Alumni News Flashes

Alums help connect children to loving families

Love Links is a foster placement and adoption agency that began its work on January of 2007, under the leadership of Joy Haithcock (’76) and a board of directors.  Haithcock and her husband Randy (’77) had a great desire to provide
a home for a needy child. About 7 years ago, they felt the time was right. They felt that God was leading them to give a child within the state’s foster system a home.
They soon welcomed a daughter into our hearts, home and lives, and say they feel blessed to have her.  Haithcock said she felt content for a while that she had done what God asked her to do. However, it was not too long before God began to prick her heart again. The couple decided to begin providing foster care for children. During the past two years, they have had several children come through their home.
To find out more about Love Links, please contact Haithcock at (336) 259-2512.

Saxophonist wailed his way into her heart

This is a story of how SWU alumnus Kelley Marcus (’90) met her husband Doug Norwine through a love of music. Doug has performed on tour with Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, Chaka Khan, Melissa Manchester and Ray Charles, but – he is known best for providing saxophone sounds for a popular television show in a record series run.

Read more in Spring 2009 Focus

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Shanon Lusk, an assistant principal at Walhalla Elementary School, was named by the Oconee County school board as the new principal of
Tamassee-Salem Elementary School in Salem, S.C.

’07

David Heilman has been promoted to director of business development at Franklin Funding. He will be
responsible for expanding the reverse-mortgage specialist’s operations into other areas of South Carolina. He has a bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University and a master’s degree in business
administration from Southern Wesleyan University.

Amanda Susan “Amy” Ray, an education graduate, submitted a research report to the Education
Resources Information Center for peer review and had it accepted.  The report examined the correlation
between HSAP scores and various measures of classroom achievement such as overall GPA, end of course scores and SAT/ACT scores of Berea High School students in the classes of 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. ERIC is an online digital library of education research and information sponsored
by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. ERIC provides ready access to education literature to support the use of educational research and information to improve practice in learning, teaching, educational decision- making and research.

’08

Danni Williams has accepted a position as general manager of Renaissance Atlanta Hotel. She received her bachelor’s degree in business management from SWU.  She began her career with Marriott in 1981 and was most recently general manager of the Renaissance Charleston Hotel Historical District in
Charleston, S.C.

WEDDINGS

'07

Nastassia Jo Lecia Gilbert and Jerans O’Ryan Rapley
were married on Oct. 25, 2008.

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Leah Sue LeCroy and Christopher Wayne Blackwell were married on Oct. 18, 2008.

Obituaries

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Betty Joe Jones Johnson, 81, of Mentone, Ala., passed away Dec. 19, 2008. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, James Johnson; daughter, Betty Sue and Dr. Claude Rickman of Clemson, S.C.; son, Fred and Susan Johnson of Rainsville, Ala.; grandchildren; and great- grandchildren. Johnson attended Southern Wesleyan University (formerly Wesleyan Methodist College) in 1945, and then married her childhood sweetheart in 1946 upon his return from Army service in WWII. In addition to her in-home responsibilities, she rendered invaluable assistance with her husband’s private accounting practice for more than 50 years. She was a leader in the auxiliary organization of the Board of Trustees of Southern Wesleyan University during the two decades in which her husband served as a trustee. She was a dedicated Red Cross volunteer at DeKalb Regional for 28 years. She served as an active member and officer of the Mentone Rhododendron Club. She was a devout Christian and life-long member of the Mentone Community Church where she served in many leadership roles.
On a church denominational
level, she served as a regional officer of the Wesleyan Women’s
Organization of the South Coastal District and delegate to the WW General Quadrennial Conventions. She served as church pianist for 60 years.  Memorials may be made to Southern Wesleyan University Chapel and Fine Arts Center, where a music practice room is to be named in her honor. It
is hoped that this lasting legacy will not only commemorate her lifetime commitment to use her God- given talents in ministry, but will also encourage aspiring young musicians to follow her example.
Condolences and memorial messages may be expressed online
at www.wilsonfhinc.com

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Nelle Holden Evans, Central, S.C., Nov. 11, 2008.

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Iris N. Kendrick, High Point, N.C., Nov. 15, 2008.

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Beulah Hunter Lee, Deltona, Fla., Dec. 7, 2008.