Henry Burt “Hank” Brock Jr. (B.S. accounting, business administration, ’62) 84, Germantown, Tennessee – While at Mississippi State, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega and named an Elder Statesman for his active involvement across campus. He owned his own accounting firm, H.B. Brock Jr. CPA and Business Consultant. He served as the president of the Maroon Club in Memphis and remained a lifelong State fan. — Jan. 25, 2024
Louise Jeneen Eaves Davis (M.Ed., elementary education, ’86; Ph.D., elementary education, ’93; retired Extension agent) 65, Starkville – During her more than 40-year career in education, she served Prentiss and Neshoba county schools, East Mississippi Community College, Columbus City Schools, Mississippi University of Women, University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University. She joined the Extension Service in 1995 because of her belief in the mission of providing research-based educational programs throughout the state. She led the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network. — July 10, 2024
John Lucien Ellington (B.S., social studies education, ’73; M.S., social studies education, ’74) 73, Chattanooga, Tennessee – A lifelong learner, he continued to pursue formal studies in economics, government, history and education following his graduation from Mississippi State, earning a degree from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate from the University of Mississippi. He was a tenured professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 40 years, during which time he served the School of Education, coordinated the annual Constitution Day and contributed to the Center for Reflective Citizenship. He served as editor for the Education About Asia magazine and director of the UTC Asia Program. — May 21, 2024
Mildred McCarty-Jordan (Ed.S. elementary education, ’77) 83, Laurel – A native of Laurel, she retired as assistant principal from the Hattiesburg Public School District. She held a bachelor’s degree from Jackson State, a master’s from the University of Southern Mississippi and a certification in education administration from William Carey. She served as an elementary teacher in Laurel, Greenville and Hattiesburg, and later as principal at Lillie Burney Elementary School and assistant principal at Thames Elementary School in Hattiesburg. — May 17, 2022
Melvin Thomas Roland (B.S. industrial management, ’59) 86, Morton – An All-Star high school athlete, he played football for Mississippi State, which were called the Maroons at the time, and lettered in the sport. He had a 31-year career with General Motors Acceptance Corp. in Louisiana and Mississippi, ultimately returning to his hometown. In Morton, he was active in many faith-based and community organizations, including the Lions Club, Forest Community Arts Inc., and Morton Homemaker Volunteers, and he was a volunteer with the Scott County Extension Service. He was chosen as grand marshal of the Morton Christmas parade in 2006. With the Boy Scouts of America, he was a scout master and district commissioner, earning Order of the Arrow and Wood Badge honors, as well as The Silver Beaver Award.— June 22, 2024
L. George Rone (B.S., animal science, ’50; retired Extension agent) 98, Senatobia – Born in Attala County, he joined the U.S. Navy during WWII, serving aboard the USS Converse, a destroyer in the Pacific Theater. He received the President’s Unit Citation. In 1957, he was commissioned as an assistant chief observer in the Ground Observer Corps of the U.S. Air Defense Command. He would later teach agriculture in Arkansas as part of the Veteran’s Farm Program before relocating to New Albany to begin a career with the Extension Service. Following an appointment in Holmes County, he moved to Senatobia where he served as an Extension county agent until his retirement in 1980. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. He was a Mason and Rotarian and a member of the Farm Bureau and Cattlemen’s Association. — April 23, 2024
Forrest Parkhurst Smith (B.S. education, ’74) 71, Leesburg, Virginia – A member of Sigma Chi, while at Mississippi State, he had a 21-year career in the Air Force, where he earned a reputation for his ability to put “bombs on target” with an error rate of zero—a fear few bombardiers in the history of Strategic Air Command achieved. He commanded the 608th Combat Operations Squadron at the Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, where he provided combat support to in-theater air operation centers to execute air missions for the commander. In 1998, his last official position was the chief of combat operations in Southwest Asia, where he controlled weapon systems to achieve control of the air space. He managed U.S. and coalition aircraft operations for 10 air bases and the Battle Carrier Groups, USS Enterprise and USS Carl Vinson. His knowledge and expertise led him to work as an Air Force consultant for almost 20 years after his retirement. — June 25, 2024
Remembering Joseph Clayton Turnage (B.S. nuclear engineering, ’67) 78, San Juan Capistrano, California – While at State, he was inducted into the Tau Beta Phi engineering honor society and was part of the Young Democrats at MSU, which pushed for an end to prejudiced policies at Mississippi universities, including a ban on “outside speakers,” and ultimately was able to host the first Black speaker at a white Mississippi university. He went on to earn a doctoral degree, also in nuclear engineering, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became the director of nuclear engineering at Yankee Atomic Electronic, and helped pioneer the use of probabilistic risk assessment to develop a method for measuring the safety of boiling-water reactors—a process soon approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency. He later became president of TENERA Energy LLC in Maryland and drove the creation of U.S. Generating, a joint venture between PG&E and Bechtel, which hired him as its senior officer responsible for engineering, construction and management of a fleet of plants. He then transitioned to Constellation Energy as senior vice president, where he oversaw the acquisition of a nuclear power plant in New York.
An active member of the American Nuclear Society, he served as chair of its Nuclear Reactor Safety Division’s executive committee and ultimately achieved the rank of fellow. He also served as an advisor to the MIT Center for Environmental and Energy Policy Research. In 2006, he was named a Distinguished Engineering Fellow by Mississippi State. — Aug. 8, 2024