The following editorial was published in The News-Enterprise on October 7, 2014.  Congratulations, Dr. Mayhew, and thanks for all you have done for students over the past 50 years!

MAYHEW IS ECTC. Elizabethtown Community and Technical College recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and so did Dr. Linda Mayhew as the first faculty member hired at what was then Elizabethtown Community College.

For 50 years, Mayhew has been teaching math to hundreds of students.

Her dedication to her students and her school has been impressive. She is committed to the college and to her students, saying, "There’s a charge to explaining something and seeing the light bulb go on,” she said. “I believe that anybody willing to work and try can understand mathematics.”

She has set high standards from the time she walked through the school doors to now, decades later.

She doesn't make math easy, challenging her students daily. That is a sign of a good teacher who wants her students to understand that through hard work and commitment, everything remains possible.

Some may call that old-school teaching. We call it the right way to teach students.

The Central Kentucky Community Foundation recently recognized her dedication by creating a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) scholarship in her name.

Congratulations on 50 years Dr. Linda Mayhew for a job that still continues to be well done

Nine Elizabethtown Community and Technical College alumni will be recognized Monday, Oct. 20, for exemplary service to their professions and communities with induction into ECTC’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
The 7 p.m. ceremony in ECTC’s Regional Postsecondary Education Center (RPC) is open to the public. A reception catered by students in ECTC’s Culinary Arts program will follow in the RPC Atrium.
“Higher education for these distinguished alumni began on the Elizabethtown campus,” said Dr. Thelma J. White, ECTC President/CEO. “While some continued their education at other colleges or universities, others elected to enter the workforce. All have been successful and have made significant contributions to society.”
Carolyn Thomason of Leitchfield, chair of the ECTC Board of Directors, said the annual recognition program also celebrates the college’s positive impact on the 12-county region it serves.
“Elizabethtown Community and Technical College enriches, improves and transforms the lives of citizens through quality, affordable academic and workforce development programs,” Thomason said. “The college also helps transform the communities it serves by supporting critical economic development initiatives throughout the region.”
The 2014 Distinguished Alumni honorees are:

 
• Robin Ann Guess Clark – Robin Clark received an Associate in Science degree, data processing science option, from Elizabethtown Community College (ECC) in 1983. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in human resource development from the University of Louisville in 2001. Clark is the human resource and labor relations manager at Dow Corning Corporation, Elizabethtown. She and her husband, William, have two adult children.

 
• Barry Eugene Conroe – Barry Conroe attended ECC from 1975-1976. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of Kentucky in 1979 and an MBA in engineering management from the University of Dallas in 1983. Conroe is chief technology officer for xbig6.com where he provides technology, cyber and architecture consulting. Before joining zbig6.com, he held numerous leadership positions in IT, system engineering and software engineering. Conroe and his wife, Sherri, live in Sachse, Texas. They have five adult children.

• Robert B. Hutchins – Robert Hutchins attended ECC from 1964-1966, where he earned an Associate in Arts degree. He transferred to the University of Kentucky and received a Bachelor of Science degree in botany in 1968 and a Master of Science degree in agronomy in 1972. A U.S. Army veteran, he served with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam as a radio-telephone operator, receiving the Army’s Commendation for Valor and a bronze star for meritorious service. Hutchins was the LaRue County Extension 4-H agent for 30 years, where he also served as secretary for the Kentucky Association of Extension 4-H Agents. He is the Deputy Circuit Court Clerk, Kentucky Court of Justice, Hodgenville. He and his wife, Nina, reside in Buffalo. They have two adult children.

• Richard Keenus Preston – Richard Preston attended ECC from 1965-1967 and earned an Associate in Science degree. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from UK in 1969, a doctorate in physical chemistry from Yale University in 1972; and a post-doctorate from the University of California in 1973. Preston developed and taught the first computer programming class in Hardin County Schools in 1980. He helped introduce the Trajectory Surface Hopping Model to describe electronic transitions during molecular collisions, a model which still is in practice 50 years later. He also served as director of the Kentucky Corn Growers Association from 2003-2004, among other accomplishments. Preston is the owner and operator of a 2,300 acre farm in Glendale, specializing in corn, soybean and wheat. He and his wife, Alane, have two adult children.

• Mark Walton Puckett – Mark Puckett earned an Associate in Science degree from ECC in 1977, and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1980. Puckett is North America Land Borehole Geophysics Business Development manager at Schlumberger, where he develops technology-driven strategies utilizing borehole geophysics methods to safely and economically develop unconventional resources. Puckett is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), and president of GoodNews International, a short-term mission organization working with USA and overseas churches. He and his wife, Pamela Kim, reside in Houston, Texas. They have two adult children.


• Plazi Urs Ricklin – Plazi Ricklin attended ECC from 1995-1997, earning an Associate in Science degree in pre-engineering. He transferred to UK and in 1999 obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, then a Master of Science in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 2003. Ricklin is project manager at eSolar in California, where he is responsible for technology development of heliostats and for customer project execution. He has pioneered the development of small heliostats for concentrated solar thermal power and has headed teams of 20-plus people through two-year technology development projects. In 2012 Ricklin was selected as a Top 40 Under 40 by the Burbank Business Journal. Ricklin volunteers at the Huntington Library Children’s Garden, where he is involved in planting and garden maintenance. He and his wife, Belinda, reside with their son and daughter in Pasadena, Calif.

• Wanda Jean Marksbury Runner – Wanda Runner completed a CNC machinist apprentice diploma from ECC in 1997, one of the first women to graduate from this program. She co-owns Runner Machine Shop with her husband, Mike Runner, in Bloomfield, Ky., where she programs and runs milling machines and lathes, and performs all administrative duties for the shop. They have a son, Steven, who also works as a machinist.

 

• Connie Leonard Taylor – Connie Taylor attended ECC from 1984-1985, then transferred to Western Kentucky University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism in 1989. Taylor is an evening news anchor and reporter for WAVE Television in Louisville, where she covers such events, people and community issues as the Olympic Games, PGA championships, The Ryder Cup, and the Kentucky Derby, among others. She serves on the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame nominating board, and has won numerous awards, including Hardin County Schools Distinguished Alumni, Edward R. Murrow Award in Hard News, Associated Press awards, and 11 Emmy Awards. She and her husband, Kent, reside with their daughter in Louisville.

• Judy Carol Amos Wieman – Judy Amos Wieman attended ECC in 1964, then began working full-time at ECC in the Business Office. She took classes part-time and earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in secretarial administration with emphasis in business administration in 1979. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky’s 3-year College Business Management Institute, and she earned the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Certificate of Completion of Accounting and Financial Reporting by Public Colleges. Wieman served as Dean of Business Affairs at ECC from 1992 to 1999, when she accepted a position as Budget Officer at ECC. She was recipient of the 2003 KCTCS New Horizon’s Exemplary Staff Award and the 2003 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Award. She has served on the ECTC Institutional Effectiveness Committee and helped direct several KCTCS special projects. Wieman retired from ECTC in January 2009 as Associate Dean of Business Affairs, where she was responsible for financial services, budget development, and management of a $30 million budget. She currently serves on several church committees and is the Church Treasurer at Tunnel Hill Baptist Church in Elizabethtown. Wieman lives in Elizabethtown. She has two children and three grandchildren.

Each honoree’s photograph will be permanently displayed in ECTC’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni in the Regional Postsecondary Education Center on the ECTC campus.
Ninety-one distinguished graduates and former students have been recognized since ECTC’s Distinguished Alumni Recognition Program was established in 2006.

Nine Elizabethtown Community and Technical College alumni will be recognized Monday, Oct. 20, for exemplary service to their professions and communities with induction into ECTC’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
The 7 p.m. ceremony in ECTC’s Regional Postsecondary Education Center (RPC) is open to the public. A reception catered by students in ECTC’s Culinary Arts program will follow in the RPC Atrium.
“Higher education for these distinguished alumni began on the Elizabethtown campus,” said Dr. Thelma J. White, ECTC President/CEO. “While some continued their education at other colleges or universities, others elected to enter the workforce. All have been successful and have made significant contributions to society.”
Carolyn Thomason of Leitchfield, chair of the ECTC Board of Directors, said the annual recognition program also celebrates the college’s positive impact on the 12-county region it serves.
“Elizabethtown Community and Technical College enriches, improves and transforms the lives of citizens through quality, affordable academic and workforce development programs,” Thomason said. “The college also helps transform the communities it serves by supporting critical economic development initiatives throughout the region.”
The 2014 Distinguished Alumni honorees are:

 
• Robin Ann Guess Clark – Robin Clark received an Associate in Science degree, data processing science option, from Elizabethtown Community College (ECC) in 1983. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in human resource development from the University of Louisville in 2001. Clark is the human resource and labor relations manager at Dow Corning Corporation, Elizabethtown. She and her husband, William, have two adult children.

• Barry Eugene Conroe – Barry Conroe attended ECC from 1975-1976. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of Kentucky in 1979 and an MBA in engineering management from the University of Dallas in 1983. Conroe is chief technology officer for xbig6.com where he provides technology, cyber and architecture consulting. Before joining zbig6.com, he held numerous leadership positions in IT, system engineering and software engineering. Conroe and his wife, Sherri, live in Sachse, Texas. They have five adult children.

• Robert B. Hutchins – Robert Hutchins attended ECC from 1964-1966, where he earned an Associate in Arts degree. He transferred to the University of Kentucky and received a Bachelor of Science degree in botany in 1968 and a Master of Science degree in agronomy in 1972. A U.S. Army veteran, he served with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam as a radio-telephone operator, receiving the Army’s Commendation for Valor and a bronze star for meritorious service. Hutchins was the LaRue County Extension 4-H agent for 30 years, where he also served as secretary for the Kentucky Association of Extension 4-H Agents. He is the Deputy Circuit Court Clerk, Kentucky Court of Justice, Hodgenville. He and his wife, Nina, reside in Buffalo. They have two adult children.

• Richard Keenus Preston – Richard Preston attended ECC from 1965-1967 and earned an Associate in Science degree. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from UK in 1969, a doctorate in physical chemistry from Yale University in 1972; and a post-doctorate from the University of California in 1973. Preston developed and taught the first computer programming class in Hardin County Schools in 1980. He helped introduce the Trajectory Surface Hopping Model to describe electronic transitions during molecular collisions, a model which still is in practice 50 years later. He also served as director of the Kentucky Corn Growers Association from 2003-2004, among other accomplishments. Preston is the owner and operator of a 2,300 acre farm in Glendale, specializing in corn, soybean and wheat. He and his wife, Alane, have two adult children.

• Mark Walton Puckett – Mark Puckett earned an Associate in Science degree from ECC in 1977, and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1980. Puckett is North America Land Borehole Geophysics Business Development manager at Schlumberger, where he develops technology-driven strategies utilizing borehole geophysics methods to safely and economically develop unconventional resources. Puckett is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), and president of GoodNews International, a short-term mission organization working with USA and overseas churches. He and his wife, Pamela Kim, reside in Houston, Texas. They have two adult children.


• Plazi Urs Ricklin – Plazi Ricklin attended ECC from 1995-1997, earning an Associate in Science degree in pre-engineering. He transferred to UK and in 1999 obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, then a Master of Science in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 2003. Ricklin is project manager at eSolar in California, where he is responsible for technology development of heliostats and for customer project execution. He has pioneered the development of small heliostats for concentrated solar thermal power and has headed teams of 20-plus people through two-year technology development projects. In 2012 Ricklin was selected as a Top 40 Under 40 by the Burbank Business Journal. Ricklin volunteers at the Huntington Library Children’s Garden, where he is involved in planting and garden maintenance. He and his wife, Belinda, reside with their son and daughter in Pasadena, Calif.

• Wanda Jean Marksbury Runner – Wanda Runner completed a CNC machinist apprentice diploma from ECC in 1997, one of the first women to graduate from this program. She co-owns Runner Machine Shop with her husband, Mike Runner, in Bloomfield, Ky., where she programs and runs milling machines and lathes, and performs all administrative duties for the shop. They have a son, Steven, who also works as a machinist.

 

• Connie Leonard Taylor – Connie Taylor attended ECC from 1984-1985, then transferred to Western Kentucky University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism in 1989. Taylor is an evening news anchor and reporter for WAVE Television in Louisville, where she covers such events, people and community issues as the Olympic Games, PGA championships, The Ryder Cup, and the Kentucky Derby, among others. She serves on the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame nominating board, and has won numerous awards, including Hardin County Schools Distinguished Alumni, Edward R. Murrow Award in Hard News, Associated Press awards, and 11 Emmy Awards. She and her husband, Kent, reside with their daughter in Louisville.

• Judy Carol Amos Wieman – Judy Amos Wieman attended ECC in 1964, then began working full-time at ECC in the Business Office. She took classes part-time and earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in secretarial administration with emphasis in business administration in 1979. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky’s 3-year College Business Management Institute, and she earned the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Certificate of Completion of Accounting and Financial Reporting by Public Colleges. Wieman served as Dean of Business Affairs at ECC from 1992 to 1999, when she accepted a position as Budget Officer at ECC. She was recipient of the 2003 KCTCS New Horizon’s Exemplary Staff Award and the 2003 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Award. She has served on the ECTC Institutional Effectiveness Committee and helped direct several KCTCS special projects. Wieman retired from ECTC in January 2009 as Associate Dean of Business Affairs, where she was responsible for financial services, budget development, and management of a $30 million budget. She currently serves on several church committees and is the Church Treasurer at Tunnel Hill Baptist Church in Elizabethtown. Wieman lives in Elizabethtown. She has two children and three grandchildren.

Each honoree’s photograph will be permanently displayed in ECTC’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni in the Regional Postsecondary Education Center on the ECTC campus.
Ninety-one distinguished graduates and former students have been recognized since ECTC’s Distinguished Alumni Recognition Program was established in 2006.

The women and children who seek refuge from domestic violence often arrive at a shelter with little more than the clothes on their backs. Through the generosity of community groups and individuals, domestic violence shelters like SpringHaven in Elizabethtown are able to provide them with basic necessities like food, clothing and toiletries. But some needs are not so obvious.
“The nature of a shelter like SpringHaven requires that it be somewhat secluded, and a fair distance from a road,” said Jo Yates, Human Services program coordinator at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. “The kids still have to catch a bus to school, which sometimes means a long walk in the rain for them and their mothers. No one really thinks about the need for umbrellas to keep the kids warm and dry for school.”
Yates’ Human Services students recognized the need and took the initiative to lead a community service project to collect new and gently used umbrellas to donate to SpringHaven. As a result, in two weeks they amassed a colorful collection of more than 50 mostly new umbrellas to help the shelter residents stay dry through the rainy season. The shelter is at capacity, and the students collected enough umbrellas for each resident, with plenty of extras left over for future use.
“We are so grateful and impressed that the ECTC students cared enough to help us with this important, and often overlooked, need,” said Tonya Thomas, SpringHaven Director. “These umbrellas will help make our residents’ lives a little warmer, in many ways!”

Photo:
ECTC Human Services students collected more than 50 umbrellas to donate to SpringHaven Domestic Violence shelter. Pictured with some of their umbrellas, from left to right: Julie Meadows, Elizabethtown; Julie Taylor, Radcliff; Nicole Crawford, Leitchfield; Victoria List, Vine Grove; Jo Yates (Program Coordinator), Bardstown; Shyan Failauga, Elizabethtown; Brittany Stillwell, Elizabethtown