ARTS HALL OF FAME

If you would like to make a nomination for 2023, please contact Caitlin Zoghby at czoghby@ums-wright.org.

James Randall “Randy” Johnson, UMS-Wright Class of 1994, is an outstanding example of a well-rounded student. From extra-curricular clubs, sports and arts, there were very few activities that he was not involved in around campus. He was on the Honor Council, Key Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, Mu Alpha Theta, and President of the Student Government Association.

Randy contributed immensely to the Fine Arts Department as a member of the Theatre Guild. He was in numerous plays including Imaginary Invalid, The Sound of Music, Meet Me in St. Louis and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. For his skill and dedication, he received the Thespian Award, chosen by the Fine Arts Department faculty, his sophomore year. He also won the Outstanding Actor Comedy Award, and competed in Trumbauer. As a member of the cross-country, track and basketball teams, Randy also contributed to the Athletics Department. His senior year, he won the James T. Overbey MVP Track Award as well as the Buff Cope MVP Award. He was also the Senior Cross-Country Captain, All County, All State and the UMS-Wright Runner of the Year in 1994. He was awarded the James W. Rainer Award, which is awarded to the senior varsity male athlete who has lettered in at least two sports for three years and possesses the highest academic average of students who qualify for the award.

Randy’s spirit of the school, achievements and contributions have made him one of UMS-Wright’s most memorable students.

After graduating as Salutatorian, Cum Laude and as a National Merit Commended Scholar from UMSWright, Randy continued his education at Furman University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1998 with a B.A. in Communications and in Political Science. He was a member of the Furman Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) where he received the George C. Marshall Award, Outstanding Army Cadet of the Year and was recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate. A member of the United States Army, he graduated in August 1999 from the United States Army Ranger School, obtaining his ranger tab. He had a total of ten assignments located all around the world including Fort Riley in Kansas, Korea, Fort Knox in Kentucky, Thailand, Afghanistan, Hawaii and Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. The number of awards he received while in the United States Army are numerous and influential. While these do not even scratch the surface of all that he accomplished, a few include, the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and two Korea Defense Service Medals. He attended the Defense Language Institute in California and obtained an Associate’s Degree in Thai in 2008, and graduated in 2009 as a Top International Student from the Royal Thai Army, Command and General Staff College in Thailand. He then continued to Georgetown University where he graduated with honors and received a M.A. in Security Studies, Summa Cum Laude with a certificate in Asian Studies in 2011, as well graduating with a certificate in Business Administration in 2021.

Molly Clark McKenna graduated from UMS-Wright in 1993 as a member of the 100th graduating class and contributed greatly to the Fine Arts Department. She performed in numerous plays including Meet Me in St. Louis, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Sound of Music. She starred as Rose in Meet Me in St. Louis and as Lorelei in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She also starred as Maria in The Sound of Music her senior year. Not only did she have the lead role in The Sound of Music, but she was also the set designer and was able to display her talents both on stage and behind the scenes. She served as SGA President of Fine Arts and was the Theatre Guild President her senior year and earned All State and All Cast at the Alabama Trumbauer Festival. She also placed in competition in Poetry Interpretation with Sylvia Path’s poem “Daddy.” She was very active in arts and other co-curricular activities including the National Honor Society, Youth in Government, International Thespian Society, French Club, Art Club and the Theatre Guild. As a result of her character in the classroom and around campus, she was also awarded an Alumni Spirit Award.

Molly continued her education at Auburn University and graduated in August of 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Environments/Design. After graduating, she moved to Nashville to work for a commercial architecture firm, Thomas Anderson Architects. After working there for a year, she then had the opportunity to move to Birmingham to work for two outstanding design firms, Gallery Services, Inc. and Richard Tubb Interiors. At that time, she revisited her love of singing and performing and auditioned for a local up and coming jazz trio that was looking to be a quartet and add a female singer. Once she got the position, ‘The Flat Three with Molly Clark’ was formed in 1998. They played all over the Southeast at different festivals, weddings, and clubs.

After getting married in Mobile on January 27, 2001, Molly and her husband, Greg, moved to Arkansas for Greg’s job for a short period of time before being relocated to Chicago, where they lived for four years. She began her design career there with Marshall Field’s Home Stores and then transitioned into a Furniture Sales Rep/Associate Territory Manager with Parthun Enterprises. They relocated to Birmingham in 2004 and then moved outside of Atlanta in 2007 where she worked as a sales representative for an Italian dinnerware company, Vietri, and covered the Alabama and Georgia sales territory.

Today, Molly and her husband reside in Kennesaw, Georgia with their two daughters. She is very involved in the community as a Bible study leader for a women’s Bible study, as well as a middle school girls Bible study and was co-president of Midway Covenant Christian School’s (MCCS) Parent Teacher Fellowship from 20132015. After teaching art at MCCS for a couple of years, she opened her own design business, Molly McKenna Interiors. After working exclusively on her design business for three years, she missed her students and being in the classroom. She went back to MCCS as an art teacher in August 2021 and is currently still there teaching art to K5-8th graders. She still has her design business taking on a limited number of clients, but her true passion is teaching students about art!