FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 14, 2015

For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115

GLENVILLE, WV - Glenville State College graduates and friends gathered on campus for the 2015 Alumni Day on Saturday, April 25th. A day full of activities culminated with the annual Alumni Banquet in the Mollohan Campus Community Center Ballroom. Those in attendance enjoyed a buffet dinner and the presentation of the 2015 GSC Alumni Association award recipients.

The evening’s prestigious Alumnus of the Year Award was presented to Walter W. ‘Walt’ Turner. The award is given to a graduate of Glenville State College for outstanding contributions in their chosen field or for outstanding personal accomplishments. Right out of college Turner began his career at Koppers, a Fortune 500 company with worldwide facilities, as a production assistant and worked his way up to President and Chief Executive Officer, a position he would hold until his retirement in December 2014. Turner currently serves on the board of trustees for Carnegie Museums and the Junior Achievement Board. He is a native of Bedford County, Pennsylvania and graduated from Glenville State College in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He also attended Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.

The Community Service Award was presented to Mike Lieving ’76.  This award is given to an individual who has distinguished themselves in community service. After graduation Lieving began a career in banking in Mason County, West Virginia where he has resided with his family for the past 30 years. He is currently employed by the Farmers Bank and Savings Company where he is the President of the West Virginia Division and Chief Lending Officer. He is a past chairman and still serves on the Pleasant Valley Board of Trustees, past president and board member of the Mason County Chamber of Commerce, Mason County Community Foundation Board member, past chairman and current member of the Board of the West Virginia Bankers Association, and is involved with the St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Haven, West Virginia where he also served as past council president. Lieving is a native of West Columbia, West Virginia and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from Glenville State College where he majored in Economics with minors in Marketing and Retailing.

“Unlike most college students, I attended no social events because my wife and I were busy with classes and taking care of our daughter. Sometimes it was very difficult for us to find a babysitter to watch our daughter when we both were in class, but my sister was in a sorority so we had 25 more ‘sisters’ to help watch her. She was known as the ‘Pioneer Football’ because she was watched by so many people,” Lieving recalled.

The Outstanding Young Alumna Award was presented to Karina Kendrick ’08.  This award is presented to a female graduate who is less than thirty-six years old who has achieved early and remarkable success in their career. Kendrick received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology at Glenville State College where she graduated summa cum laude. She also was a member of the Lady Pioneer Basketball team where she earned honors from the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) all four years of her undergraduate career. Kendrick attended the West Virginia University College of Law where she graduated Order of Coif (top 10% of her graduating class) and earned her J.D. in 2011. She began her law career at Jackson Kelly PLLC in Charleston, West Virginia and recently relocated to Westlake, Ohio where she is working as an Associate with Jackson Lewis P.C., an AmLaw 100 and Global 100 ranked law firm.

“My time at Glenville State prepared not only me but my teammates on the Lady Pioneer Basketball team for all of the challenges that we would face and for all of the achievements in my life. It has helped me get through law school and I continue using what I learned at GSC in my practice today,” Kendrick said.

The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award was presented to Tony Minney ’08.  This award is presented to a male graduate who is less than thirty-six years old who has achieved early and remarkable success in their career. Minney was involved in many different activities and organizations while at GSC and stated, “Glenville State College was a great experience for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it. During my time at Glenville I held many different leadership positions in the Student Government Association and a few other organizations. Being involved while in college has given me wonderful leadership skills that I use daily in my professional career.” After graduation, Minney has been the Technology Integration Specialist at Gilmer County High School, Principal at Pleasant Hill Elementary School, and is currently serving as Principal at Braxton County High School and is in the last year of his doctoral program. He resides in Coxs Mills, West Virginia with his wife Kyre-Anna (nee Bartz) Minney ’08 and their two children.

The Outstanding Teacher Award was presented to Ressie (nee Brown) Thomas ’90.  This award is designated for public school teachers who have distinguished themselves during their careers. Thomas graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, Multi-Subjects K-8, and an Associate’s Degree in Sign Language Interpreting. Later on she received a Master’s Degree in Deaf Education pre-school-adult from Marshall University and is currently working on a dissertation for her Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from Liberty University. She has worked for seventeen years as the Nicholas County deaf and hard of hearing teacher and, since 2012, has served as the Regional Outreach Specialist for the WV Schools for the Deaf and Blind which covers fifteen counties in central and southeastern West Virginia. She also teaches sign language for New River Community and Technical College and is a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma honor society where she has served as the President of the Nu Chapter since 2014. She has also interpreted sign language for governors, senators, and former President Bill Clinton.

“I am so thankful for Glenville State for opening me up to so many great people who have become lifelong friends. I would never have made it through without them and their support,” said Thomas. She currently resides in Summersville, West Virginia.

The Alumni Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Joe Evans ’63. This award is given to a graduate who has distinguished themselves in their chosen field. After graduation from GSC, Evans completed his Master of Science from Ohio State University and later received his Doctor of Education from West Virginia University. Except for a few early years in his career, Evans has been employed at his alma mater since 1970. While working at Glenville State College he has served the institution in many positions including: Provost and Senior Vice President, Dean of Teacher Education, and an instructor of Science Education, Earth Science, Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. He has been the recipient of many awards throughout his career including: West Virginia University College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame inductee, Outstanding Faculty Award from the GSC Alumni Association, Curtis Elam Professor for Teaching Excellence at GSC, Faculty Marshal, and many more. Evans resides in Glenville, West Virginia with his wife June.

Immediate past Alumni Association President Bill Deel was recognized with the Alumni Service Award at the banquet. The award is reserved for those who have and continue to give their all to the College. In addition to his continued support for the Alumni Council, he also serves on the GSC Board of Governors and the GSC Foundation Board. As part of the evening’s proceedings, Deel recognized eight special alumni and friends of the College who had passed away in the last year. Those recognized in memoriam included: Coach Earl 'Whitey' Adolfson, Dr. Billie M. Atkinson '56, Joyce (Georgalis) Geyh '53, Dr. Robert 'Ted' Hauman '65, Thomas McPherson '58, Ronnie Barker Peters '59, Frances 'Fran' (Myers) Schmetzer '43, and H. Laban White, Jr. '37.

For more information about alumni affairs at Glenville State College, contact Alumni Director Debbie Nagy via e-mail at Debra.Nagy@glenville.edu, by phone locally at (304) 462-4122, or toll-free at (866) 239-0285.