Marshall University and the Marshall University Alumni Association hosted the 86th Annual Alumni Awards Banquet presented by Marshall Health Network on Saturday at the Marshall Health Network Arena.
“The Alumni Awards Banquet is one of the most meaningful traditions we have at Marshall,” said Walker Tatum, director of alumni engagement. “It’s a time to reflect on the outstanding accomplishments of our alumni and to honor those who have made a lasting impact in their professions, communities and beyond. We are incredibly proud of this year’s award recipients. They embody the very best of what it means to be part of the Marshall family.”
Among the list of two dozen honorees at the 2025 awards banquet, Dr. Lonnie G. Thompson and Dr. Ellen Mosley-Thompson were named the Distinguished Alumnus and Distinguished Alumna. Pam Nibert received the Distinguished Service to Marshall University award, Laurie Martin received the Outstanding Community Achievement award, and Sean Hornbuckle received the Distinguished Young Alumnus award. Accepting on Hornbuckle’s behalf was his son, Tristan.
Individual Awards of Distinction were presented during the event to honorees from each of Marshall’s schools and colleges. This year’s Awards of Distinction recipients were Don Pendleton (College of Arts and Media), Stephen Matthew “Sam” Hood (College of Business), Dr. A Stanley Maynard and Dr. Barbara Maynard (College of Education and Professional Development), Finley Hammond (College of Engineering and Computer Sciences), Katrina Kappen (College of Health Professions), Maurice Cooley (College of Liberal Arts), Dr. Paulette S. Wehner (Marshall University School of Medicine), and Dr. Benjamin Fredrick (Marshall University School of Pharmacy).
Also recognized at the event were the Alumni Association’s alumni chapters, including Megan Barbour as Chapter President of the Year of the Annapolis Marshall University Alumni Chapter; Marshall University Southern Coalfields Alumni and Big Green Chapter as Chapter of the Year, receiving the award four years in a row; Marshall University Huntington Alumni Chapter as Emerging Alumni Chapter; Annapolis Marshall University Alumni Chapter as Excellence in University Support and Fellowship; Marshall University Black Alumni as Excellence in Student Recruitment; Marshall University Alumni Association Raleigh-Durham Chapter as Excellence in Mentoring; and Marshall University Alumni and Big Green Chapter of the Mid-Ohio Valley as Excellence in Scholarships.
Thompson is a distinguished university professor in the School of Earth Sciences and a senior research scientist in the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University. He is one of the world’s foremost authorities on paleoclimatology and glaciology. He has led 66 ice-core drilling expeditions during the last 46 years. He has received the John and Alice Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Seligman Crystal Award, and in 2001 was selected by Time magazine and CNN as one of America’s Best in science and medicine. Thompson was elected as a foreign member of the Chinese National Academy of Sciences and in 2013 he received the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award, the highest award given to a foreign scientist by the Chinese government. In 2007, he was awarded the U.S. National Medal of Science, the highest honor that the U.S. awards to American scientists.
Mosley-Thompson is a distinguished university professor in the Department of Geography (Atmospheric Science Program) and a senior research scientist at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University. She uses the chemical and physical properties preserved in cores collected from both polar ice sheets and high mountain glaciers to reconstruct Earth’s complex climate history. In 2010, she led the field team for the ice core drilling project on the Bruce Plateau (Antarctic Peninsula), a U.S. contribution to the International Polar Year, where the team collected a 448-meter core to bedrock. She has published 146 peer-reviewed papers and received 57 research grants.
Mosley-Thompson and her husband have jointly received the Dan David Prize, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science, the Gregor Mendel Medal, and the BBVA Foundation’s Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change for advancing the knowledge and understanding of past and current climate change through persistent, dedicated ice-core research in the vanishing high mountain glaciers of the tropics and mid-latitudes. They both are elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. In 2023, they released a movie titled “Canary” that documents their ice core program. The film’s goal is to inspire the next generation of young scientists while calling for action in dealing with the climate crisis.
Nibert, vice president of administration and executive assistant to the president and CEO of the Marshall University Foundation, received her award from the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors in special recognition for her 27 years of service to the Foundation. Nibert, who will retire from the Foundation in June, joined the Foundation in September 1997.
During her time with the Foundation, Nibert helped oversee relations with the Foundation’s Board of Directors, the establishment of Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall, which opened its doors in 2010, and the historic Marshall Rises comprehensive campaign, which raised more than $176 million for Marshall University.
Martin graduated from Marshall University in 1987 from the College of Education. In 1998 she received her Master of Arts in elementary education from Marshall Graduate College. Martin has been a teacher in Wood County, West Virginia, for 36 years.
In 2009, Martin envisioned establishing the Marshall University Alumni and Big Green Chapter of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Her goal was to unite alumni in the region — to foster friendships, build community and advance Marshall University’s mission. She also sought to provide financial assistance to high school seniors from the Mid-Ohio Valley who were considering attending Marshall.
Under Martin’s leadership, the Mid-Ohio Valley Chapter has experienced remarkable growth. As of May 2024, the chapter has raised more than $362,000. While scholarship support for local high school students remains a priority, the chapter has expanded its vision to include a wide range of philanthropic initiatives.
The Mid-Ohio Valley Chapter has contributed financially to numerous causes including many fundraising campaigns at Marshall and the region, as well as establishing endowments with both the Marshall University Foundation and the Big Green Scholarship Foundation. Martin has also been instrumental in planning, coordinating and hosting the chapter’s annual dinner in Vienna, West Virginia. This event serves as a networking opportunity for Marshall alumni.
Hornbuckle is the son of Patricia and the late Moses Hornbuckle. He graduated from Huntington High School where he lettered in basketball and football. He was in French Honorary, National Society of High School Scholars, and was part of the first class of the Promise Scholarship recipients as well as Marshall University’s Outstanding Black Scholar Society. While in undergrad at Marshall, Hornbuckle majored in sports management and marketing earning his degree magna cum laude. He also welcomed his pride and joy to the world, his son Tristan. Hornbuckle became student body president and Mr. Marshall while earning his MBA. He is now a financial advisor with Edward Jones where he has earned many accolades in the industry and the firm. In 2023, Hornbuckle became the state’s first African American floor leader as house minority leader while representing the 25th District of the West Virginia Legislature. That was a landmark year as Hornbuckle was an inaugural inductee into Marshall University Black Alumni’s Hall of Fame.
Active in his community, in 2019 Hornbuckle partnered with former Councilwoman Sandra Clements to help form the Fairfield Community Development Corporation. In 2021, he helped Dr. Jacob Kilgore launch Fairfield U, a mentorship, academic, STEM enrichment and development program that matches youth from the community with Marshall medical students. In 2023, he pioneered the state’s first ever Center for Economic and Community Development in Black Appalachia and Isolated Communities.
Other honorees at the annual alumni awards banquet include the Dr. Ronald G. Area “3 C’s” Award with Rus Livingood and Kinnie “KD” Hudnall as recipients for their “The ThunderCast” podcast. The inaugural Alumni Partner of the Year award was given to Ryan Crisp, and the Alumni Volunteer Service award was given to Barbara White. In addition, Marshall University Black Alumni also awarded Cassandra Woods with the Fran Jackson Scholarship award and Markayla Moore with the Janis Winkfield Scholarship award.
For more information visit www.formarshallu.org.