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1999 Alumni Fellows are (front, l-r), Anthony S. Mancuso, Dr. Susan R. Nelms, Tina F. Scholtes, and Jeffrey K. Easterling. Back (l-r) are Kevin T. Ivey, Elton R. King,Gerald W. Thames, and G. Tim Rosenbury.
Eight leaders in a variety of private and public service areas throughout the Southeast and Midwest are the 1999 Alumni Fellows of Mississippi State University.
Sponsored for the past 10 years by the university's alumni association, the 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 Sunday through Tuesday [Oct. 10-12]. They include:
--Jeffrey K. Easterling of New Orleans, La., vice president for marketing for the Southern Forest Products Association, College of Forest Resources. A native of Huntsville, Ark., he is a 1980 graduate in wood science and technology, and in business administration. [Home address: 1021 Leontine, 70115].
--Kevin T. Ivey of Meridian and Atlanta, Ga., Cable News Network's vice president for basic technology research and development, College of Arts and Sciences. A Meridian native, he is a 1980 communication/broadcasting graduate.
--Elton R. King of Atlanta, Ga., BellSouth's group president for network and carrier services, College of Engineering. The former Pelahatchie resident is a 1968 electrical engineering graduate. [Home address: 5959 Long Island Dr., 30328].
--Anthony S. "Tony" Mancuso of St. Louis, Mo., golf course superintendent for Bellerive Country Club, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. A former resident of Salisburg, Md., he is a 1979 agronomy/turfgrass management graduate. [Home address: 338 North Mason, Creve Coeur, 63141].
--Dr. Susan R. Nelms of Helena, Ala., veterinary ophthalmologist and owner of Veterinary Eye Care, College of Veterinary Medicine. Formerly of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., she received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1990. She also holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Rutgers University.
--G. Tim Rosenbury of Springfield, Mo., a partner in the architecture, engineering, interior design, and planning firm of Butler, Rosenbury and Partners Inc., School of Architecture. Raised in Memphis, Tenn., he received a bachelor's degree in 1980.
--Tina F. Scholtes of Starkville, first-grade teacher in the Starkville School System (Sudduth Elementary) and Mississippi's 1998-99 Teacher of the Year, College of Education. An Okolona native, she received a bachelor's degree in 1981 and a master's in 1984.
--Gerald W. "Jerry" Thames of Duluth, Ga., vice chairman, chief executive officer and president of Global TeleSystems Group Inc., College of Business and Industry. A former Starkville resident, he received a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering in 1968 and a master's in business administration in 1971. He also completed post-graduate study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"For the past decade, the MSU Alumni Fellows Program has served as a means to enrich students' university experiences by exposing them to outstanding alumni such as these who are willing to talk about specific competencies, attitudes and efforts needed to succeed," said alumni association executive director John V. Correro.
"Alumni Fellows return to campus not only as distinguished guests, but as mentors, friends and counselors," he added. "They are honored in recognition of the ultimate measure of a university, the quality of its alumni."