In Memoriam – Spring 2017
1940s
Donald A. Coleman (’48), a Statesboro resident, died May 30, 2016, at age 91. The Georgia Southern Registrar Emeritus and Director of Admissions Emeritus was a World War II veteran and a founding member of the Georgia Southern University Foundation.
Dr. Albert Howard (’49) died June 11, 2016, in hospice care in Statesboro at age 88. He completed his residency in anesthesiology and through the years practiced in Augusta, Georgia, North Carolina and Savannah.
Margaret Warren Reeves (’48) of Waycross, Georgia, died Oct. 1, 2016. The 90-year-old was a longtime educator in Ware and Pierce counties.
1950s
Owen L. Bruce (’52) of White Oak, Georgia, died Nov. 20, 2015, at age 86. He retired from Robins Air Force Base after a 33-year career as a statistician.
Jan Epps Turner (’58) of New Providence, New Jersey, passed away Jan. 4, 2016. The retired educator was 81.
Joseph C. Sullivan (’59) of McDonough, Georgia, died Jan. 18, 2016. He retired from Atlanta Gas Light Company and owned a construction company.
Harold A. Mills (’51) of Toomsboro, Georgia, died Jan. 21, 2016. He served 20 years as the superintendent of public schools in Wilkinson County.
Gloria Brooks (’53) died at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, on Jan. 23, 2016. She was a retired teacher.
Herbert E. Houston (’58) of Gainesville, Georgia, died at home March 10, 2016. He was a retired teacher and principal.
Dorothy C. Spence (’53) of Leesburg, Florida, died July 21, 2016, in hospice care.
Shirley Roundtree Reid (’56) of Swainsboro, Georgia, died July 1, 2016. She was a teacher in Swainsboro, Auburn, Alabama and LaGrange, Georgia.
Mary Hendrix Clark (’59) died at her Liberty County, Georgia, home Aug. 8, 2016, at age 89. She was a teacher in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System for 33 years.
James Mincey Sr. (’50) of Portal, Georgia, died Sept. 3, 2016. His 35-year career in education included teaching, coaching and counseling in Charlton County, Georgia.
Jacquelyn Knight Roach Horne (’51, ’67) died Oct. 15, 2016, in Savannah. The 85-year-old was a high school teacher, a vocational office training teacher and the founder of a real estate school in Savannah.
Walton Ewing Burns (’52, ’81), age, 83, died Oct. 29, 2016, at her home in Rincon, Georgia. She was a longtime educator in Effingham County and a founding member and president of the Rincon Jaycettes.
Martha Jenkins Quick (’55) passed away Nov. 20, 2016, at age 90 in Statesboro. She was an English teacher at Portal High School for many years.
Virginia Godwin (’59) of Valdosta, Georgia, passed away Dec. 2, 2016, in hospice care. She retired as secretary at Lowndes County School transportation.
Genie Owen Fesperman (’54) died Dec. 22, 2016, in Waycross, Georgia. She was a teacher in the city’s public schools.
Paul Bailey (’58, ’63) passed away Jan. 11, 2017, in suburban Atlanta. He retired as a guidance counselor at Bremen High School.
Jean Watson Harper (’56) of Tupelo, Mississippi, died Jan. 22, 2017, in hospice care in Houston, Texas. She was a retired teacher.
1960s
James “Jim” Fallaw Sr. (’65) died at home in Albany, Georgia, Nov. 17, 2015. He was a retired insurance agent.
Shirley Grimes Hagins (’64) died in Augusta, Georgia, Nov. 25, 2015. She was a retiree of Gracewood State School and Hospital.
James Niblett (’60), of Winder, Georgia, died Dec. 8, 2015, at age 81. The retired educator was also a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Calvin A. Middlebrooks (’68) of Perry, Georgia, passed away Dec. 10, 2015. The U.S. Army Reserves paratrooper had a 36-year career with Georgia Power Company.
Carl T. Hunter (’63) of Statesboro died at his home Dec. 14, 2015. For 40 years, he was the accountant/comptroller for a car dealership.
Francis M. Craine (’65) of Laurens, South Carolina, passed away Dec. 20, 2015. The 89-year-old career educator was a World War II veteran and the recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
Andrew R. Dasher (’66) of Vidalia, Georgia, died Jan. 2, 2016. He was a high school grammar and English Literature teacher.
William Earl Yielding (’68) of McMinn County, Tennessee, died suddenly Jan. 9, 2016. He was a manufacturing engineer.
Mary Groover Demmond (’61, ’63), a lifelong resident of Statesboro, died Jan. 12, 2016. The retired teacher was a charter member of the Archibald Bulloch Chapter of the DAR.
Mary Jo Dyson Neville (’69, ’76) of Statesboro died Jan. 16, 2016. She taught at Portal Elementary School.
Dawne Shaw Watson (’68) succumbed to early onset Alzheimer’s on Jan. 24, 2016, at age 67. She was the office manager for a funeral home in Perry, Georgia, for more than 30 years.
Larry C. Stokes Sr. (’60) passed away Jan. 31, 2016, in Macon, Georgia. He was a teacher in Walker County, Georgia, for 30 years.
Mack Blanchard (’62), a resident of Columbia, South Carolina, died at home on Feb. 18, 2016. The homebuilder was a founding elder of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.
The Rev. Billy Ring (’65) of Waycross, Georgia, died March 20, 2016, in hospice care. The retired educator also served 60 years in the Church of the Nazarene.
Patricia Griffin Scoggins (’66) died March 25, 2016, in Macon, Georgia. The educator met her husband of more than 50 years when they were Georgia Southern students.
Winton DeLoach (’64) died April 1, 2016, in Statesboro. The lifelong resident of Bulloch County had a long career with First Bulloch Bank.
Joe Lindsey (’60) passed away April 19, 2016, at his home in Lenox, Georgia. The retired farmer served during the Vietnam War and retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of major.
Jane Youmans Moody (’60) of Jesup, Georgia, died April 20, 2016, at age 89. She taught school in Wayne County for 31 years.
Cynthia Johnston Anderson (’64) of Statesboro died May 24, 2016. The lifelong Bulloch County resident was a school guidance counselor and an active community volunteer.
Thomas W. Copeland (’68) of Clinton, South Carolina, died May 29, 2016 in hospice care. He served in the U.S. Army for five years and eventually purchased his own business.
Jason Jarrard (’67) of Augusta, Georgia died June 6, 2016. He was the principal of an elementary school in neighboring Hephzibah for many years.
Bonnie Clarke Jarrard (’64) of Newnan, Georgia, succumbed to complications of a cerebral aneurysm on June 26, 2016. She taught school in Augusta, Savannah and the Atlanta area.
Emily Strange (’68) of Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, died July 12, 2016. She is remembered for her service as an American Red Cross Donut Dollie during the war in Vietnam.
Wanda Price (’67) of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, died July 21, 2016, after a battle with cancer.
Nancy Davis Herrington (’69) who taught for many years in Chatham County, Georgia, died July 24, 2016. She became an antique dealer in retirement.
Pate Lowery (’69) died Aug. 17, 2016, in hospice care in Waycross, Georgia. He was a former executive director of a community action agency that helped struggling families.
John Waters (’64, ’69) of Athens, Georgia, died August 31, 2016. He was a head high school football coach and athletics director for many years in the Clarke County school district. In 2007, he was inducted into the Athens Athletic Hall of Fame.
William (Bill) Suggs III (’67) of Hayesville, North Carolina, died in a car accident while driving to Montana Sept. 11, 2016. The retired U.S. Army officer was fluent in several languages and specialized in Mandarin Chinese.
Jacquelyn Knight Roach Horne (’51, ’67) died Oct. 15, 2016, in Savannah. The 85-year-old was a high school teacher, a vocational office training teacher and the founder of a real estate school in Savannah.
Barbara Joan Hollingsworth (’69) died Oct. 21, 2015, in Ludowici, Georgia. She spent most of her career working as a teacher, counselor and principal in Liberty County, Georgia.
Tommie Tyler (’64) died suddenly Oct. 24, 2016, at his home in Savannah. He was a fair management expert and a retired U.S. Navy Civil Engineering Corps. officer.
Ereline Rocker Hartley (’65), a lifelong resident of Candler County, Georgia, died Nov. 6, 2016 at age 87. She taught math in Candler and Emanuel counties for 33 years.
Ralph Macauley Andrews (’66) died at his Statesboro home Nov. 21, 2016. The U.S. Army veteran was the founder of Andrews Klean Korner dry cleaners.
Leeroy Purcell (’62) of Glennville, Georgia, died at home Dec. 9, 2016. The Korean War veteran retired from the Georgia National Guard. He was a teacher in Tattnall County.
R. Jerry Smith (’68) of Leesburg, Florida, passed Dec. 31, 2016. He was a longtime educator, serving in Florida public schools and a community college.
Jack Stewart (’65) of Fortson, Georgia, died Jan. 18, 2017 at age 80. He was a professor of education at Columbus State University.
Margaret Hagin Prosser (’61) of Statesboro died Jan. 20, 2017. She was a teacher in Bulloch County for 34 years.
Dessey Kuhlke (’63) passed away on Jan. 25, 2017, in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia. He rose through the ranks to become the chief operating officer of Kuhlke Properties.
1970s
Connie Lord Davis (’73) of Augusta, Georgia, died Nov. 30, 2015. She was a retired human resources director for the Columbia County School System.
John Nunnally Sr. (’70) died Dec. 5, 2015, at age 89. The retired educator taught in schools in the Atlanta area for more than 40 years.
Charles Coleman III (’79) passed away Dec. 10, 2015, at home in Jacksonville, Florida.
John D. Russell (’76) of Bonaire, Georgia, died Jan. 7, 2016. The U.S. Air Force veteran retired from Robins Air Force Base.
Jack A. Harris (’79) of Savannah and Hilton Head died Feb. 6, 2016, after an extended illness. He was a commercial real estate broker.
Patrick S. Rising (’77) of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, died March 2, 2016.
Dennis Mowery (’76) of Venice, Florida, died March 4, 2016.
Charles Richard Barr Jr. (’75) died March 20, 2016, in hospice care in Statesboro. As enterprise director at First District RESA, he assisted public schools in 17 counties with bulk purchases.
Lt. Col. Phillip Bell (’75) of Stilson, Georgia, died in hospice care April 29, 2016. He served with the U.S. Marine Corps and retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in 1996.
Cynthia Mims (’78) of Maui, Hawaii, died May 14, 2016, after a battle with cancer. Raised in Savannah, she had a 38-year career in the hotel/resort industry.
Debra Holder Dukes (’75) of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Rome, Georgia, died May 15, 2016. She was a manager of behavioral health for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee.
Alan Millar (’75) of Savannah passed away May 30, 2016. He worked in electrical sales at WESCO for more than 30 years.
Vera Mae Childers (’76) died in hospice care in Statesboro June 6, 2016. She worked with the Fulton County Georgia Sheriff’s Department.
Betty Jackson Collins (’78) died at her childhood home in Wilkinson County, Georgia, June 18, 2016. She was a former director of the Wheeler County Department of Family and Children’s Services.
Louis L. Foster (’74), a resident of Cochran, Georgia, died June 25, 2016. He was a professional musician and the band director at several schools in middle Georgia.
Joseph R. Ray (’75) of Fletcher, North Carolina, died at home June 25, 2016. He was employed as an accountant in Savannah for many years.
Katharine Howard Holding (’75) passed June 26, 2016, at a North Carolina hospice center. The Black Mountain resident was an addictions therapist at Ridgeview Institute.
Kathleen Mock Harvey (’71) passed away at her Nevils, Georgia, home, July 28, 2016. She was a retired high school English teacher.
Sheryl “Sherry” Hall Baxley (’77) lost her battle to cancer Aug. 17, 2016, at her daughter’s home in Savannah. The Augusta, Georgia, resident was employed in the medical billing industry.
William Willingham Jr. (’76), a retired U.S. Navy commander, died Aug. 26. 2016, in Macon, Georgia. The veteran of three wars served his last tour of duty at the Pentagon.
David Beck (’71) of Salisbury, North Carolina, died Sept. 7, 2016. The U.S. Army war veteran was a medic in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971 and a special needs teacher for 40 years.
Carol Culp Pelt (’71) of Matthews, North Carolina, died Sept. 8, 2016. She retired as a daycare licensing consultant for the state of North Carolina.
William Shelton Smith of Wetumpka, Alabama, (’70) passed away Sept. 19, 2016. He served six years in the U.S. Air Force and was a city manager in various cities in the Southeast.
George Smith (’75) of West Columbia, South Carolina, died Sept. 26, 2016. For many years, he was employed at the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, which specialized in helping at-risk students.
Gerald Williams (’77) died Oct. 15, 2016, in a Greensboro, North Carolina, hospital.
Katrena Nesmith Wilson (’74) died Oct. 24, 2016 in Statesboro after a brief illness. The 98-year-old was a retired teacher.
Jens Larsen Jr. (’74) of Cochran, Georgia, passed Oct. 26, 2016. He worked for the state agriculture department for 34 years.
Anthony Mann (’72, ’94, ’00) of Statesboro died of pneumonia Dec. 9, 2016, while visiting relatives in Columbia, Maryland. He worked as an artist, building furniture, custom cabinets and remodeling houses.
Ann Nevil Knowles (’71) died at home in Chapin, South Carolina, Dec. 16, 2016. She was 84.
Rachel Rawls Davis (’72) was surrounded by family when she died Jan. 8, 2017, in Savannah. She was an administrator in the Chatham County Public School Systems.
Albert Martin (’76) passed away Jan. 17, 2017, in Greensboro, Georgia. He was a retired Oglethorpe County High School teacher.
Antoinette McRae Frink (’73, ’76) of Jonesboro, Georgia, passed away Jan. 21, 2017. She was a former special education teacher and former car dealership owner.
James Anthony Epley (’76) died Jan. 26, 2017, in Jacksonville, Florida. He was a retired AT&T employee.
Doris E. Lynch (’73) died at her Savannah home Jan. 28, 2017. The educator helped establish the Exceptional Children’s Program in the Chatham County Public Schools.
Virginia Anderson (’70) of Asheville, North Carolina, died Jan. 30, 2017. She was a home economics teacher.
1980s
Nancy Oglesby Packard (’86) of Florence, South Carolina, fought a courageous battle with breast cancer before her death Oct. 18, 2015. She was a teacher for 36 years.
Calvin Coolidge Williams (’82) of Portal, Georgia, died Jan. 31, 2016, in Savannah. He earned his Georgia Southern degree at age 52.
Grant Preston Hendricks (’81) died Feb. 12, 2016, in hospice care in Statesboro. The Metter, Georgia, resident was an insurance industry executive.
Javad Abolghassem (’83, ’95) of Martinez, Georgia, died March 3, 2016, following a brief illness. The native of Tehran, Iran, was an instructor and program coordinator at Aiken Technical College.
Lisa Capers Sheetz (’82) passed away March 20, 2016, at her home in Augusta, Georgia. She worked several years as a systems analyst.
Ellen Martin Lane (’89) of Jesup, Georgia, died March 20, 2016, after battling ALS. She was a former legal assistant.
Marsha Donaldson (’80) of Rock Hill, South Carolina, lost her battle to cancer March 31, 2016. The retired educator was interred in her hometown of Twin City, Georgia.
Betty Marshall (’84) passed away April 27, 2016, in Augusta, Georgia. She served as a guidance counselor for the U.S. Army’s education division at Fort Gordon.
Nancy Turner Dunn (’80) of Statesboro died May 10, 2016, in hospice care. She was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Cynthia Brunson (’86, ’09) died in Savannah May 25, 2016, after a brief illness. She was an information analyst at Georgia Southern University.
Janine Deal (’83), a lifelong resident of Bulloch County, died June 19, 2016, after a brief illness. She was a teacher in Jenkins and Bulloch counties for more than 20 years.
Joy Meeks Coleman (’82, ’86) died in hospice care June 23, 2014, at age 53. She was a beloved educator in her hometown of Swainsboro, Georgia.
Robert Reps (’83) of Union County, North Carolina, died unexpectedly July 12, 2016. He was a health professional who customized prosthesis for patients.
Richard Upshaw (’86) of Dunwoody, Georgia, passed away Aug. 13, 2016. He was an executive in medical laboratory services and was buried with military and masonic honors.
Elijah McGraw (’81), a lifelong resident of Savannah died Sept. 5, 2016. He was a retired educator and an inductee of the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame.
James Salinski (’88) died Sept. 9, 2013, in Statesboro. He owned an auto repair shop and worked as a millwright.
Lawrence “Laddy” Jacobs Jr. (’87) of south Georgia, died unexpectedly at home Sept. 16, 2016. He operated the shellfish division of Jacobs Seafood for many years.
Alfred Franz Schneider (’84,’87) of Statesboro passed away Oct. 29, 2016. The yoga and meditation practitioner was a math teacher in Jenkins County for 25 years.
Jamie Jobe (’80) of Savannah died Nov. 2, 2016, at Candler Hospital after a long illness. She retired from Georgia Regional Hospital after 30 years of service.
Brent Anton Norris (’80) of Warner Robins, Georgia, died Nov. 22, 2016. He worked with special needs students at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for many years.
Rebecca Woods (’81) of Portal, Georgia, died Jan. 7, 2017, at her home. She was a longtime educator.
1990s
Brent Cribb (’96), a former school headmaster in Waynesboro, Georgia, died in a car accident March 17, 2015.
Jonathan Dunn (’95) of St. Petersburg, Florida, passed away suddenly Sept. 26, 2015. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves for eight years and operated his own logistics firm.
Rev. Terry Hunter (’95) of Douglasville, Georgia, had a fatal heart attack Feb. 4, 2016. He was the senior pastor at Bright Star United Methodist Church in Douglasville.
Darren Maples (’93) of Albany, Georgia, died March 4, 2016, from heart failure following a tonic-clonic seizure. He was a technician at Procter & Gamble and served in the Georgia Army National Guard.
Pat McCoy (’95) of Charlotte, North Carolina, passed away March 12, 2016. She obtained a degree in biology from Georgia Southern after several years of military service.
Stephen Monday (’90) died in Warner Robins, Georgia, April 26, 2016. He was the principal of his hometown high school.
Carole Thomas Walters (’93) passed away May 2, 2016, in Watkinsville, Georgia. She worked for the Coastal Area Teacher Education Service and for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
Susan Casey (’92) was surrounded by family when she died at a hospital in Columbus, Georgia, May 9, 2016. She was a claims research and resolution analyst.
Ruby Ashley (’93, ’08) of Swainsboro, Georgia, died June 5, 2016. She was a Georgia Southern project coordinator for Project SENSE for 23 years.
James Bartlett Jr. (’95) of Hiram, Georgia, passed away June 6, 2016. He was a police officer in the Atlanta area and worked as an investigator for the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Elizabeth Best Lane (’91) lost her battle with cancer July 7, 2016. She was a pharmaceutical representative and the owner of Small Cakes in Savannah.
Ashley Taylor (’93) of Suwanee, Georgia, passed on July 15, 2016. She was a teacher.
Jeremy Smith (’96), a lifelong resident of Evans, Georgia, died July 24, 2016.
Alan Dorsey (’93) died Oct. 4, 2016, at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, after a four-year battle with cancer. He was employed by Cisco Systems.
Pamela Parker (’94) of Savannah lost her life in an accident Oct. 8, 2016, in Greenwood, South Carolina. She was a banker and community leader in her hometown.
Charles Brownlee (’90) of Dublin, Georgia, died Oct. 9, 2016. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
Maudestine Beamon Jones (’95) died Nov. 6, 2016, in Savannah at age 80. She was a longtime educator.
2000s
Jason Edwards (’06), a lifelong resident of Savannah, died Feb. 7, 2016. He was 34.
James McWatty III (’02) of Augusta, Georgia passed Feb. 12, 2016. He was 38.
Regina Jacobs (’11), a native of Columbus, Georgia, died in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 15, 2016. She was an electrical engineer for Lockheed Martin.
Shana Unterreiner Carnes (’04) of Statesboro, died March 20, 2016, at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. The registered nurse was an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves.
Justine Lavine Simmons (’14) passed away at her home in Claxton, Georgia, March 24, 2016. She was a graduate of the Georgia Southern University nursing program.
Christopher Blake (’08), a native of Augusta, Georgia, died March 31, 2016. He was employed by NCR Corporation in Atlanta.
Trip Mischel (’13) of Evans, Georgia, passed away April 11, 2016. The construction management major was employed by a property development company in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Tera Kudrasovs Bristow (’04) of Woodstock, Georgia, passed away unexpectedly May 27, 2016. She was a mechanical engineer.
Patrick Garrett (’04, ’06) died at home in Augusta, Georgia, June 22, 2015.
Taylor Terrell (’13) fell to her death after being swept over a waterfall in North Carolina on July 21, 2016. She was a television news anchor in Macon, Georgia.
Cherie Sayer (’06) was surrounded by family when she died of colon cancer July 31, 2016. She was an artist and educator in New Zealand. Sayer earned a Master of Fine Arts at Georgia Southern and was an assistant professor in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art.
James Bentley III (’07) died July 31, 2016 at his home in Tucker, Georgia. He taught digital media production in Atlanta.
Christina Futch (’02) of Pembroke, Georgia, passed Aug. 3, 2016. She was a pharmacist.
Matthew Muhmel (’04) of Twin City, Georgia, succumbed to pancreatic cancer Aug. 7, 2016. He was the manager of George L. Smith State Park.
Vivian Smith (’13), passed away Aug. 24, 2016, in Effingham County Hospital. She was a teacher in Chatham County.
Matthew Ward (’14) died Oct. 8, 2016, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident during Hurricane Matthew when a tree fell onto his truck. He was married in an outdoor ceremony two weeks before his death.
Raja Andrews (’09) died Oct. 29, 2016, in a car accident in Swainsboro. The former Eagle football standout had returned to his hometown for his father’s funeral. He worked in the Dekalb County, Georgia, court system and was preparing to enter law school.
Christine Johnson (’10, ’11) of Marietta, Georgia, died Oct. 29, 2016. She lived in Asheville, North Carolina, at the time of her passing.
Amanda Wilkinson Lowery (’02) of Eastman, Georgia, died Nov. 10, 2016, at a hospital in Macon. She was a physical therapist.
Mary Beth Twist (’15) who grew up in Athens, Georgia, died Nov. 28, 2016, from injuries sustained in a car accident in Jacksonville, Florida.
Corey Godfrey (’03) of Cartersville, Georgia, passed unexpectedly on Jan. 3, 2017. He was a technology teacher, assistant principal and coach in Rockmart, Georgia.
EAGLE NATION
Willie Burden
Professor Emeritus Willie Burden of Statesboro passed away Dec. 4, 2015, at an Atlanta hospital where he was waiting for a heart transplant. He was a football star at North Carolina State and a member of the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame. He taught sport management at Georgia Southern.
Wayne Murphy
Wayne Murphy of Savannah died Dec. 24, 2015, in hospice care. He opened the first McDonald’s in Statesboro and was a major supporter of the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation and the Georgia Southern University Foundation. He served on the committee that led to Erk Russell’s hiring as the football program’s first head coach. Murphy was named to the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
Marjorie Brewer Bell
Professor Marjorie Bell died at age 96 in Statesboro on Jan. 9, 2016. She held a position in the Department of Business and retired from Georgia Southern in 1979.
Curtis Frink
Georgia Southern lost a familiar figure with the passing of Curtis Frink on Feb. 27, 2016. Many alumni may remember the retired dining hall manager as the man who taught every Georgia Southern president, from Zach Henderson to Brooks Keel, the proper way to slice watermelons during the traditional summer watermelon giveaway. Frink retired in 2004, but during his 45 years of full-time service, he worked in the Landrum and Williams Center dining halls; first as a dishwasher, then a cook and finally as food service manager. Even after retirement, Frink returned to campus every summer to assist presidents with giving away free watermelon slices. In 2012, he told Georgia Southern Magazine, the watermelon cuttings were among his favorite activities. “What I enjoyed most was seeing all the students come to me to get a slice of watermelon, year after year. They treated me as someone special,” he said.
Yingkang Hu
Professor Yingkang Hu, an accomplished mathematician and dedicated teacher, died March 10, 2016, of a heart attack. He devoted almost 27 years of service to the Department of Mathematical Sciences. He was recognized with the Georgia Southern University Award for Excellence in Research in 1994.
Jerry Wilson
Professor Jerry Wilson died March 18, 2016, at his home in Savannah. The U.S. Army veteran joined the Georgia Southern faculty in 1988. The marketing professor cofounded the logistics and intermodal transportation undergraduate department. Two years before he died, Wilson served as the interim associate dean of the College of Business Administration.
Patricia Ann LaCerva
Associate Professor Emerita Patricia LaCerva died April 24, 2016, in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. She taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of English and Philosophy. She retired after 25 years of service.
Lawrence Huff
Professor Emeritus Lawrence Huff died June 24, 2016, after complications due to a fall. He retired as head of the Department of English and Philosophy in 1983 and relocated to Kerrville, Texas.
Robert Coston
Professor Emeritus Robert Coston passed July 7, 2016, in Statesboro. He held many positions during his tenure at Georgia Southern, including, professor, head of the Department of Economics, associate dean of the School of Business and director of the Center for Management Development.
Nate Hirsch
Nate Hirsch, the man known as the original “Voice of the Georgia Southern Eagles,” died Aug. 28, 2016, at his Statesboro home. The radio station owner was the University’s play-by-play announcer for 35 years, covering basketball, baseball and football. Hirsch is a member of the Georgia Southern Hall of Fame, the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and the Statesboro High Hall of Fame. He told the Statesboro Herald his fondest memories included calling six football national titles and making two trips to the baseball College World Series and three trips to the NCAA’s March Madness men’s basketball tournament.
Hugh “Perk” Robins
Hugh Robins is remembered as an instrumental figure in organizing Georgia Southern University’s development efforts. He died Sept. 1, 2016, after an extended illness. He was the vice president for development and university relations at UGA before moving to Statesboro to lead the University’s fundraising program. Robins was named to the All-Army basketball team while serving in the U.S. Army and played a year of professional baseball in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
Robert Dick
Associate Professor Emeritus Robert Dick died Sept. 8, 2016, after a short illness. He taught public administration and political science from 1973 until retirement in 1992. Students may remember his pride in being able to name every U.S. vice president.
Martha Tootle Cain
Professor Emerita Martha Cain (‘50) of Statesboro died Sept. 16, 2016, at age 88. The retired chemistry professor was named Biology Alumna of the Year in 1981 and Alumna of the Year for the College of Education in 2013. Cain and her late husband, a Georgia Southern professor in social science education, endowed several scholarships including the Lee C. and Martha Tootle Cain Science Education Scholarship at Georgia Southern.
William Spieth
Professor Emeritus William Spieth of Statesboro died Dec. 12, 2016, at age 88. The Korean War veteran was a health and physical education professor and academic advisor at Georgia Southern. During his time as head baseball coach, his team won two NAIA national championships. He was also the first coach of the women’s softball team.
John E. Averett
Professor Emeritus of Biology John Averett passed away Jan. 1, 2017, in Omaha, Nebraska. He came to Georgia Southern as chair of the Department of Biology until he returned to research and the classroom in 2002. His research specialty, in which he published prolifically, was plant systematics and evolutionary biology. He came to Georgia Southern during a period of tremendous growth and change and oversaw major changes to the curriculum and increased departmental assets.
Nancy Harrill Barrett
Professor Emerita Nancy Harrill Barrett (’58) died Jan. 11, 2017, in Salisbury, North Carolina. She was a faculty member in Georgia Southern’s Department of Foreign Languages.