Coach, pioneer, musician, educators and alumni to be honored at Luncheon
Published: 2010-02-26
In celebration of Northeastern State University's Founders Day 2010, the university will add 10 names to its list of NSU Centurions. Founders Day commemorates the day the Oklahoma legislature purchased the Cherokee National Female Seminary and created the Northeastern State Normal School on March 6, 1909.
An annual tradition established during last years Centennial Founders Day Celebration, the Centurion honor is given to members of the NSU familyalumni, faculty, staff and students, whether past or presentwho impacted the life of the nominator, the Northeastern community or the public at large.
This years Centurions will be honored during a special luncheon held Friday, March 5 in the University Center Rozell Ballroom in Tahlequah at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under.
Joining the Centurion roster in 2010 are Dr. Isabel Baker, Dr. Terri Baker, Dr. Harold and Mary Battenfield, Dr. Tom Cottrill, George Elliott and Beth Herrington. Receiving the award posthumously are Sue Crafton, Joe Davis, Dr. Cesaro (Chet) Lombardi and Dr. Jim Malone.
Dr. Isabel Baker is professor emeritus of education at NSU. Her career of more than 40 years as a teacher includes more than 12 at Northeastern prior to her retirement in 1993. Through political, social, civic and church involvement in Tahlequah, she and her late husband, Dr. Tim Baker, received NSU's President's Award for Community Service in 2006. She graduated from Northeastern in 1950.
Dr. Terri Baker is an author and past chair the the English department at NSU. She is also president of the NSU American Indian Alumni Association and a presenter for the Sequoyah Seminar Series. Her publishing credits include non-fiction essays, book reviews, poetry and plays. She is a sponsor of the Native American Student Association. She has served as president of the American Association of University Professors Oklahoma Conference and in March 2003 she was a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
Dr. Harold and Mary Battenfield, 1959 and 1960 Northeastern graduates respectively, are active members of the NSU Nifty Fifties alumni group. Mary sits on the Alumni Association Board as Past President. Harold serves as a trustee on the NSU Foundation Board and assumes the chair this year. In 2001, Harold won the Physician of the Year award from the Osteopathic Founders Foundation at Tulsa Regional Medical Center. The Battenfields helped permanently endow the Battenfield-Carletti Entrepreneurial Lecture Series.
Beth Herrington is a noted Tahlequah historian, educator and community volunteer. She sits on the Historical Preservation Board and the board of directors for the Tahlequah Public Schools Foundation. She taught music for 48 years. Her civic involvement as a Cherokee County historian helped save and restore the Thompson House in Tahlequah. She is also active in the Humane Society and was honored in 2008 as one of Oklahoma's 50 over 50 by AARP.
George Elliott is emeritus assistant professor of health and human performance and the second winningest football coach in Northeastern State history. In 1976 he was named to the Faculty Circle of Excellence. NSU awarded him the Citation of Merit in 1984. He coached the Redmen from 1975-86 and compiled a record of 85-36-3.
Dr. Tom Cottrill is a businessman, NSU emeritus professor of speech and emeritus dean of the College of Arts & Letters. He was named to the Faculty Circle of Excellence in 1971. He chairs the Tahlequah Board of Adjustment and is a member of the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce.
Sue Crafton was an early Tahlequah pioneer known for her civic engagement. Crafton spent much of her working career with the Indian Service, including a total of nine years at W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital. During her retirement, she served as president of the Brookside Civic Board Council and was a member of several civic organizations including Eastern Star, White Shrine, Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Confederacy and the Rebeccas.
Joe Davis was a talented musician and an NSU music faculty member at the time of his death in 1995. He led the establishment of the NSU Jazz Lab, resulting in its nickname, "Joe's Place." He also was a creator of the River City Players, which showcases the talents of NSU students and the educational opportunities within the school's performing arts departments. Davis co-wrote early River City productions and directed its band.
Dr. Cesaro (Chet) Lombardi taught industrial arts at NSU for nearly 40 years. Lombardi arrived in northeastern Oklahoma after his military service during the Second World War and, after graduating from Northeastern, elected to stay in Tahlequah because he so greatly enjoyed the community. In 1953, he became the 50th faculty member and the first Roman Catholic faculty hired by NSU. He retired in 1986 and remained an ardent supporter of the university.
Dr. Jim Malone was an NSU alumnus and retired speech faculty member who brought puppeteering to the university and surrounding communities. Malone taught speech, humanities, theater, puppetry and coached the men's soccer team. He was the voice of Redmen football and basketball for several years. He helped create the Boare's Heade Feaste and directed numerous plays. He retired from NSU in 2004.
For more information or to purchase tickets to the Centurion luncheon, call 918-444-2018. To see a complete list of the 2009 Centurions