In Memoriam – Fall 2019

1940s

Dorothy Linton Allen (’47) formerly of Savannah, passed away April 8, 2018. She was a resident of North Carolina at the time of her passing.

Edsel Deweese Martin (’49, ’66) of Nevils, Georgia, died March 8, 2019, one month before his 91st birthday. A teacher and farmer, he also served on the Bulloch County Board of Education.

1950s

Rev. George Washington Herndon (’50) of Brunswick, Georgia, died in hospice care June 15, 2018. The ordained minister in the United Methodist Church served in the South Georgia Conference for 40 years.

Jordan “Jakie” Phillips Jr. (’58) of Albany, Georgia, died in hospice care Feb. 28, 2019. He served in the U.S. Army and taught physical science and physics in Albany schools for 38 years.

William “Bill” Walker (’59) of Atlanta died March 10, 2019. The U.S. Navy veteran had a long career with Continental Insurance Company, which included a position as manager of field administration in the Southeast region. 

James Goolsby (’53, ’67) passed away March 13, 2019, at a senior living facility in Valdosta, Georgia. The 91-year-old was a veteran of the Korean War and retired from a 38-year career as a teacher and administrator in Lowndes County.

Dixie “Anne” Daniels Fredrich (’56, ’58) passed away April 12, 2019, in Savannah. Devoted to her family, she was an educator and a bookkeeper in the family’s advertising agency.

Priscilla Goldberg Schneider (’52) of Richmond, California, passed away April 21, 2019. She was 88.

Amalie Reeves Helbert Harvill (’58) of Duluth, Georgia, died May 26, 2019. During her early career, she was a teacher in Callahan, Florida, and later retired from G.E. Credit in Atlanta and AT&T.

Lt. Col. James Johnson (’57) of Atlanta died June 2, 2019, after a long illness. The retired U.S. Army chaplain joined the military during the Korean War and later served in Vietnam. During his retirement, he served in United Methodist churches in the Atlanta area and in Statesboro.

Mary Hart Ross (’50) of Statesboro died June 19, 2019, at age 90. Married to a military officer, she lived in several cities around the U.S. before returning to Statesboro and working as a department store buyer.

W. Allen Smith (’59) of Newnan, Georgia, died July 3, 2019. He was a teacher, assistant principal, director of a regional educational agency and served a 15-year term as mayor of Turin, Georgia.

Bettye Hendrix Fabris (’54) of Watkinsville, Georgia, died July 5, 2019. A former Miss Georgia Southern, her greatest joy was being a wife, mother and grandmother.

Charles Musselwhite (’57, ’58) passed away at home in Gainesville, Georgia, July 8, 2019. He served in the U.S. Air Force before a long career in education as a coach, athletics director, assistant principal and principal.

Julius “Boo” Hornstein (’57, ’65) of Savannah died Sept. 1, 2019, at age 82. He had a private practice and taught psychology at Savannah State, Armstrong State, Emery-Riddle and St. Leo University. In addition, he is remembered as a Savannah icon for his contributions to the history and life of jazz music in the city.

Rev. Sanford Brown Sr. (’52) of Savannah died Sept. 4, 2019, in Columbus, Georgia. He served as a United Methodist Minister in the South Georgia Conference for 41 years and was active in the pastoral and evangelistic ministry for another 20 years through Agape Faith Ministries and the Coastal Georgia Walk to Emmaus Community. 

1960s

Frank Tison III (’66) of Dublin, Georgia, died March 27, 2019. He served in both the National Guard and Coast Guard Reserve, and was a coach, teacher and administrator in several Georgia school districts.

Lloyd Gosa Jr. (’64) died April 2, 2019, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and retired from UpJohn as an antibiotic researcher after 25 years of service.

Barbara Shaw (’63) of Cobb County, Georgia, died April 16, 2019. She was an education lobbyist and retired as the director of communications and art for the Cobb County Board of Education. She was the founder of Kaleidoscope, the visual and performing arts festival for Cobb County school students.

Edith Youmans Buie (’64, ’80, ’82) of Sylvania, Georgia, died at her home April 28, 2019. The retired educator was the media specialist at Portal High School for 15 years and worked for the Screven County Board of Education for 15 years. 

Claude Arthur Howard Jr. (’63) lost his fight with cancer April 29, 2019, at his home in Statesboro. Early in his career, he joined the family’s timber and lumber business which dates to 1898. He retired as president of Claude Howard Lumber Company in 1998.  Howard and his brother Cecil founded Howard Lumber and Hardware in 1988 to serve the needs of area building contractors. He served on the boards of directors for numerous organizations including the Georgia Southern Foundation. He was instrumental in establishing the Georgia Southern golf practice facility, which included the construction of the Howard House for team use and created the Claude A. Howard Scholarship for the Building and Construction program at Georgia Southern.

Lounelle “Elle” Merritt Beecher (’65) died May 1, 2019, at a retirement village in Easley, South Carolina. She taught history and psychology in Augusta, Georgia, for 30 years and was twice named Richmond County Teacher of the Year.

Clarence Daughtry (’67, ’73, ’76) of Millen, Georgia, died May 4, 2019.  The U.S. Army veteran retired as a teacher with the Jenkins County public school system.

Jacquelyn Capps Barfield Brey (’60) died at home in Austell, Georgia, June 14, 2019. She was a teacher and later worked as a teaching certification supervisor with the Professional Standards Commission.

Ronald “Ronnie” Ponder (’66) of Metter, Georgia, died June 24, 2019, at Candler Hospital in Savannah. He owned and operated Georgia Farm Center in Metter for 39 years.

Laura “Kathy” Baker (’69) formerly of Savannah died in Atlanta July 7, 2019, after a courageous fight with Alzheimer’s disease. She was a wife, mother, avid traveler, cook and devoted to her large breed Standard Poodles.

Sarah Anne Black (’60) of Tallahassee, Florida, died July 30, 2019, at age 88. Her teaching career included 25 years at Florida State University. In retirement, she proofread Florida Legislature bills for 26 years.

James Brock (’64) of Statesboro and Bremen, Georgia, died Aug. 18, 2019,  after a long illness. He had a career in accounting, and was active in civic organizations in Bremen where he served as director of the Rotary Club, president of the Jaycees and state chairman, director and vice president of the year for the Georgia Jaycees.

Charles “Chunk” Reid (’67) of Vidalia, Georgia, was surrounded by his family when he died Aug. 28, 2019. The educator, coach and athletic director at Vidalia High School was named 2001 Coach of the Year by the National Federation Coaches Association, the Georgia Athletic Director of the Year in 2003 and he was inducted into the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Fannie Sue Ellis Nutting (’64) of Hinesville and Ludowici, Georgia, died Sept. 14, 2019. The retired math teacher was an avid bridge player and gardener. 

1970s

Brenda Lucas Bush (’75) of Dublin, Georgia, died Jan. 24, 2019. She was a retired Laurens County Board of Education school teacher.

Eugene Brown (’71) was surrounded by family when he passed away March 1, 2019, at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A tailor by trade, he owned a thriving custom clothing store.

Betty Zane Hopper (’76) of Reidsville, Georgia, died in hospice care March 7, 2019. She retired from a teaching career with the board of education in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Bettye Van Powell Childs (’75) of Statesboro died in hospice care March 13, 2019, at age 89. In her early career, she was a teacher but later worked as a parole office in Bulloch County and Albany, Georgia. 

Clyde Victoria H. Faison (’76) of Savannah died March 27, 2019, with her family by her side. She taught in Savannah Chatham County public schools for 30 years.

James “Jim” Dooley (’76, ’80), a retired lieutenant colonel of the 165th Airlift Wing died April 29, 2019, in Savannah. He was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and later joined the Air National Guard. He worked as a flight instructor in retirement.

Alvin Burke (’73) of Milledgeville, Georgia, died April 22, 1973. He was a teacher and coach in Tattnall County School schools prior to a career as an insurance agent.

John Sweeney (’75) of Bluffton, South Carolina, died at home May 11, 2019. He had a long management career with Hilton Hotels.

Elliott Evans (’72, ’76, ’88) of Hawkinsville, Georgia, passed away June 11, 2019. He worked in public schools for 30 years and taught industrial arts at Crawford County High School, Dublin High and Hawkinsville High. He was also the transportation director for the Pulaski County School System.

Barbara Lang (’72) of Savannah passed away peacefully at home June 18, 2019. She was a volunteer for Memorial Health Hospital, Live Oak Public Library and the Georgia Historical Society.

Anne Franklin Chase (’77) died June 23, 2019, at her Skidaway Island home near Savannah. She is remembered for establishing a charm school for girls, coordinating fashion shows and a successful career in residential and commercial real estate before retiring in her 80s.

Billy Estes (’70, ’76) of Savannah passed away at home on July 5, 2019. The retired lieutenant colonel and veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars served in the U.S. Army for 27 years and was a Chinook and fixed wing pilot. He also worked for the city of Savannah as a senior management analyst for 10 years.

Robert Bradley (’74) of DeLand, Florida, died July 31, 2019, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. A basketball player, he scored more than 1,000 points during his college career on the Armstrong Campus. He worked for several companies and acquired a franchise for Budget Car Rental.

Jo Ann Horne Drapalik (’70, ’72) of Statesboro died in hospice care Aug. 4, 2019. She was employed by Georgia Southern for many years and then worked and retired from Southeastern Technical College in Swainsboro, Georgia.

Janet Burkhart Williams (’79, ’87) of Darien, Georgia, died Aug. 17, 2019, surrounded by her family. A teacher for more than 30 years, she retired from the Glynn County Board of Education.

Thomas Rushing III (’79), a lifelong resident of Statesboro, died Aug. 19, 2019, after a brief illness. He was the co-owner and operator of the family business, T.E. Rushing Peanut Company. He was a member of the Southern Peanut Warehousemen’s Association and an inaugural member of Leadership Bulloch.

Joan Kennedy Hodges (’78) of  Rincon, Georgia, died Aug. 21, 2019, after a courageous fight against multiple sclerosis. She was an office manager for an investment company in Savannah.

Catharine Batchelor Hawkins (’71) of Cobb County, Georgia, died Sept. 7, 2019. The 32-year survivor of breast cancer spent her entire career in early childhood education.

Barbara Sawyer Claxton (’71) of Wrightsville, Georgia, died Sept. 8, 2019. She was a retired educator of 40 years.

1980s

Sadie Tillman Herrington (’81) passed away March 1, 2019, after a long illness. For more than 30 years she taught school in Ware, Charlton and Chatham counties.

Sharon Geathers Thomas (’82) of Hephzibah, Georgia, died March 4, 2019. She was survived by her husband and two children.

Andrew Hardin (’85) of Atlanta died March 5, 2019, after a courageous battle with cancer. An accomplished artist with many achievements, he also loved traveling, fishing and playing and repairing guitars.

Elizabeth “Libba” Cook Smith (’89), a longtime Statesboro resident, passed away March 6, 2019, at age 90. A wife and mother, she returned to college to earn her degree at age 60. She is remembered as one of Statesboro’s “Steel Magnolias” who was well-known for her poetry and her passionate support for the arts, church, community and the Eagles.

William Boney (’86, ’89), a native of Claxton, Georgia, died April 1, 2019. He had a successful career as a CPA and owned his own firm in Atlanta.

Lisa Kennedy Vaughn (’86) was surrounded by her husband and family when she died April 6, 2016 in Savannah.

Joseph Bishop (’85) of Dawsonville, Georgia, died April 8, 2019. He was a physician recruiter and placement specialist in the Atlanta area.

Jane Frame Cook (’87) was surrounded by family when she died April 17, 2019, at home in Midway, Georgia. She had a career as a teacher and media specialist in schools in the Savannah area.

Sister Michael Mary Brabner (’81), a Religious Sister of Mercy, lost her fight with cancer April 19, 2019, at Mercy Convent in Savannah. Sister Mary (Edith Reynalds Brabner) worked as a teacher, counselor and assistant principal in schools in Alabama and Maryland, and at St. Vincent’s Academy in Savannah.

Sonya Bloser Anderson (’84) of Statesboro died unexpectedly May 8, 2019. The lifelong resident of Bulloch County was a teacher and a computer support analyst.

Cynthia Roberts Besser (’86) of Statesboro died unexpectedly at her home May 18, 2019. She was a special education teacher at Julia P. Bryant Elementary School in Statesboro.

George White III (’82) of Roswell, Georgia, passed away May 11, 2019. He had a career in the insurance industry and with a company that sells graduation products.

Janice Whitson Pierce Seavey (’81) of Savannah and St. Simons Island lost her fight to cancer May 12, 2019. She was an educator in Chatham County and later was a judicial assistant in the federal court system.

Michael Coleman (’82) died Sept. 6, 2019, in Montgomery, Alabama, of complications from a heart catheterization procedure and a nine-year battle with polycystic kidney disease. He had a 36-year career in the recreation field and was an athletic official with the Georgia High School Association for more than 20 years.

William “Bill” Cary (’80) died Sept. 25, 2019, in hospice care in Statesboro. The veteran of the  U.S. Air Force retired as an electrical engineer with NEC America of Herndon, Virginia. He was instrumental in establishing the First 500 alumni network at Georgia Southern, and coordinated the book of essays, In Our Own Words, in which 21 African American alumni shared their memories of the early years of integration at Georgia Southern.

1990s

Kevin Andrews (’94) who grew up in on St. Simons Island died in a tragic accident April 1, 2019, on I-10 in south Alabama. He and his father were struck head-on by a vehicle eluding law enforcement. Kevin was in the process of moving from California to Florida when the accident occurred. He was a registered dietician in San Diego for 20 years, but Parkinson’s disease forced him to retire three years ago.

Jennifer Payne Miller (’95) of Brunswick, Georgia, died in hospice care May 8, 2019. She was a Gulfstream employee for 20 years.

Joseph (Joel) Marcantel III (’93) of Cumming, Georgia, died April 27, 2019, after a short illness. He had a career in sales and marketing in the Atlanta area. 

Thomas Caraway III (’90) of Vidalia, Georgia, died June 8, 2019, after an extended illness. He was a Vietnam War Marine veteran and worked as a letter carrier for 16 years. Later, he retired after 25 years as a science teacher in Tattnall County. 

Bettina “Tina” Stokes Wootan (’96) of Macon, Georgia, died June 22, 2019. She was a licensed professional counselor and guidance director for Stratford Academy.

Alicia Santa Ana Kapeleris (’96) of Savannah died in hospice care July 1, 2019. Until her retirement she was a teacher in several different capacities, from elementary school to college level.

Betty Brown Givens (’96) died unexpectedly July 29, 2019, at her home in Statesboro. She worked for Bulloch Memorial Hospital for 18 years and later opened a childcare facility.

Amy Esther (’96) of Dawsonville, Georgia, died July 30, 2019. She spent most of her career in automotive marketing but was also a real estate agent.

Alice Jones Glidwell (’90) of Statesboro was surrounded by family when she passed Aug. 1, 2019. She taught for 28 years at Claxton Elementary School. She also was an artist and musician.

Cecil “Poppy” Mallard (’94) died in Statesboro Aug. 21, 2019, at age 50. He was a nurse for 23 years at Memorial Health in Savannah and an accomplished craftsman who built his own home with help from friends and family.

2000s

Joel Parks (’14) died March 14, 2019, at his home in Dallas, Texas. The U.S. Army combat veteran was an economist with the U.S. Department of Labor and a former firefighter with Savannah Fire and Emergency Services.

 Helen “Christie” Henderson Anderson (’10) of Garden City, Georgia, died April 15, 2019, in Savannah. She had a career as a nurse before beginning an adventurous career in racing.

John Myers (’07), a first lieutenant in the Georgia Army National Guard, died May 8, 2019, in Savannah. The U.S. Army veteran served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kevin Webb (’18) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, died unexpectedly May 12, 2019. He graduated last December with a degree in logistics and supply chain management and was the sales optimization manager for a food service company in Savannah.

Steven Crowe (’11) of Elberta, Alabama, died July 1, 2019. He was a U.S. Army veteran.

Barbara Lewis Elias (’06) lost her fight against pancreatic cancer July 15, 2019, in Lakeland, Florida, at age 71. She had a career as a recreation therapist but after retiring in 2004, earned a degree to teach and taught at schools in Dublin, Georgia.

Henry “Hank” Clay (’09) of Statesboro died Aug. 31, 2019, at age 49. He was an art enthusiast and Civil War buff.

EAGLE NATION

Rodney McAdams, associate professor of health sciences, passed March 10, 2019, in a Savannah hospital. His teaching career began in Kansas where he grew up. McAdams was well-versed on many topics in American history, but his specialty was the history of medicine and health care. A walking encyclopedia and local trivia champion, he is remembered as a dedicated educator who touched the lives of many students on the Armstrong Campus.

Steven Ray Harless, of Statesboro and Palm Beach, Florida, died unexpectedly May 28, 2019, of cardiac arrest. Born into a U.S. Coast Guard family, he owned an accounting firm in Atlanta, and was the co-owner of a financial services company, and Flat Creek Lodge in Swainsboro, Georgia. Harless and his wife, alumna Caroline Otwell Harless, endowed a graduate scholarship at Georgia Southern. She is also a past chair of the Georgia Southern Foundation Board of Trustees.

Bill Alexander (’66), the former athletics director for Armstrong State, died June 2, 2019, in hospice care in DeLand, Florida. The U.S. Air Force veteran was also the head basketball coach and golf coach at Armstrong from 1967-77.

Willie “Mac” McGlamery passed away peacefully June 29, 2019, in hospice care in Statesboro. He served in the National Guard Unit during the Korean War. He operated Mac’s Service Station on Highway 301 South for 40 years and employed dozens of Georgia Southern students during those years. He served not only as an employer, but as a mentor and “father away from home” for many University students. Mac was an avid Georgia Southern basketball fan and named an honorary brother of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity.

Professor Emeritus Roger Pajari of Loganville, Georgia, passed away July 28, 2019. He started teaching at Georgia Southern in 1970 and retired from the political science department in 1998. He was also the editor-in-chief of the Southeastern Political Review.

Professor Emerita Charlene Rushton Black of Statesboro passed away Aug. 8, 2019. She spent most of her career at Georgia Southern University as a sociology professor, graduate school dean, undergraduate studies dean and academic affairs associate vice president. She helped chair the committee and prepare the grant that created the Center for Wildlife Education. The professor was also a prominent leader in the South Georgia Conference of United Methodist Women.

Danny Hagan Jr. and Julie Smith Hagan, two of Georgia Southern’s most loyal fans, were killed in a vehicle crash Sept. 1, 2019, returning home from the Eagles’ season opening football game against Louisiana State. The couple from Guyton, Georgia, had just celebrated their 25th anniversary during the trip of a lifetime. They were traveling on I-16 near Swainsboro, Georgia, when their car hydroplaned and crashed into a tree. Their three children are students at Georgia Southern.

Tristan Clemmons, a Georgia Southern police officer, died Sept. 5, 2019, in Savannah. The 23-year-old succumbed to injuries he sustained in an off-duty crash. He attended Nevils Elementary and graduated from Southeast Bulloch High School in 2015.

Professor Emeritus Larry Price of Statesboro passed away Sept. 10, 2019. He joined the Georgia Southern business school faculty in 1963. Upon retiring, he was named professor emeritus of finance and head emeritus of the Department of Finance and Economics. Price also served in the U.S. Army as a captain in military intelligence.  

Professor Emeritus Lon Carnes Jr. passed away Sept. 25, 2019, in Statesboro. The former lieutenant in the U.S. Army joined the Georgia Southern business school faculty in 1967, which he later chaired during his 27 years of service. He was a charter member of the Omicron Delta Epsilon Business Executive Society in Economics. A devotee of music and the arts, he established the Lon Carnes Music Scholarship Endowment at Georgia Southern.

Professor Thomas “Tom” Stidham of Lawrence, Kansas, died Oct. 1, 2019, in hospice care. He joined the music department faculty in 1968 as a low brass teacher and later served as director of bands.