Foundation Donors Honored

Three individuals were named to the President's Trust.

     The Walters State Foundation recognized three donors during its annual meeting. Portraits of the donors were unveiled at the meeting and will now hang in the Duggins Foundation Room, located inside the Dr. Jack E. Campbell College Center on the Morristown Campus.
     Morristown native Diane McCrary, along with other family members, has been a long-time supporter of the college. After the passing of her brother Stephen McCrary, who also served as a foundation trustee, McCrary made a gift on behalf of the estate and renamed the Helen McCrary Memorial Scholarship to the McCrary Family Memorial Scholarship. When she sold her father’s legendary collection of classic cars, she donated the proceeds from the sale of six cars to the foundation, resulting in a six-figure gift. McCrary has also endowed the Suzanne Clawson Poole Memorial Scholarship in memory of her lifelong friend. McCrary and Poole met in kindergarten and served as Walters State Senators Pages while attending the college.
     Representative Gary Hicks of Rogersville has made education a priority in both his private giving and in his public service. An alumnus of Walters State, he began his professional career as a network administrator at Rural Health Services Consortium. He is currently the IT director for the Rogersville School System. Hicks was elected as a Hawkins County commissioner in 2006. He has completed Leadership Hawkins, served as chairman of the United Way and the Holston Business Development Center. He is active in with the Republican party in Hawkins, Claiborne and Hawkins counties. Hicks was appointed to the vacant District 9 state representative position and was elected to the office in in 2016. He currently serves as chair of the Council on Pensions and Finance, Ways, and Means Committee. While in office, he has played a vital role in advancing causes related to education.
     The late Todd Giles served his community throughout his life, including service to Walters State. Giles began serving on the Morristown Rescue Squad at age 16. He served his country as part of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. He then earned his paramedic and emergency medical technician certificates from Roane State Community College. He joined the Morristown-Hamblen EMS in 1988 and was named Paramedic of the Year in 2012 by the Region 2 EMS Directors Association. He was EMS A1 Shift Captain at the time of his passing in 2024. He died while on a call, assisting someone in need. Giles served as an adjunct faculty member and led classes for the Division of Workforce Training. The Giles family has deep connections with Walters State and wanted to continue his legacy through the Todd E. Giles Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship will assist paramedic students.