Chronicle Legacy 2015

Esther Anyanwu, right
What a phenomenal season—the season of Anyanwu, Adeshigbin, Chukwuji, Egwuenu and Klingensmith!
Georgia Perimeter College’s women’s soccer team entered that 2010 season with high hopes, having finished 11-6 the year before after a 6-11-1 record in 2008, Bruno Kalonji’s first season as head coach.
“We have raised expectations,” Kalonji said
rival Darton State College in Albany, which hosted the GCAA tournament. In the championship match, after regulation play and overtime, they were tied 2-2. The Jaguars won on nail-biting penalty kicks and went on to win the district game to advance to nationals.
At Topeka, Kansas, the Jaguars won their first game, fell to the eventual national champion in the semifinals and bounced back to win the third-place consolation game. The victory wrapped up a 21-1-2 season in which the Jaguars shut out opponents 16 times. They scored 151 goals and allowed 10.
Four Jaguars won All-America honors—Esther Anyanwu, Linda Chukwuji, Marbel Egwuenu and Tori Klingensmith. Anyanwu led the nation in scoring, with 48 goals and 14 assists, breaking GPC’s single-season scoring record set in 2009 by Taiwo Adeshigbin. Adeshigbin wrapped up a two-year career at GPC with 66 goals and 31 assists and went on to play for the University of Missouri.
In 2011 Anyanwu broke Adeshigbin’s career record, with 169 points, 74 goals and 21 assists. The Jaguars won the GCAA regular- season championship the next three years but couldn’t beat Darton in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 conference tournaments to return to nationals.
Those seasons were laced with heroics, as GPC suffered no regular-season losses between 2011 and 2013, tying Darton four times during that streak. Anyanwu and Chukwuji repeated as All- Americans, and Alex Truitt led a remarkable defensive line to earn two All-America honors.
prior to the 2010 opener. Raised, indeed—the Jaguars finished third at the NJCAA national
tournament in his third year
at the helm.
Women’s soccer emerged as a collegiate sport at what was then DeKalb College in the early 1990s. In 1995, coach Larry Armstead kicked off the college’s modern era with a conference championship. The ’95 team featured All- American Amy Williams— who was also a softball star.
In 2010, the team soared. GPC’s road to nationals went through conference
Taiwo Adeshigbin, left
Bruno Kalonji hoists the 2010 conference trophy as the team celebrates.
From left, Alaina Carluccio, Bobbie Freiss and Christine DeVito
Alex Truitt Tori Klingensmith, left, Linda Chukwuji
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 49
WomEn’S
Soccer


When the University of Georgia defeated Tennessee to win the 2001 NCAA national men’s tennis championship, the Bulldogs won all but one of the six singles flights. The one they did not win was taken by Mario Toledo, a Georgia Perimeter College alumnus.
Toledo starred during a DeKalb College-GPC sports dynasty that began when versatile coach Bill Kemp took over the men’s tennis team in 1991. Kemp
had started DeKalb College tennis in 1965 with some success, and Hal Herring had mentored successful teams in the 1980s, but the college hadn’t seen the
glory yet to come.
American Gabriel Frias, the Jaguars finished fifth that year in the highly competitive national tournament.
Rebuilding the program after some down years, Coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar took the Jaguars to a seventh-place finish in 2011. Salif Kante won No. 1 singles, and he and Ismail Lemtouni finished an undefeated season in No. 1 doubles with the national title.
Menford Owusu
Lemtouni returned to nationals in 2012 with an all-freshman lineup except him. The Jaguars captured third place with three players winning All-America honors— Menford Owusu (No. 1 singles), Lemtouni (No. 2 singles) and Davis Dawson (No. 1 doubles with Lemtouni).
In 2013, GPC finished sixth with All-American Gelawydiyos Haile leading the way.
Competing in NJCAA Division 2, Kemp’s teams went to five straight national tournaments, and he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame.
Coach Billy Pate’s team won the college’s first national championship in 1998. The Jaguars repeated as champs in 1999 and 2000. Coach Chris Decker’s team won GPC’s fourth consecutive national title in 2001.
Toledo and Barosz Koldej won the No. 1 and No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles championships two consecutive years,
and in 2000, all six singles flights at nationals were won by GPC players— that’s six All-Americans. Toledo was named NJCAA Athlete of the Year for all sports.
Salif Kante
Davis Dawson
Ismail Lemtouni
Renato Silvier won his second No. 1 singles national championship in 2002, and Lucas Melero followed the feat in 2003 —the sixth straight year the college won that title. In 2004, coach Solomon Demeke guided the team to a national runner-up title.
The program won 15 consecutive conference championships before joining Division 1 competition in 2005. Led by All-
2013 team at NJCAA nationals in Texas
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Brian Le
Gelawydiyos Haile
mEn’S
Tennis


Georgia Perimeter College’s women’s tennis program owned one of the six national
championships brought home by the college’s athletic teams.
While the men’s tennis program collected 15 consecutive conference championships, the women’s program was busy, beginning in 1987, winning 14 straight trips to the NJCAA Division 2 national tournament under head coach Joyce Garrett.
The pinnacle: Garrett’s Jaguars won the national championship in 2000, the
Corina Anghelescu made the tournament semifinals, as did the No. 2 doubles team, Berjane and Drew Anderson. All six singles players and all three doubles teams advanced to the Round of 16, a major team accomplishment.
same year the men’s tennis team under coach Billy Pate won a third national title.
Joy Mitchell, also a star on GPC’s women’s basketball team, led the way with fellow All-Americans Mayumi McDowell, Cindy Delgado, Eishin Toyomura and Stephanie Blake. Garrett entered the NJCAA Hall of Fame.
After Garrett retired, the program struggled until Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar became head coach in 2008. The Jaguars immediately became competitive in NJCAA Division 1 and held their own against numerous four-year colleges. In 2010, Mary Slade was the conference Player of the Year. Sadia Mayou was unbeaten in No. 2 singles in 2011.
The breakout year came in 2012, when freshman ace Idia Amen won three matches to advance to the third flight singles semifinals at the Division 1
national tournament, leading
the Jaguars to a 12th-place tie in
the final rankings.
Sadia Mayou
Nait Omar, Niriantsa Rasolomalala
The Jaguars finished fifth at nationals in 2013 as Amen and freshman Fatyha Berjane won the No. 3 and No. 2 championships, respectively, and Berjane and Nea Krpo finished second in the No. 2 doubles flight.
GPC continued to rise in national circles, finishing third in the 2014 tournament. Berjane almost repeated as No. 2 singles champion, losing a close match in the final for her only singles defeat of the season. D’Asha Davis brought home a runner-up trophy in No. 6 singles.
Along with Berjane and Davis, Niriantsi Rasolomalala and
2011 USTA/ITA Small College Regional champions
“I am very proud of the results we had over the years in men’s and women’s tennis,” Nait Omar says. “The players competed, were disciplined and showed great maturity. It was a great run. We built a strong program.”
Asia Boyd
Salma Dahbi
Idia Amen
2013 GCAA champions (men and women)
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 51
WomEn’S
Tennis


SHOW
MUST GO ON!
Jennifer Jenkins “pops out” of a pile of posters from each of the four decades of productions in the first 40 years of the Fine Arts building, which opened in 1968. (Photo by Bill Roa)
become the details person at GPC, making sure everything is just right before a show goes on.
With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia and an associate degree focusing on theatre from DeKalb College (now Georgia Perimeter)—Jenkins loves the role of production manager for the Fine Arts department and has embraced it, taking on additional responsibilities through the years.
Jenkins recalls when she first came to the Fine Arts building, as a 16-year-old early admissions student whose life had been turned upside down. She had lost her mother to cancer in 1970. Then her father remarried, the family moved cross- country, and Jenkins loathed her new high school.
“In 1971, we moved here from New York,
and it was my junior year of high school. I
was miserable. My dad found out about early admission, and I came here for my senior year.
I took Theatre Appreciation. I always had been interested in theatre—my mother sometimes took me out of school to see Broadway shows.”
The Theatre program became an outlet for the teen, giving her purpose and direction—and generated a lifelong love of the college.
When Jenkins was first hired at then DeKalb College in 1982, her job was to “maintain the equipment in the auditorium and design the
sets, lights and costumes, or at least see that they were done.” But she was a quick study at her alma mater. As faculty members retired, she assumed a variety of management responsibilities.
“I would say, ‘Hey, I can do that,’” she says. And she did.
Although she acted on stage as a student, Jenkins has always preferred being behind
the scenes. In this role, she helped the Theatre program evolve into the Theatre Arts Guild, a theatre company that auditions students, staff and community members for theatre productions.
THE
52 | THE CHronICLE
by Rebecca Rakoczy
Jennifer Jenkins is having a nightmare. She is coordinating the breakdown of equipment after an event in downtown Atlanta. That same equipment must be back at Georgia Perimeter College in less than an hour for another show. But when the truck rolls up at the college, it contains the wrong equipment.
This is Jenkins’ version of the classic “wake
up naked in the classroom” dream. This time, it invades her sleep while she is on vacation. “I knew I would start worrying about how everything was going at the college in the middle of the week,” Jenkins says.
In reality, friends, colleagues and students say Jenkins’ comprehensive dedication is why that nightmare does not happen. During more than three decades of convocations, graduations, dignitary visits, special programs and hundreds of theatre and musical productions, Jenkins has


Jennifer Jenkins assists from backstage as GPC students Joshua V. Montague and Samantha Braz take the spotlight. (Photo by Bill Roa)
2015 LEGACY EDITION | 53


THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
Jenkins proudly presents the Alumni Award to Sri Rajasekaran at the Spring 2015 Celebration of Excellence Awards.
Jenkins keeps up with alumni and their successes. From left, Rudy Roushdi, Jenkins, Jared Brodie, Hannah Carey and Aaron Gotlieb.
She also took on the role as advisor to the Drama Club—a group she started as a DeKalb College student in the 1970s.
Over the years, Jenkins has taught stagecraft skills, mentored aspiring stage managers and assumed more responsibilities for collegewide events, always with an eye for how everything at the college fits together.
“If you want it done right, ask Jen,” says Tommy Joe Anderson, GPC professor emeritus of music.
Anderson should know. He worked with Jenkins for more than two decades as music coordinator and Fine Arts department chair at the college. Anderson placed her in charge of the auditorium and scheduling events in the 1990s.
“Jen not only takes into account your request, but what effects the request would have on
all areas of the department and the college,” Anderson says. Sometimes, he says, that meant his request would be denied, with Jenkins pointing out an issue that would create problems. “That was fine in our relationship,” he says, but some at the college often “tried to work around her watchful eyes.”
Those “watchful eyes” continue to be important to the brood of fine arts students who learn everything from set construction to stage lighting under her tutelage. Jenkins has been “mom” to countless students who have come through the Theatre department over the years. They are her joy—and sometimes—headache. “My favorite thing about this place is the students,” she says.
The feeling is mutual.
“Her talented leadership has made a lasting impression on me,” says GPC student Justin Beaudrot. “I had not thought it possible for
one person to be capable of so much, but now having known Jennifer, I aspire to be as talented a coordinator and leader myself. ... I have made some of the best friends in theatre, thanks to Ms. Jenkins.”
Other former students such as Aaron Gotlieb, have left the college and then returned, multiple times—pulled back by the Theatre program
and Jenkins’ friendship. Gotlieb pulled a Theatre trifecta while at GPC: as a student, staff member—and adjunct faculty member.
“I met Jennifer in 1998 as an incoming freshman to GPC,” says Gotlieb, who currently is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts degree in physical and devised Theatre at The Academia dell’Arte in Arezzo Italy. “As a student and Theatre major, I was involved in nearly every production during my time there, either on crew or helping to build the show. As a staff member,
I was the lead performer and trainer for “Jaggy,” and also acted as props master for the main stage Theatre Arts Guild season for three years. And as a faculty member, I taught Children’s Theatre and Period Styles of Movement in the Theatre department.
“Jennifer is the den mother, drill sergeant and institutional memory of the Theatre department,” Gotlieb says. “She was there when you needed
a hand up, a sympathetic ear or a swift kick in the rear, and believe me, I received all three at various times over the years.”
“She became my teacher, my employer and
my friend, and many opportunities I’ve had in my professional life can be traced directly back
to Jenkins in some way,” Gotlieb says. “There are days when I think Jennifer holds the Theatre Arts Guild together by sheer force of will, but more often, it’s that she inspires others to do so.”
Co-workers also hold Jenkins in high esteem. “Jennifer is the best representative of the heart and soul of GPC,” says Lizz Emerson-Dorsey, who has worked for the college for 10 years and is now technical projects manager and scenic designer for Theatre on the Clarkston Campus. “She also has one of the most infectious laughs. GPC is lucky to have such an employee dedicated both to the school and to being the best advocate for our students.”
Wendy Davidson, GPC Decatur Math, Computer Science and Engineering department chair, first met Jenkins in a collegewide “Magic of Leadership” class in 2010, and their two personalities meshed well, she says. When Jenkins approached Davidson a few years ago to co-chair the College Convocation Committee, Davidson accepted. (She accepted again this year.)
“Our experience is great, and if you hang out with her at all, you know Jen’s a go-getter. She also shares my same philosophy—that life is already serious enough. She makes sure things get done that need to be done, but she always tries to make sure things remain lighthearted. Her goal—and mine, too—is “let’s have a little fun, and let’s get the job done, and let’s move on.”
After all, there’s always another show to put on. Jenkins takes her charge to heart.
“My mom was a child of the late ’teens and ’20s, and I got an old-fashioned rearing as far
as etiquette,” she says. “She basically taught metobeagoodhost.ReallywhatIdoasa production manager is that I’m a host. I make sure everything is ready, everyone is invited, and I make sure they have a good time.”
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THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
Top:
Jenkins, far right, enjoys the 2013 Theatre Reunion with the cast of “Children of Eden.”
Middle row, left: Convocation Co- Chairs Wendy Davidson, left, and Jenkins, celebrate the successful completion of Convocation 2015.
Middle row, right:As a DeKalb College student, Jenkins portrays the Mexican woman in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
Bottom:
Theatre students and alumni gather to be a part of the “GPC” photo for the 2015 Legacy issue of The
Chronicle magazine.The group includes those who were students with Jenkins in 1974 and others from each decade of her work at GPC. (Photo by Bill Roa)
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