Samford University celebrated homecoming Oct. 12–13 with special events and recognitions for alumni and students.
Five graduates were recognized for their exceptional lives, outstanding careers and contributions of time and financial resources to their alma mater. Alumni of the Year awards were presented to Kerry Gossett, of Springville; James Huskey, of Washington; and MaryAnn Buffington Moon and Rickie D. Moon, both of Huntsville. Patrick Devereux, of Helena, was named Outstanding Young Alumnus.
Gossett is co-founder of Anesthesia Resources Management, Inc., in Birmingham and clinical director of anesthesia at St. Vincent’s Hospital. He earned bachelor’s degrees in nursing and anesthesia from Samford’s Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing in 1973 and 1982, respectively.
Huskey, a career diplomat with the U.S. State Department, is counselor in the Senior Foreign Service. The 1969 graduate has served in top posts in Kenya, India, Taiwan and China.
MaryAnn Moon, a 1976 graduate, teaches government and politics at Huntsville High School.
Rickie Moon is a senior systems engineer at Teledyne Solutions, Inc., in Huntsville. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Samford in 1977 and a master’s in environmental management in 1997.
The Moons, who met as Samford students, are the fifth couple to be honored as alumni of the year. They are active members of First Baptist Church, Huntsville.
Devereux is managing pharmacist and vice president of clinical operations for Family Medical Services Pharmacy in Bessemer. He earned a doctor of pharmacy degree from Samford’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy in 2005.
The late Tim Robinson, who covered the Civil Rights Movement and Watergate scandal, and Wayne Atcheson, a communications specialist who became the first director of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., were named to the department of journalism and mass communication’s Wall of Fame. Both graduated from Samford in 1964.
Robinson, a native of Walker County, covered Watergate as the U.S. District Court reporter for The Washington Post, which he joined as assistant city editor in 1969. He died in 2003.
Atcheson, the son of a preacher from Clanton, was named to the Billy Graham post in 2006 after tenures of service with University of Alabama sports information and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Graduates of the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing and its precursor diploma program at Birmingham Baptist Hospital capped a yearlong celebration of the school’s 90th anniversary. Fifty alumni were recognized as Living Legacy award recipients for their significant impact on humanity. The honorees were cited for their contributions to the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of others.
Abby Sander, of Jacksonville, Fla., was crowned homecoming queen during halftime of the Samford football game against Appalachian State University. The senior Spanish major is the daughter of Jane and Ricky Sander.
Tim Foote, a senior religion major from Gulf Shores, was named homecoming king. He is the son of Jane and Steve Foote.
They were chosen by vote of the student body.
The homecoming court also included freshmen Greta Mosteller, of Jacksonville, Fla., and Brooks Hanrahan, of Hoover; sophomores Rachel Stanback, of Columbus, Miss., and Trey Ingram, of Montgomery; juniors Mary Elizabeth Butts, of Tupelo, Miss., and Jeffrey Ferrell, of Jacksonville, Fla.; and seniors Leah Clements, of Huntsville; Cameron Collins, of Cornelius, N.C.; David Reece, of Clarksville, Tenn.; and Sarah Waller, of Gainesville, Ga.
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