Alumni Spotlight

How did you get to Andrew College?
At the time of my arrival on campus in 1965, Andrew was a very small college with an enrollment of about 500 or so students. The unique thing was that many of our students were from out-of-state, so one met new friends from all over Georgia/Florida and occasionally outside of the U.S., yet keeping that closeness vs. a larger school.

In what year did you graduate and what was your major?
I attended Andrew from 1965-1967 and did not graduate. My major was “Party Time.”

Where did you go and what did you do after leaving Andrew College?
I transferred to The University of Mississippi, “Ole Miss,” during the summer of 1967. I graduated from there with a major in education. Upon completing my bachelors, I taught school in New Orleans for a year before being drafted. I was discharged from the USMC as an officer, worked for the Chesterfield Fire and EMS Department for 31 years, retired as a Paramedic Captain. I was deployed to LA following Hurricane Katrina for three weeks, awarded the Medal of Valor for swift water rescues made during Tropical Storm Gaston, completed Bon Secours College of Nursing, retiring from St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, VA as an RN, completed 16 medical mission trips in the U.S. and overseas. I obtained my private pilot’s license at the age of 70, one of the hardest things I have ever done.

Who are some of the Andrew friends you’ve remained close with over the years?
Over the years I have kept in touch with Don McPhail, Lee Wagoner and Jimmy Bentley. This past spring I visited with Jimmy and his wife Donna.

Were there any teachers or administrators that influenced your life?
Yes, Dr. Dorcas Gambill and Ms. Staples were the two most influential faculty members during my time at Andrew. Both of them encouraged you to study during their classes, ask questions about life and have fun while attempting to be serious students–of course that did not always work for me.

What impact did Andrew College have on you later in life? (personally, professionally or religiously)
Andrew allowed me to learn how to interact with others socially; it offered me the opportunity to develop my study skills (which I often did not do) and to think and reason on my own.

What kind of advice would you give to today’s students?
People have always wanted to “toot” their own horns for different reasons: so until proven otherwise, believe only 50% of what people tell you; do your own research to find answers to questions. Be kind to others, especially the less fortunate. Volunteer to make a difference.

“It is not who you are or what you are but rather it is what you do that matters.”

Anecdote: Almost immediately following Rat Week during my freshman year, the college began to strictly enforce rules on the students concerning curfew times for dormitories. This pressure along with warm weather (dorms did not have AC) caused an unsettling among many students, so a “panty raid” was to be held one evening on the girls’ dorms. Apparently this information leaked to the Dean of Students, Dean Barnes. At approximately 9:00 p.m. one evening a trumpet sounded from the men’s dorm and one hundred yelling boys crossed into the forbidden zone, the area between the men’s and women’s dorms. As the onslaught of men rushed towards Dean Barnes and the women’s dorm, you could see the look of fear in his eyes just before the wave knocked and trampled him to the ground. He was not injured, only his pride.

How did you get to Andrew College?
I followed a high school friend, Betty Pemberton, who came to Andrew.  Tom also heard about Andrew from a friend who was attending at the time.

In what year did you graduate and what was your major?
I graduated in 1968 with an A.S. degree.  Tom transferred credits back to Andrew and came back to walk with his class in 1969 with an A.A. degree.

Where did you go and what did you do after leaving Andrew College?
Tom and I continued our education at Auburn University. War Eagle!  We graduated in 1970 and married in February of 1971.

Who are some of the Andrew friends you’ve remained close with over the years?
I stay in contact with several friends from Andrew through Facebook:

• Betty Pemberton Geer (we have known each other for over 50 years!)
• Debbie DeBrauwere
• Debbie Gould Tucker
• John Sikes
• Linda Bewley
• Charlotte Johnson
• Mary Jane Langford Salter
• Karan Pittman (Assistant Academic Dean)
• Sissy Porter Bunch and I meet for lunch throughout the year to keep in touch.
• Thanks to David Adams, there is a group of Andrew alums that get together at Jocks and Jill’s in Atlanta!
• Tom is in a social club with Dent Thompson.  Dent always has a great story to tell!  For those who may not know, his company, Phoenix Air, is the airline that transported the Ebola patients back to the USA.

Do you have any favorite traditions from your time at Andrew College?
For us, Andrew was more of a place of memories than traditions.

• Movies in the auditorium
• Decorating the gym for formals
• Peg Leg Pete visits in Old Main
• Meals in the cafeteria
• Saturday trips to PC in the spring, and painful sunburns on the drive back
• Panty raids – no coed dorms back in the day!
• The Dump!

What do you remember about Andrew College that today’s students wouldn’t know about?

• Rat Week for all freshman
• Dress code for females; no shorts or pants to class. (I remember many 8 a.m. classes wearing a trench coat covering my nightgown!)
• Girls had an 8 p.m. curfew during the week; Fridays and Saturdays was 12 a.m. (we did get the weekday curfew changed to 10 p.m. by spring quarter)
• Girls had weekly room checks; rooms had to be neat and beds had to be made!

Were there any teachers or administrators who influenced your life?
I am grateful to Crispin Gilbert for convincing me to major in physical education.  Tom enjoyed Mr. Nichols’ math class, which started his degree in business.  Mr. Jefferson was a favorite for both of us.  He taught English and was a retired Methodist minister.  He and his wife drove down to Jacksonville, Fla., to officiate our wedding!

Did you participate in any clubs or organizations?  If so, what was your involvement?
I was a member of the PTE sorority.  I’m sorry to see the sororities and fraternities no longer exist.  Tom stayed independent!

What impact did Andrew College have on you later in life? (personally, professionally, or religiously)
Andrew was a great place to grow!  We matured (eventually) and learned independence and responsibility.

What kind of advice would you give today’s students?
Enjoy your time at Andrew.  One day, you will appreciate what you’ve learned!

1.       How did you get to Andrew College?
A high school friend and fellow Andrew graduate, Andy Kober first told me about Andrew College.  I then discovered that my great aunt, Ada Sharpe Tuttle, graduated from Andrew in 1917.

2.      In what year did you graduate and what was your major?
1976 – AA Social Studies

3.      Where did you go and what did you do after leaving Andrew College?
Georgia Southern University BA 1979 MEd 1981 and the University of Georgia Ed.D 1991

4.      Who are some of the Andrew friends you’ve remained close with over the years?
Larry and Sunshine Bird and Randy and Jean Smith mostly.  I have also enjoyed renewing my friendship with Karan Berryman Pittman since joining the Andrew Board of Trustees.

a.      How did you first meet them?
Andrew College
b.      What are some of the ways you stay in touch with them now?
South Georgia Conference activities mostly.

5.      Do you have any favorite traditions from your time at Andrew College?
Not really.  My two years at Andrew College were the best years of my educational experience.  If Andrew College had been more than a two-year college, I would have stayed as long as I could!

6.      What do you remember about Andrew College that today’s students wouldn’t know about?
The girls still had a curfew when I was there.  They had to be in at 10 on weeknights and 12 on the weekends.  One of my favorite memories is some of us leaving campus about 10 to drive to Albany to get some Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  The girls were so jealous!

7.      Were there any teachers or administrators who influenced your life?
We had great teachers.  Larry Brown was great and always seemed to take a personal interest in me.  I learned a lot from Jimmy Gilbert.  During my sophomore year, Mr. Gilbert served as Dean of Students.  Whether he realized it or not, I got my best dose of leadership training while at Andrew from him.

8.      Did you participate in any clubs or organizations? If so, what was your involvement?
I was president of Alpha Omega and president of the Inter-Greek Council.  I was also active in the Student Government Association and the Inter-Faith Council.

9.      What impact did Andrew College have on you later in life? (personally, professionally, or religiously)
Andrew College was a great experience for me.  I grew a lot from being five hours from home.  Andrew also took great care of me academically.  I am not sure I was really ready for college when I left high school.  But Andrew’s nurturing environment and small classes allowed me to do very well and a great foundation academically I would not have had otherwise.

10.   What kind of advice would you give today’s students?
Be grateful for where you are and take advantage of all Andrew College has to offer.  Andrew College may be a little out of the way and hard to get to.  But with the Andrew College experience, you can go anywhere!

Notable accomplishments/unique information/personal anecdote:

2005–2012 : Chair, First District RESA Board of Control (First District RESA is an educational service agency serving 18 school systems in southeast Georgia)

2001–Current: Treasurer, First District School Superintendents’ Association

1999–Current: Treasurer, Screven-Jenkins Regional Library Board

1999–Current: Served on Numerous Search Committees for the Georgia Southern University College of Education

2009: Keynote Speaker, Georgia DOE Federal Funds Conference

2009-2010: Member, State School Superintendent’s Advisory Council

2005–2009: Georgia Music Educators Association Board of Directors

2007-2008: Georgia Educational Leadership Redesign Advisory Committee

2007: President’s Award, Georgia School Superintendents Association

2006-2008: Georgia CTAE Resource Network Board of Directors

2005: Represented Georgia on the National FFA Leadership Continuum Concept Development Task Force

2000-2003: State Pupil Transportation Specifications Committee

Larry Dixon How did you get to Andrew College?
A friend of mine at my church in Jacksonville, Fla. had heard of the college and we drove up there to visit. I flipped over the scenery around the college, the people I met, the buildings, smallness and it being associated with the UMC. My first year (before Patterson Hall was completed), I stayed with a roommate in a house diagonally across from Patterson Hall. The first quarter of the second year, I stayed in Patterson Hall and then completed the year in the house directly across from Old Main, which is still in use by the college.

In what year did you graduate and what was your major?
I graduated in 1962 with a major in College Prep. Earned an Associate of Arts cum laude

Where did you go and what did you do after leaving Andrew College?
I received my B. A. in psychology from Jacksonville University in 1966. I did one year of graduate work at Auburn University in counselor education and then received my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Emory University with a concentration on pastoral counseling.

My career:

• Dean of Students/taught general psychology classes at Andrew College (1969-1970)
• 30 + years serving children and adults with developmental disabilities in Florida, Connecticut, and Georgia
• 10 years working with delinquent boys, investigating alleged child abuse, working with the court/judicial system
• Retired January 2012

My church involvement:

•  Youth director in United Methodist churches
•  Music director in United Methodist churches
•  Some pastoral experience in a few United Methodist churches
• Facilitation Bible study on Sundays and small group Bible study in homes in churches in Florida and Georgia

Who are some of the Andrew friends you’ve remained close with over the years?
I have several Andrew friends with whom I still have contact: Derrill Shivers, Dottie Weaver Fleck, Prudy Rynd O’Rear, Cecil Goodroe, Paul Johansen, Joanne Stephenson Johansen, Jeffrey Bowden, and Debbie Patterson.

How did you first meet them?
They were all students at Andrew. Some I met while I was a student and some I met when I worked at the college (and one I met at my current church).

What are some of the ways you stay in touch with them now?
In person, by email, on Facebook

What do you remember about Andrew College that today’s students wouldn’t know about?
Most of the men before 1961 had to commute from home or stay somewhere else as there was no men’s dorm. I stayed in the back area of a house of a lady who had an arrangement with the college during the year before Patterson Hall was completed.  There was only one men’s dorm in 1961-1962 and the ladies resided in rooms in Old Main, as there were no other ladies’ dorms at that time. There was also an old swimming pool on the property at that time.

Were there any teachers or administrators who influenced your life?
Dr. Dorcas Gambill, French Teacher and Wife to President George Gambill; Glee Club Director/Voice Teacher and Physical Ed Teacher Cyrus Dietrich

Did you participate in any clubs or organizations? If so, what was your involvement?
I was a member of the French Club both years at Andrew; during my second year, I was President of the Student Christian Association

What impact did Andrew College have on you later in life? (personally, professionally, or religiously)
Being a part of the activities and classes; the smallness of the college made it possible for closer relationships with faculty, enhancing maturation and growth so I could become a more independent and open person. Being involved in clubs also enhanced my leadership abilities which largely benefitted me for roles I ultimately had in the future.

Being part of and trained in my experience with the glee club increased my love of music which enabled me to sing in many choirs over the years and made it possible for me to be substitute choir director in several churches as well.  I was the director of music and youth in churches in Jacksonville, Florida, and Conyers, Georgia.

The religious activities and the local church involvement impacted my spiritual life and helped me to start my keen interest in Bible study.

What kind of advice would you give today’s students?
Take advantage of every opportunity available to learn, expand your horizons, and allow for personal, professional and spiritual growth to seed and germinate.

Betty Joiner Jones exemplifies the ideal of servant leadership. A committed wife and mother, Betty Jones waited to begin and finish her education after her four children (three of whom came or taught at Andrew) left home. She loves Andrew with a passion, and every day of her life promotes the institution as well as the idea of a servant leader.

Mrs. Jones currently serves on the Cuthbert City Council, where she has held office since 1985. An active member, she never minds getting in her vehicle and driving down the street to check on things. She has worked alongside members of the road crew picking up trash on the town square and city streets. For years she has served on the Recreation Committee and has been instrumental in keeping that program strong for our youth. Betty also serves on the Cemetery Committee, doing much of the work in the cemeteries herself until recently. Not content with simply serving as the Cemetery Liaison to the Council, she has also traveled to meetings throughout Georgia to learn ways to preserve and promote these unique places.

Mrs. Jones also worked as the bookkeeper for her husband’s business, Jack Jones Garage. Never once turning her back on those in need, she frequently transports people who have no transportation. Her smiling face also provides a welcome refuge for many weary travelers passing through Cuthbert.

In addition, Betty Jones is a steward in the Faith Baptist Church and strongly supports all of its programs. Never a meal goes by that she does not cook enough or more than needed for the people attending. Her support of her church is unwavering, and in recent years she has been called upon to give the history of the church during homecomings and revivals.

Possibly the most notable of her commitments, though, is her service to the pets of the area. Until just a short time ago, she was called upon to go out at any time of the day or night to rescue animals. She has taken in thousands of cats and dogs and given them new homes over the years, and she thinks nothing of sending them to the vet to get their necessary treatments. Her mercy and compassion for animals is a fundamental part of her personality that permeates every aspect of her life.

Throughout her life, and particularly since her graduation, Betty has supported the programs of Andrew College. She has attended countless Madrigal dinners, concerts, plays, and art shows. Since her retirement as Director of the Randolph County Senior Citizen Center, she has invested her time and talents in College’s archives by organizing records, copying names out of yearbooks for future reunions and rallies, and cheerfully sorting through piles of materials. Her love of Andrew College runs deep, and she continues to give back to the institution that she loves so much.

Betty Jones is the epitome of an Andrew College graduate. Her graciousness, commitment and service will be cherished for generations to come.