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October 18, 2005

Alumni Honored at Awards Brunch

On Saturday, October 15, the University of Louisiana at Monroe Alumni Association hosted the annual Alumni Awards Dinner as part of the Homecoming 2005 festivities. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the presentation of the prestigious Golden Arrow Award. This year's recipient was Tim Holcomb. Holcomb earned a BBA and MBA from ULM and participated in numerous academic extracurricular activities while in attendance as a student. Since his graduation from ULM, Holcomb has served his alma mater as regional vice president of ULM's Alumni Association, as a member of ULM's Alumni Board and as a member of the ULM Indian Athletic Foundation's board of directors.

In his acceptance speech, Holcomb said he was humbled by the award. "It's great to see the new improvements here over the last few years," he said. "Something else really excites me, a new excitement, a new era of confidence (on this campus). It's a pride in knowing where we have come from, where we are, and where we are going." Holcomb closed by saying, "ULM gave me a first class education, an opportunity to succeed both professionally and personally."

Last year's Golden Arrow winner, Bruce Hanks, presented the award to Holcomb. The Golden Arrow Award was established in 1981 by the Alumni Association to recognize outstanding alumni who have served the ULM Alumni Association and their local chapter.

The Alumni Chapter of the Year Award went to the Ouachita Parish chapter for the second consecutive year. Associate Director of Alumni Relations Tommy Walpole presented the award to chapter president Tania Simpson.

The winner of the 2005 Alumni Service Award was Gail Parker, Budget and Investment Officer for the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Parker has been involved with the university since she became a student in 1973. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and has remained an active alumnus. She has been employed with the university for 14 years, all of which have been spent in the Vice President for Business Affairs Office. She has been involved with Alpha Omicron Pi for over 30 years, first as a member of the sorority and now as an active member of both the alumni chapter and the collegiate chapter. The award was presented to Parker by ULM Director of Alumni Relations, Keith Brown.

The first-ever ULM Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Billy Laird. Laird has been involved with ULM since he began as a student in 1956. He was the Alumni Director for many years, then served as Director of Development and in many other capacities in University Advancement until 1997 when he retired as an Associate Vice President of the University. Since the beginning, he has been involved with High School Relations, the Athletic Foundation, the Letterman's Club, University Foundation, and the Alumni Association. The award was presented to Laird by ULM Alumni Association president Don Weems. In his acceptance speech, Laird said, "I am a firm believer that the Alumni Association is the backbone of the university. As goes the Alumni Association, so goes the university."

For this and other ULM news online visit www.ulm.edu. While there, check out ULM's on-line calendar for all of ULM's upcoming events.

 

Adam McDonald contributed to this story.

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