Chronicles
Alumni News Roundup
1970s
Demery R. Bishop (’70) received the Citizen Volunteer Service Award from the Department of Justice in Washington. The award recognizes citizen volunteers who assist the Justice Department in serving the public interest and Bishop is the executive director of Crime Stoppers of Savannah- Chatham County (Ga.). Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole presented the award to Bishop at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in June. Bishop, a retired FBI Special Agent, has volunteered his time, energy and resources on several federal law enforcement initiatives and helped develop and market a program intended to reduce gun violence in Savannah.
1980s
Debbie Rodriquez (’83, ’91), principal of Taylors Creek Elementary School in Liberty County, has been named the top principal in Georgia. The National Association of Elementary School Principals and the U.S. Department of Education selected Rodriquez as Georgia’s 2012 National Distinguished Principal. Rodriquez has served as principal of Taylors Creek for 15 years. Under her leadership, the Georgia Partnership of Excellence in Education selected Taylors Creek as a model school.
1990s
Nancy Brandon (’92) has published her first novel, Dunaway’s Crossing, which is set in 1918 Georgia. The book follows 19-year- old Bea Dot Ferguson and the obstacles she faces after leaving an abusive husband and her wealthy home in Savannah to visit a relative in rural Pineview. A launch party was held in August for Dunaway’s Crossing, with proceeds benefitting Senior Citizens, Inc. in Savannah, Ga. Brandon’s novel is available through major booksellers and Amazon.com.
Scott Zehngraff (’94) has been named the Georgia Department of Transportation’s District Traffic Engineer for the 21 counties in northeast Georgia that comprise District 1. Zehngraff has been working with the department since 1995. Among other things, he is responsible for district-wide traffic engineering studies, signal timing studies, safety enhancement reviews and citizen complaint investigations. Zehngraff received the inaugural “Wayne Shackelford Leadership Award” in 2011. It is the highest honor the department gives to an employee who consistently demonstrates exceptional leadership and commitment to the Georgia DOT and to the Citizens of Georgia.
Jeannette Andrews (’96) has been named dean of the University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing. A native of Augusta, Ga., she brings 27-years of nursing and leadership experience to the new position. Andrews is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, a Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Executive Fellow, and serves on several national task forces and panels. Her research has focused on ways to help women and veterans stop smoking and improve their health.
2000s
Navy Seaman Casey J. McGeehan(’11), recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, training included practical instruction on naval customs, water safety and survival, firefighting and shipboard and aircraft safety.
Jennifer Lambeth (’12) was recently elected as a legislator on the Savannah (Ga.) Chatham County School Board.