Alumni News
Tommy Gift ’97 is Junior Breakfast speaker
1997 KCD graduate Tommy Gift was this year’s alumni speaker at the annual Junior Breakfast.
Mr. Gift challenged the class of 2011 not to sit on the sidelines, but to take the lead in making a difference in their community. Other alumni guests at the breakfast included Alex Gift ’00, Jackson Andrews ’00, and Cordt Huneke ’01, who were recently recognized, along with Mr. Gift and Charlie Farnsley '00, as Louisville’s Young Philanthropists of the Year.
The Junior Breakfast also provides an opportunity to recognize our alumni legacies: alumni who are parents of members of the junior class. This year’s alumni legacies include Neale Bennett '79 and Chase Bennett ’11; Mark Blieden '78 and Joanna Blieden ’11; John Crockett '82 and Sam Crockett ’11; Margaret Johnson Dry '83 and Meagan Dry ’11; Lisa Brendel Ewen '82 and Katie Ewen ’11; Rudy Gernert '76 and Lyle Gernert ‘11, Carson Gernert ’11, and Layne Gernert ’11; James Giesel '78 and Margaret Giesel ’11 and David Giesel ’11; Albert Leggett '77 and Russell Leggett ’11; Carrie Birkhead Scharf '82 and Gillian Scharf ’11; Anne Tway Smith '79 and Will Smith ’11 and David Smith ’11; Tony Weber '77 and Samantha Weber ’11; and Patty Dabney West '74 and Caroline West ’11.
Bill Beam Jr. 1976 receives athletics honor
On Friday, February 19 KCD officially named the athletics hallway the William T. Beam Jr. Hall of Fame Hallway.
Affectionately known as “Bill,” Mr. Beam has made major contributions to KCD athletics throughout the years. A 1976 KCD graduate, Mr. Beam heads the Bearcat Hall of Fame and the Royal Bearcat Society, which honor outstanding athletes from KCD and its predecessor schools. He is also the creator of The Bearcat Shield, a comprehensive archive of KCD Bearcat athletics established in 2005. The Shield provides detailed records and information on every sport at KCD.
Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Green says that Mr. Beam has been invaluable to KCD athletics. “Bill has been an integral part of the development of our athletic history and archives. His dedication and love for KCD is evident in the hard work, time, and finances that he has put in The Bearcat Shield and all of his efforts to recognize and honor the work of our student-athletes and coaches. He is very deserving of such an honor.”
Mr. Beam is also the namesake of the senior athlete of the year award. In addition to athletics, he has researched and recognized the National Merit Scholars from KCD and its predecessor schools, dating back to 1973. Thanks to Mr. Beam for all of his hard work!
Six new members inducted into Bearcat Athletic Hall of Fame
Five alumni and one former coach were inducted into the Bearcat Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, February 19. Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are recognized for bringing honor and distinction to their particular sport and to the athletic program at Kentucky Country Day School. The athlete or coach must have brought measurable success to a particular sport, including outstanding recognition from conference, local, regional, or state level competition. The induction ceremony took place at halftime of the boys’ basketball game vs. Collegiate.
This year, the inductees were Dale Bryant ’72 (swimming); Lydia Plamp Brownlow ’82 (swimming); David Oclander ’85 (boys’ soccer); Hollis Rodgers ’87 (field hockey); Jennifer Roos ’89 (field hockey); and Coach Valerie Dawson Vertrees (field hockey). Biographies of this year's honorees are posted here.
Mr. Jorge Oclander (former KCD soccer coach) represented his son David, who is stationed in Southern Afghanistan. Ms. Sue Evans represented her daughter Hollis Rodgers, who had a business conflict in San Diego.
Alumni recognized as Louisville's Young Philanthropists of the Year
The January 2010 issue of Louisville Magazine has named the members of the new nonprofit Old Louisville meets New Louisville as Young Philanthropists of the Year. Of the group's seven founders, five are KCD alumni: Jackson Andrews '00, Charlie Farnsley '00, Alex Gift '00, Tommy Gift '97, and Cordt Huneke '01. The group works to bring together multiple generations of Louisvillians in order to benefit the community. So far, the group has organized successful fundraisers for the Blue Apple Players and the National Foundation to Support Cell Transplant Research.
Mark Eakin 1976 receives silver medal for coral reef research
This November, Dr. C. Mark Eakin 1976 was awarded the Silver Medal by the U.S. Department of Commerce for Scientific/Engineering Achievement. The award recognizes exceptional performance and superlative contributions that have a lasting impact on the Department.
Dr. Eakin is the leader of the team that was honored for their work developing satellite and model-based technologies to assist coral reef managers in responding to the impact of climate change on coral reef ecosystems.
Dr. Eakin currently directs NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch in Silver Spring, Maryland, which monitors coral reef ecosystems. A coral reef specialist, Dr. Eakin has published on various topics in coral reef ecology, especially the impact of climate change and other disturbance on coral reefs.
Chip Frazier '94 heads to Nepal for World Elephant Polo Tournament
The 2009 World Elephant Polo Tournament is under way in Nepal right now, and Chip Frazier '94 is on the scene as a member of the American elephant polo team New York Blue. The team made their debut last year in Nepal and shocked the crowd by finishing second in the amateur division. Elephants being scarce in New York City, the team prepared for their first tournament by building mallets out of paint rollers and PVC pipe and riding on the back of SUVs.
Here's an article on the team from the New York Observer. The video below is from CBS Sunday Morning with Bill Geist.
Gallery show features work by Gibbs Rounsavall 1994
Unearth the Divine, a show by Gibbs Rounsavall 1994, will be on exhibit in two downtown Louisville galleries during December 2009 and January 2010.
The show will open with a reception from 5-9:00 pm on December 4.
Mr. Rounsavall's paintings will be exhibited at The Green Building Gallery (732 E Market St) and in the adjacent 720 E Market.
Betty Baird Kregor 1979 inducted into Metro Area Athletic Directors' Hall of Fame
In recognition of her athletic accomplishments, KCD alumna Betty Baird Kregor 1979 (below with her daughter and classmate Neale Bennett) was inducted into the Metro Area Athletic Directors' Hall of Fame on November 15.
Ms. Kregor was Kentucky’s top female high school golfer in the late 1970s. As a Bearcat, she won three straight individual regional championships from 1977 to 1979 while leading the KCD girls’ golf team to a regional championship for her senior 1979 season. Her talents brought an individual state championship in 1979 with state runner-up finishes in 1977 and 1978. Her personal scores of 37 for 9 holes, 71 for 18 holes, and 156 for 36 holes remain as KCD school records.
After being named winner of the 1978 KCD girls’ golf award, Ms. Kregor earned an athletic scholarship and played for three years for the University of Alabama and University of Kentucky. Her notable golfing achievements include being named to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the Kentucky High School Metro Louisville Hall of Fame.
Ms. Kregor won the 1975 Junior World Golf Championship along with nine Junior PGA girls’ golf championships. She was named a three-time All-American by the National Junior Golf Association and a two-time Second Team All-American by the American Junior Golf Association. Today, Ms. Kregor works as a golf instructor and consultant.
Courtney Plaster-Strange '06 selected for National Senior Field Hockey Game
Posted October 22 on the Northwestern Athletics website:
Courtney Plaster-Strange, who has been a catalyst for Northwestern’s offense all season in posting a career-best 10 goals, was recognized on Wednesday for her stellar season by earning a spot in the 2009 NFHCA Division I Senior All-Star Game. This year’s event is comprised of 38 seniors from around the country and will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21, on the campus of Wake Forest University. After entering this season with six career goals, Plaster-Strange currently ranks fifth in the league in goals (10), seventh in points (24) and fourth in shots (67).
Jennifer Roos '89 has contract extended as BGSU associate basketball coach
A story on the Bowling Green State University website has announced that Jennifer Roos '89 has received a two-year extension on her contract a women's associate head basketball coach:
Bowling Green State University women’s basketball associate head coach Jennifer Roos has received a two-year contract extension, BGSU Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher and Senior Associate AD/SWA Janna Blais have announced. Roos’ contract, which runs parallel with head coach Curt Miller’s contract, now runs through June 30, 2015.
“Jennifer is simply an outstanding coach. Her loyalty to BGSU and her desire to continue to improve our women’s basketball program made this an easy decision,” said Blais. “We are thrilled that Jennifer chooses to share her experience, talent, and impeccable character with our student-athletes, our staff, and our community.”
