Greensboro College Honors Three Alumni with Annual Awards

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Greensboro College will be presenting awards to three outstanding alumni during Alumni Weekend festivities in April.

The winners are:

• Distinguished Alumni Award: Harriet Craver Heath ’59 of Portsmouth, Va.
• Alumni Excellence Award: Mary Beth McCord Flynn ’93 of Kernersville, N.C.
• Young Alumni Award: Newton Taylor Babb ’15 of Greensboro.

The three will receive their awards during the college’s Senior Investiture ceremony on Saturday, April 13.

After receiving her degree in music education, Heath earned her MME from Virginia Commonwealth University and went on to a busy career as a choral director and music educator.

Highlights of her career include the establishment of the Virginia Honors Choir in 1979. She has served as Coordinator of Music for the Governor’s School and for Mary Baldwin College and was the first recipient of the Music Educator of the Year award in 1990. In 2000, she received the Sidney Swiggett Award at the Virginia Music Educators Conference.

Heath has strongly supported Greensboro College since she graduated. She serves on the alumni board (including two terms as board chaplain), has directed the GC Glee Club Reunion chorus and also has supported the college financially.

One of her greatest interests is seeing young people develop their talents and achieve their goals through music preparation and study.

The Distinguished Alumni Award, established in 1966, recognizes those who have continually served the college in community and religious affairs and have demonstrated outstanding service or accomplishment in their personal or professional lives.

Flynn is being honored for both her work as an educator and her work in the community. After receiving her bachelor’s in psychology and sociology, she worked as a lead preschool teacher at Fountain of Life Lutheran Preschool and as an assistant teacher at Piney Grove Elementary School.

Currently, she serves as a lead kindergarten teacher at Forest Park Elementary School in Winston Salem, having chosen to teach at an economically disadvantaged school to help make a difference for those students and their families.

“She always shares the love and word of God, as well as setting an example of being a true Christian,” her nominator wrote.

“Mary Beth is the first to pray for someone’s needs and help find resources if needed. Mary Beth impacts everyone she meets. Children who were not in her classes line up in the mornings to get hugs or high fives. She offers rides to members of her children’s sports teams and finds grants and donations to provide more goods, resource and services for her students.”

The Alumni Excellence Award, established in 1990, recognizes alumni who have contributed outstanding service and achievement as humanitarians and/or professionals in their chosen endeavors. Service, commitment, integrity and success are the key factors in making these awards.

Babb also is being honored as an educator. After receiving his degree in Mathematics Education, he began teaching math at Greensboro’s Page High School, where he also is a lacrosse and football coach.

A frequent volunteer to share his story at Greensboro College’s Admissions Open House events, he continuously offers his support whenever there is an opportunity for him to get involved. Originally from Atlanta, he chose to stay in Greensboro to give back to this community.

“Families, prospective students and coaches are always positively impacted when they talk to Newton and hear his story,” his nominator wrote. “He has referred many high-caliber, college-bound students to GC. …

“He has continuously demonstrated commitment, integrity and success through his continued support at Greensboro College events, Page High School events, and Piedmont Chapel Events.”

The Young Alumni Award, re-established in 2012, recognizes alumni younger than 35 years of age who have contributed outstanding service and achievement as humanitarians and/or professionals in their chosen endeavor. Service, commitment, integrity and success are the key factors in making these awards.

Greensboro College provides a liberal arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located in downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia, and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and six master’s degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.greensboro.edu.

Think critically. Act justly. Live faithfully.

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Media Contact:
Lex Alexander, Director of Communications
lex.alexander@greensboro.edu

Greensboro College
815 W. Market St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
336-272-7102, ext. 5398
Cell: 336-707-6617
www.greensboro.edu

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