AMSA Spring 2002 Newsletter

The 33^rd Annual Meeting of the Alabama-Mississippi Sociological Association was held on Thursday and Friday, February 21 and 22 at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. The 2002 annual meeting focused on the theme "SOCIAL INEQUALITY." We had three special speakers at this year’s meeting: Betty Dobratz, Rob Brown and Mark Potok. Each was exceptional.

We had many sessions for attendants to choose from, ranging from the traditional paper sessions to panel discussions. Our Native American panel session, “Examining Native America from Within,” was an enormous success. I heard many positive comments from those attending this session. Thanks to Donna Rausch and LaDonna Brown of the Chickasaw Nation; Chief Phillip Martin of the Mississippi Band
of the Choctaw Indians; and Donielle Heron of the Seneca Nation. Another exciting and timely session was the session on the Ayers Case. Many thanks to the participants of Mississippi Valley State University: Vincent Ballard, Reginald Henderson, Dr. Roy Hudson, and Michael Andrews.

I want to thank each of you for attending and supporting our efforts to put on the 33^rd annual meetings at Delta State. We were excited to have the association on our campus for the first time. I want to thank the administration at Delta State for their generous gifts to the association. The rewards of being President far outweigh the costs, and I’m a strong supporter of us continuing to develop strong ties among sociologists through our annual meetings.

It saddens me to close with these final remarks. Our friend and colleague, Lee Darlin, passed away this week. Lee became a personal friend of mine through the AL/MS Sociological Association. Many times I had to call on Lee for assistance and every time he responded generously. Lee contributed greatly to our association and he will be missed dearly. Let’s remember his wife and two sons in our prayers. I have included information about the Lee Darlin Memorial Fund below.

Dr. Lee Darlin passed away Wednesday, July 10, 2002 at his home in Clinton, MS, of a massive heart attack. There will be a memorial service at Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond, MS, Friday, July 12, 2002, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 13, 2002, in Swor Auditorium on the campus of Mississippi College at 3:00 p.m. Dr. Darlin leaves his wife, Deana and two sons, Jonathan, age 12 and James, age 5. There is a Lee Darlin Memorial Fund here at Mississippi College for his family. Anyone wishing to participate should indicate it is for the Lee Darlin Memorial Fund and send it to: Mississippi College

Mary Kuhn was selected for the Distinguished Service Award

This year’s meeting gave us the opportunity to recognize a long time member of our association. Mary Kuhn, who has promoted and supported the AL/MS Sociological Association, received the Distinguished Service Award at the 2002 annual meeting in Cleveland for her many years of service to the association. She served as the President of the AL/MS Sociological Association (Mary Kuhn in 1996) and has held membership on a variety of committees.

We congratulate Prof. Mary Kuhn for her outstanding service to the association and for her excellent contributions to the field of sociology. She recently retired from Hinds Community College and we wish her much success in future endeavors.

Officers Elected for 2003

A theme of " Social Diversity, Broadening the Perspective " has been chosen for our 2003 program at Auburn. Thus, we take this early opportunity to solicit your participation in the program as a thematic session organizer or in some other manner which you feel will contribute to our annual meeting. Let me have your thoughts and suggestions relative to the program at your earliest convenience.

I may be reached by mail at: John Dunkelberger, Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, 306A Comer Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849 jdunkelb@acesag.auburn.edu

From President Dunkelberger

The 33^rd Annual Meeting of the Alabama-Mississippi Sociological Association was a most rewarding event. Out host institution - Delta State University - and its faculty, students and staff are to be complimented for a stimulating program, nice facilities, well organized events and warm hospitality. Albert Nylander, President, and Brent Hales, Program Chair, and the Local Arrangements Committee, led by Linda Douglas and Mark Routman, worked hard and with excellent results.

Program highlights included Dr. Betty Dobratz’s keynote address on race relations and Mark Potok’s capstone address detailing the “Intelligence Project” within the Southern Poverty Law Center. Also, the undergraduate paper sessions were excellent, as usual; and I must mention the panel presentation conducted by Native American women of the Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Heron/Seneca Nations. This was a unique topic for the AL-MS meetings, and a rarity in my experience at professional sociology meetings.

Plans are well underway for the 2003 Annual Meeting at Auburn University. Our theme for the meeting is tentatively titled “Social Diversity, Broadening the Perspective.” Recent events are raising new questions that go beyond race and sex inequalities to religious, political and other expressions of diverse beliefs and life styles. Let’s think about these concerns as a community of sociologists.

President-Elect

Dr. Duane A. Gill has been elected president of our association for the year 2004. Duane is a Professor of Sociology at Mississippi State University. He has served in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) component of the SSRC since 1988. He is the Co-Director of the Unit for Community and Environmental Studies (UCES). He has directed several research projects related to environmental issues in Mississippi, including water quality and agriculture in the Mississippi Delta, management of fishery resources, hazardous waste disposal, lignite coal development and natural hazards. He was also part of a research team that has been investigating the human impacts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Alaska through a series of longitudinal studies. Dr. Gill is a member of numerous professional organizations and is currently Vice-President-Elect of the Mid-South Sociological Association. Dr. Gill was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Bahrain for the 1998-99 academic year. He was recently re-appointed to the Minerals Management Service Outer Continental Shelf Scientific Committee and the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council Socioeconomic Panel. Email: Duane.Gill@ssrc.msstate.edu Phone: (662) 325-1570 http://www.ssrc.msstate.edu/Faculty/fellows/gill.htm

Student Paper Awards

The association had 20 student paper submissions. Undergraduate and Graduate students from Delta State, Millsaps, Mississippi State, the University of Alabama, and the University of Montevallo presented. Eleven undergraduate papers were submitted for the undergraduate competition, none for the graduate competition. We had tremendous participation once again from Millsaps undergraduate students. Erin Redding of Millsaps won the undergraduate award with her paper on "Religion in a Rural Mississippi Town: A Sociological Investigation." Several reviewers commented that this paper should be published. Congratulations to Erin and to all the students who presented.

Acknowledgments

The following people and organizations are gratefully acknowledged for their assistance and support of this year’s annual meeting.