MUSMUST O D A Y◆ ◆ ◆ ◆T O D A Y◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

The Magazine of Memphis University School • Summer 2000

MEMPHIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL

Founded 1893

MISSION STATEMENT

Memphis University School is acollege-preparatory school dedicated toacademic excellence and the developmentof well-rounded young men of strong moralcharacter, consistent with the school’sChristian tradition.

HEADMASTER

Ellis L. Haguewood

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Ben C. Adams, Jr. ’74, ChairmanJames C. Varner ’73, Vice ChairmanW. Thomas Hutton ’61, TreasurerRobert Louis Adams ’70Donald G. Austin, Jr. ’59Russell E. Bloodworth, Jr. ’63V. Glenn CrosbySusan B. FaberRichard L. Fisher ’72P. Trowbridge Gillespie, Jr. ’65Mark J. Halperin ’67Harry Hill III ’66Joseph R. Hyde III ’61Robert E. Loeb ’73Musette S. MorganC. Barham Ray ’64Michael D. RoseCharles F. Smith, Jr. ’66S. Alexander Thompson IIIAlexander W. Wellford, Jr. ’60Kent Wunderlich ’66

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD

Jerry B. Martin, Jr. ’79, PresidentFrederick C. Schaeffer, Jr. ’88, Vice PresidentPaul T.J. Boyle ’87Andrew F. Cates ’89Henry P. Doggrell ’66Buchanan D. Dunavant ’90G. Goodloe Early ’59Samuel N. Graham II ’80John H. Grayson, Jr. ’78Joel J. Hobson III ’72E. Charles Jalenak ’83Wise S. Jones ’73Edward C. Krausnick, Jr. ’79H. Montgomery Martin ’73Daniel H. McEwan ’88William P. Morrison ’75D. Stephen Morrow ’71Judson L. Peters ’81Thomas F. Preston ’74Wiley T. Robinson ’75David L. Simpson ’80Joel B. Sklar ’85S. Clay Smythe ’85Robert D. Sparks ’79Henry P. Sullivant, Jr. ’70Owen B. Tabor ’85Gary K. Wunderlich ’88

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Perry D. Dement

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI

AND PARENT PROGRAMS

Claire K. Farmer

From the EditorAlmost daily, I run into someone who remarks, “Are

you working this summer?” I answer, “Of course I’mworking. I’ve got a magazine to get out!” The truth of thematter is that the lives and accomplishments of MUSalumni could keep me busy for a lifetime.

I don’t know who is more fortunate –— the boysthat have graduated high school with the benefit of anMUS education, or the future generations of boys towhom they leave their legacy. I recently learned an

interesting statistic: MUS has 2,735 alumni living in 44 states and seven foreigncountries. And while 70% of our former students return to live in the Memphisarea, 100% are clearly contributing significantly to the growth and enrichmentof communities around the world.

This issue looks at several alumni who provided me with good material sothat I could produce an entertaining magazine. Nathan Bicks ’74 has alwaysbeen a man with a mission, from organizing protests at Brown University, toworking in the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., to Memphiswhere he is now assuming leadership roles in several diverse aspects of thecommunity. See how Scott McArtor ’88 and Kevin Ogilby ’88 are making astatement in Dallas, Texas, where they are offering business travelers a uniqueexperience in today’s frenetic environment — stress-free travel.

You’ll also enjoy reading about MUS alumni who contribute to the successof Memphis in May as they participate in the Superbowl of Swine, better knownas the World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest. And who would haveever believed that MUS would produce two world-class rodeo ropers? BrothersYork ’00 and Brown ’98 Gill aren’t “just horsin’ around” as they work hard tocombine a career in roping with a quality education.

This issue also celebrates the accomplishments of the Class of 2000, whosegift to the school made possible the refurbishment of one of MUS’s most lastingsymbols — the school crest. We thank these graduating seniors for their part insustaining the school’s heritage.

In the midst of tearing down old buildings and constructing new ones,please accept my invitation to come back to MUS, if for nothing else but to lookat the composite pictures of all the graduating classes — the hairstyles are great.

Keep me posted — I’ve got a lot more pages to fill.

Debbie B. LazarovDirector of Public RelationsPhone: (901) 260-1416E-mail: dlazarov@musowls.org

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f e a t u r e s

A Symbol of Tradition 3Organizing the Revolution 8The Sky’s the Limit 16Rubbing Shoulders at Memphis in May 18MUS Sparks “Community of Concern” 20Milestones and Myths of Memphis History 21Not Just Horsin’ Around 22

d e p a r t m e n t s

Headmaster’s Message 2Graduation 7Faculty Profile 14Memorials 24Remember When 26Viewpoint 28Alumni News 29

T O D A Y c o n t e n t s

ON THE COVER

The MUS Crest has stood atop theHumphreys Administration buildingsince 1958, symbolizing the traditionsof MUS that will always remain. Afterforty-two years of wear and tear, thecrest underwent a much-neededfacelift. Read all about it on page 3.

MUS

Page 31

Page 35

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EDITOR

Debbie B. Lazarov

ALUMNI NEWS EDITOR

Claire K. Farmer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Lin Askew, Lane Carrick, Cathi Cooper,Maggie Daniel, John Harkins, Andy McCarroll,Barham Ray, Gaye Swan, Jimmy Whittington

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Denise Hunt

PHOTOGRAPHY

Wayne Breeden, Alex Ginsburg,Larry Inman, Jack Kenner, Kathy DanielPatterson, and various MUS constituents

PROOFREADING

Jean Saunders

2 MUS TODAY

Headmaster’s Messageby Ellis Haguewood

When We Build

We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.

– Winston Churchill

When We BuildA few months ago, no one inquired.But now, everywhere I go, people want

to know: “What’s going on out there? Whatare you building?”

It’s rather exhilarating.The short answer, of course, is that

we’re designing a campus and constructingbuildings commensurate with the level ofexcellence of our students, our faculty, andour alumni, buildings and a campus aes-thetically pleasing and functionally purpose-ful for this generation of boys and the next,facilities that suggest: “Something signifi-cant and meaningful happens here.”

“Architecture, of all the arts,” said ErnestDimnet, “is the one which acts the mostslowly, but the most surely, on the soul.”

I am gratified that alumni will have acampus to which they can point with a senseof accomplishment and pride, a campus andbuildings that symbolize the rich traditionand the profound ideals of the MUS experi-ence, an experience ever the same and everdifferent for over forty years now.

“What are you building out there?”The longer answer involves the kind of

building that takes a bit longer: helping boysbecome men, men who will pursue knowl-edge and honor and truth.

As Edwin Markham put it: “Why buildthese cities glorious / If man unbuilded goes?”

As faculty and coaches and administra-tors, we publicly extol the virtues we esteem,we model the behavior we want, we rewardgood attitudes, we punish bad actions — alluseful and acceptable ways to develop thematurity we hope for.

Most effective of all, we provide concreteexperiences through which boys absorb thecourage, honesty, perseverance, industry, re-sponsibility, and selflessness that we honor.

Those shaping experiences come in theclassroom or on the playing fields. They arelived. And that life is the essence of the MUSexperience, the influence of six years that boyswill carry with them as men forever.

John Ruskin’s nineteenth-century admo-nition remains as true today as it did a centuryand a half ago: “When we build, let us thinkthat we build forever.”

SUMMER 2000 3

By Gaye Swan

When you close your eyesand think of MUS, what is the first

thing you see? For so many alumni and students, the answer is “the crest.” The crest is

our most visible symbol, used on everything fromletterhead and coffee mugs to the magazine you’re

holding right now. It is affixed above our door,reminding all who enter for what theschool stands for – truth and honor.

Designed by history professorJohn C. Ayres, who taught at the

turn of the century, it wasinstalled above the door

to the HumphreysAdministrative Wing in

1958, four years after thenew MUS was founded.

Harry Soldan, husband ofthe school’s dietician,

skillfully worked for fourweeks to carve the seal.

The detail was carefully

4 MUS TODAY

executed, with Ayres’ design of laurelleaves on the right side of the crest andoak leaves on the left. In antiquity, thebay laurel was a symbol of honor, glory,and valor. The oak gives shelter, pro-tection, and guidance. Considered sa-cred by many cultures, the oak repre-sents strength, continuity of tradition,and endurance.

Recently it was discovered thatthe crest had begun to crumble – coin-cidentally at a time when many of ourbuildings are coming down. Now thecrest, as well as the whole school, isgetting a much-needed face-lift. Butwhile some things are refurbished andchanged, some things remain the same.The best traditions of the past are pre-served as the school moves forward,and the seniors of the class of 2000 aredoing their part to protect the school’sheritage.

As their gift to the school, thesenior class made possible the crest’srefurbishment. Mathematics and com-puter science instructor Tom Brownhas worked diligently to restore thecrest so that it may resume its stature

and place of honor. And beside thedoor to the Humphreys building, aplaque will read:

MUS CRESTOriginal pediment carvingby Harry Soldan in 1958

Refurbished by Tom BrownAs a gift from the

Senior Class of 2000Thanks to the seniors of 2000, our

most recognizable symbol will remainintact, a constant reminder that, nomatter what our outward changes, ourvalues remain the same.

Senior Class President Jeff Morganpresented the plaque to Tom Brownfor his restoration of the MUS crest.

After four weeks of work, Harry Soldanput the finishing touches on

the MUS Crest, c 1958.

Tom Brown restored theMUS Crest with painstakingeffort to ensure the crest canweather the next 50 years.

Gone ButNot Forgotten

As a result of the ongoing successof our capital campaign, MUS can lookforward to new, spacious buildings forthe future. Looking back, we realize theschool has always been richly blessedwith alumni, parents, and friends will-ing to give generously of their time andmoney. Our old buildings are going,but the memories remain, and we say afond farewell to rooms that have seenthe best of MUS pass through.

The Dick Classroom (room #1)honors Dr. Anthony W. Dick and wasdonated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert J.Hussey and Mr. and Mrs. William S.Roberts, Jr. Dr. Dick came to Memphisin 1947 to serve as pastor of SecondPresbyterian Church. During his ten-ure, he added Presbyterian Day Schooland initiated the founding of MemphisUniversity School. His character isepitomized in a statement he made whenadvocating the creation of MUS: “Makeno small plans; they do not have themagic to stir men’s souls.”

SUMMER 2000 5

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander W.Wellford, Sr., donated funds for theWellford Classroom (room #2) inmemory of Julia White Wellford. Overthe century since the founding of theschool, the Wellford family has hadmuch involvement with MUS — atleast a dozen Wellfords have becomeMUS alumni. Alexander Wellford, Sr.,attended MUS in the 1920s, led thedrive to build the new MUS in 1955,and served as chairman of the Board ofTrustees for 24 years.

Room #7, the Norfleet Class-room, donated by J.P. Norfleet and R.Vance Norfleet, invokes memories ofone of the most beloved of MUS teach-ers, Mr. William Hatchett. DaveMalone ’75 remembers Mr. Hatchett’sEnglish classes there: “You could al-ways hear him singing ‘Pomp and Cir-cumstance’ from all the way down thehall.”

Donations from George H.McFadden and Brothers Fund, Inc.,made McFadden Commons (fondlyreferred to as the Senior Lounge) pos-sible. Bert Stemmler ’99 summed upthe lounge: “MUS taught us manythings. But above all, it taught us how tolive, how to learn, and how to lounge.Now that the lounge will be gone, wemust carry on its spirit in a new placeand never forget all the life lessons welearned in the lounge.”

According to Dave Malone, “Inthe Senior Lounge, you did one of twothings — try to sleep with FM 100blaring or get last-minute studying

was donated in the names of MargaretClack Askew and her husband CharlesDreschler Askew.

Many students remember Mrs.Nell Lenti, who ran the Clack DiningHall from 1969 – 1986 with a fist ofiron. Retired Business Manager SkipDaniel best described her: “Hitlerwould have probably won the war ifMrs. Lenti had worked with him.”

Academic Counselor ManningWeir ’90 recalls Mrs. Lenti servedfood to students without giving themany choices of what they actually wantedto eat — Friday was always “mysterymeat” day. He and his friends calledher little office in the corner “Nell’sTopless Lounge” because it was con-structed out of partitions and lacked atop. Many a student took advantage ofthe topless nature of Mrs. Lenti’s “of-fice” by throwing food and other ar-ticles into it. Dave Malone remembershis friend Don Hawkes ’75 liked to kidaround with Mrs. Lenti, who “didn’ttake disparaging remarks very well. . . .Don would ask, ‘What’s for lunch to-day?’ and she would just stare at him.She didn’t like the challenge of actuallydescribing and defining what was be-ing served up on our plates.”

Gaye Swan is a freelance writer andfrequent contributor to MUS Today.

done. Those that were studying werelying to themselves that they could ac-tually get work done. I tried to steerclear of the lounge because it was al-ways a noisy pigsty where you couldn’tget anything done!” Perhaps it’s bestwe’re getting a new one!

When funds were raised to buildthe new MUS, no one took a moreactive interest than Margaret ClackCooper (the former Margaret ClackAskew). When Mrs. Cooper’s familysold her father’s business, she was paida share of its purchase. With her tastefor the niceties of life and as a personconcerned about social amenities, shepledged to pay for the dining hall. Sheeven took out an insurance policy inthat amount so if something happenedto her, the pledge would still be ful-filled. Clack Dining Hall is named forMrs. Cooper’s parents, Henry EarlClack and Margaret Turner Clack, and

6 MUS TODAY

Reflecting fromtwo vantage pointsgives me a dual visionof the Upper School. Curiously, prospective parents touringthe Upper School don’t dwell on exposed wiring, the un-sightly air conditioning ducts, or the roaches scurrying forcover (or brazenly daring anyone to mess with them). Theydo notice the unique arched ceilings whose beauty is blockedby those wonderful brown ducts. I imagine before the adventof air conditioning, the effect was impressive. Walking downeither the senior or the freshman halls still offers a taste ofthat original flavor. The opening scene in our admissionsvideo captures that image perfectly. That scene reflects theair of “shabby gentility” as one Midtown resident deemedthe atmosphere. “Shabby gentility”? What does that descrip-tion suggest? A traditional Southern boys’ school? A grace-ful, relaxed, yet refined feeling? Outdated, awkward class-rooms? Probably all of these and more.

Seeing the old school come down from a teacher’sperspective offers equal doses of relief and wistfulness. Any-one who has stumbled over book bags, burned up or frozenseemingly within the space of minutes, chased roaches, ormarveled at the eraser and spit wad marks on the walls wel-comes the promised sparkling, new, large classrooms.

We teachers wonder at what treasures will be uncoveredon the top of those ducts: long-lost library books, textbooks from every year from 1955 to 2000, millions of rollsof toilet paper, enough erasers to equip every independentschool in Tennessee, the odd Jolly Rancher, half-eatendoughnuts, maybe even a tiny skeleton (yikes! is that aseventh grader?). We quail at the unearthing of the motherroach and hope that Terminix has “Men in Black” pros tohandle such monsters. Ah, but the memories! Can wesurvive without the yearly spring invasion of termites inrooms 5 and 6? And what about those roaches? How willwe break the monotony without Dede Malmo ’85screaming as a giant roach from the pencil sharpener he’semptying lands on his foot? Will the new school havevenetian blinds so that students can fashion nooses withwhich to hang themselves? And what will collect all thedetritus from almost fifty years of hard use? We won’thave those same old brown ducts, will we? What willhappen to the Hatchett shrine in room 7? What will we dowith those beautiful arches?

Life is bittersweet.

Lin Askew has been an English teacher at MUS for 21 yearsand the Director of Admissions since 1995.

MUSingsby Lin Askew

THE LANE CLASSROOM (#3),HONORING ROBERT I. LANE,DONATED BY MRS. ROBERT I. LANE

THE CHANDLER CLASSROOM (#4), DONATED

BY MR. AND MRS. CHARLES K. CHANDLER

THE BRINKLEY CLASSROOM (#5), DONATED

BY MR. AND MRS. HUGH M. BRINKLEY

THE MALONE CLASSROOM (#6),HONORING JAMES H. MALONE,DONATED BY MRS. ROBERT I. LANE

THE HYDE CLASSROOM (#8),HONORING JOSEPH R. HYDE,DONATED BY JOSEPH R. HYDE, JR.

THE SCHADT CLASSROOM (#9),DONATED BY THE SCHADT FAMILY

THE HOEHN CLASSROOM (#10),HONORING T.W. HOEHN, DONATED

BY THE FAMILY OF T.W. HOEHN

THE TREZEVANT CLASSROOM (#11),HONORING M.B. TREZEVANT AND

JOHN TIMOTHY TREZEVANT,DONATED BY SUZANNE TREZEVANT

LITTLE AND EDWARD H. LITTLE

THE DOGGRELL/SPRUNT CLASSROOM (#12),HONORING FRANK E. DOGGRELL, SR.,AND WALTER SPRUNT, JR.,DONATED BY THEIR FAMILIES

THE DRIVER CLASSROOM (#16),HONORING ROBERT B. DRIVER,DONATED BY GEORGE H. MCFADDEN

AND BROTHERS FUND TRUSTEES:HUGO N. DIXON, BARCLAY MCFADDEN,ROBERT D. MCCALLUM, AND

ERIC A. CATMUR

THE FULLER CLASSROOM (#17),DONATED BY ADA NORFLEET TURNER

THE JEMISON CLASSROOM (#18), DONATED

BY MR. AND MRS. FRANK Z. JEMISON

THE MCCAUGHAN CLASSROOM (#19),DONATED BY J.J. MCCAUGHAN, SR.

THE ROBERTS/HUSSEY CLASSROOM (#22),HONORING WILLIAM S. ROBERTS, JR.,AND ROBERT J. HUSSEY

THE PEPPER BOOKSTORE, HONORING

SAMUEL M. PEPPER ’04, DONATED

BY MR. AND MRS. JOHN R. PEPPER

THE TULLY COMPUTER CENTER,HONORING JOHN M. TULLY,DONATED BY ANDERSON-TULLY CO.

HALLWAY PLAQUE, HONORING J.W.S. RHEA,DONATED BY R. G. MORROW.MR. RHEA WAS THE CO-FOUNDER OF THE

ORIGINAL MUS, AND THE PLAQUE READS:“HIS INFLUENCE AND INTEGRITY

CONTINUE TO LIVE IN MEN TODAY.”HALLWAY PLAQUE, PAVING DONATED

BY JAMES J. MADISON AND

LEHMAN-ROBERTS CO.HALLWAY PLAQUE, HONORING

ERNESTINE WHITAKER THORN,DONATED BY THE SENIOR CLASS OF 1991

HALLWAY PLAQUE, HONORING

DAN GRIFFIN, DONATED BY

THE SENIOR CLASS OF 1989HALLWAY PLAQUE, HONORING

ROBERT WATSON, DONATED

BY THE STUDENT COUNCIL 1991-92

Many other rooms willbe gone, but certainlynot forgotten:

It’s a big list – but nobigger than the hearts ofthese generous people.And although the roomswill be gone, the plaquesoutside the doors will bereinstalled in a place ofhonor so our donors andhonorees will never beforgotten.

SUMMER 2000 7

Graduation 2000A Celebration of Achievement, Community, and Tradition

Amrish Patel, John Stanfill,and Charley Foster

Ramsay McCullough, Michael Albertson, Sina Yeganeh,Collins Rainey, Usman Shakeel, and Michael Flynn

SalutatorianSteve Owensaccepts theFrench Awardfrom Dr. ReginaldDalle.

Valedictorian Ravi Bellur

By Cathi Cooper

Class of 2000 Salutatorian Steve Owens welcomed graduates,parents, and friends to Commencement on May 21, 2000, with thereminder that “MUS has thrived for more than a century on tradition, atradition of developing the leaders of tomorrow.” It is apparent that theClass of 2000 will have no problem living up to the challenge of becom-ing the future leaders of Memphis and beyond.

Of the eighty-eight graduates who will be attending thirty-sevencolleges and universities in sixteen states, forty-six students (68%) havereceived scholarships based on merit, academics, leadership, or athlet-ics. The total dollar value of these scholarships equals over $1.5 million(not including need-based scholarships), which averages out to over$32,000 worth of scholarship money per student. Approximately 37%of the Class of 2000 were recognized by the National Merit ScholarshipCorporation, including twelve National Merit Semifinalists, eleven National Merit

Finalists, nineteen Commended Students, one NationalAchievement Scholarship Winner, and one NationalHispanic Recognition Semifinalist. Nine students scoredabove 1500 on the SAT.

In his valedictory speech, Ravi Bellur stressed thatthese honors are not the most important achievements forthe Class of 2000: “The most important lesson that hasbeen reinforced to us is that there’s more to life thanawards, material successes, and recognition. Collegeadmissions and academic, athletic, and artistic accoladesdon’t define our most important experiences as students.Rather, intangible lessons truly define our education and personal growth.”Both Bellur and Owens spoke about the strong community of MUS, consistingof the “amazing” faculty and staff who continually strive to help the students

become what MUS requires them to become, men of “strong moral character.” Owens noted that he andhis fellow graduates should pay tribute to “the real leaders of today, these men and women [the MUSfaculty] who have devoted their talents to helpingothers discover the unique gifts within each stu-dent.” Not only was graduation a celebration of theaccomplishments of the eighty-eight young menwho walked the line, but it was also a celebration ofthe entire MUS community.

Bellur reminded his fellow graduates that “theword ‘Commencement’ means ‘a beginning.’” Goodluck and congratulations to the Memphis UniversitySchool Class of 2000 as they face brand new chal-lenges and responsibilities equipped with the meansto excel in college and in the world.

Cathi Cooper is from Nashville, but currently lives inMemphis while attending Rhodes College where she is asenior majoring in English with a business minor. She isalso a public relations intern at MUS and has contributedseveral articles to this issue of the magazine.

Graduation 2000A Celebration of Achievement, Community, and Tradition

8 MUS TODAY

GRADUATIONAWARDS &HONORS

GRADUATIONAWARDS &HONORS

Scott Miller Rembert Senior Service AwardMichael Charles Hollinger

This award, established by family and friends, ismade in memory of Scott M. Rembert ’70. It goesto that senior who has shown the most unselfishservice to the school. His name is inscribed onthe Scott Miller Rembert Senior Service Awardplaque, which will hang permanently in the school.In addition, the winner is presented with anengraved medal.

Danforth AwardDavid Wexner Wurzburg

The “I Dare You” Leadership Award is presentednationally by the American Youth Foundation.The award includes a copy of the book I Dare Youby William H. Danforth, a philanthropist whochallenged young people to aspire to their highestpotential, to attain constructive lives of service andleadership, and to commit themselves to excellence.The award is presented in recognition of excellenceof character and well-balanced personal develop-ment as well as leadership potential.

Mark Cooper Powell Memorial AwardDominic Whitfield Tenent

The Mark Cooper Powell Memorial Award isgiven in memory of Mark Cooper Powell ’80,by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward L. Powell,to the graduate who, through persistence andcourage, during his career at Memphis UniversitySchool, has shown the greatest development ofcharacter and scholarship.

Russell Johnson Creative Writing AwardEric Grant Osborne

The Creative Writing Award, given in memoryof Russell Johnson, a former Memphis UniversitySchool English teacher, honors that student whosees details and meanings in the world around himand expresses his thoughts imaginatively and lucidly.

Brescia Award for Unselfish Servicein Dramatics

Benjamin Caleb Trusty

Choral Music Award for ExcellenceMichael Charles Liverance

The permanent cup for this award was given byDr. Kit and Mrs. Diane Mays.

William C. Harris English AwardRavi Srinath Bellur

The English Department awards recognition tothe outstanding scholar who exemplifies effectivewriting, keen appreciation of language andliterature, and singular achievement in his Englishcourses. The permanent cup for the EnglishAward, given by Mr. and Mrs. Jeff D. Harris, isnamed in honor of their son, William C. Harris.

Foreign Language AwardsFrench: Stephen Daniel OwensLatin: Michael Galen AlbertsonSpanish: Reid Escar Thompson

Given to the student judged by the ForeignLanguage Department to be the most outstandingin his language.

Jay Schoenberger,Oscar Carr,

Blake Barnes,and Ryan Miller are

all smiles aftergraduation.

Faculty Cup for General ExcellenceRavi Srinath Bellur

The Faculty Cup for General Excellence is thehighest honor given to a member of the graduatingclass. The recipient of the Faculty Cup hasdemonstrated qualities of leadership and strengthof character which have earned for him the highestrespect of his peers and his teachers. He must havegiven generously of his time, talent, and energy in away that reflects his devotion to the school and hisdedication to the ideals for which it stands.

Ross McCain Lynn AwardEric Grant Osborne

Christopher Stewart Avery ReavesJohn Rocco MacMillan Rodney

Sina YeganehThe Ross McCain Lynn Award is given in memoryof the school’s beloved former headmaster. Thisaward recognizes distinction in the areas of schoolcitizenship, leadership, service, and character.

Lin Askew presented MichaelHollinger with the Scott Miller Rembert

Senior Service Award.

Michael Liverancereceived the ChoralMusic Award.

Kyser Thompson, Scott Cohen, Scott Hickerson,and Dan Machin shed their robes to enjoy thereception after graduation.

SUMMER 2000 9

History AwardEric Grant Osborne

The Department of History and Social Studiesrecognizes the graduate who has demonstratedexceptional ability and appreciation of thecourses offered by the department and whoseacademic record is in accord with the higheststandards of excellence.

Christa Green Warner Mathematics AwardScott Rubin Cohen

This award in mathematics is representedappropriately by a Mobius strip, an unendingsurface that symbolizes Christa Warner’sunending devotion to her students and love ofmathematics. The award is given by Jonathan andStephen Weinberg in memory of their teacherChrista Warner. It is presented to that youngman who not only understands and successfullyapplies the concepts of mathematics and com-puter science but has also displayed an unusualspirit of cooperation throughout his high schoolmathematics career.

Margaret Owen Catmur Science AwardIan Stuart Wallace

The science award, established in loving memoryof Margaret Owen Catmur by her husband, EricAlan Catmur, is presented to that student who, inthe opinion of the Science Department faculty,has done the most outstanding work in the fieldof science at Memphis University School. Thestudent’s name is inscribed on a permanentplaque, which remains at the school.

The Leigh W. MacQueen Dean’s Cup forAcademic Excellence

Michael Galen AlbertsonNamed in 1998 in honor of the first academicdean of MUS, Leigh Windsor MacQueen, thisaward was originally donated by Mr. and Mrs.MacQueen in 1967. The award is given to thatmember of the senior class who, in the opinionof the faculty committee, has demonstrated toan outstanding degree a marked depth ofintellectual maturity and curiosity and who, inthe minds of the examining committee, hasindicated sound intellectual attainment.

Salutatorian AwardStephen Daniel Owens

To that senior with the second highest academicaverage over eight semesters of work at MUS.

Valedictorian AwardRavi Srinath Bellur

To that senior with the highest average overeight semesters of work at MUS.

Award for Distinguished Community ServiceDavid Wexner Wurzburg

The Award for Distinguished CommunityService goes to the graduate has who madeservice to others in the Memphis community avery high priority in his life. The recipient ofthis award has given his time, talent, and energyin a way that demonstrates the school’scommitment to community citizenship.

CURT SCHMITTHONORED WITHNAIL AWARD

An annual highlight at gradua-tion is the presentation of the JohnM. Nail Outstanding TeacherAward. The Senior Class selects ateacher from the Upper School toreceive this award, established in1991 in memory of Mr. Nail by hisformer students. Nail taught Englishand history at MUS in the late1950s. He inspired a “love of learn-ing” in his students and took a spe-cial interest in each one of them.This year, Curtis R. Schmitt, teacherof religion, was recognized as theone who personifies the spirit of theNail Award.

Pictured above, Class PresidentJeff Morgan presented Schmitt withthe award to a standing ovation bythe Senior Class. Schmitt is the onlyfaculty member to receive this awardtwice, having been honored first bythe Class of 1993.

Headmaster Ellis Haguewoodstated that he was pleased that theClass of 2000 chose to honorSchmitt this year because “theNail Award recognizes the academicrigor and the personal concern forstudents which Mr. Curt Schmittoffers each day in his classroom.”In honor of Nail, Schmitt receiveda check for $2000. The Nail Awardserves as a tribute to Schmitt’s loveof teaching and the influence he hashad on the recent graduates andmany other MUS students.

Michael Albertsonwas honored withthe prestigiousDean’s Cup, whileThomas Robinson,Omar Malik andTed Hopkins(picutred right) wereequally as pleasedwith their diplomas.

David Wurzburg and Ravi Bellur congratulateCurt Schmitt upon receiving the Nail Award.

10 MUS TODAY

Class of 2000 and Their College ChoicesNelson Adrian University of MississippiMichael Albertson Claremont-McKenna College (S)Will Allendorfer Reed College (S)Tate Anderson University of MississippiBrian Bailey Southern Methodist University (S)Blake Barnes Southern Methodist UniversityRavi Bellur University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)Thomas Bowden Millsaps College (S)Robert Bristow University of Mississippi (S)Stephen Brown University of Southern CaliforniaSteven Campbell Millsaps College (S)Oscar Carr Southern Methodist UniversityScott Cohen University of VirginiaPhillip Cook Auburn UniversityZach Dailey Vanderbilt University (S)Reese Douglas University of TennesseeConstantine Economides University of California-Santa BarbaraScott Fletcher Southern Methodist University (S)Michael Flynn Vanderbilt UniversityCharlie Foster Washington and Lee UniversityYork Gill University of MississippiChris Hamilton University of Mississippi (S)Scott Hickerson University of TennesseeMichael Hollinger University of OklahomaJohn David Hollis Georgia Institute of TechnologyTed Hopkins Millsaps College (S)Stuart Hutton University of TennesseeJay Kaufman University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)Ronny Kwon University of TennesseeJim Levy University of MississippiEvan Linder College of Charleston (S)Michael Liverance Clemson University (S)

Dan Machin Vanderbilt UniversityOmar Malik University of TennesseeAndrew McConomy Wake Forest UniversityMichael McCullar University of TennesseeRamsay McCullough College of William and MaryJay McDonald University of GeorgiaRyan Miller University of MississippiNathan Mohundro University of TennesseeJustin Monday Vanderbilt University (S)Jeff Morgan Vanderbilt UniversityJoe Muldavin University of Tennessee (S)Lee Nappi Georgia Institute of TechnologyWill O’Bar Georgia Institute of Technology (S)Eric Osborne Amherst CollegeStephen Owens University of Notre DameBrian Parks Southern Methodist University (S)Amrish Patel Rice UniversityMark Pickens Southwestern CollegeJamie Pulido Southern Methodist University (S)Collins Rainey Washington and Lee UniversityThomas Razzouk University of GeorgiaAvery Reaves Duke University (S)Thomas Robinson University of TennesseeJohn Rodney University of Virginia (S)Aubrey Rogers University of MississippiHarding Royster University of RochesterStephen Rudolph Mississippi State University (S)Brad Russell University of Colorado-BoulderJay Schoenberger Vanderbilt University (S)Kevin Schubert Southern Methodist University (S)Usman Shakeel Oxford College at EmoryAndrew Shelton Tufts UniversityLewis Smith Vanderbilt University (S)Roger Soun College of William and MaryJohn Stanfill Vanderbilt University (S)Paul Stephens Southern Adventist University (S)Matthew Stockstill Vanderbilt UniversityGreg Szu-Tu University of Southern California (S)Whit Tenent Lynchburg College (S)Kyser Thompson University of GeorgiaReid Thompson Washington and Lee UniversityJosh Tom Vanderbilt UniversityConner Townsend University of MassachusettsRichard Townsend University of Tennessee (S)Ben Trusty University of TennesseeMichael Varner University of TennesseePark Vestal University of TennesseeIan Wallace University of TennesseeAdam Whitt University of Memphis (S)Lee Wilson University of VirginiaJohn Winford University of MississippiWitt Wittenberg University of MississippiJoe Woodward The CitadelDavid Wurzburg University of California-Santa CruzSina Yeganeh California Institute of TechnologyStephen Young University of Tennessee

(S)= Scholarship awarded from college or other source.

Congratulations, seniors.Doors to

new opportunitiesawait you.

SUMMER 2000 11

The Door to Community Involvement

When Nathan Bicks ’74 transferred to MUS as asophomore, he instantly began to make his presenceknown. By his senior year, Nathan had earned a reputationas an outspoken and capable leader. He was elected to aposition on the Honor Council and served as President ofthe Civic Service Club. In the 1974 yearbook, Nathan wasgiven credit for making the student newspaper, the Owl’sHoot, a success: “Undoubtedly, the highlights of the Owl’sHoot were the first-rate interviews conducted by AssistantEditor Nathan Bicks with chairman of the Memphis Boardof Review Las Savell and civilrights activist Maxine Smith.In both articles the guest’soutlook and opinion wereeffectively captured.” It wasevident to his classmates andthe MUS faculty that Nathan,winner of the Civitan Citizen-ship and Danforth LeadershipAwards, had his own outlookand opinion to express.Sparked by his extensive andenthusiastic involvement atMUS, Nathan’s political activ-ism started at an early age —eighteen.

After graduating fromMUS, Nathan ventured off toBrown University. His dormroom freshman year was “the central organizing station forthe revolution.” Students at Brown were up in arms overthe school’s elimination of much of its financial aid, andmany believed the cutbacks to be racially motivated.Nathan recalls how it was “a different time” when he wasattending college in the seventies.

Black students organized a takeover of the administra-tion building, and Nathan served as a main organizer of aweek-long student strike. He and his friends and fellow

activists believed strongly in their cause to fight racial biasin the university’s funding and did not lessen their effortsuntil they achieved some positive outcomes. The universityfinally entered into an agreement with the students torestore much of the financial aid, to hire a new President,and to have student representation in the selection process.Nathan was chosen as student chair of the new presidentialselection committee.

But there’s more. Nathan was elected president of thestudent government at Brown at the end of his sophomore

year. In 1978, Nathan gradu-ated with a B. A. in Historyand American PoliticalThought, an independentmajor. He was awarded theRosenberger Medal for Lead-ership, an honor given annu-ally to a member of the seniorclass. Because the facultyselected the recipient, theaward was extremely mean-ingful. Not only had Nathan’sefforts been observed by hisclose confidants, but they hadalso been observed by hisprofessors and the leaders ofthe university.

After graduation,Nathan took a break from the

books and the protests to live out of a tent and do construc-tion work in Wyoming. He enjoyed the free time he had inhis new line of work, which allowed him to take weekendbackpacking trips to locations such as the Big Horn Moun-tains, the Wind River Mountains, and the Black Hills ofSouth Dakota.

Uncertain about his plans for the future, Nathanreturned home to Memphis and took a job as a busboy atT.G.I. Friday’s. However, a friend of his parents suggested

The 1974 National Honor Society at MUS includedNathan Bicks (standing center embracing the elk).

In three short years, Bicks had proven himself a leaderamong his classmates. Other NHS members were

(kneeling) Charles Stockley, Steve Rudolph, Tom Preston,(standing) Chris Humphries, Mike Goodwin,

Mike Langley, Ronnie Caldwell, Bicks, Sam Blair,Bo Briggs, Albert Laabs, and Walker Sims.

ORGANIZINGBy Cathi CooperREVOLUTIONthe

12 MUS TODAY

Nathan’s name to Harold Ford, who was running for hissecond term in Congress. Nathan was hired and became areceptionist for Ford. All the time he was answering phonesand running errands, Nathan was learning about the politi-cal process and becoming friends with Ford and his family.“As a result of working on the campaign,” said Nathan,“the congressman offered me a job in Washington. It gaveme the choice of busing tables at Friday’s or working onCapitol Hill—it was no choice.” So Nathan went toWashington.

He fell into the position of press secretary,because no one else wanted to tackle the job. Heheld the position for four years. “It was a lot of fun,”said Nathan. “I got to meet people and go places.”One person he met was President Jimmy Carter, andone place he went was the Oval Office for a politicalmeeting with the President. Most important,Nathan’s role as press secretary allowed him to be “in-volved in issues that had both local Memphis and nationaldimensions.”

Because of his direct involvement in U. S. politics andlegislation, Nathan began to think about going back toschool. He also thought that a career in law would providehim with the best opportunity to move back to Memphis.In 1981, he began law school at Georgetown University,where he attended night classes, all the while keeping hisday job with Ford.

Nathan said that one of the highlights of the job withFord was attending churches on Sundays. “One of thegreatest things for me was being a Jewish boy going toblack churches, lots of churches.” He made friends anddeveloped contacts with a whole different part of the com-munity to which he would have never been exposed.

When he married fellow student Andrea Bienstock in1982, Nathan was trying to balance school, work, and therelationship. Andrea accepted a job offer in New York, and

Nathan retired from his position with Ford toattend school full-time at Georgetown. He spentthe first year of the marriage commuting betweenDC and New York. Then he transferred to NewYork University, where he completed his last yearof law school. Upon graduation from NYU inDecember of 1983, Nathan realized that, al-though he loved the Big Apple, he did not wantto practice law or raise a family in New York.

In 1984, ten years after graduating from MUS,Nathan returned home to Memphis. Andrea, a native NewYorker, suffered from extreme culture shock in the South;but the young couple began to settle in and make Mem-phis their permanent home. Andrea went to work at BelzEnterprises where she is now corporate counsel, andNathan was recruited by the law firm of Burch, Porter, andJohnson at the end of 1984. He quickly became acclimatedto the corporate culture with emphasis on public service

that Mr. Burch and the other senior members of the firmcreated. He enjoyed working everyday alongside “a groupof civic-minded professionals, people like Burch, MikeCody, Charlie Newman, Joel Porter, and Jef Feibelman.”

Of course, Nathan was compelled to give back to theMemphis community. He got involved in Theatre Mem-phis and the Goodwill Boys’ Club. In 1987, Nathan tookpart in Leadership Memphis, which he calls a “key involve-ment.” There he connected with many Memphis leadersand formed new friendships which would influence hisfuture involvement in the Memphis community. He wasalso active in the Memphis Jewish Federation Campaign asa part of the Young Leadership group.

In 1991, Nathan became the President of SolomonSchechter Day School (SSDS). During 1993-94, when anew school was being built, he had a leadership position inthe fundraising campaign. “My involvement with SSDShas meant a lot to me personally, and the school has meanta lot to the Jewish community,” said Nathan. As he

By 1978, Bickswas an active part

of the MinorityPeer Counseling atBrown University.

After graduationfrom BrownUniversity,Bicks worked inWashington, DC,attendedGeorgetownUniversity LawSchool, andfinished his degreein law at NYU.

SUMMER 2000 13

ment of the college and a musicalarts program for the neighbor-hood children.

Nathan was recently re-elected to a second one-year termas president of the MemphisJewish Community Center(MJCC), which is celebrating itsfiftieth anniversary this year withover one hundred different pro-grams, classes, and activities.Recently, the MJCC was recog-nized for its outstanding program-ming at the national organization’sbiennial meeting in Boston. In aspeech at the center, Nathancredited past leaders with buildinga strong foundation upon whichthe center continues to grow.Nathan noted that while this yearwill be a year of celebrating thepast for the MJCC, it will also be atime to “assess our strengths and

plan for the future.” The charter of the MJCC states theleaders had a goal of 500 families at $30 per year. Todaythe center boasts over 2,200 families at a family member-ship rate of $595 per year. Nathan notes that he is proud tobe president of “one of the largest Jewish communitycenter facilities in the country.” He is also proud of the factthat the MJCC has the highest affiliation rate of any city inthe country—about 70 percent of the total Jewish popula-tion of Memphis are MJCC members.

When asked about the diversity of his leadership rolesin the community, Nathan commented, “A lot of peopledon’t realize how rich Memphis is in its cultural and socialfabric. Being a native of Memphis, I recognize that thisdiversity is one of our city’s major assets.” He also givescredit to his MUS education. “I still treasure my experi-ences at MUS. In addition to many lifelong friendships, theinstitution taught me many fundamental lessons that haveshaped my outlook and experiences. The emphasis of anMUS education on character development, self-esteem,and the values of the honor system has been invaluable.”

As Memphis builds bridges toward economic growthand racial harmony, rest assured that Nathan Bicks, MUSClass of ’74, will be “organizing the revolution.”

“A lot of people don’t realizehow rich Memphis is in itscultural and social fabric.Being a native of Memphis,I recognize that this diversityis one of our city’s major assets.”

watched his two daughters,Alexandra and Becky, being edu-cated, he noticed that they werelearning principles to which he hadnever been exposed. This sparked inNathan a renewed love for Judaismand his Jewish heritage. Continuinghis involvement with the school,Nathan serves as member and legalcounsel of the Executive Committeeof the SSDS Board. His daughterBecky will be in the seventh grade atSSDS this fall, and daughterAlexandra will be a sophomore at St.Mary’s Episcopal School.

In 1996, Charlie Newman, fromNathan’s law firm, was retiring fromthe board at Lemoyne Owen Col-lege, and Ron Walter, a colleaguefrom Nathan’s Washington days, wasthe incoming chairman of the Board.Nathan was awarded Newman’sposition on the Lemoyne OwenBoard and was appointed to the Executive Committee in1998. He currently serves as Chairman of the InstitutionalAdvancement Committee, working to develop fund-raisingstrategies and alumni relations. Nathan said that he isenthusiastic about the current leadership at LemoyneOwen. “One of the differences between Memphis andother successful cities such as Washington, Atlanta, orNashville is the prominence of a historically black collegeor university in their community. Lemoyne is our opportu-nity for that kind of influence here.” Nathan works closelywith George Johnson, president of Lemoyne Owen, whoseson Will graduated from MUS in 1998.

One project in development is a combined effortbetween Lemoyne Owen and Ewarton Museum, Inc., tobuild a “soul” museum and youth music academy. Theproposed site for the complex is the location of the old StaxRecords site. (The brother and sister team of Jim Stewartand Estelle Axton founded Stax Records. They took thefirst two letters of each name to spell Stax; the remainingletters were combined to create the name Ewarton.) AndyCates ’89, president of Ewarton, is heading the campaignto raise the money needed to revitalize the site and buildthe proposed complex, which will house the music depart-

The Bicks: Becky, Nathan, Alexandra, and Andrea

14 MUS TODAY

Faculty ProfileFaculty Profile

What a Day –What a Career!

Skip Daniel ReceivesAccolades, Hale Award

By Gaye Swan

What a day! On May 24, Skip Daniel, whorecently announced his retirement, expected toattend the usual end-of-the-year faculty lun-cheon. He found himself instead the guest ofhonor, receiving tribute after tribute for acareer that spans thirty-three years of service asa member of the faculty and business managerof Memphis University School.

Joined by his wife, Faye, his daughters, Leslie andGwen, and Gwen’s husband Mike Bruno (daughter Annwas in Paris), Mr. Daniel took the seat of honor as friendsand colleagues offered praise – and a little humor.

Headmaster Ellis Haguewood said of Skip, “He’sknown for his business acumen, good humor, and hisreputation for being thrifty.” Mr. Daniel has served asbusiness manager for the school since 1970, and this refer-ence to his reputation for being budget-minded elicited abig laugh from the audience.

Coach JerryPeters gave aspeech to honorand “roast” Mr.Daniel, praisinghim for the wealthof knowledge hebrought to MUSfrom the telephonecompany. “Skip wasso efficient that hehad the entireschool working onthree telephones:one for Skip, one for Col. Lynn, and one foreveryone else! The assistant coaches evenhad to use a pay phone.”

All joking aside, Coach Peters com-mented, “Skip has had a profound effect onthis school and has changed the complexionof this school. Many improvements weremade under his direction. He can do any-thing, and he knows about everything. . . .He was a ‘sly fox’ and always knew what hewas doing — now he’s a ‘silver fox.’”

The school presented Mr. Daniel with aschool chair and a plaque, written byNorman Thompson, which reads: “Pre-sented to Leslie C. “Skip” Daniel. LongtimeOwl, Rebel, colleague, mentor, friend, racon-teur, and tennis player par excellence. Inappreciation for 34 years of loyal and merito-rious service to Memphis University School.Others may assume your position, but no onecan take your place. ‘Wisdom’s self oft seeksto sweet retired solitude.’ Milton, 1634.”

During the luncheon, Mr. Daniel wasagain surprised — and honored — to learnthat he is this year’s recipient of the JeanBarbee Hale Award for OutstandingService, given yearly to an MUS staff mem-ber who exhibits outstanding loyalty, respon-

sibility, dedication, and commit-ment to the school.

The Hale Award is madepossible by the generosity of theHale family, given to the school inhonor of Mrs. Hale, who dedi-cated twenty-four years of loyalservice to MUS. The endowmentawards the honoree with a checkfor $2000.

And to cap off the tribute,the Wyatt Isbell ’83 family pre-

sented a huge and generous surprise.Seeking to honor Mr. Daniel with apermanent memorial on campus, theIsbell family donated funds to theDoors to New Opportunities CapitalCampaign for the “Daniel Gateway” atthe school’s main entrance. Mr. Danielwas presented with a drawing of thefuture gate, with this inscription on theframe: “The Daniel Gateway. In honorof Leslie C. ‘Skip’ Daniel, Jr., MUSTeacher and Administrator, 1967-2000.

A gift of Mr. andMrs. P. WyattIsbell ’83 & Mr.and Mrs. Roy P.Isbell.”

Skip Daniel tries out his newchair as Ellis Haguewoodthanks him for his manycontributions to MUS.

Skip Daniel is congratulatedby Jean Hale for his outstand-

ing service to the school.

Family members, Leslie, Faye, Gwen, and Mike, were on handas Skip (center) said goodbye to his MUS family.

Artist rendering ofThe Daniel Gateway

SUMMER 2000 15

Murphy Receives Distinguished Teacher AwardMath instructor Loyal

Murphy was selected as the1999-2000 recipient of theannual MUS DistinguishedTeacher Award. Select mem-bers of the school’s adminis-tration and Board of Trusteeschose Murphy as this year’shonoree based on specificqualities. To be honored with

the award, a teacher must have an excellent commandof the subject he teaches, an ability to communicate wellwith students, an impact on the lives of students andother teachers on a quiet and unassuming level, and aninterest in personal growth.

Loyal Murphy has taught almost every math sub-ject there is to teach at MUS, from seventh grade tosenior level, and served on an interim basis as chair of themath department. Not only does Murphy challengeMUS students in the classroom, but he also challengesthem on the soccer field. He has coached varsity andjunior varsity soccer, and last season he served as coachfor the Lower School team. Murphy fits the criteria of theaward for many reasons. He is willing to teach at alllevels, and he is actively involved in the lives of studentsoutside the classroom. Barry Ray, of the selection com-

What a day for Mr. Daniel – but no less than hedeserves for his unfailing commitment to MUS. Hired byCol. Ross M. Lynn in 1967 to teach economics and geogra-phy, he has passed on his vast knowledge of the stockmarket and economics to studentsthroughout the years. An avidtraveler, he has enriched andenlightened students withentertaining chapel programsabout his world journeys.

Mr. Daniel was responsiblefor instituting the SummerSession in England in 1976,which provided a four-week educational experi-ence with school credit.The program continuedfor twelve years under thesupervision of various

faculty members. He has assisted with the building andmaintenance of over five expansion projects at the school,

and he has seen the school grow from fewer than threehundred students to six hundred students.

Mr. Daniel said, “I’ve been at MUS half of my life.People ask me ‘what’s so attractive about MUS thatyou’d be willing to spend half of your life there?’ I tellthem it’s work-place friendships.”

He expressed his thanks to the faculty, withspecial thanks to Steve Craft, Joan Ryan, and PaulaSchmitt, and praised the faculty as “an encyclopediaof knowledge.”

Upon his retirement, the Board of Trusteeshonored Skip Daniel with the distinction of Faculty

Emeritus. The faculty, students, alumni, and friends ofMr. Daniel join the Board in wishing him continued

vitality, creativity, and productivity in cultivating hisongoing love for his roses, his tennis game, his world-

wide travels, and his wife and daughters.

mittee, calls Murphy “an extremely good role modelwho affects students in a quiet but positive manner.”

Murphy’s loyalty toward MUS is distinct, becausehe is an alumnus, Class of 1986. He earned his B.S.C.E.from Rice University, and then came back to MUS toteach in 1990. Murphy and his wife, Lisa, have a son,Patrick. Murphy enjoys playing basketball in the morn-ings before school with friends. “Basketball and chas-ing around a two-year-old keep me in shape,” he said.The busy teacher and father is also an amateur musicianwho likes to pluck out songs on his guitar like “OldMcDonald” for his son.

Murphy sees the Distinguished Teacher Award asa great honor because he was taught by John MurrySpringfield, who made the award possible, and be-cause Christa Warner, who taught Murphy in eleventhand twelfth grades, won the award previously. “She’sthe reason I came back home to MUS to teach,” saidMurphy. “She loved teaching so much.”

Commenting on his teaching style and influ-ences, Murphy said, “A large part of a teacher’s trickscome from people who have taught you. You take allthe different tricks from everybody and combine themin your own unique way.” Murphy would like to offerspecial thanks to all of the teachers who taught him inthe years ’80-’86. “I am a product of their teaching.”

16 MUS TODAY

The Sky’s the LimitThe Sky’s the Limit

The Door to Career Opportunity

By Gaye Swan

In 1996, Scott McArtor ’88 was working for Ross Perot in Texaswhen he and his dad, T. Allen McArtor, came up with an idea:an airline that offered business travelers a stress-free and productivetravel experience. Scott recalls, “We planned a Dallas-based airlinethat catered to the business traveler. After meeting with numerousindustry experts, we literally wrote the business plan by hand. Wethen talked Kevin Ogilby ’88 into leaving his job at National Bank ofCommerce to help us put this idea together in November 1996. Atthat time we had three Amex cards and that was it!”

Thus the plan — and the fight — for Legend Airlines began.

SUMMER 2000 17

The senior McArtor is an industry veteran. He isthe former head of the Federal Aviation Administrationand former head of Federal Express’ global airline. Henoticed the decline in service levels, the crowded seats,and the baggage hassles experienced by most businesstravelers. Joined by Scott and Kevin, McArtor envi-sioned an airline offering non-stop, long-haul service tomajor U.S. cities, with wider seats and better meals atcompetitive prices. They planned to base the airline atLove Field in Dallas, Texas.

And the battle began. Scott said, “Over the nextthree years we finalized our business plan, secured aprivate leasehold at Love Field, acquired and spentmillions on aircraft modifications, and designed andbuilt a $20 million terminal complex and parking garage.We recruited and hired top industry executives to oper-ate and market the venture. We also had to complete theairline certification process.”

Kevin agreed. “We started the company fromliterally nothing and have been active in every phase ofits development from the legal battles, congressionalbattles, capital raising of over $70 million, and hiringand recruiting. We now have over 340 employees.”

The lobbying and congressional battles were neces-sary because American Airlines and the City of FortWorth filed lawsuits to keep Legend from flying out ofDallas’ Love Field. The team spent three years defend-ing their airline and building it at the same time. How-ever, a federal law called the Wright Amendment has aprovision that allows non-stop flights to any destinationon planes with fifty-six seats or less. American Airlinesargued that the planes had to be those originally de-signed for fifty-six seats or less (i.e., small regionalplanes). Thanks to the efforts of the Legend team, theShelby Amendment was passed to clarify the fifty-six-seat use provision so Legend could refurbish its largerDC9 jets to hold fifty-six wide seats, thus providingcomfort and adhering to the law.

Legend boasts a private executive terminal, com-plete with luxury seating, televisions, laptop connec-tions, telephones, and a full-service business center. “Itslike one big Admirals’ Club,” Scott said.

Legend took to the air in February of this year,and Scott and Kevin remain on board. Kevin is the VicePresident of Corporate Finance and serves as treasurerand secretary of the corporation. “Basically, I manageinvestor relations and the primary financial aspects ofthe company, and I manage the Board of Directors,”said Kevin.

Scott is the Vice President of Strategy and BusinessDevelopment. He told us, “I am charged with our ongo-ing partnership with Delta and other airlines. I am alsoresponsible for future business plan development andgrowth as we expand markets, as well as the airline’sextensive government affairs activities.” (Legend devel-oped and implemented a strategic partnership withDelta Airlines, including Frequent Flyer partnerships.)

Both Kevin and Scott remember their time at MUSgratefully. Kevin said, “MUS certainly taught me a great dealabout being part of a team and learning how to interact withbright people. MUS also strengthened my value system andwork ethic, which is obviously critical as you enter the workphase of your life.”

“My favorite memories are plentiful,” he continued.“To this day I tell people that I loved high school. I trulyenjoyed the people and friends I had at MUS. I remembermy buddies just being a bunch of comedians that worked andplayed hard. We chased an awful lot of young ladies aroundand even caught a few!”

Kevin added his thanks to several other MUS alumnithat helped get Legend off the ground, including ChipGrayson ’78 and Collie Krausnick ’79 at Morgan Keegan& Co. “They came through when we needed them earlyon in the money raising. I can’t overstate the importanceof being surrounded by the quality people at MUS, facultyand students. In a lot of ways, MUS teaches through osmosis.”

Scott said, “MUS gave me the opportunity to becomea well-rounded individual. Outside of academics, MUSplaced an emphasis on involvement. It allowed me to takepart in a number of different things including sports, studentgovernment, arts, charities, etc. This well-rounded back-ground has served me well over the years.”

“My fond memories of MUS are too many to rank.What stands out most in my mind is the lifelong friendships Ideveloped there. I also thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderiewith the faculty, especially with Mike Deadrick. We spentmost of our free time in his office conversing on multiplesubjects. He used to keep a file on all of our escapades inhis office just in case he had to ‘keep us in line.’ Most of thetime he would shake his head in laughter (and disbelief) andtell us what animals we were. Of course, I also have greatmemories about my involvement in athletics. I would becrazy if I didn’t mention the thrill of scoring two touchdownsin our State Championship win,” he continued.

“I will always remember my days at MUS. I just wishthat I could clone the school and relocate it to Dallas so thatmy son would have the same sort of experience,” Scott con-cluded.

Legend Airlines currently flies non-stop to Los Angeles,Washington/Dulles and Las Vegas with service to New Yorksoon. “Our plans for expansion are to grow to thirty-fiveaircraft serving twelve to fifteen major business destinationsthroughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico,” accord-ing to Kevin. The all-jet fleet offers wider legroom, and allseats are equipped with footrests, headrests, airfones, laptoppower supplies, and access to twenty-four channels of televi-sion. Legend also boasts chef-crafted meals and a four-bagcarry-on policy. With several aircraft in the air and approxi-mately thirty more in the flight plan, it appears that Scottand Kevin are well on their way to becoming legends in theirown time.

If you would like to read more about Legend Airlines,check out Kevin and Scott’s website at www.legendairlines.com.

18 MUS TODAY

Shouldersat Memphis

in May

Rubbing

Every May in Memphis is a time of celebration.Tourists fill the area, and the surrounding residents antici-pate another exciting month of Memphis in May. In 1977, agroup of volunteers came together with a common goal: tomake Memphis a better city. The Memphis in May eventsare now recognized as some of the largest, most entertain-ing, and most comprehensive events in the nation. Eachyear, Memphis chooses a country to highlight through theMemphis in May program. This year, India was honored

with events, exhibits, pro-grams, and contests. Notonly does this make Maya very educational time inMemphis, but also it’s agreat excuse to party!

Probably the mostpopular Memphis in Mayevent is the World Champi-onship Barbecue CookingContest. The Mid-Southregion is very big into porkbarbecue, and Memphis isoften called “the barbecue-cooking capital of the world.”Of course, MUS alumni

wouldn’t allow Memphis to claim such a title without theirinvolvement in this Superbowl of Swine. In 1990, theGuinness Book of World Records cited the Memphis in MayBarbecue Festival as “the largest pork barbecue cookingcontest in the world,” and this title still remains undefeated.The championship features more than 240 teams, of whichdozens of alumni are members, competing with their barbe-cue-cooking skills for over $50,000 in prize money.

Throughout the year, there are about fifty contestsin the United States sanctioned by Memphis in May.The winners from these contests are guaranteed a spacein the Memphis in May World Championship BarbecueCooking Contest.

More than 97,000 people show up at Tom Lee Park,but it wasn’t until 1999 that the general public could actuallytaste the barbecue being cooked. For the most part, tastingin the cooking booths is limited to the judges, the contes-tants, and their guests. However, there are several conces-sion stands, and stage shows provide plenty of entertain-ment. The booths themselves are very entertaining as well.Just ask the contestants. According to Will Deupree ’90of the SSG (Swine, Sheep, and Goat) Ribbers, his boothdeserves the “most entertaining booth award.”

The SSG Ribbers was started in 1993 by a group ofMUS alums — Scott Schaeffer ’79, Jon Van Hoozer ’88,Philip McCaull ’88, Michael Skouteris ’88, DavidWillmott ’88, Thomas Hussey ’88, Marc Gurley ’88,and Mark Griffin ’88. Members of the 2000 SSG Ribbersincluded Pat Hopper ’89, Miles Fortas ’89, JonathonRowe ’90, Will Deupree ’90, Coors Arthur ’90, GrayBartlett ’90, Andrew McDermott ’88, John Sartelle ’92,and Harry Sayle ’92. The SSG Ribbers have their share of

RubbingShouldersat Memphis

in May

Mark Hopper ’87, his wife Jill,and Pat Hopper ’89 enjoy

the festivities.

By Maggie Daniel

Maggie Daniel was a publicrelations intern at MUS thissummer and contributedseveral articles to the magazine.For this article, she said shefound it necessary to research the Barbecue Festfirst-hand and enjoyed the event thoroughly.A Hutchison alumna and daughter of MUSscience teacher Vicki Daniel, Maggie attendsHollins University as a communication andpolitical science student.

SUMMER 2000 19

good times. Van Hoozer states thatthey “probably had two hundredpeople a night pass through the booth,including Miss Tennessee and MissMississippi on Thursday night.” Theteam has members from all over theglobe, places like France, Greece, andJapan. For this reason, Deupree con-siders Barbecue Fest to be a greatopportunity for an annual reunion.

Other MUS alumni participatefor different reasons. True Blue Bar-becue, including brothers Dabney ’88and Stewart Collier ’73, brings inpeople from around the country. Forthem, the Festival is another way toentertain business associates. All ofMemphis in May, especially BarbecueFest, is “uniquely Memphis” andreally sets it apart from the rest of thecountry. Dabney explains that “thescope is really more than peopleexpect.”

The actual cooking contest issplit up into three competitive groups:the whole hog, the shoulder, and therib cookers. The secondary categoriesfor the festival include the AnythingBut competition (meaning anythingbut barbecued pork, which can includefish, deer, and many other animals),the Barbecue Sauce competition, andthe Hot Wings competition. One ofthe more interesting teams with MUSalumni involvement is the Sons ofBacchus (better know as the SOB’s)who competed in the Ribs, Sauce, andAnything But competitions. TheSOB’s received twelfth place out of103 for their outstanding ribs. WyattIsbel ’83, who’s been “messing with”the team since the age of seventeen,along with many others, believes therotisserie donated by his company,Southern Fabricators, greatly im-proved the quality of the food.

The SOB’s were originallystarted by a group of Christian Broth-ers High School students in 1981.Since then, it has been infused withseveral MUS alumni, including: BillHarwell ’81, Bill Proctor ’82, EvansJack ’84, Larry Mallory ’82, WalkerHays ’84, George Early ’86, LeeDillon ’81, Rob Williams ’86, TomHigley ’82, and Wyatt Isbel ’83.This year, Walker Hays, managing

director of WunderlichSecurities, is the firstnon-CBHS teamcaptain. He noted thatthe list of the SOBevents this year in-cluded Family Nighton Wednesday night,an evening filled withforty-five kids, bob-bing for apples, faketattoos, sidewalk chalk, hotdogs, anda birthday party. But, not to worry,the Sons of Bacchus still lived up totheir name. On Thursday night, theyheld a crawfish and catfish dinner,and, according to Evans Jack, “peoplewere there until four in the morning.”

Other program activities of theWorld Championship BarbecueCooking Contest include the Ms.Piggy contest and Hog Calling. TheMs. Piggy contest features contes-tants who wish to compete for anentertainment prize. Usually it is acompetition of cross-dressing andsinging and dancing. (Editor’s note:To our knowledge, no MUS alumniparticipated in this event.) The mosthilarious and entertaining groupclaims the title.

The Hog Calling competition isa little less of a joke, but still funny asdifferent individuals attempt to soundmost like a hog.

The Barbecue Festival receives alarge amount of international cover-age every year. It has been the focusof two Food Network shows and hasbeen featured on shows such as“Good Morning America,” “TodayShow,” “CBS This Morning,” and“Prime Time Live.” Al Roker, well-

known NBC “Today Show” weather-man, visited in 1999 for an excerptfor his new cooking show. Publica-tions such as the Smithsonian, theWall Street Journal, USA Today, andthe New Yorker have also mentionedthe Memphis in May World Champi-onship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

But all of the extra programactivities and the international cover-age really don’t make that big of adifference to the MUS alumni. Theunderlying theme for MUS partici-pants seems to be universal, no matterwhich team they’re on — good timesand good food are the main drive andinspiration compelling these formerMUS students to become involvedand remain committed to their fellowteam members at Barbecue Fest.

The cooking contest brings out thesocial, the serious, and the silly sideof participants. Harry Sayles ’92 andCarrie Cannon prepare to greetfriends while John Sartelle ’92(center) and pals examine his ribs.David Willmott ’88 and Jon VanHoozer ’88 (below) stand ready tosupport their team through the night.

20 MUS TODAY

The Door to Knowledge

MUS Sparks “Community of Concern”This past spring, a booklet titled “A Parent’s Guide

for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Use” cameacross the desk of Debbie Lazarov, MUS Director ofPublic Relations. After looking through the booklet, herinterest was ignited. The Georgetown Preparatory SchoolParents’ Club wrote the booklet, so Lazarovcontacted Georgetown Prep in Bethesda,MD, wanting to know more. The schoolpointed her in the direction of Mimi Fleury,mother of three boys and chairman of theSubstance Abuse Manual Committee at theschool. As it turns out, the publication was atwo-year labor of love of the Georgetown PrepParents’ Club. As a result of their efforts, thirty-two Washington-area schools joined together in“A Community of Concern,” an ongoing part-nership of parents, students, and schools workingtogether to encourage the prevention of alcoholand other drug use.

Lazarov immediately fell in love with the ideaof uniting parents through promoting an awarenessof alcohol and other drug use among their children andtookthe lead in creating a Memphis “Community of Concern.”It is her belief that this program gives MUS an opportunityto provide something priceless to the community.

“There is a new hope that by uniting the parents,schools, and students, we can make positive strides towarddealing with this problem,” said Mimi Fleury. “The book-let is a good start, but it is the dialogue that results from itspages, the questions that are asked as a result of it, and theprograms designed around it that will ultimately determinewhether our efforts will succeed.” Georgetown Prep hastransferred the rights of the booklet to the Lowe FamilyFoundation in Washington, DC, in order to take it to anational level by initiating “Communities of Concern” inother cities. This made it much easier for MUS to get thewheels rolling in Memphis.

MUS is the first school to initiate a “Communityof Concern” outside of the Washington, DC, metropolitanarea. It has been joined by thirty-four other Memphis AreaIndependent Schools (MAIS) and the Schools in theCatholic Diocese of Memphis to promote an awareness ofand communication about underage drinking and otherdrug use. Alcohol remains the drug of choice for Americanteens and continues to be associated with high rates of DUIconvictions and fatal auto accidents. The message theschools want to communicate to parents is: Get involvedwith your child’s life. Educate yourself and your teenagersabout the dangers of alcohol and other drug use.

The Memphis schools have ordered over 19,000copies of “A Parent’s Guide for the Prevention of Alcoholand Other Drug Use” for distribution to families at thebeginning of the 2000/2001 school year. Each school in the

“Community of Concern” has customized thebooklet with their own school seal and sub-stance abuse policy, and the Memphis bookletsinclude local survey results, legal conse-quences in the state of Tennessee, and localresource information. Lazarov acknowledgesthe help of several local legal professionals.“The MUS community is so grateful toDistrict Attorney General Bill Gibbons,Assistant District Attorney Perry Hayes,Assistant District Attorney PhyllisGardner, and attorneys Paul Edwards ’79and Valerie Corder for their many hoursof hard work and expertise in writingthe legal consequences section of the

booklet.” The MUS Counseling Depart-ment, with the help of Nancy Robinson and other volun-

teers from the Parents’ Association, was directly respon-sible for collating results from a drug and alcohol surveygiven to over 2,000 students in ten MAIS schools. In addi-tion, Eddie Batey, MUS Director of Counseling, and hisstaff provided the local hotlines and other informationresources for the Memphis booklet.

Headmaster Ellis Haguewood stated, “I am excited somany Memphis schools have joined together for our ‘Com-munity of Concern.’ It’s thrilling to be a part of this na-tional effort to educate and foster communication betweenstudents and parents in regard to alcohol and drug use.”All parents, administrators, teachers, and school counselorsare aware that one of the toughest challenges we face ishelping our teenage sons and daughters avoid the perils ofunderage drinking and use of other drugs. As Kathy LowePeterson, president and founding board member of theLowe Family Foundation says, “Our children really know alot more than we’d like to believe, and we need to be theones to ask them what’s going on. It’s time to shift thefocus back on the parents. This program is for parents, byparents. Children need to hear the facts from their parentsand know the truth about alcohol and other drug use beingpotentially deadly.”

The Lowe Family Foundation is a charitable organization whosemission is to educate the public about the dangers of alcohol andother drug abuse and their effects on families, children, andindividuals.

SUMMER 2000 21

Part Two of a three-part series

E. H. CrumpAmong the rural transplants who arrived in

Memphis in the 1890s to seek fame and fortunewas young Edward Hull Crump from Holly

Springs, MS. His is a real life Horatio Alger story,in which a poor boy through luck and pluck tri-

umphs, gets rich, and marries the girl of his dreams. The myththat Crump arrived in Memphis friendless and alone with onlytwenty-five cents in his pockets is a bit of a stretch. Actually, hehad prosperous relatives living in Memphis and had visited here afew times, so he pretty well knew what he was doing.

Crump did lead the city from its horse-and-buggy days intothe atomic age half a century later. Once here, he became a book-

keeper and then treasurer in a company which made carriages and buggies. Later he became president andowner of the company, married a lovely socialite, and became part of the local establishment. In the processhe became hooked on local politics. In quick succession, Crump went from being merely active in wardpolitics to serving on the city’s lower council, then its upper council, then in the office of mayor in 1909.There are a number of myths surrounding his first mayoral election, including those about W. C. Handyand the origins of “The Memphis Blues” as a campaign tune.

Crump’s control of Memphis and Shelby County was never truly “one man rule.” The talent, energy,and loyalty of his supporters were at least as important to the organization’s success as Crump himself.During the process of taking power, he changed the structure of both county and city governments, makingthem smaller, controllable commission bodies having both executive and legislative functions. He alsocontrolled the Shelby delegation to the General Assembly, shrewdly getting what he wanted from stategovernment. In his meteoric rise, he made powerful allies and enemies across the state as well as in Mem-phis. Perhaps because of these enemies, he was ousted from the office of mayor in 1915 and had difficultycontrolling some elements of local politics between then and 1927. He stayed a major player at electiontime, but the people he helped put in office were not always willing to do his bidding. The most notable ofthese was probably Rowlett Paine, the city’s reform mayor from 1920 to 1928. The Crump machine helpedhis ticket win the 1923 election, defeating the candidates put forward by the Ku Klux Klan. Then, in the1927 election, Crump backed Watkins Overton, ousted Mayor Paine, and initiated a twenty-seven-yearperiod of firmly controlling city government.

If Crump’s motives were usually good, the machine’s methods were sometimes foul. It engaged invoter fraud, intimidation, ballot box stuffing, the misuse of poll taxes, and co-opting leadership in the area’scivic and service clubs to achieve its ends. But it also kept taxes very low and gave good constituent services.Moreover, Crump’s partnership with senatorial heavyweight K.D. McKellar gave the organization controlof local federal patronage and New Deal spending in this area.

Nationally, Crump enjoyed the reputation of being a “good city boss.” He didn’t use his power toenrich himself, certainly not with direct graft. Despite opposition after 1948, his rule lasted until his deathin 1954. A recent Crump myth is the notion that he was called “Boss Crump.” Although he assuredly was apolitical boss, he was never called “Boss” as a form of address other than by outsiders and ignorant newcom-ers. Doing so shows a misunderstanding of the subtleties of the Crump regime, many of whose legacies arestill with us.

…to be concluded in next issue of MUS Today

What exactly is a historic milestone?It is something which keys a major changein patterns of living, a watershed. Usuallysuch turning points are about a generationor so apart. A myth is something thatpeople believe to be true, whether or notthere is sufficient basis for such a belief, oreven despite good reasons to disbelieve it.

I usually say Memphis is about“seven miles long,” because that’s thenumber of milestones apparent to me.

My turning points are:1. The Founding of Memphis,

c. 1820 (or earlier?)2. The Flatboatmen’s War, 18423. The Civil War, 1861-654. Yellow Fever, 1878-795. E. H. Crump takes power,

1909 and again in 19276. World War II, 1941-457. Civil Rights Movement and

Sanitation Strike, 1968

By John E. Harkins

Milestones and MythsMilestones and Mythsof Memphis Historyof Memphis History

Not Just Horsin’ Around

Not Just Horsin’ Around

At a very young age, Brown ’98 and York Gill ’00and their younger sister, Elizabeth, were riding aroundon three ponies—Thunder, Star, and Molly. Their fam-ily was very involved in horses and the sport of polo, soit was only natural that riding had a high priority in theboys’ lives. But it wasn’t going to be English riding forthe brothers. In 1992, they decided to take a differentroute. The Gill brothers went to a horse camp in Arizonanamed Orme Summer Camp, a 40,000-acre workingranch. It was there that they learned the basics of ropingand “intensified horsemanship.” According to theirmother, Betha Gill, this was the time that fifth-graderYork and seventh-grader Brown started to “live andbreathe horses.”

When the boys returned home, they announced totheir father that they wanted to rope. So Ray Gill boughtroping horses that fall and introduced his sons to RoyHolmes, an American Quarter Horse Association(AQHA) World Champion. Mr. Holmes became theboys’ role model and mentor, teaching them everythinghe knew. He sparked a passion for roping within themand helped them perfect their roping abilities.

Mrs. Gill reflects on the times that her sons wouldpractice roping for hours on a dummy steer, “They wouldcreate handicaps and see who could rope better on theirright foot, on their left foot, or even blind-folded. Theystill take that dummy steer with them to competitions forwarming up and practicing.”

In the fall after they returned from their first year atcamp, the boys competed in their first rodeo. They werethe youngest in the group of men, but the eleven- andthirteen-year-old York and Brown were welcomed with awealth of patience and assistance. They competed in theTri-State Roping Association, which has a competitiveseason from spring to fall; but the brothers started practic-ing together every day. After two to three months, theystarted winning. York won the Tri-State Finals in eighthgrade. Obviously, their dedication was paying off.

The brothers attribute their skill to their accom-plished handling of horses. York says, “When you’re rop-ing, the horse is moving so fast and the adrenaline ispumping so hard that you have to know exactly what you’redoing before you get out there.” In fact, York often prac-tices without a bridle, and the boys depend heavily on the

By Maggie Daniel

strength of their legs to command the horse. The combi-nation of their English and Western riding backgroundsand hard practice every day has enabled the brothers toachieve the success they have today.

Recently,York was asked to participate in the Ten-nessee High School Rodeo Association and led them tothe state finals and nationals this summer. However, theGill boys have set higher expectations by competing in theU.S. Team Roping Championships (USTRC). Now theycompete all year long.

Brown did take some time off from roping his fresh-man year in college to focus more on his studies at RhodesCollege. But it wasn’t long before he realized the empti-ness in his life without the rodeos and roping. His sopho-more year, Brown worked hard to catch up to his potentialand has “re-devoted” himself to roping, recognizing “it’ssomething [he] just can’t live with-out.” So, Brown is back in the saddle,and the brothers are together andwinning again.

York is planning to attend OleMiss this fall, and after his under-graduate studies, he and Brown will“probably take time off to go pro.”Then it’s back to the books forgraduate school.

School’s not going to hold theseboys back, though. The brothersrecognize their binding commit-ment and acknowledge the fact thatthey will probably be roping the rest of their lives becausethey love the rodeo life. York remarks, “You never knowwhere you’re gonna be the next trip.” And Brown adds,“You really get to see the country when you’re roping.”

Rodeo riding has also added diversity to the boys’lives. Brown explains, “Roping gave us the opportunity todevelop friendships with people who are completely andtotally different from our friends at school.” Brown andYork have made some wonderful and lasting friendships.Brown says, “ I have met some of the best guys that I knowand trust. Guys that I sleep next to, travel with, and workwith.” The purpose of the rodeos may be competition, but“there will always be someone to help you.” Of course,everyone wants to win but will not step on other people todo it. It’s an atmosphere of hope and togetherness.

At this point in their lives, York and Brown admit that,because of roping competitions, they are probably makingmore money than most boys their age. Their experienceshave made them realize how fortunate they are to have theabilities and opportunities to do what they want, such aspursuing a career in roping and a successful liberal artseducation. The boys admit that sometimes they have suc-ceeded because of their background — a private schooleducation and the advantages that their parents providedthem (the Gills have had their own barn and arena since1985).

But at a young age, Brown and York were taught howto handle a large amount of responsibility. For the pasteight years, the brothers have faced a demanding scheduleof taking care of horses, practicing every day, and travel-

ing to rodeos around the country. They’ve been drivingtractors since they were twelve, caring for injured horses(which is a daily and self-absorbing commitment), takingcare of and repairing tack, fixing fences, worming horses,giving shots to horses and cows, and trading cows. Theyeven helped build their arena and built their press box.Brown and York believe that they grew up quicker thanmany of their friends. The boys’ mother remarks that“kids raised around a barn are the most willing employees— there’s never a job too dirty for them,” and theyunderstand the importance of responsibility because “thishuge animal’s entire welfare is dependent on them.”

At the tender ages of fourteen and sixteen, the boysdrove alone to Oklahoma City to compete in the NationalFinals for the U.S. Team Roping Association. They werethe only ones there under the age of twenty-five. Nowthey believe they are mature and competent enough toaccept and handle most aspects of society and challengesof everyday life.

Roping has also strengthened the brotherhood sharedby Brown and York. With a roping team, there is a header(the guy that catches the head of the steer) and a heeler(the guy that catches the back feet). Until recently, York

was almost always the header,and Brown was the heeler. Butthings have changed, and the boyshave reversed positions. York ex-plains that the secret of a goodroping team is whether they “canride in a truck together, and notmany guys can do that.” Brownand York have been doing it forthe past eight years. The broth-ers have been through good timesand hard times. They’ve had win-ning moments and “nasty fights.”Even though the brothers havehad their share of strains on their

relationship, they both still respect each other as havingthe talents and abilities to be the best ropers in thecountry.

The boys’ rodeo career definitely hasn’t been a lonelyone. They have had outstanding support from their familyand fans. Whether out on the road or here at home, theGill boys appreciate their family and friends’ interest intheir sport. In fact, Mr. Haguewood and his wife, Peggy,made it to a competition when Brown was a senior andYork was a sophomore. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon,but that didn’t stop the headmaster and his wife fromsupporting the MUS students.

Brown, now a junior in college, admits it is challeng-ing to keep both his roping abilities polished and hisgrades strong. Although the boys often feel the strainpulling them in two different directions, they credit theguidance and training they received at MUS for theirability to keep a firm hold and balance life accordingly.

The days of Thunder, Star, and Molly may be gone,but what started as kids just horsin’ around has turned intoa life-long passion of rodeo ropin’ and ridin’ for the Gillbrothers.

Brown Gill ’98

York Gill ’00

24 MUS TODAY

M E M O R I A L S H O N O R A R I U M S

Y

GEORGE P. BAILEYMr. & Mrs. John Elliott DentPeggy & Ellis HaguewoodNancy W. Smith

HAL PITTMAN BAILEY, JR.Peggy & Ellis Haguewood

W.L. “JACK” BRIMMMary Lynn & Ronnie Wenzler

EDWARD DEWEYFaye & Skip Daniel

L. EDWIN ELEAZER III ’94Carole & Norman Thompson

DANIEL F. FISHER, SR.Peggy & Ellis Haguewood

WILLIAM HATCHETTCarole & Norman Thompson

MARION HILTONSMITHPeggy & Ellis Haguewood

JULIA JENKINSDale & John CarrDiana Moore

THOMAS M. KEESEE, SR.Peggy & Ellis Haguewood

COLONEL ROSS M. LYNNBarry Hendon ’77

MARSHA MAYNancy Welsh Smith

DR. RICHARD MILLERNancy Welsh Smith

MARY NELSON PHELANDale & John CarrDiana Moore

JOHN PHILLIPS IIIPeggy & Ellis Haguewood

MILTON STERNBERGERGracey & Clay Smythe ’85

YVONNE DOBBS TATUMRobert M. Williams III ’86

HARTE R. THOMAS, SR.Mary Lynn & Ronnie Wenzler

HAZEL WESTONBailey Fisher

our gifts in honor of special friends or in memory of loved ones directly enable young men at MUS to receive the

best education available. Memorials to Memphis University School support the Annual Fund program. Families of

those whose memories are honored will be notified by an appropriate card with an acknowledgment to the donor.

We gratefully acknowledge the following gifts to the school:*

SKIP DANIELJudy Rutledge

TROW GILLESPIE ’65Mr. & Mrs. Charles Johnston

ELLIS HAGUEWOODDebra & Bill Barnes

JEAN HALEDeanna & Dennis Hale

TOMMY HARRISONCarolyn & Leslie Shumake

JEFF KOEHN ’89Carolyn & Leslie Shumake

THE 2000 MUS STATE LACROSSECHAMPIONS

Mr. & Mrs. John Elliott Dent

JUSTIN MCCLURE ’81Angele & James McClure

RUTH & BUDDY MORRISONMr. & Mrs. John C. Broderick

Myrle & Walter Scott

COACH JERRY PETERSDebra & Bill BarnesBarry Hendon ’77

COACH JAKE RUDOLPHBarry Hendon ’77

*Includes gifts received 3/7/00 – 7/31/00

S K E L E T O N I N T H E C L O S E T

It’s not very often that MUSwelcomes a new student who bringshis own locker, doesn’t need a desk,doesn’t eat much, and the teacherdoesn’t have to worry about keepinghim quiet. But that’s just what hap-pened this past semester thanks to R.Hudson Atkins who donated a skel-eton to the school. Bill Taylor, Act-ing Chairman of the Science Depart-ment, has assumed custody of theskeleton and admits that he is “tick-led to death” to have the gift. Ac-cording to Taylor, the skeleton willbe used quite a bit in all biologyclasses, and “it will be a good way forthe boys to see the bones and under-stand the skeletal structure of thebody.” Upper School Principal BarryRay claims that they are planning tohave it set up with an electronic voicebox so it can participate duringclasses. We’re not too sure aboutthat, but MUS is certainly apprecia-tive of the donation.

SUMMER 2000 25

Two social gatherings this spring recognized thecontribution of members of the Ross M. Lynn Societyand the D. Eugene Thorn Society.

The Lynn Society members were welcomed to theMemphis Hunt and Polo Club by Headmaster EllisHaguewood and society president Rick Moore ’63.The members were saluted for their generous financialsupport toward the operation of the school as well astheir leadership, loyalty, and expertise throughout theyear. The Lynn Society is named in honor of Ross M.Lynn, who served as Headmaster from 1955-78.

L Y N N A N D T H O R N S O C I E T Y M E M B E R S H O N O R E D

The D. Eugene Thorn Society is named for HeadmasterEmeritus D. Eugene Thorn, who began his thirty-seven-yearcareer at MUS in 1955 and served as Headmaster from 1978-92.Bob Loeb ’73, president of the society, and wife, Kathy,graciously entertained Thorn Society members at their home.

Mr. Haguewood hailedthe members for settingan outstanding examplefor others to followthrough their generosityand involvement withthe school.

Carey and Rick Moore ’63

Bruce Ryan ’80 andHeadmaster Ellis

Haguewood

Nancy Thomaswith Steve ’71 and

Nancy Morrow

Taylor Treadwell, Bo Hyde ’92,and Ruthie Bowlin

Allen Morgan,Trow Gillespie ’65,

and Casey Bowlin ’65

26 MUS TODAY

Remember WhenRemember When

By Andy McCarroll ’86

TheTuesday Practice After Tupelo

William James describedhuman nature pretty well when hewrote that “most people live, whetherphysically, intellectually, or morally,in a very restricted circle of theirpotential being.” One thing I appreci-ate more and more about MUS is thatits academic, extracurricular, andathletic programs challenged us topush beyond the mediocre, lesserversion of ourselves toward thatversion that was our fullest potential.By asking us daily to “reach beyondour grasp,” MUS dared us to begreat. And in some cases, we sur-prised ourselves by rising to theoccasion.

There have probably been MUSfootball teams over the years withmore raw talent than the team we hadin 1985, but few can say they got asmuch out of the players as we did thatyear. We won thirteen games; we lostone game; and we were state champi-ons. But before we could becomestate champions, we had to learn thatmediocrity and complacency were notacceptable. We had to develop thecourage to push ourselves beyond ourknown limits. Only then would wediscover that what was thought to bean “average” team on paper couldplay with and beat teams of superiorsize, strength, and speed. In myopinion, it was the Tuesday practice

TheTuesday Practice After Tupelo

after Tupelo whenthe team first got

a glimpse of what it would take tobecome state champions.

Not that we had been slackersbefore that. We worked hard allsummer and came out strong, crush-ing Briarcrest, shutting outBrentwood Academy, and whippingGermantown at Red Devil Field. Nomatter what the year, this would be astart for any team to be proud of. Butwe were a little “too proud” when wetook the road trip to Tupelo.

Our bus ride down to Tupelowas not about concentration, prepa-ration, or focus, but cutting up, loudmusic, and upcoming weekendevents. We arrived to find ourselvesin a locker room with rusty leakingpipes overhead, hornets nests, andone of the loudest high school bandsI ever heard right outside the door,so that Coach Rudolph’s pregamespeech was totally inaudible. Theopening play of the game got myattention quickly when the smallestmiddle linebacker we played againstall year (5’6”, 140 lbs. or so) hit me sohard the second I got the ball that myhead was ringing for the rest of theseries. While he was clinging to myhead trying to rip it off, he told me allabout what was getting ready tohappen to us. His prediction came

true. In short, we played a team thatwas vicious, tenacious, and morefocussed than we were. We playedwell enough to make it close, losing24 to 21; but the point had beenmade. We could be defeated.

A crucial question going in to theoff week after Tupelo was how wewould respond. We were not thrilledwith the prospect of a week off, sincewe knew the coaches were not pleasedwith our attitude. This would meanmuch pain and suffering.

Predictably, we were draggingand feeling sorry for ourselves beforepractice even started that Tuesday.Drills were monotonous. Executionwas sluggish. We went through themotions well enough to make itthrough, but our hearts were not in it.Then it was time for conditioning.

At that time, conditioning wassomething I remember us calling“over and back.” We divided into twogroups, backs and linemen, and onegroup would run the width of thefield, going “over and back” twice(more than two hundred yds.), fol-lowed by the next group. If this wasrepeated ten times without a break, itwas considered a hard day of condi-tioning, especially after a long practice.

On that Tuesday after Tupelo,Coach Barry Ray walked up afterconditioning (ten over and backs) and

SUMMER 2000 27

said, “Take a knee.” A fewstarted to take off helmetsand unbuckle pads. Hepaced back and forth, twirl-ing the whistle, about togive some kind of motiva-tional speech. Right? Nope.No speech today. With thatclassic Coach Ray disciplineand seriousness, he pro-nounced, “Gentlemen,you’ve just finished the firstquarter. Get up.”

And so the “secondquarter” began. Over andback, over and back. All thatcould be heard were ourlaboring breaths and the squeal of thewhistle signaling us to start. Over andback, over and back. Heads weredropped; people were dragging;totally deflated, we were being pun-ished. After an exhausting ten more,Coach Ray: “Half time. Take a knee.”Not even ninety seconds later, “Run-ning backs! On the line!”

Here we go again. Over andback, over and back. By this time, weare dying, pouring sweat, cottonmouth, can’t see straight, wonderingif we can put one foot in front of theother. Ten more. Take a knee. Wehad nothing left. Or so we thought...

In the next ninety seconds, atransformation occurred that I be-lieve made the difference betweenour being state champions ratherthan just another good MUS team.Most of us had our heads bowed, justtrying to get a breath; but out ofnowhere, way down at the right endof the line, I heard something. It wasincoherent. Or maybe I was incoher-ent, but I looked over and sawWesley Grace ’86 standing tall. Hewas yelling something, I’m not surewhat, but it doesn’t matter. He wasyelling and he didn’t stop. One byone we all stood up and started yell-

Rising to the ChallengeFourth quarter determination gave the Owls

the edge they needed to win the state championship in 1985.

1985 RECORD: 13 - 1

Briarcrest 55 - 19Germantown 19 - 6Brentwood Academy 14 - 0Tupelo 21 - 24Catholic 31 - 0Bishop Byrne 48 - 7Collierville 24 - 0Harding 49 - 0ECS 26 - 21

PlayoffsRidgeway 28 - 7Milan 41 - 7Marshall Co. 14 - 7Goodpasture 31 - 29Austin-East 21 - 19

ing. Most of us could barely eventhink or speak; but as we yelled andyelled, getting louder and louder andfeeding off of each other, we discov-ered resources we never knew we had.We were not being “punished,” wewere being challenged to take our-selves to the next level; and with thatfourth quarter run, we met the chal-lenge.

When I look back at the lastthree games of our 1985 season,Marshall County (14-7), Goodpasture(31-29), and Austin East (21-19), eachwas a game won in the fourth quarter.It was that Tuesday practice afterTupelo when we started to learn whatwinning in the fourth quarter is allabout.

Wesley Grace (11) throws ablock as Andy McCarroll (36)runs the ball 19 yards for atouchdown againstGoodpasture. Goodpatureanswered with a scoring driveand 2-point conversion to lead29-28 with only 1:25 left. “Bythis time,” McCarroll recalls,“Wesley had been thrown outof the game for extracurricularscrappiness.” But the Owlsprevailed with a winning fieldgoal by Andy Wright.

28 MUS TODAY

Viewpoint

Board WorkTangible and Intangible

By C. Barham Ray ’64

Viewpoint

BARHAM RAYwas elected to theBoard of Trustees in1996. As an MUStrustee, he has servedon the Technology,Strategic Planning,Education, andTrustees Committees.After graduating fromMUS in 1964, Rayearned a B.A. fromVanderbilt Universityin History. He thenwent on to earn hisM.B.A. from theUniversity of Virginia.He is a partner in SSMVentures, a venturecapital partnership.Ray serves on theboards of FinancialFederal Savings Bank,Hutchison School, andLongleaf PartnersFunds. He is marriedto Debbie and has twochildren, Barham ’99who is a sophomoreat Princeton, andBeverly who willbe a sophomoreat Hutchison.

If you have been by MUS recently, you have seen constructionprojects under way all over the campus. These new facilities aretangible evidence of a major planning and fund-raising effort bythe Board of Trustees, Headmaster Ellis Haguewood and his staff,and many volunteers. It is clearly a major responsibility of theboard to provide the school with the resources required toaccomplish its mission.

Less tangible, but no less important, board work is going onall the time. The Board of Trustees is organized by committees.Each year the Board Chairman and the Trustees’ Committee, withinput from Mr. Haguewood, establish agenda items for each com-mittee to concentrate on during the year. The full board meetsthree times during the school year. Committee chairmen set uptheir own meeting dates as often as required and report to the fullboard. The names of the committees indicate the scope of issuesthat concern the board: Building and Grounds, Finance, Endow-ment, Trustees, Development, Education, Athletic, Admissionsand Public Relations, Legal Affairs, and Strategic Planning.

The board takes its responsibilities very seriously. We feela strong obligation to Colonel Lynn, Alex Wellford, Sr., GeneThorn, students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of theschool. The new buildings are a commitment to put thebest facilities in place that we can. There is an equally strongcommitment to have the best people and programs at the school.Above all, the board is the custodian of the spirit of the school,and it is this spirit which is the least tangible but most importantaspect of MUS.

It is a personal pleasure to participate on the MUS Boardof Trustees and to see the tangible and intangible progressbeing made.

SUMMER 2000 29

Marriages

Fargason Erb ’90 to Kelly Nelsonon May 6, 2000

Dan Huff ’90 to Mary Anna Watsonon April 29, 2000

Spencer Dillard ’91 to Valerie Parkerlast Thanksgiving

Brandon Williams ’91 to JeanetteTullis on April 15, 2000

Lee Huff ’93 to Leah Yanceyon May 6, 2000

Will Abbay ’94 to Elizabeth Selmanin August, 1999

John Houseal ’94 to Laura Easleyon May 27, 2000

Stephen Shannon ’96 to Leslee AnneHarp on May 27, 2000

Alumni NewsAlumni News

Births

Tom Preston ’74 and Kara, a daughter,Julia Ruth, born May 31, 2000

Stilly McFadden ’75 and Melanie,a son, James Stillman RockefellerMcFadden, Jr., born February 3, 2000

Steve Hergenrader ’77 and Marilyn,a daughter, Owen Meriwether,born January 5, 2000

Scott Rose ’82 and Joni, a daughter,Bailey Scott, born November 30, 1999

Jim Burnett ’83 and Diane, a son, RobertScott Burnett, born April 24, 2000

Jody Graham ’87 and Hila, a son, WilliamSpencer, born May 10, 2000

Jennings Durand ’90 and Jency, a son,Declan William, born May 15, 2000

Philip Wunderlich ’90 and Julie, a son,Philip Shields Wunderlich, Jr., bornFebruary 19, 2000

Trent Allen ’91 and Courtney, a daughter,Emma Simmons, born March 28, 2000

Cort Winsett ‘92 and Robin, a son, WilliamRobert-Braxton, born January 23, 2000

Showing His School SpiritElias Graham Haguewood,born March 31, 2000, son ofVickie and Alan Haguewoodand first grandchild for Head-master Ellis Haguewood andhis wife, Peggy.

Familiar Face in a New Place There is a new face in the Development Office as of March. Claire Farmer has

moved from Lower School Secretary to Director of Alumni and Parent Programs. Claire’snew responsibilities include assisting alumni in planning class reunions, working with theAlumni Association Executive Board, and organizing ways alumni can stay more involvedwith MUS. In addition, she will be working closely with the Parents’ Association as theirliaison with the administration and faculty.

Call Claire at 260-1356 or e-mail her at cfarmer@musowls.org if you:1) have a new address, e-mail, phone/fax number2) have class news: new job, new promotion, new wife, new baby, etc.3) have an idea for an alumni party or event

Pitching the Annual Fund and BaseballJason P. Talavs has joined the Development Office in August as the new Director of the

Annual Fund. He is responsible for raising funds for the operation of the school throughdirect mail, phonathons, coordinating class representatives and parent volunteers, and initi-ating new programs. Jason comes to MUS from Atlanta where he was a financial consultantwith Merrill Lynch Private Client Group. In addition to his duties in the DevelopmentOffice, Jason is an assistant baseball coach. He attended the University of Mississippi on a

full baseball scholarship and graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in broadcast journalism and a minor in English.

MUS Receives Case AwardMUS received a Special Merit Award presented by the Council for Advancement

and Support of Education (CASE) at its district conference earlier this year.The award recognized and honored the school for the MUS admissions video,

produced by Jennifer Wein of Impact Media and package design by RachelGabrielleschi of Gabrielleschi Creative, under the direction of Debbie

Lazarov, Public Relations Director at MUS.

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Another classmate who has been missing-in-action for quite a while, Doug Pigott,lives in New Orleans where he is acardiothoracic surgeon at TulaneUniversity Medical School. Welcomeback!Jud Whilock retired from the MarineCorps after twenty-four years. He lives inVirginia with his wife, Gayle, and threechildren, Shannon, Kyle, and Megan.

Denby BrandonClass Representative

MUS recently “found” Tommy Hoehn.Tommy lives in Memphis and is managerof Owen Brennan’s Restaurant. Inaddition, he is part owner of FrankensteinRecords, Inc. He has three children,Forbes, 15, Tristan, 11, and Elizabeth, 8.

Montgomery MartinClass Representative

Buck Lewis has been selected by theBoard of Directors of the Tennessee BarAssociation to represent West Tennesseeon the Tennessee Bar Association Boardof Governors. Buck is a shareholder inBaker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell’sMemphis office.

Lee MarshallClass Representative

University of the South has made GeorgeClarke, Jr., a trustee.

Chip GraysonClass Representative

Raymond James & Associates namedGeorge Sousoulas to the firm’s 2000President’s Club in recognition ofoutstanding client service and exemplaryprofessional growth.

Rick MillerClass Representative

Summit Global Partners in Dallas, TX,named Casey Bowlin the new CEO.Founded just four years ago, privatelyheld Summit Global now is among thetwenty-five largest insurance brokeragecompanies in the United States.

Bob LeeClass Representative

Johnny Adams co-chaired the 24thAnnual NAACP Freedom Fund Gala onMarch 23, 2000. It is the civil rightsorganization’s largest annual fundraiser.

John PetteyClass Representative

Boyle Investment Co. promoted JoelFulmer to senior vice president.

Bill FergusonClass Representative

The Greater Memphis Arts Council for2000-2001 named Bruce Hopkins aschairman. He was also recently elected tothe Board of Trustees of ALSAC-St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Hunter HumphreysClass Representative

Classmate Warren Ayres, who has beenin the family construction business formany years, recently started his owncompany. Warren Ayres Builderspecializes in construction of customhomes and remodeling, as well as in-fillprojects. Anyone looking to build a newcustom home or remodel their existingone should give Warren a call.Ben Harrison is an attorney in Nashvillewith the firm of Cornelius & Collins.Ben has been “lost” from the MUS rosterfor some time. We’re glad to havetracked him down.

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George SkouterisClass Representative

Dennis Hale and his family have movedfrom Iowa to the Orlando, FL, areawhere he is general manager of anEmbassy Suites hotel.Memphis dentist, Tod Singer, and wife,Amy, have three daughters, Megan,Carly, and Lana. Tod says, “I’m trying toteach all three the meaning and applica-tion of the word elope.”

Rob HusseyClass Representative

Justin McClure is working in Jackson,MS, for Gulf South Capital, a venturecapital fund for wireless startups.

Bill LansdenClass Representative

Now into its twelfth year, DougCarpenter Advertising continues tothrive. Doug and Sissy have a one-year-old, Katie Elizabeth. He says, “She istruly incredible, and the baby ain’t halfbad either.” Doug serves as chairman ofthe Calvary Street Ministry and wel-comes all donations, questions, orcomments.Louis Lettes and wife, Amy, have twochildren, Sarah, 3, and Sammy, 1. Louisleft CNN Interactive to open an Atlantaoffice for Homestore.com, an Internetcompany based in Thousand Oaks, CA.Tom Owen owns a ski shop, GallatinAlpine Sports, in Big Sky, MT.

Wyatt IsbellClass Representative

Scott Snyder, a program officer in theResearch and Studies Program of theUnited States Institute of Peace, haswritten a book, Negotiating on the Edge.Scott traces the historical and culturalroots of North Korea’s negotiatingbehavior.

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Making Room in Their Hearts

By Cathi Cooper

Dr. Daniel Fisher Jr.’68 and his wife, Julie,recently co-chaired the “Make Rooms for More”Campaign Steering Committee for the RonaldMcDonald House in Chattanooga, Tennessee.Their goal was to raise capital in the amount of $3.2million, but the Fishers did not raise that amount —they raised more, $3.3 million! The money was usedto finance an addition to the house, which wasestablished in 1990. The addition added twentyrooms, which are used to house parents who need tobe close to children receiving care at the localchildren’s hospital. The addition also contains newconference rooms, which can hold meetings for upto twenty people.

Dr. Fisher, who graduated from the Universityof Virginia in 1972 and the University of TennesseeMedical School in 1975, is surgical director of theKidney Transplant Center at Erlanger MedicalCenter, where he practices renal, vascular, andgeneral surgery. (He notes that it was a thrill for anMUS graduate to perform the first kidney transplantin Chattanooga, home of the Baylor and McCallieSchools). It was challenging for the busy surgeon tohead up the capital campaign with his wife, who hasbeen on the Board of Directors for the RonaldMcDonald House for eight years. The couple firstbecame involved with the house nine years ago afterthe loss of a child. When they began attending asupport group there, they were comforted andimpressed with the caring environment. Mrs. Fisherinstantly “hit it off” with Jane Kaylor, the executivedirector of the house, and wound up on the boardvery quickly.

Before beginning the “Make Rooms for More”campaign, the Fishers contemplated reducing theirinvolvement with the house to make more time for

family and other activities. But when asked to take aleadership position, the Fishers could not decline theoffer. They “believed in the mission so much,” accord-ing to Dr. Fisher, and saw the expansion as an immedi-ate need.

The husband-and-wife team worked diligently onthe campaign. They learned early in the campaign that“the trick to heading capital campaigns is to raise themoney before you start building.” Under the guidanceof a financial consultant from Atlanta, the committeeaccomplished the amazing feat of raising 80 percent ofthe money needed before ground was broken.

Fisher’s experience in fundraising dates back to hisMUS days. He recalled his efforts as leader of an MUSfundraiser for Red Cross. He and the other footballplayers stood out in traffic, stopped cars, and coercedmotorists to donate money for a good cause. Thesedays, since he has teamed with his wife, he has a morerefined way of collecting donations.

Over the eighteen-month period of the campaign,Mrs. Fisher made telephone calls, arranged meetings,and discussed ideas with the financial consultant duringthe day. At the hospital, Dr. Fisher would approach hiscolleagues informally about pledging money. The busyDr. Fisher, who performs six hundred surgeries peryear, would report to his wife in the evenings, and theywould bounce ideas off of each other. Then the Fisherswould send formal letters to potential donors. Dr.Fisher credits his wife, a former pharmaceutical sales-person, with the wonderful ability to ask people fordonations. According to the Fishers, most people havesoft spots in their hearts and an extra willingness to givemoney to causes that benefit children.

The Fishers enjoy life in Chattanooga and Dr.Fisher says he frequently sees MUS students and alumniwho come to the area for sporting events against Baylorand McCallie. The Fishers have two children, Katie andDaniel (a sixth-grader at McCallie).

According to the Ronald McDonald House inChattanooga, the Fishers are extraordinarily selflesspeople whose efforts are greatly appreciated. At thededication celebration it was noted: “The success of thecampaign is due to the Fishers’ willingness to put theirlives on hold for eighteen months to work at this effortlike it was a full-time job.”

The Fishers: Daniel, Katie, Daniel, and Julie

32 MUS TODAY

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Buck Wellford ’74, a partner inthe law firm of Thomason, Hendrix,Harvey, Johnson & Mitchell, cur-rently serves as the chairman of theCounty Commission for ShelbyCounty. In August 1994, he waselected to the Board of Commission-ers, which rotates the chairmanshipamong its members. Wellford, whoreceived a B.A. in American historyfrom Vanderbilt University and a lawdegree from Washington and Lee,states that his position “offers oppor-tunities to focus attention on some ofthe more pressing issues that confrontus in Shelby County. I have used myopportunity as chairman to focus onpublic education, particularly fundingand accountability issues, which areinterwoven.”

Wellford credits a political posi-tion while a student at MUS as beinga formative one. “Serving on theStudent Council at MUS as Commis-sioner of Athletics probably gave memore of an insight into politics thananything else I did until I becameactively involved in my thirties inRepublican Party politics in Shelby

CountyCommissionerTargets Education By Cathi Cooper

County. We were fortunate to havean active and proactive council mysenior year at MUS, led by our presi-dent, Ben Adams ’74 (whose son Ben,Jr., has been elected president of the2000-2001 Honor Council). Thatexperience taught me a lot, not onlyabout dealing with fellow studentsbut also faculty. We had a few dustups that involved faculty-studentinterplay while I was there.”

Armed with his experience fromMUS, Wellford tackles much broaderissues these days, such as the educa-tion system in Memphis. “I wantelected officials at every level ofgovernment in Shelby County torecognize that simply maintaining thestatus quo is no longer a realisticoption for us. Especially with theMemphis City Schools, the overallquality of education offered to chil-dren attending those schools hasdeteriorated to the point that ourbusinesses are being forced to importskilled workers in order to have aneducated and trainable work force.A substantial segment of our popula-tion never completes high school.Those that do complete high schooloften lack an eighth-grade level ofreading and math comprehension.”

Wellford continues to raise theawareness that problems with fundingthe education system affect the entirecommunity. He recently invitedmany top city and county govern-ment and school leaders to help himmake plans for a study of long-rangeeducation funding and educationperformance measures.

Wellford participates in manyvolunteer activities and has workedon several political campaigns, in-cluding his service as Shelby CountyCampaign Manager for United StatesSenator Fred Thompson. Maintain-ing a hobby that he has had since hisMUS days, Wellford loves tennis andplays on a team that recently com-peted at the national level in NewYork. He and his wife, Sara, have afour-year-old daughter, Caroline.He praises the “sense of communityinvolvement” which MUS instilled inhim and continues to foster in stu-dents today. In Buck’s own words,“It’s only natural to want to look forways to give something back whenyou have been given suchopportunities.”

CountyCommissionerTargets Education

SUMMER 2000 33

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Bob McEwanClass Representative

Bobby Wade has taken a new positionas senior vice president of MorganStanley Dean Witter in Memphis.Previously, he was a financial consultantwith J.C. Bradford & Co.

Paul AndersonClass Representative

Morgan Keegan & Co. promotedSterritt Armstrong to associate vicepresident.

Jonny BallingerClass Representative

Life has been hectic for Jody Grahamlately. Not only did Jody and Hilabecome new parents, but they alsorelocated from Nashville to Hila’shometown of Houston, where Jody isnow managing and working onhealthcare client engagements forDeloitte & Touche, LLP.Jason Hughes and his band, Dust ForLife, recently signed a deal with themanager of Creed and Wind-UpRecords. Of the four native-Memphian

band members, Jason is the only originalfounding member. The guys recordedtheir new album (due out in September)in June at Ardent Studios in Memphis.Starting in July, the band hits the roadfor a number of shows across the countryto promote the new album. You cancheck out their website at www.dustforlife.com. Congratulations to Jason for makinghis hard work over the years in the musicbusiness pay off in spades.

Gary WunderlichClass Representative

Jon Van Hoozer, Class Agent

Ryan Riggs has accepted a position asdean of students at Episcopal HighSchool in Jacksonville, FL.

Andy CatesClass Representative

Jason Fair, Class Agent

Will Harris received his Ph.D. inEnglish from Johns Hopkins Universitythis May. His speciality is nineteenth-century American literature.

Andrew SutherlandClass Representative

Marvin Palmer and his wife, Shea, havebought a new house in Nashville whereMarvin owns Palmer Custom Framing.Marvin has also taken the position ofassistant director of Business NetworkInternational in the Nashville area.In June, Dan Huff will begin hisresidency in general surgery at theUniversity of Tennessee in Memphis.A partner in Revenue Assurance,Richard Vining is vice president ofgraphics and marketing.

Brett GrinderClass Representative

Darrell Cobbins, Class Agent

Lee Dickinson has accepted a scholar-ship to attend Vanderbilt UniversityLaw School this fall as a member of theClass of 2003.Chris Laster is engaged to AmandaAldridge. They work together atTekSystems as information technologyrecruiters in East Memphis and will livein a new river-view apartment over thetrain station Downtown.

Do you rememberMr. Daniel?

We recently heard fromTim Daniel, former MUSEnglish teacher (1986-90).

After three years as Head-master of The Leelanau Schoolin Glen Arbor, MI, Mr. Danielis leaving to become Directorof Development at UniversityLiggett School in GrossePointe Woods, MI.

On May 30, 2000, hebecame a father for the thirdtime when his wife, Deborah,gave birth to their first daugh-ter, Emma.

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MUS OPEN HOUSEfor Prospective Students and Parents

Sunday, October 29, 20002:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Student-led Tours of the Campus until 3:30 p.m.

Tell Your Friends!

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34 MUS TODAY

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“The two main factorsthat made MUS so specialto me were the educationalatmosphere the schoolprovided and the lastingfriendships made withfellow students.

“The small numberof students in each class-room allowed the teachers

to give me a lot of special attention. Furthermore, the school’sacademic focus truly prepared me for what I would face in college.

“The friendships I made at MUS have been great for mesocially as well as in business. There is not a week that goes bythat I do not work with someone I went to school with.

“Attending MUS affected my life in a very positive way.I am thankful for the time I spent there.”

We teach our boys to pursue every opportunity in life.We also teach them to give something back.

At MUS, each student is given an excellenteducation and the opportunity to realize hispotential. Support through the Annual Fundensures that MUS will continue to attract andkeep distinguished faculty and haveall the important resources thatmake MUS a leader in college-preparatory education.

Whit McCrary and seven other princi-pals purchased their Nashville commer-cial real estate firm of Eakin & Smithfrom its parent company, HighwoodsProperties. Eakin & Smith providesleasing and management services forbuilding owners, as well as tenantrepresentation, development, andcorporate services.Rhodes Scott has accepted a new job inadvertising sales with Go2Net, Inc., inAtlanta. He and his wife, Betsy, areexpecting their first child in late July.Given recent market performance,Rhodes should have several milliondollars worth of stock options within afew months, which his dad says is a fewdollars short of what Rhodes owes hisdad for sending him to MUS.

Gil UhlhornClass Representative

Thomas Quinlen, Class Agent

Brian Bolton is attending law school atTexas Wesleyan University in FortWorth, TX.Jason Buch is living in Portland, OR,where he works as a structural engineer.J.P. Morgan in New York has madeJon-Paul Hickey an associate. He isnow working in investment managementhandling the retirement funds for FedEx,MLG&W, and the City of Memphis. Heis also looking at business schools for thefall of 2001. He may yet be retrievedfrom “Yankeedom.”Lee Huff and his new bride, Leah, areliving in Jackson, MS, where Lee worksfor International Paper.After graduating from the Univerity ofTennessee, Knoxville Law School withhigh honors, Ben Hutton joined the newMemphis office of Bass, Berry & Sims.Craig Isenberg is teaching at theYosemite Institute in El Portal, CA.Having recently returned to Memphisafter touring with his band, Pezz, CeyMooney is living in Memphis andrecording a new album with Pezz.

Working to complete his medical degreeat the University of Tennessee, Mem-phis, Graham Sexton is engaged to bemarried to Jennifer Ray.

Preston MillerClass Representative

Brandon Westbrook, Class Agent

Morgan Keegan & Co. promoted JohnSartelle to vice president.Since graduating from Centre College in1996, Michael Stringer has been leadingan exciting life. He spent two years inBozeman, MT; worked on a commercialsalmon boat out of Valdez, AK; and thenbecame an AmeriCorps volunteerworking with the Tlingit people inSitkan, AK.

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Opening Doors For Boys For Over 100 Years

MUS ANNUAL FUND6191 Park Ave., Memphis, TN 38119-5399

(901) 260-1350

VERITAS HONORQ•

UE

Thomas Quinlen and BrandonEhrhart (pictured above) completedVanderbilt Law School in May. Brandonreceived the Grace Wilson Sims Prizefor his work published in the VanderbiltJournal of Transnational Law. He will jointhe Seattle office of Gray, Cary, Ware &Freidenrich, a large firm specializing inserving emerging growth and high-technology companies in Silicon Valleyand beyond. Thomas was awarded theWeldon B. White Prize for the best-written study of some aspect of the law ofthe state of Tennessee. His article,

Jimmy Whittingtongraduated from MUSin 1990 and receiveda B.A. in history fromthe University ofMississippi. He iscurrently an officerat Jimmy WhittingtonLumber Company.

SUMMER 2000 35

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You won’t find James AndrewZanella ’95 sitting behind a desk at a cushyoffice job. Zanella, Jamie to his friends,chose a career path which exposes him tothe kind of action that most of us only hearabout on the news or see in movies. Sincegraduating from MUS, Zanella has been busycompleting many training programs includingU.S. Army Air Assault School, U.S. AirForce Combat Survival Training, and combatsimulation at the U.S. Army National Train-ing Center.

Upon graduation from West Point onMay 29, 1999, Zanella was commissioned asa second lieutenant U.S. Army, but hisextensive training did not stop there. In the

summer of 1999, he completed U.S. Army Airborne School. Six monthslater, he celebrated graduation from the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Ft.Benning, GA. Next, Zanella, armed with his relentless spirit and energy,went to Army Ranger School, which he completed in April.

In June of this year, Zanella attended the U.S. Army Bradley InfantryFighting Vehicle Course, and then in August, he’s off to the Infantry MortarLeaders Course. Starting in October, he will be stationed with the 1stArmored Division in Germany to await deployment to either Bosnia orKosovo. Jamie says that he would love to hear from his former classmatesand can be reached via e-mail at rangerzanella@att.net.

’94’94“Preparing for the Inevitable: UsingChild Support Trusts to Protect BothAthlete and Child after ProfessionalSports,” was published in the VanderbiltJournal of Entertainment Law & Practice ofwhich he was a founding staff member.He will join the Memphis law firm ofFarris, Mathews, Branan, Bobango &Hellen.Sam Rembert has been working with“Disney on Ice” as an electrician and willbe spending the summer in Floridabuilding sets for the newest “Disney onIce” show. In the fall, Sam should betouring with that show to Europe untilspring of next year. His webpage addressis: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/9753/.Another graduate of the University ofTennessee, Knoxville Law School, GilUhlhorn, will be joining the Memphislaw firm, Glankler Brown.Hart Weatherford is with SunTrustBank in Nashville as a mortgage lender.

Kirby MayClass Representative

Jason Whitmore, Class Agent

Will Abbay is business manager atMerritt Island Honda in Merritt Island,FL.Hamilton Eggers graduated in Mayfrom Rhodes College with a B.A. inhistory.After graduating from the University ofTennessee, Knoxville with a master’sdegree in accounting, Andrew Schaeffersigned on with Ernst and Young inNashville. Andrew recently passed theCPA exam the first time around.Dax Torrey will become a member ofthe MUS English faculty for 2000-2001.He graduated cum laude from VanderbiltUniversity in 1998 with a B.A. inEnglish, and he received his M.A. inEnglish from the University of Memphis

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this summer. While at Vanderbilt, Daxwrote for four years for the university’sstudent newspaper and ran a children’stutorial at a Methodist church. Duringhis summers, he interned at WREG-News Channel 3 in Memphis andclerked for the Shelby CountyChancery Court.

Jeff MurrayClass Representative

Blake Bourland, Class Agent

After graduating from Mississipi StateUniversity in May 1999 with abachelor’s degree in mechanicalengineering, David Bradford iscurrently back at Misissippi StateUniversity pursuing a master’s degree inmechanical engineering.Clark Burrow graduated in May fromRhodes College with a B.A. in politicalscience.This past year, Trey Carr was acceptedto medical school at the University ofTennessee but deferred his enrollmentuntil August 2000. In the meantime, heworked for Senator Bill Frist in Wash-ington, D.C., for four months and forMammoth Mountain Ski Resort inMammoth Lakes, CA.Chris Decker graduated in Decemberfrom the University of Tennessee with aB.S. in finance and a B.S. in logistics.This double degree landed him a job atDana Corporation in Ohio as corporateauditor.A graduate of Rhodes College, KellyEnsor was selected to the “Who’s WhoAmong Students in American Collegesand Universities.” He is now working asan investment analyst at WallaceMorrison Capital Advisors in Memphis.Dallas Geer is the youngest person everadmitted to the M.B.A. program at theUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville.A student at the Memphis College ofArts, Alec Mooney is a graphic designmajor. He has designed three albumcovers for the band, Pezz, and is workingon a new one for their forthcomingalbum.Albert Tat is working for Nissan as aprogramming analyst in the Los Angelesarea. He is engaged to Shanon Chettlewhom he has been dating for over fouryears.

Top GunBy Cathi Cooper

36 MUS TODAY

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Robert DowClass Representative

Kennon Vaughn, Class Agent

Elliott Ives, who graduated fromRhodes College in May with a B.A. inmusic, received the Ruth Moore CobbAward at graduation.In May, Worth Jones graduated fromthe University of the South and is nowworking in Memphis in the CapitalMarkets Group at National Bank ofCommerce.Richard McCluney has been acceptedto the University of Tennessee Schoolof Medicine.Rob Ratton received a grant in 1999from Tulane University to study the artof the concentration camp in Terezin,Czechoslovakia. He spent a month inEurope, primarily Prague. In May, hegraduated cum laude from Tulane withdepartmental honors in ReligiousTraditions of the West.On May 21, 2000, Matthew Rosegraduated from the University ofVirginia with the degree of Bachelor ofScience and Distinguished Major inChemistry.Stephen Shannon is an accountexecutive with Capital InstitutionalServices in Dallas, TX.In May, Parrish Taylor graduated fromHampden-Sydney. He will be workingin Memphis at CB Richard Ellis afterhaving interned there the last fewsummers. On a recent visit to Washing-ton, D.C., Parrish met Senator FredThompson (pictured below).

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Chip CampbellClass Representative

Norfleet Thompson, Class Agent

During their freshman year at SouthernMethodist University, Dale Crow, KyleGowen, Lee Grimm, and RobertRichards pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilonfraternity. Lee served as president of thepledge class.Austin Bryan and Billy Kuntz pledgedKappa Alpha at Washington and LeeUniversity. Bill Mealor pledged SigmaAlpha Epsilon, and Chip Campbellpledged Phi Gamma Delta. Chip is also amember of the golf team there.At the University of Tennessee, DavidForsythe, Ben James, Chad Keller, andWill Levy pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon.Chase Jackson, Mac McFarland, andAndrew Steffens pledged Sigma Chi.Robin Smith won the 2000 MorganAward at Vanderbilt University. Thisaward goes to the author of the best pieceof writing by a freshman during theacademic year, as judged by a facultycommittee.

Trey JonesClass Representative

Trey Jones has been elected president ofthe class of 2001 at Ole Miss.Paul Murray received Rhodes College’sRuth Sherman Hyde Award in music forthe 2000-2001 year.

Don DrinkardClass Representative

Eric Clifford, Class Agent

A junior at the University of Memphis,Jonathan Limbaugh, is a civil engineer-ing major. This summer he is working atPSI Engineering.

Sir Walter Raleigh ’96 By Maggie Daniel

Sam Graham ’80 says that MUS’s hard work atcharacter development in its students is paying off. Accord-

ing to Sam, he and his brother, Stephen Graham ’75, were attend-ing a wedding at the Duke Chapel in Durham, NC, when they werecaught by a rainstorm after the ceremony. Lacking rain gear and waitingout the storm, the Graham family was provided with a solution. Ayoung man approached them and offered his large golf umbrella for thewalk to their cars. When they replied that they were not sure how theycould return it to him, he offered to walk them all to where they wereparked.

During the half-mile walk, the group followed the normal course ofsmall talk to pass the time. When asked where he was from, the youngman responded Memphis, Tennessee. The next question followed,“Where did you go to high school?” When Rusty Shappley ’96 re-plied, “MUS,” they all laughed and shared stories about their almamater and MUS mentors.

Sam remarks, “My brother and I were proud that our non-Memphisrelatives could see the kind of man that comes from MUS. We suredidn’t want them to have just us as their examples of MUS grads!”

Sam wants to thank Rusty for his act of chivalry. Rusty is nowattending Columbia University Medical School in New York City.

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After Jason Dunn ’95 graduatedfrom Rhodes College with a degree inbusiness and economics, he took a jobas an investment analyst with South-eastern Asset Management. Then, heset out to find a volunteer project inthe Memphis community. When hediscovered a program called Knowl-edge Quest, a non-profit organizationwhich engages and challenges Memphis’inner-city youth, Dunn knew he hadfound a worthwhile cause and began totake an active role. We recently caughtup with Dunn, who was enthusiasticabout sharing his experiences with theprogram.

One of his co-workers introducedDunn to Marlon Foster, the leader ofKnowledge Quest. Dunn was instantlyawed by Foster’s “drive and vision todevelop a model that could dramati-cally improve economically weakcommunities.” Dunn became involvedwith Knowledge Quest School-AgeAcademy, which was the first step inthe realization of Foster’s model. Theacademy is an education-based after-school care program for students inkindergarten through sixth grade. Sincethe opening of the academy in 1998,

On a Questto Help theCommunity

By Cathi Cooper

the volunteers have seen major im-provements in the students’ grades andsocial behavior.

Dunn’s duties include coordinatingweekend activities and organizingvolunteers for these events. Some ofthe activities and field trips have in-cluded events at the Church HealthCenter’s Hope & Healing Center, tripsto the park, outings to the IMAXtheater, roller skating, bowling, andother rewarding activities for thechildren. Dunn also publishes Knowl-edge Quest’s newsletter, which iscurrently distributed to over fourhundred people with plans to increasethe distribution list. Dunn strives tobuild relationships between the inner-city neighborhoods and the surround-ing areas, with the goal of buildingKnowledge Quest’s private fundingbase and volunteer resources.

In only one year of involvementwith Knowledge Quest and its chil-dren, Dunn states that he has “gainedtrue appreciation of the impact avisionary like Marlon Foster can makewhen combined with service-orientedindividuals whose efforts are focusedon a community’s specific needs. I’malso learning about the incredible

possibilities that are available throughthe combination of a program likeKnowledge Quest and the resources ofthe MUS community.”

Dunn credits his mother andgrandfather with giving him the oppor-tunity to attend MUS and adds, “MUSchallenged me to think independentlyand offered a great environment todevelop leadership skills. I credit theschool’s challenging environment forhelping to create the community ofleaders that our alumni comprise.Knowledge Quest has taught me thepower of combining the resources ofthe MUS community with those ofbudding community leaders like MarlonFoster. Hopefully, our alums will con-tinue to utilize their incredible re-sources of knowledge and success toimprove Memphis.”

To contact Jason Dunn, send e-mail to jdunn@llpf.com.

Editor’s Note: The MUS Government Cluband Civic Service Club partnered withKnowledge Quest this past school year toprovide community-building opportunitiesfor MUS students and students in theKnowledge Quest program.

Jason Dunn withMarlon Foster ofKnowledge Quest

38 MUS TODAY

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FromLittle League

to the Big League

FromLittle League

to the Big LeagueEvery kid who has played

little league ball dreams ofmaking it to the “show.” OnJune 26, Will Askew ’97took a step closer tothat dream. Heboarded a planebound for Phoe-nix and the Arizonaleague affiliate of theSan Diego Padres. Theplane ride to Phoenix culmi-nated ten hectic days of deci-sion-making for Will and hisparents, a frantic time thatbegan when Will and his dadtraveled to Jackson, MS, for amajor league baseball scouting camp.

Although his intentions in going to the campwere to position himself for the 2001 draft, eventsmoved more rapidly than Will had anticipated.After the scouts leading the camp divided theapproximately fifty would-be major-leaguers intopositions, the pitchers began warming up in thebullpen. Each prospect had his turn to show thescouts his “stuff.” As the second pitcher up, Willthrew a variety of pitches, including a fastballclocked at 90.

Will said, “The scout working with the pitch-ers asked me if I had been drafted, and when I toldhim no, he asked me, ‘Why not?’” The final partof the camp was a makeshift scrimmage so that thescouts could evaluate hitting, fielding, and pitch-ing. Will started the scrimmage and pitched twoinnings, striking out four batters and not allowingany runs.

Afterwards, the scouts spent along time in the dugout withWill, advising him of the chance

he had. “They told me I was aprospect; they liked my

arm and my frame,”Will said.

Evidently 6' 6"left-handers are in

demand these days becausewhenWill emerged from the

dugout, he was accompanied byMark Wasinger, the only teamscout at the camp that day.Wasinger offered Will a contractwith the San Diego Padres andwanted him to leave for the

rookie league affiliate in Phoenix immedi-ately. After a week of consultation with family and

friends, Will decided to take a leave of absence fromRhodes College, where he has only twenty hours leftto graduate, and pursue a chance at professionalbaseball.

“Getting paid to play baseball, maybe going toSan Diego eventually — sounds like too good anopportunity to pass up,” observed Will. A littlenervous but mainly excited, Will is pursuing a dreamthat began when he was a three-year-old swinging aplastic bat. “I know I’ll learn a lot about baseball andmyself. What a summer job!” said Will.

Let’s hope one day we’ll see him on the moundfor San Diego.

Editor’s Note: Will’s biggest fans include his mom, Sally,dad, Lin, who is MUS’s Director of Admissions and Englishteacher, and brother, Charles, MUS Class of 2005.

Charles Askew got to see big brother Willin action when his family recently

attended a game in Phoenix.

SUMMER 2000 39

A L U M N I N E W S

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!After a fifteen-minutetorrential downpour, aboutsixty-five MUS alumni andfaculty enjoyed what turnedinto a perfect summer nightat AutoZone Park on June 16.Alumni of all ages gatheredon the party deck for ham-burgers and hotdogs, beforewatching the MemphisRedbirds beat Tacoma.Then they danced the nightaway to the Bouffants.Even non-baseball fans hada great time visiting andenjoying the city’s newestdowntown attraction.

Bobby and Sally Alston

Worth Jones ’96, Molly Campbell,Parrish Taylor ’96

BruceEdenton ’71

and his wife,Elizabeth

Scott Priester ’98 andhis father, Jerry

John Brooks ’98 with JasonColgate ’98 and his date

Jerry Martin ’79 with his family,Elizabeth, Lou, and Jerry III

Kerry Patteson ’58

Rusty ’63 and Fran Bloodworth,with sons Christopher andRussell, and Lisa Carey

40 MUS TODAY

A L U M N I N E W S

TAILGATES!“Just can’t wait to get on the road again”

Make plans to attend the pre-game tailgateparties for all out-of-town football games:

MUS at Jackson Prep August 25MUS at MBA September 15MUS at Father Ryan September 29MUS at Baylor October 6

Hangin’ Out at the MonkeyA couple of times a year theOffice of Development andAlumni Affairs hosts a socialevent for younger alumni, thoseguys under thirty. On May 23,about fifty young alumni, thosegraduating from 1989-96, gath-ered at The Blue Monkey onMadison Avenue for one suchevent. Free food, drink specials,

and a goodtime with oldfriends seemedto be a winningcombinationfor the group.If you missedthis one, besure to watchfor the nextone!

HomecomingReunion Weekend

FRIDAY, SEPT. 22, 2000Alumni Golf ScrambleBarbecue DinnerFootball: MUS vs ECS

SATURDAY, SEPT. 23, 2000Reunion parties for theClasses of ’60, ’65, ’70, ’75,’80, ’85, ’90.

Contact your class rep for more information.

Listen to MUS Football on Sports 56 WHBQIf you can’t be there, listen to all the MUS footballgames on the radio at 560 AM or the Internet atwww.sports56whbq.com. This will mark the fourthyear of Owl Broadcasting with Mike Lawheadgiving play-by-play and Bobby Wade ’84providing color commentary. Go Owls!

Contact the Development Office at (901) 260-1350 for more information.

Ultimately I decided on the simplest strategy: leavinga cash gift to MUS as a specific bequest to the schoolthrough my will. Such a gift is paid from an individual’sestate prior to the calculation of estate taxes, therebyreducing the value of the taxable estate. MUS willreceive the gift with no stipulations and may apply thefunds to the area of greatest need.

Also, I named MUS as one of a few “ultimate”beneficiaries of my estate. In the event that I die withoutsurviving heirs, I have designated a small number ofcharitable organizations and MUS as the beneficiaries ofmy estate. While none of us want to consider our ownmortality, let alone the mortality of our immediatefamily members, in the event I die without close heirs I’drather benefit MUS and the Make-A-Wish Foundationthan my mother’s fourth cousin twice-removed inPeoria. Sorry, Aunt Gladys.

The options I considered for my personal commit-ment to MUS by no means represent the universe ofgifting options. There’s a veritable alphabet soup ofcharitable trust choices, as well as choices involving lifeinsurance, gifts of low-basis stock, etc.

For my more studious classmates who were payingattention in Ancient & Medieval History – and betterapplied their talents toward accumulating taxableestates – a well constructed estate plan can provide abenefit to organizations like MUS without reducing thenet, after-tax benefit to their family members. That’s awin-win plan!

Whatever choice you make, I encourage you toremember MUS in your estate plan. Consider it yourcommitment to “higher learning.”

Gregorian Chants whispered softly from the archaic45-RPM record player. My mind drifted away from thesubject at hand – ancient and medieval history. Onthat fall day in 1975 thoughts of football homecoming,cheerleaders, basketball practice, or any other morepressing matters than the activities of ancient civiliza-tions occupied my daydreams.

“Perhaps Mr. Carrick can enlighten us as to theanswer!” Like a rifle shot Mr. Boelte’s outburst snappedme to attention. Must remain composed.

“Could you repeat the question, sir?” – as if thatwould help.

“Mr. Carrick, you sir, are on probation,” Mr. Boeltedeclared. “Were you on probation previously? If so,consider yourself on double probation. One morefailure to maintain focus in this classroom will resultin a week of ‘spaghettini’ duty in the cafeteria underthe supervision of Mrs. Lenti. Perhaps a week ofmopping meat sauce from your classmates’ trays willrestore your concentration. You must take yourcommitment to higher learning seriously, son.”

I never suffered the indignation of scullery duty inthe school cafeteria – although I probably deserved it.As for higher learning, I gained much more than Ideserved in my four years at MUS. The efforts of BobBoelte, Bill Hatchett, Ellis Haguewood, and others toshape something meaningful from my limited rawmaterial profoundly impacted me then, and continueto benefit me today. As I reflect on the significance ofmy MUS experience, I realize the importance ofproviding my son, and the sons of my classmates,friends, and others in this community, the sameopportunity to receive an outstanding education.

To ensure the continuation of this tradition ofexcellence and to honor MUS for the experience Itreasure, I have provided a gift to the school throughmy estate plan in addition to my annual support gifts.When I made this decision, I considered the options:• Designating MUS as a beneficiary under a life

insurance policy• Establishing a Charitable Trust designating MUS

a “remainder beneficiary”• Making a specific bequest to MUS in my will

(or Revocable Living Trust)

“Spaghettini” DutyHow Higher Learning Inspired

My Charitable Giftingby Lane Carrick ’76

The Crest & Cornerstone Society recognizes individuals who have ensured the future strength of theschool by including MUS in their wills. If you would like more information on how a gift to MUS mayprovide income for you and your loved ones, result in a current income tax deduction, and reduceestate and capital gains taxes, contact Perry Dement, Director of Development, at 901-260-1350.

B. LANE CARRICK, president ofSovereign Wealth Management,Inc., is a 1976 graduate of MUS.Lane is a frequent speaker andauthor on financial planning andinvesting. He and his wife, MaryLouise (Hutchison ’72), live inMemphis with their three children,Mary Louise (12), Emmaline (8),and Lane, Jr. (5), who is inkindergarten at PDS and plansto arrive at MUS in 2008.