Piedmont President Ray Cleere, right, with the 2006 Alumni Association award winners, from left, Bill Corry, Lloyd Hunter, Arnold Meeks, Jason Smith, and Dionne Rosser-Mims.

Alumni Association names award winners

(More photos from Alumni Day)

The Piedmont College Alumni Association honored five graduates of the college during the group's annual awards luncheon held during Alumni Weekend April 7-9 in Demorest.

Dr. Dionne Rosser-Mims of Covington and Jason Smith of Buford earned the group's 2006 Pacesetter Awards, given to recent alumni who have exhibited outstanding leadership early in their careers. The Alumni Service Award went to Arnold Meeks of Cornelia. Bill Corry of Madison won the Excellence in Education Award, and Lloyd Hunter of Clayton received the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Rosser-Mims is a 1999 Piedmont graduate who earned degrees in psychology, sociology, and mathematics. She then earned a master of public administration degree and a Ph.D. in adult education from the University of Georgia. She currently works for the Fanning Institute at UGA as a leadership development specialist. In that role, she works with local government officials, community groups and other associations, providing training in program design and development. She previously worked with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, assisting county governments in Georgia to manage growth.

"I want to thank all of the faculty and the administration at Piedmont for your mentoring and longstanding involvement in my life," Rosser-Mims said. "In particular I'd like to thank Nancy Singer for nominating me and Dr. Janice Moss and Dr. Ray Cleere for your continuing support in my educational journey."

The second Pacesetter Award was presented to former Piedmont soccer coach Jason Smith by his successor, Jimmy Stephens. Smith was named conference Coach of the Year five times during his 12 years at Piedmont, and his men's and women's soccer teams won eight conference championships. He was signed last year as the head coach for the Atlanta Silverbacks in the professional United Soccer Leagues. A 1996 Piedmont graduate, Smith also earned a master's degree in public administration at the college in 2004.

"I came to Piedmont without a degree," Smith said. "I had gone to college, like a lot of young adults, just searching. I didn't know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to be. A few years later I was married with children and did not have a trade to speak of. I heard about the opening at Piedmont and came up. What was important to me was to get my degree. I did not know how I would do as a coach. They were willing to take a chance on me and gave me an opportunity. In 12 years they allowed me to really reach my full potential, and I am extremely happy with where I am in my life. It is a wonderful thing to do the thing that you love and get paid for it. But it is Piedmont that gave me a chance to enter the race, and I spread the good word about what happened to me everywhere I go."

Arnold Meeks was presented with the Alumni Service Award for his work with the Alumni Association. Meeks retired in 2000 after 22 years of teaching and coaching at Habersham Central High School. He also taught for 10 years at Banks County High School. During the past 25 years, Meeks has served as president of the Piedmont Letter Club several times and has been instrumental in the success of the annual Coach O'Neal Cave Memorial Golf Tournament.

"I've got so much to be thankful for," Meeks said. "Piedmont taught me a lot of skills that have carried me throughout my life in teaching and coaching. I have so many people to be indebted to here. So many wonderful professors, and I've got to say something about Coach Cave. He was my mentor. Like a lot of young people I needed a little guidance, maybe more than most, I guess. But he was one person who stands out in my mind as giving his best. He taught me to never look up to anybody, but never look down on anybody either."

Bill Corry took home the Excellence in Education Award for his 32-year career as a teacher, coach, and principal. Corry graduated cum laude from Piedmont in 1951 after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He earned a master's degree at Peabody College and a specialist degree from the University of Georgia. He began teaching at Conyers High School in 1952 and was a teacher and coach at Morgan County High School for nine years. During seven years of coaching football at Morgan County, Corry, who "never played a single down" led the team to four state championships. In 2005, he was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon.

In 1963, Corry left coaching to become principal at Winder-Barrow High School for three years. He returned to Morgan County as principal of Morgan County Elementary School for three years and then worked for 13 years as principal of Morgan County Middle School.

"I was lucky," Corry said. "I was fortunate to be placed in several schools with students, faculty, administration and parents who enabled me to gain the little success I had. You often hear about somebody who has done something and people say, 'He was self made.' I don't think they were. They went the extra mile, maybe, because of their background, but if they accomplished anything at all, they had a lot of help from a lot of different places. … I thank Piedmont College for what they did for me some 50-plus years ago."

The Distinguished Alumni Award went to Lloyd Hunter of Clayton. A 1950 Piedmont graduate, Hunter taught English and coached basketball at Demorest High School before serving for two years in the Army during the Korean War. Hunter then entered the funeral home business and in 1956 was elected coroner of Rabun County. One of the state's longest serving county officials, he has been re-elected 13 times since then. Hunter has served with numerous community organizations, including American Legion, Disabled American Veterans Association, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and Lions Club. Because of his outstanding service to the community, the Rabun County Commission declared Dec. 10, 2004 to be Lloyd Hunter Day.

"I am greatly honored," Hunter said. "And I owe this honor today first of all to the Lord Jesus, to Piedmont College, and my wife, Helen. This year in September it will have been 60 years since I came to Piedmont College." Hunter recalled that during Christmas 1949, he and three other students worked over the break to lay the floors in the gymnasium, which is now the Lane Student Center.  "I met my wife here, and we recently celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary," Hunter said. "Piedmont has meant much to me. When we come to the point that we can't recognize how we got here, I think we're in bad shape."

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