1982-1986

To be honored at Homecoming.... Carl Cooper, Beverly Oliphant named EC's 'Alumni of the Year'

Mr. Joe Mulholland of Philadelphia, President of East Central Junior Col– lege's Alumni Association, announces that Mr. Carl Cooper and Dr. Beverly Henry Oliphant will be honored as "Alumni of the Year" at the Homecom– ing festivities scheduled for Saturday, October 19, on the College campus. Mr. Cooper was an outstanding stu– dent at East Central and has been a strong supporter of the college through the years. He is presently Senior Vice– President of Medical and Rehabilitation Services, Inc., a Rehabilitation Manage– ment Company owned by the Mississippi Methodist Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. I Coopet' was born on August 28, 1939. He is married to Louis Blount Cooper, a former classmate at East Central. Mrs. Cooper works with the Newton County School System as Public Relations Direc– tor and bookkeeper for Food Services. They reside in Decatur with their two children, Mike, age 16, and Tam, age 13 . Mr. and Mrs. Cooper give two "Doug Cooper Memorial Scholarships" to East Central each year in memory of their son. Cooper is the son of Dr. and Mrs. W.H. Cooper of Carthage. Cooper started to school in Union. He and his family moved to Carthage when he was in the third grade. He graduated from Carthage High School in 1957. He attended ECJC and graduated with honors in 1959. He received his B.A. Degree from Mississippi State Universi– ty in 1961, graduating a President' s List Scholar. After graduation from college, he taught school at Northwest Junior High School in Meridian, and Bailey Junior High School in Jackson. He went to Decatur High School in 1963 as science teacher and coach. In 1965, he was named Welfare Direc– tor of Newton County. He joined Voca– tional Rehabilitation Ser;vices as a general counselor in 1967, and served as a sheltered workshop coordinator, an area supervisor of SSDI/SSI , and later went on to become Mississippi's first Commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitation Services. In 1975, he was named as the Center Director of Weems Community Mental Health Center. In 1981, he was named by Governor William Winter as the Ex– ecutive Director of the Governor's Of– fice of Energy Assistance. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper owned and operated a retail clothing store in Newton and Decatur for several years. Cooper has had an outstanding military career. He is presently Executive Officer of the 631 st Field Artillery Brigade at Grenada. The Brigade is a

Dr. Oliphant was a member of Class of '59 Dr. Beverly Oliphant was born in 1939 near Edinburg in Leake County. She is the oldest of five children of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Henry who still live in the Edin– burg community. She enrolled in the freshman class at East Central Junior College in 1957. She graduated third in a class of 94 in May 1959. She became interested in the field of medicine while at East Central Junior College as a stu– dent of Frank E. Leatherwood, instruc– tor in biological sciences. Beverly received her BS Degree from Mississippi State University, her Master's Degree from the University of Florida and her Medical Degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Presently she is an Internal Medicine Specialist with the Foreign Service Sec– tion of the U.S. State Department Medical Unit. She is responsible for the ambassadors and their families, for in– ternational injuries and for accompany– ing the Secretary of State around the world on all tdps out of the country~ Her work has ranged from the Georgetown Massacre (Rev. Jones - People's Tem– ple) to the bombing injuries in Lebanon to foreign diplomat family practice in Washington. She is an outstanding public speaker and she uses that talent to lecture at the George Washington Medical School and to speak on medical topics in the capital area and around the world. . Mrs. Oliphant is married to Frank Oliphant of the Williston community in Leake County. He is a physicist with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. She has three children, ages 24, 16, and 14. Dr. Beverly Oliphant is·proud of East Central Junior College and is ap– preciative of the role it has played in her education and in her life. She comes back whenever she has the opportunity and visits the college and the Leather– wood family. The Alumni Association is inviting all former classmates, friends, and associates to come to the festivities of Homecoming on Saturday, October 19, and join in honoring the "Alumni of the Year".

CARL COOPER tactical command and control head– quarters, capable of controlling up to six battalions of 500 men each. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He joined the Army National Guard in Carthage in 1956, and has served in units in Philadelphia, Decatur, Newton , and Jackson . He served as Brigade Operations Offi cer in Grenada from 1980 to 1982. He was named Com– mander of the 4th Battalion, l 14th Field Artillery in 1982 and served in that posi– tion until July 1985 . Cooper has received many decorations including the Mississippi Commendation Medal from Governor William Waller in 1974. In 1981, he received the Mississippi Magnolia Medal from Governor William Winter for meritorious service rendered to the Mississippi National Guard. In 1974, he was named Decatur's "Outstanding '(oung Man." He has served on mani, state boards and ad– visory committees. He is active in boy scouting, the Mississippi Heart Associa– tion, the Athletic Booster Club of D~qltur, the MSU Alumni ~ssociation, and the East Central Jumor College Alumni Association. He is currently president of the Decatur Lions Club. Cooper is a member of the Decatur United Methodist Church. He serves on the Administrative Council and is chair– man of the Stewardship Committee. He serves on the finance committee and is a member of the church choir.

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