Six Alumni to be Honored During Homecoming

Six exceptional Fairmont State University alumni will be honored at the annual Alumni Association Homecoming Brunch, sponsored by Thrasher Engineering Inc., on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 10 a.m. The event will be held in Falcon Center, Gym 1. For tickets or to reserve a table, call (304) 367-4009.

Outstanding Alumna
Carole Wade
Carole Wade is a 1971 graduate. She was vice president of Sigma Kappa sorority and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a minor in psychology. After leaving Fairmont, Wade continued her community service activities in Washington, D.C., where she worked in the Executive Office of the President. In the late '70s, she married her husband, Michael, and resumed her education at New York University. She was invited to join the Junior Board of Governors of the prestigious Guggenheim Museum of Art. The couple relocated to Chicago, where her husband founded his company. Wade moved to Beijing, China, for two years, living in the Chinese Palace for the Minorities. While there, she took up photography. Her images of China's modernization were later exhibited at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization at UNIDO headquarters in Vienna, Switzerland. The couple moved to the Los Angeles area in 1985. Her work at the Shakespeare Globe Centre in London resulted in a presentation to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. She was nominated for "Woman of the Year" by the Century City Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles and "Women Making a Difference" by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Wade represented California as a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

Outstanding Alumnus
Marvin L. Stewart
Marvin L. Stewart graduated in 1976. As a student, he played basketball for one year under Coach Joe Retton and was the first black student body president. In 1972, Stewart began his 34-year career with UPS. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, he continued to work and obtained his master's degree from West Virginia University in business and economics, and a Master of Science degree from Eastern University in nonprofit management. In 1988, he was asked to relocate to Philadelphia to open the East Coast Air Hub. He recently completed a special assignment in New Orleans, La., assisting UPS with the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. He is a member of St. Paul's Baptist Church in West Chester and serves on the boards of the West Chester Police Athletic League (PAL), United Way of Chester County, Cigna Health Care and Fairmont State Foundation, Inc.

Alumna of Achievement
Patty Vandergrift Tompkins
Patty Vandergrift Tompkins is a 1970 graduate. She majored in English with a minor in journalism, and she was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. As a student, she was editor of The Columns and also worked part-time at The Fairmont Times. After graduating, she began working as a full-time reporter at The West Virginian, and then spent five years in the Washington, D.C., area working in public relations before returning to West Virginia and to newspaper work in 1977. In 1983, she married Roger Tompkins and moved to Charleston, where he practiced law. She joined the staff of The Charleston Gazette as a copy editor. She was a reporter, assistant city editor and city editor before being named managing editor in September 2005. She serves on the visiting committee of the WVU School of Journalism and is a former board member of the West Virginia chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

Alumnus of Achievement
Gary Bennett
Gary Bennett graduated in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He also received a master's degree in business administration from West Virginia University. He completed the Uniform Certified Public Accountants exam in 1974. Bennett taught at West Virginia University as an instructor until 1980, and then returned to Fairmont State to teach accounting and finance. During his tenure at Fairmont State, he has served as vice president and secretary of the Faculty Senate, created and served as the faculty advisor of the Student Accountant Society and faculty representative on the Fairmont State Board of Advisors. He has been recognized through the Faculty Recognition Award and the William A. Boram Teaching Excellence Award' and was named the Educator of the Year by the WV Society of CPAs in 2002. He has served as the assistant chair and assistant to the dean of the School of Business since 1992. He has served on the Fairmont State Foundation Board since 1982. As a leader in the community, Bennett has served as the chairman of the board of directors of Fairmont General Hospital, and treasurer of Marion County Chamber of Commerce, Marion County Rescue Squad, Green Hills Country Club and Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia. In addition to teaching full-time, he has practiced as a CPA in Fairmont since 1975. He was awarded the outstanding committee chair twice for the West Virginia Society of CPAs. He currently serves on the Peer Review Committee. He is married to the former Barbara Jo Dunn. Gary and Barbara have two children, Brian and Lindsey.

Outstanding Young Alumna
Carrie Elizabeth Smith-Swiger
Carrie Elizabeth Smith-Swiger graduated with a degree in fashion design in 2002. She is the founder of Operation Glass Slipper, a nonprofit organization that supplies formal wear and prom dresses with all the trimmings to students who would otherwise go without. She is also the owner of a wedding/event planning business, Unveiled Event Planning and Design. Smith-Swiger also works in the Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts as a costumer and is teaching wedding planning as an online course for FSU this fall. She also has a line of vintage-inspired wedding/evening bags, which she showcases at trade shows around the East Coast. She has been featured on WDTV 5 and Magic 106.5 Radio and in The State Journal, Clarksburg Exponent Telegram and Times West Virginian. She was recognized by the The State Journal as one of West Virginia's 40 most accomplished young professionals under the age of 40.

Outstanding Young Alumnus
William R. "Bill" Phillips
William R. "Bill" Phillips attained a degree from the Department of Business in business administration, with an emphasis in accounting and a minor in political science in 1990. He was a member of the FSU tennis team, representative-at-large for student government, Herndon Fellowship Scholar and president of the Accounting Society. Post graduation, he moved to Japan and taught conversational English. In 1993, he attained a Master of Arts degree in Japanese from Kyoto University of Foreign Studies and then began an international sales and marketing career working for American Sterilizer, now Steris Corporation, in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Kobe, Japan. In 1996, he joined Boston Scientific Corporation (BSC). In his 11 years with the company, Phillips has held a variety of international roles from marketing manager, director of international marketing for three divisions, director of corporate strategy/Japan, vice president of sales and marketing neurovascular/oncology/Japan and his current role as vice president, international neuromodulation.

Nominate an alumnus or alumna for the 2008 Alumni Awards by sending a letter of nomination, including a biography and details of the nominee's accomplishments, to Devanna Corley, director of alumni affairs, 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont, WV 26554. Deadline for nominations is Nov. 1, 2007.