Names in the news

AWARDS
>> Clifford Carpenter, formerly of Odessa, was recently presented with an award from the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Accident Investigation in Washington, D.C.
Carpenter received the award for writing a recommendation to the aircraft safety recommendation program to investigate the possible failure of certain control wheels on Cessna aircraft.
His recommendation prompted Cessna Aircraft Company to issue a Service Aircraft Information Bulletin warning about the control yoke on certain Cessna aircraft models having a mechanical failure and notifying owners to inspect and replace certain control wheels if found to be defective.
Before taking the job with the FAA in Helena, Mont., Carpenter was manager of West Texas Aero at Schleymeyer Field in Odessa. He is a graduate of Odessa High School and Midland College. His parents are Steve and Fredrica Kinnard of Odessa.
>> BIG SPRING Big Spring State Hospital Administrative Assistant Melinda Gonzales was awarded the Top Hand Award for Chapter 52 by the Texas Public Employees Association during the  organization's recent state convention.
Gonzales received the award for enthusiastically recruiting state employees to TPEA. TPEA is an advocacy group for state employees.
Gonzales has worked in the patient rights office since 2002 and joined TPEA in 2005 when she was recruited by Patient Rights Officer Woody Jumper.
She was nominated by the Chapter 52 nominating board for promoting TPEA and assisting Jumper in recruiting. Jumper was awarded the Top Recruiter in the state.
Gonzales has served as secretary of TPEA Chapter 52 since 2005. Chapter 52 is part of Region I, which encompasses 18 counties, including Snyder, Eastland and San Angelo.
TPEA is a 15,000-member strong organization of active and retired state employees.
>> ALPINE Anabell Sartain was recently awarded the The Stellar Student Service Award at Sul Ross State University.
Sartain, a cashier in the controller's office, is the third recipient of the award, and was given the traveling trophy to showcase in her office until the next recipient is chosen. Along with the trophy she received her choice of a day off with pay, a $50 gift certificate for a local restaurant, a $50 gift certificate to the bookstore or a parking spot on the circle for a month. In addition, she will also receive an engraved paperweight as a reminder of her selection as an outstanding supporter of students.
The award stems from Sul Ross' "60 Second Feedback Program," which includes a feedback card for students to complete in regard to the service of staff members.

GRADUATE
>> SHERMAN Lindsay Paige Phillips of Big Spring graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in international economics and finance and Spanish from Austin College during the spring semester.
She is the daughter of daughter of Jim Bob and Penny Phillips.

HONORs
>> SHERMAN Logan Bell of Odessa was recently inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa at Austin College.
Bell is the daughter of Clint and Lois Bell and a Permian High School graduate.
>> NORMAN, OKLA. William Jeffrey Boles of Odessa and Caryn D. Powell of Midland were named for the President's Honors Roll at the University of Oklahoma for the spring semester. To be eligible, students must be enrolled full time in at least 12 credit hours and earn a 4.0 grade point average.
>> NORMAN, OKLA. Eight Odessa and Midland students were named for the Honors Roll at the University of Oklahoma for the spring semester.
Honored students are Savannah Brook Campbell and Sara M. Owen, both of Odessa; and Elizabeth Nan Oestmann, Whitney Beth Hudson, Laura Ann Jones, Travis Blanton Wagner, Carly Brianna Corbett and Reed Michael Townsend, all of Midland.
To be eligible, students must earn a minimum of 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale to be included on the honor roll.
Students in the College of Architecture are recognized with a 3.3 or better, and students in the College of Engineering and Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy are recognized with a 3.0 or better.
>> SHERMAN Austin College has named three local and area students to the Dean's List for the spring semester.
Students named to the Dean's List earned a semester grade point average of at least 3.767 on a 4.0 scale and are ranked in the top 20 percent of the student body.
Honored students are:
Odessa: Daniel Price, son of
Jim and Anita Price, Odessa High School graduate.
Fort Davis: Abigail Smith, daughter of Barry and Donna Smith, Fort Davis High School graduate.
Midland: Sophia Kuiper, daughter of Randy and Pam Kuiper, Midland High School graduate.

NEW FACULTY
>> BIG SPRING Big Spring State Hospital Activity Therapies Director Lorie Couch, MA, recently was appointed to discipline chief for education, rehab and adjunctive therapies for the Department of State Health Services State Hospital System. Couch, who has worked at the psychiatric hospital since 1994, was recommended for the position by Big Spring State Hospital Superintendent Ed Moughon and was approved for the position by the Executive Committee of the Governing Body during its July meeting.
In her new position, Couch will facilitate communication and information sharing among all the state hospitals' rehabilitation programs and share best practices within the state system. Sharing information will improve rehabilitation programming throughout the state, Couch said.
The role is in addition to her responsibilities at Big Spring State Hospital, where she oversees a 45-member department responsible for teaching patients how to live with their mental illness.
>> ALPINE Donna Greene has been selected as the new coordinator of faculty development and outdoor learning at Sul Ross State University.
The new position is part of the Sul Ross Quality Enhancement Plan, "Stars over La Frontera." The program is directed by Barney Nelson, associate professor of English. As coordinator, Greene will be responsible for developing a program for faculty support services. In addition she will coordinate opportunities and logistics in order to implement "Stars over La Frontera," a new and improved method of hands-on student learning with an increased focus on the cultural and natural resources of West Texas.
Greene has extensive knowledge of the region and the university. She was a member of the first class of Texas Master Naturalists in 2005, developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
In order to maintain her certification, she volunteers for 40 hours per year with numerous state, federal, and NGO agencies. She must also accumulate eight additional hours of advanced training per year. Recently she climbed Elephant Mountain to help rid the Wildlife Management area of some invasive plants around a spring and received advanced training on bats.
In addition she has hiked and camped on both sides of the border throughout the Big Bend area from Big Bend National Park to the Davis Mountains to the new Sul Ross mountain biking and hiking trail, which she helps to maintain.
Greene's management skills also include several years in the music business. While working for the company managing ZZ Top during their Eliminator album years, 1983-1985, Greene was hired to start their International Fan Club. Next she and a partner formed a music management and video production company on their own, eventually representing three bands and signing all three to record labels. One of those bands was King's X.
Greene eventually moved to Alpine in 1994. She worked for Carpenter Real Estate for six years and most recently spent seven years as secretary of the Languages and Literature Department.
She also has a master's degree in education and has previously been an assistant editor and contract writer for a publishing house in Nashville. She is currently president of the Texas Mountain Trail Writers.
>> ALPINE Sul Ross State University has named Kathy Stein as the new director of ACE (Academic Center for Excellence).
Stein will support residential assistants with programming for students.
ACE focuses on three areas: developmental education, honors classes and tutoring in the Academic Learning Center. Each area has a specific goal that is beneficial to students. Developmental education plans to enroll students in their basic courses during their freshman year in order to get them off to a good start as college students.
The tutoring program seeks to expand to subjects beyond English, mathematics and writing. Plans call for adding supplemental instruction in courses including as introduction to botany, introduction to zoology and history 1301.
Stein previously worked as the director of the Tutoring and Learning Center at the University of Texas El Paso . She was also the director of the developmental reading and writing. At Sul Ross, Stein works with fewer students, but considers this a plus. While at UTEP, Stein said the idea of a faculty-resident had been discussed. At Sul Ross, it became a reality. Stein plans to host programs dealing with vocabulary building, speaking games in different languages, and a movie night. Tutoring will also be offered twice a week in the Lobo Village Community Center.
ACE will also host an open house from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 18 in Ferguson Hall, Room 203.
For more information, call (432) 837-8770 or 837-8419 or email kstein@sulross.edu.
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