May 12, 2009
For immediate release:

Huntingdon College
News Release

Huntingdon Class of 2009 Graduates

Montgomery, Ala.-The 135 members of the Huntingdon College Class of 2009 in traditional day classes walked across Top Stage on the Huntingdon Green Saturday, May 9, collected their diplomas, and marched into their respective futures. R. "Sid" McAnnally, partner and shareholder in the law firm Millard Cooper & Gale and president-elect of the board for Leadership Alabama, delivered the Commencement Address.

Four students graduated summa cum laude (with highest honors), achieving grade point averages of 4.0 and accumulating more than 120 hours at Huntingdon. These students, Ashley Burkett, of Kinston; Lindsay Dennis, of Foley; Ashley Neely, of Foley; and Sean Sinclair, of Mobile, were presented with the Margaret Read Scholarship Medal for their achievement. Two other students, Joseph Sewell, of Dothan, and Chanley Rainey, of Monroeville, earned perfect grade point averages and graduated with fewer than 120 hours earned at Huntingdon because of Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or transfer credit.

Emily Susan White, of Decatur, Ala., was selected to give the Class of 2009 address and was honored with the Willard D. Top Award, presented annually to the senior who exemplifies an outstanding commitment to academics and service to Huntingdon College.

Elizabeth Brogden, of Opp, was voted by her peers as the recipient of the Loyalty Award, offered annually to the graduating student who, in the opinion of the graduating class, is "the most loyal and dedicated senior."

Two faculty members were honored for their exceptional service to students and to the College. Accounting instructor Amy Beard Hulsey, of Millbrook, a member of the Huntingdon Class of 1990, was selected by the graduating seniors as "that member of the teaching faculty who, in our judgment, has done much this year toward inspiring us to nobility of purpose and integrity of character and rekindling within us a deeper desire for learning." Dr. Lisa Olenik Dorman, of Highland Home, associate professor of sports studies and physical education and director of the Staton Center for Learning Enrichment, was honored with the Winn and Gordon Chappell Academic Enrichment Award. The award, given annually, notes exceptional student engagement and student achievement in the arts and sciences. According to the description, the honoree "should play a prominent role in shaping the divergent individual paths of student learning toward established standards of excellence in the academic community." Karen Hyman, of Montgomery, a member of the Huntingdon faculty since 1980 who serves as adjunct assistant professor of German, was also honored at her last Huntingdon commencement, as she and her husband will be moving this summer.

Recognition was given, in the printed program, to those students who graduated as members of the non-disciplinary honor societies: 1.) Alpha Beta; 2.) Omicron Delta Kappa; 3.) Sigma Sigma Sigma; and 4.) Phi Eta Sigma. Alpha Beta was created by the faculty in 1950 to recognize members of the junior and senior classes for outstanding academic achievement and includes 10% of seniors with a minimum grade point average of 3.5 and 5% of juniors with a minimum grade point average of 3.75. Omicron Delta Kappa is a national leadership honor society that recognizes superior scholarship, as well. ODK membership is a mark of highest distinction and honor. Tri-Sigma was created by the Huntingdon faculty in 1925 and honors scholarship, service, and spirit, in order to recognize students whose campus life, positive influence, and scholarship achievement are especially notable. Phi Eta Sigma is the largest national honor society recognizing outstanding academic achievement during the freshman year.

Huntingdon College, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college. The College motto, "Enter to grow in wisdom; go forth to apply wisdom in service," is inscribed in stone above the front door of John Jefferson Flowers Hall. Celebrating its centennial year in Montgomery this year, the campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.