Spire Spring 2018

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2018 Alumni Award Recipients

Julie Hull Johnson (’88) Distinguished Hall of Graduates

grow. Her work has been published four times in scientific journals, and she has presented her research at national conferences. Her hope is to someday prove there is a non- invasive way to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

success coach for online students, assisting them with the challenges of balancing work, family, school, and other aspects of life – all motivated by the desire she sees in these students to earn their college degree despite the hurdles. Payne is also involved in the community as trustee for the Sanders House Center, board member of the Graham High School Foundation, member of the Bluefield Rotary Club and First United Methodist Church, and supporter of Bluefield College, Southwest Virginia Community College, Bluefield State College, the Town of Bluefield, and the Bluefield Police Department. Shawn Jenkins (’92) basketball team from 1988 to 1992. On the court, he scored more than 1,200 points for his career, shooting better than 44 percent from the field, including 39 percent from three-point range. He also had a free-throw percentage of better than 80 percent. In addition, during his junior season Jenkins was named to the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. After BC, he went on to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Campbell University and is now the owner, operator and pharmacist of the Welch (WV) Pharmacy. Jerome Brown (’88) a member of the men’s basketball team. In addition to his scoring milestones, he was also the team’s best defender, often earning the assignment to defend the opponent’s best offensive player. He was named team captain in 1988, selected to two all-tournament teams, and played on four National Tournament teams that finished runner-up in 1985 and 1988. Today, Brown is a 19-year employee of Yokohama Tires in Salem, Virginia, where he is also an active member of United Way, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Roanoke Area Ministries House of Campbell. Athletics Hall of Fame As a BC student-athlete from 1984 to 1988, Brown scored 1,221 points and grabbed more than 200 rebounds each season as Athletics Hall of Fame As a BC student-athlete, Jenkins maintained a 3.6 grade point average while serving as an integral part of the success of the men’s

Johnson is the senior vice president and trust officer of Summit Trust and Wealth Management Group. After BC, she attended Southeastern Trust School, Campbell University, American Bankers Association Private Wealth Management School, Duke University and Personal Trust Graduate School, and Cannon Financial Institute. She serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of the Virginias, Nickell Foundation, Matthews Foundation, Wolfe Foundation, and Bluefield State College Foundation. She is a member of the City of Bluefield’s Planning Commission, Bluefield Blueprint Community Committee, Bluefield (WV) Rotary Club, and Bland Street United Methodist Church. She is also a 1998 BC Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, 2011 Alumna of the Year, and the first female to chair the BC Board of Trustees. Rebecca Bentley Hall (’86) churches in northern Virginia. Later, she earned a master of divinity degree from Campbell University and became a minister for children and missions and a supply pastor at Ridge Road Baptist Church in North Carolina and a ministry assistant for the Raleigh Baptist Association. For years, she worked passionately to reunite her classmates and to encourage them to become more involved with the college. She also faithfully supported the BC Fund and served on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. After her untimely passing in April 2018, her family made a significant pledge to support planned campus improvements and to preserve her BC legacy. Amber MacDonald (’12) Alumna of the Year Hall began her career working for three Fortune 500 companies and serving in ministry at First Baptist and Sunset Hill Baptist

McIntyre “Dick” Louthan, Jr. Honorary Alumnus Louthan practically grew up on the BC campus as his father, E.M. Louthan, and grandfather, Mac Louthan,

were both instrumental in the formation and growth of the college. He is a retired senior consulting scientist for Savannah River National Laboratory who also taught metallurgy and engineering science at the University of Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. In addition to receiving numerous distinguished honors and awards, Louthan has served on a number of national and international boards, offered lectures throughout the world, published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, edited seven books, and presented keynote addresses to various professional societies. Alongside his wife of 54 years, Frances Webb Louthan (’60), he is an honorary member of the New River Valley Alumni Chapter.

Danny Collins (’67) Primitivo Delgado

Christian Service Award A U.S. Army veteran, Collins attended Bluefield College, Carson Newman College, and Southeastern Baptist

Theological Seminary. He served 27 years as pastor of Fairlawn Baptist Church in Virginia and also served the congregations at Connelly Memorial Baptist in Roanoke, First Baptist Church in Coeburn, and two churches in North Carolina. In fact, Collins has preached all over the world and for the past 13 years has led mission teams to Honduras. Now retired with his wife, Patricia Keatley (’67) Collins, he is a board member of Pulaski County Library and Oak Hill Academy. He is also a writer for the local newspaper and has provided temporary pastoral duties for Baptist churches.

Young Alumna of the Year After receiving a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science from Bluefield College, MacDonald earned a master’s degree in cellular

Cathy Corte Payne (’92) Volunteer of the Year Payne has served on staff at Bluefield College for almost 20 years. After “retiring” in 2014, she came back to serve part-time as a

and molecular nutrition from the University of Tennessee where she was recognized as an Inspirational Graduate. Motivated by her father’s battle with cancer, she studied cancer research at UT, examining how a combination of herbal extracts called Zyflamend deprives prostate cancer of the nutrients it needs to

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