The Journal of the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism

Through The Decades: Catching Up With Alumni

By Carolyn Treloar
Lemke Ledger Staff

1950s
• Andrew J. Lucas (B.A. ’59), Fayetteville, worked for the Arkansas Alumni Association for nearly 31 years as editor of the Arkansas magazine. He has retired but is a volunteer with the annual Arkansas Alumni Scholarship Review, an active member of the Lemke Journalism Alumni Society and a member of the Legislative Advocacy Network. He is secretary of the University of Arkansas Retirement Association. The Andrew J. Lucas Service Award acknowledges his significant contributions and service to the university and the Arkansas Alumni Association.

1960s
• Nancy Philley Russ (B.A., ’61), Little Rock, emphasis in News/Editorial, and her daughter, Anne Russ, are the authors of two novels, "Was the Funeral Fun?" and "What’s More Fun than a Funeral?" She worked for Professor A. W. Blake in the print shop and worked at the Northwest Arkansas Times during her undergraduate years. She is retired from a career that included college teaching, mental health work and personnel communications for Systematics, Inc., which became Alltel.

1970s
• Lisa Lynne Hammersly (B.A., ’74), Lake Park, N.C., emphasis in News/Editorial, is an editor and writer for The Charlotte Observer and is part of a team that was behind a year-long series that received the George Polk Award for Economic Reporting last spring. The series was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service and was named winner of the 2008 Gerald Loeb Award for business journalism in the medium newspapers category. Hammersly also worked on the project, “Sold a Nightmare,” which focused on the area’s high rate of housing foreclosures and questionable sales practices by Beazer Homes USA, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. The Observer’s reporting led to FBI, IRS, SEC and HUD investigations of Beazer Homes, which has since stopped making mortgage loans nationwide and stopped building homes in Charlotte, N.C.

1980s
• Bill Bowden (B.A. ’81, M.A. ‘98), Fayetteville, emphasis in News/Editorial and Anthropology, is a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He previously worked for the Arkansas Democrat and the Arkansas Gazette when they were two separate newspapers.

• Tony Zodrow (B.A. ’85), Mobile, Ala., emphasis in News/Editorial, is executive director of the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, a new $36 million interactive maritime museum projected to open in 2010 on the downtown waterfront in Mobile. The museum is the first to address the maritime heritage and culture of the Gulf of Mexico, and it will be only the third interactive maritime museum in the world. After graduation, he served as a newspaper editor for five years and then transitioned into public relations and fundraising for a university in Oklahoma. He eventually transitioned into fundraising and administration in the museum field. Web site: <http://www.nationalmaritime.us/director.php>

• Charlotte Howard Klasson (B.A. ’88), New Orleans, La., emphasis in AD/PR, and her husband are volunteer scientific divers for the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.

1990s
• Dave Dawson (M.A. ’90), Fayetteville, emphasis in News/Editorial, is the director of the Fulbright College Advising Center and is the recipient of the 2008 Gail Rola Memorial Award from the National Academic Advising Association. He was selected to receive an outstanding advising award in the academic advising administrator category from the association. The Gail Rola Memorial Award, which celebrates the life of Gail Rola, a former advising administrator, is given in recognition of outstanding leadership. The more than 10,000 members of the advising association consist of faculty, professional advisers, administrators, counselors and others in academic and student affairs. Dawson will be presented with his award in Chicago during the annual conference in October.

• Jenifer Sutton Tucker (B.A. ’90), Fayetteville, emphasis in News/Editorial, obtained a law degree in 1993 and worked as a labor and employment attorney and then as a special assistant to the chief operating officer at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She is currently a UA compliance officer.

• Dionne Baxter Kumpe (B.A. ’92), Richmond, Va., emphasis in AD/PR, lives with her husband, two children (a third child is due in April) and puggle. This spring she celebrates 11 years of marriage and 10 years of employment with Dallas-based advertising agency Moroch. Her role there has evolved over the years, as she has held positions in account service, marketing communications, training and operations.

• Tommy G. Booras (M.A. ’93), Bowling Green, Ky., was a grad assistant from 1991-93 and taught in the Journalism Dept. in 1993-94 as a lecturer. He is an assistant professor of Broadcast Production in School of Journalism and Broadcasting at Western Kentucky University. He has a publication in a college-level textbook. His “Spotlight” section deals with sports play-by-play and is included in the text “Television and Radio Announcing, 11th edition” by Stuart Hyde. This is the 50th anniversary edition of the text, which is used in media performance classes. He was credited as a chapter reviewer for the book by Prof. Hyde and reviewed the sports casting chapter. He served as a festival co-chair of the Student Audio Competition in 2008 and is the sports coordinator for the student entries in 2009 for the newly-formed Sports Division within the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) at its annual convention in Las Vegas.

• Todd Semple (B.A. ’93), Dallas, is an audio/video designer for an architecture firm in Dallas, where he assists in the design of innovative, cutting edge “media architecture” technologies for buildings throughout the world. He is currently working on a project in Kuwait and is expecting his first child in May.

• Kerri Jackson Case, journalism student from 1994-1996, Little Rock, emphasis in Broadcast, has a blog that her friends set up because they got tired of her clogging up their e-mail boxes with her stories. It was an experiment to see if she could write something funny every day. Eventually she got busy and stopped writing for a while, but has picked it up again. “Some of it's actually funny,” Case said. Web site: < http://damnyoulittlerock.wordpress.com/>

• Evan Blackmon (B.A. ’95), Reedsville, Penn., emphasis in News/Editorial, recently accepted an admission offer to the higher education doctoral program at Pennsylvania State University for the fall semester. While studying for a doctorate degree, Blackmon will work as a research assistant at the university’s Center for the Study of Higher Education. Blackmon graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University’s higher education administration master’s program in 2008. While he has not worked in journalism, Blackmon says, “The training I received in the print journalism track at Arkansas has definitely played a vital role in my academic and career successes thus far. Studying higher education, in particular, requires strong analytical writing skills. The journalism department faculty, many of whom still teach at Arkansas, pushed me to think and write critically. For that prodding, I am grateful.”

• Laura King Kellams (B.A. ’95), Fayetteville, emphasis in News/Editorial, is working as Northwest Arkansas Director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a nonprofit policy and research organization that works to improve the health and welfare of low-income children in the state. She previously worked as a newspaper reporter for 14 years, including at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for 11 years.

• Jennifer Gill Faldon (B.A. ’98), Fort Smith, emphasis in News/Editorial, and her husband, Scott, were blessed with their first child, daughter Paige, in December.

• T.J. Holmes (B.A. ’99), Atlanta, Ga., emphasis in Broadcast, is a weekend anchor for CNN News and a member of the UA Board of Advisors. He began his career at KSNF-TV in Joplin, Mo. He then served as a weekend anchor and reporter for stations in Little Rock and San Francisco.

2000s
• Casey Condra (B.A. ’01), Hot Springs, emphasis in AD/PR, and her husband were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Kate Adams, on May 6, 2008. She worked in the journalism office next to Prof. Hoyt Purvis for a year.

• Michael Frazier (B.A. ‘01), New York City, emphasis in News/Editorial, is working at city hall.

• Jamie Schulz Romine (B.A. ‘03), Fayetteville, emphasis in AD/PR, and her husband were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Keaton Sophia, on Feb. 10, 2009.

• Julie Munnerly Petty (B.A. ’04), Fayetteville, emphasis in WHAT, received one of the pens Gov. Beebe used to sign into law to a requirement that all state legislative references using the words “moron,” “invalid,” “retarded” and “idiot” be replaced with more respectful language and to have money appropriated to have legislation changed (including all previous laws and legislation) and also change names of a few state offices and institutions. This was accomplished by efforts of the state disability grassroots organization that Julie founded (and served for as national chairperson), state Sen. Steele and the Arkansas Disability Rights Center.

• Lacy May (B.A. ’04), Bentonville, emphasis in Broadcast, is Human Resources Project Manager for Walmart Stores Inc., in Bentonville. She has worked for Walmart since graduation, starting as an HR coordinator.

• Megan McWethy (B.A. ’06), Austin, emphasis in News/Editorial, works for a grocery company in Austin. Her administrative duties include creating a monthly newsletter, producing various stores’ signage and advertisements and planning employee outings and events. She applied to Texas State for her Master’s Degree in Communication Design and is awaiting response from the department head.

• DeLani Bartlette (B.A. ’06, M.A. ‘08), Fayetteville, emphasis in News/Editorial, will be a part-time professor of journalism and English at NWACC next fall.

• Jennifer Dreisbasch (B.A. ’07), Fayetteville, emphasis in Broadcast, and 40/29 news anchor Craig Cannon were presented two Region 12 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence awards.

• Josh Tinker (B.A. ’07) Pine Bluff, emphasis in News/Editorial, is sports editor of the Pine Bluff Commercial.

• Jill Tompkins (B.A. ‘07), Fayetteville, emphasis in News/Editorial, and her husband were blessed with a baby boy, Conrad Owen, on Feb. 18, 2009. His big sister Ella attended classes while mom wrapped up her senior year.

• John Forrest Ales (B.A. ’08), Los Angeles, Calif., emphasis in AD/PR, worked on public relation efforts for The Hilton Family of Hotels to activate Hilton’s public relations effort on the ground in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games. As sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, Hilton teamed with a number of athletes, including 14-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps and former Razorback national champion Wallace Spearmon, Jr., to create a number of initiatives engaging youth, travel consumers, developers, athletes and Olympic fans around the world.

Tell us about your career moves, successes, family triumphs and other tidbits. Send information by e-mail to Carol Rachal at crachal@uark.edu.