Communication department holds gala for students, faculty

The stars will align to honor alumni, students and longtime professor and mentor Dr. Jerry Hilliard at the annual Communication Department Alumni Hall of Fame and Student Awards banquet Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Centre at Millennium Park.
In addition, the department will honor alumni Bill Fletcher, public relations, CEO of Fletcher and Rowley Consulting; Joe Biddle, journalism, sports columnist for Nashville's Tennessean; Kenny Hawkins, broadcasting, sports director with WJHL-TV; Bill Donaldson, speech, public defender for the 10th Judicial District of Tennessee; Lynn Lockrow, theatre, head of design, technology and production at Auburn University; and Mary Pat Buchanan Minor, advertising, owner of MPrints, a marketing consulting business in Simpsonville, S.C.
These stars will be inducted as the newest members of the East Tennessee State Communication Department Alumni Hall of Fame.
The event will also honor students nominated for 19 department and divisional awards including the Outstanding Student in Communication, outstanding students in theatre, public relations and advertising and the Murvin H. Perry Creative Achievement Award.

Also, for the first time, the Outstanding Student for Creative Achievement, Research and Contribution are awards being given to graduate students.
"The Alumni Hall of Fame and Student Awards banquet has been going on for many years ... since the 1970s," said Dr. Jack Mooney, professor and head of journalism and public relations divisions in the Department of Communication.
"It is a great event to have at the end of the term to honor those who deserve it. The event also brings quite a number of alumni and students together, I would encourage anyone who is an ETSU alumi to attend and see how the hard work that our students and faculty put into this event pays off," he said.

The hard work of one now-retired faculty member will be recognized, as well.
Hilliard earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Kent State University and his Ph.D. in communications from the University of Tennessee.
He was a faculty member and student publications adviser at Kent State, Middle Tennessee and North Texas State universities. Hilliard joined the ETSU faculty in 1979 and taught journalism and public relations.

"I think our guest of honor has been an incredible asset to the department," Mooney said, "not only to his fellow faculty, but especially to his students."
He also held reporting and editing positions with the Miami Herald, the Miami News, the Tampa Tribune and the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and provided public relations service for a state public health agency in Florida and a school system in Ohio.
He is also been accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.
Hilliard retired from ETSU after fall semester 2004, but continues to serve as associate editor for the Erwin Record in Erwin, Tenn.
"A number of the journalists and PR professionals who have graduated from ETSU have gone very far thanks to him ... We were sad to see him go," Mooney said.

Thanks to the use of the infamous green pen by Hilliard, students and faculty have praised his work.
"You know the old saying goes, 'Those who 'can do', 'can't teach,' but Jerry gives lie to that," said Dr. Charles Roberts, chair of the Department of Communication. "He is a 'can do' teacher."

One of Hilliard's students had nothing but great things to say about him.
"Some of my fondest memories of Dr. Hilliard are those where he was the most challenging," said Joy Fulkerson, a former student of Hilliard and coordinator of Greek Life and service programs at ETSU.
"I mean the green pen, he was always standing over my shoulder ... It was the challenging behavior with support that I remember the most. He's one of those people that weren't only a teacher but a fr-iend. I just love him."

Tickets for the banquet are $20 each, the fee for students is $10.
To attend the luncheon or for more details on the Alumni Hall of Fame and Student Awards banquet, call ETSU, Department of Communication at 439-4491.