Spotlights




BB&T taps King
as bank's new leader

Kelly King ’70 ’71 was promoted to president and CEO of Branch Banking & Trust Co., succeeding the retiring John Allison. King also was elected to the BB&T board of directors. He had served as COO of the bank since 2004, when he succeeded Henry Williamson Jr. ’68 ’71. Allison’s retirement is the latest step in BB&T’s five-year executive management transition plan that also included the retirement of chief credit officer W. Kendall Chalk ’68 ‘71. King, 59, joined BB&T in 1972 and has been a member of BB&T’s executive management team since 1983. He was named president of BB&T Corp. in 1996.

“The board is totally confident in Kelly’s leadership and long-term commitment to our company,” said lead corporate director James Maynard ‘65, co-founder and chairman of the Golden Corral restaurant chain. “Kelly knows BB&T as well as anyone. He knows the culture and knows the values and will keep both intact as CEO.”

King is a member of the Financial Services Roundtable and serves as chairman of the Piedmont Triad Leadership Group. He is a member of the Triangle Community Foundation Leadership Council and the N.C. Chamber of Commerce board. He is past chair of the United Way Tocqueville Leadership Society, and a former board member of the American Bankers Association. He has chaired the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, the N.C. Bankers Association and the East Carolina University Board of Visitors.

With $136.5 billion in assets, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T Corp is the nation’s 14th largest financial holding company. It operates nearly 1,500 financial centers in 11 states and Washington, D.C.
 

One Pirate coaches another

Earnest Byner says that it’s “almost eerie” that the Tennessee Titans hired him as the running backs coach last March and then selected running back Chris Johnson ’07 in the first round of the NFL draft. “A couple years ago I went down there [to Greenville] and someone mentioned that I needed to check [Johnson] out,” Byner said. “But that kind of went in one ear and out the other. Then when I got to Tennessee some of the coaches were just raving about him.”

Although Byner may not have known much about Johnson, Johnson said he knew plenty about Byner. “I saw a lot of his pictures in the record books at ECU,” Johnson said. “He’s a legend there.” Byner, a member of the Kappa Alphi Psi fraternity, was a bruising fullback for the Pirates from 1980-83, gaining 2,049 yards on 378 carries, an average of more than 5.4 yards per carry. He led the Pirates in rushing in 1983. He was inducted into the ECU Hall of Fame in 1998 and returned to complete his studies and graduated in 2004.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Byner rushed for 8,261 yards, the 16th highest career total in NFL history the day he retired, and scored 56 touchdowns. He helped lead the Cleveland Browns to a pair of AFC Championship games in 1987 and 1988 and was named to the list of 70 Greatest Redskins in 2002. He is also a member of the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor. Prior to his arrival in Tennessee, he spent the past four seasons in Washington as the Redskins running backs coach and helped groom Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts into one of the top rushing duos in the NFL.
Byner said of the chance to coach Johnson:  “It really is special.”





Debnam to lead CAHNC

Alisa Evans Debnam ’82, formerly dean of health programs at Fayetteville Technical Community College, was named executive director of the Council for Allied Health in North Carolina (CAHNC). Debnam served as a member and president of the board of trustees of Cape Fear Valley Health Systems from 1997-2003, during which time the hospital converted from a public hospital to a private, not-for-profit health system. She worked with the Robeson County Schools and Cumberland County Schools in managing their school health programs and curriculia. She recently published her second health textbook. From 1999-2001, Debnam was a fellow in the prestigious William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations, Wildacres Leadership Initiative. CAHNC represents more than 20,000 allied health professionals from 29 professions. The council was established in 1991 by allied health practitioners, educators and employers who were concerned about chronic allied health workforce shortages and critical health care issues and needs. Debnam said her top priorities at CAHNC are continuing to build stronger partnerships with health associations, institutions and agencies. She also said she will work toward securing stable financial resources to support the councils’ vision, mission and goals.





Lt. Col. Ed Keller ’89 wrote to let us know that “there is at least one Pirate corner here in Afghan­istan where I’m proudly displaying the Purple and Gold for all to see.” Keller is serving as commander of the Kabul Regional Contracting Center at Camp Eggers in Kabul.



From stunt woman to artist

As a Hollywood stunt woman, Courtney Faison ’96 has jumped off buildings, been set on fire, shot, drowned, trampled and eaten by sharks (twice) in such films as Miami Vice, Bachelor Party II, The Replacements and TV shows like CSI Miami, Law & Order and Third Watch. Now she’s attempting something really hard: becoming a successful artist.

When the writer’s strike stalled film production in spring 2008, Faison moved back to her hometown of Durham and turned her attention to art as a way of expressing a new-found admiration for her Cherokee Indian roots. She first picked up painting when she moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1998 and moved into temporary housing that had been occupied by an artist who left a few supplies behind. Faison gathered them up and started painting. There was magic in that moment. “Once I started, I could not stop and I found that whenever I sat down to paint, images of my ancestors seemed to want to grace the canvas.”

Recently she’s been traveling to Native American festivals to strengthen her new sense of ancestry. “Art has brought me back to a place of connection, one that I hope to share.”

The daughter of State Representative Bill Faison, she has studied martial arts most of her life and holds black belts in Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Aikijitsu and Chinese Goju Karate. She moved to New York after graduation and was discovered while practicing in Tompkins Square Park by a martial arts master who worked as a stunt coordinator on many action films. Her first job was as a mercenary bodyguard in the action film Blazin.’ Subsequently, she was the stunt double for Tia Carrere in Scarred City.

Creating Native American images “make me and others feel a sense of peace,” she says. She’s building her own Web site to showcase her art. Now, her work can be seen here.




Rice receives top award

Daniel W. Rice III ’73, director of specialized services at Caswell Development Center in Kinston, received the 2008 Governor’s Award for Excellence for his contributions in public service. The award is considered the highest honor a state employee may receive. Caswell Center serves individuals and families with developmental disabilities in eastern North Carolina. After receiving a master’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, Rice was a social worker for the Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina before joining Caswell Center in 1982. He has been the director of specialized services at Caswell since 1986.

Rice was instrumental in establishing the Caswell Center Foundation, a non-profit organization that serves 38 counties in eastern North Carolina. Rice has been the foundation’s executive director since its inception in 1999. Rice has received the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award; the Good Neighbor Award by the Lenoir County Association of Congregations; and the Jaycees Distinguished Service Award.  He is also a Lions Club International Melvin Jones Fellow. Rice is married to Johnee W. Rice ’75, who teaches in Lenoir County schools.





Faircloth returns to lead orphanage

Gary Faircloth ’72 has come full circle; as a child he grew up at Boys and Girls Homes of N.C. in Lake Waccamaw (B&GH) and now has returned as president of the non-profit that is both home and school for nearly 400 children. “It just seems like the right place to be at the right time,” says Faircloth, who was vice president of Starr Commonwealth Schools in Albion, Mich., a residential care facility much like B&GH.
Married to the former Betty Engen ’73, Faircloth becomes just the sixth president of B&GH, which was founded in 1954. It provides both residential and foster care services to children from birth through age 21. B&GH “played an important role in my life and in the lives of thousands of otherwise ‘on-the-street’ children since its founding,” Faircloth said. “Sad to say, the need for the Homes is greater than ever. The abuse and neglect of children still permeates each community in each state throughout our country.” After graduating from East Carolina, Faircloth returned to B&GH as an employee. He left to take over Penn’s Grill in Whiteville, which was owned by his wife’s family. He then worked in banking before taking the job at Starr Commonwealth Schools in 1990. While in Michigan, he also co-owned a seafood restaurant.
 

By Leanne E. Smith '04 '06

Click here to send your news to Leanne
 

In Memoriam
Class Notes Archives
 

2008
ANDREW P. BENTON of Spring Lake was commissioned as a second lieutenant after completing ECU’s Army ROTC program. ASHLEY BOARMAN, as account coordinator, provides strategic account services in DPR Group’s corporate headquarters in Germantown, Md. CORRIE LEIGH JOHNSON and Steven Reid Ball of Zebulon were married Aug. 2 in Bethel. She is an RN at Nash General Hospital. JOHN J. LAFOUNTAIN of Fayetteville was commissioned as a second lieutenant after completing ECU’s Army ROTC program. DR. KEITH RUSSELL, originally from Gibsonville, is a physical therapist at Greenville’s CareWorks Clinic, where he did a clinical rotation.

2007
THOMAS P. BARSALOU of Spring Lake was commissioned as a second lieutenant after completing ECU’s Army ROTC program. JAY BISSETTE was promoted from an intern to assistant equipment manager for Duke University football. JASON LAWRENCE BURNETTE and Kristin Lee Krupa of Raleigh were married June 7 in Chocowinity. He is the superintendent for N.C. Contracting Co. ERIKA PIPKIN BURTI and ALEXANDER TANKERSLEY RUST of Farmville were married May 3 in Farmville. She worked at Williams Jewelry Store and as a teller at SECU, and he is a guitarist with Christian rock band The Avenger. JENNIFER RENEE HILL and Jordan Ross Craft of Greenville were married May 24 at Yankee Hall Plantation. She is a clinical dietitian at PCMH. AMANDA RYAN KELLAR and Joseph Timothy Tomkiewicz of Greenville were married April 5 in Lewisville. She is an RN in the cardiac intensive care unit at PCMH. ASHLEY BROOKE O’NEAL ’07 ’08 and Jared Blake Moser were married June 7 in Mount Airy. JORDAN VAINRIGHT of Greenville recently founded Signature Jordan Vainright, an appointment-only-consultation company through which she takes interior design/decorating and custom artwork commissions.

2006
SPENCER TODD BRADLEY of New Bern is the new principal at Brinson Memorial Elementary School in New Bern. MICHAEL DAVID BURNETT and JENNIFER LYNN WAYNE of Huntersville were married May 10 at the William Aiken House in Charleston, S.C. He works with ABC Supply Co. in Charlotte, and she is a professional clothier with Tom James Co. in Charlotte. FAITH ANNE FLETCHER and Jarrod Ross Gouty of Durham were married June 7 in Asheboro. She is a social worker for child protective services with Johnston County Department of Social Services. KIMBERLY GRACE GIBSON of Raeford and Jason Brinkley Brock of Angier were married Aug. 2 in Fayetteville. She teaches second grade at Benson Elementary School. After honeymooning in St. Lucia, they live in Benson. MARK EDWARD SHAFER and AMBER BRITTANY STORY of Raleigh were married April 5. He is an Aflac agent, and she works with the SPCA Pet Adoption Center of Wake County. HANNAH CLARE SWICEGOOD and Eric Boyd Proctor of Winston-Salem were married Aug. 2 in Salisbury. She is a commercial strategy marketing specialist for capital formation and specialized lending at the BB&T corporate office in Winston-Salem and is in ECU’s MBA program. WILLIAM ISLER WOOTEN III and Erin Leigh Wright of Norfolk, Va., were married June 14 in Stillwater, Okla. He is a second-year pediatric resident at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.

2005
SARAH LINDSAY DIXON and Tyler Pate Allen of Greenville were married April 5 in Winterville. She is the regional pharmacy accounting coordinator at PCMH. MATTHEW RYAN JACKSON, formerly of Fayetteville, is a CPA with Sonic Auto Parts of Charlotte. He gained his certification while working with Grant Thornton. MARIA ELENA JOHNSON and HARRY EDWARD JUDGE ’06 of Greenville were married April 26 in Rocky Mount. She works at Cypress Glen, and he works at PIP Printing and Marketing. LESLIE MARIE KNIGHT ’05 ’06 and NICHOLAS TREY HAYES ’07 of Greenville were married at King’s Gate Church in Hamlet on July 26. She is working on a doctorate in educational leadership though Colorado’s Jones University. MARY CATHERINE KNIGHT and Joseph Andrew Moree of Rockingham and Ayden were married June 14. She is enrolled at BSOM. MIKIKO MCKINNON ’05 ’07 and JEREMIAH SIMMONS of Greenville were married May 24. She teaches second grade at H.B. Sugg School in Farmville, and he is a program analyst with Pitt County government. VANCE TOWNSEND and LAUREN ANNE DAVIS ’06 of Kensington, Md., were married on July 19 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. He is a manager/broker with Townsend Real Estate. She is a loan processor with Carolina Mortgage. They live in Fayetteville. At ECU, he was a Kappa Alpha, and she was a Chi Omega. JENNIFER TRIPP ’05 is the new director of development for ECU’s Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences. She previously worked in operations management and recruiting efforts for ECU football and baseball. As a student, she was alumni relations coordinator for Sigma Sigma Sigma and an ambassador for the Greenville-Pitt County Area Chamber of Commerce.

2004
BARRY GRAHAM is a physician assistant in the Southeastern Regional Medical Center at Southeastern Urgent Care of Pembroke. ELIZABETH ANNE KATA and PAUL JAMES BRINEY ’05 of Greenville were married June 14 at Autumn Lakes in Grimesland. She works for ECU’s Medical & Health Sciences Foundation, and he works at Creekside Elementary School. STEVE M. LASSITER JR. was a finalist for Pitt County Teacher of the Year. A teacher at E.B. Aycock Middle School with four years of experience, he was an N.C. Principal Fellow and is working on his master’s at ECU. JAIMEE GRIMM MARTIN was named the top teacher at Elmhurst Elementary School. She has four years of teaching experience and a reading licensure for K-12. JOHN TYSON of Winterville was named assistant treasurer at Greenville-based Select Bank and Trust, where he has worked since 2004 as a teller and customer service representative and in loan operations. He is enrolled in ECU’s MBA program and is married to LESLEY ASHWORTH TYSON ’03.

2003
KENDALL BARNES of Raleigh is senior media planner at MarketSmart Advertising. She was a media buyer and senior account executive with N.C. Press Services, a media buyer at the Stone Agency, and an assistant planner/buyer on the Duke Medicine account at Media Research Planning & Placement. She is active in the Junior League. LATONJIA MOORE COLUMBUS was named the top teacher at Third Street School in Greenville. ELLEN MABE is a new assistant principal at Hamlet Middle School. She taught at North Laurinburg Elementary School in Scotland County and second grade at Fairview Heights Elementary School before becoming assistant principal at Fairview. She is married to KEVIN MABE, the new assistant principal at Richmond Senior High School. He was a P.E. teacher at Washington Street School. JOSHUA BENNETT MAUNEY and Autumn Lynn Teal of Garner were married Nov. 22, 2007, at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh. He is president of Paragon Building and Development Group. THOMAS C. ROBBINS IV of Washington was promoted to senior vice president and director of information technology at First South Bank. With First South since 2005, he has more than 20 years of information technology experience. ANNE FERREBEE SANDERS and Todd Gooding MacKenzie of Greenville were married April 26 at Beech Hill Plantation in Walterboro, S.C. She is an insurance specialist with Wachovia Dealer Services in Winterville. HOLLY SCOTT and MIKE HARRINGTON ’04 appeared in Avon’s Spa Koru’s TV show about National Seashore destination weddings, “Tying the Knot: A Hatteras Island Wedding.” DEAN MARSHALL TUCK ’03 ’08, originally of Bailey, is a teaching instructor in ECU’s English department. As a student, he was active in the English Graduate Student Organization and ECU Poetry Forum. His fiction piece “Van Gogh Wednesdays” appeared in the December 2007 issue of The Common Reader. ROBERT YELVERTON is principal at Wayne County’s Southern Academy.

2002
SHIRLEY JEAN ATKINSON was named the top teacher at C.M. Eppes Middle School in Greenville. AMANDA LEA BENNETT GARD and BILLY GARD ’07, a project engineer for Kjellstrom and Lee Construction in Richmond, had their first child, Jackson “Jack” Gard on Aug. 25. MIKE INSCOE is a graphic designer in the creative department at MarketSmart Advertising. WILLIAM KELLEY is the new principal at West Rockingham Elementary School. For the past 22 years, he was a teacher, assistant principal, and principal at Ellerbe Junior High School. SUSAN TAYLOR LEE was named the top teacher at W.H. Robinson Elementary School in Winterville. She is working on a master’s degree in school administration. ROB RANSOM is a new assistant principal at Hamlet Middle School. He was an elementary school P.E. teacher in Scotland County and a coach for several sports during his 12 years in Richmond County. JOHN C. SOUTHERN III ’02 ’03 was promoted to office executive at The East Carolina Bank in Washington. He also teaches at Mount Olive College–Washington. LAWANDA WALKER is the new principal at Richmond Early College. She previously taught math and keyboarding at Hamlet Junior High School and was assistant principal at Rockingham Senior High School. ANGELA WATKINS is the new assistant principal at Monroe Avenue Elementary School in Hamlet. She previously taught first, second, and third grade at Fairview Heights Elementary School and was named 2007-2008 Richmond County Schools’ Assistant Principal of the Year. KELLY WHITLOCK was named the top teacher at Sadie Saulter Elementary in Greenville.

2001
JENNIFER DIANE ANGEVINE and James William Gentry of Greenville were married July 19 in Wilmington. She is a senior administrative assistant for the N.C. Biotechnology Center and a nursing student at PCC. AMANDA HUDDLESTON AVERY was named the top teacher at Bethel School. She is working on a master’s degree. ERICA STANKWYTCH BAILEY and 10 of her students from Fayetteville Technical Community College showed their metalwork at Cape Fear Studios last summer. She built the wall boxes for the jewelry, and they designed the interiors to highlight their work. TIM DAMERON was named the top teacher at J.H. Rose High School. PHILLIP GILFUS began his four-year term as one of five N.C. representatives on the Democratic National Committee in August. At 27, he is a former Army captain, one of the youngest N.C. representatives, and a third-year law student at Campbell University. MARCELLUS HARRIS III is the new head football coach at Denbigh High School in Newport News, Va., and will keep his position as a guidance counselor at Epes Elementary School. He played football at ECU, catching 98 passes for 1,435 yards and 12 touchdowns. MARK MACKAY POWELL was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests at St. Andrew’s On-the-Sound in Wilmington on June 28. He received his BSN at ECU and his M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary. CHRISTY WARD REYNOLDS ’01 ’05 was named the top teacher at Wintergreen Intermediate School in Greenville. A National Board Certified teacher, she is an exceptional needs specialist for early childhood through young adulthood. CHRISTI J. ROARK of Aurora was promoted to assistant vice president and is assistant controller at First South Bank. With First South since 2002, she also is an EMT with the Aurora Volunteer Rescue Squad. GINA ROBINSON is the new dean of professional and technical programs at Brunswick Community College. With BCC for 19 years, she was interim director of business programs since 2004, and director starting in 2007. BRIDGETT DAWN WEBB and Bryant Leonard Waters of Winterville were married April 26. She is manager of the hazard insurance department at BB&T in Wilson.

2000
CHRIS BLICE is the new principal at Northwood High School in Pittsboro. He was a music teacher for 17 years and was principal of Louisburg High School starting in 2003. BELLAMY GOINS is a new assistant principal at Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy. In her 14 years in education, she has taught English language arts at Northolt High School in London, England; the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia, S.C.; and Rockingham Junior High School. JONATHAN HOY became CFO of Durham Regional Hospital on Aug. 1. He was director of finance for Duke HomeCare and Hospice. CHRIS MOXLEY, previously principal at Pactolus School, is the new principal at Farmville Central High School. He was a lawyer in Houston, Texas, and New Bern. STEPHANIE RENEE OWEN of Hampton, Va., and Ronald Douglas Benson II of Asheville were married June 21 in High Point and will live in Asheville. She taught art in Newport News Public Schools for seven years. KONSTADINO JOHN STAMBOLITIS ’00 ’02 and Candace Lee Buck of Charlotte were married July 12 in Charlotte. He is self-employed.

1999
SCOTT AVETT of the Avett Brothers folk-rock band participated in a dual exhibition with Crackerfarm at the Envoy art gallery in New York City’s Lower East Side from July through August. His media include printmaking, painting, and sculpture. Crackerfarm’s portion of the show featured pieces created as documentation of Scott Avett’s persona and experience during a recent Avett concert tour. KEVIN ERNEST BASS and Laura Kelly Fulk of Winston-Salem were married July 19 in Winston-Salem. He is an information technology professional for Wachovia. JIM BUTLER is the new principal at Hamlet Middle School. He was principal of Hoffman and Washington Street elementary schools. AMY HILLIARD ’99 ’06 was named the top teacher at South Central High School in Pitt County. WISONIA DALRESE HOPKINS ’99 ’04 was named the top teacher at Hope Middle School in Pitt County. JOEY JERNIGAN is a new assistant principal and P.E. teacher at Ninth Grade Transitional School in Richmond County. WENDY KELLY JORDAN is the new principal at Rohanen Primary and Ashley Chapel Elementary schools. She was assistant principal at Monroe Avenue Elementary School and is now working on a doctorate at ECU. KEITH MCKENZIE, in his 25th year with Richmond County Schools, is the new principal at Fairview Heights Elementary School in Hamlet. He was assistant principal at Washington Street and principal at Hoffman elementary schools. YUKI PRESCOTT is the new clinical trials manager at Addrenex Pharmaceuticals in Durham. She was an inpatient and outpatient physical therapist and later a project manager and clinical research associate with Constella Group. JAYSON RAWLEY was named the top teacher at Farmville Central High School. RUSS SAPUTO is the new vice president/successor manager of Carolina Eagle Distributing in Rocky Mount, where he distributes Anheuser-Busch products in four Eastern N.C. counties. He and his wife KRISTA SAPUTO ’04 have a 3-year-old daughter, Lexxie Madison, and had a son, Joseph Valentino Saputo, on Aug 5. CORY SATTERFIELD is the new principal at Richmond Senior High School. He was named 2003-2004 principal of the year and 2005 Wachovia Principal of the Year for Richmond County Schools. JASON M. SHELL of China Grove is a certified financial planner with Raymond James Financial Services in Salisbury and Huntersville. KIMBERLY MONTRIALA SUTTON was named the top teacher at Belvoir Elementary School.

1998
JERRI ASHLEY GIBSON and Gregg Michael Cuesta of Wilmington were married June 14 in Wilmington. She taught reading recovery in Pitt County. DR. DERRICK S. HINES is medical director for Touchstone Behavioral Health in Glendale, Ariz. A Greenville native, he had a fellowship in BSOM’s psychiatry program. In Arizona, he will review and recruit psychiatrists, enforce accreditation standards at Touchstone clinics, and continue to work with Arizona’s Children Association in Phoenix. JOHN MOSELEY ’98 ’99, originally of Warrenton, is the new director of basketball operations at ECU. He was a student manager at ECU before becoming an assistant coach in Delaware.

1997
BRIAN G. DILDAY ’97 ’01 was named the top teacher at Wahl-Coates Elementary School in Greenville. NANCY LYNN JOHNSON HOLLAND of Berlin, Md., who was married in March 2005, had a daughter, Amy, on May 16. Amy’s brother, Matthew, was born on Sept. 26, 2006. KEVIN A. PARRISH is Honeywell Security’s district manager for the Carolinas. He was an inside sales, branch management, and regional account specialist with ADI for eight years. HEATHER MISENHEIMER STEPP and DEREK STEPP ’98 of Greenville had a daughter, Stella Grace, on Aug. 27. She joins sister Olivia (6).

1996
CAMMY BENTON ’96 ’00 and Jaime Espinosa had a daughter, AnaMaria Giselle, on May 8. Benton works in Lincolnton at Lakemont Family Medicine. HERBERT GABRIEL HARDISON and TARA REBECCA LILLEY ’02 of Winterville were married May 31 at Eastern 4-H Center in Columbia. She is a BB&T bankcard services online products manager in Wilson, and he is a federal probation officer in Greenville. CHRISTOPHER ROBERT NUNN and Kristi Lynn Wiegand were married July 7, 2007, in Wilmington. He works in management at I.H. Caffey. CHAD DAVID SARY, assistant planning director for Wake Forest, joined the American Institute of Certified Planners after completing training and passing an exam administered by the American Planning Association.

1995
ROB GLUCKMAN of Palm City, Fla., became a partner/shareholder in the Hurley, Rogner, Miller, Cox, Waranch, and Westcott law firm in June and is managing partner for the Fort Lauderdale office. At ECU, he was Gamma Beta Phi president and an Omicron Delta Kappa member.

1994
ANGELA DENISE BEAMAN-WILLIAMS of Wilson was promoted to senior vice president at BB&T after working as a loan documentation manager. A Wilson native, she has worked with the bank since 1998. ALLISON BLACKMAN is a new account executive with Evolve. She was a senior marketing analyst with Hatteras Yachts of New Bern. DR. PAUL GARCIA ’94 ’00 of Winterville, medical director of PsychMed Services at PCMH and a psychiatry and internal medicine resident, was named to the eight-member N.C. Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. MARIA RICE JENKINS was named the top teacher at Northwest Elementary School in Pitt County. STEPHEN MENNINGER was named the top teacher at Pactolus School.

1993
DR. JOHN BOLDT ’93 ’04 is principal at Southern Wayne High School. He was a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Lenoir County, and is married to PAULA GURLEY BOLDT ’91 ’95. JENNIFER VARTANIAN BRYSON was named the top teacher at Ayden Elementary School. DONNA A. COREY of Greenville retired after 30 years with Pitt County Schools. MAUREEN JOYCE GREEN was named the top teacher at North Pitt High School. AMY CARSON SEARCY was named the top teacher at Stokes Elementary School. CELIA STYERS STALVEY ’93 is an assistant principal at North Davidson High School.

1991
CHRISTY BAKER ’91 ’94 and William Hallberg of Greenville and Asheville were married on June 28 at their new house in Asheville. They both are ECU English professors. STEVE JONES of Raleigh was named chair of the ECU board of visitors. He is market president for the Carolinas and Virginia at RBC.

1990
BILL BAILEY opened BB Jewelry Studio in Chapel Hill in June at the former Baum Diamonds location, where he worked for 17 years until the owners retired and closed the store in May 2008. AMY SMITH MCGREGOR was named the top teacher at Wintergreen Primary School in Greenville. KELLY BARNES RIGHTSELL of Greensboro creates animal-themed products geared for nurseries and children. She founded Kelly B. Rightsell Designs in 1998 when she was developing a nursery for her first child. Her work was featured on Extreme Home Makeover, and she was commissioned to decorate Kristi Yamaguchi’s nursery. RICKY TORAIN, formerly of Durham, was named plant manager for the Eaton Corp.’s 185-employee hydraulics facility in Newbern, Tenn. He became a product line manager at Eaton’s automotive plant in Roxboro in 2004.

1989
REBECCA BRITTLE of Greenville retired after nearly 29 years with Pitt County Schools. AVIS COLLEN MERCER of Greenville retired after nearly 30 years with Pitt County Schools. JENNIFER POPLIN ’89 ’95 is the new principal at Stokes School. She was assistant principal at Ayden Elementary School for four years. SUZANNE BAILEY ROSEN of Frederick, Md., received her M.A. in clinical counseling, married Jeff Rosen, and is a stay-at-home mother of Blake, who was born on July 4, 2007. After majoring in piano pedagogy and performance, she sang on dinner cruises and was lead singer for the band Crocodile Tears. CLAUDIA H. SUMMERLIN of Greenville retired after five years with Pitt County Schools.

1988
GINA PRESCOTT BEAMAN ’88 ’96 was named Pitt County Teacher of the Year. In her 20 years in education, she has taught at Wintergreen, Chicod, and since 2005, Creekside elementary schools. TINA CAMPBELL, a physical therapist at Nash Health Care, where she has worked for 20 years, received the Outstanding Clinical Instructor of the Year award from ECU. LINDA SANDERS LEICH of Winterville retired after 24 years with Pitt County Schools. CATHY HILL POWELL was named the top teacher at Grifton School.

1987
WENDY DAWN AUSTIN BURGETT ’87 ’07 of Knotts Island is a Title I reading teacher at Knotts Island Elementary School. Married to Rocky, she has two teenage sons, Kyle and Shane. RICHARD DARDEN of Goldsboro is an assistant director of the career center at Mount Olive College. LT. COL. TIMOTHY “TIM” WILLIAMS retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service and is building a house on his farm near Greensburg, Ky.

1986
MARY ALICE HOBBS GONZALES is pursuing a master’s in counseling at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte and expects to graduate in December 2009. MARY SULLIVAN PARAMORE is the new director of business and industry at Pitt Community College. She was PCC’s director of individualized training.

1985
RHONDA HATCHER, a teacher at West Brunswick High School in Shallotte, attended “Authors in the Prado: Spanish Art and the Literature It Inspired,” a six-week session with 14 other teachers conducted in Madrid, Spain, with the Prado Museum staff. She was selected from a national applicant pool for one of the 27 summer programs sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

1984
BETH SANDERSON ’84 ’96 was a finalist for Pitt County Teacher of the Year.

1983
JACKIE CAYTON ’83 ’87 was named the top teacher at A.G. Cox Middle School in Winterville. BEVERLY GENIEVE GATLIN of Tarboro retired from Pitt County Schools.

1982
JOHN JOSEPH BENNETT retired as a Warrant Officer 4 from the Marines in October and will work in Washington, D.C. DEBORAH WHICHARD CATES was named the top teacher at Falkland School and retired after 25 years of teaching. WENDY PERRY, an outdoor living consultant, launched Living…Inside OUT!, a firm that offers exterior design consultation services. PAUL WHITAKER, regional manager for Henry Schein Medical for eight years in the Carolinas and southern Virginia, was named manager of the year for the medical division.

1981
DR. TOMMY BENSON is chair of Mount Olive College’s education department. He taught in Edgecombe and Duplin counties and was a principal, director of programs for exceptional children, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. He is married to SHIRLEY H. BENSON.

1980
JOEY CRUTCHFIELD, a teacher at D.H. Conley High School, was a finalist for Pitt County Teacher of the Year. ALPHONZO MCRAE JR. of Proctorville, who is vice president for institutional services at Robeson Community College, was appointed to the trustees at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. JOSEPH NELSON ’80 ’85, previously principal at Stokes School, is the principal at Pactolus School.

1979
PAUL SCERCY ’79 ’85 of Greenville retired after 20 years with Pitt County Schools.

1978
RANDY AVERY of Winterville retired after 30 years with Pitt County Schools. JAMES G. “JIMMY” CHRYSSON of Winston-Salem completed his first Boston Marathon in April and qualified for the 2009 marathon. Co-owner of C.B. Development, a multi-family and commercial real estate company, he was elected lead director of the board for Southern Community Bank and Trust. ALVIN BLAND FRAZIER of Ayden retired after 29 years with Pitt County Schools. BEVERLY HARRELL of Greenville retired after 14 years with Pitt County Schools. MARGARET U. NOTTINGHAM of Greenville retired after 12 years with Pitt County Schools. KATHERINE S. ROUSE was named the top teacher at H.B. Sugg Elementary School. She retired from Pitt County Schools after 30 years of teaching. JOHN E. WILLIAMS JR. of Greenville retired after nearly 30 years with Pitt County Schools.

1977
KARLA METCALF LLOYD ’77 ’83 of Greenville retired after 31 years with Pitt County Schools. SHERRY BECTON TYER of Ayden retired after 21 years with Pitt County Schools. PHILLIP VICK is the new safety manager at Eastern Carolina Vocational Center.

1976
ELAINE MCLENDON CANSLER, a fourth grade National Board Certified teacher at Brassfield Elementary School in Raleigh, received her Ed.D. from UNC-CH in May. She is married to BOB CANSLER ’77. CAROL PEARCE DAVIS ’76 ’82 ’95 is the new principal at Franklinton Elementary School in Franklin County. MIRANDA SKELLY DELMERICO received her MAEd in special education from Old Dominion University in May. Mother of Elise, Lauren, and Paula, she has taught at Daniel Morgan Middle School since 2003. WALTER B. HARRIS ’76 ’84 of Greenville retired after 28 years with Pitt County Schools. CHARLOTTE TRIPP MOORE was named the top teacher at Farmville Middle School and retired after 32 years of teaching. SHERI STRICKLAND ’76 ’84 of Greenville retired after nearly 32 years with Pitt County Schools. TOM TOZER, deputy managing editor of The Charlotte Observer, marked his 25th year at the paper in April. He is married to DANA BISHOP TOZER ’77. Their son, Jordan, was accepted into medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University.

1975
GRETCHEN ALLEN ’75 ’82 of Farmville retired after 30 years with Pitt County Schools. CAROL CUTLER of Greenville retired after 10 years with Pitt County Schools.

1974
SHARON D. LOY of Greenville retired after 12 years with Pitt County Schools. LARRY SIMMONS ’74 ’83 of Grifton retired after 33 years with Pitt County Schools. MELINDA WHITEMAN is now a realtor with Kellar-Williams in Chatanooga, Tenn. She previously worked at INSEAD and the Ecole d’Equitation de Fontainbleau in France.

1973
SANDRA S. HECK ’73 ’77 of Winterville retired after 23 years with Pitt County Schools. KENNETH R. “KEN” KEARNEY completed a program through the Association for Operations Management to become an APICS certified supply chain professional. He is the warehouse/inventory manager for CPI in New Bern. MARSHA SMITH ’73 ’80 of Clinton retired as a Sampson County cooperative extension agent.

1972
FRANKIE SPELL JACKSON of Raleigh, formerly of Fayetteville, retired in June after 36 years as a media coordinator with Cumberland County Schools. RAY ROGERS received the 2008 Power of Prevention Community Catalyst award from the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund. He is a board member for PCMH and PCC, and is on the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust’s health care division advisory board.

1971
BRENDA FORBIS manages the university relations office as the new director of marketing and communications at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga. As senior account executive for Creative Alliance Advertising in Louisville, Ky., she directed marketing and advertising for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kentucky from 1992 to 1996. From 1997 to 1998, she was vice president of marketing and communications for the United Way of the Coastal Empire.

1970
PAUL BREITMAN of Princeton, N.J., was promoted from general manager to assistant vice president for Princeton University Services. COY WAYNE MITCHELL retired as associate dean of the trades and public services department at Wilson Community College in May after 36 years in education.

1969
ANN BEAMAN D’AGOSTINO of Marietta, Ga., was crowned Ms. Senior Georgia 2008 in August at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center in Roswell, Ga. Originally from Dudley, she was Miss Goldsboro 1968 and retired from Delta Airlines in 2000. In the Senior Pageant, sponsored by the Georgia Classic Club, D’Agnostino promoted a platform on the “power of positive thought.” JANE HARRIS retired after teaching kindergarten for 39 years, most recently at J.C. Sawyer Elementary School in Elizabeth City.

1968
KAY DAVIS ’68 ’93 of Grifton retired after 22 years with Pitt County Schools.

1966
ALBERT L. EVANS III retired after 21 years as an aircraft systems acquisition and program management consultant for the Air Force. He most recently worked with upgrading avionics, propulsion, and escape systems on aircraft used in Air Force pilot training. In 1986, he retired after 26 years of active and reserve service in the Army and Air Force. He is married to DOROTHY HOLOMAN EVANS ’67, a licensed professional clinical counselor in private practice, and they are building a new house in Spring Valley, Ohio. SANDRA STINSON of Greenville retired after 26 years with Pitt County Schools.

1962
BRENDA FAYE LANGDON of Crozet, Va., retired as athletic administrator at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, Va., where she worked since 1991.

1959
CHARLIE ADAMS ’59 ’62 was named to the N.C. High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. On the association’s staff since 1967, he has been executive director since 1984 and helped start a corporate sponsorship program and the NCHSAA Endowment fund to expand the state awards program. He is in the National High School, N.C. Athletic Directors, Cary High School, and ECU Sports halls of fame.

1953
WILLIAM H. “BILL” ROWLAND of Kinston received the Reginald L. Stroud Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lenoir County Historical Association on May 18 for his contributions to preserving local history, including helping recover about 7,500 artifacts from the Revolutionary and Civil War eras. He is also co-author of CSS Neuse: A Question of Iron and Time and the 2007 release Through the Eyes of Soldiers: The Battle of Wyse Fork, Kinston, North Carolina, March 7-10, 1865.

1946
JOHN L. “JACK” JOHNSON ’46 ’49 and ROSE GRAHAM JOHNSON ’48 of Fairmont celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at their Topsail Island beach house and had lunch at Sears Landing. Married in Greenville on June 7, 1948, he retired as principal and she as a teacher at Fairmont High School. They have two children, ROSE MARY JOHNSON WALTER ’72 ’73 and JOY JOHNSON MCHONE ’95, and three grandchildren, including JOHN MCHONE ’08. KATIE OWEN MORGAN ’46 ’54 of Lillington is one of the five governor-appointed members of the eight-person N.C. Veterinary Medical Board. A retired teacher and former ECU trustee, she was named one of the 100 Incredible Women at ECU in 2007 and was on the state and national boards of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She is married to former SEN. ROBERT B. MORGAN ’47.

1929 
SARAH MAY ’29 of Bailey celebrated her 98th birthday on July 15 and received 350 cards, which came from every Nash County school, many local churches, and numerous former students. She started her teaching career at age 19 in 1929 at Coopers Elementary School, which didn’t have a cafeteria. Using the one-burner oil stove in her classroom, she made soup from vegetables and hot chocolate from milk her students brought. She taught seventh grade for three years and then fifth grade for the rest for her 35-year career, during which she temporarily resigned twice to have her daughters and otherwise only missed one week of work when she had the mumps. She taught her students a maxim: “Once a task has begun never leave it till it’s done. Be the labor great or small do it well or not at all.” She still drives and lives independently; is active in the book club, bridge club, Eastern Star, and Bailey United Methodist Church, where she was superintendent of the junior department for 15 years; is treasurer for the Golden Years Club and a board member for the Bailey library; and was grand marshal for the 2007 Bailey Christmas parade. She credits vegetables and farm living for her long life, and told the Spring Hope Enterprise, “If you give the world the best that you have, the best will come back to you. In my case, it certainly has.”