S U M M E R 2 0 1 0

M A G A Z I N E
 On the Cover: Anna Jaron (’12)
and Sara Lee (’12) create pastel
drawings in Art I using Darlington
School’s scenic lakeside campus
as their inspiration.

Tom Whitworth
Headmaster
James Milford
Assistant Headmaster
Director of Admission
Gordon L. Hight III (’94)
Director of Upper School
James Hutchins
Director of Middle School
Steve Bartholomew
Director of Lower School
Faye H. Fron
Chief Development Officer
Joe Montgomery
Chief Advancement Officer
Vicki Vincent
Director of Alumni Relations
LaNoya Corley
Graphic Designer
Doug Hamil
Director of Graphic Design
Tannika King
Director of Media Relations
Anne Paige Wilson
Director of Marketing
RuthAnne Anderson
Crystaline Kline Randazzo
Photographic Contributors
Darlington Magazine is published two
times a year by the Communication
Office of Darlington School, and is
distributed to those who have shown a
continued interest in Darlington.
Darlington School, a nonprofit
organization, does not discriminate in
admission because of race, color, creed,
religion, national or ethnic origin, and
maintains non-discriminatory policies
throughout its operation.

1014 Cave Spring Road

Rome, Georgia 30161
706-235-6051(phone)
706-232-3600, (fax)
alumni@darlingtonschool.org
www.darlingtonschool.org

Located at the end of Silver Lake, the Sennett Tower was given in memory of Charles Sennett (’79) by his parents,
Dr. and Mrs. Charles O. Sennett. The bells in the tower were given by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Riddle in thankful
appreciation to Darlington School in honor of their sons, Doug (’67), Kran (’69) and Alfie (’75). Constructed in 1997,
the tower enhances the beauty of the campus, and the chiming of the bells on the half-hour serves as a reminder
of its presence.
 SUMMER 2010

Content
2 Community News
6 Second Century Campaign News
30 Class Notes
53 In Memoriam

Campus Features
8 Second Century Campaign
breaks $70 million
9 Year in Review
16 Tech Talk
Darlington website gets a new look, features

20 Ask Dr. Frank Stegall

22 Career Day
A glimpse into the real world

Campus Views
18 Hello, Dolly!
24 Special Olympics
28 Alumni Weekend
48 Tiger Tailgates

Alumni Profiles
26 Road to Retirement
Elaine Smith (‘71T) and Sally Rudert (‘66T)

32 Acquania (Gibbs) Escarné (’01)

Learning to cope when disaster strikes

36 John Hine (’53)

Distinguished Alumnus

42 Eric MacLeod (’92)

Lifelong passion inspires opportunity

52 Mike Page (’66)

Remembering a friend
Community News
Trail dedicated in memory of
Charlie Orr (’75)
Orr’s classmate and friend, Henry Hine (’74), helped fund
the memorial.
A memorial marker placed near the
Kawamura Science Center was dedicated in
memory of Charlie Orr (’75) during Alumni
Weekend in September. The memorial was
established by Orr’s mother, Vallie, and his
longtime friend and classmate, Henry Hine
(’74).
“Charlie’s remains are at Myrtle Hill
Cemetery in Rome,” Hine said. “I’ve been
to his grave, but his memories are hidden
there. He needs to be out front where
everybody can see him, think about him
and remember his contributions and what
he stood for.”
Orr was killed in the fall of 1984 at age 27
when the bicycle he was riding was struck
by an automobile. An outdoorsman at heart,
he was an experienced hiker and whitewater
canoeist. As a student at Darlington, he was
a member of the cross country team, so it
was only fitting that the memorial be placed
at the entrance of Darlington’s cross country
course, which has been named The Charlie
Orr Trail in his honor.
2
Five join Board, life trustee named
Five new members were elected to
the Board of Trustees during the May
meeting.
Susie Harton of Cartersville, Ga.,
is president of the Fine Arts Booster
Club and secretary-elect of the Parents’
Association. Mary Helen (Wright)
Heaner (’77) of Atlanta is a second-
generation Darlington alumna. Billy
Mitchell (’58) of Atlanta has served
previously as chairman of the Board
and is a Distinguished Alumnus,
International dignitaries visit Darlington
International dignitaries representing
11 countries were greeted by students,
administrators and the Board of
Trustees during their visit to Darlington
in September. The school was one of
several stops on the group’s tour of
Rome, which also included visits to
Berry College, Shorter College and
Pirelli Tire North America.
The visitors, Atlanta-based members
of the Consulate Corps, toured
Darlington’s campus and attended a
short program in the chapel where
students displayed flags representing
the 27 countries from which they hail.
The consuls then had an opportunity
to talk briefly with students from their
respective home countries.
“Darlington was selected for the tour
because of its international presence,”
said Heather (Lathbury) Seckman (’85),
59 earn AP Scholar designation
During the 2008-09 school year, 98
students in Rome and Floyd County
earned the designation of AP Scholar
by The College Board in recognition
of their exceptional achievement on
the college-level Advanced Placement
Program (AP) Exams. Of these scholars,
59 are from Darlington.
“Each year that I grade AP exams,
I am impressed with how skilled our
Darlington AP students are compared
with the majority of test takers
nationally,” said Academic Dean David
Powell. “This is a testimony not only to
our students and teachers, but to the
visitor emeritus and co-chairman of
the Second Century Campaign Atlanta
Cabinet. Bob Smith (’78) of Tallahassee,
Fla., has served previously on the Board
of Visitors. Steve Wilhoite (’73) of
Cartersville, Ga., is a current parent and
class agent.
In addition, John Hine (’53) has
been named a life trustee. He served
previously on the Board and is a
Distinguished Alumnus and co-class
agent.
Consul General Yan Hsing Yin of
Taipei talks with a Darlington student
from his home country.
director of economic development for
the local Chamber of Commerce. “We
are truly honored to have this group
visit Rome and Floyd County, and are
excited that we have such valuable
community assets, like Darlington
School, to show them.”
Darlington education as a whole, pre-K
through 12.”
Five recent graduates qualified for the
National AP Scholar Award, the highest
designation, by earning an average grade
of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on all
AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or
higher on eight or more of these exams.
These students are Dylan Baker (’09),
Isabel Bonnyman (’09), Spencer Carroll
(’09), Zi Yang Chen (’09) and Monique
Picon (’09).
Darlington currently offers AP courses
in 19 subjects.
Darlington Magazine

Light the Lake raises awareness, funds for Cancer Navigators
The Darlington Community walked
thousands of laps around Silver Lake
in March during Light the Lake, the
school’s annual Relay for Life-inspired
fundraiser. The event raised $7,600 for
Cancer Navigators, a local organization
that provides resources to all who are
touched by the life-changing process of
dealing with cancer.
“Raising money is so important for
our community, but raising awareness
among young people is where it
begins,” said Instructional Technology
Georgia GOAL Scholarships benefit new students
Five scholarship awards were given
to qualified students in 2009-10, and
more than 30 commitments have
already been made for 2010-11 thanks
to the Darlington Community’s
generous support of the Georgia GOAL
Scholarship Program.
One hundred thirty-six contributors
redirected a total of $409,850 of their
Georgia state income tax dollars to
Darlington in 2009 through the GOAL
Summer 2010
Coordinator Kandi Riddle, a Board
member for Cancer Navigators. “I
am a cancer patient myself and as I
walked around the lake, I saw so many
luminaries with my name on them. It
means more to me than those students
will ever know.”
Throughout the entire evening,
students, faculty, parents and friends
walked laps around the lake. After
dinner, candles were released onto the
lake, which was lined with hundreds
of luminaries in honor and memory of
initiative, which helps create additional
scholarship opportunities for public
school students who are transferring
in or entering pre-K. In return, they
received a state tax credit.
“This is a huge accomplishment for
our first year of participation in the
program, and we are so appreciative
of all those who supported this effort
and helped make it such a tremendous
success,” said Admission Officer DeLean
Students honor and
remember loved ones
during Light the Lake.
friends and family. A Walk of Honor
followed.
“This year’s event was especially
meaningful to me since surviving my
second bout with breast cancer last
fall,” said Cindy Stinson, kindergarten
teaching associate. “Light the Lake gave
my family and me the opportunity to
reflect on the support system we have at
Darlington and the many blessings the
Lord has given us.”
Visit www.darlingtonschool.org/
lightthelake for more on this story.
Brandon, who is managing the GOAL
effort this year. “We want to double this
total in 2010, and we hope we can count
on your participation!”
Unfortunately, the House Bill that
created this program could be revoked
by the Georgia General Assembly at
any time. Therefore, it is imperative that
friends of Darlington act fast. To learn
more, visit www.darlingtonschool.org/
goalscholarship.
3
Community News
Instrumental Conservatory adds to fine arts offerings
May Wang (’12)
Since its inception last August, 14
Upper School students have enrolled
in Darlington’s Instrumental Music
Conservatory, a year-round program
that draws upon the expertise of local
and regional performing artists who
have helped place their students at
renowned institutions such as the
Peabody Conservatory and the Mannes
School of Music.
“Darlington’s Instrumental Music
Conservatory enrolls highly motivated
students from around the world who
share a common goal – to obtain an
excellent college-preparatory education
and intensive conservatory training
within a single school program,” said
Will Camp, conservatory director. “By
Senior wins community essay contest
Alexandra Murray (’10)
4
providing an academic conservatory
experience for young musicians, we
are able to train, educate, assist and
prepare members for the competitive
scholarship process in the nation’s most
prestigious schools, regardless of major
or career path.”
The Instrumental Music Conservatory
provides a full range of musical
training that includes fundamental
classes, master classes, juried
recitals and audition preparation. By
graduation, students have developed
an electronic portfolio of repertoire
and accomplishments with audio
documentation of steady and marked
improvement over several years.
This fall, Darlington students and
faculty joined the Rome community
in reading Paul Rusesabagina’s “An
Ordinary Man” as part of the One
Book/Many Voices reading initiative.
Alexandra Murray (’10) was named
Darlington’s winner of a community
essay contest that focused on the book.
“Rusesabagina’s concept of the
ordinary demonstrates a belief
in common human decency that
transcends racial divides,” said Murray,
who met the author when he spoke at
Berry College in September. “He labels
himself an ‘ordinary man’ because he
Seniors reach 100 percent
For the third consecutive year –
and only the third time ever – the
senior class has achieved 100-percent
participation in giving back to its
alma mater. In April, a local trustee
anonymously challenged seniors to
give to the Annual Fund, promising
a gift of $2,010 if every senior made
a donation. Two weeks later, all 133
members of the senior class were on
board. Together, they contributed
more than $930 for the Annual Fund,
making gifts in honor of faculty,
staff, coaches and advisers. “This is
a significant boost to our Annual
Fund campaign, and sends a very
clear message that even the most
recent graduates are already thinking
about Darlington’s future,” said
Jason Turner, annual gifts officer.
“We are very grateful to both the ’10
bunch and to this trustee for such
a tremendous display of leadership
and loyalty. I think this continues
a tradition of which all Darlington
alumni can be proud.” The Annual
Fund campaign surpassed its $1
million goal in May.
treated his neighbors not as friends
or enemies, but as ordinary people. …
Rusesabagina simply viewed his heroism
as part of his duty as a human being.”
“An Ordinary Man” tells the story
of a country torn apart by violence
during the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Rusesabagina has been internationally
honored for saving 1,268 civilians
during the Rwandan genocide. His book
was the basis of the 2004 Academy
Award-nominated film “Hotel Rwanda.”
One Book/Many Voices is sponsored
by 14 community organizations,
including Darlington School.
Darlington Magazine
Lectureship features Medal of Honor recipient
Col. Jack Jacobs
Medal of Honor recipient and NBC
military analyst Jack Jacobs was the
seventh speaker in Darlington’s annual
Class of 1953 Lectureship Series in
March.
“You’ve got your freedom and the best
foundation you could possibly have,”
he told students. “Do not forsake them.
Nurture them and encourage others
to nurture them as long as you live. …
When today’s gone, it’s gone forever and
you can’t get it back. When you get to be
Summer 2010
my age, every day is a large percentage
of what you have left. I recommend you
don’t waste time.”
Jacobs entered the U.S. Army in
1966, serving as a platoon leader in the
82nd Airborne Division and executive
officer of an infantry battalion in the
7th Infantry Division, and commanding
the 4th Battalion 10th Infantry in
Panama. A member of the faculty of the
U.S. Military Academy, he has taught
international relations and comparative
politics, and was a member of the
faculty of the National War College in
Washington, D.C. He was in Vietnam
twice as an adviser to Vietnamese
infantry battalions, and he is among
the most highly decorated soldiers from
that era, having earned three Bronze
Stars, two Silver Stars, two Purple
Hearts and the Medal of Honor, the
nation’s highest combat decoration.
Jacobs retired as a Colonel in 1987.
During his visit to Rome, Jacobs also
spoke at the Greater Rome Chamber
of Commerce and The Rotary Club of
Rome, and hosted several book signings
for his memoir, “If Not Now, When?”
Lower School students hear
from award-winning author
Lola Schaefer
Georgia author Lola Schaefer brought her
stories to Darlington this winter during the
Lower School’s annual author visit.
Schaefer, a former teacher who has
published over 260 titles, has won dozens
of awards for her nonfiction and narrative
works, including the Outstanding Science
Trade Book Award, the Charlotte Zolotow
Honor Award and the Zena Sutherland
Award. She is also a national writing
consultant.
“Lola talked to our students about how
reading actually improves one’s writing,”
said Ann Glass, Lower School librarian.
“Emphasizing the need for accuracy, she
also told many stories about the research
she does for her books. The children were
astounded when she told them that she has
actually rewritten a single book as many as
40 times efore sending it to her editor for
publishing.”
Schaefer will return to Darlington in October
to conduct a three-day writing workshop for
grades 2-4. Visit www.darlingtonschool.org/
authorvisit for more on this story.
5
Second Century Campaign News
Middle School named in memory of donor’s parents
Joe Montgomery
presents a photo of
Thatcher Hall to John
Thatcher (’44).
Darlington’s newest building has been
named Thatcher Hall in memory of
Samuel E. and Mary W. Thatcher thanks
to a named gift from their son, John
Thatcher (’44), to the Second Century
Campaign.
“In every organization, there are
people who simply embody the values
and the ideals of the institution; John
Thatcher is that person for Darlington
School,” said George Johnson (’54),
campaign co-chairman. “He has
demonstrated Wisdom more than
Knowledge in important and critical
decisions that were made during his
past chairmanship of our Board of
Trustees; he’s lived Service beyond
Self in the ways that he has served his
profession, his church, his school and
his alma mater; and he is one of the
most honorable people I know.”
The announcement was made in
September during a formal dinner
6
hosted at Darlington by Lyons Heyman
(’44), chairman of the Northwest
Georgia-Area Campaign Cabinet, to
honor all major donors to Darlington’s
Middle School project. Each donor was
also presented with a brick from the
original Middle School building as a
memento.
“Lyons, along with his committee of
over 25 alumni and parent volunteers,
called on hundreds of people in the
Northwest Georgia area and reigned in
unprecedented funds for this project,”
said Frank Stegall (’62), chairman of
the Board of Trustees, as he addressed
the audience. “We express our heartfelt
gratitude to each of you for the role that
you played in making our dream come
true by your amazing generosity and
support for this Middle School building.
Let this brick be a reminder to you of
how far we have come.”
Darlington Magazine
Thatcher Hall earns LEED Gold Certification
Darlington’s new Middle School
facility has been awarded Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Gold Certification by the U.S.
Green Building Council. LEED is the
premier program in the nation to certify
high-performance green buildings, and
is based on energy consumption, water
management, indoor environmental
quality, site planning and material use.
“We are proud to have created
a learning environment that is
both sustainable and healthy,” said
Headmaster Tom Whitworth. “Our
commitment to meet LEED standards
in the planning, design, construction
Renovations to boys’ houses to be completed this summer
Architectural rendering by Chapman, Coyle, Chapman & Associates
Thanks to the generous support of
the Darlington Community and a
foundation friend of the school, the
final phase of renovations to the boys’
residence halls will be completed this
summer.
“Work has already begun, and we
expect to finish in July,” said Joe
Montgomery, chief advancement officer.
“The upgrades include a complete
renovation of each room and the
addition of new common areas. The
architect worked closely with the boys
and their heads of house to design a
Summer 2010
and operation of this building will pay
it forward for years to come as we seek
to be good stewards of the environment
and our surrounding community.”
Thatcher Hall’s mechanical system
exceeds the local energy code
efficiency requirements by 40 percent.
All spaces are day lit to minimize
the need for artificial lighting, thus
reducing energy consumption. Along
the same lines, motion sensors are
utilized in many rooms and photocells
control lighting in the classrooms,
automatically turning off lights when
the daylight reaches a level equal to
that of the light fixture. Additionally,
complete transformation that truly
meets their needs. I think everyone
will be very pleased when they see the
finished product in August.”
To preserve the history that lies
within the walls of Wilcox and South
halls, Darlington is offering alumni
the opportunity to be permanently
recognized with the naming of a
dormitory room on a first-come, first-
served basis. For more information,
contact the Second Century Campaign
Office at 1-866-534-1905.
to conserve water all plumbing fixtures Thatcher Hall, Darlington’s
and kitchen equipment are low-flow and 57,000-square-foot Middle
many are also motion controlled. To School facility, opened in
preserve a healthy air quality, interior August 2009.
finishes and materials are low-VOC
products to minimize off-gassing, and
environmentally friendly cleansers are
used by Darlington’s housekeeping staff.
Last, and most remarkable, 90 percent
of all construction waste was recycled.
New athletic field honors
‘Coach Charlie’
Charlie Davidson
The athletic field next to Thatcher Hall
has been named Charlie Davidson Field
in honor of the retired athletic director.
This named gift to Darlington’s Second
Century Campaign was funded by a
group of Davidson’s former players and
students.
Davidson, known as “Coach Charlie”
among alumni, was the school’s athletic
director and head football coach from
1971-1984. He has been honored by the
Georgia State Senate for outstanding
work with the young people of Georgia,
and was inducted into the Georgia High
School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005.
“Charlie Davidson was a master at
motivating players to give their best
on every play,” said Chief Financial
Officer Bob Rogers, who coached with
Davidson. “He was well-respected by
players and coaches alike.”
Davidson’s record was 244 wins. He
retired in 1984 and served as athletic
director emeritus at Darlington for the
next two years.
7
Campus Feature

Second Century Campaign

breaks $70 million
The first phase of the Second Century Campaign
has been extraordinarily successful thanks
to the remarkable support of almost 900 of
Darlington’s alumni, parents and friends.
Their commitment to Darlington through the
campaign has funded a new Middle School and
much-needed renovations to the boys’ residence
halls, and has allowed the school to begin
increasing its endowment for financial aid.
But there’s still more to do.
From the start, campaign co-
chairmen George Johnson (’54) and
Jere Drummond (’57) have emphasized
that the Second Century Campaign is
not just about money. It is about the
people – the students, faculty and staff
– who are currently at Darlington as
well as the generations to come. The
next phase of the campaign will focus
on the importance of people.
First, the school is seeking to raise
$10 million for faculty support.
Currently, $2.1 million has been
designated for this area of need.
“Great teachers make a great
institution, and Darlington’s faculty
members are the heart of our school,”
Johnson said. “They have been in the
business of transforming lives for more
than 100 years by serving as teachers,
“Our students are an investment in
the future of Darlington School, and
providing them with an outstanding
college-preparatory education is our
primary goal, but it is also a significant
financial investment,” Drummond
said. “Darlington adheres to a strict,
need-blind admission policy, which
means that all admission decisions are
made without regard to the applicant’s
ability to meet the cost of education.
Because educational costs have risen to
sustain programs, faculty and facilities,
Darlington must offer families a
variety of financing options, including
payment plans and financial aid.
Increasing financial aid opportunities
is essential to our future.”
Johnson and Drummond added
that they are extremely grateful to

78%
mentors, coaches and friends. However, those members of the Darlington
there is increasingly more competition Community who have already made
$70,099,783

for high-caliber faculty who excel not a contribution or commitment to the

This article was written by
Pat Douglas, Second Century
Campaign coordinator.
only in teaching, but who are also
committed to working with students
in a residential setting. That’s why it
is more important than ever that we
provide the funds needed to increase
endowment designated for faculty
salaries and professional development.
This will allow Darlington to continue
to recruit and retain high-quality
teachers and mentors, like those who
transformed the lives of countless
Darlington alumni like myself.”
Along with supporting faculty, the
Second Century Campaign aims
to support future generations of
students by increasing the financial aid
endowment by $10 million. Alumni
frequently credit Darlington with
making a difference in their lives, and
one of the school’s goals is to ensure
that this transformative experience
is within reach of any academically
qualified student. The good news
is $4.5 million has already been
committed for this purpose.
campaign. The grand total currently
sits at just over $70 million, which is
equal to 78 percent of the $90 million
goal.
“It is the leadership of these folks
that has allowed Darlington to move
forward even during difficult economic
times,” Johnson said. “Now, we need
to reach out to the entire Darlington
Community to encourage everyone’s
participation in this vital campaign.
Whether it is by providing support
to faculty endowment, financial
aid endowment or the Learning
Center, or making a planned gift to
ensure Darlington’s strength in the
next century, there is a place in the
campaign for everyone. Together
we can all contribute to the success
and legacy of the Second Century
Campaign.”
To learn how you can be part of the
Second Century Campaign, visit www.
darlingtonschool.org/campaign or e-mail
campaign@darlingtonschool.org.

Darlington Magazine
8
 Campus Feature

Year in Review
August

Seniors and Lower School students

walk hand in hand into Opening
Convocation, kicking off another
school year at Darlington.

Jim Van Es and Board Chairman Frank Stegall (’62) cut the ribbon on the first day of
school to commemorate the opening of Darlington’s newest facility, Thatcher Hall.

September
Jamie Vincent (’10), Emily Braden
(’10), Haley Weed (’10) and Hannah
Martin (’12) perform with the Concert
Choir at the Many Voices Concert.

Soccer Academy coach

Jeff Haigler presents
Stefan Dill (’10) with a
trophy after the U-19 boys’
team won the Atlanta Cup.

Emily Braden (’10) and Wale Desalu

(’10) are named Homecoming Queen
and King.

Summer 2010
9
 Year in Review
Destinee Aspenwall
(’14) and Bethany Cagle
(’14) learn to weave
October

baskets in Art class

during Island Culture
Day at the Middle
School.

Hee-yeon Lim (’10) and her classmates bond

over a bonfire during the Senior Class Retreat.

Heads of House Marcus Holmes

and Tim McCann sport their
costumes to the annual Middle
School Halloween Parade.

Chris Holloway directs the Middle School Orchestra during the Fall for the
Arts Festival.

Paige Black (’10) climbs

the ropes course during
the Senior Class Retreat.

Darlington Magazine
10
 Campus Feature

November
The Tigers take
the field in the Class
A State Semifinals.
After a valiant
effort, Darlington’s
“Cinderella run” ended
in round four with a
24-10 loss to Savannah
Christian.

Tyler Watkins (’21) plays the family dog in the

first-grade play “No Turkey for Perky.”

Pierce Monroe
(’18) carries a bag
of donations for the
Lower School’s annual
Warm Clothing Drive.

Allie Hurley (’13) talks with women’s soccer

Sally and Ben Scarbrough (’22) enjoy turkey, dressing and all
the fixins at the Lower School’s annual Thanksgiving Feast.
star Julie Foudy during her trip to the campus.
Foudy, an Olympian and former captain of the U.S.
Women’s National Soccer Team, visited Darlington
to learn more about the school and the Soccer
Academy.

Summer 2010
11
 Year in Review
December

Darlington’s 26th
Annual Lessons and
Carols featured a
performance by Melissa
Lee (’11) on flute and
more than 130 other
students from Lower,
Middle and Upper
Schools.

Hamilton Shamblin
(’23) performs in the
pre-K and kindergarten
musical, “The Tiniest
Christmas Star.”

The Dar Bots robotics

team hosts a FIRST
Lego League Regional The Middle School hosts its annual holiday party for over 140
Qualifier Tournament children from the Rebecca Blaylock Child Development Center.
at the Middle School,
bringing over 200
visitors to campus.

January
The Neville House boys, decked out in slumber
party attire, make their grand entrance during
RUMPUS, a weekend-long competition involving
day and dorm students from all six residential
houses. Neville House was named the overall
winner of RUMPUS 2010.

Darlington Magazine
12
 Campus Feature
February

After an exciting season, the boys’ and girls’ Middle School basketball teams
earn complementary region titles.

Brian Liu (’10) does

calligraphy at the
International Fair and
Taste of Darlington. At
this event, international
students representing
27 countries shared
their cultures and
favorite dishes.

Robyn Featherngill
(’23) proudly displays
her Smith Smarties flag
during the opening
ceremony of the Pre-K
Olympics, held in
conjunction with the
A layer of snow
Vancouver Olympics.
blankets Darlington’s
campus.

Kevin Sherrill
(’10) takes down his
Pepperell competitor
on Senior Night. He
went undefeated at
the 171-pound weight
class and was the area
and state champion in
After a visit from 11 Alive’s Mobile Weather Center in January, Class A.
Lower School students are filmed saying “11 Alive, you’re the
ones!” Clips of this footage were aired during the news.

Summer 2010
13
 Year in Review
March

Sarah Tunnell (’22) and 17 other

Darlington students perform the
Caroline Temples (’18) was among the Lower School’s Science Fair winners for her project “Annie” selection “Hard Knock Life”
titled, “Is Smiling Contagious?” during a Northwest Georgia Winds
concert.

April
Tommy Atha (’19) slides down an
inflatable slide during Tiger Fest, an
annual spring event sponsored by
Darlington’s House Senate.

Members of the boys’ and girls’ varsity tennis teams pose for a group photo
after sweeping the region tournament

The 5th and 6th Grade String

Matt Duckworth (’10) and his date, Ensemble plays at the Dollywood
Kamlyn Andrews (’12), walk in the theme park. The Orchestra and
Senior Lead Out at Prom. Chorus also performed.

Darlington Magazine
14
 Campus Feature
May

Gianna Pieroni (’17)

plays the lead in the
concert version of the
famous Broadway
musical “Annie.”

Hunter Hardeman (’11) and Cliff Knight (’11) race to the finish line during the
Physics Boat Race. Their boat, The Wizard’s Curse, won the race by several minutes.

Allie Cordell (’23) and

Hamilton Shamblin
(’23) play tug of war on
Field Day.

Chelsea Winfrey (’11) hands the baton to Paige

Banks (’11) during the 4 x 100 Relay at the state
meet. The relay team finished third in state, and
the Lady Tigers finished fifth overall.

Kelsey Howell (’10) hugs

history teacher Brian Inman
after receiving her diploma
at Commencement. Chloe Simms beams
with pride as she
finishes the swim
portion of Tri for the
Kids with the help of
Alea Vick (’13).
The triathlon was held
to benefit the Boys &
Girls Club.

Summer 2010
15
Tech Talk
Darlington website gets a new look, features
Technology is ever changing and always
improving, and with internet access now
available on the go via mobile phones and
other hand-held devices, it’s more important
than ever that an organization have a dynamic
website. As people turn exclusively to the
internet for discovering new services, an
organization doesn’t exist unless it has one.
For new customers, at least during that initial
discovery, the website is the organization,
and the organization is perceived to be only
as good as its site.
“For a school, in particular, everyone
does initial comparisons on the web, so
Darlington’s website has to be as good,
or better, than our competitors’ to make
a prospective student want to take the
next step,” said Stefan Eady, director
of information technology. “This fall
and winter, I.T. and Communications
teamed up to revamp our site. We
had outgrown the previous design,
and the large amount of information
was causing the navigation to become
difficult. The website is our most
important – and arguably our most
effective – marketing tool, so we wanted
our efforts to support and enhance
Darlington’s marketability. We’ve spent
the past few years developing and
16
expanding our intranet for our internal
audience, so it was time to really focus
on the external.”
When Darlington launched its website
in 1997, it was a static site typical of
the time that was built and maintained
by Eady, who was then working in
the Communication Office. The site
went through a series of redesigns in
1998, 2000 and 2002, evolving into a
dynamic, data-driven website that could
handle a growing amount of content
that changed frequently, including
real-time photo galleries, calendars,
announcements and gradebooks. Since
much of the development focused on
academics, class management and
administrative tools, it also became the
primary communication medium for
parents, students and teachers.
“Over the years, we have looked
at several popular website vendors
that specifically target independent
schools; with few exceptions, all of our
competitors use one of these services,”
said Eady, who continued to manage
the website when he became head of
the I.T. Office in 2003. “But every time
we began comparing, we were faced
with more compromises we’d have to
make in switching over than there were
benefits, particularly in terms of our
intranet capabilities. Simply put, we’d
rather address our business needs the
right way instead of the easier way. By
keeping Darlington’s site in-house, we
are truly able to do anything we want
any way we want. We can do things
before any of our competitors because
we don’t have to wait on industry
solutions to catch up. We have also been
able to tailor the functionality of our
site specifically to our needs. It’s not a
one-size-fits-all solution; it’s made just
for Darlington and that’s why it works
so well.”
Eady and a five-person team
representing I.T. and Communications
began work on the latest rendition of
Darlington’s website in October 2009.
With Audra Babb and Eady focused
primarily on database integration and
programming; LaNoya Corley and
Doug Hamil on multimedia production
and web design; and Tannika King and
Anne Paige Wilson on content and
marketing, the group was off to a quick
start. Their first steps were to address
the weaknesses of the previous site
design and brainstorm new features and
functionalities that would specifically
support future marketing needs. Their
goal was simple: to attract more visitors
for longer periods of time.
“To do that, we needed to get people
connected to that content, either by
leaving comments, sharing it with
family and friends via social media
Darlington Magazine
sites, or even contributing their
own content,” Eady explained. “That
connection with content creates a loop
that helps us build more content and
reach not only more people, but people
who want and need to find Darlington.
These two concepts, content and
connectivity, became the focus of all of
our planning. We actually sat down the
first day, narrowed our focus to those
two areas, and had the bulk of the new
site planned by the end of that day.”
The school’s formal, static content
was expanded in almost all sections,
and pages were added in admission,
academies and fine arts. In addition,
the alumni section was transformed
into a dynamic area where classmates
can now create personal profiles and
use tools like the Online Directory and
Career Network to reconnect. On the
back end, a great deal of time was spent
restructuring and consolidating large
sections of the database to make the
new site easier to develop and maintain.
However, the most obvious change
was the addition of new, authentic
content that truly conveys the spirit
and culture of the school.
“Static content paints a controlled
image of the school by conveying
central, foundational messages. This is
necessary to accurately communicate
what we’re about,” Eady said. “Our goal
Summer 2010
was to expand this content, but to also
complement it. We wanted to take the
roof off of Darlington and let visitors
get a peek into real life here. We know
that the key to getting a new student
at Darlington is getting that family on
campus, so we wanted to help translate
that experience online. To do that, we
added things like blogs, videos and a
whole section just for student-created
content. Of this new content, the 1,000
Stories and the blogs are by far the
most popular. What we have now is
only the beginning.”
The new site launched in mid-March
after several user tests.
“Two months into the project, we
had a functioning prototype built and
conducted one-on-one user testing
with faculty, students and parents.
That was probably our most helpful
feedback and led us to make several
adjustments to the overall site design,
navigation and several individual page
adjustments,” Eady said. “A month
later, we were able to release an alpha
version to all faculty members and a
select group of other people including
parents, students, trustees and friends.
Most suggestions from that release
focused on individual pages, but
the reaction to the new direction of
the site was very positive. When we
released the beta version to the world in
February, the feedback was extremely
positive. Following that curve of
feedback, we felt very comfortable with
our plan to launch the site over spring
break.”
The website’s open design and the
fact that it was built in-house creates
a world of possibilities. Eady and
his team encourage members of the
Darlington Community to share their
feedback and ideas so that they can
continue to grow the site to support the
future of Darlington.
“I’ve been designing websites for
14 years, and I have never created
anything as sophisticated as the site we
just launched,” Eady said. “We basically
created our own content management
system from scratch and integrated it
with every other system on campus.
Big businesses spend millions and
take years to do that. Six of us created
this site while still managing our
other responsibilities, and it only took
five months. We all had our separate
strengths, but we also shared a similar
passion for the power of the web and
communications as well as a respect
and practical knowledge of how it all
works. This was some of the toughest
work I’ve ever done, but it was also
some of the most fun. With a great
plan and the right people, anything is
possible.”
17
 Campus View

Hello,
More than 70 students of all ages took the
stage in Darlington’s production of the
famous Broadway musical, “Hello, Dolly!”
at the Rome City Auditorium in February.
The Tony Award-winning production tells
the story of matchmaker Dolly Levi’s efforts
to find a husband in wealthy half-millionaire,
Horace Vandergelder, the first citizen of
Yonkers, N.Y. Along the way, she also succeeds
in matching up the beautiful, rich widow,
Irene Molloy, with Vandergelder’s head clerk,
Cornelius Hackl; Malloy’s assistant, Minnie
Faye, with Hackl’s assistant, Barnaby Tucker;
and struggling artist, Ambrose Kemper, with
Vandergelder’s niece, Ermengarde. A special
thanks to Darlington’s Fine Arts Booster
Club for all of their support!.

Darlington Magazine
18
Summer 2010
19

How was Darlington a transformative
experience in your life?
I was a graduate of the Class of 1962. The
Honors Program had just begun, and we were
the first class to have inductees into the Cum
Laude Society. My classmates were some of the
brightest individuals I have ever known; they
set the bar high and in our day it was “cool to be
smart.” Darlington taught me that mediocrity
was not acceptable and that hard work can
overcome a heck of a lot of deficiencies. I have
always been grateful to Darlington for instilling
those values in me.
You were elected Board chairman in May
2009. Did you ever imagine yourself in this
role?
I never dreamed I would be a member of the
Board of Trustees, much less the chairman.
Looking back at the 13 men who have held
this role before me, I am in awe. However, I am
happy to serve the institution that has meant so
much to me and my family.
What steps have you taken this year
to determine the focus of your work as
chairman?
My goal as chairman has been to work with the
headmaster and my fellow trustees to identify
national, regional and local factors affecting
Darlington, and put into place processes to
address these factors. Early in the year, we held
strategic planning sessions with renowned
consultant Dr. Bill Weary, and out of those
sessions we have identified 10 major areas of
focus specific to curriculum, development,
marketing, mission and operations. We have six
Board committees and five ad hoc committees
dedicated to this process. It has been extremely
gratifying to see our trustees – a very savvy
group of people – engaged, energized and
feeling productive in their service to the school
as they work through these issues. We all feel
a mandate to take Darlington “from good to
great.”
20
Dr. Frank Stegall (’62), chairman of the Board of Trustees and third-generation
Darlington alumnus, talks about the past, present and future of Darlington
School. Stegall is a cardiologist in Rome, Ga. He and his wife, Rebecca,
are the parents of Darlington alumni Maury (Stegall) Hitchcock (’00),
Frank Jr. (’02) and Blair (’03).
Dr. Frank Stegall
What are the 10 areas of focus defined by
the strategic planning group?
Independent schools face many challenges in
2010, and Darlington is no exception.
1. We are taking a close look at the Lower
School to see if we can redefine its niche in
Rome’s PK-4 market. The Lower School has
been a proud part of Darlington since 1972,
but in the last several years we have seen a
decline in enrollment due to the emergence
of several local competitors. We all want to
see our Lower School succeed and be the
undisputed best option in the city, so we
are re-evaluating programs, curriculum,
marketing, etc.
2. Raising the remaining $20 million to
complete the Second Century Campaign is
obviously on my mind. The most ambitious
fundraising effort in Darlington’s history,
this $90 million campaign is critical to
Darlington’s future.
3. Attracting and keeping the best students –
regionally, nationally and internationally – is
a challenge I think all independent schools
are facing to some extent. As families
struggle with the economic downturn and
whether or not to send their children to
independent schools, it is more important
than ever to fine tune our strategic marketing
efforts and increase our financial aid dollars.
We must identify the uniqueness of the
Darlington experience as it relates to each
of our constituents, define which students
we serve best and focus our efforts on
reaching those audiences, and find new ways
to get Darlington’s message out to broader
circles. Along with this, we must grow our
endowment for student scholarships and
continue to build participation in the Georgia
GOAL Scholarship Program so that we can
enroll the very best students regardless of
socioeconomic factors.
4. Another challenge is increasing our
endowment for faculty support. Darlington’s
faculty and staff have been the backbone
of what we do here for over 100 years, and
unfortunately their salaries are not where
we want or need them to be. This group of
devoted professionals is sacrificial in their
service to the school; they are what alumni
remember when they leave our gates. So, in
order to attract and keep the cream of the
crop, this must be a priority.
5. Along with that, we want to improve our
evaluation procedures for faculty and staff.
Performance evaluations are essential to
the success of any organization, and are
as valuable – if not more valuable – to the
employee’s professional development as they
are to the institution.
6. In addition, we want to improve our
accounting processes. There is always room
for improvement where money is concerned,
and this is an important way to ensure that
we are the best possible stewards of our
resources.
7. We also want to improve data collection on
our alumni. For instance, how well do our
graduates do in college and in life? What
percentage go on to graduate with High
Honors from their respective institutions?
This is what we call outcomes measurement,
and it will certainly help us on the marketing
front.
8. There is a need for a more integrated,
seamless curriculum across all three divisions
of Darlington. Academic Dean David Powell
and his vertical subject teams have already
made great strides in this area. The math
department, in particular, has done an
excellent job re-evaluating what is taught at
each grade level and developing a common
language that will take students from Lower
to Upper School. I look forward to seeing
more progress in the coming year.
9. We want to look at expanding Darlington’s
academies to include a fine arts academy, in
particular. In the past five years, the soccer
and tennis academies have flourished,
attracting student-athletes from all over the
world who want to obtain a quality education
at Darlington. We need a similar option for
students interested in pursuing the fine arts
in college and as a career, and it is our goal to
provide top-notch curricular programs and
facilities to make this dream a reality.
Darlington Magazine
 Campus Feature

10. Last, we are taking a good, hard look at our
mission statement. Successful institutions
do this every five or so years to ensure that
it is aligned with future goals. We want to
ensure that the mission of the school guides
us appropriately and is something our entire
school community truly believes in. Our
mission should speak not only to academics,
though that is the primary goal. Darlington
In terms of admission, what must
Darlington do to remain competitive?
Darlington and other independent schools
across the nation are all facing the same
challenges in admission – a drop in the
birthrate, an increase in the number of families
who choose home schooling, the emergence of
less expensive local competitors and charter
schools – all of which lessen the pool of

l
aims to prepare students not only for college,
but for life. We have an obligation to educate
the whole child, and – most of all – we
want to prepare our graduates for a life of
accomplishment, leadership, service and
fulfillment.
Setting up key statistical benchmarks to assess
multi-year progression in these areas will be
challenging but vital. As we update our strategic
plan to guide us through the next few years, we
must clearly outline the ways in which we will
calculate our progress. After all, goals should be
measurable.
Why is financial sustainability more
important now than ever for independent
schools?
The economic downturn has caused the value
of an independent school education to be
questioned now more than ever over lower-cost
options. Parents simply have less discretionary
income, and private school tuitions demand
a sacrifice. This means an increased demand
for financial aid for new and existing students.
That coupled with a 20-25 percent drop in the
value of our endowment have necessitated that
Darlington, along with many other independent
schools across the country, focus on financial
sustainability. Past Board Chairman John Irby
(’81) led this charge in 2008-09, and we continue
to build upon the solid groundwork he laid. We
are currently doing a cost/benefit analysis of
programmatic offerings and looking at alternate
sources of income besides tuition (i.e. summer
programs).
What role does the Second Century
Campaign play in Darlington’s future?
This campaign is crucial to Darlington’s
financial sustainability. With $70 million
already pledged, we have been remarkably
successful despite the challenging economic
climate. Co-chairmen Jere Drummond (’57) and
George Johnson (’54) have been inspirational in
their leadership of this campaign. This school
is very fortunate to be blessed with hundreds
of loyal alumni and friends who have been
generous in their support, but there is still more
to do. The final phase of this campaign will
focus on increasing the endowments for faculty
support and student scholarships.
qualified candidates. To remain competitive,
Darlington must continue to be sensitive to the
tuition burden of families while, at the same
time, striving to make the learning experience
even more rich so that parents no longer
assume they can’t afford to send their child
to Darlington – instead, they know they can’t
afford not to.
A recent survey conducted by the National
Association of Independent Schools found that
parents want a rigorous academic program
with a strong emphasis on character and
leadership development and where their
children can obtain a “real world” experience.
Darlington is remarkably strong in all of
these arenas. Our students can choose from
19 AP courses and Honors courses in every
subject. Character education begins in pre-K
and prepares our students to be accountable
to the highest standard of honor. They can be
involved in over 80 leadership opportunities.
Presently, Darlington’s student body represents
27 countries and 26 states. What a wonderful
environment to learn from one another and to
prepare young people for the complex world
they will enter.
I am confident that these “value added”
co-curricular elements, paired with our
undeniably strong faculty, are just a few of
the reasons that Darlington is among the best
independent schools in the Southeast.
Describe Darlington’s role as an
independent school in the community of
Rome, Ga.
Darlington and the City of Rome have had a
symbiotic relationship for over 100 years. We
are a major economic engine for the city, while
Rome offers our students a great many avenues
for experiential learning. Relationships with
local colleges have created opportunities for
our students to partner with undergraduate
students on research projects. Darlington’s tie
to the South Rome Redevelopment initiative has
allowed our students to witness and be a part of
social change. Our servant leadership program,
which has been expanded in recent years, gives
every student a chance to partner with one or
many service organizations throughout the city.
Every year, it seems like we are finding more
opportunities like this to be involved in our
community, and I think that’s an important part
of who Darlington is.
Frank Stegall (’62) congratulates recent
graduate Victoria Ross (’10) during Darlington’s
105th Commencement on May 15.
What reasons do we have to be optimistic
about Darlington’s future?
Darlington’s people are among its major assets.
My fellow trustees and I believe that Darlington
is in good hands with Tom Whitworth. A
seasoned and knowledgeable headmaster, he
is without a doubt the right person to navigate
this school through the challenges that will
inevitably come our way. We are also fortunate
to have a faculty and staff who possess the
desire for Darlington to reach the next level.
They embrace change when it makes the
school a better place, and they are the driving
engine behind our efforts to do just that. Our
ever-supportive community of students and
parents help create the nurturing, family-like
atmosphere that makes Darlington so special.
Our alumni and friends continue to give of
their time and resources because of the affinity
they have for this school. These people love
Darlington, and because of that our future will
be bright.
It’s also important to re-emphasize the fact
that we have spent the past year identifying our
greatest challenges, and my fellow trustees and
I are wholeheartedly committed to addressing
these. We have a 105-year history with
continuing efforts at improvement, so I honestly
could not be more optimistic.

Summer 2010
21
Campus Feature
Career Day
A glimpse into the real world
Will Muschamp (’90), defensive coordinator
and linebackers coach for the University of
Texas, knows that hard work is the key to
success. A highly competitive and visible figure
in the game of football, he is constantly
reminded that hard work pays off – both by
his players and in his own career.
Will Muschamp (’90)
Muschamp, a 14-year coaching
veteran who has coordinated successful
defenses at the collegiate and NFL
levels, has already secured two SEC
titles and made two appearances at the
National Championship – winning
one with Louisiana State University in
2003. This past fall, he was named head
coach designate to succeed Longhorns
veteran Mack Brown.
“In each phase of your life, whether
it is academic, athletic, spiritual or
anything else, you determine how
successful you will be,” Muschamp
said. “Anything worthwhile in life takes
work. They are really easy words to say,
but it is hard to do. …The good players
22
Katherine (Biondo) Cline (’96)
I’ve been around – and I have been
around a lot of them – you don’t have
to ask them to work hard. They know
they need to [do it] in order to become
great.”
Just one month after Muschamp
helped lead Texas to the BCS National
Championship game against Alabama
in January, he returned to his alma
mater as the keynote speaker for
Darlington’s biannual Career Day
event, sponsored by the Alumni
Council.
“Even with all his success, Will
Muschamp seemed to genuinely care
about getting through to us,” said Aliya
Smith (’11). “The piece of his speech
that stood out the most to me was the
part about potential. He said something
to the effect of, ‘When someone tells
you that you have potential, it just
means you haven’t done any work.’
And to be quite honest, I wholeheartedly
agree. Hearing from others that I have
‘potential’ just screams disappointment;
it’s motivation to take initiative and get
the ball rolling.”
A native of Rome, Muschamp
graduated from Darlington in 1990.
In high school, he was a standout
athlete in football, basketball, track
and baseball, receiving multiple awards
for his performance in each sport. His
senior year, he received the American
Legion Award for courage, honor,
leadership, patriotism, scholarship
and service and the Joe Mull Memorial
Trophy for most versatile athlete.
Looking back, Muschamp says he
credits Darlington – and specifically
his teachers and coaches – with
preparing him for college and life
beyond.
“There was nothing I faced when I
was at college that I wasn’t prepared
for already because of the great job
that the administration and faculty
did,” he said. “Darlington has done a
great job hiring outstanding people
and putting [them] in places where
they can positively affect kids.”
He urged students to think about the
people at Darlington who have already
made a difference in their own lives.
“They’re not in it for the money,”
laughed Muschamp, whose father,
Larry, retired from Darlington in 1999
after two decades of service to the
school. “They’re doing this because
they can positively affect your life.
The most important motivator in the
workplace is appreciation, so show
your appreciation for what these people
do for you. [They are] what makes
Darlington Magazine
Darlington a special place.”
After Muschamp’s address, juniors
and seniors had the opportunity to
attend mini-seminars with returning
alumni. The sessions focused on a wide
array of professions from broadcast
journalism and entertainment to
wealth management and law. Out of
the 18 available career choices, each
student selected his or her top four and
heard from those alumni.
“We are so appreciative of our
Alumni Council for coordinating this
wonderful event and of our alumni
speakers, who graciously returned to
campus to give students a firsthand
glimpse into their respective careers,”
said Vicki Vincent, director of alumni
relations. “The feedback I have received
has been overwhelmingly positive.
Alumni had a great time connecting
with a new generation of Darlington
students and re-connecting with each
other, and students really seemed to
enjoy meeting career professionals who,
at one time, were Darlington students
just like them.”
Alumni guest speakers included
Elizabeth (Smith) Avery (’66T), Grady
Boggs (’88), Katherine (Biondo) Cline
(’96), Maurie Dugger (’94), Christine
(Todino) Earp (’83), Justin Farmer
(’97), Lindsey (Mann) Field (’99), Mary
Kate (Vick) Fuller (’84), Julia (Ward)
Hamilton (’84), Jordan Knight (’98),
Kim McConkey (’73), Kelly Moore (’95),
Kathleen (Smith) Hughes (’84)
Summer 2010
Jessie Tudor (’11) and Katharina Reckendrees (’11) attempt to identify an
object used in culinary arts and catering.
Bryan Mullins (’95), Natalie (Berry)
Murphy (’94), Mary Katherine (Husser)
Simmons (’95), John Thompson (’95),
James Vick (’75), Andrew Walker (’96)
and Tara Lyn Williams (’91).
“Before Career Day, I had forgotten
my childhood dream of becoming a
vet,” said Lindsay Braden (’11). “Mrs.
Murphy went to Bel-Rea Institute, a
college I wanted to go to when I was
young. Hearing her experiences both at
Bel-Rea and as a vet tech reminded me
of my old passion. It got me thinking
about my other options when it comes
to college and the job I may take.”
Smith said Moore’s session on
photography was her favorite because
of his passion for his career. “The
photography class was the artsiest of
them all, so naturally it drew me in,”
she said. “I want to major in drawing
in college. It’s the one thing about
which I’ve always been passionate.”
As juniors and seniors explored
their career interests by talking
to professionals, freshmen and
sophomores spent the morning
exploring themselves. This part of
the program, led by Kathleen (Smith)
Hughes (’84), saw students rotating
through a series of challenging
activities designed to help them
discover their individual strengths
and passions.
“Before you choose a career, you
should know yourself,” said Hughes,
a human relations consultant who
has facilitated leadership and team
development workshops for the past
15 years. “The way you approach tasks,
make decisions, respond to challenges,
and see yourself and others are very
important factors in choosing a
fulfilling career and being successful in
life. Knowing yourself and playing to
your strengths can be the difference in
a great life and a mediocre life – both
personally and professionally.”
The underclassmen split up into
small groups and went from station to
station, trying their luck at a variety of
puzzles and mind games.
“There was one activity where we
had to balance nails on this wooden
board without letting them touch the
ground,” said Shelby Martin (’13). “The
game was tricky at first, but we started
to figure it out eventually. Each activity
was about teamwork and overcoming
challenges. It was a metaphor for real
life. Career Day showed me that I
really am capable of anything. If I face
a challenge, I know that if I work hard
enough I will achieve.”
To watch a video story about Career
Day, visit www.darlingtonschool.org/
careerday2010. To see Muschamp’s
address, visit www.darlingtonschool.
org/muschampvideo. For a video
story about Muschamp, visit www.
darlingtonschool.org/muschampstory.
23
Campus View

Special
Olympics
Serv ice Beyond Self is not just a line in
Darlington’s motto; it’s a way of life. For their
senior project, the Class of 2010 partnered with
Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority to
host the Special Olympics on campus at Chris
Hunter Stadium. Approximately 300 athletes
representing Rome City Schools, Floyd County
Schools, the Georgia School for the Deaf
and Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital
competed in running, wheelchair and trike
races; a softball throw; the standing long jump;
and a soccer kick. Darlington also provided
lunch. All 133 seniors assisted with events,
concessions and food preparation, supporting
the Special Olympic athletes as they learned
firsthand that it’s more important to finish
than to win.

Darlington Magazine
24
Summer 2010
25
Alumni Profiles
Elaine Smith(’71T)
Coming full circle
After exactly three decades of teaching on
the same campus where she attended high
school, Elaine (Hackett) Smith (’71T) says she
has come full circle.
“When I first started teaching at the
Thornwood campus, it was hard to
believe I was now the teacher and not
the student,” she said. “I had my first
date with my husband, Wright (’70), at
the eighth-grade Valentine Dance in
the same gymnasium where our Lower
School students play. Sometimes, I
look at the huge, ancient oak trees on
campus and remember when I stood as
a student under their branches.”
Smith’s alma mater, Thornwood
School for Girls, was located on the
Lower School’s current campus until it
merged with Darlington in 1973. When
she thinks back to her time as a student
there, the lifelong friends she made and
the educators who positively impacted
her life, Smith’s heart is warmed.
“Bambi Berry was my English teacher
my senior year at Thornwood,” she
recalled. “She was so beautiful and
smart, and I wanted to work hard to
please her. She definitely encouraged me
to push myself.”
Ms. Berry may have been among
the many talented educators over the
26
years that influenced Smith’s career
path, but her love for teaching actually
began much earlier. As a child, Smith
remembers playing “school” with her
sisters – one of whom is Peggy Patton,
who went on to teach first grade at the
Lower School from 2005 to 2010.
“I loved elementary school even
though I attended a strict, no-nonsense
school,” Smith said. “I was a good
student. My second-grade teacher
asked me to help a classmate who was
struggling in Phonics and that probably
helped plant the seed for my teaching
career.”
So, after earning her B.S.Ed. and
M.Ed. from the University of Georgia
in the mid-1970s, Smith followed her
dream of becoming an elementary
school teacher. She had five-and-a-half
years of previous experience when she
was hired to teach second grade at
Darlington in 1980.
“I love teaching elementary students
because they are so loving and
innocent,” she said. “They haven’t yet
been subjected to the harshness of life.
They love their teachers almost as much
as a close relative. They have such an
eagerness to learn, and they love to hear
your life stories and lessons. Several
years back, I ran into some of my former
students. They could still sing all the
dinosaur songs I’d taught them 20
years ago! One told me she’d gone into
elementary education and was now a
teacher in the Floyd County Schools
system. I felt that perhaps I made some
impact on her life; that is so rewarding.”
Smith continued to teach second
grade for the next 29 years, during
which time her children, Ben (’98) and
Drew (’03), made their way through the
Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.
“I wanted my children to have the
same opportunities as my husband and
I did in attending Darlington,” Smith
said. “They both loved their experience
here and continue the friendships they
made on this campus. I feel fortunate
to have been so fully involved at
Darlington during my years as a parent,
alumna and faculty member. It brought
me close to many fine families, students
and colleagues.”
This past year, Smith moved up to
teach third grade – taking on one
last challenge before her retirement.
She says she still looks forward to the
beginning of each school day.
“I’ve had a wonderful class this year.
I taught half of them in second grade,
so it’s been great fun deepening those
relationships,” she said. “Each morning,
we watch our daily school newscast on
WDLS and talk about what is coming
up. Then, they dive right into their
morning assignments while I work
with those who need individual help.
It’s a good feeling to see your class
work independently and confidently on
lessons you have planned.”
In her retirement, Smith looks forward
to setting her own schedule and pace.
“I’m going to slow down and take
pleasure in all the little things I hurried
to get done when I worked,” she said.
“I’ll enjoy getting out and interacting
with adults, exercising more and taking
better care of myself. It will be nice to
experience the change of the seasons
and the holidays of the year without
feeling rushed.”
But the idea is still a bit surreal to her,
and right now she can’t help but think
about all the aspects of teaching that
she will miss.
“I will miss the children and all the
things they say and do,” she said. “I will
miss their enthusiasm and excitement
on the first day of school. I will miss
watching all that youthful energy on
the playground. I will miss hearing
their voices sing songs and watching
them perform on stage. I will miss
sharing daily classroom anecdotes with
my colleagues. I will miss lunch with
‘the girls.’ I will miss visiting with all
the wonderful, devoted staff members
who make the Lower School run so
smoothly. And while I’m sure I will
feel exhilarated when the first week
of school rolls around in August, I’m
also going to be a little sad. The most
rewarding part of being a teacher is
watching your students grow physically,
emotionally and intellectually from the
beginning of the year to the end. I will
certainly miss that.”
Darlington Magazine

Sally Rudert (’66T)
A new phase in life
Sally (Dahlstrom) Rudert’s (’66T) favorite part of
the school day is the time she spends teaching
Geometry. Though she has taught everything
from sixth-grade math to Pre-Calculus during
her 40-year tenure at Darlington, Geometry
has always been her favorite.
“I taught Geometry Honors to ninth-
graders. It’s a great age to teach because
the students are really fun,” Rudert said.
“They are in their formative years, and
they truly enjoy learning. I can guide
them, fine tune their math skills and
Summer 2010
Road to Retirement
teach them good study skills at the same
time. I love when I am working one
on one with a student to understand a
concept and he or she finally gets it. I
also love when alumni tell me that they
have used Geometry at some point,
that they see the importance of it, or
that something I helped them with
really made a difference in their lives.
It’s so rewarding to see former students
in their professional world as doctors,
journalists, lawyers, bankers, dentists,
contractors, teachers, etc. As a teacher,
those are the best moments.”
Rudert graduated from Thornwood
School for Girls in 1966. She earned her
B.S. from Emory University and taught
math for one year at East Rome High
School before she started teaching at
Thornwood in 1970. She later earned
her M.A.T. from Emory.
“My mother and my two sisters
were also teachers, so I think teaching
just came naturally,” she said. “Dana
Edgens was my senior math teacher
at Thornwood. I had always enjoyed
math classes, but I think that her
influence made it clear to me that I
wanted to pursue math. I taught on
the Thornwood campus from the fall
of 1970 through spring of 1973. Then,
Thornwood merged with Darlington
and I came over with the girls.”
Over the past four decades, Rudert
has taken on additional duties as college
adviser, department chairperson,
associate academic dean, academic
dean, assistant director of Upper School
and finally – director of Upper School
studies and registrar, the position she
held until her retirement. While these
responsibilities often make for a very
busy work day, Rudert said she wouldn’t
trade it for the world.
“I have enjoyed my work in the
Academic Office because I have been
able to interact and build relationships
with students who might not ever be
enrolled in my Geometry class,” she
said. “I helped guide their academic
choices and chart their individual
academic paths. I want students to
remember me as fair and consistent.
I hope I helped them learn to solve
problems, not just math problems. I
want them to be able to figure out how
to deal with issues and make the right
decisions.”
As Rudert settles into retirement,
she looks forward to traveling more,
pursuing her hobbies of needlework
and gardening, and taking classes to
enhance her skill as a quilter.
“I anticipate this next phase of my life
with great enthusiasm,” she said. “My
husband, Bob (’64), and I have renewed
our passports so we can be ready to
travel. It’s nice to have the flexibility
to go places at a moment’s notice. We
would like to see the national parks. I
also plan to spend more time visiting
with my retired friends, reading and
watching more movies. Instead of
getting up at 6 a.m. every day, I can
sleep late and watch the ‘Today Show.’
Who knows, I might even take up golf!”
But Rudert knows it will be a big
adjustment, and that she will dearly
miss the people at Darlington – many of
whom she considers to be her extended
family.
“I will miss the daily interactions the
most,” Rudert said. “Seeing the students
daily, you learn how to read how they
are feeling and whether they are having
a good day. Students can be so funny,
too. They will blurt out anything. You
want to laugh, but you have to stay
composed. Once when I was teaching
the Pythagorean Theorem, I asked my
students if they knew who Pythagoras
was. One of them said, ‘A Greek god?’
They made me smile every day.
“I will also miss not seeing my friends
at Darlington on a daily basis. We had
good times,” she continued. “In the past
40 years, I have worked with some really
wonderful educators. It was always fun
to tell stories about the ‘old days’ of
Darlington during lunch. It has truly
been an honor to serve this school,
and I am so grateful to have had the
opportunity. It’s been a great ride.”
27
Campus Views

More than 400 alumni and friends returned

to the Lakeside in September for Darlington’s
Justin Kelly (’05), Cody Amos (’04), Tyler Barton (’07) and Luke Kelly (’07)
annual Alumni Weekend celebration. Event join fellow alumni in the Yancey Suite for Halftime at the Huff.
highlights included the presentation of the
Distinguished Alumnus Award to John Hine (’53),
a 23-20 win over Bowdon at the Homecoming
game, and the special dedications of Charlie
Davidson Athletic Field and Charlie Orr (’75)
Trail. Reunion classes had high attendance,
with 20 percent of alumni in classes celebrating
their 50th reunion or less participating. The
class parties were also a huge success, with
the Class of 1999 boasting the largest number
of returning alumni at 40 percent, and the
Class of 1959 coming in at 35 percent. A special
thanks goes out to our class agents, event
hosts and all those involved in making this
year’s celebration a great success. We hope
to see you Oct. 15-17 for Alumni Weekend 2010!

Doug (’94), Elizabeth, Anna, Susan and Walter Matthews enjoy a snack
during Halftime at the Huff.

Lee Watson (’75) and

Randy Sumner (’75)
catch up before the
Nature Walk.

Members of the Class of 1959 gather for a group photo during

the Pre-Game Picnic.

Darlington Magazine
28
 Campus View

Chad Warner (’94) and his daughter, Caroline, Michael Van Cise (’96) visits with Rick Buice
enjoy food and fun at the Pre-Game Picnic. at the Alumni Cookout.

Alex Ezell (’94), Alice

Gill (’94) and Mark
Rogers (’94)
have their photo made
in Morris Chapel.

Mary Kate (Vick) Fuller (’84), Karen (Muller) Fort

(’84) and Laurel (Rose) Meyers (’84) pose for a quick
photo during their class party.

After presenting the Distinguished Alumnus Award to John

Hine (’53), alumni and students sing the Alma Mater.

Summer 2010
29
Class Notes

1929 next reunion 2014

Class Agent: Vacancy

Lawrence Lansdell was featured

in the Rome News-Tribune when he
celebrated his 99th birthday on Sept.
9, 2009.

1944 next reunion 2014

Class Agent: Joe Stukes

Joe Stukes addressed Darlington’s

student body in Chapel during
Homecoming Week. He shared with
students his Darlington memories,
both as a student and former faculty
member. Joe has also received the
Governor’s Award in the Humanities
for outstanding achievement in
research, teaching and scholarship.
This award was established in 1991
by The Humanities Council of South
Carolina.
Joe Stukes (’44)
1948 next reunion 2013 Alumni graduating in the 1940s have lunch at Atlanta’s Blue Ridge Grill.
Class Agent: Vacancy

Tom Cousins, Atlanta real estate

developer, received the 2010 Board
Chair’s Award honoring business
leaders whose philanthropic work has
led to transformative change in their
home communities. Tom is founder
of CF Foundation Inc. and East Lake
Foundation, and is co-founder of
Purpose Built Communities.

1949 next reunion 2014

Class Agent: Vacancy

Cooper Taylor and his wife, Lib,

celebrated the 100th season of
North Carolina Basketball in
Chapel Hill, N.C., in February. Out
of UNC’s 486 lettermen, 190 were
in attendance. Cooper played for
Coaches Tom Scott (1952) and Frank
McGuire (1954).  Callaway Black Group of Atlanta.
1950 next reunion 2010
Class Agent: Claude Booker
Biddy Braden was named 2009
Cattleman of the Year by the Floyd
County Cattlemen. He is a founding
member of the group, and has been a
cattleman for 32 years.
1954 next reunion 2014)
Class Agent: Jim Ford
David Harvey of Northwestern
Mutual Financial Network’s Callaway
Black Group has been recognized
as a financial professional with an
expertise in long-term care insurance
by achieving the Certified in Long-
Term Care designation. As a senior
financial representative with the
Northwestern Mutual Financial
Network, David is part of a network
Class of 1944
of specialists offering a wide array of
insurance, investment products and
services. He is associated with the
Neal Williams’ business, N.A.
Williams Co. Inc., a manufacturers’
representative firm that specializes in
the automotive aftermarket industry,
has been named 2010 Georgia
Family Business of the Year (mid-
size category) by Georgia Trend. The
magazine annually awards small,
medium and large family companies
with this distinction based on
corporate culture, associate or Henderson Stegall (’11) and Grover Birdsong
employee longevity, business ethics, (’57) pictured at the Washington, D.C.,
integrity, growth, involvement in the
Alumni Gathering in April
community, and other factors.

Darlington Magazine
30

Alumni graduating in the 1950s have lunch at Atlanta’s Blue Ridge Grill.
Class of 1959
1959 next reunion 2014
Class Agent: Brent Wells
Don Maddox will retire as Fifth
Judicial District Judge for the State
of New Mexico in July. He was
appointed by Gov. Gary Johnson
in 2000. Don served as assistant
district attorney in the Fifth Judicial
District from 1968 to 1971, and was
in private law at the Maddox Law
Firm in Hobbs from 1969 to 2000. He
said: “I have enjoyed my time on the
bench and I am honored to have been
allowed to serve the people of Lea,
Chaves and Eddy counties.”
Billy Smith writes: “I married Sandi
on Dec. 31, 1999, in Banner Elk, N.C.
We bought a cabin in Todd, N.C.,
three years ago to become snow
birds from our home in Deland, Fla.,
during the hot summer months. We
recently attended my 50th reunion
at Darlington, and we enjoyed it
immensely. Looking forward to the
55th and seeing everyone again.”
Summer 2010
1962 next reunion 2012
Class Agents: Adeline (Wright) Hanks,
John Shearer
John Kirkland Jr. has been installed
as the 52nd president of the Frederick
A. Coller Surgical Society. He has
been a member of the society since
1980. John is a vascular surgeon
for the Harbin Clinic in Rome. He
received his M.D. degree from Emory
University School of Medicine in
Atlanta and completed his residency
at the University of Michigan
Medical Center, Ann Arbor, in 1978.
He has been with Harbin Clinic for
31 years.
1963 next reunion 2013
Class Agents: Honey Bee (Buskill) Dews, Bob
Elkins
Tom Harbin published “Waking Up
Blind – Lawsuits Over Eye Surgery”
in December 2009. His book tells the
story of an eye surgeon who caused
an array of medical problems for his
patients and how one of the nation’s
premier medical centers tried to
conceal the growing scandal. Slowly,
lawsuits and publicity shed some
light on the situation. With the use
of court documents, transcripts
of tape-recorded conversations,
interviews and personal observation,
Tom presents this case from the very
beginning, uncovering all levels of
wrongdoing and secrecy. He currently
works as an ophthalmologist in
Atlanta.
John Hutzler is a certified internal
auditor and a certified government
audit professional with 14 years of
audit experience and more than 30
years of government experience.
He lives in Washington County,
Ore., with his wife, Teri Martin, and
son, David. John earned his B.A. in
Psychology and B.S. in Mathematics
from Carnegie-Mellon University in
Pittsburgh. He then graduated magna
cum laude from the University of
Pittsburgh School of Law in 1973.
Sam Moss III, Darlington’s dean
of college guidance, received the
prestigious Margaret E. Addis
Service to NACAC Award during
the National Association of College
Admission Counselors’ 65th
Annual Conference in Baltimore,
Md. Established in 1996, the award
honors a longtime, respected leader
of NACAC who has provided
the association with unique and
outstanding service and has been
committed to ensuring ethical
practices.
1966 next reunion 2011
Class Agents: Villa (Sulzbacher) Hizer,
Frank Virgin
Chris Verlander has been named
to Jacksonville University’s Board
of Trustees. Chris is senior vice
president of corporate development
for Associated Industries of Florida
(AIF). He joined AIF after working
many years with American Heritage
Life Insurance Co. and American
Heritage Life Investment Corp. in
Jacksonville.
Elizabeth (Smith) Avery (’66T)
1967 next reunion 2012
Class Agent: Lee Thuston
Dick Covington was published in
Smithsonian Magazine in February
2010. The article, titled “Renoir’s
Controversial Second Act,” talks
about the French impressionist’s
radical move toward tradition late in
his professional career.
31
Alumni Profile
Acquania (Gibbs) Escarné (’01)
Learning to cope when disaster strikes
Photo by Crystaline Kline Randazzo
On Jan. 12, more than 217,000 Haitians were
killed and 300,000 injured in a catastrophic
earthquake that occurred approximately
16 miles west of Haiti’s capital city, Port-
au-Prince. Acquania (Gibbs) Escarné (’01), a
consular officer in Port-au-Prince, had just
arrived home from work and was about to
call her husband when the earthquake struck.
“I heard a loud rumbling noise that
grew in octaves,” she said. “Then, my
china and glass started to break in the
kitchen. My bedroom furniture started
slowly moving from the walls, and the
force of my moving bed hurled me into
the air. After 35 seconds – but what
seemed like an hour – the noise and
movement stopped.”
32
From her bedroom window, Escarné
heard people screaming and praying.
She ran out of the house with her
cell phone and Embassy-issued radio
in hand. She immediately called her
husband, Rudolph, who still lives
in their Maryland home, and left a
message saying Haiti had just had an
earthquake but she was safe. After that,
she was unable to make any outgoing
calls until the following morning.
“When I walked out of my house,
I could still feel the ground shaking,”
Escarné said. “One of my neighbors’
houses had completely collapsed. By
the grace of God, her maid was able to
run out of the house before the roof
collapsed, but my neighbor – a co-
worker – lost her life. When the first
responders came to attempt rescue, the
pieces of rubble were almost impossible
to move because they were so heavy.”
The earthquake reached a magnitude
of 7.0 Mw, and at least 52 aftershocks
measuring 4.5 or greater have been
recorded since then. It is estimated
that 250,000 residences and 30,000
commercial buildings have collapsed
or are severely damaged.
While non-essential American
personnel who worked for the American
Embassy were evacuated from Haiti the
morning after the initial earthquake,
the consular officers remained to assist
with evacuations and the recovery of
American citizens.
“Consular officers are essential during
crises such as this one,” Escarné said.
“After the earthquake, we worked
around the clock to help Americans
and their families. The hardest thing
was dealing with the aftermath –
both mentally and physically. There is
no training that prepares you to assist
others during a natural disaster when
you, too, are a victim. For four days, I
had no change of clothes and slept on
the floor of the Embassy with limited
blankets. But I brushed my own issues
aside. Initially, we worked about 20
hours a day until more consular officers
came into the country to relieve us.
Eventually, we had enough assistance
to provide services 24 hours a day on
rotating schedules.”
Escarné said the most difficult thing
was telling non-Americans that they
could not receive evacuation services
through the Embassy.
“In Haiti, there are many families
in which some members were born
in Haiti and others in the U.S.,” she
explained. “As a result, some parents
– mostly mothers with Haitian and
American children – had to make the
difficult choice of staying with all of
the family in Haiti with no shelter or
food, or evacuating to the U.S. with the
American child. I saw some mothers
give their Haitian-born children to
family members and board planes with
their American children. They left
not knowing when they would return
to Haiti or see their family members
again.”
It took several months for the
American Embassy to get back on a
normal schedule, but life is still nowhere
near normal for the people of Haiti.
Before the earthquake, Haiti was already
the poorest country in the Western
world. Now, development has come to
a halt so that all the country’s resources
can be directed toward the rebuilding
process.
“Major disasters like this one are
crippling because Haiti lacks the
resources to rebound without the
assistance of foreign aid and support,”
Escarné said. “When attention is put
into rebuilding, resources must be taken
away from developing the economy,
creating jobs and educating children. As
a result of the earthquake, a majority of
the schools have been destroyed. No one
knows how long things will be this way.”
Escarné said she did not enter her
house again for weeks after the quake.
Several interior walls had separated
completely from the ceiling, and her
secure perimeter had been destroyed.
She counts herself lucky to have escaped
before further damage was done. Now,
she is one of many Embassy employees
Darlington Magazine

living with a co-worker whose house
was not damaged.
“Everything I own fits into one room
when I used to have enough to fill a
house,” she said. “I have adopted a new
philosophy, though. Material things can
be replaced, but you only get one life on
this Earth, so you should live it to the
fullest. This experience has also brought
me and my colleagues closer. Since the
earthquake, we have cried together,
laughed together and found comfort
in talking to one another about our
different post-quake experiences. We
take care of each other.”
Escarné is scheduled to leave Haiti
in February 2011 to tentatively be
relocated in London. But in the
meantime, her work in Port-au-Prince
is not finished.
“I will continue to contribute in
any way possible to the country’s
redevelopment. Haiti has become my
second home since I arrived here in
2009, and I cry for this country and its
people when I see the devastation,”
she said. “But at the same time, I
rejoice when I see how many wonderful
organizations are here to provide
medical care, shelter, food and other
much-needed services. Despite what
you may think, Haiti is still full of
life. Commerce is up and running as
everyone tries to move forward one
day at a time. Aid organizations are
thriving and hiring Haitians with vital
communication and development
skills. In the long run, this country will
bounce back, but I hope the presence
of aid will continue beyond the date
when the media stops covering the
earthquake aftermath.”
Summer 2010
Class Notes
Class of 1969
1968 next reunion 2013 1969 next reunion 2014
Class Agent: David Muschamp Class Agents: Gray Morrison, Buster Wright
Bucky Dykes Jr. writes: “My son, Tim Wallis, president of Wallis
Harrison, graduated from Lovett Printing Company in Rome, was
here in Atlanta in 2009. He achieved named to the Georgia Chamber of
MVP status for the school’s soccer Commerce’s 2010 Board of Directors.
and cross country teams, and has
1970
since moved to Auburn. I retired next reunion 2010
from Deloitte after 35 years as a Class Agent: Tom Barron
partner in the assurance and advisory Doug Brinkley was elevated
services part of the firm. I spent to Fellowship by the College of
my career in a number of different Fellows of the American Institute of
areas, from advising companies on Architects in January 2010. Election
acquisitions to assisting them with to fellowship not only recognizes
public offerings of securities. As a the achievements of architects as
result, I have had the opportunity individuals, but also their significant
to travel internationally on behalf contribution to architecture and
of my clients and experience a society on a national level. Doug
multitude of different cultures received his award medal at the AIA
and business practices. Since my National Convention in Miami in
retirement, I have decided to work June.
part time with a division of the U.S.
Security and Exchange Commission.
There is no question in my mind
that my experience at Darlington
was crucial to my preparation for
college and for my career. I will
always be appreciative for my
wonderful teachers during my time at
Darlington.”
David Muschamp is president and
CEO of Georgia Public Web Inc., a
privately held Georgia technology
solutions company offering internet
and data transport via a statewide
fiber-optic network. His company
was named to the inaugural list of
Best 100 Businesses by the University Bill Kelly (’71), Villa (Sulzbacher) Hizer (’66T), Harry
of Georgia Alumni Association. From
Johnson (’68) and Gordon Hight (’94) pictured at
over 400 nominees nationwide, GPW
the Alumni Council Kickoff in August.
ranked No. 33.
33
 Class of 1974
1971 next reunion 2011
Class Agent: Vacancy
Jon Hester writes: “After 10 years in
the bar business, Brenda and I opened
a True Value Hardware store in June
2005. Come to the island and see us.
We’re between Charleston and Hilton
Head.”
Faylene Wright retired as a colonel
in the U.S. Air Force. Most recently,
she served as deputy director
of logistics at Headquarters Air
Force Reserve Command, located
at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. She
entered the air force in 1979 and has
since organized and led a variety of
deployments. She also played a key
role in the Command’s response
to 9/11. Faylene’s decorations and
awards include the Legion of Merit,
Meritorious Service Medal with
three oak leaf clusters, Air Force
Commendation Medal, Air Force
Outstanding Unit Award with oak
leaf cluster, Armed Forces Reserve
Medal with oak leaf cluster and Small
Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
with oak leaf cluster.
Rebekah (Barron) Montgomery (’78) and Rachel (Rice) Turner
(’98) pictured at the Alumni Council Kickoff Party in August.
34
1972 next reunion 2012
Class Agent: Steve Winkler
Claude Allen writes: “Kim and
I moved to Marysville, Ohio, in
September 2005. She serves as
president of the commercial division
of Butler Animal Health Supply. I
am now retired and overseeing our
17-acre horse farm here, as well as
tending to family interests down in
the east Tennessee hills. Both kids are
through college, armed with degrees.
Heather married Carter Hopkins on
Labor Day 2007 in Dallas. J.P. is in
Florida, West Palm area.”
Carter and Heather Hopkins with
Kim, Claude (’72) and J.P. Allen
Gray Tuttle Jr. has been elected
president of the National Society
of Certified Healthcare Business
Consultants. Gray was president
of two of the three predecessor
organizations – the Society of
Professional Business Consultants
(1989-90) and the Institute of
Certified Healthcare Business
Consultants (1997-98). The NSCHBC
is a national organization dedicated
to serving the needs of consultants
who provide ethical, confidential and
professional advice to the healthcare
industry.
1973 next reunion 2013
Class Agent: Steve Wilhoite
Rocky Rockwell writes: “I can’t
believe it has been over 35 years since
attending Darlington! My wife, Gail,
and I have two grandchildren. They
are the children of our oldest son,
Ben. He and his family live in Mobile,
Ala., where he is an Episcopal priest
at St. Paul’s Church. Our middle son,
Hugh, is a flight attendant with Omni
Air International, a charter airline
based in Atlanta. Our youngest
son, Stephen, is a senior at Georgia
College and State University in
Milledgeville. So, that means Gail
and I are empty-nesters, still living in
Waynesboro , Ga. I hated missing the
35th reunion of our class, but I won’t
miss the 40th!”
1974 next reunion 2014
Class Agents: Joan Brock, Thom Young
Clay Doss is the director of planned
giving at Darlington School.
1975 next reunion 2010
Class Agent: Vacancy
Sue (Brock) Watters writes: “I am
alive and well and loving life in
Jacksonville Beach, Fla. My wonderful
husband, Gary Lane, is a cardiologist
at the Mayo Clinic. I am starting my
own interior staging and redesign
business called Designers’ Lane.”
Darlington Magazine
Class of 1979

1977 next reunion 2012 1980 next reunion 2010

Class Agent: Elizabeth (Johnson) Higbie Class Agent: Brad Skidmore

Bryan Freeman, founder of John Cordle was named

Habersham Funding LLC, was commanding officer of the U.S.S.
honored by Life Settlement Review San Jacinto in March 2009. He is a
magazine as one of The Top Ten Most graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy
Influential People in Life Settlements with a B.S. in Ocean Engineering.
for 2009. Bryan is the former
four-term president of the board
of the Life Insurance Settlement
Association.
Erin Sullivan writes: “I finished my
doctorate and am now teaching in
the School of Nursing at the Medical
College of Georgia – Athens. I’m
still working with the uninsured
as a nurse practitioner, focusing on
diabetes management.”
Scott Wheeler competed in the
United States Masters Disc Golf Christine (Todino) Erp (’83)
tournament April 30 through May
2, 2010.
Chris Rutledge and his wife, Theone,
1978 next reunion 2013
have opened the first franchise of
Class Agents: John Gilliland, Chris Peacock
Doctors Express in the Southeast in
John Cordle (’80)
Shelton (Cowan) Knoepfel writes: Atlanta. Based in Maryland, Doctors
“I had such a great time seeing old Express is an urgent care center that
friends and meeting new alumni at Brad Skidmore and his wife, treats acute illness, trauma and sports
the 2008 reunion. Keep in touch!” Stephanie, announce the birth of injuries, including minor surgical
a daughter, Lily, in 2009. She joins procedures. The center has diagnostic
1979 next reunion 2014 big sisters, Rebecca and Rachel. The labs and X-ray equipment and also
Class Agent: Tony Massing family lives in Atlanta. dispenses certain medications. The
Earl Gibson Jr. writes: “This year, 2,400-square-foot Atlanta clinic is
1983 next reunion 2013 located at 1800 Howell Mill Rd.
I celebrated my 28th wedding Class Agents: Katherine (Persons)
anniversary with my beautiful wife, Kelly, Stephanie (Smith) Walker
Mary. We spent this time working at
Pat (Bauer) Hill and her husband,
Family Life’s ‘Weekend to Remember’
Mark, live outside Pensacola, Fla. She
Marriage Conference. This was a
writes: “We would love to hear from
time to let other couples know that
you. Roll Tide!”
you have to invest in your marriage in
order for it to work. We are blessed to
be examples for our married children,
Earl III, LaToya and Joshua.”
Chris (’83) and Theone Rutledge

Summer 2010
35
Alumni Profile
John Hine (’53)
Distinguished Alumnus
According to John Hine (’53), success in school
equals success in life, and he credits much of
his own personal success to his experience
at Darlington.
“I attended Darlington for seven years
in grades 6-12; the school was smaller
and it was a simpler time then,” he
said. “I was exposed every school day
to a group of outstanding teachers and
administrators who had dedicated their
lives to the education of young men.
It was the collective influence of men
like Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Wright, Mr. Judd,
Mr. Bull Yankee, Mr. Dick Yankee, Mr.
King, Mr. Ham, Mr. Moser, Mr. Cobb,
Dr. Stukes, Mr. Lynn, Mr. Dorsey, Mr.
Milligan, Mr. Sammons, Mr. Williams,
Mr. Mudd, Mr. Scott, Mr. McNaull,
Mr. Cunningham and others that really
shaped our lives.”
Last September, nearly six decades
after his graduation from Darlington,
Hine was honored with the
Distinguished Alumnus Award for his
significant contributions to both the
school and the Rome community.
“It never occurred to me that I
might be selected as a recipient of this
award, and I shall always treasure the
honor,” he said. “This school has been
so important to me and my family. I
did not recognize it at the time [I was
a student], but I now know that the
education I received and the culture of
the school has had a profoundly positive
influence upon my life.”
A native Roman, Hine graduated with
honors from both Darlington School
and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
After college, he served two years of
active duty as an officer in the United
States Army. He then began working
for Trend Industries, where he became
senior vice president for manufacturing.
In 1973, he left Trend to establish Pharr
Yarns of Georgia, where he served as
executive vice president and president
for 23 years.
36
Alumni Council President Tim Morgan (’87) and Headmaster Tom Whitworth
present John Hine (’53) with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
“After graduating from Darlington,
I needed to find a way to finance
my continued education,” Hine
said. “Georgia Tech had a five-year
cooperative education program where
you work three months and go to school
three months. The textile industry
was strong in Rome and Burlington
Industries offered me a co-op job
opportunity. That was my initiation into
the world of manufacturing.”
Professionally, Hine has served
as director of the Georgia Textile
Manufacturer’s Association, a
director and member of the Executive
Committee of the American Yarn
Spinners Association, and as president
of the Textile Education Foundation.
A model servant leader, his
civic commitments have included
membership to and service on the
boards of the Boys & Girls Club,
Coosa Valley Fair Association, the
Exchange Club, the Exchange Club
Family Resource Center, Greater Rome
Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for
Humanity, the Open Door Children’s
Home, Redmond Park Hospital and the
United Way. He is also past chairman
of the board of Citizen’s First Bank. In
addition, Hine is an active member of
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where he
has served as Sunday School teacher,
chairman of the Stewardship and
Property Committees, and as junior and
senior warden.
“I have always had a desire to help
less fortunate children and to give back
some of what I have received in life, and
I have tried to do that,” Hine said.
For his service and dedication, Hine
has received the Boys & Girls Club’s
Man and Boy Award, the Boys Club
of America Medallion, the Bronze
Keystone Award, the Service to Youth
Award, the National Keystone Award
and the National Service to Youth
Award; the Heart of the Community’s
Award of Honor and Board of
Governors Award; the Exchange Club’s
Exchangite of the Year Award and
Katie Dempsey Star Volunteer Award;
and was inducted into the Academy of
Georgia Tech Distinguished Alumni.
He and his wife, the former Sylvia
Street, have been married 52 years. They
have three children, Judy Beecham (’77),
Susie Duke (’79) and John Jr., and seven
grandchildren.
Darlington Magazine

“None of our grandchildren live in
Rome; however, over the years, all have
attended summer camps at Darlington,”
Hine said. “All three of our children
attended Darlington. I said in my
Distinguished Alumnus address that I
believe success in school equals success
in life, meaning education is very
important. If you live in Rome and want
the best education for your children,
if possible, you want them to attend
Darlington.”
Hine continues to be an active
member of the Darlington Community.
He is a life trustee and a member of
the J.J. Darlington Society and the J.
Daniel Hanks Sr. Heritage Society.
He also serves as co-class agent of the
Class of 1953, which founded an annual
lectureship series that has brought
renowned speakers such as Roger Mudd,
Tommy Smothers, Theodore Stebbins,
Maj. Gen. Perry Smith, Furman Bisher,
Bert Thornton and, most recently, Col.
Jack Jacobs to Darlington’s campus
each spring.
“My Darlington classmates and I
created and endowed this lectureship
series as our 50th reunion gift to
Darlington,” Hine said. “We have
worked hard to make it successful, and it
has become a meaningful event for both
Darlington and the Class of 1953. It has
also served to renew old friendships and
create a source of pride among our class
in that it allows us the opportunity to
express appreciation for each of our own
Darlington experiences.”
Visit www.darlingtonschool.org/johnhine
to see a video of Hine’s address during
Alumni Weekend.
Summer 2010
Class of 1984
1985 next reunion 2010
Mary Kate (Vick) Fuller (’84)
1984 next reunion 2014
Class Agent: Kathleen (Smith) Hughes
Gina (Scoggins) D’Urbano is the
director of development at St. Mary’s
Catholic School in Rome.
Chris Jefts and his wife, Brook,
announce the birth of a son, Holden
Turner, on Feb. 2, 2010. The family
lives in Atlanta. Chris’ company,
Peachtree Planning Corp., was
selected as one of the leading wealth
managers of the Southeast United
States for 2009, as published in Forbes
magazine.
Class Notes
Class Agent: Wright Ledbetter
Laura (Culpepper) Genung writes:
“I am very busy as a single mom and
work as a manager in information
technology at TSYS, a financial
transaction processing firm. My
daughter, two sons and I are active at
St. Luke United Methodist Church,
where they also attend school. My
parents and the kids’ dad live nearby,
and we all stay busy with their sports,
drama and social lives.”
Benjamin Goff writes: “I have
moved to a seven-acre farm north of
Bucyrus, Ohio. I’m still working in
law enforcement and EMS for New
Washington, Ohio. My daughter,
Jessica, is now a teenager and I have a
puppy named Luke.”
Peter Hobert is vice president of
customer technology services for
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the
nation’s largest and oldest publishing
company. He and his family live in
Rockledge, Fla.
37

Class of 1989
Justin Farmer (’87)
1987 next reunion 2012
Enger McCartney-Smith visited the
Darlington campus this fall to see her
daughter, Aliya (’11), in “Actin’ Out,”
a student-directed dramatic and
musical performance.
Enger McCartney-Smith (’85) and her
daughter, Aliya (’11)
1986 next reunion 2011
Class Agent: Vacancy
Kim (Yencer) Mayfield writes:
“Brent and I live in Nashville with
our children, Ryan and Emily. I
have a very rewarding job at Family
Dynamics Institute, a Christian,
non-profit marriage ministry.
38
Class Notes
I am a consultant for A New
Beginning workshop, a three-day
turnaround weekend for troubled
marriages. For more information,
visit savemymarriage.com or
familydynamics.net.”
Class Agent: Kimberly (Murphy) Moseley
Mike Ceballos writes: “Sitting at a
National Science Foundation review
panel in Washington, D.C., I met Dr.
Deirdre Gonsalves who told me that
she knows Cathy Allen (’86), Crissy’s
older sister, from Randolph-Macon
College. Five years ago in Honduras,
I also met an American guy working
at a bilingual school that knew Bedell
James (’87). Go figure!”
Leah Claybrook-Vallely writes:
“Hello from Huntsville, Ala., a great
place to live and raise children. My
husband and I have two, Ethan and
Juli. I am working with elementary-
age special needs children and am
pursuing my Ed.S. in Psychometry.
Hope that each of you from the Class
of 1987 is doing well!”
Alice (Harrison) Williams writes:
“I left the school system as a school
counselor in May 2009 and began
private practice as a full-time
therapist. I am located in downtown
Rome at Psychological Associates of
Northwest Georgia, and I love my
new career!”
1988 next reunion 2013
Class Agents: Ron Mixon,
Jim Valentine
Mark Bethell is CEO of University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center Neapolis
Health System in Paphos, Cyprus.
Stacy (Smith) Cannon and her
husband, Charles, announce the birth
of a daughter, Alden Page, on Oct.
30, 2009. She joins her big brother,
Chase.
Merrimac (Locklear) Forsyth was
named Teacher of the Year at Elm
Street School in Rome City Schools.
She is married to Marty Forsyth, a
chef at Shorter College, and they have
two children, Daniel and Hunter.
Trey Lee III and his wife, Amy,
live in Nashville with their two
boys, Gardner and Camden. Trey
is the president of Real Time
Neuromonitoring Associates, which
provides professional intraoperative
monitoring services. He is also an
assistant professor of neurology at
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
and the chairman of the Board for the
Nashville Academy of Medicine.
Darlington Magazine

Mary Margaret (Wright ’91), Russ, Clay and Marshall Ryan
1989 next reunion 2014
Class Agent: Jill (Saltino) Graham
Beth (Bell) Clements writes: “Hello
from Texas! I’m loving life in the
Midwest. My children, Morgan,
Brittney, Jordan and Samantha, are
growing like weeds.”
Beth (Bell) Clements (’89) and her
daughters
Coen Dahlhaus and his wife, Wendy,
announce the birth of a daughter,
Mila, on Sept. 9, 2009. The family
lives in France.
Alicia (Jordan) Haff writes: “I am
a partner in a law firm specializing
in civil litigation and a speaker on
human resources and employment
matters to whomever will listen. I
have two kids and am enjoying life.”
Scott Humphrey and his wife, Tracy,
announce the birth of a daughter,
Brooke Madison, on April 14, 2009.
The family lives in Virginia Beach, Va.
Summer 2010
Darlington
is going
GREEN
but we can’t do it
without you!
Help us go green in our
communications by
Joel Shirasu-Hiza writes: “We have
moved from Palo Alto, Calif., to New providing your
York. My wife took a faculty position
at Columbia University. I have been e-mail address today.
working with a number of financial
services software companies over
the past 10 years, helping investment Log onto
managers and others integrate and
manage various technologies in their darlingtonschool.org/alumni
organizations. We have two boys,
Arlo and Ansel.”
and click on “Edit Profile”
Whit Wyatt III is a full-time high at the top right of the page to
school teacher and coach at a private
Christian school in Birmingham, update your information.
Ala. He teaches math and science and
coaches varsity football and baseball.
Whit lives with his wife, Wendi, and
Won’t you help us be good
children, Jack, Elly and Annalee. stewards of Darlington’s
1990 next reunion 2010 fiscal resources?
Class Agents: Mary Margaret Johnson, Bill
Temple
Web Bond III writes: “I live in San
Francisco. I moved here in 1995 upon
graduating from UGA. I lived here
through the end of the 90s, and then
moved to Arcata, Calif., where I lived
from 2000-02 while completing my
M.B.A. at Humboldt State University.
I traveled in Europe in 2003; lived
in Santa Cruz, Calif., for the latter
part of that year; and then moved to
St. Helena in Upper Napa Valley in
January 2004. While there, I worked
at Francis Ford Coppola’s winery,
Niebaum-Coppola, which has since
been renamed Rubicon Estate. I
39
Class Notes
Maurie Dugger (’94) Mary Katherine (Husser) Simmons (’95)
worked my way up to operations
supervisor for the Rutherford facility,
and then decided to move into the
wholesale side of the wine business
in summer 2005, commencing
employment with YMCO. I worked
with their fine wine division from
2005 to 2009. Now I am the Northern
California regional sales manager
for Frederick Wildman & Sons out
of New York. Other than keeping
my nose in the books and glasses of
wine, I enjoy traveling, fly fishing,
wine education, wine and food
pairing, exercise, and enjoying all that
Northern California has to offer.”
Will Muschamp, defensive
coordinator and head coach-in-
waiting for the University of Texas
Longhorns, was featured in Sports
Illustrated in January 2010. He also
served as the keynote speaker for
Bryan Mullins (’95) Darlington’s biannual Career Day
event in February.
DeAnn (Astin) Simon is a counselor
at St. Mary’s Catholic School in
Rome.
Elizabeth (McWhorter) Smith and
her husband, Montgomery, announce
the birth of a daughter, Martha Jule,
on Sept. 24, 2009. The family lives in
Demopolis, Ala.
Eric Strickland and his wife, Jennifer,
announce the birth of their son, Eli
Pressley, on June 18, 2009. He joins
big brothers, Andrew (’16) and Ethan
(’21). The family lives in Rome.
40
John Thompson (’95)
1991 next reunion 2011
Class Agent: Vacancy
Sherry (Smith) Davidson writes:
“I am still working as an instructor
and doing administrative work in the
science and technology dept at the
University of Southern Mississippi.
I am also proud to be an online
instructor for both Kaplan University
and the University of Phoenix. I am
now married to Clifton Davidson,
and we have a beautiful daughter
named Violet Kathleen. Life is good!”
Eri Taguchi lives in Tokyo with her
husband and daughter, Yoshimi.
1992 next reunion 2012
Class Agent: Alison Dunwoody
Mary Elizabeth (Gill) Bonds writes:
“I’m now living in the Atlanta area
with my husband, Scott. We were
married Nov. 8, 2008.”
Randolph (Miller) Hite and her
husband, Glen, announce the birth
of a daughter, Elizabeth “Tatum,”
on Aug. 5, 2009. The family lives in
Birmingham, Ala.
Rachel (Martin) Lodwig married
Chris Lodwig in 2002.
1993 next reunion 2013
Class Agent: Meredith Harrison
Mandy (Ayer) Churchill and her
husband, George, announce the birth
of a son, Aidan Thomas, on April 5,
2010. The family lives in Atlanta.
Kelly Moore (’95)
Ben Levy manages a secure
document shredding and recycling
service in Rome.
1994
next reunion 2014
Class Agents: Maurie Dugger,
Jimmy Smith
Justin Miller writes: “We moved to
Stuttgart, Germany, in January 2008.
Uli has opened her own translation
business. Nicholas is growing like a
weed. I am now working as a network
engineer for EDS, and I love every
minute of it.”
Frank Pratt III writes: “Olivia and
I live in Cartersville, Ga. I earned
my master’s in social work from
UGA in 2006, and started working
at Northwest Georgia Regional
Hospital in Rome shortly thereafter.
I am currently an administrative and
clinical supervisor in adult mental
health, and am preparing to take the
exam to become a licensed clinical
social worker. I have been involved
with the Rome Task Force on
Homelessness for the past year, and
continue to be an active competitor
and coach with the Rome Fencing
Club.”
Darlington Magazine
Class of 1994
Brett Sloan married Dana Nicole
Greeson on April 5, 2009. The couple
lives in Calhoun, Ga.
1995 (’95), announce the birth of a
next reunion 2010
Class Agent: Morgan Seigler
Anna (Lowden) Averyt and her
husband, Mark, announce the birth
of a son, Mark Wales Jr., on May 4,
2010. He joins big sisters Virginia
and Marianna. The family lives in
Birmingham, Ala. 
Kavitha Lakshmanan writes:”I
am getting married in about two
weeks and moving to Chicago! My
husband to be is a kind, intelligent
man who works in Investor Relations
at Boeing. I’m excited and nervous...
mostly excited right now. I had to
share the news with all of you, since
Darlington was such a huge part of
my life and a great one at that. If any
of you passes through Chicago, please
don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll still
be practicing social work and keeping
my last name...some things are hard
to change! Best wishes!”
Edgeley (Askew) Myers and her
husband, Matthew, announce the
birth of a son, Darden Cooper, on Jan.
15, 2010. The family lives in Macon,
Ga.
Summer 2010
Micah Smith and his wife, Amy,
announce the birth of a daughter,
Lydia Jane, on July 21, 2009. She joins
siblings Ella and Jonah. The family
lives in Oklahoma, where Micah
is pursuing his master’s degree in
psychological services.
Amy, Micah (’95) and Lydia Jane
Smith
Chris Spalding lives in Melrose,
Mass., with his wife and their dog,
Buck.
Steven Turner developed eccoWash
Car Care Products for distribution to
qualified distributors in the car wash
services industry in 2007. In 2009, he
founded Car Wash Outfitters, LLC, to
supply chemistry, service, marketing,
equipment and supplies to the car
wash industry. For information, visit
www.carwashoutfitters.com
1996 next reunion 2011
Class Agent: Corie (Dempsey) Swan
Ballard Betz and his wife, Elizabeth
daughter, Samantha Claire, on Dec.
2, 2009. She joins big sisters, August
and Catherine. The family lives in
Rome.
Laura (Forrester) Gelfand and
her husband, Matt, announce
the birth of a son, Christopher
James, on April 16, 2010. He joins big
brother Conner. The family lives in
Brentwood, Tenn.
Bret Peppard and his wife, Tara,
have moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bret works in oil exploration and
production for Shell Oil Co.
Shain Segars and his wife, Alicia
(’96), announce the birth of a
daughter, Ava Grace, on May 13,
2009. She joins big brother, Will. The
family lives in Trussville, Ala. Lindsey (Mann) Field (’99)
Corie (Dempsey) Swan married
Andrew Patterson Swan on Oct.
24, 2009, at First United Methodist
Church in Rome.
1997 next reunion 2012
Class Agents: Julie (Wilson) Lucas
Michael Van Cise
Shaune (Pierre) Bordere writes: “I
am in law school at Loyola University
in New Orleans, and I’m enjoying
the way that my career options are
blossoming. I’m sorry that I have
not kept in touch with classmates,
41
Alumni Profile
Eric MacLeod (’92)
Lifelong passion inspires opportunity
You could say that Eric MacLeod (’92) grew up
in the seat of a kayak. An open boat canoeist,
his father got him interested in kayaking
and other water sports at a very early age.
By 15, MacLeod was kayaking some of the most
difficult rapids on the East Coast.
“Kayaking helped me develop
responsibility, independence and self-
confidence at an early age,” he said. “It
has allowed me to explore and witness
parts of the earth that can only be seen
by river.”
Since then, MacLeod’s passion for
the sport has inspired a great many
opportunities in his life – including
his successful career as an orthopaedic
surgeon, world travel with three U.S.
national teams and a recently published
book.
“In college, I dislocated my
shoulder kayaking and had to have it
surgically repaired,” said MacLeod,
Eric MacLeod a stellar athlete who also excelled in
snowboarding, mountain biking and
lacrosse, and would eventually become
nationally ranked in freestyle kayaking.
“I went through the rehab, did all the
therapy and got back into paddling
pretty quickly. Because of my love for
sports and competition, I had already
made up my mind in high school that
I wanted to do orthopaedics, but it
was this particular incident that really
peaked my interest in the shoulder.”
MacLeod earned his undergraduate
degree from Davidson College and
taught Advanced Biology at Darlington
for one year before going on to Emory
University School of Medicine. There,
he graduated at the top of his class
and was asked to stay and complete
his Orthopaedic Surgery residency.
Five years later, he and his wife, Anne,
moved to Park City, Utah, where he
was accepted into the distinguished
Utah Sports Medicine Fellowship.
He completed a fellowship in sports
42
Eric MacLeod (’92) arthroscopically reconstructs a patient’s ankle cartilage.
medicine and shoulder and knee
surgery, focusing on innovative
arthroscopic and reconstructive
treatments. While there, he also served
as a physician for University of Utah
Athletics.
“Arthroscopy is a procedure during
which we place a small camera into
the joint through very small incisions
and then place instruments through
additional incisions to reconstruct
soft tissue and cartilage,” MacLeod
explained. “This decreases recovery
time, post-operative pain and infection.”
MacLeod and his family moved
back to Rome in 2008, and he began
working at Rome Orthopaedic Clinic.
His practice focuses on the injured
athlete – particularly injuries of the
shoulder, knee and hip. Since his return
to Rome, he has performed a number
of innovative procedures, including six
arthroscopic procedures that had never
been done previously in Rome and Floyd
County.
“One of my patients had a rotator cuff
tear that was so severe it could not be
reconstructed using his natural tissue,”
MacLeod said. “I arthroscopically
reconstructed the rotator cuff using
donated dermal tissue from a cadaver.
One year after surgery, he has full
motion and strength.”
In addition, MacLeod is the first in the
area to perform an arthroscopic labral
repair in the hip, during which the ring
of cartilage is sewn back to the socket,
and the only surgeon in North Georgia
to have performed an arthroscopic
reshaping of the hip socket. Besides
arthroscopy, MacLeod also performs
total shoulder and total knee
replacement as well as fracture care.
“Sports medicine is definitely not all
about surgery, though. One of the latest
innovations is platelet-rich plasma or
PRP,” said MacLeod, the first surgeon to
use PRP in Rome. “PRP, which is derived
from one’s own blood, has growth
factors that stimulate the recruitment
of cells that heal damaged tendons,
muscles and cartilage. Currently, the
U.S. Anti-doping Agency (USADA)
approves the use of PRP for joint and
tendon damage in the Olympic athlete.
Thanks to this, we have seen very
dramatic improvements in patients
with non-operative tendon disorders
such as tennis elbow and impingement
syndrome of the shoulder.”
MacLeod’s innovative techniques
and unmatched enthusiasm for sports
Darlington Magazine
eventually led to his being named
team physician for the U.S. Freestyle
Kayaking team and the U.S. Ski and
Snowboarding teams. Each year, he
spends approximately one week with
the skiers and snowboarders and up to
three weeks with the kayaking team at
events such as the U.S. team trials and
the World Championships. He also
works with the track and field team at
Shorter College and with several local
high schools.
“Working with U.S. national teams
allows me the opportunity to travel
and experience large-scale events with
highly competitive athletes,” he said. “In
these situations, I am treating injuries
at the highest level and working with
the athletes to get them back to their
high level of competition as quickly
as possible. I have gained a wealth of
experience and am able to bring this
knowledge back and transfer it locally
in my work with college and high school
athletes.”
MacLeod’s work with the U.S.
Kayaking team also inspired him to
publish his first book this spring, titled
“Paddling Fitness: Injury Prevention and
Performance Enhancement.” The book
will be available at Outdoor Outfitters
and Amazon.com, and a portion of the
proceeds will actually go to support the
team.
“The book started as a fitness program
I created for the kayaking team,” he said.
“I’ve been using the program with them
for a while, and it was essentially written
in book format already. I decided to
flesh it out and turn it into a book so
that everybody else in the kayaking
community can take advantage.
“This is really exciting for me because I
grew up kayaking. I guess you could say
it was my first love. The fact that I can
continue to be involved in something I
have been passionate about my whole
life – and find a way to incorporate it
into my career as well –
is just phenomenal.”
Summer 2010
Julie (Wilson) Lucas (’97) and Ashley (Rice) Gomez (’97) join fellow alumni for cookies and
cocoa during halftime of the state semifinal football game in December.
but I do miss you. I’m amazed at the
way that Darlington is developing. It
seems like just yesterday that the new
library was dusting off construction
dust. Now we have a state-of-the-art
gym! I’m so proud of the way that our
class is progressing and realizing our
dreams. Darlington has truly made a
difference!”
Laura (Collier) Darnell married
Gary Mark Darnell on July 18, 2009,
at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist
Church in Atlanta.
Amelia (Richardson) Davis and her
husband, Jeff, announce the birth of
a son, Bentley West, on Oct. 3, 2009.
He joins big sister, Georgia. The
family lives in Duluth, Ga.
Sara (Weeks) Dima and her
husband, Stephen, announce the
birth of a daughter, Elizabeth Jane,
on Aug. 19, 2009. The family lives in
New York City.
Kendall (Collins) Duggan and her
1998 next reunion 2013
husband, Stewart, announce the
birth of a son, Levi Maddox, on Aug.
13, 2009. The family lives in Rome.
Rika (Tobe) Evans and her husband,
Jason, visited Darlington’s campus
with retired faculty members George
and Betsy Awsumb. The family lives
in San Diego, Calif.
George and Betsy Awsumb with Rika
(Tobe ’97) and Jason Evans
Ashley (Rice) Gomez and her
husband, Andre, announce the birth
of a son, Andre Ryan, on Feb. 17,
2010. The family lives in Atlanta.
Holly Hagge’s bed and breakfast,
The Claremont House, which is
located in Rome, was pictured in a
“Saturday Night Live” sketch in May
2010. The episode was hosted by
Betty White.
Julie (Wilson) Lucas and her
husband, Sam (’97), announce the
birth of a son, Wilson Cofer, on April
8, 2010. The family lives in Rome,
where Julie is a regional director
for Darlington’s Second Century
Campaign and Sam is an attorney
at Brinson, Askew, Berry, Seigler,
Richardson & Davis.
Will Sargent married Jennifer
Jane Wilde on April 18, 2009, at
Tranquility Bay Resort in Marathon
Key, Fla.
Class Agents: Brent Keene,
Regan Maki-Walters
Ikue Aoyagi writes: “It’s been almost
10 years since I came back to Japan,
and I have not visited Darlington
since then. Now I am working at
Toshiba in the technology planning
and coordination department. I
met three girls in Tokyo who also
graduated from Darlington in 1998.
We had a great time chatting, but I
regret that I forgot to take pictures!”
Jennifer (Brewster) Helbing and
her husband, Brad, announce the
birth of a son Maddox Ryan, on Nov.
5, 2009. Jennifer teaches second
grade at Darlington, and the family
lives in Rome.
43
Class Notes

a te
d
t he
a v e
S

Class of 1999

m e Cline Jackson and his wife, Jessica, 1999 next reunion 2014

a
announce the birth of a daughter, Class Agent: David Swift

G Abby Kate, on Sept. 2, 2009. She joins

ng tion
Lane (Adams) Applegate married
big sister, Christa. The family lives

i
Joseph West Applegate on June 13,
in Rome, where Cline works as an

m ra
2009, at St. Simons United Methodist

o
emergency room physician at Floyd

c
Church.

e leb es Medical Center.

m Ce arti
Mandy (Dye) Arnold and her
Regan Maki-Walters and her

o
husband, Nicholas, announce the

H ton s P
husband, Samuel, announce the birth
birth of a son, Ryan Andrew, on Nov.

l
of a son, Huntley Luke, in November

s a
13, 2009. The family lives in Roswell,

g v
2009. The family lives in Duluth, Ga.

lin C la s ti
Ga.

r
Gillian (Fierer) O’Nan and her

e
Richard Bradford and his wife,

Da F urs
husband, Michael, announce of

s
Meredeth, announce the birth of

t
the birth of a son, Connor Samuel,

Ar s To
a daughter, Lillian Jane, on Aug. 5,
on Jan. 1, 2010. The family lives in
2009. The family lives in Alpharetta,

e
Atlanta.

Fin mpu otos

Ga.
Berry (Lowden) Perkins married
Bryan Evans married Alicia Marie
William David Perkins Jr. on Nov. 14,

Ca s Ph
Schumacher on Dec. 19, 2009, at
2009, at Berry College’s Frost Chapel
Whitefield Chapel in Savannah, Ga.
in Rome.

la s Joe Smith writes: “I will begin

C practice as a partner in a hospitalist
group in Orlando, Fla., on July 13,
2010. My wife begins her fellowship
in Geriatrics July 1, also at Florida
Hospital where we trained and where
I will now be an attending on staff. I
plan to continue my affiliation with
the residency as adjunct faculty. Life
is good, the weather is warm, and the
sky’s the limit!”
Both Bryan and Alicia are teachers at
Calvary Day School in Savannah.
Rebecca (Camp) Huskey and her
husband, Matthew, announce the
birth of a son, Zach Michael, on
Aug. 11, 2009. The family lives in
Taylorsville, Ga.
Christie (Oh) Lo and her husband,
Michael, announce the birth of a
daughter, Evangeline Yingxin, on
March 20, 2009. The family lives in
Mableton, Ga.
Bryan Lowe and his wife, Rebecca,
announce the birth of a daughter, Lily
Grace, on Nov. 3, 2009. She joins big
sister, Lexie. The family lives in Rome.

Darlington Magazine
44
 Ivey Harrison (’99), Daniel
Hanks (’99), Lina Hanks
and Jonathan Sparks
(’99) pictured at the
Washington, D.C., Alumni
Gathering in April.

Calling all alumni…

Distinguished Alumnus Nominations Alumni Council Nominations

Send us your nominations for the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus
Award. Established by the Alumni Council in 1983, this award
recognizes alumni who have achieved prominence in their
profession and/or community and who have demonstrated
loyalty to Darlington.
Please e-mail your nomination to alumni@darlingtonschool.org
by July 31, 2010, and include the following information:
Name and class year of nominee
Reason(s) for nomination
Your name and class year
The following individuals have been nominated to the Alumni
Council for the 2010-2013 term. The Alumni Council is the
governing body of the Alumni Association. Members are
nominated by current Alumni Council members and the
Association membership at large. 
Julia Barton (’86), Rome, Ga.
Mark Berry (’68), Rome, Ga.
Carolyn (Seigler) Brearley (’99), Rome, Ga.
Lindsey (Mann) Field (’99), Charlotte, N.C.
Cline Jackson (’98), Rome, Ga.
Kim McConkey (’73), Atlanta, Ga.
John McElrath (’99), Birmingham, Ala.
Chason Mull (’78), Rome, Ga.
John Thompson (’95), Jacksonville, Fla.
Michael Van Cise (’97), Atlanta, Ga.

Please e-mail alumni@darlingtonschool.org by July 31, 2010, to

nominate additional candidates.

Summer 2010
45
2010 Summer CampS
Through a broad range of activities and exceptional instruction,
we encourage children to apply their talents, identify new interests,
develop caring friendships and build confidence in their abilit y to succeed.

Academics Cross Country Special Interests

Boys and Girls grades 8-12
Academic Acclimation and Football Camp Cooking
Advancement Courses Boys ages 6-14
Boys and Girls ages 8 and up
Boys and Girls grades K-12 Adults of all ages

ESL Golf Knitting

Boys and Girls ages 10-18 Boys and Girls all ages
Boys and Girls grades 9-12 (beginner to advanced)
Health Lacrosse Traditional
Darlington students grade 9 Boys ages 8-18
Robotics and Engineering Tennis Camp Camp Darlington
Boys and Girls grades 5-8 Boys and Girls ages 7-10
Boys and Girls ages 10-15
SAT Prep Soccer Camp Delightascope
Boys and Girls grades 8-12 Boys and Girls ages 2-6
Boys and Girls ages 8-17
Summer Reading Challenge Wrestling Camp Invention
Darlington students grades 9-12 Boys and Girls grades 1-6
Pee Wee Camp:
Boys grades 2-5
Athletics Junior Camp:
Boys grades 6-9
7-on-7 Passing Camp
Boys grades 9-12 Arts
Athletic Training Art Explosion
Mini-Camp Creative Hands:
Boys and Girls grades 9-12 Boys and Girls grades K-6
Baseball Young Picassos:
Boys and Girls grades 7-12
Boys ages 6-12
Basketball Artistic Expressions
Boys and Girls ages 6-14 Boys and Girls ages 7-12

Cheerleading Camp Piano

Girls ages 5-12 Boys and Girls all ages
Summer Strings
Conservatory
Boys and Girls grades 8-12
(high-intermediate to advanced)

There is still time to join us this summer,

or make your plans now for 2011!
For more information and online registration visit www.darlingtonschool.org/summer Darlington Magazine

Ryan (’08), Meredith (’12), Mary Pat and Ellen Gaffney pictured at the Washington, D.C., Alumni Gathering in April.
Reagen (Lowrey) Lozar married
Casey Winn Lozar on July 25, 2009,
in an outdoor wedding at Rainbow
Ranch in Big Sky, Mont.
2001 next reunion 2011
Reagen (Lowrey ’99) and Casey Lozar
John McElrath married Stacey
Kathleen Horton on Dec. 19, 2009,
at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in
Atlanta.
Yeo-Jin (Namkoong) Pyen earned
a B.A. from Emory University and is
working as a catering sales manager
at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia.
2002 next reunion 2012
2000 next reunion 2010
Class Agent: Skye Wellesley
Stewart Coxwell is working on
her master’s in human resources
management at Georgetown
University.
Summer 2010
Patrick Dollar married Katherine
Ann Haney on May 9, 2009, at First
Presbyterian Church in Eufaula, Ala.
Barrett Fleming and his wife, Billie,
announce the birth of a son, Beau
Haskins, on Aug 21, 2009. The family
lives in Warner Robins, Ga.
Blake Rolan married Elizabeth
Bennett Sumner on July 18, 2009, at
The Briar Rose Estate in Shelbyville,
Ky. Blake was also named the running
backs coach at the University of West
Georgia.
Class Agents: Kelli (Hutchinson) Karanovich,
Whitney (Keene) Whittington
2003 next reunion 2013
George Barron and his wife, Tammy,
announce the birth of a daughter,
Emma Leigh, on April 21, 2010. The
family lives in Rome.
Jennifer (Crews) Davis married
Harrell Edward Davis Jr. on May 2,
2009, in Darlington School’s Morris
Chapel.
Class Agent: Miles Wellesley
Bruna Alencar writes: “I miss all
people that I met and all moments
that I spent at Darlington. I hope
everyone is doing well!”
Class Notes
Tripp Alexander III married
Rosemary Joy Nations on Jan. 2, 2010,
at Myers Park United Methodist
Church in Charlotte, N.C.
Georgia Harris is working on her
Masters in Teaching at Mercer
University in Atlanta.
Ben McElrath married Sarah Belser
Lamb on July 25, 2009, at Shandon
Presbyterian Church in Columbia,
S.C.
Aaron Sumner and his wife, Brooke,
announce the birth of a son, Hudson
Bradford, on July 21, 2009. The family
lives in Rome.
Class Agents: Lindsay Doss, William Krueger
David Huguenel Jr. owns a political
consulting firm called DPH Strategies
LLC based in New Orleans, La. The
firm specializes in field consultation
and demography pertaining to
political campaigning, and serves
several clients across the state of
Louisiana. David’s research in
demography post-Katrina has been
cited by several news outlets. He is
also the co-host of a political talk
show based in Baton Rouge, La., and
can be heard at kkay1590.com from 4
to 5 p.m. CST.
47
Tiger
F S U v s . G e o r g i a T e c h

Tailgates
Hundreds of alumni, parents and friends
caught up with their Darlington buddies and Event host Rebekah (Barron) Montgomery (’78) Leigh and Mary Kate Watters (’05)
with Rebecca Barron
cheered on their favorite college football
teams during our Tiger Tailgates this fall. We
want to give a special thanks to our event O l e M i s s v s . A l a b a m a
hosts, who went above and beyond to make
Darlington’s tents the best on the block. This
year’s Tiger Tailgates were held in Tallahassee,
Fla.; Oxford, Miss.; and Athens, Ga. See our
fall 2010 schedule below and make plans to
attend. You won’t want to miss the party!

Wake Forest vs. FSU

Sept. 25 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Florida vs. Alabama

Oct. 2 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Event hosts Belinda Will Edwards (’07), Christie Doss (’07), Ben McAbee
and Mark MacKimm (’07), Ben Butler (’07), Julia Douglas (’07), West
Watters (’07)
Auburn vs. Ole Miss
Oct. 30 in Oxford, Miss.
U G A v s . A u b u r n

UGA vs. Auburn

Nov. 11 in Auburn, Ala.

Darrell Lowrey, David Muschamp (’68), Karen Frances Edwards

Johnson and Harley Yancey (’07)

Darlington Magazine
48
Event host Bob Smith (’78) with his children, Anna Loveless (’09), Katie Stout (’09), Terri (Huffman) Watters (’72T)
Virginia and Warren Mary Beth Montgomery (’08), Chelsea Digsby (’07) and Linda (Grizzard) Owens (’79)

Trey Payne (’08), Steve Chumbler (’07), West Watters (’07) Frances Ann and John Graham (’59) with Bess Whitney (Keene) Whittington (’01),
Kelley (’09) Buddy Keene, Vicki Vincent

Alumni and friends Kim McAbee (’09), Katie Brown (’09), Event hosts Jack (’79) and Nancy Knight, Andy
Megan Ware (’09) Davis, Lisa and Rhett Butler, Terry and Pam
(Braden) McAbee (’76), Peter and Emily Hjort, and
Janice Davis

Summer 2010
49
Class Notes

Stephanie (Corwin) Nichols married

Drew William Nichols (’03) on June
27, 2009, at Darlington School’s
Morris Chapel. The couple also
announces the birth of a son, John
Brady, on April 7, 2010. The family
lives in Rome.
Blair Stegall writes: “My trip to
Nepal was beyond words. After going
to India in 2005, I knew I wanted to
return to that part of the world again.
I spent four months in Katmandu
serving with Mother Teresa’s sisters,
‘The Missionaries of Charity,’ at a
poor, government-run home for
abandoned elderly. I lived with a
Nepali family and grew to love and
appreciate the culture so much. I
even got to trek the Himalayas a bit.
My time in Nepal blessed me and
stretched me tremendously. It was a
gift!”

2004 next reunion 2014

Class Agent: Whitney (Smith) Hsu

Cody Amos graduated from Georgia

Southern University with a B.S. in
Education. He majored in health and Norman Bonnyman (’07) with Gen. David Patraeus
physical education with a minor in
coaching.
Katie Brindell graduated from Texas
Christian University in 2008 with a
degree in public relations. She now
works in Washington, D.C., as a
deputy press secretary for a member
of Congress.
Matt Gill earned an M.S. in
Accountancy from Wake Forest
University, passed the CPA exam, and
is working in the assurance services
practice for Ernst & Young LLP in
Charlotte, N.C.
David Hoyt married Heather
Cassandra Smith on Sept. 5, 2009, at
Darlington School’s Morris Chapel.
Whitney (Smith) Hsu married Ryan
Christopher Hsu on June 20, 2009,
Dottie Vincent (’07) with Melinda Childs (’17) and Blake Lowenberg (’17)
at Reynolda Presbyterian Church in
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Presbyterian, she is ranked No. 27 in Ryan McMahon, center for the
2006 next reunion 2011 the nation for assists and No. 31 in Florida State Seminoles, was one of
Class Agent: Vacancy
the nation for assists per game. two featured athletes on the cover of
Bo Hammond III is a history major at Game Time 2009, the Florida State
Brittni Dulaney was one of only football program. He is considered
11 Presbyterian College students American University in Washington,
D.C., where he is also president of the one of the top centers in the nation.
to receive the Educational Testing
Service Recognition of Excellence College Democrats. He recently met
2007 next reunion 2012
award for her scores on the national Ted Sorensen, a speechwriter and
Class Agent: Brett Henson
licensure tests. Her scores were the adviser for President John F. Kennedy,
highest in Presbyterian College’s after the College Democrats invited Ben Pate received the 2009-10 Bruin
history. Brittni graduated this spring him to speak at the institution. Award for Student Leadership from
and currently serves as the first-ever Luke Hyder is starting safety for the Belmont University. The award is
women’s lacrosse coach at Shorter Air Force Academy. given in recognition of exceptional
College in Rome. After several leadership, outstanding contribution
outstanding lacrosse seasons at to the campus experience, and
exemplary representation of the

Darlington Magazine
50

Jessica Jackson, Cleve Jackson (’09) and Christine Frank cheer on the Tigers at
the state semifinal football game.
university’s ideal of engaging
and transforming the world. Ben
is a junior Music Business and
Entertainment major.
Dottie Vincent spent her fall 2009
semester in Budapest, Hungary. Prior
to her return to Mount Holyoke
College, she stopped by Darlington’s
Middle School campus to give master
class clarinet lessons to two fifth-
grade students.
2008 next reunion 2013
Class Agent: Kelly O’Mara
Elliott Echols was named a
Presidential Ambassador for Berry
College in Rome.
Jennifer Watford is a sophomore at
Young Harris College, where she was
named Mountain Lion of the Week
in March 2010 for her performance
in softball.
Jennifer Watford (’08)
2009 next reunion 2014
Class Agents: Rachel Buckle, Shanarra
Goode, Cleve Jackson
Alexandra Dodd will be an honors
teaching assistant at the University
of Georgia this fall. Honors teaching
Summer 2010
Stephanie Schecter has released her
first album, “Capturing a Moment.”
She wrote all the songs and lyrics
for the album, which was produced
and recorded in Rome by Ben Mcree
at The Temple Studio. “Capturing a
Moment” is available for purchase
on iTunes or CDbaby.com. Stephanie
is currently attending the College of
Charleston.
Abby Vincent was inducted into
Alpha Lambda Delta freshman honor
society at Valdosta State University.
assistants lead the Honors Freshman
Seminars, which are required for all
freshmen in the Honors Program.
Harrison Douglas is a member of
Kennesaw State University’s Students
in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team, which
recently competed in a national
competition in Minneapolis, Minn. 
Working in partnership with business
and higher education, SIFE mobilizes
university students around the world
to use the knowledge gained in the
classroom to address real world
business and economic issues in their
communities. SIFE students form
teams on their university campuses
and perform community service
projects that teach market economics,
entrepreneurship, financial
literacy, personal success skills,
business ethics, and environmental
sustainability. Harrison has been
chosen as the internal marketing
coordinator for KSU’s SIFE team this
fall.
Lauren Dulaney has accepted
membership in The National Society
of Collegiate Scholars. She will
be honored during an induction
ceremony this fall at Kennesaw State
University.
Rick O’Neal has earned a scholarship
to play lacrosse for Shorter College’s
inaugural team in the fall.
Syaweli Saputra writes: “It has
already been several months since
I left, but I really cannot forget
everything I got from my experience.
Thanks for the great year. Miss you
all so much.”
51
 In Memoriam
Mike Page (’66)
Remembering a friend
Anyone who knew Mike Page (’66) will tell
you that he had three passions – his family,
Darlington School and Georgia Tech.
“Mike loved his family. He loved to talk
of them and their accomplishments with
pride showing in his every word,” said Murray
Schine, a close friend, colleague and fellow
Tech enthusiast. “I must have received a
thousand e-mails detailing each step in the
children’s lives.
Mary and Mike Page (’66)
“He also had a deep, abiding love for
Darlington, as though he knew the man
that he was to become was molded in
his years there. And last but not least,
he loved Georgia Tech. Mike was the
biggest fan of all things Tech that I
have ever known,” Shine continued.
“Football, basketball, baseball, women’s
volleyball, softball – any Tech sport, any
time. You always knew that Mike was
either at work, with his family or at a
Tech game.”
The son of the late Eleanor Thornton
and James William Page, Mike was born
in Anderson, S.C., on Aug. 9, 1948. He
attended the local public school until
the end of his freshman year, at which
time his parents decided to send him
to boarding school to pursue a higher
quality of education. Eleanor, who
had spent her college years at Shorter
College in Rome, always said if she ever
52
had a son that she would send him to
Darlington. And so she did.
“Mike was a three-year boarding
student,” said his wife, Mary. “He was
always very smart, but he actually had
to work a little bit to get caught up with
everybody when he first arrived. He
connected immediately and was able
to focus his attention on and funnel his
energy into academics. There is a plaque
for the Debate Team in Wilcox Hall
that has Mike’s name on it. He loved
the Debate Team. He didn’t understand
why our son, Davis (’13), always wants
to discuss everything. I would just laugh
and say, ‘I don’t know, Mr. Debater.’”
After Darlington, Mike went on to
graduate with a degree in business from
Davidson College. He later joined the
U.S. Navy, earning his M.B.A. from
The Citadel while he was stationed in
Charleston, S.C. In 1977, he took a job
at Spartanburg, S.C.-based Milliken
& Co., one of the largest privately held
textile and chemical manufacturers in
the world. He moved up the ranks and
held a number of management positions
until his retirement in 2005.
“I graduated high school in Charleston
a few years before Mike was stationed
there,” Mary said. “It’s kind of ironic
that we were both in the same town, just
five years apart.”
The two would meet 15 years later
in LaGrange, Ga., where Mike was a
comptroller and Mary was a showroom
contractor for Milliken & Co. The
couple married and started a family,
and when it came time for their oldest
son, Bo (’94), to start high school, they
agreed that he should follow in his
father’s footsteps. So, they sent him to
Darlington.
“When Bo was a resident student, we
came up every Friday night for football
games,” Mary said. “Bo didn’t play; Mike
just thoroughly enjoyed being part of
everything again. No matter how old he
got, in his mind he could still remember
Darlington and the good ol’ days.
That’s one of the reasons he wanted our
children to go there.”
Five years ago, the Page family
moved from LaGrange to Rome so that
their youngest son, Davis, could start
attending Darlington in fifth grade.
“I always knew how much Mike loved
Darlington,” Mary said. “You know
when you find that place where you just
feel like you belong? Darlington was
it for him. I don’t even remember the
names of anyone I went to high school
with, and here he was talking about
Darlington more than he did Davidson.
He would have done anything for the
school.”
Mike’s tireless efforts as a parent
volunteer prove just that. In addition to
his involvement with his sons’ athletic
teams, he also served as past-chairman
of the Board of Visitors, member of the
Heritage Society and loyal Annual Fund
volunteer.
“Mike loved sports, especially if the
boys were playing, and he loved helping
Darlington’s coaches. I miss seeing him
on the sidelines on Friday nights,” said
Dan Pate, a friend and neighbor. “He
truly loved his Darlington experience,
and because of that he felt it was
important to give back. He did this not
only with his wallet, but through his
countless hours of volunteer service.
Mike could always be counted on to do
his part.”
This was true for all the organizations
Mike was passionate about, including
the Ben Franklin Academy, First
Presbyterian Church of Rome, the
Georgia Tech Club, LaGrange Academy,
the League of the South, Methodist
Children’s Home, Rome Area History
Museum, Rome Exchange Club, Rome
Rotary Club, the Sons of Confederate
Veterans, Thornwell Home for Children
and the United Way.
“The real measure of a man is in how
much he is missed when he is gone, and
Mike is sorely missed by many,” Schine
said. “During my last conversation with
him [before his death on Sept. 19, 2009],
we made an agreement that whichever
one of us made it to Heaven first would
ensure that there was a Tech Club there,
and would save a seat for the other.
Well, Mike made it first, and I know he
will be saving a seat for me.”
Darlington Magazine
1931 1936 1937 1938 1939 1941 Photograph
not available

1941
Edward Hale
 died Sept. 29, 2009

John Knowlton Dick Heaton Murphy Williams Jr. Jimmy Dick Maddox Bill Elfrink Tom Brock Jordan Dennie Peteet Jr. 1942
died June 10, 2009 died Jan. 20, 2010 died Jan. 30, 2010 died Aug. 6, 2009 died Oct. 17, 2009 died March 5, 2010 died Sept. 22, 2009
Leon Borochoff
1945 1946 1947  died Jan. 20, 2009

1943
Bud Darden Jr.
 died Nov. 4, 2009
John Terrell
 died Aug. 6, 2009
Snow Holding Cody Smith Sonny McCauley Jr. Sion McNair Arnold Smith Joe Johnson III Vernon Smith
died Aug. 29, 2009 died March 5, 2009 died Feb. 17, 2010 died April 15, 2010 died Feb. 10, 2008 died April 19, 2010 died Oct. 17, 2009
1944
1948 1949 1950 1953 1955 Bill Buck
 died April 19, 2010

1945
John Moulton
 died Aug. 23, 2009

Bill Bryson III Bob Lynn Harold McKenzie Jr. Benson Wilcox Hook Birdsong Terrell Wesley III Henry Burroughs Jr. 1948
died Nov. 15, 2009 died May 2, 2010 died July 8, 2009 died May 11, 2010 died May 19, 2010. died June 29, 2009 died July 26, 2009
Martin Bradshaw Jr.
1955 1956 1958 1962 1963  died Jan. 12, 2010

1951
Leon Houston Jr.
 died July 4, 2009

1954
Paul Story John Hackett John Fleming Jr. Morgan Byars Dent Sullivan Bill Sulzbacher Karen (Jervis) Supon Art Dismukes Jr.
died April 1, 2010 died Sept. 14, 2009 died Oct. 18, 2009 died May 1, 2010 died Feb. 1, 2010 died June 6, 2010 died Sept. 28, 2009
 died May 27, 2010
1964 1965 1966 1967

Patrick Montgomery John Douglas Jr. Jim Mitchell Mike Page Tom Swift Robert Dunn Cliff Rogers
died Nov. 16, 2009 died Dec. 14, 2009 died April 16, 2010 died Sept. 19, 2009 died Jan. 25, 2010 died Jan. 25, 2010 died July 29, 2009

1969 1972 1982 2001 Faculty

George McCoin Jr. Billy Ray Jr. Lawrence Wood Lindy Shook Kaye (Beacham) Baggerly Lola Bradshaw
died Feb. 18, 2010 died June 25, 2009 died June 1, 2009 died July 29, 2009 died March 18, 2010 died June 8, 2010

Summer 2010
53
 Non Profit
Organization U.S.
Postage
PAID
Rome GA 30161
1014 Cave Spring Road • Rome, Georgia 30161-4700 Permit No. 501