Sarah Capitola McClearn Bailey was born December 16, 1921. Sarah was a 1949 graduate of WKU, earning her degree from the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. After graduation, she pursued a career in teaching. She then spent years as an elementary school...

S. Glenn Hodges was born November 23, 1943. He graduated from WKU with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1968 and participated in Alpha Kappa Psi during his time as a student. He is married to Dolores Brigatti and has two children, Shawn and Laura. Glenn has had...

Mr. Robert Derron Steenbergen was born September 11, 1969. He graduated from WKU, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993. Since his days at WKU, Mr. Steenbergen has been very involved in the community and built a successful career as the Chief Revenue Officer of...

Graduating in 1979, Sherry Rush Tabor received her Bachelor’s degree in allied health from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. She later furthered her education and received a Master’s degree from Western Kentucky University focusing on social...

“The membership of this ensemble is a mixture of students in all majors, faculty, staff and community members with an interest in choral masterworks with orchestra. The Southern Kentucky Choral Society is a member of Chorus America, the national organization which...

Stacey Rebekah Coy was a WKU senior health care administration major. Stacey was an active Hilltopper who loved her university dearly. She was a varsity cheerleader for football and men’s basketball for three seasons, serving two years as co-captain. She fulfilled...

Stephanie Dee Woodward was born in Somerset, Kentucky December 22nd, 1970. Stephanie grew up in Lancaster, Kentucky and attended Garrard County High School. Stephanie had an incredibly strong academic career, attending VAMPY here at WKU several times, and was known...

Steve R. Brown was born May 13, 1975. Steve attended WKU, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting in 1997. He then attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and earned a Master of Professional Accountancy there. As a student, Steve was a...

Susie Atlene Cavanaugh was born on September 27, 1949, as the fourth child of Nancy Martin Cavanaugh and Plomer Cavanaugh. Susie grew up in the small, rural town of Cadiz in far Western Kentucky. She attended public schools in Trigg County, before coming to WKU....

This fund was established in September of 2008 by Syed and Huma Ahsan. This action honors the memory of Mr. Ahsan’s father, Dr. Syed R. Ahsan, who made many contributions as a professor in the Geography Department at Western Kentucky University for more than thirty...

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sylvia Kersenbaum began her musical training with her mother. Soon afterward, she became a pupil of the distinguished teacher, Vincent Scaramuzza. She holds degrees in performance, pedagogy, and composition from the National...

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was established in 1913, to promote academic excellence and to provide assistance to those in needs. Their first act of service was with the founders who marched with suffragettes. Since then, the organization has become a sisterhood of...

Taylor Kay Grider was born March 18, 1999, to Tim and Tami Grider of Russell Springs,, Ky. Taylor came to WKU in 2017 as a student pursuing a major in biochemistry. While on the Hill, she quickly found her community, clicking with new friends and her sorority. She...

Ted Middleton was devoted to his family, friends, and community. To honor his memory, his daughters Marjorie Bonds and Sylvia Middleton established the Ted Middleton Scholarship Fund in 2007. The fund serves to assist deserving students who are participating in the...

John Casey Perkins was born on July 15, 1918, to Ruby Earl and Sue McGaw Perkins. A Webster County, Kentucky, native, John attended Bowling Green High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. As a student, he was a member of Bowling Green High’s winning Western Kentucky...

Dr. Thomas Alan Yungbluth was born December 12, 1934. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in 1956 and again in 1966 with a PhD from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Upon earning his PhD, Dr. Yungbluth began his career at...

Thomas E. Caudill, Jr., came to WKU as an undergraduate student. While on the Hill, Tom was active in Student Publications on the College Heights Herald and Talisman staff. He served as editor in chief of the Herald in 1975. He graduated from WKU in 1979, with a...

In 2006, the Tompkinsville High School class of 1959 got together in an effort to give back to their community. Thus, with the leadership of WKU and Tompkinsville High School alumnus Dr. Delroy Hire, the class established the Tompkinsville High School Class of 1959...

Adam Howard is a 2009 graduate of WKU. A former member of the WKU Hilltoppers basketball team, Adam is an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Courtney Lee is a 2008 graduate of WKU. Courtney is a professional...

The WKU Topper Pride Chapter of the Alumni Association strives to establish a purpose-driven network of LGBTQIA+ alumni and allies, forming a community of support and a pipeline of individuals to enhance the diversity, equity, and inclusion in volunteer roles for...

The U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Agricultural Manufacturing Company invests in their community and in the advancement of agriculture. With a company plant in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the organization has generously supported Western Kentucky University and its agriculture...

Valere Scott is a longtime friend of WKU. A native of the Southeast, Valere is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and the University of Chicago. She is a religious studies scholar with a special interest in Judaism and a deep concern for women. In 1991, when...

Virginia was born to William Thomas Hatchett and Nellie Eliza Snoddy on January 12, 1902. Virginia spent most of her life near her birthplace in Barren County, Kentucky. She married John E. Hutzler, and the couple raised two children, Beatrice and Tom. Virginia loved...

Walter B. Nalbach was born in 1910 and was a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Walter graduated from WKU in 1933 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Science. As a student, Walter was a member of the WKU “W Club.” He then went on to earn a Master of Arts...

Macie Wanella and Daisy Lavella Huddleston are the daughters of Flossie and Andrew Huddleston. Both Wanella and Lavella have been longtime residents of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Wanella was born on December 6, 1938, in Cumberland County, Kentucky. She began her long...

Dr. Warren E. Collins was born on May 10, 1921, to Vander Martin and Lillian Cecil Collins. A Kentucky native, Warren served in the US Army in World War II. After returning from service, he came to the Hill. He graduated from WKU in 1947, with a bachelor’s degree in...

W. B. Kerr was born June 9, 1894, in Monroe County. His teaching career began in a log school house in 1914, before being put on hold when he was drafted into the Army to serve in France during WWI. Upon his return to the states, the WKU and UK graduate was a...

Dr. Willard Franklin “W.F.” Chumley was born August 15, 1931, to Nell Brent Johnson and Marsh Franklin Chumney as the youngest of their seven children. A Kentucky native, W.F. attended WKU, where he studied biology. While on the Hill, he was a LY Lancaster Student...

Whitney LeGrand Ivey is a native of Warsaw, Kentucky, a small town in Northern Kentucky. Raised with seven brothers and sisters, Whitney grew up on a family farm. There she helped her family grow burley tobacco and raise sheep and cattle. In preparation for applying...

Willa Dean Tudor Noffsinger was born on May 31, 1924, to William Daniel and Susan Ollie Watkins Tudor. A Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, native, Willa graduated from Bremen High School. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from WKU in 1952. She then pursued a...