Class Notes
Rose ’95 Earns Accolades as Assistant Principal of the Year
Audrey Neal Thompson ’06 was named Ware Shoals School District 51 Teacher of the Year.
Lander Class of 1995 alumna Meredith Eaddy Rose, assistant principal of Jesse Boyd Elementary School in Spartanburg, has been named the 2012 Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA). The award was presented to Rose in November during a surprise announcement at her school. Pictured, from left, are: Russell W. Booker, Spartanburg School District 7 superintendent; Molly Spearman, SCASA Spartanburg School District 7 executive director; Meredith Eaddy Rose ’95, Jesse Boyd superintendent Russell Booker said Elementary School assistant principal; and Bob Grant, Jesse that Rose exemplifies all the qualiBoyd Elementary School principal. ties of an outstanding educator. “First and foremost, she is genuinely concerned for each of the students entrusted to her. Secondly, she is a gifted educator with a passion and enthusiasm for the profession. Finally, she has the character, conduct and commitment that is essential to be successful as an administrator,” he said, adding, “She is a true ambassador for the students and staff at Jesse Boyd.” Molly Spearman, executive director of the SCASA, called Rose “an outstanding ambassador for education in our state.” SCASA, the professional organization for school leaders in South Carolina, has more than 2,800 members and focuses on supporting school leaders in providing the best possible education for our state’s youth. (Information and photo provided by SCASA.)
Meagan Brown Kuhlman ’07 joined the SouthCon Building Group as their accounting and administrative manager.
Humphrey ’94 Pens First Novel
Joshua C. Croom ’04 and Rachel Bates Rowell, North Charleston, Dec. 10. Josh is employed by Rick Hendricks Toyota. They live in Charleston.
In the waning days of the Confederacy, President Jefferson Davis issued an order that the South’s gold reserve be moved to a new, safe location, to keep it from falling into Yankee hands. Instead, somewhere between Abbeville, S.C., and Washington, Ga., it disappeared. Lander graduate D.J. Humphrey imagines where the loot might have been stashed — and a death-defying quest that results in its recovery — in his first book, Jackson’s Raiders and the Lost Confederate Gold (CreateSpace 2011). Humphrey’s book, available in print and online versions through Amazon, is inspired by the fallout from the closing of Riegel Mills, in Ware Shoals, and set in Abbeville. It documents how seven young friends, through determination, courage, good luck and the help of a supernatural friend named Tommy Tyner, solve one of the great unsolved mysteries of history. Humphrey, who described himself as a “late bloomer of sorts,” enrolled at Lander as a 30-year-old nontraditional student in 1990. That he was able to graduate cum laude with a B.S. in elementary education, he said, “is a credit to Lander. This could not have been possible without Lander University’s being the great school that it is.”
F. Michael Seymour Jr. ’08 was promoted to banking center sales manager with Provident Community Bank. Andrea Susan Finley ’09 received her Master of Library and Information Science with an emphasis in School Library Media from the University of South Carolina. Cameron S. Dorn ’10 was hired by Health Wright Products Inc. as an account sales representative.
Weddings Richard Earl Loper ’87 and Alison Mundy Burns, Greenwood, Jan. 28. Richard is the internet sales manager for Ballentine Toyota. They live in Greenwood. Jon Hampton Driggers ’98 and Susan Kathleen Rountree ’99, Columbia, Dec. 17. Jon is associate dean for Campus Life and New Student Programs with Erskine College, and Susan is enrolled in graduate school at the University of South Carolina. They live in Lexington. Kacy Marie Culbertson ’99 and Mark Edward Munnerlyn, Greenwood. Oct. 8. Kacy works with Park Sterling Bank. They live in Greenwood. Carrie Young Place ’99 and Warren Blake Simpson, Belton, Dec. 17. Carrie is a sixth-grade teacher at Honea Path Middle School. They live in Honea Path.
Danny Lee McCormack ’06 and Leslie Elizabeth Hancock, Ninety Six, Nov. 12. Danny is the general manager of Zaxby’s in Greenwood. They live in Greenwood. Brittany Leighann Cann ’07 and William Robert Goforth ’09, Abbeville, Nov. 12. Brittany teaches at Woodfields Elementary, and Bill works with Prysmian Power Cables and Systems. They live in Greenwood. Sarah Ashley Crosby ’07 and Benjamin Wayne Dukes ’09, Hickory Tavern, Oct. 15. Ben is a sales and service specialist with Bank of America in Greenwood, and Sarah is an admissions counselor at Lander University. They live in Greenwood. Marissa Danielle Fatt ’08 and Justin Todd Gilbert ’08, Landrum, Nov. 5. They live in Anderson. Kerri Christin Lown ’08 and Clifton Bruce Donald, Due West, Aug. 27. Kerri works with the National Credit Union Administration. They live in Anderson. Jennifer Michelle McLester ’08 and Christopher C. Lynch, Hartsville, Aug. 20. Jennifer is a registered nurse with Carolinas Hospital System. They live in Florence.
Lander Magazine • Spring 2012
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