Bill Dabney

A retired school teacher, Louise Godwin of Tupelo knows the importance of a good education. That, along with love for her alma mater, is why she chose to donate $25,000 to the Ole Miss First Scholars program. "I attended the University of Mississippi and I have strong feelings for the school," Godwin said. "I think…

Two students in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi have been selected to receive Barksdale Awards, previously known as Extraordinary Student Awards. Miriam "Mimi" Abadie of Hattiesburg and Mary Margaret Peterson of Olive Branch were presented the awards at Honors Day. The $5,000 award supports creative, courageous projects proposed by…

Charles Palmer of Forest learned about an early birthday gift recently when UM Chancellor Robert Khayat informed him that his children had founded an Ole Miss First Scholarship in his name. "I can’t think of anything that I would’ve appreciated more," said Palmer, who celebrates his 80th birthday Sept. 17. "It was such a surprise."…

An April 21 fundraiser at the University of Mississippi honors the memory of beloved UM administrator T.P. Vinson and supports the scholarship endowment bearing his name. The second annual Dr. T.P. Vinson Memorial Scholarship Walk/Run benefits the Dr. Theopolis Pride Vinson Memorial Scholarship Endowment and offers health screenings and information related to cancer. The event…

Sarah Sloan Hollis has joined the University of Mississippi Office of Development as a major gifts officer. An Oxford native, Hollis is responsible for securing financial support benefiting the School of Pharmacy. "Sarah Hollis is committed to the success of the School of Pharmacy and the university," said Barbara G. Wells, dean of the pharmacy…

Since 2003, Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, a rapidly-expanding, 15-location family of restaurants based in Birmingham, Ala., has been a key underwriter of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Jim ‘N Nick’s funded an early SFA oral history project on Greek restaurateurs…

Two University of Mississippi faculty members from the College of Liberal Arts with extraordinary records in teaching, research and service have been named Distinguished Faculty Fellows. The honorees are Jay Johnson, professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Archaeological Research, and Richard Raspet, professor of physics and astronomy and a principal scientist at…

Bill Warren of Fairfax, Va., president of BamBams LLC, has visited the University of Mississippi only once since graduating in 1979. "Business keeps me away from Mississippi," Warren said. "That’s the problem." He found a simple solution to that problem by recently seeding the USS Swordfish Ole Miss First Scholarship. The USS Swordfish, a U.S.…

Karrye Pippin, salutatorian last year at Baldwyn High School, is among a record number of freshmen this fall at the University of Mississippi. And although her first few days on the Oxford campus were somewhat nerve-racking, Pippin said she knows she can count on her mentor, Ole Miss alumnus Larry Johnson of Jackson, to help…

Jill Waycaster, a May 2006 University of Mississippi graduate, has taken a position as a development officer at the university’s Office of Development. The Tupelo native is responsible for attracting financial support for the Ole Miss First scholarship initiative. "Ole Miss alumni are very willing to step forward to ensure a margin of excellence for…