EKU Magazine Fall 2020

A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY | FALL 2020

SHARE THE LOVE Do you know someone who could benefit from an Eastern

education? Tell them about EKU! Let them know about EKU’s diverse and in-demand programs, vibrant student life and beautiful campus. And share with them your experience as an EKU student and graduate!

Send interested students to go.eku.edu/connect to connect them with our Admissions team.

Contributors EKU Magazine is a collaborative effort between EKU Alumni Engagement and EKU Communications and Brand Management.

EKU President David T. McFaddin, ’99 ’15 Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement Betina Gardner Assistant Vice President, Communications and Brand Management Doug Cornett Staff Photographer Carsen Bryant, ’19 Photography Amanda J. Cain Adam Glanzman Chris Radcliffe, ’04 Staff Writers Lanny Brannock, ’99 Kevin Britton, ’00 ’11 Madison Caplinger, ’19 Steven Fohl, ’07 ’12 Elise G. Russell, ’06 Stacie Settle, ’16 Jerry Wallace Margaret Muncy Willingham, ’80 Editorial Director, Brand Management; Managing Editor Brandon Moore, ’14 Design and Layout Art Director/ Senior Graphic Designer Mickey Thomas Graphic Designer Ashley Reaves, ’19 Design Management Jessica Holly

Eastern Kentucky University

521 Lancaster Ave. Richmond, KY 40475-3102

Alumni Engagement Staff Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Engagement Dan McBride, ’89 Senior Director for Engagement and Communications Steve Greenwell, ’06 Assistant Director of Engagement and Communications Alex Hanavan, ’15 ’17 Coordinator of Alumni Programming and Student Philanthropy Ashley Turner, ’19 Administrative Assistant II, Alumni Engagement Jessica Duerson International Alumni Association Board President Amy Jo Smith Gabel, ’05 ’08 Vice President Ray Arnold, ’09 ’13 Secretary; Chair, Development Allison Allgier, ’92 Board Members: Joe Bentley, ’82 ’88, Rodney Bussell, ’95, Tichaedza Chikuni, ’05 ’11, Mikayla Courtney, ’19, Chris Eden, ’09, Kelvin Ford, ’93, Doug Hampton, ’71, Roger Hardin, ’75, Allison Helsinger, ’07, Kenna Middleton, ’79 ’81, Alvin Miller, ’81, Lori Murphy-Tatum, ’99, Iddah Otieno, ’01, Chris Radcliffe, ’04 ’12, Tom Reeves, ’99 ’02, Lucy Riffle, ’77, Liz Ross, ’86, Laura Rudolph, ’08, Ashley Shofner, ’21, Bob Sullivan, ’72, Lelani Turrentine, ’71, Randy White, ’90

Visit us online:

eku.edu 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, 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).

FA 20/20 –—— CONT E N T S ——––

2

A Letter from President David T. McFaddin

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4

EKU Stories

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10

Public Health College of Health Sciences Graduates Lead Front-Line Response in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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16

A Heart for Service Junior Dylan Hanshaw Aids in Creation of Student Assistance Fund for Eastern

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From EKU to NYC Suzanne Fawbush, ’83 Helps Others Enjoy the Benefits of an Eastern Education

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22

The Season that Wasn’t Spring Sports Season 2020

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Fostering Tomorrow’s Musicians Stephen Collins Foster Music Camp Celebrates 85 Years

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30

From Poverty to Protest to Progress Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, ’70 ’71 A Legacy of Advocacy

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34

Vintage Spirit A Look Back at EKU Homecomings through the Years

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38

EKU Athletics

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42

Alumni News

–———––­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­–—— On our Cover : Madison Mobelini Patrick, ’13 works as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse at Hazard Appalachian Regional Hospital (ARH). Read more about Patrick and her work during the COVID-19 pandemic on page 14.

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30 26

Dr. David McFaddin was named Eastern Kentucky University’s 14th president on Thursday, August 20 in a special meeting by the Board of Regents.

———————————— • ———————————— Read more at go.eku.edu/mcfaddin, and watch for a feature story on President McFaddin in the Spring 2021 issue of the EKU Magazine.

A LE T T ER from P RESI DENT DAVI D T. MCFADDI N

COLONEL SPIRIT PUSHING FORWARD WITH PURPOSE AND PASSION TO HELP OTHERS

This year has presented new challenges for all of us, and Eastern Kentucky University has certainly not been unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the events surrounding the pandemic may be unfortunate, the true spirit of the Colonel community continues to shine through.

In March, when the situation around COVID-19 began to escalate, we acted swiftly to protect the health and well-being of our campus community. Our faculty and staff worked steadfastly to continue providing an exceptional education through a remote learning environment. Students persevered and adapted to complete the semester, and we celebrated our Class of 2020 with a virtual graduation ceremony.

Several departments across campus collaborated to create the Student Assistance Fund for Eastern (SAFE), providing shortterm financial assistance to students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses due to an emergency or crisis.

This collaborative effort came at a time when help was most needed by students whose lives were disrupted by the pandemic.

With the support of nearly 600 donors, SAFE is already making a difference in the lives of our students. I have been inspired by all of you who have supported this critical initiative.

Throughout the past several months, I’ve been further moved by the impact of our alumni in their communities, states, and our nation and world. Many of our public health graduates are leading the United States public health response to the pandemic.

Additionally, healthcare workers, teachers, first responders, business leaders and citizens who earned degrees from EKU continue to courageously face obstacles presented by the pandemic and reinforce a long tradition of Colonels helping others.

We also recently witnessed an awakening across our country and a call for recognizing and addressing a history of social injustice,

inequity and discrimination. To support EKU’s commitment to a welcoming and inclusive environment, I am pleased to welcome Dr. Dannie Moore as EKU’s first vice president of strategic initiatives and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer.

Dr. Moore’s leadership and vision for EKU will challenge us to approach inclusive excellence as a strategic and collaborative goal.

With the recent decision by the Board of Regents to appoint me as EKU’s 14th president, I’m proud to lead our great University and inspired by those who came before me. EKU’s seventh president, Dr. Robert R. Martin, spoke of the greatness of Eastern and the impact education has on the lives of those who seek it. My focus remains on building upon and continuing EKU’s tradition as the School of Opportunity — as it has been for you, me and generations of Colonels.

Without a doubt, we will encounter unprecedented challenges, but I am confident that we will emerge from these trying times stronger than ever. As Colonels, we carry forward and pursue opportunity and greatness in all that we do. No matter the obstacle, we work together — faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and community — to address not only the issues presented daily, but the broader issues of society as we educate future leaders and graduates who continue to make a meaningful impact.

David T. McFaddin David T. McFaddin President, Eastern Kentucky University

EKU MAGAZINE 3

EKUSTORIES IN THIS

ISSUE

Greek Community Aids Vulnerable Population ———— • ————

Junior Earns Scholarship From Alpha Lambda Delta ———— • ————

EKU Receives First-gen Forward Designation ———— • ————

Professors Earn Fulbright Awards ———— • ————

Moore to Lead Strategic Initiatives, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ———— • ————

EKU Earns Gold Rating for Veterans ———— • ————

Whitaker Named CIO at Alma Mater

GREEK COMMUNITY AIDS VULNERABLE POPULATION Eastern Kentucky University’s Emma Reister volunteers at Kenwood Health and Rehabilitation Center

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in Richmond, where residents are considered a vulnerable population. “I have always had a passion

EKU Restructures School of Nursing to Include ASN Program

for helping others,” Reister said. Social distancing rules and the vulnerable population at the 93-bed rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility mean visiting is not allowed. Reister wanted to do something to bring some cheer to residents. “With one message to the EKU Greek Life community, I received enough money to buy coloring books and word puzzles that contained Bible verses or encouraging messages, along with other supplies for the Kenwood residents,” she said.

CORRECTIONS: Updated photography for the Engels story that appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of EKU Magazine is available online at go.eku.edu/engles

Sherry Chambers Trimble, ‘80 is the retired Director of Technology for the Corbin City Schools and currently works for Trimble Law Office in Corbin, Kentucky.

Each sorority and fraternity on campus has a philanthropy that they devote their time to in order to help others in the best way possible. But Reister said she sees the largest impact when they all come together to support each other and their diverse philanthropies. “We push each other to be better and to do more because we know we are able to achieve more,” she said.

Reister said she is sad that her time at EKU is almost over, but that she enjoyed every second of her last three years here. “Nationally, Greek Life is portrayed negatively, but at EKU I have never felt anything but love and selflessness from these people,” Reister said. “We strive to be better and uplift those around us. I love how welcoming the campus, staff and students are. It feels like a family.”

4 FALL 2020

JUNIOR EARNS SCHOLARSHIP FROM ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA Erika Viva-Ramos, a junior criminal justice and social justice major from Louisville, dreams of positively impacting her community through public service. Nearing the finish line of her degree, her dedication has begun to pay off; she recently earned the prestigious Jo Anne J. Trow Scholarship from honor society Alpha Lambda Delta.

The Trow Scholarship was started in 1988, in honor of a past national president of Alpha Lambda Delta. Viva-Ramos is one of 25 awardees to receive the Trow Scholarship in the amount of $1,000, and one of 50 nationally, amid a record-breaking number of applicants.

Viva-Ramos’ first encounter with EKU came two years before coming to campus as a freshman, when she enrolled in Foster Music Camp as a cellist her junior year of high school. It didn’t take long for her to feel that she was exactly where she needed to be.

Now as an EKU student, Viva-Ramos has maintained an active presence on campus, joining Alpha Lambda Delta, serving in several campus positions and getting involved in student organizations. Her impressive

focused on my studies and help me become more involved on campus,” Viva-Ramos said.

extracurricular resume is made possible in part by the Trow Scholarship,

Upon graduation, Viva-Ramos hopes to return to Louisville to serve

along with the Dr. Rodney Gross Scholarship and the Heather Bailey

as a judge, lawyer or homicide detective, and make a difference in

Scholarship. “These scholarships have helped me become extremely

her community.

EKU RECEIVES FIRST-GEN FORWARD DESIGNATION EKU is widely known as a school of opportunity with extensive resources for first-generation students. As a result of those efforts, the University was recently named a First-gen Forward Institution by the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and The Suder Foundation. The First-gen Forward designation recognizes institutions of higher education who have demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation college students. Selected institutions receive professional development, community-building experiences and a first look at the Center’s research and resources.

EKU offers several programs to serve first-generation students, such as NOVA Student Support Services, the Ronald McNair Scholars Program, Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, the Trailblazer Scholarship and the First Colonels Living Learning Community. The University also hosted the state’s first-ever conference focused on first-generation student success in November, the Gen 1 Conference, and maintains a Gen 1 task force targeting policies and processes that present barriers to first-generation students.

“This is a great opportunity for us to learn from and alongside other institutions with a focus similar to ours,” said Gil Hunter, executive director of retention and graduation. “This recognition is consistent with our mission and attributable to our student-first support.”

EKU MAGAZINE 5

MAKE NO

LITTLE PLANS SUPPORT A COLONEL There is no better way to directly support EKU Colonels such as Trase than by funding scholarships. Any donation of any amount to the General Endowed Scholarship Fund provides life-changing opportunities.

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ESTABLISH A FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Establishing a Foundation Scholarship does more than help a Colonel — it ensures students who share your passions, interests and values are rewarded because you set the criteria.

PASS ON YOUR VALUES Contact (859) 622-8668 for help with Foundation Scholarships.

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To make a gift or learn more, visit eku.edu/campaign

“ The scholarship has allowed me to not worry about money so I could focus on my classes!”

——————— ———————————————————————————— Trase Sutton graduated this Spring with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Engineering Management and Technology. His work with the Student Alumni Ambassadors program and his academic achievement earned him the Raymond E. Giltner and Rebecca Giltner Melching Memorial Endowed Scholarship.

PROFESSORS EARN FULBRIGHT AWARDS DR. JOHN WHITE, GEOLOGY PROFESSOR

DR. DANIEL ROUSH, AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE PROFESSOR

When he first began studying geology 25 years ago, Dr. John

Dr. Daniel Roush, professor in the American Sign Language and Interpreter

White thought he would spend his academic career focused

Education Department in EKU’s College of Education, received a Fulbright Scholar

on the Big Bend area of his native West Texas.

Award for Fall 2020 for a research project in support of Hong Kong Sign Language

While he was a doctoral student, he discovered the geological

(HKSL) interpreter training.

wonders of Italy, especially Sicily. And now, after many visits

Hong Kong lacks a comprehensive system to train and evaluate trilingual

there for academic pursuits and for pleasure, the Eastern

interpreters who work between HKSL, Cantonese and English. The Fulbright

Kentucky University geosciences professor will return to

Award will provide the financial support needed for Roush to collaborate with

Sicily as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award recipient.

the Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies

“I absolutely love Sicily — the people, the culture, the food and the climate,” White said. “Learning the language has enabled me to immerse myself in it, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to do so for an extended period of time.

The geology, of course, is also fantastic — and the island of Pantelleria, where nearly all my work in the region is focused,

(CSLDS) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to support their emerging academic programs for HKSL interpreters. In this project, he will assist in creating an interpreter evaluation framework and identify software tools needed to support HKSL interpreter education.

is the ‘type locality’ for a very particular type of high-sodium,

“As with any natural signed language, HKSL has a

high-iron variety of rhyolite called ‘pantellerite,’ which erupts

grammar and vocabulary unique from Cantonese,

in continental rifts (like East Africa) and on oceanic islands,

the spoken language of the area. It is also mutually

such as the Azores and Canary Islands, so my work there

unintelligible from American Sign Language.

helps us understand magmatic and volcanic processes in

There are only approximately 9,000 to 20,000

these places, too.”

HKSL native signers, making it a threatened

He plans to present the results of his Sicily research to at least two professional conferences, including a Geological Society of America meeting in the United States and a congress of the Societa Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrologia in Italy.

language minority,” said Roush. “Moreover, HKSL is endangered because its use is not encouraged in Hong Kong society, in deaf education or the public. There are significant barriers to access to public services by deaf people in Hong Kong because there is not a systematic infrastructure to train and evaluate professional HKSL interpreters,” said Roush.

EKU MAGAZINE 7

MOORE TO LEAD STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION Dr. Dannie Moore has been

commented EKU President Dr. David McFaddin. “Dr. Moore’s

named the new vice president

commitment to inclusive excellence and his experience in

for strategic initiatives and chief

student affairs and broad campus-wide strategic initiatives

diversity, equity and inclusion

make him an outstanding addition to our leadership team.

officer at Eastern Kentucky

We expect he will have an immediate and comprehensive

University. He has more than

impact on EKU, and we look forward to welcoming him and

16 years of executive higher

his family to our campus and local community.” Moore’s

education administrative

appointment at EKU began July 15.

experience, including leadership roles in multicultural and student affairs.

“I champion innovative initiatives that increase recognition, understanding and value of diverse perspectives and backgrounds,” Moore shared. “Students, faculty and staff all

Moore is an experienced university administrator familiar with Kentucky’s higher

benefit when universities commit to interactive and

education system, having spent the last nine years at Northern Kentucky University.

meaningful partnerships. I am eager to make connections

“We had an outstanding pool of candidates following a nationwide search for this position, and Dr. Moore brings the ideal mix of qualifications and experience for this executive level role as a seasoned diversity, equity and inclusion practitioner,”

EKU EARNS GOLD RATING FOR VETERANS Eastern Kentucky University is the only university in Kentucky and one of only 72 nationwide to earn gold distinction in the 2020-2021 rankings released recently by Military Friendly® (militaryfriendly.com). Of nearly 1,700 institutions that completed the annual survey, only 625 were deemed Military Friendly®, with gold medals going only to the highest-performing schools.

Several new initiatives helped Eastern improve from its bronze ranking a year ago, said Barbara Kent, enlisted Army veteran and director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs (OMVA) at the University.

“There has been a targeted focus on military cultural awareness training for students, faculty and staff, as well as our senior administrators,” Kent said. “This focus on educating our campus community, as well as the local community, about our veteran and military students facilitates effective collaboration between departments and offices, leading to enhanced delivery of services and an ability to proactively address issues that might negatively influence their academic success.”

EKU implemented several initiatives related to retention and graduation of its veteran and military population, including the establishment of a Student Veteran Emergency Fund, which awards micro-grants up to $500 to eligible student veterans experiencing financial hardship due to delays in receiving their GI Bill benefits. The University also established a Student Veteran Transition Workshop as well as extracurricular programming designed to engage students and enhance their feeling of belonging.

8 FALL 2020

with EKU’s academic and cocurricular departments to develop a cohesive community of resources with all campus stakeholders.”

WHITAKER NAMED CIO AT ALMA MATER Jeff Whitaker, ’94 was recently named Eastern Kentucky University’s

individuals in IT, and I look forward to seeing what we can

chief information officer.

accomplish together.”

Whitaker has served as an EKU employee since 1997, as a senior

Before his time at EKU, Whitaker worked at Computrex, Inc. as a

programmer/analyst until 2006, director of information services from

computer programmer and at Toyota Motor Manufacturing.

2006 to 2014 and then as deputy chief information officer. In his role as deputy chief information officer, Whitaker managed vendor contracts and negotiations with vendors such as Oracle, Cisco, Ellucian and Microsoft. He was also responsible for strategic planning in leading

Whitaker earned a bachelor’s of business administration in computer informational systems from Eastern Kentucky University in 1994 and a certificate in leadership excellence from the EKU College of

EKU technology decisions for future student learning.

Business in 2007.

“As an EKU alum, this opportunity is very exciting. It is my goal that

Whitaker and his wife April have been married for 15 years and have two

each student has the best possible experience using our IT services,” Whitaker said. “I am fortunate that we have many highly talented

sons. He has coached more than 20 youth sports teams in basketball, baseball, soccer and football in the Richmond area since 2011.

EKU RESTRUCTURES SCHOOL OF NURSING TO INCLUDE ASN PROGRAM Eastern Kentucky University is now enrolling students into a two-year Associate of Science Nursing program (ASN) after a restructuring in the College of Health Sciences and increased demand for a two-year nursing program. The reorganization brings all of EKU’s nursing programs under the umbrella of the newly-renamed School of Nursing within the College of Health Sciences.

For more information, visit nursing.eku.edu.

EKU MAGAZINE 9

AMERICA’S HEROES COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES GRADUATES LEAD FRONT-LINE RESPONSE IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Throughout the COVID-19 events taking place this year, Eastern Kentucky University graduates have emerged as American heroes. Those roles include the nurses, teachers and first responders who make a difference in their communities every day.

But one area often overlooked is the field of public health and environmental health science. EKU’s well-respected environmental health program has been educating and preparing students for these types of situations for nearly 50 years, and those graduates now lead their communities, states, and our nation, in responding to this public health crisis.

“I look at EKU as America’s hero university,” said Dr. Jason Marion, associate professor of environmental health science at EKU. “We have people who are on the curative side of things, and we have people who are on the disease prevention side of things.”

Many environmental health science graduates lead the response for the United States Public Health Service, one of the United States uniformed services. “I don’t know if there’s another university in America that has more alumni serving at the U.S. Public Health Service, especially in the environmental health section,” Marion said.

In addition to public service roles, many environmental health science graduates work on the front lines facilitating testing centers, equipping health care workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensuring hospitals are safe, while many public health graduates lead their local health departments, disseminate essential health communication efforts, and analyze new and ever-changing data on the disease.

“Eastern is one of the strongest universities for public health preparedness in the country in terms of training and educating boots-on-the-ground people who can act ethically,” said Marion.

While part of a larger health sphere including both curative and preventative measures, the field of public health largely focuses on the preventative side of medicine. Marion spoke about the three pillars of public health — prevent, promote and protect — all of which are employed in the current pandemic situation. While the disease and data surrounding it may be new and ever changing, the public health response remains steady.

“I feel really comfortable in the background, training and knowledge they received,” Marion said about the education students receive at Eastern.

“They have the foundation.”

“I don’t know if there’s another university in America that has more alumni serving at the U.S. Public Health Service, especially in the environmental health section.”

— Dr. Jason Marion, Associate Professor of Environmental Health Science

As more data become available regarding COVID-19, better interventions can be developed. The challenge for developing treatments and vaccines, Marion explained, could be the virus mutations and if or how long immunity can be maintained.

“It’s a moving target, especially with RNA viruses,” he said.

Marion explained that RNA (ribonucleic acid) viruses appear less complicated, but in exchange they are typically more malleable than DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) viruses, because they are thought to lack proofreading enzymes, resulting in more mutations. As viruses mutate, he continued to explain, strains can become more or less infectious with some being less fatal in the short-term.

Marion humbly admits he’s not a virologist, and an interdisciplinary team effort remains needed by our world’s research community. Like many, he is still learning, including from his colleagues in the College of Science. “For example, SARSCOV-2 among other coronaviruses are presumably unique in the RNA virus world in that they have some proofreading machinery that reduces their mutation rate,” he said.

“There’s still a lot to be learned and a lot of uncertainty with COVID-19,” Marion said. “The pathogens that are most immediately lethal can burn out more quickly or result in a stronger societal response. It is advantageous for the virus to

12 FALL 2020

Nickson Rotich, Medical Laboratory Science

Medical Laboratory Science Student Puts Education to Practice during Pandemic EKU Colonels from a multitude of fields in the College of Health Sciences have bravely stepped up to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even students play a role in the front-line response. Senior Nickson Rotich, majoring in medical laboratory science, works at Baptist Health Richmond for his clinicals — bringing what he’s learned over the past three years into practice. At the hospital, Rotich runs tests in the lab to ensure accurate diagnoses.

“Not all heroes wear capes, but they do wear lab coats,” said Vonia Grabeel, assistant professor of medical laboratory science and environmental health science at EKU. “It’s those unsung heroes that you don’t see on a daily basis that bring everything together.”

Working through the pandemic has provided valuable experience for Rotich.

Clinicals are a little different, he says, and some roles have changed. When others in the lab must attend to new responsibilities because of COVID-19, Rotich is able to cover some of the other obligations. He’s also been running COVID tests.

“I’ve learned that everyone has a role to play in suppressing the pandemic at hand,” Rotich said. “I have turned into an educator, always telling those around me the seriousness of the issue at hand.”

From Eldoret, Kenya, Rotich came to EKU to join the Track & Field team and in search of a better education. Upon graduating, he plans to gain experience in the medical laboratory science field, then continue his education to pursue physician assistantship. Ultimately, he wants to return home to Kenya and give back to his community with the education and experience he’s gained at Eastern Kentucky University. n

Madison Patrick, ’13

Alumna Compassionately Helps Others in her Hometown Community “The unimaginable has become our daily routine,” said Madison Mobelini Patrick, ’13 about working as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse during the pandemic.

In addition to working extended hours and dealing with personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, nurses are learning new ways of delivering optimal care while still showing compassion to patients during their most vulnerable days, Patrick said. The large respirators, goggles and other PPE they wear during their entire shifts mean “patients are no longer able to see our faces, let alone our smiles.”

Throughout the pandemic, she’s maintained a supportive and positive outlook, and continues to keep the safety and health of patients, their loved ones, and the community at the forefront.

STOCK PHOTOS: ClaudioVentrella, Chainarong Prasertthai, and whyframestudio. © iStock.com

Although she never imagined a scenario like the current pandemic, Patrick credits EKU for teaching her how to thrive in high stress situations. She also discovered her love for helping others through involvement in several campus organizations and serving as president of her sorority, Kappa Delta — giving her opportunities for philanthropy work. She graduated from EKU with a Health Science degree, worked for a few years, then completed a nursing degree at Bellarmine University.

She could have taken her career anywhere, but chose to return to her hometown of Hazard, Kentucky. She and her husband, Chase, proudly call Eastern Kentucky home, and Patrick joins in a family tradition of EKU alumni, including her brother (Collier Mobelini), father-in-law (Steve Patrick) and mother-in-law (Terri Alexander).

In 2019, Patrick earned the Hazard Appalachian Regional Hospital DAISY Award, an honor recognizing nurses who deliver extraordinary compassionate care. Patrick truly embodies the Colonel spirit — selflessly and compassionately helping others, and giving back to Kentucky communities. n

spread more easily which could include asymptomatic spread that may result in delayed, potentially serious, long-term health effects not associated with quick mortality.”

pathogens, food safety, emerging chemical contaminants, new occupational health risks, biosecurity, extreme weather events, and a myriad of other interconnected concerns.

Along with virus mutations, “it also means that our interventions may change,” he said. “Being able to adjust your viewpoint based upon new information being received is the hallmark of being a good scientist and a critical thinker.”

The field of public health also focuses on broader issues — like overcrowding and population density; poor access to health care, sanitation and hygiene; and lack of clean water — that affect millions of people around the world. Finding solutions to these broader issues helps to mitigate many of the public health problems experienced today and expected in the future.

Since the late 1800s, the public health field has addressed many issues, including malaria, sanitation, tobacco usage and now, the vaping era. For the future of public health, Marion sees a renewed focus being on “One Health — working across disciplines with a focus on the health of humans, the environment and animals to prevent novel disease spread, which includes keeping people safe from environments that have a high risk of disease spread from animals to humans and vice versa.”

He explained that as people live in more densely-populated areas and in closer proximity to animals, disease becomes more prevalent. “I can’t imagine a scenario where the origins of another pandemic similar to this doesn’t happen again, and the risks still remain dangerously high now,” said Marion.

Many future concerns may remain unforeseen, but those working to protect the integrity of public health have the principles and knowledge to take on any complex public health challenge. They are equipped with strategies and interventions to address public health threats and many times, work to eliminate risks before they become larger problems. Often working behind the scenes, public health and environmental health science professionals continue to make a positive and influential impact on the health and safety of their communities, states, in the nation and throughout the world. n

“Almost all of the pandemics in the last decade are zoonotic diseases and are RNA viruses,” Marion pointed out. Many familiar diseases of concern started as zoonotic diseases including HIV, Ebola, Zika, and the current coronavirus, among many others. These are diseases that spread from animals to humans, either directly, or from animal to an intermediate host then to a human. In addition to population density, factors such as access to clean water, clean air, sanitation and economic inequity play a large role in disease transmission.

“Until these issues are addressed, then you’re going to continue to see more of these zoonotic diseases,” Marion explained. “It will require a global response; it will require U.S. leadership as part of a global response to be in areas of the world that don’t have the scientific resources and need guidance or support.”

While public health officials have been tackling challenging health issues for more than a century, their roles are proving even more relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Public health professionals are working steadfastly to promote new interventions, equip medical professionals with the resources they need to treat patients, prevent the spread of disease and protect the health of communities. In addition to COVID-19, they continue to boldly face new and ever-changing public health issues, like water sanitation, other emerging

Practitioners at Baptist Health Richmond:

(FROM LEFT) Pulmonologist Muhammad Iqbal, MD;

Director of ICU/CCU Joni Berry, ‘85, BSN, RN, CCRN-K; Alex Meier, Pharm.D., BCPS; Brenda Smith, ‘74 ‘89 ‘00, BSN, RN.​

EKU MAGAZINE 15

A HEART for

SERVICE JUNIOR DYLAN HANSHAW AIDS IN CREATION OF STUDENT ASSISTANCE FUND FOR EASTERN

Dylan Hanshaw has always had a heart for service. The Ashland, Kentucky native logged more than 300 hours of community service before graduating from Boyd County High School in 2016. At EKU, his drive to help others led him to aid Dr. Lara Vance, director of the Student Success Center, in creating the Student Assistance Fund for Eastern (SAFE).

A combined initiative from the Student Success Center (SSC), Office of Retention and Graduation, and Development and Alumni Engagement, SAFE provides short-term financial help to students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses in the wake of crises like COVID-19. The idea for such a fund has been gaining traction for a while, and Vance said Hanshaw was instrumental in the process.

“With student input like Dylan’s, we developed a process that was not only studentcentered, but compassionate and empowering,” said Vance.

Students who apply for the SAFE program remain anonymous beyond the selection committee and receive help with tasks like filing for unemployment.

A junior majoring in criminal justice, Hanshaw’s contributions were heavily informed by his own financial struggles. Before accepting a position as a corrections officer in Fayette County, “money was always a struggle,” he said. Shortly after starting at EKU, he met Vance through regular visits to the Student Success Center, and she often helped him explore funding options.

“Dr. Lara Vance was always there for me, no matter the cost,” Hanshaw recalled. “I remember many times I sat in her office at the SSC with little left in me and plans that wouldn’t work. Little did I know, she had an answer for everything, and if she didn’t, she knew someone who could help me. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know. I am indebted to her, and a few others, forever because of the impact they have had on me and the man they have helped me become.”

In Vance’s view, students like Hanshaw are vital not only to projects like SAFE, but to the mission of the University. “Dylan’s commitment to EKU is incredible,” she said. “To students like Dylan, EKU is more than a university — it is his community and support network, and he now sees himself as part of that support system for others. When students help each other, EKU becomes stronger.”

To learn more about SAFE or make a gift, visit development.eku.edu/safe n

16 FALL 2020

HELP A

COLONEL in a challenging time

The Student Assistance Fund for Eastern (SAFE) provides short-term financial help to students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses in the wake of crises like COVID-19. SAFE eases the financial burden facing the Colonel family by covering expenses like housing, food, utilities, internet, transportation and medication. To date, Colonels like you have made nearly 600 donations totaling over $100,000.

Thank you for your support.

Visit development.eku.edu/safe to make your gift.

FROM

TO

SUZANNE FAWBUSH, ’83 HELPS OTHERS ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF AN EASTERN EDUCATION EKU MAGAZINE 19

EKU graduate Suzanne Fawbush represents the Eastern experience for many students and alumni.

A scholarship gave her the opportunity to attend EKU and pursue her educational and career goals.

“I want to give other students from Kentucky the opportunities that I have had, and that all started with an education at Eastern,” Fawbush said.

As a high-achieving high school student from Laurel County, Kentucky, Fawbush hadn’t considered college as an option because she didn’t think she could afford it. “Back then, nobody at my high school really talked about college,” Fawbush recalled.

She planned to go into the military and thought if she enlisted for four years, the military would then pay for college. At the time, her parents built log cabins as a hobby and were building a cabin for a couple from Richmond, Dr. William and Marion Berge. As it turned out, the Berges worked at EKU — Bill as a history professor, and Marion as a nursing professor.

“They both loved Eastern and believed in education,” Fawbush said. At one point, the Berges asked Fawbush’s parents where she was going to college. When they heard she was postponing college because she could not afford it, the Berges encouraged Fawbush to pursue an education at Eastern and helped her realize that college could be affordable.

20 FALL 2020

“They were instrumental in encouraging me to apply to Eastern,” Fawbush said. She received an alumni scholarship as well as other scholarships and grants.

While at Eastern, Fawbush performed well academically, got involved in a sorority and also worked on campus. She then set her sights on law school. “I went to the library and looked at a list of the top ten law schools in the United States,” Fawbush said. She decided she wanted to go to the law school that was highest ranked. “Looking back, I’m surprised that I was confident enough to think I could get into one of the best law schools in the country,” she said. “I think Eastern gave me that confidence.”

Two weeks after graduating from EKU in 1983, Fawbush and a friend from her sorority headed to New York City for the summer.

That same summer, she was accepted into Columbia Law School and became the first Eastern graduate to attend Columbia. “I was always proud to say I was from Eastern,” Fawbush said.

FAR LEFT: Fawbush (right) with Alpha Delta Pi sorority sisters Karen Spivey and Lisa Chandler, 1980.

LEFT: Homecoming 1982 with escort Kurt Netherton.

ABOVE: Fawbush (center) with her parents, Jack and Evelyn at her graduation from Columbia Law School, 1986. RIGHT: Fawbush with her husband and their four daughters, from left to right: Victoria, Eliza, Suzanne, Chris, Noel and Antonia.

After law school, she practiced corporate law at a New York City law firm for eight years. She took some time off to raise her four daughters, then worked as the chief administrative officer at Grisanti Capital Management, a money management firm, alongside her husband, Chris Grisanti. After a recent merger with MAI Capital Management, she’s now a senior client consultant for the company.

Fawbush believes education allows people to do what they choose, but understands paying for education is the difficult part. In 2006, then EKU President Joanne Glasser, suggested Fawbush establish a scholarship at EKU. Fawbush, raising her four young daughters at the time, didn’t think she could afford to do it. However, she was able to spread out the $25,000 commitment for an endowed scholarship over the course of five years, making it more reasonable for her and her family.

She and her husband, Chris, established the Acacia Endowed Scholarship. “I wanted to enable young women in Eastern Kentucky who were really smart but just didn’t have the resources to be able to go to college,” Fawbush said. She named the scholarship Acacia, after a type of wood that’s referenced in the

Bible as holding the ark of the covenant. She wanted the scholarship to have meaning to her and to anyone else who might recognize the connection.

“I always feel like I get more back from the scholarship than I put into it,” Fawbush said about the Acacia Scholarship. She finds joy and pleasure in donating to EKU and wants others to know how important it is to help students. “It’s our responsibility and our privilege to help future EKU alumni.”

Truly an advocate for EKU, she encourages other alumni to join her in supporting the University. “No amount is too small,” she says. “We need more alumni to donate so that future students can have the experience that we all had.” She adds that the cost of an EKU education is out of reach for many families. “Now more than ever,” Fawbush says, “it’s time to give back to Eastern.”

Fawbush realizes her life path would have been very different had she not attended EKU, and a scholarship made it all possible for her. “An EKU education changes lives,” she concluded. “I know that to be true because it changed mine.” n

COLUMBIA

EKU MAGAZINE 21

Eastern Ken

E A ST E RN KE N T U C KY UN IVE R SI T Y • RIC H MO N D, KY

ntucky Times

EKU C O LO NEL S • SPRING SP O RT S SE AS O N • 2020

This year was going to be different.

Maroon EKU gear, Go Big E signs and screaming fans covered two sections of Evansville, Indiana’s Ford Center on March 5. EKU’s men’s basketball team hadn’t even been to the OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) Tournament in five years, but they were leading a tough Tennessee State team late in the second half of a low-scoring slugfest, after getting a bye in the first round. A potential bid to a national tournament hung in the balance, and EKU had only been past the OVC Tournament just a handful of times since the 1960s.

This game was huge. The tension, an unwanted bearhug.

Second-year coach A.W. Hamilton willed his squad to victory after notching the second most conference wins the program had ever recorded in the regular season. In the stands, EKU’s brand-new Athletics Director Matt Roan cheered, watching one of Eastern’s most important rebuilding steps happen in real time, each tick of the clock closer to the first men’s basketball postseason win in half a decade.

This year was going to be different.

But outside the games themselves loomed a feeling of uncertainty.

Maybe even dread. Certainly fear and a lot of unknown. The talk about a pandemic called coronavirus was way above a whisper.

COVID-19 was here. It was deadly, and it was spreading.

“To go from playing TSU (Tennessee State University) on that Thursday and then playing Belmont on that Friday, to four or five days later, in effect our world athletically stopped. It just happened so suddenly,” Roan said. “We really started pulling teams off the road the week of March 9, which was the week after the OVC (basketball) Tournament.”

Tariq Balogun throws down a dunk in EKU’s victory over Tennessee State in the first round of the 2020 OVC Tournament.

On March 12, the OVC suspended and eventually canceled spring sports, following suit of nearly every collegiate athletic conference in the country. Baseball, softball, outdoor track and field, beach volleyball and men’s and women’s golf were over. Just like that. The NCAA canceled the Men’s Basketball tournament on the same day. At nearly $1 billion in yearly revenue, it’s the biggest annual basketball tournament in the world.

EKU MAGAZINE 23

March Madness became March Sadness.

And then there was no postseason.

Less than two weeks later on March 26 was “the shot heard ‘round the

“We were on spring break and the entire team was in Florida,

world,” Roan recalled. With the NCAA tournament canceled, the NCAA

competing at a tournament in Jacksonville,” Worthington said.

board of governors voted to distribute $225 million, instead of the

“That’s where we found out. We got a phone call that there was a good

$600 million that had been budgeted, to 32 conferences.

possibility we weren’t going to finish our season and the tournament

“When I went into the Ford Center for the OVC games… I had little

we were at was canceled.”

concern. Seven days later, I would have been concerned greatly

Worthington admits her first thoughts were wanting to keep playing.

about being in that type of venue. I don’t think you can exaggerate

“I think we all feel like we are a little bit invincible and we want to

how quickly and drastically it turned,” Roan said.

continue to play. I felt bad for the team,” she said. But she emphasized

What Might Have Been

that she quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. “It goes from disappointment to concern, and all of a sudden you think about

22-2. EKU’s softball program has had exactly one head coach for the

your players not doing great.”

entirety of its existence. Jane Worthington was hired to head the newly

EKU Baseball Head Coach Edwin Thompson also had his team on

created program in 1993 and decided to stay for the next 27 seasons.

She’s won nearly 800 games in that span and has won OVC Coach of the Year three times.

But she’d never had a team that won 18 straight games (the longest active streak in the country at the time), and never had one start the

the right track with only two losses on the season. Those losses came at the hands of one of the best teams in the country, the LSU Tigers. But the Colonel baseball team also got a win over the Tigers in Baton Rouge, a feather in the cap of any college baseball team.

The Colonels were unbeaten in their 12 other games. They were on

year 22-2, until this year. Roan said the team was destined for a post-

the cusp of being ranked nationally.

season bid.

“Both teams were on a roll — baseball and softball,” Worthington said.

24 FALL 2020

(THIS PHOTO) The Colonels conclude

warm-ups before the series finale at LSU in February. (Photo by Jonathan Mailhes). OPPOSITE: Pitcher Samantha Reynoso celebrates after a strike out to end the inning against IllinoisChicago on March 8th.

The text notifications started literally in the middle of a 9-5 victory at

For Thompson’s baseball team, it’s more complicated. All ten of the

Northern Kentucky on March 11. “We don’t have phones in the dugout,

team’s seniors graduated, and two have already said they aren’t

but our trainer does, and about the fifth inning, I heard a wave of

returning. Some players will transfer, some will sign professional

excitement through the dugout that spring break was going to be

contracts, and some will come back.

extended,” Thompson said.

“What would have happened is kind of like that fishing story — what

The players thought this was good news at the time. “They didn’t know

could have been,” Thompson said. “The group was just a fun group. We

why — they just thought, hey, we have two more weeks of spring break.

won in different ways. We beat teams we shouldn’t have beat on paper,”

This is awesome.”

Thompson said.

It was not awesome, though. It was over.

“Our goals were still in front of us. We hadn’t played a conference game

“We got on the bus (to come home after the game) and that’s when we found out the NBA was canceling,” Thompson said. That was a Wednesday. There were thoughts of playing a Kentucky-only season

yet. But who knows. We had a good product on the field,” Thompson said. “We’re going to have 45 players next fall. I don’t even know how to process that yet.”

and trying to still have a season, but once the OVC canceled the

But both coaches, used to years of a one-game-at-a-time mentality,

spring sports competition, the season was effectively over.

then moving on, have moved on with few regrets. Thompson put it in

For Worthington, the season lost isn’t as tough a blow as it might have

perspective.

been. All three of her seniors are returning after they were granted an

“Like I told our guys, this is way bigger than sports or baseball,”

extra year of eligibility. But she said her team had something that may

Thompson said. “We had a recruit coming in that had two family

never come back.

members pass away from this.”

“We had 18 super cohesive kids. Super players that just loved each

“Thirty-four and four between the two of them (softball and baseball),

other, and all of them were here for softball and school. Our team GPA

it kind of lets the air out of the bag when you say they’re suspended and

was a 3.4. But they LOVED softball. We will have 25 on our team next

canceled,” Roan said.

year, and I don’t know if it’s possible to get that thing back... to get that cohesiveness back,” Worthington said.

As for postseason play? “We’ll never know,” she said.

But Roan said going through the pandemic brings perspective.

“You strike a balance between their seasons being impacted … and life and death. So in the grand scheme of things, your perspective is key,” Roan said. n

EKU MAGAZINE 25

Fost er i n g TOMORROW’S

MUSICIANS STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTER MUSIC CAMP CELEBRATES 85 YEARS

Not many summer camps regularly inspire campers into a career. Even fewer have been doing so for six generations. Summer 2020 marked the 85th anniversary of the founding of Stephen Collins Foster Music Camp, the nation’s second oldest music camp, behind only the famous Interlochen. Foster Camp has been nurturing the potential of young musicians since 1935.

“We have a ton of students that come from all different backgrounds and levels of talent, and we have faculty that are able to take that and push them to the next level,” said Camp Director Ben Walker. “Students come and are just amazed at what can be done, and it turns them on to want to continue their career in music.”

Immersed in t he Music

The modern Foster Camp is a residential, one- to two-week experience for fifth- through 12th-graders, centered on EKU’s campus. Week one offers middle school sessions in band, strings or piano taught by music faculty. Weeks two and three cater to high school students, offering sessions in all of the above plus vocals and percussion. The past few years, Walker says, an average of 650 to 700 students have attended.

“The students are dealing mostly with EKU faculty, so they’re working very closely with professionals in the field on their instruments,” said EKU Music Department Chair Joe Carucci, who aids in planning and the oversight of the faculty.

A typical week of Foster Camp begins early and bustles with activity and music from minute one. Campers rise at 8 a.m. for breakfast, then spend their days in masterclasses and rehearsals for their chosen instruments. Most evenings are filled with concerts and recitals, but a few are set aside for recreational activities led by student counselors. The 2020

Generations of Excellence

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Students practicing at Foster Music

VIOLIN STOCK PHOTOS: Tolimir, bizoo_n, and EHStock. Š iStock.com

Camp 1946; Rehearsal for grand finale concert 2014; Rehearsal for grand finale concert 2014; Foster Music Camp participants, c. 1935; Jerry Mulholland, orchestra camp director and associate dean of EKU’s College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences teaching at Foster Music Camp.

season looked different in the wake of COVID-19, with just a five-day

Attending camp during his last two years of high school led Walker to

camp for strings in August. This year marks the second time in history

enroll in EKU as a music education major and serve as a Foster Camp

that camp didn’t take place as planned, the first being in the 1940s due

counselor. He went on to complete a master’s degree and Rank I at EKU

to the draft for World War II.

before becoming camp director.

A Rich History

Walker took over in a downswing, with each season averaging only 200

Foster Camp was named for prolific American composer Stephen Collins Foster, who wrote more than 200 songs and became known as the Father

to 300 campers. Unwilling to let his beloved camp fall through the cracks, he made promoting the camp a central focus of his administration.

“We’re doing great things,” he said. “We just have to let people know

of American Music. Among his most famous is the Commonwealth of

about it.”

Kentucky’s state song, “My Old Kentucky Home.”

Walker began visiting area middle and high schools each spring, attending

The institution that is Foster Camp was born out of a singular mission:

their concerts and setting up information tables. Though it seems a novel

to grow stronger musicians. In 1935, James E. “Mr. Van” Van Peursem,

approach in the digital age, Walker believes in the power of personal touch.

chair of the music department at what was then Eastern Kentucky State

“I’m old fashioned; I think it works,” said Walker. “Especially if you’re

Teachers College, found that the area’s sparse high school music programs were failing to produce strong musicians at the college level. Inspired by Interlochen Arts Academy, which had its inaugural season the previous year, Van Peursem slated the first-ever Foster Camp for the next summer. His hope was to kickstart a promising cycle: students attend camp, become better musicians, then become music educators who strengthen their high school music programs.

“We’ve continued to build the camp on Van Peursem’s mission over 85 years,” said Carucci. “We’re trying to prepare students to be stronger musicians when they enter college, and then when they eventually enter the music teaching, performance or music industry profession.”

That first season, directed by Henri Schnabl of Kaiser Wilhelm’s personal band, yielded around 100 students during a five-week season.

Early camp experiences were similar to those of modern campers, save a 30-minute session of early morning marching enjoyed by the first few camp cohorts. Schnabl continued as director until 1941, when Van Peursem took over until 1963. Three other directors sat at the helm of Foster Camp before Walker came aboard.

Though Walker became camp director in 2008, his love affair with Foster Camp began 10 years earlier, and his career serves as a testimony to its impact. As a high school junior and trombone player in the band, Walker happened to notice a Foster Camp poster on the crowded band room bulletin board. He tore off a tab and convinced a friend to attend with him. After his first camp, he knew his future was set.

“It was the best experience,” Walker recalled.

talking to a parent who may be sending their kid away from home for maybe the first time ever. They like to have someone there to talk to, not just a computer screen.”

An Enduring Legacy

Over its 85-year life span, Foster Camp has had an incalculable impact on generations of musicians. Many campers enroll year after year—sometimes up to six years in a row. While not every camper goes on to have a career in music, Walker finds that many of them do. “The percentage of students who attend camp and then pursue secondary education, especially

at EKU, is actually quite high,” he said. “A lot of them are music educators and performers that I see pretty often.”

One secret to that success, according to Walker, is the camp’s welcoming, supportive environment. “My favorite part is that it’s always been open to anyone who just has a little bit of experience,” he said.

“We don’t exclude anybody. We welcome everybody with open arms to encourage them in their field.”

When students become campers, they join an extensive, multi-generational network of Foster Camp alumni.

Carucci recalled an instance in which a neighbor, a retired public school special education teacher, noted his Foster Camp T-shirt and shared her own camp experience. That encounter formed an immediate connection, demonstrating the power of Foster Camp’s legacy.

“It’s pretty astounding the network that camp has created out there. You’d never imagine,” said Carucci. “It’s quite a community.” n

DR. ERIC ABERCRUMBIE, ’70 ’71 A LEGACY OF ADVOCACY “From Poverty to Protest to Progress” is a fitting description of the life journey of Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, ’70 ’71. From an impoverished childhood when he first suffered the wounds of racism, through an initially difficult but ultimately triumphant experience at EKU, Abercrumbie led a trailblazing career as a beloved administrator at the University of Cincinnati (UC).

Challenged at seemingly every turn, Abercrumbie embraced the lessons he learned from a loving family about the importance of faith, education and community service, from his own experiences as a student-athlete and from an idealistic EKU faculty member who taught him to always speak up for what he knew was right. Then there was music, the common thread that continually opened new vistas of possibility.

“had died and gone to heaven. No campus was more beautiful.” Soon, though, he began to witness expressions of white supremacy he had hoped he left behind. He landed on academic probation in his “traumatic” freshman year, and might not have returned if not for “my hero at that time,” Herb Vescio, then financial aid director. “Mr. Vescio made it possible for many of us to come back. He knew we were struggling, that we weren’t prepared.”

Abercrumbie grew up “across the tracks” in Falmouth, Kentucky, raised primarily by loving grandparents in a house without indoor plumbing. He initially attended a one-room school only for African American children, before attending a year in Cynthiana, nine years in Falmouth schools and then his final two years at Covington Holmes High School, where he became involved with Up with People, a fledgling organization that spread positive messages through music, and was president of Sing Out Kentucky.

In 1967, with a vision inspired by his Up with People experience, Abercrumbie played a critical role, along with “musical genius” Reginald Walters and others in the establishment of the University Ensemble, one of the nation’s first predominantly African American choirs on a mostly white campus. Last year, he approached former choirmate and fraternity brother Phillip Fletcher desiring that the 53 original Ensemble members be declared the group’s founders, and the two agreed on the distinction. Abercrumbie credited Fletcher and fellow Ensemble members Lelani Turrentine, Evelyn Cole and Russell Behanan for keeping the Ensemble alumni connection alive.

When he arrived at Eastern in 1966, one of a small but growing number of African Americans, he thought he

30 FALL 2020

ABOVE: Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, left of drummer, marches with fellow EKU participants down University Drive, April 1968, in response to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s recent assassination

ABOVE: Co-founder Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, back row, second from right, pictured with the original members of the University Ensemble, 1969.

History professor Dr. William Berge served many years as adviser to the gospel group and to Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the first African American Greek-letter organization at Eastern.

Abercrumbie and Berge formed a close friendship that lasted until Dr. Berge’s death in 2012 and continues to this day with Mrs. Berge. In fact, the Berges were godparents to the Abercrumbies’ son, Eric.

“He was already a champion of diversity,” Abercrumbie recalled.

“He taught me not to be afraid to be black and to speak up at Eastern for what I knew was right. He was like a father to me, and Mrs. Berge was like a mother. I would not have graduated from Eastern without Dr. and Mrs. Berge.”

It was a racially turbulent time, with tensions escalating after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. That’s when Abercrumbie stormed out of a meeting EKU President Robert Martin held with black students, insulted that Martin had urged his audience not to react with violence. But a later meeting between the two led to Martin promising Abercrumbie a campus position. The position never materialized, but Abercrumbie went away “more motivated,” and Martin came to view the Ensemble as “ambassadors” for the University and funded two buses, as their wide travels and popular recordings brought

32 FALL 2020

more African Americans to campus. “I’ll give credit to Dr. Martin. He was challenged (by the changing times), too. Out of something bad came something good.”

Aided by Martin, Abercrumbie added a master’s degree in counseling from EKU and in 1972 began a long and distinguished career in mostly diversity-related administrative positions at UC. He retired in 2019 as executive assistant to the president, but not before leaving behind a colossal legacy of inspiring students, building bridges and blazing trails, with numerous nationally recognized innovations and achievements. He also established two choirs, which he considered “a way of pulling people together” and spreading joy.

Before Dr. Berge passed away, Abercrumbie and his wife, Claudia, established the Dr. William and Mrs. Marion Berge Scholarship fund at EKU with the hope it would help subsequent generations of deserving African American students. The Abercrumbies continue to support the fund annually, ensuring that the Berges’ legacy is preserved.

Abercrumbie, who was inducted into the EKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2002, said he just wants to be remembered as “a person who gave back to others, a lover of all humanity.” n

Whether in person or online, the 2020 EKU Homecoming experience is sure to be unlike any other. Please visit homecoming.eku.edu for the latest updates on EKU’s greatest celebration.

Stay Connected as a #ForeverColonel @EKUalums

EKU Alums

@ekualums

alumni.eku.edu

#EKUHC2020

Special Recognition for the classes of 1945 • 1950 • 1955 • 1960 • 1965 • 1970 • 1975 • 1980 • 1985 • 1990 • 1995 • 2000 • 2005 • 2010 • 2015

HOMECOMING 2020

Coming

Vintage

SPIRIT A LOOK BACK AT EKU HOMECOMING THROUGH THE YEARS

BELOW: 1964 Cheerleading team before EKU’s

Homecoming game against Tennessee Tech.

OPPOSITE: Eastern vs. Northern Illinois football game, October 5, 1940.

A tradition dating back to 1930, EKU’s Homecoming brings together students, alumni and community members for a fall weekend of celebrations, football and festivities. Reflecting a common bond for generations of Colonels, many of EKU’s 2020 graduates claimed Homecoming as their favorite EKU memory.

Longstanding traditions include the Homecoming parade, tailgating parties, Colonel football game and the crowning of EKU’s Homecoming queen and king during the halftime ceremony. In recent years, the events of Alumni Weekend combined with Homecoming, adding alumni award ceremonies and class reunions to the Homecoming weekend celebrations.

Thousands converge on campus in Richmond, traveling from several states and boasting Colonel pride, to enjoy EKU’s Homecoming events. Alumni reconnect with classmates and reminisce about their time at Eastern, while students form fond memories of friendship, camaraderie and school spirit. In the next pages, we celebrate the history of EKU Homecoming, highlighting memories from years past. n

EKU MAGAZINE 35

CLOCKWISE, FROM THIS PHOTO: 1963 Homecoming parade;

2008 Homecoming Queen Amy Gruenwald Holt, ’10 and Homecoming King Cory Clark, ’10; 1964 Homecoming Dance; 1992 Homecoming Run; Governor Bert T. Combs and President Martin, c. 1975; 1969 Homecoming

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EKU MAGAZINE 37

EKUATHLETICS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEES BIG TURNAROUND In year one under Head Coach Samantha Williams, the women’s basketball team saw one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I (D-I) basketball. Eastern won zero games against D-I teams in 2018-19 and two games overall. In the first year under Williams, the Colonels won 10 games against D-I teams and 11 overall.

HAMILTON NAMED OVC COACH OF THE YEAR Men’s Basketball Head Coach A.W. Hamilton was voted the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Coach of the Year.

Hamilton is the first EKU coach to win the award since Max Good in 1986-87.

In his second season at EKU, Hamilton led Eastern to an impressive turnaround. After going 6-12 in the OVC in 2018-19, the Colonels went 12-6 this year, earning a No. 4 seed and first-round bye in the OVC Tournament.

EKU’s 12 conference wins this season tied for the second most in program history. The 2019-20 Colonels were one of only four EKU teams ever to win 12 or more OVC games, joining the 1964-65 (13), 2006-07 (13) and 2012-13 (12) squads.

Following a tough non-conference slate, Hamilton rallied EKU to a 9-2 conference start. It was the Colonels’ best OVC start in 41 years.

Hamilton has installed a fast-paced offense and pressure defense that saw the Colonels rank fifth nationally in forced turnovers (18.23 per game), ninth in steals (9.2 per game) and 12th in turnover margin (+4.2 per game) during the regular season.

38 FALL 2020

It was the fourth biggest turnaround in D-I basketball. Juniors Teri Goodlett (second team) and I’Liyah Green (newcomer) were voted to All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) teams. Eastern swept in-state rival Morehead State University for the first time since the 2016 season.

The Colonels finished third in the OVC in field goal percentage defense. Green finished 62nd in the NCAA and fourth in the OVC in blocked shots. Goodlett finished 10th in league play, averaging 13.3 points per game and fourth in assists per game.

The Colonels picked up road wins against the University of Memphis and Xavier University in comeback fashion. Eastern started the Williams era by knocking off in-state rival Northern Kentucky University in the season opener at McBrayer Arena.

The Colonels limited opponents to 65 points per game, the second fewest points allowed by an Eastern team since 2013. EKU held opponents to 37.7 percent shooting from the field, the lowest defensive field goal percentage allowed since the 2012-13 season.

GOALKEEPER HEADED TO U-20 WORLD CUP Sophomore goalkeeper Zoe Aguirre will play in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup as a member of the Mexican National Team. The World Cup is currently scheduled to be contested in January 2021 in Costa Rica.

Aguirre and the Mexican team earned a berth in the global finals by finishing second to the USA at the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship in early March.

Aguirre started in goal in Mexico’s 3-0 shutout over Guyana in the group stage and the 12-1 romp over Grenada in the knockout stage. Mexico edged Haiti in a penalty shootout in the semifinals to punch their ticket to the World Cup. Aguirre was a member of the Mexican National Team that played at the U-20 World Cup two summers ago in France.

The native of Corona, Calif., was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) All-Newcomer Team and OVC All-Tournament Team as a freshman in 2018. She started 10 games for EKU this past fall, recording three shutouts.

STUDENT-ATHLETES BREAK RECORDS FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT EKU student-athletes posted the highest single semester grade point average (GPA) on record this past spring, despite the obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

EKU’s 290 student-athletes combined for a cumulative GPA of 3.368, beating the previous single semester record of 3.179 set in the spring of 2016. Another record was broken with 69 Colonels earning a 4.0 GPA, beating the previous high of 56 set in the fall of 2017.

In all, 230 of the 290 student-athletes had a 3.0 or higher GPA (79.3 percent).

A total of 10 programs posted their highest single semester GPA on record – baseball (3.423), women’s basketball (3.617), men’s cross country (3.506), football (3.093), men’s golf (3.575), women’s golf (3.787), soccer (3.837), softball (3.488), men’s track and field (3.355) and women’s track and field (3.645).

These academic achievements were accomplished despite the University suspending on-campus instruction in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All EKU students spent the remainder of the semester receiving instruction remotely at home.

2019 graduate Frank Sumpter

EKU MAGAZINE 39

#EKU Spring 2020 was certainly a semester to remember. While Colonels weren’t able to attend class or walk across the graduation stage in person, they found new ways to learn and to celebrate their achievements. We celebrate our students who took EKU everywhere, our Spring 2020 grads whose hard work has paid off, and our alumni who are serving their communities through the pandemic. Take a look at how Colonels are representing the best of EKU on social media.

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01. #EKU18 Grad Branden Martin, EMT and Firefighter at Meade County Fire Protection District / @easternkentuckyu 02. Ashley Thomas, First year teacher at McFerran Preschool in Jefferson County / @ekucoe 03. Sarah Vanoy, Sophomore Spanish Major/History minor sharing #EKUPride with softball / @saravanoy 04. Michaela Hardin, #EKU22 Nursing Student / @michaela.hardin 05. #TeamKentucky / @easternkentuckyu 06. Matthew Baldwin, #EKU21 Emergency Medical Care Major / @matthew.s.baldwin 07. Emma Reister partnered with Greek Life to obtain supplies for local nursing home / @emmareisterr 08. Students learning near and far / @klsywsr 09. #FutureColonel sharing acceptance from Florida / @gracem2081 10. Lloyd James, Aviation #EKUGrad / @lloyd_janes @mmeyer1324 11. Yazmeine Johnson, Psychology #EKUGrad / @yazmeine 12. Joseph Alexander Meade, Fire Arson and Explosion Investigation #EKUGrad / @alexmeade19 13. DeAndre Eubanks, Criminal Justice and Homeland Security #EKUGrad / @_ayedre28 @conquer.photography 14. Tai Ross, Political Science #EKUGrad / @_tai.nichelle @kndl.x 15. Rain Fisher, Forensic Biology #EKUGrad / @rain_fisher16 @naturallightpictures 16. Hunter Eickhoff, Political Science #EKUGrad / @hunter_eickhoff 17.Sarah Wollam, Music Education #EKUGrad / @sarah_wollam @soulful.film

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“ Graduating from EKU has been a dream of mine since 1992 when

I enrolled as an undergraduate. Although life had other plans for me, I am excited to be able to return as a graduate student and navigate the program while accomplishing a master’s degree.

”

—Michael Young College of Justice and Safety #EKUGrad

“ EKU has provided me with countless opportunities, from internships to studying abroad — these are opportunities I would not have had otherwise.

The faculty has been both supportive and challenging, which has truly allowed me to thrive during my undergrad years.

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—Skylar Barger

“ I am proud to have attended one of the best colleges of education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I feel thoroughly prepared to enter the education workforce because of the professors in the Curriculum and Instruction Department of the College of Education.

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“ Proud. I am graduating at the same time as my mother, Candy Smith, who decided to return to school two years ago and get her degree she started before I was born. I am proud of what we have accomplished as a family.

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—Logan Smith College of Business and Technology #EKUGrad

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences #EKUGrad

—Jordan Cochran College of Education #EKUGrad

“ I’m proud of my accomplishments as a first generation college student.

I know that all the people I’ve met in my time at EKU will be with me for life. I wouldn’t change any of the thousands of memories for the world. I’m so proud to be a Colonel and I can’t wait for the future.

”

— Mariah Geiman College of Science #EKUGrad

Stay Connected as a #ForeverColonel @ekualums

www.facebook.com/EKUAlums

@EKUAlums

EKU MAGAZINE 41

ALUMNINEWS IN THIS

ISSUE CLASS NOTES

——––———— • —————––—

ALUMNI PROFILES William Hardy, ’92 —— • ——

Leah Gaddis, ’15 ’19 Sarah Reister, ’19 Dekia Gaither, ’09 ’12 —— • ——

Steve Crump, ’80 ——––———— • ———––———

IN MEMORIAM ——–——–—— • —————––—

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT EKU Alumni Receive Prestigious American Public Health Association Awards

Dear Fellow A lumni, I am entering my ninth year on the alumni board, my fourth and final year as its president. I have spoken often in these letters of all that I learned from being a product of Eastern, and today, in the middle of a pandemic, that knowledge is more tangible, and appreciated, than ever.

For my day job, I work in college student housing — specifically, sorority housing.

I lead a team responsible for facilities across 73 different campuses spanning the contiguous United States. As you can imagine, the last five months have created many hard days on the job.

All of our facilities closed in March, and all but one are planned to reopen this fall. I have listened to webinars, read articles, monitored the news and contacted health departments for months. I have begged for colleges to come up with a plan, begged for them to provide more details to their plans, and begged them to not charge us empty bed fees because our members were afraid to come back to their campuses. I have created budgets at varying different occupancy scenarios, quantified what resident number for each facility is too low to open, and analyzed how many years I think we can sustain at those varying levels.

So many hard days on the job. So many seemingly impossible questions to face.

I was not specifically taught how to handle this — none of us were. And that makes it scary.

I am scared. And angry. And exhausted… but hopeful.

For a comprehensive list of Class Notes or to share your good news with fellow alums, visit

alumni.eku.edu/ Class-Notes.

I may not have been specifically taught how to handle this, but I was taught how to problem solve.

I was taught how to ask questions. I was taught to think critically. I was taught how to write a plan, communicate to various audiences and make a complex budget.

I was taught at Eastern.

Eastern prepared me, and Eastern is prepared to do the same for the next generation in these challenging times. I remain proud and thankful for my Eastern education — especially on days I never thought I would have to be prepared for.

Stay safe, Colonels.

We want to hear from you!

Amy Jo Gabel, Classes of ’05 and ’08

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Class Notes J.W. “Spider” Thurman, ’41 ’51 was inducted into 13th region boys basketball hall of fame on Monday, March 9, 2020.

Larry Arnett, ’69 and Mary (Hensley) Arnett, ’70 ’80 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 7, 2020. They met while attending EKU. Ralph Coldiron, ’74 was hired by Town Branch Park to be project coordinator to oversee the design and construction of a park in downtown Lexington, near Rupp Arena.

Patrick Gooding, ’75 ’83 retired from the Kentucky Geological Survey after a 40 year career.

Alan Long, ’79, managing member of Baldwin CPAs, was appointed to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Professional Ethics Executive Committee.

Oliver Ramsey, ’79 and wife Susan established an endowment to promote the names of student-athletes at EKU. Melody Trimble, ’80 Melody was named CEO of St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, GA. Cookie Crews, ’82 was appointed Commissioner of the Kentucky Corrections Department on May 13, 2020 by Governor Andy Beshear.

Marc Whitt, ’82 ’85 published books, “PR Lessons Learned Along the Way: Strategies, Tips & Advice for the Higher Ed and Nonprofit Public Relations Professional” in May 2020.

Police Sgt. Terry Holway, ’84, retired after 35 years with the Plano, TX Police Department.

Andy Baker, ’85, named CEO of Traditional Bank in Mt. Sterling.

Tom Fromme, ’89, Newport City Manager, received the Seeds of Hope Award from Mentoring Plus.

Heidi Steiner, ’89 of Rochester, NY was named a Senior Associate in the Heathcare Industry Group for Plante Moran.

Tina (Reece) Bennett, ’91, former EKU women’s basketball player, was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bobby Collins, ’91 named Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Shaw University.

Brent Doty, ’94 used 3D Printing technology to create more than 700 medical face shields for regional hospitals.

Doug Preston, ’94 ’97 named head basketball coach at John Hardin High School in Elizabethtown, KY.

WILLIAM HARDY, ’92

EKU Alumnus and Carhartt Answer Call for Protective Clothing William Hardy, ’92 EKU graduate and senior vice president of supply chain at clothing manufacturer Carhartt, received a pleading phone call on March 13 as COVID-19 began to overwhelm hospitals.

“I received direct calls from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the governor’s office and the Kentucky Department of Emergency Management inquiring about our ability to make masks,” Hardy said.

Carhartt can make anything, Hardy will tell you. One phone call to Hardy’s boss, company President Linda Hubbard, and the project was a go.

The first problem Hardy’s team encountered was the fact that Carhartt’s work clothing materials, including their famous brown duck, do not make good gowns or masks. Current suppliers offered the right names and numbers for the new supply stream, and with the right raw materials, Hardy was able to put together a new supply chain within a few days. But the next problem was, how do you make a mask or a gown?

“We immediately put together a project team that has worked around the clock to design the gowns and masks and secure raw materials,” Hardy said. The company is making two different gowns and two different masks, with attention to quality at the same level as their clothing, Hardy said. n

EKU MAGAZINE 43

Jason Johnson, ’95 was appointed Executive Director for Office of State Government Audits and Technology for the Kentucky Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts.

Jennifer Spencer, ’95 named new principal at Julius Marks Elementary School in Lexington, KY. Lt. Col. Phillip Lenz, ’96 named a Distinguished Alumni honoree for the North Hills School District in Ross Township, PA. Kimberly Rice, ’96 ’02 named director of the Georgetown/Scott County Parks and Recreation Department.

John Kaiser, ’97 was promoted to Deputy Chief for the MIddletown Township Police Department in Middletown, NJ. Mandy Jones, ’99, former EKU Cross Country Champion, named to Pulaski School Hall of Fame.

Wesley Witt, ’00 ’08 has been elected Chair of the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) North America committee.

Chris Sparrow, ’01 ’07 was promoted to Senior Vice Preisdent of Farmers National Bank.

Jill Day, ’02 ’05 Jill Day writes textbook to help her students at the University of Kentucky.

Amy LaCount, ’02 ’04 ’06 was named the executive director of the Mooresville Area Christian Mission.

Eric Workman, ’02 does ASL interpreting for Tennessee Governor Lee’s COVID-19 press briefings.

Susanna Gray, ’03 joined Baldwin CPAs as a client accounting specialist in Richmond.

Duane Gill, ’03 was appointed the new director of the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System.

STAY CONNECTED AS AN #eternalCOLONEL Join the Alumni Association at no cost!

MAKE A PROFILE ALUMNI.EKU.EDU FOLLOW EKU ALUMNI @EKUALUMS

44 FALL 2020

Jeremy Brown, ’04 was appointed the new Forcht Bank market president in London, KY. Stacy Story, ’04 ’08 named Principal of Lincoln County Middle School..

J.D. Chaney, ’07 was named executive director/CEO for the Kentucky League of Cities.

Edward Graves, ’07 named CEO and Publisher of New Mexico Magazine.

Tanya Nelson-Hackney, ’09, MBA, RN, NHA, NEA-NC, CPPS was named Chief Nursing Officer of LMH Logan Memorial Hospital in Russellville.

Zach Lawrence, ’11 ’13 named the new director of the Hazard-Perry County Economic Development Alliance.

Brandon Pratt, ’11 had his small business in Corbin, KY featured in print and TV advertisements for German power equipment manufacturer, STIHL.

Joshua Jones, ’12 was named the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at North Dakota State University.

Sharmy Davis, ’12 was chosen to participate in the Council on Postsecondary Education’s Academic Leadership Development Institute.

LaDonda Porter, ’12 of Beaumont Middle School received Campbellsville University’s 2020 Excellence in Teaching Award.

Stacye Toups, ’12 on frontlines of COVID-19 pandemic in Madrid, Spain.

Emma Davis, ’13 on the frontlines for COVID-19 pandemic as the Fremont County Public Health Director in Fremont County, CO. Monique Lockett, ’15 was sworn in as a police officer in Monroe, OH. Ben Roberts, ’16 named Pro Shop Manager at Somerset Country Club.

Tiffanie Clark, ’17 named principal of New Haven School in New Haven, KY. Tyler Swafford, ’17, former EKU quarterback, earned a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA to help finish his law degree.

Aaron Ochsenbein, ’18, former EKU pitcher, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Samuel Abascal, ’19, was voted to the 2020 Academic All-District Men’s Cross Country / Track and Field Team by CoSIDA. Samuel Hayworth, ’19, former EKU kicker, was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.

Nick Howie, ’20, Former EKU Baseball player was named the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division I baseball by CoSIDA.

LEAH GADDIS, ’15 ’19, SARAH reister, ’19, DEKIA Gaither, ’09 ’12

EKU Alumni Critical to COVID-19 Pandemic Response Thanks to Eastern Kentucky University and its thousands of graduates who have gone on to serve in vital professions, Kentucky communities still have the critical services needed to get through COVID-19. These profiles only begin to tell their stories.

Leah Gaddis, ’15 ’19, a Registered Nurse at Baptist Health Lexington has seen a massive influx of patients seeking testing and treatment for COVID-19, and healthcare workers face significant risk. But compassion for her patients inspires her to keep fighting. “Attitude matters when you stand against the unknown,” Gaddis said. “People are uniting across the globe now against a common enemy.

Learn from us, and change positively moving forward.”

Even when schools across the state were emptied of students, the work never stopped for Sarah Reister, ’19, and her fellow teachers at Kirksville Elementary School. Students finished the school year through non-traditional instruction (NTI), a combination of paper packets and online resources. “To say that school systems are working tirelessly right now would be an understatement,” Reister said.

“Teachers are trying their hardest to find a strong balance of paperwork and online instruction, and being on call during the day to help in any way possible.”

As director of Environmental Health and Safety and a member of the COVID-19 response team at EKU, Dekia Gaither, ’09 ’12, is on the front lines of student health and safety at a precarious time. Her department provided much-needed education, training and supplies to the rest of the campus community. “The Department of Environmental Health and Safety stands ready to assist in whatever capacity we are needed,” Gaither said. n

EKU MAGAZINE 45

DR. RON G. WOLFE 1 9 4 1 - 2 0 2 0 Dr. Ron G. Wolfe, ’63, died May 15, 2020, at his residence in Richmond, Kentucky as a result of metastasis of ocular melanoma from 22 years ago, which reoccurred in his liver. He was 79 years old.

A graduate of Morgan High School, Eastern Kentucky State College, Ohio University and the University of Kentucky, Dr. Wolfe was a shining example of how hard work and a love of learning can take you anywhere. During his career, Dr. Wolfe served as director of alumni affairs and chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Eastern Kentucky University. He also served as associate dean of the College of Communication and Media Sciences at Zayed University in Dubai, UAE. He dedicated countless hours to a multitude of organizations including the Lambda Sigma National Honor Society, Society of Foundation Professors, Project Read, Habitat for Humanity, Kiwanis Club, American Cancer Society, Kentucky Special Olympics and the First United Methodist Church of Richmond.

Although his list of accomplishments is long, he is most remembered for his joyful smile, his humble spirit, and his willingness to support and help whenever needed. n

DR. SHERWOOD THOMPSON 1 9 5 2 - 2 0 Dr. Sherwood Thompson, former assistant dean of EKU’s College of Education, former interim chief diversity officer, former executive director of Model Laboratory School and the Teacher Education Services Office and tenured full professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling Education, passed away on April 5, 2020 at the age of 68.

In addition to Dr. Thompson’s service at Eastern Kentucky University, his work included five books and a two-volume, 900-page encyclopedia on diversity and social justice.

President David McFaddin commented, “All of us who had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Thompson will forever remember him for his positive outlook on life, his dedicated service to the University and his passion for teaching and serving our students.”

Dr. Thompson is listed in The Encompass Digital Repository with over 60 scholarly papers. He served as the principal investigator for the Call Me Mister® Program, an African American male teacher leadership program and for The Best Should Teach Program, a teaching excellence program for district and college educators. n

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TOM LOGSDON 1 9 3 8 - 2 0 2 0 Thomas Stanley Logsdon, ’59, passed away on May 1, 2020 at 82 years old.

Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in math and physics at EKU and a master’s degree in pointset topology from the University of Kentucky.

In 1984, he was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from EKU and was the alumnus of the year for EKU’s

DR. EULA BINGHAM 1 9 3 0 - 2 0 2 0 Dr. Eula Bingham, ’51, emerita professor in the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine’s Department of Environmental and Public Health Services, died June 13, 2020 at age 90.

Bingham earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biology from EKU, and master’s and doctoral degrees in zoology from UC. She joined UC’s Environmental Health faculty, and was the associate director of the Department of Environmental Health.

100th anniversary.

After graduating, Tom worked as an aero-ballistics engineer for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft in California, beginning a 32-year career in the aerospace industry. He was recruited by Rockwell International to become a trajectory mathematician on the Apollo Space program.

He went on to work on the Shuttle Spacecraft program, and in the mid-1970s, Tom determined the placement of 24 satellites to make up the worldwide Global Positioning System (GPS). He was recently recognized as one of 28 original

Dr. Bingham became OSHA’s first female director, serving as assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health as part of President Jimmy Carter’s administration. She earned a reputation for eliminating “nitpicking regulations,”

inventors of GPS. While at Rockwell, he also worked on the Saturn V moon rocket, Skylab flight maneuvers and unmanned Mars missions.

as she called them, while addressing more serious health threats.

He was awarded the Rockwell Presidential Award

President Carter recalled Dr. Bingham as “one of the best” in his administration

of jetliners.

saying, “Eula deserves credit as one of the unsung heroes giving women an

and held a patent centered around navigation

important voice and place in our nation’s history.”

In addition, Tom authored more than 30 books

Following her four years at OSHA, she returned to the University of Cincinnati as

of Southern California. n

vice president for graduate studies and research.

and taught computer science at the University

Dr. Bingham is remembered as one of the most distinguished public health leaders in America. She received numerous public health awards. n

Grant Heverlo Bales

Steven Frazier Don Richardson

Glenn Riedel

Steven R Allison, ’71 LTC John W Hill, ’61 ’75 Deloris C. Hutton, ’57

Carol A Leveridge, ’79 Taylor G Moore, ’76 Glenda Hamilton Moores, ’60

Sue Reynolds Rice, ’59 ’63 Francis ‘Jay’ Roberts, ’65 John G Stewart, ’65 ’68

EKU MAGAZINE 47

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

dr. f. douglas scutchfield, ’63, and dr. judith monroe, ’76

EKU Alumni Receive Prestigious American Public Health Association Awards As further evidence of the meaningful work of EKU’s public health graduates, two EKU alumni — F. Douglas Scutchfield, MD, ’63, and Judith Monroe, MD, ’76 — simultaneously received awards from the American Public Health Association (APHA).

The prestigious APHA national awards recognize public health leaders for their innovation and excellence in the field.

Scutchfield, the Peter P. Bosomworth professor emeritus at the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health, received the 2019 Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health for his outstanding accomplishments in academic medicine and public health. Scutchfield — who is the founding dean of both the San Diego State University School of Public Health and the University of Kentucky

48 FALL 2020

College of Public Health — was honored for his work on public health accreditation, public health services research and mentorship, among other accomplishments.

Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, received APHA’s 2019 Presidential Citation for her work to improve the health and well-being of people around the world. Monroe was also recognized for her commitment to the future of public health and for her service as a mentor to young physicians and public health students.

Scutchfield and Monroe were presented their awards in November at APHA’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia.

STEVE CRUMP, ’80

Alumnus Inducted into Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame Over the past 40 years, Steve Crump, ’80, has built an enduring, profound and one-of-a-kind journalism career.

He has spent the last 35 years as a reporter with WBTV-3 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and produced more than 20 documentary films on civil rights issues. His dedication and diverse body of work earned Crump a spot in the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.

“I like to think of myself as the guy who just goes to work every day and does what he loves,” said Crump. “And I happen to see the manifestation of that in projects that have been on the local news or on documentaries.”

The Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame honors highachieving journalists with Kentucky roots. Crump, a Louisville native, and 10 others join more than 200 prior inductees. n

RELIVE YOUR COLONEL MEMORIES BROWSE EKU’S DIGITAL ARCHIVES, INCLUDING: · MILESTONE YEARBOOKS · EASTERN PROGRESS COLLECTIONS · PHOTOS · ORAL HISTORY

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EKU MAGAZINE 49

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