West Virginia STATE Magazine Vol. 2: 2014

Volume 2: 2014

west virginia

Inside

West Virginia State University has a history of inspirational faculty producing generation after generation of graduates who change the great State of West Virginia and America for the better.

From historical figures like Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee Airmen, to NBA legend Earl Lloyd, The Honorable Judge Damon J. Keith and modern-day researchers – each pursued a passion. WVSU is proud to develop those individual passions through education and to create a foundation for greatness. And, we know, the path to greatness begins by putting students first in our daily lives.

WVSU is poised to take our efforts to even greater heights in the coming years through Vision 2020: State’s Roadmap to the Future. The comprehensive plan encompasses every aspect of the University with students, faculty, staff and alumni working together to identify goals and the path needed to successfully implement plans for growth and success. For more than a year, we have developed the strategic plan together bringing WVSU’s vision and mission to life through the year 2020. I am proud to say our hard work – making those necessary changes a part of everyday University life – is beginning to reap great results.

Throughout this edition of State magazine, you will see the beginnings of Vision 2020 in action. From investments in needed infrastructure to wireless technology upgrades, the learning and living environment is providing students, like the Hightower sisters, with opportunities that are second to none. At the same time, our outreach work to assist our fellow West Virginians with nourishment for the mind and body continues to grow stronger thanks to the efforts of our students, faculty and staff. Our student and faculty researchers continue to enhance their own knowledge and our reputation as a leading research institution throughout West Virginia and beyond.

Of course, much of what WVSU is able to do is because of the generosity of our outstanding alumni and friends – for which we are all grateful. Together, our pursuit of greatness continues to strengthen State’s legacy. Alumni, spanning more than 50 years, proudly share inspirational stories, in their own words, of State’s legacy in the following pages.

Through our continued commitment to connecting student passions with the knowledge and skills needed to launch successful careers, the State family footprint on our state, our region and the nation will grow for years to come through our dedication and collaboration.

GO STATE!

Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. President West Virginia State University

Volume 2: 2014 Executive Editors Kimberly Osborne Vice President for University Relations and Operations

Ashley Schumaker Chief of Staff and Special Assistant to the President

Patricia Schumann Vice President for University Advancement President, WVSU Foundation Inc.

Managing Editor Jack Bailey Director for Public Relations

Art Director Yuma Nakada Director for Publications and Design

Photographer Todd Griffith Director for Photographic Services

Contributors Matthew Browning Director for Communications Gus R. Douglass Land-Grant Institute

Belinda Fuller Director for Alumni Relations

Mark Fuller Communications Production Specialist

Megan Sheets LifeBridge Americorps Volunteer

F E A T U R E S

02

Looking Back

State has a long and dynamic history, as seen through the eyes of four alumni.

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Formula for Success

Dr. Micheal Fultz juggles research, teaching and a busy family life while leading an award-winning student chemistry group.

12

At Home With the Hemphills One-year-old twins Catalina and Cruz keep Dr. Marisela Rosas Hemphill on the move.

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Partners in Hope The WVSU Extension Service is sowing the seeds of change with a McDowell County garden project.

23

Triple Threat

Huntington’s Hightower sisters are right at home on State’s campus.

30

Class Notes

Keep up with the latest news about Yellow Jacket alumni.

Printed by WVSU Printing Services STATE is published annually by West Virginia State University.

Story ideas and feedback for STATE magazine may be sent to Jack Bailey at jbaile19@wvstateu.edu.

To be added to our mailing list, contact Belinda Fuller at bfuller@wvstateu.edu.

On The Cover

Judge Damon J. Keith

Talks about the role State played and continues to play in his life, story page 10

West Virginia State … The name means different things to different people. Depending on what time students may have attended classes at a “place we love so dear,” it may have been a very different experience from their fellow Yellow Jackets.

State’s long, proud and rich history is as diverse and compelling as those who have passed through the doors of Ferrell Hall through the years, and yet at the end of the day, despite different experiences, alumni all share that love and passion for their alma mater. Time passes, faculty changes and students graduate, but the institution of West Virginia State remains. A living laboratory of human relations where thousands have come to find their passion for more than a century.

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VADA SMOOT McGOWAN

“I went to college for one year and then went to classes in summer school until I graduated. I started in the ’30s. It took several years to earn a degree. They would give us a job teaching with only one year as long as we continued to work toward a degree. I got my degree in August 1944. It took a long time. Sometimes you could only take nine hours. It took a long time, but I made it.

“All the faculty at West Virginia State were nice to us. That was a good place to be. It definitely prepared me well for my career. I had a good time there. It was nice. All the professors were always so nice and willing to help you.”

“My mother had 16 children. She raised 11 to adulthood and I am the last living one of them. We wore hand-me-down clothes, but I can say that I have never been hungry in my life. My mother cooked three meals a day and we ate whatever she cooked.

“I went to school in Madison until the 9th grade. Then I went to West Virginia State in the 10th grade. I finished high school there. I lived in a dormitory. It was nice. There were 10 of us. All girls. It wasn’t integrated at that time. We had two matrons. They rang the bell at 7 p.m. and we had to go inside.

We had study hall until 8 p.m. then lights would blink and that meant get your bath and get ready for bed. 9 p.m. was bedtime and lights out.

“My schooling was good. I remember every Monday morning my mother put $1 in an envelope for me and that was to buy a slice of ginger bread and a movie and paper and pencils for the week. A movie was 20 cents.

“To get to campus, I rode a little train from Madison to St. Albans. Then ferried across the river in a little boat. Then walked on up to the campus.

“I remember the dining hall, I think it was in the Dawson building. We had 10 minutes to get there when the bell rang and then the doors were locked and they stayed locked until everyone was finished eating.

OPAL CARTER

At 103 years of age, Vada Smoot McGowan shows no signs of slowing down. The Boone County native retired after teaching school for more than 50 years – the first 30 at home in Madison, W.Va., and the final 20 in Cleveland, Ohio.

She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher, and followed that passion to West Virginia State in 1929 to enroll at the West Virginia Teacher Training High School, then located on State’s campus, to complete her high school education. After graduating high school, she began studying for a bachelor’s degree in Education at State.

Opal “Precious Jewel” Carter is originally from the Kanawha Valley, but has called southern California home for more than 50 years. A graduate of the former Garnett High School in Charleston, Carter always knew that she would go to college. While she was in high school, she sang with a band that would occasionally perform on the campus of what was then West Virginia State College. That exposure, along with an aunt that had also attended State, led Carter to Institute.

“I started at West Virginia State in 1942. I lived on campus.

It was wonderful. I lived in Hill Hall on the second floor.

We really enjoyed campus life, the school. One thing about West Virginia State, we all knew just about everybody on campus. It was wonderful … meeting students from all over the United States. It was just amazing to me. There was a girl in my dormitory from Texas. At that time Texas was like another country to me. You could meet somebody from just about every state on campus. Meeting people from all over the country was just such an experience.

Continued on next page

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“All the freshmen on campus had to wear beanies for the first six weeks. You couldn’t come out without it. That would last about a month, but it felt like a year. Every day we (the freshmen) had to meet at the middle of campus and learn the alma mater and sing it. I enjoyed my freshman year. That was just such an experience.

“We had chapel that we had to attend on Wednesday nights and Sundays. It wasn’t a religious thing, we just called it chapel. On Sundays, everyone was assigned a seat in the auditorium and if you missed chapel two or three times you were called in by the dean. Even on Wednesday night they took attendance. You could pay someone to sit in your seat if you wanted to go somewhere. As long as that seat was filled you were counted as there.

“Renowned speakers would come in on Wednesday night chapel.

Mary McCloud Bethune, Mordeciah Johnson. World-renowned speakers. And then we would have debates between the Dean and faculty and students would go back and forth. It was all very interesting.

“We would dress to go to football games. We would look forward to it. We always looked forward to the Homecoming games. Football was quite interesting during that time. The war took most of the fellows away my sophomore year. They drafted most of the campus.

They turned Gore Hall into a girl’s dorm because you didn’t have enough men on the campus. That lasted until 1945.

“After graduation, I taught there at Ferguson School in Dunbar in an area called ‘The Bottom,’ where Shawnee Park is now. It was a one-room school. I was the principal, a teacher-principal. That is the school that Dr. Charles Byers started at. I was his first teacher. He was an excellent student. All of my students were excellent. They didn’t have a choice. I was there six years. I left in 1955, during integration, for California. I have been in California ever since … longer than I was in West Virginia.”

WARNE FERGUSON

Following his discharge from the service after the conclusion of World War II, Warne Ferguson enrolled at West Virginia State College. A native of Dunbar, Ferguson was intimately familiar with the campus and all it had to offer. He can recall fondly playing in areas of campus where buildings stand today, and

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learning to swim in a pond that has since been covered over. His career working with disadvantaged youth took him away from Institute for a time, but now retired and once again living in Dunbar he can say with some authority that he has witnessed nearly every major change that has occurred at the University.

“I started at West Virginia State in 1949. I had just come out of the service from World War II. I was discharged in 1948 and enrolled in 1949. I was 23 at that time. There was a certain amount of family pressure and peer pressure to go to college when I came out of the service. I had a couple of offers from other schools but I chose West Virginia State because of my parents and one of the coaches here in the area.

“I saw every change that has ever been made at West Virginia State. You have to remember I was practically born on that campus. One block from West Virginia State, where the print shop is now, I went to grade school there. All of that vacant property on the west side of Washington Street belongs to the Ferguson family and that is where I was born. In fact, I was born next to the old President’s home. From there on it was my running ground. I can practically remember everybody, especially pretty girls and good athletes, from 1933 on, with the exception of the times I was in the service.

“The thing that impressed me as a youngster about West Virginia State is naturally back in those days it

Virginia State, returning to campus twice a year, and being active in the Alumni Association. He has written a book about his experiences both on and off campus called “Appalachia to Africa: A Tale of Awareness and Assimilation,” and a production company is interested in making a documentary about his life and time at State.

“It was partly my desire for an education and partly a rebellion against my father that I decided to attend West Virginia State. My father was a member of the KKK and exposed me to those ideas and concepts from my birth until I left home to go to State. And I never bought into those ideas.

“When I went on campus for the first time it was a total shock.

My father had given me this idea of what a black community should be like, and I walk on campus and it is the most welcoming, beautiful, receptive community. I think I stood in awe for many minutes trying to reconcile what my father had said and what I saw on campus. Taking someone from West Virginia and putting them on the streets of New York would be a similar example. I had no concept.” was segregated, but West Virginia State held most of the championship tournaments for black high schools in West Virginia. They were all played at West Virginia State College.

That was all very impressive. The kids would come here. They would stay on campus and that gave us kids in the village a chance to meet them. They did the same thing for dramas, plays. Most of the high schools had plays and they had tournaments that were held at West Virginia State.

“West Virginia State was a very impressive school. They offered everything. I saw musicians and other great people come here and perform on a regular basis. We had some of the greatest athletes in the world right here at West Virginia State.

We had musicians … Gloster Current … one of the NAACP directors in New York … Gloster Current had a band here that was so good that it was broadcast on the radio twice a week.

People came from all over the country to hear them play.

“My tenure at West Virginia State and just living around West Virginia State prepared me well for my career, and gave me a unique perspective. The school prepared us to carry ourselves in a certain manner and to deal with people in a certain way. West Virginia State taught me how to deal with people. There were some fantastic professors there. There’s no doubt about it.”

SAM LYNCH

Growing up in the poor white community of Davis Creek, Dr. Sam Lynch was about as far from West Virginia State in many respects as one could be. Yet, after deciding to attend State in the years immediately following desegregation, Lynch flung himself headlong into college life. He was one of the first white male students to live in the dormitories at State, and also was active in various campus groups, including as a member of the cheerleading squad. After graduation in 1961, Lynch went on to teach in Africa, and to work in southern California.

Yet, through it all, he has maintained a connection to West

Lynch credits a French class taught by Dr. Blagborn with helping him and his fellow students address the issue of race head on, clearing the air, and the way for all of them to forge a lifelong bond.

“Dr. Blagborn and her wonderful class brought all of that to a head and changed everything. Not only did it change me but it changed those in the class and how they thought about themselves.

I had prejudice against blacks. Blacks had prejudice against whites.

Some of them had prejudice against themselves just as we did in the white community. The rich in Charleston would never have anything to do with the poor hillbillies. Suddenly we had so many prejudices and pre-conceived ideas thrown out. It changed our lives. I stayed in touch with those who were in that class for my entire college life.

“Every moment of being on campus was an experience I had never had before. I was the first white male to live in the dorm to graduate. I was very comfortable as I am still comfortable. In fact, I think when I am on campus I revert back to being relaxed and comfortable. I live in a society where I am expected to be Ph.D. Lynch … But when I go on campus all of that vanishes. I don’t see color. I see people. This is something I learned at State. I see the person not the color of their skin.

“I had a job on campus working for Ms. Goldston in the cafeteria. All the alumni have a Ms. Goldston story to tell. Many of the students were afraid of her. We worked together and it was a wonderful experience. Students didn’t believe that she could be that gentle and kind. She would stand at the door as you were coming in and if your clothes weren’t neat she would send you away, or if you came in with dirty hands she would send you away until you washed them. She was really tough, but to me she was very loving and caring.

“I went home when I went to West Virginia State. And at home you learn who you are and what you want to be and get an idea of what the rest of your life should be. Yes, West Virginia State prepared me educationally and socially … I don’t know what my life would have been like if I had not gone to State, I just can’t imagine.”

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It’s hard to keep up with State chemistry professor Dr. Micheal Fultz. When not lecturing students in the classroom or working in his Hamblin Hall lab, Fultz is teaching children about science throughout the Kanawha Valley. He serves as chair of the local Kanawha Valley Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and as faculty advisor for WVSU’s chapter of the Student Affiliates of the ACS, one of the most active student organizations on campus.

In fact, he may soon need to build a bigger mantle to hold the awards the student ACS group continues to pile up. The ACS recently earned a second consecutive Outstanding Chapter Award for 2012-2013 activities and received Green Chemistry Chapter recognition for the fourth year in a row.

Since 2009, the students of the ACS have won two outstanding ratings, two commendable ratings, four Green Chemistry awards, three community interaction grants, and two travel grants to attend the annual ACS national meeting.

The many achievements the ACS group has made in its four-year history at State are an obvious source of pride for Fultz.

“These students are quite busy in their outreach work,” he proudly said of the group, which he helped to reestablish in 2009 after more than 15 years of dormancy.

“We want to get the University into schools on a regular basis to enhance science education from kindergarten to twelfth grade.”

One of the group’s objectives is to bring science education to school-aged youth and the general community. They regularly host educational programs for schools and groups such as Upward Bound and West Virginia GEAR UP, as well as participate in events during National Chemistry Week and Earth Day. The ACS has been able to work with the equipment from WVSU to enhance what local schoolteachers are already instructing in the classroom while occasionally bringing students to campus laboratories for real-life workplace learning. Through this outreach, students are able to experience science firsthand with modern instrumentation and additional instructors that they would not have access to at their schools. It’s part of the nationwide trend to increase youth interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers.

“I really think there could be more science students if people just understood what career options are available in the field and how science affects the lives of people all around the world,” said Fultz.

ACS students are using their time with the group to heed Fultz’s advice and prepare for their own entry into the workforce.

“The students have brought in several speakers whose work they found particularly interesting to find out what they need to do now to get where those people are in 20 years,” said Fultz.

This devotion to seeing his students succeed and bringing WVSU into the community for science education has been a driving force in Fultz’s success since arriving on campus in 2009 after receiving his Ph.D. from Indiana University.

A Tennessee native, Fultz landed at WVSU with his family for both professional and practical reasons.

His wife, who has a Ph.D. in French linguistics, is from Pennsylvania. West Virginia seemed a logical compromise between each one’s family roots, but location wasn’t the only draw of the Mountain State.

“I was a first generation college student, so I like the fact that I get to work with students like that in a suburban, relaxed setting instead of a concrete jungle,” he said. “Here, I can do my research and help design coursework derived from my area of expertise in organic synthesis.”

Having the freedom to pursue projects that blend educational instruction with community outreach makes Fultz’s workload enjoyable, which in turn makes administrators with WVSU’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics happy.

“It has been a pleasure working with Dr. Fultz. His enthusiasm and vitality are refreshing,” said Dr. Katherine Harper, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “He has reinvigorated the WVSU chapter of the Student Affiliates of the ACS and provided leadership to give those students opportunities that they might not otherwise have had.”

Outside his outreach efforts, Fultz’s research workload is equally impressive. His work deals with studying the anticancer effects of compounds found in nature. The molecule that Fultz is working on is biologically relevant because it can be tested against cancer cells.

So whether he is teaching the scientists of tomorrow, accepting awards with his students at national meetings, or working in the lab to someday cure cancer, Dr. Micheal Fultz is proving to be a fine example of the forward-thinking research program at West Virginia State University.

“To be at a place that I can help people get to college and succeed – that’s the true meaning of success as an educator,” he said. “The goal of a university is to enhance education and ground its location. For me, that’s what I do.”

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A leap of faith brought Bay Minette, Ala., native Scotty White more than 800 miles away from home to attend West Virginia State University.

The 1995 high school graduate had been away from the classroom for quite a few years when a life-changing event inspired him to think about going back to college to continue his education.

“I got a divorce,” the 36-year-old State communications major said.

“Divorces are life-changing events. After my divorce, I knew I wanted to pursue different things.”

White said he always enjoyed creative pursuits and storytelling, and he became very active in local theater groups at home in Alabama.

“I fell into theater, and I really grew to love it,” White said. “I got as far as I possibly could with theater locally, without a college degree. I really wanted to direct and most places said, ‘That’s great, but all of these other people have degrees.’ … So that was a great push to get me here.”

When he started to look around to pursue a college education, White said that he didn’t like the options he was finding close to home. An old friend, Brandy Jenkins, who was working at WVSU in the Admissions Office at the time, suggested he give State a look.

“She said ‘look I can help get you a place to stay, we can get you in school, we can help you find a job, come to West Virginia,’” White said. “So I sold most of what I owned, except two suitcases, and came up here.”

White enrolled at WVSU in the fall of 2011.

“It was a total leap of faith,” he said.

“It was a risk, but life is about risk. I took it and it was the best decision I ever made in my life.”

To say that White has embraced the role of a college student would be an understatement.

He is active in various parts of campus life, including as a founding member of the Box Five Theater Company, captain of the WVSU Academic Quiz Bowl Team, an active member of the National Broadcasting Society and serving on the University’s Board of Governors.

He also is a student worker in the Admissions Office and relishes the role.

“I love Admissions,” White said. “It is like retail sales for the University.

I am selling someone their future. Plus, WVSU is easy to sell. Sell what you love.”

Being a non-traditional student in the college environment gives White a unique perspective when he sees other non-traditional students visiting campus thinking about coming to State.

His advice is simple.

“This place treats you like family,” he said. “When you become a Yellow Jacket, you are a Yellow Jacket. It doesn’t matter if you are a traditional or a non-traditional student. We are all in this together.”

While making the most of his time at WVSU, White is already preparing for the future. He expects to graduate in December 2014 and plans to attend graduate school in California.

Getting a later start at college life has served this non-traditional student well.

“I sometimes think, ‘Should I have done this earlier? Should I have just went ahead and went to school,’” White said, “and I don’t think I would have done nearly as well.

There is a right time and place for everything.”

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For the first time since 1969, students planning to live on campus next fall will have a new residence hall to call home.

Ground was broken Sept. 20, 2013 on the new Judge Damon J. Keith Scholars Hall. The new hall will replace Prillerman and Gore Halls, which have been torn down to make way for the construction.

The new Judge Damon J. Keith Scholars Hall features suite-style living with two-, three- and four-bedroom suites, in addition to a café, gaming room and meeting room seating up to 130.

The new residence hall is named in honor of distinguished WVSU alumnus Damon J. Keith, who has served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit since 1977.

A native of Detroit, Mich., Keith is a 1943 graduate of West Virginia State as well as a graduate of Howard University Law School and Wayne State University Law School.

“Judge Keith represents the rich history and proud legacy of West Virginia State University,” said WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill. “He is an example of a past student who made a significant impact on the world, while retaining a deep connection to the institution he loves so dear. This residence hall, bearing Judge Keith’s name, will stand as a tribute to and reminder of his strength, courage and loyalty.”

Ambling University Development Group is the developer of the 291-bed, four-story residence hall. Last year, the Kanawha County Commission supported this project by approving the issuance of up to $30 million in bonds to fund construction.

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‘Crusader for Justice’

Credits State for Lasting Career Keith said that at that time he had never been outside the city of Detroit, much less to another state, but he was excited by the prospects of getting a college education. He rode a train from Detroit to Institute and was met at the train depot

by Mrs. Davis, who, as promised, had arranged for a job for the young Keith on campus.

“We used to have a movie every Saturday night,” Keith said. “And I used to clean the movie theater after the movie, and then I waited tables. I worked my way through.”

While at State, Keith was a member of the debate club, ran track and also was active with his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha. He lived in room 314C of Prillerman Hall, which “West Virginia State College shaped my entire future... We had he recalls fondly to this day.

When it came time to black Ph.D.’s on the faculty. It looked as though the cataracts graduate, his father, who had in my eyes were taken off because of my experience here.” been suffering from severe health problems, was able to come to Institute to see campus for himself.

College, it was all black at that time. We had black Ph.D.’s “My dad was very sick. My mother thought he on the faculty. It looked as though the cataracts in my was going to pass. We all did. He said, ‘Damon, I eyes were taken off because of my experience here. I felt just wish the Good Lord would keep me around so motivated. Seeing these great black leaders come and I can see you finish college.’ He came down to see inspire us as young black students.” me graduate. After the graduation ceremony, we Growing up in Detroit, Mich., as one of six children walked around this campus and he said, ‘God kept during the Great Depression, Keith had no idea if he his promise to me that I could see you graduate. would even be able to attend college. His dad worked a I’m ready to go.’ I went home and two days after factory job and money was tight. None of his brothers or getting there my dad passed. I’m glad he stayed sisters had been able to go on to college. But then a visit here long enough to see me graduate from this from his mother’s cousin to their home on Hudson Street great college.” in Detroit changed the course of Keith’s life.

Keith graduated from State in 1943 and joined “My mother had a cousin, Ethel, who was the wife the U.S. Army for a three-year stint during the of (long-time WVSC) President John W. Davis,” Keith height of World War II. When he returned from recalled. “She stopped by our house for a visit and asked the service, he said that President Davis encouraged my mother where I was going to go to college. I had just him to attend law school and work through the graduated from high school in June. My mother said, legal system to change civil rights laws. Keith ‘There’s no money here. We can’t afford to send him to remembers daily the impact that Davis had on his college.’ Without hesitation, Mrs. Davis said, ‘Send him life as he wears a watch that the long-serving West to West Virginia State College. We will find a job for him Virginia State president gave to him. and see that he gets an education.’”

His eyes have witnessed firsthand some of the most historic moments of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and his words and actions have protected the constitutional rights of untold thousands of Americans.

Yet, for U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Judge Damon J. Keith it all started on the campus of what was then West Virginia State College.

“West Virginia State College shaped my entire future,” Judge Keith said during the September, 2013 groundbreaking ceremony for a new residence hall that will bear his name. “I had gone to school in Detroit from kindergarten through high school and I had never had a black teacher. When I came here to West Virginia State

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Keith would go on to graduate from the Howard University Law School in 1949 and the Wayne State University Law School in 1956. He has served as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit since 1977.

Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Keith served as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

As a member of the federal judiciary, Keith has stood as a courageous defender of the constitutional and civil rights of all people. In United States v. Sinclair, commonly referred to as “the Keith Decision,” the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed Judge Keith’s landmark ruling prohibiting President Nixon and the federal government from engaging in warrantless wiretapping in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

More recently, in Detroit Free Press v. Ashcroft, Keith stood up to President George W. Bush during the aftermath of 9/11. Writing for a unanimous United States Court of Appeals panel, Judge Keith declared “Democracies die behind closed doors,” and ruled it unlawful for the Bush administration to conduct deportation hearings in secret whenever the government asserted that the people involved might be linked to terrorism.

Keith is the recipient of numerous awards, most notably, the NAACP’s highest award, the Spingarn Medal, whose past recipients include the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Justice Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks and General Colin Powell. Other prominent honors include the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award, the Distinguished Public Service Award from the National AntiDefamation League and the Detroit Urban League’s Distinguished Warrior Award.

In 2005, Harvard University’s Department of Afro-American Studies included Judge Keith in its African-American National Biography, a collection of biographies profiling eminent African Americans. Also, in 2005, Judge Keith served as co-chair of the National Victory Celebration for the Farewell to Mrs. Rosa Parks, organizing memorial services across the country for Mrs. Parks.

As a community leader, Judge Keith organized local businessmen to provide housing for Mrs. Parks, after she was robbed and physically assaulted in her house. In 2004, Judge Keith was again responsible for rallying members of Detroit’s African-American business community, this time to save the city’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History from bankruptcy. The Detroit Board of Education has dedicated one of its primary schools in his honor, naming it “The Damon J. Keith Elementary School.”

Judge Keith has received over 40 honorary degrees from colleges and universities across the country. His most recent is an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree bestowed by Harvard University, on June 5, 2008. In 2010, Judge Keith was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta. In 2011, the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School opened its doors.

A biography of Judge Keith, written by columnist Trevor W. Coleman, titled “Crusader for Justice: The Life and Amazing Times of Federal Judge Damon J. Keith,” was published this fall.

Judge Keith was married for 53 years to the late Dr. Rachel Boone Keith. They had three daughters, Gilda Keith, Debbie Keith and Cecile Keith-Brown. Cecile and her husband, Daryle Brown, are the parents of Judge Keith’s granddaughters, Nia and Camara.

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Never a Dull Moment at the President’s House Arrival of twins provides whirlwind of activity for the Hemphill family’s first year on campus

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Just as West Virginia State’s campus has experienced a flurry of activity since the arrival of Brian O. Hemphill as the University’s president, so too has the Hemphill household with the arrival of twins Catalina and Cruz.

Born in October 2012, just a few months after Hemphill began serving as State’s 10th president, the twins have been frequent guests at many University functions during their first year. May commencement and their father’s Inauguration in September were just two of the events where visitors to campus may have caught a glimpse of the lively pair.

“This is going to be the community they grow up in,” said Dr. Marisela Rosas Hemphill, Catalina and Cruz’s proud mother. “It is important for them to be integrated in what we do, not just to start showing up at campus activities when they are 5-years-old. I hope they learn to be in social environments by being out.”

For the Hemphill family, the arrival of the twins culminated a whirlwind time in their lives. After serving for eight years as the Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at Northern Illinois University (NIU), Hemphill had received the offer to become a University president.

“I have always been supportive of my husband’s career,” Rosas Hemphill said of the offer to come to WVSU. “I know that he has a life’s passion to work in higher education and to remove barriers to higher education for many types of students. And when someone has that passion and that gift, you really have to support it because I know how many people benefit from that – how many lives are changing.”

The couple moved to Institute in the summer of 2012 when Rosas Hemphill’s pregnancy was already well underway.

“It was definitely a whirlwind … a lot of things happening all at once,” Rosas Hemphill said. “But, what really made the difference is that in such a short period of time we were really welcomed into the West Virginia State family. It really made

a difference, how quickly we were able to connect with people, and how caring folks here are. They really were interested in us and wanted the best for us and to make sure we felt welcome.”

Catalina and Cruz were born in October 2012.

Catalina was named in honor of Catalina Garcia, a student who died during the 2008 tragedy at NIU in which a gunman killed five students before taking his own life.

“My husband helped move Catalina in as a first-year student and really developed a relationship with her and her family,” Rosas Hemphill said. “He was really affected by the entire tragedy. He remembered her as an excited, fresh-faced, first-year student … our daughter is named for her.”

Cruz comes from part of Rosas Hemphill’s father’s name. During their first year in the President’s House, the twins have already marked several

“I know that he has a life’s passion to work in higher education and to remove barriers to higher education for many types of students.” milestones including crawling and beginning to communicate with words like mom and dad.

The twins are being raised to be bilingual, and both English and Spanish are spoken to them. In addition, bedtime and other stories are read in both English and Spanish, and when available, television shows are watched in Spanish.

“That is important to us because they will be in a bilingual, multicultural world,” Rosas Hemphill said.

To help in raising the little ones, Rosas Hemphill’s mother – Maria Elena Rosas – has moved into the President’s House. She stays with the couple about nine months out of the year.

“She has settled into West Virginia well,” Rosas Hemphill said. “It makes a huge difference having her here to help out.

She came in February to help. The first few months after the twins were born were

tough. The lack of sleep is difficult, because sometimes they are on the same schedule and sometimes not.”

While the Hemphills’ first year in West Virginia was full of milestones and memorable moments, Rosas Hemphill said that besides the birth of Catalina and Cruz, one moment stands out the most for her.

“My husband’s inauguration,” Rosas Hemphill said of the Sept. 21 ceremony that officially welcomed Hemphill as the University’s president. “Just to see him up there and to see all he has accomplished in a year. The Inauguration is where it all came together. I was very proud and happy for him, and it was confirmation of how blessed we are as a family and as a couple.”

The Hemphills have been married for five years. The twins are the couple’s first children, while President Hemphill has two teenage children from a prior marriage.

Jada, 18, is a freshman at Northwest Arkansas Community College majoring in business. She plans to attend there for two years before transferring to the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville.

Jordan, 15, is a freshman at Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Ark. He enjoys sports and plays on the school’s basketball team.

The older children visit on holidays and in the summer and really enjoy having the twins as part of their lives, Rosas Hemphill said.

“Our favorite household thing we do when we are all together is to have a family feast,” Rosas Hemphill said. “Brian always buys a bunch of crab legs, we steam them and simply enjoy one another’s company.

We do that every time we see each other.”

While the demands of the Office of the President keeps Hemphill busy, the family always makes time to celebrate each other.

Unless he is travelling, every Friday night the family goes out together to eat.

Then on the weekends, President Hemphill trades in his trademark bowtie for a kitchen apron.

“Not many people know this, but Brian is a great cook,” Rosas Hemphill said. “On Saturdays and Sundays, he becomes the cook. He loves to grill. His specialties are ribs and steaks … and he cooks a mean breakfast. Weekends are fun for me. He is home and he cooks.”

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You never know when opportunity may come knocking on your door – literally. Such was the case with long-time West Virginia State supporter Gary Swingle.

While the prominent Charleston businessman has had a long association with the University, there was a time when he wasn’t even planning on going to college, much less to become part of the Yellow Jacket family.

“I graduated from Parkersburg High School (PHS) in 1966, and I had already pre-enlisted to go into the Air Force,” Swingle recalled. “Bill Stevens was a recruiter for West Virginia State at that time. He came to PHS and went through the records and found kids who did exceptionally well in school, but had not enrolled to go to college.

“He came knocking on our door offering me a four-year scholarship.

I didn’t apply. He just came and offered it to me. That’s how I ended up at State. I had never heard of West Virginia State before that,” he added.

Despite not knowing about State, Swingle visited over the summer, liked what he saw and began classes that fall. In doing so, he became the first in his family to go to college.

He recalls his college experience fondly and expresses great respect for professors that helped guide him through the courses that ultimately lead to his long career in accounting and financial services. In addition to setting him on the road to professional success, State also served as the backdrop where Swingle met his future wife, Kathi.

A native of South Charleston, Kathi commuted to State. She, like Gary, has fond memories of her time on campus.

After the couple married, family and professional commitments tapered their involvement with State.

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Gary Swingle became a successful accountant and today is the President and Investment Advisor Representative of A&F Financial Advisors LLC in Charleston and President of A&F Insurance Advisors LLC. The couple has two children, Michael and Shelly, and three grandchildren, Emily, Thomas and Will.

Gary Swingle said that it was 20 years after graduating when he became involved with State once again. He was attending a meeting of the Charleston Exchange Club at which WVSU Foundation President Cam Sellers was speaking.

Swingle offered to help Sellers at the Foundation, and a few days later, fate knocked at the door again when Sellers took him up on his offer.

Since becoming re-engaged with the University, Swingle has served as the Foundation Chair and currently serves on the University’s Board of Governors.

Swingle says West Virginia State and its alumni base in the Kanawha Valley present a great deal of opportunity.

“You walk into any business in Charleston and there are State grads working there, but no one expresses it,” Swingle said. “We need to get that esprit de corps. You have your green Marshall shirts and your blue and gold for WVU, but we don’t have that esprit de corps and we need to get that.”

Looking back at his involvement with State both as a student and later in life, Swingle said he is glad opportunity came knocking.

“For whatever success I have had in my career, it all started at West Virginia State,” he said. “And I met my wife there, too, so thank God for West Virginia State.”

Helping University Build a Brighter Future Even though he never attended West Virginia State, long-time Kanawha Valley business leader Steve Walker feels a connection to the University as strong as any alumnus.

Walker and his wife, Diane, have been significant financial supporters of the University, first through Walker Machinery Company and then, more recently, as individuals.

The couple envisions the University further strengthening its role as a vital player in the economic landscape of the Kanawha Valley going forward, and has worked to make that a reality.

“Years ago, I was Chief Operating Officer of Walker Machinery, a family business,” said Steve Walker, who graduated from West Virginia University and the WVU School of Law. “Many of the people who worked for me had either graduated from State or were attending State.”

Walker Machinery had established a scholarship program for its employees to encourage them to take courses related to business, and Walker said many of the people chose to attend State.

Even though he had grown up in South Charleston and Charleston, Walker said he knew little about State until former WVSU Foundation President Cam Sellers talked him into joining the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

“It was a fledgling board,” Walker recalled. “We always had trouble with raising money in this community. I was amazed, during my time on the Board, how many people graduated from State, but didn’t talk about. The change I see now is that they do.

State has been more effective at getting its story told, and more people recognize it is moving forward.”

Diane Walker has a little more direct connection to State. She took nine hours of classes at State, and she had a close working relationship with long-time Kanawha County educator Mary Snow, a State alumna.

“I worked for the Kanawha County School District. One of my schools was Glenwood Elementary, where Mary Snow was the principal,” Diane Walker said. “She was just a special person. She always would introduce me to everyone that I wanted to meet.”

Diane Walker said that her fondest memories of State involve attending Foundation dinners where the University’s ROTC alumni who have risen to the rank of general were recognized, and also hearing the stories of students who had been helped by scholarships.

“Supporting West Virginia State has enriched me,” Diane Walker said. “State has grown and changed a great deal. It has a fabulous reputation now. It has evolved and is continuing to evolve. It has a presence.”

The Walkers have been married for 44 years and have two children; a son, Brad, who lives in Charleston; and a daughter, Mary, who lives in Charlottesville, Va. Retired since Walker Machinery was sold in 2010, today the Walkers split time between homes in Charleston, Charlottesville, Va., and Florida.

Even though the couple spends the bulk of their time in Florida these days, Steve Walker said he will continue his involvement with causes in West Virginia that are dear to his heart, including West Virginia State.

“I think the only place for West Virginia State to go is up,” Steve Walker said.

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OCTO BER 201 3 West Virginia State University alumni from coast to coast returned to Institute Oct. 3-5 for 2013 Homecoming activities. A parade across campus, 5k race and a football game against Urbana University were some of the highlights for the threeday event. Others included inducting new members into the University’s ROTC Hall of Fame and W Club Sports Hall of Fame and presenting the Alumnus of the Year and Young Professional Alumnus awards. Alumni were also able to learn more about leaving a legacy at their alma mater during a planned giving seminar.

New Facilities Keep State Competitive in the Recruiting Game The athletic facilities at West Virginia State are undergoing an upgrade that is unparalleled in the University’s history.

With renovation and expansion of the Convocation Center at Fleming Hall set to be completed in February, work shifts to the construction of a new $3.5 million athletic complex adjacent to Lakin Field at Dickerson Stadium.

To be known as the Gregory V. Monroe Athletic Complex, the new, two-story building will contain 15,691-square-feet of space including meeting rooms, a weight room, training room and a locker room. The athletic building is named in honor of Gregory V. Monroe, a 1980 graduate of State who played football for the Yellow Jackets. Monroe recently made a significant contribution in support of the new facility.

“Attending West Virginia State was an awesome experience for me. I grew up in Logan, W.Va., and my parents gave me a great start in life, but State expanded my world view. The opportunities that I had there and the support I received from the faculty and staff enabled me to go out and make a life for myself. I would never have accomplished the things that I have without State,” said Monroe, who is now a motivational speaker and executive training specialist, living in Orlando, Fla. “I wanted to give back to the University that did so much for me.”

State Athletic Director Sean Loyd said the new Monroe Athletic Complex will be important to Yellow Jacket sports programs for years to come.

“For recruiting, especially for football, this is huge. It is another sign we are progressing,” Loyd said. “These are the things you have to do to compete in the recruiting game.”

When coupled with the Convocation Center, Loyd said the new building puts the University in a better competitive position with other schools of similar sizes not only within the Mountain East Conference but around the country.

“For a long time, we had no facility upgrades here,” Loyd said.

“But this levels the playing field when it comes to recruiting, and makes WVSU a real attractive University for our student athletes

18 | W e s t V i r g i n i a S TAT E

when coupled with the quality of the faculty we have here and the diversity of programs that State offers.”

In addition, having the new athletic building going up in the end zone nearest to the former West Virginia Rehabilitation Center property will give the field more of a “stadium feeling” on gamedays, Loyd added.

The new building will feature a larger locker room for the Yellow Jacket football team. Having that locker room to use during games will mean the locker room previously used by the home team at Dickerson Stadium will now be able to be used by the visiting team.

In the past, visiting football teams would have to dress before the games in a locker room at Fleming Hall and then walk to the field where a tent would be set up for them to use during halftime.

Once completed, all 200 of State’s student athletes will benefit from the new athletic building, having access to the weight room and the meeting rooms. In addition, during home football games, some of the meeting areas could be utilized by alumni, or other groups, for social events.

Loyd said that he brought the idea for the new athletic complex building to President Brian O. Hemphill shortly after he arrived on campus, and the President has been an enthusiastic supporter.

“This is historic and unprecedented for the University and I credit President Hemphill,” Loyd said. “He has built buildings before. He knows what it takes and he saw quickly what we needed here and put together the team to make it happen.”

The project’s cost is estimated at $3,585,000 and funds are currently being raised through an ongoing capital campaign.

Anticipating the receipt of pledged donations, WVSU is temporarily financing the construction cost.

For more information about contributing to the new athletic building, please contact: Patricia J. Schumann, Vice President for University Advancement, at (304) 766-3021 or pschumann@wvstateu.edu.

V o l u m e 2 : 2 0 1 4 | 19

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– Campus Now

Investment in the campus infrastructure at West Virginia State has been hard to miss over the past year. The renovation and expansion of Fleming Hall and the construction of the new Judge Damon J. Keith Scholars Hall are daily reminders that things are growing and changing in Institute.

But quietly, behind the scenes, another very valuable investment in the campus infrastructure has been underway over the past year that is much less visible.

In early 2013, a major project to overhaul and improve the campus technology infrastructure began with an assessment of what currently existed. The results of the assessment found that upgrading the campus wireless network was a top priority because there were many locations where there was no wireless access, including most of the residence halls.

The first step was to build out and complete a 10-Gig Network Ring to provide a backbone for the campus infrastructure for data.

“This is like installing a 10-lane freeway to replace a fourlane road with stop lights,” explained Tom Bennett, Assistant Vice President for University and Legislative Relations, who oversaw the technology upgrade. “Network traffic will be able to flow much faster and easier. With this fiber in place, the University should not have to worry about this part of the network infrastructure for at least another 10 years.”

In addition to building the 10-Gig ring around campus, over 500 Wireless Access Points (WAPs) were also installed around the University to boost wireless access for students, faculty and staff.

2 2 | W e s t V i r g i n i a S TAT E

for Speed

The University’s own Information Technology department performed nearly all of the upgrade work, saving the school a significant amount of money in the process.

“Most of the work was done in house by our 11-person IT staff,” Bennett said. “Programming and set up of the WAPs … they did it all. We easily have thousands of man hours in this project.”

The upgrade work was completed at the end of October, giving the campus community greater – and faster – wireless access.

“The feedback has been really good,” Bennett said of the technology infrastructure upgrade. “Students are excited because they can get access and appreciate that they can get it in various areas of campus that they couldn’t get it before.

Students are able to sit outside on the benches on a nice day and connect.”

At the same time, the wireless network was expanded to include nearly all areas of campus, it was also made more secure. The new, upgraded network is encrypted and has greater security measures in place to prevent anyone not associated with the University from accessing it.

Now, wireless network access can be found throughout the main area of campus and even down to Dickerson Stadium, which houses Lakin Field.

As the new Convocation Center and Judge Damon J. Keith Residence Hall are completed, they will also be part of the new campus wireless network.

Not attending college was never in the thoughts of the Hightower sisters of Huntington, W.Va. The three young women were raised in a home where education was valued and the expectation was that they would continue their studies after graduation from Huntington High School.

“Not going to college was not an option. Dad always talked about it,” said Charity Hightower, who at 23 is the oldest of the three sisters currently attending West Virginia State.

The Hightowers’ parents, Frederick and Michelle, had both attended State as well. Frederick Hightower was the resident director of Dawson Hall, the same hall that his three daughters call home today.

“It was an all-male dorm when he was here,” said Maria Hightower, 22, a junior majoring in communications. “I’m an RA (resident advisor) in Dawson Hall now.”

While the family connection may have prompted the sisters to consider State when it came to attending college, all three have been pleased with what they found in Institute.

Maria said that she enjoys the closeness of the State family.

“Here the teachers are always available and willing to help you,” she said. “If I went to a larger school, I would not get the hands on attention I receive here.”

Charity is a junior majoring in elementary education. She said that the combination of her professors and her student teaching have reinforced her desire to be an elementary school teacher.

“The Education Department here is highly recommended. I chose to go here,” Charity said. “I have learned so much. I feel like the professors really teach you and have you ready to go into the classroom.”

Angelica Hightower, 20, a sophomore, biology pre-med major, is using her time at State to get ready to go onto medical school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.

“My grandmother was the first black nurse anesthetist in West Virginia and she really inspired me to go into the medical field,” Angelica said.

“Her passion and legacy make me want to pursue medicine.”

Maria hopes to one day be a broadcast journalist. She said that her professors are preparing her well for life in front of, or behind the camera.

“Professor Kim Cobb’s advanced TV class has been my favorite,” Maria Hightower said. “We learn everything, directing, working the camera, the prompter, everything.”

All three are active on campus. Charity is president of the WVSU student chapter of the NAACP, while Angelica is secretary of the group.

Maria is active in the National Broadcasting Society – Alpha Epsilon Rho. Charity will be the first of the sisters to graduate from State, and all three should complete their studies by 2015.

And although he has not yet said where he would like to go to college, the Hightower sisters have a younger brother, Frederick Hightower Jr., who at 17 could be the next in line to come to Institute when he completes high school.

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Convocation Center at Fleming Hall Set to Open The Convocation Center at Fleming Hall will be completed in February 2014 and feature fully-renovated classrooms, offices and locker rooms and a new 1,300-seat arena for intercollegiate basketball and volleyball as well as the University’s premier space for large assemblies and special events.

The arena floor will be named for long-time Kanawha Valley athletic booster Lester Raines.

Raines’ involvement in local sports spans nearly 20 years, and since the 2011-2012 basketball season, he has been an assistant basketball coach at WVSU. Meanwhile, the Fleming Hall athletic court, known by many as “The Pit” through the years, has been named in honor of West Virginia State coaching legend Mark Cardwell.

Cardwell was a long-time coach at State in a variety of sports, including football and basketball. His teams won several conference championships during his tenure including two football championships in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).

Cardwell also coached State’s men’s basketball team. In 1948, and 1949, the Yellow Jackets won the CIAA. His 1948 squad finished the season as the only unbeaten team in the country with a 30-0 record and was named national champions among historically black colleges and universities.

Once the Convocation Center opens, the Coach Mark Cardwell Court will continue to be utilized as a practice court

by Yellow Jacket athletic teams.

Numerous naming opportunities are available in the new Convocation Center at Fleming Hall, including benches, bricks and lockers. To learn more about contributing, please contact: Patricia J. Schumann, Vice President for University Advancement, at (304) 766-3021 or pschumann@wvstateu.edu.

Women’s Tennis Team Posts Perfect Record The Yellow Jacket women’s tennis team closed out a perfect fall 2013 conference season by defeating West Liberty 5-1 in the first Mountain East Conference (MEC) women’s tennis championship tournament in Charleston.

The Yellow Jackets finished 10-0 against MEC opponents and 12-0 overall for the fall season.

Senior Andreea Slusarciuc picked up her third conference title while sophomores Brittany Franco, Diana Cotoros and Charlotte Sandy were undefeated in conference matches.

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Cal Bailey Announces 2014 Will be his Last Year Coaching Legendary West Virginia State University baseball coach Cal Bailey has announced that the 2014 season will be his last leading the Yellow Jackets.

Bailey finished the 2013 season with more than 1,000 career victories, one of only seven coaches in NCAA Division II history to win that many games.

Overall, heading into his final season, Bailey will carry a career record of 1,029 wins and only 466 losses.

His career record in West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) play is 619-154 and under his leadership the Yellow Jackets have won 17 conference championships.

In 1978, Bailey was named the head coach of the Yellow Jackets and established WVSU as one of the premier baseball programs in the WVIAC. Bailey has been named WVIAC Coach of the Year on eight occasions and was selected as West Virginia College Coach of the Year in 1982. In 1999 and 2005 he was voted the North Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.

In addition, 39 of Bailey’s former Yellow Jacket players went on to play baseball professionally, including a handful that made it to the Major Leagues.

Sean Loyd Named Next Head Baseball Coach Athletic Director and Assistant Baseball Coach Sean Loyd has been named the Head Coach in Waiting and will take over the reins of the Yellow Jackets baseball program following the retirement of long-time Coach Cal Bailey.

A native of Sutton, Loyd has been an Assistant Baseball Coach at WVSU since 1994 and has served since 2008 as the school’s Athletic Director, a position he will continue to fulfill.

Loyd came to Institute first as a player for Bailey, and then as an assistant when a position opened up on his staff. Even though he still had a year of playing eligibility left, Loyd jumped at the chance to become part of Bailey’s staff.

Loyd has played a vital role in the Yellow Jackets’ success. During his time as the hitting coach, 46 WVSU hitters have been selected to the AllConference team, including eight who were honored as conference Hitter of the Year and 11 have been named All-Americans.

Along the way, Loyd has gained the respect of his peers resulting in him twice being selected to serve on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee and being elected President of the West Virginia Baseball Coaches’ Association.

Sports Hall of Fame Inducts Eight West Virginia State University’s (WVSU) athletic booster organization, the “W” Club, inducted eight of its alumni into the University’s Sports Hall Fame on Oct. 5, 2013, as part of Homecoming activities.

New inductees were honored at a brunch and were also recognized during halftime at the Homecoming football game.

The new “W” Club Sports Hall of Fame members are: James L. Henry (’83) for football, Julius A. McLeod, II (’89) for football, Shawn Harvey (’96) for basketball, Alfred G. Vance (’75) for basketball, Richard L. Dunlap (’65) for track and field, James M. Hill, Jr. (’60) for swimming, Taryn Haas (’07) for volleyball and honorary inductee U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton (’71).

Football Stadium Named in Honor of Dickerson Family West Virginia State University stadium, where the Yellow Jackets compete in football, is now known as Dickerson Stadium in recognition of a donation made by Dr. Edward E. Dickerson IV, a 1988 graduate of WVSU. The Fayetteville, N.C. physician and his family pledged a gift of current cash and future life insurance proceeds of $1 million to WVSU. A new entrance to the football stadium will be built and feature a plaque describing the legacy of the Dickerson family and their history at WVSU. Through this gift, the Dickersons will also establish the Dickerson Endowed Scholarship.

Dr. Dickerson is the owner and medical director for Cape Fear Aesthetics, Rejuvenating Med Spa and Fayetteville Plastic Surgery.

Softball Team Wins Final WVIAC Tournament The WVSU softball team won the final West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) tournament championship during the spring of 2013.

The Yellow Jackets defeated Fairmont State 3-1 to win the WVIAC Tournament crown and secure an automatic bid into the NCAA Atlantic Regional.

The softball team won one game at the NCAA regional before being eliminated.

WVSU finished the season with an overall record of 42-14.

During the spring 2013 season, the Yellow Jackets achieved a top 25 ranking in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Poll, a first for the program.

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1 2 3 4 5 Provost R. Charles Byers Announces Plan to Retire Provost R. Charles Byers has announced plans to retire after 41 years of service to the University, effective June 30, 2014. Byers began his lifelong career at WVSU as a professor in the Education Department and has held several leadership roles, but his first connection with State was as a student in the mid-1960s.

Upon stepping down as Provost, Byers will serve as Senior Advisor to the President for one year with primary responsibilities including the campus master plan and the University’s accreditation.

Born in Logan County, Byers was raised in West Dunbar. He is a 1968 graduate of WVSU with a bachelor’s degree in Art Education.

Byers later earned a Master of Fine Arts’ degree from The Ohio State University while working as a

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commercial artist and art teacher in Columbus. Later, Byers earned his Ph.D. from Kent State University and, to date, has more than 430 graduate hours from various higher education institutions.

Byers held his first job at WVSU when he was a student, working in the bookstore.

During his undergraduate studies, Byers was also an active student leader serving as Basileus Omega Psi Phi fraternity, President of the Panhellenic Council and President of the Men’s Senate.

Byers’ tenure at WVSU includes serving as Vice President of Planning and Advancement, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and most recently as Provost. Throughout the course of his 41 years as a faculty member and administrator at WVSU, Byers wants

to be remembered for simply serving and helping others.

“When I was offered my first job at WVSU, I was a teacher and administrator at a high school. I knew if I came here to teach I could positively affect the lives of thousands.

As an instructor in the institution’s Education Department, I would be shaping future teachers who would then go out into classrooms across America and help others reach their fullest potential. Twenty-two years of my tenure at State, I spent teaching in the Education Department. I have taught over 4,000 students. I hope I made a difference in their lives. That’s what is most satisfying to me about being a member of the University community – knowing that every day I can positively affect someone else’s life,” Byers said.

Professor’s New Book Explores the History of Charleston

English Professor Named National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Scholar

West Virginia State University Associate Professor of English Dr. Jeff Pietruszynski completed time at the 2013 National Endowment West Virginia State University for the Humanities (NEH) Associate Professor of History Summer Research Institute at the Dr. Billy Joe Peyton’s new book, “Historic Charleston: The First 225 Newberry Library in Chicago.

Pietruszynski attended the Even though the delivery Years,” was published in November seminar, “Music and Travel in method has changed, West 2013.

Europe and the Americas, 1500Virginia State University Media The book tells the story of 1800,” which coincided with his Studies Assistant Professor Daniel Charleston and Kanawha County current research about the effect Boyd continues to offer new beginning with the area’s earliest of popular forms of media on spine-tingling tales in his popular inhabitants, the mound builders, perceptions of everyday life in “Chillers” franchise. and the first Anglo settlers in modern England. He argues that, First conceived in 1988 as a the 18th century. It recounts the much like current social media, feature-length film, “Chillers” was establishment of Fort Lee by Col. re-introduced to a new generation George Clendenin in 1788 and also these writings created a perception in 2012 with the publication of a Charles Town in 1794 and traces its of the world that did not and could not exist in reality. Instead, horror anthology graphic novel. growth into a hub of government, these texts provided an escapist In April 2013, “Chillers Book industry and commerce. distraction for readers while Two” introduced 14 new Peyton has over 25 years of also playing off of Early Modern tales of terror to a national experience as a public historian, notions of self-identity, communal audience. Many of the stories administrator and teacher. His harmony and social values. in the new graphic novel were varied career has included work as While at the Institute, written by Boyd, or one of his project manager for a coal mine Pietruszynski spent time reading students at WVSU. stabilization project, historian on though texts that were produced “I have always used the formula National Park Service recording of learn by doing, mixing students projects, grant writer and historian between 1500–1700, many in with industry professionals on our for a PBS affiliate, associate director manuscript form.

“I was lucky to be in a real-world projects for them to of the Institute for the History room that contained such vast learn their craft,” said Boyd.“They of Technology & Industrial knowledge, not only from the have had the opportunity to learn Archaeology at West Virginia guest faculty, but the participants a great deal while at the same time University, cultural resource gaining practical experience.” specialist for a historic architect and as well. I was able to take my In all, three students, Frank high school history teacher. Peyton research to the next level by using one of a kind printings and bounce Larnerd, Katarina Dedicova and joined the faculty at West Virginia ideas and information off of other Betsy Allen, contributed stories State University in 2002. scholars,” he said. to “Chillers Book Two,” and two Peyton’s publication credits Pietruszynski is in his WVSU students, Balsa Gobovic include entries in the West Virginia seventh year of teaching writing and Leslie Bragg, contributed Encyclopedia, a chapter in The and literature in the English artwork.

National Road, and his own book Department. He is also the “Chillers Book Two” was titled “Charleston: Then and Coordinator of General Education, published by Transfuzion Now.” He has also participated the Director of the Faculty Center Publishing in conjunction with in numerous documentary films, Troma Entertainment Inc. and Big such as “Ghosts of Green Bottom,” for Excellence in Teaching, and serves as the Parliamentarian for Pictures Inc. The graphic novel “Red Salt & Reynolds” and “The retails for $12.99. the Faculty Senate.

Midland Trail.”

Professor Scares up “Chilling” Tales in New Graphic Novel

Brenda Wamsley Elected President of Geriatrics Society West Virginia State University Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work Dr. Brenda Wamsley has been elected President of the West Virginia Geriatrics Society (WVGS), the state affiliate of the American Geriatrics Society.

The WVGS works to improve geriatric care through professional teamwork, education, advocacy and public policy. Wamsley’s election was announced at the WVGS ninth Annual Scientific Assembly held in Charleston in October 2013. She took office Jan. 1, 2014.

Wamsley has worked in the field of aging for the past 23 years.

Prior to coming to WVSU in 2004, she served as Executive Director of the Center for Aging & Healthcare in West Virginia, Inc. She received a doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University and master’s degree from West Virginia University.

She has published articles in numerous academic journals, including The Geronologist, The Journal of Rural Health, Journal of Aging and Health and Home Health Care Services Quarterly.

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Honors Student Wins First Prize in Research Video Competition Hannah Cavender, a biology major, won the top prize in the first-ever student science video competition at the fifth biennial Science, Technology and Research (STaR) Symposium.

Students from institutions across West Virginia entered the video competition, hosted by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Science and Research. The competition required students to produce a short video explaining their work to general audiences.

Cavender was one of four undergraduate finalists chosen to travel to the Symposium and present their work to a panel of judges. Kevin Carte, a WVSU student working with Dr. Umesh Reddy, was also chosen to present, making WVSU the only institution to have multiple finalists in the undergraduate category.

Cavender received a cash prize for her winning video, titled “Complexation of aluminum by nitrogen containing ligands,” describing research she is performing with Dr. Genia Sklute of WVSU’s Chemistry Department.

Cavender will use the title for her honors thesis.

Yellow Jacket Battalion Places High in ROTC Ranger Challenge Competing against similar-sized programs from around the country, the West Virginia State University Yellow Jacket ROTC Battalion finished third in the rigorous two-day Ranger Challenge competition held Oct. 25-26, 2013, at Fort Pickett, Va. The Yellow Jacket Battalion 12-man Ranger Challenge Team finished higher than any other ROTC program in the state of West Virginia, and in placing third in its class defeated such programs as those at Duke University, the University of Virginia and Marshall University.

The Ranger Challenge competition focuses on basic infantry skills, with squad-sized teams competing against other schools in rifle marksmanship, constructing a rope-bridge, patrolling, disassembly and reassembly of the M16A2 Rifle, the Army Physical Fitness Test and multiple timed road marches.

The Yellow Jacket Battalion at West Virginia State University features students from WVSU, the University of Charleston, Glenville State College and the West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

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Academic Quiz Bowl Team Reaches Final Four of National Championship The West Virginia State academic quiz bowl team reached the Final Four round of competition in the Honda Campus AllStar Challenge National Championship Tournament in Los Angeles in April 2013.

Competing against 48 other schools from around the country representing Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) the Yellow Jackets advanced through two days of competition to reach the Final Four where they fell to eventual National Champion Morgan State University.

The academic quiz bowl team consisted of: Scotty White, a communications major from Bay Minette, Ala.; Eric Jett, a mathematics major from Charleston; Ashton Gauff, a mathematics and international studies/French major from Zachary, La.; and Raynalle Rouse, a theatre arts major from Washington, D.C. Belinda Fuller, WVSU Director of Alumni Relations, served as the team’s coach.

For reaching the semi-finals of the tournament, the WVSU team earned $15,000 in institutional grants from Honda.

Criminal Justice Students Take Top Honors at Conference

Students Named Outstanding Chapter by American Chemical Society The student chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) at West Virginia State received a second consecutive Outstanding Chapter Award for 2012-2013 activities. The group also received Green Chemistry Chapter recognition for the fourth year in a row.

The group of more than 20 students was praised for their outreach and educational efforts by award judges, with reviewers citing what they called an outstanding job promoting chemistry to area youth. Student participants regularly visit schools in the Kanawha Valley to teach science to K-12 youth.

The group hosts educational programs for schools throughout Kanawha and Putnam counties, which include lectures on topics such as green chemistry, career presentations and science-based, hands-on activities. They have worked with such groups as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and take part in National Chemistry Week, Earth Day, National Lab Day, blood drives and other events.

ACS members also participate in career preparation activities in the medical and science industry, including trips to professional and graduate schools, Careers in Science seminars, local and national meetings, and networking with regional science professionals.

Award-winning chapters were recognized through inChemistry magazine and at the ACS National Meeting in Dallas.

National Broadcasting Society – Alpha Epsilon Rho Students Earn Chapter of the Year Honors Students brought home top honors from the National Broadcasting Society – Alpha Epsilon Rho when they received the National Chapter of the Year award at the society’s annual meeting March 23, 2013, in Washington, D.C. The award is the highest honor given by the National Broadcasting Society – Alpha Epsilon Rho. In addition to being named National Chapter of the Year, the students also received the Motivated Chapter award for community service, membership growth, scholarship fundraising and on and off campus activities.

WVSU student Scotty White was also recognized with the grand prize in the Audio Feature category.

West Virginia State Criminal Justice students walked away with top honors at the annual West Virginia Criminal Justice Educators Association conference Oct. 24-25, 2013, at West Liberty University.

WVSU students swept the undergraduate paper competition at the annual conference with Wyatt Burgess taking first place, Carla Brooks taking second place and Kayli Feazelle taking third place. A senior, Wyatt’s paper was titled, “Restorative Justice for Women Victims of Domestic Abuse,” while Brooks, also a senior, presented “Live and Let Die-Honor Killings: When Families Murder Their Own.” Feazelle, also a senior, presented the paper, “Current Use of Profiling Techniques of Shoplifters to Decrease Store Inventory Loss.”

More than 100 people participated in the conference, which represents all colleges and universities in West Virginia that offer criminal justice as a major.

NAACP Chapter Receives National Award for Membership Growth The West Virginia State Student Chapter of the NAACP received a national award for the largest membership increase among college chapters in the organization.

The WVSU Chapter received the 2013 Chairman’s Trophy at the 104th annual NAACP Convention in Orlando, Fla., in July.

Charity Hightower, an elementary education major, is president of the student chapter and said that the group has grown from six members to nearly 40 members in the past two years.

In receiving the award, the WVSU NAACP Chapter received a large trophy that was put on public display at the James C. Wilson University Union.

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1933: Mary C. Snow (Education) was posthumously recognized in 2012, when the newly built West Side Elementary School in Charleston was renamed in her honor. Snow began her career as a teacher in a segregated school and eventually became the first black principal of a desegregated school in Kanawha County. Snow was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She passed away June 21, 2012.

1935: Carrie Jones Brown (Education) celebrated her 100th birthday in March 2013 at her home in Pomona, Calif.

1938: Laura Ruth Elliott Franklin (Education) and her twin sister Louise Alice Elliott Hill (1938, Education) celebrated their 95th birthday in January 2013. Franklin resides in Houston, Texas and Hill resides in Jacksonville, Fla.

1943: Judge Damon J. Keith recently celebrated the release of his biography, “Crusader for Justice: Federal Judge Damon J. Keith.” Author Trevor W. Coleman presents the first-ever biography of Judge Keith, surveying his education, important influences, major cases, and professional and personal commitments.

Judge Keith currently serves on the bench as a Federal Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Keith resides in Detroit, Mich.

1950: Robert “ “ Bob”” Wilson, Jr. (Education) has been recognized by the New York/New Jersey Alumni Chapter for his lifetime accomplishments. Wilson was an outstanding basketball player at WVSU. After graduation, he played for the Harlem Globetrotters, Chicago Stags and Tri-City Blackhawks. Wilson was one of the first men to break the NBA color

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barrier. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Wilson and his wife, Josephine (’48, Education) are both Life Members of the WVSU National Alumni Association and reside in Newark, N.J. 1951: Alonzo Gaston DeBerry (Liberal Arts) celebrated his 90th birthday in October 2013.

1956: Rev. Paul H. Easley, Sr. (Technical Science) was recently honored as a distinguished alumnus at the Iliff School of Theology at their 2013 Annual Alumni and Friends Awards Banquet.

Easley received his Master of Sacred Theology degree from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colo. Easley currently serves as Minister at Kings Memorial UMC in Atlanta. Easley resides in Fayetteville, Ga.

1961: Brig. Gen. R ( et.) Walter F. “Wally”” Johnson (Zoology) recently published his first book, “I Can Do That! Advice for Spiritual Entrepreneurs.” Johnson tells his story as a way to give you the benefit of his lessons and experience at how to approach life in a way that will allow you to succeed on every level – personally, financially and spiritually. Johnson is a Retired Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. Johnson and his wife, Doris, reside in Georgetown, S.C. 1964: Dr. Ann Brothers Smith (Education) was recently elected as ViceChair of the WVSU Board of Governors.

Smith, a Kanawha Valley native, has been active in alumni affairs for the University and is currently President Emeritus of the WVSU National Alumni Association.

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a Life Member of the WVSU National Alumni Association.

Smith is a retired educator and resides in Detroit, Mich. ( et.) Kenneth Gray 1966: Maj. Gen. R (Political Science) was recently featured in the May-June issue of The Vietnam Veterans of America magazine in the article “Quiet Bravery & Focused Effort:

The Pioneering Career of Ken Gray.” In 1969, he earned his law degree from WVU College of Law, becoming its third AfricanAmerican graduate. After law school Gray entered the U.S. Army as a legal officer. In 1993, he was promoted to major general and sworn in as the Assistant Judge Advocate General. Gray currently serves as Vice President of Student Affairs for West Virginia University. Gray and his wife, Carolyn, reside in Morgantown, W.Va. 1968: Wayne D. Casey (Education) recently published “Breaking In: The Author of a New Era,” which discusses the long arduous road towards breaking down racial barriers and the role of sports in making it possible. He is an author, radio personality and motivational speaker.

Casey and his wife, Linda, currently reside in Stone Mountain, Ga.

1972: L. Vincent Williams, Esq. (Business Administration) was recently elected Secretary of the WVSU Board of Governors. Williams is a Life Member of the WVSU National Alumni Association.

Williams is a retired Deputy Attorney General in the state of Tennessee, who now has a private law practice. He is licensed to practice in Tennessee and Georgia. In addition, Williams is a licensed Affiliate Real Estate Broker and resides in Nashville, Tenn.

1972: Pamela D. Lewis Carter (Psychology/Philosophy) was recently presented the Women of Color Magazine’s Career Achievement-Industry Award at the 18th Annual Women of Color Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Carter currently serves as Vice President for Business Development for Global Services and Support with Boeing Defense, Space and Security. Carter and husband, William, reside in Glen Carbon, Ill. 1972: Betty M. Bates (Business Administration) recently participated in the “National Delta Olympic-style Torch Tour Procession.” The Olympic-style Torch Tour stopped in 22 cities and culminated at the 51st National Convention. Bates is a Life

Member of the WVSU National Alumni Association. She resides in Baltimore, Md.

WVSU National Alumni Association and resides in Dunbar, W.Va.

1975: Glover Smiley, Jr. (Criminal Justice) earned four Coach of the Year Awards this season.

Smiley is currently the Spartanburg, S.C., High School Boys and Girls Head Track and Field Coach. He was named the (1) Region II AAAA 2013 Boys Track Coach of the Year and (2) Region II AAAA Girls Track Coach of the Year. He also was named the 2013 Herald Journal News (3) Boys Coach of the Year and (4) Girls Track Coach of The Year. Smiley is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He is a Life Member and Executive Secretary of the WVSU National Alumni Association. In 1992, he was inducted into the WVSU Sports Hall of Fame as a Coach. Smiley and his wife, Althea, reside in Roebuck, S.C.

“ Judy”” Ellis Mason 1978: Judith “ (a former Miss State) sang in The Delta Choir throughout the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Centennial Celebration in July 2013. Mason is the newly elected Eastern Region Director of the WVSU National Alumni Association. Mason resides in Washington, D.C.

“ Artie” ” ” Fullen 1975: Ardith “ (Education and a former Miss State) performed as one of the Delta Sigma Theta Centennial Liturgical Dancers for the Ecumenical Service in Washington, D.C. on July 14, 2013. Fullen resides in Bowie, Md.

1976: Iva Toler (Education and a former Miss State) recently participated in the “National Delta Olympic-style Torch Tour Procession.” Toler resides in Stevensville, Md. 1977: Debbie A. Jarvis (Business) was recently elected to the WVSU Board of Governors as the Classified Staff Representative. Jarvis currently serves as the WVSU Interim Associate Registrar and the Veterans Certifying Official for WVSU military veteran students. Jarvis and husband, Mel, reside in Dunbar, W.Va. 1978: Sandra Y. Pope (Social Work) recently presented at the 21st Annual Rural Health Conference at Stonewall Jackson Resort in October, 2013. Pope was the chair of the W.Va. Rural Health Association’s Workforce Committee and co-chaired the project, Workforce Demand Analysis. Pope is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She is a Life Member and serves as Treasurer of the

1985: Eric R. Hughes (Communications) was recently honored with the 2013 Image Award by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. Hughes is the ABC Evening News Chief Night Assignment Editor. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Hughes and his wife, Sharon, (1985, Chemistry) reside in Lansdowne, Pa. 1989: Karen Lynne Arvon (Business Administration) was elected as a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 31, Raleigh County and parts of Summers County. Arvon is married to Dr. Matthew Arvon and resides in Beckley, W.Va. 1989: Britt Lee Howard (Criminal Justice) recently launched his first series of children’s books “Little B’s Safety Coaching,” which navigates readers through easy ways they can be safe in the home, at the mall, or on the computer.

He and his mother, Brenda “Momma Howard” (’76, Education), are Life Members of the WVSU National Alumni Association. Howard and his wife, Madeleine, reside in Richmond, Texas.

1991: Dr. Roslyn C. Clark Artis (Political Science) was recently appointed Interim President at Florida Memorial University

in Miami Gardens, Fla. Artis previously served as an attorney and executive vice president and chief academic officer of Mountain State University. She practiced law from 1995 to 2003 before embarking on a career in higher education. Artis received a J.D. from the WVU School of Law, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University, where she was valedictorian of her class. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Artis resides in Miramar, Fla. 1991: Michael J. Lewellen (Political Science) recently celebrated his 20th year in the field of Information Technology.

Lewellen has been employed with Lockheed Martin for the last seven years.

He and his wife, Dana, (’93, Political Science) reside in Joppa, Md. 1993: Richard B. Kelly (Communications) directed the season finale of the hit comedy TV show “Raising Hope” on March 28, 2013. Kelly has been in the industry for nearly 20 years and worked on the “My Name is Earl” TV series from 2006-2009 as a second assistant director and first assistant director.

He also has been involved with films “Constantine,” “The Polar Express” and “The Scorpion King.”

1993: Dana C. Lewellen (Political Science) recently joined Under Armour as an Assistant Counsel. Under Armour is an American sports clothing company.

Lewellen and her husband, Michae;l, (’91, Political Science) reside in Joppa, Md. 1995: Eugene Stowers (Business Administration) and his wife, Sherry, are the proud grandparents of their first grandchild, Olivia Kathleen, born Oct. 31, 2013 to Amanda (’06), their daughter, and Nicolas “Nick” Downs. Stowers is the Associate Director of Enterprise Systems for WVSU Information Technology. The Stowers reside in Hamlin, W.Va.

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1996: Kenetta Marie Pierce (Communications) was recently named Director of the Center for Career Coaching and Professional Development at Columbia College in Columbia, S.C. In this role, Pierce guides a team assisting students with career clarification and research, personal assessments and job opportunities. Her industry certifications include the Global Career Development Facilitator and Academy Certified Resume Writer credentials. Pierce resides in Columbia, S.C. 1997: LTC Richard N. Ojeda II (General Education) was selected for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. Ojeda currently serves as Executive Officer of the U.S. Army Beckley Recruiting Battalion. Ojeda and his wife, Kelly, reside in Holden, W.Va. 1998: Frank C. Walker, II (Criminal Justice) was selected into The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers organization. He currently practices law at his own law firm, Frank Walker Law in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity, Inc. Walker and wife, Jennifer (’95, Business Administration) are both Life Members of the WVSU National Alumni Association and reside in Pittsburgh.

2005: Dianne M. Lewis (Psychology) recently got engaged to Jermaine Jordan. The bride-to-be is currently working as a third grade teacher. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Her fiancé, a Pharmacy Technician, is currently pursuing his degree in Organizational Management. A wedding is planned for March 2014 in Groveland, Fla. The couple resides in Minneola, Fla. “ ucy”” Myers 2005: Luciana “L Britton (Social Work) recently directed the Kanawha Player’s (KP) musical, “Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales” at the KP’s Theater in Charleston.

Britton is a member of Delta Sigma Theta

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Sorority, Inc. She currently works as a cosmetologist at Wesley’s Beauty Studio.

Britton resides in Charleston, W.Va. 2005: Felicia Wallace Johnson (Communications) has been named Manager of Membership, Marketing and Administration for International Wood Products Association. Johnson will also serve as the Editor-In-Chief for the International Wood Magazine and Buyers Guide. While a student at WVSU, she was editor of the yearbook. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Johnson and her husband, Thomas, reside in Upper Marlboro, Md. 2006: Amanda Stowers Downs (Communications) graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from WVU in May 2013. She serves as the Integrated Marketing Specialist for WVSU University Advancement, and is a third generation Yellow Jacket. Amanda and her husband, Nick, welcomed their first born, Olivia Kathleen on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2013.

Olivia weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 21 inches long. The Downs reside in St. Albans, W.Va. 2008: Jason Slay (RBA) was recently named Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Tennessee State University (TSU). Slay was previously the Director of Basketball Operations for Georgia Southern University.

He was also the top assistant coach at Hargrave Military Academy, Va. After graduating, Slay served as the Associate Men’s Basketball Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for four seasons at WVSU. As a player at State, he was a fourtime captain and a two-year starter.

2009: Zebula M. Reed (Biology/ Pre-Med), a medical student at West Virginia University (WVU), was recently selected as one of four medical students to participate in an international medical elective. Reed traveled to Fiji for a monthlong international training at a WVUaffiliated Fijian clinic. During his travels, Reed collected medicine and supplies from local businesses and pharmacies.

2010: Amber M. Surface (Sociology) married John W. Eakin, III, April 20, 2013 at Hawk’s Nest State Park, Ansted, W.Va. The couple resides in Charleston, W.Va. Surface is the new Director of Advancement Services at West Virginia State University.

2011: Katheryne E. Hawkins (Art) recently accepted a position as a graphic designer at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences. She resides in Clendenin, W.Va. 2011: Chenai Rusike (History) recently got engaged to Charles Kirkpatrick (’09, Communications). The bride-to-be is currently pursuing her law degree at Liberty University School of Law. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Her fiancé, Kirkpatrick, is currently working at the Department of Defense Navy IT contractor Base Ops. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. A wedding is planned for Summer 2016. The couple currently resides in Lynchburg, Va. 2013: Cordero R. Davis (Communications) recently traveled to Suzhou, China to work as an English, Math and Creative Arts Instructor for the Jiangsu Province International Schools. Davis is currently learning Mandarin and martial arts. He attends cultural excursions of the country, enjoys learning new customs and traditions and is exploring some of the most amazing historic and modern sites of Asia. Davis is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc.

Alumni News & Events

FEBRUARY 13 Alumni Night at the WVSU Women’s and Men’s Basketball Games Yellow Jackets take on Concord University beginning with the women’s game at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men’s at 7:30 p.m.

Bring your families and join the Office of Alumni Relations for a reception between the games. For more information, visit https://connect.wvstateu.edu.

The Columbus Alumni Chapter participated in the fifth annual Ohio HBCU College Fair in Columbus, Ohio, in Sept. 2013.

Chapter members Leon Peacock, Terence “Tank” Kizer and Monique Rogers-Dogbey participated. WVSU Admissions Counselor Anthony Parrish partnered with the chapter to make the event a success.

The Annual WVSU Philadelphia Alumni Chapter Cookout and Social was hosted at the home of Vince “Paupaw” Ross in South Jersey.

The gathering brought together more than 50 WVSU graduates and family members ranging from the classes of 1948-2012.

Metro Washington D.C. Chapter members had a great roundup at the little ponderosa (Toni’s Place) in August 2013. Members of the Shenandoah Valley “W” Club and the Baltimore Charm City Chapter joined the group. Betty Bates, Eastern Region Director, was in attendance for the annual membership roundup.

Robert and Josephine Wilson hosted a meeting of the New York/ New Jersey Alumni Chapter on December 7. The chapter was joined

by Charles Boddy, President of the National Alumni Association and Patricia Schumann, Vice President for University Advancement and President of the WVSU Foundation. In addition to the business meeting the group celebrated the Wilsons’ 64th wedding anniversary and Michelle Jones’ birthday.

The Raleigh-Durham Alumni Chapter invites alumni and friends to come “out to the ball game” at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Saturday, May 3 at 5:00 p.m. when the Bulls take on the Columbus Clippers. WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill will attend. For further information contact Chapter President Lynn Smith at (919) 450-0977 or LSmith613@nc.rr.com or visit the WVSU Alumni NetCommunity at http:// connect.wvstateu.edu/events.

February 18 WVSU Day at the Capitol Join State students, faculty and staff for a day with West Virginia’s leaders at the State Capitol. Details to come at www.wvstateu.edu .

April 5 Black & Gold Gala at Charleston Marriott Enjoy an elegant evening of dining, entertainment and dancing as we celebrate WVSU’s profound contribution to the region and recognize those who make it possible. Details to come at https://connect.wvstateu.edu/gala.

April 23-26 22nd National Alumni Conference at JW Marriott, Las Vegas, Nev. Visionary Leaders: Modeling the Way- The conference will provide an opportunity for alumni to personally interact with the WVSU President and members of the Administration, network with alumni, participate in seminars and explore the great city of Las Vegas. Register online at https://connect.wvstateu.edu/vegas2014 or by mail with the Cleveland Alumni Chapter. Mail to: Joan Cade, P.O. Box 21601, Cleveland, OH, 44121. Make checks payable to: Cleveland Chapter, WVSUNAA. Hotel information and conference details are available at https://connect.wvstateu.edu/ vegas2014.

April 26 WVSU Cares Day Join hundreds of Yellow Jacket volunteers and make a difference in the community by participating in service projects across the area.

Details to come at ww.wvstateu.edu/caresday.

April 2013 – October 2013 LTC Pervis M. Bates, Sr., ’39 Margaret Williams Land, ’39 Mildred B. (Carlton)Collier, ’43 Frances Shaw Crowder, ’47 Redic N. Smith, ’49 Col. James M. Garrison, Jr., ’50 Dr. Sophia P. Nelson, ’51 Vera Vashti (Shoffner) Russell, ’51 Alonzo “Al” Snipes, Jr. ESQ, ’53 Augusta A. Clark, ’54 Lloyd D. Reed, ’62 Charles O. Allen, ’66 Barbara Toslosky, ’68

Richard Roush, ’69 Christina D. Spanos, ’75 Thomas L. Graves, ’79 Tina Simmons Larson, ’86 Jodi R. Curry, ’88 Dr. Donald Minton Bell, ’94 Donna Gail Woolcock, ’94 Wanda I. Spaniol, ’95 John W. Metzger, ’99 Jeffrey C. Morgan, ’04 Dr. Howard L. Wilson, ’04 Harry “Brent” McVey, ’09

P.O. Box 1000 Institute, WV 25112 www.wvstateu.edu

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Institute, WV 25112 Permit No. 1