Class Acts
2007 following a brief illness. Kathleen Geist Long, ’83, Signal Mountain, Tenn., died July 18, 2007. After earning her accounting degree from EKU, Long became a Certified Public Accountant in 1986 and earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Louisiana. She was an assistant professor of accounting at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for seven years. Scott Young, ’89, Frankfort, Ky., died July 19, 2007, following a battle with cancer. Scott, a member of Sigma Chi, was a dedicated high school guidance counselor. Frank Denzinger, ’03, Lanesville, Ind., died June 18, 2007. A law enforcement officer, he was killed in the line of duty.
Non-degreed Alumni or Alumni of Unknown Class Year
Krista Lynn Lewis Adams, Millersville, Md., died March 23, 2008. Adams was an employee of Sylvan Learning Center in Elkridge, Md., and a licensed real estate agent for Long and Foster. At Severn Christian Church she helped with the youth group and sang with the praise team. Charles E. Beck, St. Petersburg, Fla., died March 14, 2008. He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from EKU. Brian Matthew Chic, Burbank, Calif., died June 21, 2007. Chic attended EKU in the mid 1970s, acting in many theater productions. For 28 years, Chic worked in the Hollywood entertainment system, spending the past 17 years as an employee of Paramount Studios. Harry Doepke, Bellevue, Ky., died Oct. 31, 2007. An avid sports fan, he was the Kentucky high school state champion in tennis singles and played basketball for EKU. He was ordained in the Assemblies of God church in 1966. For more than 40 years, Rev. Doepke led Glad Tidings Temple, the church founded by his parents in 1926. He led a Bible study for the church’s remaining 20 members the Sunday before his death. Estill J. Fannin, Lake Panasoffkee, Fla., died Feb. 27, 2006. He earned a master’s degree from EKU and was a retired teacher and principal of the Carter County, Ky., Technical School. Having served in both the U.S. Army and Air Force, he was a lifetime member of the
32 Eastern
Disabled American Veterans, was a Kentucky Colonel, and a Mason with over 25 years’ service. Margaret Gabriel, Stanford, Ky., died Jan. 21, 2008. She was a member of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church of Danville, Ky. Martha Lovelace Gray, Louisville, Ky., died Dec. 9, 2007. She attended both EKU and LaVarenne Cooking School in Paris, France. In addition to being a gourmet cook, she was an avid fisherman and an accomplished interior decorator. Paul Hickey, an EKU student killed in a car accident in 1999, was honored on a Rose Parade float sponsored by Donate Life America, an organization that encourages organ donation. Hickey was selected to have his image appear on the float as Kentucky’s representative. After the accident, Hickey’s heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and eyes were donated to individuals from North Carolina to California. Ryan P. Love, Harrodsburg, Ky., died Dec. 19, 2007. He was a decorated member of the Army Reserve Unit No. 728 and an Iraq war veteran. Among his recognitions were the Army Commendation Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal. Brenda Carolyn Belcher Mattingly, Danville, Ky., died Jan. 19, 2008. She was the owner of Brenda’s workshop for eight years and Belcher’s Upholstery for 18 years. Jon T. McKeever, Kettering, Ohio, died March 14, 2008. He retired from Irwin Auger Bit after 30 years. He was a proud member of the Vette-Set Society. Mary Smoot, Shelbyville, Ky., died Nov. 26, 2007, ten days after her 100th birthday. A former teacher, she was the last surviving member of her immediate family. Lena Beatrice Fisk Steinhauser, Rogersville, Ala., died Oct. 23, 2007. She taught in the Kenton County, Ky., school system from the mid-1940s until her retirement as both sixth grade teacher and principal of Visalia School in 1974. Steinhauser lived on a 208-acre farm from the time she married until 2006, when she was 96. Gregg Taylor, Milford, Ohio, died Feb. 5, 2008 of a brain tumor. As a sergeant with the U.S. Air Force’s Security Service, Taylor analyzed the military communication of other countries. He toured the Philippines and Japan, playing guitar in rock bands, and traveled the U.S. with Willie
Nelson and country group Alabama as a rigger before working on a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1985 he joined ITA Audio Visual Solutions as vice president of hotel services.
Former Faculty and Staff
Dr. Paul Blanchard, EKU professor and administrator for 35 years, retired in December. A Foundation professor of government, Blanchard began teaching in the department in 1970 and over the next three decades became a widely sought and highly valued expert on Kentucky government and politics. In 1999 he became the first director of Eastern’s Center for Kentucky History and Politics. Since 2003 he served as EKU’s executive director for governmental relations, working with local and state leaders as well as the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Dr. Don Calitri, professor emeritus of health promotion and administration at EKU, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. The Foundation seeks to address the health care needs of Kentucky citizens by influencing health policy, reducing health risks and promoting health equity. Dr. Robert W. Hartwell, long-time director of bands at EKU and director emeritus of the Stephen Foster Music Camp, died Feb. 15, 2008. Hartwell helped lead Eastern’s
band program to become one of the finest in the region and oversaw the expansion of Foster Music Camp, the second oldest music camp in the nation, from a single emphasis on high school band and orchestra to one serving both middle and high school students and embracing instrumental, piano and vocal instruction. Hartwell retired in 1999 after 32 years with EKU. However, he remained actively engaged as a consultant with the Kentucky Music Educators Association and other groups. Memorial donations may be made to the Dr. Robert W. Hartwell Scholarship for Musical and Leadership Excellence, c/o EKU Foundation, CPO 19A, 521 Lancaster Ave., Richmond, Ky. 40475. G. Ann Uhlir, Denton, Texas, died Nov. 28, 2007. Dr. Uhlir was chair of the physical education department at EKU for 14 years, and over the course of her more than 40-year career, was an avid promoter of opportunities for women in sport. She left EKU to become executive director of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women from 1979-82. She then returned to higher education as dean of the college of health, physical education, recreation and dance at Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Uhlir’s leadership and dedication to opening doors for women were recognized by many honors and awards. Following her 1996 retirement, she enjoyed international travel, particularly her work with Earthwatch Research Expedition Teams to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Costa Rica and Kenya.
Eastern Kentucky University congratulates several sister colleges and universities who recently celebrated the inauguration of a new president and thanks the following alumni who represented Eastern at the investiture ceremonies: University of Southern Mississippi—Dr. Jeanie Bowman, ‘66 Haverford College—Tom Coffey, ’65 Wright State University—W. Michael Conway, ’72 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania—Dr. G. Michael McDavid, ‘72 Eastern Illinois University—Dr. John Messer, ‘72 Owensboro (Ky.) Community & Technical College—Cheryl Roberts, ‘76 Southern College of Optometry—Greg Ryan, ’79 Coastal Carolina University—Paul F. Daniel, ’89 Northeastern Illinois University—Tom Larance, ’91