StaffBrooks A. Keel (BS ’78, PhD ’82)
I like to say that Augusta University is a five-year-old university with a 129-year history.
Our “youth” compels us to be nimble and forward thinking, collaborating across all of our disciplines and campuses to create a future for Augusta University that makes the most of our diverse areas of strength.
Our long and storied history provides us wisdom, perspective and a widespread university family with roots deep in our community and state.
Over the next couple of years, our history will be on full display as many of our colleges gear up to celebrate significant milestones, giving us many opportunities to join together and reflect on the decades of meaningful contributions from our own alma mater.
The College of Nursing’s Diamond Jubilee is in full swing, commemorating 75 years of providing nursing expertise critical to the health and well-being of our community and state. Two more colleges will soon reach a significant milestone of their own: The College of Allied Health Sciences will turn 50 next year, and The Dental College of Georgia will follow in 2019.
Fifty years ago was a time of dramatic social change in the U.S., and college campuses were both catalysts and beneficiaries. In 1967, both our Health Sciences and Summerville Campuses were desegregated, opening the door to the knowledge, experience and perspectives that come with diversity and inclusion, now among our most fundamental institutional values.
And last but not least, we celebrate our history as the cultural and creative heart of Augusta, with the 50th anniversary for the Maxwell Theatre and the 10th for the D. Douglas Barnard, Jr. Amphitheatre.
Our history is impressive and our future limitless. We’re so glad to have you with us on this journey.
1960s
Dr. Fred Hawkridge was named the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Science and Mathematics at Alumni Weekend 2017. Hawridge attended Augusta Junior College from 1962-64 and earned his PhD from the University of Kentucky in 1971.
Drs. Charles Williams (MD ’66) and Walter Curran (MD ’82) received two of three Gold Medal Awards from the American College of Radiology, the group’s highest honor. Williams, a radiologist in Tallahassee, Florida, specializes in pediatric radiology and breast and diagnostic imaging. Curran is a radiation oncologist who is executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University.
Dr. Jean Braun (MD ’68), who writes under the pen name Jean Gottleib Bradley, finished her second novel, Journeys of Love Beyond the Crossroads, available on Amazon. Her first novel, published in 2015, was titled
At the Crossroad: A Southern Daughter’s Story.
1970s
Dr. Phil Jones (MD ’70) published Cocktails and Prayers, a memoir from the 1950s and 1960s centered in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Dr. Melvin Baker (DMD ’74) was elected to the Oxford, Georgia, City Council. He is a member of the American Dental Association, Georgia Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry and Newton Medical Center Board of Directors.
Dr. Hubert Greenway (MD ’74), chairman of Mohs and dermatologic surgery at Scripps Clinic, received the Frederic E. Mohs Award from the American College of Mohs Surgery at the college’s annual meeting.
Dr. Ken McMillan (DMD ’74) led a group of nine DCG students on a mission trip to Haiti over spring break. Other participating alumni include Drs. Philip Koch (DMD ’74), Marlon Murrell (DMD ’74), Ken Hutchinson (DMD ’82), Wendy Cardenas (DMD ’13) and Charles Major (DMD ’14).
Ben Allen (BA ’75) was named the Distinguished Alumnus for the Athletics Department during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. Paul Goebel (BBA ’75) was named the Hull College of Business Distinguished Alumnus during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. James A. “Jimmy” High, who completed an orthodontics residency at The Dental College of Georgia in 1975, is a retired orthodontist in Statesboro, Georgia, and was named the 2017 Citizen of the Year by the city’s two Rotary Clubs.
Dr. Marguerite Kearney (BSN ’76, MSN ’77) was named the Augusta University College of Nursing’s Phoebe Kandel Rohrer Distinguished Alumna at Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. Larry Stewart (MD ’79), a well-known physician who has practiced as a pediatrician for 31 years in Middle Georgia and is affiliated with Houston Medical Center and Perry Hospital, was named chief medical officer for Houston Healthcare in Warner Robins, Georgia.
1980s
Dr. Stacy Harbin (MD ’80) joined Sacred Heart Medical Group’s team of surgeons and will be based at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Gulf in Port St. Joe, Florida. Harbin specializes in general surgery and has been practicing in the surgical field for more than 30 years.
Dr. Kevin Osteen (PhD ’80) was named the Distinguished Alumnus for The Graduate School during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. Matthew Nathan (MD ’81), former surgeon general and chief of the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, was named interim senior vice president and administrator for the WakeMed Health and Hospitals Raleigh Campus in North Carolina.
Dr. Walter J. Curran (MD ’82) was named the Medical College of Georgia Distinguished Alumnus for Professional Achievement during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. Stephen Farkas (MD ’82) retired from Gainesville Eye Associates, which he founded in 1982.
Dr. Karyn Stockwell (DMD ’82) was named the Distinguished Alumna for The Dental College of Georgia during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. David Munn (MD ’84) was one of only four recipients of Georgia Bio’s 2017 Innovation Awards. Munn was recognized for his research on tumor immunology and the molecular mechanisms of immune suppression and tolerance.
Dr. Tim Marlow (MD ’87) was promoted to CEO of SpineCenterAtlanta & Affiliates.
1990s
Dr. George Cleland (MD ’91) was presented with the Elbertonian Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Elbert County Branch for exemplary service in the medical profession and for providing exceptional medical care to patients in northeast Georgia.
Dr. George Hall (DMD ’93) is director of the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program and clinical associate professor in the UNC Department of Operative Dentistry.
David Bachand (BS ’94) was named the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Allied Health Sciences during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. Paulette Harris (BA ’71, MEd ’74, EdS ’95) received the Augusta University College of Education Distinguished Alumna Award during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. Derek Heard (MD ’99), a family medicine physician at Phoebe Primary Care of Albany, was recently honored as the 2017 Phoebe Physician of the Year. The award honors a physician who exemplifies a compassionate commitment to improving the health and well-being of patients in southwest Georgia.
Dr. Matthew Lyon (MD ’99) was one of only four recipients of Georgia Bio’s 2017 Innovation Awards. Lyon, a professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Georgia and director of the Center for Ultrasound Education and Research at Augusta University, was recognized for pioneering new applications for ultrasound, including the assessment of traumatic brain injuries.
2000s
Dr. Benjamin Levy (MD ’02) has been named clinical director of medical oncology and medical director of thoracic oncology for the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital in northwest Washington, D.C.
Rich Rogers (BA ’03) and wife Stephanie welcomed their first child, Jacob Anderson Rogers, into the world on May 18, 2017.
Dr. Kelli Braun (MD ’04), associate professor in the MCG Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was named associate dean of admissions at MCG.
Patrick Clayton (MPA ’04) was named the Distinguished Alumnus for Pamplin College during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Dr. Amish Naik (DMD ’08), who completed a general practice residency at DCG, received a Mastership Award from the International College of Oral Implantologists.
Dr. Clint Baughm (DMD ’09), who completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at DCG, received a Fellowship Award from the International College of Oral Implantologists.
Dr. Pamela Cromer (MSN ’88, DNP ’09) was named the College of Nursing’s E. Louise Grant Distinguished Alumna during Alumni Weekend 2017.
Drs. Eliza Myers (DMD ’09) and Alan Myers (DMD ’10) opened a new dental office in Fury’s Ferry Center in Augusta, Georgia, in June.
2010s
Dr. Courtney Babb (DMD ’10) joined the faculty of the DCG Department of General Dentistry in 2016.
Dr. Ken Sellers (DMD ’13) will join Dr. Ron Fields (DMD ’12) in private practice at Southland Children’s Dentistry in Albany, Georgia, upon completion of his pediatric residency at DCG.
Dr. Alex Caten (MFRI ’14) joined Sierra Nevada Ear, Nose & Throat, which has offices in Carson City, Gardnerville and Fallon, Nevada.
Dr. Monica Chana (DMD ’14) completed a general practice residency in 2015 and recently joined the DCG faculty in
the Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences.
Dr. Thomas Bryan (DMD ’15) practices general dentistry at Bryan Dental Associates in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Dr. Jackie Delash (DMD ’15) completed a general practice residency in 2016 and joined the DCG faculty in the Department of Restorative Sciences.
Dr. Stephanie Fransoso (DMD ’15) was inducted into the Greenbrier Athletics Hall of Fame in Columbia County, Georgia. She graduated from Greenbrier High School as its all-time leading scorer in soccer with 113 goals.
Dr. Grayson Griffis (DMD ’15) opened Griffis Southern Dental Care in Waycross, Georgia, after spending a year working in public health at Compassionate Care Dental Clinic in Vidalia, Georgia.
Dr. Bridget Lyons (DMD ’15) was recently invited to compete on the Team USA Cross Country team in Boca Raton, Florida, and she is currently training for the Olympic trials for the 2020 Olympic team. While an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, she ran the second-fastest time in UGA history for the 10,000-meter event.
Dr. Scott DeRossi (MBA ’16) was named dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. DeRossi formerly chaired the DCG Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences.
1968
FLASHBACKS
Billboard magazine’s Top Tune
“Hey Jude,” The Beatles
Oscar-winning film
Oliver!
On Campus
MCG forms the School of Allied Health Sciences.
In the News
Madison Square Garden in New York City opens at its current location.
The first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is televised.
The first International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Hawaii Five-O debuts, and eventually becomes the longest-running crime show in television history, until Law & Order overtakes it in 2003.
At Paine Field, near Everett, Washington, Boeing officially rolls out its new 747 for the media and the public.
Mattel’s Hot Wheels toy cars are introduced.
