497 NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS KEEP HOME FIRES BURNING

Adult Students Juggle School, Work, Marriage and Kids In Search of Better Life

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

(MURFREESBORO) – Most parents have difficulty getting their 15-year-old son to clean up his room. Caleb Proctor volunteers to cook dinner for his mother, MTSU student Terri Proctor of Murfreesboro.
“Not only does he cook, but he cleans the kitchen as well!” Proctor exclaims. “While I have been working on research papers and trying to meet deadlines, he has washed the laundry and vacuumed. What’s really amazing is that he has ‘listened’ to my research papers many times over without falling asleep! Actually, he has made some good revisions at times.”
Caleb also is a straight-A student and a member of his wrestling team at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro. How does he manage?
“I just try to find time,” he says. “Time is more important than wrestling and stuff. I put that first.”
In fact, Caleb’s persistence has resulted in another honor for his mantel—the 2006 Best Son Award from the Older Wiser Learners (OWLs), the official organization for adult and reentry students at MTSU.
“We all struggle to fulfill the obligations of our "real lives" along with our studies. OWLs bands us together, making us stronger and better able to meet the challenges which we share with other adult students,” reads a description on the OWLs Web page (http://www.mtsu.edu/~owls/owls.htm).
“I love my son Caleb for who he is,” Proctor says. “His support of me as an adult student makes attending college all the more a pleasure.”
The Best Daughter Award went to Tori Gholson, daughter of Aimee Gholson of Hermitage. Tori finds time to plan her wedding and teach eighth grade while helping her mother make it through college. Amiee Stinson of Antioch also was nominated for that honor by her mother, Sherri Stinson. Both are MTSU students and majors in social work.
Sherri Stinson’s husband, Jimmy, received a certificate as a nominee for Best Husband. She says Jimmy “hung the moon” and has supported her through seven years of college. Robert Fischer of La Vergne, nominated by wife Robin, also got a certificate. At one point, however, it remained to be seen whether Robert would be around to appreciate the acknowledgement. He suffered a heart attack while mowing the lawn April 28, the last Thursday of classes before Robin’s finals.
“He’s doing much better,” Robin says. “One of the first things he said was, ‘You’re going to finish school.’”
After hearing that, Robin dismissed from her mind any notion of skipping summer school.
Richard, a regional food service manager for Bigelow Tea, is back at work. He is financing Robin’s entire college education. With an 84-year-old mother and a stepdaughter whose needs also must be met, Robin knows how lucky she is.
“I get so overwhelmed, and he never fails to support me and encourage me and lift me up,” says the elementary education major.
The winner of the Best Husband award was Richard Denney of Murfreesboro, whose name was put in the running by wife Monique, an elementary education major. For the Denneys, seven is enough. They have five kids ranging in age from 10 to one—and Richard is a full-time student, too, majoring in business administration.


“We’re balancing our schedule right now,” Monique says. “The main thing is he’s been going to school at night so I can go to school in the day.”
Keeping life on track requires a strict schedule for the kids. Monique studies from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The older children, 10-year-old Davien and nine-year-old Avionne, play with the babies and help with the cooking and household chores. In fact, they received a certificate as nominees for Best Children.
“We understood this is a huge opportunity,” Monique says. “We understood that we were going to have to sacrifice our personal time, but we’re looking at the bigger picture. The kids aren’t suffering in the least.”
The OWLs award for the Best Children went to Matthew, Sabrina, Austin, Ashleigh and Emily McDonald, who were nominated by mom Cathy McDonald. She says she nominated her youngsters as a group “because they help around the house and cook dinners and look after each other while their mom studies. They don’t complain about coming to the library on a sunny day or that Mom misses a school function because of studying and papers,” according to information from MTSU’s Adult Services Center.
Taking top honors for Best OWL Family were the Castleberrys of Franklin. Darrell and Debbie, parents of two children, were described by friend Evadane Brownlee as attending school full-time, working part-time and “still available to extend a hug to a friend in need.”
Tommy Sands of Chattanooga was named The Best Juggling OWL. Tommy’s wife, Dawn, says he “works two jobs about 70 hours a week, visits nursing homes to talk to the elders who never get visits, volunteers for Special Olympics and with veterans.”
Maria Hopton of Columbia received a certificate as a nominee for Best OWL Friend. The award went to Lela Cathey.
The winner of the 2006 Pinnacle Award of Achievement was Amanda Cook, who returned to MTSU in 2003 following a divorce. Amanda had to overcome a disappointing grade point average from previous work because she failed to withdraw properly during a family emergency.
Cook nominated Dr. Mary Farone, assistant professor, biology, and Dr. Linda Wilson, professor, nursing, for the 2006 OWLs Professor Award, which went to Meredith Ann Higgs, assistant professor, developmental studies. This is the second OWLs professor honor for Higgs, who won in 2001.
“Being awarded is beyond an honor--to be nominated by students who are adult and nontraditional students is a recognition beyond compare,” Higgs says. “I’m happy to help students at all phases of their lives. They come with a variety of responsibilities, and being able to help them is an honor. Every day I come to work is a blessing.”
Higgs helped to put together a coffee klatch after math class that has helped students and professors learn more. She is the daughter of Alben and Mary Ruth Simmons, the granddaughter of Coy and Virginia Simmons, Max Logan and the late Rebecca Logan, and the wife of Ray Higgs.


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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For more information about Older Wiser Learners (OWLs), contact Dr. Carol Ann Baily, director, Adult Services Center, at 615-898-5989 or cabaily@mtsu.edu.