Coastal Carolina University Magazine


•	Alumni Profile 1978: Tim Hardee
•	Alumni Profile 1989: Georgia Holley
•	Alumni Profile 2008: Dan Boorn


•	1980s

•	1990s

•	2000s

•	In Memorium

•	Let Us Hear From You

Alumni Profile 1978: Tim Hardee

According to the best knowledge of University record keepers, Tim Hardee is the only Coastal Carolina alumnus who is a college president. Hardee, a Conway native who graduated in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, is president of Central Carolina Community College, headquartered in Sumter.

He says his undergraduate years were good training for a future educator. "I grew up on a farm near Conway, and Coastal gave me the opportunity to get a degree and play on a collegiate tennis team without having to leave Horry County," he says. "Then, as now, there was an encouraging atmosphere for student-faculty interaction on campus. I still keep in touch with Sandy Baird, Marshall Parker, Steve Nagle, Eddie Dyer and others. They sincerely wanted you to succeed in the classroom and in life, and they played a great part in my decision to pursue a career in education."

The most important event of Hardee's college days, though, was meeting his future wife Tammy, who graduated in 1980 with a degree in business administration. They have been married 29 years and have three children and two grandchildren. Tammy works in the Office of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity at Coastal Carolina University.

After earning his bachelor's degree, Hardee enrolled in the University of South Carolina's master's program in education, which was then offered as an extension program at Coastal Carolina. In 1988, he received his doctorate in education administration from USC. Hardee worked as a K-12 teacher, coach and principal, mainly in Clarendon County, before moving into higher education. He was a vice president at Central Carolina Community College for five years before being named president in 2007.

The life of a college president is one of serious responsibility in the best of times, but Hardee says that the current economic situation has created new challenges. "I have to be both optimistic and realistic," he says. "We've had to decide what we could cut from the budget while still maintaining high quality for our students—it's a delicate balance."

Hardee is proud of what he has accomplished in two years as president. Central Carolina, which serves more than 3,000 students in a four-county area (Sumter, Lee, Clarendon and Kershaw), has seen a 10 percent growth in enrollment since 2007. Construction on a new $11 million health sciences center in downtown Sumter is also under way.

Although he is the chief representative of his own college, Hardee is a dedicated supporter of his alma mater. At every home football game, he and Tammy are in the stands at Brooks Stadium cheering on the Chanticleers.

Alumni Profile 1989: Georgia Holley

Georgia Holley has never had second thoughts about her career choice. For 19 years she has been doing—and excelling at—exactly what she has always wanted to do.

Georgia Holley "I cannot remember a time when I did not want to teach," says Holley, who this past May received the Horry County 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year award. "I have never wanted to do anything else, nor can I imagine working in any other field."

A native of Holly Hill, S.C., she earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education-social studies from Coastal Carolina in 1989. Holley has taught in Horry County her entire career; she currently teaches Advanced Placement U.S. Government and U.S. History at the Scholars Academy, located in Baxley Hall on the Coastal Carolina University campus.

Holley's success in the classroom is the result of natural instinct, intellectual curiosity, a gift for communicating with young people, and a sense of mission. "I am employed by the citizens of Horry County to prepare a citizenry that can face the challenges of the future," she says. "I do that by teaching students to think."

The classes she teaches encourage critical thinking in high school students. "American history is fascinating because the students are able to see the impact of historical events on our modern lives," she says.

Holley says that her professional method and outlook were molded to a large degree by the education she received at Coastal Carolina University, and she cites two professors who have had a real influence on her life and career.

"Donna Bridges embodied devotion to public education," says Holley. "Twenty years later I still remember and follow her advice regularly. Also, Paul Peterson challenged me to think and to work hard, very hard, to succeed in his class. He did not allow students to spout opinions without backing them up with proof. His class gave depth and meaning to the study of American government, and it provided a strong foundation for the work I do with my students today."

Being recognized as Teacher of the Year is an honor and a thrill, Holley says, but it doesn't compare with what she describes as the greatest reward of her career.

"Some former students have told me I taught them to truly think for themselves and thus changed their lives. It doesn't get much better than that."

Alumni Profile 2008: Dan Boorn

October 23, 2008, was a good day for Dan Boorn. As well as being his 26th birthday, it was the day his new business, HDVirtual City Tours, was incorporated. Boorn was still a Coastal Carolina University student at the time, working toward a degree in computer science. By the time he graduated, in December 2008, his business was already well established, with 10 employees and a growing list of clients.

Boorn's company creates virtual tours of businesses, organizations and municipalities, fusing high quality, panoramic photography with directional sound. HDVirtual City Tours' Web site (hdvirtualcitytours.com.) offers tours of more than 24 cities including sites in Florida, California and Tennessee. Coastal Carolina University became a client this past summer, and the result can be viewed at www.coastal.edu beginning this fall.

The tours employ a technology similar to the "street view" feature on Google Maps, "but we try to get the shots that Google doesn't, with much higher-resolution image quality," says Boorn. He and his crew photograph interiors as well outdoor building and street scenes. And they have begun to supplement the visual component of their work with the latest in sound technology. Directional sound gives those who visit the sites a more realistic virtual experience: the sounds get louder as you zero in.

Boorn came to Coastal Carolina from Fort Mill (S.C.) High School. He describes himself as "a geek at heart" who is driven to learn all he can about the cyber world. Producing the Coastal Carolina University tour was something of a labor of love for him. "One of the reasons I was first drawn to Coastal as a student was its beautiful campus," he says. His intimate, insider's knowledge of the buildings and grounds helped him to craft a highly functional tour for online visitors, particularly prospective students.

"Now people on the other side of the planet can take a campus tour and explore Coastal without actually having to visit," Boorn says. "It's as real as it gets."

1989

Mark Porter

Mark Porter, a principal at North Myrtle Beach Elementary School, was named Principal of the Year by the South Carolina Council for Exceptional Children. The annual award recognizes principals who make outstanding contributions to the advancement of exceptional children and youth in South Carolina.

1990

Douglas Haynie

Scott Alleman

Douglas Haynie and Kristin Hinkle were married Feb. 18, 2009, in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

1994

Scott Alleman, a Virginia state prosecutor, has accepted a position as federal prosecutor for the Department of Justice in the Eastern District of Virginia.

1995

Larry Lyles was recently appointed to the board of directors of the South Carolina Beer Wholesalers. Lyles is the vice president and general manager of Carolina Beer Co. Inc. in Anderson.

1996

Lisa Brumell and Louis Corbett III were married Nov. 4, 2008, during a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Brumell earned a master's degree in social work from the University of South Carolina. A licensed real estate broker, she is a clinical manager for BlueCross BlueShield and the owner of Southeastern Capital Investments, LLC.

1997

Stephanie Foote successfully defended her doctoral dissertation at the University of South Carolina, a multicampus study of the perceived effects of first-year seminars on students in their first semester of college. She graduated in May 2009 with a Ph.D. in educational administration.

1998

Amy Bambenek has been chosen to lead the UNC-Wilmington women's volleyball program. She has been an assistant coach and associate head coach at George Washington University for the past eight seasons and also coached at Florida State for three seasons. In 1996 Bambenek led Coastal Carolina University to the Big South Championship and NCAA Tournament.

Jonna Ruth Bunn and Brendan Patrick Dougherty were married on December 19, 2008. Bunn is employed by Horry County Schools as a middle school math learning specialist. Dougherty is the assistant baseball coach at Coastal Carolina University.

Marla Malinowski Keenan announces the birth of daughter Angelina Marie Kennan, born on Oct. 7, 2008. Marla lives in Mt. Olive, N.J., with husband Robert and stepchildren Michael and Kristen.

Clara Baker McGrath has published a novel, Magnolia Girl's Adventures. She grew up in Magnolia, N.C.

Tanika McKissick earned a post-master's certification degree in administration/educational leadership K-12.

1999

Chuck Canterbury recently testified before Congress, representing the Fraternal Order of Police in support of attorney general nominee Eric Holder. Canterbury has been the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police since January 2003 and has testified before the U.S. Senate and House frequently. He has served with some of the nation's top security advisers on the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Nicole King, Ph.D., is a tenure track professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Nolan Nivera recently completed the MBA program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He lives in Las Vegas with wife Wendy Nivera.

2000

Melissa Pisaniello and her husband Charles announce the birth of their daughter, Marena Elizabeth Pisaniello, born Aug. 19, 2008.

2001

Richard Carroll was recently promoted to vice president/loan officer at Horry County State Bank.

Shanna Hough

Shanna Nerissa Hough and Victor Hough '07 recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary.

Mercedes Munnerlyn, a retired educator, has published a book of poetry, A Lighter Side of Me. It includes a review by Coastal Carolina University Professor Veronica D. Gerald.

Andre Pounds and Amy Balogh announce their engagement. Pounds is the director of sales at SportsPlexx, and Balogh is an office manager and design assistant at G3 Architecture/Interiors/Planning. They live in Connecticut.

Edward Tkacz is working in Doha, Qatar, supporting the U.S. Air Force as a software engineer. He spent over a year in Iraq supporting Multi-National Forces Iraq and Multi-National Corps. Tkacz has also worked with various organizations including Task Force 34, the Distributed Common Ground System-Army, the Counter-IED Operations Integration Center and the Combined Information Data Network Exchange.

Tiffany Wright was named the first watershed manager for the city of Bowie, Md. Her work will involve conducting water quality sampling studies and working with resident groups.

2002

Melissa and Craig Face

Melissa Face and Craig Face '06 live in Wakefield, Va. Craig, an employee of BB&T, was recently accepted into the company's leadership development program in Winston-Salem, N.C. Melissa is a full-time teacher with Prince George County Schools and writes on a freelance basis. She has published stories in: Chicken Soup for the Soul, Sasee, A Cup of Comfort, Skirt! and Living in South Carolina.

Amy Hayden and Steve Marshall were married on Oct. 18, 2008, at Mayfair Farms in West Orange, N.J. Hayden works as a microbiologist at Marypaul Laboratories in Sparta, N.J. Marshall is a project manager for the Center of Home Design.

Jamal Kinlaw has been promoted to loan officer with Horry County State Bank.

Kelly Ritter III and Anita Punk were married April 11, 2009. They are both employed by JT International in Trier, Germany.

Todd Setzer and Ashley Grayson Lane were married on Oct. 11, 2008, at First Presbyterian Church of Myrtle Beach. Setzer is a commercial sales representative with Sherwin-Williams. Lane is a sales representative for Pfizer Inc.

2003

Carlos Culbreath and Shira Simmons were married on Sept. 6, 2008, at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Spartanburg. Culbreath is a police officer for the City of Rock Hill. Simmons is employed with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice as an intensive supervision officer.

Cameron Faile and Erin Faile '04 welcomed twin girls on Dec. 5, 2008. Lilly Cameron weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and Kayden Marie weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces.

Andrew Halbach was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the NOAA Corps on Aug. 1, 2008.

Jennifer Overholt-Mau and James Leonard Mau '06 announce the arrival of their daughter Elizabeth, born May 27, 2008.

William (Chris) Ward and Emily Pribble were married March 28, 2009, at Lakeside Baptist Church in North Myrtle Beach. Ward is owner of Eagle Realty in North Myrtle Beach and student minister at Lakeside Baptist Church.

Lauren Wozniak is engaged to marry Ryan Sturgill. An October 2009 wedding is being planned.

Katherine Koontz and
John Peach

Joshua Martin

2004

Colin Charles Christopher departed in May for his second tour in Iraq. After his deployment, he plans to leave the Army to move to Ohio with his family to continue his career as an analyst.

Erin Faile
(see entry in Class of 2003)

Katherine Koontz and John Peach were married on April 4, 2009. She is teaching science at a college preparatory school while pursuing a master's degree in marine biology. He is completing a master's degree in sport management while interning with the Miami Dolphins. They live in Pembroke, Fla.

Joshua Martin and Amber Blackmon were married on Sept. 6, 2008, at the Marion Museum in Marion. He is a physical education teacher at Forestbrook Elementary School, and she is a senior education major at Coastal Carolina University.

2005

Jessica Bell-Kolarsick

John Borgens and Kati Grey

Jessica Bell-Kolarsick was named 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year at Emily Fisher Middle School in Mercer County, N.J. She teaches sixth grade.

John Borgens and Kati Grey were married on Oct. 18, 2008, in a beach wedding at Surfside Beach. Grey is a kindergarten teacher at Burgess Elementary School, and Borgens is employed with Divine Dining Group.

Allison Byrd is living in Washington, D.C., and working for the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. She recently had the opportunity to dive 4,360 meters below the ocean's surface in the submersible Alvin.

Megan Christopher is pursuing a physical therapy degree at Zanes State College in Zanesville, Ohio. She is married to Colin Charles Christopher '04.

Gregory Johnson and Anna Poston were married Dec. 27, 2008, at Mount Zion Baptist Church near Loris. Johnson is employed by Horry County Schools. Poston is director of marketing/investor relations at NESA in Florence.

Julie Kastler has been promoted to area sales manager at Examone, a Quest Diagnostics company, covering the Kansas City, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Akron areas.

Adam Mathews is vice president of brokerage services for Heritage Community Bank in Hartsville.

Janaé Mitchell earned a master's degree in Spanish from Florida Atlantic University in December 2007 and a master's degree in international business from Florida International University in December 2008. She is working for Aetna in Tampa, Fla., as a national accounts manager.

Lisa Skibinski and Ryan Corbin '06 announce their engagement. The wedding is set for Oct. 9, 2009, in Chicago.

Kevin Rabon and Amber Norris Rabon '06 of Aynor celebrated the birth of their son, Conner Ashley Rabon, on July 23, 2008.

2006

Emily Bullard is working toward a doctoral degree in pharmacy at Pacific University Oregon.

Ryan Corbin
(see entry in Class of 2005)

Kevin Giuca and Lauren Scalzitti announce their engagement. The wedding is planned for Sept. 25, 2009.

Craig Face
(see entry in Class of 2002)

Josh Hinkel has entered the professional music market as a composer. His work has been published by Alfred Music Company. Hinkel also teaches locally and writes music for the Coastal Carolina University marching band.

James Leonard Mau
(see entry in Class of 2003)

Kristin Kelly Oates and Richard Lyn Chambers were married on Sept. 20, 2008, at the Heritage Plantation in Pawleys Island. She is employed at Cintas Corporation as a uniform sales representative.

Amber Norris Rabon
(see entry in Class of 2005)

Renee Conti and Bob Raineri and were married on Aug. 2, 2008, in Fredonia, N.Y. He works as a director of technology for the U.S. House of Representatives, and she is an education coordinator for INOVA Health System. They live in Alexandria, Va.

2007

Thomas Funkhouser

Thomas Funkhouser and Erin Gray announce their engagement. Funkhouser is pursuing an MBA in finance at Ohio State University. They plan to marry in June 2010.

Brittney Harris and Tommy Pelfrey announce their engagement. An August 2010 wedding is planned.

Victor Hough
(see entry in Class of 2001)

Jason Sentell and Molly Sundberg are planning to be married on Oct. 10, 2009, in Ames, Iowa. They live in Greenville.

Kelly Sloan was crowned Jan. 3, 2009, to represent Hartsville at the Miss South Carolina Pageant. Sloan is a pre-K teacher in Clinton.

2008

Ashton Harris and Chad Leedy were married March, 22, 2009, at Old Santee Canal State Park in Moncks Corner. Harris is employed by Berkeley County Department of Social Services.

Megan MacEachern and Jon Phillips

Megan MacEachern and Jon Phillips were married June 27, 2009. She is employed by the Greenville County School System, and he works with Synnex Corp.

Tasha Sutherland is in the Dominican Republic working as a full-time missionary for Christ United Methodist Church.

In Memoriam

Don Millus

Donald Millus (1939- 2009) was Coastal Carolina University's senior faculty member, having served in the Department of English since 1974. Born in Brooklyn, he did his undergraduate work at Fordham College and received his doctorate at Yale University after serving in Vietnam.

He was an expert on the Tyndale Bible, on Chaucer and Shakespeare, and on fishing. He founded the Coastal Carolina Invitational Fishing Tournament, the longest running collegiate fishing event in the country. He wrote a fishing column in the Horry Independent newspaper for many years and published two books on fishing. He supported Coastal Carolina athletic teams, and he was also a great champion and defender of our mascot, the Chaucer-derived Chanticleer.

The Office of University Advancement is accepting memorial contributions to Kimbel Library in his name.

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