Class Notes

Three APSU alums celebrate high school's first victory

Thursday, Aug. 27, turned out to be a special night for three Austin Peay State University alums. That evening, Rockvale High School – the newest high school in Rutherford County – won its first football game in school history.

From left: Steve Luker ('85), Rick Rice ('88) and Dean Delk ('69)

“It was crazy," Rick Rice (’88), Rockvale’s coach, told The Daily News Journal. "(Players) were sliding on the field, turning flips, everything. As coaches, we acted like kids too. It was a total celebration. It was well deserved for Rockvale and the community."

In the late 1980s, Rice was the quarterback for the Governors football team. As an APSU student, he sometimes watched the baseball team play in the spring. There’s where he first saw a young athlete named Steve Luker (’85). A few decades later, Luker was named principal of Rockvale High School.

The two Austin Peay alums watched the team suffer through its 0-10 inaugural season. When the 2020 high school football season began, the Rockvale Rockets lost their first game to La Vergne High School. Then, on a muggy Thursday night, the team traveled to Franklin County, where they defeated the local high school 20-17.

As Luker and Rice cheered, another Rockvale fan raised his arms in celebration. Dean Delk ('69), the uncle of an assistant coach at Rockvale, suddenly felt more connected to the young team. Delk graduated from Austin Peay in 1969 and played football for the Governors. That night, three former APSU student-athletes shared in the excitement of a small town high school’s historic first victory.

Graduation Year

1960-1969
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999
2000-2009
2010-2019

Joe Winn ('63) | WWII Veteran

A World War II veteran who retired from the Navy in 1959 after 20 years of service, returned to his hometown of Clarksville and completed a degree at APSU in 1963 to become a local high school teacher, where he retired. Last December, Winn celebrated his 100th birthday.

Sandra Wilson ('68) | Deputy Commissioner, TN Dept. of Children's Services Office of Child Programs

Wilson was named deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services’ Office of Child Programs. As deputy commissioner, she is responsible for child program staff and operations in 12 regions across the state.

Steve Shia ('73) | Correctional Educator, Author

Shia, who spent 35 years as a correctional educator in Connecticut and California, recently published “Stay Out of Prison and Don’t Go to Jail ABCs,” targeting at-risk individuals.

Roy and Margerey Thompson ('75) | Authors

Dr. Roy and Margerey Thompson recently published “Progress Not Perfection–Building a Powerful Marriage While Raising Challenging Children.”

Kathy Floyd-Buggs (1978) | Director, Nashville Office of Neighborhoods

Floyd-Buggs was named director of the Office of Neighborhoods by Nashville Mayor John Cooper. She previously served as director of Office and Community Services for U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper.

Juan Smith ('78) | Head Basketball Coach, Ashbrook High School

Smith recently retired after 17 years as the girls basketball coach at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, North Carolina.

Diane Cummings Turnham ('81) | Senior Associate Athletic Director, MTSU

Cummings Turnham is senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator with Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider Athletics. This year, she is chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee for the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

Stephanie Osborn ('83) | Author

In January, Osborn published her new science fiction novel, “Mega Moth,” about a giant moth that attacks Manhattan.

Sallie Scovill ('84) | Professor, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point

Scovill was promoted to full professor of health promotion and human development at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.

Chris Traughber ('84) | Assessor of Property, Robertson County, TN

Traughber was re-elected in August as Assessor of Property for Robertson County, Tennessee.

Kizzie Jones ('86) | United Church of Christ Minister, Author

An ordained United Church of Christ minister and a board certified chaplain, Jones recently completed her trilogy of dachshund children's picture books with “A Tall Tale About Dachshunds in Costume: How MORE Dogs Came to Be.”

Greg Sullins ('86) | Wilson Bank & Trust Vice President

Sullins was named executive vice president of strategy, quality and productivity at Wilson Bank & Trust.

Tommy Walsh ('88) | Assistant Chief, Brentwood Police Department

Walsh, a former APSU baseball player, recently retired from the Brentwood Police Department as assistant chief, after almost 32 years of service.

Susan Black Steen ('91) | Writer, Main Street Media

Black Steen is a writer, photographer and a columnist for Main Street Media in Middle Tennessee.

Jeff Buchanan ('92) | Park Manager, Cedars of Lebanon State Park

Buchanan, a park service professional for 25 years with Tennessee State Parks, was named park manager at Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Wilson County. Buchanan had been manager at Long Hunter State Park in Hermitage since 2014, where he managed facilities, natural resources, historic earthworks and guest services as well as the park budget.

Dr. Jerry T. Wooten ('92) | Author, Park Manager, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

Wooten recently published his latest book, “Johnsonville: Union Supply Operations on the Tennessee River and the Battle of Johnsonville, November 4-5, 1864.” Wooten is the park manager of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville.

Latrice Westbrooks ('94) | Judge, Mississippi Court of Appeals

Westbrooks, a Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge, is seeking to become the first African American woman on the Mississippi Supreme Court. She is running for the position, which will be voted on during the November General Election.

Sherry Baker ('95) | Principal, Sango Elementary School

Baker was recently named principal of Sango Elementary School. She served as the principal of Liberty Elementary School since 2012, and she was selected as a district-level CMCSS Elementary Lead Principal in 2018. Baker led Liberty to earn the TN Reward School distinction in 2016 and 2018.

Natalie Cox ('97) | Federal Judge, District Court of Nevada

Cox was recently sworn in to a 14-year term as a federal judge on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada by Chief Bankruptcy Judge Bruce Beesley. Her appointment was made by the judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, California.

Rana Lacer ('97) | Chief Financial Officer, Park University ('97)

Lacer was named chief financial officer of Park University in Parkville, Missouri. She oversees the financial and accounting operations of the university and is responsible for all fiscal services.

Melinda Fortner ('00) | Interim Principal, Stuart Burns Elementary

Fortner was named interim principal of Stuart Burns Elementary. She previously worked as an assistant principal at Dickson County High School. Fortner has 19 years of experience as an educator with the Dickson County Board of Education.

Erin D. Hedrick ('00) | Administrator, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System K-12 Virtual Learning Option

Hedrick was administrator of the new Clarksville-Montgomery County School System K-12 Virtual Learning option. She served as principal of Sango Elementary School since 2015. Hedrick began her career in CMCSS in 2000 as a teacher and then served from 2008-2015 as an assistant principal.

Carlos D. Perez ('02) | Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad Recipient

Perez received the Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA) for his work in Frankfurt, Germany. The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) administers the SOSA award, which honors up to six individuals annually, Foreign Service officers and family members, for their exceptional volunteer efforts while posted overseas. Perez is the spouse of a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department.

Robbin Johnston ('03, '06) | Director of Instrumental Music, Clarksville High School

Johnston is the director of instrumental music at Clarksville High School, was honored with a 2019 Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation Music Teachers of Excellence Award.

Bryan Johnson ('04) | Superintendent, Hamilton County Schools

Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee, was named the Southeast Tennessee Superintendent of the Year by The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents.

Melissa Tyndall ('04, '07) | Poet, Presenter, Clute International Conference on Education

Tyndall presented at the Clute International Conference on Education (ICE) in Orlando, Florida, in December. Her presentation titled ''The Age of The Internet and Its Effect on Plagiarism and Creative Theft'' received a Best Presentation Award. In addition, Tyndall published poems in Peculiars magazine, Dark Marrow and Vamp Cat Magazine in 2019.

John Beamer ('05) | Judge, Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit

Beamer was recently appointed as judge to Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Ninth Circuit encompasses Orange and Osceola Counties.

Caroline Sawyer ('06) | Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina Beaufort

Sawyer, assistant professor of communication studies at University of South Carolina Beaufort, is the producer of a PBS South Carolina author series, “By The River.”

Dr. Melony Shemberger ('06) | Associate Professor, Murray State University

Shemberger, associate professor of journalism and mass communications at Murray State University, is serving a three-year term on the Murray State University Board of Regents. She began her service as faculty regent on July 1, 2019, after being elected by her peers.

Staci Hooker ('08) | Family Nurse Practitioner, FLH Medical, P.C. Finger Lakes Gastroenterology

Hooker joined FLH Medical, P.C. Finger Lakes Gastroenterology in Finger Lakes, New York, as a family nurse practitioner. She is board-certified in family medicine by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Lindsey Radcliffe ('08) | CEO, Morning Star Behavioral Associates

Radcliffe is CEO of Morning Star Behavioral Associates. The company works to help people with disabilities achieve and maintain independence through a radical approach to behavior science called applied behavior analysis. The staff at Morning Star focuses on listening to the needs and hopes of their clients and then coaches them in real-world skills to help them achieve their goals.

L'Oreal Stephens ('08) | Adjunct Professor, MTSU

Stephens, a lecturer in the Middle Tennessee State University Department of Communication Studies and an adjunct professor in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, received the Outstanding Teaching Award in Women's and Gender Studies. Stephens is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Memphis.

David Cockarell ('10) | Chief of Police, Clarksville Police Department

Cockarell, a 25-year veteran of the Clarksville Police Department (CPD), was named chief earlier this year. He began his new role, leading the CPD, on July 1.

Chris Rediker ('11) | Nurse Practitioner, Vanderbilt LifeFlight

Rediker is a nurse practitioner working for Vanderbilt LifeFlight in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Heather Carbajal ('13) | Executive Director, Northeast Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross

Carbajal was named executive director of the Northeast Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross in Kingsport. She previously served as the disaster program manager of the Mid-West Tennessee Chapter in Jackson.

Ashley Curtice ('13) | Deputy Health Director, Cumberland County Department of Public Health

Curtice was named deputy health director of the Cumberland County Department of Public Health. She has served Cumberland County for four years in several roles at the health department. She is also the public information officer and the agency accreditation coordinator for the department.

Rebecca Brown McCullough ('15) | Teacher, Cheatham Middle School

Brown McCullough teaches sixth grade social studies at Cheatham Middle School.

Brittney Anthony ('17) | Associate Director of Operations and Engagement, The Sycamore Institute

Anthony is associate director of operations and engagement for The Sycamore Institute, an independent, nonpartisan public policy research center for Tennessee.

Ryne Harper ('17) | MLB Pitcher, Washington Nationals

Harper is a Major League Baseball pitcher who was recently traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Washington Nationals. Harper was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2011, eventually traded to the Seattle Mariners and later signed with the Twins as a free agent in 2018.

Twana Tharpe ('17) | Manager of Regulatory Affairs, National Propane Gas Association

Tharpe, an APSU Department of Agriculture alumna, is manager of regulatory affairs at the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA).

Ashley Slay Glotta ('18) | Head Volleyball Coach, Ensworth High School

Slay Glotta, a former OVC Player of the Year, was named the new high school volleyball head coach at Ensworth School in Nashville.

Mary Katherine (Katie) Palmer ('18, '19) | Enterprise Services Project Specialist, RJ Young Company

Palmer is an enterprise services project specialist for the RJ Young Company in Nashville. She previously served as a major accounts project specialist and an inbound sales representative with the company.

Dani Boudreau ('19) | Traffic and Communications Manager, Martin & Company

Boudreau was named traffic and communications manager for Martin & Company, a full-service marketing solutions firm specializing in national automotive aftermarket brand building. She previously served in numerous communication management roles in the wedding industry, logistics and the Tennessee State Park system.

Summer Rose Davidson ('19) | Veterinarian School student, Purdue University

Davidson recently completed her first year of veterinarian school at Purdue University.