Neighbors Notes for Nov. 6, 2012

Academic

HYDE ELECTED GHSA PRESIDENT: Southeastern Louisiana University Professor of History Samuel C. Hyde has been elected president of the Gulf South Historical Association.

Holder of the Leon Ford Endowed Chair in Regional Studies and director of the university’s Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies, Hyde was elected at the annual Gulf South History and Humanities Conference held Oct. 18-20 in Pensacola, Fla. He is a resident of Denham Springs.

GHSA is a consortium of universities and historical organizations and agencies in the Gulf South and Latin America. Also at the conference, Southeastern Associate Professor of History Randy Sanders was selected to serve as conference coordinator for the coming year.

WHITE SPEAKS ABOUT AFRICAN INTERNSHIP: Baton Rouge native Eugenia White recently spoke about her experiences working in women’s health at a fistula center in Niger as a Madeleine Korbel Albright Fellow at Wellesley College’s annual Tanner Conference. A senior at Wellesley, White is a graduate of Episcopal High School and the daughter of Darrell and Fran White, of Baton Rouge.

White’s presentation, “International Women’s Health: A Varied Perspective on the Issues in Women’s Health,” centered on her experience as an intern at the Danja Fistula Center in Danja, Niger. She spent a semester working toward understanding the contributing factors to obstetric fistula, gender based violence.

At Wellesley, White has also been recognized as an Albright Fellow with the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs. She is planning to attend medical school and hopes to embark on similar medical trips focused on women’s health.

Community

KEEP LOUISIANA BEAUTIFUL AWARDS: Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the state’s nonprofit organization dedicated to litter prevention and waste reduction, announced the 2012 KLB Award recipients on Oct. 26 at the end of the 2012 KLB State Conference in New Iberia. The awards recognize exceptional volunteers and organizations in the state.

Harry Hurst Middle School in Destrehan received the Youth Leadership Award for studying environmental issues in its science classrooms and implementing two community programs to increase environmental awareness. During the 2011-12 school years, students collected more than 24,000 gallons of materials for recycling and reached more than 75,000 people with their environmental message.

Keep Mandeville Beautiful received the Outstanding Keep Louisiana Beautiful Affiliate for building a successful grassroots campaign bringing together multiple community groups. In 2010, KMB opened the only recycling drop-off site in St. Tammany Parish and began recycling programs in 12 Mandeville schools. It also created a traveling environmental education-themed puppet show, “Puppets with Purpose.” In 2011, more than 930 persons volunteered for the organization.

Deputy Wayne Heckford of the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office received the Outstanding Keep Louisiana Beautiful Affiliate Director Award for leading efforts with Keep Ouachita Parish Beautiful since its formation in 2004. Heckford has worked with parish leaders to secure funding for an additional sheriff’s deputy dedicated to address the environmental conditions in low-income housing programs. He also implemented liter abatement programs and created the Environmental Court of Ouachita Parish.

Bettye Giles received the Alice Foster Award for her work with Keep Grambling Beautiful and serving as an active board member of Keep Lincoln Parish Beautiful. Giles has partnered with Grambling State University, leading students in cleanups and beautification projects around the community.

Sen. Fred Mills, of New Iberia, received a Special Recognition Award for his legislation requiring driver’s education courses in the state to educate children about litter’s negative effects on the environment and our economy. As of Jan. 1, 2012, state law requires that driver’s education courses include instruction on littering and the economic and environmental impacts of the careless practice on our state.

Military

ROSS GRADUATES FROM OSUT: Army National Guard Pfc. Austin C. Ross has graduated from One Station Unit Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville, Mo., which included basic military training and advanced individual training.

During AIT, Ross completed the military police specialist course to acquire skills to provide combat area support, conduct battlefield circulation control, area security, prisoner of war operations, civilian internee operations, and law and order operations.

Ross is the son of Joann Williams and Johnny Ross Jr, both of Baton Rouge, and is a 2011 graduate of Belaire High School.

HILL COMPLETES BASIC: Pvt. Austin C. Hill recently earned the title of U.S. Marine after graduating from Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Calif. He is a 2012 graduate of Parkview Baptist High School and is the son of Josh and Cari Hill and Jessica Barr.

ELY COMPLETES BASIC: Army Pfc. Jamie D. Ely has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. Ely is the daughter of James and Sherry Eisley, of Baton Rouge, and is a 2009 graduate of Broadmoor High School.

Reunions

USS TARAWA: The USS Tarawa (CV-40, LHA-1) Veterans Association will hold its 24th annual reunion April 25-28, 2013, in Pensacola, Fla. Contact Ken Underdown, 31 Islet Road, Levittown, PA 19057, [phone], or Walter Tothero, 106 N. Tranquil Trail, Crawfordsville, IN 47933, [phone], [e-mail].

“Neighbors Notes” is published every Tuesday in the People section. Send items — including military graduations, reunions and promotions; university and college academic achievements; and neighborhood association events — to “Neighbors Notes,” The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821; fax information to [phone]; or email to [e-mail]. Deadline is Tuesday at noon of each week for the following Tuesday. By submitting photos to The Advocate, you agree that they can be published in any of The Advocate’s print or digital publications.