Alumni honored at ACTC graduation

May 6, 2018

     In recognition of Ashland Community and Technical College’s 80th anniversary, alumni throughout the decades were honored at the commencement ceremony on Friday, May 4, at the Paramount Arts Center.
     Susan Barber graduated from ACTC with an Associate in Science in May of 2016. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Kentucky, set to graduate May 2019. During her time at ACTC, Susan was the student government vice president, resident student math tutor and college algebra student teacher. The summer after graduating from ACTC, she started an internship at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Shortly after starting school at UK, Susan applied and received a Pathways opportunity at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center as an engineer at NASA’s 3D printing lab. She is on her last rotation as a Pathways student and will be a full-time engineer at NASA in May 2019.
     Kathryn Barber graduated from ACTC with an associate degree in both Arts and Science in May of 2016. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky in mechanical engineering. Kathryn was the SGA president at ACTC in the 2015-2016 academic school year. She spent the summer of 2017 as an intern at NASA, working with Centennial Challenges as the head intern of NASA’s Space Robotics challenge. More recently, in the Spring 2018 semester, she has been a Project Management/Show Mechanical Engineering Intern at Walt Disney Imagineering, working on something exciting coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida.
     Mandy Phelps Mynhier graduated from ACTC in 2001 with associate degree in science and an associate degree in arts in 2002. She was a Centennial Scholar for the state of Kentucky in 2001, which is an award given to one student from each state in honor of 100 years of community colleges. She was a Phi Theta Kappa Guistwhite finalist in 2001; awarded the Singletary Scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky; graduated summa cum laude from UK with bachelor’s degree in biology in 2004; and graduated with a master’s in physician assistant studies from UK in 2007. Mandy now works as a certified physician assistant with Dr. George Borst in Ashland.
     Jonathon Cales is a 1997 graduate of the Automotive Technology program at Kentucky Tech: Ashland Regional Technology Center. He later received his associate degree in Applied Science in General Occupational Technical Studies in the fall of 2006 from Ashland Community and Technology College. Upon graduation, he worked for Boyd County Ford for six years and has been employed at the Valvoline Engine Laboratory in Ashland for the past 15 years. As a senior technician, he is only one of approximately 40 certified raters across the country in Light & Heavy-Duty Engine Sequence Testing. His work with Valvoline has provided him the opportunity to travel the world to places such as: England, India, Belgium, Australia and Indonesia. In recent years, he was recognized by Valvoline as displaying “Greatness in Representing the Valvoline Brand.”
     Ruby Deerfield is a Greenup County native and a graduate of Greenup County High School. She graduated from Ashland Community College in 1982 with an Associate in Arts. She then went on to Eastern Kentucky University. In 2014, she joined Marathon Petroleum Company. Ruby’s career has included King’s Daughters Medical Center, Tri-State Radiology, Ashland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce of Boyd and Greenup Counties. Ruby currently serves as co-chair of the Summer Motion Festival in Ashland, and serves on the Poage Landing Days Committee, Winter Wonderland of Lights Committee, Ashland Christmas Parade Committee and the United Way Agency Review Team. Representing Marathon Petroleum, she participates in a number of additional community events. Ruby is an active member of First Baptist Church Russell. She is married to Larry Deerfield and has a beautiful daughter, Lakin.
     Dr. E.B. Gevedon is an Ashland native and graduate of Paul G. Blazer High School. He attended Ashland Community College in 1977, earning an Associate in Science. He is also a high distinction graduate of the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where he served as a faculty member for two years. Dr. Gevedon has served the Ashland area as an allergist and asthma specialist for three decades. He has also served the community by sitting on various boards and committees: Community and Technical College Foundation of Ashland Inc., Ashland Park Board, Chamber of Commerce, founding member of the Ashland Alliance, past chairman of the Ashland Area Tourism Commission, Poage Landing Days, the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center, Economic Development Committee of the City of Ashland, Winter Wonderland of Lights and various hospital committees. He is also an active member of Wildwood Baptist Church and has served as a deacon and is a chairman of the church finance committee.
     Richard W. Martin attended the Ashland Center of the University of Kentucky, an ACTC predecessor formerly known as Ashland Junior College, from 1962-1964. He then went on to the University of Kentucky, followed by the UK College of Law, from which he earned his juris doctorate in 1969. He was a special agent for the FBI in Kansas City and Chicago, followed by a probation and parole officer in the 32 Judicial District of Kentucky, attorney for the City of Ashland and was interim city manager in 2016. He is also senior partner and president of the law firm Martin & Vincent, PSC here in Ashland. His many roles in the community have included: Salvation Army Advisory Board; Community Hospice Board of Directors and past president; Ashland Cemetery, Board of Directors, Chairman; Ashland Community College, Board of Directors; Ashland Instructional Basketball League, Board of Directors, President; Verity Middle School, Mock Trial Coach; Ashland National Little League, Coach, Vice-President and President; Calvary Episcopal Church, Senior Warden, Vestry; King’s Daughters Medical Center Health Foundation, Board of Directors; the Hack Estep Boys' Farm, Board of Directors; and numerous hours of volunteer legal work.
     Jim McKee is an Ashland native and attended Ashland Junior College from 1954-1956. He earned an Associate in Arts degree. He went on to attend the University of Kentucky and received a bachelor’s degree in commerce. Following graduation, he was employed by Allied Oil Co., Ashland Inc's Industrial Fuel Oil Division. He was also a sales trainee at Allied while also serving in the United States Army for 20 months during that period. In 1962 he was assigned to Allied's sales territory in Louisville covering Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. In 1965 he transferred to Allied's Cleveland home office to cover special accounts. In 1972 Jim was named Allied’s manager of supply, and then vice president of supply just four years later. In 1980, Jim was named president of Allied Oil Co. In 1984 he was transferred to Allied's parent company and named vice president of Ashland Petroleum for product supply and distribution. Jim retired from Ashland Petroleum in 1992 and resides in Bellefonte.
     Louise Taylor graduated from Ashland High School in 1944 and attended Ashland Junior College. She transferred to Marshall College and received an AB Degree in 1948. She got her first teaching job at Boyd County High School in 1948. In 1949, she began teaching fifth and sixth grade mathematics at Charles Russell Elementary School. She later transferred to Coles Junior High where she taught math and guidance. She earned her master’s degree in guidance from Marshall College in 1951. She transferred to Paul Blazer High School in 1962 and began her career of teaching mostly geometry. She retired from the Ashland Independent School System in 1990 after teaching for 42 years. Louise has also volunteered with King’s Daughters Medical Center, youth programs at the Paramount Arts Center and was assistant to the treasurer at Calvary Episcopal Church, where she is the oldest living member. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames of America, Colonial Dames of XVIIC (17th) Century, American Association of University Women and Boyd County Retired Teachers.