THREE WOMEN NAMED FERRUM’S 2003 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

September 18, 2003

     Three women have received Ferrum College’s 2003 Distinguished Alumni Award. The recipients are Julia Southard Campbell '28, of Florida; Annie Reynolds Looney ’53, of Roanoke; and Susan Shiflette Weisgerber ’82, of Waynesboro.

     A native of Danville, Campbell ’28 graduated as valedictorian of Ferrum Training School and went on to complete two years of Ferrum Junior College. Her career included teaching at mission and business schools, before she began work with the Federal Emergency Relief Agency in North Carolina. She later served as supervisor of the Children's Missionary Fund for the Nashville Board of Missions for the Southern Methodist Church. She was then ordained a deaconess and head resident at St. Mark's Community Center in New Orleans, La. Campbell acted as a supervisor of social work for the American National Red Cross from 1944-1947.

     Looney completed Ferrum Junior College in 1953. For 36 years, she served as a medical technologist at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. She is a member and officer of ETTA Chapter # 185 order of the Eastern Star. An active member of Ferrum College’s Roanoke Valley Alumni Chapter, Looney has also served on the College’s Alumni Board of Directors. She is an ardent fan and supporter of the school. Her daughter, Melissa, graduated from Ferrum in 1988.

     Weisgerber '82 recently accepted a role as the chief development officer of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network, after a successful tenure as the executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. After completing her associate’s degree at Ferrum, Weisgerber pursued her bachelors at Roanoke College. She has worked as a career counselor for the Monticello Area Community Action Center and as a personnel analyst for the University of Virginia. For seven years Susan worked in the 25th District Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. She received certification from the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia as a mediator specializing in family cases. Weisgerber continued working to enhance her community by accepting a position as a resource developer with the Staunton-Augusta Department of Social Services. She later worked as the United Way Campaign Coordinator for Augusta County government, as well as the campaign and marketing director for the United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.

     Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu. # # #