President's Report 2014
November 17, 2014 Staff 10 Mins Read
The Berea College Alumni Association enjoys hearing from Bereans from all over the U.S. and the world. The "Class Notes" section of Berea College Magazine reports verifiable news that has been sent to the Association by alumni. BCM reports the news you wish to share with your alumni friends and associates. "Class Notes" reports careers, weddings, retirements, births, and other items of importance to our alumni. Please include your class year and name used while attending Berea. Notes may be edited for style and length. Our print deadlines may delay the appearance of your class news. While we will make every effort to put your information into the next issue, due to printing schedules, some delays are typical. We appreciate your understanding. Submit class notes and photographs via e-mail: alumninews@berea.edu.
Eugene Taulbee celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends on Sunday, March 9, 2014.
Kathleen Kincaid Shaw has reached the age of 99+ and is very proud of her time spent at Berea. She still drives herself to church and the store. She even cooks the evening meal for her son, Jim, and herself. She has another son named Bernard.
Annabel B. Clark is now living at a retirement community, and is still active in many ways. She continues to lead a theatre group and play ping pong.
Carolyn Keener Howard is still enjoying life with friends, family, and Berea College classmates.
Albert L. Richardson, Navy V-12, is currently having a short story appear on an internet magazine. It can be found on doorwaymemoirs.com under his name.
Thad Mills is enjoying retirement with his wife, Barbara H. Mills, three sons, and eight grandchildren. He had two great careers, one in aviation management and the other one as a pilot, and was in the US Navy for 25 years and in corporate aviation for 25 years.
Ruth Nichols Sass was inducted into the Henderson County Education Foundation Hall of Fame on March 20, 2014. It "honors those individuals who have demonstrated measurable influence or made significant contributions to the growth and development of education in Henderson County" which is in North Carolina.
Dr. Janice Crabtree Wilson is writing fiction, enjoying her grandchildren, and is active in community organizations.
Eloise Painter Plavney and her husband, Cedric Plavney, continue to enjoy their retirement years with family and friends.
Wallace Cantrell Jr. is enjoying retirement with his wife, Sandy, in Columbus, Indiana. They have eight grandsons.
Ira Linville and his wife, Gladys (Tucker) Linville, FD '64, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 15, 2013. Ira serves on the Franklin County, Kentucky Conservation District Board.
Diane (Selvidge) Silver, PhD., has retired after 30 years in state government working in IT. She continues her 30 year career as an adjunct professor teaching psychology classes at Austin Community College. Diane would love to hear from classmates in the Austin, Texas area.
Veree Thompson Woodbridge moved to St. Mary's, Georgia, with her husband, Tom Woodbridge. They are retired and now sinking their feet in the sands of coastal Georgia.
Donnie R. Murray retired from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2011. He is currently "of counsel" to the law firm of Peaseley and Derryberry PLC in Franklin, Tennessee.
Miriam Pride, FD '66, has been appointed the interim director of the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Miriam had recently retired after 22 years as president of Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois.
Russ D. Sword and wife, Erma F. Sword '65, are retired and live at Hideaway Lake in East Texas.
Donnie R. Stacy and his wife, Vera Napier Stacy, have three children. They are Donnie R. Stacy II, who got his MD from Louisville, Shawn C. Stacy, an auditor in Frankfort, and Kara D. Stacy, a teacher in Lexington.
Joyce Spears Beets is starting all over again by being a foster parent to a five month old.
Dr. Betty H. Olinger was honored in May of 2014 by Ashler Lodge of the Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons of Kentucky for a lifetime of community service. She served as the chair of the nursing departments at Berea College and Kentucky State University.
Jane Frazier retired after 40 years with the Social Security Administration.
Tom Mustard and his wife, Shirley Mustard '70, are retired and living at the Village at Deaton Creek in Georgia.
Cathy (Phillips) Brinkley and husband, Whitfield Brinkley, own a bed and breakfast in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is located nine miles from James Madison's Montpelier and 20 miles from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
James Tuan joined Solix Biosystems in Fort Collins, Colorado, as executive vice president for business development.
Kenneth R. Hembree, Cx '79, is married to Gearl Mae Hembree. They have two daughters and three granddaughters.
Pam Bagwell Staton retired from the North Carolina Extension Agency on August 1, 2012 after 32 years of service.
Jo Cox's daughter, Ellen Harrington, was awarded first place (6/7th grade) in the 30th Annual Write Women Back into History essay contest sponsored by the Iowa Commission on the status of Women, Iowa Department of Education, and the State Historical Society of Iowa.
Dr. Mary B. Swarthout is currently serving as president of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning. She also is a faculty member at Sam Houston State University teaching mathematics courses for future teachers.
Married: Terry York to Martin Friedman on July 19, 2013 in Burlington, Vermont. Terry is a realtor and massage therapist, and Martin is retired. They reside at 2301 Wilton Drive #214, Wilton Manors, FL 33305.
Sidi N. Bojang works as a consultant in the field of school and community empowerment issues. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife, Oli, who recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in nursing, and their two children.
Diane Smith Thomas has collaborated with James C. Rich to create contemporary wearable art. Their business is BSpoken Designs, LLC. Both are members of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.
Sharon Robb Allen received a Master of Science in nursing education in May 2013 at UNC—Charlotte. She was a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Kappa Phi, and Golden Key Honor Societies at UNC-Charlotte.
Victoria L. Moore is the RN-school nurse supervisor/District Health Coordinator for the Lawrence County, Kentucky school district. Since 2009, she has been the vice president of the Lawrence County, Kentucky Genealogical and Historical Society, and became coordinator of the Eastern Kentucky Genealogy and History Conference in 2012.
Kim Robbins received her master's in library sciences in 2012 from the University of Kentucky. She is now working at the New Albany- Floyd County Public Library in Indiana and lives in Louisville, Kentucky.
Pamela Hunt, Cx '85, completed a master's in education in curriculum and instruction from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio in spring 2014. She has taught for 25 years, 15 of which were in the Mansfield City Schools.
Dr. Ping Chen is currently director of the NAIAD (National Institute of Allergy for Infectious Diseases) which is part of the National Institute of Health in Beijing, China.
Channell Barbour, associate director of student life at Indiana University Southeast, began working on her doctoral dissertation in 2010. A paper based on that research, "The Lived Experiences of Gay and Lesbian College Athletes: A Research Proposal," is one of three papers selected to be published by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Knowledge Community.
Paul March, Cx '92, has been with Ohio State Patrol for 21 years. He is the director of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Drum and Bugle Corps.
Barry E. Brock lives at 1278 Narragansett Pk, Lexington, KY 40517.
Zannyha (Martell) Wright was named center administrator for the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University in Troy, Alabama.
Alyce A. Graves works as a certified risk management consultant in Georgetown, Kentucky, at the Harvard Risk Management Corporation.
Birth: a daughter, Kati Deborah, was born to Sarah Stricklen Schilens on February 6, 2014.
Ferdous Hossain has his own executive search firm where he helps global pharma/biotech companies to fill executive level openings. This firm is located in San Diego, California.
Dr. Katrina Thacker is an English online instructor in TESOL for the English First Company in Shanghai, China. She earned a TEFL certificate and enjoys traveling throughout China.
Married: Mae Leslie (Hamilton) Daugherty to Kevin Daugherty in September 2009. They have a son named Easton Lee Daugherty, who was born in November 2010.
Heather Evans wrote a book called "Competitive Elections and Democracy in America: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" that was recently published by Routledge and is available on Amazon.
Sarah Kindler is working at a rural health clinic in Ahoskie, North Carolina.
Justin Kindler graduated from West Virginia University in May 2013 with a doctorate in dental surgery. He completed a one year residency in advanced education in general dentistry through East Carolina University in June 2014. Justin resides in Ahoskie, North Carolina.
Birth: a son, Caleb Powell Webb, was born to Matthew Webb and Savannah Webb on October 29, 2013. They reside in Columbia, Tennessee.
Birth: a son, Tanner David Hobson, was born to Meganne Nicole Jones and her fiancé, Kyle Hobson, on October 4, 2013. They currently live in Louisville, Kentucky.
Birth: a daughter, Natalie Grace, was born to Carman Newman and Mitch Newman on May 1, 2014. They have one boy and three girls now.
Alexander Gibson
Alexander Gibson has joined the firm Stites & Harbison, PLLC, and works in the torts & insurance practices group. Gibson had served as a law clerk for the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2012.
Birth: a daughter, Madeleine Rose McCandless, was born to RoseMarie (Goble) McCandless and Richard McCandless on March 14, 2014. Her big sisters, Emma and Anna, are so very proud.
Rachel Marie (Trost) Medina received a master's degree from Georgetown College in teacher leadership with an endorsement to teach English as a second language. She and her husband, Jose, built a house in Nicholasville and now reside there.
Birth: a son, Ethan Blake, was born to Evan Robinson and Stephanie Ann Robinson on May 5, 2014.
Married: Harold Burdette to Katie Frensley, '11 on November 16, 2013.
Dewey W. Cole Jr. and his wife, Heather A. Cole,'10, are both graduates of the technology department and have a one year old son named Dewey "Felix" Cole.
Married: Miranda Hileman Combs to Zachary Combs on April 26, 2014. They live in Winchester, Kentucky.
Heather A. Cole started her own photography business, Heather Cole Photography, thanks to the training she received in the Berea College technology department.
Jeremy Hall is joining the National Guard and attending Northern Kentucky University in the fall. The program will be for a master's in computer science and information technology. He also married in 2013.
Ebony Williams graduated from the University of Alabama with a Master of Arts in health studies on May 3, 2014.
Michele Gardner graduated from a 16 month master's program of social work from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Trena Reed is enrolled in the Kentucky Community and Technical College system to pursue a degree
in nursing.
Author Staff
Alumni Councils
President's Report – Our Berea: From Exploration to Action
Alumni by Class Year