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Debra Fordham: Distinguished Alumna of the Year

She penned colorful thematic narrations for ABC鈥檚 quirky comedy-drama 鈥淪crubs.鈥� Her full-length play illustrates the collision between rooted swamp life and industrial encroachment. These days, she chronicles loneliness and pride on Lifetime鈥檚 original series, 鈥淎rmy Wives.鈥�

The characters, scenes and plots of Debra Fordham鈥檚 writing career have changed with the seasons; but without pajamas, white noise and peanut M&Ms, she might have joined the Coast Guard.

鈥淲riting for me is an ever-changing ebb and flow of creativity. Sometimes I鈥檓 better in the morning. Sometimes I get on a roll late in the day and write into the wee hours. There鈥檚 really no rhyme or reason,鈥� said Fordham, who debated entering the U.S. Coast Guard or studying to be a history professor before she found her niche in television prose.

鈥淏ut there are three absolutes for me to be productive -- I wear pajamas, the television is on for white noise, and I crave a constant stream of Goldfish crackers and peanut M&Ms.鈥�

The clever Tallahassee native, who moved to Los Angeles 16 years ago to try her hand at show business, has since earned three Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award. Her friends at Valdosta State University are proud of her resume -- but the alumni association named her the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year because of her intense dedication to the university and its students. Director of Alumni Relations John Trombetta, 鈥�01, said Fordham鈥檚 contributions -- from scholarship funds to seasoned guidance -- are priceless.

鈥淪he has had tremendous professional success in a tremendously competitive arena, yet she is still so grounded, and so giving of her time, talent and resources,鈥� Trombetta said. 鈥淗er generosity to VSU has provided students with insight into the entertainment industry that only someone of her stature can provide.鈥�

Most every year Fordham returns to her old stomping grounds -- the VSU Fine Arts Building -- to conduct free workshops for theatre students and handpick scholarship recipients. She has flown from L.A. to New York for student-alumni networking events and has even been known to give feedback to playwright hopefuls and pass along graduates鈥� headshots to the entertainment industry.

鈥淢y professors invested a lot of time and energy in me, so if I can help them out in some way, I will. It is simply my way of saying thanks,鈥� said Fordham, who graduated from VSU in 1991. 鈥淏ut beyond that, I really do feel a kinship with the students in Valdosta. I was a small-town girl with no money and no connections. VSU gave me the courage to dream big and the skills to make it happen. That鈥檚 an amazing gift that I鈥檓 eager to give to the next generation.鈥�

Contagious Inspiration

Bailee DesRocher, 鈥�04, received the first VSU Alumni Theatre Scholarship, which Fordham funded. When DesRocher asked Fordham how she could ever return the generous advance, Fordham replied simply, 鈥減ay it forward.鈥� DesRocher, who specializes in sketch comedy and musicals, credits Fordham鈥檚 advice with giving her the gumption to get on a plane bound for Hollywood. Fordham鈥檚 story gave DesRocher the assurance that she wouldn鈥檛 have to compromise her values to be successful in the City of Angels.

鈥淚 hadn't considered an acting career in Hollywood when I was in college, but Deb's visit and then our class trip to L.A. made me rethink it,鈥� said DesRocher, who returned to VSU in 2006 for the Peach State Summer Theatre season. 鈥淚t seemed like a daunting task to pack up your life in the Southeast and head all the way to California, but she did it and I thought I could too. So I did.鈥�
Fordham transferred to Valdosta State from a Tallahassee community college her junior year, but the eager performance major soon made her mark as a talented performer and dedicated student. The avid athlete mastered tap dancing, managed the box office, and acted in a number of children鈥檚 tours and full-length plays. Her talent for the written word revealed itself in a playwriting class taught by theatre professor Jacque Wheeler, who has since become Fordham鈥檚 lifelong friend and mentor. Upon graduation, Fordham was awarded VSU鈥檚 highest honor -- the Annie Powe Hopper Award -- bestowed upon an exemplary student who possesses the character and dignity associated with the first dean of women.

鈥淒eb was talented in all aspects of theatre -- from stage management to acting -- but when she took the playwright class, I realized she had a real gift,鈥� said Wheeler, who has worked at VSU since 1986. 鈥淪he is a true storyteller with no single limiting style. She has a great sense of humor and is particularly good at capturing how people speak.鈥�

A Leap of Faith

After graduation, Fordham took to the stage as a resident company member at the Burt Reynolds Institute Theatre in Jupiter, Fla. A year later, she moved to Los Angeles and sold sandwiches out of a cooler to pay the rent. Three months after her arrival, Fordham traded in her food cart for a job as a production assistant -- shuttling cappuccinos and script revisions to actors -- eventually landing on the set of 鈥淢urphy Brown.鈥� Her storyline behind the scenes of comedy and drama began.

鈥淣o one gets anywhere in life without a helping hand,鈥� Fordham said. 鈥淢y VSU professors gave me important recommendations. An alumna in Los Angeles (Karen Heck, 鈥�85) got me my first production assistant job. A writer at 鈥楳urphy Brown鈥� handed my scripts to his agent, who then signed me. The list goes on and on. I cannot stress enough how well VSC prepared me for my career.鈥�

In 2003, Fordham began writing and producing fast-paced, slapstick dialogue for comedy-drama 鈥淪crubs.鈥� Over the course of eight seasons, she wrote sixteen episodes, two of which, "My Life in Four Cameras" and "My Musical,鈥� are considered to be among the show鈥檚 best episodes. Fordham also made an on-screen cameo at the end of episode 鈥淢y Full Moon,鈥� playing a doctor who likes to fist pump over ridiculously mundane things.

Returning Home

Between routine 12-hour days writing and taping episodes, Fordham managed to write a screenplay for Michael Douglas鈥� Further Films and 鈥淗oller Me Home,鈥� a full-length play about balancing tradition and progress. Fordham chose 茄子视频 to premiere the play on February 14, 2008, in Sawyer Theatre. At Fordham鈥檚 request, longtime theatre professor Dr. Randy Wheeler came out of retirement to direct the play.

鈥淚t was very exciting to direct the first full scale production of a former student whom I admire so much,鈥� said Wheeler, who worked at VSU for 26 years before retiring in 2006. 鈥淚 know the play has the potential to appeal to a very wide audience. I hope she will continue to work on the piece and look for other venues.鈥�

Cricket chirps and swamper hollers set the mood of the Okefenokee Swamp in 1930, when the federal government began to explore the untamed marshland. Fordham, whose grandmother lived in the swamp, shares the lives of a hardworking, principled people and their struggles when confronted with change. Writing a play about home was cathartic for Fordham, who has misses everything about the South -- except maybe the bugs and humidity.

鈥淪eeing 鈥楬oller Me Home鈥� on stage was a revelation. It was funnier. It was more touching. The themes really came through,鈥� said Fordham. 鈥淚 was blown away by how committed the cast and crew were. They put so much thought behind the production and were so invested in making it work. Just amazing.鈥�

Ever the perfectionist, Fordham is currently rewriting the play using what she learned from the Valdosta staging. Her hope is to have her agent shop 鈥淗oller Me Home鈥� around New York within the next year, giving the piece a life outside of Georgia.

Scripting the Military Life

In December 2008, Fordham transitioned from the comical vignettes of fictional Sacred Heart Hospital to the drama of military life as a writer for Lifetime Television鈥檚 series 鈥淎rmy Wives.鈥� With nearly 4 million viewers, the series has pushed Fordham to expand her writing and research skills to accommodate the hourlong format. When she is not writing, casting or editing film, she is likely conducting research for scripts or filming on set in Charleston, S.C.

鈥淩esearch is a very important part of any writing. For 鈥楢rmy Wives,鈥� I didn鈥檛 have to look that far -- my sister was an army wife for over 20 years. But I still read lots of books, talked to army wives and Googled everything I could find,鈥� said Fordham, who said she dreams of writing for Meryl Streep one day. 鈥淭he Department of Defense was kind enough to arrange a research trip to Ft. Irwin. The entire writing staff was flown there by Blackhawk helicopter.鈥�

Fordham may map out characters鈥� lives, but her own is still unfolding. The 鈥渨ork-in-progress,鈥� as she describes herself, is open to whatever challenges and opportunities prime time directs her way. One certainty is that VSU will never be written out of her life; the campus, the people and the program are all too much a part of who she was and who she has become.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be where I am today without VSU, so I feel an obligation to give back as much as I can. The thing I enjoy most is coming back myself for workshops,鈥� Fordham said. 鈥淢y goal is simply to demystify Los Angeles and the entertainment industry in general. I think it鈥檚 easy to get intimidated by it all. My message is, 鈥楬ey, if you鈥檝e got big dreams, give it a try. If you don鈥檛 like it, you can always move back; but at least you won鈥檛 have any regrets.鈥欌��