January 11, 2006

LIVINGSTON, Ala.—University of West Alabama Provost David Taylor recently announced the three recipients of the annual Loraine McIlwain Bell Trustee Awards. The awards, established in 1996 through an endowment by the late Mrs. Bell's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. L. G. Cunningham, recognize excellence and dedication to the University of West Alabama. Carrie Bell, Bell Conference Center Facilities Manager, received the Support Staff Excellence Award. Career Services Director Tammy White was presented with the Professional Staff Excellence Award. Dr. Bob Ware, Professor of Psychology, was named the 2006 Trustee Professor.

Carrie Bell joined the University of West Alabama in 1978 as a member of the housekeeping staff. Shortly following the completion of the Bell Conference Center, Bell was named to her current position of Facilities Manager.

Bell’s many letters of nomination for this award speak to her extraordinary work ethic and her knowledge of and commitment to the university. 

“Carrie has regularly provided remarkable service and ideas to give the most impressive image of UWA to the general public. Her knowledge of the facilities and her ability to adapt them to any need have insured the success of every event in which our office has participated,” one letter reads. Another says, “Carrie presents a welcoming manner to all persons involved in each function.  She has a knack for making the atmosphere very pleasant.”

Tammy White joined UWA in 1988 as a vocational counselor and the following year was named to her current position as Director of Career Services. During her tenure, thousands of UWA students have benefited directly from her exceptional performance in this role. She provides individual counseling for students on career matters and each year she organizes the UWA Annual Career Fair and Education Interview Day.

Another indication of her excellent work is to be found in the results of the alumni surveys recently conducted by the Alabama Commission on Government Accountability.  Of the thirteen senior institutions involved in the survey, UWA placed a clear Number 1 in terms of career services, with a score of 7.9 while the state average was 6.9. The closest competitor was Auburn University with a 7.3.

White holds the B.A. degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice and the M.Ed. degree in Counseling and Student Personnel from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Dr. Bob Ware joined the UWA faculty in 1981 and has been a primary force in the establishment of the university’s extremely successful undergraduate psychology major, as well as its graduate degree programs in psychology and counseling. Dr. Ware’s course evaluations regularly validate his students’ appreciation of his teaching and his advising.  His excellence as a professor was publicly acknowledged in 1991, when he was awarded the University’s William E. Gilbert Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Ware attended Pensacola Junior College before graduating from Mobile College with the B.S. in Psychology in 1977. He earned the M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern State University in Louisiana in 1979 and the Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1982.

Dr. Ware is licensed psychometrist for the Alabama Department of Education, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Mississippi, and a Board Certified Biofeedback Therapist. He stays current in his field through his part-time private practice at Wellspring Center in Meridian Mississippi, where he specializes in the treatment of chronic pain disorders and chemical dependency.

The awards’ namesake, Loraine McIlwain Bell, was a native of Choctaw County and a graduate of The University of West Alabama. She taught in the public school system in Choctaw County for several years. Following her husband's death, she completed a correspondence course in nursing and worked at Hill Hospital in York until she retired at age 72. UWA’s Bell Conference Center is also named in honor of Mrs. Bell and her husband. The three McIlwain Bell award winners, nominated by members of the university community and selected by a committee of peers, receive a plaque and a monetary award.