Three alumni honored at Berea College Summer Reunion June 9-11

Highlighting the weekend’s festivities will be the Alumni Awards Banquet on Saturday evening from 6-8 p.m., where three Berea College alumni will receive special awards.
Dr. Harry Stambaugh, a surgeon and founder of Kentucky’s first burn center, and Dr. H.H. Cheng, an agronomist and professor at Washington State University and more recently the University of Minnesota, will both receive Distinguished Alumnus Awards. William Edward White of Somerset will be honored with the Alumni Loyalty Award, which is given each year to an alumnus who has rendered outstanding service to, and demonstrated loyal interest in, Berea College.

A special 150th College Anniversary fireworks display on the Alumni Field follows the banquet at 9 p.m.

Stambaugh, a 1950 graduate of Berea, has devoted his life to providing patient care to children born with birth defects and those who have suffered traumatic injuries, specializing in the care of acute burns and reconstructive surgery. He founded Kentucky’s first burn center, the Children’s Hospital Burn Center, and served as its medical director for 30 years. Related to this work, the Paintsville native also holds a U.S. patent for the invention and application of an ultrasonic technique for characterizing skin burns. Dr. Stambaugh also served for 30 years on the faculty of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, the institution where he earned his medical degree. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve and just recently retired from the U.S. Armed Forces Military Entrance Processing Command, Medical Division. He has received awards for his professional contributions from organizations in Louisville and from the U.S. Department of Defense for Outstanding Military Service. He and his wife, Bette, are residents of Louisville.

Dr. Cheng graduated from Berea in 1956 with a B.A. degree in agriculture, then earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois. His career has encompassed teaching, research, administration, and public service in the areas of agronomy and soil science. His teaching career included 24 years at Washington State University, where he also served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School, and 13 years at the University of Minnesota, where he was professor and head of the Department of Soil Science. He has published over 130 scientific papers and has served on the editorial board of a number of scientific journals. Dr. Cheng has applied his knowledge to problems and policies nationally and internationally by participating in projects and exchanges in Africa, South America, Europe and China related to environmental and natural resource management. Retired now from teaching, Cheng continues to be active, serving as an advisor and a member of several boards related to development and education projects in agriculture throughout the world. He and his wife, Jo, reside in Roseville, Minn.

White, winner of the Kentucky Outstanding Teacher and the Principal with Principles Award, is a 1965 Berea graduate who worked as a vocational agriculture teacher, secondary and elementary principal, retiring as a school principal in 1997. For more than 20 years, White coordinated the Lake Cumberland/Pulaski County area alumni chapter meetings – several years cooking breakfast for the group in order to increase attendance. He has given talks about Berea College to the Chamber of Commerce and helped place Berea Agriculture students in co-op opportunities. He also served as a volunteer Berea College admissions associate for ten years.

Registration for the reunion will begin Friday, June 9 at 8 a.m. in the Alumni Building. Activities begin Friday afternoon with a remembrance, reminiscing and “Share Your Oral History” session. Participants also will be able to renew their wedding vows in Danforth Chapel, and enjoy a concert on the Berea College carillon by College carillonneur John Courter.

On Saturday morning, Berea President Larry Shinn and his wife, Nancy, will host a 50th Reunion Breakfast for the class of 1956, and a “Sweetheart Breakfast,” for couples who met at Berea College is scheduled for 8-10 a.m. Each class present at the reunion will attend a special class meeting and photo opportunity from 1-2 p.m., which will be followed by an ice cream social and specialized campus tours and exhibits. From 3-5 p.m., art professor Dr. Robert Boyce, ’66, will sign copies of his new book “Building a College: An Architectural History of Berea College” at the Berea College Bookstore on College Square. The weekend’s festivities will conclude with a special church service at Berea’s Union Church, with Reunion Minister Patricia Brunner, ’56, presiding.

For more information on the reunion or its activities, please contact the Alumni Relations Office at (859) 985-3105.