BLUEFIELD, Va. — Bluefield College’s board of trustees recognized two alumni for their contributions to the school and elected officers and new trustees during its recent annual fall meeting.
During a ceremony in Harman Chapel, the board paid tribute to alumnus Doug Hawks and his wife, Janice, for their financial support of a chapel renovation project. The Hawkses provided the funds necessary to restore the columns on the front of the chapel, and in the presence of other alumni, staff, project organizers and friends, trustees thanked the couple for their generosity.
“This is our way of expressing our appreciation to you for the contributions you made to this project,” said BC’s Ruth Blankenship, vice president for advancement, “and for all the many other ways you have helped restore this facility.”
Previous contributions from the Hawkses allowed the college to construct a new foyer addition to Harman Chapel in 2003. Their gifts to BC in 2005 helped complete wholesale renovations to the facility.
“Janice and I love this school,” said Doug Hawks, a 1957 BC graduate who formed and managed his own construction company in Monroe, Ga., “and we love this facility. It’s a pleasure to be able to give something back and to honor Dr. [Charles] Harman [former BC president for whom the chapel is named].”
During a separate ceremony, the board recognized alumnus Leroy Williams of Mechanicsville for his physical and financial contributions to a summer renovation project that restored four married-student cottages on campus. In fact, the trustees unanimously approved a resolution to name one of the cottages in honor of Williams.
Williams not only participated in the restoration work for nearly two months, but also organized more than 100 volunteers from 15 different churches to join in the effort. In addition, he solicited thousands of dollars from other donors to purchase materials for the project.
“We have never had such a volunteer and alumni-driven effort in the history of the college,” said Blankenship. “This was such an historical and transformational effort, not only in the physical work that took place, but also in the change in attitude of our alumni and friends in their efforts to make a difference for the college.”
The board also approved a resolution to name one of the cottages the Dover Baptist Association House in honor of the contributions made to the renovation effort by the members and churches of the Dover Baptist Association.
Board business for the fall also included the election of new officers and new members for the coming year. The trustees re-elected Dan Grabeel as chairman of the board. The appointment marks the sixth consecutive year the 1955 BC alumnus and Lynchburg dentist has been selected to head the group. Grabeel is a member of BC’s Sports Hall of Fame and has served as a trustee for nearly two decades.
Other officers are vice chair Julie Hull Johnson, a 1988 alumna and financial trust officer from Bluefield, and secretary Jack Marcom, a 1962 alumnus from Fredericksburg with more than 40 years of service as a minister and 30 years as a military chaplain.
The board also elected two new members to its group: Richard Norman, an alumnus and political campaign consultant from Paeonian Springs, Va., and Kenneth Russell, an attorney from Abingdon.
Chris Shoemaker is director of communications for Bluefield College.