1954

George O. Short Jr. was invited into the Life Members of Greenville Theatre.

1971

Jennifried Snider McNeal published her first book, “Steven: A Runner’s Life: An Ultrarunner’s Journey,” about her son’s journey as an ultramarathon runner.

1976

Robert Harris published “The Jesus Perspective: A Faith That May Surprise You,” a critical examination of Christianity with the goal of determining which of its elements are useful, essential and in alignment with what Jesus actually taught and believed.

1980

Lisa Cain Lambert became the assistant vice president for undergraduate learning at Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pa.

1983

Russell Siler Jones’ book, “Spirit in Session: Working with Your Client’s Spirituality (and Your Own) in Psychotherapy,” was published.

1984

DeeAnne Sexton Jackson was promoted to professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she serves as medical director of the UAB Hospital Newborn Nursery.

Bruce L. Kleinschmidt honored
by Kentucky State Senate

Bruce L. Kleinschmidt ’74 was honored by the Kentucky State Senate on March 12, 2020, World Kidney Day, for his advocacy for kidney disease awareness. An attorney and chair and co-founder of the LGBT Law Section of the Kentucky Bar, he completed online coursework at Cornell University to be certified in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership. He devotes his practice to pro bono work in diversity, equity and inclusion matters.

1988

Donald Reid Womack, who also earned a bachelor’s in music from Furman in 1989, received a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship. A professor of music composition at the University of Hawaii since 1994, Womack is recognized as a leader in the burgeoning field of intercultural composition. For his Guggenheim project, Womack will compose a geomungo concerto for renowned soloist Yoonjeong Heo.

1988

Martha Villanueva Milam received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. She taught high school chemistry for 16 years in Houston, Texas, and Sharpsburg, Ga., and recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to be honored with the PAEMST Award. She was the recipient of the award for science teaching in grades 7-12 for the state of Georgia.

1991

In the fall of 2019, Randall David Cook completed a guest artist residency with Furman’s Department of Theatre Arts and premiered a new commissioned comedy, “Ding Dong Merrily on High.” In addition, “Shadows,” the musical he created with two-time Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely, was nominated for two New York Innovative Theatre Awards, and his play, “Sharks and Other Lovers,” won the award for Best Play at Centre Stage’s New Play Festival.

JEREMY CASS ’00 NAMED DEAN OF FACULTY

Professor of Spanish and former Associate Academic Dean Jeremy Cass ’00 has been named dean of faculty. He started the position on May 1. Cass, who joined the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in 2004, taught elementary and intermediate Spanish, Latin American literature and civilization, first-year writing seminars on Latin American topics, and interdisciplinary Latin American Studies seminars with colleagues in MLL, history and philosophy.
As dean of faculty, Cass reports to Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Ken Peterson and is responsible for the management of Furman’s academic programs, for supporting faculty in their efforts to provide a transformational education for students, and the development and enrichment of their scholarly profiles.
A graduate of the Furman class of 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, Cass completed graduate work in Hispanic studies at the University of Kentucky, earning his master’s and doctoral degrees in Latin American literature. He is married to Anna, an epidemiologist, who is a faculty member in Furman’s Department of Health Sciences. They have three children: Addy, Charlie and Oliver.

1994

Chris Jentz was published in the British Medical Journal on May 22, 2020. The article’s focus was episode of care for confirmed COVID-19 patients on the U.S. West Coast with emphasis on acute inpatient admission characteristics and mortality outcome.

1995

Deborah (Harnish) LaRoche has become the program manager for the Lowcountry Region of Reach Out and Read Carolinas, providing a medically based literacy intervention for children from birth to age 5. Using books as tools, RORC empowers medical providers to nurture families through shared time reading aloud together, which research has shown reduces toxic stress, builds resiliency and improves literacy and language skills.

1996

Robbie Cole, strength and conditioning coach at Travelers Rest (S.C.) High School, was named the National High School Strength Coaches Association’s South Carolina Strength Coach of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year. He earned a master’s in health and exercise science from Furman in 2003.

HOW I GIVE BACK

“Furman United has had a monumental impact on both Joel’s life and mine. Just before my senior year, my dad passed away of brain cancer. At the time, I didn’t know if I could come back to school, but Furman United – through the generous gifts of Furman alumni – made it possible. Today, I remain thankful to those families and give with a grateful heart knowing I am giving a student the same gift those Furman alumni gave me.”

-Fiona Hay Bloom ’12

2000

Stephanie Gaston Poley, an attorney at Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog LLP, received the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Hospitality Supplier of the Year Award.

2002

Megan Koon published her first novel, “Sweet Divinity,” through Prospective Press.

2008

Claire Marie Wolcott Stam graduated with a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Clemson University in August 2019. Her research addressed the impact of a therapeutic music intervention on the perceived stress of undergraduate nursing students.

2010

Kelly Schutz was promoted to director of corporate communications for Seattle Sounders FC, Seattle’s Major League Soccer franchise, following the team’s 2019 MLS Cup Championship.
Ken Davis received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in May 2020. His dissertation reviews piano works by Einojuhani Rautavaara. He is co-owner of Davis Surso Music in Greensboro.

2012

Alyssa Richardson left her position as a federal attorney in the Office of Civil Rights in Columbia, S.C., and moved to Washington, D.C., in February to work as deputy chief of staff for U.S. Senator Tim Scott.

ALICE RUTH REID, professor of health and physical education emerita, died on December 28, 2019, in Greenville. She served on Furman’s faculty from 1956 to 1985, including as department chair for nine years. She received an award from the South Carolina Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness recognizing her long time dedication to improving the health status of South Carolinians. The Ruth Reid Award, established and endowed by students in 2005, recognizes a graduating health sciences major who “achieved academic excellence and demonstrated a strong commitment to service and a dedication to physical activity.”

JAMES C. EDWARDS ’65, professor of philosophy emeritus, died February 13, 2020, in Greenville, South Carolina. He joined Furman’s faculty in 1970. He served as chair of the department, helped establish a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Furman and received the Meritorious Teaching Award twice. He was well-known in the community of philosophers, having authored a number of books including “Ethics without Philosophy: Wittgenstein and the Moral Life” (1985) and “The Plain Sense of Things: The Fate of Religion in an Age of Normal Nihilism” (1997).

MARVIN LYNCH ’59, Francis Marion University’s first director of admissions, died May 29, 2020, in Florence, S.C. He was appointed director of admissions at what was then known as Francis Marion College when it was established in 1970, ultimately serving FMU in a variety of roles for more than 40 years. After retiring from the university’s administration in 1995, he returned as FMU’s volunteer chaplain from 1999-2015. In 2014, the Marvin Lynch Humanitarian Award, given annually to an FMU staff member who is involved in humanitarian service and displays kindness and personal charity, was created in his honor. He became a licensed Baptist minister in 1955 and served as a volunteer minister for a number of area churches throughout his life.

JAMES R. STEWART ’52, the first battalion commander of Furman’s ROTC program who later became director of Furman’s alumni program, died August 1, 2020, in Greenville, S.C. During his tenure at Furman, the first Alumni Directory was published, the first Alumni College was held, and the Alumni Board changed the words of the Alma Mater to include the women graduates. He began his career in 1954 as an English teacher at Flat Rock High School in Flat Rock, N.C., before teaching at Hendersonville High School in Hendersonville, N.C. Among his other positions in education, he served as president of the North Carolina Teachers Association and as executive director of the Greenville Technical College Foundation.