Oct. 5, 2012 — Morehead State University’s 2012 Homecoming Banquet will be held on Friday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. in the Crager Room of the Adron Doran University Center (ADUC). Tickets are $25 per person.

Prior to the banquet, the Alumni Association is hosting a complimentary Alumni Welcome Reception from 5-7 p.m. on the third floor of ADUC. During the evening, Alumni and Athletic Halls of Fame inductees will be installed and the 2012 Founders Award for University Service will be presented to Rep. Rocky J. Adkins.

Rep. Adkins received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MSU.

In 1986, Rep. Adkins was elected to serve in the Kentucky legislature. Since 2003, the Sandy Hook native has been the House Majority Floor Leader.

A 15-year survivor of cancer, he actively raised funds for research by sponsoring an annual golf tournament, “Rocky Adkins Charity Golf Outing – Cure for Cancer” which has raised more than $1.3 million since its inception in 1995.

Rep. Adkins was inducted into the MSU Alumni Hall of Fame in 2004. He has been honored for his public service by many organizations.

He is considered a leader in the field of energy independence and has introduced several ground-breaking pieces of legislation.

He was the starting point guard on the 1982-83 OVC Champion Eagles basketball teams.

Inducted in the Alumni Hall of Fame will be Steve Kazee, a Tony Award winner; Dr. Bruce Mattingly, professor emeritus and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research; and Dr. Lucian Yates III, professor and dean of the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at Prairie View (Texas) A&M University.

Kazee, who has lived and worked in theatre in New York for more than 10 years, received the 2012 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in the musical “Once.” He has had leading roles on Broadway, off-Broadway and at the Lincoln Center Theater.

The Ashland native has been recognized for his performances in theatre and television. He was featured on the original cast recording soundtrack for “110 in the Shade,” had starring roles in weekly drama series, and on a comedy sitcom. Kazee has performed on the David Letterman show, was featured in the March 2012 issue of Vogue Magazine and the New Yorker. He received an M.F.A. degree in acting from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.

Dr. Mattingly, a researcher and former chair of the Department of Psychology, was the first faculty member to receive a research grant from the National Institutes of Health, a relationship that continued for more than 15 years. He was the only faculty member to receive the MSU Distinguished Researcher Award twice (1987 and 1999).

Faculty Regent from 1993-98, he was president of the Kentucky Academy of Science, established the Psychology Enrichment Endowment to support student research at MSU and received the University’s Faculty/Staff Fundraiser Award in 2002 and Faculty Service Award in 2006. Dr. Mattingly was program coordinator for the statewide Kentucky Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (KBRIN). He has served on nearly all University committees including Faculty Senate and President’s Council.

Dr. Yates has distinguished himself as a leader, builder and consummate educator. His research interests have included the areas of administration, achievement gap, male mentoring, learning styles, and teaching students of color.

He has served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. His role as superintendent was highlighted in the December 2002 edition of U.S. News and World Report and the January 2003 issue of the New Yorker. He was invited to the former Soviet Union to work with teachers and principals as they moved from Communism to Democracy and was featured on a call-in talk show with the Secretary of Education, Secretary of Labor and former President Bill Clinton to discuss school-to-work initiatives.

Inductees of the Athletic Hall of Fame will be baseball record holder Charlie Adkins, All-Ohio Valley Conference football tackle Ernie DeCourley, and golf standout Wes Martin.

Adkins, a four-year letterwinner for Head Coach Rex Chaney, recorded a 1.48 ERA in 1964, an MSU record that stands today. He posted a 12-8 career record and led the Eagles with 55 strikeouts in 1965. He helped MSU win the 1963 and 1964 OVC East Division titles.

An Oil Springs High School graduate, Adkins had an illustrious 34-year career as Paintsville High’s head baseball coach. He totaled 805 victories and led the Tigers to the state title in 1990. He retired from coaching in 2005 and passed away on April 21, 2010.

DeCourley, the team’s tallest lineman at 6-foot-5, ranked among the OVC’s top linemen during his two-year MSU career. Lining up as both an offensive and defensive tackle, he was named All-OVC in 1961 and 1962. He culminated his collegiate career by guiding the Eagles to an OVC co-championship while earning OVC Defensive Lineman of the Year.

A native of Savannah, Tenn., DeCourley was selected in the seventh round of the 1963 National Football League Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He later settled in Ironton, Ohio, and passed away on June 2, 2006.

Martin, who was named All-OVC in 1972, was a member of MSU’s first OVC golf championship team in 1973. Playing for Head Coach Ed Bignon, he and his teammates never lost a dual meet, and the Eagles won the 1972 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown.

In his professional career, the Winchester native played in a number of PGA Tour proceedings and more recently participated in Web.com Tour events where he posted two top-25 finishes.

To purchase tickets or for additional information, contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at 606-783-2586 or 800-783-ALUM. For a full list of Homecoming events, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/homecoming/.