Chronicle Legacy 2015

MAGAZINE OF GEORGIA PERIMETER COLLEGE
the
Best of GPC
Reflections from faculty, staff, alumni and students
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 1


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
College Impact Remains Strong Through Decades of Change
In January, the consolidation of Georgia Perimeter College with Georgia State University is scheduled to receive final approval, ushering in a new chapter of this institution’s life. Perimeter College at Georgia State University will be born.
This takes place as GPC wraps up its 50th anniversary celebration, an opportunity we have used to look at what our institution has been and done since it opened its doors as DeKalb College in 1964.
During this fall’s convocation, I reminded faculty and staff that change has been a constant throughout this institution’s history. It has carried us from our beginnings as a DeKalb County college with 736 students to a University System of Georgia college serving more than 21,000 students on five campuses and online.
This issue of The Chronicle looks at a few highlights of our storied past: students who received the national Jack Kent Cooke scholarship, sports programs that enriched our college experience, special memories and people and—of course—our beloved mascot, Jaggy. I hope you’ll enjoy the offerings.
I also hope you will remember that some things about the college have not changed:
• We remain the college for students who otherwise couldn’t or wouldn’t be in college.
• We remain a college where classes are taught when, where and how students need them.
• We have kept our costs low and remain a tremendous value for students.
• We remain a better way forward for students who intend to transfer to Georgia
State and other USG and non-USG colleges and universities.
• And we continue to be the place where students receive a quality of instruction
that enables them to be successful, in academics and in life.
Thank you to all who support this remarkable institution of learning. Exciting
things lie ahead—I’m sure of it.
Rob Watts
Interim President
Georgia Perimeter College
THE CHRONICLE MAGAZINE OF GEORGIA PERIMETER COLLEGE
EDITOR
Susan Gast
CONTRIbuTING WRITERS
Kysa Daniels Susan Gast Wade Marbaugh Rebecca Rakoczy
DESIGN COORDINATOR
Kathryn Jordan
DESIGNERS
Suzie Amsberry Diana Cora
PhOTOGRAPhY COORDINATOR
Bill Roa
CONTRIbuTING PhOTOGRAPhER
Leita Cowart
DIRECTOR Of MARkETING & COMMuNICATIONS Barbara Obrentz
INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT Of INSTITuTIONAL ADVANCEMENT John Millsaps
Check us out online at thechronicle.gpc.edu for more photos, videos and news.
MAGAZINE OF GEORGIA PERIMETER COLLEGE
the
Best of GPC
Reflections from faculty, staff, alumni and students
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 1


2JAGGY’S JoUrnEY
A look at GPC’s favorite cool cat, how
he came to Georgia Perimeter and where he’s headed next.
18THE BEST of GPC
Special memories and stories about people
and experiences at GPC.
27GPC HISTorY
A timeline of the college’s
half-century in higher education.
30WHErE ArE THEY noW? Catching up with GPC’s recipients
of the prestigious national
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.
42GLorY dAYS
A snapshot of the college’s 50 years of
memorable games, athletes and coaches.
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PErSonALITY ProfILES 10,16, 28, 40 AroUnd THE PErImETEr 12
LAST Look 56
On the Cover
Faculty, staff, students, retirees and alumni braved the heat and humidity of a Georgia July to celebrate Georgia Perimeter College and spell out “GPC” for this Legacy Edition of The Chronicle. The aerial photo on the cover (shown fully on pages 18 and 23) was taken by Bill Roa and art-directed by Suzie Amsberry. Ground photos of the activity, as shown above, were taken by Leita Cowart. Read more online at thechronicle.gpc.edu.
The Chronicle is a publication of Georgia Perimeter College’s Office of Marketing and Communications, 3251 Panthersville Road, Decatur, GA 30034- 3897, 678-891-2680.The Chronicle is distributed for the purpose of public relations and recruitment. Please send comments, suggestions or inquiries to Susan Gast at [email protected].
Georgia Perimeter College is an associate-degree-granting institution of the University System of Georgia. It is the policy of Georgia Perimeter College
not to discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or disability in its educational programs, activities or employment policies.
INTHIS ISSUE
THE SHoW mUST Go on!
Whether a play, concert, convocation or graduation, Jennifer Jenkins is standing by.
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 1


JAGGY’S
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JourneY
When Georgia Perimeter College becomes Perimeter College at Georgia State University in January, a shift in feline identity will occur. Now known as the Jaguars, members of the GPC community will become the Panthers and go “on the prowl” with Georgia State mascot Pounce.
In preparation for the transition, it seems a good time to stop and celebrate the mascot who, for almost seven years, has embodied the spirit of our college and helped to unite and define GPC’s campuses and communities.
It feels appropriate to salute the jaguar who symbolizes passion, diversity, courage, determination and strength, to remember how Jaggy came to us and to discover where he will go when he leaves.
Here’s to you, Jaggy!
2015LEGACYEDIITIION || 3


BIrTH of A mASCoT
In 2008, Jaggy was just a gleam in the eye—the vision of a creative team at Georgia Perimeter College who felt it was time for a new college mascot. Not just any mascot, however. He must
be a special jaguar who would reflect the spirit of an institution
with a growing population and academic reputation, a jaguar whose personality would give the college’s athletics a binding identity and reinforce the community pride and solidarity within GPC’s diverse
Barbara Obrentz, who as director of marketing for GPC, traveled to Texas
to participate in the process. How many spots should he have? What
kind of feet would he need? Cowan produced each body part by hand
with painstaking care.
In March 2009, the jaguar was
born. Through a collegewide
vote, he was named Jaggy and became an instant hit throughout the multi-campus
institution. As is the case with most newborns, he assumed his place so quickly and naturally, it became difficult to recall when he had not been part of Georgia Perimeter College.
John Hartwell
student body.
To bring the vision to life, GPC joined with
marketing firm EM2 and designer John Hartwell, whose passion for the project matched the enthusiasm of the college. Before Hartwell put charcoal to paper, however, he listened as faculty, staff and students described the mascot-to-be as
if they already knew him—he would be fierce, but not too fierce, self-assured, determined, energized,
Jaggy has since cheered on GPC’s athletic teams, hung out with students, raised the roof at
convocations, hugged children and
posed for photos at graduations. His
likeness has appeared on posters, MARTA trains and life-size cutouts used for photos. He has become synonymous with Georgia Perimeter College and earned a special place
in GPC’s history. He’s also earned a special place in the hearts of all who know him.
playful and a little arrogant (in a fun, cocky way). He would demonstrate endurance and strength.
Hartwell created artful sketches for consideration, and—through a dynamic (and fun) process—the faculty, staff and students provided input (and more than 1,000 votes) to guide the jaguar’s development and determine his appearance and traits.
Hartwell’s approved designs were provided to Cowan Costumes Inc. in Cleburne, Texas, to begin the physical development of the new mascot. Hartwell’s drawings also inspired the familiar spirit logo that appears on GPC spirit wear and athletics uniforms.
“Creating the live jaguar required endless decisions,” says
Parenthesis spots on full back, wrapping around to just past half way on the front.
Bottom half of arms and legs should be all peanut spots
4 | THE CHronICLE
JAGGY’S
I NEEDA NAME
We need your help naming our new mascot. Submit your...
IDEAS HERE
Two Years That Will Change Your Life


JourneY
Jaggy’s appearance began with input from students, faculty and staff. John Hartwell’s artwork, shown at left, became the college’s spirit logo and inspired the “live” Jaggy. Above, special care and handcrafting by Cowan Costumes in Cleburne,Texas, went into each feature, from the head to the tail and feet. (Photos compliments of Cowan Costumes.)
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JAGGY’S
WHAT’S nExT?
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Photo by Bill Roa


JourneY
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 7
Hey, what’s up, fellow cool cats?
Chances are, you recognize me. I’m Jaggy, and for the past six-plus years I have had the amazing privilege of being the top jaguar and official mascot for Georgia Perimeter College.
Over the years, you may have noticed that I do not speak—except for the occasional (and private) roar or growl, (or maybe when I cough up a hairball). But I try to control those urges because, let’s face it, they frighten people. And I am known for my good manners.
What many of you may NOT know is that I do pretty well with written words (aside from the obvious challenges my paws create). This shouldn’t really come as a surprise. What would you expect of someone who represents an institution the caliber of Georgia Perimeter?
Anyway, I wanted to write to all of you because a lot of changes are coming to our college, including
a new mascot (my friend and fellow feline, Pounce). It will be an exciting time. But I couldn’t leave without bidding you a proper farewell.
Now, now—don’t look so glum. I have big plans. Exciting plans!Before I get into those, however, I want to tell you how much I have enjoyed my time here.
From the very beginning, it was clear I was a welcome addition to the GP C family, who had planned and looked forward to my every detail—from the number of spots on my coat to my winning personality. When I arrived, everyone had a chance to weigh in on my name, too.
How could I not feel loved?


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And what fun awaited me! Who wouldn’t want to participate in parades, dance with cheerleaders, and pose for photos? (I especially like selfies with students!).
Once I took part in a cake walk at Newton Campus. That really rocked—at least until I was informed I could not walk off with the cake.
And, I haven’t even mentioned all the hugging. I have hugged students. I have hugged professors, I have hugged staff members. I have hugged children. What a wonderful way to while away the days!
I played important roles in academic events, too, such as GP C Reads. (I loved the slogan: “W hat does a Jaguar read? W hatever he wants!” Ha!)
You could always find me on hand for special days, such as convocation, graduation and when we helped out through community service. I was a regular at athletic events, too, cheering on my fellow Jaguars and playing soccer with young visitors at Dunwoody’s Soccer Fun Day.
You took such good care of me. When I turned 1, you gave me a birthday party. You always groomed me and made sure I had plenty to eat and drink. Quite frankly, I’m a bit spoiled, I think. I’m worth it, though—right?
But now, it is time for me to head out and experience a few things beyond campus life. It’s time for me to travel and see the world.
So here’s my plan:


2015 LEGACY EDITION | 9
JourneY
First, I will swing by Texas, where I was born—back to my roots, so to speak. Next, I’ve arranged a tour through Central America.
(I will share with you confidentially – I’ve done a little distance learning, and there is a pretty jaguarita in that area who I met online and want to visit.
Isn’t the Internet wonderful?)
Then, I’m going to do a bit of study abroad on my own. I have family in the Amazon basin who have offered to put me up for a while and teach me the skills of my ancestors. A cousin tells me there’s nothing like a little clawing of trees or swimming in the river to generate a positive outlook on life!
I’m not sure what will follow, but you can rest easy that my future is bright. After all, that is Georgia Perimeter College’s specialty: preparing its students (as well as one
particular furry fan) for success and instilling in them a passion for learning that lasts a lifetime. Or, in my case, nine lifetimes.
I’m not leaving right away, so I may see you around campus in the coming weeks.
But I wanted to make sure and tell you Thank You for all the love, the experiences (and the memories) you have given me.
It’s enough to make me want to purr.
Love, Jaggy


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PErSonALITY PROFILE
Dr. Anant Honkan GPC’s Father of Engineering
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
dr. Honkan figures he has dodged death on at least a couple of occasions. One occurred while he was growing up as the youngest of five children raised by his mom (his dad died
when Honkan was 3) in southwest India. Curiosity led Honkan to wrap copper coil around a stick, place it in a bucket of water then dip his finger into it.
The jolting and potentially catastrophic experience humors Honkan today. “As a kid, I was playing with so many things,” he says with a mischievous smile.
These days, Honkan is an award-winning professor who sparks the engineering interests of Georgia Perimeter College students.
“I get really excited about being in the classroom,” he says.
Honkan is widely regarded as GPC’s Father of Engineering. His passion for science and engineering emerged in middle school when he visited older boys in town who were in college. He’d hover for hours as they completed homework assignments and sketched engineering blueprints.
“It amazed me how they were sharpening the pencils and drawing the lines and letters by hand,” he recalls.
When Honkan grew older, his mom thought he should get a job. Honkan wanted to go to college. His mother relented, cutting costs by asking neighbors to lend her son their old class materials.
“I went to college on a prayer and borrowed my books,” Honkan says.
After a few professional stops and advanced degrees, Honkan arrived at Georgia Perimeter in 1995. Today, GPC is recognized for its top-notch engineering program, with Honkan developing and producing engineering courses deemed fundamental to students and their studies beyond GPC. He also played the lead role in establishing Georgia Perimeter’s Regional Engineering Transfer Program with Georgia Tech.
“Dr. Honkan has recruited, guided, pushed and pulled, gently nurtured and tirelessly believed in two-year college students,” says Ray Collings, a GPC math professor who served on the national search committee that led to Honkan’s hire.
Honkan also has developed, created, founded or served as advisor for numerous student organizations, including MESA— the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement program.
Katherine Wilson, a GPC engineering graduate now enrolled in the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Electrical Engineering program, received a scholarship and emailed Honkan to express her gratitude.
“Thank you for preparing me so well to be an engineering student,” Wilson wrote.
Other alumni stay in touch, too. Kavya Manyapu, for example, is an accomplished NASA engineer, and Shantorio Birch was accepted into the coveted doctoral engineering program at the University of Michigan.
This year, Honkan is GPC’s Cole Fellow, a prestigious recognition given annually to one faculty member who demonstrates extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching. Honkan will use the award’s $1,000 monetary gift to fund the GPC book scholarship established to honor his deceased mother, Girija Honkan.
Outside the classroom, Honkan enjoys gardening, listening to Indian music and cooking with his spouse, Pushpa.
“My wife and I are very competitive in trying out new combinations (of) Indian dishes,” Honkan says. Another pastime for the couple is traveling, which includes family cruises and periodic trips to India to visit friends and relatives.
Though he’s been at GPC for 20 years and says he is “as old as India’s independence,” Honkan isn’t quite ready to retire. When asked, he chuckles, and then says, “I’m still interested in creating one more new course here.”
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AROUNDTHE PErImETEr
Georgia Perimeter College chemistry major Sheena Vasquez. Photo by Bill Roa
DECA graduates gather for a keepsake group photo. Of the 87 graduates in 2015, a record 30 students also earned their associate degrees from GPC. (Photo by Leita Cowart)
DeKalb Early College Academy Graduates Largest Class
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
The DeKalb Early College Academy (DECA) graduated its sixth and largest class in May. DECA, a joint venture between Georgia Perimeter College and the DeKalb County School District, is one of only 10 such programs across Georgia.
“We had 87 graduates in the class of 2015,” says program coordinator Kathryn Hall.
“Thirty of those students, a record number, also earned their associate degrees.”
DECA enables college-ready high school students from underrepresented groups to spend their first two years of high school at the academy in Stone Mountain and their final two at Georgia Perimeter’s Clarkston Campus. Academy students earn high school and college credits simultaneously through dual enrollment, now called Move
on When Ready. The program allows them to graduate from high school and earn a college associate degree at the same time.
DECA has graduated more than 245 students over its nine-year history, with 96 of those simultaneously receiving their high school diploma and an associate degree from Georgia Perimeter. This year’s grads earned a collective 3,933 college credits.
GPC Reads: John Lewis Draws Crowd
by Rebecca Rakoczy
The large group of people waiting patiently in line during what was a decidedly hot September afternoon might have looked unusual. But that’s what more than 500 students, faculty and staff did for a chance to get their book signed by U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Atlanta) and his co-writer, Andrew Aydin.
Brought to the college through the GPC Reads program, the Civil Rights icon and Aydin spoke on the Clarkston Campus about their book, “March, Part One.” The graphic novel, told in a black-and-white comic-book style, is the first in a trilogy about Lewis’ introduction to non-violent protest and the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement.
John Lewis
Meeting Lewis was inspiring for many, including GPC staff member Lois Shelton, who brought her book to be signed. “I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to sit in the room with greatness—I’ve always admired him, but this just magnified it,” she said.
During his talk, Lewis emphasized the need to vote
and encouraged students to persevere with their education. “The [ability] to vote is precious; the vote is sacred,” he said.
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AROUNDTHE PErImETEr
$3 Million Grant Aims to Reduce Achievement Gap
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
The largest single grant ever awarded to Georgia Perimeter College is being used to improve student success and retention while closing a gap in student achievement.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded the $3 million grant to GPC during fall semester. It is part of the DOE’s Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Program and will be used to increase the number of students who exit remedial math in two or fewer semesters through the use of academic success coaches.
Dr. Katrina Hunter, director of another PBI grant-funded program called Project R.A.I.S.E., served on the team responsible for securing the new award and will serve
as executive director of both PBI grants moving forward.
R.A.I.S.E. stands for Raising Achievement and Increasing Success in Education, and its accomplishments in student retention and graduation are a big reason GPC received the recent grant, according to Dr. Margaret Ehrlich, dean of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering at GPC.
“This is an opportunity to take the best practices used with Project R.A.I.S.E. and expand them so that we can raise retention and graduation rates for an even greater number of students,” Ehrlich says.
The chief goal of the multi-million dollar grant is to close the achievement gap between non-African-American
and African-American students. The program uses evidence-based strategies—
providing students with academic success coaching focused on strengthening non- cognitive skills, such as note taking, time management and work-life balance.
“So often, it’s these types of things that keep people from being successful college students,” says Glenn Pfeifer, director of Grants and Sponsored Programs at GPC. “The more resources we have to help students, the better.”
In addition, the project will recruit students from GPC’s teacher education program to serve as peer academic coaches.
The five-year program will impact all students in learning support mathematics at GPC and expects to increase the percentage of black students exiting math in two semesters to 55 percent—matching the rate of success for non-black students.
Gates Scholars Selected at GPC
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
Two Georgia Perimeter students received prestigious national scholarships to continue their collegiate pursuits.
Yotam Ghebre and Antoinette Charles are among only 1,000 students nationally to receive a 2015 Gates Millennium scholarship, funded by
a $1.6 billion grant from Bill and Melinda Gates.
More than 50,000 applicants vied
for the scholarships, which help high- performing, low-income students attend any college they wish on full scholarship
until they receive their doctorate, if desired.
Ghebre was among the 30 DeKalb Early College Academy students who graduated from high school and Georgia Perimeter simultaneously in May.
He is continuing his education as a computer engineering major at Georgia Tech. His older brother, Naud, graduated from DECA in 2014 and already attends Tech, while two younger brothers are DECA students.
Charles, a 4.0 student while at Georgia Perimeter, is now majoring in biology at Georgia State University.
Yotam Ghebre is continuing at Georgia Tech.
Antoinette Charles now attends Georgia State.
Celebrating 50!
Former Atlanta Brave (and Atlanta Falcon) Brian Jordan speaks to participants at GPC Dedication Day at Turner Field in Atlanta.The event, part of the college’s 50th anniversary celebration, included a Braves game, a GPC parade around the field, as well as Jordan’s visit. The anniversary celebration continued into September with Interim President Rob Watts presenting a moving convocation speech, guiding listeners on a trip through GPC history. (Photo by Barbara Obrentz)
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 13


Supplemental Instruction Producing Positive Results
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
Georgia Perimeter College’s Supplemental Instruction (SI) program is off to a strong start, thanks to ongoing support from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation.
SI is an academic assistance program that uses peer-led study sessions involving SI leaders who also attend class with students.
Georgia Perimeter launched a Supplemental Instruction pilot a year ago with good results, says SI coordinator Justin Swisher.
For example, data show the number of students on Decatur Campus who withdraw from or receive a D or F in entry-level chemistry typically hovers around 44 percent. That rate dipped to 5 percent for a cohort of Decatur students receiving Supplemental Instruction for Chemistry 1211 this past summer.
“It’s focusing in on areas of difficulty to help them pass and succeed,” Swisher says.
A typical SI cohort is managed by a current GPC student who is assigned to sit in on a particular course. The class ideally is one the leader has taken and mastered. The Supplemental Instruction leader then is responsible for scheduling weekly review
Supplemental Instruction leader Justin Beaudrot works with Dawit Guta during Dr. Lauren Curtright’s English class. (Photo by Bill Roa)
sessions with fellow students, during which students receive tutoring, study skills and time management tips—among other aids that will help them excel in the class.
Swisher says about 12 SI leaders are serving students on Clarkston, Decatur and Dunwoody campuses this fall.
Swisher’s position and the SI program is funded through a $1 million gift to GPC from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation. Since 2014, the four-year funding agreement has enabled Georgia Perimeter to expand tutoring and other academic support services for students.
Me’Shi Avery, right, director of TRIO Student Support Services for Decatur Campus, meets with GPC students, from left, Deshure Raston,Alex Myers II and Courtney Dix. (Photo by Leita Cowart)
New Funding Expands TRIO Support to Dunwoody
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Georgia Perimeter College $3.4 million dollars to fund three TRIO programs, one on each of its Clarkston, Decatur and Dunwoody campuses.
The money will provide student support services, such as academic success coaches, for low-income, first-generation and disabled students during the next
five years. Research shows this type of support increases the likelihood that students complete college. It is estimated the funding could help more than 1,300 students during the five-year grant cycle.
The awards, announced during the summer, will allow Clarkston and Decatur campuses to continue existing TRIO programs and enable Dunwoody to establish a new program.
Trichele Davenport Harris, TRIO Student Support Services director at Clarkston, says GPC beat back stiff competition to receive the Dunwoody funding and earned a perfect score on all three grant applications.
“That’s remarkable, we’re all celebrating,” Harris says. “It’s definitely needed,
and the students are going to benefit tremendously.”
AROUNDTHE PErImETEr
From left, Clarkston Campus students Aishat Bishi and Kwaku Bonsie discuss lessons, while Supplemental Instruction leader Vatis Fongang, second from right, assists Adisu Adane. (Photo by Bill Roa)
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Project Links Decatur to Trail System
AROUNDTHE PErImETEr
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
The south DeKalb County community can enjoy greater access to nature and fitness options because Georgia Perimeter College’s Decatur Campus is now connected to the South River Trail System.
Over the summer, construction crews began work on the final stretch of the project, which features a 3.1-mile, tree- lined concrete trail leading from the west side of GPC’s Decatur Campus on Clifton Church Road and connecting to Gresham Park. The completed South River Trail System stretches 5.5 miles from the Atlanta Radio Control Club on Constitution
Road to GPC. Trailhead parking is at Entrenchment Creek Trailhead on International Park Drive.
“I grew up riding horses through this property,” recalls Rick Bertaccini, the Georgia Perimeter facilities manager who worked with Lewallen Construction and the PATH Foundation to complete the $2.3 million federally funded DeKalb County project.
The trail’s development is part of the DeKalb County Master Plan created in
Kendra Calhoun, left, and Linda Wiley get in some exercise on GPC’s Decatur Campus. A 3.1-mile concrete trail, which includes a boardwalk-style bridge over Doolittle Creek, now connects the campus with the South River Trail System. (Photo by Bill Roa)
2000 under the leadership of PATH, a nonprofit group focused on developing interlinking greenway trails throughout metro Atlanta for commuting and recreation.
Jonathan McCaig, a PATH Foundation project manager, says the final piece of
the South River Trail System is funded through the Georgia Department of
Transportation enhancement program and sponsored by DeKalb County and PATH.
The 3.1-mile trail connection to Georgia Perimeter includes a 260-foot boardwalk- style bridge over Doolittle Creek. Crews removed the old staircase bridge early
in the summer. About 100 yards of GPC property is included in the previously wooded area along the South River.
Scholarship Reflects Brewer’s Interest in Newton Students
by Rebecca Rakoczy
During her life, Ann Brewer demonstrated a genuine interest in students attending Georgia Perimeter College’s Newton Campus.
She welcomed them and their geography professor, Dr. George Lonberger, to Mount Pleasant, her historic antebellum home adjacent to the campus. There, the class would explore the Graves family cemetery to learn the history of the area. They also would clean old tombstones.
The late Ann Brewer, center (in yellow), joins Newton students during their exploration and cleanup of an historic cemetery. (Photo by George Lonberger)
symposia and special events.
The generosity Brewer displayed
toward students did not end with the Newton resident’s death in January 2015. Her estate endowed a $50,000 gift for scholarships for Newton Campus students. The Oby T. and Ann C. Brewer Scholarship provides $2,500 for tuition, fees, books and educational expenses each year to a qualified student.
The gift reflects the personal interest Brewer took in students, which included her extraordinary
Brewer often would join them in the cleanup—then invite the students into her home for cookies and lemonade, Lonberger said.
“She was the kind of person who seemed
to know everybody and never forgot a student,” he said. “She was just so happy that we would use the cemetery as a learning resource; she enjoyed that so much. She also had a love of books and learning.”
Brewer was a frequent visitor to the Newton Campus, as well, attending
memory of each of them.
“One of my students was working at
Belk’s [department store], and Ms. Brewer saw him and started speaking to him, and told him that she remembered him from the college,” Lonberger says. “She never knew a stranger—once she met you, she knew you.”
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Jessica Kissel Learning to Help the World
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
It’s not every day that the graduate of an Ivy League college enrolls at an associate degree college. Yet, that’s exactly the path taken by Jessica Kissel, who last year enrolled in Georgia
Perimeter College, where she’s pursuing an engineering degree to complement the Latin American Studies degree she received from Brown University five years ago.
It may seem unconventional, but, at 28, Kissel is used to doing things differently. As a youngster, she’d leave Arizona in the summer to meet up with her cousins in Vermont. There, they attended so-called Grandkid’s Camp and “played a lot
of fun games” like sliding in chocolate pudding on an old shower curtain in their grandmother’s backyard. Nana, as her grandmother is called, also created Backwards Day, where everything on that particular day was done in reverse order, including eating. “Mostly we ate dessert first,” Kissel remembers. “We’d wake up to an ice cream sundae.”
Within her idyllic and playful upbringing, Kissel also became
a consummate learner. She deferred attending Brown just after high school to spend a year in Peru as an exchange student. “I had taken four years of Spanish in high school, but I really didn’t get a chance to practice it a lot,” Kissel explains, noting that she became fluent while in Peru.
A civil engineer father and stay-at-home mom, who later became a school librarian, raised her and a younger brother—and kept them quite busy.
“My mom made sure that we always had something going on,” Kissel says.
Even today, Kissel manages a full schedule. When she’s not studying at Georgia Perimeter or taking ballet or crafting or learning sign language, she’s working as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, which she says gives her flexibility to attend school. Kissel also holds a position with Catholic Charities, where she started as a volunteer. Now, she works alongside colleagues such as Ben Leao in the Legal Orientation Program for Custodians, which educates custodians of unaccompanied minors awaiting trial in immigration court.
“She is a multifaceted individual,” Leao says, noting that Kissel speaks Spanish as though she were born in a Spanish-speaking country. “Her communication skills are very effective.”
Kissel hopes to be effective in other ways, too. After graduating from Brown, she went to Panama, where she taught English and got involved with a transitional house-building project through
a nonprofit organization called TECHO and another nonprofit doing education work. These experiences exposed Kissel to extreme poverty and a lack of basic resources, such as clean water.
“That’s what got me interested in civil engineering, because of the importance of infrastructure and the difference that it can make,” she says. She plans to transfer to Georgia Tech for her bachelor’s and master’s after graduating from Georgia Perimeter. “I would be interested in working with communities to give them a good supply of water. If you can do something to make the world a better place, I think that you should.”
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Reflections on ‘The Best of GPC’
What people, places, moments or memories represent the best of Georgia Perimeter College? Did a student inspire you? Were you moved by a caring professor? Maybe you attended a Fine Arts performance or shook the bleachers while watching the Jaguars play. What makes GPC special? That’s what we asked. Here’s what you said:
Dr. Becky Weinman, front row, second from right, and her classmates were part of the first Dental Hygiene graduating class at DeKalb College.
FIRST CLASS ~
“The Dental Hygiene program remains one of the best things about GPC,” says Dr. Becky Weinman. “I was a member of
the first Dental Hygiene graduating class in 1977, when it was DeKalb Community College. The head of the department was Kim Rogers, and she was very neat and professional, and we all took our lead from her. We all wore white polyester pantsuits, white nurse caps and shoes. ... We felt we had to prove ourselves, being the first class of the program—and frankly, we were all overachievers, I think. There was a lot of camraderie, and I still remember the professionalism I experienced.”
– Dr. Becky Weinman Dr. Weinman went on to graduate from Emory University’s School of Dentistry. She recently retired from her dental practice in Buckhead.
PLEDGE OF SERVICE ~
“The best of GPC has always been the non-traditional students. One of my favorite memories is taking nursing students with faculty to Honduras to teach the nurses and nursing students there using materials we had translated into Spanish. We exchanged nursing pledges and nursing pins from each of our countries.”
– Rosemary Robertson associate professor, Nursing
MR. CHERRY’S DREAM ~
“In my mind, the best of Georgia Perimeter College is its history. The college started out as a dream in the mind of Jim Cherry. At the time, he was
the superintendent of schools in DeKalb County. Mr. Cherry wanted a system of education in his county
that went all the way from
kindergarten to two years of college. The citizens
of DeKalb County and the DeKalb County Board of Education helped him establish DeKalb College. The Clarkston Campus of Georgia Perimeter College opened in 1964 as DeKalb College.
Mr. Cherry’s dream has been transformed and expanded over the years from DeKalb College to Georgia Perimeter College. The two-year college has grown into five campuses strategically located throughout metro Atlanta to build confidence in recent high school graduates to conquer higher education. Through
the use of technology, the innovative institution added an online campus that allows students to attend class virtually and from
1290 | THE CHronICLE
Georgia Governor Carl Sanders, left, and Superintendent Jim Cherry at the DeKalb College dedication, May 23, 1965.


anywhere. A separate Office of Information Technology location has been added for communication and technological support.
Although the college is about to go through another transformation, the history of GPC should never be forgotten nor erased. The Jim Cherry Learning Resources Center on the Clarkston Campus stands as a memorial about how one man’s dream can impact so many lives.”
– Martha Murray administrative secretary, Clarkston
OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ~
“I first stepped into a classroom at DeKalb College in 1979, onto a brand new Dunwoody Campus and into a brand new
classroom in Building A, to follow my passion of teaching economics. Since those early moments, I have not ever had a
‘second thought’ concerning why we are here. For me, the best thing about GPC is serving our students and offering them the
greatest opportunity of lifetime—the opportunity for a college education. I have so enjoyed these 35 years, the many challenges we have faced, the many accomplishments that we together have
achieved and, most of all, the many students we have had the
opportunity to serve.”
–Tina Philpot interim dean, Business, Kinesiology and Health, Sign Language Interpreting
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE ~
“For me, the best of GPC is the diversity. Students who are from various cities, states and countries, faculty members whose professional experiences go beyond the classroom and staff members with knowledge and expertise to make the college run are all what make GPC a unique place. The best of GPC
is the uniqueness and diversity of all who make GPC a great
institution of higher learning.”
– Brandi Meriwether coordinator, Health and Wellness, Dunwoody
SPANNING THE AGES ~
“In my ENGL 1101 class during fall 2013, I had two students named Rachel sitting right next to each other. This was not that unusual. What was unusual was the age difference. One Rachel was 17 and a Dual Enrollment student; the other Rachel was 71 and a Prime Timer student. In addition to being a cool age palindrome (‘1771’), this struck me as a perfect metaphor for GPC’s mission to offer students of all ages and stages in life ‘a better way forward.’ Both students flourished and enriched our class dynamic that semester. I’ll always remember that Rachel duo as part of the best of GPC.”
– Gina Flowers assistant professor, English, Dunwoody
Photo by Leita Cowart
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 21


the Best of GPC
BENDING THE RULES ~
In January 1978, Pulitzer-Prize-winning and internationally celebrated playwright Tennessee Williams was in Atlanta for the premier of his play “Tiger Tail” at the Alliance Theater. A student from then DeKalb Community College was seriously injured while voluntarily working on the set construction for the play. Williams graciously visited the young student and asked what he could do to raise his spirits after the accident. The student asked Williams to speak at his college, and Williams agreed. Dr. Faye Clark, Drama and Speech department chair at the time, recalls the day Williams visited the campus:
“We had very short notice of Tennessee Williams’ appearance— maybe a day or two. There was no email then, of course. In spite of that, word got around of his imminent appearance, and the [Fine Arts] auditorium filled quickly on the morning of Jan.11, 1978. After the seats filled, more people arrived. ... It was so crowded that I had to go up to the lighting booth and observe his reading from there.
It was obvious that he suffered from severe stage fright. He had instructed the lighting people to block out the audience by putting bright lights on him and having the auditorium completely dark. He did not want to see anyone in the audience, as that (obviously) would escalate his stage fright. He sat in a light green Naugahyde chair from my office and did his reading.
“After the seats filled, more people arrived. ...ItwassocrowdedthatIhadtogouptothe lighting booth and observe his reading from there. ... It was obvious that he suffered from severe stage fright.”
Jeanne Creech, who went to pick up Williams to drive him to the campus the morning of his appearance was asked by him to stop at a liquor store as he
wanted to buy a bottle of wine to have
a drink before he spoke. She was a little hesitant to do this; but this was Tennessee
Williams, so she did so. She and I shared an office suite. She brought Williams to the
office and whispered to me that he wanted to have a glass of wine in the office before he spoke. I
knew, as she did, that this was very much against the rules of ‘no alcohol on campus’ but, again, this was Tennessee Williams, so I said OK.
Minutes later, as Williams was drinking the wine and with the open bottle on a desk, the
college president, Dr. Wayne Scott, entered
the office. As president, he wanted to meet and greet Williams before the reading.
Fortunately, Dr. Scott was understanding, and he said not a word about the wine. He met Williams, offered his welcome, and left the room. We never heard a word about the ‘no alcohol on campus’ rule from Dr. Scott. Our jobs were safe!
So, Tennessee Williams sat in the cheap, green chair that day on the stage of the Fine Arts auditorium at the Clarkston Campus of DeKalb College and, fortified with wine, read to a standing room crowd from his short story, “The Coming of Something to the Widow Holly.”
– Dr. Faye Clark, former GPC professor (as told to Dr. Stuart Noel, dean, English)
INSPIRATION ~
“The greatest thing about GPC is the students. ... I love watching that light come on for them so they can make a difference in
their lives and get an education.”
– Scott Hardy GPC alumnus; director, Facilities Operations
AMAZING TALENT ~
“One of the best things about GPC was the Theatre program
at Newton. These were productions completely done by our students. For a small campus, we had amazing talent as actors, set builders and directors.”
– Suzanne Dickerson administrative assistant, Academic Affairs, Newton
SIMPLE ANSWER:THE PEOPLE ~
“About four years ago, a fellow political scientist from another institution within the University System of Georgia asked me, ‘You’ve been at GPC for 20 years. Why do you stay?’
I replied simply, ‘The people.’ In my 25th year here, my
answer remains the same.”
– Adam P. Stone associate professor, Political Science, Alpharetta
221 | THE CHronICLE
Legendary playwright Tennessee Williams visits the college in 1978.


A SPECIAL SUMMER SATURDAY NIGHT ~
“ ‘Today is gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw it back to you.’
I stopped in the courtyard when I heard this line. What is this song? I know this song. A beautiful, long-braided, African- American woman strumming an oak-finished guitar stood earnestly at the center of the rented stage placed at the bottom
of the sloping grass in front of SC building. Families on blankets and beach towels filled the makeshift amphitheatre on a summer Saturday night. And I walked closer to the grass to listen.
‘Back beat, the word is on the street that the fire in your heart is out.’
The guitar is now a percussive engine driving the song as
the singer is slapping the soundboard for emphasis like I had seen Odetta do in old monochrome film clips. Why is this song familiar when everyone talked about this singer as ‘new’ to the scene? She was a pro basketball player’s daughter; but, she was highly regarded by the promoter who brought the performers for this show in Decatur.
‘I don’t believe that anybody could feel the way I do about you now.’
I look over at Rhonda Wilkins, who was serving as dean of students at the time, to see if she was recognizing the song. But, she, like most of the audience, had become transfixed on the chanteuse that was slowly mesmerizing the crowd. I looked to Wayne Bullard, the plant manager who had not only arranged with the vendor to set the stage and power for the show but also arranged for a wedding in the Botanical Gardens, earlier that morning during another one of his 16-hour work days. Wayne waved to me with a smile; but, I could tell he was not recognizing the song.
‘And all the roads we have to walk are winding.’
The guitar is now spitting out the notes under her finger- picking. This song is not hers; but, she is making it hers. I have heard this song on the radio and it is full of bombast. Now, this song is delicate and mature.
‘Because may-beeeeeeeeeeeeee. You’re gonna be the one that saves meeeeeeeeeeee.And after all, you’re my wonderwall!’
Of course, it’s that crappy Oasis song. Yes, Oasis who would be ‘bigger than The Beatles’ in their glory days and never became bigger than Boney M. But, why is this song so good now?
I looked down and scanned my itinerary for the 6 p.m. performer: India Arie.
I made a decision that if I was needed to
perform some task I would be easiest found at
the edge of the audience. So I sat for the next
25 minutes transfixed as I listened to early versions of original songs ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Ready for Love’ and other tunes that three years later would be Grammy-nominated as part of the album ‘Acoustic Soul.’ ”
–Anthony Bush classroom and event technology coordinator Office of Institutional Technology
CONQUERING FEARS ~
“My best moment in GPC was joining SGA. I don’t know what
I would do without it. It helped me conquer all the fears I had inside of me—from whether I would make any friends to doing well academically in school. I am proud to say I am a GPC Jaguar, and I feel so blessed for all the staff and faculty who have helped me succeed.”
– Juanita Barr chair, JAG Wellness, Alpharetta
SGA retreat in January. From left: Marshonntri Reid, Student Life coordinator; Alex Gordon, Juanita Barr,Typhani Payne, Hedaya Othman and Adam Smith. (Photo by Bill Roa)
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INDIVIDUALCONTRIBUTIONS ~
“I believe there are many programs at GPC that really shine, and clearly these programs often take center stage at the exclusion of the individuals who run them, I’d like to recognize Laurie O’Connor, a Dunwoody Communications instructor, as a key example of the kind of outstanding faculty our campus has
to offer to students. Laurie is the faculty adviser for the Dunwoody
Communications Club, a published author, a professional public speaker and an outstanding
communications teacher. Laurie is a role model to students and other faculty, like myself, on a daily
basis—not only because of what she does but also because of who
she is. Laurie is compassionate and kind. She’s also honest and upfront about what might be
required of a person and helps to encourage and inspire them to live up to
their potential. She is hard-working and passionately committed to her students, colleagues, and family—a true example of the
PEOPLEARETHEHEARTANDSOULOFGPC~
“I began taking classes at DeKalb College in September 1984.
I was fresh out of high school, starting my first real job on the same day as I started college. I would be called a ‘first-time, full-time’ student in today’s language. I was also the first person
in my immediate family to go to college. I completed my first associate degree in 1988, after changing my major a few times, which was an Associate of Science in Computer Science.
Later on, I completed an Associate in Applied Science in Sign Language Interpreting (1998) and another Associate of Science in Psychology in 2008. The last two were completed as I was working full time for the college, which I started in July 1991.
“I wanted to believe, belong and become more than I was when I started. I knew that the college had resources—both material and personnel that could help.”
I wanted to believe, belong and become more than I was when I started. I knew that the college had resources—both material and personnel—that could help. While working kept me from spending as much time in the library as I might have wished, the contact I had with the people was what became, and still is, the thing that really stands out. From the faculty (some of whom I had the good fortune to later work with) to my fellow students (and those I served in my office) and to other employees I interacted with during the last 24 years—they are what makes GPC what it is—it is the people. They are the heart and soul, the spirit and strength and all that is definable about this institution.”
– Elizabeth Harris scheduling administrator, Dunwoody
WHAT A PICNIC! ~
“We had the best picnics every year, right before school started. Everyone from all the campuses—whether you worked at Rockdale or Dunwoody or Decatur—we all gathered on the Clarkston Campus lawn, right around the corner of Memorial Drive and Indian Creek, and everyone brought their kids. ... We grilled out, and everyone got to know each other. It was so relaxed and a great family atmosphere.”
– Lori Payne testing services coordinator, Dunwoody
best that GPC has to offer.”
– Megan Levacy art instructor, Dunwoody
NEW NEIGHBORS WITH A SIDE OF HOSPITALITY ~
“March 16, 2005, turned out to be a cold, windy, rainy day.
We thought not many people would brave the nasty weather
for a groundbreaking ceremony. To our surprise, cars started bumping down Cedar Lane, the unpaved road leading to the soon-to-be Newton Campus. The rain turned dirt to mud,
the wind was whipping up the reception tent flaps, and yet,
still more Newton County citizens came out to welcome us
to the neighborhood. Many of us were shivering from the
cold, but were warmed by the excitement and good cheer
from our new neighbors. I’m sure there were people attending the groundbreaking because they were expected to be there,
but many others truly seemed excited that GPC was moving
out to Newton County. It was like being welcomed to the neighborhood by a hospitality committee with a pecan pie and a side of ice cream.”
– Laura Tartak library director, Newton
24 | THE CHronICLE
Laurie O’Connor (Photo by Bill Roa)


GOING THE EXTRA MILE ~
“Attending Georgia Perimeter College was a great experience for me. I was able to meet many great professors and staff members who were so helpful and kind.
My most enjoyable experience—and the most remarkable thing that happened to me while attending GPC—happened when I had to deploy to Afghanistan. I was two or three classes shy of graduation, and I was so worried.
While I was deployed, a team of professors helped by giving me the classes online (even though those classes were not available online). They weren’t going to let me fall behind.
Graduation day approached, and I knew I couldn’t attend because I was still in Afghanistan. Staff members offered to invite my parents and brother to attend the graduation and pick up my diploma. But they also Skyped me into the ceremony as part of the graduation, making me feel like I was there in person.
They kept the Skyping a secret, so that my parents not only were surprised to see me on the big TV onstage, but were very happy and thankful for everything these people did for us.
I am more than grateful. Without them, none of that would have been possible. It is a cherished memory that will remain in my heart for the rest of my life. I will be thankful forever.”
– Andrea Muresan GPC alumna Muresan is a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve
CROSSING BRIDGES ~
“I was tutoring in the Dunwoody Campus Writing Center on the second floor in B Building when a student asked me, ‘Do you have a TV?’
‘Why?’ I asked her.
‘To see the news,’ she countered. ‘What news?’ I asked.
‘About the buildings in New York.’
I wrote the poem above to capture a scene of what happened in the Writing Center before GPC closed down that day.”
– Gelia Dolmascio tutor, Learning and Tutoring Center, Dunwoody
UNFORGETTABLE ~
“I am a tutor in the Alpharetta Learning and Tutoring Center. As a GPC student, actually I just studied in library and my classes, but my classes were pretty fun and impressive. I cannot forget about the memories. My professors and classmates were really kind and smart. And the gyms on the Clarkston and Dunwoody campuses were good, too.”
– Youngjun Kim GPC alumnus (Kim is now a full-time student at Georgia Tech.)
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 25
Timely Assistance
At the moment the Towers toppled,
I was tutoring a group of international students in the campus Writing Center.
After lunch, a Lebanese student rushed in, bearing, a miniature American flag pinned to her yellow jacket.
Spurred by her fervor, I bought a handful of contagious patriotism, doled out miniature pins as though they were Lifesavers.
As I attached my own, she said,“Let me show you how it works.” I smiled at her offer, bent to her handiwork,
savored crossed bridges on safe territory.


the Best of GPC
Randy and Deborah Byrd met at DeKalb College and married in 1977.
A SWEET MEMORY ~
“My love of higher education dates back to the mid-1970s when
I entered DeKalb Community College as a freshman in evening classes while I worked at a bank during the day. My progression from a frightened, first-generation college freshman in her early 20s to a confident graduate student at the University of Chicago is chronicled in my narrative for The GPC Story Project, ‘The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of.’
One of my favorite memories from the 1970s involves another DeKalb Community College student, my future husband, Randy. If I got out of class early, I’d leave a note on his car windshield letting him know not to wait for me. ln those days before cell phones, leaving a note on a car was the only way to communicate big plans, such as, ‘Meet me at McDonald’s after class!’ ”
– Deborah Byrd assistant professor, English, Newton
A PIONEER IN HIGHER EDUCATION ~
“When I think about DeKalb College/GPC history, I think in terms of the college being, in the context of Georgia, a higher education pioneer. I believe the following is accurate in spirit and probably in fact. Consider:
• We were the first public two-year college in Georgia.
• We were the first and maybe only true community college in
Georgia (a merged junior college and post-secondary tech
school for several years).
• We have been a pioneer in campus creation and development.
Who else in Georgia has come close to doing what we have done in this sphere or even tried—five successful campuses, varied according to their communities, six if you count Lawrenceville and seven if you count our online program as a campus? Our enrollment dwarfs that of all other two-year colleges and many senior colleges.
• We were one of the first colleges (and maybe the first) in Georgia to develop Joint Enrollment, now called Dual Enrollment or Move on When Ready. These students have transferred all over the country, including Ivy League schools.
• We launched our Honors Program in the early ’80s. A doctoral student from the University of Florida writing a dissertation on two-year college honors programs said it was one of the best designed programs he had seen in the country, not just Georgia.
• We pioneered the development of publications of student writing, The Polishing Cloth and Creative License. For years, major publishers have included essays from The Polishing Cloth as models in freshman writing textbooks used by dozens of colleges around the country.
• GPC’s literary magazine, The Chattahoochee Review, has become a respected literary journal in any cultural environment: two-year colleges or universities.
“We have been a pioneer in campus creation and development. ... Our enrollment dwarfs that of all other two-year colleges.”
• One year with academic improvement in mind, the college hosted the academic affairs vice presidents of Georgia Tech,
the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. As part of the visit, we conducted a collegewide faculty meeting in a public forum setting, with just the three vice presidents and a moderator on the stage. I do not remember the names of the vice presidents or the moderator or much of anything else about this visit, but I do remember one thing, and I remember it well because it was so gratifying. That is the response each of the vice presidents made to the following question: ‘What would each of you want us to change to help our students when they transfer to your college?’ Each of the academic affairs vice presidents said (paraphrased): You do not need to change anything. The transfer students we get from you are doing well.”
– Dr. Ron Swofford retired professor and dean founding president of the GPC/DeKalb College Retiree Association
26 | THE CHronICLE


DeKalb College Opens in Clarkston College opens with 763 students, making it the only public two-year college in Georgia supported and controlled by a local
board of education.
1964
South Campus Opens College Gets a New Name College opens its second location—in Decatur—and joins with DeKalbTechnical Institute and the GED program of DeKalb County to become DeKalb Community College.
1972
Another
Name Change The college returns to its earlier name: DeKalb College.
1981
GPC HISTORY TIMELINE
1966
First Commencement
DeKalb College graduates its first class of 26 students.
Lawrenceville
Campus Opens
College opens fourth location: the DeKalb College Gwinnett Campus (called Lawrenceville Campus) in the University System Center–Gwinnett.
1987
2008
Lawrenceville 2010 Campus Closes
GPC discontinues
courses at its Lawrenceville
Campus as the USG launches a new four-year institution: Georgia Gwinnett College.
1979
North
Campus Opens College opens its third location—in Dunwoody.
1986
GPC Joins USG
DeKalb College joins the University System of Georgia as its 34th institution. DeKalb Technical College remains with the DeKalb County school system.
Newton
Campus Opens College opens a Newton County campus near Covington. Rockdale Center classes relocate to the Newton location.
2007
1993
Rockdale
Center Opens
DeKalb College, joined by Clayton State College, DeKalb Technical Institute and the Rockdale County School System, opens the Rockdale Center for Higher Education.
Alpharetta
Becomes a Campus Georgia Perimeter expands its Alpharetta presence to become a full educational partner with Georgia State University.
Name Changes Again
Institution becomes Georgia Perimeter College.
1998
2000
2011
GPC Growth Continues
Georgia Perimeter enrollment rises above 25,000 students.The college becomes
the third-largest institution in the University System of Georgia.
Alpharetta Site Opens
Classes begin at new Georgia Perimeter College site in Alpharetta.
Consolidation Announced
The USG Board of Regents approves plans to consolidate Georgia Perimeter College with Georgia State University and call it Perimeter College at Georgia State University.
2015
For an extended timeline go to thechronicle.gpc.edu
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 27


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Angela Owens Steering Teens Away from Harm
by Kysa Anderson Daniels
It’s a rare exception that Angela Owens misses her Thursday appointment at the Fulton County Juvenile Court in southwest Atlanta. She shows up early with an easy smile and
big hug for the half dozen or more teenage girls who come for weekly group sessions.
Most are juvenile probates, and all are considered high risk for becoming victims of sex trafficking. By court and other referrals, they participate in “Voices,” a program aimed at keeping girls out of the grip of prostitution and sex traffic.
“Voices” is an initiative headed by youthSpark, the Atlanta- based agency dedicated to ending child sex trafficking through prevention, early intervention and youth-focused education. And, it’s here that Owens has found a home—volunteering as a program ambassador, fundraiser and mentor.
“She’s been a very valuable part of our team,” says Jennifer Swain, youthSpark deputy director and Voices creator. “We don’t even pay her, and she just keeps showing up.”
Owens, a student at Georgia Perimeter College’s Decatur Campus, volunteers because she understands some of the experiences of the participants. Her early life was difficult. She knows the impact of being molested as a child, being a pregnant teen, struggling with drug use and serving time behind bars.
“I can relate,” the Alabama native says.
Owens also pours a lot of heart and compassion into her mentor role. “I just like working with people who seem to be cast away,” she says. “But they’re special too.”
Although Owens says her past life’s troubles seem like only yesterday, she is on a positive track these days. Last year, months before turning 50, the mother of two enrolled at GPC to study social work. Since then, she’s maintained a high GPA (currently 3.62), been accepted into the Alpha Beta Gamma chapter of
Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society, and received a scholarship from the Assistance League of Atlanta.
“She takes school very seriously,” her husband, Herman Owens, says. “When the math was giving her problems ... my wife didn’t give up. She was determined to do that math.”
Owens will take a third class this fall from English and humanities professor Dr. Shawn Williams. “What I like about Angela is that she takes advantage of everything she needs to help her,” Williams says.
Owens often seeks assistance from Georgia Perimeter tutors working through TRIO, a program aimed at boosting retention and graduation rates for first-generation college students like her. She believes what she’s doing in the classroom can inspire others, like her daughter (who’ll begin at Georgia Perimeter this fall), and even the young women she mentors.
“I want them to think, ‘OK, this is available to me, too,’ ” Mrs. Owens says.
Eventually, Owens plans to earn a master’s degree and open a safe house for young girls. She also hopes to expand her custom dress and hair bow line for little girls. Her mother, Mavis Smith, has no doubt she’ll accomplish her dreams.
“I thank the Lord that he planted people in her life who make her want to be a servant to mankind,” Smith says.
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Matthew Tate – ‘14
Rozhin Parvaresh – ‘15
Victoria White – ‘09
Fernando Escalona – ‘05
Teveria Parks – ‘06
Huong Vu – ‘12
Trung Quach - ‘14
Kadiata Sy – ‘12
Chiemeka Ugochukwu – ‘11
30 | THE CHronICLE
Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Recipients
by Rebecca Rakoczy


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Sara Drum – ‘03
Hamilton Cunningham – ‘07
Adhithya Rajasekaran - ‘13
TLife-changing.
hat is how Georgia Perimeter College students who received
the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship describe the award that brought their dreams of college and career into reach. The prestigious national scholarship provides students
up to $40,000 per year for undergraduate education.
Fourteen GPC students have received the scholarship since it was
first awarded in 2002—the third largest number of students at any college in the country. These students persevered despite personal
adversity and went on to distinguish themselves at top colleges and universities in Georgia and across the nation. They pursued a wide
range of interests, from nursing to engineering to international relations. They became specialists in tree conservation or software.
Because many of them were the first in their families to earn a college degree, they also set a new precedent for those who followed.
We’ve caught up with some of our Cooke Scholars to find out how the scholarship—and GPC—impacted their lives.
David Dechant – ‘02
Yitbarek Kazentet – ‘15


David Dechant, GPC’s first Jack Kent Cooke Scholar, is a consulting arborist and soil scientist for Arborguard Tree Specialists. Among his clients is the Atlanta Botanical Garden. (Photo by Bill Roa)
David Dechant - ‘02
In 2002, David Dechant became Georgia Perimeter College’s first Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholar.
Now a consulting arborist and soil scientist for Arborguard Tree Specialists in Atlanta, the 59-year-old Dechant has helped conserve the health of some of Georgia’s most venerable hardwood trees, while construction projects moved tons of earth around them.
Among the projects in which he participated is the Atlanta Botanical Garden canopy walk, an aerial engineering feat that loops over the old growth forest of the gardens. He also has managed the health of the live oak trees during the construction of Jekyll Island’s new hotel and convention center.
Dechant says the guidance of GPC faculty and staff helped him move in the right direction in his life and career.
“The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship was a miracle for us. I believe the take-home message here is to never let go of your dreams.”
“Ron Shaw was my guidance counselor, and Lynn Ziegler was my geology professor. When I started looking at different career choices, I knew I had limited options because I had minimal mathematics ability. But being a scientist was a childhood dream.”
Shaw suggested geology, and Ziegler further encouraged his love for earth sciences, he says. “Her encouragement really got the ball rolling in my career.”
Armed with an associate degree in geology from GPC, he went on to the University of Georgia to study environmental soil science, graduating cum laude from UGA. “And this, from a student who started at GPC with a 2.33 GPA,” he says.
He says he constantly uses his background in geology and soil conservation for work. “I have the rare opportunity to use my degree almost every day.”
Dechant remains grateful for the opportunities made possible by the Jack Kent Cooke award.
“When I made the decision that I was going to transfer to UGA and pursue a degree in soil science, my wife Julie and I had no idea how we were going to finance it. The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship was a miracle for us. I believe the take-home message here is to never let go of your dreams.”
Sara Drum - ‘03
Sara Drum, a cardiac surgical unit nurse at Emory University Hospital, received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship in 2003 and the Jack Kent Cooke Continuing Graduate Scholarship Program in 2006, allowing her to attend Emory University for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Though she has a master’s in nursing and public health, she chose a position as a registered nurse to give her the flexibility to run the nonprofit dog rescue she founded five years ago.
“I work with the high-intake, high-kill shelters, scooping dogs off death row and helping with community needs, such as keeping dogs in homes when the only obstacle is food and minor medical needs.” She estimates she has saved 1,000 animals from euthanasia.
“Health care for humans and animals is my great passion. I wake up every morning ecstatic as to what the day will hold—I am very grateful for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and opportunities that GPC provided,” Drum says. “I remember the academic excellence expected by the instructors and the lengths they went to, ensuring the students had the tools they needed. I received great kindness, consideration and respect in all my encounters.”
“Attending Emory University was a dream I thought would
32 | THE CHronICLE


“Health care for humans and animals
is my great passion. I wake up every morning ecstatic as to what the day will hold.”
never be achieved due to financial considerations,” Drum says. “My life has been a whirlwind of delight from the time I enrolled in GPC until now. My expectations are that it will only get better.”
“Engaging my mind in academic pursuits gave me the confidence that I could truly achieve any change in the world I intended to—or at least put a great dent into problems I am passionate about,” she says. “ ... There are no words that can describe my overall feeling of gratitude for the difference GPC, the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship and Emory University have made in my life.”
selected nationwide for the scholarship in 2005.
When he first came to GPC from Spain, Escalona was “embarrassed” by his limited ability to speak English, he said later. That changed at GPC, as he honed his language skills and gained confidence in his studies. He earned a 3.88 GPA, winning honors
in math and history before he graduated with an associate degree in history.
“The reward was in the effort itself,” he said. “Such is the magic of learning.”
Escalona was a member of the All-USA Academic Team and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
Teveria Parks - ‘06
Teveria Parks still recalls “the wonderful and insightful instructors” at Georgia Perimeter College.
The 2006 Jack Kent Cooke Scholar and Agnes Scott College graduate is now a testing specialist at Gwinnett Technical College, supervising
the Assessment Center Certification lab and managing and evaluating the Assessment Center revenue and daily processes.
Parks says she is especially grateful for the guidance of Georgia Perimeter instructor Ted Wadley, who taught her Honors English.
“There is a time in a person’s life when
she is blessed with the presence of someone
who helps her to see the artistic splendor
of ordinary life and see beyond the present
limitations to endless possibilities of what
she can be,” Parks says. “Mr. Ted Wadley was that person for
me. As a result of hard work and his profound support, I became the recipient of the esteemed Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship.”
Parks says Wadley not only believed in her, “I am more grateful he taught me to believe in myself!”
“I am more grateful he [Wadley] taught me to believe in myself!”
At an early age, Parks lost a sister, her mother suffered serious health issues, and her father was paralyzed in an accident. Despite her personal adversity, she maintained a 3.87 GPA, actively volunteered with Amnesty International and at local nursing homes and mentored and tutored children in after-school programs.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship allowed Parks to realize a major ambition. “It has always been a dream of mine to attend a prestigious college that encourages freethinking, excellence and self-empowerment,” says Parks.
“Agnes Scott is definitely that type of college. The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship changed my life by affording me the opportunity to learn from women who are brilliant, impactful and inspiring.”
A cardiac surgical nurse at Emory University Hospital, Sara Drum says the college “gave me the confidence that I could truly achieve any change in the world I intended to—or at least put a great dent into problems I am passionate about.”
(Photo by Bill Roa)
Fernando Escalona - ‘05
Fernando Escalona won the 2005 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarswhip and entered Emory University the same year.
“Fernando was one of the most articulate and productive History and Politics Club presidents in our 15 years as a club,” says Bob King, GPC history professor and faculty advisor to the Clarkston HaP Club. Escalona was one of just 25 young men and women
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 33
Fernando Escalona and his mother – ‘05
Teveria Parks and Ted Wadley – ‘06


Where are they noW?
Hamilton Cunningham - ‘07
Hamilton Cunningham was Georgia Perimeter College’s fifth Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholar.
The award allowed Cunningham to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics. While at Howard, he also won the prestigious national Truman Scholarship, which provides up to $30,000 toward graduate school for students committed to working in public service.
Cunningham’s academic success in college contrasts with his earlier years in school. As a teen, he didn’t think school was for him. He was more interested in playing the trumpet than studying, he said later. So, he dropped out of high school, but eventually earned his
GED through a program for at-risk youth. He then joined the U.S. Air Force and worked as an aircraft weapons loader for two years. Cunningham left the military and came to Georgia Perimeter
to continue his education. The music major’s first college course was algebra, which also was his first math class in years. He felt lost and was hoping he could make it out with a D. His GPC professor,
“The GPC faculty believed in me more than I did when I first got there.”
however, told him to aim higher. With his professor’s support, extra tutoring and a lot of hard work, Cunningham earned a B in algebra.
That was the beginning of his success at GPC. Cunningham won the Outstanding Freshman Music Student award and the Lewis Belcher Jr. Leadership Award. He was active in the Leadership Academy and began volunteering for Refugee Family Services in Stone Mountain.
Cunningham credits the support he received at GPC for changing his life. “The GPC faculty believed in me more than I did when I first got there,” he said.
Victoria White - ‘09
Victoria “Tory” White received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship in 2009 and says she is deeply grateful for the scholarship and the opportunity to graduate from Emory University in 2014. Now Victoria White Spears, she is married and stays home with her young children.
“The Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship allowed me to transfer to and graduate from Emory, which was an amazing and invaluable experience. I always love being in a position to give GPC the credit it deserves for allowing me to achieve so much,” she says.
While at GPC, White started out in learning support math, but quickly mastered the material. By 2009, when she transferred from
GPC, she was recognized as the collegewide Regents Outstanding Scholar and as the recipient of the Outstanding Student Award for Science. White also was selected as a member of Phi Theta Kappa’s Coca-Cola All- State Academic Team,
for which she received a scholarship.
In his
recommendation
of White to Emory, Dr. Jeff
Portnoy, GPC’s Honors Program coordinator,
included letters from two faculty members: English professor Dr. Rosemary Cox and history professor Dr. Tom Graham.
“Ms. White’s scholastic aptitude puts her in the top 1 percent of her class,” Cox wrote. “From essay tests to oral presentations, her performance in class reflects not only mastery of the material but insight into the universal principles underlying the works under discussion.”
“Her high level of intelligence is obvious; however, that is not what makes her the dream student she is,” wrote Graham. “It is her level of intensity to complete any task to the nth degree of perfection. Besides a fine mind and work ethic, Ms. White has a warm personality and gentle spirit that informs not only her desire to tutor her fellow students but to help creatures in need. She has dedicated hours and hours each semester to tutoring her fellow GPC students in a variety of subjects, including mathematics, astronomy, writing and literature, history and film. In her spare time, she is a one-woman operation for rescuing and adopting animals that are injured, lost or abandoned. Her community recognizes her as ‘the animal girl.’ ”
Chiemeka Ugochukwu - ‘11
“The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship has always been one of the good fortunes that happened in my life that I will always be grateful for. I honestly don’t know where I would be without the scholarship,” says Chiemeka “Richard” Ugochukwu, who came to GPC as an international student from Nigeria.
Ugochukwu recently graduated from the University of Georgia and now attends UGA’s School of Pharmacy. He wants to combine a degree as a doctor of pharmacy with a master’s in public health.
“I am hoping the knowledge I gain through these programs
“I remember that most of the professors at GPC saw potential in their students and were very eager to impart knowledge to anyone who would respectfully listen.”
34 | THE CHronICLE
Victoria White (center) – ‘09


.
will help me think of new ways and ideas to tackle the issue of substandard health
care in Nigeria and other underserved populations,”
he says.
Ugochukwu remembers
the relationships and long-term friendships he
built at Georgia Perimeter. “I remember that most
of the professors at GPC saw potential in their students and were very eager
to impart knowledge to anyone who would respectfully listen,”
he says. “I was lucky to have recognized that early enough in my time at GPC, and was able to succeed at GPC because of that. And I continue to be grateful for the path the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has helped me to carve, and I keep working harder to succeed in life.”
Huong Vu - ‘12
Huong Vu, a software consultant with EPI-USE America and
a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology, was one of two GPC students who received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship in 2012. She works with her firm’s clients to implement software and create training manuals.
Vu studied business administration and mathematics while at GPC, tutored other students and was active in the Math Club and Orientation Club. She recalls how her professors encouraged her to become involved in campus life.
“I will never forget how supportive the professors were and how fun the school activities were at GPC, “ Vu says, “I particularly remember my English professor, Mary Helen O’Connor and
my accounting professor, Bruce Fitzgerald. They truly care for students, and I really appreciate their dedication and devotion.”
“The scholarship has changed my view about life and supported me to continue to pursue my education.”
“Without the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, I would not have been able to go to Georgia Tech.” she says. “The scholarship has changed my view about life and supported me to continue to pursue my education.”
Vu is now researching graduate schools and plans to pursue her master’s degree.
Kadiata Sy - ‘12
Kadiata “Kadi” Sy is studying Middle Eastern and Central Asian Security Studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland
The 2012 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholar graduated from Emory University in May 2015, majoring in political science and Middle Eastern studies, with a focus on Islamic law. She was awarded Emory’s prestigious Robert T. Jones Jr. Scholarship, commonly known as the Bobby Jones Scholarship,
to attend the Edinburgh college for the 2015-2016 year.
The first in her family to obtain a
college education, Sy was born into a
refugee camp in Senegal, where her
family lived after war broke out between
Senegal and the family’s native country
of Mauritania. When her family finally settled in Atlanta, Sy was 11: she had received no formal education and knew no English.
She learned quickly. By high school, she was placed in Advanced Placement courses. Sy came to Georgia Perimeter College thinking she would take a few courses and then transfer. Instead, she excelled and completed two associate degrees—one in political science and one in philosophy. “Once I was on campus, I saw this was a great place and decided to stay,” Sy says.
While at GPC, Sy expressed an interest in becoming a human rights attorney. More recently, she says she wants to work in the areas of diplomacy and peace building.
“Once I was on campus, I saw this was a great place and decided to stay.”
The summer before attending Emory, Sy volunteered in Ghana for two weeks. She wrote about her experience in an Emory Muslim student blog: “I learned a lot about the global community and my role in it. After finishing my first semester at Emory, I was selected as an American student ambassador to Saudi Arabia by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. My experience in Saudi Arabia increased my interest in the Middle East and a desire to do diplomacy work.”
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 35
Chiemeka Ugochukwu - 11 and Ted Wadley
Kadiata Sy – ‘12


Where are they noW?
Adhithya Rajasekaran - ‘13
Adhithya Rajasekaran spent the summer as a software engineering intern for Cardlytics, an Atlanta software firm. An engineering student at Georgia Tech, Rajasekaran says “it would have been impossible for me to continue my education beyond my associate degree if I hadn’t received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.”
“As a non-U.S. national resident, I was not eligible for financial aid from any college,” he says.
““Words cannot describe how grateful I am to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for awarding me the scholarship,” Rajasekaran says. “It has changed my life for the best ... .”
“Words cannot describe how grateful I am to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for awarding me the scholarship,” Rajasekaran says. “It has changed my life for the best. I have been able to create long-lasting friendships with other Jack Kent Cooke Scholars from around the country. I have intellectual discussions with other Cooke Scholars ... . Many of those discussions forced me
to rethink my positions/opinions on a wide variety of issues ... . I would say that I have become a better person because of receiving this scholarship.”
“Some of my best memories were from the Honors classes I took at GPC,” Rajasekaran says. “I was involved in a lot of lively
discussions. Even though I am not a U.S. citizen, a lot of my fellow students were very
interested in what I had to say about the U.S. economy, U.S. history and other topics.”
He credits his humanities instructor, Deborah Byrd, and Dr. Salli Vargis as “very important to me at
GPC. Without Mrs. Byrd, I wouldn’t have known about the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, and Dr. Vargis invited me to the
Honors Program and served as an advisor and mentor throughout my stay at GPC.”
This year, Rajasekaran also received the Jack Kent Cooke Continuing Graduate Scholarship. He plans to graduate from Georgia Tech in December 2015 and then pursue his master’s degree there.
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Trung Quach - ‘14
Trung Quach says when he came to Georgia Perimeter College in 2011 from Vietnam, he was so shy, he could barely say a word in class. That changed dramatically.
By the time he graduated with an associate degree in 2014, Quach had gained leadership skills from years as a tutor at GPC and the support and encouragement of his professors and fellow students.
“I learned a lot from my GPC professors, as they’re all awesome,” says Quach, now a biochemistry major at Georgia Tech. He credits his GPC biology professor, Dr. Jonathan Lochamy, with “showing me how awesome and fun research could be,” and his chemistry professor, Dr. Michael Nelson, with giving him “lots of advice” toward his career goals.
During the summer, Quach participated in Georgia Tech research involving heme, “a prosthetic group of proteins that perform diverse functions, such as oxygen transport, oxidative metabolism and a lot of important functions.” He plans to graduate in Spring 2016.
“Without the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, it would nearly be impossible for me to go to Tech, as the tuition is about five times more than GPC,” Quach says. “But not only did the scholarship lower the [financial] burden on my shoulders, it also gives me confidence and support. Jack Kent Cooke believed in [students like] me. The staff at the foundation and my fellow Cooke Scholars believe in me. And the scholar network (past and present Jack Kent Cooke Scholars) is phenomenal.”
“Without the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, it would nearly be impossible for me to go to Tech, as the tuition is about five times more than GPC. ”
“All I can say is that it is not only a scholarship; it is a life- changing opportunity. I can say that now I can dream big, because now I know that if you dream big and work hard towards your goal, you can reach it, and then, reach even higher.”
At left, from left, Georgia Perimeter College alumni Trung Quach, Adhithya Rajasekaran and Matthew Tate now attend Georgia Tech, thanks to the financial support provided through the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. (Photos by Bill Roa)
Matthew Tate - ‘14
Matthew Tate, one of two Georgia Perimeter College students to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship in 2014, is an engineering major at Georgia Tech.
“I am currently in an internship for a company that creates solar- powered media presentation systems for missionaries in remote areas,” he says.
While at GPC, Tate juggled a job and his studies for three years. He remembers many teachers he enjoyed, “but the most influential professor for me was [Dr.] Salli Vargis,” he says.
“She is a history professor and Honors Program coordinator (at Newton Campus). I first met her when I joined Phi Theta Kappa [honor society],” Tate says. “She was very encouraging and helped push me to excel academically. She also played an integral role
in helping me win the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship and also the (Georgia) Regents Outstanding Scholar Award.”
“In my life I have seen debt destroy many relationships and families ... . Receiving this scholarship has enabled me to go to college without going into debt.”
Tate says there was “no way I could afford to go to Georgia Tech without this scholarship.”
“In my life I have seen debt destroy many relationships and families,” he says. “So I probably would have chosen to stop going to college before going into debt. Receiving this scholarship has enabled me to go to college without going into debt and [to] be the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college.”
Tate is on track to graduate from Georgia Tech with honors in Spring 2016. He and his wife recently became parents of a little girl.
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 37


Jack Kent Cooke Scholar Rozhin Parvaresh works with her biology professor, Dr. Seyed Hosseini. (Photo by Bill Roa)
Yitbarek Kazentet - ‘15
Yitbarek Kazentet was stunned when he first heard he had received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Georgia Perimeter College Clarkston engineering student and Ethiopian native had worked up to three jobs to live and help put himself through school. Sometimes he would nod off in class because he was so tired.
Thanks to the scholarship, Kazentet is on his way, following his dreams of becoming an engineer. He recently completed a summer research stint in optics at the University of Arizona, and is now
at the University of Southern California to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering.
Kazentet credits the support of his GPC professors and his fellow students in the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement lab for helping him to adjust to life in the United States and to succeed in college.
“This scholarship means more pressure and more
responsibility for me. I have no excuses, and I
can’t fail.”
Rozhin Parvaresh - ‘15
As one of two 2015 Jack Kent Cooke Scholars, Rozhin Parvaresh is still astounded that she won an award that will allow her to go to Georgia Tech, where she plans to pursue a degree in petro- chemical engineering.
An Iranian native, her career would have been blocked in her country, she says. “In Iran, girls are not allowed to major in fields like engineering.”
But her parents knew her potential. “My dad studied in the U.S. and got his degree here. He said, ‘if you get a degree in the U.S., you have more opportunities in the world.’”
When she first came to Georgia Perimeter College, Parvaresh excelled in math, but spoke little English. Determined to learn, she studied books and watched TV to learn the language. Her tenacity impressed Dr. Jay Dunn, a GPC Dunwoody astronomy professor.
“The first time I met Rozhin, she was working cutting sandwiches at the Campus Café,” he says. “I saw she had a system of cutting the sandwiches—I told her she was cutting sandwiches with the precision of an engineer—and asked her if she considered studying engineering.”
“My dad studied in the U . S . and got his degree here...if you get a degree in the U . S ., you have more opportunities in the world.”
That conversation with Dunn encouraged her, Parvaresh says. “The next semester, she enrolled in Dunn’s physics courses and never looked back.
“I am going to miss this place,” Parvaresh says. “I’ve been here for three years, and it’s been an honor—my professors and the students I’ve met have had a real impact on my life.”
An honor student carrying a 3.9 GPA, Kazentet was accepted into several prominent universities, but the tuition was still daunting. The scholarship provided him more options—and fewer roadblocks.
“This scholarship means more pressure and more responsibility for me,” Kazentet says. “I have no excuses, and I can’t fail.”
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2015 LEGACY EDITION | 39
Jack Kent Cooke Understood the Dream of College
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke planned to go to college and had secured a hockey scholarship to help pay the way. Then the Great Depression hit, and college was no longer an option for the Canada native.
Cooke instead became a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. “He worked and supported his family,” says Dana O’Neill, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
Despite his early struggles, Cooke became an extremely successful businessman and eventually an owner of the Washington Redskins NFL team. But he remembered those early days, when he couldn’t go to college.
Upon his death in 1997, he left money to establish the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which created the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. The now $40,000 per year scholarship would be awarded to low-income but high-achieving students who, due to financial circumstances, could not go to college,
she said. The foundation, based in Lansdowne, Va., also has established
other scholarships, including ones for graduate students pursuing post- baccalaureate degrees and for high school students.
“The foundation was established in 2000, and that first group of young
scholars was selected in 2002,” says O’Neill. Potential scholars are required to have a 3.5 or higher GPA. They can be a community college sophomore or have graduated within the past five years from a community college. “They must show not only academic rigor in their course load, but also leadership in the college,” she said.
In 2015, 90 community college students received the scholarship nationwide; GPC students Yitbarek Kazentet and Rozhin Parvaresh were among that group, making them GPC’s 13th and 14th Cooke Scholars, respectively.
Georgia Perimeter ranks No. 3 in the nation for the number of Cooke Scholars it has produced. “This is an award that really has a great impact,” O’Neill said.
To find out more about the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and the
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, visit jkcf.org
Photo courtesy of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation


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Ted Wadley Tireless Champion for Students by Rebecca Rakoczy
For the past 20 years, Ted Wadley quietly inspired Georgia Perimeter College English students to push themselves, to believe in themselves.
GPC alumna Sara Drum, now an Emory Hospital cardiac care nurse with master’s degrees in nursing and public health, recalls Wadley’s confidence building as what gave her the courage to go further in her studies than she ever thought possible.
“Ted Wadley is one of those instructors who encourages students to achieve highly and develop personal interests,” says Drum, who received the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship in 2003. “He is an absolute gem of an instructor and a very fine human.”
Over the years, Wadley became a tireless champion for high-achieving students, such as Drum, helping them apply for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship to continue their studies.
But it was students who struggled academically who first attracted him to teaching. His early days at the college in the 1990s were as an instructional support services coordinator on the Decatur Campus, working with students in remedial English. He moved to Dunwoody in 2008.
Wadley, who retired this year, strongly promoted student activities, such as the annual Dunwoody Campus poetry slam, which brings faculty and student poets together for high energy readings. He also started the Dunwoody Chess Club, organizing
tournaments with the help of English professor Matt Dolloff. Wadley grew up in Atlanta with a love of literature and a
sense of romantic wanderlust. His mother was an English teacher, his father a World War II pilot who had come to Atlanta to work for Lockheed Corp. In the late 1970s, he left his first teaching job at Kennesaw College to work at a textbook publishing company in California. “I realized I had been in a classroom since I was 4 years old,” he explains. The work was in Berkeley, and the West Coast was a lot of fun.”
Wadley met Regina, a young German woman, during a 1978 summer trip to Scotland. The meeting changed his life. The
two corresponded for almost a decade before marrying—and Wadley moved to Hamburg, Germany to be with her. He taught English there and became fluent in German.
After the Berlin Wall fell, the couple and their two children moved to Georgia, where Wadley began work at what was then DeKalb College.
“Throughout my teaching career at Georgia Perimeter, I’ve always felt supported,” reflects Wadley, who most recently was Dunwoody English department chair. “I have always had good mentors here.”
With Wadley’s retirement, he and his wife returned to Germany so Regina, currently a graduate student at Georgia State University, can participate in a program at the University of Heidelberg.
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Five decades of intercollegiate athletics at GPC (formerly DeKalb College) provided scholarships, championships, contenders, awards and ‘the college experience’ for thousands of talented student athletes.
by Wade Marbaugh
Georgia Perimeter College’s half-century of athletics achievements began with a single phone call in the earliest days of the college’s existence.
DeKalb College founder Jim Cherry telephoned Bill Kemp, asking Kemp to launch an intercollegiate sports program at the newborn college. It is unlikely either man could have fully envisioned the 50 years of glorious events the call spawned.
Thousands of student-athletes graced the fields and courts of DeKalb College, later named Georgia Perimeter College. Many would not have attended college without the sports program, and it enriched their lives as well as the lives of students, faculty, staff and fans. It quickly became a valued component of “the college experience.”
“We had a wide range of student athletes academically,” says Greg Ward, a baseball coach turned athletic director. “The athletic program provided access to college that wasn’t there for some athletes. Athletics was a major part of the philosophy that got DeKalb College started and was carried on at GPC.”
Kemp accepted the job, and by the 1965-66 academic year, intercollegiate sports were in full swing. Early offerings included golf, gymnastics, volleyball, swimming and track and field. When the program ended in Spring 2015, eight sports were still going strong: baseball, softball and men and women’s basketball, soccer and tennis.
The program’s longevity and the heights to which coaches under athletic directors Ward and Albert Barney took their teams are noteworthy. Despite humble beginnings—when players maintained the fields and coaches drove vans to away games—the college rose to national championships and top tier finishes in the 1990s and 2000s and was perennially among the region’s two-year college contenders.
The recorded history of athletics at the college is incomplete. There were gaps in recordkeeping, and archives were lost. But highlights include the men’s basketball team’s third-place finish
in the 1976 National Junior College Athletic Tournament and baseball’s NJCAA runner-up trophy of 1977. Seven Major League Baseball players emerged from the college’s teams. Men’s tennis took four consecutive national titles, with the women’s team joining them
in a dual national sweep in 2000. Men’s soccer took six consecutive trips to nationals, with GPC capturing the national championship in 2005 and three runner-up honors. Women’s soccer earned a third- place finish at nationals.
College teams boasted a multitude of conference championships and all-conference and All-American recipients. Kemp, along with coaches Joyce Garrett and Marc Zagara, earned induction into the NJCAA Hall of Fame.
The achievements and accolades don’t stop there. There were championships, awards and top players too numerous to cite in the following pages. To all of them—the teams, players and coaches who made us proud during the Glory Days—we say thank you.
The Chronicle thanks all of the photographers who have captured images of college athletes through the years.
42 | THE CHronICLE


2015 LEGACY EDITION | 43


ranked in the NJCAA Top 20 poll.
“It was instant rivalry, a community battle. It was like a sibling
rivalry,” recalls Doug Casey, who played for the Indians of
South Campus (Decatur Campus) and later became the college’s winningest baseball coach. Casey played on the 1977 Indians team coached by Jim Morris that finished second in the nation at the NJCAA national tournament.
Tom Cantrell, who coached Byrd and Green, took a team to nationals in 1998. Green, along with his twin brother, Kevin,
Marlon Byrd (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Teams under Blue and subsequent head coach Brett Campbell won four regular season titles and two conference tournament championships. Campbell’s team
won 21 consecutive games in 2013, and in the MLB drafts of 2013 and 2014, eight former Jaguars were selected to play professional baseball. To date the program has launched seven Major League players: Byrd, Green, Hammock, Mike Sharperson, Herm Winningham, Milt Hill and Glenn Sutko.
Radio-style sports webcasts presented by broadcasters Tom Whitfield, John Morgo, Wade Marbaugh and Daniel Bolton were popular amenities. One baseball dad said that while on a business trip in Hong Kong, he rose at 6 a.m. in his hotel to listen to his son’s game at Jaguar Field. It truly was baseball—as Whitfield signed on to each broadcast—“around the corner and around the world.”
Georgia Perimeter College alumnus Marlon Byrd scored a run and made a jaw-
dropping defensive play to help the National League win the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. His former GPC teammate, Nick Green, manned all nine positions during his Major League career. Robby Hammock, who played on the college’s 1996 and ‘97 teams, caught Arizona Diamondback Randy Johnson’s perfect game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field in 2004. The three players exemplify the quality of the baseball program at Georgia Perimeter College.
Nick Green
Coach Danny Blue
played on that team.
In 1999—the year Byrd, now with the
San Francisco Giants, also played on the team—Nick Green produced stunning stats: 29 home runs, 80 RBIs and .424 batting average.
After Cantrell left the college, GPC baseball slumped until Danny Blue took the helm in 2007 and rebuilt the program.
GPC’s highly successful program began in the 1960s when the institution was DeKalb College. Bill Kemp, who coached multiple sports, hired Tip Goza as head baseball coach.
Dustin Beggs
London Lindley slides home, wins a game
Sam Bragg
J.T. Phillips
The program received strong longtime support from DeKalb County Board of Education member Joe Willingham, who earned the title “Mr. Baseball.” Willingham saw that lights were installed on the new field and, over the years—as a Major League scout— helped players make their way into professional baseball.
When DeKalb College had three campuses, each had its own sports programs, and at one point, all three baseball teams were
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Baseball


2015 GCAA champions
Acertain itinerary became very familar to the Georgia Perimeter College softball Jaguars:
• Delta Air Lines, departing Atlanta, arriving in Las Vegas. • Rental vans to St. George, Utah.
• Vans from hotel to The Canyons softball complex.
Coach Ken Deyton kept up the pace in the final three years, winning two GCAA tournament championships to go to nationals. Pitchers are critical in softball, and GPC’s rosters boasted some of
the greatest in the region.
Liz Hyman pitched GPC to its first conference title in 2003 and
at Georgia State University set the school record for strikeouts in a single season, with 260.
Pitcher Missy Herren and All-American centerfielder Brittany Daniel powered the 2007 team to a fifth-place finish at the national tournament.
In 2009, freshman Christina Ezell led all NJCAA pitchers in strikeouts per inning, and her arm took the Jaguars to nationals. In the conference tournament opener, she won three games and used her bat to drive in the winning run in two of them with a home run and a single. As a sophomore, Ezell was named to the All-America team after posting a school-record 662 career strikeouts.
Like Ezell, pitchers Lyndsey Parden and La’Brisha Washington each won three GCAA tournament games convincingly to send Deyton’s Jaguars to nationals in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
Hitting highlights included four home runs in the 2015 championship game and homers at nationals by Lauren Mathis (two), Jenna Carr and K.K. Parrish.
The Jaguars’ final out at nationals in Utah this spring closed the books on Georgia Perimeter College’s athletic program, allowing the very last GPC game to occur at nationals.
Such was the team’s course of travel to the NJCAA national tournament for three years between 2010 and Spring 2015. Earlier, the 2007 team took a bus ride to Plant City, Fla., for nationals. It was a heyday in the college’s decades of softball.
The modern era began in 1997 when Dr. Bonnie Young coached the college’s first fast-pitch team. Ed Schutte began in 2002, and in his 11 seasons as head coach, his teams won four regular-season titles, went to nationals twice and produced seven consecutive 30-win seasons.
Brittany McSwain, left, Christina Ezell
Kacie Patterson sliding
Ed Schutte celebrates his 300th win.
Ken Deyton and Stephanie Satterfield
Christina Ezell
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Softball


Jarrett Stokes
Georgia Perimeter College entered the NJCAA spotlight as DeKalb Community College in 1976,
when coach Roger Couch’s DeKalb Central (Clarkston) Patriots finished third in the men’s basketball national tournament. At that time, DeKalb’s Central and South campuses each had a team, and the competition was fierce.
“When they played each other, the gyms were jam-packed full,” says former athletic director Greg Ward. “We had some fantastic teams.”
Over the decades, the program competed well in conference competition and made frequent
Luka Basta
develop character in our players so they can be champions in the classroom and in life,” he says.
Among a legion of individual standouts were All-American Antonio Haynes, who led the NJCAA in assists; Shane Henry, who won a
full scholarship to play at Virginia Tech, as did Musa Abdul-Aleem at South Florida and Roderick Trice
at South Carolina. Trice played professionally in Europe. Randy Orr, a 6-foot-11-inch center, enjoyed a long professional career in Europe, Asia and South America.
Earl Calloway played at Indiana University and went on to play professionally in the Continental Basketball League, one step from the National Basketball Association.
The great moments on the court are many, but a precious memory is
a simple gesture from a referee. Perry Sharp, who officiated at the national tournament when Orr and his teammates advanced to the final four, approached Barney and said, “I want my son to play for you.”
In a letter to GPC President Jacquelyn Belcher, Perry wrote, “Your players played hard and kept their mouths shut and played the game the way it was intended.”
appearances in NJCAA national polls and tournaments. That is especially true from 1993—when coach Ralph Barksdale led the DeKalb College team to a conference
championship—through the
2000s—when Alfred Barney built the Jaguars into a regional force. Between 1993 and 2012, the men’s basketball team won 10 conference championships, including four consecutive from 1998 to 2001 and three straight from 2006 to 2008.
Barney’s teams went to nationals seven times and made the final four in 2003.
“It is very special to play for a national championship,” says Barney, who won many honors in his 19 years as head coach. But, like other GPC coaches, Barney had greater objectives.
Jamail Turner
Randy Orr
Shane Henry atVirginiaTech
“We don’t just try to build champions on the floor. We try to
Muhammad Abdul-Aleem, left, Musa Abdul-Aleem, shooting
2007 NJCAA men’s basketball champions and cheerleaders
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mEn’S
Basketball


In 2005 the Georgia Perimeter College women’s basketball team lost a conference game
in Albany to Darton College. Three years later, in January 2008, the Jaguars again fell to the Cavaliers in Albany, 55-51. Between those two losses, GPC won 40 consecutive games against conference opponents, in the regular season and in tournaments.
Head coach James Waldon’s squads snapped up four conference championships
during that stretch, along with four district titles that sent the Jaguars to the NJCAA national
tournament each year.
Women’s basketball began at the college in the early 1970s,
Larissa Stafford
launched by former faculty member Jo Ann Jancik, who volunteered her time to coach the young women. “At the time, there were almost no teams from two- year schools for us to play,” she says. “We had to play four-year schools.”
The program gained national attention during the Waldon era, which featured his trademark full-court press and uptempo offense. In his 17 seasons at GPC, the Jaguars won seven regular-season titles and seven conference championships, going to nationals six times in an eight- year span.
The greatest finish came in 2011 with three wins at the NJCAA national tournament, taking seventh place in the final rankings. Ry’van Buchanan was named to the All Tournament team. Jasmine Jones and Nicole Wells signed full scholarships to play at Wichita State, while Buchanan and Tyre Smith won full athletic scholarships that spring.
Before signing to play at Troy State, Ronita Garrett ( who also played on the 2011 team), turned in a spectacular All-American
Ry’van Buchanan
Jasmine Jones
season as a sophomore in 2012-13. An outstanding rebounder (12.4 per game, second in the conference), she posted 23 double- doubles and had a triple-double (28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists). In a tournament game, Larissa Stafford scored 41 points and Garrett 26 to grab an overtime victory.
Individual stars were many over the years—All-American Taliah Roberts; conference Players of the Year Phebe Smith and Leslie Phillips; Brittany Baity’s college record of 497 career assists; Anikia Jawara’s success at New Mexico State; Yvonna Dunkley’s 30 points in a tournament game; Abrelyn Rackley’s 16 points per game—to name a few.
In the final game of GPC women’s basketball, a tournament game at Georgia Highlands College, Danielle Clark gave her all with a 30-point performance.
Ronita Garrett
Yvonna Dunkley
James Waldon meets with the team.
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 47
WomEn’S
Basketball


only once in the history of the National Junior College Athletic Association
has a men’s soccer national championship game gone into double overtime and penalty kicks with the score tied at 0-0. It was in 2009, and the teams were Tyler (Texas) Junior College and Georgia Perimeter College.
The NJCAA inducted GPC head soccer coach Marc Zagara into its Hall of Fame four days
before that game, along with Tyler’s coach, Steve Clements. Their defenses that season are among the best in NJCAA history, because both teams took lightning offenses into that classic championship battle.
Marc Zagara
Rousseau led the 2005 national champions with a school record 79 points (31 goals and 17 assists); All-Americans Louis Campo, Ricardo Cardoso and Jamaar Miller made eye-popping plays; Martin Nunez led the NJCAA in scoring in 2006 and teammates Heber Hernandez and Lucas Rogue finished third in scoring and first in assists, respectively; other stars included Marco Aguirre, Mike Mecerod, Boubacar
In his 23 years at GPC, Zagara lifted the college’s soccer program to exceptional national prominence. The Jaguars won the NJCAA national championship in 2005, finished second three times and attended the tournament eight times, six consecutive years from 2004 to 2009.
When Bill Kemp and Tip Goza started the DeKalb College program in 1965, they certainly did what they could to make it competitive.
“We asked the Atlanta Chiefs (a professional team) to give us a workshop on soccer strategy, and they did,” Kemp said in a 2004 interview.
In the early 1980s, coach Bill Grey produced some successful soccer teams, recalls former athletic director Greg Ward. Records from that era are not available.
After All-American Fabian Priestly and others lifted the program into the modern era in the 1990s, individual highlights came fast and furious. Ralph
Toure, Richard Cayonne, Mo Babouli and Brayan Rodriguez, to name a few.
The Jaguars were regularly ranked in the top 10 in the NJCAA coaches poll and placed at least one player on the NJCAA All- America team every year from 2004 to 2011.
The Atlanta Chiefs workshop came full circle when two offensive stars on that 2009 team, Junior Sandoval and Rury Alvarez, went on to play in the North American Soccer Association — for the Atlanta Silverbacks.
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Brayan Rodriguez, left
Junior Sandoval, right
Kingsley Morgan, left
2005 NJCAA national champions
Mike Mecerod
mEn’S
Soccer