JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 28, 2019 — 51社区 will recognize 22 alumni and friends of the university for outstanding achievements in their respective fields Nov. 1 at the Meritorious Service Awards Banquet during Homecoming weekend.
鈥淚t is a pleasure to welcome our alumni award recipients to campus,鈥� said Catherine Kwasigroh, Union鈥檚 vice president for institutional advancement. 鈥淭hese individuals have contributed to the success of our university and are our best representatives. Their success stories help build Union鈥檚 reputation.鈥�
The weekend will begin Oct. 31 with a welcome party for the Class of 1970鈥檚 50-year reunion and continue through Nov. 2. The weekend will include the banquet; basketball, soccer and baseball games; student events; a concert; a student, faculty and staff football game; a chili cook-off and a special event for the Class of 2010鈥檚 10-year reunion.
鈥淲e welcome the classes of 1970 and 2010 who will be celebrating their 50- and 10-year reunions,鈥� Kwasigroh said. 鈥淚t is a wonderful time for them to return and see the new developments on campus and for them to reminisce and share about memorable moments from their college days.鈥�
Tickets are required for some events. A full schedule of events is available at .
This year鈥檚 alumni award winners include:
- Roy Jones (鈥�63), Alumnus of the Year Award. This award is presented to a Union graduate for distinction in his or her profession, service to mankind and/or contribution to 51社区. Jones has served in a number of ministerial positions, including a 16-year stint as director of missions for the Cape Girardeau Association in Missouri from 1987-2003.
- David Burke, Distinguished Service Award. This award is given to a member of the Union community for distinction in his or her profession, service to mankind and/or contribution to 51社区. Burke was director of theater at Union for 33 years.
- Carlo Spencer, Lest We Forget Award. This award is presented in recognition of longtime service and contributions to the 51社区 community. Spencer has been the clock operator for Union鈥檚 basketball teams since 1985, when coach David Blackstock asked him to serve in this role.
- Gene Hunt, G.M. Savage Legacy Award. This award is given to a faculty or staff member for their ongoing commitment to Christ-centered education at Union. Hunt is housekeeping supervisor for Facilities Management at 51社区, where he began in 2004 as housekeeping assistant supervisor and was promoted to supervisor in one year.
- Jim Farmer, Robert E. Craig Service Award. This award is named after Union鈥檚 13th president and recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the university. For the last 15 years of Farmer鈥檚 career, he was an employee of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and has also served as a bivocational pastor of several Baptist churches.
- The Bob Agee (鈥�60) family, Union Family Legacy Award. The Agee family has a Union legacy that goes back four generations. Agee served on Union鈥檚 Board of Trustees from 1973-1975 and began serving at Union in 1975 as dean and later vice president for religious affairs. Agee served as president of Oklahoma Baptist University for 16 years, and after his retirement served as executive director of the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Schools and as an education profession at Union. Agee and his wife Nelle (鈥�76) have two daughters, Denise Allen (鈥�81) and Robyn Hari (鈥�86), and four grandchildren.
- Stacy Aldridge (鈥�03), A. J. Massey (鈥�04, 鈥�14) and Jared Myracle (鈥�07), Outstanding Young Alumni Awards. This award is presented to up to three Union graduates who are age 40 or younger with a record of significant accomplishment in professional life and for service to 51社区 or the world. Aldridge has worked for 15 years at FirstBank in Jackson, earning numerous promotions and gaining leadership duties and currently serves as the bank operations supervisor. Massey is a vice president at The Bank of Jackson and an alumnus of the Leadership Jackson class of 2009. He was awarded the Community Observation of Personal Excellence Award in 2015. Myracle serves as the chief academic officer for Jackson-Madison Country Schools, as an executive board member for the Tennessee Rural Education Association and is a published author.
In addition, Union will present Distinguished Achievement Awards to 10 Union alumni for significant contributions in different professional areas. Those recipients are:
- Glynis Blackard (鈥�09) in healthcare. Blackard has been a registered nurse for 36 years and has held academic positions as nursing professor, founding chair and founding dean.
- Norma Gerrell (鈥�88) in education. Gerrell has a 32-year education career and currently serves as the director of school (superintendent) for the Paris Special School District in Paris, Tennessee.
- James Duke (鈥�98) in arts/media. Duke is the president of Act One, Inc., a Christian community of entertainment industry professionals and is an accomplished filmmaker, educator and communicator.
- Billy Joe Kennedy (鈥�76) in church ministry. Kennedy served as youth, music and senior adult director at Hopewell Baptist Church in Savannah, Tennessee, for 37 years before retiring.
- Vickie E. Lynch (鈥�77) in research/sciences. Lynch has led a distinguished career as a software scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for more than 40 years.
- Tommy Hopper (鈥�81) in government/public service. Hopper has served as president of The Hopper Group, LLC, a political consulting organization, since forming the group in 1993.
- Graham Hillard (鈥�02) in humanities. Hillard is an associate professor of English at Trevecca Nazarene University and has written for numerous national literary journals and magazines.
- Kim DeMarigny (鈥�91) in sports. DeMarigny is a high school mathematics teacher and head girls鈥� basketball coach at Maine Township High School West in Des Plaines, Illinois.
- Whitney Mourreau Zulu (鈥�06) in not-for-profit. Zulu is the founder and director of Impact One Initiative, a nonprofit equipping underprivileged schools in Lusaka, Zambia.