Elizabethtown Community and Technical College will recognize seven alumni for exemplary service to their professions and communities by inducting them into the college’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni on Monday, Oct. 12.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in ECTC’s Regional Postsecondary Education Center (RPC) and is followed by a catered reception, courtesy of ECTC’s Culinary Arts program.
The Distinguished Alumni program, now in its 10th year, celebrates the achievements and continuing contributions of former students in their academic, professional and humanitarian endeavors.
“These distinguished alumni follow the tradition of exceptional graduates who began their higher education at ECTC and continued to grow academically and professionally, making meaningful contributions to society,” said Dr. Thelma J. White, ECTC President/CEO. “We honor them for dedication to their work and communities, and for representing the spirit of excellence at ECTC.”
Claudio Monzon of Elizabethtown, chair of the ECTC Board of Directors, said the annual recognition program also celebrates the college’s impact on the 12-county region it serves.
“For 50 years, ECTC has provided quality, affordable academic and workforce training opportunities to help the residents of its service region attain their educational and professional goals,” Monzon said. “When our students and graduates apply the skills, talents and perspectives gained at ECTC to their studies, work and volunteer activities, the impact of the college becomes even greater.”
The names and photos of this year’s honorees will join others in ECTC’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni in the first floor of the RPC building.
The 2015 Distinguished Alumni honorees are:
Kevin Dale Addington, president and owner of Addington Transportation Inc., Elizabethtown, Ky. – Addington received an associate’s degree in business from Elizabethtown Community College in 1982 and a subsequent bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky. He has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Kentucky School of Agriculture and as a Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the Year. He is a member and past president of the Rotary, board member and past chairman of Central Kentucky Community Foundation, and member of the Hardin County Library Board, Hardin Larue Community Health Clinic, Elizabethtown Police Foundation, Heritage Council, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and United Way of Central Kentucky. He and his wife, Lisa, live in Elizabethtown and have three children.

 
Jerry Lee Bewley, Supervising Engineer, Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, Tenn., – Bewley received an associate’s degree from ECC in 1968, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from University of Kentucky, where he co-authored several papers. Bewley holds three U.S. patents and is one of only five engineers in the history of Eastman Chemical Company to receive the Perley S. Wilcox Award for innovation, long-term contributions to the company and mentorship of colleagues. He also is one of only four engineering fellows in the company’s history. In his community, Bewley has served on the board of directors of the Tennessee/Virginia Scholars Initiative and was a deacon in his church. He and his wife, Gloria Jean, live in Church Hill, Tenn., and have four adult children.

 
Joy Tabor Campbell, Nurse Case Manager, USA MEDDAC Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Knox – Campbell received an Associate Degree in Nursing from ECC in 1999. Subsequently, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Kentucky University and is pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing (advanced nurse practitioner) at Eastern Kentucky University. She received the WKU Achievement Award Post RN, the Breckinridge Health Inc., Most Professional Award, Civilian of the Year Award and has received several certificates of achievement from Ireland Community Hospital, Fort Knox. In service to her community, Campbell has served as president of Hardinsburg Rotary Club, mission and advocacy chair for Breckinridge County Relay for Life, and a member of Coalition for a Change, Health Services Advisory Committee – Kentucky Technical School, Breckinridge County School Board, and others organizations. She and her husband, Tim, live in Garfield and have two adult children.

 
James William Lewis, Jr., Owner/Master Plumber, Aluminum Pipewrench Plumbing, Bardstown – Lewis received a diploma from Elizabethtown Technical College in 1995 and a subsequent associate’s degree in general studies from Jefferson Community College. He has served on the advisory committee for plumbing at ECTC and as a preacher’s steward at St. John AME Zion Church. He and his wife, Judy, live in Bardstown and have three grown children.

Donna Parrett Ricketts, DNP, Professor of Nursing, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond – Ricketts received an Associate of Science in Nursing from ECC in 1982 and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Kentucky, a Master of Science in Nursing from Eastern Kentucky University. Recently, she completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree at Northern Kentucky University. Ricketts was selected as a fellow for the Leadership Development Institute, has presented several podium and poster presentations at state and national nursing conferences and has published articles in nursing journals. She was selected to serve as an item writer for the NCLEX-RN, a national nurse exam, and trained as a site visitor for accreditation of nursing programs. She also served as a member of ACEN Evaluation Review Panel and currently is conducting research on cultural competency of nurse educators. Ricketts has given presentations on health-related topics in her local community and in Malta, where she went on a mission trip. She also has been recognized with several awards for volunteer service with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Home Meals Delivery, Habitat for Humanity and the Baptist Nurses Fellowship. She and her husband, Mark, live in Richmond and have two adult children.

 
Joella Rogers Spataro, Retired Senior Administrative Assistant, ECTC – Spataro received an Associate of Applied Science in secretarial administration with high distinction in 1979, and earned 23 hours beyond her AAS. She has served in various activities to support and enrich the ECTC community, including as vice chair of the 1993 capital campaign and on the 1997-98 presidential search committee. She also has served on self-study committees, staff council, and other committees. As senior assistant to the provost, she coordinated faculty convocations and meetings for adjunct faculty, and contributed to information gathering for the Leitchfield Substantive Change and the Five-Year Review by the college’s accrediting agency. She also designed and taught a scrapbooking class for the Center of Quality Training. For her contributions, she received the 2011 New Horizons Award of Excellence from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. She and her husband, Chuck, live in Elizabethtown.

Lisa Lee Langley Williams, Director, Kentucky Innovation Network, Elizabethtown – Williams received an Associate in Applied Science, business/banking option, from ECC in 1991 and continued to pursue professional training in banking. She graduated from the Weikel Real Estate School in 1983 and completed a Venture Capital Institute course at Emory University in 2008. She has been recognized among Outstanding Alumni of Hardin County Schools and was appointed by the governor to serve on the Kentucky Commission on Women. A graduate of Leadership Kentucky and Leadership Elizabethtown, Williams is a Workforce Investment Board member, past president of Leadership Elizabethtown Alumni, founder of Lincoln Trail Venture Group, and member of the WKU-Gordon Ford College of Business Advisory Board and Elizabethtown Rotary Club. Currently a magistrate for Hardin County Fiscal Court, she also is a past president of Hardin County Republican Women’s Club and has served on the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Heritage Council. Williams is founder of the “You Can Be Anything, Girl” event and the Sisters Investment Society. She lives in Elizabethtown and has two children.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College will recognize seven alumni for exemplary service to their professions and communities by inducting them into the college’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni on Monday, Oct. 12.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in ECTC’s Regional Postsecondary Education Center (RPC) and is followed by a catered reception, courtesy of ECTC’s Culinary Arts program.
The Distinguished Alumni program, now in its 10th year, celebrates the achievements and continuing contributions of former students in their academic, professional and humanitarian endeavors.
“These distinguished alumni follow the tradition of exceptional graduates who began their higher education at ECTC and continued to grow academically and professionally, making meaningful contributions to society,” said Dr. Thelma J. White, ECTC President/CEO. “We honor them for dedication to their work and communities, and for representing the spirit of excellence at ECTC.”
Claudio Monzon of Elizabethtown, chair of the ECTC Board of Directors, said the annual recognition program also celebrates the college’s impact on the 12-county region it serves.
“For 50 years, ECTC has provided quality, affordable academic and workforce training opportunities to help the residents of its service region attain their educational and professional goals,” Monzon said. “When our students and graduates apply the skills, talents and perspectives gained at ECTC to their studies, work and volunteer activities, the impact of the college becomes even greater.”
The names and photos of this year’s honorees will join others in ECTC’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni in the first floor of the RPC building.
The 2015 Distinguished Alumni honorees are:
Kevin Dale Addington, president and owner of Addington Transportation Inc., Elizabethtown, Ky. – Addington received an associate’s degree in business from Elizabethtown Community College in 1982 and a subsequent bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky. He has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Kentucky School of Agriculture and as a Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the Year. He is a member and past president of the Rotary, board member and past chairman of Central Kentucky Community Foundation, and member of the Hardin County Library Board, Hardin Larue Community Health Clinic, Elizabethtown Police Foundation, Heritage Council, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and United Way of Central Kentucky. He and his wife, Lisa, live in Elizabethtown and have three children.

 
Jerry Lee Bewley, Supervising Engineer, Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, Tenn., – Bewley received an associate’s degree from ECC in 1968, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from University of Kentucky, where he co-authored several papers. Bewley holds three U.S. patents and is one of only five engineers in the history of Eastman Chemical Company to receive the Perley S. Wilcox Award for innovation, long-term contributions to the company and mentorship of colleagues. He also is one of only four engineering fellows in the company’s history. In his community, Bewley has served on the board of directors of the Tennessee/Virginia Scholars Initiative and was a deacon in his church. He and his wife, Gloria Jean, live in Church Hill, Tenn., and have four adult children.

 
Joy Tabor Campbell, Nurse Case Manager, USA MEDDAC Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Knox – Campbell received an Associate Degree in Nursing from ECC in 1999. Subsequently, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Kentucky University and is pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing (advanced nurse practitioner) at Eastern Kentucky University. She received the WKU Achievement Award Post RN, the Breckinridge Health Inc., Most Professional Award, Civilian of the Year Award and has received several certificates of achievement from Ireland Community Hospital, Fort Knox. In service to her community, Campbell has served as president of Hardinsburg Rotary Club, mission and advocacy chair for Breckinridge County Relay for Life, and a member of Coalition for a Change, Health Services Advisory Committee – Kentucky Technical School, Breckinridge County School Board, and others organizations. She and her husband, Tim, live in Garfield and have two adult children.

 
James William Lewis, Jr., Owner/Master Plumber, Aluminum Pipewrench Plumbing, Bardstown – Lewis received a diploma from Elizabethtown Technical College in 1995 and a subsequent associate’s degree in general studies from Jefferson Community College. He has served on the advisory committee for plumbing at ECTC and as a preacher’s steward at St. John AME Zion Church. He and his wife, Judy, live in Bardstown and have three grown children.

Donna Parrett Ricketts, DNP, Professor of Nursing, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond – Ricketts received an Associate of Science in Nursing from ECC in 1982 and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Kentucky, a Master of Science in Nursing from Eastern Kentucky University. Recently, she completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree at Northern Kentucky University. Ricketts was selected as a fellow for the Leadership Development Institute, has presented several podium and poster presentations at state and national nursing conferences and has published articles in nursing journals. She was selected to serve as an item writer for the NCLEX-RN, a national nurse exam, and trained as a site visitor for accreditation of nursing programs. She also served as a member of ACEN Evaluation Review Panel and currently is conducting research on cultural competency of nurse educators. Ricketts has given presentations on health-related topics in her local community and in Malta, where she went on a mission trip. She also has been recognized with several awards for volunteer service with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Home Meals Delivery, Habitat for Humanity and the Baptist Nurses Fellowship. She and her husband, Mark, live in Richmond and have two adult children.

 
Joella Rogers Spataro, Retired Senior Administrative Assistant, ECTC – Spataro received an Associate of Applied Science in secretarial administration with high distinction in 1979, and earned 23 hours beyond her AAS. She has served in various activities to support and enrich the ECTC community, including as vice chair of the 1993 capital campaign and on the 1997-98 presidential search committee. She also has served on self-study committees, staff council, and other committees. As senior assistant to the provost, she coordinated faculty convocations and meetings for adjunct faculty, and contributed to information gathering for the Leitchfield Substantive Change and the Five-Year Review by the college’s accrediting agency. She also designed and taught a scrapbooking class for the Center of Quality Training. For her contributions, she received the 2011 New Horizons Award of Excellence from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. She and her husband, Chuck, live in Elizabethtown.

Lisa Lee Langley Williams, Director, Kentucky Innovation Network, Elizabethtown – Williams received an Associate in Applied Science, business/banking option, from ECC in 1991 and continued to pursue professional training in banking. She graduated from the Weikel Real Estate School in 1983 and completed a Venture Capital Institute course at Emory University in 2008. She has been recognized among Outstanding Alumni of Hardin County Schools and was appointed by the governor to serve on the Kentucky Commission on Women. A graduate of Leadership Kentucky and Leadership Elizabethtown, Williams is a Workforce Investment Board member, past president of Leadership Elizabethtown Alumni, founder of Lincoln Trail Venture Group, and member of the WKU-Gordon Ford College of Business Advisory Board and Elizabethtown Rotary Club. Currently a magistrate for Hardin County Fiscal Court, she also is a past president of Hardin County Republican Women’s Club and has served on the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Heritage Council. Williams is founder of the “You Can Be Anything, Girl” event and the Sisters Investment Society. She lives in Elizabethtown and has two children.

Traditional Japanese Dance will be perfomed by MIhoko Otsubo and Mayumi Hirakuri on Tuesday, November 3, at 12:30 p.m. in the ECTC Science Auditorium. This free event is open to the public and is sponsored by the Fine Arts Committee and the Elizabethtown Japanese School.

Mihoko Otsubo (大坪美帆子) was born in Tokyo, Japan. Since both her mother and grandmother are teachers of Japanese dance, she began to learn Japanese dance at the age of two, and gave her first performance at age 3. She studied under Kiyosaburo Saruwaka, an 8th master of Japanese dance (Saruwaka style) and was certified as a master of dancers. She performed often while she was at college. She became a manager of Kabuki Actors as well as being a Geisya (a professional dancer) and teaches others with her mother. Her hobbies include all traditional musical instruments and Nagauta (long epic traditional Japanese song). She now lives in Louisville from 2012 because of her husband, Shinji’s employment, and is the mother of two children; Hanna (10 year-old) and Hinata(3 year-old).

Mayumi Hirakuri（平栗まゆみ）was born and lives in Tokyo, Japan. Since her family’s business was teaching Japanese dance, she began to learn Japanese dance at an early age. She is the mother of Mihoko Otsubo. She was a competitive ping pong player and competed nationwide. She lived in India during her time as a student. She was devoted to teaching Japanese dance and contributed to the spread Japanese dance.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College’s auto/diesel programs continue to earn their stellar reputation among the best in Kentucky. Sixteen students in Elizabethtown Community and Technical College’s diesel program were awarded certificates for successfully completing a 30-hour online course on the development, use and benefits of biodiesel fuel. The course was offered by the Kentucky Soybean Association and funded by local farmers to teach new and upcoming advances in biodiesel fuel technology. The students had to complete the course with a score of 80 percent or better to qualify for the certificates. “There has been a lot of misinformation about biodiesel fuel in the past,” said ECTC Diesel Instructor Joe Valora. “This class helps our students to understand how diesel technology works along with the fuel. I’m very grateful to the Kentucky Soybean Association for giving my students and me the opportunity to complete this important course.”
ECTC offers Associate in Applied Science Degrees in Automotive Technology and Diesel Technology and consistently ranks high by industry experts and employers. For the past four years the program has been ranked in the top 20 auto/diesel programs in the nation by the trade publication “Tomorrow’s Technician.” For more information on this and other programs, check the website at www.elizabethtown.kctcs.edu, or call 270-769-2371. Spring semester classes begin in January.

 
Photo attached - Students receiving certificates included:
Front row left to right: Jay Ramsey, Dane Alsup, Rafael Villanueva, Brandon Curtsinger, (kneeling) Kevin Burton, Jeremy Higdon, Nick Williams, Jarrat Rodgers, Arron Miles, Jarod Miller, Kyle Stiff
Back Row: Joe Valora, Billy Gnagie, Jacob Lisby, Eli Wagner, Zach Sinclair
Not pictured: J.D. Franconia

The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring. Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install your bees.
If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.
For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu. You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts.

 
(Photo) Johnny Young (left) and April Donathan inspect a behive.

The recognition of the importance of bees to agriculture, the need to protect bees, and more people becoming interested in being a beekeeper have all created an increased need for basic beekeeping classes. ECTC Springfield Campus has partnered with the Washington, Nelson and Marion County Extension Agents and the Nelson and Washington County Beekeepers Associations to present the Tri-County Basic Beekeeping School. The class will be held at the ECTC Springfield Campus (160 Corporate Drive, Springfield) on Saturday, November 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Many potential beekeepers may be wondering “Why take the class now?” Simply put, bees are typically ordered by December and delivered in early Spring. Learning about beekeeping now enables you to decide whether or not you want to get started with your own beehive in April or May. If, after completing bee school, you make the decision to get started, you can meet the deadline for ordering bees, get your equipment ready, network with local beekeepers and be ready to install your bees.
If you want to find out about becoming an active beekeeper or are just interested in learning more about bees and what you can do to help stop bee colony loss, the Basic Beekeeping School is the first step you should take. Tammy Horn, the Kentucky State Apiarist; Dr. Thomas Webster a noted bee expert at Kentucky State University’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems; and local beekeepers will guide students through an introduction to bees and beekeeping in Kentucky, essential equipment, steps to getting started as a beekeeper, basic beehive management techniques, honey bee pests and diseases, and how to select pollinator friendly plants.
For more information contact your County Extension Agent or David.Donathan@kctcs.edu. You can preregistration for $25 until November 16 at robsmith@uky.edu. Onsite reservations the morning of the class are $30. The cost of the class includes lunch, reference materials and handouts.

 
(Photo) Johnny Young (left) and April Donathan inspect a behive.

On Friday, November 6, students from KCTCS colleges in the central and western part of the state gathered at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College for the annual Conference for Student Research. This was the first time that ECTC hosted the event, which is designed to showcase undergraduate research in science. Funding for the conference was made possible by a grant awarded to Joe Wolf by Central Kentucky Community Foundation's Kennard and Melva Peden Fund. Dr. Tiffany Evans, ECTC Provost, welcomed the group. In total, 16 student groups of 52 participants presented their scientific research in poster and oral formats.
One group of three students represented ECTC. Amanda Coffman, Pamela Tackett, and Jennifer Rowland presented their microbiological research with Joe Wolf and Cheyenne Morgan titled “A Diversity of Yeasts Harvested from Bess Beetles.” ECTC students described how they isolated and identified yeasts from the intestines of this beetle found in Kentucky. Pamela summarized the group’s findings by saying that “learning about the different species in the gut of the beetle gives us a better understanding of the roles that yeast perform in the health of the digestive tract of all animals.” The students’ research grew out of their work in BIO 205, Honors Biology, in the spring of 2015. For their efforts, the ECTC students were invited to present their work alongside four-year colleges and universities from across Kentucky at the “Posters-at-the-Capitol” event in Frankfort this coming February.

(Left to right) Amanda Coffman, Washington County; Pamela Tackett; Dr. Joe Wolf; Cheyenne Morgan; and Jennifer Rowland, Hardin County.

For students and anyone enrolled in health insurance through KYNECT:

Open Enrollment is here for health insurance plans. This is when any one can enroll or change plans. If you had Kentucky Health Cooperative insurance in 2015, you must change your insurance company and pick a new plan. The Cooperative is not offering plans in 2016. Your coverage ends December 31st. The deadline to pick a new plan is December 15th if you want to have health insurance on January 1st. If you had 2015 coverage with another insurance company, you may have been automatically reenrolled in that coverage. You do not have to keep that plan. You may find lower costs and a better plan for you. You were sent an Open Enrollment package in the mail with the next steps to follow. Remember the deadline to have coverage January 1st is December 15th. If you need help, find out where to get it by calling 1-855-4kynect (459-6328). If you currently have Medicaid or KCHIP coverage, Open Enrollment ends on December 11, 2015.