SPOTLIGHT – ALUMNI – Spring 2010
SWU alum to lead research
’97
Dr. Louis Whitesides, an accomplished Cooperative Extension professional with extensive knowledge in international business, is the new research administrator for the 1890 Research & Extension Program, S.C. State University officials announced. A federal and state supported program, 1890 Research & Extension conducts problem-solving research and provides quality lifelong learning opportunities designed to help transform the lives of South Carolinians.
Whitesides assumed his new post on Jan. 19 after serving as senior extension director for adult leadership and community development for 1890 Extension.
“Dr. Louis Whitesides’ professional experience will serve the University well in its ongoing commitment to meeting the land-grant mission of enhancing the quality of life for South Carolinians through the integration of research, teaching and service,” said S.C. State University President Dr. George Cooper.
As administrator for 1890 Research, Whitesides will manage, promote and supervise all aspects of the 1890 Research Program, including developing research priorities congruent to the university’s research goals, and encouraging faculty to produce and submit quality research proposals for consideration by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Whitesides has completed extensive studies abroad on the development and use of business and economic development models of the Czech Republic, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, China, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Bermuda and Dominican Republic.
In addition to his professional experience at S.C. State, Whitesides managed the risk and safety unit for seven of the healthcare facilities operated by Family Health Centers in South Carolina. Prior to that role, Whitesides was employed with American Yard Products (now Husqvarna) in Orangeburg, S.C., where he held numerous positions, including replacement parts source manager. In this position, Whitesides managed three separate source entities with sales totaling over $15 million, and surpassed industry benchmarks by reducing inventory and increasing the company’s order fill at significant percentage rates.
The Orangeburg native earned a doctor of business administration in international business from the University of Sarasota, received a master of science in business management from Southern Wesleyan University and is an S.C. State alumnus with a bachelor of science in computer science.
NEWS FLASHES
’79
Larry Jennings Fowler was promoted to the rank of major in the U.S. Air Force. He is stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga., where he serves as a chaplain.
’97
Greg Edmonds believes that missions are what God has been preparing him for throughout his life. He loves cross-cultural ministry and spent a year as a youth pastor at Wesleyan Community Church in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. When Heidi Edmonds began leading mission trips with Greg, her involvement in missions became serious. The Edmonds have been appointed by Global Partners to long-term missionary service in Haiti, where they desire to be the hands and feet of Christ. They want to be able to help restore hope in Haitians’ lives, rebuilding lives one person at a time. They have one child, Haley, and are expecting another one in the summer.
| ’06 Tracy Landrith snapped this photo during a visit to the Humboldt Redwoods State Park in California in the fall of 2007 and it placed 5th in an amateur photography contest for the Birchwood Center for Arts and Folklife in Pickens County. The photo is on display in the Pickens County Museum. Landrith said, “Strange as it may seem, I think about the redwoods almost daily because of the testimony they provided to me while I was there amongst the giants. I learned that the tallest tree in the world does not put out a taproot. The redwoods have a surprisingly shallow root system that spreads outward and can span a hundred feet. This system was explained to me as webbing because they stand so close together, each tree’s root system meshes with its neighbor’s root system and together they form a strong root system that is interdependent upon one another. They bend, sway and stay upright because they have a community they can rely on with a strong foundation in which to stand.” |
 |
 |
’06 Priscilla Hammond was one of more than 40 attendees at a new pastors’ orientation at The Wesleyan Church World Headquarters Nov. 11-12, 2009. A master of ministry graduate, Hammond is production manager and assistant connect pastor at Skyline Wesleyan Church in El Cajon, Calif. She also served 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, Ga., as a production staff member. Hammond recruits and trains volunteer staff and plays a vital part of the assimilating ministry of the well-known congregation, which is pastored by Dr. Jim Garlow. |
A joint student-faculty article written by recently graduated senior Jessica Hubbard and associate professor Richard Rogers, “Cultural Factors Influencing HIV-Related Attitudes and Behaviors in the Third World: Ethnicity and Religion in Guyana,” appears in the Autumn 2009 issue of “Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts.”
The authors provide evidence from the 2005 Guyana AIDS Indicator Survey that ethnic and religious values can inhibit risky behaviors associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS and conclude by arguing for AIDS prevention strategies that incorporate these factors. The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University produces the journal, which is published by Indiana University Press. The preliminary results of this study were presented two years ago at an honors student faculty colloquium and the meeting of the Southern Sociological Society in Richmond, Va.
WEDDINGS
’97
Christopher Jennings Harmon and Nicole Lee Porth were married Nov. 7, 2009, in Lexington, S.C.
’03
George Heyward Barnes and Brooke Farr Lown were married on Dec. 5, 2009, in Lexington, S.C.
| ’08 Jennie Fairchild and Adam L. Ladd were married on, July 25, 2009, in Athens, Pa. |
 |
S. Kyle Blackwell and Sonya K. Knight were married Aug, 22, 2009, in Westminster, S.C.
BIRTHS
’07
Josiah Quinn Bumby was born on Dec. 4, 2009, to Harold Bumby III and Valerie Bumby.
’99 &’02
Zechariah Yelton was born on Jan. 15, 2010, to Eric and Anita (Mathis) Yelton.
OBITUARIES
’49
Pauline H. Whitted of Greenville, S.C., Dec. 22, 2009.
|
’50 Dr. Stephen Calhoon of Marysville, Tenn., Dec. 12, 2009. Dr. Calhoon earned an associate’s Dr. Calhoon’s tenure as academic dean (1978-93) was marked by increased faculty interaction and participation in developing college During his tenure, the university developed a major honors program, initiated a chapter of |
 |
CWC High School
Betty Raye Levan Rawls of Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 2, 2010.
’59
Mrs. Sallie Lackey Newton of Greenville, S.C., Dec. 19, 2009.