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Published YouTube on Apr 29, 2016: .Master of Ceremonies: Jim Fugitte. Student Speakers: Mariah Stearns and Abby Calhoun. Introduction by Elise Luckey at 37:26 minutes, and key note address by David Hawpe, at 40:14 minutes. Video by Travis Smith.

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"A campus is the wrong place to expunge history or circumscribe ideas," said Hawpe, who spent most of his award-winning four-decade career as an editor with The Courier-Journal and Louisville Times. "And one of the things I like about Lindsey Wilson is that it doesn't happen here."

David Hawpe proud of his association with Lindsey Wilson

Hawpe said he is "proud of my association with Lindsey Wilson" because of the leadership it has received from President William T. Luckey Jr., who has served as the college's eighth president since July 1998.

"I'm proud of the achievements of President Bill Luckey and his wife Elise, who built on the firm foundation they inherited," Hawpe said. "They have raised up an institution physically, academically, spiritually and culturally in a way that should make everyone in this room proud."

Student Mariah Stearns tells how LWC changed her outlook, life

One student who spoke of how she has been inspired by Lindsey Wilson's firm foundation is Mariah Stearns, a junior media studies major from Bardstown, KY, Stearns said that LWC changed her attitude about what it means to live a meaningful life.

"Before attending Lindsey Wilson, I had decided that the only way I could be great is if the history books had my name in them," Stearns said. "I believed that greatness was truly defined by what history thought of me. That belief was not changed until I came to Lindsey Wilson College.

"This place has taught me that it's not getting my name in the history books that's going to make me great, it's the impact that I have on a different person every single day. Being kind, caring and driving those around you to be successful, that's what it takes to be great."

Student Abigail Calhoun passed up scholarships at six other schools

Abigail Calhoun, a human services and counseling and Christian Ministries senior from Lexington, KY, said she chose to attend Lindsey Wilson because it stood out from a crowd of other schools. And she said her decision to spend her undergraduate years in Columbia-Adair County has proven to be a wise one.

"I turned down six other schools, two of which I had full-ride scholarships, to enroll at Lindsey Wilson College," Calhoun said. "I was unsure of why I felt so strongly inclined towards Lindsey Wilson, but I followed that undeniably strong feeling in my gut, and I praise God that I did.
"The great American cities that I have been able to explore, the people I have been so fortunate in meeting and the cultural experiences I have gained have impacted my life in an amazing way."

Dr. Luckey asks supporters to ensure college continues to have impact

And Luckey told the college's supporters that it is up to them to ensure that the 113-year-old college continues to have an impact on rising generations.

"I just love Founders' Day because we get to hear from students like Abby and Mariah," Luckey said. "It also gives us the perfect opportunity to not only thank each of you for investing in our precious students here at Lindsey but also to pause and remember those who have served this college so faithfully when it was their turn to lead, inspire and when it was their turn to give."

Luckey noted that while nostalgia is nice, it can't distract an institution from focusing on its future.

"While the past is a wonderful place to visit, it's a lousy place to live," he said. "We don't have time to live in the past and rest of what we've accomplished.

"Friends, if we are going to continue to have an impact on students ... guess what? It's our turn to lead, it's our turn to inspire and it's our turn to give. It's our turn to create a legacy like our founders did for those who came before us."

This story was posted on 2016-04-30 04:10:06

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