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Inductees Honored at DSU Student Hall of Fame Banquet

The 2019 DSU Student Hall of Fame inductees left to right: Nicholas Walters, healthcare administration major, Fort Worth, Texas; Huntley Brewer, biology major, Florence, Miss.; Layla Young, entertainment industries major, Cleveland, Miss.; Elizabeth Swindle, healthcare administration major, Pearl, Miss.; Charlie King, history major, Jackson, Miss.; Samuel Cooper, biology and psychology major, Cleveland; Shelby Irby, business marketing and management major, Madison, Miss.; and Destiny McClain, nursing major, Cleveland.

The Office of Student Affairs recognized student achievement on May 2, 2019, at the annual DSU Student Hall of Fame banquet.

The DSU Hall of Fame began in 1972 as a way to recognize outstanding students. It is the single highest honor bestowed upon any Delta State student based on outstanding accomplishments in all phases of college life.

This year’s inductees include: Nicholas Walters, healthcare administration major, Fort Worth, Texas; Huntley Brewer, biology major, Florence, Miss.; Layla Young, entertainment industries major, Cleveland, Miss.; Elizabeth Swindle, healthcare administration major, Pearl, Miss.; Charlie King, history major, Jackson, Miss.; Samuel Cooper, biology and psychology major, Cleveland; Shelby Irby, business marketing and management major, Madison, Miss.; and Destiny McClain, nursing major, Cleveland.

“The Student Hall of Fame is a wonderful way to recognize students who have been scholars and have exhibited a civic and social conscience throughout their matriculation at DSU,” said Dr. Vernell Bennett, vice president for Student Affairs. “This honor affords students an opportunity to leave a legacy at DSU that will be recognized forevermore. This year’s inductees have distinguished themselves in the classroom, in student organizations, in athletics, and in the local community. We’re proud of, and grateful for their many contributions to DSU and its community.”

Also recognized at the banquet were Abbey Gordon, psychology major, Germantown, Tenn., winner of the H. L. Nowell Student Alumni Association Award, and Brett Warner, an exercise science major, Collierville, Tenn., winner of the Wayne Blansett Award.

Lawyer Ashley Neal Cox, an associate at Cox & Moore in Cleveland—and a Delta State alumna from the class of 2012 and a member of the Student Hall of Fame—spoke at the event.

The Wayne Blansett Winner Brett Warner, an exercise science major from Collierville, Tenn.; poses with Allison Brownlee, public relations chair of the Delta State Student Government Association and a sophomore business, finance, and accounting major; and Delta State President William N. LaForge.

The H. L. Nowell Student Alumni Association Award Winner Abbey Gordon, a psychology major from Germantown, Tenn., accepts her honor flanked by Brownlee and LaForge.

Lawyer Ashley Neal Cox, an associate at Cox & Moore in Cleveland—and a Delta State alumna from the class of 2012 and a member of the Student Hall of Fame—speaks at the event as DSU Vice President for Student Affairs Vernell Bennett listens. A native of Grenada, Miss., Cox also was a member of the executive cabinet of the Student Government Association, Pi Gammu Mu and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies, and Kappa Delta sorority at Delta State. During her last semester, she was selected to serve as the Delta Council fellow in the Washington, D.C. office of Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi and was chair of the campus College Republicans.