ALUMNI Cushing Alumna Wins Belk Fashion Institute of Technology. She also has a Southern Designer Showcase master’s degree in science/acupuncture. Competition Morris’ winning designs were inspired by BELK, INC., recently selected Stone Morris, what she called the “raw beauty” of South Africa, the company of designer Roz Morris ’99—along as she spent several weeks last fall studying the with 14 other designers from more than 170 animals, landscape, and people of South Africa. entrants—as a winner in the Charlotte, N.C.– “There was correlation between what I saw in based retailer’s Southern Designer Showcase South Africa and my Southern roots,” she said. competition. Morris photographed scenes around South Roz Morris is a designer and artist with a Africa and used her artistic ability to incorpo- background in oriental medicine. Her designs rate those directly into her clothing designs. Cushing Trustee Pete Snyder ’90 blur the line between art and fashion while She contracted with a North Carolina company Running for Lieutenant Governor retaining simple silhouettes with innovative to produce the fabrics, and then designed the in Virginia details. She is a Savannah, Ga., native and, in silhouettes. IN NOVEMBER 2012, Pete snyder ’90 addition to Cushing Academy, attended San The designers’ creations will be sold on announced his run for Lieutenant Governor Francisco Art Institute, Atlanta College of Art/ belk.com and in selected Belk stores this spring. in Virginia. It is the first time he has run for SCAD, Parsons New School for Design, and the elected office. A former pollster and media consultant turned technology entrepreneur, Pete has 20 years of experience in the private sector and in The Things That Matter: politics. He served as Chair of Virginia Victory For Nate Berkus, Cushing is One 2012 for the recently completed presidential campaign. Nate Berkus ’90 pays tribute to Cushing He created the world’s first social media and Madame Storm in his new book, marketing company, New Media Strategies, The Things That Matter. and now runs Disruptor Capital. He has twice been named a Technology Titan by Washingtonian CHERYL STORM, Cushing’s beloved French Magazine and was named to Smart CEO Magazine’s teacher, received a surprise in the mail last fall— “Leaders We Admire” list. Last year, he worked an advance copy of The Things That Matter, by for the Fox News team as an on-air contributor Nate Berkus ’90. The book, released on Oct. 16, during the 2012 presidential campaign. 2012, includes several nice Cushing shout-outs and a great tribute to Madame! ABOVE: Pete Snyder ’90 with his wife, Burson Berkus says, “At Cushing, I fell in love with Cheryl Storm BELOW: A photo of campus by Molly O’Neill ’13 with her signed New England. My favorite times were Fall Free copy of the book weekends, when I visited classmates who lived by Nate Berkus in Boston and Cambridge and New York City. And I began my fascination with France, thanks France and be able to ‘express our personalities.’ to my glamorous French teacher Cheryl Storm, Years later, I sent her a Louis Vuitton bag, with who had cool earrings, wore her bangs at a very a note saying how much it reminded me of her, chic angle, and rocked a designer scarf over her and she sent me back one of the most beautiful shoulder. Here we were, sitting in a classroom letters I’ve ever received.” at the base of a mountain in western Massachu- His new book isn’t the only excitement in setts, but believing that we were in the heart of Berkus’ life. Among them, he will be the 2013 Paris. Ms. Storm made us feel what it would ac- Cushing Commencement speaker and will also be tually be like to wander into a French bakery and presented with a Distinguished Alumnus Award order a croissant and citron presse. There is a word during Commencement Weekend. she taught us, debrouiller, which means ‘to man- Learn More about the book and/or age’ or ‘to get by.’ She said that she didn’t want to order, visit Amazon.com. us merely to get by, she wanted to see us go to SPRING 2013 43.