Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The Mississippi State University Alumni Association ushers in its 125th year by naming one of the land-grant institution's best-known administrators as the 2010 national alumnus of the year.
Roy H. Ruby was vice president for MSU's Division of Student Affairs for 17 years, then College of Education dean for several years before retiring in 2004. In late 2008, he was asked by the state College Board to serve as interim chief executive while it concluded a presidential search process that chose current President Mark E. Keenum.
Ruby, a Mississippi Delta native, had a 40-year administrative tenure at his alma mater, from which he received bachelor's and master's degrees in political science in 1961 and 1966, respectively. He also holds a doctorate from the University of Mississippi.
Reared in Yazoo City and Belzoni, Ruby is among a host of MSU graduates to be honored formally Feb. 12.
The occasion is the alumni association's annual campus leadership conference and awards banquet. Among other activities, the association will:
--Formally welcome the 91st alumni chapter as the recently chartered Cincinnati-Dayton, Ohio, membership joins others from across the United States and one in South Korea; and
--Give special recognition to Donald W. Zacharias for his 12 years of leadership as university president. Now retired in Starkville, Zacharias served from 1985-97--the second longest presidency in institution history--then moved into the position of Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning Professor.
In the latter role, Zacharias mentored MSU's top scholarship recipients and directed the John Grisham Room in Mitchell Memorial Library. He and Grisham, an MSU alumnus and major donor, are longtime friends.
Thirteen others being honored during the weekend will include the nine individual college alumni of the year, a young alumnus of the year and three distinguished service award selections.
College honorees include (by city of residence):
ACKERMAN--David A. Chandler, College of Education. A Mississippi Supreme Court associate justice, he received bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 1972, 1974 and 1988, respectively. Before entering the legal profession, he spent 20 years in education, including a decade as an MSU curriculum specialist.
ATLANTA, Ga.--Lloyd A. Solomon, College of Arts and Sciences. Vice president of finance for Studsvik Inc., Solomon is a 1988 mathematics graduate who also completed a master's in the major two years later. [Residential ZIP code 30345]
CLEMSON, S.C.--Thomas B. Wigley Jr., College of Forest Resources. Manager of the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement's Sustainable Forestry and Eastern Wildlife Program, he received a bachelor of science in forestry in 1975, a master's in wildlife ecology in 1977 and doctorate in wildlife ecology and botany in 1981.
FRANKLIN, Tenn.--Dr. Paula Ann Schuerer, College of Veterinary Medicine. Owner and veterinarian at Animal Ark Animal Hospital, she received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a master's in business administration, both in 1995. She also is a 1992 animal science graduate.
HOUSTON, Texas--James J. "Jim" Rouse, College of Business. A retired ExxonMobil vice president and 1962 management graduate, he currently serves as president of the MSU Foundation's board of directors. [Residential ZIP code 70777]
MERIDIAN--Maurice F. Kahlmus Jr., MSU-Meridian. Executive director of the Weems Community Health Center, he completed a 1983 master's degree in counselor education at the local campus.
MISSOURI CITY, Texas--Albert J. "Al" Williams, James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. A 1990 electrical engineering graduate, he is general manager of finance for the Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Co.
PLANO, Texas--Cynthia W. "Cindy" Simpson, College of Architecture, Art and Design. Principal with the Gensler architectural firm, she is a 1996 interior design graduate.
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Martha Scott Poindexter, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. A 1989 home economics, nutrition and dietetics graduate, she is minority staff director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. [Residential ZIP code 20003]
Other 2010 conference honorees include (by city of residence):
BATESVILLE--Richard D. Russo, Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year Award. President and student recruitment chair for the Panola County alumni chapter, he is a mathematics teacher, head junior high football coach and high school defensive coordinator at Water Valley High School.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--Thomas D. "T.D." Farris III, Distinguished Service Award. A 1981 computer science graduate and consulting principal at Computer Sciences Corp., he serves on the Birmingham alumni chapter's board of directors and has led its successful golf tournament fundraising effort for many years. [Residential ZIP code 35247]
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.--Glenda Dye Fulgham, Distinguished Service Award. A 1986 child development graduate and senior payroll accountant for CEVA Logistics, she was the Northeast Florida (Jacksonville) chapter's president--and, until recently, only officer--for many years. Presently, she is the chapter's vice president and program committee chair. [Residential ZIP code 32082]
RIDGELAND--David W. Jones, Distinguished Service Award. A 1981 accounting graduate and Trustmark Bank's first vice president-senior audit manager, he was national alumni association president in 2007-08.
ATTN: LOCAL EDITORS
For more on the leadership conference and awards program, contact Dr. Jimmy Abraham at 662-325-7000.
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For additional details on the honorees, contact Amy Cagle at 325-1006 or acagle@advservices.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.