Contact: Sammy McDavid
Eight graduates have been named 2003 Alumni Fellows of Mississippi State University. Organized by the MSU Alumni Association for the past 14 years, the program brings graduates of distinction back to campus to share their professional experiences and provide career guidance for current students and their faculty mentors. Each carries the alumni fellow designation for life.
Top row, left to right:
Gary C. Bailey of Tupelo, a 1979 graduate of the now-College of Architecture, is president and partner at Johnson Bailey Henderson McNeel, a five-office regional firm. The business annually manages $150 million in design and construction projects, including some 3,000 in Mississippi alone. Bailey is congratulated by Jane Greenwood, associate dean of the college.
Glen Bradley of Henderson, Nev., (r), a 1964 chemical engineering graduate who also holds a doctorate from Louisiana State University, is chief executive officer of CIBA Vision Group. The contact lens and pharmaceuticals company currently maintains some $2 billion in worldwide sales. Bradley is congratulated by College of Engineering Dean Wayne Bennett.
Second row, left to right:
Lamar A. Conerly Jr. of Destin, Fla., a 1971 accounting/pre-law graduate who also holds a University of Mississippi law degree is owner of a legal firm specializing in corporate, real estate, governmental, and civil litigation. He was MSU's national alumni association president in 1999-2000 and chair of the association's board of directors in 2001. Conerly is congratulated by College of Business and Industry Dean Sara Freedman.
Larry Grillot of Diamondhead (r), a 1968 physics graduate, recently retired after a 30-year career in petroleum exploration and production with Phillips Petroleum Co. He also holds a doctorate in geological sciences from Brown University. Grillot is congratulated by Gary Myers, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Third row, left to right:
Dr. Todd R. Henderson of Edgewood, Md., (r), a 1992 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine, is executive vice president of Nutramax Laboratories. He also is a member of the advisory board for the University of Maryland's veterinary college. Henderson is congratulated by Dr. John Thomson, dean of the MSU college.
James E. Newsome of Washington, D.C., (l), a Flora [Miss.] native, is a 2001 doctoral graduate in agricultural economics now serving as chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a member of President Bush's Working Group on Financial Markets and the Corporate Fraud Task Force. Newsome is congratulated by Vance Watson, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine.
Bottom row, left to right:
James L. "Jim" Sledge of Crystal Springs (c), a 1961 forestry graduate, is the Mississippi state forester. He is a former woodlands manager for Mead Corp.'s Stevenson, Ala., paper and saw mills and former president of the National Association of State Foresters. Sledge is congratulated by Bob Karr, (l) interim dean of the College of Forest Resources, and Steven Bullard, interim forestry department head.
Wayne Stonecypher of Brandon (r), a 1973 doctoral graduate in education, is executive director of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges. A veteran teacher and administrator, he is a former academic dean at Hinds Community College who also holds a law degree from Mississippi College. Stonecypher is congratulated by College of Education Dean Roy Ruby.