NSU Outstanding Alumni Announced During Homecoming

Northeastern State University announced the 2008 outstanding alumni during Homecoming Week earlier this month. Pictured are NSU President Dr. Don Betz, Michele McCarthy, Dr. Linda Sue Warner, Eddie Miller and NSU Alumni Association Board President Mary Battenfield. Not pictured is President's Award for Community Service winner Wilma Mankiller.

TAHLEQUAH A former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief, a university president, a founder of a company that aids the developmentally disabled, and a drilling company owner were recently announced as Northeastern State University outstanding alumni during Homecoming earlier this month.

Michele McCarthy (76, 77) and Dr. Linda Sue Warner (70) were named distinguished alumni, and Eddie Miller (88) was named Outstanding Young Alumnus during Homecoming festivities earlier this month. Wilma Mankiller, former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief, will receive the Presidents Award for Community Service.

The owner of Venture Drilling Supply, headquartered in Tahlequah, Michele McCarthy has built on the vision her husband, Wayne, established in 1977 when he founded the company. Upon Waynes death in 1994, Michele made a commitment to the employees of the company to keep things going. Under her leadership, Venture Drilling Supply has become one of the leading Atlas Copco dealerships in the U.S. With a strong commitment to her loyal employees, Michele has also built a true family business, with her son Colt McCarthy and daughter Nocona McCarthy both working to share their fathers vision.

A member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, Dr. Linda Sue Warner has an extensive history working in education across the country. She began her career as a second grade teacher at Curryville Elementary School in Bowling Green, Mo., and later moved into secondary education and higher education. She spent 18 years working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on federal reserve land in Alaska, New Mexico, Kansas and Arizona while completing advanced degrees from Pennsylvania State University University Park and the University of Oklahoma. She was serving as associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Tennessee Board of Regents before being named president of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.

One of three Oklahomans to found Bios Corporation in 1990, Eddie Miller, of Sand Springs, has a vision of empowering people to reach their dreams. His organization focuses on working with individuals with developmental disabilities to obtain full involvement in their communities. He has continually worked with legislators and the Department of Human Services to increase the standard of care for adults with developmental disabilities and to increase the wages of employees who work directly with them. He has served on the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council and served on the board for the High Risk Insurance Pool.

Wilma Mankiller made history, serving two years as the first female elected deputy chief and 10 years as the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Freedom Forum and the Board of Directors of the Newseum, a $400 million museum of the news in Washington, D.C. She also serves as an external diversity advisor to Merrill Lynch. Wilma was inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame, the International Womens Hall of Fame, the Minority Business Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Womens Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. She has presented more than 100 lectures at universities and published more than a dozen papers in journals and newspapers on a variety of subjects. A noted author, Wilma has authored several books, including Every Day is a Good Day.

These outstanding NSU alumni will be honored at the 11th annual Emerald Ball on Saturday, Dec. 6.

10/15/2008

Published: 2008-10-15 00:00:00