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1950s
1955
Betty Halterman Kline reported that a piece of artwork made by her late husband, former BC Professor of Art Paul M. Kline ’53, recently sold on a vintage art website. Her family is pleased that the piece, “Standing Figure No. 2,” continues to be enjoyed.
1957
Dr. Fred Eichelman and his daughter, Carol Eichelman-Webster, organized the eighth annual Happy Trails Film and Television Festival in Salem, Va., which brings the stars of various western, science fiction, faith-based and classic films together with their fans. The festival featured a variety of panels, movie screenings, opportunities for autographs and more.
1960s
1960
James “Jim” Taylor published his memoir, The Threadbare Chronicles: A Tale of Poverty, Persistence, Dereliction and Redemption, in November 2024. It features several passages about Taylor’s experience living in the annex of North Hall, which used to be where Heritage Hall stands today.
1963
A. Conway Thorp celebrated 70 years of marriage with his wife, Mary Thorp, in August 2024. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 0.1 percent of marriages last 70 years or more.
1965
Dr. Phillip C. Stone was appointed to the Board of Directors of Sweet Briar College in Amherst, Va. Stone served as President of Sweet Briar College from 2015 to 2017, and as President of Bridgewater College from 1994-2010.
1968
Beverly Perdue Jennings established the Bev Perdue Jennings Associate Curator of American Art Endowment at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She is an accomplished watercolor artist and a longtime supporter of the VMFA.
1970s
1972
The Hon. James Clark retired after 12 years as a judge for the Alexandria Circuit Court of the 18th Circuit in Virginia.
1973
Dr. Kirk Ways was named interim Chief Medical Officer of Spruce Biosciences, Inc. in December 2024. He has been a member of the company’s board of directors since 2021.
1974
Winston Simmons and his spouse, Bette Simmons, celebrated 51 years of marriage in June 2024. Simmons is a retired Deputy Chief who served with Roanoke (Va.) Fire and EMS for 28 years.
1975
Lou B. Noel retired in 2016 after spending 26 years as Director of Prospect Research at the University of Kentucky. She worked in the field of higher education throughout the entirety of her professional career.
1978
The Reverend Dr. Florence Fraser released her memoir, Miracles from Heaven, in February 2023. The memoir, published by Trilogy Christian Publishing, Inc., features Fraser’s positive experiences at Bridgewater College and life in the surrounding area.
1980s
1980
Chris Lumsden, President and CEO of Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy, N.C., interviewed with Triad Business Journal about the hospital receiving Triad’s 2024 Best Places to Work Award. Lumsden was also named to the 2024 list of 160 Community Hospital CEOs to Know, which was published by Becker’s Hospital Review.
1982
Dawn Custalow, who teaches English language learners at William Fleming High School in Roanoke, Va., received the January 2024 Education Impact Award, presented by Blue Eagle Credit Union.
1983
John “JD” Hulvey retired from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., after serving the institution for 36 years. While he held multiple positions at JMU throughout his career, Hulvey retired as Director of Academic Resources.
1985
Kevvon Burdette has been named Chief Commercial Officer of Princeton TMX. He was most recently Head of Sales, Transportation Management at Uber Freight.
1988
James “Jim” DeLucas Jr. was selected as the Harrisonburg-Rockingham (Va.) Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Business Person of the Year in recognition of his exemplary work over the course of his 36-year career at Nielsen Builders, Inc. He was also recognized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Dinner of Champions in Harrisonburg, Va., in August 2024. DeLucas retired from Nielsen in January 2025.
Jon “Rad” Patterson was inducted into the Parry McCluer High School Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2024. He played football, basketball and tennis as a high school student. Patterson is currently a Physical Education and Health Teacher at PMHS in Buena Vista, Va.
1989
Gregory “Greg” Deeds, Master Police Officer with the Harrisonburg (Va.) Police Department, was named HPD’s new Facility K-9 Handler. He has served with the HPD for 35 years.
Anita Bush Helm published her memoir, A Leap of Faith: A Life Filled with Questionable Choices, in July 2024. The memoir shares Helms’ personal stories of navigating adversity.
Sarah LaCharité Miller and Howard Miller ’90 celebrated their 25th anniversary in
May 2024.
Melissa Holder Pumphrey retired from Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va. She served as the school’s Registrar for 32 years.
1990s
1990
Howard Miller (see Sarah LaCharité Miller ’89).
Debra Burch Spencer was named Athletic Director at Altavista Combined School in Altavista, Va., having previously served as the Assistant Athletic Director. Spencer, who was inducted into the BC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007, has taught at ACS for 34 years and coached both basketball and volleyball.
1991
Christina Strickler Haag was recognized as a 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Rockingham Educational Foundation, Inc. She is a Reading Specialist at Peak View Elementary School in Penn Laird, Va.
Chae Shim celebrated 27 years of employment at Unison in Tysons, Va. He is currently Unison’s Director of Business Development.
1992
Roland Wright Jr., who has coached baseball at Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Va., for 20 seasons, received Old Dominion University’s Bud Metheny Award in January 2025. The award recognizes individuals in the Hampton Roads region who have made significant contributions to baseball.
1993
Jarrett Hatcher has been named Executive Director of First Tee – Shenandoah Valley, a youth development organization which encourages character development in children through golf. He was most recently a history teacher at Staunton (Va.) High School. Hatcher also serves as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the BC men’s basketball program.
Lieutenant Colonel Tricia Weatherholtz Powers retired from her position as Director of the Bureau of Administrative and Support Services with the Virginia State Police. She graduated from the Virginia State Police Academy in 1994 and has served with the department since.
1996
Kristina W. Knupp Biller was recognized as a 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Rockingham Educational Foundation, Inc. She is a Technical Education Teacher at Montevideo Middle School in Penn Laird, Va.
Christopher Caldwell was recognized as Lord Botetourt High School’s Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025 and Botetourt County Public Schools’ Division Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025. Caldwell teaches instrumental music at the Virginia high school.
Charles Meek III has been named Director of Finance by the City of Suffolk, Va. He was most recently Interim Budget Director for the city.
1998
Lisa Davis was named Enderly Heights Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year. Davis has taught in the Buena Vista City Public Schools system for 24 years, and she currently teaches second grade.
1999
Owen Snyder has been named Assistant Town Manager for Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology by the Town of Leesburg, Va. He was most recently Assistant Borough Manager in Carlisle, Pa.
2000s
2000
John Javelle received the Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigator of the Year award for his work in a major federal gang investigation that resulted in 16 indictments. Javelle has served as an officer with the MPD’s Violence Reduction Unit for the past 11 years.
Katie Wilson Joerg published her book, Eliana’s Portrait, in January 2024. The children’s book, published by Page Publishing, Inc., tells the story of Eliana, an orphan who escapes an orphanage run by a witch and embarks on a life-changing journey to discover her true purpose.
2001
Jennifer Waldron Conley published her first book, Bury Me at Pamunkey, in December 2023. The book, published by VP Communications, describes the history of the church Conley attends in Orange, Va. Conley teaches history at Prospect Heights Middle School in Orange and was named the school’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.
Erica Haas Helmick and her husband, Nick Helmick, adopted their two children, Aurora and Savion, in the spring of 2023. The family resides in Lancaster, Pa.
Brandon R. Huffman was named Lead Associate at the government consulting organization Booz Allen Hamilton in February 2024. Also in 2024, Huffman mentored students in James Madison University’s College of Business for one semester and assisted them in completing a major academic project.
2002
Tiffany Weaver competed in the YouTube gameshow “Beast Games” in summer 2024. Although she did not win the $5 million grand prize, she did get engaged to her fiancée, Steven England, during the show. Weaver works in medical sales and lives in Washington.
2004
Peter Barlow works for FEMA’s Division of Public Assistance and leads an interdisciplinary team that writes and publishes new national policies that aid in resilience-building after disasters. According to Barlow, this includes policies that pay for floodproofing measures for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene and fire mitigation efforts for communities in southern California. “These proactive mitigation opportunities are game changers for the future of national disaster management,” Barlow said.
2005
Jared Chalk was appointed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to serve a four-year term on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Committee on Business Development and Marketing. He was also named to CoVa BIZ magazine’s 2024 list of Coastal Virginia’s 150 Most Influential Leaders, making this the second consecutive year that he has been selected. Chalk is the Chief Business Development Officer of Hampton Roads Alliance.
Melissa Mason Dull won a 2024 Dawbarn Education Award, which is awarded to individuals for “going above and beyond their formal job responsibilities to make a real and lasting impact in the lives of students in the public schools of Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro, Va.” She is a Music Teacher at Fort Defiance (Va.) High School and directs the school’s annual musical.
Ricky Easterling II, a professional basketball player who played for multiple German teams, was interviewed about his perspective on the 2024 Olympic basketball tournament. Easterling was inducted into the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022 for his exceptional performance in the men’s basketball and track & field programs.
Adam Mulcahy was named Principal of Riverheads Middle School for the 2024-25 school year. Mulcahy was most recently Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Riverheads High School in Augusta County, Va.
Dr. Christina Simko, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., was awarded the 2024 Nelson Bushnell, Class of 1920, Prize. This award recognizes faculty excellence in teaching and writing and is given to faculty members who are consistently recognized by colleagues and students for their exceptional teaching and mentorship.
Douglas Veal was named District Executive Minister for the Mid-Atlantic District of the Church of the Brethren. He was most recently pastor of the Wabash Church of the Brethren in Wabash, Ind.
2006
Lindsey Britt won a 2024 Dawbarn Education Award, which is awarded to individuals for “going above and beyond their formal job responsibilities to make a real and lasting impact in the lives of students in the public schools of Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro, Va.” She is a Special Education Teacher at William Perry Elementary School in Waynesboro, Va.
John Jeniec Jr. was recognized for his success in the world of offshore powerboat racing. Competing in the National APBA Bracket 400 class, Jeniec and throttleman Michael Flammia piloted the 29-foot Extreme number 443 Framed Offshore Racing boat to both National and World Championship titles during their rookie season in 2024.
Clay Michael was inducted into the Musselman High School Hall of Fame in fall 2024. Michael played five sports at the Inwood, W.Va., school: basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball and football. He continued to play basketball during his time at Bridgewater College.
2007
Dana Henderson Folks has been named Assistant Principal for Kate Collins Middle School in Waynesboro, Va. Folks was most recently a Family & Consumer Sciences Teacher at Staunton City (Va.) Schools.
Rowdy Hoover was selected as Football Coach for Central High School in Woodstock, Va. He was Assistant Coach at the school for the last 17 years.
2008
Alison C. Armentrout Crosby was recognized as a 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Rockingham Educational Foundation, Inc. She is an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher at John C. Myers Elementary School in Broadway, Va.
Gerald “Tripp” Lamb III was selected to be the Varsity Football Coach at Strasburg (Va.) High School. He has coached for the school’s football program for the last 16 years.
Ryne Powell was named as the Athletic Director at Page County (Va.) High School. Powell was most recently at Spotswood High School, where he taught economics and personal finance and served as Assistant Athletic Director.
2009
Dr. Stefanie Strosnider Basalik was named Director of Archives and Records Management for Franklin County, Pa., in November 2024. She previously served as Director of Operations and Advancement at the Montessori Academy of Chambersburg, Pa.
Caitlin “Caity” Butler adopted her daughter, Cristel Leanne Butler, in April 2024. Butler had been her daughter’s foster mother for the prior two and a half years.
Dr. Micaela Weaver was named to the Rhode Island Monthly 2024 Top Doctors list based on votes from fellow doctors in the state. She is currently a Breast Oncology Surgeon with Care New England.
Elizabeth Smith Welshonce, a Teacher and Softball Coach at King William High School, led the KWHS softball team to their first victory at the Virginia High School League State Championship. She was also named VHSL District, Region and State Coach of the Year and the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s All-Metro Coach of the Year.
2010s
2011
Christina Biddle joined the athletics staff at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., as Assistant Athletic Trainer. She previously held the same role at Appalachian State University, where she worked primarily with the Mountaineers’ baseball team, since 2015.
Darius Burrus and Jess Mullen Burrus ’13 welcomed their third child, Kayden Burrus, born in September 2024. The family resides in Broad Run, Va.
Tim Gower and his wife, Ashley Gower, welcomed their second daughter, Macie Raelynn Gower, born in March 2024.
Priscilla May-Maiden received the Joseph Hill Award for exceptional contributions to mathematics education from The Valley of Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She is an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher for Rockingham County (Va.) Public Schools.
2012
Jennifer Brogan earned a master of public administration from Virginia Tech in May 2024. She is currently the Assistant Director of Finance and Administration for Student Affairs at Virginia Tech, where she has worked for the past eight years.
Zachary “Zach” Dishman started teaching sixth and seventh grade at Lylburn Downing Middle School in Lexington, Va., for the 2024-2025 school year. He teaches U.S. history, civics and economics.
Danielle Wyand Duncan and Zackary Duncan ’12 were married in February 2024.
The couple was engaged in the Boitnott Room at BC during Homecoming 2023 and currently reside in Hagerstown, Md.
Stacey Beam Kirk started a new position as Director of Operations at CC Property Group, a real estate agency based in Waynesboro, Va. She was most recently a Senior Payroll Administrator IV at Serco.
2013
Jess Mullen Burrus (see Darius Burrus ’11)
Josh Law earned a master of business administration from Liberty University in May 2024. He plans to continue his graduate studies by pursuing a doctor of business administration.
2014
Jennifer Evans Hammer was selected as Stone Spring Elementary School’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. She currently teaches fourth grade in the Harrisonburg, Va., school.
Ronnie Thomas was named Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., in March. He was profiled in the Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg, Va.) and credited for helping the Lancers reach the NCAA tournament in 2022 and 2024.
2015
Chad Wood and his wife, Sydney Wood, welcomed their first child, Easton Wood, born in December 2024.
2016
Christopher A. Eby was recognized as a 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Rockingham Educational Foundation, Inc. He is a Physical Education Teacher at John Wayland Elementary School in Bridgewater, Va.
George “Aaron” Lavinder and Traci Sink Lavinder welcomed a baby girl, born in November 2024. The family resides in Rocky Mount, Va.
Jordan Mitchell and Alan Sites were married in June 2024.
Caleb Quinn and Christina Herbert Quinn ’18 welcomed a child, Levi Bennett Quinn, born in November 2024. The family resides in Lynchburg, Va.
2017
Jacob Thomas and Taylor Owens ’19 were married in December 2024. He works as a Lab Technician at Hershey in Stuarts Draft, Va. She is a Physical Therapist for South River Rehab and Performance in Staunton, Va.
2018
Christina Herbert Quinn (see Caleb Quinn ’16)
Haley Saunders was recognized as a 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Rockingham Educational Foundation, Inc. She is a Social Studies Teacher at Spotswood (Va.) High School.
2019
Sarah Lutz started a new position as Volunteer Coordinator at Bridgewater Retirement Community in Bridgewater, Va. She was most recently a Household Coordinator at BRC.
Taylor Owens (see Jacob Thomas ’17)
John Settle’s first book, The Virginia Continental Line in the Revolution’s Southern Campaign, was released in May 2025. Settle teaches U.S. history, civics and economics at Powhatan (Va.) Middle School.
Lindsey Talley was profiled in an article in The Central Virginian in April 2024. The article highlighted her work for Elk Hill as a Recruiting and Compliance Coordinator, a position she has held for five years.
2020s
2020
Danielle Werner Matheney was recognized as a 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Rockingham Educational Foundation, Inc. She is a Physical Education Teacher at East Rockingham (Va.) High School.
Eli Quay joined Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville in Charlottesville, Va., as Advancement Communications Coordinator in January 2025. He was most recently the Communications and Media Relations Specialist at Bridgewater College.
Gary Ramey Jr. joined Georgetown University’s 2024 coaching staff as the Running Backs Coach. He was recently the Assistant Football Coach – Offense at Bridgewater College.
Jeannette “Jenny” Searles and Nicholas Wheeler were married in September 2024. Both the bride and groom are completing the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at Mississippi State University.
2021
Jason Spaar placed first in the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame Men’s Tournament held at the Mariner’s Landing Country Club golf course in Huddleston, Va. This is his second win in this tournament, following his previous victory in 2019.
2022
Kevin Navedo was selected to coach baseball at Rocktown High School in Harrisonburg, Va. He was most recently Assistant Coach for BC’s baseball program.
2023
Sydney Brammer and Salim Solayman ’23 were married in April 2024.
Matthew Brunelli and Seth Kellar ’23 started a business together in 2023 that sells freeze-dried egg supplements for cats, which are designed to aid in cats’ diets while reducing allergens. The partners recently sold their 1,200th product.
2024
Noah Hughes was named Ferrum College’s Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach. He previously worked as an Assistant Tennis Coach at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas.
