ALUMNI NEWS
Dwaine Evans, ’12, recently started his own clothing company, Podz Gear. His wife, Terran Brewer Evans, ’14, is pursuing a master’s degree in occupational therapy at EKU. Tammy Cooper Abu-Husein, ’92, has released her fifth book of poetry, “Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems,” and a book of short stories. She writes as T.L. Cooper. She and her husband, Loay M. Abu-Husein, ’92, reside in Albany, Oregon. Joe Richard, ’92, is currently a two-term vice president of the Columbus (Ohio) Local 67 Firefighters Union, and a three-term 5th District vice president of the Ohio Professional Firefighters Union. He is currently battalion chief with the Columbus Fire Department. Tim Browning, ’99, of Warsaw, Kentucky, has taught physical education in the Gallatin County School District for 16 years. He coached girls’ basketball for six years and became the first head football coach at the school in 2006, a position he continues to hold. Corey Walden, standout basketball player 2012-15, now plays for the Maine Red Claws, the Boston Celtics affiliate in the NBA Developmental League. The undrafted free agent saw summer league NBA action with the Celtics. Kelli Carter, ’05, of Lexington, Kentucky, is one of four full-time personnel for Kentucky’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), serving as a “go to” jobs liaison for the Kentucky Career Center, Department of Labor, KY-FAME Program, Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and employers across the state. Dennis Hasty, ’03, is finishing his third year at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is currently serving as a youth pastor and part-time instructor for EKU. Chen Hao, ’15, works as a supplier quality engineer at Minth Group Limited, East Tawas, Michigan. Jordan Dorsey, ’13, is a pilot with Skywest Airlines, one of the world’s largest regional airlines. 36 SPRING 2016
Sharon Farthing Graves, ’82, is in her 26th year of teaching American history at Clark-Moores Middle School, Richmond, Kentucky. Patrick Louis Ford, ’12 ’13, played briefly with the New York Jets of the NFL. He is now project manager with Wehr Construction in Tampa, Florida. He and wife Savanna F. Griffith Ford, ’13, were married in July 2014.
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Stu Jackson, ’13, and Whitney Jackson, ’13, are employed by the Kentucky State Police and as manager of Purdy Embroidery of Richmond, respectively. 4 Amy Gossage Sole, ’14, and Tyler Sole, ’14, are employed at Woodland Early Learning Center in Lexington and Campus Outreach at Georgetown College, respectively.
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Alumni Events Mike Kopacko, ’09, was on patrol for the Reynoldsburg (Ohio) Police Department on March 24, 2015, when he saw black smoke coming from an apartment building complex. He radioed for the fire department, then pulled into the parking lot, where a crowd had begun to form as flames torched the balcony of a building. Kopacko went to the door to see if the apartment was occupied. The door handle was too hot to touch, but he kicked open the door. According to police reports, he was then engulfed in heavy black smoke and heat, making it impossible to enter. He checked below the smoke line to see if anyone was inside. The apartment was unoccupied. Kopacko then pounded on doors to alert residents in other apartments. He was able to escort residents from one unit to the parking lot. Other residents left their doors open as they made their way out of the building. Kopacko returned to one of the locked units and pounded on the door, but got no answer. He then kicked open the door and found a woman inside who said she had been in the bathroom and hadn’t heard the commotion outside. Police Lt. Ron Wright praised Kopacko for his actions: “Any time an officer puts the public safety in front of their own needs – while they’re supposed to do that – it is an heroic act and they aspire to perform that level of service to the public.”
1. EKU Alumni & Friends, Dan Mason (’73), Ralph Hacker, and Tom Leach, visit with President Michael T. Benson and Jennifer Ott, Director of Alumni Programming and Student Philanthropy, at Keeneland for EKU Day at the Races in October 2015. 2. Colonel pride was on full display at both the alumni tailgate and the game as EKU took the fight to UK in October 2015. 3. Young alumni gather at the home of Maribeth McBride Berman (’92) for EKU’s Evening of Vision in Louisville, October 2015. 4. Fred (’59, ’61) and Sue (’59, ’63) Rice and Marietta McBride (’73, ’76) converse with Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Nick Perlick, at the home of Maribeth McBride Berman (’92) for EKU’s Evening of Vision in Louisville, October 2015. 5. Don (’86, ’95) and April (’86, ’96) Perry host an evening of vision for Ashland area alumni in November 2015. 6. Current and former Colonels unite for an alumni tailgate in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the Colonels took on the Wolfpack, September 2015.