The Wright Way

Don Kelly is a UMS-Wright legend. He coached at University Military School from 1965-1972. Due to his significant achievements in athletics at UMS, Coach Kelly was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame as an honorary member in 1993. Coach Kelly has continued his service to our school through his devotion as a member of the Board of Trustees since 1997.

Dr. Amber Gordon is a board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes in surgery and treatment of the brain, spine & peripheral nerve disorders. She is the physician leader of the Infirmary Neuroscience Center of Excellence. Dr. Gordon graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. She received her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingh...

As a member of the UMS Class of 1958, Brigadier General Grover E. Jackson, began a remarkable journey both academically and professionally with a degree from Sewanee: The University of the South, as well as completing college as a distinguished member of the Air Force ROTC. From this point forward, the achievements and service of Brigadier General Jackson have been a sterling example of what a ser...

Ishayu Chakroborty '24 was chosen as one of  Mobile Bay's  2023 WONDER KIDS. During Project Engage Ish chose to do an internship with Dr. Grelet in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Mitchell Cancer Institute. Dr. Grelet specializes in tumor neurogenesis in cancer progression and metastasis with a focus on breast cancer. During the internship with Dr. Grelet, he was ab...

A native of Bosnia, Beli Karamovic moved to the United States at 16 years old in 1993. Beli lived through the beginning years of the Bosnian War before joining the Bosnian Jr. Olympic Basketball team that traveled across Europe and eventually landed him in Chicago. Beli and his wife, Tiffany, a 4th-grade teacher and cheer coach at UMS-Wright, have two sons, Tate '31 & Luca '29. 

A 2018 graduate of UMS-Wright, Lana Stringer was the Vice President of Fine Arts and was a member of the Wright Players and Wright Singers. She currently resides in Manhattan, writing and researching for playwriting, doing copyediting for film and play scripts, and doing art department production assistant work.

Katie Leatherbury graduated from UMS-Wright in 2007.  She started studying acting at a young age both in a local theater and in theater at school. She was involved in The Wright Players and the Center Stage Show Choir. Leatherbury continued her education at Birmingham-Southern College and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music.  After graduation, she followed her dreams...

Jordan Jones graduated from UMS-Wright in 2002. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in 2006 from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Jordan is the Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager of Medora Partners, an investment firm in Mobile. Jordan and his wife, Taylor Stimpson Jones '06, relocated to Mobile in 2017 after living in New York City for t...

On this episode on The Wright Way podcast, Mr. Barber catches up with a few members of the Class of 2023 before they graduate and move on beyond "our gates." Cole Blaylock - University of South Alabama Tate Campbell - Troy University [at the time of the podcast, Tate was attending Mississippi State University] William Neumann - Princeton University Noah Siegel - University of Michigan

Frances St. John Rouse graduated from Julius T. Wright School for Girls in 1976. Mrs. Rouse began her teaching career in 1980 at her alma mater and then joined the faculty at UMS-Wright during the merger. She has dedicated over 40 years of her life to educating students in the subjects of AP Calculus and Honors Geometry, just to name a few. Frances is the proud mother of three UMS-Wright alums, Ma...

If you have been to any event on the campus of UMS-Wright, chances are you have seen, Al Chow!  Al is the father of Janie '15 and Jordan '20. Even though his daughters have graduated from UMS-Wright, Al remains the ultimate Bulldog supporter. Known as the "Assistant TO the Band Director," Al attends every home game and travels to all away games. In addition, he assists Mrs. Joker...

Eden Walker Flora grew up in Mobile, Alabama and has happily been an artist since she was a little girl, officially starting her business in 2013. She graduated from UMS-Wright in 2002. Eden received a BFA in Fabric Design from the University of Georgia and a MPS in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She is a Registered Art Therapist. As an experient...

Dr. Arick Auyang is a graduate of the class of 2000 from UMS-Wright and the Director of Product Innovation for Columbia Sportswear. After graduating UMS-Wright, he graduated from Emory University and then earned a PhD in Applied Physiology from GeorgiaTech where he specialized in robotics, prosthetics and human rehabilitation. He spent the next 7 years in academics, teaching and doing research at...

Philip Long graduated from UMS-Wright in 2007. After high school, he attended Wooford College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Philip and his wife Amber have three wonderful children, Lois (8), Micah (6), and Lydia (3), and currently reside in Fountain Inn, South Carolina where he serves as the pastor at Infinity Church. When he is not at church, Philip enjoys coaching the k...

386 students, 56 teachers, 14 buses, 8 planes, 29 internships, 18 offerings, 42 cities, and 2 international trips..PROJECT ENGAGE 2023 is a WRAP! UMS-Wright is always striving to provide unique opportunities to enhance the lives of our students, and Project Engage does just that. It offers a cross-curriculum, hands-on learning experience that allows students to delve deeply into an area of persona...

Dr. William Mangham is a native of Mobile, Alabama and a 2000 graduate of UMS-Wright. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 9/11 occurred during his sophomore year and inspired him to join the Marines, in which he served as an officer on three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. This period of service included combat experience in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley and during the...

Joe is a 1987 graduate of UMS. Today, Dr. Savage works full-time as the director of Roads of Hope, committing his life to the rescue and care of orphans in distress. ROH currently cares for 40 orphaned children living in five different “family-type” homes scattered across Moldova. Joe also rescues children who have been taken, provides humanitarian aid to orphanages, hosts...

Sivan & David Sabag moved their family from Pardes Hanna Karkur, Israel to Mobile, Alabama in August of 2021 just in time for Hallel to start K3, Eden to start 1st grade and Maor to start 3rd grade. Additionally, Sivan was pregnant with their 4th child, Avari. Be sure to catch this episode of The Wright Way for an inside glimpse of how our international families embrace the UMS-Wright culture...

Joni Hendee is the Marketing and Public Relations Director for the Dumas Wesley Community Center. For over 15 years, she has been serving the community center in a variety of capacities, including: public speaking, special events and fundraising; communications planning; media relations; crisis management; online promotion and cause-related marketing; social media and Web 2.0, and website content...

Nathan Cox '00 is the founder and CEO of 68 Ventures, the parent company for numerous operating and development entities along the Alabama Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle. After his time at UMS-Wright, he graduated from the University of Alabama summa cum laude in investment finance and economics, then earned his MBA from the University of South Alabama. He played football at the University of Al...

Mr. Stacy Harrelson is entering his 25th year as the Head Athletic Trainer at UMS-Wright. Athletic Training Services at UMS-Wright are provided by Encore Rehabilitation, and Mr. Harrelson currently is the Regional Director of Encore Sports Medicine. He is a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Alabama High School Athletic Association, District 1. Mr. Harrelson was raised in Ocean Spri...

David J. Cooper graduated from University Military School in 1963. After attending the University of Alabama and graduating with a B.S. in General Business, Mr. Cooper joined his family’s stevedoring company. David served as President of Cooper/T. Smith Corporation, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama from 1983 to 2008. Mr. Cooper has served on countless boards, and is a...

Joel B. Bullard, III (Ty) is a member of the UMS-Wright Class of 2002. After graduating from The University of Mississippi with a B.A. in Business Management in 2006, he immediately began his career with Bullard Automotive Group, Inc., a 3rd generation family owned business.  He became the Dealer Principle in 2013 which includes the franchises of – Cadillac - Infiniti - Acura - Jaguar - Land...

Liz Stokes Terry graduated from Julius T. Wright in 1975.  While there, she was Head Cheerleader, Class Team Captain, UMS Commencement Sponsor, UMS Key Club Sweetheart, and a member of the Softball Team, the Board of Directors for March of Dimes TAP, and Presidential Classroom for Young Americans.  After graduation, she continued her education at the University of Alabama where she recei...

Molly Crown Nordmann ‘76 has spent a lifetime either attending or supporting Julius T. Wright, University Military School, and UMS-Wright. She received her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from the University of Alabama and her Masters in Elementary Education from Springhill College.  When the opportunity arose to apply for a job at UMS-Wright, Molly jumped on it. Sh...