Southern Miss Alumni Association Induct Seven into Alumni Hall of Fame

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, Oct. 28 as one of the highlights of the 2016 Homecoming celebration.

The banquet and ceremony will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus, and will begin at 6:30 p.m. Limited seating is available to the general public through Thursday, Oct. 20. All-inclusive tickets for the event are available for $50, and may be purchased by visiting www.SouthernMissAlumni.com/HallofFame2016 or by contacting the Alumni Association at 601.266.5013.

The Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1987 to recognize those whose contributions have helped move the University forward.

The 2016 inductees include the following:

Russell “Rusty” Anderson ‘79, ‘81

Rusty Anderson has more than 35 years of experience in higher education with a focus on career planning, job-seeking strategies and professional development. He currently serves The University of Southern Mississippi as the director of Career Services, a position held since 1995. Anderson has taught numerous career management courses as an adjunct instructor in the departments of tourism management, psychology and undergraduate studies.

Anderson received a master's degree in counseling psychology and a bachelor's degree in social and rehabilitation services from Southern Miss after graduating from Hattiesburg High School.

Anderson has held numerous leadership positions, including national president of Gamma Beta Phi National Honor Society; conference co-chair for Southeastern Association of Colleges and Employers; president of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Employers; past president of the Southern Miss Staff Council; and is a graduate of Hattiesburg Leaders for a New Century, which is now known as Leadership Pinebelt. On campus, his service includes the Student Success Committee, liaison to the campus ministers, Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) Development Committee and Implementation Team, Paralegal Advisory Committee, and the Tourism Advisory Board. Off campus, Anderson serves on numerous community advisory boards, including The Area Development Partnership Education Task Force, Hattiesburg High School Cooperative Education Advisory Committee, and the Petal High School Cooperative Education and Workforce Development Committee.

Anderson has received several honors while at Southern Miss and is a Life Member of the Southern Miss Alumni Association, a member of the Eagle Club and an alumni member of numerous organizations.

Anderson and his wife, Theresa, reside in the Hattiesburg area and have two sons, Rusty Jr. of Byram and Eric '07 of Tampa, Fla. He has five grandchildren: Tristan, Taylor, Trace, Chase and Tucker. The Anderson family has a long history with Southern Miss, as his father, the late Dr. Bobby Anderson, served on the faculty from 1968-95; his mother, Joy Anderson, earned a M.Ed.; and his brothers, Tony and Robby, both earned bachelor's degrees at Southern Miss.

Jane Boudreaux ‘71 ‘72

Jane Boudreaux Ph.D., a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and licensed dietitian (LD), is a native of Hattiesburg. In 1976, Boudreaux launched the first nutrition consulting company in the state of Mississippi and was also responsible for starting the first independent health care group purchasing organization in the state.

Boudreaux holds a bachelor's degree in food and nutrition and a master's degree in institution management, both from The University of Southern Mississippi. A member of Phi Kappa Phi, she graduated with highest honors when she received her bachelor's degree. In 1988, she earned a doctorate in institution management from Texas Woman's University.

Presently, Boudreaux is a managing partner of The Purchasing Alliance, a group purchasing organization developed specifically for health care facilities, and is vice president of Nutrition Systems Inc., a nutrition and food service management consulting firm. Combined, both companies service more than 400 health care accounts across the Southeast.

From 1999 to 2003, Boudreaux served as the dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Southern Miss and was a professor at the University for more than 28 years. Professor Emeritus at Southern Miss, Boudreaux is a member of the Honor Club, Eagle Club and is a Life Member of the Alumni Association. Upon retiring from the University, Boudreaux's colleagues, former students, family and friends established a dietetics and nutrition scholarship in her name.

A member of numerous organizations in the dietetics and nutrition arena, Boudreaux has also held many leadership roles in the Mississippi Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

A Golden Eagle since birth, Boudreaux's grandmother attended Mississippi Normal College and her mother worked for many years in the Registrar's Office at the University. Boudreaux and her husband, Fred '68, '72, are the parents of Craig '98 and daughter-in-law Trista '00, '08 and Brad '04 and daughter-in-law Jenny '08, '12.

The Boudreauxs are active members of Oak Grove United Methodist Church, enjoy traveling and being outdoors, and are the proud grandparents of Audrey, Isaac and April, all three of whom are Growing up Gold.

Kim Bradley ‘86

Kim Bradley launched his business career in 1984 when he purchased Floyd's Formals on Hardy Street in Hattiesburg. In 1990, he and his brother, Todd, opened a dry cleaning store. Together, they operated the dry cleaners, three retail tuxedo stores and a wholesale tuxedo business.

In 1996, they purchased Taylor Rental, and in 2008, Bradley relocated Taylor Rental to the current location on Lincoln Road in Hattiesburg.

Bradley is a native of Hattiesburg and began playing golf as a teenager. Following his graduation from Hattiesburg High School in 1980, Bradley walked on to the Southern Miss Golf Team in the fall of 1980 and played for two years. He pledged Kappa Alpha in 1980, and served as president in 1983. Bradley graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.

Bradley will complete his third term on the Hattiesburg City Council in the summer of 2017. He served as council president for 10 years and is a member and former president of the board of directors of the Hattiesburg Country Club.

Bradley resides in Hattiesburg with his wife, Erin Pittman Bradley, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in special education in 1985 and a master's degree in education in 1988, both from Southern Miss. They have two daughters, Alex and Abby. Alex is a 2013 graduate of College of Nursing at Southern Miss and is currently enrolled in the University's Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) program. Abby attended Mississippi State University for three years before beginning pharmacy school at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

Lifelong supporters of Southern Miss, the Bradleys are members of the Circle of Champions, Golden Tee and the Dugout Club. They attend Venture Church in Hattiesburg.

Joe S. Bryant '75

Joe Bryant, a native of Norfolk, Va., arrived in Hattiesburg in the fall of 1971 to begin his college career and play football with the Golden Eagles. He quickly fell in love with The University of Southern Mississippi and never left. In the fall of 1972, Bryant was initiated into Sigma Nu Fraternity along with Vice President Emeritus Joe Paul. In the summer of 1973, he fell in love again – this time with a blonde coed named Jo Russ. The two graduated together in 1975 and married in November of that year.

After a brief stint as a teacher and coach at Hattiesburg Public School District, Bryant began his insurance career. In 1979, he partnered with Shelter Insurance to open his agency across the street from campus, where his office remains today. By 1998, with his Golden Eagle Spirit and wife, Jo Jo, by his side, Bryant successfully built the largest Shelter Insurance agency in Mississippi. Through the years, the Bryants have garnered numerous company and industry awards as a 25-time recipient of the Shelter Conference Champion Award, eight-time recipient of the Shelter Millionaires Award, Presidents Council member for 10 years and seven-time recipient of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors National Multiline Sales Award. Bryant is a past president and Man of the Year of the Hattiesburg Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. In 1988, the Bryants were inducted into the Shelter Insurance Hall of Fame.

Bryant is still actively involved in many aspects of Southern Miss Athletics to which his wife refers as his “free job.” In 1998, he was awarded the Doc Roberts Distinguished Service Award by the Southern Miss Athletics Department and has served as president of the M-Club and is past president of the Hattiesburg Metro Chapter of the Southern Miss Alumni Association.

He has also served on the advisory board for the Hattiesburg Salvation Army and was granted Life Member status in 2014, alongside Dr. Aubrey Lucas.

Bryant and his wife have two children, Russ and Hayley. Russ, an attorney, resides in Memphis with his wife, Morgan, and their two children, Hattley and Mills. Hayley, a third-generation Southern Miss graduate, and her husband, Austin, are expecting their first child in January.

Vicki Helms Carter ‘71

Although her formal training was focused on classical piano, Vicki Carter has enjoyed a successful career in musical theatre as a musician. She made her Broadway debut conducting EUBIE!, based on the music of Eubie Blake, one of America's foremost ragtime composers, and her keyboard skills have been heard in Broadway orchestras, including A Chorus Line, La Cage aux Folles, Me and My Girl, and The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.

At the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, Carter's musical direction and conducting credits include Guys and Dolls, Grease, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Anything Goes, Big River, Man of La Mancha and No, No Nanette. She was the musical director and conductor for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's production of Carousel.

In 1986, an invitation was extended and Carter returned home to Mississippi to direct a production of Show Boat for the Tupelo Community Theatre made possible by a grant received from the Mississippi State Council of the Arts.

In 2000, Carter was named one of 56 charter nominees for induction into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and was profiled in Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame: Legendary Musicians Whose Art Has Changed the World.

As a way of staying connected to her roots, Carter conceived, chaired, planned and implemented the first Mississippi Picnic held in 1980 in Central Park with the help of four other Mississippians.

Presently, Carter is serving as director of the Chautauqua Scholarship Program at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. The program began in 1920 and welcomes young adults from around the world to a month of intensive, intellectual, artistic and spiritual development.

Carter graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in piano performance. After nearly 40 years of a career focused on musical theatre, Carter desired to revisit her classical roots. She was awarded an artistic residence under the support of the Dr. Robert und Lina Thyll-Dürr Foundation out of Switzerland, and used that time to develop solo piano programs. She continues to present musical programs as a solo pianist. Carter and her husband, Ron, reside in East Orange, N.J. They have one daughter, Logan, who resides in New York City.

Gwendolyn Armstrong Chamberlain

Gwendolyn Elaine Armstrong Chamberlain's first job after leaving The University of Southern Mississippi was with the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C., as supervisor of memberships and subscriptions. After years in this position, she accepted a position at the American Council on Education with the GED Testing Service as manager of military testing, which included federal testing, Michigan prisons testing, and Canadian military and international testing, where she traveled and trained in test site security measures and procedures.

After leaving the education field, Chamberlain became executive assistant to the president of the Melwood Horticultural Training Center in Upper Marlboro, Md., where she helped to create Melwood's Alumni Association and worked with staff responsible for training and implementation of transportation and housing.

Chamberlain is a native of Hattiesburg, where she attended Rowan Senior High School and was active in chorus and other school activities. Being an honor roll student prepared her for admission to The University of Southern Mississippi as one of the institution's first African-American students. At Southern Miss, she was a member of the yearbook staff, and in 1965, she participated in the Pan Hellenic talent contest and won first place. In the audience was Alberta Caruth and her husband, Paul, who offered her an audition with King Records (a James Brown Production Company) in Cleveland, Ohio where she “cut” a demo and was to become a protégé after singer Marva Whitney. She was offered a position in Las Vegas singing between shows for Frank Sinatra Jr., as well as a back-up singing position with Ike and Tina Turner, but she declined both offers.

She and her husband, Curtis Chamberlain Sr., have three children: Curtis II, a professional barber; Erica, an accountant; and Dajuan, a senior at McDaniel College and three grandchildren: Deonte, Hope and Cree. Chamberlain and her family reside in Clinton, Md. Her latest venture has been forming Happy Hearts, a 501(c)(3). As CEO, she hopes to create a safe environment for abused and abandoned children.

Duane Lock ‘83

Duane Lock is president of River Oaks Energy, an electricity brokering and consulting company. He founded the company in 2004 and built it into a national enterprise.

In addition to brokering and trading energy commodities, Lock is a member of the Council of Advisors for Energy based in New York. As a member of the council, he consults regularly with investment banking firms, such as Capital Advisors, Goldman Sachs and others on matters related to energy policy, market structure and regulatory activities.

Upon graduating from The University of Southern Mississippi, Lock began his career at Xerox Corporation from 1984 to 1994, which took him across the United States. After a decade at Xerox, his first assignment in the energy business involved leading the retail business for Kansas City Power and Light as well as Missouri Gas Energy, both billion dollar mid-west utilities. In addition to heading up the retail marketing business, he also served as the company lobbyist at the state capital.  As a registered lobbyist, Lock built relationships with elected and appointed officials, including governors, mayors, state legislators and public utility commissioners.

He is a member on the board of trustees for Rockhurst University executive committee, and serves on the USM Foundation Board.

Lock earned his BSBA from Southern Miss in 1983 and an MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City. He proudly served four years in the United States Marine Corps active reserve from 1979-1983. He and his family reside in the Dallas Metro Area.