A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY | SPRING 2021

Contributors
EKU Magazine is a collaborative effort between EKU Alumni Engagement and

SPOTLIGHT ON EKU Communications and Brand Management.

EKU President Alumni Engagement Staff

EKU ALUMNI David T. McFaddin, ’99 ’15

Vice President of Development
and Alumni Engagement
Associate Vice President
of Development and Alumni
Engagement
Betina Gardner Dan McBride, ’89
Check out the Alumni Spotlight Series Assistant Vice President, Senior Director for Engagement
Communications and and Communications
by visiting alumni.eku.edu/spotlight to hear Brand Management Steve Greenwell, ’06
Doug Cornett
the great stories of fellow Eternal Colonels! Assistant Director of Engagement
and Communications
Staff Photographer
Alex Hanavan, ’15 ’17
Carsen Bryant, ’19
Coordinator of Alumni Programming
Photography
and Student Philanthropy
Amanda J. Cain
Ashley Turner, ’19
Kevin Huver
Chris Radcliffe, ’04 Administrative Assistant II,
Alumni Engagement
Staff Writers Jessica Duerson
Katie Adkins
Lanny Brannock, ’99 International Alumni
Kevin Britton, ’00 ’11 Association Board
Madison Caplinger, ’19 President
Steven Fohl, ’07 ’12 Amy Jo Smith Gabel, ’05 ’08
Elise G. Russell, ’06 Vice President
Jerry Wallace Ray Arnold, ’09 ’13
Margaret Muncy Willingham, ’80
Secretary; Chair, Development
Editorial Allison Allgier, ’92
Director, Brand Management;
Board Members: Joe Bentley, ’82 ’88;
Managing Editor
Rodney Bussell, ’95; Tichaedza Chikuni,
Brandon Moore, ’14
’05 ’11; Mikayla Courtney, ’19; Chris
Design and Layout Eden, ’09; Kelvin Ford, ’93; Doug
Art Director/ Hampton, ’71; Roger Hardin, ’75; Allison
Senior Graphic Designer Helsinger, ’07; Kenna Middleton, ’79 ’81;
Mickey Thomas Alvin Miller, ’81; Lori Murphy-Tatum, ’99;
Graphic Designer Iddah Otieno, ’01; Chris Radcliffe, ’04
Ashley Reaves, ’19 ’12; Tom Reeves, ’99 ’02; Lucy Riffle, ’77;
Liz Ross, ’86; Laura Rudolph, ’08; Ashley
Design Management
Shofner, ’21; Gracie Staude, ’22; Bob
Jessica Holly
Sullivan, ’72; Lelani Turrentine, ’71;
Randy White, ’90

Eastern Kentucky University Visit us online:

521 Lancaster Ave. eku.edu
Richmond, KY 40475-3102 campaign.eku.edu
stories.eku.edu
alumni.eku.edu
development.eku.edu

Eastern Kentucky University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and educational

institution and does not discriminate on the basis of age (40 and over), race, color, religion, sex,
PHOTO BY DANIEL FRANK. PEXELS.COM

sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, ethnicity, disability, national
origin, veteran status, or genetic information in the admission to, or participation in, any educational
program or activity (e.g., athletics, academics and housing) which it conducts, or in any employment
policy or practice. Any complaint arising by reason of alleged discrimination should be directed to
the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Eastern Kentucky University, Jones Building 416, Richmond,
Kentucky 40475, (859) 622-8020, or the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights,
400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202, 1 (800) 421-3481 (V), 1 (800) 877-8339 (TTY).
 SP 2021
–—— CONT E N T S ——––

2
A Letter from President
David T. McFaddin
–———––
4
EKU Stories
–———––
10
A Wild and Purposeful Endeavor
Veronica Seawall, ’16, Lives Out her
Passion and Dream as a Zookeeper
–———––
14
Close-Knit Community and
Fiber Connectivity
High-Speed Internet Provides Educational
Access and Economic Opportunity in
Rural Kentucky Town
–———––
18
The Art of Collaboration
The Institute for Creative and Collaborative
Arts Offers a New Approach for Fine Arts
and Communication Education
–———––
22
Good and Noble Work

22
Alumnus McFaddin Turns
Opportunity into Presidency
–———––
28
From Postcards

28
to Hashtags
Unpacking the Oppression of Black
Lives through Conversations on Racism,
Resistance and Reconciliation
–———––
34
The New Campus Beautiful
Uniting Colonels — Together, Apart

10
–———––
38
EKU Athletics
–———––
42
18
Alumni News
–———––­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­–——
On our Cover :
Dr. David T. McFaddin, Kentucky native and
EKU graduate, was appointed 14th president
of Eastern Kentucky University in August.
Read more about President McFaddin’s
background and vision for EKU on page 22.

14
(Photo by Chris Radcliffe, ’04)
 A LE T T ER from P RESI DENT DAVI D T. MCFADDI N

ONE
EASTERN MOVING FORWARD, TOGETHER
Throughout my life I’ve heard it said time and time again that “hard work is the good work that gets the job
done.” This simple adage has been a guidepost for me on a journey to the pinnacle of my career as president
of my alma mater. I believe it continues to hold true for me and for all of us as we innovate and create more

opportunities for students at Eastern Kentucky University. This and affordable for all those who seek it. In the face of several
pandemic has proven challenging to navigate and has brought societal challenges over the past year, our role in offering
much uncertainty. I’m proud to say that through it all, we have educational opportunity has never been more significant.
found opportunities and innovations we might otherwise have
We’re exploring every possible avenue to eliminate barriers on
not embraced. Overcoming adversity will only lead to greater
a student’s path to a college degree. Our new EKU BookSmart
rewards for Eastern Kentucky University and our students as we
program, a first for a Kentucky public university, will provide
move forward together.
free textbooks for all undergraduate students in Fall 2021. This
As the institution that leads all others in powering our Kentucky initiative is part of what we call the EKU Advantage, and it
communities with outstanding graduates, we are no strangers includes several other incentives, such as new scholarships,
to hard work, perseverance and determination. I will always be waived application fees and expanded online course offerings.
grounded in my life experiences from growing up in far-eastern
My EKU experience has given me so much, a sentiment most
Kentucky. In the foothills of Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains is
alumni share. As an alum, talking about my beloved alma mater
where I began to embrace these values and where my leadership
comes natural. It’s our engagement and those positive testimonies
skills began to take shape. From those beginnings, I feel incredibly
that continue to offer the most effective recruitment strategy. I
blessed and honored to serve as Eastern’s 14th president.
ask you to join me in sharing the good news about EKU and our
I came to EKU as an eager 18-year-old freshman in the 90s — commitment to students, the Commonwealth and the world.
the first in my family to pursue a college degree. Years later,
You’ll read more about my background in a feature on page 22.
I returned to EKU as a doctoral student, adjunct faculty member
While the pandemic has prevented face-to-face communication,
and administrator. I set out with goals and worked hard to achieve
I look forward to engaging and connecting with you, my fellow
them. But my resolve doesn’t stop here. My commitment to
alumni. As One Eastern, we will continue the hard work together,
helping students advance themselves and to the Commonwealth
to do good for the future of our world and our EKU. After all,
remains deeply rooted. As I’ve witnessed in my own life, education
that’s what Colonels do!
lays the foundation for change and progress. And just as
important, our graduates fill critical roles as teachers, healthcare One Eastern,
workers, business professionals and many other influential roles
in communities across the Commonwealth and beyond.

The foundational pillar of EKU’s mission as a School of

Opportunity has directed us toward the development of bold and David T. McFaddin
innovative initiatives designed to keep education accessible President, Eastern Kentucky University

2 SPRING 2021
 EKUSTORIES
IN THIS EKU LAUNCHES NEW ENROLLMENT
INITIATIVES CALLED THE EKU ADVANTAGE
ISSUE In a bold effort to keep higher education affordable and accessible, Eastern Kentucky University implemented
the EKU Advantage – a series of enrollment-focused incentives. Initial components of the EKU Advantage
included waiving the application fee, waiving the standardized test score requirement for admissions and
EKU Launches New
expanding online course offerings. Additionally, the University froze tuition, fees and room and board
Enrollment Initiatives Called
rates for the 2020-21 academic year.
The EKU Advantage
———— • ————
Recent additions to the EKU Advantage include a new scholarship model and rewarding incoming Kentucky
Divine Nine Plaza to students for their high school achievements. Scholarships range from $1,000 up to the full in-state tuition
Locate in Carloftis Gardens
amount. EKU BookSmart will also provide free textbooks for all EKU undergraduate students, either
———— • ————
on campus or online. Beginning in Fall 2021, this is a program unique among state universities in Kentucky.
Mekonnen Breaks
Barriers in SGA “With the addition of free textbooks to the EKU Advantage, a college degree from EKU is now more
———— • ————
accessible and affordable than it has been in many years,” EKU President Dr. David McFaddin said. “We
Record EKU
are investing in our students so they will be prepared to succeed when their classes begin.”
Foundation Scholarships
Power Opportunity Learn more about the EKU Advantage at advantage.eku.edu.
———— • ————
New Solar Farm to
Power EKU
———— • ————
EKU’s COVID -19 Response,
by the Numbers
———— • ————
Memorial Bench Honors
Alumnus
———— • ————
Student-Conducted
Veteran Interviews
Available through Berge
Oral History Center

CORRECTIONS: For the Fall 2020 issue,

Dr. Robert R. Martin was EKU’s seventh
president, not the eighth as was listed;
and on page 20 in the first photo, Suzanne
Fawbush is pictured on the right, not
center as was stated in the caption.

Stock photography and illustrations used in

“From Postcards to Hashtags,” this issue:
PEXELS.COM: Vlad Chețan, Santiago Manuel
de la Colina, Eva Elijas, JackQ, ksushsh, Mihir
Koral, Pixabay, Rodion, Kutsaev, Romeo Mike,
Romka, Tim Mossholder. iSTOCKPHOTO.COM:
Kirkchai Benjarusameeros, Diversity Studio,
illionaire, Issaurinko, Peeterv, Irfan Quader,
Sohadiszno, subinpumsom, wayne10810.
UNSPLASH.COM: JonTyson-Ziuo.

4 SPRING 2021
 Andrew “Champ” Page, ’92 MEKONNEN
BREAKS BARRIERS
IN SGA
Eastern Kentucky University’s student body
president, Eyouel Mekonnen came to Kentucky
from Ethiopia in 2016 and is the first international
student ever elected to the position. He is also
the first Black student body president EKU has
seen in more than 40 years.

“It reminds me every single day that we can’t

wait another 40 years. We have to set up systems
of excellence and programs that help our
underpopulated students to succeed,” he said.

Mekonnen said he has dreamed of becoming

president since his first year at EKU when the
Student Government Association (SGA) booth
captured his interest. He ran for and won a seat
as a student senator and worked his way up
from there. During his sophomore and junior
years, he served as SGA’s director of diversity.

Mekonnen is a senior English and political

science major and plans to graduate in May.
Read more about Mekonnen’s experience at
EKU on page 28.

DIVINE NINE PLAZA TO LOCATE

IN CARLOFTIS GARDENS
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held recently for the NPHC Divine Nine Plaza in EKU’s
Carloftis Gardens. The Plaza recognizes the nine historically African American Greek-
lettered, service-based fraternities and sororities under the umbrella of the National
Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).

“The National Pan-Hellenic Council truly plays a valuable role in creating a sense of
belonging for marginalized students,” said Dr. Dannie Moore, vice president for strategic
initiatives and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at EKU. “These monuments
will represent the organization’s presence on campus and will serve as a gathering place
for alumni and current students to come together, celebrate and reflect on their NPHC
experiences at EKU.”

Alumni and current students worked with campus leadership to plan the Plaza. “This idea
was in the works prior to my arrival at EKU,” Moore said, “(but) as a member of Kappa Alpha
Psi fraternity, I was excited to assist with moving this project to completion.”

NPHC sororities at EKU are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho
and Zeta Phi Beta, while NPHC fraternities at Eastern are Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha
Psi, Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma.

EKU MAGAZINE 5
 RECORD EKU
FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
POWER OPPORTUNITY
Eastern Kentucky University is delivering on its promise as a School of Opportunity, with
a record number of its students utilizing EKU Foundation scholarships to pursue their
educational dreams. This past fiscal year, at a time when many students and families
have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the University awarded 1,797
Foundation scholarships valued at $1,303,360 and eclipsing the previous records, both of
which were set the previous year.

Betina Gardner, vice president for university development and alumni engagement and
executive director of the EKU Foundation, attributed this achievement to “enrollment
growth, an easier application process, a collaborative effort from our partners from all
over campus to deliver on our promise as a School of Opportunity, and the performance
of the endowment and the dedicated staff who oversee the awarding of the scholarships.
Foundation scholarships are unique, and there is much care and attention that goes
into matching deserving students with a donor’s intent.”

For more information about supporting student scholarships at EKU, please visit Junior accounting major Holly Carter, a recipient
development.eku.edu. of the Jeri L. Isbell Non-Endowed Scholarship.

NEW SOLAR FARM TO POWER EKU

Starshine Energy has partnered with the University to
build a solar farm on campus. It will provide energy
for the EKU electrical grid and research opportunities
for EKU students.

“I think it’s important that universities lead in learning

how to use alternative energy — that’s the reason for
the solar farm at EKU,” said alumnus Gary Booth, ’62,
owner of Starshine Energy.

“In addition to the research opportunities for students,

this array is expected to generate more than 450,000
kilowatt-hours of electricity annually — enough to
power 40 houses — and will reduce EKU’s greenhouse
gas emissions by over 300 metric tons each year,”
said Dr. Judy Jenkins, associate professor of chemistry
at EKU, who helped lead this and other solar projects
on campus. “Plus, this is the largest solar panel
array at any public college or university in Kentucky,
demonstrating Eastern’s ongoing leadership in
renewable energy.”

The solar farm is adjacent to Kit Carson Commons, a

housing complex that is currently under construction.
Located near the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and
Kit Carson Drive, it will house single-parent families.

6 SPRING 2021
 EKU’S COVID-19 RESPONSE, BY THE NUMBERS
Eastern Kentucky University responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with
planning, communication, adaptation and lots of hand sanitizer —
1,535 bottles to be exact! Last spring, a task force comprised of more
than 75 members was assembled to develop a plan to safely open campus
to students in the 2020-21 academic year.
In preparation for the Fall 2020 semester, EKU procured 105,000
disposable face coverings and 15,582 cloth face coverings for
distribution. Facilities Management posted 9,150 signs, installed 509
Plexiglass shields, and placed hand sanitizer and wipes around campus.
When classes started in August, 91 Colonel Care coordinators around
campus reminded students to wear face coverings and practice social
distancing. More than 19 contact tracers diligently reached out to
students, faculty and staff. EKU Housing dedicated more than 104 rooms
for quarantine, and in partnership with Aramark Dining, provided and
delivered more than 9,000 meals to students in quarantine.
“Because of the exceptional planning and successful execution of
strategies, we had zero reports of transmission within our classrooms,
university structured activities and university events,” for the Fall semester
reported Bryan Makinen, chair of EKU’s COVID-19 Task Force.
In addition to the development and implementation of protocols for fall,
EKU offered free COVID-19 testing for students prior to the beginning
of the Spring semester.
EKU MAGAZINE 7
 STUDENT-CONDUCTED VETERAN
INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE THROUGH
BERGE ORAL HISTORY CENTER
More than 300 veteran interviews are now available to the public through EKU’s William
H. Berge Oral History Center. This collection will continue to grow as hundreds of students
facilitate audio-recorded interviews with veterans each year in EKU’s Introduction to
Veterans Studies course (VTS 200).

EKU’s Veterans Studies (VTS) program is the nation’s first academic program designed to
teach students about the unique identities, cultures and experiences of members of the
U.S. Armed Forces. Students taking VTS 200, either on campus or online, go out in their
communities and interview veterans. Through the interviews, students have the opportunity
to engage with and document the unique stories and perspectives of these veterans.

“Each veteran is unique,” said Dr. Travis Martin, creator of the Veterans Studies program.
MEMORIAL BENCH “And the consensus seems to be – among researchers and veterans alike – that the best

HONORS ALUMNUS way to learn about veterans is to listen to what they have to say.”

To explore the collection of veteran interviews, visit oralhistory.eku.edu. Search

One of EKU’s most distinguished military alumni “veterans’’ in the search bar at the top of the page, then select “Veterans Studies Project’’
was honored with a memorial bench at EKU’s to view the full collection.
Veterans Memorial, located in the Powell Plaza,
on Nov. 7.

Col. (Ret.) Ralph E. Newman, ROTC Class of 1962,

began his military career in the Kentucky National
Guard in 1956. In 1962, he was commissioned as an
infantry officer through the Army ROTC Program
at EKU. Col. Newman retired from military service
in 1992.

Following his retirement, Col. Newman’s second

career was to educate, mold and inspire many
young men and women in the Grayson West
Carter and East Carter Junior ROTC, which
he established.

He was a charter member of the EKU ROTC

Alumni Chapter and served as chapter president
for three years. In 2000, Col. Newman was selected
as the ROTC Distinguished Alum, and in 2013
he was inducted into EKU’s Hall of Distinguished
Alumni. As the University’s most prestigious honor,
it is reserved for those who maintain excellence in
their chosen fields and in their service to society.

Col. Newman passed in 2019. The unveiling of the

bench by his wife, Sandra, and his granddaughter
Randa McGuire, was preceded by a ceremony in
the Meditation Chapel and attended by many of
his classmates and friends.

8 SPRING 2021
 One Day. One Goal.
Join us on April 14 for EKU Giving Day!

Will you join Eastern’s alumni and friends from all around the country
and help us reach the goal of 1,000 donors in 24 hours?

Every dollar makes a difference for Eastern’s students. Your support will help fund scholarships that
make education more affordable, meet basic needs through the Student Assistance Fund for Eastern (SAFE),
feed students through the Colonel’s Cupboard, provide important educational opportunities
through college greatest needs funds, and so much more.

go.eku.edu/givingday
@EKUAlums l 859-622-GIVE l #GiveBigE
 wild and purposeful
VERONICA SEAWALL, ’16, LIVES OUT HER PASSION
AND DREAM AS A ZOOKEEPER
A day for Veronica Seawall, ’16, consists of training Poppy, a porcupine, preparing him for interactive
educational programming; caring for an “extremely intelligent and very observant” parrot named
Bailey; and encouraging natural behaviors from Turnip, an “incredibly rambunctious and curious”
skunk; among other constantly changing and unpredictable responsibilities.

With an animal studies degree from EKU, Seawall is a zookeeper
at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She serves as a bird
keeper, caring for various parrot species, toucans, flamingos, birds
of prey and more. She’s also the keeper for ambassador animals,
“basically any animal that is trained specifically to come out and
spend time with people, so that people can learn a little more
about the species as a whole,” she explained.
While a zookeeper position generally involves lots of cleaning,
she most enjoys the aspects of animal training and behavioral
enrichment. “Animals at the zoo have a large number of natural
behaviors that they would be doing in the wild, and that we
actually want to encourage from them at the zoo.” As an example,
she mentioned Turnip, the skunk. Seawall provides enrichment
opportunities by figuring out “how we can hide her food to
increase foraging or what we can give her in her environment
that she can manipulate and work on throughout the day.”
From an early age, Seawall knew she wanted a career involving
animals and nature. Her mom, a career coach, and her dad
always encouraged and supported her in pursuing opportunities
and activities appealing to her interests. In high school, Seawall
spent her summers volunteering at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago —
an experience solidifying her desire to become a zookeeper.

EKU MAGAZINE 11
 With her career goals in mind, she came from Chicago to Kentucky
for EKU’s new animal studies program in 2012.
­—— ————————————
Having a degree program that actively encouraged
this passion for conservation and for animals was
refreshing to me,” Seawall said. “It communicated
to me ‘it’s OK to follow your dreams.’
———————————— ——
At EKU, her studies took her to Florida for field research at the Lemur
Conservation Foundation as well as a mini field course studying elephants
at Busch Gardens, to the Bahamas to participate in dolphin research, and
across the globe to Australia for an internship at the Cairns Tropical Zoo.
After graduation, she landed her first permanent zookeeping position
at Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, Illinois. Simultaneously, she went after a
master’s degree in conservation biology through Miami University in
12 SPRING 2021
Ohio. Her education again took her around the world to new places,
including Belize, Brazil and Borneo, this time studying rainforest
ecology and palm oil sustainability.
For Seawall, her dedication to animals and conservation extend beyond
the work day and represent a way of life. She comes home from the
zoo each day to care for five animals of her own — a cat, dog, frog,
lizard and bird. Seawall also continues to advocate for palm oil
sustainability, encouraging consumers to purchase products from
companies committed to producing palm oil in a sustainable manner.
She recently spoke about the issue on a podcast and published an
article in “Wild Hope” magazine.
As a young professional, she says, “I still have a lot more to learn.” Seawall
embraces opportunities to learn from more experienced professionals,
but also wants to be a resource for interns and volunteers exploring
the career field. “I’m now in a place, where looking back 10 years ago, I
don’t think it would have been possible had I not taken that opportunity
to go to EKU,” she said. “It provided so many opportunities and opened
so many doors for me. I’m pretty lucky to say I’m doing what I love.” n
THE EKU ADVANTAGE
Known as the School of Opportunity for more than a century, EKU’s commitment
to keeping education affordable remains strong. Now with the EKU Advantage, students
have even more opportunities to help them on their path to achieving a college degree.

— FREE Textbooks —
With EKU BookSmart, coming Fall 2021, textbooks are free for all undergraduate students at EKU.

— New Scholarships —
Ranging from $1,000 to the full in-state tuition amount, EKU’s merit scholarships
reward students for high school achievement.

— No Application Fee —
Forget the application fee – both undergraduate and graduate application fees are now automatically waived.

See more of the EKU Advantage at advantage.eku.edu

 HIGH-SPEED INTERNET PROVIDES
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
IN RURAL KENTUCKY TOWN

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET PRO-

VIDES EDUCATIONAL ACCESS
AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNI-
TY IN RURAL KENTUCKY TOWN

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States just over one year ago, millions of children
stayed home for virtual school. The sudden change presented many new challenges for families, one
of the most widespread and significant being reliable internet access.

Across rural America, families continue to struggle to get
quality and affordable internet access, but not in McKee,
Kentucky, a town of less than 1,000 people. Located in Jackson
County and just over 30 miles southeast of Richmond, McKee
proudly boasts high-speed internet, available at every dwelling
in the county.
“I’m a native here, and I’ve heard all my life about all the things we
don’t have in Jackson and Owsley counties,” said Keith Gabbard,
’76, CEO of Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (PRTC) in
McKee. “We don’t have a college, or a four-lane highway, or a
hospital, or a McDonald’s or a Wal-Mart. But we’ve got this
awesome broadband.”
A local resident, Misty Roark, works as a deputy clerk at the Jackson
County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office and has three children —
two high schoolers and a middle schooler. Pre-pandemic, Roark
said her family “was used to being on the go” with school and
extracurricular activities. Although Roark’s kids miss their friends
and the interaction of in-person school, the internet access
provided by PRTC made the transition to virtual learning more
manageable for the family.
Roark’s youngest, Anna Grace, competes on the academic team
virtually and interacts with her friends daily using FaceTime.
Roark also said her family still participates in church services
through live streaming since they’ve not been able to attend in
person during the pandemic.
“We are truly blessed to have had this internet access during
this time, not only for my children’s education but we have
another special reason right now,” Roark said. Her nephew was
diagnosed with cancer in August, and his twin brother has been
staying with them. “So we have had four kids in this house on
virtual learning. And because of the internet, 10-year-old twins
have got to FaceTime and play games with each other daily.”

OPPOSITE: Keith Gabbard, ‘76, CEO of Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative

EKU MAGAZINE 15
Stanford Breathitt Floyd
Decoy Pike
Conway Jackson Pikeville
30
n Booneville
lle 80 Paw Paw
150 Brodhead McKee Owsley
Talbert Knott Wayland
Mount Vernon Buckhorn Hindman Belcher 460
Annville Perry
25 Pippa
Eubank Rockcastle
11 Elkhorn City
Clay Hazard Passes
Elrod Panco 23
80 8
ll 63
Pulaski To Hyden
Manchester Jenkins
80 London Clintwood
Somerset Laurel Lake Hoskinston Whitesburg 119
80 421 Dickenson
Letcher
Leslie
Keavy Trammel
Burnside Fount Cumberland Wise Wise
Helton Coeburn
Corbin 25E Erose Norton
Harlan 58A Russe
Parkers Lake Barbourville Harlan Dizney Big Stone Gap
Wallins Creek
McCreary Knox Pennington Gap 71

Williamsburg 421 Nickelsville

Pineville
Virgini
Scott
Whitley City 92
92 Bell Rose Hill Jonesville
Whitley 58
70
Gate City
Pine Knot Middlesborough Lee
Cumberland Gap Bristol
Winfield Hancock Mount Carmel Kingsport Sullivan Br
Clairfield Arthur Sneedville
Oneida Elk Valley Claiborne 63
Church Hill Blountville
33
. Hawkins
70
441 New Tazewell Tazewell ch R
Clin
75
Huntsville Campbell 31 Rogersville
La Follette 81Washington
Norris L. Union Grainger
Eliz
Scott
Cherokee L. Johnson City
Jacksboro Rutledge
70 93 Carter Ha
Nort
Sunbright Maynardville
81
Jonesborough
Hamblen
Lake City 92
Greene
7 Condon Morristown Greeneville 23
Anderson
107 Erwin
g Wartburg Clinton
33
New Market Jefferson City Banner Hill
Mascot
Knox Jefferson Unicoi Mitchell
62
Cocke
Oak Ridge Dandridge 70 Bakersville

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE: The old Jackson County Courthouse in McKee,

Kentucky. Misty Roark and her three children, in high school and middle school,
rely on the high-speed internet from PRTC for virtual learning.

More than a decade ago, Gabbard saw the need to upgrade PRTC’s
infrastructure and wanted the people in his community “to have as good
a network as anybody in the country.” Under Gabbard’s leadership, PRTC
installed fiber optic cable for gigabit-capable internet access to every
home and business in Jackson and Owsley counties —
­­ a first-of-its-kind
initiative for rural Kentucky and one of the first in rural America.
A mule named Old Bub pulled some of the cable through the mountainous
regions of the counties during the height of the upgrade project about
10 years ago. Old Bub covered two to three miles per day and received
national attention for his labor — a song was even written about him
by musician and Appalachia-native Brett Ratliff. Now a local Amish family
is among the construction crews continuing to build out the network as
PRTC works to expand the fiber network to more counties throughout
Eastern Kentucky.
High-speed internet has brought more to McKee’s local community
than just educational access during the pandemic. It has impacted
economic development, allowing for remote employment opportunities
and improved healthcare availability. In another first-of-its-kind
initiative, PRTC partnered with the local library and the Lexington
Veterans Affairs Medical Center to provide telemedicine to veterans
through the Virtual Living Room project.
“There are things we’d like to have that we don’t, but having this great
broadband levels the playing field for a lot of folks,” Gabbard said. “This
is one way we can help.”
Connected with fiber cable, the close-knit community of McKee,
Kentucky, is changing the standard for rural living. Many of the local
families wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. n

16 SPRING 2021
 Honor those
who came before.
Lessen the
financial hardship
of those who
come afterward.

Establishing A Legacy
Motivated by the influence of his parents and brothers to “accomplish something through the channels of
education,” Dr. Stuart Tobin, dermatologist, Army veteran and author, established a scholarship at EKU to honor
his family’s memory — the Louis, Eleanor, Edward and Morris Tobin Memorial Scholarship.

Tobin acknowledges education as the key to unlocking many doors in his own life. With a planned gift in
support of his family scholarship, Tobin ensures that a legacy of encouraging educational pursuits will continue
to aid future generations of students.

A legacy, Tobin explained, is “what you leave behind that
leaves some sort of history or mark, maybe in the most
minor way, but nonetheless, that you did something in your
community, your country and in the world that made a
positive difference for other people.”
A planned or estate gift allows you to create your legacy, or
honor those who impacted your life, through the perpetuity
of education for EKU students. Planned gifts provide
financial flexibility, tax benefits, and use for funds that might
otherwise be lost to estate, capital gains or income taxes.

——————————————— Ways to Give —————————————————

Bequests from Wills • Charitable Gift Annuities • Qualified Retirement Plans
Life Insurance and Annuity Contracts • Charitable Remainder Trusts
Retained Life Estates • Stocks and Securities
———————————————————————————————————————————————

Learn More: eku.giftplans.org

Or contact Melinda A. Murphy, director of gift and estate planning
melinda.murphy@eku.edu | 859-622-8090
Kara Holbrook, public relations major
OPPOSITE: Alejandra Emmanuelli, art major

THE ART OF

THE INSTITUTE FOR CREATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE ARTS OFFERS

A NEW APPROACH FOR FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION EDUCATION
Art majors design face masks for the marching band during the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadcasting and
electronic media students produce promotional videos about art, communication, design and music programs
at EKU. For music performances, public relations students provide publicity, and graphic design students
create the promotional materials.
These examples only begin to touch on the opportunities and possibilities We’re bringing together the fine and performing arts, but also integrating
emerging from EKU’s new Institute for Creative and Collaborative Arts. the communication-based disciplines.”

In a creative yet practical strategy, art, communication, design and music
are integrated together as The Institute for Creative and Collaborative Arts.
Although the academic programs, curricula and their respective faculty
haven’t changed, the new Institute facilitates a synchronistic relationship
among students and faculty in art, communication, design and music.
It also affords more efficient, streamlined administrative functions.
“We’ve been able to take areas of strength that we already had and combine
them into one larger unit that I think will be greater than the sum of its
parts,” said Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences Dr. Sara
Zeigler. “As others may be cutting arts, we want to build in that area.
The idea for the Institute sparked from the Music Department’s PRISM
concert during Homecoming a few years ago. The concert featured a series
of three- to five-minute performances produced by students of music and
theater in a collaborative effort. Additionally, English students conducted
poetry readings, and art students showcased exhibitions. The collaborative
effort for the concert went so well, Zeigler said, “We started talking about,
what can we do to build on this?”
In the process of developing a new master’s program in instructional
design, slated for Fall 2021, Zeigler clearly saw an opportunity for
bringing together the arts and communications disciplines and how

18 SPRING 2021
 ,
We ve been able
to ta ke areas of
strength that we
already had and
combine them
into one larger unit
that I think will
be greater than
the sum of its parts,
said Dean of the
College of Letters,
Arts,and Social
Sciences Dr. Sara
Zeigler. “As others
may be cutting
arts,we want to
build in that area.
we,re bringing
together the fine
and performing
arts,but also inte-
grating the com-
munication
 thanks to the
Institute,students
will graduate
with experience
collaborating
with artists,
communicators,
designers a nd
musicians,and
have relevant
projects in their
portfolios to
showcase those
experiences.
As a resu lt
of the inclusive
lea rning
environment,
students a re
also discovering
new interests
and taking
courses in a reas
,
they hadn t
thoug ht to take
before,further
strengthening
their skill sets and
marketability.

20 SPRING 2021
such a move would only enhance the overall educational experience
for students. The vision for a collaborative model to benefit students
and faculty alike took shape as a unit within the College of Letters,
Arts, and Social Sciences.

The Institute for Creative and Collaborative Arts launched last summer,
with Art and Design Professor Ida Kumoji-Ankrah as its executive
director. Collaboration lies at the heart of the Institute — even its
name was conceived and chosen by faculty and students from art,
communication, design and music.

With the structure of the Institute in place, Kumoji-Ankrah said they’re

now working on developing a brand and facilitating new opportunities
for faculty to work together. Naturally, collaborative programs have
fallen into place as faculty communicate with each other more often.
Already, she’s seen students and faculty take advantage of the resources
available within the Institute, as demonstrated by the marching band
masks project and promotional video examples previously mentioned.
She expects more of these types of projects to take place as faculty and
Caroline Geyer,
students learn about each other’s areas of expertise.
music major
BELOW:
“When everyone comes together, we see our strength in the different
Aric Young,
media forms that we do,” Kumoji-Ankrah said. Furthermore, the unique art major
model provides a reflection of what the workplace often looks like for OPPOSITE:
Andria Banker,
graduates and offers valuable experience for students. art major

“We have an opportunity to let our students know that when they’re
out in the real world, they’re going to be working in an environment
where all these units play a role,” Kumoji-Ankrah said. As an example,
she said if a student wants to pursue a career in animation, they’ll
need more than just the design education – they’ll need to collaborate
as part of a team with art, sound, broadcasting and communication.
While they wouldn’t necessarily need high levels of expertise in each
of these areas, having a well-rounded background in working across
disciplines makes students more marketable to employers and helps
them to be successful in their careers.

Thanks to the Institute, students will graduate with experience

collaborating with artists, communicators, designers and musicians,
and have relevant projects in their portfolios to showcase those
experiences. As a result of the inclusive learning environment, students
are also discovering new interests and taking courses in areas they
hadn’t thought to take before, further strengthening their skill sets
and marketability.

In the future, Kumoji-Ankrah would like to pursue grant funding

opportunities to grow the Institute, increase its enrollment, develop
additional academic programs and create projects to showcase the
Institute both on and off campus. Additionally, Zeigler envisions more
engagement and outreach to high schools within EKU’s service region
for the Institute moving forward.

“The purpose of this Institute is to support, cultivate and promote

collaboration across disciplines,” Kumoji-Ankrah said. “By providing the
space for opportunities and programming for students, faculty and staff
to engage, this will be a place to create, and learn, and problem solve,
and build lifelong relationships.” n
 GOOD
AND
NOBLE
WORK ALUMNUS MCFADDIN TURNS
OPPORTUNITY INTO PRESIDENCY
It’s a cold January afternoon and Eastern Kentucky University’s President
Dr. David McFaddin is walking down memory lane in the halls of Johnson
Central High School as a photographer sets up lighting for a photo. What
was supposed to be a quick photo shoot is now an unofficial tour that
ends in front of the Johnson Central High School Hall of Fame plaque wall,
where McFaddin learns casually from head principal Noel Crum that he is
soon to be the newest member.

“That’s amazing!” McFaddin, smiling, says upon hearing the news. He means it. He
knows that he could just have easily not been enshrined on that wall with other alumni,
administrators, some close friends and the occasional hometown heroes. It was a step
of faith for him to leave his hometown and establish new roots in Richmond, the town
of his alma mater, as it is for anyone who leaves the comfort of home.

There is a palpable pride that beams like the first peek of sun over a mountaintop in
the smiles of the eastern Kentucky residents when they talk about the “good ones,” the ones
who have done something big — those who have committed themselves to something this
community believes to be honorable. Something important. It’s reverence. It shouts “they
came from where I came from. They played on the same railroad tracks, went to the
same events, fished the same fishing holes and walked the same hallways I did.”

It is McFaddin and those like him who inspire hope in people who come from a place
where hope hasn’t been in big supply since the coal trains that ran past McFaddin’s
childhood home mostly stopped. “I had the river on one side and the train track on the
other, and train after train of coal was taken out of here,” McFaddin said of his upbringing

McFaddin at the Old Swinging Bridge

22 SPRING 2021 in his hometown of Paintsville, Kentucky.
McFaddin in his high school’s
gymnasium at Johnson Central
High School. BELOW: McFaddin
and his wife, Melissa, at the
Jenny Wiley Amphitheatre in
Prestonsburg, Kentucky, where
they first met in 1997.
in his parents’ modest home in Thelma. “He (Dad) was a second generation ‘bellhead’
(working for Bell Telephone, which later became AT&T), and I was the third when I
joined,” McFaddin said. His parents were in their early 20s when McFaddin was born.
“A couple of kids raising kids,” he laughed. Even as young as they were, McFaddin’s parents
instilled in him one specific trait that anyone who knows him, when asked about him,
repeats, verbatim. Work. Ethic. “He comes from a family with a strong work ethic and
a great appreciation for education. His mom and dad believed in discipline,” said John
Williamson, Model Lab Superintendent and McFaddin’s high school English teacher.

McFaddin credits Williamson with pushing him to venture outside his comfort zone,
going so far as to take the stage in a musical production with classmate and friend Chris
Stapleton. “David isn’t a great singer. Yet, he shared the stage with Chris Stapleton in their
senior year, in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Williamson said.

Johnson County is the kind of place that its people will always call home. McFaddin is no
different, but even as a youth, he dreamed of bigger things. “I was still in high school and
filling up with gas one day and a friend of my cousin who was older than me was
working at the gas station. And I remember thinking to myself, that is not for me. I’m
not going to do that. Education was the ticket to ride for me,” McFaddin recalled.

McFaddin’s parents instilled in him

one specific trait that anyone who
knows him, when asked about him,
repeats, verbatim. Work. Ethic.

Opportunity is more than just a slogan or a catchphrase for McFaddin. It means the
difference between working at McDonald’s and owning McDonald’s. He found his
opportunity in education. “My parents talked about education. They talked about college.
The one thing that I really excelled at was school,” McFaddin said. He excelled to the point
that he hid his report card from his parents until Sunday nights so that his friends could
remain ungrounded for the weekend, knowing that McFaddin’s report card would set
off a chain of phone calls announcing that report cards had, in fact, been sent home to
parents. “It was a place I felt comfortable and where I excelled.” A group of McFaddin’s
high school friends made education competitive at Johnson Central. “We were really
competitive, and that pushed me,” McFaddin said.

A merit scholarship was the tiebreaker over offers to go to Transylvania and the University
of Kentucky. He arrived at EKU without a car in Fall 1996. “I lived in Keene 904 with my
best friend from high school.”

In 1997, just a year into college, McFaddin met Melissa Dye while working as a carpenter
at Jenny Wiley Theater. She was a high school senior taking part in a production. “Our first
date was to see Men in Black,” McFaddin said. They have been together since, and now
have three children: Isabel, 7; Sophia, 5; and Connor, 2.

An internship at BellSouth, which would soon become AT&T, led him to follow in the
footsteps of his father and grandfather. “I had my career planned out. I was going to go
into the family business. I was going to go into management — public policy and
community and public relations work. And it was an amazing experience,” McFaddin said.
 At the time, he heralded BellSouth for mapping out a professional growth path.
And that’s what he did for the next 13 years.

“I made a conscious choice in 2008 ... that I wanted to give back (to EKU) in some
way.” When an opportunity to teach sports writing at EKU came up, McFaddin
took it. “I truly fell in love with being back on campus in that way.” Then President
Dr. Doug Whitlock called and said he wanted to bring him on full time. But the 2008
recession put the move on hold for four years. “We had looked for some way to
bring him on board at EKU. That opportunity presented itself when my executive
director for government relations retired from that position,” Whitlock said.

“We put it on pause until 2012,” McFaddin chuckled. As his leadership role grew at
AT&T, so did the likelihood he would have to move out of state. Knowing he and his
Kentucky native wife wanted to raise their family in Kentucky, he took the job at
the end of 2012.

McFaddin is not shy. Working in the Capitol for years teaches you how to handle
people from all walks of life. He has an ease about him. He smiles. He has a laugh or a
story or a greeting for everyone. He remembers names. He lets you know he “knows”
you in a way that is both charming and reassuring. He’s also not shy about stepping
into leadership roles and setting goals. He told close colleagues when he was leaving

Being the president of this institution is not

something I do for me. It is not for my ego. It is for
this institution. It is for our service region. It is
for our communities ... It is work that needs to be
done and it has and will continue to change lives.

AT&T, working as a senior lobbyist, that he intended to be president at Eastern

someday. “I said that,” when the question was repeated back to him. “If you don’t know
where you’re going, you’ll probably never get there,” he said.

Sitting in the biggest chair on campus is different from being “the guy behind the
person in that chair,” which is the role McFaddin says he has played for nearly 20
years. The seven years he spent supporting his predecessor helped him establish
relationships across campus, building a foundation for what was to come next.
“President (Michael) Benson made sure I had all the tools and experience I needed
to become president if the opportunity presented itself.”

When Benson stepped aside, McFaddin was not only ready — he was the clear
and logical choice.
McFaddin revisits The Old Store, just
“Being the president of this institution is not something I do for me. It is not for my walking distance from his childhood home
and a place he often visited growing up
ego. It is for this institution. It is for our service region. It is for our communities.
in Johnson County, Kentucky.
It is for my team who give all of themselves to this important work every day. It is for
our faculty and our staff and our students. Because this is good and noble work. It
is work that needs to be done and it has and will continue to change lives. I am a
living, breathing example of what this institution can do for someone. I am only the
CANVAS TEXTURE @FUZZIMO.COM

third alum to be president of this institution and I am the first to come from its
service region. That is impactful,” McFaddin said. n

26 SPRING 2021
 FROM
POSTCARDS
TO
HASHTAGS
UNPACKING THE OPPRESSION OF BLACK LIVES
THROUGH CONVERSATIONS ON
RACISM, RESISTANCE, AND RECONCILIATION
Just as their backgrounds and paths varied widely, generations of Black students at Eastern have experienced
both the painful sting of racism and the uplifting kindness of certain administrators, faculty, staff and peers.
From a trail-blazing pioneer in the 1960s to the current student body president, two common threads emerge:
that of steely determination to succeed as student and professional, whatever the obstacles, and of how doors
of opportunity opened to new vistas of endless possibilities.

As part of Homecoming Week festivities, four EKU alumni and one current student gathered for a virtual panel discussion titled
“From Postcards to Hashtags”: Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, ’70 ’71; Dr. Elaine Farris, ’77 ’81 ’12; Tia Stokes, ’04; Deverin Muff, ’14 ’15; and
Eyouel Mekonnen, senior from Ethiopia and EKU’s first international student body president.

Just as surely as their lives have been uniquely shaped by their campus experiences, the panelists continue to make Eastern proud by
setting high personal standards, living out their ideals and selflessly serving others. Here are some excerpts from that conversation:

—Q—
What was the Black experience like for you as a
and racial oppression. I had never seen a Confederate flag
live, but, at the football and basketball games, they were
flown over top of us.”
student at EKU?

ABERCRUMBIE: “I was afraid … apprehensive. I had FARRIS: “The College of Education just kind of took me
already been conditioned for 18 years to stay in my place under their wings. I remember Dr. Martha Mullins so
because of the color of my skin. When I got (to Eastern) … vividly, how kind she was to me. I remember Dr. Richard
I was introduced to more segregation and more cultural Gentry (and) how he mentored me.”

( Tia Stokes, ’04, pictured opposite.)

28 SPRING 2021
30 SPRING 2021
STOKES: About overhearing someone at her
residence hall desk call her a “little colored
girl” … “I said nicely to her, ‘I’m not little, I’m
not colored, and I’m not a girl. My name is Tia.’
She’s like, ‘Well, honey, I didn’t mean anything
by it.’ And I said, ‘I understand. I just want you
to know my name is Tia.’ I don’t think she
meant it disrespectfully, but … I’ve never felt
that rise up in me. But my overall experience
at Eastern was OK.”

MUFF: “When I was in school (on a basketball

scholarship), Obama was president (but) Michael
Brown and Trayvon Martin also happened … so
you get reminded real quick that, yeah, we’ve
made progress but we still have a lot of work
to do. That was kind of my experience.”

MEKONNEN: “I gave up on my dream until

I learned about Robert Warfield (who in 1969
became the first Black student in Kentucky to
assume a seat on a public university’s board
of regents) and I saw that someone before me
had done it before. (Racism) is more of a hidden,
more subliminal thing now (but) I’d be lying if
I said … it is absolutely gone. The highlight of
my experience is the friendships I’ve been able
to have, most of which are with my white peers.”

ABERCRUMBIE: “Out of our experience –

you’re right, Dr. Farris – we find people.”
Referencing the provision of two buses so the
newly-formed predominantly Black University
Ensemble could travel widely, “You have to
show you can be an asset in oppression, no
matter your circumstance.”

—Q—
How have you been involved in civil rights
and social justice movements?

FARRIS: “The biggest thing I think we can do

is stand up for what’s right even when other
people are silent. I tell people all the time that
you don’t have to invite me to the table. If I
think I need to be there, I’m going to invite
myself. I don’t have a problem pushing in,
especially when I know it’s going to help other
people. If people say that they want to do
something and they believe in social justice,
watch their practices and review their policies.
If they’re serious about it, they change their
policies … and practices.”

( Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, ’70 ’71, opposite.

Eyouel Mekonnen, pictured right. )
 —Q—
What kept you going?

MUFF: “Dr. (Eugene) Palka (then vice president

for student success) taught me about college
education and walked me through those steps,
step by step, to graduate. And Dr. Aaron
Thompson (EKU grad and former professor/
administrator, now president of Kentucky
Council on Postsecondary Education) keeps
inspiring me and pushing me to keep going
forward. It’s important to have a mentor that
can challenge you and push you to that next
level where you didn’t think you could go.”

STOKES: “Delta Sigma Theta helped me find

that culture that I needed at Eastern. We always
came together (and) we always found each
other. Brandy Johnson was very supportive.
Anything we needed we could always go to her,
and she would help and support us.”

ABERCRUMBIE: “The first thing that really

helped us through, I think of Black student
organizations (such as the University Ensemble,
Omega Psi Phi fraternity and Black Student
Union). When we talk about people, had it not
been for Dr. William (long-time history
professor) and Marion Berge, I would not have
been able to accomplish the things I have. (And)
if it hadn’t been for (then financial aid director)
Herb Vescio, a whole lot of Black students …
would never have graduated.”

—Q—
What does advocacy mean to you?

FARRIS: “I have to be a voice or an influencer

that provides access and opportunity to those
who may not have it at this time. It has nothing
to do with gender or color. I open doors for people
who may not know how to open the door and,
once the door is open, I support that person to
go where they need to go.”

MEKONNEN: “If I don’t have a platform, I still

have a voice. If I don’t have my voice, I still have
a pen and a pad, and if I don’t have a pen and
pad, I have my phone, Twitter and social media.
What I have, I only have because it was given
to me, so I can dispense it as freely as it was
given to me.” n

( Dr. Elaine Farris, ’77 ’81 ’12, left.

Deverin Muff, ’14 ’15, opposite.)

32 SPRING 2021
 Over the past decade, Eastern Kentucky University’s
campus has undergone a gradual yet dramatic facelift.
The Campus Beautiful gained several new residence
halls, parking structures, a new dining hall, a state-of-the-art science
building, and more. Most recently, in January 2020, Eastern unveiled a
brand new recreation center and completely renovated Powell Student
Center on Hall Drive.

Both new spaces, in conjunction with other recently completed projects,

are part of an effort to centralize student life and improve access to vital
campus services. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected
usage of the spaces since shortly after they opened. However, Justin Raymer,
director of Campus Recreation, and Loni Yost, director of Student Life,
have already seen the impact of the new facilities. They are hopeful both
areas will realize their full potential in the years to come.

VITAL UPGRADES
For generations of alumni, the Powell Student Center is an iconic landmark
defining life as a Colonel. It once housed offices and meeting rooms on
its ground floor, a cafeteria above, and the Fountain Food Court below.
After many years of use and the introduction of Case Dining Hall in 2018,
Powell found itself in need of new purpose and a major remodel. The new
facility contains food options like Starbucks; the new campus bookstore;
additional meeting spaces and a game room for students; the Office of
Multicultural Student Affairs; the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs,
including the new Veterans Education and Transition Support (VETS)
Center; and the Office of Student Life.

The inclusion of meeting and event rooms on the top floor has also
allowed students and staff to meet while practicing social distancing.
In addition, the Office of Student Life is now completely housed in one
building and centrally located to the students it serves.
A stained-glass window, gifted by the Gamma
Theta chapter of Chi Omega at EKU, serves as
“It’s nice to be in a space with close proximity to the other campus
the glass wall of a conference room in the newly
groups that we work with, and also to be back in a space where students renovated Powell Building. ABOVE LEFT: EKU’s
new campus recreation center
are coming in and out of the building,” said Yost. “We’ve been able to have
that in some capacity this semester even with COV ID.”

34 SPRING 2021
THE NEW CAMPUS
BEAUTIFUL
UNITING COLONELS — TOGETHER, APART

EKU MAGAZINE 35

THIS PAGE: New Powell spaces include Starbucks, the campus
bookstore, student meeting spaces and game room, and the
Offices of Student Life, Multicultural Student Affairs, and Military
and Veterans Affairs. OPPOSITE: The new campus recreation center
is equipped with an aquatic center, ADA accessible climbing
wall, group exercise studios, an esports lounge, and more.
36 SPRING 2021
Just across the street from the refreshed Powell Building sits Eastern’s
brand new campus recreation center. The facility includes a new aquatic
center with a zero-entry pool, the largest ADA-accessible climbing wall
on a college campus in the state, racquetball courts and three group
exercise studios. In the future, Raymer and his staff hope these spaces will
become a community as well as a campus asset, enabling the creation of
new workshops and recreation programs. For now, though, the expanded
space has allowed the center to spread out equipment and avoid closures
due to COVID-19.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do this in the previous facility,” said Raymer.
“The new facility enables us to serve more of the student population. That
was true pre-COVID, but it’s especially true now that we’re in this situation.”
The new recreation center also includes an esports lounge, featuring
24 Alienware CPU’s and a golf simulator. Esports — video game sports
competition — is one of the fastest growing industries in the world,
especially among teens and young adults.
“We really hope that this is a recruitment tool, as well as a space that
would bring in an atypical participant into our facility,” said Raymer.
“Then they may be exposed to other programs that they may not have
originally sought out.”
BRINGING COLONELS TOGETHER
Both Student Life and Campus Recreation migrated to their new homes
from less-centralized campus locations. Campus recreation’s previous
facility on Roy and Sue Kidd Way sat on the perimeter of campus, and
Student Life offices moved through several locations in recent years.
Now, both offices are just footsteps away from Case Dining Hall and most
residence halls. This is no accident. Rather, it is part of a strategy to
centralize student life on campus by placing vital services where students
naturally congregate.
“We’ve created this space on campus to be conducive to the traffic of
students,” said Yost. “When that flows naturally to your space, it helps
with promotion and engagement.”
Both Raymer and Yost have already seen a marked improvement in
student involvement since the move. In its first two weeks, the new
campus recreation facility garnered 8,000 student visits per week,
compared to an average of 5,000 weekly visits in the previous facility.
“We have kept the students at the forefront in all of our planning,”
said Yost. “Even amidst the pandemic, we’ve tried to provide them with
opportunities to make their student experience special.”
REALIZING THE VISION
Though the traffic Raymer and Yost witnessed between January and
March 2020 was promising, they agree the best is yet to come.
“We’ve got a glimpse of the vision of what this will be for students,”
said Raymer. “It may be a year or two before we fully realize the impact of
these new spaces on the campus community. But we’re preparing now
for that to come to fruition.” n
EKU MAGAZINE 37
 EKUATHLETICS
COLONELS TRIUMPH IN
DIFFICULT YEAR
Despite the many obstacles caused by COVID-19, and facing
one of the toughest schedules in program history, the Colonels
found success in 2020.

New Head Coach Walt Wells led EKU to a road win at The
Citadel, a near upset of FBS Troy, a victory over No. 11 Central
Arkansas and a 49-17 win against Western Carolina in the 2020
Opportunity Bowl.

The Colonels suffered two heartbreaking last-minute losses.

The win over 11th ranked Central Arkansas was the program’s
first victory over a ranked team since 2013 and the first win
over a non-conference ranked team since 2003 when Eastern
Kentucky beat No. 11 Appalachian State.
PROTHRO NAMED NEW
EKU was recognized as the national team of the week three
times during the 2020 season. Quarterback Parker McKinney, BASEBALL HEAD COACH
wide receiver Keyion Dixon and running back Alonzo Booth
each earned national player of the week honors as well. Chris Prothro, who helped the University of South
Alabama capture two conference championships and
make two NCAA Regional appearances in five seasons
as an assistant coach, was chosen as the new EKU
baseball head coach in September.

As the recruiting coordinator at South Alabama,

Prothro led the efforts that resulted in the 2018
recruiting class being ranked 25th in the nation. The
2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 classes also garnered
recognition.

“Words can’t even express how excited I am to lead the

EKU baseball program,” said Prothro. “The pieces are in
place for a championship level of success.”

Prothro coached five players who were drafted over

a three-year span, including the No. 10 overall pick
in 2018. South Alabama won two games in the
Tallahassee Regional in 2016. USA beat No. 2 seed
Mississippi State in the first round of the Hattiesburg
Regional in 2017. The Jaguars finished the 2017 season
ranked 26th nationally.

38 SPRING 2021
 MEN’S BASKETBALL
TEAM SET FOR
HISTORIC SEASON
Through the first of February, the men’s basketball
team was on pace for a historic season.

EKU, riding a nine-game winning streak, was off

to its best start since the 1946-47 season and its
best conference start since the 1964-65 campaign.

The strong start had Eastern in the top 15 of the

CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25®.

On Jan. 21, the Colonels tied the Ohio Valley

Conference record with 20 three-pointers in a
win over UT Martin. EKU started the month of
February ranked seventh in the country in scoring.

Junior Tre King was voted as the OVC Player of the

Week three times and freshman Wendell Green Jr.
was voted OVC Freshman of the Week three
times. King scored a career-best 29 points in a
win over Tennessee Tech on Jan. 9. Green finished
with a season-high 30 points in a road victory at
Austin Peay on Jan. 2.

EKU TO JOIN ASUN CONFERENCE IN JULY

Eastern Kentucky University and all 16 of its athletics teams will join the ASUN
Conference on July 1, 2021. During its last full year of competition (2018-19),
the ASUN enjoyed its most successful postseason with 19 wins. In addition, ASUN
student-athletes have excelled academically. More than 70 percent of ASUN student-
athletes earned a year-long 3.0 GPA each of the past three years.

“Joining the ASUN Conference provides Eastern Kentucky University the

opportunity to share our story with a rapidly growing, more geographically
diverse audience,” President Dr. David T. McFaddin said. “It is an
opportunity to expand our reach and make an impact in areas where
we have not traditionally shared EKU’s story.”

In talks with the ASUN, EKU recognized that the conference

lives by its Beams of STUDENTS FIRST, RISE, CONNECT and
IMPACT. These values drive conference decision-making
and Eastern Kentucky shares that commitment to the
ASUN Beams.

EKU MAGAZINE 39
 #ColonelsCare
Fall 2020 has been a semester unlike any other. Social distancing and face masks have become the norm on the

#CampusBeautiful as Colonels do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19. They follow guidelines to protect

their family, friends and campus community. In short, #ColonelsCare.

02

01

I wear a mask for my EKU community.

I love this campus so much, and I know that
with the right precautions, EKU can be a safe
home to all students. It is my responsibility
as a Colonel to contribute to the safety and
success of my community by wearing a mask
and practicing social distancing.
- Lindsay Volpenhein, Class of 2021 03

Stay Connected

@easternkentuckyu @EKU Eastern Kentucky University

40 SPRING 2021
 04 05
06

I wear a mask to ensure

the well-being of my friends,
family, and quality of
education on campus.
- Jon Phillips, Class of 2021
07 08

09 10

11

12 13 14

01. Enock Kipchumba studies hard in the New Science Building. 02. Lindsay Volpenhein studies while keeping Colonels safe. 03. @sara__walters and @jake.wever wear masks while on the #CampusBeautiful.
04. Megan Kurtz works in science lab while keeping others safe. 05. @eku.danceteam shares their #ColonelPride with facemasks. 06. Danika Riddle showcasing #EKUPride by wearing facemask. 07. Sam
Wireman studies in the New Martin Lobby. 08. Nick Koenig works on pottery in ceramics studio. 09. @eku.sga president Eyouel McKonnen shares his #EKUPride during Homecoming events. 10. Emily
Goodman being mentored in the @ekusuccesscenter. 11. Jon Phillips sits outside on the #CampusBeautiful wearing his mask. 12. @liviwoodssss and friend prepare for a day of classes. 13. Mariah Barko shares
her #EKU spirit outside of Keen Johnson. 14. Melvin Diggs works on homework while keeping others safe.

EKU MAGAZINE 41
 ALUMNINEWS
From Nashville. With love.
IN THIS This is it, Colonels. The last letter I will

ISSUE
write to you as the president of the EKU
International Alumni Association. It has
been an extraordinary four years, and I am
grateful to have served in this role. My fellow
board members and our dedicated alumni
CLASS NOTES staff made my experience remarkable
——––———— • —————––— as we worked our best on your behalf for
PROFILES the betterment of our institution. While
I will miss working with them regularly,
Russell Crawford, ’05 ’07
I am excited to continue cheering for
—— • ——
their progress.
Josh Burns, ’13
Dr. Wilma “Willi” Walker Over the past four years, I have enjoyed
—— • ——
sharing personal experiences with you
through these letters, and the common
Christi Malec, ’91
thread through them all is that Eastern is
——––———— • ———––———
special. As with any treasured relationship,
IN MEMORIAM there are ups and downs throughout. My
——–——–—— • —————––— relationship with Eastern is no exception —
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT I have not always appreciated the lessons;
I have not always understood the changes I was seeing; and at times, I have felt like I was being
EKU Announces 2020
left behind. But, dear friends, I never stayed in those feelings for long. My commitment to Eastern
Athletics Hall of Fame
is stronger than any of that. Mainly because, this is not about me.

I had my time at EKU. I made my memories. I earned my degrees. And I feel EKU was amazing in
the years I was on campus. But, if it stayed exactly as I remember it in the early 2000s, it would not
be right for the students of today and tomorrow.

Therefore, my duties as an alumna of this institution are to continue to love it fiercely, to hope
for its continuous success, to show my appreciation and support through annual donations,
For a
and to tell others about the outstanding opportunities it can provide. We are all called upon to
comprehensive act in these ways, and I believe we can do so with exceptional pride.
list of Class Notes
I hope you think of Eastern often with fondness in your heart. I hope you smile when you remember
or to share
a favorite teacher. I hope you still keep in touch with a friend you made here. I hope you have
your good news memories rush back when a familiar song comes on the radio.
with fellow
I have many more hopes, especially in light of this past year, and especially for you, fellow Colonel.
alums, visit
Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay in touch. I cannot wait to see you again on the Campus Beautiful very soon.
alumni.eku.edu/
Class-Notes. With love and thanks,
We want to hear
from you!

Amy Jo

42 SPRING 2021
Class Notes
Col. Ralph E. Newman, ’62, was honored
with a memorial bench at EKU’s Veterans Memorial,
located in the Powell Plaza, on Nov. 7, 2020.

J. Dudley Goodlette, ’70, has been appointed

to the Naples Ethics Commission by Collier
County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk. Goodlette was
also named chairman of the commission.

Dr. Larry Barnhardt, ’71 ’73, published the book “Knowing the Deepest
Happiness” on Sept. 25, 2020.

Ken Wright, ’74, and several colleagues published the textbook “Basic
Athletic Training, 7th edition” in Fall 2020.

Susan Hunt, ’78, has retired from her position as executive director of
Community Hospice in Ashland, Kentucky after 31 years.

Lori Stewart Gonzalez, ’81, has been selected as provost for the University
of Louisville.

Marc C. Whitt’s, ’82 ’85, book “PR Lessons Learned Along the Way” was
named No. 1 in the “24 Best New PR Books to Read in 2020”, No. 13 in the
“100 Best PR Books of All Time”, and No. 4 in the “18 Best Influence Books for Russell Crawford,’05 ’07
Beginners” by BookAuthority.

Ben Childers, ’83, leader of Riverside Plastic

Alumnus Recipient of Saint
Surgery in Riverside, California, was named Joseph Hospital Foundation’s
among the Best Plastic Surgeons of Inland Empire
for 2020 by the Press Enterprise.
2020 Advanced Practice
Dr. Michele Dickens, ’84, has been named Provider of the Year
as the dean of Campbellsville University’s School
Russell Crawford, ’05 ’07, advanced practice registered
of Nursing.
nurse (APRN), was recognized as the 2020 Advanced
Kathy Dieringer, ’85, has been elected president of the National Athletic Practice Provider of the Year by the Saint Joseph
Trainers’ Association (NATA). Dieringer is also a recent winner of the Hospital Foundation. Crawford is a cardiology specialist
Distinguished Alumni Award. at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington.

Ron Hart, ‘86, was appointed Cumberland Valley National Bank’s executive
vice president and chief financial officer on Oct. 1, 2020.
Robert Stack, ’86 ‘01, has been named 9-1-1 Director of the Year by the
Kentucky Emergency Number Association and the Kentucky Chapter of the
Association of Public Safety Communications Officials.
Tommy Hurt, ’89 ’97, became assistant principal at Bondurant Middle
School in Frankfort, Kentucky in August 2020.
Ed Meece, ’89, was appointed city manager
of Polson, Montana in Sept. 2020. Meece served
as city manager for Livingston, Montana for
nearly 10 years.
Brad Smither, ’90, has been named market
president at Frankfort’s Limestone Bank branch.
With a family history of coronary artery disease and
cancer, becoming an APRN was personal for Crawford.
Originally from Manchester, Kentucky, he received a
bachelor’s degree from EKU and a master’s from the
University of Cincinnati.
Colleagues said Crawford’s patients appreciate his
bedside manner and the time he takes to listen and
address patient concerns. Crawford was nominated
for this honor by Bobbye Moore, practice manager
with CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group Cardiology in
Lexington. Moore commended Crawford for providing
quality care to patients, his positivity, helping patients
to understand their health care, and for putting
patient care first. n

EKU MAGAZINE 43

Josh Burns, ’13
EKU Alum Educates
Through YouTube, Online
Courses
Josh Burns, 2013 computer information systems
graduate, has achieved considerable success
as a freelance programmer, earning more than
$600,000 in just over four years. Now he uses
YouTube, Patreon and online courses to teach
others how to do the same.
After graduation, Burns looked to freelancing
as a way to earn extra income and pay off debt.
He offers his services as a web developer on
Upwork, an online freelancing platform where
enterprises and individuals connect to conduct
business. Burns is now one of the platform’s
top freelancers for total earnings, job ratings
and client feedback. This success inspired him
to start a YouTube channel, Josh Burns Tech,
featuring content on freelancing best practices,
personal finance tips and reviews of technology
products. As a partnered YouTube creator,
Burns’ channel boasts over 43,000 subscribers.
He also teaches freelance skills through online
course platform Skillshare and offers coaching
and mentoring through Patreon, a membership
platform providing business tools for content
creators to run a subscription service. n
44 SPRING 2021
Cathy Sammons, ‘94, a teacher at Tates Creek High
School, is among 30 educators nationwide chosen for the
2020-23 HHMI BioInteractive Ambassador Academy.
Shannon Hutchinson, ’95, joined the Sports
team at the Commonwealth Journal in Wayne County,
Kentucky in Sept. 2020.
Dr. Kathy Burkhardt, ’97, assumed the role of
senior director of NaviGo College and Career Prep, a division of Learning Grove,
Nov. 2020.
Tina Hamm, ’97, has been appointed to the Somerset Pulaski Economic Development
Authority Board of Directors.
Marianna A. Perry, ’97, has been appointed secretary/treasurer of the International
Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO)’s Board of Directors. Perry is a safety and
security consultant and owns AEDs & Safety Services, LLC.
Susan Johnson, ’98 ’07, has retired from Hazard Community and Technical College
after 29 years. She served as cosmetology program coordinator and led the opening of the
Cosmetology Department at the Lees College Campus downtown location in 2016.
Brian Collins, ’00, was recently promoted from battalion chief to deputy chief at
Brentwood Fire and Rescue.
Tina Terry, ’00, has been appointed to serve on the
Christian Appalachian Project’s Board of Directors.
Lisa Farmer, ’01 ’04, was named Lexington’s director
of community corrections by Mayor Linda Gorton in
Oct. 2020. Farmer is the first female leader of Lexington’s
Detention Center.
Josh Rayburn, ’01 ’12 ’15, was honored with the
2020 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Arts and Technology
Network Creativity Award.
Priscilla Keller, ’03, has been selected by the Kentucky Center for Mathematics as
a Kentucky Math Teacher Leader.
Mindy Rogers, ’05, was appointed director of the Kentucky Cancer Program - East at
The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center.
Wes Alexander, ’06, has been named director of transportation for Henderson
County Schools.
Justin Carroll, ’07, has been named branch manager and assistant vice president
at Community Trust Bank’s Versailles Woodford Plaza branch office.
Lora M. King, ’07 ’17, has been named the director of Behavioral Health Services
at Baptist Health Richmond.
Ryan Miranda, ’08, was named one of Louisville
Business First’s Forty Under 40 for 2020. He is the president
and CEO of Miranda Construction.
Jessica Roberts Stigall, ’09, has been promoted to
Member of the firm, Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney,
PLLC, January 1, 2021.
Aaron Acree, ’11, was appointed Trigg County Sheriff in
Sept. 2020.
 Cody Buell, ’12, appeared on the CBS’s “The Amazing
Race” on Oct. 14, 2020.
Brittney Black, ’13, was named the new athletics
director for Robert D. Campbell Junior High School in
Winchester, Kentucky.
Katelyn Arvin, ’14 ’16, has been named behavioral
health manager at Baptist Health Richmond. She was most recently the lead clinical
navigator for behavioral health.
Jonathon Barefoot, ’14, was named vice president for public safety and emergency
preparedness at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Autumn Costelle, ’15, was admitted to the Global Field Program at Miami University in
summer 2020. She participated in the Earth Expeditions: Connected Conservation course.
Kayla Lasure, ’15, was promoted to editor of the Watagua Democrat and All About
Women Magazine on Nov. 30, 2020.
Lindsey Aguilar, ’16, Pulaski County teacher, has been selected by the Kentucky Center
for Mathematics (KCM) as a Kentucky Math Teacher Leader (KyMTL).
Martin Krippenstapel, ’16, has been promoted to the position of project manager
at Padgett Construction.
Dr. Noriko Okura, ’16, joined the University of Mount
Union Department of World Languages and Cultures and
its Japanese program as a visiting assistant professor.
Diane Goetz, ’17, nurse practitioner, opened Diane
Goetz Family Practice, PLLC in Owensboro, Kentucky on
Nov. 9, 2020.
Brian Judge, ’17 ’19, has been named director of graduate medical education
administration at Southeast Health in Dothan, Alabama.
Travis Mills, ’17 ‘19, became founder, president of the board, and principal of the
new Central Christian Academy in Gray, Kentucky in Aug. 2020.
Taylor Hamlin, ’18, married Joshua Baker on Oct. 10, 2020 at Grace Christian
Fellowship in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
Taylor Six, ’18, organized a mental health and suicide awareness walk at Lake Reba on
Oct. 17, 2020. All proceeds benefited the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Kristen Bennett, ’19, was named executive vice president of advancement at
Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas on Oct. 1, 2020.
Larissa Heslop, ’20, Colonel soccer defender, has been named a nominee for the
National Collegiate Athletic Association Woman of the Year Award.
Kelsey Johnson, ’20, joined Baldwin CPAs full-time as an accountant in May 2020.
A. J. Lewis, ’20, catcher for the Colonels baseball
team, signed a free agent contract to play for the
Colorado Rockies in July 2020.
Steven Nash, ’21, has been named senior superintendent
of operations for Kentucky American Water’s Central and
Southern divisions.
Dr. Wilma “Willi” Walker
Named to the Kentucky
Aviation Hall of Fame
The Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame is honoring
Dr. Wilma “Willi” Walker for her efforts in creating
and developing EKU’s aviation program — the only
four-year aviation degree program in Kentucky.
With an enthusiasm for flight and while teaching
geography full-time at EKU, Walker built the
aviation academic program from scratch. Walker’s
efforts of establishing a budget, finding facilities,
setting the curriculum and recruiting faculty and
students to the program resulted in the first
aviation course being offered in 1983. By 1984,
students could pursue an aviation minor, and
in 1991, EKU was able to offer Kentucky’s first
bachelor’s degree in aviation.
Walker’s leadership of the aviation program from
1983-2000 remains evident today. Aviation is one
of EKU’s most highly sought-after programs,
boasting a current enrollment of 320 aviation
majors representing 21 states.
Part of the 25th Enshrinement class into the
Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame, Walker will be
honored at a formal induction ceremony in Fall
2021 at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky in
Lexington. The Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame
recognizes inductees for contributions and
achievements in aviation and aerospace. n
EKU MAGAZINE 45
 TIM LESTER, ’91
1 9 6 8 - 2 0 2 1
Colonel football Hall of Famer, Tim
Lester, passed away in January. From
Miami, Florida, Lester played four
seasons (1988-91) for Coach Roy Kidd
at the fullback and tailback positions.
He finished his career at EKU with
3,640 yards rushing, sixth all-time on
the Eastern history list, and 37 touch-
downs. While at Eastern, the Colonels
compiled a 42-8 record, won three
conference titles and advanced twice
to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.

After graduating, Lester was drafted by

the Los Angeles Rams and later joined
the Pittsburgh Steelers, competing in
Super Bowl XXX. After closing his pro
career with the Cowboys, he founded
DR. JAMES R.
a non-profit organization helping FLYNN
at-risk athletes to be successful on
and off the field. 1 9 3 4 - 2 0 2 0
Political philosopher, activist and
intelligence researcher, Dr. James R.

GRANT BALES, ’59 Flynn, passed away in December at age

86. Flynn is known for his discovery

1 9 3 2 - 2 0 1 9 of the successive generational increases

in IQ scores worldwide, a phenomenon
Grant Heverlo Bales died Aug. 9, 2019 at 87 now known as the Flynn effect. He
after battling cancer. A Model High School gave a TED Talk on the topic, titled
and EKU graduate, Bales met his wife, Mary “Why our IQ levels are higher than
Ruth Childers, ’55, while at EKU. He stayed our grandparents’.”
active in the alumni community, serving as While a professor at EKU, Flynn helped
EKU’s Class of 1959 50th Reunion chair. organize against Richmond’s segregated
Bales was an airplane mechanic in the downtown businesses during the civil
U.S. Air Force from 1952-54, and upon rights movement. He later moved to New
graduating from EKU, worked at Retail Zealand and taught political studies
Credit Corporation, Hartford Insurance, at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
then Amerisure Insurance. With a lifelong Flynn authored books about liberalism,
love for aviation, Bales took flight lessons world history and political censorship.
beginning at age 14 and served as a flight He advised Australia’s prime minister on
instructor up until his final days. He was foreign policy, organized against the war
recognized for more than 50 years of safe in Vietnam, and founded two left-wing
flying with the Wright Brothers’ Master political parties in the 1990s.
Pilot Award in 2004.

46 SPRING 2021
 JACK RONALD
HISSOM, ’58 ’59 DR. FREDDIE
1 9 3 3 - 2 0 2 0 BALLOU, ’66
Former Eastern Kentucky 1 9 4 4 - 2 0 2 0
University basketball and
Dr. Fred Ballou, retired Richmond dentist, passed away on
baseball coach Jack Hissom
Nov. 24 after a battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). He
passed away on Nov. 25.
was preceded in death by his parents and son, Fred L. “Trae”
Selected as a member of
Ballou III. He is survived by his wife, Mary Jane “Janie” Ballou,
the 2020 EKU Athletics Hall
daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Ballou, and grandchildren, Claire
of Fame class, Hissom was
and Michael Ballou.
involved in Eastern athlet-
ics for 12 seasons in two A Model High School graduate, Dr. Ballou played for the
different sports. combined Model and Madison High football team under then
up-and-coming football coach, Roy Kidd. Ballou’s football
He started his EKU career
performance led to his induction into the Kentucky High
in 1967, serving the men’s
School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Dr. Ballou
basketball team as assistant
was also a graduate of EKU and stayed involved within the
coach while also serving
Richmond community, serving as a city commissioner for
as the team’s freshman coach. During his tenure as freshman team
three terms and member of the Richmond Independent
coach, Hissom compiled a six-year record of 67-41. In 1972, Hissom
School Board for two terms.
switched sports and was named EKU’s head baseball coach. In eight
seasons, the Colonel baseball teams went 122-116-8 and won two
conference division titles.

DR. CAROLYN
HESTER HARVEY
1 9 4 5 - 2 0 2 0
Beloved professor of
environmental health,
Dr. Carolyn Hester Harvey,
CIH, CHMM, RS, DAAS,
passed away on Oct. 3,
2020. A pioneer and leader,
Dr. Harvey’s career in
environmental health,
industrial hygiene and Bill Eggen Melvin Kerr
public health endured Steven Frazier David Mardon
over 50 years. David Harkelroad Lew Smither Jr.
Her 17 years of service to
Eastern Kentucky University
included roles as chair of the Department of Environmental Health
Science and Medical Laboratory Science, director of the Master of
Public Health program and professor of environmental health. She was Jeremy Caldwell, ’11 Chris Issac, ’83
the 2020 recipient of the National Environmental Health Association’s David Charles DeCuir, ’81 James Wesley Jackson, ’86 ’87
(NEHA) Walter S. Mangold Award and served as president of the Marcia Watkins Evans, ’05 Harold Kittrell, ’52 ’55
National Environmental Health Association from 2014-15. Hugh Eugene Gabbard, ’59 ’69 Karen Marie Powell, ’03

EKU MAGAZINE 47
 EKU Announces 2020
Athletics Hall Of Fame Class
The Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame
2020 induction class features nine distinguished individuals.
Inductees are presented above in order from top left.
Mike Cadore (football, 1984-88) holds the EKU record for
his 30.3 yards per kickoff return career average. The NFL’s New
Orleans Saints drafted Cadore, and he finished his professional
career in Montreal, Canada with the Montreal Machine.
Jeff Cruse (baseball, 1984-87) holds Eastern’s record for most
victories on the mound with 30. He was a first-team, All-OVC
pitcher in 1986 and 1987 and was a member of Eastern’s
All-Century Baseball Team, announced in 2009.
Felecia (Hawkins) Hardy (women’s track, 1994-98) is ranked
No. 3 on Eastern’s outdoor record chart having established a
time of 23.94 in the 200 meters in 1997.
Jack Hissom (baseball/men’s basketball assistant coach,
1967-79) compiled a six-year record of 67-41 during his
tenure as Eastern’s freshman basketball team coach. His 1978
baseball squad finished 13th in the nation with a .328 team
batting average.
Learn more about the Athletics Hall of Fame at go.eku.edu/hall-of-fame.
48 SPRING 2021
Arlando Johnson (men’s basketball, 1991-95) ranks sixth
on EKU’s all-time scoring list with 1,617 points and led the
team in scoring his senior year with an average of 18.2 points
per game.
Alvin Miller (football, 1977-80) was a major contributor in
Eastern’s semifinal and national championship contests, being
named Chevrolet Most Valuable Player. He was also named
second-team, All-OVC his senior year.
Charles Mitchell (men’s basketball, 1970-73) currently stands
as Eastern’s 11th all-time leading scorer and 17th all-time
leading rebounder.
Chanze Patterson (softball, 2005-08) finished her career
with a .310 batting average and 70 stolen bases which ranks
second on the all-time Eastern list.
Pat Stephens (men’s golf player/coach, 1981-2018) earned
the medalist title at the 1982 OVC tournament as a golf player.
During his coaching tenure, the Colonels ranked as high as
No. 28 in the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll.
Christi Malec, ’91
Alumna Appointed First Female
Deputy Fire Chief of City in Georgia
Christi Malec, ’91, has been appointed the first woman to serve as
the deputy fire chief for the City of Marietta in Georgia.
Having joined the Marietta Fire Department as a firefighter
in 1999, Malec was promoted to firefighter engineer in 2004. Since
then she has come up through the ranks to serve as lieutenant,
commander, deputy fire marshal, and in March 2019 as assistant
chief. Additionally, she’s a paramedic, HAZMAT technician and
fire inspector.
Malec earned a bachelor’s in exercise physiology from EKU and a
master’s in public administration from the University of Phoenix.
“I’m honored to serve the city of Marietta and citizens in my new
role,” Malec said in a news release. “Through my experience and
dedication to the Marietta Fire Department, I am humbled by the
opportunity I have been given to lead such an outstanding group
of men and women.” n

EKU MAGAZINE 49
 Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Lexington Ky
Permit #879
Office of Alumni Engagement
Alumni Center at Blanton House
Eastern Kentucky University
521 Lancaster Avenue
Richmond, KY 40475-3102

EKU.EDU

At Arlington, Good Times

are Par for the Course
Alumni residing outside of Madison and surrounding counties are welcome to enjoy days of fun and relaxation at EKU
with an alumni membership! Golf, swim, catch a game, enjoy a meal and more at the University Club at Arlington.
Your membership package will provide an experience that is like your own personal homecoming celebration.

Visit go.eku.edu/arlington to learn more about alumni memberships starting at just $49 annually.

NOTE: These packages are only available to alumni who do not live in Madison County
or a contiguous county, or own a business in Madison County.