Five inducted into Co-Lin Foundation Hall of Fame
Published 10:26 am Thursday, March 26, 2015
Copiah-Lincoln Community College Foundation inducted five new members into its Hall of Fame at a major donor appreciation dinner held at the Thames Center on the college’s Wesson campus.
Inductees include Sonya Cowen of Wesson, David and Debbie Massey of Mendenhall, Randy and Cherry Morris of Oak Grove, Louisiana, Silver Cross Home Foundation and Ronald and Sandra Wojcik of Brookhaven.
Sonya Cowen
Sonya Cowen is being honored for her contributions to the N. B. and Catherine White and Calvin White Memorial Scholarships, established in memory of her parents and brother. Cowen is a 1963 graduate of Co-Lin High School and a 1965 graduate of the college. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education and library science from Mississippi College and has completed additional study at Mississippi College and The University of Southern Mississippi.
Cowen established the first library at Wesson Elementary School and worked there as a teacher and elementary and high school librarian for 30 years. She has worked as an assistant librarian in the Evelyn W. Oswalt Library at Co-Lin for the past 12 years. She is a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, where she was chosen as a Woman of Distinction in 1990.
Cowen is an active member of the Co-Lin alumni association and the Band and Colette Alumni Chapter. She was chosen as Alumna of the Year in 2010. She was selected as Wesson Elementary Teacher of the Year, Wesson High School Teacher of the Year and Wesson Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year. She is a member of theWesson Garden Club, the 50+ Club and the Old Wesson School Community Center Committee. She has also been honored by the Chamber of Commerce as Wesson’s Ageless Hero. She is a member of Wesson Baptist Church, where she serves as a Sunday School teacher and a member of the choir.
She was married to the late Hollis J. Cowen Jr., and they have two children, Hollis J. Cowen III (Trey) of Wesson and Katrina Smith and husband, Lane, of Flagstaff, Arizona.
David and Debbie Massey
David and Debbie Massey are being honored for their contributions to the Wilson-Massey Scholarship, established in honor of their parents, Jim and Bobbie Wilson and Johnnie and Irmadine Massey.
David received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from The University of Southern Mississippi and completed additional study at Louisiana State University, where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow, Mississippi College and Cornell University.
He is retired after serving as chief information officer at University of Mississippi Medical Center, and he served as a faculty member in the UMC School of Health Related Professions. He is a member of Association of Information Technology Professionals, Healthcare Financial Management Association and Healthcare Information Management Systems Society. He also serves on the board of directors at Simpson General Hospital, Simpson County Economic Development District and Mendenhall Cemeteries Association.
Debbie Massey received a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from The University of Southern Mississippi. She is a retired special education teacher in the Simpson County School System. She serves as chairman of the Mendenhall Library board of trustees and is involved with the Friends of The Library program.
The Masseys have two children, Leigh Ann Wallace and Gabe Massey, and two grandchildren, Anson and Valerie. They are members of Mendenhall First Baptist Church, where he serves as a trustee and she serves in the homebound ministry.
Randy and Cherry Morris
Randy and Cherry Morris are being honored for their contributions to the Co-Lin baseball program. Randy Morris is the owner and operator of West Carroll Health Systems in Oak Grove, Louisiana. West Carroll consists of a 35-bed acute care hospital, an 80-bed nursing home, a home health agency, and five rural health clinics, meeting the healthcare needs of East and West Carroll Parishes of Louisiana.
Cherry serves as an event coordinator at West Carroll, and also enjoyed a career in insurance. The Morrises have three children, Anya Morris-Fulco, Megan Morris and Cris Antley, and five grandchildren, Jordan, who plays on the Wolfpack baseball team, Jacob, Presley, Cambra and Jax.
Silver Cross Home Foundation
The Silver Cross Home Foundation is being honored for its contributions to the Silver Cross Home Scholarship.
The Foundation was formed in 2014 as a non-profit organization to manage its investments. The Foundation’s members are the ladies of the Willing Hearts Circle of the International Order of King’s Daughters & Sons, which was organized in Brookhaven in 1894. The IOKDS is a non-denominational Christian organization whose motto is “Caring for all of God’s Children through service In His Name.”
Willing Hearts circle was responsible for starting and now has ownership of King’s Daughters Medical Center, Silver Cross Health & Rehabilitation and Kingsborough Elderly Housing. The SCH Board is made up of seven appointed members of the Willing Hearts Circle who serve as an advisory board to Aspen Properties, the company which leases and manages the operations of Silver Cross Health and Rehabilitation.
The board is also charged with managing the Foundation investments. The goal is to distribute monies yearly from investments to assist people in the Lincoln County area with an emphasis on autism, literacy and education.
It is the Foundation’s goal to give back to the community a portion of the blessings it has received.
Sarah Foster, chairman of the board, represented Silver Cross at the event.
Ronald and Sandra Wojcik
Ronald and Sandra Wojcik are being honored for their contributions to the Wojcik Family Scholarship.
Ronald received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering and worked in the paper industry for 40 years. He has also served as a Boy Scout Leader for 25 years. Sandra attended Co-Lin and is a graduate of Southwest Mississippi Community College Associate Degree Nursing program. She served as a hospice nurse for 36 years.
The Wojciks have five children, Nan, Jodie, Robert, Denise and Ricky, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All five of the Wojcik children have attended Co-Lin.
The Wojciks are members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Brookhaven. They are retired and enjoy traveling all over the world.