{"id":108143,"date":"2026-03-24T16:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/?p=108143"},"modified":"2026-03-24T16:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:02:12","slug":"delta-state-university-alumni-association-announces-2026-alumni-award-recipients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/2026\/03\/delta-state-university-alumni-association-announces-2026-alumni-award-recipients\/","title":{"rendered":"Delta State University Alumni Association announces 2026 alumni award recipients"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=&#8221;in_container&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; column_element_spacing=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; border_type=&#8221;simple&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221;][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>CLEVELAND, Miss. \u2014 <\/strong>The Delta State University Alumni Association is pleased to recognize the recipients of the 2026 Alumni Awards, honoring graduates whose accomplishments, service, and leadership exemplify the values and tradition of the Statesman community.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These outstanding alumni will be honored during the\u202f2026 Alumni Awards Reception\u202fon\u202fFriday, March 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.\u202fin the\u202fLeroy Morganti Atrium inside Kent Wyatt Hall\u202fon the campus of\u202fDelta State University.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2026 award recipients include:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<li><strong>Outstanding Alumnus of the Year\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nSteven Craddock \u201905<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alumni Hall of Fame\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nJerry D. Barton\u00a0\u201991<br \/>\nJulia\u00a0Gaston Cannon\u00a0\u201900,\u00a0\u201901<br \/>\nSteven Craddock\u00a0\u201905<br \/>\nChaley Brunetti Rosenthal\u00a0\u201910<br \/>\nMalik Senegal \u201919<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hugh Ellis Walker Alumni Service Award\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nJoe Saia \u201988<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kent Wyatt Young Alumnus Service Award\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nWilliam Branton \u201920<\/li>\n<li><strong>Henry Outlaw Retired Faculty\/Staff Alumni Service\u00a0Award\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nChristy Riddle \u201994, \u201995, \u201900<\/li>\n<li><strong>Distinguished Statesman\u00a0Award\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nRex\u00a0Keeton\u00a0\u201968<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThese individuals represent the very best of Delta State,\u201d\u00a0said\u202fCorley\u00a0Mullins\u00a0\u201906,\u00a0\u201910,\u00a0\u201923, Director of Alumni Affairs.\u00a0\u201cTheir accomplishments, leadership, and dedication to serving others reflect the values that make our university and alumni family so special. We are proud to celebrate their impact and recognize the ways they continue to honor Delta State through their work and service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tickets for the reception are\u202f$25 each\u202fand may be\u00a0purchased\u00a0online at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeltastategiving.org%2Fcampaign%2F2026-alumni-awards-reception%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Carobinson%40deltastate.edu%7C58740ef0a569435b59d808de7f1263a8%7Ceba10250257b4cb99814bb2167b4d99d%7C0%7C0%7C639087914127205392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=zvYZUHy%2BUC9ZoBpxWLrCBeOG%2F7C%2BS96MxCo15YmoqVo%3D&amp;reserved=0\">https:\/\/deltastategiving.org\/campaign\/2026-alumni-awards-reception\/<\/a>\u00a0or in person at the\u202fHugh Ellis Walker Alumni-Foundation\u00a0House.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The annual Alumni Awards Reception is one of the Alumni Association\u2019s most meaningful traditions, celebrating graduates who have distinguished themselves professionally and through service to their communities and to\u202fDelta State University.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">F<em>or more information or to\u00a0purchase\u00a0tickets, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deltastategiving.org\/\">deltastategiving.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row type=&#8221;in_container&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; column_margin=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_tablet=&#8221;default&#8221; column_direction_phone=&#8221;default&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; row_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; row_border_radius_applies=&#8221;bg&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221; bg_image_animation=&#8221;none&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_tablet=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_phone=&#8221;inherit&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; column_element_spacing=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; column_link_target=&#8221;_self&#8221; gradient_direction=&#8221;left_to_right&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_width_inherit=&#8221;default&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":71227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alumni"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108143"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108145,"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108143\/revisions\/108145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}