Fall 2009

Georgia Teacher of the Year:Educator Honored for Energetic Passion and Student Interaction:Fall 2009

By Thressea Boyd

       THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor and the XYZ Affair — from A to Z, students in Gwen Desselle’s U.S. history class moved through the alphabet naming events that spanned 230 plus years. In game show fashion, the 2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year kept the students engaged as they reviewed for their final test in U.S. history.

       Her energetic teaching style and inter- action with students is a clear indication as to why she received the highest award given to a Georgia public school teacher.

       Desselle, a 32-year veteran educa- tor from Moultrie, Ga., earned her bach- elor’s, master’s and educational specialist degrees from Valdosta State University. Her teaching career began at Valdosta High School in 1977 and then a few short years later she returned home to Colquitt County, where she has been ever since.

       Desselle and her husband, James, a middle school social studies teacher, are avid travelers, who have visited every state in the nation and many European countries. Their quest to see the world has impacted their son, Jay, who is study- ing international affairs at the University of Georgia.

       “Our travels help us relate to the stu- dents — we have stories and pictures about the places we study and tell our students what it was like in the past and how it has changed today,” Desselle said.

       Colquitt County Superintendent Leonard McCoy credits Desselle’s success in her ability to bring history alive.

“Not only does she know it, she in a sense lives it through her travels and the manner in which she presents it,” McCoy said. “Humor plays a major role in her classes as she makes learning fun.”

       A voracious reader, Desselle conveys to her students the importance of reading and how the knowledge it brings helps link subjects past and present.

       “I use a lot of anecdotes to share about figures from history,” Desselle said. “I also bring a sense of humor — I can laugh at myself and get kids to laugh, too. I enjoy what I do and kids realize it.”

       She describes her teaching style as flex- ible and student oriented. Her classroom les- sons are interactive and incorporate a variety of activities to help maintain the students’ interest and involvement.

       “I am always seeking a new and better way to help students learn,” Desselle said. “I keep the lessons relevant – no busy work and every assignment has a purpose and is linked to the state standards.”

       Always looking for ways to engage the imagination of her students, Desselle enjoys her job and realizes what she does is impor- tant and works to gain trust and respect from each student.

       “I am fair — kids know I have their interest at heart and they trust me to do what is best for them.”

       As Georgia Teacher of the Year, Desselle will spend the 2009-10 school year traveling around the state as an advocate for the teach- ing profession and conducting workshops and programs for current and future educa- tors. She will compete for the 2010 National Teacher of the Year and serve as an adviser to State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox and the Georgia Department of Education.

1940s
Ruth T. Morrison, ‘43, of Duluth, Ga., died Nov. 11, 2008, in Lawrenceville, Ga.
1950s
Patricia (Sutherland) Kelly, ’50, of Falls Church, Va., died June 12.
1970s
Ellen Cowne, ’72 & ’76,
of Colbert, Ga., has worked in education for nearly 40 years, but her jewelry business is now making the grade. A number of shows and galleries, includ- ing the Art of Oconee Gallery, Cowne have showcased her work. Go
to www.ellencowne.com to view the former school superintendant’s work.
Dr. William C. “Bill” Waters IV, ’76 & ’78, of Carrollton, Ga., was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce. The 56-year-old is the chief medical officer at Tanner Medical Center, Inc., and previously served as director of critical care services at Tanner Medical Center.
Becki Hynson, ’76, ’89 & ’90, of Lake Wales, Fla., was an educator for 17 years, but since 2005 has had the wheels turning on a second career. Hynson, the former dean of students at Boone Middle School in Haines City, now owns and operates Motorcycle Safety Training. Go to www.learn2ridenow.com for more information about Hynson and her motorcycle outfit.
Claire (Deckbar) Taylor, ‘76, is the new principal at Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary School in Indianapolis, Ind.
Mildred (Morse) Hunter, ’77, of Valdosta, Ga., died June 25. The 86-year-old was well known in Valdosta for her involvement in the organization of the city’s annual Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations. She taught in the area for 38 years and was a member of Macedonia First Baptist Church for about 70 years. In 2004, the mother of three was hon- ored with the Unsung Heroes Award presented by the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses. DeWitt Smith, ’77, of Athens, Ga., is one of the 50 potters whose work was displayed in Watkinsville at the Seventh Annual Perspectives 2009: Georgia Pottery Invitational.
Skip Fite,’78, is the new head base- ball coach of the Division II program at the University of West Georgia in LaGrange, Ga. Fite had served as the Augusta State baseball coach since 1985. He is returning to West Georgia, where he had served as the assistant coach from 1978-81 before leading Brewton-Parker for four years.
Tommy T. Thomas, ’78, assumed duties as the deputy under secretary of defense for military community and family
policy in May. Thomas is also in charge of all military honors and mortuary affairs. Thomas is the recipi- ent of several medals, including the Legion of Meritwithonebronze Thomas oak leaf cluster, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and three bronze oak leaf clusters, and Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two bronze oak leaf clusters.
1980s
Rooney Bowen III, ’81, was elected as the probate judge for Dooly County, Ga. Since assuming his position, Bowen said he has also begun working on his biggest platform — educating youth about the laws.
Tim Hurd, ’81, has joined Sterling Precision Machining in Summerville, S.C., as general manager. He has more than 20 years experience in sales and operations management in a variety of manufactur- ing industries.
Karen Spillers Freyermuth, ’84 & ’85, of Macon, Ga., was promoted in January to CEO of Aging Aircraft Consulting, in Warner Robins, Ga. The company provides aero- space technical and logistics services to the U.S. Department of Defense, foreign countries and commercial industry.
Keith Parks, ‘84, of Americus, Ga., celebrated 20 years of service as the min- ister of music at First Baptist Church of
Americus. He has since taken over as the head pastor for First Baptist.
Lt. Col. Jamie Scott Brady, ’88, has been promoted to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He is assis- tant director of the Department of Defense Assignment and Separation Policy at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Brady deployed to Iraq for six months in 2006 to support the mis- sion of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is married to Karen (Smolchek) Brady, ’88.
of Schley County Schools. Stubbs, the for- mer principal of Schley County Middle/ High School, previously served as a teacher and administrator in the Tri-County School System.
Angela Westra, ’89, was named presi- dent of the Americus-Sumter Chamber of Commerce.
1990s
Leslie Shultz, ’90, of Warner Robins, Ga., was appointed principal of David Perdue Primary School for the 2009-10 school year. Shultz has been with the Houston County school system for 18 years and most recently served as the assistant principal for instruction at David Perdue Primary School.
Keren (Bass) Wynn, ’91, was named vice president of administrative services for the Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. The cer- tified public accountant is responsible for the institution’s overall fiscal management.
Lt. Col. Mike Buck, ’92, of Great Falls, Mont., assumed command of the 186th Fighter Squadron in June 2008 after returning from his third combat deployment to Iraq. He recently completed training to fly the F-15C and is supervising the squadron’s conversion to operations with that aircraft.
Rev. William Todd Cason, ’92, of Brooks County, Ga., is the principle of C.A. Gray Middle School. Cason serves on the YMCA Board of Directors, is a member of the T.E.A.C.H Outreach Ministries and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Cason and his wife, Lana (Duncan) Cason have three chil- dren, Amber, Chelsea and William.
Lori (Mobley) Groover, ‘92, of Hinesville, Ga., died Aug. 8. Groover was in transition to become the Director of Athletic Training Services at the Medical College of Georgia when she was diagnosed with cancer in June. Groover, who served as an athletic trainer for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, had previ- ously served as an assistant professor in the School of Allied Health Sciences and coor- dinator of health sciences at Nicholls State University in Thibodauz, La.
Charles Akridge, ’93 & ’96, of Cedartown, Ga., was named the city manager of Cedartown in April. He has worked in city planning and management roles in Acworth, Moultrie and Fairburn as well as for Worth, Camden and Turner counties.

Dr. Jenny L. Jones, ’88 & ’02, is an assis- tant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work in Richmond, Va. The author of several books is an expert in child welfare issues related to work force devel- opment, and is researching the impact of HIV/ AIDS on families and children.
Sgt. Steven Jones, ’88, of Thomasville, Ga. was the 2009 recipient of the Thomas County Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award. He and his wife, Krista, have two children.
Dr. Jewrell Rivers, ’88 & ’89, of Tifton, Ga., has been approved for tenure by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Rivers, an associate professor of sociology and crimi- nal justice, has been a member of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College faculty since 2001. In the 1990s, Rivers worked in VSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and Multicultural Affairs and taught classes for the sociology department.

Jimmy Brookins Jr., ’89, of Charlotte, N.C., was named defensive assistant for the Southern Tech Wildcats football program. While playing football at Valdosta State, Brookins was twice named to the All Gulf South Conference team and received the Hugh C. Bailey Player of the Year Award.
Col. Carl Buhler, ’89, took over Robins Air Force Base command of the 78th Air Base Wing, which is responsible for all support operations at the almost 9,000-acre installation.
Larry Stubbs, ’89, of Americus, Ga., has stepped into the role of superintendentAlvin Payton, ’95, was announced as the vice president of adult education for Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. He is currently a student in the doctor of public administration program at Valdosta State University. Payton, is a member of Sons of Amvets and serves on the Valdosta City Council and the local YMCA Board of Directors.
Chris Cason, ’96, is the director for the Columbus Habitat for Humanity. He is in charge of this year’s project, “Building on Faith,” which works to develop a coalition of churches to serve others. Cason and his wife, Melissa, have two children, Ansley and Collin.
Kimberly C. Homer, ‘96, of Thomasville, Ga., was named the 2008 Correctional Officer of the Year at federal prison FCI/FDC Tallahassee. The facility’s case manager has been employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons since 1998.
Jason Kendrick, ’97, of Naples, Fla., is con- sidered among the best 10 softball players of all time and is an outfielder on the 2009 USA Softball Men’s Slow-Pitch National Team. He plays left field for the top softball team in the world — Dan Smith’s Team Combat, based in San Jose, Calif. Kendrick has received more than two decades’ worth of accolades for his play, including induction into the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Hall of Fame. He is one of only five players to accumu- late 200 hits and score 200 runs in the USSSA Men’s Major World Series.
Stephanie (Barber) Landeen, ’97 & ’07, of Bainbridge, Ga., has been named Teacher of the Year at West Bainbridge Elementary School. She has taught third-grade for the past three years and previously taught fifth grade for nine years.
Ben Maddox, ’97, of Clinton, Miss., became the director of Mississippi College’s Baptist Student Union in July. The 34-year- old previously served as the campus minister for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and the campus minister at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Ark. Maddox and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of their six-year- old son, Brock.
accidents and DUI cases. Brantley also serves as solicitor for the municipal courts of Camilla and Warwick.
Connie Coffey, ’98, was named vice pres- ident of student affairs for Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. She will continue in her current position as vice president of student affairs at East Central Tech until July 2010.
Diane (Waldron) Welch, ’99, has been named the 2009 Teacher of the Year at Jones- Wheat Elementary in Bainbridge, Ga. Welch and her husband, Bruce, have three children, Gayla, Cole and Gerren.
2000s
Jason Johns, ‘00, of Houston, Texas, was named a “Rising Star” by Texas Monthly magazine. The award is based on a three-part system that determines the top 2.5 percent of the state’s up-and-coming lawyers.
Ryan Sulkowski, ’01, is the new football coach at Rifle High School in Rifle, Colo. His wife, Heather, also works at Rifle High School as the new volleyball coach.
Cedric Dickerson, ’02 & ’04, of Atlanta, Ga., hosted his fourth annual youth football camp in July. Dickerson is a former Liberty County Panther football player and Canadian Football League professional. Dickerson, who coaches high school football at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga., recently married.
wife, Mandy, and two Boston Terriers, Lilly and Sunny.
Andrew Perry, ‘04, of Atlanta, Ga., graduated in August from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with a Master of Science in Biology.
Brian Hurtak, ’05, was one of 31 college graduates selected to participate in the PGA Tour’s Diversity Internship Program during the summer 2009. A graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Hurtak served as a pgatour.com editorial assistant. Hurtak, who was named as an Academic All- American Golfer by the NCAA, has worked as a loan advisor for Amerisave Mortgage Corporation, where he was awarded the Kudos Award for exemplary customer service.
Anna “Marcie” Kinsey, ‘05, of Valdosta, Ga., graduated in March 2009 with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida. She has returned to Valdosta as a chiropractor for Hutchinson Chiropractic Center.
Jessica Brooke Martin, ’06, of Valdosta, Ga., was awarded the Scott Sanders Waddell Memorial Scholarship from the Medical College of Georgia in April. Each year, Physician Assistant Department faculty select a student that possesses the qualities of dedication and fellowship demonstrated by Waddell, a former student who died of complications from cystic fibrosis.
Lt. Michael Pope, ’08, has graduated from basic military training and Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga. He will be attend- ing flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala.
Robert “Tucker” Pruitt, ’08, joined Georgia Southern University’s staff as offen- sive assistant/quarterback coach. Pruitt is working toward a master’s degree in Educational Leadership at VSU.
Ellen Singletary, ’08, of Valdosta, Ga., is one of 215 members of AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps who completed 10 months of full-time service to communities in need. She and her team members completed a series of six- to eight-week long projects in different communities across the country.
Shena Faith, ’09, was named the new coordinator of fitness programs at the University of Vermont. Faith is trained in lyengar yoga, a heart rate training instruc- tional course, and Forza, a class based on martial arts. She is one of the state’s only instructors trained in both disciplines.
Blake Brantley, ’98, of Albany, Ga., announced the formation of his firm, Blake N. Brantley, LLC., in Albany, Ga. The firm focuses on workers’ compensation, automobile

Dr. Tobias Huning, ’03, was inducted into the Lander Athletics Hall of Fame. Huning taught at Memphis University, and is now a profes- sor in Columbus State University’s management
Kristen (Hawkins) Fryzel, ‘02, was hon- ored in Kentucky this June as the 2009 Kentucky High School Athletic Trainer of the Year. Fryzel is a certi- fied athletic trainer for Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Ky.

Matt King, ’03, has been named Teacher of the Year at Warner Robins Middle School.
King King lives with his