Christina Vaccaro

The family and friends of the late Christina Vaccaro, a Coastal Carolina University student who died in October 2008, has established a scholarship in her memory. Vaccaro, 20, of Carolina Shores, N.C., was an education major who planned to become a middle school math teacher. The annual scholarship will benefit teacher education majors, preferably those specializing in math or science.

"At a time of immense grief and sadness, creating a lasting tribute to Christina offered us hope for the future," said Donna Marie Vaccaro, Christina's mother. "Christina loved Coastal Carolina University and loved teaching; it only seemed fitting that we remember her in a way that acknowledged the most important aspects of her life. Through this memorial scholarship, we can keep Christina's memory alive and make the difference she always did. Christina can still influence the lives of countless students through the assistance her scholarship offers other aspiring teachers, instead of in her own classroom."

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be enrolled full time and maintain a 3.5 grade point average. Applicants will also be required to submit a personal essay on their qualifications and professional goals.

"Christina was an intelligent, kind, beautiful person, who despite her many talents, never flaunted her abilities or let herself take the easy way out," said Vaccaro. "She worked extremely hard and pushed herself to give 100 percent all the time, even toward the end of her life when she often felt ill."

"Christina's time at Coastal was probably the happiest of her life," said Nicole Pittella, a close friend of Christina's who was instrumental in establishing the scholarship. "She was passionate about her education, and that of her students, and was dedicated to becoming the best teacher she could be. This scholarship was designed to remember an extraordinary person and to remind other students that a strong work ethic and a passion for teaching deserve to be rewarded."

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Keith and Dixie Hinson of Myrtle Beach have made a gift of land valued at $1,295,000 to the Coastal Educational Foundation. The five-acre commercial tract is located near the intersection of International Drive and Grissom Parkway. Keith Hinson is president of Waccamaw Land and Timber Company and Hinson Properties LLC. He has been involved in the governance of the University for many years, serving on the board of directors of the Coastal Educational Foundation and the board of visitors of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration.

The Hinson family has been generous to the University, particularly to athletics and the Wall College of Business. The Hinsons were inducted into the University's Atheneum Society in May 2008. Keith and Dixie are both alumni.

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Crescent Bank of Myrtle Beach has endowed a scholarship for undergraduate students in the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration. Established by Crescent Bank President M.J. Huggins III and the Wall College Board of Visitors, the annual scholarship is open to all majors within the Wall College. Preference will be given to students from Horry, Georgetown and Brunswick (N.C.) counties, the bank's primary service areas.

Huggins graduated from the University in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Prior to forming Crescent Bank in 2002, Huggins worked in various capacities with Citizens & Southern (later Bank of America) and Carolina First Bank. Huggins serves on the Wall College Board of Visitors and is the 2003 recipient of the Alumnus of the Year award for the Wall College.

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Wall classroom named for Wilson and Pat Lowery

Wilson and Pat Lowery, generous benefactors to the Wall Fellows program of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, have given a substantial gift that will help prepare Wall Fellow students for high-level careers and leadership positions throughout the world and will further expand the reach of the University. To commemorate their gift, classroom Wall 107F has been named the Wilson and Pat Lowery Wall Fellows Classroom.

Wilson Lowery is a vice president of WLLP Capital, a financial management and re-engineering consulting firm. He also serves as a business adviser to the White Oak Group, a private investment firm, and is a member of the advisory committee of H2 Credit Partners. From 2002 to 2004, Lowery served as executive assistant director of administration for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Lowery retired from IBM Corp. in 1998 after 30 years of service. He is on the board of directors for the Coastal Educational Foundation and is a member of the Wall Executives in Residence Program.

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Edwards College dean Bill Richardson (center), accepts a check from (left to right) Bill Hinds, Betty Williams, Virginia Skinner and Lynette Hinds of the Georgetown Baptist Historical Society.

The Coastal Educational Foundation (CEF) has received a pledge of $25,000 from the recently organized Georgetown Baptist Historical Society to establish a church history fund.

The new fund, which was formed to study religious freedom in South Carolina, will focus on the 300-year history of the First Baptist Church in Georgetown. Coastal Carolina University history professor Roy Talbert will head the project to research and write the church history to coincide with the anniversary celebration in the fall of 2010.

Talbert is longtime University history professor and the author of numerous books, including Coastal Carolina University: The First 50 Years, the official history of the institution.

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James L. Adams assumed the position of Vice President for University Advancement on May 1. As the leader of all the University's advancement functions, Adams is responsible for developing relationships to support the institution, including identifying and cultivating major donors, and creating and managing high-goal capital campaigns.

Jim Adams

Beginning in 1998, Adams served as executive vice president and CEO of the VMI Foundation Inc. and executive director of the VMI Development Board. At VMI, Adams led a development effort that raised more than $280 million during his tenure, including a successful $175 million capital campaign. Under his management, VMI's endowment increased by 50 percent, peaking at $370 million.

Adams earned a bachelor's degree in English from VMI, a master's degree in English literature from James Madison University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Tennessee. He served two years on active duty in the United States Army and retired from the Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in 1999 after 28 years of commissioned service.

Prior to his position at VMI, Adams served as director of membership and development at the U. S. Naval Institute in Annapolis, Md. He has also been a fundraiser and public relations manager at the Citadel and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

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