Contact: Denise M. Cosper
Eight leaders in the areas of government, industry, private business, and education are the 1997 Alumni Fellows of Mississippi State University.
Sponsored by the university's alumni association, the annual fellows program brings accomplished graduates back to campus to share experiences and offer advice to current students and faculty members. Chosen by each college and school, they carry the title permanently.
This year's honorees visit campus Sept. 25-26. They include:
--Dr. Mark E. Keenum of Alexandria, Va., chief of staff for Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Keenum aided in the passage of the 1990 and 1996 congressional farm bills and was honored in 1996 with the Farm Policy Commendation Award. He received a bachelor's degree in 1983, a master's in 1984 and a doctorate in 1988, all in agricultural economics.
--Charles C. Barlow Jr. of Madison, chief executive officer of the Jackson architectural firm Barlow Eddy Jenkins, School of Architecture. Barlow has served Mississippi State and other universities as a guest lecturer and design critic. He received his bachelor's degree in 1980.
--Newton F. Hamlin Jr. of Austin, Texas, vice president of McLane Team Logistics, College of Arts and Sciences. Hamlin currently sits on the boards of the statewide Association of Retarded Citizens and the Junior Achievement of Central Texas. He received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1964.
--John H. Baker III of Houston, Texas, real estate developer and leaseholder, College of Business and Industry. An All-American football player at Mississippi State, Baker played professionally with the Houston Oilers and the San Diego Chargers before beginning his real estate career. He received a bachelor's degree in business in 1963.
--Thomas L. Davis Jr. of Scooba, president of East Mississippi Community College, College of Education. Since assuming his current position in 1990, Davis has been instrumental in bringing EMCC to the forefront of Mississippi's community college system, including expanding programs and student services. He received a doctorate in educational administration in 1983.
--Bobby S. Shackouls of Houston, Texas, president and chief executive officer of Burlington Resources Inc., College of Engineering. In his present position, Shackouls has helped revitalize and diversify one of the nation's largest gas exploration and production companies. He received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1972.
--Kenneth C. Stewart Jr. of Atlanta, Ga., executive assistant to the chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia-Pacific Corp., College of Forest Resources. Stewart sits on the board of the Georgia Justice Project and is certified by the Georgia Bar Association. He received bachelor's degrees in business and forestry in 1972.
--Dr. Kenneth R. Boschert of St. Louis, Mo., associate director of Washington University's School of Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine. Boschert is creator of NetVet Veterinary Resources on the World Wide Web, a comprehensive collection of online veterinary information including the Electronic Zoo. The site has received more than 65 million hits in three years. He received a bachelor's degree in general science in 1980 and a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1984, both from Mississippi State.