The third couple in the Circle was Dr. C. Calvin and Earline Smith. He was the first African American faculty member at A-State. In addition to teaching and advising, he also wrote two books on Arkansas history. Smith, who was emeritus professor of history, died in 2009. One building in the new graduate student housing, The Circle, will be Smith Hall. Mrs. Smith recalls their arrival in Jonesboro.

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Larbi, assistant professor of agricultural systems technology, who was named February Professor of the Month by the Program-Level Assessment Committee and Office of Assessment. In an online video, he discusses his classroom emphasis on the use of soft systems methodology for teaching critical thinking skills to agriculture students who will use technology to be more successful with producing food crops.

Dr. Tina Gray Teague, professor of agricultural research, was named Researcher of the Year during the recent National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, which was in Baton Rouge, La. The annual recognition is awarded to a researcher from a university, industry, Extension Service or the federal Agricultural Research Service. The designation recognizes work performed in testing, evaluating or promoting the benefits of products and equipment.

Three media and communication faculty published an article in The Journal of Social Media in Society with colleagues from Baylor University and Florida Memorial University. Dr. Gabriel B. Tait, Dr. Lillie Fears, former professor Dr. Brenda Randle and two others authored "Citizen Framing of #Ferguson on Twitter." Their article examined the visual and textual framing of Ferguson, Mo., that emerged following Michael Brown's death in 2014. The study provides support for the use of textual analysis in studies of social media platforms, and indicates the importance of looking at representations of race, power and cultural narratives in popular mass media messages. The article is online.

Dr. Kim Pittcock, associate professor of horticulture, was interviewed on KAIT-TV about the approaching season for lawn and garden preparations. With unusually warm temperatures, lots of people are eager to get started with planting and outdoor work, but Pittcock offered helpful advice . . . despite the warmth, it's too early to start planting warm season varieties; another freeze is likely. The coverage is available online.