March 24, 2006

 LIVINGSTON, Ala.—The University of West Alabama inducted three distinguished alumni, Mark C. Crumpton of Stillwell, Kan., Janis Wingate Stewart of Selma and Charles Lee (Chuck) Willis Jr. of Fairfield, into the Society of the Golden Key at its annual Honors Day Convocation held Wednesday, March 22 on the Livingston campus. The objective of the Society of the Golden Key is to honor alumni and former faculty members who have brought distinction upon the university by the quality of their lives and their achievements. The Society was chartered in 1963 by senior faculty members, with fewer than 170 alumni inducted into the Society in its 43 years of existence. Induction into the society is the highest honor bestowed upon a UWA graduate.

Mark Crumpton, Verizon Wireless President for the Kansas/Missouri Region, is responsible for the company’s operations throughout Kansas, Missouri and Southern Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1980 from UWA (formerly Livingston University. While at UWA, he served as president of both the Student Government Association and the Baptist Student Union. He was also head resident of men’s housing and a member of the Tiger cheerleading squad.

Crumpton began his wireless communication career in 1980 with Chapman Communications in Birmingham. During this time, he received an Outstanding Young Men of America award. In 1984, he joined Motorola Communications and Electronics also in Birmingham, holding several managerial positions there, including National Market Manager, Zone Sales Manager, National Account Manager and Radio Communications Representative.

Crumpton began working for Verizon Wireless in 1991as a sales manager. In the last 15 years with the company, he has held various positions, including Team Leader, Market Manager, General Manager and Director-Customer Service before reaching his current position.

During his 25-year career in the wireless communication industry, Crumpton has received numerous honors, such as the President’s Award for Team Achievement (1993), Sales Manager of the Quarter (1992), Managerial Excellence Award (1993) and the Annual Team Achievement Award (1995).

Crumpton is active in the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Kansas City Area Development Council. He serves on the Board of Directors for Rose Brooks Center, a domestic violence shelter, where he was designated Benefactor of the Year in 2004.

Crumpton has been married for 25 years to his college cheerleading partner, Kim, and they have two children, Natalie and Matt, both college students.  

Janis Wingate Stewart, principal of Meadowview Elementary School in Selma, received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from UWA (then Livingston University) in 1971. She received master’s degrees in Elementary Education in 1977 and Educational Administration in 1985 from Auburn University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate at Alabama State University.

Stewart was named the 2005 Alabama National Distinguished Principal. She has also received many other honors, including the District VI National Distinguished Principal Award in 2004, the Council for Elementary Science International/National Science Elementary Principal Award in 2003 and the UWA College of Education Alumni Achievement Award in 2002.

Stewart is the co-author of Exploring the Forest, a 45-lesson curriculum containing background information on America’s forests, methods of presenting the lessons and activities related to the lessons.  Several of her articles have been published in The Selma Times-Journal, and her article entitled “Trees–Another Success Story” appeared in an issue of Alabama Forests. 

She served as the Elementary Science Director of the Alabama Science Teachers Association (ASTA), the Vice President of ASTA in 2002 and the President of ASTA in 2003.Stewart is also a member of various national and statewide associations of science teachers and school administrators.

Her work with the Alabama Department of Education includes being a School Support Team member, working with faculty and administrators of school on “caution” and “alert” status. Stewart also taught “Improving SAT 9 Scores” for the Alabama State Department of Education. She attended the Teacher’s Space Academy at NASA in Huntsville, and has conducted summer in-services for the Alabama State Department of Education. In 1996, she traveled to Puerto Rico to participate in the Project Marine Discovery Teachers’ Mini-Camp “From the Mountains Through the Rainforest to the Sea.” Stewart has also taught in Linden and Auburn City Schools and Colquitt County Schools.

Stewart, a Sunday School teacher for 16 years, is a member of Church Street United Methodist Church’s administrative board. She is also an active volunteer for the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, American Heart Association and many other organizations.

Charles Lee (Chuck) Willis Jr., is a career professional educator, who on October 28, 2005, became the first black male and one of two in the State of Alabama, as well as one of 100 educators in the nation to receive the prestigious Milken Family Foundation Educator Award, the Education “Oscar.”  Willis, principal of L.M. Smith Middle School in Birmingham, is know for devoting countless hours to the instruction, leadership and vision of his school. 

Born in Fairfield, Willis is a 1986 product of Birmingham City Schools’ Ensley High School. He began his collegiate career at Tuskegee University and completed his bachelor’s degree in 1990 at UWA (formally Livingston University). At UWA, he was a two-year football letterman and earned many academic honors. He was inducted into the Blue Key National Honor Fraternity and Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Society, was named to the National Dean’s List and was selected as an Outstanding Young Man in America. In addition, Willis was named Most Outstanding Physical Education Major. He received his Master’s of Education Degree in 1993, Class A Certification in School Administration in 1996 and the Educational Specialists Degree in 1999, all from the University of Montevallo. 

Willis’ professional career began in 1990 as a teacher/coach at Birmingham City Schools’ West End High School, where he served as a P.E. instructor, assistant football coach and head boys track coach.  With his guidance as assistant football coach/offensive coordinator, the school’s football team played for the Alabama High School Athletic Associations’ Class 6A State Championship in 1993. Willis was named Jefferson County Track Coach of the Year for three consecutive years, 1994, 1995 and 1996.

In 1996, Willis was appointed assistant principal at Huffman High School and in 1998, he became acting principal. Later that same year, he was appointed principal of Curry Elementary School, where he led the school from “Academic Caution” to “Academic Clear” in his first year. In 2000, Willis was promoted to Secondary Personnel Coordinator for Birmingham City Schools, supervising the personnel operations of 30 secondary schools. In the spring of 2001, Willis was assigned dual capacities, adding acting principal of L.M. Smith Middle School to his responsibilities. In the fall of 2001, he was assigned permanent principal of the school because of its poor student academic achievement. In just four years, under his leadership, the school has now realized some uncharted successes, consistently posting some of Birmingham City Schools’ highest writing scores and making remarkable academic achievement during the 2004-2005 school year, making 100% of its Adequate Yearly Progress Goals. 

Willis was named the 1999 Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Chapter, Educational Leader of the Year, received the 2003-2004 Birmingham Rotary Club Principal of the Year Award and was named to Who’s Who of Professional Educators in Historical Society.

Willis is married to the former Nahketah King of Daphne, and they have two daughters, Nakesha Sade’ and Tiffany Nichole.