

City with his wife, Margaret, and sons, James and Steven. An employee of the U.S. Postal Service in Erin, 

Chase's home page is at http://www.public.usit.net/vgchase/. 

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class MICHAEL H. HILL ('82) returned from a six-month deployment to the 

western Pacific and Indian oceans aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Arkansas on Nov. 20, 1996. 

During the deployment, USS Arkansas supported naval units and Air Force B-52 bombers as they launched 

Tomahawk cruise missiles during Operation Desert Strike, and remained in the Persian Gulf to carry out 

sanctions imposed by NATO against Iraq. 

Joyce Norris ('82) has been named president of Trans Financial Bank's Clarksville region. She received the 

Key Banker Award from the Tennessee Banking Association in 1987 and the Business and Professional 

Women's Woman of Achievement Award in 1986. She has been involved in a long list of organizations and 

associations. She is married to Gary Norris and has two children, Keith Norris and Dr. April Marklin. 

LEE ANN FISHER ('82) has relocated to Augusta, Ga., to take a new job as the assistant director of the 

East Central Georgia Regional Library, a six-county regional library system. She also had her first child, 

William Burgess Fisher, on Sept. 10, 1996. 

STACEY HIGGINS ('83) moved from Chattanooga to take a promotion to area account manager for 

Wyeth-Ayerst Labs in Atlanta. He and his wife, Susan Childers Higgins, live in Woodstock, Ga., with their 

daughter, Katy Lynn. 

KENNY ELMORE ('84) resigned from his job as systems programmer at Ingersoll-Rand on Oct. 1, 1996, 

to join Vanderbilt University as a network engineer II. 

Gregory Keith Watson ('84) of Memphis was promoted to senior manager for Federal Express in December 

1996. 

Navy Lt. Cmdr. THOMAS V. HALLEY ('84) recently received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation 

Medal. Halley was cited for superior performance of duty while serving as assistant training officer. He 

currently serves with Strike Fighter Squadron 81, Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Fla. 

Navy Lt. DEBRA R. SOYK ('85) recently reported for duty at Naval Medical Clinic, Quantico, Va. Soyk 

joined the Army in September 1977. 

John Wood ('85) was recognized by Walsworth Publishing Co. for printing sales achievements in 1996. He 

was runner-up in new orders and received the Sales Growth Award, which is given to sales representatives 

who renew 90 percent of their business for the next year and sell a minimum of $65,000 in new volume. 

DR. BRYAN SUNGKOO KHIM ('86) joined a group medical practice in Elkridge, Md., in October. He and 

his wife, J. Michelle Khim, a partner with J.M. Khim, LLC, have one son, Justin, and are expecting their 

second child in May.

The Jan. 27, 1997, issue of the Asian "Time" magazine featured photos from Austin Peay alumnus Mike 

Wilbur ('86) on the cover and on two pages of the magazine. Wilbur retired as a captain in the U.S. Army 

and began free-lance photography and writing. He and his wife, Caron Wilbur ('87), moved to Korea about 

a year ago when Caron, who still is with the Army, was stationed there. 

B.J. WORTHINGTON ('88,'91) was an award winner during the Jaycees' recent Distinguished Service 

Award and Bosses Night. Worthington received the award for Outstanding Young Educator. 

Tom H. McMillan IV ('89) moved to Knoxville in August 1996 to accept a sales position with Zeneca 

Pharmaceuticals. 

JOHNNIE C. SMITH ('89), a counselor for Austin Peay's Veterans Upward Bound program, recently 

became CEO/owner of Clarksville Tours LLC. Smith's husband, Fred Michael Smith, is a police officer. 

They have one son, Lorinzo. 

Andrew Britton Ward ('89) left ACME Boot Company in 1996, after 16 years of service, and transferred to 

Fruit of the Loom Systems in Nashville. Ward, his wife, Loni, and their three sons, Drew, Kyle and Adam, 

live in Clarksville. 

The Clarksville Jaycees awarded JAY ALBERTIA ('89,'91) with the Walton D. Griffin Memorial Award for 

distinguished service during their recent Distinguished Service Award and Bosses Night. 

'90s 

DR. TIM FOX ('90) is working for the department of radiation oncology at Emory University School of 

Medicine, Atlanta. He performs research in the areas of computational methods for radiation physics 

modeling and visualization. He has developed numerous software projects, including the software for 

stereotactic radiosurgery at Emory Clinic. He also teaches in the department of radiation oncology with the 

residency program. He is president of his own software development company, Entropy Vision Systems 

Inc., which specializes in radiation therapy software products. His wife is Joelle, an audit manager with 

Price Waterhouse. 

JOEY SCRUGGS ('91), coordinator of recruitment for Columbia State Community College, was named 

president of the South Central Chapter of the Tennessee Counseling Association. He and his wife, 

Kimberly, live in Columbia. 

PEGGY KING WATSON-BIRTHRONG ('92) has been promoted to the position of flexible benefits 

specialist for the State of Tennessee Treasury Department. Watson-Birthrong is married to Michael R. 

Birthrong, who works at Fort Campbell, Ky., and they have two children, Dennis and Lauren. 

LINDA K. DEROSSETT ('93) has had hand-colored photographs depicting Clarksville scenes on display 

and for sale at the Parthenon in Nashville and at the fourth annual Women's Fine Art Exhibit at the Smith- 

Trahern Mansion in Clarksville. Her works have been sold to people in the United Kingdom and Spain. 

She's exhibited her works in Washington, D.C., and Rochester, N.Y. 

ROGER DALE NEWCOMB ('93) moved to Milpitas, Calif., in May 1996 after living in Tennessee his 

entire life. Newcomb works with Sun Microsystems as a project coordinator.

TAMMY M. RAY ('93) graduated in May 1996 from the University of South Carolina with a M.Ed. in 

student personnel services. On Dec. 2, she began work as the assistant director of campus programs at The 

Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 

KENNETH R. GOBLE JR. ('94) and 14 others were named as new trustees of the Austin Peay State 

University Foundation during 1996. Goble owns D&D Shirt Printers and Mobility of Clarksville. He is in 

his third year of study at the Nashville School of Law, is a member of the Clarksville Area Chamber of 

Commerce and is a past president of the Austin Peay Governors Club. He and his wife, Kimberly, have two 

sons. 

STEFAN D. HOLT ('94) was named the Nashville-associate producer at WSMV Channel 4. Holt resides in 

Madison with his wife, Kristi, son, Christopher, and daughter, Meagan. He is working toward a master's 

degree from Austin Peay in mass communication. 

TINA HENNESSEE SMITH ('94) and her husband, Jamie, moved to Germany in March 1997. Jamie 

Smith's employer offered him a job there for up to two years. 

S. RUSSELL VADEN ('94) graduated from the University of Memphis in December with a master's degree 

in counseling, educational psychology and research. He is a counselor for the University of Memphis in its 

Center for Student Development. 

MARK ANTHONY SMIKLE ('94), Orlando, Fla., has almost completed his doctorate in clinical 

psychology. He's working as a mental health counselor for Circles of Care Inc., Orlando. 

TIMOTHY SCOTT AMYX ('95) is an assistant coordinator of enrollment services for Santa Fe 

Community College, Gainesville, Fla. He will graduate in May with a master's degree in student personnel 

in higher education from the University of Florida. His wife, KELLY B. APPLEWHITE AMYX ('95) also 

attended Austin Peay. 

STEVEN A.J. JONES ('96) is working as a sales representative with Ernest and Julio Gallo Winery. He 

lives in Lakeland, Fla. 

Weddings 

JANE SLATE SIENA ('76) of Washington, D.C., and Dr. M. Kirby Talley Jr. of Amsterdam, The 

Netherlands, were married Nov. 25, 1996, at the Saint Nicolai Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia. Talley is 

executive counselor to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science for The Netherlands. Sienna is head 

of institutional relations for the Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, Calif. She is founding president 

of the St. Petersburg (Russia) International Center for Preservation, member of the J. William Fulbright 

Scholarship board and chair of the National Musical Arts at the National Academy of Sciences. Siena will 

be Austin Peay's Spring '97 Commencement speaker. 

CARA LYNN HOLMAN MCCRARY ('94), office assistant for the "Nashville Record," was married Nov. 

1, 1996, to Calvin D, McCrary, U.S. Army, 1/502nd INF, Fort Campbell, Ky. 

Births

SARA KYLE ('75), commissioner for the Tennessee Public Service Commission, and her husband, State 

Senator Jim Kyle, had a baby girl Jan. 21, 1997, and named her Dora Caroline Belle Kyle. 

LYNN DARNELL TAYLOR ('81) and her husband, Sid Taylor, had a baby, Sidney Wilson Taylor Jr., Sept. 

17, 1996. The family, which includes daughter Kate, lives in Nashville. 

JOAN SCARBROUGH BUELL ('83), a senior artist with Screen Art, Knoxville, now has a granddaughter, 

Madeline Elizabeth, born March 26, 1996. 

MICHAEL D. TRENT ('84) and his wife, LYNDA PAGE TRENT ('86), had a son, Daniel Christopher, 

born June 1996. Michael Trent is a coordinator/special services for Tennessee Secretary of State RILEY 

DARNELL ('62); Lynda Trent is a fourth-grade teacher at East Montgomery Elementary. The family, which 

also includes son David, lives in Clarksville. 

RICHARD BEIRNE ('89) and his wife, CARALEE FRANCIS BEIRNE ('91), had a baby daughter, 

Gabrielle Nicole, Jan. 18. The family is living in Springfield, where Richard Beirne works for Springfi e l d 

High School. 

Kris Phillips ('91), admissions manager for Austin Peay's Office of Admissions, and his wife, Tammy, had a 

second son, Parker Ray Mathis Phillips, who was born at 11:59 p.m. Feb. 20 at Clarksville Memorial 

Hospital. 

TAMMIE S. WALKER-NIEBAUER ('93) and husband Andy Niebauer, who is stationed at Fort Campbell, 

Ky., had a baby boy, Matthew Andrew Niebauer, Nov. 20, 1996. Walker-Niebauer is a registered nurse at 

St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. The family has been reassigned to Fort Sill, Okla., and will move in June 

1998. 

Deaths 

ED KULAKOWSKI ('54,'56) lost a 10-year battle with cancer Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1997. Kulakowski was 

a retired manager for South Central Bell. He was a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. 

While a student at Austin Peay, he was an All-Conference and All-American football player and was 

named to the APSU Football Hall of Fame. He also worked at Austin Peay from 1991-1994 as a volunteer 

football coach. 

GERALD DAVID HURT ('72) died of a heart attack on March 31, 1994. After graduating from Austin 

Peay in 1972, Hurt went on to earn his MBA from the University of Tennessee in 1977. From 1984 until his 

death, Hurt operated and served as the president of Precision Machine Inc. in New Johnsonville. 

MARY ANN JONES MOSES ('68,'89) died following a respiratory-related cardiac arrest on Feb. 6, 1997. 

A chorus teacher at Clarksville High School, she had taught there since 1980. She was a past president of 

the Tennessee Music Education Association and the Middle Tennessee Vocal Association, as well as many 

other organizations. Memorials may be made to the Mary Ann Moses Music Scholarship Fund, in care of 

First Federal Bank, Attention: Sissy Rankin, P.O. Box 688, Clarksville, Tenn., 37041. 

APSUwwAlumni/DevelopmentwwAthleticswwPublic Relations






(931) 648-7459 




Alumni News 

February 

The APSU National Alumni Association board held its winter meeting on campus Saturday, Feb. 15. The 

topics for the meeting included the renovation of Emerald Hill Alumni Center, chapter programs and new 

officer elections. Following the meeting, a reception at the Hickory Stick Grill was hosted by the 

Montgomery County Chapter honoring the board members. After the reception the group went to the Dunn 

Center where the Govs took on the Tennessee State Tigers. 

Alumni and friends celebrated the Govs victory on Friday, Feb. 28 at the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza after the 

second round of the OVC Tournament in Nashville. 

March 

March 10 -- A reception was held at the Presidential House in Washington, D.C. for alumni who live in the 

D.C. area. Jane Slate Siena ('76) co-hosted the reception with the National Alumni Association. 

Approximately 60 guests attended. 

March 19 -- The Nursing Alumni Chapter recently held its monthly meeting at the Emerald Hill Alumni 

Center. The chapter has planned several activities including a bake sale at Clarksville Memorial Hospital, a 

reception at the Senior Pinning Ceremony and the election of new officers. 

April 

April 5 -- The Greater Memphis Alumni Chapter sailed together at a dinner at The North End Restaurant 

and then enjoyed the Wonders Exhibit of the famous Titanic artifacts on display at the Pyramid in 

Memphis. 

May 

May 8-9 -- 50-Year Reunion activities for the Class of 1947 and Governors Guild members. 

May 9 -- Walk the Walk! The Tri-Counties Chapter of Kentucky (Christian, Todd & Trigg) will be 

sponsoring a team to participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at the Stadium of 

Champions in Hopkinsville on May 9 at 7 p.m. Please contact Patsy Brandon at (502) 886-5031. 

June 

June 13-14 -- APSU National Alumni Association Board of Directors Retreat 

September 

September 20 -- Montgomery County Chapter Round Up Party

October 

October 3-4 -- Homecoming Reunion for classes of '52, '57, '62, '67, '72 and '77 







(931) 648-7459 




Welcoming new board members 

On Feb. 15, the board of directors of the National Alumni Association held its mid-year meeting. 

Discussed were several major University initiatives, a brainstorming session about the future of the 

Emerald Hill Alumni Center, votes approving new board members and bylaws changes and a workshop 

focusing on alumni chapter programming. 

Additionally, the directors completed evaluations of applications for Alumni Association Scholarships, 

and several signed up to represent Austin Peay at college fairs in their local high schools. 

The board will continue its discussions at its summer retreat June 13 and 14 in Clarksville. 

Also, by unanimous vote of the board, two new members were elected and one current member was 

elected to an officer's position. 

Longtime board member FESSEY M. WYATT ('75), elected vice president during the Feb. 15 meeting, 

will become president-elect on July 1 when TONY MARABLE ('81) succeeds SUSAN HERRINGTON 

('75) as national president. Wyatt previously served as director of District X, Montgomery County Chapter 

president and chair of the Homecoming Committee. 

Wyatt is a physical education teacher for Hazelwood Elementary School. She is area representative for 

the Clarksville/Montgomery County Education Association. In addition, she was named Distinguished 

Classroom Teacher for Hazelwood and has been awarded the Gold Key Award from Anthem Personal 

Insurance Co. 

As vice president, Wyatt will serve as coordinator of the association's activities, promote alumni interest 

and attendance and preside in the absence of senior officers. 

Joining Wyatt on the board will be new members Deborah Pelham Hilgenhurst ('80) and Nelson Boehms 

('86). Hilgenhurst and Boehms will assume the directorship of the 10th and 11th districts respectively. 

Hilgenhurst will represent alumni in the New England area and assist the Alumni Relations Office and the 

board in developing new alumni chapters in the northeast United States. Boehms will provide leadership to 

the already successful 10th district, which includes Montgomery and surrounding counties. 

Boehms is the assistant vice president, commercial lending, for Heritage Bank, Clarksville. He previously 

worked for Central Carolina Bank and Trust Company, Raleigh Central Lending Office, Raleigh, N.C. He 

is a director for United Way of Clarksville and has volunteered for several community organizations in 

Raleigh. 

He lives in Adams with his wife, Deborah, and his children, Charlie and Analena. 

Hilgenhurst is corporate manager for Health Systems in Boston, Mass., where she fosters executive-level 

business relationships with senior management of key health systems and hospitals. Additionally, she uses 

the resources of Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill., to assist clients in meeting their objectives. 

She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Women in Healthcare 

Management. 







(931) 648-7459




Whom to call? 

To find out what's happening in your chapter, telephone your chapter president. 

African American - Deborah Mallory-Hollingsworth ('93, '95) (615) 552-6939 

Tri-Counties Chapter of Kentucky - (Todd, Trigg and Christian) Patsy Brandon ('69, '74) 

(502) 886-5031 

Greater Atlanta - Peter Minetos ('89) (404) 814-1326 

Greater Birmingham - Sid Ingram ('60) (205) 883-2534 

Huntsville - Jim Roe ('65) (205) 883-8950 

Montgomery County - Garnett ('83) and Nancy ('80) Ladd (615) 647-6527 

Greater Nashville - Kevin Hackney ('89 ) (615) 292-2854 

Washington County - Lee Ellen Fish ('89) (423) 247-7193 

Nursing Alumni Chapter - Vickie Duncan ('74) (615) 647-1233 

Greater Memphis - Steve Chester ('83) (901) 386-3614 

Trane Company - David Jackson ('75) (615) 648-0765 

Dist. VI (Columbia - Joey Scruggs ('91) (615) 388-4168 







(931) 648-7459 


Austin Peay 


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Austin Peay -- Winter 1999 


Winter '99 "Austin Peay " Publications Public Relations APSU Home 

Reader's Guide 

"Austin Peay" is published three times yearly--fall, winter and 

spring--by the Office of Public Relations and Publications. Press 

run for this issue is 21,500. 

Dennie B. Burke, Editor 

Ken West, Assistant Editor 

Bill Persinger ('91), Design 

Tres Mullis, Director of Alumni and Development 

LaRae Davenport ('83), Alumni News 

Jean Holloway, Assistant 

Brad Kirtley, Sports Information 

How to change you address or receive the magazine 

Post us: 

E-Mail us: 

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alumni@apsu.edu 

Update Information Form 

Phone us: 931-648-7979 

Fax us: 931-648-6292 

How to contact the magazine or submit letters to the editor 

Post us: 

E-Mail us: 

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alumni@apsu.edu 

Update Information Form 

Phone us: 931-648-7459 

Fax us: 931-648-5982 

Let us hear from you 

Your opinions and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated.

Austin Peay State University is one of 46 institutions in the 

Tennessee Board of Regents system, the seventh largest system 

of higher education in the nation. The Tennessee Board of 

Regents is the governing board for this system, which is 

composed of six universities, 14 two-year colleges and 26 

Tennessee technology centers. The TBR system enrolls more 

than 80 percent of all Tennessee students attending public 

institutions of higher education. 

Austin Peay State University is an equal opportunity employer 

committed to the education of a non-racially identifiable student 

body. AP-489/1-99/L-C/25M 

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Spring 1997 - Austin Peay State University

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