Milligan honors alumni at Homecoming

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (Oct. 24, 2006) -- Milligan College will honor several alumni at its annual Celebrate Milligan Awards Dinner this Friday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. in McCormick Dining Center. The dinner is part of the college’s Homecoming weekend festivities.

John Wiggins ('61) of Plainfield, Ind., will be named the 2006 Distinguished Alumnus in recognition of a lifetime of committed Christian service and professional accomplishments. Wiggins is a 1961 graduate of Milligan and has been president of Havens Insurance Agency in Plainfield since 1976. He is a member of the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce and the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana. For the past 24 years, he has served as an elder at Plainfield Christian Church and has been a member of the Board of Trustees at Milligan College for over 20 years.

Jackie Acker ('55) of Akron, Ohio, will receive the George W. Hardin “Spirit of Milligan” Award to honor the example she has set in service to others and her alma mater. Acker is a 1955 graduate of Milligan and served over 30 years in the Ohio Public School System. She is a member of the Lakeview Christian Church in Akron, Ohio, and is a volunteer at the Canton Christian Home and Christian Children’s Home of Ohio. For the past 18 years, Acker has served on the Milligan Board of Advisors and Alumni Leadership Council. She and her husband, Dick, are faithful supporters of Milligan and participate in the Northeast Ohio Milligan Alumni Chapter.

Butch and Billie Dabney of Louisville, Ky., will be honored with the inaugural presentation of the Milligan Heritage Award. This new award recognizes those who have started and sustained a Milligan tradition for their family. Although not alumni themselves, the Dabneys’ two sons, Bob (’65) and Larry (’69), both attended Milligan and collectively sent four children to Milligan: Jerri Foote (’92), Tim (’97), Beth Ann Graybeal (’99) and Daniel (’02). The Dabneys have also encouraged and supported many Milligan students from their home church, Southeast Christian Church in Louisville.

Professional Excellence Awards will be presented to Tom Kim (’69) of Knoxville, Tenn., Cathy Barlow (’70) of Wilmington, N.C., and Tim Hartman (’82) of Pittsburgh, Pa. This award honors alumni who have excelled in their vocational field.

Kim holds an M.D. from Severance Medical School in Seoul, Korea, and practiced internal medicine in Knoxville until his recent retirement. As his practice grew, so did his awareness of the number of uninsured people living in his city. In 1993, Kim began opening his office four nights a week after regular office hours to provide free care to patients who would otherwise go untreated. He has now inspired a host of primary care physicians and specialists, 36 nurses and 54 office staff to volunteer their time to provide complimentary care in Knoxville’s Free Medical Clinic of America and at a free clinic in the coal mining town of Briceville, Tenn. Kim has been honored by the City of Knoxville and with a Special Congressional Recognition.

Barlow holds a master’s in special education from Ball State University and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from the University of Tulsa. She has taught in the public schools and held academic administrative roles at the University of Evansville, Morehead State University, and since 2000 has served as dean of the Watson School of Education at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She has guided her school through two successful NCATE accreditations, the building of a new state of the art education building, and a grant fund that averages over one million dollars per year. Her school recently received the national Christy McAuliffe Award given to only two institutions a year for their innovative work with assessment in public schools.

Hartman began his career as a freelance political cartoonist in Pittsburgh, Pa., shortly after his graduation from Milligan. He served as an art teacher and storyteller for the Carnegie Museum of Fine Arts and Natural History before beginning his acting career. His self-syndicated editorial cartoons now run throughout the state of Pennsylvania and his acting career has taken him all over the country, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and the Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C. He is currently working on the upcoming Broadway musical, A Tale of Two Cities. He has performed for the President at the White House and has made two guest appearances on Larry King Live. His collection of “stand-up comedy storytelling” for children won a 2005 Silver Parents Choice Award. Hartman also serves as worship minister at Emmanuel Christian Church, an inner-city Pittsburgh congregation.

The Athletics Hall of Fame will honor Dino Allen (’91) of Columbus, Ohio, Linda King Doan, a former coach and current professor, and the entire 1998-99 Men’s Basketball Team.

Allen, who grew up in the New York borough of the Bronx, transferred to Milligan in 1988, where he helped lead the men’s basketball team to back-to-back winning seasons and their first conference championship in 11 years. His senior year of 1990 saw the Buffs win the TVAC championship, the NAIA District 24 playoffs and NCCAA Division I “Elite Eight.” He was voted TVAC Player of the Year, NAIA All District 24 and NCCAA Division I All American first team. Allen’s career points at Milligan were 1,303, an average of 19.9 points per game. Allen is now director of produce sales for Glory Foods and an active member of Trinity Baptist Church in Columbus.

Doan came to Milligan in 1983 to coach women’s volleyball and serve on the faculty. With an overall record of 286 wins to 163 losses, Doan led her teams to eight winning seasons. Among her players were many firsts -- the first Milligan athlete named Academic All-American, volleyball’s first All-American NAIA Honorable Mention and first NAIA District Player of the Year. Doan retired from coaching in 1995 but continues as professor of human performance and exercise science.

The 1998-99 Men’s Basketball Team ended the season with a 29-5 record, the all-time most wins by a Milligan men's basketball team. They became the first men's basketball team in Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference history to be undefeated in the conference and were the #4 seed in the NAIA National Tournament. And many people will never forget the 70-foot shot made by Lance Ashby which made national news and was seen as the Play of the Day on CNN Headline News.

Being honored are Lance Ashby (’02), James Buchanan (’00), Buc Carpenter (’05), Tristan Chaffins (’99), Damond Davis (’00), Derek Dyer (’02), Caleb Gilmer (’01), Gabe Goulds (’01), Kevin Harper (’02), James Howard (’02), Nathan Jenkins (’01), Jeff Long (’00), Jeremy Russell (’00), trainer Andy Wilhorn, assistant coach Tom Fowler, and head coach Tony Wallingford, who was named TVAC Coach of the Year and became the all-time winningest basketball coach in Milligan’s history during the 1999 season.

For more information about the Celebrate Milligan Awards Dinner, call 423.461.8718 or visit http://www.milligan.edu/alumni/awards.htm.

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