UGA graduate now a golf curator at St. Andrews

My favorite thing about meeting with UGA graduates from across the country is hearing all of your wonderful stories and accomplishments. Recently, at UGA Day in Nashville, I was speaking with Josh Parker (BBA '00) when he told me about his father, Dr. Tony Parker (AB '90, MA '92). Last year, Dr. Parker was named curator of the "Lawrence Levy Photograph Golf Collection" at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. 

His assignment is to organize and catalogue the more than 240,000 images taken between 1978 and 1994 by Levy, who lost a battle to cancer in 1994.  Of course, living and working in St. Andrews, we hear that Tony may be enjoying a little golf, as well!

An excerpt from an article by Loran Smith on Parker in the September 4, 2012 edition of the Athens Banner-Herald describes his path to this project:

After graduating with a masters degree in history from UGA in 1992, Parker enrolled at the University of St. Andrews, where he received a degree in Scottish history in 1996. He and his wife, Lisa, who grew up in Alpharetta and is also a UGA graduate, decided to stay in Scotland. Last year, they became Scottish citizens and now have dual passports.

Following the conferring of his doctorate, Parker became the administrative director of the Institute for Transatlantic, European and American Studies at the University of Dundee, where he taught for 12 years.

Leaving the University of Dundee in 2008, he formed the Parker Group Scotland, which specialized in Scottish and golf-related history, educational consultations and photography.

In 2007, Parker was introduced to the Queen and Prince Philip for his "contributions to the people of the United Kingdom." 

Dr. Parker, I and the thousands of UGA graduates who are avid golfers or golf fans are so proud of your role at the home of golf. We know you miss fall afternoons 'Between the Hedges,' but we know that replacing them with fall afternoons on the Old Course is not too bad an alternative!

Well done, and Go Dawgs!

This post was sourced from an article by Loran Smith in the September 4, 2012 edition of the Athens Banner-Herald.  CLICK HERE to read the full article.  

Photo credit:  Courtesy of Tony Parker

Betsy Crossley (BS ’77, MS ’80) elected mayor of Nashville suburb

Congratulations to newly elected Brentwood, Tenn., Mayor Betsy Crossley (BS ’77, MS ’80)!

Elected as a Brentwood City Commissioner in 2007, Crossley previously served as mayor from 2009 until 2011. She has been a member of the city's Historic Commission, Planning Commission, Tree Board and Library Board. For the past five years, she has served as a member of the Tennessee Municipal League's Board advocating on behalf of municipalities. On the state level, Crossley was appointed to a three-year term on the Tennessee Water and Wastewater Financing Board by the governor in 2011. In 2012, the Speaker of the House appointed her to a two-year term as a member of the Tennessee Local Development Authority. Crossley was the first woman ever appointed to serve in that position.

The alumna moved to Brentwood in 1999. Prior to her public service there, she was a medical researcher and teacher. Her community involvement includes Christ United Methodist Church, the Williamson County Education Foundation Board, Leadership and Youth Leadership Brentwood, Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, Brentwood Rotary Club, and the American Heart Association.

She has been married for more than 30 years to her husband, George. They have two sons who graduated from the University of Tennessee (we’ll let that slide).

We are so impressed with Crossley’s commitment to her community and are impressed by her continued leadership in the Nashville area. Best of luck in this term, Betsy!

Alumnus leads Columbus, Ohio, arts council

Early last month, Tom Katzenmeyer (AB ’76) took over as president and CEO of the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Arts Council. The organization distributes funds for the arts, and advocates and markets the Central Ohio arts community. In this role, Katzenmeyer will oversee a staff of 11 and a budget of more than $6 million. His fellow Columbus cultural leaders say he is a strong choice for the position because of his expertise in navigating politics and business.

Just prior to joining the Arts Council, the alumnus served as senior vice president for university communications for The Ohio State University. At Ohio State, Tom oversaw university-wide communications and reputation management.

Before joining Ohio State, he was senior vice president of investor, media, and community relations for Limited Brands, Inc. He was responsible for the company’s relationships with investors and analysts, local media, national business and trade press, and the nonprofit and philanthropic community.

Prior to joining Limited in 1990, Katzenmeyer served as executive assistant for legislative affairs to the Governor of Ohio for four years. His public service career spans nearly 15 years, including time on the staff of Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Department of Development.

Congratulations to Tom as he takes on this new role – I have no doubt he will help the Greater Columbus Arts Council continue to thrive!

Information for this post was sourced from the Greater Columbus Arts Council website and The Columbus Dispatch.