Alabama
State Treasurer Kay Ivey was the guest speaker for
the annual Honors Day Luncheon at the University of
West Alabama.
Commenting that it was a “high honor to share this
day,” Ivey’s advice to students was “Whatever you
undertake—finish it, and whatever you undertake—be
the very best you can be at it.” She also told the
crowd of over three hundred that “Every person is
either a blessing or a block, but never a blank."
From left, UWA
President Richard Holland, Golden Key Honoree Pearl
G. Haskew, Alabama Treasurer Kay Ivey, and Golden
Key Honoree Thomas E. Ballow,Jr.
Following the luncheon
in the Bell Conference Center, the traditional
Honors Day Convocation was held in Bibb Graves
Auditorium. Students were recognized for academic
achievement and leadership on the Livingston campus.
In addition to student honorees, three UWA alumni,
Pearl Golden Haskew, Thomas E. Ballow, Jr., and
Joseph Vincent Musso, were inducted into the Society
of the Golden Key. Induction into the Society is the
highest honor bestowed upon a UWA graduate.
Haskew, Class of 1936,
is a renowned educator in south Alabama. The Pearl
G. Haskew Elementary School is currently under
construction in the Theodore area as a testament to
her dedication as a teacher and administrator. She
is a native of Theodore.
Ballow, Class of 1963, is a leader in the state’s
banking industry and is Vice Chairman of the UWA
Board of Trustees. Ballow, who served for
twenty-five years as President and CEO of MAX Credit
Union, lives on Lake Jordan.
Musso, Class of 1984, is a Birmingham attorney and
well-known playwright. Musso’s work has been
produced and performed by theatre companies in New
Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York and North
Carolina. While in law school he was editor of the
Alabama Law Review,
and today he is with the Birmingham law firm of
Ogeltree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak, and Stewart.
Golden Key Honoree
Joseph Vincent Musso, left and UWA Provost David M.
Taylor
