In Memoriam – Spring 2015

Steve Clifton Zettler
Steve Clifton Zettler (‘94) of Effingham County, Georgia, passed away Sept. 29, 2014, at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Zettler was a professional engineer with Dulohery Weeks.

Stephanie Lynn Rubin
Stephanie Lynn Rubin (‘88) of Savannah died on Oct. 11, 2014. The educator launched the pilot program for Latin instruction at Jacob G. Smith Elementary School in Chatham County Public Schools.

Roger Earl Byrd
Roger Earl Byrd (‘78) of Pooler, Georgia, died on Oct. 20, 2014, at Oconee Memorial Hospital in Seneca, South Carolina. He was an Export Documentation Specialist for John S. James and was a past president of the Savannah Music Teacher Association Company.

Daniel “Danny” Dunaway
Daniel “Danny” Dunaway (‘63) passed away on Oct. 21, 2014, at Columbus Hospice House. Dunaway was a retired district director for the Department of Juvenile Justice for the State of Georgia.

Jennifer Cameron Llewellyn
Jennifer Cameron Llewellyn (‘68) died on Oct. 21 after a long illness. Llewellyn was a Catholic educator for over 30 years in Tallahassee, Florida.

Robert Little
Robert Little (‘74) died at his home in Longwood, Florida, on Nov. 2, 2014. His family described him as a gifted storyteller.

Otis Mobley
Otis Mobley (‘50) of Augusta, Georgia, passed away on Nov. 9, 2014. Mobley served in the U.S. Army in North Africa and Italy in the 1940s. He retired from the Georgia Division of Vocational Rehabilitation after 30 years of service.

Runette Herrmann
Runette Herrmann (‘74) of Millen, Georgia, died Nov. 11, 2014, at Georgia Regents Hospital. She taught home economics, served as the nutrition director for Jenkins County Schools and was a life member of the Garden Club of Georgia.

Daniel McKee
Daniel “Danny” McKee (‘91) of Douglasville, Georgia, passed away on Nov. 16, 2014.

Arthur “Audie” Holmes
Arthur “Audie” Holmes (‘71) lost his life following a motor vehicle accident in Augusta on Nov. 20, 2014. A member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, Holmes served a tour of duty in Korea and three tours in Vietnam. He was a history professor at Paine College in Augusta from 2000 to 2014.

Annie Nell Bowen Brady
Annie Nell Bowen Brady (‘53) of Savannah passed away on Nov. 29, 2014. The Bulloch County native was a charter member of the Pittman Park United Methodist Church. She taught for many years in the school systems in Bulloch and Chatham counties.

Ronnie Alton
Retired COL Ronnie Alton (‘75) of Watkinsville, Georgia, died on Dec. 1, 2014. He served with the U.S. Army for 29 years and received military honors at his burial.

Michael Backus
Michael G. Backus (‘78) of Jesup, Georgia, passed away on Dec. 15, 2014, in Savannah. He graduated from Georgia Southern College with a degree in journalism. He was a sports writer, a firefighter and part owner of a bookstore.

Regina “Jean” Graziano Link
Regina “Jean” Graziano Link (‘72) died in hospice care on Dec. 15, 2014, in Statesboro. She was an insurance agent and was named a “Top Producer” for United American Insurance Company.

Betty Durden
Betty Durden (‘55) passed away on Dec. 20, 2014, in Metter, Georgia. Durden taught fifth and sixth grade math for 35 years.

Tina Rodriguez
Tina Rodriguez (‘01) died on Dec. 25, 2014, at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames, Iowa. Rodriguez taught Spanish to preschoolers and was a Red Cross volunteer.

Akiah Kamil “Grace” Smith
Akiah Kamil “Grace Smith” (‘13) of Statesboro passed away on Dec. 26, 2014. She was an employee of the Screven County Department of Family and Children’s Services and an advocate for children in Statesboro.

Barbara (Odom) Milligan
Barbara (Odom) Milligan (‘96) of Richmond Hill, Georgia, died on Dec. 29, 2014, after battling Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. She began teaching at the age of 19 and taught in Savannah-Chatham County for 36 years.

Harold Hubert Brown Jr.
Harold Hubert Brown Jr. (‘85) of Statesboro passed away on Dec. 29, 2014. He was an administrator with Brown’s Nursing Home and with Lumber City Nursing Home in Hazlehurst.
He also coached soccer, football and softball for the Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department.

Joseph Craig “Joe” Kitchings Sr.
Joseph Craig “Joe” Kitchings Sr. (‘73) of Hinesville, Georgia, died on Dec. 31, 2014, at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah. The Eagle Scout practiced law in Pembroke, Georgia before opening his own solo legal practice and later became managing partner of a legal firm in Ludowici.

Russell Hodgson
Russell Hodgson (‘85) passed away on Jan. 3 at his home near Atlanta. He was a retired partner of Repco Sales of Georgia. Hodgson played football for Georgia Southern and coached youth football and other sports for 15 years.

Emma Legare Williams Jordan
Emma Jordan (‘94) of Douglasville, Georgia, died at her home on Jan. 3 following a long battle with breast cancer. She served as a counselor for elementary and high schools.

John Charles Winkler II
John Winkler II (‘94) of Locust Grove, Virginia, passed away on Jan. 6. He was a printing management major and worked for the manufacturing firm DTI.

Marilyn (Branch) Thompson
Marilyn Branch Thompson (‘63) of Pooler, Georgia, died on Jan. 6 in hospice care. She worked as an accountant for the Hershey Company and was a retired employee of Effingham Hospital.

Joseph “Joe” Charlton Hines Jr.
Joseph “Joe” Charlton Hines Jr. (‘87) of Bulloch County, Georgia, passed away on Jan. 8 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah. He worked for the family business, Hines Speedee Dry Cleaners, for over 30 years and served in the Georgia National Guard.

Terry Wayne Tyler
Terry Wayne Tyler (‘65) was surrounded by family when he died on Jan. 10. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, was a teacher in Florida, and owned and operated May’s Furniture in Lake City and Branford, Florida.

Sabrina McBride Rivers
Sabrina McBride Rivers (‘79) of Bulloch County, Georgia, passed away on Jan. 11 at East Georgia Regional Medical Center after a brief illness. She was a retired insurance agent with American General Life Insurance Company.

Robert Wright Williams
Robert Wright Williams (‘80) of McRae, Georgia, died on Jan. 12 at his home. He served in the U.S. Army and worked as the school psychologist for the Dodge County Board of Education.

Robert John “Bob” Fulton
Robert John “Bob” Fulton (‘75, ‘’83) of Tyrone, Georgia, passed away on Jan. 24 surrounded by family and friends. He served in the U.S. Army and taught middle school in several Georgia counties. The gifted musician also was a school and church choir director, pianist and organist for many years.
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Lonnie Dean Brown
Lonnie Dean Brown (‘73) of Swainsboro, Georgia, died on Jan. 27 at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Brown retired from CVS Pharmacy after 25 years of service.

James Shelton Evans
James Shelton Evans (‘66,’68) of Statesboro passed away on Jan. 26 at his residence. For more than 30 years, Evans served Georgia Southern as the dean of Men, director of the Financial Aid Department and the assistant director of the Human Resources Department. He was an avid supporter of the Southern Boosters and ‘all things Georgia Southern.’

J. Richard Henry Jr.
J. Richard Henry Jr. (‘80) of Savannah died on Jan. 28 at his home after a long illness. He worked for Price Waterhouse for nine years, became a certified public accountant and was a co-founder of Holland, Henry & Bromley, LLP.

Edward Tennent Gibson
Edward Tennent Gibson (‘50) of Greenville, South Carolina, passed away on Feb. 1. He was a U.S. Navy Korean War Veteran and worked for more than 20 years as an Attendance Officer for the Greenville County School District

Jackie Strange
Jackie Strange (‘47) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, died on Feb. 1. She was born in Stuckey, Georgia, and had a distinguished career with the U.S. Postal Service. After several regional and district positions, she became Deputy Postmaster General, managing a $30 billion budget and workforce of 750,000. For many years, Strange was the highest-ranking woman in the Postal Service. She was the first graduate to receive an honorary doctorate from Georgia Southern.

Sara Alice (Bradley) Darby
Sara Alice Bradley Darby (‘46) of Statesboro, Georgia, passed away on Feb. 5 at Community Hospice of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville. She was 91.

Helen Monroe Thompson
Helen Monroe Thompson (‘72) died Feb. 11 in Greenville, South Carolina, after struggling with breast cancer. The elementary and middle school educator was an avid reader and writer.

David Dunaway
David Dunaway (‘63) of Lumpkin, Georgia, died Feb. 11. He was a retired unit director for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.

Virginia Miller
Virginia Miller (‘61) died at age 103 on Feb. 18 under the care of Ogeechee Area Hospice in Statesboro. She was an educator for 35 years and was the first woman to serve on the city council in Sylvania, Georgia.

Dewey Richard Bryant
Dewey Richard Bryant (‘59) of Jacksonville, Florida, has passed. He was a teacher in the Duval County Schools for 37 years.

Edmund Hill
Edmund Hill (‘68, ‘72, and ‘75) was surrounded by family and friends when he passed away March 1 in Savannah. The broker and real estate developer, antique vehicle collector, avid boater and fisherman served leadership roles in numerous civic organizations.

Linda Gail Womack
Linda Gail Womack (‘73) of Decatur, Georgia, died Feb. 28. The Millen, Georgia, native spent her 40-year career working in governmental relations.

Abner Rawlings “Sonny”Dykes
Abner Rawlings “Sonny” Dykes (‘55) of Dunwoody, Georgia, died Feb. 25. The former Georgia Southern baseball player was an earth sciences and biology teacher for several Georgia school systems.

Ellen Smith Moore
Ellen Smith Moore (‘80) died March 15 in Macon, Georgia. She worked as a chief federal probation officer and many remember her as a gifted alto singer.

Dannie J. Cronian
Dannie J. Cronian (‘61) of New Hartford, New York, passed away on March 16 at New York State Veteran’s Home. He retired as a major from the U.S. Air Force.

Marsha Hainley
Marsha Hainley (‘73) passed on March 13 in Brunswick, Georgia. She was an analyst for the Federal Reserve System and worked as a registered interior designer for Georgia Southern.

Jerry Agan Newsome
Jerry Agan Newsome (‘73) passed on March 13 at Emory University Hospital in Decatur, Georgia. The Bulloch County native pursued a career in pharmaceuticals. He was also a pastor in the Primitive Baptist faith.

Priscilla Linton Wexler
Priscilla Linton Wexler (‘77) lost her battle to colon cancer on March 19 in Atlanta. She was a former flight attendant.

Kelly E. Powell Jr.
Kelly E. Powell Jr. (‘56) of Danville, California, died March 22. He had a 37-year management career with Georgia-Pacific Corporation.

James Monroe Hall Sr.
James Monroe Hall Sr. (‘86) of Savannah died in March. He spent more than 30 years in the education field as a teacher, coach and principal.

Thomas E. Tomlinson
Thomas E. Tomlinson (‘76) of Thomson, Georgia, died on March 25. He served in the U.S. Army as a military police officer during the Vietnam War. He retired as a major from the Georgia State Patrol with 35 years of service.

Linda Joyce Reddick
Linda Joyce Reddick (‘72) of Sylvania, Georgia, passed in hospice care in March. She spent most of her career working with foster families and juvenile probation issues.

James R. Hagen
James R. Hagen (‘95) of Bluffton, South Carolina, died at Hospice of Charleston Feb. 23. He worked in hotel management.

Archie NeSmith Jr.
Retired Colonel Archie NeSmith Jr. (‘51) died April 8 in home hospice care in Statesboro. During his distinguished military career, his assignments included serving in the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force at the Pentagon. He continued his relationship with the U.S. Congress during his second career with AlliedSignal Aerospace. The colonel is remembered as a world traveler, pianist, philanthropist and a Georgia Southern Alumnus of the Year.

Willie Albert “Billy” Smith Jr.
Willie Albert “Billy” Smith Jr. (‘83) of Statesboro died April 3 at East Georgia Regional Medical Center. He was an Army veteran.

Lonnie Pritchett Sutton
Lonnie Pritchett Sutton (‘60) of Rochelle, Georgia, passed on April 7. The lifetime member of the Garden Club of Georgia had a 34-year career with the Division of Family and Children Services.

Thomas “Tommy” Clay Hester
Thomas “Tommy” Clay Hester (‘70) of Savannah was surrounded by loved ones when he died on April 14. He achieved a 45-year career in the banking industry and received numerous accolades for his involvement in influential community and professional organizations.

Gordon Leonard Eggleston
Gordon Leonard Eggleston (‘65) of Fairmont, North Carolina, died at age 86 in April. He was a longtime professor at Ithaca College in New York.

Judge B. Avant Edenfield
Judge B. Avant Edenfield, a Bulloch County, Georgia, native and longtime Georgia Southern supporter died May 9 in a Savannah hospital after battling lung cancer. He practiced law for 20 years before former President Jimmy Carter appointed him to the federal bench in 1978. The judge was one of the Founding Trustees of the Georgia Southern University Foundation in 1962.

PROFESSORS

Patricia “Pat” Walker
Patricia “Pat” Walker, beloved professor in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, passed away on Jan. 16 after battling breast cancer for some time. Walker’s work has been shown in more than 70 exhibitions across the Southeast, nationally and internationally. She joined the faculty in 1989 and served as mentor and professional role model for Georgia Southern students.

Steven Stepanek
Communication Arts Professor Steven Stepanek died April 18 at East Georgia Regional Hospital in Statesboro. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native was a veteran of both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. He had lived in Statesboro for eight years.