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Table of Contents

  • 1: President's Message
  • 2: Alumni Association Awards
  • 6: Campus Briefs
  • 12: Unique Alumni
  • 17: Homecoming
  • 18: Advancement
  • 22: Athletics
  • 24: Alumni Events
  • 26: Class Notes
  • 30: Obituaries

ETSU President

Brian Noland

Executive Editor

Richard A. Manahan

Managing Editors

Robert M. Plummer; Jennifer Barber

Contributing Writers

Anthony Aiken; Jeff Anderson; Pat Barcel; Laure Craddock; Lee Ann Davis; Noah Edwards; Pat Elledge; Carol Fox; Tisha Harrison; Leisa Harvey; Donald Harvill; Jennifer Hill; Pat Holland; Brad Lifford; Lurelle Maxey; Grace McCord; Peggy McCurry; Matt McGahey; Jo Anne Paty; Cyndi Ramsey; Shea Renfro; Jeremy Ross; Fred Sauceman; Carol Sloan; Joe E. Smith; Karen Sullivan; Caleb Tull; Mike White

Photography/Art

Jim Padgett; Larry Smith; Jim Sledge; Charles Warden

Publication Date

Fall 2012

President's Message

On behalf of my wife Donna and our family, thank you for welcoming us so warmly into the East Tennessee State University family. During the past nine months, we have learned volumes about ETSU. As many of you know, I am a note-taker. I have filled 14 legal pads of notes since January. Those notes contain stories of inspiration, stories of persistence and dedication, stories that, taken collectively, portray a university deeply engaged with the world around it. I will share some of those stories with you. We have learned about ETSU and the amazing work being carried out by our students, faculty, staff, and alumni—work that shapes Southern Appalachia, the state of Tennessee, and extends worldwide. ETSU is the engine that powers the culture, the economy, and the health of our region. We are in the dream business, and we make dreams come true on a daily basis. Through the commitment to a culture of stewardship, we navigated the choppy waters of the economic downturn and are poised for growth as our economy recovers. As we grow, it is my hope that we can now begin to define ourselves not by limitations, but by possibilities. Ask the “what if ” questions. The “what if ” questions brought us an Honors College, the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, a College of Pharmacy, the Gray Fossil Site, and a College of Medicine that ranks as one of the nation’s best in the areas of rural health and primary care. With our Centennial as the pivotal point, now is the time for us to take a fresh look at everything we do. With the promise of the fall semester and the new beginning it presents, we have the ability and the opportunity to define the undergraduate experience. The passion for learning that we create in the hearts and minds of our students will last a lifetime. We often use the term “persistence to graduation.” By engaging students and igniting that passion, we create the path toward commencement with each moment they are at ETSU. Consider the path of Helen Lane. Helen was once a patient at our Downtown Day Center. She was homeless. For two years, she lived at the Salvation Army. But the faculty and staff in our College of Nursing saw great potential in Helen. For the past six years, she has had a home. When her diploma is awarded at the end of this semester, she will enter graduate school. When I think of the theme of engagement, the work of Dr. Beverly Smith immediately comes to mind. Dr. Smith’s research on galaxies is cutting-edge and has been supported through four NASA grants. Ask her about those students, and she speaks of Olivia Miller, who will graduate next spring. Olivia has already co-authored an article that was published in the Astronomical Journal. Coral Franklin and Sabrina Hurlock are now graduate students at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. Jessica Webb is teaching physics at Unicoi County High School and Trisha Massenzo is a graduate student in biomedical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Beverly Smith speaks about her former students with the pride of a parent. Within my legal pads of ETSU stories I find Dr. Chris Gregg. Dr. Gregg is currently the principal investigator on two large federal grants, funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Weather Service. Both deal with tsunamis. Also in my notes is the story of Katie Baker. She is a doctoral student in public health. She is a Greeneville native, a Niswonger Scholar, and a recipient of a training grant from the National Cancer Institute. Mentored by her professor Dr. Joel Hillhouse, she has been interviewed by the New York Times, and her work was recently published in three separate academic journals, all in one week. Through my campus visits, I learned about the work of April Eads and Beth Ringley. In 2005, while working on their master’s degrees in technology, they joined computer science student Mike Parker to develop the idea of converting the fiber optics network that the Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) was using to read utility meters and adapt that network to include broadband service to homes. BTES CEO Dr. Michael Browder approved the plan, which required a $25 million investment. Today, April Eads is the business development manager for BTES. Mike Parker is their network supervisor and Beth Ringley co-founded the Motive Group to help other communities move forward in Smart Grid and broadband development. This is a brilliant example of ETSU ingenuity at work, of ETSU entrepreneurs at work. And more will be coming. Our Bureau of Business and Economic Research recently received a $250,000 state grant to create a Regional Entrepreneurial Accelerator; further proof that ETSU is the engine that powers the economy of the region. I encourage each of you to take time to get re-engaged with your ETSU. Attend our fall concert, attend a performance presented by the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts or attend a lecture series. This is your ETSU and I hope that the upcoming academic year is one of renewed commitment to the spirit and passion for learning that we all felt as students. Thank you for your commitment to ETSU, today’s students and the future. Godspeed and Go Bucs! - Brian Noland, University President

ETSU Today - Fall 2012

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