Contact: Sheri Pape
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State University is honoring a former oil company executive and 1962 industrial management graduate with its highest alumni honor.
In Feb. 10 campus ceremonies, James J. "Jim" Rouse of Houston, Texas, will receive the 2012 National Alumnus of the Year award. A Libertyville, Ill., native who was reared in Germantown, Tenn., he retired in 2004 as corporate vice president of ExxonMobil.
Organized by the MSU Alumni Association, the annual banquet also will involve:
--Presentation of separate alumni-of-the-year awards for each of the eight colleges and MSU-Meridian; and
--A formal welcome for its 93rd chartered chapter in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Michael A. "Andy" Ryder, a 2005 agribusiness graduate, is chapter president.
For the third year, the banquet will be webcast live, beginning at 6 p.m. via www.msstate.edu.
The annual alumni's gathering continues the following day [the 11th] with a leadership conference. Both events are expected to bring more than 750 graduates back to campus.
Rouse, who entered MSU as a freshman in 1958, was a member of Alpha Tau Omega social fraternity, president of the Interfraternity Council and cadet brigade commander for the Army ROTC. By graduation, he was a selection for Who's Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
After receiving his degree, Rouse joined Humble Oil and Refining Co., which later became Exxon USA. He took two years of military leave to serve as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, then rejoined the company to serve in various Exxon positions around the country. Over his career, he worked in marketing, supply and transportation, human resources, and government relations.
An active volunteer for his alma mater, Rouse is president of the MSU Foundation board of directors. He also serves on boards of the Bulldog Club and Alumni Association, as well as the dean's advisory board in the College of Business, where he was the 2010 selection for alumnus of the year.
While at MSU, he met Julia Ann Bennett of Laurel, an elementary education major at Mississippi University for Women in nearby Columbus. They married in 1962 and have two daughters, Lisa and Connie.
In 2009, he and Julia created an endowed professorship in the management department at MSU. The couple also has funded a 9,000-square-foot weight room in the Holliman Athletic Center and donated a 1929 Model-A Roadster now used in campus events.
Most recently, a gift from the Rouses is supporting a strength and conditioning center in the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, now under construction.
The individual college alumni and alumna being honored include (by city of residence):
AMES, Iowa--Dr. Locke A. Karriker, College of Veterinary Medicine. He earned a master's degree and doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Director of the Swine Medicine Education Center at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, he also now is an associate professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine.
ARLINGTON, Va.--Wendy J. Allen, College of Architecture, Art and Design. A 1998 graduate with a master's in architectural studies and an emphasis in digital visualization, design and technology, she has worked since 2001 for Public Broadcast Service. Vice president for media operations center and engineering, she also oversees the PBS Media library.
BRANDON--Francis C. "Franc" Lee, College of Business. Since 1999, he has served as president and CEO of First Tower Corp., a consumer finance company that owns and operates 158 branches throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri. He is a 1989 banking and finance graduate.
GULFPORT--Henry E. "Ed" Blakeslee III, James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. A 1963 electrical engineering graduate, he is a retired vice president of Mississippi Power Co., having served in various engineering, accounting and administrative positions during a nearly 40-year career. He currently is vice president of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.
KILMICHAEL--Larry E. Castle, College of Forest Resources. Castle is a 1976 education graduate who went on to earn a 1978 master's degree in wildlife ecology. A Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks staff member since 1978, he currently directs technical programs, overseeing state wildlife law enforcement, wildlife and fisheries.
MENDHAM, N.J.--Dr. James E. "Jim" Newsome, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He earned a master's degree in animal science in 1985, then a doctoral degree in nutrition and agricultural economics in 2001. A member of the MSU Foundation board of directors, he is the retired president and CEO of the New York Mercantile Exchange Inc., and former chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He also holds a bachelor's degree in food and resource economics from the University of Florida.
MERIDIAN--Cornelious D. "C.D." Smith Jr., MSU-Meridian. A Meridian campus alumnus, he is a 1991 business and industry graduate who went on to receive a master's degree in business administration in 1995. In addition to his position as an AT&T Mississippi regional director, he is a member of Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning and chairs the board of trustees of the Meridian-based G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Institute.
NEW YORK, N.Y.--Corey M. McKern, College of Education. A 1999 music education graduate, he is a rising operatic baritone who has performed with opera companies and orchestras in Carnegie Hall and other city venues, as well as throughout the U.S. He also recently made his international debut with Opera Hong Kong.
SHREVEPORT, La.--Dr. Donald L. "Don" Hall, College of Arts and Sciences. A 1962 pre-medicine graduate, the now-retired Vicksburg native was a board certified doctor of ophthalmology at the Steen-Hall Eye Institute in Shreveport, as well as a clinical associate professor at New Orleans' Tulane University and Shreveport's Louisiana State University medical schools.
Other graduates receiving special recognitions at the banquet include:
ATLANTA, Ga.--John F. "Jack" D'Arcy, Distinguished Service Award. Recognized for his work with the Atlanta alumni chapter, the now-retired 1964 industrial engineering graduate has been involved with the local organization since 1962. He is the former owner of Mountain Air Products who also worked as an industrial risk insurance account manager.
CORINTH--Christopher E. "Chris" Carson, Distinguished Service Award. A 1998 general business administration graduate, he has been a driving force behind the Alcorn County alumni chapter's revitalization and currently serves as its president. He is an office manager for a retail grocery chain.
HOUSTON, Texas--Robert P. "Patrick" White, Distinguished Service Award. Houston chapter president, the 1990 communication graduate was instrumental in bringing the "M-State" license plate to the Lone Star State, with proceeds benefitting MSU students. He is an account executive with LSI Industries Inc.
NEW YORK, N.Y.--Ameilia R. Young, Young Alumna of the Year. President of the city's alumni chapter, the 2006 risk management, insurance and financial planning graduate is a senior underwriter for Chartis Insurance Executive Liability-Financial Institutions.
TUPELO--Betty Latimer Black, Distinguished Service Award. Honored for her work with the Lee and Oktibbeha county chapters, the Lee County native and 1974 music education graduate is a former national alumni association president who also led alumni chapters in the two counties over the years.
For more information about Mississippi State University, visit www.msstate.edu.
For more information on the event, contact Jimmy Abraham, associate vice president for development and alumni and alumni association executive director, at 662-325-7000 or jabraham@alumni.msstate.edu.