Alumni of the Decade

Alumni of theDecade

Six outstanding alumni, representing each decade in the life of the university, were named Alumni of the Decade in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the University of Mobile. Alumni were nominated by their peers, nominations were reviewed by a committee from the UM Alumni Board, and recipients were chosen by a panel representing alumni, faculty and staff . Tom Holmes, Class of 1967 An award-winning human rights advocate with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, he served Alabama citizens with intellectual disabilities on the local, state and national levels. He retired as CEO/executive director of The Arc of Alabama and now serves as board president of The Arc of Mobile County. Holmes and his brothers created the Bethune-Homes Memorial Scholarship at UM in honor of their parents, Annie Jo Bethune Holmes and Fred Boyles Holmes Sr. The scholarship benefi ts students from Baldwin and Conecuh counties.

John Bruns, Class of 1978 A graduate of The Citadel, he moved to Mobile after four years in the Army and earned an Associate Degree in Nursing at UM. Bruns continued his education and now is a Certifi ed Registered Nurse Anesthetist with Southern Anesthesia Management in Mobile. All three of his and wife Cindy’s children and one daughter-in-law graduated from UM and are now CRNAs. Suzanne Cobb, Class of 1987 She holds two degrees from UM, an Associate Degree in Nursing and Bachelor of Organizational Management. She was the fi rst lactation consultant at Providence Hospital and retired as a Registered Nurse. She serves on the UM Alumni Board. Julie Clow, Class of 1995 Based in London, England, she is head of Global People Development at Chanel. She previously worked at Google and authored a book titled “The Work Revolution: Freedom and Excellence for All.” She earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and later completed a Ph.D. in organizational psychology. Tracey Henry, Class of 2002 She is an associate professor of medicine at Emory University, a clinical educator and attending physician. She is also the assistant health director of the Grady Primary Care Center and co-director of the Health Equity Advocacy Policy track for Emory’s graduate medical education programs and holds an appointment at Georgia State University School of Public Health. She has testifi ed before the U.S. Congress about the average student loan debt that hampers studnts in health care fi elds. Henry earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology and in 2021 received UM’s Samuel Boykin Medal of Excellence.

Charles “Cody” Waters, Class of 2018. A commissioned offi cer, he is a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy and earned his Wings of Gold in November 2021. The F/A-18 pilot earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics at UM, where he played baseball.

Photo by Rovy Lopez

From left, Tracey Henry, Julie Clow, Suzanne Cobb, John Bruns, Tom Holmes. Not pictured: Cody Waters.

Photo by Rovy Lopez

Photo by Heath Vester

Photo by Rovy Lopez

Diamond Anniversary Events

Events throughout the year celebrated the Diamond Anniversary, from the 10th Project Serve universitywide day of service to the 19th Christmas Spectacular. Homecoming in October featured a concert by Big Daddy Weave, bringing back members of the Dove Award-winning group that started on the UM campus. On Give Day, alumni and friends took on the challenge to “Donate $60 for 60” and raised funds to support students and programs at UM. The U, the new University of Mobile Store, created a new Diamond Collection with proceeds going toward student scholarships. (Go to universityofmobilestore.com or visit the store on campus for a full range of merchandise.) Products include t-shirts, decals, lapel pin and a 60th anniversary coff ee mug featuring the Mobile College seal on one side and the University of Mobile seal on the other. A devotion book, “Be Known: Live Out Your Calling,” includes 60 devotions for 60 days in honor of UM’s 60th anniversary. The book explores the ideas of purpose and calling in our lives, particularly the call to Christ and to love, serve and change the world. They are written by people whose lives have been impacted through the University of Mobile – alumni, faculty, staff , trustees and partners in the Alabama Baptist State Convention that founded the university as Mobile College six decades ago. An exhibit in Weaver Hall lobby included memorabilia such as the Covers belt honoring winners of the popular cover band competition and a timeline of historic highlights that is included in this issue of TorchLight.