Eastern Kentucky University Magazine, Winter/Spring 2015

MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS SPECIAL INAUGURATION ISSUE

WINTER/SPRING 2015

SOCIALIZE

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Some of your most popular social media conversations of 2014

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“Like” if you are proud to be an #EKU Colonel. #GoBigE Forever

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February 24 September 11

The Alumni Coliseum water tower gets a makeover

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Power of Maroon

Remembering and honoring the victims and heroes on this day 13 years ago.

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In celebration of the inauguration of President Michael T. Benson, Eastern Kentucky University presents our take on “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.

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facebook.com/EasternKentuckyUniversity Power of Maroon Proud to be a Colonel. #GoBigE

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October 24 December 19

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RT @EKUStories 51 years ago today, @EKUHoops played its first game in McBrayer Arena. The Colonels beat Louisville, 78-65. #TBT

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President’s Perspective

President’sPerspective October 24, 2014, will forever be remembered as a maroon-letter day for my family and me, enriched by the presence of so many alumni, friends and donors. More importantly, an inauguration is about an entire university–not just one person; it is a celebration of our University that is making the world around us a better place. After the fancy robes were put away, the Eastern quality of this moment in our historical arc emerges, and I am left with three take-aways to share with you.

The first is our capacity to evolve. As you know, I am a newcomer to this region (although my family and I ARE trying to make up for lost time). This is significant, for while “Eastern Kentucky” describes where we are, it does not limit who we are. Our students, our faculty, staff and administration are increasingly national and international in origin, in interests and in impact. This is essential to our growth and our strength.

We are preparing students for dramatically changing global demands, including increased competence in technology and the sciences. We just broke ground on Phase II of the New Science Building, a 158,000-square-foot complex housing biological sciences, geography and geology, slated for completion in late 2017. As the largest, most costly structure in Eastern’s history and a premier teaching facility in the Commonwealth, Phase II will magnify our capacity to recruit and retain top student and faculty talent, strengthen K-12 teaching programs, and spark critical research and collaboration. Sciences evolve, and Phase II is built for flexibility, for inspiring and inviting generations of students, faculty, researchers and community members. Stop by and see why we are so excited.

As we invest in our Richmond campus, we will also expand our regional outreach. Regents meetings have been held in locations around the 22-county service area. Transfers from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System have been streamlined for a more seamless pathway to baccalaureate degrees.

We will continue to focus, laser-like, on excellence as our standard. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” The habit of excellence is recognized. We see this in a major National Science Foundation grant for a research center at Lilly Cornett Woods that will be a national magnet for ecological study in this unique old growth forest.

In the habit of excellence, we see faculty and students reaping national awards and recognition.We continue to identify and strengthen key programs, graduating students who are competitive in the job market, culturally competent, socially aware, intellectually curious, and clear and logical thinkers.

Finally, this moment in our history is one of pride and gratitude.We are proud of the Campus Beautiful, and we are investing in our home with more than two dozen campus improvement projects. One shining example will be a gracious, inviting and impressive entry on Lancaster Avenue with a garden by noted designer Jon Carloftis. The entire campus is becoming more bike and pedestrian friendly, supporting health and the warm human encounters that help define Eastern. Even more dramatic plans are emerging that will reshape our campus and transform the experience of our students; I look forward to updating you as these initiatives develop in the coming months.

We at Eastern have cause to be deeply grateful. We have received the trust of students and their families, the resources of our region and commonwealth, the wisdom and dedication of faculty and staff, and the many gifts of donors and alumni.

As president, while I wear multiple hats, the essence of my work is simple: to steward these gifts and make you proud of your university, to dream boldly and to work tirelessly. For generations, students have seized great opportunities at Eastern and flourished.

We, too, have been given an opportunity. We will seize it and flourish. I invite you to participate in the next great phase of the long historical arc of Eastern.

Michael T. Benson President 2 Eastern

Contents Eastern F E AT U R E S

4 Cover Story Blazing a Bold Trail

Michael T. Benson inaugurated as Eastern's twelfth president

10 On His Own Terms

Determined Army Ranger returns to active duty

14 Back to the Land

Former IBM executive opens winery on family farm

18 Cool Competitor

Olympian puts experience to good use

D E PA R T M E N T S

22 Campus News

24 Class Acts 32 In the End

Michael Benson and Chang-Yang Lin

Eastern Magazine Staff Contributing Writers: Pamela Schoenewaldt, Terry Shaw, Odette Shults, Jerry Wallace Photography: Chris Radcliffe, ’03, Tim Webb Design & Production: FMB Printing: Publisher’s Press Eastern Kentucky University Magazine is published by the Office of Alumni and Donor Engagement for alumni, donors and friends of the University. Comments or questions should be directed to Alumni and Donor Engagement, The Alumni Center at Blanton House, Eastern Kentucky University, 521 Lancaster Avenue, Richmond, KY 40475-3102. For more information, call 859-622-1260 or e-mail kari.martin@eku.edu.

Eastern Kentucky University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educational institution and does not discriminate on the basis of age (40 and over), race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information in the admission to, or participation in, any educational program or activity (e.g., athletics, academics and housing) which it conducts, or in any employment policy or practice. Any complaint arising by reason of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office, Eastern Kentucky University, Jones Building, Room 106, Coates CPO 37A, Richmond, Kentucky 40475-3102, (859) 622-8020 (V/TDD), or the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. 20202 1-800-421-3481(V), 1-800-877-8339(TDD).

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P r e s i d e n t B e n s o n I n au g u r at i o n

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BLAZING A

MICHAEL T. BENSON INAUGURATED AS EASTERN’S TWELFTH PRESIDENT

“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty.

Think big!”

DANIEL H. BURNHAM 1846 – 1912 architect, city planner, dreamer

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P r e s i d e n t B e n s o n I n au g u r at i o n

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“Too often in higher education we become accustomed to saying that things cannot be done, or this or that cannot be tried. I say that we cannot afford to remain static, nor do we have the luxury of being anything but bold and audacious,” proclaimed EKU President Michael T. Benson in his impassioned inaugural address. Benson called on the university community to embrace every possible way to say yes to opportunities for students and help them succeed.

“We must be more bold, and we will.We must be more innovative, and we will. We must do better, and we will,” Benson told guests assembled in the EKU Center for the Arts and watching a live webcast.

The October 24 ceremony investing Benson, who took office in August 2013, as Eastern’s twelfth president was the centerpiece of a week of inauguration-related activities that demonstrated Benson’s commitment to what he calls the key ingredients to the university’s success: people, places and programs.

In an atmosphere far removed from the pomp and circumstance of the arts center, the week began with Eastern’s board of regents, university administrators and Letcher County officials breaking ground on a research facility and adjacent bunkhouse at Lilley Cornett Woods. Part of EKU’s division of natural areas, the woods is one of the largest protected tracts of old-growth forest in Kentucky.

Last year the National Science Foundation awarded Eastern a $300,000 grant for construction of the 1,500-square-foot research center. EKU is funding construction of the living quarters.

Tuesday saw Benson and more than 154 student, faculty and staff volunteers take part in a day of service that included serving at a local soup kitchen, planting trees and flowers, creating a campus rain garden, and beautifying the grounds of Elmwood Estate. Even Model Laboratory School students got in on the act, cleaning their cafeteria and playground.

A hallmark of the Benson presidency has been his commitment to an aggressive campus renewal plan, which includes the October 23 groundbreaking of Phase II of the New Science Building. The addition will house the departments of biological sciences as well as geography and geology. When both phases are joined, the resulting 340,000-square-foot science center will be the “envy of the commonwealth,” said Benson. “There will be nothing like it anywhere.”

The week also featured a faculty/staff luncheon, presentation by noted poet Nikki Giovanni, an African art exhibit and a Chautauqua-style lecture with diplomat, writer and political analyst Kenneth Adelman.

Inaugural events segued into Homecoming weekend. The Eastern family celebrated with Saturday’s Homecoming parade, then watched as the Colonels football team defeated visiting Southeast Missouri at Roy Kidd Stadium, 33-21.

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P r e s i d e n t B e n s o n I n au g u r at i o n

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A vibrant community At President Benson’s request, Eastern’s international students carried the flags of their respective homelands into the hall at the start of the inaugural ceremony. “Eastern Kentucky University may be a name that describes where we are, but it does not define nor limit who we are,” he said. “We are a vibrant, global community with a commitment to diversity in all forms.”

He pledged commitment to Eastern’s core mission to produce graduates who are culturally competent, socially aware and intellectually curious.

Inspired by the words of Daniel Burnham, master planner of the city of Chicago and architect of New York’s famous Flatiron Building and Washington, D.C.’s, Union Square, Benson has energized the Eastern community with a “Make No Little Plans” vision.

Dr. Brad Cook, provost at Southern Utah University, where Benson previously served as president, introduced his friend, calling him “the optimist’s optimist.”

“He has a healthy reality distortion field,” Cook said. “He makes other people believe in the possibility of achieving difficult tasks. He will find a way to win, because that’s what champions do. Never, ever bet against Michael Benson.”

“Let us leave here today with a renewed commitment to do right by those who built buildings, established programs, planted trees, endowed scholarships, changed lives and invested sweat equity in this place – knowing full well that their investment would not be enjoyed in their lifetime but by those who followed,” Benson said. “Let us be the trailblazers of the 21st century.”

The ceremony may be viewed at video.eku.edu/inauguration.

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1st Lt. Joshua Pitcher, ’11

Lorenzo Tugnoli for The Washington Post

Lorenzo Tugnoli for

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The Washington Po

st

Lorenzo Tugnoli for The

Washington Post

DETERMINED ARMY RANGER LIVES LIFE

ON HIS OWN TERMS AFTER LOSING HIS LEG IN AFGHANISTAN First Lieutenant Joshua Pitcher, ’11, takes his job seriously. He takes it so seriously that when he lost his left foot to a roadside bomb while leading a patrol in Afghanistan in April 2012, he never considered retiring.

In fact, he vowed not only to stay in the Army but also to once again lead a combat platoon in the elite 82nd Airborne Division. That meant months of painful rehabilitation. It meant convincing his superiors that an Army Ranger with a prosthetic leg could still jump out of airplanes. It also meant facing his own fears of returning to the country where he came so close to dying.

“He’s a true reflection of an American hero who rose to a challenge when he had to and didn’t thump his chest about it,” says retired Lt. Col. Richard Livingston, Pitcher’s commanding officer during his time as an ROTC cadet at Eastern. “He just went about doing his job.”

Despite his humility, what Pitcher has done after being gravely wounded in Kandahar Province is nothing short of amazing. Less than two years after losing his foot – and then most of his lower leg – to surgery, he returned to Afghanistan, shocking those who doubted him and serving as a role model for wounded warriors everywhere. It was a long way back in a short time.

Fittingly, one of the first signs of his gritty determination came on a trip back to Eastern Kentucky University.

A PROMISE KEPT When commissioned in the spring of 2011, the young lieutenant promised his future wife, Michelle Smith Pitcher, ’12, that he would watch her walk across the stage the following spring at EKU’s commencement.

The school was important to them both.The couple had met at the beginning of his sophomore year, and they “loved every moment at Eastern,” Michelle says.

Pitcher had chosen the school because of its strong ROTC program. A member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, he was well liked in the Colonel’s Battalion.

“By the time he got to his junior year, you could tell he wanted to be a front-runner in his class,” Livingston says.

“He was also a great trainer who wanted to see the younger kids do well.”

Just three weeks after being gravely wounded in Afghanistan, keeping his promise to return to Richmond seemed unlikely. His doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., feared the trip might lead to an infection. “But he’s never been one to take no for an answer,” recalls his father, Randy, a retired Army major who served in the special forces.

Thanks to both a high-ranking general and his mother, Vicki Pitcher, a former nurse who flew with him to Kentucky, Josh was able to sit in a wheelchair in the front row of Alumni Coliseum as his fiancée received her degree in social work. Then he stood on crutches to present her with a bouquet of flowers.

“It was surreal,” Michelle recalls. “I don’t even know how to describe it. To have him there was the best thing ever.”

Pitcher actually attended two of the three ceremonies held that Saturday: his fiancée’s and the ceremony where Gen. David Rodriguez spoke. Rodriguez, at the time the general in charge of all stateside Army forces, praised Pitcher to wild applause. The wounded lieutenant had flown to Richmond on the same plane as Rodriguez and attended his address out of respect for the general, whose influence made the trip possible.

The pair was also at the ROTC commissioning the evening before. “Despite his pain and suffering, he went out of his way to participate in our ceremony,” says

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1st Lt. Joshua Pitcher, ’11

TIMELINE MAY 2011 Joshua Pitcher graduates with honors in history from EKU.

APRIL 18, 2012 The lieutenant is walking on crutches. He soon has 10 additional inches amputated from his leg so that a prosthetic can be properly fitted.

APRIL 15, 2012 Pitcher loses his foot after stepping on an improvised explosive device, or IED. FEBRUARY 2012 Pitcher and his unit arrive in Afghanistan.

retired Lt. Col. Ralph Hudnall, who oversaw the Colonel’s Battalion at the time. “It was very emotional and drove home the reality of our profession.”

Pitcher’s determination was amazing, Livingston says: “Of course, some of it had to do with being in love!”

Livingston praised the tremendous support for ROTC at Eastern.

That weekend, many people approached Pitcher, thanked him for his service and called him a hero. “I’m not a hero,” he told them.

“Other people do so much more. I just did what I was supposed to do. I just did my job.”

He also told friends and family members that he wanted to get back with his guys. He wanted to jump out of airplanes again. He wanted his platoon back. With that goal in mind, Pitcher returned to Walter Reed. In reality, his journey back had just begun.

FIGHTING BACK Pitcher endured 13 months of intensive therapy and physical training, battling a series of infections that required additional operations and added months to his rehabilitation. He suffered through bouts of depression and constant pain. “The pain in my leg never really goes away,” he says. “You just learn to overcome it.” The hardest part was learning to walk and run again. He credits his faith in God and the support of his wife with his recovery.

“She’s just as strong and tough as he is,” says Randy Pitcher. “She backed him 100 percent, both in the hospital and in the gym. So did his mother.”

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MAY 12, 2012 Pitcher attends his then-fiancée’s EKU graduation ceremony.

Pitcher had no doubt that he could continue to serve. Days after his injury, from an Army hospital in Germany, he had posted a short message on his Facebook page: “I will return.” The only question in his mind was if he would be allowed to do so: “I had to prove that I was more than capable of doing my job.”

In a lengthy story on Pitcher, The Washington Post reported that out of 1,564 soldiers or Marines who have lost at least one leg, arm or hand in Iraq or Afghanistan, only 57 have returned to war zones.

None had been known to jump out of airplanes.

Pitcher remained visible at Eastern during his recovery.Whenever the Elizabethtown (Ky.) High School graduate came back to Kentucky on leave, he would visit Richmond and train with the cadets.

“He couldn’t have been more positive and upbeat,” Hudnall says.

“He knew many of them, and it meant a lot.” Pitcher, who has several different prosthetic legs, would change them depending on the exercise. “When he put on his running blade, he often smoked the younger guys,” Hudnall recalls. “We loved it. It was an inspiration to see how focused he was on getting back to his troops.”

In the past, that would have been impossible. Even with modern technology, it still seemed unlikely. But Pitcher was determined.

That October, he ran in the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C., wearing a rucksack with 50 pounds of weights in the Wounded Warrior Division. The race ended at the Pentagon, and he finished with a time of 2:28:30.

“He was just getting used to his prosthetic and was just getting used to the pain,” Livingston explains. “You could say he adopted the infantry mind-set of ‘Follow me and let’s go do it!’ ”

JULY 2012 He gets his prosthetic leg.

JANUARY 2013 He completes the Army Physical Fitness Test, scoring in the top 10 percent of active duty soldiers.

MARCH 2013 He’s cleared to remain on active duty and is assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. OCTOBER 21, 2012 Pitcher completes the Army Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C., with a 50-pound rucksack.

In January 2013, he ran the Army’s physical fitness two-mile run in 14:25 (in addition to doing 80 push-ups and 80 sit-ups). His overall scores put him in the top 10 percent of active duty soldiers.That February, he performed so well on a Colorado ski trip as part of the Wounded Warriors program that he was urged to try out for the U.S. Paralympics Team instead of returning to active duty. He wouldn’t consider it.

Pitcher earned the U.S. Army’s Expert Infantry Badge, a difficult achievement even for those with two good legs.That June, he jumped out of a C-17 plane over Fort Bragg, N.C. Despite a few worries about his titanium prosthetic leg, he executed a pitch-perfect landing.

Requalified as a paratrooper, he’s since completed seven jumps.

NUMBER OF PROSTHETIC LEGS JOSH PITCHER USES CASUAL LEG RUNNING BLADE

PATROL LEG SWIMMING BLADE

TRAIL LEG FOR HIKING

JUNE 2013 He completes his first airborne jump with his prosthetic leg.

MAY 26, 2014 Pitcher runs a marathon on base in Afghanistan, finishing with a time of 4 hours, 7 minutes.

NOVEMBER 2013 He arrives in country.

AUGUST 2014 Pitcher returns to Fort Bragg, N.C.

AUGUST 2013 Pitcher gets orders to return to Afghanistan.

Still, he admits to being shocked that he was permitted to return to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, serving in Afghanistan’s Regional Command-North. He arrived in country in November 2013 and spent nine months leading a platoon of 21 paratroopers, mostly providing security on convoy missions and for high-ranking officials. He always made sure to step with his left foot first, in case he hit another explosive device. “That way I’d only have to replace a shoe,” he says.

Foot patrols were out – not because of any personal limitations but because those duties are now handled by the Afghan army. The Afghan soldiers, his peers say, treated the 6-foot-1 paratrooper as a respected warrior.

“Josh continues to overcome his life’s new normal,” says his father. “He continues to realize life isn’t always fair and it’s what you make of it.”

Pitcher has had his highs and lows, but he’s not going to allow the injury to dictate his life. He’s determined to do things on his own terms.

“Almost everything I do is for the wounded warriors because so many of them are in my shoes and they keep serving,” Pitcher says.

“Many of them can’t serve and I can, so I keep serving for them.”

He is the only known amputee paratrooper in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Pitcher’s advice for others is as straightforward as he is: “Don’t ever let anyone tell you what you can or can’t achieve. If you think you can do it, go out and prove them wrong.”

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C y n t h i a B o h n , ’80, ’81

BACK Former IBM Executive goes

When Cynthia Bohn, ’80, ’81, was a teenager, she couldn’t wait to get off her family’s farm in Hart County. “I was tired of tobacco and pigs and cattle and eggs and chickens,” she recalls with a laugh. “I just wanted to get away from it all.”

After four academic degrees – including three from Eastern – and a 31-year career with IBM that took her around

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the world, Bohn is back on the farm. This time it’s Equus Run Vineyards in Midway, where she uses her business acumen, marketing smarts and quest for lifelong learning to help strengthen a growing niche in Kentucky agriculture. “I guess you can take the girl off the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the girl,” she says.

to the

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LAND with Thriving Vineyard and Winery

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C y n t h i a B o h n , ’80, ’81

Inspired by what she calls “moments of insanity and a pioneering spirit,” she founded the winery in 1998 after reviewing case studies of industry giants Mondavi and Gallo. At the time, she was still an IBM executive managing IT projects around the world and figured it would make a nice retirement career. Though Kentucky had only three wineries, it had once been the country’s third leading state in grape production and wine making. Yet after Bohn planted grapes in the middle of bourbon and horse country, people would often stop to ask what they were.

“It was such an oddity, and yet a novelty, and that was a real strength,” she says.

Sixteen years later, Equus Run and the statewide industry – with more than 65 wineries and others on the way – are both well established.

Equus Run, which has won numerous awards in national competitions, produces 17 varieties plus special vintages, including annual commemorative wines for the Kentucky Derby in etched, limited edition bottles.

In today’s market, that’s not enough. Bohn has always understood the need to diversify and has made her 48-acre property an agritourist destination. Voted by CNN Travel as a “Must See Hidden Treasure in the U.S.,” it offers tours, tastings and a concert series featuring local musicians at its stone-terraced outdoor amphitheater. Summer is filled with Sunday Socials, with free music on the barn patio and garden strolls. Weddings and nonprofit fundraisers are held there, and Equus Run hosts a dinner theater series. Visitors can play croquet and bocce and practice their putting on the golf green or fish and kayak in South Elkhorn Creek, which borders the vineyard.

“It’s about a lifestyle,” Bohn asserts, “not just wine.”

Despite the modern twists, one age-old ingredient remains the same on this former tobacco farm: hard work.

“This is my retirement and I work seven days a week,” Bohn says. “I don’t even know where my golf clubs are, but I know where the shovels and rakes and tractors are! You have to have a passion for this. It’s a real labor of love.”

Eastern Back in high school, Bohn wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. “I knew I wanted to work in technology, knew I loved marketing, knew I loved being outdoors working with my hands,” she says. She decided to attend Eastern after looking at several other colleges because she loved the campus, its feel and the size of classes. “It was just a beautiful and inviting place,” she recalls.

The experience was life-changing. She credits Eastern’s work study program, which provided a variety of experiences – from jobs in the cafe to working security – as opening her eyes to career possibilities.

Bohn was also very involved on campus and encourages today’s students to engage in community service.

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“Be a volunteer, whether you’re helping at the student center or you’re a junior and mentoring and coaching freshmen…even if you’re just helping them move and settle in,” she says. “Go paint a house or help with a car wash at church. When you get involved, you really embrace the atmosphere of your college. It makes you want to protect it and take care of it and see it progress. If you just show up for classes and then leave that building, you don’t have the same connection.”

Work behind the scenes in theatrical productions led to her IBM career.

“I fell in love with those sound and light boards,” she says. “I was in theater and speech, then technology took over. It’s an applied science, and I loved it. I started running productions and working at the theater.”

The self-professed technology geek earned an associate’s degree in broadcast engineering, a bachelor’s degree in speech and theater, and a master’s degree in industrial technology. Three professors also had a lifelong impact, including Keith Johnson of the English & Theatre Department and Steve Fardo and Dr. James Masterson in Applied Engineering and Technology.

In the late ’70s, women in technology classes were uncommon.

Bohn was often the only female in class and credits her teachers with challenging her and giving her extra advice when needed.

“Here I was, this little country bumpkin going off to college, and they were all extremely influential in helping me develop into a professional person as opposed to just being a student,” she says.

Fardo remembers Bohn as an exceptional student with a very positive attitude.

“She was a hard worker from the country and quite proud of that,” he recalls. “She was also very future oriented and always thinking about what she could do next. She’s that way with her business as well.”

Bohn stays in touch with Johnson and Fardo and is a dedicated alumnus.

“I usually go back to Eastern at least once a quarter,” she says. “I love to see how it’s growing. It’s amazing. It’s so progressive, and I love the energy there.”

IBM Bohn has fond memories of her time at IBM, which she found “incredibly supportive of women” and offered exemplary professional development.

“Before they ever turn you loose working with a customer, you spend 18 months in a training program,” she says. “That training really polishes you into an individual who can read an audience, feel comfortable speaking and be able to use all your skills.”

She came across the case studies on California wineries while in an IBM adult education class at Harvard University. She also earned a doctorate in educational technology from the University of Kentucky.

“I went into electronic engineering, and there was such opportunity to travel and go up the ladder and experience different cultures and jobs within my career,” she says.

IBM also teamed her up with professional mentors. Bohn had never tasted wine until 1988, when she was at an executive retreat for IBM managers. She was being coached by a manager about the cultural importance in Europe of having a drink with customers. He gave her a glass of sherry.

“I thought, ‘My God, this is awful!’” she recalls. “‘How in the world does anyone drink this stuff?’”

In 1992, Bohn was transferred to Europe and became smitten with the food and culture and began collecting wine.Though a long way from home, wherever she traveled, people had heard of the Bluegrass State.

“All across the world, we’re known for horses and this wonderful little restaurant called Kentucky Fried Chicken,” she says. “People even asked me about it in a small town in Japan.”

She didn’t know she’d end up back in Kentucky.

“I think everyone else knew all along that I’d be coming back to the state,” Bohn admits. “I love Kentucky. I’m a walking billboard for the state.

I loved living in the big cities, but I still love this. I love the four seasons.”

Bohn still puts out a big garden. She still cans green beans, beets and tomato sauce. “I don’t think I’ll ever get that out of my system,” she says.

Bohn has taken courses in oenology (the science of wine and winemaking) at the University of California, Davis, and sometimes thinks about getting a degree in soil science. Her desire for change is insatiable. In fact, she’s preparing to launch another business this spring, though she’s not yet ready to disclose the details.

She sees incredible opportunities for growth in Kentucky’s agriculture sector.

“The wine, spirits and brewing industry is very strong right now – even the microbreweries,” she says. “We have this wonderful agrarian belt. We know how to grow things. We’re very affordable when you look at the real estate factor. We have real opportunities besides coal in Eastern Kentucky.We’re very rich in timber, which can be a sustainable crop. We’re good at raising cattle and horses.”

But you have to be creative, she insists. Of all her degrees, Bohn says she uses her theater background the most. “Every day I’m on stage entertaining,” she says, “whether I’m introducing a musical act on stage or giving a tour.”

She has three pieces of advice for would-be entrepreneurs.

• “Embrace your community and have your community embrace you.

• “Surround yourself with really smart and dedicated people, whether they’re smart at finances, truck repair, landscaping or other applied skills. Then you have synergy.

• “Never accept the word no. Challenge things. I tell my employees to challenge me. I don’t like the phrase, ‘We’ve always done it this way.’ Always continue to question, always continue to explore. I think that’s important for both small businesses and for corporate America.” =

Visit the Equus Run website at www.equusrunvineyards.com.

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D a ll a s R o b i n s o n , ’ 0 6

COOL COMPETITOR HOPES TO USE OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE TO SERVE OTHERS

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It’s one thing to smile and wave when the whole world is watching the Olympics. Dallas Robinson, ’06, says the real test comes when an athlete’s moment in the sun has faded. “I like to compare it to a graduation,” Robinson says of his time as a bobsledder for Team USA, which culminated in the Sochi Winter Games in February 2014. “Now I have my diploma, and the important thing is what I’m going to do with it. This gives me an even greater opportunity to serve others, and I’m really, really looking forward to what happens next.”

After returning from Russia, he auctioned off his speed suit, which raised $2,300 for the Special Olympics. He saw no point in hanging it on a wall to collect dust. “I’d rather give it away to a good cause,” he says.

Despite two full-time jobs – as a sergeant in an active reserve unit of the Kentucky National Guard and as an assistant track coach at Georgetown College – Robinson thinks nothing of driving his pickup truck 100 miles to speak at a school or church.

“When I came home, I wasn’t Dallas; I was the guy from Kentucky who was in the Olympics,” he says. “The people of Kentucky have identified with me and accepted me as family, and I’ve really enjoyed that. I do every single school event that I can and visit every church that asks me.”

How does he manage such a demanding schedule? Robinson quotes Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

His faith has anchored him since high school. His yearbook quote read: “The harder you fall, the higher you bounce.” He says it’s true both

in sports and life, something he stresses with the athletes he coaches.

“I’ve gotten far stronger after getting up after injuries or wrecks. You have to go down in the valley in order to get to the peaks, and in bobsled that plays out literally.”

His Olympic peaks included a 12th place finish as brakeman on the four-man sled and a 13th place finish with driver Nick Cunningham in the two-man, an event the pair had hoped would put them on the podium. But disappointment never entered into the equation.

“I hope you could tell by the smiles at the bottom of the track when we finished that we were still honored to be wearing the red, white and blue!” Robinson told the Louisville Courier-Journal.They were thrilled that teammates Steve Holcomb and Steve Langton took bronze, the United States' first medal in that event since 1952. “I was so proud of them, and it was an honor to be a part of it.” That’s what it’s all about, he says. “We represent the same country. I got to run and hug them as they got out of their sled, as I’ve done a thousand times before in practice.”

Cunningham describes Dallas as humble, low-key and one of his best friends in the sport.

“He was always there for everyone, especially the athletes in the developmental program,” Cunningham says. “If he saw someone who needed help, he was the first one to take time out of his day and help them with their technique. He’s definitely a coach at heart.

When you first meet him, you would have no idea of all the things he’s accomplished.”

Eastern 19

D a ll a s R o b i n s o n , ’ 0 6

SUMMER DREAMS Robinson, a decorated Eastern sprinter, had originally hoped to go to the Summer Olympics in track and field. The 2001 graduate of Oldham County High School won six individual Ohio Valley Conference titles (two in the indoor 60 meters, one in the indoor 200 meters, one in the outdoor 100 meters and two in the outdoor 200 meters) and was named the 2005 OVC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. He still holds the Eastern indoor 200 meter record (21.35).

After graduating, he took a high-paying sales job, only to resign at age 25 to train for a shot at the Beijing Olympics. “A lot like everybody else, when I got out of college, I went and started working. For a year, I was miserable. I wasn’t doing what the Lord created me to do, and that’s run.”

He told The New York Times that he thought he’d end up in the Olympics: “I don’t know how I’m going to get there. But I guess if the mountain were smooth, you wouldn’t be able to climb it.”

That year, he was ranked first in the world in the 55-meter dash and in the top 10 in the 200 meters and 60 meters. But a pulled hamstring sidetracked his Olympic dream. After that, he played a little rugby, then did a favor that changed his life.

“One of my friends asked me to swing by Lexington Christian Academy a couple of nights a week to coach the track team,” Robinson recalls. “After the first time I hung out with those kids, I couldn’t see doing anything else. I get the opportunity to see someone reach their goals, whether it’s to be part of an organization, stay in shape, win a conference or a national title. Achieving your dream is pretty amazing, but I have found as a coach that nothing is better than helping others reach theirs.”

20 Eastern

Being part of USA Bobsledding came about because of his commitment to others. In 2010, while coaching track at Berea College, Robinson suggested that one of his athletes try bobsled. Phil Miller put together a developmental team with a shot to race in the America’s Cup Circuit in Park City, Utah. But his team was down an athlete. Miller called and asked Robinson to come out.

His former coach wasn’t interested. Robinson didn’t like heights, cold weather or traveling. Then he reconsidered.

“I remember telling my kids that I coach – over and over – that if they ever needed anything aside from track training to just let me know and I would do anything I could to help them,” he told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “Looking at that opportunity, I thought, ‘How better else to show my student-athletes I mean what I say and I love them than to make this leap of faith?’”

CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN Bobsled has been described as experiencing a free fall while latched to a paint mixer set on high. “The ride, every time, increases my faith, to say the least,” Robinson said on Last Call with Carson Daly.

“I joke that I push with hate in my heart and ride asking for forgiveness.

“Very seldom do we get out of the sled without blood dripping from somewhere and a swollen elbow or knee. In the pressure turns, you cannot breathe, and in the brake position, pressure or not, you’re nearly holding your breath the entire trip to allow yourself to stay low and out of the wind. Also, remember, it is often very cold and you get lots of frostbite, and you’re wearing nothing but spandex.”

BOBSLED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 2014

12th place finish, four-man sled; 13th place finish, two-man, Sochi Winter Games, Russia

2013

Bronze medalist, two-man, World Cup, Lake Placid, N.Y.

2013

Silver medalist, two-man, World Cup, Park City, Utah

2013

13th place, two-man, World Championships, St. Moritz, Switzerland

2013

Eighth in team event, World Championships, St. Moritz, Switzerland

2012

Ninth place, two-man, World Cup, Whistler, Canada

2011

Gold medalist, two-man, World Cup, Lake Placid, N.Y.

2011

Silver medalist, four-man, World Cup, Lake Placid, N.Y.

PERSONAL BESTS IN TRACK AND FIELD: 55m

6.10 (2008)

60m

6.64 (2008)

100m

10.33 (2007)

200m

20.90 (2005)

200m (indoor)

21.10 (2008)

Ironically, the size that may have worked against him as a sprinter – he’s 6’4”, 230 pounds – helped him pushing a sled. But competing meant he was away from his wife, Lauren, for six months at a time. While many assume being an Olympic athlete is lucrative, in four years Robinson earned a total of only $4,000 from the sport.

Still, putting on that USA uniform filled him with the same pride he feels when wearing his Army uniform (he joined the service as part of the Army World Class Athlete Program). Bobsledding also took him to the top of the mountain in places such as Austria, Canada, Germany, France and Switzerland. But he understands those days are over. “I’ll miss the guys,” he says. “I’ll miss wearing the uniform. I’m sure it will be the same way when I retire from the military. There’s a season for everything.”

One thing he won’t miss is the freezing weather. “The heat,” he says when asked about Kentucky in August. “I cherish it.”

That doesn’t mean he’s done with all competition.

“I get more out of coaching and I enjoy coaching more,” he says.

“But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do just one or the other.”

Robinson plans to enter the Millrose Games in New York City. “I want to run in the Super 60, where non-track guys line up and compete in a 60-meter race.” Laughing, he says he’ll always need to stoke his competitive fire. “Eventually I’ll be one of those 60-year-old men out there on the track, still racing. When I think about the legacy I want to leave the state of Kentucky and my family, I want that legacy to be one of pursuing your dreams, living life chasing God and loving like there is no tomorrow.”

Eastern 21

Campus News

Campus Beautiful From the

Eastern among nation’s top STEM schools

EKU has been recognized as one of the top 125 STEM (ScienceTechnology-Engineering-Mathematics) colleges and universities in the nation. Victory Media designated EKU as a 2015 STEM Jobs™ Approved College following an evaluation of more than 1,000 schools. The survey is the first of its kind to assess: • how effectively schools align their programs to high-demand, high-paying STEM jobs • how well they assist students in achieving STEM career aspirations • success in attracting and supporting diverse students and faculty in the STEM disciplines.

Eastern, the only public university in Kentucky to make the list, is one of a handful of institutions to earn Gold Status, the highest possible rank.

22 Eastern

Additional scholarships help more students choose Eastern

Increasing numbers of the best and brightest students will have the opportunity to earn an Eastern education, thanks to a new model for merit-based scholarships that gives equal weight to ACT and SAT scores and high school GPA. Eastern has committed an additional $1.7 million to its scholarship budget for the fall 2015 class. That translates to 100-150 merit scholarships.

Under the University’s new merit scholarship model, most new first-year students with an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0 and a composite ACT of 23 or higher will qualify for some level of scholarship. Eastern’s easy-to-use scholarship estimator – www.scholarships.eku.edu/estimator – helps prospective students know how much assistance they may qualify to receive.

EKU offers four freshman merit scholarships, all of which are automatically awarded to qualifying students.

Asian Studies program launched

“If you want to understand the world, you need to understand Asia,” said Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof. A new Interdisciplinary Asian Studies program will help Eastern students do just that.

Students earning an academic minor or certificate through the program will critically examine the cultures, societies, languages, histories, religions and politics of Asians and peoples of Asian descent.

“Asian-centered courses in various disciplines from history to religion have a strong or healthy enrollment,” says program director Mihn Nguyen. “The Interdisciplinary Asian Studies Program provides students and faculty an opportunity to integrate Asiacentered courses in various disciplines in a coherent area of study.”

Commitment to veterans again captures national attention

Eastern’s commitment to military veterans and their dependents continues to earn national recognition. In the Military Times “Best for Vets” survey, EKU’s array of services for military and veteran students earned it a No. 2 ranking nationally. This marks the fourth time in five years that EKU has taken the No. 1 or No. 2 spot on the list.

For the sixth year, the university has been named a Military-Friendly® School by Victory Media, ranking in the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace military service members, veterans and their spouses as students.

Through its Operation Veteran Success, Eastern offers a series of initiatives designed to make the university even more veteran helpful: • No admission fees for undergraduate veterans.

• In-state tuition for all out-of-state veterans nationwide.

• Maximum credit hours for military experience.

• Priority registration.

Colonel’s Cupboard addresses hunger issues

• Book vouchers and Books for Boots Exchange Library.

among students

• Veterans Bridge to College Success cohort classes.

Driven by studies suggesting that one in six Eastern students has likely experienced “food insecurities,” the university launched the on-campus food pantry Colonel’s Cupboard last semester. “We want our students to be able to focus on their studies and their future rather than where they’re going to get their next meal,” said Will Keaton, assistant director of Student Life-Community Services.

• Veterans orientation course.

The Cupboard, which is stocked with donations, provides shortterm assistance while helping students find long-term solutions through money management workshops, campus employment resources and community social service agencies. Since its opening, Colonel’s Cupboard has assisted at least one student each week.

• Veteran Studies minor, believed to be the nation’s first, to help those who haven’t served in the military to better understand the issues that veterans face, and to help the veterans themselves deal with those issues.

• Veteran-helpful withdrawal and readmission policy.

• Vet-2-Vet sponsorship program and active Vets Club.

• Recreational and other extracurricular activities.

• Specially designated housing for student veterans.

More than 1,500 military-affiliated students are enrolled at Eastern.

Eastern 23

Engaging Our Alumni

and

Donors

Eastern

The Magazine of Eastern Kentucky University Michael T. Benson, President

michael.benson@eku.edu

Nicholas J. Perlick, Vice President for

Development and Alumni Relations nick.perlick@eku.edu

Alumni Relations Staff

ENGAGING OUR ALUMNI AND DONORS Every day that I have walked onto campus since arriving in September, I have had the pleasure of experiencing the renewed and palpable energy President Benson brings to Eastern Kentucky University. It is in the air; you can feel it everywhere you go on campus, throughout the community and on social media.

Colonel Pride is contagious and spreading quickly! It’s an honor for me and my family to be among the newest members of Team EKU and to contribute to our University’s tremendous future.

An integral piece of this continued surge in Colonel Pride is a renewed commitment to providing you, our alumni, donors and friends, a first-class experience – one that is engaging, exciting, forward thinking and ultimately helps you realize great success and fulfillment in life. Regardless of where you live – near or far, small town or big city – it is our hope that you and yours will choose to be an active part of the EKU family for many years to come.

We realize your being an active part of our family is contingent on our delivery of frequent communication and useful resources and services. We’ve been busy in recent months, making bold plans for new initiatives and programs that you will begin to see and experience very soon. Kari Martin, ’06, was recently named assistant vice president for alumni and donor engagement, overseeing an exciting new working group in our office that will dramatically change the way that we engage our audiences. In short order, we hope to make strategic enhancements that will provide a new Kari Martin and improved menu of alumni and donor events; exciting opportunities to volunteer and become engaged with EKU and in the lives of current students; enhanced social media and networking opportunities; and real-time communication to keep you up to speed on all the latest EKU news.

As we go forward, we want to hear from you. Your ideas and recommendations will be essential to our growth and will be a driving force in our pursuit of excellence. Please consider taking just a few minutes to share your thoughts with us at http://development.eku.edu/feedback or simply scan here.

Thank you for your advocacy and support of our great University. Together, we can do incredible things to make sure our alumni and friends play a vibrant role in the life of the University while we sustain and strengthen the EKU experience for current and future students.

Yours sincerely,

Nicholas J. Perlick Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

24 Eastern

Kari Martin, ’06, Assistant Vice President for Alumni

and Donor Engagement

859/622-1260, kari.martin@eku.edu Jennifer Ott, ’11, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations jennifer.ott@eku.edu Donna Lazzara, Administrative Assistant II donna.lazzara@eku.edu Barbara Howard, Senior Office Associate barbara.howard@eku.edu

Alumni Association Board 2014-15

Glenn Raglin, ’80, President

Birmingham, Ala., glennraglin@yahoo.com Thomas M. Martin, ’93, ’01, Vice President/

President-Elect, MBA Chapter

Danville, Ky., tmm144@gmail.com Dana Daughetee Fohl, ’07, Secretary

Lexington, Ky., dana.daughetee@gmail.com Tonya Tarvin Crum, ’95, Past-President

Nicholasville, Ky., tonyacrum@yahoo.com Stefanie Drury Ashley, ’96

Richmond, Ky., Stefanie@ArtfullyYoursStudio.com Jan Sheppard Barnes, ’72, ’75

Richmond, Ky., janbelair@aol.com Marc Collins, ’97, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky

Chapter, Walton, Ky., mrc115@aol.com George Demaree, ’82

Louisville, Ky., gdemaree@radio-one.com David “Doc” Fifer, ’07

Richmond, Ky., david@fifer.net Melanie Ricketts Foley, ’81, ’84

Lexington, Ky., melaniefoley60@gmail.com Amy Jo Smith Gabel, ’06, ’09

Nolensville, Tenn., amyjogabel@gmail.com Jerry Goble, ’91

Richmond, Ky., jerry@jerrygobelinsurance.com Cindy Hale, ’78 Richmond, Ky., cindy.hale@eku.edu Alex Hanavan, Student Alumni Ambassador President Donna Black Kenny, ’72, ’82

Berea, Ky., Donna.Kenny@eku.edu Jeff Klein, ’07, ’11

Lexington, Ky., Jeffrey_Klein@yahoo.com Mary Lou Wilson McCarthy, ’86

Harlan, Ky., mlwm1977@yahoo.com Bob McCroskey, ’75

Lewisburg, W. Va., bob@gmasoncpa.com Paul Motley, ’64, ’69

Richmond, Ky., paulmotley41@yahoo.com Charles Neal, ’98, Louisville (Ky.) Chapter,

Jeffersonville, Ind., cf.neal@live.com Donald Pace, ’62, ’64

Winchester, Ky., donaldwpace@yahoo.com JoEllen Reed, ’75

Winchester, Ky., jobetjo@att.net Kara Vass, ’09

Richmond, Ky., Kara.Vass@yahoo.com R. Vasudevan (Vasu), ’03

Frankfort, Ky., vasudevaan@hotmail.com Robert Vickers, ’65

Richmond, Ky., vickers.rc@gmail.com Donald Whitaker, ’62

Muncie, Ind., dwhitake@bsu.edu Robert Wood, ’82

Yorktown, Va., robert.wood48@yahoo.com Christina Baird Young, ’96, ’98

Richmond, Ky., janel1220@yahoo.com JC Young, ’04

Frankfort, Ky., jc.young@kmca.net

Class Acts

CLASS ACTS Winter/Spring 2015 1940s

Edgar Hardin, ’54, and Martha Applegate Hardin, ’55, both retired from Rockwell International in Richardson, Texas, and now live on their farm in Lewis County.

Carl Bolton, ’49, celebrated his 90th birthday in January. He lives in Lexington.

Betty Crank Murphy, ’54, and James Murphy, ’54, of Richmond will celebrate 60 years of marriage in December. She has been very active with Richmond Area Arts Council events, playing roles as varied as a leprechaun, a jockey and Mrs. Claus. Dr. Murphy, a local dentist, has played Santa Claus.

Zebrum “Dick” Dickerson, ’42, lives in Staunton, Va. He’s still active at age 95!

Isabelle Greene Kentner, ’49, of Sparta, Tenn., is a retired music teacher who is active and enjoying life.

1950s

Ilene Justice, ’52, was recently presented with a framed certificate naming her an EKU Pioneer by her grandnephew, Peyton Ratliff, who is currently attending Eastern. She earned a degree in elementary education and taught in Pike County for 44 years. Her sister, Justene Ratliff, ’80, and nephews Phil Ratliff, ’82, and Jim Ratliff, ’81, also graduated from Eastern. Ilene lives at Morning Pointe in Richmond.

John Zimmerman, ’56, is a retired Liberty Mutual sales executive. He and his wife, Patricia, live in Louisville.

They have four children, seven grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.

Dr. Shirley (Bunny) Murphy Branan, ’59, is enjoying retirement in Pensacola Beach, Fla.

1960s

Joyce Holmes Libbey, ’61, ’68, ’81, ’84, and James K. Libbey, ’71, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 28, 2013. They met at Eastern’s Foster Music Camp in 1960 and began dating in the spring of 1961 at EKU. They live in St. Augustine, Fla. Larry McMillin, ’62, retired in 2012 and is taking life easy. He and his wife, Gloria, live in La Grange.

Donald W. Pace, ’62, ’64, was recently selected to serve on Eastern’s Alumni Board. He and his wife, Betty Barger Pace, ’66, ’77, live in Winchester.

C. Ray Barger, ’64, retired in July 2012 after 48 years in public education.

Barger was a science teacher and guidance counselor for 44 years with the Middletown and Madison school districts in Middletown, Ohio. He and his wife, Ann, have 13 grandchildren and

spend time attending their activities and traveling.

Carl Fogliano, ’64, is now living in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He credits his education at EKU for the teaching career he had in New York state.

Billy E. Prewitt, ’64, ’65, has been a full-time farmer since retiring as a school principal in 1990. He lives in New Liberty.

Betty Redding Chase, ’66, and Jerry Chase, ’66, ’72, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the press box of the Western Hills High School (Ky.) football stadium.

Jerry has kept the clock at WHHS games for 25 years and estimates that he has missed only two or three games during that time. The couple lives in Frankfort.

Phillip C. Bills, ’67, retired as director of Louisville Metro Planning and Design Services.

He previously served as president of BTM Engineering.

Now he’s spending his time sailing and doing woodworking! He and his wife, Phyllis Mune Bills, ’67, live in Louisville.

For the Record Don’t forget to keep us up to date with your latest news items—family additions, job changes, relocations, promotions—anything you’d like us to know! Include your photographs†, too.

Full Name_______________________________________________________________________________ EKU Class________________ Spouse’s Full Name______________________________________________________________________ EKU Class________________ Children__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Current Address___________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City_____________________________________________________________________ State_____ Zip____________________________ E-mail*________________________________________________ Tel* ( ______ ) ________________ Cell* ( ______ ) _______________ News Item________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Send to:

Eastern Kentucky University Magazine Telephone: 859/622-1260 The Alumni Center at Blanton House E-mail: alumni.relations@eku.edu 521 Lancaster Avenue Richmond, KY 40475-3102 All submissions to Class Acts are edited for style and brevity. † Computer printouts cannot be accepted; please include a SASE for photo return. *Please include; this information will not be published.

Eastern 25

Class Acts

E R E H W

D L R O W IN THE

G N I R A E W YOU’RE

!

N O MARO Ever curi ous abou t the worl alumni tr d around avel the g them, East lo ern b e … .b u go, they ta t no matt er where ke a little they bit of ma roon with them.

Kyle Biggs, ’12, rn, ow kn s it’s Easte r, we To fel Eif not the g E. that is the real Bi e!

C'est magnifiqu

Cheryl Godsey Love, ’67, retired after teaching for 43 years. She lives in Marietta, Ga., and enjoys traveling and keeping up with old friends.

Mary Lee WiggintonPennington, ’67, retired from Jefferson County and still owns and manages rental property. She has enjoyed trips to Hawaii, Canada and Greece, and has four grandchildren.

Daniel Barrett, ’69, ’77, published a book titled

26 Eastern

While stu dying abroad, Eastern student Nicole W ells and the Co found tim lonel e for a little sigh ts in Venice eeing , Italy.

“Briar’s Tale: Memoir of a Grouse Dog” that is available at lulu.com.

Dale Estepp, ’69, ’75, retired from teaching and coaching in 1999. He and his wife, Barbara, live on a small farm in Webster, Ohio. They have three children and nine grandchildren.

Jerry Geyer, ’69, has been elected president and is a member of the board of directors of the International Confederation of Plastic

Packaging Manufacturers (ICPP) in Bad Homburg, Germany. He and his wife, Patti, live in Kennesaw, Ga. James D. Ishmael Jr., ’69, has been a Fayette Circuit Judge since 2004. He was unopposed in his November re-election to another term. He and his wife, Susan Benton Ishmael, ’69, live in Lexington.

Carroll Allen Yates, ’69, retired after 42 years in banking.

During his career, he served as president and CEO of

several banks in Kentucky.

He has three children and 10 grandchildren, and lives in Shelbyville with his wife, Judy.

1970s

Jeff Bonnell, ’70, of Atlanta, is the Georgia state director for the Hearing Loss Association of America.

Joyce Crossfield Graening, ’70, ’71, ’72, is finishing her third year as the national president

TAKE THE COLONEL WITH YOU! Snap a picture with the Colonel

a game or at work — then share

— on vacation, at

your Colonelgraph with fellow alumni. Use the hash tag #Colonelgraph on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vine to tell the story of your day with the Colonel.

And don’t forget to wear your Eastern gear!

Eastern 27

Class Acts

of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association.

She is the organization’s first woman president. She lives in Lincoln, Ark. J.B. Mountjoy, ’72, and Marcella Faulkner Mountjoy, ’72, celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary Aug. 20, 2014.

Wayne Scudder, ’73, has taught in the Gallatin County School District for 41 years. He and his wife, Pamela, live in Warsaw.

Jo Helen Cloys Cobb, ’74, ’82, was presented with the first Sarah Rollins Burnam Award for community service. She and husband Ewell live in Richmond.

Robert D. Manes, ’74, retired from the Michigan State Police in 2000 and from the Michigan Department of Corrections in 2013. He married Karin Meadows in 1974. They live in Mason, Mich., and have two grown children, son Craig and daughter Kim, and five grandchildren.

Jennifer Piatt Mockbee, ’74, ’75, and Stephen Mockbee, who also attended Eastern, are retired educators and live most of the year in Palm Bay, Florida.

Wayne Pearsall, ’74, has published “Another Typical Cleveland Experience (and other tales of a baseball junkie),” a book of baseball stories. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where he practices law. He also teaches at the Virginia Marti College of Art and Design in Lakewood, Ohio, and at the Miami Jacobs Career College in Independence, Ohio.

Sally Prather Pierce, ’74, of Hot Springs, Ark., retired after 34 years in public education. She spent 21 years in the classroom and 18 as an administrator, the last 13 in an alternative school setting.

James Sebree, ’74, joined pharmaceutical supplier Perrigo Company as production supervisor for the second shift Liquid Value Stream. He brings 15 years of food and

28 Eastern

beverage industry management experience to his new role. Sebree is a retired Army colonel, having served on active duty as well as with the Reserves and National Guard. He and his wife, Suzanne, live in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Thomas K. Hall III, ’75, is a retired commonwealth attorney and is a practicing attorney. He and his wife, Karen, live in Beattyville.

Melanie Rozeman Murphy, ’75, is an art teacher in the Mercer County school system.

She and her husband, Kevin, live in Versailles and enjoy hiking, camping and travel.

Judith Lubitz Monroe, ’76, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control, returned to her home state of Kentucky in August to participate in the Health Impact Series. The series of public discussions explored solutions to many health issues that plague the eastern Kentucky region.

Lorenzo Dow Eads Sr., ’78, reminds us that he and his son, Lorenzo Dow Eads Jr., ’78, both graduated from Eastern on the same day!

Mary Jo Baumann Roberts, ’78, married Timothy Roth on Sept. 27, 2014. Her first husband, Roy Lemaur Roberts, ’77, passed away in 1999.

Robert W. Robertson, ’78, has been awarded a postgraduate diploma in International Management-China from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He received his master of science degree in geography and planning from Eastern.

Ross Ballard II, ’79, has been nominated by the Audio Publishers Association for an Audie Award in the category of Audio Drama for “Screaming with the Cannibals,” the novel by Lee Maynard. Ballard narrated the audio version of the novel, which was also produced by his MountainWhispers Audio Studio. He and his wife, Susan, live in Martinsburg, W.Va.

Nancy Quaack Piercy, ’79, retired from teaching in December 2013 after 27 years.

She lives in Coxs Creek.

Vickie Tyra Reed, ’79, ’83, of Stanton retired in 2006 and is working on a small farm. She worked as a court reporter for the 89th Judicial Circuit and was elected and served as Powell Circuit Court Clerk from 2000-2006.

Geraldine E. Walker, ’79, is a past member of the American Diabetes Association. She has been a church usher, Sunday school secretary and caregiver for more than 30 years.

1980s

Karen Hart Delaney, ’80, ’83, retired as a counselor from Pendleton County Schools after 30 years. She and husband John Delaney, ’84, live in Falmouth.

Wyndee Ezell Holbrook, ’80, is director for the Academy of Preachers in Berea. She and her husband, Mitch, live in Berea.

Carla Doyle White, ’80, ’82, retired after 32 years with the Fleming County School System. She and husband Tommy live in Flemingsburg.

Debbie Bullock Bradley, ’81, and her husband, Bill, recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They live in Berea.

Thomas Salyer, ’83, has been named superintendent of Johnson County Schools. He lives in Paintsville.

Gordon Cain Jr., ’85, of Santa Clara, Calif., retired from Lockheed-Martin after nearly 30 years. He spent the last 14 years at the company’s advanced technology center.

Leigh M. Rose, ’85, published her first novel, “The Third Floor,” about a woman who buys the home of her dreams in the small town where her parents grew up, only to find that she is not the Victorian mansion’s only inhabitant.

Rose lives in Clay City.

Brig. Gen. James E. Rainey, ’87, was named commandant of the U.S. Army Infantry School at the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga. He is married to Tracy Shrout Rainey, ’89. Another Eastern ROTC graduate is serving under him. Col. William Butler, ’90, is the deputy commandant of infantry at Fort Benning.

He is married to Mindy. It’s a great combination of infantry leaders from Eastern doing great things in the Army!

Michael Cadore, ’88, has been inducted into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in Brevard County, Fla. Cadore starred on two state high school football championship teams at Titusville High School. He played football for Eastern, was drafted in 1989 by the New Orleans Saints and played in the World League of American Football’s Montreal Machine. He and his wife, Cornelia, live in Rockledge, Fla. Lisa Mouser Moore, ’88, was one of 24 educators across the commonwealth to earn the 2015 Ashland Teacher Achievement Award from the Kentucky Department of Education and Ashland Inc. Moore teaches fourth grade at Vine Grove Elementary School in Hardin County. She and her husband, Randall Moore, ’87, live in Elizabethtown.

Russell Romine, ’89, was appointed deputy secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. He has worked for the cabinet for 19 years, first as chief financial officer and most recently as executive advisor to the secretary. Romine and his wife, Margaret, live in Frankfort. The couple has two children, Hugh and Chandler.

1990s

Jill Atkinson, ’90, is now director of college counseling at Boston University Academy.

She lives in West Roxbury, Mass.

Clay Motley, ’97, received his Ph.D. in English literature at the University of South Carolina. He was promoted to

Marine Duo Takes Music World by Storm

U

U.S. Marine Corps captains Matt Smith, ’07, and John Ed Auer discovered their shared love of music while serving with the Silent Drill Platoon at 8th and I Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., in 2012.

Smith, a native of Bagdad, Ky., sings and plays guitar while Auer, of Franklin, Tenn., plays fiddle. They formed The Smith Auer Band, and what began as a way to have fun and relax with their fellow Marines while deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom has propelled the duo into the national spotlight.

The Smith Auer Band was chosen to represent the Marine Corps at the Academy of Country Music’s “All-Star Salute to the Troops” (www. youtube.com/watch?v=I0NPE3rXvOM). They’ve opened for Alan Jackson, Montgomery Gentry, Jason Michael Green, Ceelo Green and Little Big Town. Most recently, they performed at the White House as part of a PBS series showcasing the rich fabric of American culture.

The band’s first hit single, “The Mom Looks Good On You,” is available from iTunes.

associate professor at Western Kentucky University and tenured in the Honors College.

Jeff Floyd, ’98, was promoted to loss education and safety manager for Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI). The company is the largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance in the commonwealth.

James Benjamin Beck, ’99, and Moriah Williams Beck, ’99, of Wichita, Kan., are assistant professors at Wichita State University. They invite their Eastern friends to visit if they’re ever on the Great Plains!

Christopher Dillman, ’99, is a pilot for JetBlue and an instructor for the New Hampshire Air National Guard, where he flies the KC 135 Stratotanker. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in Exeter, N.H.

2000s

Lewis Diaz, ’00, ’02, has been named a partner with Peck, Shaffer & Williams LLP, a national leader in public finance law. Diaz works out of the firm’s Cincinnati office and concentrates his practice on affordable housing and traditional governmental finance projects. His clients include municipalities, state and local housing agencies, for-profit developers, nonprofit housing organizations and investment banking firms.

Diaz serves as vice chair of the board of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District and is on the board of the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from Eastern.

He earned his law degree from the Salmon P. Chase College of

Law in 2006. Prior to joining Peck Shaffer, Diaz was chief counsel to the Kentucky Housing Corporation. He and his wife, Rebecca, live in Burlington.

Rebecca Pumphrey Jones, ’00, was named Cablefax’s Cable Marketer of the Year in July.

Jones is senior vice president of marketing and research for Viamedia, an independent provider of outsourced cable television advertising services.

Jones and her husband, Scott, reside in Lexington.

John Avera, ’01, ’03, recently released “Ella Minnow Peed,” a children’s book about a small fish that goes to school and is bullied about her size until she goes to music class. The book teaches children that everyone is special and to treat others as they want to be treated.

The last page of the book is a bully-proof program that teaches kids how to handle bullying and gives suggestions on what to do when being bullied. Avera teaches in two

elementary schools and is a student and worship pastor.

He and his wife, Katie Sapp Avera, ’00, live in London.

Brandi Jacobs-Jones, ’04, became senior vice president for administration at Marshall University in May. She had been director of administration and finance for the City of Huntington, W. Va., since 2007 and is the recipient of numerous awards, including being named to West Virginia State Journal’s “Generation Next 40 Under 40” in 2012.

John Wilson, ’05, a WKYT news photographer, took several honors from the Kentucky News Photographers Association for his work.

Wilson was named both news and sports photographer of the year and won the Gaylert Burrow Best of Show. It was the third time he’s been named sports photographer of the year. He and his wife, Jessica Byrd Wilson, ’06, live in Richmond.

Eastern 29

Class Acts

Nicole Hayden, ’07, was named Ms. Plus Kentucky 2014 and went on to win the Ms. Plus America 2014 title. The founder of Curvy Girls Workout Too, Hayden’s platform emphasizes health and wellness. A Zumba instructor, she conducts selfesteem workshops for young girls and women, encouraging participants to “Be confident.

Be beautiful. Be you!”

Jeffery C. Camplin, ’10, has been re-elected to a second term on the board of directors of the American Society of Safety Engineers, a 35,000-member professional organization, where he also serves as vice president for the council on practices and standards. He lives in Mundelein, Ill. Adam Turner, ’13, was promoted to executive director of RRP International Publishing and Digital Media, employing his design talents and comprehensive social media experience on behalf of RRP’s authors. Turner lives in Lexington. RRP was founded

by Don McNay, ’81, ’83.

Non-degreed Alumni or Alumni of Unknown Class Year Jonni Murphy, who works for Yamaha, gave a tour to a group of Eastern music students who were in Anaheim, Calif., to attend the world’s largest music trade show, NAMM. Pictured, front row, from left: Murphy, music industry student and Pearl intern Keylee Fletcher. Back row: students Aaron Farris, Hunter Wingate and Jennifer Hurst.

Help Us Celebrate Your Little Colonel Let your Alumni Association know about your Little Colonel’s arrival, and we’ll send you an EKU baby bib — free! It’s our way of saying congratulations. We will also run your announcement in an issue of Eastern magazine. Information, including parent’s name and baby’s name and date of birth, can be submitted using the form on p. 25. If sending a photo, please note that computer-generated photos cannot be published.

Newlyweds Mark Masciarelli, ’10, of Hatboro, Pa., married Jessica Carney on Dec. 16, 2013.

He is presently studying for a master’s degree in fire protection engineering at California Polytechnic State University.

Junior Alumni Sutton Lyn to Clint Jezierny, ’93, and his wife, Jennifer, on April 17, 2014. The family lives in Thompsons Station, Tenn.

Lucas Klay to Travis McQueen, ’99, ’01, and Crystal Messer McQueen ’99, ’01, on Feb. 25, 2014, joining big brother Kaiden Lee. The family lives in Manchester.

Ashleigh Lynn to Katie Broaddus McDonald, ’01, and Aaron McDonald, ’02, on Feb. 14, 2014. The family lives in Waco.

Identical twin girls Madelynn and Katelynn to Laura Lynn Kline Kremer, ’02, in July 2012. They join big brother Keegan at home in Louisville.

Parker, a son, to Neal Thompson, ’05, and Julie Thompson of Georgetown on May 4, 2013.

30 Eastern

Ryker Thomas to Tyler Thomas Baratko, ’06, and his wife, Christine, on Jan. 17, 2014.

The family makes its home in Springboro, Ohio.

Violet Elizabeth to Sarah Botos Keaton, ’08, and Jesse Keaton, ’09, on Aug. 12, 2013. The family lives in Cincinnati.

Brynnlee Michelle to Aimee Knight Averill, ’08, and former student Erik Averill on May 1, 2014. The family lives in Lancaster, Ohio.

Losses in the Eastern Family Earl W. “Smokey” Gibson, ’48, ’51, of Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 22, 2014. He played football at Eastern under coach Rome Rankin and ran indoor track. He was a WWII veteran, high school teacher, principal and assistant superintendent. He also served as a consultant to the Ohio Department of Education. He credited Eastern with laying the foundation for his success. His ashes are interred at Arlington National Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Alice, and a son, Jon. Edwin Wright, ’59, of Batavia, Ohio, on Jan. 19, 2014. He was a retired science teacher who

enjoyed photography and travel. He is survived by two children and several grandchildren.

Edmund Burke Jr., ’63, ’65, of Shelbyville on Jan. 28, 2014. He was a member of the Eastern band and choirs and was a 20-year member of First Presbyterian Church, Shelbyville, where he was an elder and choir member. He had retired as a high school counselor in Grand Blanc, Mich., worked with Labors for Christ building the Holy Cross Lutheran Church, volunteered at Jewish Hospital in Shelbyville, tutored for Arriba Ninos and was an Army veteran. After returning to Kentucky, he was a guidance counselor at George Rogers Clark H.S. in Winchester. He is survived by his wife, Joanne, two children and several grandchildren.

Bernard B. Bandy II, ’84, of Boca Raton, Fla., on March 4, 2013. A native of Richmond, he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha. He is survived by two sons, his mother, siblings and extended family.

Non-degreed Alumni or Alumni of Unknown Class Year David Sandhage of Jennings County, Ind., on May 19, 2014. A graduate of Indiana University, he received his certification in special education from Eastern.

He spent his entire career as an educator. In 1999, he purchased his grandparents’ farm, which has been in his family for more than 100 years. He is survived by his wife, Cathy Bode.

Former Faculty & Staff David Allgier, who retired in 2003 as assistant director of information technology, on June 16, 2014. He joined EKU in 1981 and quickly endeared himself to colleagues with his know-how and sense of humor.

His wife, Jill, was the longtime registrar before retiring in 2006.

His daughter, Abby Horn, is a program analyst at Eastern.

Author and historian Charles Bracelen Flood, a tireless advocate for EKU Libraries, passed away on Aug. 15, 2014, after a brief illness. He was 84.

He resurrected Friends of EKU Libraries, served as president during a period of rapid growth for the organization, and was an active fundraiser for EKU Libraries. The New York City native and Harvard graduate conducted most of his research in John Grant Crabbe Library.

He received an honorary doctor of letters degree from EKU in 1982. His books earned many prestigious national honors and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. The titles include “Love Is A Bridge,” “A Distant Drum,” “Tell Me, Stranger,” “Monmouth,” “More Lives Than One,” “The War of the Innocents,” “Trouble at the Top,” “Rise and Fight Again,” “Lee: The Last Years,” “Hitler: The Path to Power,” “Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War,” “1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History,” and “Grant’s Final Victory.” He recently completed “The Lafayette Escadrille,” the story of the Americans who volunteered to serve as pilots on

the Western Front in 1915 before the U.S. entered World War I. It’s set to be published in 2015.

Dr. Donald Haney, former chair of the department of geology, on Sunday, June 8, 2014.

Dr. Haney served at Eastern from 1964 to 1978 and was the founding chair of what was then the department of geology. He also established the department’s master’s degree program and served as faculty regent from 1971 to 1974. The first of many faculty members from the department who went on to become state geologists, he was director of the Kentucky Geological Survey. In 2005, he was presented the John T. Galey Memorial Award by the Eastern Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the highest honor given by the association. He also received the Geological Society of America-America Geosciences Institute Ian Campbell Medal for exceptional leadership in his field.

Dr. Amy King, foundation professor emeritus of mathematics, on June 7, 2014.

King, who taught at Eastern from 1972 until her retirement in 1998, was a pioneer and role model whose influence will resonate for generations.

She entered the field at a time when few women held doctoral degrees and was recognized many times for classroom excellence, including the first award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics, conferred by the Kentucky Section of the Mathematical Association of America in 1992. She also received the Math Education Service and Achievement Award from the Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

A thoughtful mentor who exhibited great personal warmth and kindness, King remained in touch with many of her students well after her retirement and established several charitable gift annuities at EKU to assist the department of mathematics and statistics, EKU Libraries and the honors program. In addition to her foundation professorship for 1993-95, a mathematics education technology classroom in the Wallace Building was

named in her honor in 2011. She was active in her church, where she taught three-year-olds in Sunday school.

Dr. Mitch Lifland, retired professor of technology at EKU, on April 28, 2014. He joined EKU in 1990 after serving as plant manager for National Metal Processing in Richmond and taught in the areas of quality assurance and materials and processes. He also coordinated the graduate program in industrial technology and was one of two faculty advisers for an EKU robotics team that captured a prestigious national title in 2000. He retired in 2006.

Dr. James Robert Miller Jr., professor emeritus of philosophy and religion and longtime chair of the department, on June 4, 2014.

He taught at EKU from 1971 until his retirement in 2001.

He was active in the Faculty Senate, serving many years as its parliamentarian. He pastored several small, rural churches for 10 years before devoting his full-time service to teaching, and was a longtime member of the Wine Society.

John J. Moll Sr. on March 11, 2014. He was an instructor in the adult education program at EKU from 1999-2008. His wife, Dr. Diane E. Vance, is a professor in the department of chemistry and director of the forensic science program at EKU. An educator throughout his life, John touched the lives of thousands of students for more than 55 years, not only at EKU but also at Bellarmine College and several Louisvillearea high schools. He was a lifelong athlete in track and field. In September, he won a gold medal in the discus for the 80-84 age group.

was only the second dean in the history of the College, succeeding Dr. Robert Posey.

During Dr. Ricks’ tenure as dean, recruitment became a primary goal, the Training Resource Center began operations and a police administration program for Air Force security officers was launched.

James Cosby Singer, former Facilities Services employee, on June 7, 2014. He worked in the electrical and plumbing department.

Dr. Robert Stebbins, professor emeritus of history, on June 17, 2014. He served Eastern from 1963 until his retirement in 2000. His specialty was modern European history, particularly European intellectual history since 1750. During the early 1990s, he was active with the honors program and was a prominent member of the campus chapter of the AAUP. His wife, Dr. Ann Stebbins, also taught history at EKU. He was one of the founders of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Madison County in 1978.

Margaret Bernice Thurman, wife of James Wyatt “Spider” Thurman, on May 9, 2014. She graduated with honors from Eastern with a bachelor of science and a master’s degree.

She and Mr. Thurman spent most of their lives in Richmond, and both retired from EKU. She pioneered the Medical Assisting program at Eastern and served on the first formulating board for state exams.

Pearl Etta White, a retired night hostess at EKU, on Jan. 14, 2014. She served the University for 30 years and was active in her church and Madison County Homemakers.

Dr. Truett Ricks, dean of what was then the College of Law Enforcement from 1983 until his retirement in 1997, on March 18, 2014. Ricks joined EKU in 1972 as an associate professor of law enforcement and became associate dean the following year. He was granted a two-year leave of absence in 1975 when he was appointed commissioner of Kentucky State Police. He

Eastern 31

In

the

End

THE

CHINA CONNECT ION

32 Eastern

When President Michael Benson and Professor Chang-Yang Lin, a faculty member in the College of Business and Technology, traveled to China in May, it was the latest chapter in a more than two-decade commitment to foster understanding between the Colonel Nation and the world’s most populous country.

“Sure, there are a lot of people,” says Benson, “but we shouldn’t regard China as a big monolith but rather as a tapestry of people and culture.”

Eastern began weaving a partnership in the 1990s, establishing an exchange program with pharmaceutical giant Zhejiang Medicine Company (ZMC). Several ZMC employees have earned bachelor’s degrees or MBAs at Eastern, and the powerful company’s chairman, Chunbo Li, who has been a key figure in ZMC’s rise from a state-owned business to one of China’s largest pharmaceutical firms, received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2011.

In addition, dozens of EKU professors have lectured in China at no cost to the university. “It’s been very beneficial for us,” says Dr. Jack Dyer, professor emeritus of accounting, who made one of the original visits from Eastern to Zhejiang in 1996. “Not only have many of our faculty members gotten this international exposure, but we’ve also had international students in our classes in Richmond, adding a diverse point of view.”

Xinjiang Mou, ’14, and Zhenhua Chu, ’14, consider themselves lucky to have been chosen to study at Eastern. Both received master’s degrees in safety, security and emergency management and are today

vice safety directors of Changhai Biological Company, a subsidiary of ZMC. In China, once an undergraduate declares a major, “your future four years are decided. You cannot choose when you want to take the classes or whose class you want to take,” explains Mou. “I personally love the American way.”

American students, too, find reward in the varied perspectives that study abroad experiences provide. “For every fact that I can state about China, the opposite is also true somewhere in the country,” Jennifer Strauel, ’11, recalled of her 10-day study abroad course. “You can find evidence of collectivism and individualism, spirituality and soullessness, technology and primitiveness, new construction and complete rubble, extreme poverty and ostentatious wealth…”

To support further exchange opportunities for both American and Chinese students, Chairman Li has established an endowed scholarship at Eastern.

President Benson pledges to continue to devote time and resources to establish relationships like those Eastern enjoys in China. “This educational experience is made immeasurably more rewarding by availing oneself of every possible opportunity to travel – to see the world, to learn a language and to experience a different culture,” he wrote in his popular Huffington Post blog. “Only then can one truly hope to understand the varying perspectives and opposing world views of those billions of people who are different from ourselves. Indeed, this is the antidote to bigotry and prejudice.”

Office of Alumni and Donor Engagement The Alumni Center at Blanton House Eastern Kentucky University 521 Lancaster Avenue Richmond, Kentucky 40475-3102 www.eku.edu

Join us for

alumni

weekend April

24-26

Mark your calendar, book your hotel room, and get ready for the excitement of signature Eastern events and fun new additions at Alumni Weekend 2015.

Additional details about Alumni Weekend 2015 registration and events are coming soon to alumni.eku.edu.