In UCA’s formative years, three women were among the first nine faculty members employed by the school. To acknowledge the importance of the role of women in the history of the university, a philanthropic group has been formed to help further efforts benefiting women on this campus.

The UCA Women’s Giving Circle was formed this year as a way of honoring that history as well as providing a framework for the future. The Circle is a group of alumnae, faculty, staff and friends who have pledged to award grants to campus and community programs benefiting women.

The group celebrated its charter members with a brunch in the Little Rock home of UCA trustee Shelia Vaught, co-hosted by Melissa Courtway and Nan Snow. Trustees Kay Hinkle and Elizabeth Farris were also in attendance.

Circle members will have sole responsibility for allocating grant awards, which encourage unique learning and leadership opportunities. These grants will be determined by the members through an online grant selection process. No formal meetings will be held, but awards will be announced at an annual fall event. This not only creates new giving opportunities for women, but also establishes a bond among its members through their mutual philanthropic efforts.

To join as a founding member, women may pledge $500 annually for five
years. Those who join after this inaugural year will contribute an annual $1,000 membership fee. UCA faculty and staff may participate through a $500 annual gift (payroll deduction permitted). A junior membership of $250 annually is available for new graduates 25-35 years of age. All contributions may be set up on a monthly installment basis if desired. Credit card payments are accepted. Men may be a part of the Circle’s mission by giving honor gifts in the names of women or women’s organizations.

To become a founding member, contact Jan Davis, Director of Planned Giving at UCA at (501)-450-3740 or jdavis@uca.edu.

Of the many awards Tommie Sue Anthony has brought home, earning the University of Central Arkansas Distinguished Alumna Award has touched her heart the most.

“This is one of the nicest things that’s happened to me,” Anthony said. “This may be the greatest award I’ve ever received because this one came from my university.”

The award from UCA means more because her peers recognized her accomplishments, Anthony said. When Anthony received the call announcing the award, she was stunned.

Friends nominated Anthony, who retired in October as president of the Arkansas Advanced Initiative in Mathematics and Science, Inc., last year. The nonprofit group provides Advanced Placement training and incentives to 44 Arkansas schools this school year.

Last year, Anthony’s organization worked with 38 schools, 253 Advanced Placement teachers, 10,519 students and trained another 780 Pre-Advanced Placement teachers statewide, according to her nomination letter.

Anthony led the initiative that tripled on average the number of students scoring a three or higher on Advanced Placement English, science and mathematics exams over a six year period. The highest score students can earn on the Advanced Placement exams is a five.

As a child, Anthony could see the glow of lights from the UCA football field from her Conway home on Bruce and Mitchell streets. She took organ and piano lessons on campus. She said she “grew up in the shadow of UCA.”

“UCA seemed like an extension of home,” Anthony said.

So, it was no surprise that Anthony attended UCA and earned her bachelor’s of science in English in 1963. She earned her master’s from UCA 10 years later.

The experiences and education Anthony received at UCA gave her the foundation to succeed and kindled a passion for education that remains strong.

She was president of the Arkansas Advanced Initiative in Mathematics and Science, Inc., from 2007 to 2013. Between 1998 and 2007, Anthony served as program coordinator for the Arkansas Advanced Placement Professional Development Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She was director of the Talented and Gifted Programs for the Pulaski County Special School District from 1983 to 1998. She taught English at Jacksonville High School from 1963 to 1983.

Anthony has served on legislative committees and was the subject of the National Association for Gifted Children’s study on effective advocacy. She wrote a Pre-Advanced Placement workshop for school administrators for the College Board that has been used nationwide. She helped write rules and regulations for Arkansas’s gifted programs.

According to her nomination letter, Anthony “had great influence in gifted education and AP programming” in Arkansas.

Arkansans for Gifted & Talented Education gave her three of its highest awards between 1998 and 2008. In 2008, Anthony took home the Martha Ann Jones-Norton Award. She has been a presenter for the organization’s state conference nearly every year. The group advocates for gifted and talented education.

Anthony also worked beside lawmakers, including senators Jodie Mahony, Joyce Elliott and Jim Argue, and helped bring change that put Advanced Placement programming in every Arkansas school district.

She has served as a College Board consultant in 25 states and as an Advanced Placement national trainer. She was picked as one of 100 College Board consultants in the U.S. to work with new consultants as a mentor and evaluator.

Other awards Anthony garnered include top awards from the Southwest Region of the College Board.

Anthony has been successful because her education at UCA was top-notch, she said. The university gave her an educational foundation that is on the same level as Ivy League schools.

When Anthony first began teaching Advanced Placement in Jacksonville and was sent to her first out-of-state professional development workshop, she was nervous. The workshop was at a private girls’ school where oil paintings hung on the walls, students drove expensive cars, and teachers had degrees from prestigious universities.

Then, Anthony heard the presentations and compared what her students were writing and learning with what was presented at the workshop. She realized her own education from UCA was as good as teachers with degrees from top-tier institutions.

“I wouldn’t have had that knowledge and expertise if it hadn’t been for UCA,” Anthony said. “I’m very passionate about the university.”

Anthony also learned values at UCA that helped shape her as an educator, she said.

As a college sophomore, Anthony struggled with a mathematics course and went to talk to her teacher, Virginia Bonds, assistant professor of mathematics. Bonds told Anthony she understood Anthony’s strong suit wasn’t in math.

“Good teachers respect the strengths and weaknesses of their students, and they understand that not everyone will excel in the course they are teaching,” Bonds said.

That meeting was a pivotal moment for Anthony.

“We have to recognize and respect differences,” Anthony said. “It’s OK not to be great at everything.”

At UCA, Anthony learned teaching is a noble profession and is about the giving of yourself. She also learned from a UCA professor to strive for improvement.

After she had already earned her master’s degree, Anthony returned to UCA to take a course from English professor Ralph Behrens. Behrens was a tough teacher who demanded excellence and warned his student against becoming accustomed to mediocrity, Anthony said.

When Behrens gave Anthony a B++ on a paper, she asked him about it.

“Yes, I found one little thing,” Behrens told Anthony. “You know, no matter how good we are, we could always be better.”

He and Anthony laughed, but Anthony also realized a lesson — Arkansans sometimes sell themselves short. Students should shoot for excellence no matter what.

“We cannot accept mediocrity. We can’t say ‘We are poor; we are rural, and we can’t achieve the same as more affluent states.’”

Anthony, who turns 72 just days after the Night of Distinction gala planned for May 10, was inducted into UCA’s Half-Century Club this past October.

“The event was exciting because I saw friends I had not seen in 50 years,” Anthony said .

In the nomination letter, Anthony is described as tenacious. She “enhances the reputation of UCA,” the nomination said.

A day after she retired, Anthony said she plans to stay involved with educational issues, particularly the education of gifted students. Gov. Mike Beebe recently appointed Anthony to a three-year term on the Advisory Council for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children.

“Always make a difference — a positive difference,” Anthony said.

 

Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Cliff Hoofman, (‘68) of Enola, believes the University of Central Arkansas laid the foundation on which he has built his astounding career.

“I learned to study; I learned about the world; I really discovered myself at that school,” Hoofman said.

The university recently named Hoofman one of the 2014 Distinguished Alumni, a prestigious honor that recognizes his long and distinguished career in law, the justice system, public service, and politics. Hoofman plans to attend the Night of Distinction gala on May 10 with his wife, Debbie, and family, he said.

The Arkansas native earned his bachelor’s degree from State College of Arkansas in 1968, now UCA. It was Arkansas State Teachers College when he enrolled in 1963.  During his college time, Hoofman stayed active at UCA. He was in the Math Club, president of the Student Senate, a member and President of both Phi Lambda Chi Fraternity and the Inter-fraternity Council.  He was also a member of Royal Rooters.

He said his time at UCA had many moments where he realized how important his education from the school was. One of those moments happened when he first arrived at the college as a student. When he finally registered for the first time, reality set in for Hoofman, who had served in the U.S. Army before becoming a student.

“When I realized, while standing in front of the old, concrete bear at Old Main, I was a student — it was an emotional moment for me,” Hoofman said. “And it was more important than I knew.”

Hoofman went on to graduate with degrees in math and history.  He then earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1972. He practiced law in North Little Rock for more than 30 years. He served as a state representative from 1975 to 1982 and was in the state senate from 1983 to 2002. Hoofman was Arkansas Assistant Attorney General from 2003 to 2006. He served as a state Highway Commissioner from 2007 to 2011. In January 2011 he was appointed to the Arkansas Court of Appeals where he served through the end of 2012.

During his time as a legislator, Hoofman was Joint Budget Committee chairman and chairman of the Legislative Council. He also spent two years as the city attorney for North Little Rock, starting in 1973.

In 2012, Gov. Mike Beebe, who had served in the senate with Hoofman, appointed Hoofman to the Supreme Court. His appointment expires Dec. 31, 2014. Hoofman has served in all three branches of state government.

His awards include the Distinguished Service Award in 1975 from the Arkansas Municipal League. He is a lifetime board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Pulaski County, was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the National Surface Transportation Research Council in 1993 and served on the Commission for Arkansas’s Future from 1993 to 1996.

While an undergraduate student, Hoofman was selected as “Mr. Courtesy” and was listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

Hoofman was inducted into the Searcy Education Foundation Ninth Annual Hall of Honor in 2012. He was also inducted into Maumelle’s “Honorary Navy” for his contributions to the city.

During his 28 years as a lawmaker, Hoofman said he did what he could to support UCA. The university opened doors for him, he said. His education at the school created the foundation for his career and helped him get where he is today, Hoofman said.

UCA President Tom Courtway praised Hoofman as a leader, his service to Arkansas and his support of UCA.

“He has always been a friend of UCA and a faithful and consistent supporter of all endeavors at UCA,” Courtway said. “His life and his work show what higher education means to our state.”

Hoofman is a practical man. He is a cattle farmer, who likes to ride a mule over mountainous terrain because mules are so surefooted. When asked, he struggled to articulate how much the university means to him, but he said he never considered going to another school. It was always “ASTC for me,” he said.

When Courtway called to tell Hoofman he had been named the Distinguished Alumnus, Hoofman was so surprised that he asked Courtway to repeat himself.

“The truth is that I’m very humbled by the award,” Hoofman said. “But at the same time, I couldn’t be more honored.”

 

Dr. Joe E. Walthall (‘62) fell in love with the school that became the University of Central Arkansas while he was still a high school student. When the Magnolia native moved to Conway with his family in 1956, Walthall, a senior in high school, frequently ventured onto the college campus to watch athletic events and “girl-watch.”

When it was time for Walthall to choose a college, UCA, then known as Arkansas State Teachers College, was the obvious choice, he said. Walthall enrolled with a band scholarship in 1957 and joined the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.

“Since that time, UCA has been a big part of my life,” Walthall said. “I think this university is a great place to be.”

Walthall graduated from the college in January 1962, but his love affair with UCA never stopped, even after he left Conway.

Walthall spent two years, from 1962 to 1964, working as a technical Illustrator for Martin Marietta Corp., a California-based company building missile silos in Arkansas. He drew missile parts and had a top-level security clearance.

Also in 1962, he joined the 100th Airborne Division of the U.S. Army Reserves and went to basic training at Ft. Chaffee in Fort Smith.

After the missile project ended, Walthall joined the Arkansas Children’s Colony, now called the Human Development College, as the administrative assistant to the director from 1965 to 1967. He left that job and became the administrative assistant to the director at the Southwest Regional Diagnostic Center in Magnolia from 1967 to 1968.

He went on to further his education and earned a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 1971. While in Oklahoma, he worked as a rehabilitation counselor and helped rehabilitate young American Indians, many of whom suffered from alcohol-related problems.

When a UCA teaching position opened the same year he earned his master’s degree, Walthall jumped at the chance to move back to Conway and to UCA. He joined the university as a special education instructor in the Early Childhood and Special Education Department. Walthall stayed with UCA for 30 years.

While a professor at UCA, Walthall took a sabbatical and picked up his doctorate in special education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1975. He also began writing textbooks.

Walthall co-authored  and published “Habilitation of the Mentally Retarded Individual” with Dr. Harold Love in 1974. Three years later, the authors published another textbook, “A Handbook of Medical, Educational, and Psychological Information for Teachers of Physically Handicapped Children.”

For his service to and support of UCA, Walthall, 74, of Wooster, was awarded this year’s UCA Alumni Service Award. The award, established in 2007, goes to a person or couple who has shown dedication to the UCA Alumni Association. The award will be presented at the fourth annual Night of Distinction awards gala on May 10.

After his retirement in 1999, Walthall continued to focus on improving UCA. He joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2002 to 2008.

Walthall helped build up the Alumni Association by bridging relationships between students and alumni. He served on several alumni association committees, was president of the association board from 2003 to 2005 and helped secure the location and construction for the Crafton Alumni Pavilion.

Under his leadership, the association evolved into an interactive community that reaches out to alumni and students.

“It gives you a lot of positive feelings that the work you are doing is providing help to students and graduates,” Walthall said.

People who know Walthall say his leadership was good for the Alumni Association board. “He was a knowledgeable and steady leader,” said Mickey Prince, of Conway, who served on the association board with Walthall.

“Some people are just a good anchor for the group, and he was a good, strong leader during his term,” Prince said.

He didn’t stop with being a leader in the association. Walthall served UCA on many levels — he was on the Class of 1962 Reunion Committee, was inducted into the Half-Century Club in 2012 and started a scholarship fund that became fully endowed.

The Dr. Joe and Charlene Walthall Scholarship Fund is for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education or special education. Walthall helped incoming students choose UCA over other institutions, he reached out to alumni who lost touch with the school and he created camaraderie among the Alumni Association’s membership to develop a greater focus on improving UCA’s image.

Walthall and his wife, Charlene, who is a UCA alumna, remain active Alumni Association members. The couple, who wed in 1962 and have one son, Brooks, are sponsoring members of the Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA Purple Circle members and “general fans of the university,” Walthall said. They visit the campus once or twice a week.

“I’ve stayed active with the university for so long that it’s become a big part of my life and always will be,” Walthall said.

Walthall is proud of what the association has accomplished and sees more and more alumni who choose to remain connected and loyal to the university. Those connections can make powerful, positive changes that touch the lives of individual students and create a stronger, more educated community, he said.

“If all alumni contribute a little, great things can be accomplished,” Walthall said.

Together Alumni can create opportunities for UCA and students, he said. An endowed scholarship, for example, can make the difference in whether a student goes to college, Walthall said.

“I truly hope that the University of Central Arkansas Alumni Association will continue to instill in students a relationship that doesn’t necessarily end when they graduate, but becomes a continuing part of their lives,” Walthall said.

When John and Liz Ellis graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in the spring of 1981, giving back was not something easily accomplished by the young couple.

John had received a BS with a major in physics and a minor in math, while Liz had completed a BSE in social studies with a concentration in history and a minor in health education. They were headed to Knoxville so that John could continue his studies at the University of Tennessee.

But, they began giving and never stopped. The couple has the honor of being among the longest continuous givers in UCA’s records, which indicates they began giving annually to the UCA Fund in 1989 and never stopped.

“Frankly, I was shocked” when told of the fact, John said. “First of all because it had been that many years (it seems like just yesterday we were students at UCA) and second that someone hasn’t been continuously giving longer than us.”

The two met in college at a Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity rush party and dated throughout their college career, getting married two weeks after graduation in 1981.

John currently is the deputy chief of the Flight Test Infrastructure Division of the Missile Defense Agency, while Liz is pursuing her RN certification and is expected to graduate in May of this year.

The couple has three children, Morgaine Ellis Kim, Marshall Ellis and Ross Ellis, and while their children did not attend UCA, several of their relatives did, including John’s mother, brother and sister-in-law and two nephews along with several nieces and nephews on Liz’ side.

Neither said they made a conscious decision to begin giving, but did feel compelled to give back once they were able.

“When I was in grad school at UT, we didn’t have much money and really feel like we couldn’t afford to give anything. I felt bad about that,” John said. “We started giving regularly after graduation and getting a “real” job. What really got us started was a call from a student at UCA during one of UCA’s annual giving drives. The student was very cheerful and seemed really dedicated to the university. We talked for some time and I ended up committing to a small amount, maybe $10, but it didn’t seem so small at the time. Over time we’ve increased the amount, but I always love hearing from the UCA students when they call.”

“I was the recipient of financial aid and felt it was important to pay it forward,” Liz added. “I was the first in my family of 6 children to graduate with a 4 year degree; both of my parents never finished high school & were children of the Great Depression.

“Economic hardship often is the only reason preventing intelligent individuals from receiving an education and I hope contributing to a university scholarship fund can help other Arkansans achieve financial independence through education & career preparation.”

“I strongly believe in the value of a higher education,” John said. “And I want everyone that is capable to have a chance at it. I also believe strongly in the educational value smaller state schools like UCA provide (though UCA isn’t all that small anymore), where faculty are much more free to focus on educating and training students instead of being totally focused on research.

“My experience at larger schools is that faculty are almost completely evaluated on their research success (mainly on bringing research dollars) and almost no emphasis is given to excellence in teaching. I found the complete opposite at UCA, where faculty members seemed very dedicated to teaching, mentoring, and molding students into successful graduates. I must assume this is due to a university philosophy that does but great emphasis on teaching, while still maintaining a health research program.