research

Kathleen deMarrais poses for a photo outside the Rowdy Rooster, which she owns with Jamie Lewis, in Lexington on Nov. 4, 2025. DeMarrais has won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Educational Studies Association (AESA), a research organization for educators she has been involved in since the 1980s. (Photo/Susanna Johnson)

Kathleen deMarrais poses for a photo outside the Rowdy Rooster, which she owns with Jamie Lewis, in Lexington on Nov. 4, 2025. DeMarrais has won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Educational Studies Association (AESA), a research organization for educators she has been involved in since the 1980s. (Photo/Susanna Johnson)

Rowdy Rooster owner honored for lifetime of teaching, research, service

Susanna Johnson
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Some residents may have noticed the Rowdy Rooster was closed last weekend.  That’s because Kathleen deMarrais was heading home from New Mexico with a new honor —  the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Educational Studies Association (AESA).
Retired University of Georgia entomology professor and former extension specialist Dr. William Hudson reaches for a female Joro spider on Nov. 4, 2025, in Winterville, Ga. Known for their docile nature, Joro spiders have never been recorded harming humans. (Gabrielle Gruszynski/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Retired University of Georgia entomology professor and former extension specialist Dr. William Hudson reaches for a female Joro spider on Nov. 4, 2025, in Winterville, Ga. Known for their docile nature, Joro spiders have never been recorded harming humans. (Gabrielle Gruszynski/The Oglethorpe Echo)

A sticky web they weave

Gabrielle Gruszynski
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Big, brightly colored and impossible to miss, Oglethorpe County residents are spotting Joro spiders everywhere this fall.  “It’s just a crazy density,” said Elmer Gray, University of Georgia entomologist and Arnoldsville resident.