2010 SAU Foundation Honor Societies Dinner
December 7, 2010
2010 SAU Foundation Honors Dinner
On November 9, 2010, Southern Arkansas University Foundation recognized donors of the 2009-2010 fiscal year at a dinner in the Grand Hall of the Reynolds Campus and Community Center. Tommy Clark, a nineteen-year-old junior from Hot Springs, AR, with a double major in finance and management, expressed appreciation on behalf of students for the generosity of the honorees.
SAU Students Tyler Orsak and Sara Caller hosted an informal art exhibit by students of Dan May, SAU Art Department Chair.
A commemorative coaster, the second in a series, was presented to those benefactors who had given over one thousand dollars during the fiscal year. Awards for lifetime giving were presented to donors who achieved membership in new lifetime giving societies; lifetime giving awards recognize donors whose cumulative lifetime giving is over ten thousand dollars. Receiving awards were the following: Stater Society, Mr. Donald Bustion, Mr. John Phillip Genestet , and Mr. and Mrs. Darrell Morrison; Tower Society, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Bearden ’61, ‘61, and Mrs. Julia Laney Machen; Hall of Honor, Dr. and Mrs. Rudy Eichenberger, and Mr. and Mrs. Therral Story ’85.
Those receiving awards but unable to attend were the following: Stater Society, Dr. and Mrs. Mark Dixon ‘78, Dr. and Mrs. B. C. Dodson, Mr. and Mrs. Don R. Johnson ‘57, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. William Mallett ’65, ‘65, Ms. DeAnna Rogers , Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Scott ‘43, Mr. and Mrs. Pat Sixbey ‘78, Dr. Betty Faye Smith ‘49, Ms. Adell Whitfield; Tower Society, Mr. and Mrs. Andy Franks, Mr. and Mrs. O. A. (Buddy) Franks, Jr. ‘54, Dr. and Mrs. James Tollett ’58, Mr. Ted Ward, Jr. ’47; Golden Circle, Mrs. Holly Hartrick Childs, Mr. James Freeman ’71.
Dr. David Rankin, President, Southern Arkansas University, and Mr. Louis Blanchard, President of the SAU Foundation presented special awards to the Top Five donors of 09-10: (in alphabetical order) Dr. and Mrs. Rudy Eichenberger of Magnolia, Arkansas, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Fincher of Waldo, Arkansas, Ms. Cinda Ann Hallman Estate, Mrs. Mary Harsh of Magnolia, Arkansas, and Mr. and Mrs. Therral Story ’85 of Magnolia, Arkansas.
The highlight of the evening was the induction of Mr. and Mrs. Therral Story into the Mulerider Society, the highest recognition given by Southern Arkansas University Foundation.
6th Annual Farmers Bank & Trust Distinguished Speaker Series
September 7, 2010
Distinguished speaker series will feature FOX News Channel duo
MAGNOLIA – FOX News Channel contributors Monica Crowley and Alan Colmes disagree on almost every political issue. Representing opposite ends of the political spectrum, the duo will be the featured speakers at the 6th annual Farmers Bank and Trust Distinguished Speaker Series on Monday, Oct. 18. The event will take place at the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center at Southern Arkansas University, and proceeds benefit the scholarship endowment of the Southern Arkansas University Foundation.
Crowley and Colmes regularly square off on various hot button issues during appearances on FOX News Channel’s The O’Reilly Factory, but one thing that takes their debate to the next level is the fact that they are brother and sister-in-law. The pair’s presentation at SAU will be titled “All disagreements are relative: a conversation with Crowley and Colmes.”
“With the election just around the corner, it is exciting to have Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley debate the issues of the moment,” said Dr. David Rankin, president of Southern Arkansas University. Everyone who attends will have the opportunity to hear two of the best political commentators in the business.”
Crowley is a panelist on the legendary McLaughlin Group, which she joined in 2007. She is a longtime FOX News political and foreign affairs analyst, having joined the network at its inception in 1996. Her intelligent, original, and witty analysis attracted radio programmers, and she launched her radio career with a show on the number one talk station in the nation, 77 WABC in New York, in 2002. The show now airs on over 130 stations.
Crowley holds two masters degrees and a Ph.D. in international affairs from Columbia University and worked as a foreign policy assistant to former President Richard Nixon from 1990 until his death in 1994. Her experience with Nixon prompted her to write to best-selling books, Nixon off the Record: His Candid Commentary on People and Politics and Nixon in Winter.
After a string of successful radio shows in New York, Colmes gained a reputation as a hard-hitting liberal known for his electric commentary on the American agenda. He joined FOX News Channel in 1996 and co-hosted “Hannity and Colmes” for more than 12 years. That program became the No. 2 show in all of cable news, helping FOX achieve prime time dominance. His radio show is now syndicated by FOX News and heard on satellite radio across the country.
Colmes attracts many key political and pop culture figures to his microphone. Among his guests have been President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Vice Presdient Al Gore, Lynn Chaney, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and others. His likeability, humor, command of the issues, and appeal to both sides of the political plate have helped him garner the biggest audience of any liberal radio broadcaster.
“We strive each year to provide a program that is both entertaining and informative and that also presents current issues of national significance,” said Bob Burns, chairman and CEO of Farmers Bank and Trust.
The Farmers Bank and Trust Distinguished Speaker Series was established in 2005 to benefit students of Southern Arkansas University through a scholarship endowment with the Southern Arkansas University Foundation. In fulfilling its mission, the series brings speakers of national and international prominence to the SAU campus, providing a memorable experience and enhancing the visibility of the University. Former speakers have included Steve Ford, Oliver North, Michael Reagan, James Carville, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
For more information or to obtain tickets for the event, contact the SAU Foundation at (870) 235-4078.
Splendors of the Nile
May 27, 2010
Southern Arkansas University presents Splendors of the Nile with optional Jordan Post Tour Extension.
March 9 – 20, 2011
For more information click on the link below.
2010 Distinguished Alumni Dinner
April 14, 2010
The 2010 Distinguished Alumni Dinner will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Center – Grand Hall. Tickets for this event are $17 and may be purchased from the SAU Alumni Office by calling 870-235-4079.
During this year’s ceremony the following will be recognized:
Distinguished Young Alumni
Dr. Jason Ellen
Class of 1995, BS in Biological Science
Opthalmologic Surgeon – 2005 Outstanding Young Optometric Physician in Oklahoma
Amy Freedman
Class of 1995, BBA in Accounting
Attorney and Political Campaign Manager
Joe Pieratt
Class of 1992, BBA in Management
Chief Network and PC Support for Murphy Oil Corporation, Developer of Deer Creek Subdivision
Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Norman Huneycutt
Class of 1958, BSB in Industrial Management
Ordained minister, former Trustee of the Presbyterian Foundation, former Trustee of University of the Ozarks, present Trustee of Austin Theological Seminary, founder and former CEO of Employee Support Systems Company, former Director of Program and Fiscal Development of National Council on Alcoholism, and presently retired to ranching in Terrell, TX
Distinguished Alumni
Joan Avalyn Dempsey
Class of 1981, BA in Political Science
Vice President of US Geospacial Intelligence Foundation, Vice President Booz-Allen-Hamilton, former Chief of Staff for CIA Director George Tennet
Dr. Samuel Smith
Class of 1977, left SAU for medical school
Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Distinguished Golden Rider
Dr. James Tollett
Class of 1957
Retired Chairman of SAU Agriculture Department, honored with the dedication of the 81st Arkansas FFA State Convention in his name, National Association of Agricultural Educators Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Charles Beeson – Deceased
Class of 1941
Cardiologist, Retried Professor of Medicine at University of New Mexico and UCLA
Muleriders on Tour – Springdale, AR
April 8, 2010
To RSVP for this event please click on the link below
University Science Center Dedication
March 3, 2010
University Science Center Dedication
Monday, April 5, 2010 at 12:00p.m.
Location – University Science Center Lobby
Governor Mike Beebe is expected to attend
Naming opportunities still exist in this state-of-art facility that will greatly impact the students of SAU for many years to come.
For more information on this dedication ceremony or naming opportunities please contact the SAU Foundation at 1-877-235-7409.
Festival Encourages Writers of Tomorrow
February 10, 2010
On Saturday, March 13th, area students and their teachers will visit the SAU Campus for a Model Creative Writing Workshop as part of the Youth Writing Festival underwritten by the Gerald F. and Betty Fincher Scott Academic Enrichment Endowment. The Department of English and Foreign Language at Southern Arkansas University will host the annual Youth Writing Festival. Over 1,000 entries are expected in this year’s contest. In the afternoon, winners will read or have their selections read to their peers, teachers, and parents. Winners will be announced at the close of the afternoon session.
The Gerald F. and Betty Fincher Scott Enrichment Endowment was fully endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Harold Fincher on August 6, 1996 to benefit the Youth Writing Festival at Southern Arkansas University. Mr. and Mrs. Fincher contributed the endowment to the SAU Foundation in honor of the Scotts’ many years of service on the board of Peoples Bank – Waldo, McNeil, Emerson and Magnolia.
The purposes of the festival, founded by Dr. Kathleen Mallory, are as follows:
- to get students more involved in writing
- to give students recognition for outstanding work
- to motivate students to write more
- to develop more fluent, competent writers
- to help raise awareness about the importance of writing
The Youth Writing Festival is held each spring and has grown from 345 entries in 1995 to 1,153 entries last year. Students from schools across south Arkansas submit poems, short stories and essays. Judges rank the entries as good, excellent or superior. From the entries judged superior, three are chosen in each category and grade level to receive special recognition consisting of a cash prize for first, second and third place winners and a trophy for the first place winner.
Entry forms may be requested by contacting David Wingfield in the Department of English and Foreign Languages at (870) 235-4202 or by emailing dlwingfield@saumag.edu . They can also be printed from the Web site (http://www.saumag.edu/efl) after clicking on Youth Writing Festival 2010.
2009 President’s Gala
January 6, 2010
(More pictures shown below)
Southern Arkansas University Foundation and President and Mrs. David Rankin entertained donors to the University at the annual President’s Gala on Saturday, December 12, at the Magnolia Country Club. This festive evening
was the final event of the University’s year-long centennial celebration. The tables and tree were decorated with turn-of-the century postcards and traditional ornaments. Approximately 150 friends of SAU enjoyed hors d’ouerves of fresh shrimp, bacon-wrapped filet bites, spanakopita, fresh fruit, cheeses and cupcakes.
Guests enjoyed dancing to a live band led by Zane Glasscock and featuring vocalist
David Price. Beth Anne Rankin and Josh Kee entertained with special music, and Ray and Kay Stephens of Little Rock presented ballroom dance exhibitions of the waltz, the fox trot, and the Argentine tango.
Holiday photographs by Aaron Street were given as mementos of the evening.
Muleriders on Tour – Porterfield Day
November 20, 2009
Lewis T. and Maxine Porterfield were honored for their service to the University at Porterfield Day on October 31, 2009. Approximately 250 people attended the event, organized by the Agri Department and agri alumni as part of the Centennial Muleriders on Tour series. Dr. David Rankin presented the Porterfields with a plaque recognizing their contribution to SAU. Ed McCrary of Nashville and Billy Moore of Hartford spoke in tribute to Lewis Porterfield and the SAU Agri program. Proceeds from an auction conducted by Representative Bruce Maloch established a scholarship endowment honoring the Porterfields. Gifts to the Porterfield Agri Scholarship may be sent to SAU Foundation, P. O. Box 9174, Magnolia, AR 71754-9174, or you may click the Make a Gift button on this page.
AG Day 2010 is scheduled for September 25, 2010.
Other Pictures from this event:
2009 SAU Foundation Honor Societies Dinner
November 20, 2009
On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, the contributors to Southern Arkansas University were recognized at the 2009 SAU Foundation Honor Societies Dinner. This annual event acknowledged those who have give $1,000 or more annually, $10,000 or more lifetime, given twenty-five consecutive years, the Top Five Donors, and members of the Legacy Society.
Top Five Award
Special recognition is given to the Top Five, those five individuals who, in a given July 1 – June 30 year, are the most generous to Southern Arkansas University.
Members of the 2009 Top Five are (Left to Right) Dr. and Mrs. David Rankin, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Fincher, Mrs. Mary Harsh, and Mr. and Mrs. Andy Franks.
Other Pictures from the event
