Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® WKU Archives Records WKU Archives Fall 2014 UA77/1 WKU Spirit WKU Alumni Relations Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Organizational Communication Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, and the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation WKU Alumni Relations, "UA77/1 WKU Spirit" (2014). WKU Archives Records. Paper 8641. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/8641 This Magazine is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FALL 2014 Magazi11eSP for Alum11i &IRI Frie11ds ofWestm, KentuTcky University CONTENTS FEATU RES 16 " I KNEW I WAS DEAD:' Read aboul Professor John's All's harrowing experience in Nepal's Himalayan Mountains. 24 WKU'S MOVE TO C-USA Meet WKU's new rivals in Conference USA. 32 NEW TOPS ON THE BLOCK /-Jo,neco111ing 2014 celebrates our new membership i11 C-USA. 37 HALL OF DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI Dr. David "Doc" Livingston, Rick Loomis and Retired Col. Gary "Mickey" Riggs will be inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni on Nov. 7. 42 BIG RED MARCHING BAND The Big Red Marching Band takes to the field at all !tome WKU Football games. Read more about how /he band helps spread the WKU Spirit. DEPARTMENTS 2 PRES IDENT'S LETTER 4 CAMPUS NEWS 11 ALUMN I ASSOCIATION 12 AROUND CAM PUS 15 SP IRIT OF GIVING 50 ADVENTURES OF THE RED TOWEL 52 MOMENT IN HISTORY ON THE COVER: 54 CAPITOL SPOTLIGHT The iconic sculpture of WKU's 55 THUMBS UP! first Preside11t, Dr. Henn; "' Hardin Cherry, is depicted in 56 CLASS NOTES 011e of the murals created by 62 IN MEMORIAM local artist David Jones in tlte new Downing Student Unio11. 64 WHERE AM I? FA L L 20 1 4 WK.V LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT SPIRIT befor ter Fellow AJunmi and Friends: ALUMNI M AGAZINE STAFF Vic, President for De,elopment and Alumni Relations Kathryn Costello WKU officially celebrated the transition to Conference USA on July 1. Our fa ll sports, Assistant Vice President and Executive Director, WKUAlumni Association HOMECOMING ON THE HILL including football, volleyball, soccer, swimming and diving, and cross-cow1try are well Rick Du Bose ('73) The Homecoming Parade has been a WKU tradition since 1937. Held w1der way with competition in the new conference. We will enjoy renewing old rivalries, Publisher Editor consistently for more than 50 years, it was suspended from 1989 to 2000 S-.-.111 Ward ('90, '10) Carol Cummings ('92) which many of you will remember well, with teams such as UNC-Charlotte, UAB, Old Designer Video but returned with vigor in 2001. This year, the pa rade will begin on Dominion and Louisiana Tech, pl.us recent Sun Belt rivals Middle Tennessee, orth Emily T r,1buc Scott ('07) Arny DcCcsarc ('89) campus near the Downing Student Union and will conclude at Downtown Alumni Programming Texas, FIU and FAU. We also welcome the opportunity to begin annual competition Photographers Bowling Green w ith the Homecoming Concert in Fountain Square Park. Bryan Lemon ('12) Tori Henninger ('06,'08) with schools like Southern Miss, Rice, Marshall, UTEP and UTSA. Clinton Lewis ('O,l) Ginny Hcnsky ('97) Post-parade activities wil I also include the official Homecoming Pep Rally, Interactive Specialist Tr,,cy Morriso n ('85) "Big Red's Roar." This was an important move that will further enhance the WKU brand and create more Zach Kaifenberger ('14) Kara Neidcll ('04,'I I) Scott Sh,mk ('06) visibility for WKU, specifically tlu·ough Conference USA's television contracts with CBS Writers Deanna M. Jenkins ('09) Beth Stamps and Fox. Conference USA also offers more options for football bowl appearances, with six Tommy Newton ('84) ff different bowl contracts in 2014, including the Gildan ew Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque; Bob Ski pper ('82, '91) Bahamas Bowl, Nassau; Advocare VlOO Texas Bowl, Houston; Boca Raton Bowl; Sheraton BOARD OF DIRECTORS Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu; and the Heart of Dallas Bowl. President: Roger Casalengo ('9 1} Immediate Past President: J Moseley ('78) Competition at the national level is strong across the conference. Since 1995, Conference President Elect: Julie Harris Hinson ('90) Board Members: Matt Ayers ('98), Bryo11 Baysinger ('93), Shailen USA teams have combined for 83 football bowl appearances, 100 CAA Tournament Bhatt ('O I), Malt Coleman ('01, '03), Scott Crutcher ('94), Basketball appearances, 60 CAA baseball appearances, 71 NCAA soccer appearances Brandon Davis ('04) (Young Alumni Council Rep.}, Elizabeth Downing ('82), Steve Fogle ('76), Henri Etta (Trowell) Gray and 35 individual national champions in track and field and cross-coW1try. Success ('77), Marshall Gray ('92) (Society of African American doesn't end on the field or court for Conference USA teams-student-athletes' academic Alumni Rep.), Bill Hance ('80), Brad Hughes ('75), Rick performance earns high marks as well. Johnstone ('72), Debi Wade Jordan ('82, '88), Jenna Lehkamp (Student Alumni Association Rep.), Debra (YDlmg) Magga rt ('82), Run Miller ('66), Amy (Hale) M ill iken ('93), Dcruma This is only ~U~s third athletic conference over the last 65 years, so we make the change Mills ('94), Ashley (Parker) Mitchell ('09, '14 ), Steve Moore with every mtent,on of being successful and enjoying our new athletic peer group for ('80), Abe Music ('05), Ruth (Dougherty) Osburn ('80), Kathleen Overton ('95), Greg Pryor ('09), lee Thomason many years to come. I look fo1ward to seeing you on campus and on the road as we ('86), Sally (Sadler) Tisdale ('84), Al Tucker ('73, '79), Dan support our Hill topper teams. Joi11 the fw, and share the pride as we celebrate a new era Watterson, Jr. ('90, '92), Keith Williams ('85) in WKU Athletics. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CONTACT Augenstein Alumni Center 292 Alumni Avenue , Bowling Green, KY 42101-3416 1·888-WKU- ALUM, [email protected] , www.alumni.wku.edu See you at Homecoming on Nov. 8! ADVERTISING For advertising informat ion, contact Sean Ward at 270-745- 2341, e-mail to [email protected] or mail to WKU Alumni Association, WKU SPIRIT Publishe r, 292 Alumni Ave., Suite 312A, Bowling Green, KY 42101. EDITORIAL Letters and story ideas for WKU SPIRIT are welcomed and encouraged. Submission does not guarantee publication, and those letters t hat are published may be edited for style ~~~ and length. Please include the writer's signature, the year of graduation if an alumnus, a daytime phone number and a return Gary A. Ransdell address. Letters may be sent by fax to 270-745-5017, e-mail to [email protected] or mail to WKU Alumni Association, WKU SPIRIT Editor, 292 Alumni Ave., Suite 302F, Bowling Green, KY42101. e Copyright 2014, WKU Alumni Association WKU SPIRIT ,s published three times a year by the WKU Alumni Association. Unless otherwise noted, articles may be reprinted with permission and with appropriate credit to WKU SPIRIT, 2 Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY. CAMPUS EWS l FALL 2014 FALL 2014 WKU Elizabethtown/Fort Knox selects Regional Chancellor CAMPUS NEWS A veteran educator with at the U.S. Coa1:,t Guard Academy in l\ew London, Conn. She international experience i'> has also held several positions at the Alabama Agricultural the new Regional Chancellor and Mechanical Uni, ersity in 'ormal, Ala., including Dean of WKU's campus in of the Un iversity College and Interim Director of Admisi:,ions. Eli.1.abethtown/ Fort Knox. Dr. Ellis holds an educational doctorate in Curriculum Dr. Evelyn El lis was and Tnstruction from the University of Southern California in the Chief of Staff/ E:.ducation Los Angeles; master's degrees in Elementary Education from Operations Manager at the Drury University in Springfield, Mo., and in Educational 42 WKU students earn national scholarships Forensics Team U.S. Department of Defen,;c Admini~tration and Supervision from the University of Texas at El Paso; and a bachelor's degree in Secondary Ed ucation WKU students continued to raise the WKU's intern.itional reach as they study completes sweep of Education Activity, Department bar in 2013-2014 as a record 42 students and conduct research acro~s the globe. I of Defense Dependents' School from UTEP. WK U Eli1,abethtown/Fort Knox serves more than 900 earned recognition in national scholarship also want to thank our faculty for serving major state, national, in South Korea. She began her c;tudents from 17 Kentucky counties with a mix of online competitions. as mentors and role models for these new position in July. international titles and traditional face-to-face courses for undergraduate and Audra Jennings, Director of the incredible students, and to the staff in Prior lo her taking her post in South Korea in 2012, Dr. Office of Scholar Development, said the the Office of Scholar Development for For the sixth time, the WKU Ellis was the Associate Dean for Academic Support Services graduate students. awards had a combined value of more helping them identify the best awards Forensics Team won the major titles than $1 million and will allow recipients and compete successfully for them." at the state, national and international Breedlove named Director of Gatton Academy at WKU to tra,·el to 19 countries, conduct research Office of Scholar Development (OSD) level, remaining the only school to have of Advanced Academic Studies and Secondary Counseling. and complete graduate degrees in the staff work with students and their faculty accompfo,hed this milestone. Dr. Lynette Breedlove, a prominent giftl.'CI and talented Prior to Spring Branch, she was the Coordinator of the Gifted U.S.