Pi Kappa Alpha - Mississippi State University

Fall 2015 3 F. E. Pugh Jr. '63 has been a commissioner in Lauderdale County, Tenn. He is mayor of Halls, Tenn., and has served for four four-year terms. Eugene and his wife, Mary Hellen, have three children and six grandchildren. Hamill W. Anderson '64 served in the USAF in the security service in south Florida after graduation. He then joined General Elecric as a factory sales representative in the air conditioning division. The division was sold to Trane and Hamill finished his employment there after 40 years. He and his wife, Rita, live on a fishing lake in the Onachita Mountains in Arkansas and he is enjoying retirement. E-mail: haraanderson@windstream.net Steve R. Barrett '75 is retired from a career in education. He and his wife, Mary, have two children, Laura and John Thomas. Laura and her husband, Derek, have one child, Abby. They live in Savannah, Ga., where Laura is a physician's assistant. John Thomas is a superintendent at McArthur Golf Course in Hobe Sound, Fla., where he and his wife, Natalie, live. Steve and Mary visit their children often. Steve enjoys playing golf, fishing, hunting, and traveling. E-mail: stevebarret@bellsouth.net Jack D. Cook III '02 helped start the Bank of Commerce branch in Starkville, Miss., in 2012. Jay currently serves as chapter advisor and House Corporation president. E-mail: jcook27@yahoo.com Fred A. Nichols Jr. '07 graduated from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Mississippi National Guard. He lives in Brandon, Miss. E-mail: fan6@msstate.edu T here have been many words used to describe Dan Camp '61: driven, creator, community visionary. For years, Dan has been involved with developing student housing and a new community in Starkville, Mississippi. Dan graduated with a degree in education and became a teacher in Vicksburg, teaching shop to eighth grade students. After four years, he was summoned to teach at Mississippi State and has been in the area ever since. While he was at the university he saw that there was a need for a student housing area close to campus. The Cotton District, at the time, was a slum, but Dan saw potential in the area. Beginning in 1969, Dan has designed and built housing in the Cotton District of Starkville, doing what he describes as incremental development; Dan buys properties and over a period of years gives life to his designs. More than 47 years later, his classically styled architecture and community vision is well-known. "My work is my hobby. I love to create unique places, livable spaces. It has been fun to build an entire neighborhood." The Cotton District is not the only area of Starkville that has benefitted from Dan's vision. He was involved in the first renovation of the Gamma Theta house 20 years ago. Dan took the resources available and gave life to the vision he had for the chapter house—and he proudly shares that he came in right on budget. The columns on the front of the house were named for the chapter's previous housemother, Mrs. Claiborne, whom Dan was close to during his time in the chapter. Being a Starkville resident, Dan has seen Gamma Theta appear in the newspaper for their good work in the community. He advises that the undergraduates create a vision for the future they want. "It's important to set goals for yourself; long-term goals for where you want to be in life and Dan Camp '61 brought his vision to life. Dan Camp '61 and the Cotton District Bringing His Vision to Life short-term goals to get you there. I've been proud to achieve many of my long-term goals sooner than I anticipated because I planned for the future." Dan fondly recalls his time as an undergraduate in the Gamma Theta house. They had a great housemother, a magnificent house, and a strong brotherhood. As he remembers, every Saturday morning, Earl, the house cook, would make blueberry pancakes and Dan would sit and talk with Mrs. Claiborne. The years that he spent making memories in Pike helped him become the man he is today. Dan and his wife, Gemma, live in Starkville. He has been able to pass on his vision and work to his sons, Robert and Bonn. Read more about the development of the Cotton District at www.cottondistrictms.com. Just a few of the many properties Dan has transformed in the Cotton District. Alumni News

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