Spring 2023 Kentucky Alumni Magazine

Alumni

PRESERVING OVERLOOKED CULTURAL TREASURES

By Sally Scherer

With a degree in marketing, an MBA with an emphasis in finance and real estate and a love of design, Brent Leggs is saving significant Black history sites and projects.

INVESTING IN UK

By Gavin Colton

Former UK basketball guard JP Blevins loves the game. But he also has a passion for investing. And that passion is now benefiting the university he played for.

CELEBRATING 135 YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT

By Sally Scherer

It has been 135 years since UK’s first female student graduated. The UK Alumni Association is going to spend the year celebrating all the women who’ve impacted the university.

MEET OUR GREAT TEACHERS

By Sally Scherer

Each year the UK Alumni Association recognizes outstanding teaching and honors six professors with the Great Teacher Award.

SISTERS WITH A CAUSE

By Sally Scherer

For more than 10 years, these sisters have volunteered at the student-run philanthropy event DanceBlue. And their commitment to the effort has taken them into their professional careers.

RECOGNIZING A WINNER

By Sally Scherer

This UK alumnus is the winningest wheelchair basketball coach in National Wheelchair Basketball Association history. And now he has a court named after him.

Brett Leggs, executive director of the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

Photo by Mariah Miranda

Photo by Levi Welling

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND LEADERSHIP ADVISORY

CREDITS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jill Holloway Smith ’05 ’11: Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Executive Director of the UK Alumni Association

EDITORS

Meredith Weber: Senior Associate Director for Communications and Membership

Sally Scherer: Managing Editor

DESIGNER

Whitney Stamper: Graphic Designer

ASSOCIATION STAFF

Daniel Baldwin

Lindsey Caudill

Christy Coffman ‘18 PH

Dana Cox ‘87 CI

Nancy Culp

Caroline Francis ‘88 BE, ‘93 ‘02 ED

Jack Gallt ‘84 CI

Stacey Gish

Leslie Hayes

Kelly Hinkel ‘11 AS, ‘18 AFE

Marci Hicks ‘87 AFE

Lisa Hiscox ‘05 AS

Albert Kalim ’03 ‘16 EN, ‘20 BE

Ravyn Landenburger ‘17 AS

Erica Langdorf

Jesse McInturf ‘10 BE

Kathryn Schaffer ‘12 AFE

Amanda Schagane ‘09 AS, ‘10 ED

Samantha Seitz: ‘22 AFE

Shelby Stivers ‘18 CI

Dave Timoney ‘06 FA, ‘20 GS

Pam Webb

Don Witt ‘82 ‘84 CI

Christina Yue ‘11 CI

CONTACT US

King Alumni House

400 Rose St. Lexington, KY 40506

859-257-8905

800-269-ALUM

Fax: 859-323-1063

Email: ukalumni@uky.edu

Web: www.ukalumni.net

ukalumni

@kentuckyalumni

@kentucky_alumni

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Kentucky Alumni (ISSN 732-6297) is published quarterly by the University of Kentucky Alumni Association, Lexington, Kentucky, for its members.

© 2023 University of Kentucky Alumni Association, except where noted. Views and opinions expressed in Kentucky Alumni do not necessarily represent the opinions of its editors, the UK Alumni Association nor the University of Kentucky.

Wondering why you received Kentucky Alumni magazine?

All current Life and Active Members of the University of Kentucky Alumni Association automatically receive the Kentucky Alumni magazine quarterly. All who give $75 or more ($25 for recent graduates) to any UK fund, including UK Athletics/K Fund and DanceBlue, are recognized as Active Members regardless of alumni status.

Officers

Antoine Huffman ’05 CI: President

Janie C. McKenzie-Wells ’83 AS, ’86 LAW: President-elect

Robert “Rob” L. Crady III ’04 BE: Treasurer

Jill Holloway Smith ’05 BE, ’11 AFE: Secretary

In-State Representatives

Michelle Bishop Allen ’06 ’10 BE

Jeffrey L. Ashley ’89 CI

Heath F. Bowling ’96 BE

Emmett P. “Buzz” Burnam ’74 ED

John S. Cain ’86 BE

James F. Gilles III ’10 AFE

Emily C. Henderson ’01 PHA

Mark Hogge ’97 EN

Kelly Sullivan Holland ’93 AS, ’98 ED

Dr. H. Fred Howard ’79 AS, ’82 DE

Michael H. Huang ’89 AS, ’93 MED

Shelia M. Key ’91 PHA

Kent T. Mills ’83 BE

Sherry R. Moak ’81 BE

Tonya B. Parsons ’91 AS

Quintissa S. Peake ’04 CI

Peggy Barton Queen ’86 BE

John D. Ryan ’92 ’95 BE

J. Tim Skinner ‘80 DES

Robin Simpson Smith ‘79 BE, ‘82 LAW

Jonell Tobin ’68 ’95 ED

Allen O. Wilson ’03 AFE, ’06 LAW

Out-of-State Representatives

Brooke C. Asbell ’86 BE

Erin Burkett ’01 EN

Shane T. Carlin ’95 AFE

Amanda Mills Cutright ’06 CI

Ruth Cecelia Day ’85 BE

Robert M. “Mike” Gray ’80 ’81 BE

Dr. Michael L. Hawks ’80 AS, ’85 DE

Vincent M. Holloway ’84 EN

John T. “Jay” Hornback ’04 EN

Erin Carr Logan ’06 BE

Thomas K. Mathews ’93 AS

Sylvester D. Miller II ’08 AFE

Mary “Kekee” Szorcsik ’72 BE

Quentin R. Tyler ’02 ’05 AFE, ’11 AS

Alumni Trustees

Brenda Baker Gosney ’70 HS, ’75 ED

Paula L. Pope ’73 ’75 ED

Rachel Watts Webb ’05 CI

Living Past Presidents

George L. Atkins Jr. ’63 BE

Richard A. Bean ’69 BE

Michael A. Burleson ’74 PHA

Bruce K. Davis ‘97 BE

Scott E. Davis ’71 LAW

Marianne Smith Edge ’77 AFE

Franklin H. Farris Jr. ’72 BE

William G. Francis ’68 AS, ’73 LAW

W. P. Friedrich ’71 EN

Dan Gipson ’69 EN

Brenda B. Gosney ’70 HS, ’75 ED

Cammie DeShields Grant ’77 LCC, ’79 ED

John R. Guthrie ’63 CI

Diane M. Massie ’79 CI

Robert E. Miller

Susan V. Mustian ’84 BE

Hannah Miner Myers ’93 ED

John C. Nichols II ’53 BE

Dr. George A. Ochs IV ’74 DE

Sandra Bugie Patterson ’68 AS

Taunya Phillips ’87 EN, ’04 BE

Robert F. Pickard ’57 ’61 EN

Paula L. Pope ’73 ’75 ED

David B. Ratterman ’68 EN

G. David Ravencraft ’59 BE

William Schuetze ’72 LAW

Mary Shelman ’81 EN

David L. Shelton ’66 BE

J. Fritz Skeen ’72 ’73 BE

J. Tim Skinner ’80 DES

James W. Stuckert ’60 EN, ’61 BE

Hank B. Thompson Jr. ’71 CI

Elaine A. Wilson ’68 SW

Richard M. Womack ’53 AFE

Leadership Advisory Council

In-State Representatives

Kevin L. Collins ’84 EN

Christopher J. Crumrine ’08 CI

Abra A. Endsley ’98, ’01 CI

Lu Ann Holmes ’79 DES

Lee A. Jackson ’73 AS

Ashley “Tip” Mixson III ’80 BE

Grant T. Mills ’09 AS

Glen H. Pearson ’87 AS

Dr. Barbara Sanders ’72 HS, ’77 ED

Dena Stooksbury Stamper ’84 AS

Lori E. Wells ’96 BE

Blake Broadbent Willoughby ’11 ’12 ’12 BE

Out-of-State Representatives

Shiela D. Corley ’94 AS, ’95 AFE

James F. Hardymon Jr. ‘87 BE

Mark A. Ison ’99 FA

Dr. Frank Kendrick ’90 ’92 DE

Roshan Palli ’15 AS

Jane C. Pickering ’74 ED

Nicole M. Segneri ’91 CI

Becky L. Spadaccini ’80 AFE

College Representatives

Michelle McDonald ’84 AFE, ’92 ED: Agriculture, Food and Environment

Winn F. Williams ’71 AS: Arts & Sciences

Michael R. Buchanan ’69 ’71 BE: Business & Economics

Jeremy L. Jarvi ’02 CI: Communication & Information

Dr. J. Clifford Lowdenback ’99 AS, ’03 DE: Dentistry

G. Haviland Argo III ’03 DES: Design

Cathy Crum Bell ’76 ED: Education

Dominique Renee Wright ’08 EN: Engineering

Joel W. Lovan ’77 FA: Fine Arts

Benjamin D. Gecewich ’03 HS: Health Sciences

Janis E. Clark ’78 GS, ’85 LAW: Law

Dr. Debra J. Sowell ’82 MED: Medicine

Laura B. Hieronymus ’81 ’15 NUR, ’83 ED: Nursing

Lynn Harrelson ’73 PHA: Pharmacy

Keith R. Knapp ’78 AS, ’05 PH: Public Health

Willis K. Bright Jr. ’66 SW: Social Work

Constituency Group Representatives

James Aaron ‘04 CI

Appointed

Dr. Michael A. Christian ’76 AS, ’80 DE: Honorary

Jo Hern Curris ’63 AS, ’75 LAW: Honorary

Katie Eiserman ’01 ED: Athletics

Thomas W. Harris ’85 AS: University Relations

Stan R. Key ’72 ED: Honorary

D. Michael Richey ’74 ’79 AFE: Honorary

Marian Moore Sims ’72 ’76 ED: Honorary

Amelia Pace: Student Government Association

The Club at UK’s Spindletop Hall offers TWO THIRDS OFF THE INITIATION FEE with 12 months’ dues paid in advance

(A $500 savings for a Family Resident Membership)

Life Members of the UK Alumni Association can join The Club at UK’s Spindletop Hall at any time with No Initiation Fee.

Incredibly affordable Young Alumni/Student Memberships are available to Members of the UK Alumni Association, ages 21 to 29.

Are you UK Faculty or Staff?

You can PAYROLL DEDUCT your dues.

Please inquire.

UK BLACK ALUMNI REUNION

APRIL 13-15, 2023

Questions?

Contact Lindsey Caudill at Lindsey.Caudill22@uky.edu

www.ukalumni.net/BlackAlumniReunion

MEMBERS ENJOY:

3 Heated Pools plus a Baby Pool

8 Tennis Courts

7 Pickleball Courts

Roxie’s Dining Room

Al Fresco Dining

The Spectacular

Spindletop Hall Mansion

Access to Lexington’s Legacy Trail

Basketball & Volleyball Courts

Summer Tiki Bar and Grill

Special Club Events

Expansive Grounds

Summer Camps

Picnic Areas

Please call 859-255-2777 or email membership@spindletophall.org for an application and more information. Also, visit our website at www.spindletophall.org

From the President

When we think of who we want to be as Kentucky’s university, our answer lies in our future — our students.

This spring, for the first time in our institution’s history, more than 31,000 students were enrolled at UK.

We are serving, educating and preparing well over 1,000 more students than we were last spring, speaking to not only the quality and persistence of our students, but the tireless commitment of thousands of faculty and staff.

Recently, we honored several faculty members who were nominated by their students as Great Teachers. Because of these outstanding educators and many other staff across campus, we are retaining more students — students of color, first-generation students, residential and non-residential students and students who come to UK from Kentucky or beyond.

After graduation, these students go on to lead lives of meaning and purpose — future engineers, writers, historians, artists and more.

They are the driving force behind organizations impacting communities, such as Brent Leggs, a UK alumnus who now oversees the largest preservation campaign undertaken on behalf of African American historic sites by a private preservation.

They are leaders who serve in distinct roles and spaces, such as Ron Lykins, head coach for the University of Missouri wheelchair basketball team.

They are trailblazers, such as Belle Gunn, the first female graduate of UK.

These alumni, and so many others who lead by example, remind me of the indelible mark we leave on our communities — if only we are willing to answer the call.

We are, after all, many people. We come from many distinct backgrounds and ideas, rooted in different communities across the nation and world.

But we are one community committed to doing more and being more for those we serve.

Thank you for all you do as alumni and for being part of our story.

Sincerely,

Eli Capilouto President

University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto joined the 50th annual Freedom March, part of Lexington’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in January 2023.

Photo by Arden Barnes, UK Photo

Pride in Blue

Spring is a season of rejuvenation, but for me it is also a season of reflection. I think it’s important to reflect and understand the key attributes that paved the way to our present success. What sits in the forefront of my mind are the connections we make and the relationships we build over time.

One of the most brand recognized awards that the UK Alumni Association provides each year is the Great Teacher Award, which may also be hailed as the MVT – Most Valuable Teacher. This award is given to six recipients and what is so momentous about this award is that it is student nominated. What an honor it must be for the recipients.

Perhaps at some point you were fortunate to have had someone who positively and profoundly impacted your life like these teachers. Perhaps it was a teacher, coach or mentor. For me, two individuals quickly come to mind who are mentors of mine and fostered for me the importance of winning with people: former UK President Lee Todd Jr. and UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart.

During my time as a student at UK, President Todd was seen by many as a true visionary, inventor and innovator and also a great leader of young people. He had an innate ability to connect, motivate and engage young people from all backgrounds because he simply focused on the positive of “one.”

His focus of making an impact on one student at a time had a ripple effect. I remember in 2005, my graduation year, a good friend asked if I thought President Todd would attend his family graduation barbecue. Without hesitating I said I would ask, but I thought it was unlikely since it was graduation weekend and I was sure President Todd had other places to be. That Saturday evening, following graduation ceremonies, President Todd and his wife, Patsy, surprised us by showing up to my friend’s African American and Jamaican American soul food family barbecue. To this day, I remember President Todd as a man of great impact and integrity, a man who put others first, and someone who sought to win the hearts of young people knowing this was the way to move humanity in a positive direction.

My mentor Mitch Barnhart taught me –along with all student-athletes – to be first class in everything you do, to stand for something bigger than yourself, to lead with purpose and to focus on people because it is the investment in people that will last forever. As a man of faith, he continues to build a culture of accountability, integrity, servant leadership and a championship mindset on and off the field.

Mitch and the UK Athletics Department have taken their commitment to student-athletes a step further by launching the “The Kentucky Road” platform. It is a career development and recruitment tool run by the Athletics Department Student Experience division. With it, UK is preparing student-athletes by equipping them with professional skills and helping them pursue internships and work opportunities while providing them with academic support. I am very thankful to have these two mentors in my life.

Mentoring is just one way we help each other. But there are plenty of others. In fact, through the Alumni Association we offer lots of opportunities. You can give to scholarships, network with alumni online and in-person, or volunteer through our clubs around the country. You can even help recruit the next generation of Wildcats and share your own UK story to keep our history of traditions alive. The list goes on.

We welcome you to serve with us, to make connections and build relationships for the betterment of the Alumni Association and the University of and for Kentucky.

Go Cats!

Antoine Huffman ’05 CI UK Alumni Association President

University of Kentucky Alumni Association President Antoine Huffman addressed graduates at December 2022 commencement.

Photo by Mark Cornelison, UK Photo

News

SINGLETARY CENTER FOR THE ARTS NAMES ALUMNUS AS

DIRECTOR

University of Kentucky alumnus Matthew Gibson was named director of the Singletary Center for the Arts, the performing arts center for the university and performance home for the UK School of Music and many community arts organizations.

Gibson served the Singletary Center as marketing and ticketing director from 2014 to 2020, director of operations from 2020 to 2021 when former director Michael Grice retired, and interim director until September 2022.

Gibson, a native of Frankfort, Kentucky, is a three-time UK alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s and master’s in arts administration.

“Matt Gibson, as only the third director of the Singletary Center in its over 40-year history, brings a unique combination of historic engagement with patrons and staff of the center, assuring continued excellence of service to center clients, and a dynamic new vision for how center programming can best serve the university and the community,” said Mark Shanda, dean of the College of Fine Arts. ■

UK RECOGNIZED FOR EFFORTS

TO INTEGRATE INTERNATIONALIZATION ON CAMPUS

The University of Kentucky is among seven U.S. universities and colleges selected to receive a 2023 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.

Named after the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, the award celebrates outstanding innovation and accomplishment in campus internationalization, defined by the Association of International Educators as a conscious effort to integrate and infuse international, intercultural and global dimensions into the ethos and outcomes of their students’ education.

UK is among just four universities and colleges to receive the Comprehensive Award which recognizes overall excellence in internationalization efforts as evidenced in mission, strategies, programs and results.

“Our strategic plan, Global UK, has served as a foundation for this work, guiding us in the creation of several new initiatives and the expansion of successful programs. This is all made possible by the work of a dedicated, passionate team in UK’s International Center and the collaboration and work of so many colleagues across campus,” said Sue Roberts, UK associate provost for internationalization.

The UK International Center launched “Global UK, a Strategic Plan for Campus Global Engagement” in 2021. The plan is the product of diverse voices from across campus and the local community who produced a framework that is aligned with the university’s overall strategic plan and goals. The three pillars of the plan — inspiring global learning and discovery, fostering a globally engaged Kentucky and creating a UK global hub — guide new initiatives focused on internationalization and build upon past successes. ■

Photo by Pete Comparoni

Photo by Estill Robinson

MILLION GIFT TO ESTABLISH SENIOR LEVEL FACULTY POSITION

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has received a $1.6 million gift to establish the John R. van Nagell, Jr. Chair in Gynecologic Oncology.

Given from the Telford Foundation to UK HealthCare, the donation will create an endowed chair in honor of Dr. John R.van Nagell Jr., medical director of UK Markey Cancer Center’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program.

The $1.6 million donation will be

matched by $800,000 from UK’s Research Challenge Trust Fund, to result in a total gift of $2.4 million that will support the senior level faculty position.

A national leader in gynecologic oncology, van Nagell has 56 years of service at UK, specializing in the diagnosis, research and treatment of women’s cancers.

“We are incredibly grateful for this gift and the Telford Foundation’s continued support of the gynecologic oncology program,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “The endowed chair is a fitting honor for van Nagell’s decades of service as a physician-scientist and will continue his legacy of research

SIMMONS COLLEGE, UK ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

and service in the Commonwealth and beyond.”

Van Nagell joined UK HealthCare as a resident in 1967, about 16 years before the creation of the UK Markey Cancer Center. In 1987, he started Markey’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program, an ongoing research endeavor that provides free ovarian cancer screenings by transvaginal ultrasound to women across Kentucky.

Under his direction, UK’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program has provided more than 345,000 free screenings to more than 49,000 women throughout Kentucky. ■

Louisville’s only historically Black college or university, Simmons College of Kentucky, has announced a partnership with the University of Kentucky.

The collaboration will open and broaden pathways for more students as they pursue educational and career goals as well as further professional and personal development.

The partnership will initially focus on educational and career opportunities for Simmons College students through programs with three UK colleges: The J. David Rosenberg College of Law, the College of Arts and Science and the College of Education.

Simmons College President Kevin W. Cosby and UK Provost Robert DiPaola recently signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” which outlines how this partnership will work.

“The magnitude of this partnership’s potential to make change is unprecedented,” said DiPaola. “We know there is tremendous promise in the idea of the University of Kentucky and Simmons College of Kentucky working together, guided by our shared commitment to students and service.” ■

$1.6

Photo by Shaun Ring

Photo by Tyreson Lancaster

INITIATIVE AIMS TO PUT STUDENTS FIRST, HELP UNIVERSITY MISSION

A new campus initiative will build upon the University of Kentucky’s existing efforts to put students first.

Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky, or TEK, is a collaborative effort to support UK students’ success. It serves as the institution’s Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, a key part of UK’s reaccreditation for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Every 10 years, the university seeks reaffirmation from SACSCOC, the body that accredits UK as an institution of higher learning. That accreditation equates to a stamp of approval that signifies the university is meeting the highest standards of excellence for academic rigor, ethical practices and administrative processes. It

also is a necessary component of the institution’s continued ability to receive federal grants and contracts, central to UK’s research efforts, and funds for financial aid.

The SACSCOC reaffirmation process will take place over the next several months, culminating in the fall of 2023.

The spirit of the QEP is rooted in the idea that researchers often work across and among disciplines, in what are called multidisciplinary approaches. In these frameworks, experts come together to collaborate.

A transdisciplinary approach to research is more powerful, more collaborative and includes experts throughout the process. The university is applying this approach to prepare students with essential workforce skills.

“When we help students learn and think about the world in transdisciplinary ways, we prepare them for lives of meaning and purpose — the idea at the center of everything we do at UK,” Provost Robert S. DiPaola said. ■

ALUMNUS CO-FOUNDS APP THAT TURNS OUTDOOR EXERCISE INTO GAME

Destin George Bell graduated from UK in 2020 with a degree in marketing from the Gatton College of Business and Economics. He’s now the CEO and co-founder of the smartphone app Card.io, a gamified app turning any outdoor movement into a social competition.

The app transforms users’ outdoor walking, running or cycling routes into a community-based game of turf war. As users move through part of a city they can claim it for their student organization, friend group or any community on the app. It will also track personal fitness statistics like mile pace, distance and calories.

“The pandemic had just hit, and I was living in my dad’s attic on a busted-up air mattress. I had no access to a gym, but I knew I had to do something to get moving,” said Bell. “You wouldn’t imagine the CEO of a running app hates running, but I do. I had absolutely no motivation. I thought to myself, there’s got to be some way to make this more rewarding.”

After graduating from UK, Bell moved to Austin, Texas, to take off with his idea. He added the founder of “Map My Run” as an advisor and shortly after, met Max Miranda, chief technical officer and co-founder of Card.io, through LinkedIn.

The two have raised $1 million in funding from WM Investments and groups like Niantic Inc., the parent company of Pokémon Go. The popular game publisher took an interest in the pair’s unique idea to bring together fitness and gaming, Bell said. ■

Photo by Arden Barnes UK

Photo

Research

PROGRAM TO HELP ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY, DIET-RELATED DISEASE

A new program, The Food as Health Alliance, brings together clinical and community research that addresses food insecurity and diet-related chronic diseases. As part of the project, researchers collaborate with clinicians, community partners, food commodity producers, healthcare partners and students, finding innovative strategies to improve Kentuckians’ health and patient clinical outcomes.

CLINICAL TRIAL WILL LOOK AT TARGETED THERAPIES FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Today’s medical cancer treatment is not limited to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Advances in personalized cancer medicine include a growing number of targeted treatments based on genetic analysis of a patient’s tumor. Through analysis of next-generation DNA sequencing, a team of medical experts on a molecular tumor board can help oncologists choose targeted therapies tailored to each patients’ individual needs.

A new University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center clinical trial — Precision Medicine Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Molecular Tumor Board Assisted Care to Usual Care — will examine the impact molecular tumor board review has in cancer patient outcomes.

Jill Kolesar, a professor in UK’s College of Pharmacy and co-director of the UK Markey Cancer Center Molecular Tumor Board, is principal investigator of the study, which is supported by a grant from Eli Lilly and Company.

The five-year randomized clinical trial will follow treatment and outcomes for 500 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer. Patients will be recruited from community medical oncology practices throughout Kentucky, primarily from rural and medically underserved areas that carry the highest cancer burden.

“Advances in precision medicine offer more hope for patients than ever before, with personalized cancer therapies quickly becoming approved for multiple molecular targets,” said Kolesar, who also directs Markey’s Precision Medicine Center. “With Kentucky leading the nation in lung cancer incidence and mortality, PRiMAL will provide a significant understanding of the direct impact that access to this approach to personalized medicine can have in the Commonwealth and beyond.” ■

“Recent studies have shown a variety of negative health consequences related to food insecurity, which is why this is such an important priority for us,” said Alliance Director Alison Gustafson, UK Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition professor.

Poor nutrition leads to a variety of health problems, Gustafson said, such as birth defects, anemia, nutrient deficiencies, cognitive issues, aggression and anxiety in children. In adults, it can increase the risk of depression, nutrient deficiency and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. She said food insecurity has increased nationwide due to COVID-19, disproportionately affecting people of color, low-income people, children and rural households.

“There is a lack of application of clinical and community research findings to diet-related chronic disease and food insecurity,” said Jamie Matthews, associate dean for research in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. “The mission of The Food as Health Alliance is to increase and sustain UK’s impact in the interdisciplinary arena of food, agriculture and health for everyone across the commonwealth.” ■

Photo by Adam Padgett

Photo by Steve Patton, UK Agricultural Communications

We want individuals with energy, enthusiasm, and—above all—a passion for learning. If you communicate well, multitask, and take care of business quickly and responsibly, we want you.

longship.us/careers

Brent Leggs spoke with Dion Harris (left), Summit Metro Parks landscape architect, at the groundbreaking of the Sojourner Truth Memorial Plaza in Akron, Ohio, in August 2022. Harris designed the plaza which is currently under construction.

Rectifying an Inequity

By Sally Scherer

UK alumnus Brent Leggs’ parents were educated at a Rosenwald School. Built between 1912-1932, nearly 5,000 Rosenwald Schools provided education to Black children at a time in this country when it wasn’t otherwise readily available.

Funded by Julius Rosenwald, president of retailer Sears, Roebuck & Co., and devised by Booker T. Washington, educator, author and president of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), the schools educated more than 500,000 African American students.

When the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling declared segregated schools unconstitutional, Rosenwald Schools became obsolete and many were abandoned or demolished.

Leggs earned a BBA in 1997 and an MBA in 2000 from the Gatton College of Business and Economics. Despite his business education, he was pretty sure corporate America was not a good fit for him.

He was doing some “soul searching” when he decided to learn more about a furniture making program in UK’s School of Architecture. A random conversation with Dennis Domer, the chair of the graduate program in historic preservation, led Leggs to attend that gradu-

ate program and to conduct a statewide survey of the Rosenwald Schools, a project the state was undertaking.

“He made a very compelling case,” said Leggs of Paducah, Kentucky. “I could combine my interest in real estate with history and preservation.”

On a whim and a chance, Leggs said yes, he remembered. He was to locate and document each of the 158 Rosenwald Schools in 64 counties across Kentucky. Ultimately, all the buildings eligible were to be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.

The 2003 assignment gave Leggs a chance to meet grassroots preservationists and to blend his training in business — he had taken courses in real estate finance and was interested in development — with an interest he was just discovering in historic preservation. Walking through some of the Rosenwald Schools was life changing.

“Standing in a Rosenwald school and being able to touch it, to smell its decay, to see the sunlight come in through the broken windowpanes, to see the physical evidence of the Black experience in Kentucky. It was spiritual,” he said.

With his love of history and an MBA, Brent Leggs can ‘tell the full story‘

Photo by Levi Welling

In 2018, the May's Lick Rosenwald School was listed on the National Register for Historic Places. The school is distinctive as it is brick and has a basement, an unusual feature for a Rosenwald School.

For the next year and a half, he worked on his research project. To better understand the relationship between Rosenwald and Washington, Leggs read Washington’s autobiography, “Up From Slavery.” The book tells the story of Washington’s rise from being enslaved on a Virginia tobacco farm to becoming the president of the Tuskegee Institute of Alabama.

“I understood the idea in Booker T. Washington’s manifesto in physical form and direct connection to my family. That is powerful,” he said.

The Rosenwald research sparked an interest in Leggs that was just the beginning of what has turned out to be an impactful and important career. Since 2005, Leggs has worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today he is the executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and senior vice president of the National Trust.

“He was in the right place at the right time with the right institution,” said Dan Vivian, associate professor in the UK College of Design and director of undergraduate certificate in historic preservation, of Leggs’ time at UK. “Rosenwald Schools matter because they tell the history of integration. Places like this matter. Otherwise, the history goes way. And if it wasn’t for Brent, none of this type of work at the National Trust would be happening.”

Leggs started his career at the National Trust by helping launch the Northeast African American Historic Places Outreach Program that focused on saving significant landmarks in African American history. Some of those saved include the Hinchliffe Stadium in Patterson, New Jersey, one of the last remaining Negro Leagues stadiums in the U.S.; the Irvington, New York, home of millionaire entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker; and legendary boxer Joe Frazier’s Philadelphia training gym.

Today, he oversees the work of the Action Fund — with its motto “Tell the Full Story” — which has raised more than $80 million and supported more than 200 preservation projects nationally since it began. And it has a $14 million endowment. Grants are distributed annually for the work that has included multi-year preservation campaigns for projects such as the St. James AME church in Mayfield, Kentucky, the childhood home of American musical icon Nina Simone in Tryon, North Carolina, and the home of saxophonist, band leader and composer John Coltrane and his wife Alice in Dix Hills, New York.

The Fund was created after the 2017 incident in Charlottesville, Virginia, when white supremacists protested the removal of a state of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The protest resulted in the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer.

Rosenwald's May's Lick Elementary. October 1957.

2022-2023 The Fund celebrates its 5 th anniversary

More than $ 80 million raised since its launch

$4 million in grants to 35 historic Black churches across the United States

Photo by Manoush Zomorodi

Brent Leggs at the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama. The motel stood at the center of several significant chapters of the Civil Rights movement.

Sites in Kentucky that have received funding from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

2023:

Burks Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Paducah was organized in 1871 and has a long history of opening its doors to all in need, including creating the area’s first Black school in the late 1800s. The $200,000 grant is part of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s Preserving Black Churches program and will help make repairs to the failing and fragile church steeples and towers, making it a safer place.

2022:

Louisville’s Quinn Chapel AME Church has a long history of civil rights involvement dating from its congregation’s establishment in 1838, when it was known as the “Abolitionist Church.” Quinn Chapel was built in 1884. A $100,000 grant was awarded to help with ongoing efforts to preserve the historic church, particularly restoring the building’s electricity.

St. James AME Church, Mayfield was founded in 1868. The brick church building was devasted by the fall 2021 tornado. Through the Action Fund, the church was awarded a $100,000 emergency grant and is the first recipient of the Preserving Black Churches Project’s special emergency fund.

2021:

Cherokee State Resort Historic Park, Hardin was the first segregated state park and recreational site for Black Americans in the South. It was established in 1951 and operated until 1964. It was a complement to the then-whites-only Kentucky Lake State Park, which was nearby. Abandoned until 2002, today the area is part of Kenlake State Resort Park. A grant of $50,000 will be used for interpretative signage and programming to tell its story.

The Palmer Pharmacy Building, Lexington once held one of the city’s first Black-owned pharmacies. Dr. Zirl A. Palmer built Palmer’s Pharmacy, Luncheonette and Doctor’s Office in 1961. He was the first Black to serve on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. His term was 1972-1979. Recently, the building that was once slated for demolition, was given new life under an agreement with the city for the United Way of the Bluegrass to open a community resource center there.

Hotel Metropolitan Purple Room, Paducah. The hotel opened in 1909, serving Black travelers when lodging was segregated. It hosted notables such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Thurgood Marshall. The Purple Room, a freestanding building behind the hotel, was an after-hours gathering space for musicians A $50,000 grant will allow for restoration so it can be used as a gathering space once more.

2020:

May’s Lick Rosenwald School, Maysville. Built in 1921 and an early example of its type, May’s Lick Rosenwald School is one of the few remaining Rosenwald schools in Kentucky and the only one of its type in Northern Kentucky. The school needs rehabilitation and the town received a $50,000 grant to complete the rehabilitation of the school project. May’s Lick Rosenwald School is distinctive because it has a basement.

After Charlottesville, the debate over the removal of Confederate statues in many American cities led to questions about what other sites and histories deserve to be preserved. And, as a 2020 article in the New Yorker about Leggs said, the debate reinforced what Leggs had believed for decades that preservation is political and that the kinds of places and structures that are protected are less an indication of what we value from the past than a matter of what we venerate today.

When the Action Fund was started in 2017, of the nearly 100,000 places in the National Register of Historic Places about two percent spoke to Black accomplishments.

“This is my dream manifested,” said Leggs recently of the Action Fund of which he is the founding visionary. “We view the Action Fund as a social movement. It’s a revolution. I’m so proud of this work.”

Since its inception, The Fund has received more than 4,300 funding proposals with requests for $500 million.

The Action Fund isn’t part of the federal government. It receives money from private donations and investors.

The preservation funding has played a major role in helping save several Kentucky African American sites, said Tressa Brown, historic preservation coordinator at the Kentucky Heritage Council. And because Leggs is a Kentuckian, many state projects that might otherwise have not been funded have received grants.

“I feel like we have a better shot at receiving grant money because he’s there. He knows our history.

“And the grants we’ve received have helped generate interest in the preservation projects. It’s not a one and done. It’s like breathing new life into something. After the grant is received what we’re seeing is that people are taking an interest in the project and that spaces are being used,” said Brown who oversees the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission.

Vivian emphasized the importance of that, saying that making properties viable and impactful on the communities where they are located is paramount. It’s one thing to preserve a building or historic site. It’s another to keep it active, give it a purpose, allow it to help a community by serving community members. Vivian credits Leggs’ education in business for understanding the importance of that.

In a 2020 Ted Radio Talk on NPR, Leggs said recognizing and preserving Black historical sites shows that Black Americans are appreciated and that the African American community is recognized for the 400+ years contribution it has made to this country.

“It means that our nation is making new investments to address years of disinvestment and inequity and to understand that the Black experience is an American experience,” he said.

Part of the work of the Action Fund is to help grow resources for future preservation for places that are significant for women, Latinx, LGTBQ+ and others.

“It’s important that Americans know this history because all Americans should be able to see themselves in our shared history.”

Jonathan Coleman, executive director of Lexington’s Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation and a 2014 UK graduate with a Ph.D. in history, said Leggs represents the future of preservation.

“The power of preservation is that it can do so much more than simply save buildings. It can impact inequalities and climate change and it can have community impact and solve social ills.

“It used to be that saving a historic home and turning it into a museum was the model of preservation. Now it’s so much more and Brent’s work represents the power of preservation and where it is headed.” ■

Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey, is one of the few remaining stadiums in the country associated with Negro League baseball. Built from 19321933, it was closed in 1996 and fell victim to neglect and vandalism. A renovation project is underway.

Photo by Daniel Lugo

TEAMMATE A SELFLESS

FORMER UK BASKETBALL PLAYER JP BLEVINS IS INVESTING IN UK’S FUTURE

By Gavin Colton

JP Blevins had dreamed of playing basketball at the University of Kentucky since the fourth grade. His dad, John Paul, had constructed a basketball court in the backyard for JP and his brothers to play on. JP’s dad had played basketball at Western Kentucky and so had his oldest brother, David. It became the theater of JP’s dreams — a place to do the work that would turn his dream into a reality.

JP’s dad had recognized his son’s talent early on and drove him from Edmonton, Kentucky, to Lexington to attend UK Men’s Basketball camps with Coach Rick Pitino. He was wise in exposing his son to basketball camps outside of his hometown and was always willing to put JP into a position to succeed.

Like many athletes, the path to that success required perseverance and there were times when JP doubted himself. He remembers one evening when those feelings of hesitation weighed heavily — was he good enough? He walked out to the court in

his backyard. His mom, Martha, a lifelong schoolteacher who worked long summers in the yard, was out cutting tree limbs.

“You think I could ever play at UK one day?” JP asked her in a straightforward way. He wanted an honest answer.

She set her clippers down and wiped a band of hair off her forehead.

“You can do whatever you want to do if you’re willing to work for it and you believe you can do it,” she said.

The way she said it and the way she looked at him as she said it pierced JP’s soul. It wasn’t the blind assurance that he would play at Kentucky one day, it was the assurance that he could, if he put in the work and believed in himself. It is a feeling JP has held onto ever since — a belief in himself, in what’s possible. This spirit of hard work and belief has guided his decisions on and off the court.

Photos by Tim Webb

A DREAM COME TRUE

In 1998, JP joined the UK Men’s Basketball team. He had achieved his dream of putting on a Kentucky jersey and playing in Rupp Arena in front of his parents. Despite this achievement, he realized that the true value in his dream becoming a reality was the lessons he learned in pursuit of something bigger.

“Sports taught me what true commitment is,” says JP. “I learned about work ethic and how to outwork other people. I learned how to be selfless and a good teammate.”

JP was a stalwart teammate during his time at UK — a crafty and hardworking guard. Then upon graduation, JP faced uncertainty again: “Now what?” He worked a variety of jobs — pharmaceutical sales, a stint in the Commerce Cabinet, public speaking and basketball camps.

Throughout college, JP had developed a thirst for knowledge around investing. He had big financial goals.

“The way I saw it, there were only a few ways to get to the financial place I wanted to get to,” says JP. “1. Start or own a business. 2. Get to the top of your profession. Or 3. Invest.” JP knew investing would be his ticket.

JP’s dad had whetted his appetite in the investment game from a young age. They would discuss options and go together to their local broker and purchase small amounts of stock in John Deere, Coca-Cola — companies they had confidence in and knew weren’t going away anytime soon. Low risk. They both saw small successes that way. Seeing the value of his investments increase thrilled JP. Still, he hungered for something more, something bigger.

“I got passionate about trading and the power of putting your money alongside someone you believe in,” says JP. “I was the guy driving around in my car at 22 listening to Tony Robbins because I wanted to be better and to know more.”

JP attended seminars at Rupp Arena that featured speakers who discussed how they had been successful in their fields.

“I wanted to hear from people who had done it,” says JP. “I made a commitment to being a constant and never-ending seeker of knowledge.”

Acquiring new knowledge became a practice for JP.

“You are what you habitually do,” says JP. “I adopted the mindset that there is no arrival, you are always growing and expanding.”

JP was growing a modest investment portfolio, educating himself in every way he could. When he came home at night, he spent hours combing through charts and studying setups that would yield the best returns on his investments. He was making strides.

Then, in July 2007, JP’s dad, John Paul, passed away at his home in Edmonton. He was known for his great humor, quick wit and entertaining storytelling. A 1967 graduate of UK’s College of Law, John Paul was a steadfast and much-adored attorney.

“He was who I went to for advice on big decisions,” says JP. “I always knew he was leading me the right way. That was gone and I didn’t know where I was going.”

JP Blevins was a member of the UK Men’s Basketball team for four years. His final season was the 2001-2002 season; UK lost in the Sweet Sixteen to eventual champion Maryland. JP made the Academic All-SEC team three times.

Photo Submitted

Photos from Explore UK

JP Blevins’ home basketball court in Edmonton, Kentucky, where he honed his skills and dreamed of playing basketball for the University of Kentucky.

A LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITY

Around 2008, Jim Mahan, an old friend from UK Athletics, called and said he and his dad — Chip Mahan — were starting a bank in Wilmington, North Carolina. They wanted JP on board.

Jim had worked in the UK Athletics’ Center for Academic and Tutorial Services as a liaison between players and coaches during JP’s college career. Then there was Chip.

“Chip Mahan is one of the greatest entrepreneurs to come out of Kentucky,” says JP. “Chip was playing the game on a different level than most people.”

They were starting a branchless bank that would lend to niche industries. JP was no banker, but Jim explained that the bank was putting a great team together and JP would be a great fit. Like in his backyard, in the company of his mother many years before, uncertainty flooded JP. He was without his father’s advice on a big decision for the first time in his life.

“I said to myself, ‘Can I really leave everything I know and all the people who love me to go and do something I know nothing about?’” says JP.

In keeping with JP’s life decisions up to that point, he chose challenge over comfort.

“When a great opportunity presents itself, even if you don’t know what you’re doing, say yes and figure it out,” says JP. “If it didn’t work out, I could always come back to Kentucky. After much prayer, this felt like an opportunity I should leave my comfort zone to pursue.”

It took a couple of years to get all the right pieces in line. Then, in 2010, JP drove the 10 hours to Wilmington, North Carolina, with his golden retriever, Maximus, to work at Live Oak Bank. It was a first-of-its-kind branchless bank, providing lending and deposit services to businesses nationwide. He was 29 years old, knew only two people in his new town, and knew almost nothing about banking.

It was challenging starting from scratch. JP promised himself he would not allow himself to leave before one year in his new role. To overcome the immense homesickness he felt, he committed himself to his work.

“I was hungry to learn about lending,” says JP. “I took credit memos home at night, I asked questions of people around me, I tried to be a sponge.”

His time as an athlete had prepared him to work hard and to work smart. It was all coming back to him.

“I was the first one at the office every day,” says JP. “I smiled at everyone. I found the people who knew the most and I learned from them.”

His investment in his new role paid dividends when the bank asked him to head a team lending in several niche industries. Under his leadership, he grew a team that lent about $60 million in loans annually to approximately $400 million.

In 2018, JP accepted the chief revenue officer job at Live Oak. He had come a long way from his small beginnings in the trading world. He thought back to the first time he walked onto the court at Rupp Arena wearing a Kentucky jersey, the fight song roaring overhead and his parents in the crowd.

“Live Oak had had 20 people working when I went down there. We used to work with our dogs at our feet,” says JP. “A few years later, we were ringing the bell on the NASDAQ.”

Live Oak currently employs over 1,000 people. It went public in 2015, bringing nearly $82 million into company coffers. In addition to the opportunity to invest in Live Oak, JP invested in the internally developed software nCino (Spanish for Live Oak). In 2020, nCino went public with a valuation of $7 billion.

Though JP admits he wasn’t an expert on the software, he knew he was in good company and trusted the people around him who had helped him expand his career. JP’s instincts had served him well when considering his major investments and the right people to bet on.

“Being exposed to all those guys in North Carolina was the education of a lifetime,” says JP. “You get injected with the entrepreneurial spirit. I could have gone to Harvard to get an MBA and it would have paled in comparison.”

“It’s been the journey of a lifetime.”

He always returns to good habits, discipline and his faith. The habits that JP formed in his twenties propelled him when he was 35 and continue to be at the heart of his success. The compounded force and everyday discipline of those habits has had an enormous effect on the trajectory of his career.

OPPORTUNITY

BEING A STEWARD

This year, JP pledged a $500,000 gift to UK Athletics. Giving back is a spirit that JP has cultivated throughout his life, from coaching youth basketball to making gifts to his alma mater. He told himself a long time ago if he ever had the resources to make a difference that he would. The happiest people he has known throughout his life have been givers — of their time, their talents, their treasures.

He remembers attending a church service in college. A man was talking about how to develop the habit of giving early in your life. “‘If you can’t give $10 out of $100, if you ever have $10 million, you won’t give $1 million,’” JP remembers the man saying. That sensibility stuck with him for many years after the service.

“UK is a place where I lived out a dream,” says JP. “Most of the dearest friends of my life I met at UK.”

JP recognizes the grace in the opportunities he’s had — he had two hardworking parents who loved him, a basketball career that opened doors early in his career and found himself in the right room with the right people over the years.

Making a difference at UK is the culmination of years of hard work that began on the basketball court and continues today on the stock exchange. To be able to give back in this way is an honor for JP.

“When you give to things that have meaning to you, that are bigger than you, that outlive you, it does something different for your heart and soul that no personal achievement can do.”

In Edmonton, JP is in the process of building an endowment that will create more opportunities for kids from his hometown.

JP thinks often of his father, who didn’t have a father present in his life. He borrowed money from the church to put himself through law school and became the Metcalfe County Attorney for 34 years.

“My dad changed the trajectory of our family,” says JP. “I want to help kids like him, who had talent, but no opportunity and weren’t exposed to new things.”

In his downtown Lexington office, JP had a mural painted of his childhood basketball court, where he spent the first part of his life putting in the work every day in pursuit of his first dream. It’s a concrete slab set back into a clearing of towering trees that have been there since before JP was born. It reminds him of what’s possible — that he can start small and achieve something great by working hard and being patient. For JP, it’s a simple equation — hard work = success — but it’s nonetheless powerful.

He reflects on his childhood at big junctures in his life, a humble beginning in Edmonton, Kentucky. In his parents he saw models of work ethic, big-heartedness and being a part of something bigger than yourself.

“You don’t get to pick your parents,” says JP. “And I had two great ones.”

JP is still dreaming big dreams, but those dreams have changed. ■

$ UK INVESTS

JP Blevins understands the value of starting small and investing early in yourself — with time, with money and with action.

In 2022, UK launched UK Invests, a program that supports and incentivizes students’ pursuit of financial awareness, education and security through a holistic wellness initiative.

JP believes that students have a tremendous opportunity to cultivate strong habits while they’re still in school and learn about the power of time and compound interest.

“The habits that students learn through this initiative will carry them into successful careers more prepared financially,” says JP. “The earlier students can start, the more powerful they will be.”

“WHEN A GREAT

PRESENTS ITSELF, EVEN IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING, SAY YES AND FIGURE IT OUT .”

By Sally Scherer

It is said that we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, those who changed the world and made it a better place.

This year we are celebrating the women who came before us at the University of Kentucky, the women who changed this university and made it a better place for all of us.

We celebrate generations of women — from the university’s first female graduate 135 years ago — Belle Gunn — to Alyssa Hargis and Princess Valencia, the two student representatives who spoke at December’s Commencement Ceremonies.

We are proud of all of them.

In a series of stories this year — and at workshops, lectures, presentations and recognition events across campus — we will remember the impact the women had and how they made this university what it is today.

In “Our Rightful Place: A History of Women at the University of Kentucky, 1880-1945,” by Terry Birdwhistell and Deirdre A. Scaggs, it says that in 1880, 43 women walked into the president's office at the University of Kentucky and signed the student register, becoming the first female students at a public college in the Commonwealth. For them, and for us, gaining admittance was only the beginning.

Gunn, UK’s first female graduate, was born Arabella Clement Gunn in Lexington but spent her childhood on a farm near Shelbyville, Kentucky. While living in Shelby County, she attended the well-respected Science Hill Academy for girls. Her family returned to Lexington in the early 1880s and Gunn attended the public schools of Lexington and Sayre Institute.

Until the turn of the century, female seminaries and "normal schools" (which trained women for careers in public teaching) were about the only paths available for women who wished to pursue postsecondary education.

The Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College was chartered in 1865 as a department of the newly formed Kentucky University. James Kennedy Patterson became its first president and the first degree was awarded in 1876.

The institution separated from Kentucky University in 1878 and a Normal Department for the training of teachers was opened in 1880, and the first women were enrolled. At the time, women were not eligible for bachelor degrees. In 1884, Leonora Hoeing of Lexington became the first woman to receive a Normal School certificate.

The A&M College moved to this campus on South Limestone Street in 1882 — coming to be known as State College. The school was elevated to university status in 1908 and has been known as the University of Kentucky ever since.

A celebration of all the women who came after her

Belle C. Gunn was first:

At State College, classmates remembered Gunn as "well above average in scholarship, but not so brilliant as to inspire envy and jealously." She participated fully in the limited social life available, including the literary societies.

Women students at State College, the institution that would eventually be known as UK, reached a milestone on June 4, 1888, as the college faculty reviewed the candidates for degrees. They concluded that "Cadets G.G. Bryan, E.E. Curtis, R. Payne and F.V. Bartlett and Miss Belle C. Gunn" had "creditably finished the course prescribed for the degree of Bachelor of Science, it was unanimously resolved to recommend them to the Board of Directors for that degree," according to minutes from the Faculty Senate meeting records at the UK Special Collections.

Before Commencement exercises that year, President James K. Patterson summoned Gunn to his office. He asked the only woman graduate, "I suppose you will not want to sit up on the platform with the young men on Commencement Day, will you Miss Gunn?"

Gunn's reply was brief and pointed, "I've been through four years in classes with them, and I don't see why I shouldn't sit on the platform with them now," she is quoted as saying in “Our Rightful Place: A History of Women at the University of Kentucky, 1880-1945” by Terry L. Birdwhistell and Deirdre A. Scaggs.

At Commencement, the president was reportedly "most gracious" to the first woman graduate, who he referred to as the "Eldest Daughter of the Institution."

The Lexington Daily Press described her as a “strikingly handsome young lady” and as a “bright flower in a soberly hued meadow” of male graduates, according to “The University of Kentucky: A Pictorial History.”

To honor Gunn, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) announced a reimagined Living Learning program, the Belle C. Gunn First-Year Program. The program began in the fall semester of 2020 for incoming freshman.

The on-campus residential program carries Gunn’s legacy into the 21st century by offering a unique opportunity for first-time freshmen wanting to apply their passion and determination to today’s challenges.

“Gunn had the tenacity to swim against the tide and obtain a degree at a time when college-educated women were rare,” said Megan Tennison, CAFE living learning program coordinator. “It’s fitting for her to be the namesake of our new program. We want students who, like Gunn, are eager to push boundaries and apply their ambition to address 21st century issues.” ■

a “ bright flower in a soberly hued meadow” of male graduates.

-“The University of Kentucky: A Pictorial History.”

Who’s the person behind the building name?

They are right there, every day, when we walk on the campus. And yet, chances are, we don’t see them and know very little about them.

Several campus buildings are named for women — and only for women — who have made a difference at the University of Kentucky. Here’s a list of where they are and for whom they were named.

326 S. Martin Luther King Blvd,

Blazer (1895–1991) was the first female member of the UK Board of Trustees, serving from 1939 to 1961. Kentucky Gov. "Happy" Chandler appointed her. An Illinois native, Blazer attended the University of Chicago and was married to Paul G. Blazer who ran the Ashland Oil and Refining Company. At her first UK Board meeting it was reported that, "Mrs. Blazer was cordially welcomed and she graciously assumed her duties," one of those which included serving as secretary of the board for several years.

329 S. Martin Luther King Blvd.

Boyd (1874-1955) was a classics teacher at UK. She was president of the UK Woman’s Club and the Board of Control of Women’s Dormitories for 25 years.

111 Avenue of Champions

Holmes (1886-1983) was UK’s Dean of Women from 1942 to 1957. She championed the rights of women throughout her career. She earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1929 and a master's degree in 1939 from UK. In 1944, Holmes was named state mother for Kentucky and in 1996 she received the prestigious Sullivan Medallion.

705 Sports Center Drive

Ingels (1892-1971) was the first woman graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering when she received a degree in mechanical engineering in 1916 and the second woman engineering graduate in the United States. Her early research at UK and her other posts, including Carrier Engineering Corp., pioneered efforts in air conditioning.

Georgia Monroe Blazer Hall

Cleona Belle Matthews Boyd Hall

Sarah Bennett Holmes Hall

Margaret Ingels Hall

Jewell McVey (1889-1945) taught in UK’s English department from 1915 to 1921, until she married UK President Frank LeRond McVey, ending her official employment at the university. She became well known across the state as an ambassador for UK and for opening Maxwell Place, the resident of the president, for a variety of social and cultural events.

Caudill Little (1909-2002) graduated from Ohio State University. She was a patron of the arts, a vocal performer and teacher. She married W. Paul Little, a businessman and thoroughbred breeder. The Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library holds collections in architecture, art, dance, interior design, music, performing arts and photography. It is also the home of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music.

King (1904-1985) was the first permanent director of the UK Alumni Association and a native of Lexington. She was "Miss University of Kentucky" to thousands of alumni. One alumnus said, "She was the grandest lady I ever knew." A 1925 graduate of the UK School of Journalism, King went to work for the university a few years after graduation. She stayed for 40 years.

Oatts (1926-2018) graduated from UK with a bachelor’s degree in vocational home economics and a master's degree in home economics education. She began her teaching career at age 19 and continued until she retired in 1982 from the Kentucky Department of Education after 25 years as supervisor of vocational home economics. She had a great love for gardening and many of her volunteer activities involved improving the outdoor environment.

King (1879-1966) was secretary to James Patterson, the first president of the university. She became the university’s first librarian. She was also an instructor in Library Science and English. The library opened in 1931, replacing the 1909 Carnegie Library. It was named to honor King in 1948. As librarian, King expanded the collection from a single room to over 400,000 volumes by 1948. The King Library served as the main library until the William T. Young Library opened in 1998.

Richards (1842-1911) was the foremost female industrial and environmental chemist in the United States during the 19th century. Her pioneering work in sanitary engineering and experimental research in domestic science widened professional opportunities for women in the sciences and laid a foundation for the new science of home economics. It was UK President Frank G. Dickey who recommended the house be named for Richards in 1957.

Helen G. King Alumni House 400 Rose Street

Margaret I. King Library

511 Library Drive

Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library 160 Patterson Drive

Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center 500 Alumni Drive

Ellen Richards House 630 Maxwelton Court

Frances Jewell (McVey) Hall 344 S. Martin Luther King Blvd.

Photos from Explore UK

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 GREAT TEACHERS

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, the 2023 Great Teacher Award recipients were recognized before the Arkansas vs. Kentucky men’s basketball game at Rupp Arena. Pictured from left to right are: Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Jennifer Bird-Pollan, Candice Hargons, Derek Lane, Kenton Sena, Martina Vasil, UK Alumni Association President Antoine Huffman and UK Alumni Association Awards Committee Chair John D. Ryan.

Photo by Mark Cornelison, UK

Photo

INTRODUCING

Our 2023

GREAT TEACHER AWARD

Recipients

By Sally Scherer

What takes place in the classrooms at the University of Kentucky is at the core of what makes this a life-changing university.

Great teachers are at the center of that classroom experience for thousands of students each and every year.

Each year we recognize six of UK’s best professors with the Great Teacher Award. The award is the oldest continuously given award on campus for teachers. It honors teachers based on outstanding teaching, concern for students inside and outside the classroom as well as involvement in the academic community.

Now in its 62nd year, the award is based on nominations accepted by current students. Recipients are selected by a committee appointed by the UK Alumni Association’s Board of Directors and representatives of the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa. Recipients receive an engraved award and stipend.

Dibakar Bhattacharyya – known as “DB” – is the UK Alumni Chair Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering and director of the Center of Membrane Sciences. He is a faculty co-principal investigator of the UK National Institute of Environmental Sciences Superfund Research Program. He has been a chemical and environmental engineer and researcher for more than 50 years at UK and is renowned for his research on membranes for filtering and producing clean water.

DIBAKAR BHATTACHARYYA

University of Kentucky Alumni Chair Professor, Chemical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering; Director of the Center of Membrane Sciences

Bhattacharyya conducts research and publishes his findings. But 2023 Great Teacher nominator Rollie Mills is impressed with his engineering professor for other reasons.

“He actively works with water treatment in our local areas where they test his developed technology and how it can overcome the limitations of current county-wide water filtration systems,” Mills wrote in his nomination. He “has immense knowledge in the field. By being in the field for more than 50 years he has touched every aspect of the field, as well as professionally challenged many parts.”

Bhattacharyya earned degrees from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India; Northwestern University and the Illinois Institute of Technology. He received the Great Teacher Award in 1984, 1996 and in 2008.

In the classroom, he helps students connect textbook content to something they are familiar with, Mills wrote. He makes himself available to talk to students about classroom work and their personal lives.

“I vividly remember a student’s childhood

JENNIFER BIRD-POLLAN

Third year law student Michaela Taylor described Jennifer Bird-Pollan as a champion for students who makes her course subject more interesting that you might imagine.

“Tax Law is, well, not the most thrilling subject on the planet, but Dean Bird-Pollan somehow made me and many other students want to practice it for our careers.

“In class she uses real world examples to try and give tax codes real life meaning. She moves at the pace of her students and does not rush through concepts just to get through but tries to ensure that students are actually understanding the concepts and can apply them, not just memorize the code,” says Taylor.

Bird-Pollan joined the faculty in 2010 and is the Judge William T. Lafferty Professor of Law and serves as associate dean of academic affairs for the Rosenberg College of Law. Her research lies at the intersection of tax law and philosophy, specifically regarding the taxation of wealth transfers and issues of sovereignty in international taxation. She has degrees from Penn State University,

Vanderbilt University and Harvard Law School.

Prior to coming to UK, Bird-Pollan practiced law at Ropes & Gray in Boston, focusing primarily on partnership tax and non-profit tax law.

She has been a visiting professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Fordham University School of Law, and the University of Cologne. She served as the 2014-2015 Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Vienna University of Business and Economics in Vienna, Austria. She won the College of Law Duncan Teaching Award in 2017. From 2018-2020, Bird-Pollan served as chairperson of the University Senate Council at UK.

She is a member of the Kentucky chapter of the New Leaders Council, she assists with the College of Law VITA program, and serves as the faculty advisor to the Tax Law Society.

She is committed to promoting equity in her field of study. In 2014 and 2022, the Women’s Law Caucus recognized her as an outstanding faculty member encouraging female empowerment and inclusivity in

dog passing away, and Dr. DB bought doughnuts for the class, as well as cancelled half of class,” wrote Mills. When there is a new graduate student in the department, he loves taking them out to dinner with his wife, Gale, who is also a life-long educator at the Lexington School.

“Dr. DB is always present and active at student-held activities. At the yearly graduate student picnic, he is the first to greet the new students and start a game of volleyball.”

Bhattacharyya was the faculty advisor for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) chapter at UK, receiving the AIChE Outstanding Counselor Award (from the National AIChE organization) in 1983 and 1991. He is involved in Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society having been the advisor from 1983-90 and 2001-present.

“I always say this: Dr. DB is an amazing and kind individual, and an even greater educator,” wrote Mills.

Nominator: Rollie Mills, College of Engineering, chemical engineering, graduate student

all that she does. She is the advisor of the Women’s Law Caucus, an organization devoted to celebrating the glass-shattering and earth-moving contributions of women in the legal field.

She serves as a member of the board of the Lexington Public Library.

Nominator: Michaela Taylor, Rosenberg College of Law, law, third year

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Judge William T. Lafferty Professor of Law, J. David Rosenberg College of Law

Photos by Stacey Gish

Candice Hargons’ involvement in the Lexington community helps her students stay updated on the issues facing the world of counseling psychology and to learn from real-world examples.

Students in her Social Justice Community Engagement, Consultation, and Evaluation class are assigned a project that require consultation with a local community organization, wrote nominator Courtney Wright.

“Whereas other professors may only

DEREK LANE

Professor,

CANDICE HARGONS

Interim Department Chair, Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology, College of Education

require students to reflect on how we would develop a potential consultation project, Dr. Hargons encouraged us to implement our skills in real-time to help our ‘client.’ This creative assignment allowed us to explore each step of the consultation process as well as help the local community pro-bono.”

Hargons encourages her students to be involved locally because she is. Through her research she invites community members to contribute to her work. She leads the Big Sex Study, a research project investigating Black sexual wellness. And she is involved with The Neighborhood Healers Project, a threeprong project aimed at improving the mental health of Black Lexingtonians that is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“This practice ensures that she is aware of current issues people of the global majority experience related to sexual wellness and healing racial trauma, her two primary areas of expertise,” said Wright.

She has degrees from Spelman College, Georgia State University, Howard University and earned her Ph.D. at the

Department of Communication, College of Communication and Information

Doctoral student and nominator Karen Perry says she’s never had a professor who is as genuinely enthusiastic about the subject he teaches as Derek Lane.

“From the very first day of class all the way to the last, Dr. Lane exemplified strong personal command of his content and he committed to lighting that same fire of curiosity in the students he exemplified,” she wrote.

Lane arrived at the University of Kentucky in 1996, after earning his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma, and has taught more than 30 graduate and undergraduate communication courses. He has held administrative positions as associate dean, senior associate dean, and interim dean of the College of Communication and Information.

His instructional and organizational risk and crisis communication research explains how humans understand, organize and use the information contained in face-to-face and mediated messages to improve behavior change in applied contexts. He has delivered more than 100 research presentations and teaches graduate seminars in instructional

communication, theory construction, quantitative research methods, advanced survey research methods and interpersonal communication.

Lane served as the H. Lester Reynolds Endowed Professor in the UK College of Engineering from 2004 to 2015 where his work centered on enhancing the oral and written communication skills of engineering students. He is the recipient of several prestigious teaching and research awards, and he is a previous recipient of a Great Teacher Award having been honored as an assistant professor in 2000.

In the classroom, Lane’s teaching philosophy includes building trust and a sense of community in the class.

He “designs his course so that students are required to take the content of the course and apply it in their own contexts, pursuing their own questions of interest through the required learning,” wrote Perry. “He made that instructional design choice in his doctoral level quantitative research methods course because he knows, as do all excellent teachers, that students will persevere through challenges and high expectations

University of Georgia. Hargons is a member of the Lexington Urban League Young Professionals and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

She serves on the American Psychological Association Board of Directors (2021-2023), is a Fellow in APA Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) and an APA Minority Fellow alumna.

She earned an APA Presidential Citation (2019), and several other national awards for her social justice research and leadership. Because Dr. Hargons operates with a sincere love ethic, she lifts up every student that she engages with,” wrote Wright. “She recognizes the unexplored potential in everyone that she connects with and generously shares strategies to help all students become successful according to their personal strengths.”

Nominator: Courtney Wright, College of Education, Counseling Psychology, graduate student

when their task is meaningful.”

Lane has chaired nearly 50 student committees, and he has served as a committee member for more than 50 additional committees — both inside and outside the College of Communication and Information.

Nominator: Karen Perry, Educational Leadership Studies, College of Communication and Information, doctoral student

In the Lewis Honors College class Restoration Ecology in the Commonwealth, Kenton Sena’s students picked up trash.

The experience stands out for nominator Peyton Mills, not just because of the rather unpleasant assignment, but because of the lesson it taught him.

“Students were required to fulfill a service component, which encouraged most of the class to gather at a site where we had previously taken water samples and clean up all the trash we feasibly could,” wrote Mills. “From this, we learned not only the scientific need for such work but also the intense level of engagement required to do so.

“Dr. Sena always provides more than simple lecture content to his classes, which is a hallmark of the Honors College. There is a reason the classes I had with him stands out in my mind years later: the depth of the additional content in his classes.”

Sena, a lecturer in the Lewis Honors College, earned degrees from Asbury University and the University of Kentucky where he received his Ph.D. in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences in 2018.

His research and teaching interests lie

in forest restoration ecology including reclaiming surface mine sites in Appalachia and reforested urban sites. His service programming engages students in learning about and putting into practice environmentally responsible action in Lexington and across the Commonwealth.

His “knowledge of ecology, the current state of ecological restoration and management, and plant and soil science is deep, and he speaks on every topic with such excitement that is difficult not to be enraptured,” wrote Mills in his nomination.

While his classroom work is impressive, Mills said Sena’s attention to students outside of the classroom is just as significant. Sena eagerly puts students in contact with others who can encourage their interests beyond the classroom. For example, Sena introduced Mills to Dr. Rebecca Gayle Howell, a writer, translator and editor of place-based literature. Through that connection, Mills was encouraged to submit his poetry to the University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research’s Oswald Research and Creativity Competition.

“He believed in me at a time when college

MARTINA VASIL

was new and frightening and this belief really fueled me to be the best student and person I could be,” Mills wrote.

Nominator: Peyton Mills, College of Arts & Sciences, Environmental and Sustainability Studies major, senior

Associate Professor of Music Education and School of Music Interim Director of Undergraduate Studies, College of Fine Arts

particularly those who perform popular music, wrote nominator David Dockan.

“Dr. Vasil is innovative and works to give her students and teachers in the field these new tools to help K-12 students,” he wrote.

An associate professor of music education and interim director of undergraduate studies for the School of Music, Vasil’s research interests center on popular music education — Orff Schulwerk — and music teacher education. For her dissertation she examined how teachers integrated popular music and informal music learning practices into their secondary music classes to enact change in music education.

University of Kentucky Boomwhacker Club (the BOOMCats), Swing Dance Club and the music sorority Sigma Alpha Iota. She has served on the University Senate and is part of the First-Generation Faculty and Staff Advocate Program.

She is president of the Association for Popular Music Education and is past president and webmaster of the Kentucky Orff-Schulwerk chapter. Prior to her appointment at UK, she taught music education in kindergarten through eighth grade in Pennsylvania.

In Martina Vasil’s classroom you may find music education students performing popular music or teaching with fourth- and fifth-graders on campus.

Both of these are examples of the ways Vasil prepares students to focus on amplifying their future students’ voices and promoting student choice through using their preferred music. Her “creative teaching practices” focus on helping her students understand how musicians learn,

As a faculty member, she is an advocate for her students, wrote nominator Larkin Gensheimer. “Any time I was in need I could count on her to provide both mental and emotional counsel, but also help me create a plan to move forward with whatever I was struggling with.”

Vasil encourages her students to get involved with campus activities, wrote Dockan, and models that behavior herself, serving as the faculty advisor for the

When she’s not teaching, you may find her playing with the gamelan ensemble at UK or visiting nursing homes and leading ukulele sing-alongs.

Nominators: David Dockan, College of Fine Arts, graduate student, music education; Larkin Gensheimer, College of Fine Arts, senior, music education and Devin Miracle, College of Fine Arts, senior, music education

KENTON SENA Lecturer, Lewis Honors College

For These Sisters, DanceBlue is a Family Tradition

By Sally Scherer

The legacy started with Erika (Crouch) Abernathy. She was a first-year student at UK in 2012. Her advice for freshmen?

“I would tell a freshman that it’s an experience you can’t fully understand until you go through it. But once you get a taste of it, you’ll be changed.” Abernathy, who graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Education and is now a program coordinator for UK HealthCare, isn’t talking about pledging a sorority or enjoying an early morning breakfast at Lexington restaurant Tolly-Ho.

She’s talking about DanceBlue, the student-run philanthropy fundraiser that supports the DanceBlue Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology Clinic at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Abernathy now works at the DanceBlue Clinic.

The 24-hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon started on campus in 2006 and has raised nearly $20 million. Individual students and teams of students – sororities, clubs, sports teams, dorms – register to dance. On average, 750-800 students dance in the marathon every year. This year, each dancer must raise $400 to participate and the event takes place from 8 p.m., March 25 to 8 p.m., March 26 at UK’s Memorial Coliseum.

Erika’s first experience with DanceBlue was as a dancer. “I didn’t know many people and wasn’t familiar with campus life or life in Kentucky in general,” said the Illinois native. “I got involved in some student organizations quickly, specifically a sorority and a campus ministry. I started hearing about DanceBlue through friends and upperclassmen. They talked about how much fun and life-changing DanceBlue was, so I began fundraising the money to participate.”

Being a part of DanceBlue – her first year at UK and each year after – impacted Erika in ways she never imagined. She made friends with students she would have never met otherwise, she learned leadership skills and the importance of philanthropy and volunteerism, she said. And, in her case, she met her husband.

“I owe a lot of who I am to that time of life and the way I was invested in it. DanceBlue has shown me the collective power that a lot of small acts of good can produce,” Erika said.

Sisters Erika (Crouch) Abernathy and Emily and Meg Crouch have been supporters of DanceBlue throughout their years at UK and beyond. Each is now working for the annual fundraiser in some capacity.

The sisters agree that the big reveal at the end of the 24-hour marathon is the most special moment of the event. Last year’s event raised $1.4 million.

Emily Crouch followed in her big sister’s footsteps when she came to UK in 2015.

“I saw how invested she (Erika) was in the organization and how much it meant to her, and I thought I should give it a try, too,” said Emily, a 2019 graduate with a degree in nursing. She works as an RN at the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic.

Emily got involved with DanceBlue through her sorority’s dancer team. “I was hooked after that and then applied to be on a committee where I served in several different areas over my three remaining years at UK.”

Her favorite part of each marathon was seeing students from all over campus participate in the event, she said.

During Emily’s senior year she volunteered at the clinic every week. She got to know the families of the children with cancer who were being treated at the hospital, the children and their families who benefitted from the money raised at DanceBlue.

“Oftentimes families will make T-shirts or bracelets for fundraisers or as a sign of support for the kids going through treatment. It’s one of my greatest privileges to be a part of these families’ journeys as a nurse and as a former DanceBlue student,” she said.

By 2018, youngest sister Megan Crouch was starting her first year at UK, following in her sisters’ footsteps. Clearly, the DanceBlue bug was contagious.

Megan, a 2022 graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the Gatton College of Business and Economics, works as an associate director of philanthropy at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital. She volunteered in several roles during her years with DanceBlue, including as a morale committee member and the dancer relations chair.

“The thing with DanceBlue is it just doesn’t happen in March. Committees are working all year. The programming committee plans the themes for each hour to keep the dancers engaged and awake, the operations committee makes sure there’s always food available and recruits volunteers to help out,” she explained. The marketing committee makes sure publicity gets out about the event and the family relations committee works to involve the families of the children being treated for cancer, hosting holiday parties year-round and including them during all 24 hours of the marathon.

The 24 hours are broken into segments, sort of. During the first few hours, participants are taught the line dance. Then, at the top of each hour, everyone joins in the line dance. Each hour has a theme and activities are provided for students to participate in after the line dance. Then, in the final hours of the marathon there’s a talent show where kids, both in treat ment and in remission, are given an opportunity to perform. Finally, the total amount of money raised is revealed.

In addition, there are other DanceBlue fundraising events that take place. There are “mini marathons” at schools across Kentucky, there’s a 5K race, a silent auction and alumni can be involved through a letter writing campaign to dancers, pro viding donations for care packages for dancers and by raising funds.

The 24-hour DanceBlue marathon is a family affair for the Crouch family. Not only do the three sisters, Erika, Emily and Meg participate, but family and friends gather in Lexington the weekend of the event to cheer on the dancers.

Jennifer Mynear helped found the marathon in memory of her son Jarrett who died at 13 of cancer. He was first diagnosed at age 2. She has nothing but complimentary things to say about the Crouch sisters’ involvement with DanceBlue.

“They emulate service above themselves,” she said. “All three of them are confident, enthusiastic and committed to leaving the world better than they found it. They are willing to learn and serve and want to make a difference. Their values are very strong.”

Wendy Crouch is a very proud mother of her three University of Kentucky alumnae.

“We love Kentucky,” she said. “It has been good to our girls.”

Her daughters were raised in a Catholic home where they were taught that service to others is expected, she said. DanceBlue was a perfect fit.

“I can’t speak highly enough about it,” she said during a recent interview from her home in northern Illinois. “It’s my favorite weekend of the year.”

Yes, that’s right. Since oldest daughter Erika’s junior year, the Crouch family – which often include aunts and grandparents and anyone else who wants to come – has made a trip to

All funds raised through DanceBlue are donated to UK’s Golden Matrix Fund which works to support the kids of the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic.

To give to this year’s DanceBlue dance marathon, visit https://danceblue.networkforgood.com/ or send your contribution to C/O DanceBlue, 160 Avenue of Champions, Suite A154, Lexington, KY. 40506 or call 859-257-7329; 859-257-5068 or 800-875-6272.

Club News

1. Members of the Fulton County UK Alumni Club traveled by bus to Lexington to attend a men’s basketball game in Rupp Arena in January. Club members cheered on the Cats to a victory over Texas A&M.

2. The Greater Birmingham UK Alumni Club got together for a holiday party in December. From left to right standing are Bill Rooks, Bill Stumbo, Kay Gerlach, Gary Gerlach, Pam Stumbo, Olivia Fons, Betsy King, Sallie Bryant and Jim Bryant. From left to right kneeling are Kaitlyn Thomas and Aaron Fons.

3. The Cats for a Cause project for the Chicagoland UK Alumni Club involved packing Back 2 School America boxes. Volunteers assembled and distributed back to school kits for children in need.

4. The San Diego UK Alumni Club had a great turn out at a recent game watch party. Club members gathered at Wonderland Ocean Pub in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego to watch the Cats.

5. The Tampa Bay UK Alumni Club enjoyed watching a men’s basketball against the University of Louisville and the Music City Bowl game on December 31 at Bubba’s 33. Left to right are Andrew Simpson, Jim and Hilda Holt and David Martin.

6. The Cats for a Cause event for the Sarasota/ Suncoast UK Alumni Club took place at the YANA Center, a walk-in mental health service clinic in Sarasota. Club members refurbished the library at the center by donating books and furniture. Club Secretary Mary Ware was the project coordinator. Club members in the center of the photo are Mary Ware (seated), Michael Ware, Greg Reinhold, Pete Shattuck, Judy Moore (seated), Pat Reinhold (seated) surrounded by YANA staff. Club volunteers not pictured are Al Fish and Joe Moore.

7. Members of the New York City UK Alumni Club collected a variety of items for a Toys for Tots donation in early December at Jack Demsey’s.

Sports

STOOPS ‘PLEASED WITH THE WAY WE FINISHED’ WITH FOOTBALL SIGNEES

The Wildcats start their 11th season under Coach Mark Stoops in the fall coming off a 7-6 season.

Ranked 31st overall nationally in the team rankings, and No. 12 in the SEC, Kentucky has 27 newcomers in the 2023 signing class with seven transfers and 20 high school signees.

Stoops said he was “pleased with the way we finished” and considers the new signees a “really strong class.”

This year’s class includes:

• Nasir Addison, Irvington, Irvington, N.J.

• Khamari Anderson, Cass Tech, Detroit, Mich.

• Jaremiah Anglin Jr., Lake Wales, Lake Wales, Fla.

• Ardell Banks, Massillon, Massillon, Ohio

• Tanner Bowles, Alabama, Glasgow, Ky.

• Anthony Brown, Springfield, Springfield, Ohio

• Jayvant Brown, St. Thomas Aquinas, Deerfield Beach, Fla.

• Ty Bryant, Frederick Douglass, Lexington, Ky.

• Marques Cox, Northern Illinois, Peoria, Ill.

• Ray Davis, Vanderbilt, San Francisco, Calif.

• Jakob Dixon, Pleasure Ridge Park, Louisville, Ky.

• Jantzen Dunn, Ohio State, Bowling Green, Ky,

• Tavion Gadson, Jenkins, Savannah, Ga.

• Kendrick Gilbert, Catholic, Indianapolis, Ind.

• Grant Godfrey, North Gwinnett, Suwanee, Ga.

• Shane Hamm, Dayton, North Jackson, Ohio

• Jonquis “JQ” Hardaway, Cincinnati, Central-Phenix City, Ala.

• Koby Keenum, Mars Hill Bible School, Florence, Ala.

• Devin Leary, North Carolina State, Sicklerville, N.J.

• Tanner Lemaster, Washington, Washington Court House, Ohio

• Shamar Porter, Ensworth, Gallatin, Tenn.

• Austin Ramsey, Roman Catholic, Philadelphia, Pa.

• Keeshawn Silver, North Carolina, Rocky Mount, N.C.

• Avery Stuart, Alabama Christian Academy, Montgomery, Ala.

• Jamarion Wilcox, South Paulding, Douglasville, Ga.

• Malachi Wood, Madison Central, Richmond, Ky.

• Tommy Ziesmer, Boyle County, Danville, Ky.

There will not be a spring game this April as the turf on Kroger Field is set to be replaced.

Kentucky is slated to play seven home games this fall. Those include non-conference matchups against Ball State (Sept. 2), Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 9) Akron (Sept. 16) and conference games against Florida (Sept. 30), Missouri (Oct. 14), Tennessee (Oct. 28) and Alabama (Nov. 11). Away games include Vanderbilt (Sept. 23), Georgia (Oct. 7), Mississippi State (Nov. 4) and South Carolina (Nov. 18) and Louisville (Nov. 25). ■

TOP CATCHER IN NATION IS KEY TO UK SOFTBALL SUCCESS

Kentucky softball began its 2023 campaign ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) Division I Coaches Poll and a big reason for that is because of fifth-year senior Kayla Kowalik.

Kowalik began her fifth and final year as a UK player ranked the top catcher in the nation by Extra Innings Softball and has proven to be key to the Cats success since her arrival in Lexington.

She has hit over .450 in each of her last two seasons at UK and was named an All-Southeastern Conference performer in three of her four years here. She was in the running for 2021 National Player of the Year, when she hit .500 for the season, setting a record for the UK Softball program. In 2021, Kowalik was named NFCA First Team All-American.

One of the most feared lead-off hitters in the country throughout 2022, she his .420 with 76 hits, 57 runs scored and 28 RBI. She leads the UK program record for runs scored in a career with 214.

The Cats ended the 2022 season ranked No. 21 so Coach Rachel Lawson has high expectations for Kowalik and her teammates again this season.

Specifically, Lawson expects Kowalik to serve as a calming presence behind the plate, helping manage the pitching staff in key situations.

Lawson said she feels great about the pitching staff of junior Stephanie Schoonover, graduate student Kennedy Sullivan, senior Sloan Gayan, sophomore Alexia Lacatena and sophomore Izzy Harrison. Especially now that Kowalik has found her groove with them.

“She’s always been incredibly mature,” Lawson said. “This year she’s hit a new gear. She’s figured out how to talk to them. It’s like having another coach on the field.”

Kowalik said she needed to find a different strategy of dealing with each pitcher when making visits to the mound. Whether it’s helping the pitcher take a deep breath or lightening the mood with a joke, she realizes her leadership

ALUMNA ABBY STEINER WINS ANOTHER TOP AWARD

University of Kentucky sprinter Abby Steiner won The Bowerman – the most prestigious award in collegiate track and field – in December 2022.

Evaluation for The Bowerman takes both indoor and outdoor seasons into consideration to decide the best in men’s and women’s collegiate track & field.

Having swept the 2022 USTFCCCA Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year Award, the Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year Award, and the Honda Sports Award for Track and Field, she capped a golden year with The Bowerman.

Steiner, who came to UK from Dublin, Ohio, is the first Wildcat athlete to win The Bowerman, which was first awarded in 2009.

Among the swiftest athletes on the planet, Steiner won three NCAA titles in 2022. Individually, she swept the 200-meter dash at the indoor and outdoor national championships, setting an American record and second-fastest mark in world history with a blazing 22.09 seconds in the indoor event.

Then, in the outdoor 4×400 relay, she turned in one of the most amazing performances in collegiate track history. Taking the baton in the third leg, at

least 25 meters behind in fourth place, she blew past the world-class competition and gave the baton – now approximately seven meters ahead – to Alexis Holmes, who took it to the finish for the Wildcat gold medal.

In addition to the indoor 200 record, Steiner also set the collegiate records for the outdoor 200 (21.80) and indoor 300 (35.80) and as part of the 4×400 relay, which ran 3:21.93 at this year’s Southeastern Conference Championships.

The statistic that best demonstrates her combination of versatility and amazing performances? She ran in 14 different events this year at the NCAA and SEC outdoor and indoor championship meets and earned a medal in all 14.

Also strong in the classroom, Steiner was both the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year after compiling a 3.802 gradepoint average and earning a degree in Kinesiology. She graduated summa cum laude in the spring, Steiner turned professional in the summer and immediately made her mark on the world stage. She won the 200 at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, moving on to the World Athletics Championships, where she helped earn

in the pitcher-catcher relationship is crucial to the team’s success.

“I’m hard-headed so it took me awhile,” she jokes. “But a switch just kind of flipped a little bit through last year. What can I do to help our pitchers out? What can I do to not only be a really good player but be a really good person for my teammates in the way they need to? I am helping them do what they need to do as much as they are helping the team. So if I can help them be better, our team is going to be infinitely better.”

The Wildcats began their season with a difficult schedule, playing their first 20 games away from Lexington in mostly warmer climates. But Lawson is optimistic the schedule will prove the team’s mettle early.

“I think you’re going to be really impressed with the peo ple we have in the program. It’s a tough schedule,” she said. “We have a lot of talent. We have a lot of energy. We’ve got to make sure we’re playing at an elite level right away.”

two gold medals for the United States as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. (The Bowerman is awarded for the collegiate indoor/outdoor seasons only and professional accomplishments are not considered.

Also, Steiner was named to the NCAA Today’s Top 10 list, which honors only 10 student-athletes from the 520,000 male and female student-athletes from all sports in NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III, for their combination of athletic prowess and academic achievement. ■

Photos courtesy of UK Athletics

A REAL WINNER

By Sally Scherer

Ron Lykins enrolled at the University of Kentucky because he wanted a chance to go to college away from his home in the suburbs of Chicago and because he’s a huge basketball fan.

While those two reasons – a fondness for basketball and the opportunity to be on his own – may sound kind of typical for some UK students, Lykins’ experience at UK and his career that followed are anything but typical.

“I was taking a class that required two 90-hour field work experiences,” said Lykins who was a recreation administration major at the time. “I didn’t have a car, so I asked around about what I could do on campus and someone said to me that the wheelchair basketball team was always looking for help. That experience turned my life around.”

Lykins, who graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s in recreational administration and a master’s in 1986 in health, physical education and recreation from the College of Education, has coached the wheelchair basketball team at the University of Missouri since 2009. In his initial season, he led the Tigers to their first winning season in program history. Since then, the team has won nine Mizzou Wheelchair Basketball Classics and

has finished six times in the top five at the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, including a thirdplace finish in 2014.

In November 2022, he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

In December 2022, the university and MizzouRec dedicated the basketball court at Brewer Fieldhouse in his honor.

“I’m just overwhelmed by it,” he said shortly after the dedication. “I’m proud of what I’ve done and this honor has given me time to reflect. There are so many people who have helped me. It has been nice to look back. I’m really thankful.”

MizzouRec Director Stephen Byrd said of Lykins, “Not only are his competitive accomplishments unmatched, but his presence at Mizzou itself is also an institutional point of pride. I hope others will be inspired to invest themselves in making our campus culture more inclusive for everyone.”

In addition to all his wins at Missouri, Lykins is the winningest coach in international competitions in United States Wheelchair Basketball history, garnering 12 gold medals and five silver medals. He has coached in 16 international competitions.

Photos by Abbie Lankitus

The basketball court at the University of Missouri’s historic Brewer Fieldhouse now bears the name of Coach Ron Lykins, a University of Kentucky alumnus.

In 2020, he led the U.S. men’s team to a repeat of gold at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. He also led the American women to back-to-back gold medals in 2004 and 2008. He is the only coach in Paralympic history to lead both men’s and women’s teams to gold. He retired from international coaching in 2021, just weeks after coaching the U.S. men’s team at the Paralympics Games Tokyo 2020.

“It just got to be a lot and my wife was ready for me to be at home,” he said.

Finding his passion

It was just dumb luck, Lykins said, that he happened to be in the right place at the right time at UK. Stan Labanowich, who organized the UK recreational wheelchair basketball team in 1975 and was also serving as the Commissioner of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, was running the UK wheelchair basketball program at the time.

“He was a great teacher,” Lykins said. “He cared about people and he made things so interesting. I just connected with him. He looked to the greater good and he introduced me to some good people. The program at UK included students and community members. They all had experiences I hadn’t had, but one of the life lessons that I learned is that a wheelchair is just a way to get around.”

While Lykins was a student, the Bluegrass Invitational Tournament was held on campus and Lykins did a “lot of grunt work” to help organize and run the event.

longer exists at UK, though there are men’s and women’s teams at the University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the University of Illinois.

A sports fan all his life, Lykins said basketball is his favorite sports. And although he originally thought he wanted a career in sports administration, there was something about being with players on the court that really appealed to him.

“On the floor I could teach them basketball and they could teach me wheelchair,” he said. “I never saw anyone in a wheelchair when I was growing up. It was a real eye opener to me.”

Wheelchair basketball was created after World War II. Veterans who were returning from the war with various degrees of paralysis started playing at Veteran Administration hospitals throughout the country, according to the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Eventually, the teams played each other and national tournaments were organized. In 1948, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and the first NWBT tournament were organized. Women started playing in the 1960s and in 1968, a U.S. team competed in the Paralympic Games in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The sport is divided into divisions with teams for adults, youth, colleges, club teams, women and military. There are professional teams that play in Europe. Wheelchair basketball is played on the same size court as college and professional basketball and the rules are generally the same.

“You get two pushes on your wheels before you dribble, pass or shoot,” Lykins explained. “But other than that, it’s the same. It’s a physical game and there’s some contact, but not like

During his years of coaching, Lykins has seen the sport change in many ways. The rules have changed and there’s been incredible skill development with players. And the wheelchairs have gone from “old clunkers to Ferraris,” Lykins said. At Mizzou, some scholarships are available and the fan base is growing, said Lykins, with 300-500 at a game.

“I can’t thank the people in the HPR (health, physical education and recreation) department enough,” said Lykins. “I went on a lark to help with a team I didn’t know much about. I will always be grateful that I took a chance and got so much support. UK couldn’t have been a better place for me.” ■

Coach Ron Lykins spoke at the basketball court dedication last year. Lykins worked with the UK wheelchair basketball team when he was a student at UK.

Class Notes

1960s

Richard Taylor ’63 AS will be inducted into the 2023 Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. A poet, essayist, novelist and nonfiction writer and teacher, Taylor served as Kentucky’s Poet Laureate from 1999-2001. He has taught at Kentucky State University and Transylvania University.

Brooks Alexander ’67 BE has joined the law firm of Triplett & Carothers as counsel. Alexander brings experience in estate planning as well as business succession planning to firm clients, most recently working 41 years at Middleton Reutlinger, formerly one of Louisville’s best-known and oldest law firms.

Elaine Wilson ’68 SW received the City of Somerset’s Martin Luther King Jr. Acts of Service Award. Wilson, the Somerset Community College director of Cultural Diversity, was described by Somerset Mayor Alan Keck as “Someone who cares not just about people of color, but cares about her entire community, her church, her college and the kids, her family, her local school system.”

Bill Cunningham ’69 LAW received an honorary doctorate at Murray State University. The retired Kentucky Supreme Court Justice served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Korea and Germany before entering his judicial career. He served as a city attorney,

a public defender for the Kentucky State Penitentiary, a commonwealth’s attorney and as a circuit court judge for the 56th judicial district. He served for 12 years on the state supreme court.

1970s

Wayne K. Talley ’71 BE was recently asked to share his expertise on shipping and maritime supply chain management with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Talley retired from Old Dominion in June 2022 after 50 years.

John Carr ’72 ’75 EN has been inducted into the Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame. After a successful 31-year career with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Carr retired as a deputy state highway engineer in 2016. Carr joined Wilbur Smith Associates (now CDM Smith) as vice president for Kentucky in 2004.

Kelly Thompson ’72 LAW is the newest justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court. Thompson began practicing in 1972 as a trial lawyer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. He then served as a private litigator in Bowling Green before joining the state Court of Appeals in 2007. He will represent the state’s second Supreme Court district.

Darlys Rowland Warren ’72 AS was inducted into the Pineville Schools Hall of Fame. Warren taught English in Pineville from 197274 and she taught English at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College from 1982-91989 and served as academic dean of the college. She worked for 18 years as the coordinator of one of the first Youth Services Center in Kentucky before serving as the Laurel County School District to coordinate public relations from 2010-2013.

Morgan C. Atkinson ’74

AS was awarded the Governor’s Award in the Arts Media Award, sponsored by the Kentucky Arts Council. The award, presented by Gov. Andy Beshear, recognizes Atkinson’s work as a documentary filmmaker.

Juliann G. Sebastian ’74 NUR created the Juliann G. and James Russell Sebastian Nursing Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation. Juliann G. Sebastian has been the dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing since 2011.

Mary Diane McCord Hanna ’77 AFE was elected Fayette County judge executive. Hanna owns and manages Silvacola Farm, several furnished rental properties and is an artist and calligrapher.

Larry Lambertson ’77

MED has joined Northeast-

Helen Deiso was the editor of the Kentucky Kernel in 1947 when she checked the pages with the head pressman, Karl Davis, in the old printing plant.

Photos from Explore UK

ern Center in Kendallville, Indiana, as a staff psychiatrist. Lambertson has an extensive background in psychiatry as well as community mental health. Most recently he was the medical director and staff psychiatrist for Park Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

J. Dale Belt ’78 BE has joined the leadership team at Atlanta-based Coginiti Corp., as chief financial officer. Belt has more than 35 years of finance and accounting expertise in public and private companies.

Keith Knapp ’78 AS, ’05 PH will be inducted in to the American College of Health Care Administrators 2023 Hall of Fame. Knapp is associate clinical professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.

Cynda Hylton Rushton ‘78 NUR was selected by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses as the 2023 Distinguished Research Lecturer. She is an international leader in clinical ethics and ethical nursing practice. She is a founding member of Johns Hopkins University Berman Institute of Bioethics.

1980s

Alphonso O. Ogbuehi ’80 AS has been appointed dean of the College of

Business and Professional Studies at Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, North Carolina. Since 2019, Ogbuehi has served as dean of Stockton University’s School of Business.

Elery M. (Rusty) Shoemaker ’80 EN is senior team leader – corporate, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations/WANO AC, Atlanta, Georgia. He recently completed his Ed.D. with concentration in organizational leadership from NOVA Southeastern University.

Mike Marberry ‘81 EN has been appointed as an independent member of the American Water Works Company’s board of directors. Marberry served as president and CEO and as a member of the board of directors of J.M. Huber Corporation from 2009 to 2022. Under his leadership, Huber has been recognized as one of the most sustainable family enterprises in the world.

Zindell Richardson ‘83 DE has been named government dental officer for United Concordia Dental, a national dental solutions partner. Richardson will serve as the dental-clinical authority for government programs including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Laurance B. VanMeter ’83 LAW was chosen as the chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. His fouryear term began in 2023. VanMeter has served at all four levels of the Kentucky unified court system: Fayette District Court judge from 1994 to 1999, Fayette Circuit Court judge from 1999 until election to the Kentucky of Appeals in 2003. He served on the Court of Appeals for 13 years. He was elected from the 5th Supreme Court district.

Dana T. Calland ’84 EN has been named the chief academic officer for Maysville Community and Technical College. Calland has been employed at MCTC since 1991 and has served as associate dean of academic services, transfer coordinator, professor of

mathematics and Maysville campus director.

Harold Nally ’86 SW has been hired by the Danville Boyle County Development Corporation as a workforce development specialist. Nally served as Morehead State University’s director of human resources and Title IX coordinator from 2015 to 2020. He has more than 20 years of human resources experience in higher education and government.

David Bouchey ’87 AS has joined Aegis Capital as head of equity healthcare research. Prior to joining Aegis, he worked as a healthcare analyst at C.D. Unterberg, Towbin, LCC, Canaccord Adams Inc. and RBC Capital Markets Corp., focusing on small and midcap companies.

AFE Agriculture, Food & Environment

AS Arts & Sciences

BE Gatton College of Business & Economics

CI Communication & Information

DE Dentistry

DES Design

ED Education

EN Engineering

FA Fine Arts

GS The Graduate School

HS Health Sciences

HON Honorary Degree

LAW Rosenberg College of Law

MED Medicine

NUR Nursing

PHA Pharmacy

PH Public Health

SW Social Work

Class Notes

Karen Gallagher ’89 PHA has been appointed to the PMV Pharmaceuticals Inc., board of directors. She brings more than 30 years of biotech leadership and expertise to drug development and commercialization. She is a director at Atara Biotherapeutics and Frazier Lifesciences Acquisition Corp and until recently, Turning Point Therapeutics which was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb.

1990s

Pamela Ann Stein ’90 DEN was named dean of the College of Dental Health at the University of Pikeville. She had been serving as division chief of dental public health at UK. Prior to that she was in private practice for 13 years.

James K. Blackmon Sr. ’92 SW is an inductee in the 2023 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Blackmon was a 1983 McDonald’s All-American at Marion High School before joining the UK men’s varsity team. He has coached two teams to the class 2A high school basketball championship in Indiana, winning backto-back titles in 2008 and 2009. He also won the class 4A high school basketball championship in Indiana in 2016.

Walter Gilliam ’93 ED has been named Buffett Early Childhood Institute executive director at the Univer-

sity of Nebraska. Gilliam was the Elizabeth Mears & House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at Yale University’s Child Study Center in New Haven, Connecticut.

Robert Ramey ’93 HS was named president of Baptist Health Hardin. Ramey’s history with Baptist Health dates back more than 25 years and he has been president of Baptist Health’s 410-bed Madisonville hospital since 2015.

Bennett Knox ’94 AFE is the new director of the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department. He joined the county from Louisville Metro Parks where he worked for 20 years, most recently as parks administrator for the natural areas division and Jefferson Memorial Forest.

Laura Rudolph ’95 BE joined Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky, as a career engagement specialist. Rudolph came from Henderson County schools where she served as assistant principal at North Middle. Prior to that she was curriculum coach, school career and technical coordinator and business teacher at Hopkins County Central High School in Madisonville.

Wade White ’95 AS has joined the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors. White works with Farmers Bank and Trust

Company of Princeton and Eddyville, Kentucky, in business development and public relations after serving as Lyon County judge executive for 12 years.

Shelli Wilson ’95 ED is the new superintendent of Campbell County Public Schools. Wilson became principal at Donald E. Cline Elementary School in 2003 and served as associate superintendent since 2006. She was an adjunct professor at Northern Kentucky University from 2010 to 2021.

Mark Hecquet ’96 BE has been named president and CEO of the Springfield (Missouri) Convention and Visitors Bureau. Hecquet served as president and CEO of Travel Butler County, a destination marketing organization serving nine communities in southwestern Ohio. Prior to that he was the sports marketing director for the Warren County, Ohio, Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Stephen K. Hall ’97 NUR has joined the Ephraim McDowell Heart & Vascular Institute in Danville. Hall is board certified as a family nurse practitioner and has more than 35 years of experience. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the U.S. Army, and the Army Nurse Corps, in 1987. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2018 with 30 years of active-duty service.

Nancy Reeves Kemp

Hooper ’97 PHA has been hired as the manager of Recovery & Well-Being Services for the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. Hooper is a pharmacist in long-term recovery and an active member of the Tennessee Pharmacy Recovery Network. She is passionate about serving and advocating for people suffering with, or in recovery from, substance use disorder.

Keith McCutchen ’97 FA has been elected to serve on the Kentucky Humanities board of directors. McCutchen is a pianist, composer, conductor and an associate professor of music at Kentucky State University.

David Schroeder ’97 CI received the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce NKY Community Award. Schroeder has served as the Kenton County Public Library executive director since 2007 following years of work in the archival information field for Thomas More College and the Diocese of Covington.

Dr. Ralph Alvarado ’98 MED has been appointed Tennessee state health commissioner. Alvarado was a Kentucky state senator and a GOP politician. He is the CEO of Alvarado Medical Services in Kentucky.

Jaime Sayre Kawaja ’98 BE has been promoted to

the role of general manager/general sales manager of WFLX Fox 29 in West Palm Beach, Florida. She brings 25 years of experience in sales and marketing to her new position. She began her career at WKYT-TV, Lexington.

Melissa K. Rosing ’98 HS has been named president and clinical director at Adaptive Imports. She will oversee U.S. sales and distribution of complex rehabilitation equipment brands. She has spent her 24-year career at the Cincinnati Children’s Perlman Center, a multi-disciplinary therapy program that includes an assistive technology evaluation center for patients with complex neuro-motor diagnoses.

2000s

Larry D. Ashlock ’00 LAW is a new circuit court judge in Hardin County, Kentucky. Ashlock was an attorney in private practice for 22 years before winning election for the judgeship. Ashlock has held public office before serving two terms on Elizabethtown City Council.

Teresa L. Gardner Owen Tyson ’98 NUR was named one of 10 Women of Influence by Fierce Health Care. Tyson is president and CEO of St. Mary’s Health Wagon in Wise, Virginia. Health Wagon cares for the uninsured and underinsured and is the oldest free mobile clinic in the nation.

Patrick J. Zingerella ’98 AS has been hired as an archeologist at the Bureau of Land Management Lakeview Field Office in Lakeview, Oregon. Since 2000, he has conducted archeological fieldwork and reporting in 23 states for private-section projects.

Jill Carrier Jones ’99 HS has been named principal at the Corbin Preschool Center, part of Corbin Independent School District. She has worked with the Corbin Independent School

District for 21 years as a speech language pathologist.

Sarah Mills ’99 SW is the new executive director of Morning Pointe, Danville. She will oversee daily operations at the senior living and memory care community. Previously she served for 13 years at Stanford Care and Rehabilitation in Stanford, Kentucky.

Debra M Powell ’99 AFE has become a board member with the Certified Horsemanship Association. Powell owns and operates a mobile small business, Powell’s Equine and Canine Therapeutic Services. She provides alternative therapies, including massage, therapeutic laser, therapeutic ultrasound and pulsed electromagnetic therapy to horses, dogs and cattle.

Sam Sorsa ’00 AS has been hired as the chief financial officer by Barrell Craft Spirits in Louisville. A 20-year-veteran of the financial and beverage alcohol industries, Sorsa most recently served as chief financial officer for Dant Crossing and Log Still Distillery. He spent 16 years at Brown Forman.

James Butler ’01 BE has joined Brinker International Inc., as chief supply chain officer and senior vice president. Before joining Brinker, Butler was senior vice president for Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, heading supply chain management for Yum! Brands and the KFC restaurant system.

Dr. Lee Dossett ’01 AS has been promoted to chief medical officer at Baptist Health Lexington. He joined the 434-bed academic medical center in 2009 and has served in several leadership roles, including as chair of the department of medicine and president of the medical staff.

Dean Marcia Dake (second from left) greeted three new faculty members in the fall of 1954 as the second year of classroom activity began at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.

With Dean Dake are May Sanders (left), assistant dean of the college, Jean French and Grace Wallace. The program included four years’ work leading to a baccalaureate degree in nursing. The instructors in the picture are registered professional nurses.

Career Corner Career Corner

GIVE BACK TO UK STUDENTS AS A MENTOR

We’ve recently launched a mentoring and networking platform called Wildcat Network. You can find it here: www.wildcatnetwork.com.

You can create an account in less than five minutes and engage with fellow UK alumni, students, employees and friends of UK.

On the network you will find specific groups associated with the college you graduated from and affinity groups like Alumni Band and Phi Mu Rho Iota Chapter.

Consider joining a structured mentoring program for alumni and students to connect. Structured programs are a great way for you to hone leadership and mentoring skills while giving back to UK.

The Lewis Honors College is one of the first colleges to offer a structured program on Wildcat Network and it has received fabulous feedback from student and alumni participants.

“I did not know much about plastic surgery before the program. Dr. Samuels allowed me to shadow her on multiple surgeries and I got to learn procedures pertaining to each one.”

— Priya Patel, sophomore in Biology

“I love working with young people just getting started. They have an idea of the direction they want to take but may need help navigating the way. That is where I think mentors can pay it forward. Networking is key and cannot be understated! It is something that a young college student should be doing their entire college career.”

— Charles Kelly Kilgore, Class of 1985

Be sure to flag yourself as “Willing to Help” so other users know they can reach out to you with quick questions.

Flash mentoring is popular on the network as well. Students or fellow alumni may contact you for support on topics like industry guidance, relocating advice, serving as a speaker/panelist in a classroom or student group.

Inside the Big Blue Business Directory alumni and students can share details on any businesses they own. Be sure to post photos from Alumni Club events in the photo library and post in your Alumni Club group too so you can tag friends. If you have job leads to share with the UK community, consider posting them in the job board. You will see a variety of jobs and internships cross posted from UK’s career resource hub called Handshake.

After you set up a profile, check back in regularly and watch for a monthly email newsletter. The Alumni Association team posts swag challenges, news and new structured programs are added regularly. Hope to see you on Wildcat Network! Have questions? Email us at wildcatnetwork@uky.edu.

Amanda Schagane is associate director of UK Alumni Career Services. UK Alumni Association Life/Active Members are eligible for two complimentary appointments per year with a certified career counselor. Visit http://www.ukalumni.net/career to learn more about resume critiques, career assessments, interview preparation, Central Kentucky Job Club, encore careers and other Alumni Career Services.

Class Notes

Jamie Eads ’01 BE has been appointed by Governor Andy Beshear as the executive director for the Kentucky Racing Commission. Eads served as interim executive director for six months. She joined the KHRC in 2008 as the director of the Division of Incentives and Development. In 2016, she was appointed deputy director.

Jennifer Mooney ’01 ‘11 AS has been named district director of the Northern Kentucky Health Department. Mooney served as assistant health commissioner since 2019. She held leadership roles with the Cincinnati Health Department from 2011-2019. She spent 10 years teaching and conducting research at UK prior to that.

David Duttlinger ’02 GS has been promoted to rear admiral in the United States Navy. Duttlinger is the executive director of the Blue Grass Area Development District after being a naval engineer at several posts.

Daniel Garrett ’02 AS has been named the new head coach of the Metcalfe County High School baseball team. He coached middle school baseball for four years and is in his fourth year coaching the MCMS basketball team.

Rana Johnson ’02 CI is Kansas State University’s first vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belong-

ing. Previously Johnson was the associate vice president for inclusion excellence and strategic initiatives at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Michael Cook ’03 BE has been named managing director of Lexington solutions for Sabal Investment Holdings, a real estate investment management firm. Prior to joining SIH, Cook served as chief portfolio manager at ALF-CIO Housing Investment Trust.

Whitney Floyd ’03 AFE has been named chair of BIG I Kentucky, the state’s top insurance trade association. She is vice president of Field & Main Insurance in Henderson, Kentucky. She is co-founder and past president of the Henderson Rotaract Club, past treasurer and board member of Henderson Community College Foundation and past membership chair and secretary of Friends of Audubon.

John Lynn Jefferies ’03 PH has been named chief medical officer of Nuwellis Inc., a medical technology company focused on helping people with fluid overload. Jefferies serves as the Jay M.Sullivan Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and Chief of Cardiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He will continue in this role while serving as CMO for Nuwellis.

Kyle McKinney ’03 AFE has been named vice president of innovation in the new Innovation Department at Alltech. Since 2018, McKinney has served as the global director of Alltech’s enzyme management platform. Prior to that he spent three years in Costa Rica focusing on leveraging Alltech Crop Science technologies to control disease and reduce chemical applications.

Laura Yount ’03 AFE has been named chair elect of Big I Kentucky’s board of directors. Big I Kentucky is the state’s top insurance trade association. Yount is principal of Mountain Valley Insurance I London, Kentucky. She has served as BIG I Kentucky’s emerging leaders, events, government affairs and membership services committees.

Pamela Parker ’04 NUR has joined PeaceHealth Medical Group in Bellingham, Washington, in its cardiology clinic. Parker, a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner, has spent her career working in cardiology, practicing electrophysiology, general and interventional cardiology.

Allison J. Donovan ’06 LAW has joined the board of directors for Stock Yards Bancorp, parent company of Stock Yard Bank & Trust Company. Donovan is a member of Stoll Keenon Ogden. She has been with the firm since 2006. She concentrates on corporate,

securities, mergers and acquisitions and banking matters.

Carrie Truitt ’06 FA has been named the executive director of Camp Horsin’ Around, a Central Kentucky nonprofit that provides an outdoor camp adventure for children whose health is compromised or have special needs. Truitt has served in leadership roles with Hosparus Health, the Arts Council of Mercer County, the Art Center of the Bluegrass and the Ephraim McDowell Health Care Foundation.

Chaka Cummings ’07 BE has been hired as the inaugural executive director for the Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky. Cummings has

been a classroom teacher, administrator and diversity practitioner. He has been the director of K-12 postsecondary and equity policy and practice at The Prichard Committee in Kentucky. He was the senior manager of inclusion at IMG Academy.

Kaustav Misra ’08 AFE has been appointed dean of the School of Business at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Most recently Misra served as association dean of the School of Business at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut.

Gifty Osei-Prempeh ’08 EN received the Golden Bear Empowerment Faculty Award from West Virginia University Institute of

Technology. Osei-Prempeh is a professor and chair of the chemical engineering department. She began teaching at WVU in 2010.

Eric Scott ’08 CI has been named the associate vice president for communications and marketing at Eastern Kentucky University. Scott served as Berea Police Chief and in various positions with the University of Kentucky Police Department. He is a former member of the UK Wildcat football team and the Tennessee Titans NFL team.

Anne Moore Shaw ’08 DES is the new executive director of the Howard County Historical Society, Kokomo, Indiana. She was a principal investigator for the civil engineering

Newly elected officers of Guignol Players and their sponsor plan for the 1956-1957 theatre season. Left to right are Vice President Vicki Arrington, Louisville; Treasurer Jackie Mundell, Lexington; President Suzanne Shively, Lexington and Secretary Frances Nave, Lexington with Ernest L. Rhodes, seated, faculty advisor.

Class Notes

firm Clark Dietz Inc. She has been involved with the historical society as a volunteer since she and her husband moved to Kokomo five years ago.

Benjamin Crider ’09 AS is part of a groundbreaking experiment at the Mississippi State Facility for Rare Isotope Beams where researchers are measuring how long exotic nuclei can survive at the edge of stability. Crider is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Sean Patterson ’09 AS has been named Chief Executive Officer at TriStar NorthCrest. He will oversee a 109-bed hospital serving the healthcare needs of those in Robertson County, Springfield, Tennessee. Most recently, Patterson served as Chief Operating Officer at St. Mark’s Hospitals in Utah.

2010s

Bill Renzi ’10 FA was named Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Volleyball Official of the Year. He was the first 16th Region referee to work on the ladder at the state championship game in November 2022 at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky.

Michelle L. Tucker ’10 EN won a $10,000 prize for equine research after completing her graduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Tucker received the prize for giving the best platform presentation at the symposium, held at the University of Calgary’s Spy Hill campus. She also won the $10,000 grand prize at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine International Equine Symposium two months earlier.

Rebecca Delles ’11 AFE has been named innovation and analytics manager of the Innovation Department at Alltech. Delles has supported Alltech as a research scientist since 2013.

John McMaine ’11 EN has been named South Dakota State University’s first recipient of the William Mibra Griffith and Bryne S. Griffith Endowed Chair in agriculture and water resources management. McMaine is an assistant professor and SDSU extension water management engineer. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering since 2017.

Amy Carrington Stout ’11 AFE has been promoted to Vice President of Leadership Development at Commerce Lexington. Stout has been a team member at Commerce Lexington for 11

years and is responsible for managing the Leadership Lexington and Leadership Central Kentucky programs, as well as the annual EMERGE conference and Emerging Leaders of the Bluegrass.

Nathan S. Harris ’12 LAW was named to the Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.Harris joined the Nashville office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as a partner. He is a member of the Corporate & Securities Practice Group.

Sara-Elizabeth Bush ’13 CI received the 2022 Program Director of the Year Award from the McLane Company. Bush is the director of philanthropy for the Children’s Miracle Network at UK HealthCare.

Taylor L. Rippe ’15 AS, ’18 LAW has joined Miller Upshaw Family Law PLLC in Nashville. Before joining the firm, Rippe worked at the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands as a Family Law Staff Attorney.

Julia Lawrence ’16 BE has joined the Ohio Secretary of State’s office as assistant chief legal counsel. Lawrence also served on the legal team at the Ohio House of Representatives, having previously worked in the private sector litigating and mediating probate, domestic and employment cases.

The Tau Sigma dance fraternity presented May recitals in the 1940s. Organized in 1938 under the direction of Mary King Kouns as a woman’s athletic activity, the modern dance group affiliated with Tau Sigma Greek honorary in 1942.

Cassi Friday ’16 MED has been named the director of research program and grants at Cure HHT in Monkton, Maryland. She has been a volunteer with Cure HHT — hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, a genetic blood vessel disorder — for several years doing science and research-related projects.

John Brockman ’17 EN has been promoted to Atlanta division manager for Fischer Homes. Brockman joined Fischer Homes in 2017 as a construction field manager for the Northern Kentucky division. He then joined the company’s sales and marketing teams as a sales counselor and a member of the strategic marketing team.

Ashlee Kleven Hayes ’17

PH has joined CEimpact as director of brand marketing strategy. She is a third-generation pharmacist with more than two decades of direct patient care experience. CEimpact is an industry leader in pharmacy education and training.

Colyn True Wright ’17

AFE has joined the Ephraim McDowell Gastroenterology Practice in Danville. Wright is board certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Dr. Claire Fletcher ’18 MED has joined the family medicine and obstetrics team at Glacial Ridge Health Systems in Glen-

wood, Minnesota. Fletcher completed her family medicine residency and a yearlong fellowship in obstetrics at SeaMar Community Health Care in Marysville, Washington.

Robert Kuhn ’18 CI recently graduated from the 83rd Indiana State Police Academy. He will receive three-months of field training before his training is completed. Kuhn played baseball at UK and was named All SEC his junior year. He served in the Marine Corps from 2018-2022.

Yajie Zhao ’18 EN was hired as the interim director of the Vision & Graphics Lab at the University of Southern California Institute of Creative Technologies. Her research interests are human face modeling. Her goal is to make high resolution facial data accessible to the entire research community.

Kevin Beardmore ’19

ED has been selected as president of Southeast New Mexico College. He was previously vice president of Student Affairs at Owensboro Community and Technical College in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Sarah Fay ’19 EN has been appointed as director of the Out for Undergrad international Engineering Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fay is a project engineer for RESPEC in Kentucky, focusing on abandoned mine land projects. Since 2004,

O4U has created leadership conferences for high-achieving LGBTQ2+ undergraduates in Business, Engineering, Tech and Marketing.

Rodney Ledford ’19 HS is the main dentist at the Grace Health dental clinic in Manchester, Kentucky. Grace Health was established in 2008 and is recognized as a Federally Qualified Health Center, the first of its kind in the multi-county area that it serves in Southeastern Kentucky.

Stacy Hounshell Trent ’19 AFE was recently named the new Breathitt County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent. She has been the senior nutrition education assistant with the Wolfe County Cooperative Extension Service for the past eight years.

2020s

Sydney Hendrix ’20 FA was nominated for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for her portrayal of Gertrude McFuzz in “Seussical the Musical” at Uptown Music Theatre of Highland Park in the Broadway World Chicago Awards.

Dr. Jessica Adkins Murphy ’20 MED has been elected president of the board of directors of the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association. The board is the governing body of the organization. Members are elected by their peers

to offer governance and strategic direction to the organization.

Tiara Cochran ’22 HS has joined Ephraim McDowell Liberty Family Medical Center in Danville as an advanced practice provider. Cochran is board-certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Casen Parker ’22 AS is the new field representative for Hardin County for U.S. Congressman Brett Guthrie. Parker is a Glasgow, Kentucky, native.

Gillian Stawiszynski ’22 CI has joined the staff of the Winchester Sun and the Jessamine Journal. Previously she was a reporter with CivicLex, a civic education organization in Lexington.

In Memoriam

Imogene Haggard ‘46 AFE Paris, Ky.

Rose Marie Blanchet ‘48 AS Lexington, Ky. Life Member, Fellow

Joseph H. Blandford Jr. ‘49 AS Louisville, Ky.

John D. Morrow III ’50 BE Louisville, Ky.

Elvin Brakebill ’51 AS Sun Lakes, Ariz.

Byron F. Romanowitz ‘51 EN Lexington, Ky. Life Member, Fellow

Linda Anderson Surface ‘51 AS Bowling Green, Ky.

Paul Sutton ’51, ‘57 AFE Vincent, Ohio

Louis W. Withers ‘51 EN Lake Forest Park, Wash.

Ellen Claire Allen ‘52 AS, ‘55 CI Lexington, Ky.

Frank E. Barnett ‘52 EN Bellbrook, Ohio

Robert R. Conrad RPH ‘52 AS Bridgeport, W.Va.

Maj. Gene A. Fronk ‘53 AS Sebring, Fla.

Dr. John C. Robertson ‘53, ‘58 AFE, ’60 AFE

Lexington, Ky. Fellow

William R. Brinkley ‘54, ‘65 AFE

Berea, Ky.

Evangelos S. Levas ‘54 BE Lexington, Ky. Life Member, Fellow

Elizabeth B. Barnes ‘55 AS Jacksonville, Fla. Life Member

Donald L. White ‘55 EN Marietta, Ga.

John T. Bondurant ‘56 AS, ‘60 LAW Louisville, Ky. Life Member, Fellow

The Honorable John Y. Brown Jr. ‘57 AS, ‘61 LAW, ’81 HON Lexington, Ky. Life Member, Fellow

Joseph W. Lyddane ‘57 AS Philpot, Ky.

Earl Adkins ‘58 ED Shelbyville, Ky.

Carl C. Bischof Jr. ‘58 EN Virginia Beach, Va.

Roosevelt Maynard Jr. ’58 EN Lexington, Ky. Life Member

Harold Mays ’58 ’60 EN Frankfort, Ky. Life Member

Stanley C. Powell ‘58 EN Fort Worth, Texas

Harry Weingartner ‘58 EN Minneapolis, Minn.

Jay Atkerson ‘59 ED Franklin, Ky.

Dr. James G. Herron ‘60 AS Americus, Ga.

Life Member

Fred Lee Schulten ‘60 AS Louisville, Ky.

Morry B. Floyd ‘61 LAW Richmond, Ky.

Jean M. Everett ‘62 FA Maysville, Ky.

Bobby Allen Miller ‘63 AFE Lexington, Ky.

B.Wayne Simmons PE, PG ‘63, ‘65 EN Nicholasville, Ky. Fellow

Warren M. Fee ‘66 AFE, ‘68 AFE Springfield, Va.

Darrell Houston ‘66 BE Danville, Ky.

Brenda D. Nolan ‘67 CC Carolina Shores, N.C.

Dr. Joseph L. Lukins ‘69 MED Danville, Ky. Fellow

Judge Stan Billingsley ‘70 LAW Nicholasville, Ky.

Suzanne Traylor Teater ’70 AS Lexington, Ky.

James A. Collis ‘71 AS Kings Mountain, N.C.

Dr. Frederick E. Brenk ‘71 AS Milwaukee, Wis.

Lois Lavon Fields ‘72 ED Falmouth, Ky.

Gaynell T. Johnson ‘72 CI Oakland, Calif.

Richard A. Sanks ‘72 LAW Sarasota, Fla.

Stephen F. Bosley ‘73 EN Bowling Green, Ky, Life Member

Bruce Cummings Boyens ‘73 LAW Nokomis, Fla. Life Member

Jim L. Flegle Jr. ‘74 AS Dallas, Texas Life Member, Fellow

William McKinley Franklin ‘74 SW, ‘85 SW Lexington, Ky.

Dr. Terry L. Birdwhistell ‘75 AS, ‘78 CI, ‘95 ED Lexington, Ky. Life Member, Fellow

Harold Dodson ’75 AS Hermitage, Tenn. Life Member

Philip L. Wallace ‘75 BE Louisville, Ky.

Sherry Ezell Calhoun ‘76 AFE Hopkinsville Ky. Life Member

Margaret Ann Evans ‘77 NUR Cincinnati, Ohio

Dr. George F. Keifer Ph.D. ‘77 ED Lexington, Ky. Fellow

Foster Ockerman Jr. ‘77 LAW Lexington, Ky. Life Member

Dr. Elizabeth L. Rompf ‘77 SW, ‘89 ED Winchester, Ky. Fellow

Patricia A. Brophy ‘78 ED Lexington, Ky.

Filson Claude Graham ‘78 BE Lexington, Ky. Life Member

Eric W. Gulley ‘78 BE Lexington, Ky.

Dr. Alison R. Rieke ‘78, ‘84 AS Fort Thomas, Ky.

FORMER DEAN OF LIBRARIES TERRY L. BIRDWHISTELL

Terry L. Birdwhistell ’75 AS — former Dean of Libraries and William T. Young Endowed Chair at the University of Kentucky, who was considered UK’s historian and one of the country’s pre-eminent oral historians — died in January. He was 72.

Michael D. Swintosky ‘79, ‘80 EN North Canton, Ohio Life Member

Thomas R. Rhodes ‘80 AS Louisville, Ky. Life Member

Bernadette A. Long ‘81 DES Lexington, Ky. Life Member

Philip G. Ciafardini ‘83 BE Wilder, Ky. Life Member

Jack P. Wilshire ‘83 EN Richmond, Ky. Life Member

Dr. Chris T. Howard ‘84 DE Gilbertsville, Ky.

Mark Willis ‘84 EN Lexington, Ky.

Dr. Cornelia C. Bingcang ‘85 MED Nicholasville, Ky. Fellow

Dr. Green R. Miller ‘86 BE Morehead, Ky.

Jennifer L. Hall ‘94 CI Frankfort, Ky.

John Raymond Henry ’96 HON Brooksville, Fla.

Brad W. Rister ‘96, ‘99 EN Lexington, Ky.

Joseph Wayne Coleman ‘02 GS Lexington, Ky.

Dr. Jason L. Johnston ‘07 DE Elizabethtown, Ky.

Natalie Jane Scates ‘11 AS Lexington, Ky.

Dr. Morgan Brooke Smith ‘13 PHA Tompkinsville, Ky.

also earned a doctorate in higher education from UK’s College of Education, where he taught oral history for many years.

Over five decades, Birdwhistell assumed increasing leadership roles in UK Libraries and became nationally prominent for his work as an oral historian. In addition to his tenure as dean of UK Libraries, Birdwhistell also served as associate dean for special collections and digital programs, university archivist and founding director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.

As Dean, Birdwhistell oversaw 11 libraries in the Commonwealth’s library system, a more than $20 million budget with nearly 4 million volumes, 73,000 series subscriptions and some 400 online databases.

“Being an archivist and an oral historian is like planting seeds and you don’t know when they’re going to germinate or what’s going to grow, but it’s fun,” Birdwhistell once told an interviewer about his 50-year career at UK.

“Terry was a person who knew more about the history of the University of Kentucky than anyone else,” said Charles T.Wethington, UK’s 10th president. “He was the university’s historian … As far as I’m concerned (Terry) is the father of the oral history program at the University of Kentucky, which has received national and international recognition. Terry is Mr. Oral History at UK as far as I’m concerned.”

Birdwhistell was born in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown College before coming to UK to earn master’s degrees in both history and library and information science. While studying for his master’s degrees in 1973, he took a job in UK Libraries and never left the university. He

Birdwhistell served as co-editor of “Kentucky Remembered: An Oral History Series,” published by University Press of Kentucky; produced two documentaries on Kentucky Educational Television (KET) and served as the president of several professional associations, including the National Oral History Association. He was the author or co-author of 15 published books.

In nearly 1,000 oral history interviews, Birdwhistell interviewed and documented the lives of the famous, such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lady Bird Johnson, Kentucky governors, senators and other politicians and University of Kentucky presidents.

He also documented the lives of everyday Kentuckians, including many who were otherwise powerless or voiceless, preserving their histories and stories — Vietnam Veterans, members of the Frontier Nursing Service, who struggled to bring primary care to Eastern Kentucky. ■

Alumni Feature

GOODIN RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS PAUL F. PARKER AWARD

By Rosa Mejia-Cruz

Susan Goodin, PharmD, FCCP, FASHP, BCOP (R198), senior director, CMC Leadership and Portfolio Strategy in BioTherapeutics Development & Supply of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award.

The Paul F. Parker Award is a recognition of lifetime achievement given annually to a past resident of the University of Kentucky (UK) Pharmacy Residency Program or an individual intimately associated with the success of the program. This award recognizes an individual who has displayed a sustained contribution to the profession in practice, teaching, or research; a commitment to high ideals and excellence in their chosen field; leadership and innovation; and a passion for encouraging the personal and professional growth of others.

Goodin received her Bachelor of Science (’90) and Pharm.D. (’91) degrees from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. She subsequently completed an American Society of Health-System Pharmacy accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and an Oncology Pharmacy Residency at the Lucille P. Markey Cancer Center in conjunction with the University of Kentucky Medical Center. After completing her residencies, she joined the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (Rutgers), where she was a founding member of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and played a key leadership role in the organizational design and establishment of the clinical practice, clinical research infrastructure, and NCI-designation of the cancer center.

Goodin has demonstrated an unmatched ability to balance ground-breaking research and exceptional clinical care. During her 25 years at the cancer center, she continued to practice

and conduct clinical trials while serving in various leadership roles in the university and the cancer center, including as the interim director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at University Hospital, deputy director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute in New Brunswick, a tenured professor at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the executive director of Statewide Affairs for the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the executive officer for the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium.

She served on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, was the founding editor-in-chief of The Oncology Pharmacist and was a reviewer for several pharmacy and cancer journals. Goodin remains active in several national pharmacy organizations and previously served as the Board of Pharmacy Specialties and the Oncology Specialty Council chair. She is a past recipient of the ASHP Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists Distinguished Service Award, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Award of Hope for Patient Care, and the HOPA Award of Excellence. She has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles on the treatment and prevention of cancer, demonstrating her leadership in practice and patient care.

“Dr. Goodin has given to Kentucky, and the world, her expansive and long-lasting contributions to oncology pharmacy resident and fellowship training, translational research through leading clinical trials, and an international reputation in cancer prevention and treatment research that is unmatched within pharmacy,” said David DeRemer, PharmD (R297), one of the nominators for the award.

Goodin received the award at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Susan Goodin, 2022 Paul F. Parker Award recipient

Creative Juices

John Winn Miller ’77 AS has written his debut novel, “The Hunt for the Peggy C: A World War II Maritime Thriller.” The book, a semifinalist in the Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Competition, captures the breathless suspense of early World War II in the North Atlantic. Captain Jake Rogers, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet after witnessing the oppression of Jews in Amsterdam: A Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution. “The Hunt for Peggy C” is laced with nail-biting tension and unexpectedly heartwarming moments.

Frank X Walker II ’96 AS, ’01 HON is the author of “A is for Affrilachia.”

The children’s book looks at the people and places in Appalachia, a term Walker

coined that focuses on the cultural contributions of African American artists, writers, and musicians in the Appalachian region of the United States. “A is for Affrilachia” is a celebration of the people, physical space and historical events that may not be as well known in mainstream educational structures. Illustrated by award-wining artist Ronald W. Davis, the book includes a glossary to engage discussion regarding the importance of the individuals and places represented. Walker was Kentucky poet laureate in 2013, the first African American writer to be named to the position. He is the founder of the Affrilachian Poets and is an associate professor in the UK Department of English.

Jamie H. Vaught ’79 ‘81 BE has written “Forever Crazy About the Cats: An Improbably Journey of a Kentucky Sportswriter Overcoming Adversity.” The book tells the story of sportswriter Vaught’s long and adventurous career covering Wildcat sports while overcoming personal adversity – a devastating hearing loss since birth. Part memoir, the book features stories and inside accounts about a variety of Wildcats including Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Dan Issel, Tubby Smith, Blanton Collier, Vic Adams and Maci Morris.

Wendell E. Berry ’56 ’57 AS, ’86 HON has published 13 new stories from the Port William membership spanning the decades from WWII to the present in “How It Went: Thirteen More Stories of the Port William Membership.” For those readers of his poetry and inspired by his work as an advocate for rational land use and right-size life, these stories offer entry into the fictional place of value and beauty that is Port William, Kentucky. The stories are told with grace, ease and majesty and explore the memory and imagination of Andy Catlett, one of the well-loved central characters of the Port William saga. Berry is an award-winning essayist, novelist and poet.

Gerald L. Smith ’81 ’83 ‘88 AS has edited “Slavery and Freedom in the Bluegrass State: Revisiting My Old Kentucky Home.” Using the song and the museum site of My Old Kentucky Home as a central motif, the chapters move beyond historic myths to bring into sharper focus the many nuances of Black life. This groundbreaking collection introduces readers to the strategies African Americans cultivated to negotiate race and place within the context of the border state. Smith is a history professor at UK and the pastor at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Lexington.

Michael J. Georgulis Jr. ’86 GS is the co-author of “Implantable Medical Devices and Healthcare Affordability: Exposing the Spiderweb.” The United State spends a lot on health care, but apparently the spending doesn’t equate to value, quality or performance. Among 11 high-income countries the United States healthcare industry ranked last during the past seven years in four key performance categories: administrative efficiency, access to care, equity and health care outcomes. This book presents the implantable medical device (IMD) supply chain ecosystem as a microcosm of how these challenges of affordability and healthcare outcomes are created and are allowed to fester.

UK and the UK Alumni Association do not necessarily endorse books or other original material mentioned in Creative Juices. The University of Kentucky and the UK Alumni Association are not responsible for the content, views and opinions expressed on websites mentioned in Creative Juices or found via links off of those websites.

Quick Take

2023 FOUNDERS DAY AWARD WINNER TOM HAMMOND

Tom Hammond, a 1967 graduate of UK, was awarded the Founders Day Award in February from UK President Eli Capilouto (left). Hammond recently retired after a 50-year career in sports broadcasting. He is primarily known for his 34 years with NBC Sports. He covered 13 Olympic Games and 30 years of SEC games. Hammond’s affiliation with UK goes back 105 years. His grandfather, Thomas Poe Cooper, was the dean of the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. The Founders Day Award recognizes individuals who personify goodwill and demonstrate, through their work, service, mission and spirit, a dedication to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its residents. At the ceremony, Hammond said he often hears “you’ve made us proud” from fellow Kentuckians. “Today, you made me proud,” he told the crowd.

Photo by Mark Cornelison, UK

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