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Thank you for joining us for our fourth annual Midway University Spotlight Awards. Tonight we honor a family who has supported this institution since its founding in 1847 and we celebrate a woman whose vision helped create one of the Kentucky s most iconic brands and laying the groundwork for today s growing Bourbon tourism industry. Midway University s continued success is only possible because of our dedicated faculty and staff, loyal students and graduates and a supportive community of donors like you. This has been a milestone year for our institution. An historic vote by our Board of Trustees in May 2016 allowed us to become fully co-educational this year. This decision, along with expanding our athletics programs by adding men s teams, allowed us to welcome our all-time highest incoming class in our traditional undergraduate program. The future of our institution is bright and exciting, thanks, in no small part, to you. All proceeds from this event will go to support ongoing academic programming and student scholarships at Midway University. We thank each of you for your continued loyalty and support. 2 2016 Spotlight Awards
Spotlight Awards Event Schedule Welcome... John P. Marsden, Ph.D. President Evening Preview... Ellen Gregory Vice President, Marketing & Communications Invocation... William Brown, Ph.D. Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Presentation of Awards..... Midway University Legacy Award Ms. Donna R. Moore 62 Chair, Midway University Board of Trustees L. L. Pinkerton Vision Award John P. Marsden, Ph.D. President Midway University Alum Speaker...... Jacklyn Evans 04 Maker s Mark Diplomat Live Auction Following the Awards Program please join us for a Dessert Reception in the Fireside Room and for a viewing of the Maker s Mark Commemorative Bottle Dipping. MIDWAY.EDU 3
2017 Legacy Award THE PARRISH-ROACH FAMILY Margaret Ware Parrish James Ware Parrish Ruth Slack Roach James Ware Parrish and his descendants have made a true impact on Midway University. Parrish first came to Midway Christian Church because of his reverence for its organizer, Dr. L.L. Pinkerton. The pair worked together to establish the Kentucky Female Orphan School. While Pinkerton designed the curriculum and served as the school s administrator, Parrish devoted himself to raising money to purchase land and erect the needed buildings. Nearly two centuries later, the site Parrish chose for the school remains the home of Midway University. James Ware Parrish had two sons who both became active Trustees and their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many in-laws have continued to love, work and dream with the school as it transformed to meet its students needs. Parrish s son, Thompson Marcus, is patriarch to the Roach family. He was an active Trustee who married Kate Rogers, a student at Dr. Pinkerton s Baconian Institute. Thompson Marcus had three sons and a daughter. To this day, the sons offspring, including the Walden and Rouse families, are ardent supporters of Midway University. 4 2016 Spotlight Awards
The Roaches descended from Thompson Marcus only daughter, Mamie. She married Judge Ben Roach and they had three children. Their son, Benjamin Franklin Roach, also became a Board member. He took a keen interest in Midway and worked steadily for its enhancement. He was on the campaign with Board Chair Bill Buster for the new student center, which includes Piper Dining Hall. He and his wife, Ruth, are credited with establishing the nursing program at Midway and he was actively involved with guiding those students for many years. The current generation of activists from the Roach family include Ben and Ruth s son, James Parrish Roach who is currently serving on the Board of Trustees. Their daughter, Helen Rentch, conceived and helped build The Homeplace at Midway, with which the school now collaborates to provide nursing care. Helen is also a member of the Midway University Ambassador program. Robyn Roach, widow of Ben and Ruth s son, Tom, established and still helps lead the Ruth Slack Roach Scholars program, in partnership with Mildred Buster and Janie Polk. This scholarship has benefited 20 young leaders on campus, giving selected students a full ride for two years, allowing many to complete their college education. Another descendant having an impact on Midway, was Margaret Ware Parrish, a great granddaughter of James Ware Parrish, who served as a coach and a faculty member at Midway for almost 40 years. Her strong leadership, integrity and service established the university s athletics department as one of the most admired in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. MIDWAY.EDU 5
6 2016 Spotlight Awards 2017 L.L. Pinkerton Vision Award MARGIE SAMUELS (Bio courtesy of the Kentucky Distillers Association) Margie Mattingly was born and raised in Louisville s West End. Her father s family cofounded the Mattingly & Moore Distillery in Bardstown back in the mid-1800s. Margie graduated from the University of Louisville where she earned a bachelor s degree in chemistry in 1933. While there, she met Bill Samuels, Sr., a sixth-generation Kentucky distiller whose family owned and operated the T.W. Samuels distillery. Bill and Margie were married in 1937 and set up residence at the old Samuels home place on Whisky Row in Bardstown. The Samuels had three children: Bill, Jr., Nancy and Leslie. And in 1953, they also collaborated on a new kind of bourbon, which Bill, Sr., created and Margie named Maker s Mark. While Margie never held an official position or had delineated responsibilities, her contributions were invaluable and played a significant role in Maker s Mark eventually achieving iconic status among bourbon lovers: She discovered an unscientific yet highly effective way to help her husband decide which small grain should be selected to replace rye as part of the formula in his new whisky. She baked bread with a variety of alternative grains. Bill blindtasted the bread and then made his decision based on taste. She insisted that all the old buildings at the Victorian-era distillery they had purchased to make their whisky not only be saved but also faithfully restored, even at a time when money was scarce. This resulted in Maker s Mark becoming America s first distillery to be designated a National Historic Landmark and earned a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for Maker s Mark as America s oldest operating distillery on its original site. But, by far her most famous contributions were the creation of two of the spirits industry s most famous symbols for handcrafted quality: the brand name Maker s Mark and the distinctive red wax which drips down the neck of every bottle. Both have been successfully trademarked. Margie also designed the shape of the Maker s Mark bottle, as well as the distinctive lettering on each label that has become an internationally recognized type style. In 2014 Margie was the first woman directly connected with a distillery to receive the industry s highest honor by being inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and was only the fifth woman ever to be inducted.
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Thank you to our sponsors: And thank you to our table sponsors: Belinda Metzger Bluegrass Tours Christian Care Communities Codell Construction Crosshair Media Placement Donna Moore Campbell ecampus Jan Hunter Keeneland LG & E Libby Jones Linda Green Messer Construction Roach Family Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC The Homeplace at Midway Virginia Fox Additional Support Provided by: ecampus Jeff Ruby s Steakhouse LexEffect 512 East Stephens Street Midway, Kentucky 40347