-- * Deceased
Lea graduated from Arkansas Tech in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in emergency administration and management.
In 2014, Lea was elected the 40th auditor of the State of Arkansas. She was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2018.
As auditor, Lea works as the state’s general accountant, administrator of the Arkansas Unclaimed Property Act and payroll officer for more than 600 elected officials and their employees. She partners with businesses and uses technology to improve the way unclaimed property is reported to the state and returned to the rightful owners through the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt.
Lea has nearly two decades of leadership experience. She served on the Pope County Quorum Court, the Russellville City Council and three terms in the Arkansas General Assembly before being elected auditor of state, one of seven constitutional offices in the State of Arkansas.
As someone who was 47 at the time of her graduation from ATU, Lea is an advocate for non-traditional students to return to school and complete a degree. She is a regular guest speaker in ATU Department of History and Political Science classes and she frequently hosts ATU students, faculty, staff and alumni when they visit the State Capitol.
Ritchie graduated from Arkansas Tech in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in music.
His volunteer service on behalf of his alma mater has included two terms on the Arkansas Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors, and he served as president of that board in 2010.
In addition, Ritchie has served as chairman and as a member of the ATU Alumni Association Scholarship committee, on the planning committees for several Arkansas Tech band reunions, on the committee that created the Robert Bright Scholarship endowment through the ATU Foundation and as a judge for ATU Homecoming student projects and parade floats.
Ritchie has given of his time at such ATU events as Time Out for Tech, welcome tents on the first day of class and the ATU Alumni Association Breakfast During Finals outreach at the conclusion of multiple semesters.
He is also a member of the Arkansas Tech Green and Gold booster club for Wonder Boys and Golden Suns athletics and has been a table sponsor for the Arkansas Tech scholarship dinner.
In his professional career, Ritchie worked as a band director in the schools at Malvern (1970-74) and Russellville (1974-87) before moving into administration. He was a principal in the Russellville School District at Oakland Heights Elementary (1987-96) and Upper Elementary Fifth Grade (1996-2005).
Many of Truman Hill’s favorite memories from his youth focus on time invested among men who seemed to be giants — the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys of the 1940s and 1950s.
“I would invite myself to the practices, and then visit with any player who would talk,” said Hill, who was inducted into the Arkansas Tech University Hall of Distinction on Saturday, May 11. “I feel quite sure the stories they told weren’t overloaded with facts. They were laugh until your sides hurt hilarious.”
That affection for Tech athletics benefited the institution decades later when Hill took up the cause of promoting former Wonder Boys and Golden Suns for inclusion in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF).
Perhaps his most noteworthy contribution in that realm was leading the nomination process and planning committee for the induction of Arkansas Tech’s 1992 and 1993 NAIA national championship women’s basketball teams into the ASHOF in 2016.
It’s all part of an affiliation with the university that dates back more than 70 years.
“Arkansas Tech continues to be a special place for me,” said Hill. “I first moved to this campus in 1946. I was 3 years old. My dad was a student here, and my parents and I moved into an apartment on Red Hill. At that time, there were very few youngsters who were my age living on Red Hill. As a result, I’m sure there was a lot of affection and attention sent my way. I’m just as sure I took it all in.”
Hill grew up to attend Arkansas Tech and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business in 1970. He went on to a 35-year career with Firestone, and he was an independent insurance agent specializing in health insurance sales for individuals and small groups from 1999-2013.
Hill served on the ATU Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2012-14. The ATU alumni board elected Hill as its president for 2015.
“My story is not unique,” said Hill. “There are tens of thousands of students who have felt the kind, caring touch of Arkansas Tech leaders, administrators and instructors. The difference is I got to feel their kindness more often for more years. I think I recognized it then, but I know it now. One of the great blessings of my life was to grow up near Arkansas Tech and be influenced by the good and decent people here.”
Julie Nebben Morgan graduated from Arkansas Tech with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1972 and a master’s degree in educational media in 1983. Her K-12 education career from 1973-97 included 11 years as a music teacher in the public schools at Killeen, Texas, Little Rock and Russellville and 13 years as a library media specialist at Russellville High School.
Morgan went on to a second career as a member of the ATU staff from 1998-2015, during which time she served in the roles of assistant to the president (1998-2004 and 2008-15) and director of alumni relations (2004-08).
She oversaw planning for the Arkansas Tech centennial celebration and the inauguration of Dr. Robin E. Bowen as the 12th president of the institution. Under her leadership as alumni director, Arkansas Tech revamped the criteria, categories, selection process and induction process for its Hall of Distinction. In addition, Arkansas Tech developed its license plate program through the State of Arkansas during Morgan’s tenure as alumni director.
“I am blindly passionate about Arkansas Tech,” said Morgan. “I never had a thought about working at my alma mater. That was out of the blue when Dr. (Robert C.) Brown approached me. If someone had asked me how long I thought I might work at Tech, I wouldn’t have had an idea, but I never would have thought it would have been 16-and-a-half years. It was a wonderful time to be an alumna and work in the positions I had the opportunity to serve in. There were some tense times, but we had fun. I want to thank Dr. Brown and Dr. Bowen for giving me those opportunities. Arkansas Tech gave me much more than I can ever give in return. I hope, as long as I am able, I will continue to give back to the university.”
Morgan’s professional affiliations have included the American Choral Directors Association, the Arkansas Choral Directors Association, the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media, the Arkansas Association of School Library Media Educators and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. She has given volunteer service to Junior Auxiliary of Russellville, the Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Russellville Downtown Master Plan Committee, Philanthropic Education Organization, the River Valley Symphony Foundation and the Center for the Arts in Russellville.
1959; Bachelor of Science, Elementary Education, Arkansas Tech 1965; Master of Education, University of Central Arkansas 1972; Master of Education, Counseling Education, University of Central Arkansas Date of induction: 2015 Shirley Drewry Dodd embodies the ideal of remaining involved with one’s alma mater. If the Wonder Boys or Golden Suns are competing, chances are she is there. If a band concert, choir concert, theatrical performance, art gallery exhibit, career fair or other special occasion such as Time Out for Tech, Homecoming or Family Day is taking place on campus, chances are she is there. If final exams are being administered, she can be found in the lobby of Witherspoon Hall serving free breakfast to students, faculty and staff. Mrs. Dodd graduated from Arkansas Tech in 1959 with a degree in elementary education. After 14 years as a classroom teacher in Little Rock and Russellville and 17 years as a guidance counselor at Russellville High School, Mrs. Dodd has remained involved in education by serving her alma mater. She was a member of the Arkansas Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2008-10 before becoming president-elect of the organization in 2011 and president in 2012. She was a member of the committee that planned the Arkansas Tech centennial celebration and helps organize reunions and philanthropic efforts by the “Caraway Hall Third Floor Girls,” a group of alumnae who lived together in Caraway Hall in the late 1950s. A poll worker for the Pope County Election Commission and a tutor at Sequoyah Elementary School, Mrs. Dodd and her husband, David, are members of the Green and Gold Club and the Century Forward Circle at Arkansas Tech.
Date of Induction: 2006
Personal: Jackson is a native of Atkins and a World War II Veteran. Jackson and his wife, 1946 Tech graduate Mary Beatrice Jackson, have three children: Allan Jackson, Frieda Jackson Griffin and Daniel Jackson, all of whom attended Arkansas Tech. Neil and Mary have four grandchildren: Meggan Jackson, Caleb Jackson, Abigail Jackson and Faith Griffin.
Education: Jackson is a 1948 Arkansas Tech graduate with an associate of science degree.
Professional: Jackson was the Director of the Baptist Student Union at Arkansas Tech from 1955-1965. He was Tech's counselor and placement officer. He went on to serve as the Director of Student Services from 1969-1974. He returned to his duties in counseling and career placement in 1974, and continued to serve in that capacity until his retirement in 1985.
Awards: 1996 Russellville Citizen of the Year, 1996 Arkansas Hospice Heart Award, 2000 Community Service Award co-sponsored by the Governor's office and KARK-TV, and induction into the Senior Arkansans Hall of Fame in 2000.