Ricky Lee Whelchel, son of Patricia Sosebee Whelchel and Howard A. Whelchel of Gainesville, has graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering. He is the grandson of Donald and Ruth Sosebee of Gainesville and Ethel Whelchel of Buford. In April, Whelchel's paper, "Mechanical and electrical Characterization in Age Hardened Waspaloy Microstructures," won first prize in the Bodycote International Prize Paper Competition, and will be featured in an upcoming edition of the International Journal of Heat Treatments and Surface Engineering.
James Crumley Walters, a rising sophomore at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, W.Va., was named to the dean's list for the second semester of the 2007-2008 year. To qualify, students must achieve at least a 3.3 grade point average out of a possible 4. Walters is a graduate of Gainesville High School. He is the son of Deborah Syfan and James M. Walters of Gainesville.
The following students have been named to the dean's list at Furman University in Greenville, S.C, for the spring 2008 term. To achieve this honor, students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.4 out of a possible 4. Katherine J. Beebe, daughter of Ronald Beebe; Lydia A. Jacobs, daughter of John Jacobs; and Stephanie L. Tanner, daughter of Ginger and Hank Tanner; all of Gainesville.
The following students have graduated from Furman University in Greenville, S.C.: David Menocal, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gustavo Menocal; Alayna K. Pirkle, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pirkle; and Stephanie L. Tanner, daughter of Ginger and Hank Tanner; all of Gainesville.
Cassie Ann Hutchinson of Flowery Branch has become a member of the National Society of College Scholars. Membership in the group is based on grade-point average and class standing.
Five Hall County students have been recognized as Robert C. Byrd Scholars. The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship is a $1,500 federal grant awarded to graduating seniors in each congressional district. The winners are:Stephanie Davies, Chestatee High School; Aaron Peck, Flowery Branch High School; Ashley Bohn, Johnson High School; Dennis Taylor, North Hall High School; and Riley Winton, West Hall High School.
The following students have graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.:James Fletcher Law of Gainesville, and J. Taylor Anderson and Jonathan David Loudermilk, both of Buford.
Mae Adams, daughter of Morgan and Patricia Adams of Clermont, and Sheena Young, daughter of Sandra Hopson of Gainesville, were named to the dean's list with honors at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., for the spring 2008 semester. To achieve this honor, students must achieve a grade-point average of at least 3.9.