Student Affairs Hall of Fame Banquet Feb. 24
The dedication of former employees to the lives of students will be honored during
the third annual Fairmont State Student Affairs Hall of Fame Awards Banquet set for
Friday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at Westchester Village, 1825 Locust Ave., Fairmont.
This year's inductees will be Dr. John G. Conaway, who served as Director of Admissions/Assistant
Registrar from 1971 to 2001; Michele S. Casteel, who served in various posts at Fairmont
State from 1974 to 1991, including Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs
and Acting Vice President for Student Affairs; and Garnet L. Holsberry, who served
as Housing Administrator I from 1978 to 1986. The 2006 Distinguished Citizen Award
recipient will be Aaron Hawkins.
"The Student Affairs Office provides valuable services for students throughout their
college years," said Michael Belmear, Vice President for Student Affairs. "These services
include orientation, counseling, crisis intervention, housing, multicultural affairs,
career planning and placement, health services, mentoring, Student Government and
other student activities. The Hall of Fame event has been designed to recognize the
efforts of past employees and to encourage present employees to carry on the tradition
of excellence."
Those wishing to attend the banquet should RSVP by calling (304) 367-4643.
John G. Conaway
John G. Conaway is a graduate of Fairview High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Education (Mathematics and Physical Science) from Fairmont State College
and a Master in Education degree in Education Administration and a Doctorate in Education
(with a major in Higher Education Administration and minor in Management) from West
Virginia University. Conaway taught algebra, geometry and general mathematics at East
Fairmont High School from 1963 to 1969 and was Assistant Principal at St. Marys High
School in St. Marys, W.Va., from 1969-1971. Moving into higher education at Fairmont
State, he served as Assistant Director of Admissions/Registrar from 1971 to 1974 and
held the ranking of Assistant Professor of Education while holding those positions
from 1974 to 1993. From 1993 to 2001, Conaway served as Director of Admissions.
His professional activities include: member and past president of the West Virginia
Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; member of the National
Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; life member of the National
Education Association; and past president of the Marion County Association of Classroom
Teachers.
Michele S. Casteel
Michele S. Casteel has 35 years of experience in administration and has been employed
since 1995 as Training Administrator/Unit Chief at the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg. She worked in the FBI
Identification Division from 1991 to 1995 as a management analyst. She worked as a
classroom teacher in Huntsville, Ala., and as an elementary school counselor in Harrison
County before coming to Fairmont State, where she worked as a student affairs counselor
from 1974 to 1978 and later held the positions of Director of Career Services/Counseling
Services, Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Acting Vice President
for Student Affairs.
Casteel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Concord College,
a Master of Arts degree in Counseling and Guidance from West Virginia University and
is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration/Counseling
at WVU.
She is a past recipient of the FBI Director's Award, the state Distinguished Service
Award and the Mary Hicks Outstanding Service Award. Her current professional memberships
include the West Virginia Association of Career and Employment Professionals and the
Fairmont State Community & Technical College Board of Advisors. Her community involvement
includes serving on the North Central West Virginia Community Action Board of Directors
and as the Marion County Chamber of Commerce College Liaison. She is a Sigma Sigma
Sigma Sorority alumna.
Garnet Lee Holsberry
Garnet Lee Holsberry is a graduate of East Fairmont High School who worked from 1978
to 1986 as the dormitory director at Morrow Hall. After retiring from Fairmont State,
Holsberry became active in the local Homemakers Club, which is now Community Education
Outreach. A seamstress, Holsberry designs and constructs new apparel for men women
and children, including majorette uniforms, costumes and wedding attire, prom and
pageant gowns. After graduating from high school, she worked at Heinz Dry Cleaners
and as a cashier at Fairmont's Virginia, Lee and Fairmont theaters.
Holsberry's volunteer experience includes being Community Education Outreach Vice
President and a member of the state Community Education Outreach Board. She is also
active in her church.
"Fairmont has been a significant part of my life," Holsberry said. "My mother, Evelyn
Moore, was the head cook in the campus cafeteria from 1958 to 1972. Six years later
I began my work as a 'dorm mother.' Most recently, my daughter Sharon Smith joined
the School of Education. Three generations of Fighting Falcons!"
Aaron Hawkins
Distinguished Citizen Award recipient Aaron Hawkins, President of the Fairmont State
Foundation Board of Directors, has been a member of the board for more than 20 years.
A graduate of Fairmont Senior High School, Hawkins holds a Bachelor of Science degree
in Business Administration from Fairmont State and a Master of Business Administration
degree from the University of Utah.
Hawkins has been working in the banking industry for more than 25 years, first as
a trust officer and currently as Senior Vice President and Trust Officer of WesBanco,
formerly First National Bank, in Fairmont. He has a commitment to continuing education
and has completed a long list of course work related to his career. He recently completed
and received certification from the American Banker's Association National Graduate
Trust School, a three-year program based at Northwestern University in Chicago. He
is a Vietnam veteran, a member of the South Fairmont Rotary Club and the First United
Methodist Church in Fairmont.
He and his wife LouAnne Hawkins, a language arts teacher at Barrackville Middle School,
have been married for 31 years.
