Awards ceremony honors staff
Robert Flood
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: News
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Each year Brookhaven honors its entire staff for their continued dedication and commitment to the success of the institution. This year the awards show was done in the comedic style of Garrison Keillor's National Public Radio show "A Prairie Home Companion."
For "An Emerald Home Companion," the Brookhaven Performance Hall stage was set with props which imitated a live radio show and helped enhance the jokes. The music was performed by Texas Legacy, a traditional country/western group made up of two Brookhaven professors, Jerry Hill and Dr. John Neal, a telecommunications engineer, Wendell Callaway, and a retired electronics technician, Roy Jones.
The ceremony was co-written by Dr. Darise Error, theater arts professor, and Sarah Ferguson, Administrator of the Year. Dr. Richard McCrary, interim president, served as the host of the event, allowing some good-natured jokes concerning his "follicle challenges."
The event, though humorous, emphasized the dedication of each staff member of Brookhaven. Awards were presented to those individuals who contributed above and beyond their normal work duties. The ceremony honored those with longevity of service while also welcoming newcomers to the Brookhaven family.
Jerry Hill, visual communications professor, was a 20-year honoree. A dedicated professor, Hill helped develop Brookhaven's Visual Communications program from its beginning.
"In the early 1970s there were no computer graphic degrees being offered," Hill said. He selected courses through a specially designed academic program and earned a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies, concentrating on computer graphics.
Hill also credits his time working at Xerox Corporation with many innovative computer engineers for helping him gain a true working knowledge of computers. Hill said he is happy when a student he has had in his courses calls to say "Jerry, guess what?" and then relates their current career.
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