Alumni Spotlight Category
04.25.2012
James Bailey ’93 grew up in Seattle loving baseball. When his mom moved to North Carolina in 1990, Bailey followed and immediately started a job with the Durham Bulls. His passion for minor league baseball, and love of the Bulls, inspired him to write his first novel, The Greatest Show on Dirt.
Bailey already had a job with the Bulls before he started his classes at NC State. When he moved to North Carolina he went to Northgate Mall in Durham and, as a big baseball fan, wandered into the Durham Bulls souvenir shop. After talking to the store manager, he left the store with a job selling souvenirs at the store in the mall.
Selling souvenirs quickly turned into a job in management. By his third season there, Bailey was managing the two souvenir stands located at the park, and helping out with other tasks.
“I did other things,” he says. “When it was such a small operation, everybody did a lot of different things. I remember running the scoreboard.”
For Bailey, working in minor league baseball is like being at home. “You spend so much time with all the people you work with, it really does become a family,” he says.
“There’s a part in the book where the main character gets called to cover and uncover the field because of weather. That was pretty much the case, everyone would be called and you’d all have to go down and cover it with the tarp.”
The family setting and his love of small-town leagues had the greatest impact on his decision to write The Greatest Show on Dirt.
“There’s something about the minor leagues that I’ve always liked,” he says. “It’s a more laid back small town kind of family atmosphere. Everything has a lot of character to it and the people are just so much more accessible.”
As a communication major, Bailey did not do much creative writing in college, focusing instead on news articles. As a senior, Bailey was an intern for Baseball America, and now he works for Thomson Reuters, a legal publishing company, in Rochester, NY.
“I never really took any classes in [creative writing]. Fifteen years ago I started writing another novel, it was terrible, but it was a good learning tool,” he says.
His lack of training in creative writing has not taken away from the novel’s success. It has gotten rave reviews from book critics and other baseball authors.
04.10.2012
After a family trip to Disney World in 2010, Kathy Risley ‘96 discovered a great way to connect with her kids after leaving her job to become a stay-at-home mom.
Risley graduated from NC State with a degree in education, but decided not to teach after her enthusiasm for it waned. She moved to Wilmington and went to work for the American Cancer Society and UNC-Wilmington. But nothing suited her as well as staying home with her kids.
“I love being a homemaker and staying home with my family and that has been my number one priority forever,” she says. “That our kids have a strong sense of family has always been important for me.”
During the Disney trip, Risley was inspired to connect with her kids in a creative way after she saw her daughter get her face painted like a tiger.
“I mean, she became a tiger,” she says. “I thought I would love to try to figure out how to do that. It would be a great way to connect with my kids.”
Risley, who loves to craft and try creative things, had never seriously painted a day in her life when she ordered face paints and brushes and began to try out her new passion.
“If I have to draw a picture of a tiger I can’t do that,” she says, “but I can paint the features on your face and the shading to make your face look like a tiger.”
Risley continued to practice on any kids who wanted their faces painted and her new hobby quickly became popular. Her kids, who were once so excited to have their faces painted, have lost interest.
“Every time I pull my paints out they are like ‘Oh, got to go outside and play,’” Risley laughs.
Even though her kids got over her hobby, friends suggested Risley turn it into a business. Although she did not like the idea of charging for her work, Risley enjoyed interacting with kids and meeting new people. Creating a business was a good way to cover the cost of her supplies.
The business, Making Faces, has only been up and running since November, but Risley is excited by its success. “In this economy, trying to do something different is hard but fun, and it worked out good,” she says.
“I really just want to do something that’s enjoyable, and allows me to spend time with my family,” she says. “If it grows and I’m able to earn a little bit of extra money, to me, that’s the best thing in the world.”
03.15.2012
Sharon Brengel, a 1973 graduate of NC State, is familiar with the team from San Diego State that the Wolfpack is facing Friday in the NCAA basketball tournament. That’s because Brengel lives in the San Diego area and used to work for San Diego State.
But there is no doubt about Brengle’s favorite team. “No divided loyalities at all — NCSU fan ALL the way!!!!” Brengel wrote in an email with us this week. “Some of my sports-minded friends do tease me a bit whenever NCSU plays a favorite team of theirs.”
Brengel says people in San Diego are excited that the Aztecs are in the NCAA tournament, and that the team’s fans have been very supportive as the team has done well in the past few years.
“I’m happy for SDSU, but so sad for them because they are going down in their game against NCSU!” Brengel wrote.
So is that Brengel’s prediction for Friday’s game? “No doubt — NCSU WILL WIN!!!!”
Caroline Fisk, a 1993 graduate of NC State, also lives in San Diego. Fisk says it isn’t easy to keep up with the Wolfpack in San Diego, where she says she has only one “ACC friend.” She says the community is not into college athletics like people are in North Carolina.
Fisk says the Aztecs seem to be pretty good, but “definitely not an ACC team, though!!”
And her prediction for the game? “Wolfpack wins!!!!”
02.29.2012
James Otis Terry Jr. ‘96 says his parents taught him he didn’t need to swear to make his point. So, when he began to write music in 1995, Terry took that message to heart.
Terry, who is known as J.O.T. to his fans, has been pursuing his passion for music while also championing family values since graduating from NC State. Terry, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., incorporates clean lyrics into his music that promote the acceptance of others’ individuality.
As a rap artist, Terry provides a clean alternative “to offer another opinion” on the widespread use of vulgarity in rap music.
Terry’s musical exploration started when he worked as a disc jockey in high school and at NC State. Terry says he has always felt need to disassemble stereotypes.
“I DJ’ed parties for fraternities and sororities” Terry says. “When I DJ’ed for the black fraternities, I played rap, but when I DJ’ed at the white fraternities, I played rock. People were surprised I would do both.”
After retiring the turntables, Terry began a new venture — music production. He started his own record label, J.O.T. Records, to release his music.
“I wanted that creative freedom to put out music the way I wanted and how I wanted it to sound,” Terry says. This choice also allowed him the freedom to incorporate Spanish lyrics into his music as well. By creating a bilingual album, he hoped to bring the Spanish community into his fan base and pay tribute to his Spanish-speaking peers.
Full control brought full responsibility, though. “I had to wear multiple hats — I had to be a pro at everything — promotions, street team, recorder, producer and musician,” he says.
Eight albums and four CD singles later, Terry has mastered the art.
Terry says his background at NC State influenced his work — he describes the university as “the backbone of North Carolina” — and noted that he continues to get support from his alma mater when his music airs on NC State’s student-run radio station, WKNC.
– Jeannene Lang
01.30.2012
The Alumni Association recognized some of NC State’s greatest stars this weekend, honoring 18 alumni and friends of the university for their professional and personal accomplishments and their continuing support of NC State, the Alumni Association and the Wolfpack Club.
“Their light, ignited by their NC State education and fueled by their own successes, reflects upon their alma mater, enhancing NC State’s reputation around the world,” Chancellor Randy Woodson said during the “Evening of Stars” at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. “They unequivocally add value to an NC State degree.
“These are alumni who have made impacts around the globe; through television broadcasts and comprehensive websites, on Main Street and Wall Street; through rhyme and reason; in factories, laboratories, classrooms and boardrooms.”
The honorees at the 8th Annual NC State Evening of Stars were:
COLLEGE DISTINGUISHED AWARD RECIPIENTS
S. Elizabeth George ‘81 MS, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: As director of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Directorate for the U.S. Department of Defense, George is recognized as one of the nation’s leading authorities on chemical and biological warfare.
H. Connor Kennett Jr. ‘54, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Kennett was the longtime director of the poultry division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture before he retired in 1988. He was the first North Carolinian inducted into the National Poultry Hall of Fame.
David W. Evans ‘84, College of Design: Evans is an award-winning creative director, photographer and filmmaker who has worked for clients such as the National Geographic Society, Discovery Channel, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation.
Carl E. Harris ‘98 EDD, College of Education: A former superintendent of Durham (N.C.) Public Schools, Harris was named in 2010 as deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. He also served as superintendent of the Franklin County (N.C.) Public School System.
Marshall D. Brain ‘89 MS, College of Engineering: Brain founded HowStuffWorks.com, an award-winning website that offers easy-to-understand explanations of how the world around us functions. Discovery Communications purchased the site for $250 million in 2007.
William H. “Bill” Dean ‘88, College of Engineering: Dean is president and CEO of M.C. Dean Inc., a company founded in 1949 by his grandfather. The company is the nation’s premier electrical design-build and systems integration firm, with 3,300 employees and clients that include Fortune I000 corporations, universities, high-tech companies and government agencies.
Robert R. Womack ‘59, College of Engineering: After working as a partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, Womack went on to serve as chairman, chief executive officer or president of four New York Stock Exchange companies.
Nora H. Shepard ‘05 MFA, College of Humanities and Social Sciences: Shepard is an award-winning poet who teaches creative writing and poetry at NC State. A longtime advocate of the arts, Shepard was the founding president of Arts Together, Raleigh’s only nonprofit multi-arts school.
Jon W. Bartley ‘69, Poole College of Management: Bartley is a professor of accounting at NC State who served as associate dean of the college from the time it was founded in 1993 until 1998, when he became dean. He served as dean until 2004, when he returned to the faculty.
Ed Leigh McMillan II ‘62, College of Natural Resources: McMillan is the managing trustee of the D.W. McMillan Trust and the D.W. McMillan Foundation, managing 40,000 acres of timber in Alabama and Florida, as well as the mineral rights and drilling sites for newly discovered oil reserves associated with the property.
David B. Montgomery, ‘68, ‘81 PhD, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences: Montgomery worked for 30 years as a plasma physicist at Becton, Dickinson and Company (now known as BD), developing new technology that resulted in 15 U.S. and five European patents.
F. Dale Hayes ‘78, College of Textiles: Hayes is vice president of global public relations for UPS, and was responsible for developing the company’s award-winning, memorable slogan about what “brown can do for you,” and redesigned its iconic brand mark to give UPS one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
Dr. David E. Anderson ‘88 BS, ‘90 DVM, College of Veterinary Medicine: Anderson is a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, where he is head of agriculture practices in the Department of Clinical Sciences. He is the founding director of the International Camelid Institute at The Ohio State University and the International Academy of Farm Animal Surgeons.
WOLFPACK CLUB AWARD
E.J. Poindexter ‘58, Ronnie Shavlick Award: Poindexter worked for more than 40 years for Barnhill Contracting Co., where he eventually became the company’s first vice president. Poindexter has been devoted to NC State athletics for more than 55 years, never taking a vacation that didn’t revolve around an NC State sporting event.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS
Dennis G. Howard ‘67, Meritorious Service Award: Howard served for 14 years on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, serving on every board committee and providing leadership as the board’s president during a critical year of transition for the Alumni Association and its Caldwell Fellows program.
David S. Jolley ‘70 and Celia G. Jolley ‘83 MS, Meritorious Service Award: David, vice president of commercial lending at C&F Bank in Williamsburg, Va., was a founding member of the NC State Board of Visitors and has served on the NC State University Foundation and its endowment board. David and Celia, a retired educator, are members of the C.W. Dabney Lifetime Giving Society and the R.S. Pullen Society.
Ada B. Dalla Pozza, Award of Merit: As a NC State extension agent, faculty member, mentor and volunteer for more than 70 years, Ms. Ada (as she is known) provided leadership to improve the quality of life for families and helped create leadership institutes for rural women, many of whom became elected officials.
Daniel C. Gunter III ‘00, Outstanding Young Alumnus: Gunter, an associate attorney with DLA Piper, serves on the Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Council and is a member of the association’s board of directors as a representative of the Council on Athletics.
01.04.2012
It’s been a mild winter so far, but most of us remember that unexpected snowstorm that may have paralyzed campus but didn’t stop students from having fun. We ran a selection of your memories of snow and ice in the winter issue of NC State magazine, and here are some more that we thought you would enjoy:
My freshman year found me living on the second floor of the field house for Riddick Stadium. One of my roommates was from Miami, Fla., and had never seen snow. That year, 1947-48, there were two 9-inch snows in Raleigh. My Florida roommate and several other classmates spent both nights—all night—out playing in the snow. I stayed in and slept tight.
– Dean Angell ’51
My friends and I built a snowman that was six snowballs high at Wolf Village during the first snow of January 2009. It was the same day as the presidential inauguration. I remember going out early that day to walk around the snow-laden campus with my friends, coming back in to watch the inauguration and warm up, then promptly heading back out to have some more fun in the snow!
– Lara Jazmin ’10
There was a terrible ice storm in Raleigh around December 1967. When the temperature dropped that night it completely shut down traffic. It was dangerous to even walk on it. I was renting a room in a house at Ferndell Lane just behind the Gateway Restaurant on Hillsborough Street. (The house, painted blue, is still there, but the restaurant is gone.) One of my good friends who also rented a room in the house decided to challenge the ice by riding his skateboard down the sidewalk. My roommate and I tried to discourage him but he was a fearless thrill-seeker and off he went. He may have gotten half way down the hill when all of a sudden his skateboard shot out from under him in one direction and he in another. He received a severe cut but was laughing about it. We tried to stop the bleeding and encouraged him to go to the campus infirmary. He recovered quickly but I assure you it did not deter him from his activities. The next morning I tried to walk to class and the ice was so slick I fell down three times before getting there. I have not seen ice that bad since.
After a few months of very cold weather that winter, we finally had a mild day. It sparked a lot of energy among the students, and we were itching to do something outside. Someone came up with the idea of having a shaving cream fight between our dorm (Alexander) and the dorm next door. We challenged them and they enthusiastically accepted. We all lined in front of our respective dorms with shaving cream cans in hand and went at it in the courtyard. We never knew who won because everybody was having so much fun that we started spraying anybody. A photo of the event was captured in the Agromeck. We all had a great time and it was a good clean way to get rid of that burst of energy.
– Jesse Thomas ’67
In the fall of 1958, I was a freshman living in Becton Dormitory. One night in December, an infamously hard chemistry quiz was given in Nelson Hall. A windy blizzard was in progress, accumulating about a foot of snow, but no quizzes were ever canceled because of weather. After the quiz I returned to the dorm where I had to make an inked drawing for my mechanical drafting class the next morning. After trudging through the snow and biting wind, it took quite a while to warm up my fingers so that I could do the drafting assignment. I had no sooner started the drawing than my roommate, who had no drafting assignment, returned from a local tavern where he and his cousin had been celebrating after the chemistry quiz. He had a beer can in hand and, being unsteady, was sloshing it around. I quickly covered my drawing. My room was no place for this task. As I considered what to do, a friend who lived in Bagwell walked in to ask me a question about an assignment in our math class. I ended up taking refuge with this friend and his roommate. (Fortunately, many of the rooms in the quadrangle still contained third beds, which had been occupied for several weeks by sophomores who were waiting to move into the newly completed New Dorm, later named Bragaw Hall. In my friend’s room I completed my drawing and had a peaceful night. The next morning when returning to Becton, I found that the snow on the steps between the Berry basement and the ground in front of Bagwell had been sculptured by the wind in an unusual fashion, showing the ferocity of the storm.
– Tom Buchanan ’62
01.03.2012
John Widman ‘84, of Arden, N.C., has put his design skills to an interesting new use — building guitars.
At 50, Widman had worked for years at his commercial photography business, but he was not excited about going digital. “I wanted to do something that I was passionate about and I was ready for a change,” Widman says.
That change came in starting Widman Custom Electrics.
The first guitar Widman produced, a copy of a Fender Telecaster, turned out well. “There is nothing like a little success to fan the flames,” he says.
Widman has now produced 20 instruments, keeping only his Telecaster remake for himself. He describes the building process as unique for each instrument. “That is what a custom instrument is all about,” he says. “When a client orders an instrument, it is made to their specifications. The neck fits their hand, they choose the colors and the woods.”
Widman has also produced several electric banjos. The first banjo, an anniversary present to his wife, served as a prototype.
Widman enjoys the freedom and creativity involved with creating a new instrument. That includes inventing new parts, which allows for a lot of fun in the design process.
Widman’s guitars come in four different models from a variety of woods. One of his most interesting instruments came from an abandoned piano, parts of which he initially intended to use designing a coffee table.
“I wanted to salvage the sounding board,” he says. “It has made a very special guitar.”
– Jeannene Lang
12.23.2011
The college football bowl season is about to kick into high gear, with NC State taking on Louisville in the Belk Bowl next week in Charlotte.
But at least one NC State alumni is always thinking about college bowl games. That would be Gary Stokan ‘78, who is president and CEO of the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, one of the most successful bowl games in the country. Stokan, a former Wolfpack basketball player, is featured in the upcoming winter issue of NC State magazine talking about the business of college football.
The article also looks at Stokan’s efforts to bring the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta and, in the process, turn the city into the capital of college football. Stokan’s dreams for the Hall of Fame are big, as you can see in this video of Stokan’s vision for what he calls an “edutainseum” that will be a high-tech showcase for the best athletes and teams to ever play college football.
Stokan also runs the Chick-fiil-A Kickoff Game, a bowl-like spectacle that matches two top teams to start the college football season. There will be two kickoff games next year, with NC State meeting Tennessee in one.
So cheer for the Pack in the Belk Bowl next week and then read about Stokan when your copy of NC State magazine arrives in January.
11.17.2011
Kenneth Redmond. Courtesy of NC State Athletics.
Brothers Kenneth Redmond ‘96 and Jonathan Redmond ‘01, were sitting in the Rockola Cafe in Raleigh. They were on their recruiting trip to NC State, and head football coach Dick Sheridan had taken them out to dinner. But because they had grown up in Seneca, S.C., the only school they knew anything about was Clemson University, NC State’s Homecoming opponent on Saturday.
“I kind of nudged Jonathan and asked who are these people,” Kenneth says. “He said, ‘That’s the head coach, Kenneth.’”
Jonathan Redmond. Courtesy of NC State Athletics.
The two laugh about the story now, but they say it speaks to how insulated their world had been growing up in South Carolina. “I remember my official visit, we didn’t know if they were the Tar Heels or the Wolfpack. I had to ask on my visit.” Jonathan admits. “We were just old country boys. We had a lot of learning to do.”
The Redmond boys did commit, and brought their strength — and coon dogs they’d take hunting while everyone else Jonathan Redmond. Courtesy of NC State Athletics.
partied — to Raleigh to help anchor State’s offensive line. Though Kenneth is a year older than Jonathan, they say they told all colleges who recruited them, including Clemson and Ole Miss, that they would be a package deal. Sports Illustrated recounted the story in 1995.
NC State was the first school to honor their wishes. “If we can’t be the corn, we sure ain’t going to be the shucks,” Jonathan remembers thinking. “Everything we had was ‘ours.’ When we got a Christmas gift, it was to Jonathan and Kenneth. We pulled out of the same underwear drawer for years. ”
Once at State, the brothers shined beside each other on the offensive line, Kenneth playing center and Jonathan playing guard. Their mother, who worked third shift in a cotton mill, missed only one game. She would work all night on a Friday night, drive from Seneca to Raleigh in the morning, go to the game and catch a couple of hours of sleep on their dorm room couch. Then she would drive back to Seneca to be at work at midnight.
While a lot of their teammates developed a hatred for their in-state rivals, UNC-Chapel Hill, the ire of the Redmond boys ire always turned back to Clemson. That was their “in-state” rival. “If there’s one thing we enjoy watching, it’s watching the Tigers cry,” Jonathan says. “I wouldn’t pull for Clemson under any circumstances.”
Kenneth is a bit more reserved with his feelings — for good reason. In 1994, after NC State defeated Clemson, 29-12, in Death Valley, Kenneth met the woman who would become his wife. She was the roommate of Kenneth’s childhood friend who was dating a Clemson player. Kenneth talked to his friend and his future wife, and the rest is history.
The Redmonds still love NC State — and root against Clemson. Kenneth owns 
Oakway Farm and Garden Center, a livestock, garden and farm feed store, in Westminster, S.C. Jonathan owns Redmond Boys, which sells fresh produce, in Seneca. The one thing they’ve never sold is the country in both of them.
“Look back and find our senior salutes somewhere,” Jonathan says. “You’ll see I wanted a country store where I could sit back and chew tobacco and swap stories.”
11.15.2011
It’s Homecoming week, and the Clemson Tigers are coming to town this weekend to take on the Wolfpack. We recently spoke by email with Derek Hodgin, a 1989 NC State grad who lives in Clemson, S.C., about what it’s like to live and work among Tiger fans (Hodgin is the owner and president of Construction Science and Engineering Inc.), his memories of his time at NC State and his prediction for this weekend’s game.
What brought you to Clemson? I moved my family and business to Clemson to be close to the mountains, to be proximate to a research university, to enjoy outdoor recreation and a small town environment.
What are Clemson’s fans like? Do you ever go to Clemson’s games? Clemson fans are enthusiastic, but respectful and nice. My family (as well as CSE team members) attends Clemson games as much as we can fit into our schedule.
Your prediction for the game? Unfortunately, I think Clemson will likely beat the Wolfpack in a convincing manner. Score: Clemson 38, NC State 14
Does your NC State heritage take a beating in another ACC town? My NC State heritage is always a source of fun conversation with local Clemson fans. I also catch grief from my oldest daughter, a sophomore attending Clemson University.
What’s your favorite memory of NC State? I always enjoyed homecoming week at NC State because of the extra spirit and energy around campus. I started my NC State career in 1984; one year after the NCSU basketball team won the national championship. I always enjoyed attending basketball games and the high energy that Coach Valvano exhibited. I remember leaving basketball games at Reynolds Coliseum soaked with sweat and little to no voice left. Go Wolfpack!!
– Jeannene Lang
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