Wall of Outstanding Alumni

LaGrange College dedicated its Wall of Outstanding Alumni in fall 1994. Since then over 90 alumni of the College have been honored. All have distinguished themselves in their chosen professions and in their communities. It is viewed positively by current and prospective students and their families as well as the college community and friends. A companion board to the Wall of Outstanding Alumni was presented at the Alumni Luncheon during Homecoming 1998. It recognizes our Previous Honorees and hangs beside the Wall of Outstanding Alumni plaque located on the second floor of Historic Smith Hall, just outside the Admission Office.

The president-elect of the Alumni Association chairs the selection committee. The committee, which meets in May, is composed of current and retired faculty, staff and alumni. The deadline for nominations submitted to the Office of Alumni and Family Relations is May 1. The nomination must include supporting material. Five alumni are chosen, and they are presented at the Alumni Celebration during Homecoming in the fall. The selection cannot include an alum who received the Shackelford Distinguished Alumnus Award or the Distinguished Service Alumni Award in the past five years.

Also on the Wall are the portraits of the current president of the Alumni Association and the recipients of the Walter Malcolm Shackelford Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Distinguished Service Alumni Award.

WALL OF OUTSTANDING ALUMNI RECIPIENTS FOR 2007 - 2008

Dr. Arne Dietrich '1990
Dr. Arne Dietrich graduated from LaGrange College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology in 1990 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Georgia.

Dietrich is currently an associate professor of psychology and chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the American University of Beirut. His current research interests are the cognitive neuroscience of physical exercise and the neural basis of altered states of consciousness.

His research has been featured in CNN, Reuters, ABC News, Yahoo.com, Runner's World, Prevention and National Geographic Adventure.

Katrina Pittman Graham '1969
Katrina Graham attended LaGrange College for two years before transferring to the University of Georgia and earning her bachelor's degree in 1969.

For more than 30 years, Graham worked in the natural gas industry, including serving as director of civic affairs of AGL Resources, the parent company of Atlanta Gas Light Co.

Since 2000, she has held the position of Vice President of the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges and is responsible for the foundation's fundraising strategies, proposals, grant requests and public relations.

Over the years, Graham has served on the boards of Senior Connections, Atlanta Downtown Partnership and Camp Best Friends.

Gertrude "Tut" Manly McFarland '1947
Gertrude McFarland graduated from LaGrange College with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech in 1947. For 22 years she taught private speech lessons in public schools before joining the Dalton Public School System as a third grade teacher in 1969, a position she continued in until her retirement in 1991.

McFarland, who has a passion for acting, spent three summer seasons with The Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va., and one summer season with the Priscilla Beach Theatre in Plymouth, Mass. Additionally, she has worked with The Dalton Little Theatre for 60 years.

An active member of Dalton First United Methodist Church, McFarland also has served as a member of the Pilot Club of Dalton for 56 years. She is an energetic traveler and has visited all seven continents.

James "Jay" Allen Montgomery '1992
Jay Montgomery graduated from LaGrange College in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, Drawing and Painting. He then attended the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, graduating from that institution's Illustration Program in 1994.

Since 1995, Montgomery has worked as a freelance illustrator with a client list that has included The New York Times, Coca-Cola, Georgia Pacific, Kodak, Chick-Fil-A, Owens Corning and The Cartoon Network.

In addition to his freelance work, Montgomery also teaches graduate and undergraduate classes part-time at the Atlanta branch of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Over the years, he has won a number awards and contests, including placing first in last year's ArtWanted.com's Religious Easter Art Contest.

Dr. Sonya Gaither Shepherd '1993
Sonya Shepherd graduated from LaGrange College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Library Service from Clark-Atlanta University and her Ed.D. in Educational Administration from Georgia Southern University.

Since 1995, Shepherd has worked at the Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University where today she serves as a tenured associate professor and associate department head of information services.

Shepherd is an active member of the Georgia Southern faculty and has served on the Black Green Task Force, as a faculty senate representative, on the Academic Standards Committee, the SACS Reaffirmation Team and Governance Task Force.

Over the years, Shepherd has received numerous grants and recognitions, including being named a Frye Leadership Fellow in 2005.