Chronicles – Summer 2013
1960s
Pete Hodges (’68) of Savannah, Ga., the former commander of the 50th Army Postal Unit in II Corps, recently marked the 40th anniversary of the departure of the last American combat and combat support troops from Vietnam. During the war, Hodges was in charge of three detachments in Nha Trang, Qui Nhon and Pleiku. He was the last member of II Corps to leave Vietnam 60 days after the end of the war.
Angela (Whittington) (’63) and Tom Wilkerson (’63) have retired to the mountains of northeast Georgia. Angela taught English and middle school math in various school systems in Georgia for 28 years before retiring in 1997. She subsequently returned to teaching in Spartanburg, S.C., and re-retired in 2005 when she and Tom moved to Bainbridge, Ga. Tom began his career in education in 1963 at Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Ga. He worked in various capacities as a faculty member and administrator at several Georgia colleges and later served as president of Bainbridge College from 2005 until his retirement in 2010. The Wilkersons’ son and daughter, Christopher and Amanda, are graduates of Georgia Southern’s University Honors Program.
1970s
Charles Webb (‘70) of Statesboro, Ga., and Peggy Johnson (‘83) of Savannah, Ga., have been inducted into the Georgia Athletic Directors Hall of Fame. Both were honored earlier this year at the annual conference of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association (GADA). Webb earned four degrees from Georgia Southern, and also graduated from the U.S. Army War College. He retired as a Brigadier General in the Reserve of the U.S. Army in 2000. He was named Georgia’s Athletics Director of the Year in 1993 and served as GADA president in 1995. During his 32 years in education, he served as an athletics administrator, school principal and superintendent. Johnson is the former Director of Athletics for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS). After a successful career in banking, she was a teacher and coach at Savannah High and Savannah Arts Academy for 17 years. Johnson also served as GADA president in 2007.
Pratt Hill (‘72) and John Lee (‘82) of Lee, Hill & Johnston Insurors in Statesboro, Ga., have been awarded Inner Circle status from Grange Insurance, the company’s highest recognition. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013, Lee Hill & Johnston was one of only five agencies in Georgia to receive Grange’s highest recognition. “This honor is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our team members who pride themselves in building lasting relationships with our customers,” said Lee, a managing partner who has been with the agency for the past three decades. “It is a tribute to them.”
Lee has served on Grange Insurance’s National Advisory Board as well as past president of the Southeast Georgia Independent Insurance Association. He served a term on the Bulloch County Commission and is a former member of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce.
Hill is a founding member and former president of Joseph’s Home for Boys in Statesboro. In addition to serving on the Red Cross board of directors, Hill has been a board member of the Chamber of Commerce, Statesboro Rotary Club and Southern Boosters. A member of the Statesboro High School Athletic Hall of Fame, he has been instrumental in the success of the Schenkel Collegiate Golf Tournament during the past decade.
1980s
Jeff Johnson (’84, ’86), an AP physics teacher at Hoover (Ala.) High School, was recently named ACCESS Teacher of the Year, recognizing his work for bringing online Advanced Placement (AP) physics instruction to schools without their own physics teacher. He is one of more than 900 teachers involved in the ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide) program, and is a 28-year veteran educator. In 2010, Johnson was named the Siemens National AP Teacher of the Year.
Jenny Lynn Anderson (‘85) was honored with a gold medal for her book Room 939: 15 minutes of Horror, 20 Years of Healing in the category Best Book Marketing at the Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York City. The “IPPY” Awards are designed to bring increased recognition to titles published by independent authors and publishers.
1990s
Kate Schermerhorn (‘92) has joined BusinessRadioX as the host of Squawk Talk, an open forum for business professionals from all industries. A native of Stone Mountain, Ga., Schermerhorn previously spent six years in the information technology industry in the Washington D.C. area, and later founded her own manufacturers’ representative firm, where she represented as many as 10 different wholesale companies to retailers across the Southeast.
Robert Whitaker (’93) has been named vice president for business and finance for Georgia Southern. He previously served as vice president for finance and administration at Georgia Highlands College in Rome. Whitaker began his career in higher education as assistant budget director for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, then served as a budget analyst for the Legislative Budget Office. His previous positions also included serving as director of business services at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta and as a health and financial analyst at the Georgia Department of Medical Assistance. He and his wife Angela (’99) have four children: Taylor, Zoey, Emme and Keller.
Pooler (Ga.) Police Chief Mark Revenew (‘95) has been appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on the Georgia Board of Public Safety, a group that helps set statewide policies on traffic, crime and disasters both natural and manmade.
Darrell Hughes (‘98) has been promoted to Mid-Atlantic Regional Lending Manager for Wells Fargo Dealer Service (WFDS). Hughes earned a BBA from Georgia Southern and began his career with Ford Motor Credit, where he worked in numerous capacities including dealer credits and sales management. He began working for WFDS in October 2010 in Winston-Salem, N.C., as a credit manager supporting the Mid-Atlantic and the Great Lakes Region.
Luke Bryan (‘99) was awarded the prestigious Entertainer of the Year Award by the Academy of Country Music (ACM).
2000s
Former Georgia Southern baseball pitcher Kyle Kamppi (’09) of Pooler, Ga., was promoted to branch manager at Wells Fargo in Savannah, Ga. Kamppi began working for Wells Fargo in March 2010 and has worked as a teller, teller manager, customer service manager and personal banker prior to his promotion. He is married to Lacy Waters Kamppi.
Tameika Porter (‘02, ‘11) has been appointed director of operations for the West Broad Street YMCA in Savannah, Ga. An Atlanta, Ga., native, Porter received her Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education and a master’s in public administration from Georgia Southern. Her previous positions include working with the Upward Bound Program at Georgia Southern, and serving as director of the Kingdom Builders Tutoring Program, affiliated with Bethesda House Outreach Ministries.
Jared Wade (‘03) of Pooler, Ga., was named 2013 Country Male Artist of the Year at the Georgia Music Awards in Atlanta, Ga. Early in his career, Wade opened twice for fellow alumnus Luke Bryan during his Farm Tour in Claxton, Ga. Wade currently resides in Nashville, Tenn., where he performs in area venues and has also recorded the album “Drunk on Sunshine.”
Wayne Murphy (‘04) has been hired as a new Customer Service Representative (CSR) for Queensborough National Bank and Trust, at its Savannah (Ga.) branch. Murphy previously worked for a regional bank in Hilton Head and for Troon Golf in Savannah. A Savannah native, Murphy earned his BBA in business management with a minor in hospitality.
Michael Terrell (’04, ’06) has been promoted to associate director for graduate studies in the School of Literature, Media and Communications at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to his promotion, Terrell worked as a graduate program coordinator. He began his career in higher education as an academic advisor at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Lindsay Graham Bridges (‘07) has been named communication and member services coordinator for the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (EMC). A native of Grayson, Ga., Bridges graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations. She and her husband Blake, live in Alpharetta, Ga.
Drew Hunt (‘07), has joined the Savannah (Ga.) Area Chamber of Commerce’s newest council, LaunchSAVANNAH, as community relations manager. A Columbia, Ga., native, Hunt recently led the premiere of LaunchSAVANNAH, which showcased the professional development, mentoring, networking, philanthropic and cultural opportunities offered by the council.
Charles Minshew (‘11) was a member of the Denver Post news staff recently awarded a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. The team covered the Aurora, Colo., movie theatre massacre on July 20, 2012 during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Minshew served as a Web producer, updating social media and building interactive tools, including a map and a timeline. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Obituaries
Dayton Calhoun, III (‘68), Hogansville, Ga.
Briggs Tyler (’59), Valdosta, Ga.