Alumni News
|50’s| |60’s| |70’s| |80’s| |90’s| |00’s|
50’s
Bill Speigner (class of 1957) underwent open heart surgery to replace a faulty heart valve on April 16. He is now in Evergreen Laurel, a rehabilitation center in his hometown of Billings, Montana, where his wife, Carol, keeps a close eye on his recovery.
Dorris Goswick (class of 1959) visited the Alumni Office in the spring of 2009, along with his wife, Hilda, and their daughter, Jennifer. The Goswicks live in Alpharetta, where Dorris retired from the United States Post Office after 38 years of service. He brought a gift to the Alumni Office—his letter jacket from his years at Truett-McConnell (1957-1959), when he was manager of the Truett-McConnell Mountaineers (the men’s basketball team). When Dorris left Truett-McConnell, he transferred to Georgia Teachers College (now Georgia Southern University), where he earned a degree in social studies. He worked for a time with Lockheed Corporation and then went to work in the post office in Alpharetta, from which he retired. He reminisced about the Mountaineers team in the late 50’s—a team that included Herman Dove, Sam Huggins, Luke Huggins and Joe Stovall among its players and Don Carroll as coach. Since Truett-McConnell did not have a gym at the time, the team played in the old Cleveland High School gym on the Helen Highway (the location where the current Cleveland post office is). Dorris said that he always went early to the gym to build a fire so the gym would be warm enough for the teams to play their games.
60’s
Gail Dangar Bell (class of 1962) underwent colon surgery on June 8, 2009, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
Thomas Dorsey Cavender, husband of TMC alum Imogene (Jean) Berry Garner Cavender (class of 1962), passed away on March 17, 2009, following an extended illness. He had worked for Gainesville Iron Works and was a member of Central Baptist Church in Gainesville. He is survived by his wife, Jean Berry Garner Cavender, of Gainesville.
Mickey Cobb (class of 1962), who lives in the Kansas City area, visited friends in northeast Georgia on March 28, 2009. On that Saturday afternoon, he invited former classmates at TMC to drop by the hotel in Gainesville where he was staying for a visit and time of fellowship. Among those attending were Coach Rollin Channell, Carmen and Jim Martin, Jack and Louise Holcomb, Glenda Chatham, Kathy and Don Wills, Chris Doyle, Gerald Davidson, Harry Werner, Shack McDaniel, as well as a number of other friends and former basketball players at TMC. Mickey Cobb is now retired from his lengthy tenure as head athletic trainer for the Kansas City Royals professional baseball team.
70’s
Gail Dixon Mann (class of 1972) is director of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s Graceville Extension Center in Graceville, FL, where she lives. She was married in 1974 to Ned Mann (attended TMC 1971-1973). The couple served as missionaries in Brazil. Ned was killed in 1994. They had three daughters.
80’s
Gerald (called Gerry) Purcell (class of 1981) recently announced his campaign as a Republican candidate for the office of Georgia Insurance Commissioner in the 2010 state election. Following his degree from Truett-McConnell, he graduated from Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii, on an ROTC scholarship as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He is a decorated Army Military Intelligence Officer and a winner of the prestigious General George C. Marshall Leadership Award, recognizing one of the top military science cadets in the nation. He is married to the former Julianne Sant, and they are the parents of two adult sons. The Purcells live in Alpharetta. To read about his candidacy, visit www.gerrypurcell.com.
Andy McCullough (class of 1984) and his wife, Robin, will be changing their ministry focus this summer. After 17 years (for Robin) and 23 years (for Andy) on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, the McCulloughs will be leaving the organization and joining Global Services Associates as of August 1. They will be serving as missions consultants, working with churches and mission organizations in developing a vision and plan of how God can use them to help bring the His Kingdom to the world. One aspect of their ministry will be a microloan program to focus on providing support groups and jobs for HIV-positive women in Africa to give them hope both financially and spiritually. While the McCulloughs are still working with Campus Crusade, their whole family (Andy, Robin and three sons) will be going to South Africa to serve for a month. Andy and Robin will lead a team from their church to serve together with BEAM Africa, ministering to the poor in the township of Nellmapius near Pretoria.
Lt. Col. Greg Rawlings (class of 1984) served as chief of Multi-National Corps-Iraq C3 Force Management Division in Camp Victory in Baghdad, a part of the XVIII Airborne out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Rawlings and Southern Baptist chaplain Jeff Houston discovered their mutual love of bluegrass music and formed their own bluegrass band among the soldiers in the unit. The band was called the Baghdad Bad Boys and entertained the troops for about two hours each week in a camp coffee shop called Green Beans Café and lifted the spirits of the soldiers by providing music in the weekly Sunday chapel services. The bluegrass group’s last performance together was March 15, 2009, after which the members of the group began heading home from their deployment assignments.
Amy Goins (class of 1988), along with the singing group she is a member of, Beloved, had the honor of singing on stage at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on May 12, 2009, for the worldwide premiere of The Way Home, a movie starring Dean Cain. The group Beloved sang the title song in the movie entitled “The Way Home,” which Amy co-wrote. The song appears in the movie and will be featured on the upcoming soundtrack. The movie The Way Home is an inspirational true story about how a rural community rallied around a distraught family to search for their missing two-year-old son and, through doing so, changed the lives of many of those involved. The movie will be released nationwide in the fall. Visit www.thewayhome-movie.com to find out more about the movie. Several TMC alumni of the late 1980s were in attendance at the Fox premiere, including Randy Simpkins (class of 1988), whose family story is told in the movie. It was Randy’s son who was missing and who was the object of the search that pulled a community together and furnished plot material for the movie.
90’s
Vickie Clemons Black (class of 1990) is a second grade teacher and grade-level chair with Francis Howell School District in Saint Peters, MO. She lives in Saint Peters with her husband of 15 years, Brad Black, and their children: Kaley, 12, who is in sixth grade, plays the flute, sings in the show choir and enjoys her friends at church; and Joey, 9, who is in art classes, has a lead role in his church musical and loves doing anything with computers. Vickie directs a kindergarten choir and teaches 3-and-4-year-olds in Sunday School.
Kelly Walraven Carr (class of 1990) is an education specialist with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Heather Robinson Camp (class of 1991) is a Doctor of Chiropractic with Camp Chiropractic and Fairburn Road Chiropractic. She and her husband, Lamar Camp, live in Douglasville, GA.
Clay Chasteen (attended 1991-92) is youth pastor at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Griffin, GA, a position he has held since 1993.
Amy Willis Clegg and her husband, Jeff Clegg, (both class of 1991) live in Monroe, GA, where Amy is a pharmacist with Carmichael Drugs.
Julie Taylor Eibeschitz (class of 1991) is on staff in the Pageant Production Department of First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, FL. She and her husband, Joshua, live in Lighthouse Point, FL.
Le Gibson (class of 1991) is a Gwinnett County middle school teacher and pastor of Sharon Baptist Church in Hoschton, GA. He and his wife, Jennifer Lisberg Gibson, live in Winder, GA, with their children.
David Holt (class of 1991) is a strategy coordinator with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He and his wife, Alisha, currently reside in Corrientes, Argentina, where they serve as church planters.
Chad Hulsey (class of 1991) is a meeting event coordinator with The Travel Corner, currently living in Smyrna, GA.
Mark Paul (class of 1991) is Minister of Youth at First Baptist Church of Dunwoody, GA. He and his wife, Lisa Cagle Paul (class of 1992), have two children: Jonah, 8; and Sonja, 4. The family lives in Stone Mountain, GA.
Matt Paul (class of 1991) is assistant vice president for client support and senior training consultant with Financial Supermarkets, Inc., in Cornelia, GA. His wife, Alyson Rainwater Paul (class of 1995) is the Director of Residence Life at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega. The Pauls live in Clarkesville, GA, with their two sons: Sawyer, 6; and Brighton, 3.
Kevin Pledger (class of 1991) is married to Michelle Waters (attended 1990-1991). They live in Newnan, GA, where Kevin is Worship Arts Pastor at SouthCrest Church.
Olivia Houston Bishop (class of 1992) is a fourth grade teacher at Allgood Elementary School in Dallas, GA. She and her husband, Jimmy Bishop (attended 1992-1993), live in Dallas, GA.
Jason Daniel Carter (class of 1992) is assistant principal at Boynton Elementary School in Catoosa County, GA. He and his wife, Amy Green Carter, and their three children live in Ringgold, GA.
Christie Michael Copeland (class of 1992) is a CSC/tax preparer at H & R Block in Walnut Grove, GA.
Mike Copeland (class of 1992) and his wife, Angie, announce the birth of Alexander Brice Copeland on January 12, 2009. Alex joins big brother, Aaron Thomas, 15, and sister, Anna Copeland, 8.
Joy Johnson Phillips (class of 1992) is married to Mark Phillips. Their children are Madison, 8; Andrew, 6; and Ryan, 20 months.
Chad Taylor (class of 1992) is a sales executive with Advance Logistics Services, Inc., in Buchanan, GA, where he and his wife, Nerissa, live.
Libby Saye West (class of 1992) is a special education paraprofessional with Cherokee County Board of Education. She and her husband, Dwayne, live in Canton, GA, with their two children: Beau Ryland, 3; and Drew Channing, 20 months.
Monique Bainbridge (class of 1994) is married to John Lowe, and they are the parents of two daughters, Hayleigh and Chloe. The Lowe family lives in Doraville, GA.
Marc Ivey (attended 1994-95) lives in Lynchburg, VA, where he could be contacted at 5600 White Oak Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502.
Tracey Bowden Prator (class of 1994) is a fifth grade teacher with Cobb County School System. She and her husband, Robert Prator, live in Kennesaw, GA, with their two children.
Michael Weiland (class of 1994) is the service director of the Child and Adolescent Unit of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, GA.
Jessica Murphy Butler (class of 1995) is employed with Gateway. She and her husband, Jeff, live in Gainesville, GA.
Alan Cook (class of 1995) is the release manager with Acxiom Corporation in Nashville, TN. He and his wife, Tanya Moore Cook, live in Hermitage, TN.
Allyson Harper (class of 1995) is a special education teacher with Northgate High School in Newnan, GA. She is a resident of Palmetto, GA.
Kathie Ivester (class of 1995) was recently named dean of academic affairs at North Georgia Technical College. She graduated from North Georgia Technical College and then received an Associate in Applied Science degree from Truett-McConnell. From here she went to Piedmont College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, followed by a master’s degree in public administration.
Jennifer Jones Caston (class of 1996) was married in 2005 to Timothy Andrew Caston. They have two children: Ashley Grace, born April 2006, and Aubree Faith, born December 2007. Jennifer is now teaching preschool at John Wesley United Methodist Church Early Childhood Center in Charleston, SC, where the family resides.
Amber Smith Dawson (class of 1996) is a logistic administrator for Manheim in Stockbridge, GA, where she resides with her one-year-old daughter, Grace.
Mandy Page Gazaway (class of 1996) is employed with Lowe’s Home Improvement Store of Cornelia, GA. She and her husband, Jacob, live in Dillard, GA.
Robby Gilbert (class of 1996) is a paraprofessional and football/basketball/baseball coach at Tucker High School. He and his wife, Amy Weiss Gilbert (class of 1995), and their two children live in Tucker, GA.
Autumn Lashley Shepard (class of 1996) is a foster care case manager for the Department of Family and Children Services.
Jason Suddeth (class of 1996) is a fireman with the Dalton Fire Department.
Melinda (Mindy) Paul (class of 1997) is married to Brian Gunter (attended 1995-96), and they are the parents of Toby Bradford Gunter (born June 13, 2005) and Austin Truett Gunter (born March 3, 2009). Mindy writes that he is named for Truett-McConnell, the place where his mommy and daddy met. Mindy has a degree in early childhood education but at this time, she is a stay-at-home mom to her two little boys. The Gunter family lives in Loganville, GA.
Michael Stovall (class of 1997) will graduate in 2010 from Luther Rice University with his Doctor of Ministry degree. He and his wife, Tricia White Stovall (class of 1997) reside in Elberton, GA, with their three children.
Andrea Harper Brown and her husband, Jason Brown, (both class of 1998) live in Newnan, GA, with their one-year-old son, Jacob. Andrea is an elementary school teacher with the Carroll County Board of Education, and Jason is a department manager with Lowe’s Home Improvement.
Amy Arrowood Martin (class of 1998) is athletic director for the White County Parks and Recreation Department in Cleveland. She lives in Demorest, GA.
Cory Hallett (class of 1999) is youth pastor of RiverStone Church in Kennesaw, GA. He and his wife, Ann Marie, and their daughter live in Kennesaw.
Kenya Norton (class of 1999) is a fifth grade teacher at Welch Elementary School in Newnan, GA, where she lives.
00’s
Kris Anderson (class of 2000) is engaged to be married to Nicole Slack.
Aaron Moon (class of 2000) and his wife, Jennifer Quick Moon (attended 1998-99) own Pics by the Moon Photography in Atlanta, GA. Aaron is also employed with The Hartford Company, while Jennifer is a manager of an animal hospital. The Moons live in Sandy Springs, GA.
Jeni Wallis Turner (attended 1999-2000) and her husband, Ben Turner (attended 2000-2002) built a new house in 2007 on a wooded lot in Seven Oaks Subdivision near Winder, GA. They are members of 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville. Ben is porter supervisor at Akins Ford and has a car detailing business on the side. Jeni is office manager of ADI Marketing and working on building her own Tupperware business so she can be a stay-at-home mom when they start a family.
Rob Drake (class of 2001) married Meredith Turner in June 2008. Rob is currently the Associate Director of Recreation at Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, GA. Meredith is an elementary school music teacher. The couple lives in Bethlehem, GA.
Brandelyn Rogers Shirley (class of 2001) and her husband, Chad Shirley (class of 1999) live in Canton, GA, where Brandelyn is a lifestyle photographer with Brandelyn Lee Photography.
Daniel Stancil (class of 2001) is the owner of Daniel Stancil Photography in Canton, GA. He also serves as Executive Pastor at The Pointe Church in Canton. Daniel and his wife, Jessica Hammock Stancil, and their two children live in Canton.
Courtney Ankrum (class of 2002) is a business and computer science teacher at East Hall High School and living in Gainesville, GA.
Jordan James Cunnings (class of 2002) and her husband, John, serve as house parents for middle and high school boys at Eagle Ranch, Inc., Flowery Branch, GA.
Peter Gross (class of 2002) and his wife, Marci Kerlin Gross, announce the birth of their daughter, Sara Beth Gross. The family lives in Loganville, GA.
Stephanie Layfield (class of 2002) graduated from Medical College of Georgia in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, specializing in pediatric nursing. She lives in Marietta and is getting married on May 9, 2009, to Richard I. Welling, Jr.
David and Kristen Nowak Parker (both class of 2002) have a son, Logan, born October 1, 2007. Kristen works as a supervisor in the Foster Care and Adoptions Unit of Barrow County Department of Family and Children Services. David works as branch manager for Russell Landscaping Company in the firm’s Doraville office.
Andy Steele (class of 2002) and his wife, Shannon Bass Steele (class of 2001), live in Senoia, GA. Both have Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees from Medical College of Georgia. Andy is manager of Piedmont Fayette Hospital’s emergency department, where he has been for almost four years. Shannon is a stay-at-home mom to two-year-old Carter, and the couple is expecting their second child in mid-September—a girl! Congratulations to Andy and Shannon.
Dr. Gail Taylor (class of 2002) was named Director of Institutional Effectiveness for North Georgia Technical College on February 1, 2009. She holds an Associate in Applied Science from Truett-McConnell College, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Piedmont College and a doctorate in education from Capella University. Her duties in her current position including designing and coordinating NGTC’s efforts in institutional research, assessment and performance improvement.
Mitch Fielder (class of 2003) is an account manager with Liberty Party in Hendersonville, TN. He has been elected to serve as Vice President of Communications for the 2009-2010 year for the Tennessee Chapter of Meeting Professionals International Board of Directors and will be on the Executive Leadership Committee. In August 2005 Mitch married TMC alum Rebecca Chapman (class of 2004); the couple lives in Nashville, TN, where Rebecca is a first grade teacher with Williamson County Schools. The Fielders also own their own meeting/event planning company called Event Concepts.
Chinyelu (ChiChi) Onyeka (class of 2003) graduated on May 17, 2009, from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Georgia campus in Duluth) with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. On July 1, Dr. Onyeka will begin a three-year residency in internal medicine at a hospital in Roanoke, VA. Her first rotation in the hospital will be in the emergency room. ChiChi is married to Chu Ofodile and plans to practice medicine under her married name—Dr. Chinyelu Ofodile. Her husband, Chu, expects to complete his doctorate in mathematics from Howard University in Washington, DC, in December.
Paul Bridger (class of 2004) is a manager with State Farm Insurance in Tuscaloosa, AL. Paul graduated with his Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2009. He currently lives in Birmingham, AL.
Aaron Coalson (class of 2004) is a transporter with Floyd Medical Center in Rome, GA. He currently lives in Rockmart, GA.
John Smith and Brandi Beck Smith (both class of 2004) live in Washington, GA, where they recently started a church, which John currently serves as pastor. The Smiths are parents of two sons, Benjamin and Elijah.
Melissa Clanton (class of 2005) is a music therapist, working with Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, FL. She drives to patients’ homes, nursing centers, and hospitals and counsels them and family members. She also sings and plays her guitar at every visit to help alleviate pain and depression.
Heidi Weiss Hager (class of 2005) is a communications officer with the Virginia Tech Police Department. She and her husband, Daniel Hager, currently reside in Blacksburg, VA.
Stephen Folker (class of 2007) has been ordained to the ministry and currently pastors a church in Princeton, NC. He is planning to be married on November 7, 2009, to Jennifer Huddleston of Manhattan Beach, California. She is a recent graduate of Liberty University and teaches first grade in an elementary school in Lynchburg, VA.
Stephanie Strong (class of 2008) has been appointed by the North American Mission Board to serve in resort ministries in northeast Georgia. She will be serving from the Georgia Mountain Resort Ministries office in Cleveland, GA. While still a student at TMC, she served as a summer missionary, then interim director and then assistant director of the Georgia Mountain Resort Ministries, having served the ministry in some capacity since 2004.
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