alumni accent
‘Marvel’ous career
The bright lights of Hollywood are a long way from the Berry campus, but the threads of her career tie directly to her work in the costume shop of the Berry College Theatre Company, where she fell in love with that particular aspect of production.
Winning hire
A former college athlete with 14 years of experience as a coach, administrator and NCAA Division III advocate has been chosen to lead Berry’s high-performing athletic department. Angel Mason will officially begin her service as director of athletics June 1, concluding a successful national search.
Legacy of generosity
Kate Macy Ladd visited Berry only once in her life, but those three days in 1915 inspired a lifetime of support. The legacy of her generosity is still evident today in the form of Lemley Hall, the Road of Remembrance, Memorial Library, and, of course, the Ladd Center, the only Berry building that actually bears her name.
Writing across cultures
Alyssa Hollingsworth (13C) was already a prolific writer when she arrived at Berry. She further developed her craft through one-on-one interaction with English professors and relevant work experience as editor of the college literary magazine and as a writer for Berry magazine. This fall, the now-published author returned to Berry as the featured speaker in the David James Poissant Creative Prose Reading Series.
Awesome adviser
Kevin Kleine has spent the last 30 years losing sleep as Berry’s student publications adviser. Now his work with the Campus Carrier, Ramifications, Valkyrie and Cabin Log has earned him national acclaim as a “Distinguished Adviser” by the College Media Association. He received his award at the CMA national convention in October.
Student innovation
Ingenuity was the name of the game for approximately 90 students participating in this spring’s prototyping open house hosted by HackBerry Lab. More than 300 different innovations – each taking a half-semester to create – were displayed, incorporating everything from dance to video games to 3D printing.
Winning career path
When Abby Thomas (14C) first stepped onto the Rome Braves Miracle Field during a field trip with her Berry kinesiology class, she knew she had to be involved with the work being done there. It was there that she found the perfect source of experience to complement her academic preparation as a public health major with a concentration in disability studies.
Global perspective
Parisa Khosravi may not have literally moved mountains, but she has rerouted a commercial airline, covered the Iraq wars and Tiananmen Square, and promoted equality and acceptance as a leader at CNN. Earlier this spring, she shared her experience and insight with Berry students through the Cecil B. Wright III Integrity in Leadership Lecture.
Inspiring creativity
Berry’s 2019 Gloria Shatto Lecture took place just three days prior to the Academy Awards, so it was only fitting that the speaker was someone whose work is synonymous with Hollywood’s ultimate honor – Ed Catmull, Pixar co-founder and former president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Trivia titan
Jessica Cantrell (12C) has long dreamed of matching wits with other contestants on the mother of all television quiz shows. This fall, the Berry history major who now works as a development assistant for Tellus Science Museum finally got her chance after surviving the arduous online qualifying process and in-person audition for Jeopardy!
Broadway lights
It’s been more than 17 years since Carl Tallent (01C) graduated from Berry, but when he returned to campus in September to assist with set design for the Berry College Theatre Company’s production of Neil Simon’s Rumors, it felt like no time had passed at all.
Family legacy
Most students graduate with some knowledge of Martha Berry’s family history, but it’s doubtful many know the story of her nephew, Marine 1st Lt. Alexander “Sandy” Bonnyman Jr., who earned the Medal of Honor for valor in the Battle of Tarawa during World War II. He lost his life that day in 1943, and for nearly 75 years his body was lost as well.
New way of covering campus
Valkyrie, Berry’s new student-produced lifestyle and culture magazine, transitioned from online-only to print during the 2017-18 academic year, establishing an important physical link on campus.
Talking shop (and sports)
Berry athletics got the “ESPN” treatment earlier this semester when sports reporting legend Bob Ryan joined students Adekale Ande and Townsend Stewart for the livestream of a men’s basketball game against Rhodes College.
Joyful noise
The Berry Singers took their talents on the road during spring break, performing in the Czech Republic and Austria as part of their first European tour in several years.
Shaping the world
Brin Enterkin (12C) was a newly minted high school graduate when she spoke those words to her hometown paper after working to fund a school in Cambodia. A decade later, she continues to live out that credo, recently earning placement on Forbes’ “30 under 30” list of social entrepreneurs for her work to transform the education system of Uganda by stressing an interactive approach over rote memorization, thus allowing children to think more creatively and critically.
Leading voice
The Cecil B. Wright III Integrity in Leadership Lecture Series welcomed an impressive voice of experience Jan. 25 in the form of Christine Todd Whitman, former New Jersey governor and administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush.
Fantastic faculty
January brought national recognition for one faculty member in Berry’s School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and notable media attention for another.
Trailblazers
Evelyn Hamilton (69C), left, and Dr. Beverly Philpot Smith (69C, FS) made history a half-century ago as Berry’s first African-American graduates. This fall, the college’s African-American Alumni Chapter is commemorating their legacy with the Trailblazer Gala. The dinner celebration will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, at Oak Hill’s Christopher Browning Pavilion, beginning at 6 p.m.
Enterprising new spaces
A storefront in the Berry College bookstore is providing a new avenue of experience for student-operated enterprises while also making it easier to purchase Angus beef, cage-free eggs, cheese, hand-woven creations, honey, handcrafted furniture and other items produced by Berry students.
Making magic
Glenn Garrido (14C) and Jennifer Murray Chapman (00C) followed very different paths at Berry, but both have led to careers at one of the most magical places on earth: Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort.
Art of service
It didn’t take long for First-Year Seminar students taught by Professor of Mathematics Dr. Ron Taylor and Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Casey Dexter to make their mark on the local community, painting two beautiful murals along the river walk near the Robert Redden Footbridge in downtown Rome.