Marshall University Alumni Association 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

Eleven alumni and students were honored at the Alumni Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 21. The Boone County, West Virginia Club received the Alumni Club of the Year award.

The Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to NFL football player Mike Bartrum. Regarded as one of the best long snappers in the league, his skill as a tight end has made him invaluable during his 13-year career with the Chiefs, Packers and Patriots, and currently with the Eagles.

At Marshall, Bartrum was a two-year starter and three-year letterman (1989, 1991-92), earning All-Southern Conference honors as a senior, guiding Marshall to a Division I-AA national title. He and his wife, Jennifer, have a daughter, Taylor Katherine, and three sons, Cody, Zachary and Ty. They reside in Pomeroy, Ohio. See photos of Mark Bartrum at the Troy Brown Camp here!

This award is given to Marshall alumni for outstanding national achievements in their particular fields of endeavor.  

   

The Community Achievement Award was presented to Dan M. Butcher. Butcher (’81), a native of Bear Creek in Lincoln County, has had successful careers with The Washington Post and other news outlets, as well as his multi-state landscaping firm. His devotion to his roots in Lincoln County has led to a number of community projects including Friends of the Arts, a group that brings cultural events to the area, and numerous projects benefiting Lincoln County High School and local 4-H clubs.

He currently resides in Celebraton, Fla., with his wife, Kathy, and his daughter, Sophie.

This award is given to alumni for success in their fields of endeavor and personal contributions to their respective communities.

The Distinguished Service to Marshall Award was presented to Dr. Sarah N. Denman. Denman, currently Marshall’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, has been with the university in various capacities since 1975. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Marshall, and her doctorate in education from West Virginia University. She is known as one of the greatest advocates for the mission of the university and her tireless devotion to promoting Marshall throughout the country.

Denman is married to another well-known figure at Marshall, Dr. William Denman, retired professor of communications studies and past director of the Yeager Scholars Program. Their daughter, Kate, works for W.Va. Congressman Nick J. Rahall.  

The Distinguished Service to Marshall Award is given for loyal and unselfish service to Marshall, and is not limited to Marshall alumni.

The Carolyn B. Hunter Distinguished Faculty Service Award was presented to Dr. Edwina Pendarvis. Pendarvis is a professor of special education, as well as an advocate for gifted education. She served as interim executive director of the John R. Hall Center for Academic Excellence, 2005-2006, and received the Drinko Research Fellowship in 2001.

In addition to publishing numerous scholarly articles, she is also an accomplished poet. Her work has appeared in Appalachian Heritage, Appalachian Journal, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Now & Then and Wind Magazine, among others. Pendarvis received Marshall's Distinguished Faculty Service Award in 2006.

The Hunter Award was created by the MUAA for the purpose of recognizing outstanding achievements and providing incentives for continued service from faculty to the community, the university and students in their respective fields. Award nominees are evaluated on their professional service to the community and their service to the university and its students.

The recipients of the Nate Ruffin Scholarship are Jessica Nichole Slash and Kisha Latonya Joyner.

Jessica Slash is a sophomore in the College of Science with a GPA of 3.8. She is the great-niece of the first black superintendent of Cabell County Public Schools, Joseph Slash. She has been inducted to the Gamma Beta Phi National Honor Society, the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, and was recently nominated to join The National Society of Collegiate Scholars. After graduating from Marshall she hopes to continue to medical school.

Kisha Joyner is a sophomore accounting major. Originally from Baltimore, Md., her family moved to Fort Ashby, W.Va., where she was the first African American to graduate from Frankfort High.

 

 

 

Ruffin was a member of the 1970 Marshall football team, but an injury kept him from making the trip to Greenville, N.C., for Marshall’s game with East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970. He became an advocate for Black Alumni Inc. as well as the university until his death in 2001.

Two Nancy Pelphrey Herd Village Scholarships were awarded to deserving students.

Robyn Helton of Huntington is captain of the Marshall cheerleading squad. As a theater major, she has been involved in a number of productions, including roles in several independent films and commercials, and is a member of the stage crew for the Theater Department. In addition to working part-time, she has found time for a number of volunteer activities such as the Big Brother/Big Sister Program, the Lion’s Club and the Ronald McDonald House.

 

Christopher McDerment, a native of Hurricane, is a member of the Marching Band. A music education major, McDerment also has performed with the Wind Symphony, the Symphonic Band and the Perpetual Motion Saxophone Quartet. He also volunteers to help raise money for breast cancer research.

This scholarship was established in 1998 by the MUAA board of directors, in honor of Nancy Pelphrey, Herd Village coordinator. Funds from the scholarship come from proceeds from Herd Village.  

 

The Cam Henderson Scholarship Award went Huntington native Andrew Blain. Blain, a graduate of Spring Valley High School, is a member of the Marshall baseball team where he is known as the Herd's most dependable lefthander out of the bullpen. He earned Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll academic honors.

Blain works as an academic tutor with the Student Athlete program and is a member of Campus Crusade for Christ and Golden Key Honor Societies.

The Cam Henderson Scholarship was established by the Alumni Association in the name of legendary football and basketball coach Cam Henderson. It is given yearly to the student athlete who best exemplifies the spirit of scholarship while participating in athletics.

The Boone County Friends of Marshall Club was chosen as the Alumni Association Club of the Year. Under the leadership of President Chris Howard, the club hosted numerous receptions, game watching parties and other social functions throughout the year for the purpose of attracting new members and potential Marshall students. A total of 15 new members were added to the roster last year.

The Young Alumni Award was presented to Matthew G. White of Huntington. White has been with ZBA Financial Group for three years, and helped create Carsignment, an innovative Internet Company, in 2006. He is involved with a number of business groups, including the Young Professionals Committee. Here he steer-heads the Lunch Program, a link with Marshall's College of Business where they educate students on local business culture.

While at Marshall on a baseball scholarship, he broke a team record for games played in a career, 184. White and his wife, Katrina, are expecting a baby girl in June.

The criteria for the Young Alumni Award is that the person must be 35 years old or younger; an active member of the Alumni Association; show outstanding achievement in their field of endeavor; have a personal commitment to their community; and demonstrate service to the Marshall University and its students.

The MUAA Board Member of the Year was announced at the MUAA board meeting and recognized at the awards banquet.

The MUAA Board Member of the Year is Chris Howard, BA’95, MA’97. Howard, who went on to earn his law degree from Capital University, is with the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office in the Workers Compensation Division. Under his leadership, the Boone County Friends of Marshall Club has become one of the most successful alumni clubs. He also works tirelessly for the alumni board on various committees.
         
He and his wife, Michelle, have two children, Greg, 4, and Katie, 2.

The Board Member of the Year must be successful in promoting the association’s vision statement among students, alumni and friends; promote the association’s core values; and work to move the association to the next level by bringing in new ideas.