Summer Reunion 2025
Calvin Gross ’85: Rodney C. Bussey Award of Special Merit
A native of Clover Bottom in Jackson County, Kentucky, Calvin Gross never imagined college was within reach. Raised on a tobacco farm, he spent his childhood working in the fields, foraging in the woods and wading creeks with his cousins. His family lived simply, relying on gardens, canning and community, but they always had food on the table and love in the home.
Read more About Calvin Gross
Though shy and often bored in school, Gross’s life changed when he met Carolyn Pennington, a fellow Jackson Countian and Berea College graduate who became his teacher and later his guidance counselor. When Gross considered dropping out of high school, Pennington personally drove him to Berea and declared, “This young man is going to Berea College.” That act of mentorship altered the course of his life.
Gross enrolled at Berea in 1981, earning a degree in studio art. He found deep friendship, especially through Berea’s diverse international student community, and formed lifelong bonds that inspired him to explore the world. His labor assignment in Hutchins Library became the foundation for a career in academic librarianship.
After working at the University of Kentucky Library, Gross returned to Berea, where he rose through the ranks at Hutchins Library, ultimately succeeding longtime director Anne Chase. She supported his path to a graduate degree in library science and mentored him into leadership.
Gross’s home in Climax, Kentucky, became a gathering place affectionately known as “The Little UN,” where students from around the world came together to share food, stories and cultural traditions. His ongoing connection with these students is a testament to the inclusive spirit he found at Berea.
Grateful for the transformation Berea made possible, Gross has given back generously over the years, committed to ensuring that other young people realize they, too, can achieve their dreams—regardless of background.
Rick Gunter ’67: Alumni Loyalty Award
When Rick Gunter was a boy in North Carolina, he heard a radio interview with famed Louisville
Courier-Journal reporter William “Skeets” Miller and turned to his father to say, “When I grow up, Dad, I want to do what Mr. Miller did.”
Read more about Rick Gunter ’67
That early inspiration led to a 65-year journey in journalism. Gunter, a native of Avery County, N.C., and Berea College graduate of 1967, has served on the staffs of seven weekly and daily newspapers, covering everything from presidential campaigns to triple homicides. He was editor of The Pinnacle, Berea’s student newspaper, in 1966–67 and went on to serve in executive editorial roles at papers in Asheville, N.C., Winter Haven, Fla., and Staunton, Va.
Nearly 26 years ago, Gunter fulfilled a lifelong dream by purchasing The Crewe-Burkeville Journal in Nottoway County, Va., where he and his wife of 48 years, Deborah June Honeycutt, continue to publish what they proudly call “Southside Virginia’s progressive voice.” He serves as executive editor, publisher—and even janitor.
Now nearing 81, Gunter still reports and writes daily. With June’s partnership and support, he remains committed to fearless commentary, community service and upholding Berea College’s Great Commitments through journalism.
A Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and former Berea Alumni Executive Council member, Gunter has long been active in civic life. He is also a devoted sports fan, following the Washington NFL team since the early 1950s.
Gunter learned of Berea from his cousin, Dr. Jack Guy Braswell ’49, and applied to only one college. When accepted, he wept with gratitude. He still considers Berea the defining “game-changer” of his life.
Rick and June Gunter live in Crewe, Va., and are the proud parents of two grown sons.
Dr. David Nickel ’64: Alumni Loyalty Award
A native of Greenup County, Kentucky, Dave Nickel credits Berea College with providing the singular opportunity that made his higher education possible. Despite graduating as salutatorian from McKell High School in 1960, his family lacked the financial means to support college. The offer to attend Berea changed the course of his life.
Read more about Dr. David Nickel ’64
Nickel earned a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry and left Berea with a host of cherished memories—from playing varsity baseball to intramural football—and recognition through honors such as the Veltin Citizenship Prize and the Athlete, Scholar and Gentleman Award. Most meaningfully, he met his wife of 60 years, Jennie Tallent Nickel.
He went on to earn a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in chemistry and higher education administration from Indiana University. His career spanned work in laboratories, higher education leadership and corporate training. He held senior admissions roles at Arkansas State and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and later served in leadership development at Goodyear and Lockheed Martin.
Returning to academia, Nickel served as faculty coordinator and lecturer in The Ohio State University’s College of Business. He taught in Ohio and abroad in Wuhan, China, and contributed to curriculum and administrative development at several institutions. He conducted research on higher education leadership, publishing and presenting widely.
A committed volunteer, he served on the American Association of University Administrators board, chaired his church’s Adult Learning Council and is active in Toastmasters International and Braver Angels. He and Jennie coordinated the Central Ohio Berea Alumni Chapter for two decades.
In semi-retirement, Nickel remains active and grateful, sharing wisdom with his five grandchildren and reflecting often on the lifelong impact of Berea College.
Dr. Jennie Tallent Nickel ’65: Alumni Loyalty Award
A native of Maryville, Tennessee, Dr. Jennie Tallent Nickel was one of 13 students to graduate from Berea College’s nursing program in 1965. Her clinical experiences as a student—particularly her public health rotation in eastern Kentucky—proved formative. Driving mountain roads to visit families, schools and even a granny midwife, Jennie found her calling in community and public health.
Read more about Dr. Jeannie Tallent Nickel ’65
Following her marriage to fellow Berean Dave Nickel, she pursued public health nursing positions across Kentucky, working first with the Louisville-Jefferson County Health Department, and later as a consultant to health departments in southcentral Kentucky. She earned a master’s degree in community nursing from the University of Kentucky and taught at the UK College of Nursing before pausing her career to raise her two children.
When her children entered school, she commuted to Columbus to complete a Ph.D. in preventive medicine from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Afterward, she joined the OSU College of Nursing, where she taught community health nursing and epidemiology, gained tenure as an associate professor and conducted research on case management for HIV patients, childhood immunizations and health service delivery.
Later, she transitioned to the Ohio Medicaid Program as section chief for data management and analysis, focusing on community-based care until her retirement.
Dr. Nickel continues to serve her community through literacy programs and food outreach, and she nurtures her artistic talents through oil painting—a passion first sparked by Berea’s humanities curriculum.
For 20 years, she and Dave coordinated the Central Ohio Berea Alumni Chapter. Their dedication to Berea has never waned. Dr. Nickel considers her years at Berea to be life-defining, shaping her values, friendships and lifelong commitment to service and equity in health care.
Dr. Freida Hopkins Outlaw ’68: Distinguished Alumna Award
Dr. Freida Hopkins Outlaw has dedicated her life to providing mental health care to underserved communities. A Kentucky native, she earned her baccalaureate in Nursing from Berea College, a master’s in psychiatric nursing from Boston College and a Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America. She completed postdoctoral studies in psychosocial oncology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Read more about Dr. Freida Hopkins Outlaw ’68
Dr. Outlaw now serves as professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College. Previously, she was academic program consultant to the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association.
She has held numerous influential roles, including director of the Meharry Youth Health and Wellness Center, which focused on LGBTQ youth. As assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, she secured $32 million in federal funding to improve the state’s system of care for children and families.
Dr. Outlaw is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a national leader in advancing trauma-informed, equitable mental health care. Her scholarship spans depression, the impact of racism and toxic stress, seclusion and restraint and the mental health needs of children and LGBTQ youth of color.
She has co-edited award-winning texts, contributed chapters on social justice and ethics and serves as an editor of Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. She co-chairs the DEI Committee of the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses and serves on the AAN Fellow Selection Committee. In addition, Dr. Outlaw has served as president of the Nashville Health and Well-being Leadership Council. Her work continues to reduce stigma and expand access to compassionate care.
