Darlington announces Commencement plans

Darlington School is pleased to announce that Kent Harrison (’01) will be the keynote speaker at the Baccalaureate Service on May 16 and Linda (Grizzard) Owens ('79) will address the Class of 2014 at Commencement on May 17.

Harrison, who was selected by the senior class to be the Baccalaureate speaker, has worked at Darlington since 2007. He first served in the Admission Office and is now an Upper School math teacher and assistant athletic director. He also coaches varsity baseball and varsity softball, leading both of his teams to Final Four finishes in 2012-13. Harrison holds a B.S. in Education and an M.Ed. in Administration from the State University of West Georgia, where he played baseball. He has received numerous coaching awards, including 2011 Rome News-Tribune Baseball Coach of the Year, 2011 Darlington Male Sport Coach of the Year, 2012 Rome News-Tribune Softball Coach of the Year and 2013 Darlington Female Sport Coach of the Year. As a student at Darlington, Harrison played football, basketball and baseball; was the first president of the House Senate; and was the first head day prefect in Summerbell House. He and his wife, Rachel, a first-grade teacher at Darlington, live in Rome with their son, Stafford, and dog, Ali Kate.

Owens, vice chair of Darlington's Board of Trustees, has been a dedicated supporter of the school for many years as both a 1979 alumna and the mother of two alumni. Most recently, she chaired the Head of School Search Committee, which led to the appointment of Brent Bell to succeed retiring Headmaster Tom Whitworth in July. Owens has also led the school's strategic planning process; served on the Second Century Campaign Cabinet, chairing both the Life Trustees Campaign and the Extra Mile Campaign; chaired the Advancement Committee, and served as an active volunteer for the Annual Fund. She is president of Southeastern Mills Inc., a fourth-generation professionally managed food company headquartered in Rome, Ga., with manufacturing facilities in Georgia and California, and holds a B.S. in Human Sciences from Florida State University. As a Darlington senior, Owens received the Bracelet for General Excellence. In 1996, she was named Outstanding Young Alumna by the Florida State University College of Human Sciences. An active member of First Baptist Church in Rome, she has also received the YMCA's Spirit, Mind and Body Award. She and her husband, Jim, are the parents of Parrish Owens ('04) and Mary (Owens) Ethridge ('06). 

The Baccalaureate Service will be held May 16 at 7 p.m. in Morris Chapel. Commencement will begin May 17 at 9:30 a.m. on the Chapel Lawn. In case of rain on Saturday, Commencement will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the Huffman Athletic Center. Darlington will stream both events live online at this link.