Contact: Denise Cosper
Eight leaders in industry, private business, insurance, equine medicine, and education are the 1998 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 career guidance to current students and faculty members. Chosen by each college and school, they carry the title permanently.
This year's honorees visit campus Oct. 18-20. They include:
--Charles R. "Randy" Dismuke Jr. of Greenville, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. President of Delta and Pine Land Co.'s Deltapine Seed Division, the former Big Creek resident received a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering technology and business in 1977.
--Daria F. Pizzetta of New York, N.Y., School of Architecture. Director of interiors for Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates, the Biloxi native received a bachelor's degree in 1983.
--William C. Mattox of Arlington, Va., College of Arts and Sciences. Executive vice president for federal government affairs for Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co., the former Tupelo resident received bachelor's and master's degrees in political science in 1972 and 1973, respectively.
--Shirley F. Olson of Jackson, College of Business and Industry. President of Olson Consulting Group, the former Greenwood resident received a bachelor's degree in general business administration in 1969 and a doctorate in finance in 1978.
--Susan H. Steward of Arlington, Va., College of Education. An eighth-grade physical science teacher at Williamsburg Middle School, the former Butler, Ala., resident received a bachelor's degree in biology education in 1976.
--James L. Flanagan of Warren, N.J., College of Engineering. Vice president for research at Rutgers University, the Greenwood native received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1948.
--Tony R. Parks of Memphis, Tenn., College of Forest Resources. Chief executive officer and president of Anderson Tully Co., the former West Point resident received a bachelor's degree in forestry in 1973.
--Dr. D. Keith Merritt of Wauconda, Ill., College of Veterinary Medicine. President of Fox River Valley Equine Clinic, the Lucedale native received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1984.