CCU honors supporters with annual Founders Day
Joe E. Berry Jr. and the late S.C. Sen. Dick Elliott will be named honorary founders of the university. The University Medallion will be presented posthumously to Paul Stanton and Bob Brooks. The medallion recognizes individuals for contributions to CCU in the areas of service, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and/or scholarship.
Patrick Sparks will be named Alumnus of the Year, and Brooke Donaldson is the new Young Alumnus of the Year.
Honorary Founders
Dick Elliott (1935-2014) represented South Carolina's 28th district as a state senator from 1992 until 2012. Elliott served as vice chair of the Horry County Council from 1976-1980, as chair of the North Myrtle Beach School Board from 1968-1971 and as a member of the North Myrtle Beach City Council from 1962-1966. In 1982, he began his two-decade-long term as a state representative.
He established Elliott Realty in 1959, a real estate firm in North Myrtle Beach, and he was the developer and major owner of Eagle Nest Golf Club, Eagle Nest Estates and Beachwood Golf Club.
In 2012, Gov. Nikki Haley awarded Elliott the South Carolina Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest honor, before he retired. He died in June 2014.
Joe E. Berry Jr. is senior attorney with the Berry Law Firm in Columbia, as well as official counsel to both the Crawford Law Firm and to Von Keller Law. He has also served as a registered lobbyist in South Carolina since 1977 and as executive director of the Wine and Spirit Wholesalers Association of South Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina in 1953. He earned an LL.B. degree from the USC School of Law in 1955 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1971.
Berry also served as a JAG officer in the U.S. Air Force for two years. He is chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the College of Charleston, a member of the American Bar Association, the Richland County Bar Association and the South Carolina Bar.
University Medallion Recipients
Robert "Bob" Brooks
Robert H. Brooks (1937-2006) was a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and sports enthusiast. He earned a degree in dairy science from Clemson University in 1960 and pioneered a process for non-dairy vegetable creamers that enabled him to start Eastern Foods Inc., a food distribution company that serviced airlines and restaurant/grocery chains throughout the U.S. The company name was changed in 2002 to Naturally Fresh Inc.
Brooks founded Hooters of America Inc. in 1984 after purchasing the expansion and franchise rights for Hooters Restaurants. He also created Hooters Air Charter Airline, the National Golf Association Hooters Tour and the Hooters ProCup Series, a $4-million-a-year operation that includes 30 short-track races in small towns throughout the Southeast and Midwest.
Paul E. Stanton
Paul E. Stanton (1934-2013) was a psychology professor at Coastal Carolina University from 1974 until his retirement in 1994. He was also vice chancellor of academic affairs from 1974 to 1979, during which time Coastal Carolina College transitioned from a two-year junior college to a four-year degree-granting institution. Stanton was instrumental in the establishment of 14 baccalaureate degree programs and the recruitment of 45 faculty members. Stanton was also named the institution's first provost in 1992. Upon his retirement, he was awarded the title of distinguished professor emeritus.
Stanton was raised in Greensboro, N.C., and was a graduate of High Point University, where he excelled in basketball and tennis. He earned a master's degree in 1962 from East Carolina University and a doctorate of philosophy in 1966 from the University of South Carolina.
Alumnus of the Year
Patrick Sparks graduated from CCU in 1995 with a degree in marketing. He is the general manager and co-owner of Sparks Toyota in Myrtle Beach, a family-owned and operated business since 1982.
In 2010, Sparks and his father created the Sparks Family Scholarship Fund through the Coastal Educational Foundation, providing scholarships to local students attending CCU. The Sparks family continues to add to this fund each year with the annual Sparks Family Scholarship Golf Classic and the Fuel the Future Dinner and Auction. To date, six CCU students have received Sparks Family Scholarships. Students can receive up to $5,000 per year for up to four years.
Sparks is a member of the Southeast Toyota Dealer Council, a National Auto Dealers Association Dealer Academy graduate and an active supporter of many local community groups and charities.
Young Alumnus of the Year
Brooke Donaldson, a 2011 CCU graduate, is from Long Valley, N.J., and works as a dog trainer with The Seeing Eye. She has trained 20 dogs that have since been matched to blind or visually impaired individuals from across the United States.
While at Coastal, she was a resident assistant, a peer leader, a tutor in the Writing Center and a senior eco-representative, as well as a member of several social clubs and organizations. She received the Outstanding Student Award for earning the highest GPA in the University College, was a Ronald Lackey Public Service Award finalist and received the Unsung Hero Award.
Donaldson has been active in her local community, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, preparing dinner for the residents of the Eric Johnson House (a housing service for those with HIV) and coordinating a community garden. She also works with the Literacy Volunteers of Morris County to provide free tutoring to those who speak English as a second language. In addition, Donaldson and her dog Brady have passed the therapy dog test and will soon begin participating in the Paws for Reading program at local libraries.