Hear what successful graduates have to say about Austin Peay

• Wayne H. Pace (’68), Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Time Warner. "At the University of Georgia (graduate school), I took corporate finance under a professor from Rutgers.  I learned [at Austin Peay] I could compete well, that I was well prepared."
     

• Phil Sanford (‘78), Former Chair of the Board and CEO of The Krystal Co., said, "Whatever I achieve in life, I attribute, in large part, to my parents and to the University. Like my parents, my professors at Austin Peay were supportive, encouraging and dedicated to helping me reach my goals. They believed in me and, because of them, I learned to believe in myself."
       

• Dr. J. Lannett Edwards (’89), did postdoctoral research in cloning under Dr. Ian Wilmut, who became famous for cloning Dolly the sheep. Edwards said, "Dr. Gaines Hunt (’66, chair of APSU’s agriculture department) was an inspiration. I always relied on him to shoot straight with me. Austin Peay’s ag department is incredible."
       

• David Hackworth (’64), the late author and Army colonel, served as an in-the-field reporter for "Newsweek" and, because of his intelligence and expertise, was a regular guest on MSNBC’s "Hardball with Chris Matthews."
  He said, "Austin Peay had a profound influence on my life because it put me in the fast lane (in the military)."
       

• Dr. Monte A. Gates (’89), Boston, is conducting research on the brain’s circuits at Harvard Medical Center, Division of Neuroscience. He was a research fellow at the University of Lund in Sweden and the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Despite the international academic stars with whom he studied, he calls three APSU professors "the most significant mentors in my life." He said, "In my tours of many universities since my days at APSU, I have yet to experience a place that compares."
       

• Dr. Peggy Meszaros (’62), provost and senior vice president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University—highest ranking female administrator in Virginia Tech’s history. She said, "I used to think, when I got my Ph.D., I would know everything. I’ve come to realize how much I don’t know. I’m a lifelong learner (and it all began at Austin Peay)."
       

• The Hon. Mary C. Noble (’71,’75), Lexington, Ky., is the first woman to hold the position as chief judge of the Fayette Circuit Court in the court’s 200-year history. Speaking of Austin Peay and friends she made at APSU, she said, "I met my longtime friend, (Dr). Carlette Hardin (‘71,’79), (APSU professor of education), in P.E. It was the beginning of a lasting friendship."
       

• Peter Minetos (’89), president of Diversified Computer Solutions, the computer troubleshooters for the Broadcast Center of the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Olympic Games. Professing that Austin Peay gave him "an edge in life," Minetos said, "It’s a fantastic place filled with quality people and quality instructors. I have always felt that I have an education that’s just as good or better than anybody I competed with."

Other Austin Peay Grads Who’ve Moved to the Head of the Pack

• Paula Wall (’76), author of "My Love is Free But the Rest of Me Don’t Come Cheap" and "If I were a Man, I’d Marry Me." Her syndicated column "Off the Wall" is printed in newspapers across the nation. Its success won her the 1996 "Best Humor Columnist" title by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
       

• Valerie Moore (’71), underwater dive expert and writer, was the technologies director, co-expedition leader and documentarian for film director Jim Cameron for his film "Titanic." Moore collaborated with the crew of the Russian ship Keldysh as well as the Hollywood film crew.
       

• Rollo Welch (’85), former senior art director for creative services at Sony Music. He has designed CD covers for Patty Loveless, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. He has won Nashville’s Diamond Addy Award, an International Typography Award, and a National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences Award.