The Berea College Alumni Association enjoys hearing from Bereans from all over the world. The “Class Notes” section of Berea College magazine reports verifiable news you wish to share with your alumni friends and associates: careers, weddings, retirements, births and other items of importance to our alumni. Please include your class year and name used while attending Berea. Notes may be edited for style and length. While we will make every effort to put your information into the next issue of BCM, some delays may occur. We appreciate your understanding.
Submit class notes and photographs here or via email: alumninews@berea.edu.
Tap or click on the arrows beside each year below to display Class Notes and photos.
1978
Lynne Blankenship Caldwell began serving as an adjunct faculty member in the religion, ethics and philosophy department of Greensboro College (Greensboro.edu) in August 2024. She continues to serve as pastor of Danbury Community Church, Danbury, N.C., having returned to DCC for a third assignment in November 2023. DCC celebrated its 40th anniversary as a union church (United Methodist and Presbyterian Church, USA) in July 2024. The congregation and the community of Danbury recently welcomed and hosted Berea College Country Dancers, under the direction of Joe Wilkie ’90, with AJ Bodnar and Tom Cunningham providing beautiful and wonderful music. Students at West Stokes High School, King, N.C., enthusiastically received the dancers in a midday performance, as did the vibrant arts community of Stokes County in an evening performance at The Arts Place, Danbury, N.C. Executive director of the Stokes County Arts Council, Eddy McGee, coordinated detailed arrangements for BC’s Country Dancers for both performances on March 6. This was the first spring tour for Country Dancers since COVID. Other Berea alums in the audience included Bill and Anne Ramsay ’75, and Janice Nickell ’82, all current residents of Stokes County. Caldwell may be contacted at lynnebcaldwell@gmail.com. Lynne and her husband, Neill, continue to make their home in Winston-Salem, N.C.
1988
Rodney Griffin was recently inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Renfro Valley, Ky. He joins Dottie Rambo, John Conlee, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe, Dwight Yoakum, Rosemary Clooney and others.
Tedd Masiongale, M.A., CCC-SLP, was elected as a distinguished fellow in the Speech-Language Pathology Academy by The National Academies of Practice (NAP). In March, the annual induction banquet and awards ceremony were held in Washington, D.C. Read more.
1993
Sgt. Matthew Silver is a dedicated leader in responding to sexual violence, balancing thorough investigations with survivor-centered support. He fosters strong collaboration between law enforcement, advocates and medical providers, enhancing Lexington’s Sexual Assault Response Team response. His commitment to training, cross-agency partnerships and survivor care has made a lasting impact on the community. Silver received the B.R.A.V.E. (Believe, Respect, Advocate, Validate, Empower) award from the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs.
1995
Joe Rowe started a new position in December 2024 as director of Morehead State University’s adult education academy for professional learning.
1998
Danny and Jessica Starcher Burdine relocated to Ruckersville, Va., in June 2024. Danny is now the director of operations at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
2000
Celebrating 25 years at Homecoming, Nov. 21-23, 2025.
2002
Robert Hayes, Ph.D., was recently hired as the assistant vice president of FACT Advising at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Hayes will have been at the University of Kentucky for 18 years this spring.
2001
Nicole Black Wilson graduated with a master’s in clinical mental health in May 2024. She is a licensed professional counselor at a private practice in Columbus, Ohio, where she resides with her husband, David Wilson, and their three children.
2002
Robert Hayes, Ph.D., was recently hired as the assistant vice president of FACT Advising at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Hayes will have been at the University of Kentucky for 18 years this spring.
2012
Gerald Fitts re-enlisted for six more years in the Navy. His goal is to do 20 years overall and retire. He writes, “Wish me luck! I hope everyone is doing well!”
Deb McIntyre has published a work of Christian historical fiction inspired by her ancestors’ work on the Underground Railroad. “A Wishful Eye” is set in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region and southern Indiana in 1849. McIntyre lives in Georgetown and is an educator for the Kentucky Department of Corrections.
2014
Dr. Wendell Bliss is an unsung hero, writes Jordan R. Ship, MD, FACEP. “During the time of the actual 2024 solar eclipse, at our solo-coverage, six-bed, rural, critical access hospital Emergency Department, Dr. Bliss performed a resuscitative hysterotomy on a pregnant patient in cardiac arrest in a valiant attempt to save the pregnant mother’s and 24-week fetus’s life. Ultimately these efforts were unsuccessful; but these were impressive efforts made by Dr. Bliss in a facility that has no L & D, no NICU, no pediatricians or obstetricians & no other physicians at that time in the hospital.
He then led two debriefings for all the staff involved to try to come to grips with this traumatic event. His calm, collected and compassionate manner was really helpful at the time of the resuscitation and for the ED staff to also recover from the tragic situation.”
The New York College of Emergency Physicians awarded Dr. Bliss the Unsung Hero award. Read more.
2016
MARRIAGE: Chloe Conn to Connor Johnson on Aug. 31, 2024. Shortly after, they moved to Cookeville, Tenn., where they are expanding their coffee trailer business by opening a coffee roastery and shop called Pit Stop Coffee Co. in Cookeville.
2022
Mikayla Craig graduated with her master’s in sport administration from Arkansas State University on Dec. 14, 2024.
Tess Grant moved to a new apartment in March. She is very happy and excited. She is so grateful to Berea College for providing her with the education that has shaped her career and for helping to make her into the person she is today.
