Union graduates continue to make the difference in communities far and wide By Sara Horn What do an emu, 3000 new jobs and two medical clinics have in common? They are all creations of Union graduates – creations which have become the inspiration for making a difference to thousands of people in cities across the country and around the world. “I think God has given each of us the ability to make a difference,” says children’s author and Jackson resident Pat Winston, a 1994 graduate of Union’s M. Ed. program. “Each of us has some-thing special, something we can do to make a difference in the life of another individual. It doesn’t have to be a group – it can be just one person to whom we can make a world of difference.” Winston, author of the self-published children’s story “Earl the Emu,” set out to find where she could make a difference after coming to an intersection in her life. “I had worked in my husband’s medical offices for more than 20 years as his practice manager. In 1999, my husband did a corporate merger with a local hospital, which left me at a cross-roads of deciding what God wanted for my life,” explains Winston. On what she calls a ‘voyage of self-discovery,’ Winston went out into her community to look for opportunities where she could make a difference. In her search, she began teaching Bible classes to children in the inner city and working with women at a homeless shelter. She soon realized how many needs there were – the greatest need being financial. “I didn’t want to be just another person out there seeking donations,” says Winston. She began prayerfully looking for a way she could make a difference, and finally received her inspiration through the stories her husband would tell after coming home from his emu farm in South Madison County. “He would tell me all of these funny stories about how the emus, chickens and roosters weren’t getting along,” laughs Winston. “The emu is so different from all of the other farm animals, and from my work in the community, I saw so many times how these children and people I worked with were being treated differently. God gave me the idea to write a book with the message that there is a purpose for those who are different,” says Winston. Winston set out to write a book about an emu named Earl. In the story, readers learn that God has a purpose for those who are different. Self-published, with illustrations added by a local artist, a portion of the book’s proceeds goes to the Excellent Achievers Require Love (EARL) Foundation for the purpose of “empowering inner-city youth and homeless women and children.” Warmly received by local and regional audiences, Winston – together with the character of Earl the Emu – travel extensively to book signings and readings for children. One of Winston’s favorite memories is of her visit to the West Tennessee School for the Deaf and watching the faces of the children as she read it through interpretation. “They would laugh at different parts, and I could just see the spirit of the Lord touching them and letting them know that they were very special,” says Winston. Winston plans to turn the book into a series, with the second book scheduled for publication in August of 2001.
Though Kevin Sheilley has never had experience with emus, his experience with people has made a major difference in the lives of the citizens of Campbellsville, Ky. With a small population of only 11,000 and an unemployment rate of less than 5% for more than 50 years, the blue-collar town’s main source of employment was Fruit of the Loom’s large textile factory, which employed more than 4,000 workers. Early in 1998, the company decided to move their factories off shore to Central America. Suddenly, the town found itself with a 30% unemployment rate, the highest in the state and one of the highest in the nation. Soon after that, Sheilley – a 1994 Union graduate and communications major – came on board as the executive director for Team Taylor County, and found the community at a critical moment. “There was a lot of hopelessness,” says Sheilley. “It was a little overwhelming at first when our family moved here. We couldn’t go out to eat or go to the store with-out someone asking us if any jobs were in the immediate future.” Sheilley’s first goal was to let the citizens of Campbellsville know that there was hope. “It wasn’t going to happen overnight, but if we all worked together, we could be successful. It wasn’t just about me or any one person, it was about the town as a whole,” says Sheilley, who along with his wife Lisa and two children, are members of Campbellsville Baptist Church.
“The people are the reason. They really made a decision that we’re not going to fade into history, but we’re going to do the things necessary to make our community successful,” explains Sheilley. “I think Christians make a difference when they decide to commit themselves to excellence,” adds Sheilley. “So many times, we use the word ‘Christian’ and it doesn’t matter how well we do something. When Christians commit themselves to excellence in everything, it makes a tremendous difference in every part of our world,” says Sheilley. Dr. Alicia Wilkerson Smotherman agrees. The owner and doctor of two medical clinics in Arlington, Texas, Smotherman has made it her mission to make a difference in the lives of her patients. A 1963 Union graduate, Smotherman received her bachelor’s of music degree in organ music performance, but eventually went on to pursue her first love in medicine at the University of Oklahoma.
“Back then, it was unthinkable that a woman become a doctor, and my parents felt very strongly that I should play the organ in the Baptist church,” says Smotherman, whose family has had doctors in the family for more than 122 years. For a brief time after graduating, she played the organ for several churches along with obtaining her temporary teacher’s certificate to teach science in the local schools. Ultimately, she made the trip to Oklahoma where – on a national science foundation grant – she completed her masters and went on to the university’s medical school. She graduated in 1979 – one of seven women in her class. “I never thought about it being hard,” says Smotherman. “That’s what I wanted to do, so I did it. It just took me a little bit longer. You really didn’t think about it being hard because it was so much fun.” Smotherman continues to have fun with the work that she does. After moving to Texas and meeting and marrying her husband, the couple opened two clinics, which they call ‘neighborhood clinics.’ The philosophy, according to Smotherman, is to be available for patients, 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. “We want to make it easy for people to come see the doctor,” says Smotherman. With the assistance of a few other doctors and a huge staff of nurses and receptionists, patients generally walk right in to be seen, without having to make an appointment. Smotherman explains that with the hassles and limitations that come with HMO’s, her clinics allow patients to quickly receive the medical care they need when they can’t otherwise.
“The graduations are the best part,” says Smotherman. “Their families come and they’re so proud of them and we’re so proud of them. Then they’re able to go into a better job than they’ve ever had,” she adds. As a doctor, Smotherman feels there’s one main thing she can do to make a difference for her patients: listening. “Too many doctors don’t take the time or they allow themselves to get so busy, they forget to listen to the patient,” says Smotherman. She says that much of what she brings to her patients today, she received from Union. “There was such a caring spirit at Union,” says Smotherman. “You were nurtured and cared for in such a way that you wanted to give it back.” |
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Two years later, ten new companies have made their home in
Campbellsville, including Amazon.Com and Fleetwood Tractor Trailers.
With more than 3000 new jobs created in the two-year period, Sheilley
still credits the people for the success.
Something that is particularly close to Smotherman’s heart is her
medical assistant school, Arlington Medical Institute. With more than
100 students currently enrolled with help from federal and student aid
programs, these young men and women – who have usually been on welfare
in the past – are equipped with the training and skills to help them
in finding jobs.