Tickets Available for Southern Miss 2014 Alumni Hall of Fame Event

The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association will induct seven of the University's most dedicated and distinguished alumni into its Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 7, as one of the highlights of the 2014 Homecoming celebration.

The banquet and ceremony will be held in the Grand Ballroom in the Thad Cochran Center located on the Hattiesburg campus and will begin at 6:30 p.m. Limited seating is available to the general public through Monday, Nov. 3. All-inclusive tickets for the event are available for $50, and can be purchased by contacting the Southern Miss Alumni Association at 601.266.5013.

The Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1987 to recognize those whose contributions of time and financial means have helped move the university forward.

The 2014 inductees include the following:

Deborah Gambrell Chambers ‘72

Judge Deborah Jones Gambrell Chambers, inspired by her parents (lifelong educators), entered The University of Southern Mississippi at age 16 and graduated in l972 with a degree in political science. While at Southern Miss, she was active in the Afro-American Cultural Society and a member of the famed Dixie Darlings.

Gambrell then earned her Juris Doctorate with cum laude distinction in l978 from the Mississippi College School of Law, then known as the Jackson School of Law. She returned to the Pine Belt area, where she practiced law for 30 years. She also served as a Justice Court Judge in Forrest County from l980 until she was appointed as Chancery Judge in the l0th Chancery District by Governor Haley Barbour in January 2011 and continues to serve in that capacity.

Gambrell has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the YMCA, United Way, DuBard School Advisory Board, R3SM and the Mississippi Bar Foundation. She served on the Mississippi Bar's Committee on Professional Responsibility for more than six years and currently serves on the Access to Justice Committee.

She has been featured in several publications and was selected as a Girl Scouts “Woman of Distinction” in 2013 and accepted the Forrest General “Spirit of Women” Award in 20ll. In 2009 she received one of the “Hardest Working Hurricane Relief Workers" Awards from the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which was donated to R3SM, a United Way agency that assisted persons affected by Hurricane Katrina with recovering, rebuilding and restoring their homes and lives after Hurricane Katrina.

Throughout the years, Gambrell has been involved with her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and was the first in her family to graduate from Southern Miss, quickly followed by her sisters, mother, daughters and niece.

Gambrell is married to Vincent Chambers and is the mother of six daughters and the grandmother to five. She's an active member of the Pineview Presbyterian Church and has traveled extensively for the church while serving on various women's advocacy committees. Her life motto is, “For those to whom much is given, much is expected.”

John W. Cox ‘78

John Cox, a native of Middletown, Ohio, received his bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from Southern Miss in 1978 and began working for the Athletics department. The “Voice of the Golden Eagles” is a veteran sportscaster and director of sports broadcasting in his 37th year at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Among his many duties, Cox handles the play-by-play broadcasts of Golden Eagle football, men's basketball and baseball. He also hosts the Southern Miss Sports Today television shows. Over the years, Cox has become synonymous with the phrase “Touchdown Southern Miss,” as well as his signature reminder as he ends every broadcast, reminding listeners to remember “the three essentials of happiness – something to do, something to love and something to hope for.”

 Cox, who began his career under the legendary Bill Goodrich, has gone on to be named the Mississippi Sportscaster of the Year six times. He has chronicled some of the greatest moments in Southern Miss athletics and has broadcast nearly 400 Golden Eagle football games, is closing in on a thousand basketball broadcasts, and has done almost 2,000 baseball broadcasts.

Cox authored a pair of books on the history of Golden Eagle athletics: Rock Solid: Southern Miss Football, the definitive history of the school's football program that was released in 2004; and A Season To Remember: 1958 Southern Miss Football, the Story of the 1958 UPI College Division National Championship, released in 2008 for the 50th anniversary of the championship. He is currently working on a book showcasing the history of Southern Miss basketball.

Cox called play-by-play of women's basketball from 1978–81. In 1982, he handled the radio play-by-play duties for Golden Eagle football and switched back to the delayed television broadcasts of Southern Miss football for three years before assuming his current radio responsibilities. In 1978, Cox began broadcasting Southern Miss baseball while still a student, and has continued to handle that duty.

Cox has two daughters, Joye Anestis, who currently teaches in the Department of Psychology at Southern Miss, and Erin, a sophomore at Oak Grove High School. Joye is married to Mike Anestis, who also teaches in the Department of Psychology, and they have one son, Jonah (four), and a daughter, Mary, who was born last May.

Billy Hewes ‘60

A native of Gulfport, Billy Hewes received a Bachelor of Science degree in personnel management with a minor in business administration from Southern Miss in 1960 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army through the Army R.O.T.C. program. Hewes served an eight-year obligation in the U.S. Army Reserve and received an honorable discharge at the age of 28 with the rank of captain.

Hewes was employed by National Supply Division of Armco Steel Corporation. In 1968, he was promoted and transferred to Armco's Steel Division as a tubular field engineer.

In 1969, Hewes left Armco Steel and returned to Gulfport along with his brother Charley to open Hewes Brothers Department Store in downtown Gulfport, where he was president and general manger.

As of January 1, 1979, Hewes was employed as an insurance agent by Nationwide Insurance Company. During his career with Nationwide, he was awarded the Challenger, Executive, Champion and Presidents Conference designations. In 1980, he was recognized as the top agent in Nationwide's South Central region. In 1987, Billy branched out into the real estate profession as broker for Billy Hewes Real Estate, and since that time, has attained the achievement of life membership in the Top Producer Club.

This Life Member of the Southern Miss Alumni Association established a College of Business Endowment Scholarship and is a member of the University's Business Advisory Council, Athletic Foundation Board of Directors, Honor Club, Circle of Champions, Eagle Club, Dugout Club, Hardwood Club, Wings Club, Diamond Club, Golden Tee Club, and formerly was a member of the Southern Miss Athletic Council.

Hewes is a former member and past president of the Gulfport City Council, the Gulfport Jaycees and the Mississippi Retail Merchants Association. He is currently a member of the Gulfport/Orange Grove Rotary Club, the Gulfport Gridiron Club, the Gulf Coast Association of Realtors and the Mississippi Association of Realtors. 

Hewes and his wife Sarah, a former Southern Miss Homecoming Queen and Campus Beauty, have been married for 53 years and are the parents of three sons; Billy III, Charlie and Michael, all residents of Gulfport along with their wives; and have a total of nine grandchildren.

David Michael Ishee ‘85

Judge David M. Ishee graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in History and a minor in English, making him the third generation in his family to attend Southern Miss. He also attended the University of London and later received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

He has participated in numerous alumni events and has served as president of the Southern Miss Law Constituent Society since 2010. He established the Elmo Lang Memorial Continuing Legal Education Seminar in 2008 and the Mississippi Court of Appeals Court on the Road program at Southern Miss.

Upon graduation, he entered into private practice with his late father-in-law and fellow Southern Miss Hall of Fame member Elmo Lang of Pascagoula. In 1992, at the age of 29, he was appointed Municipal Court Judge for the City of Pascagoula, making him the youngest Municipal Court Judge in the state of Mississippi.  Upon returning to Gulfport, Ishee was appointed Municipal Court Judge for the City of Gulfport in October 1999. He later joined the law firm of Franke, Rainey and Salloum, PLLC in 2002.

Ishee is admitted to and has extensively practiced in all federal and state courts in the State of Mississippi and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor at the University's Gulf Park campus and Mississippi College School of Law. In September 2004, Ishee was appointed to the Mississippi Court of Appeals, where he continues to serve today. Thereafter, he was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court to chair the Criminal Section of the Model Jury Instructions Revision Committee.

In addition to numerous civic organizations, Ishee is also a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, where he serves as an usher and Staff Parish Committee member. He has also been Trinity's Conference Delegate to the Mississippi Methodist Conference for five years.

Ishee is married to his college sweetheart, the former Linda Lang of Pascagoula, who is also a third-generation Southern Miss legacy and former president of the Southern Miss Gulf Coast Alumni Chapter. They have one daughter Lauren, who also attended Southern Miss. Ishee is the son of Former Representative and Mrs. Roger Ishee of Gulfport.

William A. Lewis '73, ‘84

Dr. William Lewis is a native of Clinton. He earned a bachelor's degree from Mississippi College, as well as a master's and doctoral degree from The University of Southern Mississippi.

Serving as superintendent of the Petal School District for eight years, Lewis led a school district that became widely recognized as one of Mississippi's top performing districts on statewide measurements of student achievement. During his tenure, the school district achieved state, regional and national recognition for excellence in the classroom, on the athletic fields and in the fine arts. The school district also developed programs of excellence in polymer technology and early childhood education during his tenure. In December 1997, the school district formally dedicated the Polymer Technology Building at Petal High School in honor of Lewis.

In 1998, Lewis was named executive director of the Public Education Forum of Mississippi.

Lewis was selected to become Pearl River Community College's 10th president on July 1, 2000. Since his appointment, Pearl River has experienced a significant growth in enrollment, developed a national reputation for excellence in teaching and learning, produced a national championship in football, and has become highly recognized for its arts programs. In 2013, '14 and '15, the college was recognized as a national finalist for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

Lewis was recognized in 1998 by the Petal Chamber of Commerce as the recipient of the Bobby Runnels Community Leadership Award for outstanding service and leadership to the Petal community. During Homecoming activities at Mississippi College in October 1999, Lewis was presented with the college's Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Teacher Education.

He currently serves as chair of the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology Board of Directors and recently completed a two-year term as the chair of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges President's Association. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Humanities Council and the South Mississippi Planning and Development District. In April 2013, Lewis received the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from Phi Theta Kappa International.

Lewis is married to the former Janet Ladner of Gulfport, and they have two grown children, Kelli and Jay. Dr. and Mrs. Lewis also have four grandchildren.

Nancy Whitten New '74, ‘93

Dr. Nancy New has dedicated her career to helping others and has impacted education for Mississippi students through her vision of meeting the needs of the individual. This vision has resulted in the creation and implementation of multi-faceted educational services to include accredited kindergarten through 12th-grade schools that offer unique classroom environments with highly qualified teachers located in Jackson and Greenwood, as well as the implementation of an accredited virtual high school for nontraditional students. This option allows students across the nation to work toward earning a high school diploma through New Learning Resources School District.

Among additional courses and certifications, New obtained her Bachelor of Science in English and education and a doctorate in educational administration and leadership from Southern Miss. She has a Master of Education in education and English with a minor in public relations from Mississippi State University.

New simultaneously serves as the executive administrator for New Summit Schools in Jackson and Greenwood and an affiliate school, New Summit Academy in Costa Rica, and as the executive director of Mississippi Community Education Center, a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit. She has been able to serve a dual role as an innovative school administrator as well as a community leader dedicated to improving the lives of children and families at the community level.

As the executive director of Mississippi Community Education Center, New has been able to implement her vision for community education through collaboration with various federal, state and local initiatives designed to address the growing needs of Mississippi's youth, parents and families through educational services to empower individuals and families. As a strong and unique school administrator, New leads New Summit Schools with methodical, yet reassuring, efforts that all children can learn.

New has more than 38 years in educational and business settings, as a classroom instructor, school administrator and a community and adult education administrator. New is a member of many professional organizations and has been named to the Top 10 Business Women of Mississippi and the Mississippi Adult Educator of the Year, between receiving numerous additional honors. New has authored various articles and has developed numerous curricula and assessments to address the ever-evolving needs of the current educational environment.

Tommy G. Thornton '72, ‘78

Tommy Thornton began his health care career when he joined Hattiesburg Clinic in 1971 as an accountant. In 1980, he was appointed to his current position as the executive director of Hattiesburg Clinic, the largest private multi-specialty clinic in the state of Mississippi.

As executive director, Thornton directs the organization's operations, ensuring the 2,000 employees and physicians at the clinic are focused on working collaboratively to fulfill the organization's mission of providing quality health care in an efficient and cost-effective manner, with emphasis on excellence and service to patients.

As a Hattiesburg native, Thornton takes seriously bringing quality medical services to the community in which he grew up. In his 40 years at Hattiesburg Clinic, many medical and surgical specialties have been added as clinic services. Thornton has achieved fellow status in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. He is a member of the national and state Medical Group Management Associations and is a member of the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Thornton attended Hattiesburg High School, where he was active in football and track and pursued a bachelor's degree at Southern Miss in accounting, later completing an M.B.A. with an emphasis in management. He has served as an adjunct field instructor for the College of Health and Human Services at the university.

Heavily involved in his community, Thornton serves on advisory boards for the Southern Miss College of Health and BancorpSouth. He is an active member of the Midtown Steering Committee, was the 2014 honoree of the Art for Heart event, a local fundraiser for the American Heart Association, and has been selected to receive one of the 2014 Hub Awards for his contributions to the community and dedication for public service. He is immediate past-chair of the Hattiesburg Area Development Partnership, and the Economic Development and Chamber of Commerce partnership for Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties.

He and his wife, Martha, reside in Hattiesburg and he has two sons, Lance and Guy. Lance, a Southern Miss graduate, his wife Erika and their daughter Annabelle reside in California. Guy is currently a college freshman at the University of Mississippi. The Thorntons are avid Southern Miss supporters and enjoy attending university sporting and arts events.