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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (March 31, 2015) — David Beamer, father of 9/11 hero Todd Beamer, will join Milligan College in recognizing 13 local leaders who have demonstrated servant leadership in their careers and community at the college’s annual Leaders in Christian Service program on Tuesday, April 7, at 11 a.m. in Milligan’s Mary B. Martin Auditorium in Seeger Chapel. The service is free and open to the public.
The Beamer family often attended the School of Ministry on Milligan’s campus when Todd was growing up. The college’s Beamer Leadership Scholars Program is named in memory of Todd, whose now-famous “Let’s roll” became a symbol of American heroism after he and other passengers tried to reclaim United Flight 93 from hijackers and divert it from their intended target, believed to be the White House or the U.S. Capitol. The plane eventually crashed into a Pennsylvania field, leaving no survivors.
“Todd Beamer epitomized servant leadership in his daily life and on that fateful day,” said Milligan President Dr. Bill Greer. “It is with great honor that Milligan welcomes his father to assist in recognizing the tremendous servant leaders in our region who are doing an outstanding job of integrating their faith with their profession.”
Now retired, keynote speaker David Beamer grew up on a dairy farm just outside of Homeworth, Ohio, and has led an illustrious career in engineering, education and management. Beamer started as an engineer at the Guided Missiles Range Division in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the 1960s. He later worked in sales and executive education at IBM before rising to administrative capacities, including corporate officer and vice president of Amdahl Corp., president of Filatek, chief operating officer of Legato Systems and executive vice president of Legato Operations for EMC Corp. Beamer currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York.
The 2015 Leaders in Christian Service honorees include:
Mary Ann Blessing, of Bristol, Tennessee, is the director of Kingsway Charities. She attends Highlands Fellowship.
Joe Carr, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, is an executive vice president at the Bank of Tennessee. He attends Fairview United Methodist Church.
Jeff Clements, of Johnson City, is a mechanical engineer at Eastman Chemical Company. He attends Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church.
Kyle Colvett, of Johnson City, is a physician at Mountain States Health Alliance. He attends Family Fellowship Church.
Stephen and Trida LaHair, of Kingsport, Tennessee, are the owners of Chef’s Pizzeria and Southern Barbeque. He attends First Baptist of Kingsport.
Ed Gibbons, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, is the owner of Watauga Insurance. He attends Central Baptist Church.
Rebecca Henderson, of Johnson City, is a consultant at Strategic Priorities Consulting. She attends First Christian Church.
Bill Lizzio, of Johnson City, is the owner of Lizzio Development Company. He attends First Christian Church.
Tim Morganstern, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, is a chiropractor at the Jonesborough Chiropractic Clinic. He attends Jonesborough United Methodist Church.
Charles Nitschke, of Kingsport, Tennessee, is the retired director of business organization at Eastman. He attends Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Kingsport.
Kathy Sanders, of Kingsport, Tennessee, is the owner of Tri-Cities Center for Cosmetic Dentistry. She attends Colonial Heights Baptist Churchin Kingsport.
Thurman Walters, of Johnson City, is a healthcare technician at James H. Quillen Veterans Administration Medical Center. He attends Friendship Baptist Church.
For more information, contact Milligan’s Institute for Servant Leadership at 423.461.8316 or visit www.milligan.edu/institute-for-servant-leadership.