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<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>Cumberlite</strong> 2011<br />
GCA<br />
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
2011-<strong>2012</strong><br />
The Impact<br />
oF One Life
Contents:<br />
The Impact of One Life 1<br />
GCA Finances 2<br />
Your Gifts Make a Difference 3<br />
Friends Who Gave 4-6<br />
A Tribute to Pastor Bothwell<br />
by Greg King 5<br />
The Positive Influence of a Peer<br />
by Melanie Wurl Dibiase 6<br />
Alumni Who Gave 7<br />
Giving Levels 8-10<br />
The Impact of a Strong Leader<br />
by Nancy Gerard 8<br />
The Power of a Teacher<br />
by Marialice Carey Morales 10<br />
SSO Donors 11<br />
The Impact of a Role Model:<br />
Wally Believed in Me<br />
by Nancy Gerard with Bryan Olmstead 11<br />
<strong>Cumberlite</strong> Staff<br />
Editor:<br />
Nancy Gerard<br />
Sarah Lau, assistant<br />
Layout & Design:<br />
Frank Strack College Press LLC<br />
Photography by:<br />
Nancy Gerard, Allison Handal,<br />
Mellissa Hannah, Logan Harper,<br />
Brian Holden, Brigett Pangkey,<br />
Laura Short, Grant Tuttle,<br />
Tim Williams, Brian Young<br />
Georgia-Cumberland<br />
Academy<br />
397 Academy Drive SW<br />
Calhoun, GA 30701<br />
Phone: (706) 629-4591<br />
Fax: (706) 629-1272<br />
Email: nagerard@gcasda.org<br />
www.gcasda.org<br />
Alumni Updates 12-13<br />
Washington, D.C Alumni Event 13<br />
GCA News 14-16<br />
The Impact of a Nurturing Adult<br />
by Danny Harris, Class of 1975 16<br />
Alumni Weekend, 2013 17
GCA 2011-<strong>2012</strong><br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>Cumberlite</strong> <strong>2012</strong><br />
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
Greg Gerard<br />
Principal<br />
The Impact of One Life<br />
Daniel Harper, Class of 2004, died<br />
in August of 2011 after a four-year battle<br />
with a malignant brain tumor. Fourteen<br />
months before Daniel died he began sharing<br />
his thoughts and experiences with the<br />
world through his blog, “Precision Points<br />
of a Called Christian.”<br />
Daniel was a kid who threw himself<br />
completely into whatever he was pursuing—board<br />
sports, music, school, making<br />
money, catching the girl of his dreams. He<br />
fought cancer with that same focus and zeal. But even as he<br />
squeezed every bit of living he could out of each day, he began<br />
to wonder if his life had meaning or purpose. Sure, people were<br />
reading his blog, but he wondered if it was making a difference<br />
in people’s lives or mattered in an eternal sense.<br />
During a particularly discouraging phase of his illness<br />
Daniel asked his mother, “Mom, do you ever wonder about<br />
your purpose in life?”<br />
Allison Harper answered Daniel as best as she could,<br />
. . . trying to let him know that God did indeed have a purpose for<br />
him and perhaps it was greater than Daniel was being allowed to see.<br />
Within an hour or two of his asking, the phone rang. Melissa, Daniel’s<br />
sister, shared a story about a colleague at her job who was going through<br />
a rough time and came upon Daniel’s blog. The faith he expressed in<br />
God, despite his hardship, was just what she needed to hear, and she<br />
gratefully told Melissa how timely and providential it was! An hour<br />
after that, his brother, Jeff, called and shared a similar story of a friend<br />
who had by chance read Daniel’s blog, and how the words also gave him<br />
the strength and encouragement he needed to put his trust in a God<br />
who cared for him. Many of Daniel’s family members and friends had<br />
similar stories to tell of their own, of hearing from people within their<br />
networks who had read and been influenced by Daniel’s blogs!<br />
Even though Daniel would hear a few of these stories from time<br />
to time, I think he wasn’t fully aware of what God could do through<br />
a puzzled young man who was battling brain cancer, yet wanting and<br />
willing to use his pen to share God’s grace during a difficult time.<br />
(from Daniel’s Blog.)<br />
As of the middle of October, 123,953 people have read<br />
the online blog that Daniel Harper wrote before he died.<br />
Forty-two of his 72 blogs are currently being published into<br />
a book that is due out later this fall. The book, Daniel’s Blog,<br />
Do you ever wonder if your life matters?<br />
will continue the impact and influence of this one life—this<br />
one voice.<br />
In His kindness and grace, God took what the enemy intended<br />
to be a voice-silencing circumstance (cancer) and gave<br />
Daniel a platform from which to amplify the Good News and<br />
continue to impact lives for God, even after his death.<br />
Throughout this publication you will have the opportunity<br />
to read stories of impact and<br />
influence—one life touching<br />
another at Georgia-Cumberland<br />
Academy. As you read,<br />
I encourage you to think<br />
about the people who have<br />
influenced you and, perhaps,<br />
of the impact you have had<br />
on others.<br />
If you are a donor to<br />
this school, you are having<br />
a significant impact. Thank<br />
you for touching the lives<br />
of current GCA students as<br />
well as those who will come<br />
Daniel Harper’s influence continues. in future years.<br />
From the GCA Board Chairman—<br />
Your giving to Georgia-Cumberland<br />
Academy is a truly generous,<br />
selfless act. Students will benefit,<br />
but typically won’t thank you.<br />
Yes, you’ll receive a letter of appreciation<br />
from Greg and Nancy<br />
Gerard. Your name might even appear<br />
in this <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong>. But the<br />
real reason you give is because you<br />
know the need is real, the cause is<br />
worthy, and you have been blessed<br />
by your connection with this great school. Giving back<br />
is just the right thing to do. Thanks for what you have<br />
done—and will do for GCA.<br />
-Ed Wright, President<br />
Georgia-Cumberland Conference
Georgia-Cumberland Academy<br />
Finances<br />
As we look back over this<br />
past year we are grateful for your<br />
partnership as we strive to move<br />
GCA forward. With your help, we<br />
continue to make improvements to<br />
various areas of the campus, as well<br />
as tackle capital projects as needed.<br />
This past year we updated<br />
carpeting in the gymnasium (stage,<br />
lobby and balcony) and the girls’<br />
Deborah Theus, Treasurer dorm, thanks to very generous donations<br />
from Shaw Industries and Mohawk Industries. These<br />
gifts were arranged by a parent of one of our recent graduates.<br />
Improvements to the library also included new carpeting and<br />
replacement of the countertops.<br />
Technology purchases included Mac computers for our<br />
teachers as we consider Apple products for possible future use<br />
with our students. We are also into the second cycle of our<br />
one-to-one laptop program, which represents a very major<br />
expenditure.<br />
Soccer field improvements are being made including seeding,<br />
installation of an irrigation system and lights for the field.<br />
The purchase of second-hand lights from Southern Adventist<br />
University is helping make this project affordable.<br />
The recent purchase of a school bus style mini-bus will<br />
help round out our transportation fleet.<br />
Gifts from generous supporters help keep Georgia-Cumberland Academy<br />
strong.<br />
We are grateful to all the friends of GCA who give generously<br />
to our capital projects, the Worthy Student Fund, and<br />
the many other programs and projects that are important to<br />
maintaining the quality of this school. We are especially grateful<br />
to the Georgia-Cumberland Conference for the support and<br />
help they consistently give!<br />
Field work will begin in December <strong>2012</strong> for our annual<br />
audit and a positive report is anticipated.<br />
Giving Totals<br />
2010-2011 2011-<strong>2012</strong><br />
Alumni: $ 92,533 $ 73,854<br />
Parents: $ 39,436 $ 54,042<br />
Grandparents: $ 69,502 $ 78,262<br />
Friends: $ 171,448 $ 162,050<br />
Businesses: $ 30,059 $ 28,945<br />
Religious Organizations: $1,354,439 $1,162,009<br />
Foundations/SSO’s $ 245,795 $ 217,985<br />
2 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
Your Gifts Make a Difference<br />
Thank you for the impact your gifts have had on the lives of GCA students this year!<br />
Your gifts to the Worthy Student Fund and Student<br />
Scholarships totaled $747,413. Thank you for making it<br />
possible for students to be at GCA where they can grow<br />
into their God-ordained potential!<br />
Alumni and Friends: $226,128<br />
Churches: $115,445<br />
Foundations and SSO’s: $199,986<br />
GA-Cumberland Conference & Southern Union: $205,854<br />
Mission Trip giving this year totaled $62,169 and<br />
provided the means for two groups, totaling nearly 150<br />
adults and students, to travel to the Dominican Republic<br />
and China to serve on short-term mission trips.<br />
The annual Alumni Golf Tournament raised<br />
$25,447 for student scholarships and capital<br />
improvements. Thank you, sponsors and golfers!<br />
Gifts to the <strong>Annual</strong> Fund totaled $66,404<br />
– an increase of $16,705 from last year – and<br />
will provide unrestricted funds to be used as<br />
scholarships for worthy students, as well as<br />
special capital needs. This year’s capital project<br />
funds went toward soccer field improvements.<br />
Thank you for your generous gifts to this<br />
important fund!<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 3
Thank you for Impacting the Life of a Student<br />
The following list recognizes gifts received between 7/1/11 and 6/30/12<br />
Friends<br />
Walter & Dorothy Abbott<br />
Tina Acosta<br />
Daniel & Susan Ahn<br />
Fred & Margaret Anderson<br />
Matthew & Michelle Arant<br />
Donna Ashcraft<br />
Matthew Bahrami<br />
David & Louise Bartlett<br />
Frances Bass<br />
Donna Baumann<br />
James Bearden<br />
Matthew & Loretta Beasley<br />
Rodney & Michelle Becker<br />
Harry & Marilyn Bennett<br />
Barry & Sandy Benton<br />
Delois Berry<br />
Joan Bilbo<br />
Greg & Keila Birge<br />
Wilber & Patti Bishop<br />
Kris Black<br />
Barry & Evetta Blanchfield<br />
Teia Blanchfield<br />
Tyrel & Klarissa Blanchfield<br />
Wes & Joanie Blumenberg<br />
Bennie & Marvel Boggess<br />
Bruce & Dori Boggess<br />
Edward Bonds<br />
Stephen & Kerri Boone<br />
Andrew & Helen Boskind<br />
Richard & Martha Boskind<br />
Harold Bowen<br />
Elizabeth Bowie<br />
Aubrey & Loretta Boyd<br />
James & Muriel Bradburn<br />
Neil & Debbie Brady<br />
Scott & Pamela Brady<br />
David & Cheryl Brannon<br />
Joseph & Melanie Brasher<br />
Mary Brauer<br />
Roger & Marian Brazzell<br />
Steve & Olive Breece<br />
Thomas & Stephanie Brogden<br />
Arthur & Susan Brooks<br />
John & Renee Brownlow<br />
Christopher Buddendorff<br />
Frank & Paulette Burford<br />
F.B. & June Bustin<br />
Eddie & Iris Butler<br />
Frances Butler<br />
Harvey & Carolyn Byram<br />
Jeannette Cagle<br />
Lynn Callaway<br />
Lynelle Callender<br />
Allen & Alveria Campbell<br />
Paul & Floyce Capelle<br />
Bertha Carithers<br />
Sharlene Carman<br />
Lisa Carpenter-Harris<br />
David & Gina Carter<br />
Lee & Marilyn Carter<br />
Donald & Michelle Chase<br />
Glen Lee & Ellen Chase<br />
Richard & Betty Chase<br />
Lucille Chavers<br />
Jonathan & Carol Cheek<br />
Bryan & Becky Cheever<br />
Troy & Margaret Chesney<br />
Wilma Chisholm<br />
Sarah Chung<br />
Ronda Churchwell<br />
Roy & Louann Clark<br />
Randall & Elizabeth Claus<br />
Rick & Marsha Claus<br />
Adell Claypool<br />
Charles & Phoebe Cleveland<br />
Jim & Ellen Clizbe<br />
Harold & Emma Coffin<br />
Isha Colbert<br />
Kenneth & Sandra Colburn<br />
Linda Coleman<br />
Lyndon & Doylene Cook<br />
Tim & Vivian Cook<br />
Brenda Cooper<br />
Murray Cooper<br />
Rafael Corsi<br />
Alfred & Lovely Cowley<br />
Virginia Coyle<br />
Ronald & Sylvia Crary<br />
John & Elsie Crawford<br />
Robert Crawford<br />
Mario & Celia Cruz<br />
Larry Curtis<br />
Ed & Laura Dancek<br />
Edward & Sandra Dancek<br />
Pauline David<br />
Macie Davis<br />
Steve Davis<br />
Woody & Donna Davis<br />
Don & Peggy Davis<br />
Renee Davis<br />
Jim DeArk<br />
Karen Delgado<br />
Shelia Deloach<br />
Richard Denney<br />
Barbara Derhalli<br />
Richard Dibiase<br />
Randy & Sharon Dobrowsky<br />
Shirley Dockham<br />
Daniel Drapiza<br />
Simonne Dupre<br />
Kenneth & Darlene Ecklund<br />
Luelle Ehrhardt<br />
Donald Eldred<br />
H.L. Eldred<br />
Trevor Eldred<br />
Lynn & Paula Elkins<br />
Wendy Erickson<br />
Felicidad Escobar<br />
M. Roger & Carolyn Eshelman<br />
Joel & Mary Everett<br />
Charles Everly<br />
Richard Fain<br />
Paul & Sarah Fanton<br />
Steve Fehlenberg<br />
Ismael & Ada Felico<br />
Robert Field<br />
Mary Floyd<br />
Thomas Flynn<br />
K.B. Foll<br />
W. Forde<br />
Wally & Mary Ellen Fox<br />
James & Monica France<br />
William & Judy Fredrick<br />
David & Janine Fries<br />
Ephraim Gammada<br />
Ivelisse Garcia<br />
Serge & LeAnn Gariepy<br />
John & Tami Geli<br />
Cheryl George<br />
Natalie George<br />
Greg & Nancy Gerard<br />
Jan & Joyce Gibson<br />
Kim Glass<br />
Denise Golden<br />
Frank & Hazel Goodwin<br />
Charles & Mary Lou Graves<br />
Mary Jane Graves<br />
Melanie Graves<br />
Rick & Denel Greve<br />
Joseph & Robin Grimsley<br />
Arvella Hadley<br />
Madeline Hailey<br />
David & Larayne Hall<br />
Bill & Juli Hamilton<br />
Bob Hamilton<br />
Julia Hamilton<br />
Marty & Carolyn Hamilton<br />
Steve & Melissa Hannah<br />
Sharron Hanni<br />
John & Blainette Hanson<br />
Greg & Allison Harper<br />
Lizanna Harris<br />
Wavery Harris<br />
Gene Harrison<br />
Ricky & Diane Harrow<br />
Durward & Erin Hass<br />
Duane & Ruby Hass<br />
Charles & Virginia Hawkins<br />
Willie Hay<br />
Lyle & Karla Helm<br />
Alice Hendricks<br />
Richard & Madeline Hevener<br />
Cleveland & Judith Hobdy<br />
Linda Holden<br />
Ronald Holt<br />
Paul & Patricia Hoover<br />
Lars Houmann<br />
Earl Hubbard<br />
Arnold & Sharon Hudson<br />
Lee Huff<br />
Eugene Hughes<br />
James Hulse<br />
Lorraine Ihrig<br />
Dennis & Febelain Imperio<br />
Jim Ingersoll<br />
Bruce & Janet Ivey<br />
Frederick Jackson<br />
Larry & Valerie Jackson<br />
Sheila Jackson<br />
Norma Jacobs<br />
Adele Jennings<br />
Angelica Jimenez<br />
Joe & Garla Johnson<br />
Mathew & Katie Johnson<br />
Michael Joiner<br />
Brian & Joan Jones<br />
Clifton Jones<br />
Donna Jones<br />
Donnell & Rochelle Jones<br />
Jimmy & Lynn Jones<br />
Donna Judy<br />
Annette Jurkonie<br />
Polly Justice<br />
Mercy Kasuku<br />
Don & Sandy Keele<br />
Laverne & Lishcia Keizer<br />
Joseph & Laurie Kersey<br />
Young Joo Kim<br />
Alicia King<br />
Beverly King<br />
Gerald & Edith King<br />
Debbie Klein<br />
David & Faith Kneller<br />
Randolph & Pamela Knight<br />
Hillard Knowles<br />
Don Koehler<br />
Daniel & Barbara Koliadko<br />
Ed & Cheryl Komorowski<br />
Gerald & Sandra Kovalski<br />
Jeffrey Kuhlman<br />
4 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
The Impact of a Life: A Tribute to Pastor Bothwell<br />
by Greg A. King<br />
There is a long list of teachers and fellow students who had a positive impact on my<br />
life during my years at GCA, and I am grateful for each one. However, one name that<br />
has a prominent place on that list and deserves special mention is Pastor Roger Bothwell.<br />
Pastor Bothwell did several things for which I will be eternally grateful. First, he<br />
manifested a genuine interest in all the students whom he served as GCA pastor. It was<br />
obvious that he loved us. He didn’t consider us to be bothersome pests, even though<br />
we were at an awkward stage in our lives, and our ideas, theological and otherwise,<br />
were sometimes misguided and mistaken. This interest that Pastor Bothwell took in<br />
young people eventually led him to invite three GCA graduates—one each year for<br />
three consecutive years—to live in his home while serving as his youth pastor in Des<br />
Moines, Iowa. All three of us are serving the church as either a university president<br />
(John McVay, ’76, at Walla Walla University) or theology professors (Barry Tryon, ’78,<br />
and I at Southern Adventist University).<br />
Second, he breathed new life into the people and stories found in Scripture. Prior to that time, these people and<br />
stories had not seemed very real to me. They seemed remote and distant, like characters and happenings from long ago<br />
and far away that weren’t very relevant to me as an academy student. But Pastor Bothwell preached with passion and<br />
enthusiasm, and he brought them to life for me. How I loved his preaching!<br />
Most importantly, he modeled what it meant to have a personal friendship with Jesus. While I knew about Jesus before<br />
coming to GCA, I can’t say that I really knew Him. Pastor Bothwell talked about Jesus as if He were a close friend,<br />
and I yearned for Jesus to be my friend also. Inspired by Pastor Bothwell’s preaching and example, I invited Jesus into<br />
my life as Savior and Lord.<br />
Thank you, Pastor Bothwell, for showing an interest in us, for making the biblical stories come alive, and for helping<br />
us to know Jesus as a friend. I, along with countless others, am in your debt.<br />
Greg A. King, GCA class of 1977, is dean of the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University.<br />
Timothy Kuntz<br />
Janet Kurzynske<br />
Mark Kurzynske<br />
Robert & Mary Kurzynske<br />
James Kusch<br />
Wretha Lang<br />
Charlene Larsen<br />
David & Shari Leader<br />
Donald & Ruthanne Leeper<br />
Olivier & Dawn Lemaitre<br />
Cindy Lerch<br />
Gerry Lewis<br />
Rod Lewis<br />
Cathy Lindsey<br />
Hew & Carolyn Lipscomb<br />
Lincoln Lloyd<br />
Vinmor Logan<br />
Kim Logan<br />
Jeff & Yolanda Londis<br />
C.J. & Jan Lopes<br />
Clemenceau & M. Lopes<br />
Michael Lopez<br />
Deana Luedtke<br />
Diane Macedo<br />
Vera Mackey<br />
Jimmy Martin<br />
Ralph & Nancy Massey<br />
Charles & Patricia Mauro<br />
Dennis & Vickie Mauro<br />
Mukesha Mbuguje<br />
Frances McCarter<br />
Jack & Susan McClarty<br />
Patricia McEachrane-Gross<br />
John McKeown<br />
Rolland & Virginia McKibbin<br />
J. Mark & Barbara McKinney<br />
James Ray & Phyllis McKinney<br />
Angeles Mercado<br />
Joseph & Lou Juan Mignogna<br />
Andy & Lisa Miller<br />
Eva Miller<br />
Everett & Cherry Miller<br />
Richard & Patti Miller<br />
V. Dan & Norma Miller<br />
Lisa Mills<br />
Warren & Joanne Minder<br />
Jewell Mitchell<br />
P.B. Mitchell<br />
Doug & Julie Mittleider<br />
Ken & Barbara Mittleider<br />
Wanda Mix<br />
David Monos<br />
Cina Moore<br />
Pierce & Pat Moore<br />
Gaddiel Morales-Burgos<br />
Don & Debbie Morgan<br />
Brenda Morrow<br />
Donna Mosby<br />
Richard Mosley<br />
Hector Mouson<br />
Patricia Muriel<br />
Randy & Janet Naus<br />
David & Judith Nelson<br />
George Nelson<br />
Marc Nelson<br />
Roger & Ethel Nelson<br />
Louise Nesbitt<br />
Arne & Colleen Nielsen<br />
Jeremy & Marcia Nordmeyer<br />
Benjamin & Joy Nwadike<br />
Bob & Jeanette Oblander<br />
Johnny O’Brien<br />
Gordon & Darlene Ochs<br />
Linda Ogle<br />
Amen Ohenhen<br />
Eliezeer Ortiz<br />
Brian & Tina Paradis<br />
Perry Parks<br />
Felix Pascual<br />
Henrick & Amanda Patterson<br />
George & Mary Patton<br />
Joseph & Debbie Paulson<br />
Jackie Payne<br />
Larry Payne<br />
Paul & Gail Pelley<br />
Margaret Peltier<br />
Tammie Peltier<br />
Tim Peltier<br />
Jose & Aixa Perez<br />
Louesa Peters<br />
Carol Phillips<br />
Earline Phillips<br />
Chris Pietszak<br />
Albert & Wilma Pillsbury<br />
Clarence & Anita Pillsbury<br />
Henry & Freda Pillsbury<br />
Leonard Pillsbury<br />
Joseph & Nancy Pinter<br />
Phillip Polley<br />
Glenn & Margaret Poole<br />
Peggy Ann Pottle<br />
Terry & Dana Pottle<br />
Albert & Floy Powell<br />
J. Lawrence Price<br />
Sherrenise Proctor<br />
Jorge & Ingrid Publillones<br />
Edwin & Assiria Ramos<br />
Homer & Laura Ramsay<br />
Donald Rapp<br />
Adama Rashid<br />
Mattie Redd<br />
Paul Rentz<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 5
Thank you for Impacting the Life of a Student<br />
The following list recognizes gifts received between 7/1/11 and 6/30/12<br />
Don Rhodes<br />
John Rhodes<br />
Lloyd & Doris Richards<br />
Lester & Rhonda Rilea<br />
Bobby and Roberta Robbins<br />
Gregg Robinzine<br />
Milton & Heidi Rogers<br />
Isamarie Rojas<br />
Wilfred & Lorrie Roscher<br />
Gary Russell<br />
David & Stacey Ryder<br />
Elizabeth Ryles<br />
Laurie Salmons<br />
Billy & Melinda Sams<br />
Sam & Connie Schutte<br />
Joyce Scurry<br />
Kathy Seeley<br />
John & Mary Sue Shaw<br />
Kevin Shaw<br />
Paula Shaw<br />
Reginald Sherrill<br />
Donald & Laura Short<br />
Ricky & Susan Shull<br />
Neil Sigler<br />
Horace & Darleen Simmonds<br />
Kevin Smerdon<br />
Carolyn Smith<br />
J. & Ruth Smith<br />
Pamela Smith<br />
Ronald & Jewel Smith<br />
Helen Socol<br />
Jennifer Wenzel<br />
Ernest & Carrie Staats<br />
Dennis & Tami Starkey<br />
Don & Doris Starkey<br />
Dennis & Libby Steele<br />
Ed Steelmon<br />
Tom & Joan Sterndale<br />
David & Jennifer Stewart<br />
Francis Stewart<br />
Glenda Stewart<br />
Richard & Bea Stitzer<br />
Mike & Heather Stovall<br />
John Strickland<br />
Dennis Suarez<br />
Martin Surridge<br />
Richard Sutton<br />
John Swafford<br />
Millard & Theresia Taylor<br />
Richard & Rosemary Teller<br />
Deborah Theus<br />
Thomas & Peggy Theus<br />
Virgil & Brenda Theus<br />
Lloyed Thomas<br />
Robin Thomas<br />
Warren & Glenda Thomas<br />
Billy & Linda Thompson<br />
Calvin Thompson<br />
Judith Thompson<br />
Verle Thompson<br />
Richard Tillotson<br />
Myron Titus<br />
Mark & Kaitlyn Torsney<br />
Frank & Peggy Totten<br />
Vincent & Jackie Turner<br />
Zanda Tutt<br />
Pam Tuttle<br />
F.D. Twombley<br />
Dale & Connie Twomley<br />
James & Dawn Ullmann<br />
Robert & Marianne Varney<br />
Carlos Viera<br />
Carlton Vollberg<br />
William Voorhies<br />
A. & L. WagenerSmith<br />
Dana & Dawn Wales<br />
Steven Watson<br />
Pete & Karen Weber<br />
The Positive Influence of a Peer<br />
By Melanie Wurl Dibiase<br />
Many times you could hear<br />
her before you saw her because<br />
of the bells she tied to her shoes.<br />
I remember her as one of the<br />
first new people I met when I<br />
arrived at GCA in the fall of<br />
1977. She was a senior and a<br />
veteran of GCA and I was a<br />
junior and a rookie at boarding<br />
school life. When I first met Judi “Bells” Boles (now<br />
Hartman), I was instantly struck by her ever-present<br />
smile and the personal interest she took in me. I was<br />
flattered when people began to say we looked like sisters<br />
and thankful that she instantly kinned me (kinned:<br />
a southern term that means to treat someone like family).<br />
As that school year went on, I became impressed<br />
at not only the kind way Judi treated everyone, but<br />
also by the words she spoke. Until I met Judi, I had<br />
never known a teenage girl as courageous and vocal<br />
Elizabeth Wells<br />
W. Westergard<br />
J.D. & Betty Westfall<br />
Dwayne White<br />
William Widdicombe<br />
Werner Wiedemann<br />
Robert Wielt<br />
Charles & Bonnie Wilkens<br />
Todd & Marsharee Wilkens<br />
Daphne Williams<br />
Robert Williams<br />
Roger & Mary Wilmoth<br />
Mack Wilson<br />
William Wilson<br />
Andy Windham<br />
Melvin Woodruff<br />
H. Doyce Worthy<br />
Ed & Marilyn Wright<br />
Jane Wright<br />
Sonny & Margie Wurl<br />
David & Shirley Wysong<br />
Charles & Joyce Young<br />
Jimmy Young<br />
Charles & Jeri Zacharias<br />
Harold & Carolyn Zacharias<br />
about her faith. I would sit in the audience in awe of the open<br />
way Judi would share her personal relationship with Jesus. She<br />
didn’t seem to be afraid of what her peers thought of her and<br />
I remember praying that someday I could be as fearless as Judi<br />
about my witness for Christ.<br />
Although Judi and I would share only one year at GCA together,<br />
I learned some very important things from her example.<br />
One important thing I learned from Judi was that I wasn’t too<br />
young to serve the Lord with the gifts He had given me. I<br />
learned that telling others about the good you see in them is<br />
one of the best gifts you can give. Judi’s example taught me to<br />
care less about what others thought of me and to be more concerned<br />
about what others thought about Jesus because of me.<br />
Judi and I only run into each other once every couple of years<br />
at GCA’s Alumni Weekends, but I will be forever grateful for the<br />
example she set and how her influence changed my life forever!<br />
Melanie Wurl Dibiase, class of 1979, teaches science at<br />
Georgia-Cumberland Academy.<br />
6 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
Alumni Who Gave<br />
The following list recognizes gifts received between 7/1/11 and 6/30/12<br />
Class of 1966<br />
Grant Tuttle<br />
Class of 1967<br />
Lana (Wemmer) Golden<br />
Terry Phillips<br />
Naomi (Newlon) Sigler<br />
Class of 1968<br />
George Whitman<br />
Class of 1969<br />
Carole Arellano<br />
Norman Fickling<br />
Caryn (Carman) Payne<br />
Don Wilson<br />
Class of 1970<br />
Barbara (Lee) Bearden<br />
Evelyn (Howe) Bishop<br />
Larry Rahn<br />
Vicki (Byrd) Rahn<br />
Randy Tryon<br />
Class of 1971<br />
Chris Lindsey<br />
Marialice (Carey) Morales<br />
Class of 1972<br />
Eldon Carman<br />
Cindi (Barrett) Tryon<br />
Class of 1973<br />
Alan Ashcraft<br />
Byron DeFoor<br />
Susan (Summerour) DeFoor<br />
Theresa (Klein) Doran<br />
Class of 1974<br />
Hal Coble<br />
Joni (Liles) Hamilton<br />
Jeff Holweger<br />
Eddie Klein<br />
Mark Richardson<br />
Class of 1975<br />
E. Sandy Carman<br />
Roger Elliston<br />
Danny Harris<br />
Brian Martin<br />
David Richardson<br />
Class of 1976<br />
Carolyn (Harris) Dalton<br />
John Dalton<br />
Paul Fuchcar<br />
George Graves<br />
Sherry Harrison<br />
Jeffery King<br />
Jeanie (Penner) Meyer<br />
Tami (Baker) Richardson<br />
Class of 1977<br />
Elva (Hoke) Bowman<br />
Valerie (Swanson) Breslow<br />
Teina (Crauswell) Curtis<br />
Greg Ennis<br />
Judy (McGhee) Fehlenberg<br />
Kimberly (Wygal) Miller<br />
Class of 1978<br />
Susan (Shanko) Bonds<br />
Richard Harris<br />
Denise (Mitchell) Hevener<br />
Marvin Wilson<br />
Class of 1979<br />
David Bishop<br />
Marcie (Hallum) Bowen<br />
Melanie (Wurl) Dibiase<br />
Michael Trivett<br />
Class of 1980<br />
Mark Brown<br />
Heidi (Dyke) Foulk<br />
Carmen (Wilson) Lau<br />
Yung Lau<br />
Laurie (Lee) Russell<br />
Class of 1981<br />
Robert Crawford<br />
Steve Harrison<br />
Lonnie Leech<br />
Carol Loree<br />
Class of 1982<br />
Cheryl Bowie-Thomas<br />
Kim Day<br />
Carol (Dickerhoff) Martin<br />
Steve Martin<br />
Jonathan Wurl<br />
Class of 1983<br />
James Bishop<br />
Sandy (Montaperto)<br />
Kuhlman<br />
Georgia (Butterfield) O’Brien<br />
Leslie (Johnson) Wurl<br />
Class of 1984<br />
Dewey Campbell<br />
Class of 1985<br />
Todd Hunt<br />
Stephen Johnson<br />
David Woodcock<br />
Class of 1986<br />
Trudy (Schrader) Porpiglia<br />
Class of 1987<br />
Todd Hold<br />
Jennifer (Theus) Steelmon<br />
Class of 1988<br />
Elizabeth (Theus) Glass<br />
Joel Peel<br />
Lora (Darbo) Pietszak<br />
Danny Song<br />
Class of 1989<br />
Anonymous<br />
Class of 1990<br />
Karen (Cordell) Pimek<br />
Class of 1991<br />
David Cook<br />
Lisa Swafford<br />
Class of 1993<br />
Kai Lawrence<br />
David Steele<br />
Class of 1995<br />
Darlene (Steele) Peterson<br />
Class of 1996<br />
Lisa (Brunner) Black<br />
Daniel Lee<br />
Holli (Witt) Payne<br />
David Self<br />
Class of 1997<br />
Michael Skinner<br />
Class of 1998<br />
Joseph Evins<br />
Class of 1999<br />
Greg Payne<br />
Ben Richardson<br />
Class of 2000<br />
Bliss (McClellan) Kuntz<br />
Nick Payne<br />
Class of 2001<br />
Randy White<br />
Sarah (King) Evins<br />
Class of 2004<br />
Joe Hartsock<br />
Class of 2005<br />
Brittany (Graves) Saunders<br />
Seth Sheldon<br />
Class of 2006<br />
Darren Fowler<br />
Class of 2007<br />
Allison (Gerard) Handel<br />
Christopher Lau<br />
Rebecca (Riggs) Lau<br />
Class of 2008<br />
Kyle Humphrey<br />
Class of 2009<br />
Kyle White<br />
Class of 2010<br />
Christian Jones<br />
Nathan MeHarry<br />
Class of <strong>2012</strong><br />
Alyce Hendricks<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 7
Thank you for Impacting the Life of a Student<br />
The following list recognizes gifts received between 7/1/11 and 6/30/12<br />
The Fountain Club<br />
$100 - $500<br />
Abbott Laboratories<br />
Adman Electric<br />
William Ambs<br />
American Imaging & Design<br />
Fred & Margaret Anderson<br />
Clifford & Nancy Arellano<br />
Patricia Beaman<br />
Matthew & Loretta Beasley<br />
Dennis & Marrian Biddinger<br />
Joan Bilbo<br />
Kris & Lisa Black<br />
Barry & Evetta Blanchfield<br />
Teia Blanchfield<br />
Edward & Susan Bonds<br />
The Impact<br />
of a Strong Leader<br />
By Nancy Gerard<br />
When the doors of this<br />
school opened in 1965,<br />
Elder Reifsnyder, first principal<br />
of GCA, had already<br />
been hard at work for a full<br />
year. The tasks of recruiting<br />
staff, recruiting students,<br />
making decisions about curricula,<br />
and thinking through<br />
the details of how to get<br />
the school up and running<br />
kept Ed Reifsnyder busy that first year. He was already<br />
an experienced leader, having served as principal of two<br />
schools prior to being invited by the Georgia-Cumberland<br />
Conference to bring GCA into existence.<br />
From the first, his spiritual leadership was evident.<br />
Early staff speak of the spiritual tone he helped set at this<br />
school. He was a man of faith and conviction. He was<br />
also a man of prayer.<br />
One’s first impression of Elder Reifsnyder could easily<br />
have been that he was strict and stern. Yet many stories<br />
circulate of the funny nicknames he gave people and of<br />
crazy escapades such as the whip cream fight in the cafeteria<br />
with a GCA student. He knew how to have fun with the<br />
kids and they knew he cared about them.<br />
Elder Reifsnyder passed away August 31, <strong>2012</strong> at the<br />
age of 92. The impact of his life and the legacy of leadership<br />
he left at Union Springs Academy, Spencerville Junior<br />
Academy, Mount Pisgah Academy, Georgia-Cumberland<br />
Academy, Shenandoah Valley Academy, Far Eastern Academy,<br />
and Sandia View Academy will be felt for eternity.<br />
Stephen & Kerri Boone<br />
Elizabeth Bowie<br />
Cheryl Bowie-Thomas<br />
Neil & Debbie Brady<br />
Scott & Pamela Brady<br />
David & Cheryl Brannon<br />
Mary Brauer<br />
Thomas & Stephanie Brogden<br />
Mark Brown<br />
John Brownlow<br />
Christopher Buddendorff<br />
Franklin & Paulette Burford<br />
Jeannette Cagle<br />
Calhoun Anesthesia, PC<br />
Calhoun OB-GYN Associates<br />
Larry Calloway<br />
Dewey Campbell<br />
Herbert & Bertha Carithers<br />
Herbert & Karen Carithers<br />
E. Sandy Carman<br />
Lee & Marilyn Carter<br />
Richard & Betty Chase<br />
Ronda Churchwell<br />
Rick & Marsha Claus<br />
Wilbur & Carol Claus<br />
James & Ellen Clizbe<br />
Isha Colbert<br />
Timothy & Virginia Cook<br />
Alfred & Lovely Cowley<br />
Jerry & Virginia Coyle<br />
Robert Crawford<br />
Larry & Teina Curtis<br />
John & Carolyn Dalton<br />
Dalton SDA Church<br />
Judy Dant<br />
Jacinta Davis<br />
Woody & Donna Davis<br />
Karen Delgado<br />
Karl & Shelia Deloach<br />
Barbara Derhalli<br />
Richard & Melanie Dibiase<br />
Randy & Sharon Dobrowsky<br />
Theresa Doran<br />
ETC Anesthesia, LLC<br />
Donald & H. L. Eldred<br />
Trevor & Asenath Eldred<br />
Lynn & Paula Elkins<br />
Felicidad Escobar<br />
Lee Evins<br />
First SDA Church of Huntsville<br />
Thomas Flynn<br />
R. J. & K. B. Foll<br />
Spencer & Jane Freeman<br />
Ephraim Gammada<br />
Serge & LeAnn Gariepy<br />
General Window Cleaning, Inc.<br />
Georgia Bank & Trust<br />
Elizabeth Glass<br />
Denise Golden<br />
Charles & Mary Lou Graves<br />
George & Melanie Graves<br />
Joseph & Robin Grimsley<br />
Stephen & Donna Grimsley<br />
Bob & Joni Hamilton<br />
Martin & Carolyn Hamilton<br />
Sharron Hanni<br />
Greg & Allison Harper<br />
Richard & Lizanna Harris<br />
W. Daniel Harris<br />
Gene Harrison<br />
Sherry Harrison<br />
Steve Harrison<br />
Rickey & Diane Harrow<br />
Bunnia Hass<br />
Duane & Ruby Hass<br />
Willie Hay<br />
Alyce Hendricks<br />
Richard & Denise Hevener<br />
Nellie Hoey<br />
Jeff & Jeri Holweger<br />
Lars & Julie Houmann<br />
Arnold & Sharon Hudson<br />
J. Todd & Kim Hunt<br />
Lorraine Ihrig<br />
Dennis & Febelain Imperio<br />
James Johnson<br />
Mathew & Jennifer Johnson<br />
Stephen & Jennifer Johnson<br />
Clifton Jones<br />
Jimmy & Lynn Jones<br />
Annette Jurkonie<br />
Polly Justice<br />
Don & Sandy Keele<br />
Hillard & Sarah Knowles<br />
Gerald & Sandra Kovalski<br />
Frank & Janet Kurzynske<br />
Robert & Mary Kurzynske<br />
La Grange SDA Church<br />
Lakeview SDA Church<br />
Wretha Lang<br />
Christopher & Rebecca Lau<br />
A. R. Lawrence<br />
8 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
David & Shari Leader<br />
Gerry & Mary Ellen Lewis<br />
Chris & Cathy Lindsey<br />
Hew & Carolyn Lipscomb<br />
Jeff & Yolanda Londis<br />
Lookout Mountain SDA Church<br />
C.J. Clemenceau & Jan Lopes<br />
Carol Loree<br />
Brian Martin<br />
Charles & Patricia Mauro<br />
Beryl McCollough<br />
McKee Foods Corporation<br />
James Ray & Phyllis McKinney<br />
Jeanie Meyer<br />
Richard & Patti Miller<br />
Andy & Lisa Miller<br />
David & Melinda Monos<br />
Cina Moore<br />
Gaddiel Morales-Burgos<br />
Al Morgan Fine Custom Jeweler<br />
Patricia Muriel<br />
Frank Myers<br />
Neighborhood Enterprises Inc.<br />
David & Judith Nelson<br />
George Nelson<br />
North Georgia Eye Care<br />
Benjamin & Joy Nwadike<br />
Bob & Jeanette Oblander<br />
Linda Ogle<br />
Amen Ohenhen<br />
Orthopaedic Technology<br />
Specialist Inc.<br />
Eliezeer Ortiz<br />
Felix & Rosina Pascual<br />
Henrick Patterson<br />
George & Mary Patton<br />
Joseph & Debbie Paulson<br />
Larry & Caryn Payne<br />
Joel & Jennifer Peel<br />
Margaret Peltier<br />
Tammie Peltier<br />
Tim Peltier<br />
Darlene Peterson<br />
Terry & Carol Phillips<br />
Karen Pimek<br />
Joseph & Nancy Pinter<br />
Glenn & Margaret Poole<br />
Stuart & Peggy Ann Pottle<br />
Terry & Dana Pottle<br />
Pro Health<br />
Larry & Vicki Rahn<br />
Donald & Donna Rapp<br />
Reeves Baptist Church<br />
Lloyd & Doris Richards<br />
David & Tami Richardson<br />
J. Ben Richardson<br />
Mark & Brenda Richardson<br />
Bobby & Roberta Robbins<br />
Milton & Heidi Rogers<br />
Isamarie Rojas<br />
Elizabeth Ryles<br />
Laurie Salmons<br />
Myrna Santana-Ortiz<br />
Thomas & Jennifer Scoggins<br />
Kevin & Terryn Shaw<br />
Terry & Paula Shaw<br />
Reginald Sherrill<br />
Shiloh SDA Church<br />
Silver Creek Presbyterian Church<br />
Horace & Darleen Simmonds<br />
Michael Slater<br />
Snowberry’s Pet Grooming<br />
& Boarding<br />
Southwest Motorsport Corp.<br />
Will & Dorothy Starr<br />
Stat Medical Services, Inc.<br />
David Steele<br />
Dennis & Libby Steele<br />
Ed & Jennifer Steelmon<br />
Steppel Family Trust<br />
Glenda Stewart<br />
Mike & Heather Stovall<br />
Stubbs Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc.<br />
TAG Manufacturing, Inc.<br />
Target (Take Charge of Education)<br />
The Capitol Group Companies, Inc.<br />
The Sample Barn, Inc.<br />
Thomas & Peggy Theus<br />
Virgil & Brenda Theus<br />
Joseph & Robin Thomas<br />
Lloyd & Cheryl Thomas<br />
Warren & Glenda Thomas<br />
William & Linda Thompson<br />
Myron & Shirley Titus<br />
Mark & Kaitlyn Torsney<br />
Michael Trivett<br />
Randy & Cindi Tryon<br />
Grant & Pam Tuttle<br />
F. D. & Barbara Twombley<br />
Carlton Vollberg<br />
Charles Webb<br />
Pete & Karen Weber<br />
Elizabeth Wells<br />
Larry West<br />
J. D. & Betty Westfall<br />
Dwayne & Beth-Anne White<br />
Randy White<br />
Robert & Mary Wielt<br />
Charles & Bonnie Wilkens<br />
Darryl & Laura Wilkens<br />
Wilkens Medical Group<br />
Robert Williams<br />
James & Paula Wilson<br />
William & Frances Wilson<br />
Wingdale SDA Church<br />
Ed & Marilyn Wright<br />
Jane Wright<br />
Sonny & Marjorie Wurl<br />
David & Shirley Wysong<br />
Charles & Joyce Young<br />
Jimmy & Telly Young<br />
Charles & Jeri Zacharias<br />
Tonya Zehm<br />
The <strong>Cumberlite</strong> Club<br />
$500 - $1000<br />
Carole Arellano<br />
Mike & Nancy Best<br />
David Bishop<br />
Bruce & Dori Boggess<br />
Harold & Marcie Bowen<br />
Elva Bowman<br />
Bowman Hills SDA Church<br />
Steve & Olive Breece<br />
Buford Family SDA Church<br />
Donald & Michelle Chase<br />
Jonathan & Carol Cheek<br />
Bryan & Becky Cheever<br />
Harold & Emma Coffin<br />
Conyers SDA Church<br />
Edward & Laura Dancek<br />
Deltona SDA Church<br />
Richard & Melanie Dibiase<br />
East Pasco SDA Church<br />
Georgia Emergency Care, PC<br />
Paul & Patricia Hoover<br />
Earl & Helga Hubbard<br />
Iglesia Central SDA – Lawrenceville<br />
Jasper SDA Church<br />
Hedren Johnson<br />
Sang Baek & Jae Weon Kim<br />
Randolph & Pamela Knight<br />
Jeffrey & Sandy Kuhlman<br />
Learning Labs<br />
Vinmor Logan<br />
Marietta SDA Church<br />
Steve & Carol Martin<br />
Jack & Susan McClarty<br />
Lisa Mills<br />
Robert & Marialice Morales<br />
Moultrie SDA Church<br />
North Atlanta Hispanic SDA Church<br />
Northwest Georgia Surgical<br />
Associates,PC<br />
Our Military Kids, Inc.<br />
Marvin & Eun Hee Peek<br />
Chris & Lora Pietszak<br />
Phillip Polley<br />
Rome SDA Church<br />
Rossville SDA Church<br />
Donald & Laura Short<br />
Pamela Smith<br />
Ronald & Jewel Smith<br />
Southern Adventist University<br />
SouthernCare Family Medicine<br />
Don & Doris Starkey<br />
Sysco Food Services<br />
of Atlanta, LLC<br />
Wichita <strong>Fall</strong>s SDA Church<br />
Don & Elizabeth Wilson<br />
Mack & Geraldine Wilson<br />
Marvin Wilson<br />
Harold & Carolyn Zacharias<br />
The Academy Club<br />
$1000 - $2000<br />
Accident Care Center of Boggy<br />
Creek, Inc.<br />
Daniel Ahn & Susan Kim Ahn<br />
Anonymous<br />
Matthew & Michelle Arant<br />
Barry & Sandy Benton<br />
Delois Berry<br />
Greg & Keila Birge<br />
Wilber & Pattie Bishop<br />
Glen Lee & Ellen Chase<br />
Thomas & Pauline Davis<br />
Byron & Susan DeFoor<br />
Roger Elliston<br />
Tony Farrell Investments, LLC<br />
Steve & Judy Fehlenberg<br />
Flash Point Community Church<br />
Gregory & Nancy Gerard<br />
Guntersville SDA Church<br />
Steve & Melissa Hannah<br />
Todd & Brooke Hold<br />
Jellico SDA Church<br />
Katie Johnson<br />
Brian & Joan Jones<br />
Gerald & Edith King<br />
Jeffrey & Alicia King<br />
Edward & Debbie Klein<br />
Daniel & Barbara Koliadko<br />
James & Linda Kusch<br />
Lynn & Charlene Larsen<br />
Diane Da Silva Macedo<br />
F. Patricia McEachrane-Gross<br />
Angeles Mercado<br />
Wanda Mix<br />
Robert & Marialice Morales<br />
Newton County SDA Church<br />
Noble SDA Church<br />
Northern California Conference<br />
John & Georgia O’Brien<br />
Orchard Park SDA Church<br />
Jose & Aixa Perez<br />
Earline Phillips<br />
Plymouth-Sorrento SDA Church<br />
Mayra Robertson<br />
Sam Schutte<br />
Deborah Theus<br />
West Atlanta Endodontics<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 9
Thank you for Impacting the Life of a Student<br />
The following list recognizes gifts received between 7/1/11 and 6/30/12<br />
The Power of a Teacher<br />
By Marialice Carey Morales<br />
When I saw a photo<br />
of Mrs. Ellen Clizbe in a<br />
recent issue of the <strong>Cumberlite</strong>,<br />
it got me thinking<br />
of what an inspiration she<br />
was to me! I credit her<br />
with giving me my first<br />
taste of academic competition—I<br />
was ready<br />
to take on the world<br />
after that! Shorthand.<br />
She taught me shorthand.<br />
She was hilarious,<br />
a breath of fresh air every<br />
day with her business-like, “let’s do it, girls!” attitude. I<br />
can still hear her high heels as she walked through the<br />
classroom, in her “executive secretary” manner, commanding<br />
attention as no other teacher had done. She was also<br />
a young mother and shared the antics of her young son.<br />
As I write this, I am vacationing with my two best<br />
girlfriends, one of whom is sixteen years younger than me.<br />
Conversation is endless and timeless and eventually turns<br />
to high school. I thought about the contrast between the<br />
advancing technology included in the curriculum today<br />
versus the shorthand class I took. My friend Kate spoke<br />
about a recent experience on a negotiation team at work,<br />
discussing terms of a new contract with organized labor.<br />
The leader of the negotiation team, a woman my age, was<br />
proficient in shorthand. This became a strategic way of<br />
recording the conversation and taking detailed notes that<br />
no one else could decipher.<br />
While chunks of curriculum have been discarded over<br />
the years in the name of progress, I would love for Mrs.<br />
Clizbe to know that there are still times where skills like<br />
shorthand can be invaluable.<br />
What is taught in school changes, but what remains<br />
constant is the power of a teacher.<br />
Marialice Carey Morales, class of 1971, lives in the<br />
Garden District of New Orleans with her husband,<br />
Robert.<br />
West Georgia Endodontics, PC<br />
Jonathan & Leslie Wurl<br />
GCA Partners<br />
$2000 - $10,000<br />
Atlanta North SDA Church<br />
Bennie & Marvel Boggess<br />
Richard & Martha Boskind<br />
F. B. & June Bustin<br />
Calhoun SDA Church<br />
Eldon & Sharlene Carman<br />
Chase Farms, Inc.<br />
Chattanooga First SDA Church<br />
Lucille Chavers<br />
Cherokee SDA Church<br />
Sarah Chung<br />
Cohutta SDA Church<br />
Mario & Celia Cruz<br />
Dalton Hispanic SDA Church<br />
Edward & Sandra Dancek<br />
Macie Davis<br />
Vincent Dublin<br />
Ephesus SDA Church<br />
M. Roger & Carolyn Eshelman<br />
Joseph & Sarah Evins<br />
Richard & Colleen Fain<br />
Fayette SDA Church<br />
Paul Fuchcar<br />
Georgia Cumberland<br />
Academy Church<br />
Georgia-Cumberland SSO<br />
Gordon Hospital<br />
David & Larayne Hall<br />
Lyle & Karla Helm<br />
Alice Hendricks<br />
Linda Holden<br />
J. Larry & Valerie Jackson<br />
Joe & Garla Johnson<br />
Laverne & Lishcia Keizer<br />
Young Joo Kim<br />
Live Well Christian Foundation<br />
Yung & Carmen Lau<br />
Donald & Ruthanne Leeper<br />
Kim Logan Counseling<br />
Ralph & Nancy Massey<br />
J. Mark & Barbara McKinney<br />
Jewell Mitchell<br />
Doug & Julie Mittleider<br />
Kenneth & Barbara Mittleider<br />
Palmetto SDA Church<br />
Nick & Holly Payne<br />
Pleasant View SDA Church<br />
Edwin & Assiria Ramos<br />
Thomas & Connie Schutte<br />
Ricky & Susan Shull<br />
Danny & Jennifer Song<br />
Dennis & Tami Starkey<br />
John Strickland<br />
Richard & Patricia Sutton<br />
The Poiema Foundation, Inc.<br />
J. A. Thomas & Associates<br />
Calvin Thompson<br />
Tullahoma SDA Church<br />
Village Chapel SDA Church<br />
Wimbish Road SDA Church<br />
Andy & Debra Windham<br />
David Woodcock<br />
H. Doyce & Mary Ellen Worthy<br />
GCA Leaders<br />
$10,000 and Up<br />
Don & Peggy Day<br />
Georgia-Cumberland Conference<br />
John & Blainette Hanson<br />
Norma Jacobs<br />
Clemenceau & M. M. Lopes<br />
J. Brian & Tina Paradis<br />
Southern Union Conference<br />
The Institute for Educational<br />
Advancement, Inc.<br />
Dr. Zanda Tutt<br />
George Whitman<br />
Todd & Marsharee Wilkens<br />
Versacare, Inc.<br />
10 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
Thank you to those who donated to a Georgia Student<br />
Scholarship Organization (SSO) on behalf of GCA<br />
Daniel Ahn & Susan Kim<br />
Altacare Corporation<br />
Carole Arellano<br />
Matthew & Loretta Beasley<br />
Barry & Sandra Benton<br />
Greg & Keila Birge<br />
David & Cheryl Brannon<br />
Martha Briggs<br />
Eldon & Sharlene Carman<br />
Brad & Tina Carrick<br />
Donald & Michelle Chase<br />
Linda Clough<br />
Randy & Lynn Coble<br />
Richard & Melanie Dibiase<br />
Gary & Janice Edgmon<br />
Steve & Judy Fehlenberg<br />
Joseph & Velda Formato<br />
Greg & Nancy Gerard<br />
Brent & Synnova Goodge<br />
Ben Harbour<br />
Durward & Erin Hass<br />
Jennifer Hasselbrack<br />
Lyle & Karla Helm<br />
Paul & Patricia Hoover<br />
Allen & Stacey Hufstetler<br />
Charles Hufstetler<br />
Herman & Patricia Hunt<br />
James & Valerie Jackson<br />
Robert & Alyssa Keehn<br />
Laverne & Lishcia Keizer<br />
Jeffrey & Alicia King<br />
Loren & Rita King<br />
James & Jenny Klemm<br />
Daniel & Kelli Lamberton<br />
Kathryn McGhee<br />
Michael Morgan<br />
Vincent Mulkowsky<br />
Beverley Nam<br />
Doug & Candace Nesmith<br />
Frank Patterson, Jr.<br />
Joseph & Debbie Paulson<br />
Larry & Caryn Payne<br />
Terry & Dana Pottle<br />
Cory & Amanda Reeves<br />
Marc & Elizabeth Rosen<br />
Donald & Laura Short<br />
David & Cheryl Smith<br />
Dennis & Tami Starkey<br />
David Steele<br />
Dennis & Libby Steele<br />
Deborah Theus<br />
Virgil & Brenda Theus<br />
William & Renee Theus<br />
Janet Underwood<br />
Kent & Joan Van Arsdell<br />
Pete & Karen Weber<br />
Jonathan & Leslie Wurl<br />
Loel & Margie Wurl<br />
For more information on<br />
SSO giving in the state<br />
of Georgia and the tax<br />
credit you can receive<br />
for this type of donation,<br />
contact Nancy Gerard at<br />
706.625.7166 or email her<br />
at nagerard@gcasda.org.<br />
The Impact of a Role Model: Wally Believed in Me<br />
By Nancy Gerard and Bryan Olmstead<br />
By the time Bryan<br />
Olmstead arrived at GCA<br />
the middle of his senior<br />
year he had already been<br />
expelled from multiple<br />
schools. Bryan was a<br />
fighter and self-admittedly<br />
pretty rough around<br />
the edges. His challenging<br />
home life had taught<br />
him to fight back against<br />
threatening people or circumstances<br />
and that was<br />
how he took on the world.<br />
When he came to<br />
GCA in January of 1981,<br />
Bryan’s guard was up. Whether it was a conscious decision<br />
on Wally Fox’s part, Bryan never knew, but it seemed that<br />
Mr. Fox took him under his wing, choosing to treat this<br />
tough kid gently and with complete trust. That approach<br />
won Bryan over. Why would he ever want to do anything<br />
to betray that trust or disappoint the person who treated him<br />
with such kindness and respect?<br />
Looking back on that difficult time of his life, Bryan acknowledges<br />
that Wally Fox strongly influenced the man he has<br />
now become. “In terms of showing me what Jesus was like,<br />
Wally ‘put it to work.’ I knew I could be better because I saw<br />
Wally being better. He helped me learn to control my rage by<br />
setting a calm example. He saw something in me that other<br />
teachers and coaches weren’t able to see.”<br />
Even though Bryan was only a student at GCA for one<br />
semester, his friendship with Wally Fox has continued through<br />
the years. “Wally was there for me at a critical time in my life<br />
and I will always be there for him.” His influence came at just<br />
the right time for this troubled young man and through the<br />
kindness and trust shown him, Wally Fox helped change a life.<br />
Bryan Olmstead, class of 1981, lives in Mississippi but stops by<br />
GCA from time to time to visit with Wally Fox.<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 11
Alumni Updates<br />
Ila Ballard, Former Staff, passed away on May<br />
22, <strong>2012</strong>. She had been cared for in a Calhoun, GA<br />
nursing home prior to her death.<br />
Chris Juhl, Former Staff, is the English and<br />
Bible teacher at Louisville Adventist Academy.<br />
He was recently presented with the Excellence<br />
in Teaching Award, from the Alumni Awards<br />
Foundation.<br />
E.F. Reifsnyder,<br />
Former Staff, and<br />
GCA’s first principal,<br />
passed away on<br />
August 31, <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
He was 92 years<br />
old at the time of<br />
his death and is<br />
survived by Eloise,<br />
his wife of 72 years,<br />
two sons and their wives, grandchildren, and great<br />
grandchildren. Elder Reifsnyder served at many<br />
church institutions throughout his working years as<br />
a teacher, dean, pastor and principal. In addition, he<br />
established the Gordon County (GA) Fire Department<br />
on the campus at GCA.<br />
Eldon Roberts, Former Staff, is currently<br />
teaching grades 5-8 at the Adventist school in<br />
Pensacola, FL.<br />
John H. Thomas, Former Staff, is an Associate<br />
Secretary for the General Conference of Seventhday<br />
Adventists.<br />
Nancy E. Thomas, Former Staff, is currently<br />
working as an office assistant in the Health<br />
Ministries Department of the General Conference.<br />
She enjoys quilt making in her spare time.<br />
Victor Emmanuel Croft, Class of 1975, passed<br />
away this past summer. He is survived by his<br />
parents Lawson and Betty Croft, uncles, aunts,<br />
cousins, and friends whom he enjoyed being with<br />
and loved dearly. He was employed by Chicago<br />
Review Press Independent Publisher’s group after<br />
attending Southern Adventist University and Florida<br />
State University. Victor was 54 at the time of his<br />
death.<br />
Princess Gail Wilson, Class of 1978, lives in<br />
South Carolina and is Vice President & Executive<br />
Director of City Year Columbia. This non-profit<br />
organization is focused on International Education.<br />
David Denton, Class of 1983, is the new principal<br />
of Forest Lake Academy. Previous to this transition,<br />
David served as principal of Madison Academy and<br />
Atlanta Adventist Academy.<br />
Sherilyn (Byers) O’Ffill, Class of 1990, is<br />
currently living in College Park, MD with her husband<br />
Mark and their son Alec. She is the Associate Youth<br />
Director of the Potomac Conference.<br />
Peter Hwang, Class of 1993, is the President/CEO<br />
of 3V Korea Company, Ltd. This company provides<br />
smoothie concentrates to smoothie, ice-cream,<br />
yogurt, and fruit juice franchises in Asia.<br />
Darlene (Steele) Peterson, Class of 1995, is<br />
currently a part-time dental hygienist in a pediatric/<br />
general practice dental office in Columbia, MD. She<br />
is a happy mother to 1½ year old, Emily, and wife<br />
of Robby.<br />
Quantrilla Carter, Class of 1998, is beginning her<br />
PhD dissertation in the Spring of 2013 in maternal<br />
and child health.<br />
Clint and Shannon (Courey) Higginbotham,<br />
Classes of 1999 & 1997, welcomed Layla Madison<br />
into their family on August 24, <strong>2012</strong>. Layla is the<br />
little sister to big brothers Maddox and Deacon.<br />
Carrie (Winland) Bradbury, Class of 2001,<br />
recently graduated from Hill College with her A.A.<br />
degree in Liberal Arts. She is currently married and<br />
has an 11 year old son.<br />
Melissa (Harper) Blackwelder, Class of 2002,<br />
and her husband, Tyler, welcomed Rowan Daniel to<br />
their family this past summer. Rowan was born on<br />
August 29, 201, weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz., and was 19<br />
inches long.<br />
Rachel (Wellborn) Crabtree, Class of 2003,<br />
and her husband, Ben, welcomed Lincoln Tyler<br />
Crabtree, born on Friday, Sept. 28. He weighed 7<br />
lbs., 13 oz. and was 20 inches long.<br />
Tiffany (Foley) Kite, Class of 2003, and her<br />
husband, Jeff, welcomed their first child, Allison<br />
Rose, to their family on April 21, <strong>2012</strong>. Tiffany is a<br />
surgical nurse at Florida Hospital Altamonte and Jeff<br />
is a recruiter at the Adventist University of Health<br />
Sciences.<br />
Richard Dickerson, Class of 2004, is head boy’s<br />
dean and physical education teacher at Dakota<br />
Adventist Academy.<br />
Bonnie Echeverria, Class of 2005, is a student<br />
at the medical school at Montemorelos University<br />
in Mexico.<br />
Lars Phelps and Christine Sumner, both Class<br />
of 2005, were married in a Chattanooga, TN<br />
wedding on October 13.<br />
Brittany (Graves) Saunders, Class of 2005, was<br />
married to Billy Saunders on August 5, <strong>2012</strong> in a<br />
Collegedale, TN wedding. The pair live and work in<br />
Loma Linda, California.<br />
Nathan DeWild, Class of 2006, is working for<br />
Journey Films as the Director of Photography. He<br />
is currently working on two films about Adventists.<br />
Matt and Elizabeth (Hernandez) Taylor, Class<br />
of 2006, recently moved to Colorado. Matt is doing<br />
design work at Colorado Signs and Elizabeth is<br />
working as a nurse.<br />
Lemmy Recinos, Class of 2006, was married to<br />
Nicole Ley on Sunday, July 29, <strong>2012</strong> at Chattanooga<br />
First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Lemmy is a<br />
structural engineer at a firm in Columbus, Ohio and<br />
his wife is in the P.A. program at Kettering College<br />
of Medical Arts.<br />
Kim (Camp) Campbell, Class of 2006, and her<br />
husband gave birth to Joshua Landon on August<br />
10, <strong>2012</strong>. Joshua weighed 7lbs. 11oz. and was 21<br />
inches long.<br />
Kevin Young, Class of 2006, was married to Sarah<br />
Shield on Sunday, July 29, <strong>2012</strong> in Chattanooga,<br />
TN. The Kevin and Sara are is in graduate programs<br />
at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.<br />
Lauren Dickerson, Class of 2007, was married<br />
to Andrew Barnett on September 2, <strong>2012</strong> in Lincoln,<br />
NE.<br />
Joshua Carithers, Class of 2008, was married<br />
to Rachel Knittel in a Chattanooga, TN wedding<br />
on October 14. The couple will be living in the<br />
Chattanooga area where they work as nurses.<br />
LaToya Foster, Class of 2008, is serving as a<br />
student missionary in Valle de Angeles, Honduras.<br />
She is working at the Adventist hospital as a<br />
12 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
Alumni Updates<br />
registered nurse and volunteering at the local<br />
orphanage.<br />
Hans Von Walter, Class of 2008, was a recent<br />
contestant in the taping of Who Wants to Be a<br />
Millionare. Hans is a first year medical student at<br />
Loma Linda University Medical School.<br />
Jordan Arellano, Class of 2009, is working as<br />
a student missionary in Bene Adventist Hospital in<br />
Bene, Chad as a hospital assistant.<br />
Bryan Bankhead, Class of 2009, is working<br />
part time at Dane Systems LLC as a Controls<br />
Engineering Intern. He is also attending Andrews<br />
University majoring in Computer and Electrical<br />
Engineering.<br />
Keith King, Class of 2009, is serving as a student<br />
missionary in Kenya. He is an Assistant Dean at<br />
Maxwell Academy and is also teaching P.E.<br />
Tara Thompson, Class of 2009, is serving as a<br />
student missionary in Cameroon, Africa. She is in<br />
the remote village of Lassin where she is teaching<br />
3 rd -6 th grades.<br />
Amanda (Perez) Harden, Class of 2010, was<br />
married to Marcus Harden on Friday, August 10,<br />
<strong>2012</strong> in Cumming, Georgia. Amanda serves as a<br />
Bible worker for the Upper Columbia Conference.<br />
GCA Alumni and Friends Meet in the D.C. Area<br />
GCA alumni, former staff and friends gathered for our first<br />
Washington, D.C. area event.<br />
It was a beautiful, early fall day in Maryland when on September<br />
16 a group of GCA alumni, former staff, and friends<br />
gathered for a delicious brunch and the opportunity to share<br />
their common bond – Georgia-Cumberland Academy.<br />
As the group gathered and introductions were made, the<br />
GCA connections and networks<br />
began to emerge. “We were at<br />
GCA together back in . . .” or “Do<br />
you remember . . .?” Even when<br />
people’s lives don’t cross paths<br />
at GCA it seems there is always<br />
something in common.<br />
The event, organized by Darlene<br />
Steele Peterson, ’95, and<br />
Quanny Carter Ard, ’98, included a<br />
delicious brunch and time to reminisce<br />
and share stories. Principal<br />
Greg Gerard also gave an update<br />
on the current status of GCA and<br />
answered questions from guests.<br />
Quanny Carter Ard enjoyed<br />
making new connections. “I’m<br />
so glad that I was able to meet<br />
other GCA alumni and friends<br />
in the DC metro area. Though I<br />
only knew a few attendees, having<br />
a shared history made me<br />
feel as if I were among family.<br />
I hope this is the beginning of<br />
many more fellowship opportunities to come.”<br />
Nancy Gerard and Danny<br />
Harris, class of ‘75, enjoyed the<br />
opoportunity to reconnect.<br />
Darlene Steele Peterson reflected on the event, as well.<br />
“It was great to see some old friends and get acquainted<br />
with new friends. It would have been nice to have a larger<br />
turnout knowing that so many GCA alumni live in the area,<br />
but maybe next year. I’m so proud of my alma mater and<br />
what they are doing to make Christ relevant in the lives of<br />
young people today.”<br />
Thanks to Beltsville Adventist School<br />
for the use of their facilities for our event.<br />
But our biggest thank you goes to all<br />
who came out for this first-time GCA<br />
regional event.<br />
If you live in the Washington, D.C.<br />
area and were not able to join us, we hope<br />
you can make it next time!<br />
Alumnus Sherlyn (Byers) O’Ffill, with husband,<br />
Mark, and their son, Alec, enjoyed visiting with<br />
John and Nancy Thomas, former GCA staff<br />
members.<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 13
GCA News<br />
GCA Fire Truck Donated to Gordon County<br />
GCA’s old fire truck has a new home with the<br />
One of the early fire trucks used at Georgia-Cumberland<br />
Academy, when this campus was the first location of the Gordon<br />
County Fire<br />
Department, recently<br />
changed<br />
hands. With a<br />
keen interest in<br />
preserving the<br />
history of the<br />
county fire department,<br />
local<br />
fire officials approached<br />
GCA<br />
administration<br />
Gordon County Fire Department.<br />
some time back about the idea of restoring our 1946 Ford fire<br />
truck. As discussions proceeded, the idea of donating the truck<br />
Staff Excellence Awards<br />
Three staff members were recently honored for their<br />
outstanding work at Georgia-Cumberland Academy. Parents<br />
in Support of GCA leaders annually select two or three staff<br />
members to receive the Appreciation of Excellence award. This<br />
honor comes with a generous cash gift, as well as recognition<br />
at the Parents’ Weekend brunch.<br />
This year’s winners of the excellence awards were Candace<br />
Nesmith, vocal music teacher; Deborah Theus, treasurer; and<br />
Mark Torsney, instrumental music teacher. Congratulations to<br />
these outstanding GCA staff members!<br />
Excellence Award recipients this year were Deborah Theus, Mark<br />
Torsney and Candace Nesmith.<br />
Greg Gerard hands over the paperwork for the<br />
donated fire truck to Fire Chief, David Hawkins,<br />
while Nancy Gerard and Lt. Dotti Payne, Fire<br />
Inspector, look on.<br />
to the County for<br />
restoration and<br />
historic purposes<br />
seemed to make<br />
the best sense.<br />
While the<br />
truck will be<br />
owned and kept by<br />
the Gordon County<br />
Fire Department<br />
to be used in parades<br />
and for historical<br />
purposes,<br />
it will be made available to Georgia-Cumberland Academy<br />
when we want to use it for Alumni Weekends or other special<br />
occasions.<br />
New Leadership Class<br />
Enhances GCA’s<br />
Curriculum<br />
What makes a person accomplished? In the eyes of many<br />
people in today’s society, being wealthy is what makes a<br />
person successful, while others believe that having an exorbitant<br />
amount of book knowledge is the key to success. At<br />
Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA), the administration<br />
believes that in order for students to become “accomplished”<br />
they need to have, among other things, good communication<br />
and leadership skills. This has led to the integration of<br />
a new course into the curriculum for the GCA sophomores<br />
of <strong>2012</strong>: Leadership.<br />
Dr. Greg Gerard, has a big picture view of the purpose<br />
of the Leadership class. “We want students who graduate<br />
from GCA to have studied and experienced what it means to<br />
influence and lead people. Because leadership is dependent<br />
upon the leader possessing strength of character, developing<br />
leaders makes GCA a better school. We want GCA alumni to<br />
be known as leaders.”<br />
Contributed by Jessica Ahn and Nancy Gerard<br />
14 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
GCA News<br />
GCA Staff Transitions<br />
Nick Babin is spending a year serving as<br />
an intern at Georgia Cumberland Academy.<br />
He is working at the computer help desk<br />
as an assistant to Ernest Staats, I.T. director.<br />
Before coming to GCA Nick was attending<br />
Union College working towards a degree<br />
in Computer Science with an emphasis on<br />
Information Systems. Being in this major,<br />
required that Nick have an internship. When he heard GCA<br />
was looking for I.T. help, he sent in his resume that day. “I love<br />
working with kids,” says Nick, “Each day provides me with<br />
opportunities to have new experiences with the students.” Nick<br />
is an alumnus of GCA, Class of 2006. He hopes the knowledge<br />
and experience he will continue to gain here will be an asset<br />
to him as he begins his career in Information Systems.<br />
Ines Garcia has joined the GCA food service<br />
staff this year. Prior to her employment<br />
at GCA, Ines has worked in floral design,<br />
food service and human resources. Ines<br />
and her husband have three children: one<br />
at Walla Walla University, another who is a<br />
GCA sophomore, and their youngest, who<br />
attends Coble Elementary School. Ines has<br />
always appreciated Christian education, but after working in<br />
an Adventist school in New York, she says she “fell in love”<br />
with Christian education. “I love working with the kids here<br />
at GCA. It’s not really work; it’s a privilege!”<br />
Todd Hunt, GCA alumnus, Class of 1985,<br />
has recently become one of the assistant<br />
boys’ deans after working eight years as<br />
an accountant in the GCA business office.<br />
Being in charge of a bunch of teenage boys<br />
comes with great responsibilities, but Hunt<br />
has a positive outlook on this new occupation.<br />
He feels that he has “extra purpose” in<br />
knowing that he could be making a positive difference in the<br />
students’ lives. Hunt’s mission is centered in Christ and this has<br />
become obvious to those around him. Joshua Robinson, one<br />
of the boys’ dorm RA’s, works with him on a regular basis.<br />
“Coach Hunt is very passionate about his position and the<br />
success of the guys,” he says. “I know that I can always rely on<br />
him to be a good example of Christ’s love.”<br />
Tamara Mallory, assistant treasurer, is<br />
replacing Todd Hunt in the GCA business<br />
office and comes to us from Collegedale,<br />
TN. Tamara has served in the Michigan<br />
Conference as an auditor and taught at<br />
Great Lakes Adventist Academy. Tamara’s<br />
husband, Mickey, is the senior pastor of the<br />
Standifer Gap SDA Church in Tennesee and<br />
the couple has two young-adult aged children who are college<br />
students. Tamara says the biggest reason she was attracted to this<br />
job at GCA was, “because I worked at Great Lakes Adventist<br />
Academy for 14 years and miss the students. I am a big supporter<br />
of Christian education. I don’t think I would be in the<br />
church today if it wasn’t for attending an Adventist academy<br />
and college. I am thrilled to be a part of a team of professionals<br />
who have the mission of sharing Christ’s love and salvation<br />
with the students. This is what gives me motivation every day.”<br />
Lauren Peterson saw how incredibly vibrant<br />
Georgia-Cumberland Academy was<br />
and knew she wanted to be a part of it.<br />
She moved here from Walla Walla, WA, following<br />
undergraduate work at Walla Walla<br />
University and before she begins medical<br />
school next year. This past summer Lauren<br />
married Martin Surridge who is currently<br />
teaching English at GCA. Lauren enjoys being involved in<br />
many areas of GCA life. She is teaching drama, coaching volleyball,<br />
and taking on all the duties of an assistant chaplain.<br />
Lauren is surprised by the significant presence of student<br />
leadership. “Students aren’t just eager to get involved- they<br />
are eager to lead out in activities.” We are so lucky to have<br />
Chaplain Lauren on our campus.<br />
Karen Schmidt is a familiar face to those<br />
who have been around GCA for awhile.<br />
Karen served as GCA’s school nurse for<br />
several years in the early and mid 2000’s then<br />
decided to retire. After Kelli Jo (Leeper)<br />
Lamberton, ’04, left the school nurse position<br />
last spring when her baby was born, the<br />
position became open again. Karen decided<br />
she was ready to come back and take up the role of school<br />
Continued on page 16<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 15
GCA News<br />
Continued from page 15<br />
nurse again. Her year has started off with a bang due to an<br />
outbreak of flu hitting the school earlier than normal. We are<br />
grateful to have Karen back on the GCA staff!<br />
We welcome John Slocumb to our<br />
campus this year as an assistant boys’<br />
dean. John graduated from Georgia-<br />
Cumberland Academy in 2009. He says<br />
his relationships with staff while a student<br />
at GCA changed him and he would like<br />
to be a role model and mentor for the<br />
students now. Before coming to GCA,<br />
John was enrolled at Macon state college<br />
majoring in information technology. Even though he can’t<br />
see himself being a dean in the future, John enjoys interacting<br />
with the guys in the dorm. He also enjoys working with<br />
Dean Nesmith.<br />
Another new addition to the GCA staff<br />
this year, but a familiar person to many of<br />
the students, is Andrea Young, assistant<br />
girls’ dean. Andrea came to this community<br />
a few years ago when her daughter,<br />
Adrianna (class of ‘2011) was a student<br />
here. Two years ago, Andrea helped with<br />
student transportation but had always prayed that perhaps God<br />
would give her the opportunity to try her hand at deaning.<br />
That door opened this past summer when one of the assistant<br />
dean positions became available. The girls seem happy God<br />
answered her prayer. Caresse Hobdy commented, “I really<br />
enjoy having Dean Andrea here in the dorm. I find it really<br />
easy to talk to her about anything. She’s really cool and sweet.<br />
She’s like a mom away from home to me!”<br />
Contributed by Chelsea Dancek, Sarah Lau and Nancy Gerard.<br />
The Impact of a Nurturing Adult<br />
by Danny Harris<br />
I worked for Mrs. Pat Gardner, GCA food service director,<br />
during my senior year at Georgia-Cumberland Academy.<br />
I would wake up every morning at 4:30 and head over to the<br />
cafeteria. Usually I was the first one there. With a team of<br />
other students, we would make tater tots,<br />
biscuits and gravy, lots of scrambled eggs<br />
and prosage links. Yumz!<br />
Nearly every day Mrs. Gardner would<br />
take me aside and remind me how special<br />
I was and remind me to strive to be the<br />
‘best I could be, no matter what’! I’ll never<br />
forget those words, one-on-one to me, as<br />
though I was the most important person<br />
in the world, words only a mother could<br />
say to her own. She didn’t have to do it,<br />
yet she did for me. She did it for Nelson<br />
Sardina and Kenny Rodriguez and<br />
many others, as well, through the years.<br />
No doubt this was never part of her job<br />
description, but she did it from her heart.<br />
That’s the kind of teacher and supervisor<br />
Mrs. Gardner was to me.<br />
Just think for a moment about those relationships in your<br />
life that mean the most to you. They probably involve a one-<br />
on-one experience spent face-to-face with someone. That’s<br />
what Mrs. Gardner did for me.<br />
In some ways Mrs. Gardner was my “mother” at GCA,<br />
full of hugs and words of encouragement. Her broad smile<br />
and jolly chuckle will stay with me for a<br />
life time. There were occasions when she<br />
would even invite me over to her house<br />
for dinner with her family. She never<br />
tired of listening to my stories or offering<br />
words of encouragement. For many<br />
years I would send her a thank-you note<br />
on Mother’s Day. I have lost track of her<br />
in recent years, but I always think of her<br />
fondly, especially in May.<br />
I am thankful to Mrs. Gardner for her<br />
uncommon kindness and the nurturing<br />
relationships she formed with students<br />
at GCA. I am grateful to her for leaving<br />
a trail of positive memories in my life<br />
and for encouraging me to be the best<br />
I could be.<br />
Danny Harris, class of 1975, lives and works in the<br />
metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.<br />
16 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
Alumni Weekend, 2013<br />
April 5-7<br />
Renew Friendships<br />
Enjoy a Great Day of Golf<br />
Reconnect with Classmates<br />
Ride the Beautiful Backroads<br />
of North Georgia<br />
Be Inspired<br />
honor classes are<br />
‘68, ‘73, ‘78, ‘83, ‘88, ‘93, ‘98, ‘03, ‘08<br />
We Look Forward to Seeing You at Alumni Weekend!<br />
For more information contact the Alumni Office at GCA:<br />
706-625-7166 or nagerard@gcasda.org
Georgia-Cumberland Academy<br />
Alumni & Development<br />
397 Academy Dr. SW<br />
Calhoun, GA 30701<br />
PRSRT STD<br />
U.S. POSTAGE<br />
PAID<br />
CHATTANOOGA, TN<br />
PERMIT NO. 1114<br />
PRESORTED<br />
FIRST-CLASS MAIL<br />
U.S. POSTAGE<br />
PAID<br />
CHATTANOOGA, TN<br />
PERMIT NO. 1114<br />
NONPROFIT ORG.<br />
U.S. POSTAGE<br />
PAID<br />
CHATTANOOGA, TN<br />
PERMIT NO. 1114<br />
Georgia-Cumberland Academy<br />
To Know, To Love, To Serve
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