Annual Honors Banquet Held at Concord

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Annual Honors Banquet Held at Concord

Athens, W.Va. - The Cardinal Key and Blue Key Honor Societies of Concord University hosted the forty-seventh annual Honors Banquet, Monday, May 5, 6:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom.

Invited guests included those graduating with honors and those receiving special honors, awards or prizes in their field, as well as Concord University President, Dr. Jerry Beasley, and his wife, Mrs. Jean Beasley; interim Vice President and Academic Dean, Dr. Stephen Rowe, and his wife, Ms. Sharon Rowe; Professor of Mathematics, Emerita, Ms. Mary Edna Beckett; and President, Emeriti, Dr. Joseph F. Marsh. Ms. Beckett and Dr. Marsh started the Honors Banquet 47 years ago in 1961.

Mr. Bryan Henderson from Piney Creek, president, Blue Key Society, served as emcee for the event.

Ms. Brianna Merchant from Beckley, secretary for Cardinal Key Society, offered the invocation.

Ms. Ashley Gillespie from Bluefield, president, Cardinal Key Society, introduced the guests.

Dr. Rowe stated, “This is a very daunting crowd. Twenty years from now, there will be literally thousands of people who will know you and what you will be doing after leaving Concord.” He then announced the names of students who received academic honors for excelling in their field of study and for high academic performance.

Those who excelled included:

VALEDICTORIAN FOR DECEMBER 2007: Cindy Markum from White Sulphur Springs

VALEDICTORIANS FOR SPRING 2008: Ashley Gillespie from Bluefield, Bryan Henderson from Pineyview, Corey Meadows from Bluefield, Alan Pack from Hinton, Misty Reuschel from Cool Ridge, and Devon Stewart from Oceana

Ms. Rosalie S. Peck, president of the Concord Alumni Association, presented plaques to the valedictorians in attendance.

Others who were recognized included the following:

HONORS PROGRAM GRADUATE RECOGNITION: Plaques of recognition were presented by Dr. Carol Manzione to Kristen Danielle Barton from Athens; Laura Lynn Canton from Bel Air, Maryland; Bryan James Henderson from Piney View; Mayank Jain from Kolkata, India; Heather Marie White from Ft. Mill, South Carolina; and Amanda D. Woods from Calvin

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STUDENT OF THE YEAR: Presented to Mika Pierson from Maysel by Dr. Nicholas Miceli

SCHOLARLY DISTINCTIONS IN BUSINESS-ACCOUNTING: Presented to Charles Smith from Princeton by Dr. Nicholas Miceli

SCHOLARLY DISTINCTIONS IN BUSINESS-FINANCE: Presented to Mayank Jain from Kolkata, India, by Dr. Nicholas Miceli

SCHOLARLY DISTINCTIONS IN BUSINESS-MANAGEMENT: Presented to Bent-Lee Carr from Shawsville, Va., by Dr. Nicholas Miceli

SCHOLARLY DISTINCTIONS IN BUSINESS-ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS: Presented to Miku Nitta from Tokyo, Japan, by Dr. Nicholas Miceli

SCHOLARLY DISTINCTIONS IN BUSINESS-MARKETING: Presented to Niya Apostolova from Varna, Bulgaria by Dr. Nicholas Miceli

OUTSTANDING TEACHER EDUCATION MAJOR: Presented to Melissa Tuck from Athens by Dr. Angie Edwards

DAVID S. ROTH MEMORIAL OUTSTANDING ENGLISH MAJOR AWARD: Presented to Ashley Gillespie from Bluefield and Corrie McKee from Nitro by Dr. Elizabeth H. Roth

JAMES B. SHREWSBURY JR. AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: Presented to Ashley Gillespie from Bluefield by Dr. Charles Brichford

DAVID S. ROTH MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Presented to Amanda Morley from Saluda, N.C., by Dr. Jonathan Berkey

HAWEY A. WELLS SR. BIOLOGY AWARD: Presented to Michael Smutko from Madison by Dr. Darla Wise

JERRY L. BLATT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD: Presented to Jamie Yahya from Princeton by Dr. Darla Wise

BRUCE COVEY MATHEMATICS PRIZE: Presented to Alan Pack from Beckley and Devon Stewart from Oceana by Dr. Daniel W. Krider

A.H. MONTGOMERY CHEMISTRY PRIZE: Presented to Corey Meadows from Bluefield by Dr. Darrell W. Crick

OUTSTANDING GRADUATE IN GEORGRAPHY: Presented to Eric Combs from Camp Creek and Cindy Markum from White Sulphur Springs by Mr. Jan Westerik

OUTSTANDING STUDENT IN LEGALS STUDIES AND PRELAW: Presented to Ashley Gillespie from Bluefield, Bryan Henderson from Piney View, and Devon Stewart from Oceana by Dr. Darla Wise and Dr. John David Smith

OUTSTANDING STUDENT-PHI ALPHA DELTA, LEGAL STUDIES AND PRELAW: Presented to Patricia Sparks from Culloden by Dr. Darla Wise and Dr. John David Smith

OUTSTANDING SOCIOLOGY GRADUATE OF THE YEAR: Presented to Holly Belcher from Princeton by Dr. Tracy Luff

OUTSTANDING PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT OF THE YEAR: Presented to Jason Ross from Princeton by Dr. Karen Griffee

OUTSTANDING SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE FOR 2008: Presented to Marsha Edwards from True by Dr. Sarah Whittaker

BONNER SCHOLARS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD: Presented to Tasho Rachev from Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, by Ms. Kathy Ball

HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY PRIZE: Presented to Holly Belcher from Princeton by Dr. Thomas McKenna

HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY ESSAY PRIZE: Presented by Michael Parks from Bluefield by Dr. Thomas McKenna

OUTSTANDING HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION MAJOR: Presented to Jennifer Cleland from Winchester, Va., by Dr. Angie Edwards

LUCY SNEED DeNUZZO AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: Presented to Ashley Gillespie from Bluefield by Dr. Stephen Rowe

RONALD L. BURGHER OUTSTANDING STUDENT IN COMMUNICATION ARTS: Presented to Rudi Raynes from Buffalo, and Jeffrey Zutaut from Beckley by Dr. Corey Williams

STUDENT ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: Presented to (male) Michael Smutko from Madison, (female) Laura Ciccone from Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Mr. Greg Quick

PHI ALPHA DELTA MOCK TRIAL AWARDS: Presented to Natale Clark from Davis for best attorney; Brad Garner from Chesapeake, Va., and Svitlana Olenich from Richlands, Va., for best plaintiff team by Ms. Ashley Gillespie and Mr. Bryan Henderson

Blue Key Honor Society President, Mr. Bryan Henderson, then announced that the Society was making Dr. Beasley an honorary member for exemplifying the principles of Blue Key, that of “Serving, I Live.”

Dr. Beasley, who will be retiring in June, thanked Mr. Henderson for the honor and concluded by saying: “I will confess to—for the last 23 years—having conducted an experiment here at Concord; that of bringing the best teachers we could find together with the best students we could find. And the evidence that I see here this evening suggests that the experiment is indeed working! But, it’s really not over. You have your report card. But our report card … the ultimate report card—is what you do with your life.”

-CU-