Class Notes

Jeffrey Scott Padgett was recently reelected to a four year term as Mayor of Concord, North Carolina. This will be Scott's third consecutive term as Mayor in addition to serving six years on Concord City Council. Scott is the husband of Teresa Padgett; they have a son Joel and three grandchildren. Scott's father is Max Padgett '50, who served as Director of Endowment Development at GWU following a career in education in Rutherford County and Catawba County Schools.

Linsey Rae Watts and Joshua Charles Stuckey were united in marriage on August 8, 2009. She works as the store manager of Maurice’s in Raleigh and he is pursuing a Masters in Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. The couple resides in Raleigh.

Mark LeGrand Brooks was recently appointed as Police Chief to Marion, North Carolina by City Manager, Bob Boyette. Brooks has nearly 25 years in municipal law enforcement, including more than 21 years of service with the City of Shelby. He has served as Captain over all three divisions of the Shelby Police Department at various times. Brooks is married to Katherine, and has two children, Collin and Ben, and three stepchildren, Austin, Erica and Sarah-beth.

Heather Nichole Walker and John Paul White, Jr. were married on September 26, 2009 at First Baptist Church in Shelby. She is employed by Gaffney High School and he is employed by Freightliner in Gaffney, South Carolina. After the wedding, the couple took a honeymoon trip to Jamaica. The couple resides in Mooresboro, North Carolina.

Robert Kenneth Whitlock passed away Sunday, November 29, 2009 at Carolinas Medical Center - Northeast. He was employed with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System, where he was a teacher for 4 years and Principal for 25 years before his retirement. Mr. Whitlock was a veteran of the US Army, having served in the Korean War. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Salisbury, and the Rowan Ramblers. Mr. Whitlock also was a member of the National and local Blind Veterans Association and the National Federation of the Blind. He is preceded in death by his wife, Betty Lou Hollifield Whitlock, who passed away on November 6, 1974; twin sons, Daryl and Caryl Whitlock on March 15, 1956; daughter, Sarah Susan Whitlock on July 29, 1960 and a brother, Troy Whitlock, in 1986. He is survived by his son, Robert Kenneth Whitlock, Jr. and family as well as several grandchildren and brothers and sisters.

Cynthia Diane Caudle and Eric William Smith were married on October 24, 2009 at Greater Vision Baptist Church in Millers Creek. Cynthia works for BB&T Insurance in Greensboro and Eric is a Computer Systems Engineer with Mailco Productions in Kenersville. Following a wedding trip to Las Vegas, the couple will reside in Kernersville.

died on Friday, December 11, 2009 after a two-year battle with liver cancer. He formerly served as County Manager for Cleveland County. He is survived by his wife, Hope and sons, Matthew Alexander and Bill Randolph.

Randall Chris Hall graduated with a Master of Business Administration from Western Carolina University on December 19, 2009. He is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Bank of Asheville and its parent company, Weststar Financial Services Corporation. Randall resides in Asheville.

Orstell Lamar Barnett is now Vice President of Sales/Business Development for Affiliated Computer Services and resides in Winchester, Virginia.

Lisa Lane Dale was recently named Principal at Hillcrest Elementary School by Dr. Arthur Stellar, Superintendent for Burke County Public Schools. Linda began her career with Burke County Public Schools as a Teacher Assistant at Drexel and then went on to teach fourth and fifth grade at Drexel and Hallyburton elementary schools. In 2002 she became an Assistant Principal at Ray Childers Elementary and served in that role for four years. For the past four and a half years she has been the Assistant Principal at Heritage Middle School. She is married to Jason Dale and has a 2-year-old daughter, Peyton.