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Induction into the Delta State University Alumni Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the Delta State Alumni Association. Established in 2007, the Alumni Hall of Fame is extended to alumni and friends who have achieved professional distinction and made significant community service contributions at the local, national and/or international level and who have thus brought honor and distinction to Delta State University. As part of the Homecoming activities planned for Friday, October 26, the Delta State University Alumni Association will recognize this year’s Alumni Hall of Fame inductees, Dr. Edward E. Milam and Stan Topol.
Dr. Edward E. Milam, a native of Hernando, graduated from Delta State in 1965. He received both his master’s and doctorate in accounting from LSU. In 1971, he joined the accounting faculty at the University of Mississippi and later became the school’s first Dean of the School of Accountancy. After 20 years at Ole Miss, he joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 1990. While at MSU, he was named a William Giles Distinguished Professor, the highest honor bestowed on a faculty member. After a 38 year career in higher education, he is now retired.
Milan has served in both academic and professional national organizations. He was president of the Federation of Schools of Accountancy, secretary-treasurer of the American Taxation Association and served on the Academic Career Development Executive committee of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also served on the board of directors of the Mississippi Tax Institute, various committees of the Mississippi Society of CPAs and three terms on the board of directors of the Delta State University Foundation. Milam has authored or co-authored numerous books, journal articles, proceedings and presentations.
Milam is married to Kay Nevela Milam of Brookhaven and has one daughter, Meg Milam Arnold, and one grandson, Milam Robert Arnold. He is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a second grandchild due in early November. The Milams reside in Starkville.
Stan Topol received his undergraduate degree from Delta State and a Master of Arts from the University of Alabama. He founded the award-winning design firm of Stan Topol & Associates in the early-1970s. During the early years of his career, Topol headed the interior design program at the Art Institute of Atlanta and was later in charge of the institution’s entire art curriculum.
Topol’s distinctive style and signature work have been chronicled in countless publications including Atlanta Magazine, Southern Home Magazine, Interior Design, Interiors of the World, Elle Decor, Veranda, and Architectural Digest. His numerous awards include "Southeast Designer of the Year" on two separate occasions, the "Top Hotel Design Award" for his work in Boston and Town & Country’s "Top 25 Designers of the United States Award." In 1997, Topol was inducted into the Designers Hall of Fame.
Topol’s clients include a cross section of America’s most exciting and avant garde individuals and companies. His work spans a tremendous variety of locations, industries and objectives. His residential projects have included homes on the slopes of Park City and Beaver Creek; townhouses on the Boston Commons; apartments in New York; Georgian Horse farms; beach homes in Naples, Palm Beach, Destin and Hilton Head; homes in Nantucket, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and San Diego; as well as scores of homes in and around Atlanta where his firm is located. Topol’s commercial work encompasses the hospitality, educational, financial, high-tech, real estate and manufacturing industries. His national reputation in commercial design, particularly in the areas of hotel and restaurant interiors, includes the original Peasant restaurants in Atlanta, The Peabody Hotel in Memphis and Boston’s Crowne Plaza.
The two will be honored during Homecoming on Friday, October 26, at the Alumni Awards and Gala Dinner held at 7 p.m. in the Walter Sillers Coliseum. Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at the Hugh Ellis Walker Alumni House. The award winners will also be recognized in the Alumni Association’s annual Homecoming Publication, which will be mailed to dues-paying members of the Alumni Association and Annual Fund donors prior to Homecoming. To update your membership or to join the Alumni Association, call 662-846-4660. For a full schedule of Homecoming events, go to the website www.deltastate.ede/alumni.
