Coastal Carolina University honors 2007 graduates
Commencement speaker Ronald R. Ingle, outgoing CCU president, gave a highly personal address about the importance of cultivating and appreciating a sense of place.
"I love this place," said Ingle, who served as president for 14 years and as vice chancellor for academic affairs prior to becoming president. ". . . Its cultural forms, its idiosyncrasies and quirks, its passion for and commitment to learning. From the moment I set foot on campus in the fall of 1988 to this day, I've been touched by the soul of Coastal Carolina. I have been paid to nurture this institution, In retrospect, however, I am the one who has been nurtured."
Three students received for the President's Award for Academic Achievement, which recognizes students with the highest cumulative grade point averages. The recipients of the award, who all held 4.0 GPAs, were: Anthony Franklin of Simpsonville, a football player with a bachelor's degree in mathematics; Jennifer Ortiz of Stafford, Va., with a bachelor's degree in health promotion; and Stacey Trevathan of Antioch, Tenn., with two bachelor's degrees, in marine science and biology. All three graduates plan to seek higher degrees in their respective fields.
Receiving honorary degrees were: James C. Benton Sr., Myrtle Beach businessman, Doctor of Public Service; Maj. Gen. James F. Hackler Jr., retired Air Force commander and civic leader, Doctor of Public Service; Josephine Humphreys, novelist, Doctor of Humane Letters; and Judith K. Ingle, an educator of 32 years and wife of Coastal's president, Doctor of Public Service.
Six retiring faculty members were recognized during the ceremony. They are: Gerald K. Boyles, distinguished professor emeritus; William R, Hamilton, emeritus professor; Charles W. Joyner, distinguished professor emeritus; Richard A. Koesterer, emeritus professor; Virginia B. Levsen, emeritus professor; and Randall A. Wells, distinguished professor emeritus.