APSU announces recipients of the 38th Annual Candlelight Ball Awards
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University will host the 38th Annual Candlelight Ball at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Omni Nashville Hotel, and in preparation for this event, APSU has announced the two winners of the 2022 Candlelight Ball Awards.
The awards honor those who have significantly contributed to Austin Peay through sustained service, made a generous contribution to the University or brought recognition to APSU through their success. The honorees exemplify excellence and integrity and their accomplishments inspire others.
Dr. Cooper Beazley
The recipient of the 2021 Wendell H. Gilbert Award is Dr. Cooper Beazley. Beazley is an involved member of the Clarksville community and the Austin Peay family. He completed his undergraduate studies in 1974 at Rhodes College in Memphis. In 1977, he graduated from the University of Tennessee Medical School, also in Memphis. He then went on to complete a residency in orthopaedics at Vanderbilt University and is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Beazley’s interests are in general orthopaedics, sports medicine, and joint replacement.
Beazley is a Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance (TOA) physician. He is a member of staff at Tennova Healthcare in Clarksville and Centennial Medical Center, St. Thomas Midtown and Surgical Care Affiliates in Nashville. He was a founding member of Premier Medical Group in Clarksville. Previously, he has worked for Clarksville Orthopedic & Neurology and the Clarksville Orthopedic Clinic. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the Fellow American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Since 1986, Beazley has served as the Team Physician for Austin Peay State University. He has also supported the University through his service as a member of the APSU Foundation and his contributions to APSU athletics programs and academic scholarship funding. In 2013, Beazley was named to the APSU Athletics Hall of Fame. The following year, he received the Chancellor’s Award of Excellence in Philanthropy from the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). Outside of work, Beazley enjoys spending time with his wife, Carol, and their three sons. He is also kept busy through his local work with the Boy Scouts. He enjoys hunting and shooting recreationally, boating and working on his old cars.
Casey Jenkins
The recipient of the 2022 Spirit Award of Austin Peay Award is Casey Jenkins. Jenkins is the third generation owner of her family’s local Ford-Lincoln-Honda dealership, Jenkins & Wynne. She began working at the family business as a teenager and took on her first full-time position in 2004. In October 2011, she was a keynote speaker in the Digital Breakout Session at the Ford Grassroots Dealer Meeting in Detroit, Michigan. In that same month, she was featured in an edition of Automotive News.
Jenkins graduated from the NADA Dealer Academy in November 2012 and was vice president of her class. In 2014, she was selected to be in the Automotive News “40 Under 40” class. In October 2016, she spoke at the Digital Dealer Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the company Call Source. Jenkins also created Women At The Wheel.net, an automotive website for women, by women. She occasionally travels to speak to various organizations for women about diverse automotive topics on behalf of Women At The Wheel.net. She currently serves on the Ford Direct Board, Marketing Board and Learning Journey Board with Ford Motor Company. In addition, she is the chairperson for the Ford Dealer Advertising Board.
Jenkins is a member of the APSU Foundation Executive Board and Athletics Subcommittee. She volunteers with Clarksville Young Life and is the running coach for girls in third, fourth and fifth grade at Clarksville Academy through Girls on the Run of Middle Tennessee. She also serves on the Cougar Athletic Board for Clarksville Academy.
She is passionate about the work her family does through their foundation, Having Hope, Having Bipolar. To date, they have raised over $100,000 for Bipolar disorder awareness, specifically for brain mapping research in children to learn early detection signs. Her brother, Blake Jenkins, passed away in 2013. She believes that if their efforts can save even one life, and if they give hope to people or families who deal with Bipolar disorder, their mission will be complete.
In 2019, she was appointed by Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett to serve on the Montgomery County Sports Authority Board of Directors. In that role, she has helped to oversee the negotiations and building of the new Multi-Purpose Event Center (MPEC) in Clarksville. The project is being completed through a partnership with The Nashville Predators and APSU athletics. Once the MPEC is completed in fall 2022, the board will oversee the managing of the building, as well as revenues and budget.
Recently, Jenkins and her family also provided a transformative gift allowing APSU to re-purpose its indoor tennis facility into an indoor practice fieldhouse to benefit the more than 300 Austin Peay student-athletes. The Jenkins Family Fieldhouse provides more than 26,000 square feet of practice space.
In her spare time, Jenkins enjoys competing in Ironman Triathlons. She has completed two Full Ironman Triathlons, three Half Ironman Triathlons and countless marathons and triathlons of all distances. In 2020, she ran 2,020 miles, including 40 miles on her 40th birthday. She is married to Chas Greer. The couple has three children, Zach, 15, Chandler Kate, 12 and Jenks, 2.
Over the years, proceeds from the Candlelight Ball have supported the restoration and renovation of the Pace Alumni Center at Emerald Hill and provided financial support for the APSU Center for Teaching and Learning. The event has also funded the establishment of a scholarship endowment that continues to benefit deserving recipients.
To reserve your tickets or for questions, contact the APSU Alumni Office at 931-221-7979. For Presenting Sponsor or Table Sponsor Information, email Nikki Peterson at petersonn@apsu.edu or call 931-221-7291.
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