2004

....st Central celebrates 75 n c_~, In + " 1 • Former women's coach Lucille Wood inducted into NJCAA Hall of Fame.

S to the Record A observance of the Col– lege', 75th anniversary, recognition of various alumni association award rec1p1ents. record fall and :,pring enrollments, cham– pionships in basketball and golf, and an increased emphasis in t he services provided by the Workforce De\ elopment Center, were among highlights for East Central Community College over the past year. Former ECCC women's basketball coach Lucille Wood. who continues to teach physical education classes and serves as Chair– man of the Social Science, Busmess and Education D1~ ision, served as keynote ·er for the convocation, w:btch also featured rks bv ECCC President Dr. Phil A: Sutphin and for– mer presidents Dr. Eddie M. "'mtth of Decatur and Arno Ymcent of Meridian; ECCC Board of Trustees Chair– man Prentice Copeland of Philadelphia; and Gen. Den– \'er Brackeen of Union, a member of the State Board f1 r C mmw1ity and Junior A euc Hall of Fame. Brack~n was selected in 1985 and Wood was added in 1986. The Col– lege's physical education building is named in their honor. Wood was inducted into the NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in a ceremony held March 15, during the NJCAA Women's Basket– ball Championship held in Salina, Kan. In her remarks, Wood, who has served in the

EASTCENTRAL COMMUNITYCOlLEGE LucilleWood shows off some of the trophies her teams won at East Central. his views on education.

Tom·Tom, recognized at that time as one of the best junior college newspapers in the state;" Capt. Pat \V"Il– son. "who led our National Guard tmit into World War II and was one of the most loved and respected people ever associated with this college;" and Lynn Dale Fer– guson, registrar, and R. C. Roberts, academic dean, ''who came to East Central after World War II and helped set the College in motion for the post-war era. Enrollment increased and courses of study changed as \\ell''

"His philosophy of educa– tion was that the teacher was more important than the equipment. He often said, 'A good teacher can teach more sitting on the end of a log than a poor teacher with all the equip– ment in the world.' That has changed a little today, Mr. Vincent. With all the tech– nology today, the teacher is still the important instru– ment in the classroom. Mr. Vincent believed if all stu– dents made P:s. not much learning was taking place and he pU!__o • ~e names of penod of tm;.e when East Central exl)erienced some "non-productive years, ., when enrollment declined, dorm rooms were empty, and there was talk of com– bining ECCC with some other junior colleges. "Changes were needed," Wood said. ''And that's when Board of Trustees ChaiP'– man Henry B. "Bubba" Hudspeth of Louisville was instrumental in hiring Dr. Eddie M. Smith, an alum- -··- ~ ....-- ~'T-··---J..-- ~- L..-

Bar– ber, Martan Thornton. Den– ver Brackeen (first Dean of Students in the junior col- ·------------------ leges), Dr. Brad Tucker : (ser ved longest term as aca- _ _ demic dean); Dr. Shelby · - ..:.....________ "Harris. Frank Rives, Tommy Thrash . Ann Burkes, Rudolph Mayes, Joe __ Clark, 0. L. Newell, John -------- Adcock, Dr. Richard

Ethridge, Raymond and Lois McMullan, and "many others who, like them, spent most of their careers (some ----• --•:-- --- ---- ......... nn\