Williamsons to celebrate 50th ... and more

Anniversary

Williamsons to celebrate 50th

David and Jean (Fraze) Williamson, of Maryville, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception to be held from 1 to 4 p.m. May 24 at Clark's Grove Church, 3137 Old Knoxville Highway, Maryville.

They were married May 24, 1958 at Clark's Grove Church by the Rev. Billy Penson.

Their family includes children and spouses Sandy and Donnie Scott, Gary and Kristi Williamson. They have four grandchildren, Kari Patty, Kelli Scott, Jordan and Caleb Williamson.

Mr. Williamson retired from the City of Maryville Fire Department and is now employed part-time by the Blount County Sheriff's Department as a fire and arson investigator. He is a member and past master of Rockford Masonic Lodge No. 469 F AM.

Mrs. Williamson is a homemaker. Both are members of the Martha Washington Eastern Star No. 231.

All friends and relatives are invited to attend the reception, and the couple requests no gifts.

Birthdays

Hicks celebrates 80th birthday

Robert A. Hicks, of Greenback, will celebrate his 80th birthday May 19 with family and friends. A picnic is planned.

Mr. Hicks was born May 19, 1928, in Ontario, N.Y.

His family includes his wife of 59 years, Mary, son Bill, and daughters Diane and Susan. He has five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren.

Mr. Hicks went to California to study airplane mechanics at Northrop Aeronautical Institute and later moved with his family from New York to South Florida to pursue his dream of flying. He became a pilot with Eastern Airlines and retired as captain with many hours of flying experience, great stories and photos of his travels.

Mr. Hicks enjoys aviation, riding his motorcycles, photography, visiting family and friends, and many other hobbies and interests. He is active with the Retired Eastern Airlines Pilots Association (REPA), is a lifelong member of the VFW and a member of the BMW Motorcycle Club. He attends Bakers Creek Presbyterian Church.

Friends

Cummings to study abroad

Dara C. Cummings, a 2006 graduate of Maryville High School and a junior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, will embark on an experience to study abroad. She will attend the University of the Philippines at Diliman, the flagship university that has been declared by the Commission on Higher Education as the National Center for Excellence. She will attend the summer/fall 2008 semester.

Cummings is the daughter of David and Raquel Cummings of Maryville and granddaughter of Mary Lee Cummings and Olimpia Cabanas.

Borman earns degree at ITT

Donovan Borman, of Oak Ridge, has earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from ITT Technical Institute. He majored in electronics and communications engineering technology.

His parents are Mike and Colleen Brzuchalski, of Maryville.

Ezell graduates Marshall Univ.

Ashley Renee Ezell, a 2004 graduate of Maryville High School, has graduated summa cum laude from Marshall University where she spent four years as a member of the Thundering Herd girls swim team and was a John Marshall Scholar.

She was honored as the outstanding graduate by the Math Department, College of Science. In addition to her courses, she researched and presented a senior Capstone project entitled "The Logistic Regression."

Ezell will continue her studies as a graduate student in statistics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

She is the daughter of Jeanne and David Ezell, of Maryville.

Stinnett recent ETSU graduate

Alyson Paige Stinnett graduated summa cum laude from East Tennessee State University on May 3. She is a 2005 graduate of Maryville High School. She received a bachelor's degree in accounting with a 4.0 GPA.

Stinnett received the Outstanding BBA Student in Accounting Award and the Faculty Award in the Department of Accountancy.

She plans to seek a master's degree in accountancy. She is the daughter of Tom and Patty Stinnett.

UT Martin names dean's list

University of Tennessee at Martin has announced its honor rolls for the spring semester. Blount Countians included on the list are:

Kara E. McCurry, of Louisville, honors; Kathryn Y. Bray, of Maryville, highest honors; Destiny B. O'Neal, of Maryville, highest honors; Tyler C. Thompson, of Maryville, honors; and Brittany N. Newcomb, of Rockford, honors.

Students can make the dean's list with honors (3.2 through 3.49), high honors (3.5 through 3.79) or highest honors (3.8 through 4.0).

Bray receives fellowship

Kathryn Yarbrough Bray has been selected to receive a Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship for 2008-2009 at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Bray, of Maryville, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in spring 2008, and will receive $5,000 to aid in her pursuit of graduate or professional study.

She is one of 60 students nationwide to receive the Graduate Fellowship from Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society.

In addition, Bray recently received the Outstanding Agriculture Student Award during the 44th annual Honors Day and was also recognized as a University Scholar.

Thompson receives award for nursing

Carolyn Thompson, a registered nurse, received the Excellence Award for Professional Nursing Clinical Excellence. She received the award May 5 at the Knoxville Convention Center. Guest speaker was Hallerin Hill of NewsTalk 100. Master of ceremonies was WBIR news anchor Robin Wilhoit.

Thompson is a nurse supervisor at Lakeshore Mental Health.