Class News

Class News
 

1960-1969

 

Mike Kinard ’61 was appointed to a two-year term on the Arkansas Court of Appeals. Kinard, 75, is a Waldo native and received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southern State College and the University of Arkansas. Kinard has occasionally been mentioned as a possible appointee to several
state boards and commissions, most recently as a potential appointee to the Arkansas Highway Commission.

 

1970-1979

 

Robert Boyd ’75 is celebrating 27 years with Miller Transporters and recently awarded two Million Safe Miles Award with the company. The greatest celebration of all is the birth of third son, and fourth child, Hudson Boyd, born on November 13, 2013.

David Butler ’78 was elected as the 13th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney in the May 2014 election. The 13th Judicial District encompasses six counties Calhoun, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Ouachita, and Union. He is also the new president of the SAU Alumni Association Board.

Bill Skains ’77 – Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Branson businessman Bill Skains to the Missouri Workforce Investment Board. “I’m just tickled to death they asked me to do it,” Skains said. He previously served on the board as a member since 2003, serving also as the board’s vicechair in 2006, and was appointed by Nixon as the chairman Jan. 7. His appointment must be approved by the state Senate, Skains said, though he saw little issue it would have with the
appointment. The goal of the Missouri Workforce Investment Board is to oversee programming and services for workforce development and retention in the state. “That’s what I like to do — take people, train them and put them back into jobs,” Skains said. Skains has also served on the Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District Board, The Ozark Region Workforce Investment Board, and has held a board position with the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and CVB.

1980-1989

 

Karen Epperson ’83 was named Magnolia East Side Elementary Teacher of the year. Steve Forbes ’88 – ETSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Richard Sander announced Monday that Steve Forbes has been named head coach of the Buccaneers’ men’s basketball program. Forbes will become the 16th head coach in the program’s 95-year history, most recently he served two seasons as an assistant coach at Wichita State where he helped take the Shockers to the Sweet 16 this past season. According to Sander, Forbes’ recruiting ties and his extensive background as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level – which included a five-year stop at the University of Tennessee – made him a perfect fit for ETSU. A native of Lone Tree, Iowa, Forbes graduated from Southern Arkansas University with a degree in secondary education in 1988. A former baseball student-athlete for the Muleriders, Forbes spent one year at his alma mater as the sports information director before embarking on a coaching career. Forbes and his wife Johnetta have three children, Elizabeth (25), Christopher (19) and Johnathon (11).

Eric Goble ’83 earned the Doctor of Educational Ministries degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary during its December commencement exercises. Dr. Goble is senior pastor at Brister Baptist Church near Emerson where he has served for more than 30 years.

Laurie Hicks ’84 Earned both Magnolia High School and Magnolia School District Teacher of the Year honors.

Robbie McAdoo ‘84 is now serving as the Ouachita County Judge. His wife, Angie Stokes McAdoo ‘82, is serving as the Mayor of East Camden.

Don McDonald ’89, a Merrill Lynch financial adviser in Fort Smith, was recently recognized on the 2015

Barron’s America’s Top 1,200 Advisors: State-by-State list published Feb. 23. “As the No. 1 financial advisor ranked in Arkansas by Barron’s, Don’s recognition on this list is an industry honor and a testament to his many accomplishments,” a news release states. The recognition follows a mentioning in the Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors list published in March 2014. McDonald began his career at Merrill Lynch in 1989 after earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration in finance from Southern Arkansas University. His professional designations include certifications in investment management analysis and retirement planning counseling. McDonald has been married to Jennifer Walker for 30 years and has three children.Scott Rowland ’83 has been named President of the Forest Landowners Association. Rowland received a bachelor of science degree in education from Southern Arkansas University and a bachelor of science degree in forestry from Louisiana Tech University. He is a private forest landowner and has 18 years of experience as an independent consulting forester.

Pat Sixbey ’83 completed a trip sailing across the Atlantic Ocean along with two friends. It took 31 days of sailing and 3450 miles to complete. The sailboat, Mary Annie, was rebuilt by Pat.

 

1990-1999

 

Jason Ellen ’95 produced an instructional video that was published on the Review of Optometry web site. The video can be viewed at http://www.reviewofoptometry.com/content/d/slit_
lamp_essentials/i/3229/c/53899/. Jason was an Outstanding Young Alum in 2010. Jason is married to Rona who is an SAU Biology alum. She went on to graduate from OSU veterinary school.

Patsy Hughey ’94 has been named the Superintendent of the Dollarway School District in Jefferson County. She said she is eager to implement changes that she believes will help improve the struggling district. Hughey previously served the district as its director of federal programs. She currently lives in Camden, but said she and her husband plan to move inside the Dollarway district over the summer. Hughey received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Arkansas University, and she holds an education degree from Henderson State University. Hughey served one year as superintendent at the Stephens School District from 2013 to 2014 and spent 13 years working in various capacities for the Camden- Fairview School District. Hughey said she plans to hold everyone at Dollarway accountable for educating students, modeling her style after Hillary Rodham Clinton’s book It Takes a Village, which describes how each member of society should play a role in molding children’s lives.

Chad Turner ‘97, Shelter Insurance Companies agent, received the Champion designation for 2014 agency operations. The Champion designation recognizes a select group of agents who demonstrate the highest overall excellence in insurance services and meet corporate standards of sound agency operation.

Shea Wilson ’90 is serving as the interim managing editor of the El Dorado News-Times. She previously served as managing editor of the daily newspaper for 13 years before leaving to become the public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Correction.

 

2000-2009

 

Larry Dunn ’07, choral director at Magnolia Junior High School and Magnolia High School, was recently presented the 2015 Arkansas Choral Director’s Association of Distinguished Director’s Award at the 2015 All-State Music Conference. Dunn is currently in his eighth year of teaching in the Magnolia School District. He holds a bachelor’s of music education, and a master’s of education, and has completed additional coursework required for certification in educational administration and supervision from Southern Arkansas University.

Nik Lewis ’03 signed with the Montreal Alouettes. After 11 seasons, the Lewis era in Calgary came to an end as the free agent slotback signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Alouettes, leaving behind 189 games of memories in a Stampeders uniform. “Nik is another piece of the puzzle to an outstanding receiving corps for 2015,” Alouettes GM Jim Popp said. “His body of work speaks for itself, and his style of play is very difficult to defend. We feel he adds a twist that every team in the CFL wish they could have.” Lewis’ remarkable career with the Stampeders will be remembered in many ways.

Gregory Rogers ’04 was appointed as Assistant Commissioner by Commissioner Johnny Key of the

Arkansas Department of Education. As the assistant commissioner for fiscal and administrative services, Rogers will be tasked with overseeing fund distribution to public schools, Child Nutrition Unit daily operations, school finance and student management software and the fiscal distress unit. Rogers earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and a master’s degree in international business from Salem International University in Salem, W.Va. 

Friends of SAU

 

Dr. Joe Winstead, retired Dean and Professor of Biology at Southern Arkansas University, recently represented SAU at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At the meeting, he presented the results of a study on the recovery dynamics 40 years after tornado damage of an old growth forest in Boone County, Kentucky. For the study and presentation, he partnered with Drs. Michael Held of St. Peters University in New Jersey and William Bryant of Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. An abstract of their findings wil appear in an upcoming issue of the journal “Southeastern Biologist.”

Little Muleriders®

Zachary Thomas Fowler ’09 and Kirby Welch Fowler ’10 welcomed Gavin Slade Fowler on November 17, 2014. Gavin weighed 8 lbs. 7 ozs. and was 21” long. Gavin was welcomed home by his big brother, Daxton.

Weddings

Benjamin McWilliams ’06 married Aubrey Winston on August 1, 2015.
Justin Lamar Sneed ‘12 married Vanessa Lea Harper on June 6, 2015.
Laura Elizabeth Hayes ’14 married Nicholas Anderson Paschal on July 25, 2015.
Crystal Cooper ’12 married Jermaine Arvie on May 16, 2015.

In Memory of

 

1920-1929

 

Thomas Archie Monroe ’29, February 3, 2015

 

1940-1949

 

Otis Delmage Pharr ’43, February 26, 2014
Lewis Hamlin Dendy, Sr. ’44, March 13, 2015
Sarah Gwendolyn (McMahen) Oakes ’46, February 18, 2015
Jack C. Stivers ’49, November 17, 2014
Bernice Hawkins Burns ’44, November 8, 2014

 

1950-1959

 

Earl Downs ‘56, December 5, 2014
Bobby Jay Frizzell ’54, February 8, 2015
Don Leston Egger ’50, February 9, 2015
Coylene “Connie” B. McWilliams ’54, February 10, 2015
Dale Blair ’59, May 22, 2015
Carolyn Coffee Hyles ’58, August 4, 2014
Dr. Hugh Scott McMahen ’59, June 10, 2015

 

1960-1969

 

Norman Francis Canterbury ’61, December 31, 2014
Dr. D. Wade Hollensworth, Jr. ’64, November 11, 2014
John David Scott ’60, March 5, 2015
Thomas Dixon “Dick” Morris ’61, June 7, 2015

 

1970-1979

 

Max Alan Adcock ’75, December 17, 2014

 

1990-1999

 

Kenneth York ’96, April 16, 2015

 

Friends

 

Dr. Joseph Dudley Talbot, January 3, 2015
Dr. Charles Warren Kelley, January 13, 2015
William C. Nolan (social science professor), March 6, 2015

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