Class Notes

Allison Mays ’95 Allison is the Director of the Virginia Tech Southwest Center. Read more…

Rev. Richard Aylor ’11 Richard has moved to Evergreen, Colorado to be the Pastor at Church of the Hills Presbyterian.

Tommy Britt ’02 Tommy works at George Mason University, and attended Ohio University for graduate school. He has been promoted to Full Professor at George Mason University. 

Stephen and Jessica Curtis Callahan ’11 Jessica and Stephen Callahan were chosen as the 2022 E&H Young Alumni of the Year. Read more…

Howard “Boo” Chafin ’83 Howard has been awarded the Garland Thayer Award by People Incorporated. The Thayer Award honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to benefit low-income people through employment with an organization. He is the Children’s Programs Representative for Feeding Southwest Virginia. Read more…

Dr. Eric Coley ’04 Eric was named the 2022 E&H Outstanding Faculty Member by the E&H Alumni Association. Read more…

Haleigh Cole Conley ’16 Haleigh has finished her PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences from North Carolina State University. She is a postdoctoral research associate at Duke University in the Department of Surgery.

Harold Craw ’99 Harold was named the 2020 E&H Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by the E&H Alumni Association. Read more…

Chaplain Ryan Davenport ’08 Ryan moved to San Antonio in April 202,2 and is an Air Force Chaplain for Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base.

Dillon Hutton ’20 Dillon married Dana Blair Ebb at Emory & Henry’s Memorial Chapel on January 14, 2023. Dillon works as the Sports Information Director and Broadcaster at Tupelo High School in Tupelo, MS.

Andrew Downard ’14 Andrew as been promoted to Supervisor of Remittance Processing at Navy Federal Credit Union. He is pursuing an MBA degree at Mount Saint Mary’s.

Erin Blankenship Street ’06 Erin recently got married to Daniel S. Street, and they’ve completed construction and moved into their new home. She worked for 11 years in the legal field in both private law and for the Virginia Employment Commission. She also worked for 3 years as a veterinary technician, and has recently chosen to retire early.

Dante Giammarco ’68 Dante was recently a featured performer in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman at the Milford Theater and Performing Arts Center in Pennsylvania. He is slated to be a cast member in Of Mice and Men in November.

Will Gibbons ’03 Will was recently appointed Dean of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Crane is one of the oldest and most prestigious music programs in the US, and trains approximately half of all music teachers in New York state.

Rob Goldsmith ’71 Rob was named the E&H Alumni Humanitarian of the Year in 2021. Read more…

Joanna Harader ’97 Joanna has written a book of Advent devotions that will be published in 2022. It is called Expecting Emmanuel: Eight Women Who Prepared the Way. Find more information about it here. Joanna serves as pastor of Peace Mennonite Church in Lawrence, KS.

Bob Hatch ’75 After fully retiring in Cincinnati, OH, Bob and his wife (Kim) and moved back to Dallas, TX in December, 2022. “Dallas was always the favorite place we lived when I was working with JPMC. Great weather, great people and state spirit, and no state income tax. What’s not love?”

J. Sanders Henderson III ’85 Sanders ran for school board in the Jefferson District of Washington County in November 2021 and won his third term. He was elected to be the Chairman of the Board for 2022. He is working as a Special Assistant to Athletics Fundraising at Emory & Henry College.

Amanda Hiner ’15 Amanda graduated with her Masters in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from George Mason University and is now working toward a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. She completed research with a classmate at George Mason focused on number of hours worked and its possible impact on employee well-being. She plans to focus on employee well-being, sexual harassment, and discrimination in the workplace throughout her graduate career and beyond. “I have moved to Connecticut with my fiancé and cat and we are looking forward to this new adventure!”

Lori Bruce Hutton ’08 Lori is serving as the assistant principal at Marion Senior High School. She recently was awarded the Smyth County School Board award for “Mover of Mountains.” They just started a reward system for cafeteria staff, bus drivers, and any staff member “who has good attendance, makes a difference in students’ lives every day, goes above and beyond the call of duty, has good staff relations, good job performance, and is a difference maker.” The Board voted on 13 nominations.

Dr. Monica Jacobe ’01 Dr. Monica F. Jacobe joined the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania as Director of Advising for the Undergraduate Division in August 2022. Her team supports all Wharton undergraduates with degree, academic, and career planning from pre-matriculation to graduation.

Cyndi Jennings ’91 Cyndi was selected for the 2022 E&H Distinctive Service to Emory & Henry Award. Read more…

Trenda “TJ” Johnson ’87 Trenda has worked in various positions within the Volvo Group, (Volvo Trucks, Mack trucks, Nissan Diesel, Volvo Bus, and now Volvo Penta.) She as worked on three continents (Asia, North America, and Europe). “I have worked for Volvo for 29 years, meeting and working with many great people.” She has lived In Gothenburg, Sweden for almost 20 years. “I miss the weather and mountains of Virginia but otherwise I love it here in Sweden. it is a beautiful and great country. I have enjoyed traveling around the world and enjoying new cultures. Moving to a new country when you are not young and learning to work and live in a new language is challenging and exciting.”

Kendall Brent Calvert ’82 Completed a Master of Science at Northern State University: master’s is in Banking and Personal Finance. Graduate May 6, 2023.

Bobbie Larkin ’03 Bobbie was named for the 2020 Distinctive Service to Emory & Henry Award by the E&H Alumni Association. Read more…

Matt Long ’03 Matt has been promoted to an equity named partner at the law firm of Bowen Ten Long & Bal, PC in Richmond, Virginia, with eight lawyers and two offices - one in Henrico, Virginia and the other in Hanover, Virginia. The firm is focusing on Family Law, Personal Injury, Estate Planning, and General Civil Litigation.

Sydney McKinney ’20 In the spring of 2022, Sydney was named head women’s basketball coach at John Battle High School. Here’s a story on the Bristol Herald Courier page: https://heraldcourier.com/sports/sydney-mckinney-named-girls-basketball-coach-at-john-battle/article_b4ffceae-ca6a-11ec-a540-4f3b7b87a873.html

Bunny Medeiros A second edition of her book, FRIENDLIEST TOWN ON THE TRAIL, is available at The E&H Bookstore. It has all the essential history of the town and its trails with updates on the many changes in recent years that continue to keep Damascus a great destination for locals and tourists. A memoir published in 2019, WALKING TO WIJIJI, is also available at Amazon. Both books are also available locally at the Arts Depot & Holston Mountain Artisans in Abingdon. After graduation with a BA in Sociology, Bunny briefly worked with with the Area Agency on Aging then moved to Gainesville, FL where she worked as a psychiatric nurse in a private Hospital and a prison. She then attended Florida School of Massage before returning to Southwest Virginia and opening a massage practice.

Monica Hoel ’85 Monica Hoel has just reached 1000 service hours with the Holston Rivers chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist. Much of her service time is spent on bird conservation and education.

Will Mullins ’92 Will’s scripts The Manor and Fantasy Clash were both Honorable Mention winners in the long running Screenplay Festival script competition. His fantasy script The Madness of Winter was a Bronze Award winner at the LA Sci Fi & Horror Festival. Other scripts advanced in various competitions, including Scriptation Showcase, International Comedy Film Festival, the Screenwriting Master Contest, Lit Scares, So Cal Film Awards, and Culver City Film Festival.

Dr. Ken Noe ’79 Ken’s book The Howling Storm is the co-winner of the Colonel Richard W. Ulbrich Memorial Book Award from the U.S. Military History Group. It is a book about how Civil War battles were affected by weather. In 2020 he was recognized for creative research: https://ocm.auburn.edu/newsroom/news_articles/2020/12/161530-kenneth-noe.php

Israel O’Quinn ’02 In May of 2022, Israel was named by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce as the Legislator of the Year.

William Perritt ’85 William married Kim Henderson August 6, 2021, in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Kim is a native of Western Colorado and manages retail operations for the Cortez Cultural Center. They share a home in Dolores, Colorado, overlooking the lake. William says they enjoy camping, hiking, and boating around the “stunning Four Corners area.” At home they “cook together and spend many evenings on the porch watching the sunset and the star-dappled night skies.” William is employed with Fastmarkets RISI as a writer and editor, analyzing pulpwood, saw timber, and wood biomass markets. “I have held the job through its many gyrations over the past 27 years.”

Peter Oakman ’05 Ben Davis (’03) and Peter Oakman recently enjoyed a lovely lunch in Newport Beach California. Not pictured is Chris Miller (class of ’05).

Charlie Phillips ’60 Charlie was named the 2022 E&H Alumni Humanitarian of the Year in 2022. Read more…

Kaylin Render ’94 The YWCA of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee has recognized Kaylin Render as one of their 2022 honorees – recognizing women who nurture, empower, and transform. Kaylin is an Assistant District Attorney for Sullivan County, TN, entering her 16th year with the Office of the District Attorney General for the 2nd Judicial District of Sullivan County, TN. She was also just tapped to be the Division Head in Division I of the Criminal Courts for Sullivan County. She prosecutes all the felony domestic violence cases ranging all the way from domestic assaults to first degree murder cases. She also works very closely with the Branch House which is the Family Justice Center for Sullivan County. They are a one-stop multi-service provider for domestic violence victims. They awarded her the 2021 Victim Services Excellence Award. She adds, “My sweet daughter, Izzy, has grown up in this office which has been like a family to me.”

Jade Ritterbush ’17 Jade is an Export Document Examiner for the USDA. She’s living in Sacramento.

Rocky Gregory ’72 Rocky’s book is available! One Groovy Summer: an adventure from 1968. You can find it at Book Vine Press.

D.W. Saur ’05 D.W.’s fourth book titled Just Friends was released in December 2021. His YA Fantasy novel Dark Days finished the 2021 award season with its sixth award coming from the American Fiction Awards in the Epic/High Fantasy category. Learn more at his website: https://dwsaur.com/

Monica Halsey Shew ’07 Monica and Daniel Shew won the Historic Preservation Award for Solar Hill, from the City of Bristol. Monica is a double alum of Emory & Henry, finishing a master’s in community and organizational leadership in 2011. She has recently left a long career in banking to work full-time for their property business, which encompasses 17 units in downtown Bristol. Their focus is to restore vacant houses and homes headed for the wrecking ball. All their houses were built before 1925 and have been made back into beautiful updated homes for tenants in hopes of creating a better community through restoration and maintenance. After living in a large 1904 Edwardian home on Solar Hill, the couple managed to get the King House at the top of the hill. It is said to be the oldest and most historically significant structure in Bristol City. They plan to live there with their four year old son, once the interior is complete. The Historic Preservation Award Committee for the city of Bristol, Virginia invites nominations for the Historic Preservation Award. The purpose of this award program is to recognize and honor property owners and developers who engage in preservation projects within the city’s five historic districts: Euclid Avenue, Solar Hill, Virginia Hill, Bristol Downtown Commercial, and Bristol Warehouse Historic Districts. Properties within Bristol, Virginia city limits, but outside these historic districts, are eligible for a Citywide Historic Preservation Award.

Rev. Phyllis Spiegel ’88 On April 30, 2022, Phyllis was named Bishop of Utah for the Episcopal Church. Read more…

Josh Stamper ’07 Josh was selected as the 2020 E&H Young Alumnus of the Year by the E&H Alumni Association. Read more…

Stafford Stephenson ’69 Stafford and Tess Stephenson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 18, 2021, alongside their three daughters and their families. Stafford is a retired insurance agent from State Farm Insurance. He played basketball for E&H, served as the color commentator for the High Point University men’s basketball team, and is honored to be in the Smyth County Sports Hall of Fame. Click here to read a fascinating article about a twist of fate during his days working at the University of Evansville.

Matthew Wilkinson ’13 Matthew is the Planning & Codes Liaison for the Metropolitan Council of Nashville & Davidson County.

Jenna Wygal ’16 Jenna is currently getting a Master of Science in Information and Library Science through the University at Buffalo. She is working as a Senior Library Assistant in Rochester, NY, and will be promoted to Collection Development Librarian in the Spring of 2022. She married Jonathan Wygal (E&H Class of 2018) in the summer of 2020. “We just adopted an Irish Setter named Murphy to round out the family.”

Mike Young ’86 Mike Young was selected as the E&H Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2022. Read more…