HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 5, 2016 – Nearly 1,600 High Point University alumni are expected to return to campus Oct. 7-9 for Alumni Weekend 2016. Among the festivities, the university will present awards to 13 outstanding alumni. These recognitions take place during the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony and Reception at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 in the R.G. Wanek Center.
Alumni Weekend is one of many events held throughout the year that attract visitors and result in a major economic boost for the city of High Point. The High Point Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the economic impact of this year’s event will be more than a quarter of a million dollars.
“We always look forward to welcoming HPU alumni back home, and this year is no different as we are expecting alumni from all over the country, who span many different generations, and take pride in the extraordinary things happening on their campus,” says Chris Dudley, senior vice president for development. “We are especially thrilled to be recognizing 13 outstanding alumni for their distinguished accomplishments and service to the university and the community, including a new category – the HPU 10 Under 10 Young Alumni Award.”
Hosted by the Alumni Association, the awards banquet will honor the following individuals:
Anne Kerr Walker, ’60, will be awarded Alumna of the Year. Walker graduated from HPU with a degree in English education and was a long-time educator in the public school system where she taught English and journalism for more than 30 years before entering the real estate industry.
She has held positions on many boards and organizations, including president of the North Carolina Association of Educators’ English Teachers and charter president of the Hillsborough Jaycettes. During her time as a teacher, she was named Outstanding Young Educator for Orange County. She was elected to the HPU Board of Trustees in 2011 and is president of the Steel Magnolias, a group of women who graduated from HPU primarily between 1955 and 1965. The group is an active part of the HPU Alumni Association and frequently hosts events on campus.
In the past seven years, Walker has devoted tremendous energy and time to High Point University in what she considers her “third career” and has pledged $1,000,000 to HPU to fund the Anne Kerr Walker Community Event Endowment Fund, which will kick off in December.
Tom Ingram, ’92, will receive the Alumni Service Award. Ingram graduated from HPU with a degree in business and economics and earned his master’s degree from Wake Forest University. He served in the military for six years and received an honorable discharge after achieving the rank of staff sergeant from the New Jersey Army National Guard in 1974.
Ingram held senior-level engineering and management positions with RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company and Morrison Knudsen Construction Management Company. From 2004-2016, Ingram worked at Wake Forest University Medical Center and served as the Director of Facilities, Planning and Construction, where he led a team that completed the Cancer Center expansion and new health care clinics in the Winston-Salem area.
Ingram has served as a visiting professor for historically black colleges and universities and has served on numerous boards and committees in the Piedmont Triad region. He served on the HPU Board of Visitors and in 2008, became a member of the HPU Board of Trustees where he serves on the Executive Committee and is chair of the Academic Affairs Committee. Ingram is also a proud member of the HPU Panther Club.
Don Haynes, ’55, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Haynes graduated magna cum laude from HPU with a Bachelor of Arts in history and religion. While at HPU, Haynes was appointed as student pastor of Oakdale Methodist Church and in 1976, received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Pfeiffer University. Haynes has served as the Western North Carolina Conference Director of Ministries and in 1993 he received the Harry Denman Award for Evangelism.
A columnist for United Methodist Reporter from 2005 to 2014, Don also published a book, “On the Threshold of Grace,” in 2010. He is currently completing a book manuscript, “Reading the Bible and Seeing It for the First Time.” For the last 17 years he has been an adjunct faculty member at Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury.
A former member of the Board of Visitors and member of the Class of 1955 Reunion Committee, Haynes has been a loyal supporter of HPU and is a lifetime member of the Board of Trustees.
The 10 Under 10 award winners were evaluated on their outstanding achievements in their field of endeavor, their demonstrated leadership and their service to HPU and their communities. The awards banquet will recognize the following:
— Patrick Budd ‘13
— Leni Fragakis ‘12
— Brittany Harris ‘11
— Brandon Holder ‘16
— Alex Nelson ‘15
— Tyler Steelman ‘14
— Stephanie Vrettakos ‘15
— Krista Wagoner, MD ‘08
— Harris Walker ‘11
— Daniel Wolff ‘06
Other events to be held during the weekend include campus tours and open houses, networking events, class reunions, service projects and student performances. To register for the weekend and for a full schedule and more details, HPU alumni may visit www.highpoint.edu/alumniweekend.