Berry through the years: getting to know the alumni at the Spires

Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier features editor

Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

While Berry College is most well-known for its academic programs, the college is also home to The Spires, a retirement home and assisted living facility. Located just a short distance from the main campus, it is home to a community of adults who have chosen to spend their retirement years living on the beautiful Berry Campus. People from many different backgrounds have come to settle down at The Spires, but there are also several Berry alums who have returned to the college after fulfilling their careers. These individuals have a unique perspective on life at Berry College, as they spent some of the most formative years here. 

Spires residents Sam (76c) and Nancy (77c) Ratcliffe both had fulfilling careers after graduating from Berry. Sam completed a Bachelor’s interdisciplinary major with an emphasis on political science, and he also completed an MBA at Berry in ‘78. After graduating, Sam had several jobs in management training and sales before he ended up working in management and HR for the company Eckerd Drugs. He stayed at this company for 24 years.  Nancy graduated with a Bachelors in English and education. She worked as a teacher for 30 years and later worked as a graduation coach for 4 years. 

The LifeWorks program did not exist during the 70s, but many students worked on campus to earn money. Most of the jobs were less geared towards a student’s career choice and instead centered around manual tasks that needed to be done around campus. Sam worked as a grounds crew during his junior and senior years, and later got a job as a graduate assistant in the business department. 

While many on-campus jobs during the 70s were not focused on a student’s career plans, Nancy was able to work at the Writing Lab. At the time Berry had a writing proficiency test that was required to graduate, and students who needed help preparing would be recommended to receive tutoring by their professors.  

“I was fortunate that I got to work in the Writing Lab, where I learned how to teach,” Nancy said. “But a lot of jobs were simply jobs to make some money.”

Berry has always been a small school, but it has grown over the years. When the Ratcliffe’s attended, the student population was fewer than 1000 students. Majors are now more specialized, and there are a lot more mentoring and networking resources available for students. Despite the changes to the school, Sam said that he is impressed by the kindness and hardworking attitude that many students have. 

“They are the kind of student that if you just had a bike accident and you are bleeding profusely, they will come up to you and say, ‘let me help you, the clinic is right over here,” Sam said. “Because that happened not long ago to me. They are caring, compassionate and a hair more mature.”

During their time at Berry, the Ratcliffe’s were involved in several different organizations. Sam was a member of Student Government Association (SGA) during his junior and senior year, and Nancy worked as the News Editor of the Campus Carrier. As residents of the Spires, the Ratcliffes are heavily involved in student life. They are the unofficial grandparents of the women’s basketball team, and they volunteer for Casino Night each year. 

John Hinman (72c) is another resident of the Spires, who graduated from Berry with a degree in English and later invested in real estate. One special memory he has of Berry is of one day, during his sophomore year in college, he had an epiphany that made him realize how fortunate he was to be attending college. 

“I was sitting in my room,” Hinman said. “And I said to myself, ‘My gosh, I’ve been given four years of shelter, food and everything has been taken care of so that I can go to classes, learn, explore and socialize to meet a lot of people my age. All of the complications, like shelter and food, are being taken care of for four years so that I can grow and realize a lot of my potential. For me, it felt like such a gift.”

Due to Hinman’s lifelong thirst for knowledge, he has enjoyed enrolling into academic courses at Berry after retiring to expand his knowledge. Hinman has audited a couple classes, which means he has taken college classes but has not received a credit for them. Before becoming a resident at the Spires, he audited classes at the University of West Georgia, but now he enjoys attending classes taught by Berry Professor of History Jonathan Atkins. 

“I do like the reading, but on test day I’ll go missing,” Hinman said. “On my way out, I’ll say ‘Dr. Atkins, the midterm is next Wednesday, right?’ He’ll say ‘yes,’ and I’ll say, ‘I won’t be here, but I’ll see you next Monday.”

Hinman was involved in various student organizations while he was a student at Berry. Additionally, his on-campus job was to serve in the dining hall during the breakfast shift. Hinman is impressed with how much Berry has improved and how they have focused on helping students connect with jobs that are meaningful and potential resume items while also taking interests into account.

The Spires is home to many people who come from vastly different backgrounds. While a few are alumni, many were not familiar with Berry before living at the Spires. 

“I had a resident tell me one day, ‘You are so lucky. You got to go to school here,” Nancy said. “I had never really thought about it like that, but we were privileged.” 

The close proximity to the college campus for the residents and students to form connections with each other that otherwise might not be possible. Whether that be through attending sports games or visiting the classroom, the unique connection between the Spires and Berry College gives the residents the chance to expand their knowledge and interests after retirement while also forming connections with people of all different backgrounds.