NSU to recognize Outstanding Alumni for 2011

Exemplifying service and achievement, five outstanding alumni honorees will be recognized during homecoming week by the Northeastern State University Alumni Association.

The five alumni will be honored as part of Truth, Justice and the Northeastern Way, NSUs homecoming celebration, during halftime of the Oct. 15 football game versus Harding at Doc Wadley Stadium.

Former Alumni Association president Mary Battenfield of Tulsa, stage legend Joe Sears of Austin, Texas, and former state representative Dr. Barbara Staggs of Muskogee are the Distinguished Alumni for 2011. Country music star Carrie Underwood of Nashville is the Outstanding Young Alumna. Former state attorney general Drew Edmondson of Oklahoma City receives the Presidents Award for Community Service.

Battenfield, a 1960 graduate, was a member of the Alumni Association board and served as its president in 2008. In Tulsa, she is an active leader in Pink Ribbon activities which support breast cancer patients, survivors and their families.

She helps coordinate activities and correspondence for NSUs most cohesive alumni group, the Nifty Fifties. She and her husband, Harold, were named NSU Centurions in 2010. The couple helped permanently endow the Battenfield-Carletti Entrepreneurial Lecture Series.

Battenfield has served as a teacher and accompanied her husband to Ecuador on mission trips during which free eye care was provided to patients. She and Harold have visited more than 100 countries.

Sears, a 1972 graduate, is co-author and co-star of the hit Tuna trilogy and has toured extensively to give Tuna performances since 1982. He received a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play in 1995 during his sixth tour of A Tuna Christmas, which included his Broadway debut. He has performed at the White House for President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. Sears has received three Helen Hayes nominations for Best Actor and A Tuna Christmas was nominated for Best Play.

Though known for his stagecraft, Sears is also an accomplished visual artist. His works, ranging from watercolors to ceramics to birdhouses, are often on exhibit. Named an inaugural Centurion by NSU, Sears served as an artist in residence at his alma mater, mentoring students during the spring 2011 term.

Staggs is a 1963 graduate of Northeastern posted a distinguished 25-year career in public education as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and superintendent. In 1994, she was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives to represent District 14. In 1996, she authored legislation which brought the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame to Muskogee.

Committed to community services, Staggs serves on boards for the Port of Muskogee, CASA and the Oklahoma School for the Blind. She has also served with the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, the Breakfast Optimists, the NAACP, the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Oklahoma.

Underwood graduated from NSU in 2006 after a brief hiatus to win the 2005 American Idol competition. She is a five-time Grammy Award winner, a two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, a three-time CMA and ACM Female Vocalist winner and a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Since the release of her debut CD in 2005, Underwood has had 13 No. 1 singles and sold more than 13 million albums. She was also named Oklahoman of the Year in 2005.

During her time on campus, Underwood was a Downtown Country performer and worked for The Northeastern newspaper. She also placed in the top three in the Miss NSU Scholarship Pageant in 2002 and 2003 and was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. NSU named her an inaugural Centurion.

Edmondson, a 1968 graduate, was the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995-2011. He also served as district attorney for Muskogee County from 1983-95 and was elected to a term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1974. NSU named him a Distinguished Alumnus in 2004 and an inaugural Centurion in 2009. He established the Drew Edmondson Endowed Debate Scholarship to provide financial assistance to students who join NSU speech and debate. In 2011, The Journal Record presented him with the Leadership in Law award.

While attending Northeastern, Edmondson established himself as a gifted debater and participated in Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity and the Student Senate. He also started the Young Democrats. When informed on-campus political organizations were forbidden, he successfully lobbied to lift the ban.

In addition to being recognized during the homecoming festivities, these exceptional NSU alumni will be formally honored during the 14th annual Emerald Ball on Dec. 10. For more information about homecoming events and the Emerald Ball contact the NSU Alumni Association at 918-458-2143.