10 Alumni News & Memories, continued Jim Dunn (1973 and 1974) It's been a while since I sent an update. My wife, Aletha, and I have resided in Portland, Maine since my retirement from the Army. My last assignments were serving as Defense and Army Attache in Bangladesh and Nepal so you can imagine how much of South Asia we were able to see. My next career was as a school administrator where I worked in Maine, Ghana, Jordan, and Egypt. Again, lots of travel. Following my final retirement, we continue to seek adventures abroad, and have racked-up over 120 states visited with more planned. We visited Stillwater last year for a Pershing Rifle reunion and it was grand to see old friends and the updated campus. Best regards to my Geography colleagues. Nathan Smith (2015) I am happy to share that I have taken up a new position as a GIS Analyst II at United Communications, a rapidly growing Telecommunications company in middle Tennessee. As a 2015 graduate of Geography and short term Cartography Services employee for Mike Larson, followed by 7 years of experience in Garmin's cartography department, I have gained valuable skills and knowledge in creating maps, maintaining database information, performing spatial analysis, and utilizing GIS software. In this role, I have been responsible for creating and maintaining GIS databases, generating reports and maps, and collaborating with other departments to achieve business objectives. Given the telecommunications industry's strong reliance on GIS for network infrastructure management and customer location tracking, I am confident that this new challenge of visualizing their 70 years worth of infrastructure will provide exciting opportunities for professional growth and development. Furthermore, I am eager to contribute to United’s expansion of broadband access, ensuring that individuals in rural areas have access to high-speed internet. By utilizing my expertise in GIS, I aim to assist in identifying underserved regions, planning and implementing broadband infrastructure, and facilitating data-driven decision-making to optimize network expansion efforts. Thank you to all the staff and faculty I crossed paths with while I was there, some have moved on from OSU but each one of you had a positive impact on my success. Starting a new job in a new state can certainly be a daunting experience. However, with all of the stories and positivity Dr. Allen Finchum brought to us all about the state of Tennessee I am well-prepared to tackle this new adventure! In Memoriam Tom Daxon (B.S. Economics 1970 and M.S. Geography 1977) With sadness we note the passing of Tom Daxon in November 2022. He wrote his thesis, “Spatial Allocation of Marketing Resources in a Political Campaign,” under the direction of professors Hagle (advisor), Norris, and Stine. In the preface to his thesis Tom stated that he “…was always intrigued by the effect of place upon economic theories.” Tom went on to be elected Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector and held many other positions in state government during his career. In 2017 he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of our department.
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