Limestone Presents Outstanding Alumni Awards

Limestone College recently recognized its Outstanding Alumni during a banquet at Stephenson Dining Hall on its main campus in Gaffney.

The award winners included Patricia Williams Willis, Alumnus Of The Year; Amanda A. Knowles, Service To Community; Paul William Fleming, Service To College; Frances Martin Bush, Service To Education; Bryan Franklin Armstrong, Young Alumnus Of The Year; and Dr. Barbara B. Smith, Service To Church.

The Alumnus Of The Year Award is presented to a Limestone graduate who has provided distinguished and meritorious service to the College, and engaged in voluntary services at the local, state, and/or national level. Willis, a 1955 graduate who lives in Lancaster, has served on the Limestone Board of Trustees for many years and was the Co-Chair for the Winnie Davis Hall of History capital campaign.  She deeply cares about the success and growth of Limestone and has put in numerous hours to promote the College.

The Service To Community Award is presented annually to the Limestone alumnus who exhibits the ideals of civic responsibilities. Knowles, a 2004 graduate who lives in Gaffney, has worked with Hospice for the past eight years to bring education and services to area residents in need of end-of-life care. She serves at several area facilities, including the Cherokee County Senior Center, Peachtree Centre, and Magnolias of Gaffney.  Knowles has served on numerous boards over the years and was the chair for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for four years when the event was to be shut down due to lack of participation. During her time she brought participation and donations up by 200 percent.

The Service To College Award is presented annually to an alumnus who shows a genuine love for Limestone College.  Fleming, a 1977 graduate who resides in Charlotte, is committed to his alma mater, his friends and classmates, and his brothers from Lambda Mu Sigma. He learned about the “Today’s Needs … Tomorrow’s Dreams” capital campaign for the library and took action. Fleming reached out to his fraternity brothers and urged them to support this cause by seeking the naming rights on behalf of Lambda Mu Sigma for a room in the new library. He has been instrumental in bringing this group back together and to Limestone.

Limestone’s Service To Education Award is presented annually to an alumnus who has made a difference in the lives of others through education. Bush, a 1966 graduate who resides in Hartsville, taught art in the school system for many years and has spent her adult life promoting arts education. Her most visible contribution is the Black Creek Arts Center which is a state-of-the-art 10,000 square foot building for the purpose of exhibiting art, teaching art, and supporting artists in Darlington County and surrounding areas.  The center is the hub for visual artists, creative writers, musical performances, and community theater.

Recipients of the Young Alumnus Of The Year Award must have graduated at least three years prior and be no older than thirty-five years of age.  Armstrong, a 2008 graduate who resides in Charlotte, has distinguished himself in the field of Social Work and Counseling. After earning his Bachelor’s of Social Work from Limestone, he earned his Master’s in Psychology from Northcentral University and a Master’s in Social Work from Barry University. Armstrong is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist with successful consulting and psychotherapy practices in Charlotte and Gaffney. He has provided crisis intervention for patients and has facilitated interventions with persons in crisis in hospital and office settings, including potential suicide risk and admission of potential homicide.

Limestone presents its Service To Church Award to a Limestone graduate who exemplifies living a life of mission and purpose for the benefit of others. Dr. Smith, a 1955 graduate, is very involved in her church, Farmville Presbyterian, in Farmville, VA.  She serves on the church’s fellowship committee and organizes numerous events. She has served as an Elder for 15 years.  She prepares and presents a devotional in her role as Chaplain of the Judith Randolph-Longwood Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Dr. Smith is retired from Longwood University.

Honorary Alumni awards were also presented to Anne Cromer Cargill, Paula Marie Cargill, and Louise Black Carson.

Anne Cromer Cargill is a retired reading specialist from the Greenville County School District. She is a graduate of Winthrop College and Clemson University, and did post graduate work at both Clemson and Furman. Anne and her sister Paula have supported Limestone to honor the memory of their parents and sister: John Edwin and Mabel Anne Bridges Cargill and Mabel Eleanor Cargill Strickland, PhD (Class of 1949).

Paula Marie Cargill retired in 2010 as Bereavement Coordinator, Bon Secours St. Francis McCall Hospice House. She is a graduate of Winthrop College, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work.  Along with her sister, Paula has witnessed firsthand how the liberal arts foundation that Limestone provided for her mother and sister enhanced their lives and careers.

Carson is a retired educator who taught for 50 years in four states. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, earned her MS in Public Health from the University of Tennessee, and completed additional graduate work from the University of South Carolina. Carson has contributed greatly to the local community and to Limestone.