Bisons Share

Bud Stumbaugh (BS ’62) of Dahlonega, Ga., recently released the book Do the Best You Can’t, sharing wisdom and principles to help people conquer their fears and challenges and achieve what they thought was impossible. Stumbaugh was abandoned by his father and raised by a mother who supported four children on minimum wage. He overcame poverty and became a state senator and successful entrepreneur.

2017

Charles Hamm (BA ’73) of Magnolia, Texas, is the author of Ponder on It, Pilgrims: The Bucolic Mark Twain on Critter Councils, Cookie Bandits and Texas Grit, which reached the No. 1 spot on Amazon.com’s Best Seller List in the Cultural, Ethnic & Regional Humor, Grandparenting and Men’s Christian Living category on April 20.

Davis (BBA, MA ’20) and Thabile Brown (’19, MBA ’20) of Nashville were married July 15 in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Thabile is an application analyst II for HCA Healthcare and Davis is assistant director of marketing and communications at the Lipscomb University College of Business.

Ricki Gibbs (EdD) of Mount Juliet, Tenn., is principal at Warner Arts Magnet School and also serves as innovation lead for the Schools of Innovation for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Christian (BM) of Burns, Tennessee, and Deanna Ang Johnson (BM, ’20) of Singapore announce the June 20 birth of son Benjamin Daniel.

Jacky Gomez (BBA), recruiting programs lead for Asurion Apprenticeships in Nashville, received a 2022 Emerging Leader Award in the human resources category from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville.

Bison Wins

Tyler Russell (BFA ’15), is the co-writer and director of the film adaptation of Someone Like You, the 2020 instant bestseller authored by his mother, Karen Kingsbury. Filming took place in the Greater Nashville area at the Franklin Public Square, Percy Priest Lake and the Nashville Zoo. The film is tentatively scheduled for release in fall 2023. In addition, a television series the pair co-wrote, and Russell directed, A Thousand Tomorrows, is now streaming on the Sony faith-based subscription video service Pure Flix.

Read more about Russell at lipscomb.edu/kingsbury.

Jane Gillen Garrett (BS ’78) of Franklin, Tenn., has released A Fractured Life: A Memoir of God’s Provision and Protection, a memoir of loss, faith and God’s redemption. With an alcoholic father and a mother who tragically died young, Garrett had to navigate her childhood and youth virtually on her own, but looking back she can see the lifelines God provided.

Heather Burwell (BA ’96) of Nashville is an author and recording artist who recently released Grief Doesn’t Do Math, a book about her unexpected life journey coping with grief. Filled with journal entries, poems and reflections, the work envisions a wider lens for grievers beyond the renowned five stages.

Theresa Benner McCullough (BS ’17) of Springboro, Ohio, recently published I Volunteered for This: A Woman’s Perspective of Serving in the U.S. Army. The work gives insight into a young female soldier’s daily life living in a war-torn combat zone and hope to any woman who has experienced sexual trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

A weekend of fun and memories

The 2022 Bisons Weekend provided plenty of nostalgic fun on Nov. 11-12 with volleyball and basketball games, a student parade, the fall musical, open houses, parent activities and more.

The Bison Square Fair was especially fun with reunion groups coordinated for alums from particular groups such as the QuestWeek staff, social clubs and residence hall RAs, games and fire pits (much-needed on a chilly weekend).

A special treat was to hear from Dr. Carl McKelvey (’53), who has been a part of the Lipscomb community for more than 65 years, as he shared an inspirational Bisons Weekend chapel message.

2017 Hansie (BS, MS ’19) and Elizabeth (LA ’02 BA ’06) Rivera announce the July 5 birth of their son Luca Santiago. Luca was welcomed by his brother Carter and sister Alicia. Elizabeth is university archivist at Baylor University.

2018 Nathan Moran (BBA) of Franklin, Tenn., is the varsity boys basketball coach at Copley-Fairlawn City Schools.

Andrea Pewitt (EdD) of Ashland City, Tenn., has been named director of academic innovation and strategy for Clarksville Christian School.

Whittney Polley (MEd, EdD ’21) of Logansport, La., is an assistant principal at Minden High School.