July 14, 2026
Forever Red and Blue
By Jim Urbanek
The Ole Miss Alumni Association will celebrate seven exceptional alumni whose leadership, service and accomplishments reflect the very best of the University of Mississippi during the 2026 Alumni Awards Gala on Oct. 15 at The Inn at Ole Miss.
This year’s honorees include Alumni Hall of Fame inductees Dr. Bryan Barksdale (BS 69, MD 72), of Ridgeland, Victor H. “Hu” Meena (BSHPE 80), of Jackson, Dr. Clen Damon Miguel Moore (BA 86), of Hamilton, Virginia, Ronnie Musgrove (BBA 78, JD 81), of Oxford, and David Nutt (BA 70, JD 71), of Flora; Outstanding Young Alumni Award recipient Casey F. Shockey (BSME 11), of Germantown, Tennessee; and Alumni Service Award recipient Cheryl Weakley Turner (BS 79, MPA 90), of Jackson.
Representing fields as diverse as engineering, medicine, technology, business, education, public service and community leadership, this year’s recipients have distinguished themselves through professional achievement, service to others and steadfast support of their alma mater. Their accomplishments reflect the impact Ole Miss graduates continue to make across Mississippi, the nation and the world.
“These alumni represent the very best of Ole Miss,” said Ole Miss Alumni Association CEO Kirk Purdom (BA 93). “Through their professional accomplishments, leadership and service, they have made a lasting difference in their communities while bringing distinction to the University of Mississippi. We are proud to recognize their achievements and celebrate the example they set for future generations of Rebels.”
The Alumni Awards Gala is among the Association’s most prestigious traditions, honoring graduates whose lives and careers embody the values of service, leadership and excellence while strengthening the legacy of the university they proudly call home. Those interested in attending the dinner must register in advance by calling the Alumni Association office at 662-915-7375.
Alumni Hall of Fame Awards
Dr. Bryan Barksdale
Dr. Bryan Barksdale has combined a distinguished career in cardiovascular medicine with decades of service to the University of Mississippi and communities across the state.
A graduate of the University of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Barksdale is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. He served as president of both the Ole Miss Alumni Association and the University of Mississippi Foundation and is a member of the University of Mississippi Medical Center Hall of Fame.
As a medical resident, Barksdale helped establish Mississippi’s first YMCA cardiac rehabilitation program, one of the earliest such programs in the nation. He volunteered three days each week to support the initiative for 35 years, earning the YMCA Service to Mankind Award for his commitment.
His professional leadership includes service as governor of the Mississippi Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Heart Association and president of the Mississippi Arthritis Association. He also served as chief of staff at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center and advised Gov. William Winter on physical fitness initiatives.
After years in private practice with Baptist Heart and Jackson Heart, Barksdale joined UMMC in 2008 as professor of cardiovascular diseases.
He and his wife, Jane Anna, have three sons: Hunter, Benjamin and Bryan. Ole Miss has long been part of the family tradition, including his father, who served as Alumni Association president in 1964.
“I am so honored to receive this recognition,” Barksdale said. “Ever since childhood it’s almost like some gene transfer from my father how proud I am of Ole Miss, but he wasn’t as obnoxious about it as I am.”
Victor H. “Hu” Meena
Victor H. “Hu” Meena has spent nearly four decades helping shape one of Mississippi’s most successful technology companies while remaining deeply engaged in civic, educational and faith-based leadership.
As chairman of Telapex Inc., parent company of C Spire, Meena has helped guide the organization from a single-market wireless provider into a regional leader in telecommunications, broadband connectivity and technology services throughout the Southeast. He began his career with the company in 1987 as general manager of its first Mississippi Gulf Coast market.
Throughout his career, Meena has held influential leadership roles across the telecommunications industry, including serving as founding chairman of the Associated Carrier Group and chairman of the Competitive Carriers Association.
His service extends well beyond business. He has served on the boards of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, Mississippi Technology Alliance, Mississippi Economic Council, Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, First Presbyterian Day School and the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He also serves with Reformed Theological Seminary and First Presbyterian Church Jackson.
A lifelong supporter of the university, Meena and his wife, Ashley, are both Ole Miss graduates. Their three sons — Vic, Wade and Lee — also graduated from the university. The family regularly returns to Oxford for Ole Miss events and athletic competitions.
“My wonderful experiences as a student at Ole Miss, along with rewarding interactions with fellow alumni since then, have better equipped me to meet the challenges of life while also making it more enjoyable,” Meena said.
Dr. Clen Damon Miguel Moore
Dr. Clen Damon Miguel Moore’s life and career reflect the transformative power of education, service and leadership.
A native of north Mississippi, Moore became the University of Mississippi’s 23rd Rhodes Scholar and the first African American from Mississippi selected for the prestigious scholarship. During his time at Ole Miss, he excelled academically and artistically, earning the Taylor Medal, election to Phi Kappa Phi and leadership roles in numerous campus organizations.
Following graduation, Moore attended the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and later earned a second bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Oxford before completing his medical degree.
For nearly three decades, he has practiced pediatrics in northern Virginia, helping care for generations of children and families. His professional accomplishments include appointment to Virginia’s Child Fatality Review Team and recognition by the American Academy of Pediatrics as one of only two recipients nationwide of its Local Heroes Award in 2012.
Moore has also dedicated significant time to nonprofit and arts organizations, serving with groups including the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic, Loudoun Arts Council and the Master Singers of Virginia, where he serves as president and development chair.
In 2020, he became one of only seven alumni elected by the university to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.
Moore and his wife, Susan, whom he met through Ole Miss, are the parents of two adult children.
“Anyone who knows me, especially those who know me well, understands the profound impact Ole Miss has had on me and on everything I’ve been able to achieve in life,” Moore said. “I am humbled beyond words at receiving such a matchless honor from the university.”
Ronnie Musgrove
Ronnie Musgrove has devoted his career to public service, advancing education, economic development and health care throughout Mississippi.
After earning degrees from Northwest Mississippi Community College, the University of Mississippi and the Ole Miss School of Law, Musgrove established a legal career that earned him the Mississippi Bar Association’s Outstanding Service Award in 1985 He currently serves as president-elect of the Ole Miss Law Alumni Chapter.
His public service career included two terms in the Mississippi Senate, service as lieutenant governor and election as Mississippi’s 62nd governor.
As governor, Musgrove championed landmark education reforms, including a new public school funding formula, a historic teacher pay raise and efforts to bring internet access to every public classroom in the state. His administration also launched the Advantage Mississippi Initiative, which helped secure Nissan’s $1.4 billion investment in Mississippi and thousands of jobs.
Musgrove’s commitment to education continued beyond public office. In honor of his late wife, Dr. Melody Musgrove, he established the first endowed chair in the Ole Miss School of Education.
His leadership has also extended to health and human services, including efforts that expanded children’s health insurance coverage and appointments to national policy and public health leadership roles.
Throughout his career, Musgrove has remained guided by a belief that education and opportunity can transform lives and communities.
“As Clifton Taulbert once said, ‘the dirt road from his grandmother’s house led to everywhere, he just didn’t know it as a child,’” said Musgrove. “My time at Ole Miss put me on the road to a lifetime of opportunities. I am eternally grateful for those opportunities and for this recognition.”
David H. Nutt
David H. Nutt has built a distinguished career as an attorney, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose influence has extended across the legal profession, business community and University of Mississippi.
A native Mississippian, Nutt earned bachelor’s and law degrees from Ole Miss in 1970 and 1971. After practicing both plaintiff and corporate defense litigation, he became one of Mississippi’s leading trial attorneys, earning national recognition for his role in the landmark 1997 tobacco settlement.
Beyond the courtroom, Nutt has found success in real estate development, consumer finance and technology. Among his most notable achievements is Reunion in Madison, the master-planned community he and his wife, Kristie, developed into one of the South’s premier residential destinations.
Nutt’s commitment to Ole Miss is reflected through decades of philanthropy and service. A member of the Lamar Order, he has supported the School of Law, Ole Miss Athletics, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the MIND Center and Batson Children’s Hospital. The David H. Nutt Auditorium stands as a lasting reflection of his dedication to the university and its students.
Inducted into the University of Mississippi School of Law Hall of Fame in 2026, Nutt continues to practice law with a small team focused on national prescription drug pricing litigation. He and Kristie live in Flora and remain active in philanthropy and community service.
Reflecting on his lifelong connection to Ole Miss, Nutt said, “I was the first person in my family on either side to attend college. At an early age, maybe even 6 or 8 years old, for whatever reason I was determined to go to Ole Miss. I never lost sight of that goal, and having attended Ole Miss, I can say without reservation, Ole Miss has never let me down.”
Alumni Service Award
Cheryl Weakley Turner
Cheryl Weakley Turner has dedicated her professional and volunteer life to leadership, service and creating opportunities for others.
In 2025, she was elected international president and chair of the board of directors of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., becoming the organization’s highest-ranking elected officer. Prior to that role, she served as national first vice president and previously as southern regional director, overseeing more than 25,000 members across the sorority’s largest region.
A Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta, Turner was initiated through the Lambda Sigma Chapter at Ole Miss and has remained active through alumnae chapters in Tupelo, Oxford and Jackson.
Professionally, Turner spent more than 30 years in Mississippi state government and health care administration, managing large teams and multimillion-dollar budgets before joining Jefferson Stevens LLC as vice president of client acquisition and development.
Her commitment to service extends throughout Mississippi and beyond. She has held leadership roles with the American Cancer Society, Moms Demand Action, the Farish Street Historic District Neighborhood Foundation and the University of Mississippi’s Fraternal Leadership and Learning Advisory Board.
A member of Farish Street Baptist Church, Turner remains active in outreach and ministry efforts. She is the mother of one son, Jared, and grandmother to Kaylen and Ian.
Looking back on her Ole Miss experience, Turner said, “Home gave me my values. Ole Miss nurtured my growth, challenged my thinking, introduced me to lifelong friends and opened doors I never imagined possible.”
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Casey F. Shockey
Since founding Chief Engineering in 2018, Casey Shockey has transformed a two-person startup into a nationally recognized engineering and consulting firm serving Fortune 100 companies and major industrial clients across the United States. As founder and president of the Memphis-based company, he has built a reputation for innovation, technical excellence and solving complex engineering challenges.
A 2011 graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in mechanical engineering, Shockey began his career in robotics programming before expanding into aviation equipment design and industrial process engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer and private pilot whose entrepreneurial vision helped establish Chief Engineering as a leader in mechanical, structural, civil, process and 3D-scanning services.
Under his leadership, the company has grown into a multidisciplinary firm serving some of the nation’s most complex industrial facilities while creating opportunities for engineers and technical professionals throughout the Mid-South.
Shockey remains closely connected to his alma mater through service on the Department of Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board, where he helps bridge industry and academic needs. He actively recruits Ole Miss graduates, provides internship opportunities and mentors young engineers entering the profession. His commitment to developing future leaders reflects his belief that success is measured not only by personal achievement but also by investing in others.
Beyond engineering, Shockey supports entrepreneurship and business development initiatives throughout the Memphis region. He and his wife, Alex, an Ole Miss graduate, live in Germantown, Tennessee, with their three sons: John, Graham and Max.
Reflecting on the recognition, Shockey said, “Being recognized by Ole Miss is truly humbling, and I share this honor with my family, my team at Chief Engineering and the mentors — especially those in the mechanical engineering department — who helped me along the way. My time at the university and the School of Engineering set the foundation for my career, introduced me to lifelong friends and helped shape the values that guide me as a father, husband, engineer and business owner.”