Alumni Authors
Quite a few Catawba College alumni are published authors. Below are details from those who have submitted information about their works.
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FEATURED BOOK
For decades, Rev. Dr. Ken Clapp ’70—beloved Chaplain and Senior Vice President of Catawba College—was the person our community turned to when they needed two things that feed the spirit in different ways: a heartfelt prayer or a memorable recipe. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and neighbors alike sought him out, whether after hearing one of his thoughtful invocations at a football game, convocation, board meeting, commencement, or dedication, or after savoring a meal he prepared for countless retreats and campus gatherings.
In retirement, Dr. Clapp has taken the time to bring these long-requested treasures together in a single, lovingly assembled volume: Food for Body and Soul. Equal parts prayer book and cookbook—with a sprinkling of cherished memories—it offers readers both nourishment and reflection. Always practical and mindful of the user’s experience, he selected a spiral binding for easy use in the kitchen and included a thorough table of contents, recipe index, and an alphabetized index of names and places referenced throughout the book.
An introduction by Catawba alumnus Andrew McCollister paints a warm portrait of Dr. Clapp’s enduring influence, capturing the kindness, gentleness, and steady presence that shaped generations of Catawba students.
Food for Body and Soul stands as a tribute to Dr. Clapp’s legacy—a legacy grounded in service, generosity, and the simple joy of caring for others, both at the table and in moments of reflection. Contact Dr. Clapp to order the book:
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Alumni Author Directory
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Greg Alcorn '79, Catawba College Alumnus and Trustee is the author of 7 Dumb Things We All Say: Smart Ways to Improve Every Relationship, a collection of communication wisdom learned while operating his companies during five decades of life in Salisbury – including his formative years at Catawba College. "The first step in fixing common communication blunders is to know what those blunders are," says Alcorn, the CEO of Global Contact Services (GCS) of Salisbury, N.C. His company has 1,000 employees and averages 30,000 customer service conversations every day. Alcorn's book is available on www.indiebooksintl.com. |
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Megan Bean '14 is a passionate writer dedicated to helping people find God in everyday life and challenging times. A North Carolina native with a BA in English Literature and Writing and a minor in Religion, Megan’s work spans literary magazines, equestrian publications, and faith-based content. Her debut memoir, Just Megan: A Story of Grace and Resilience in the Face of the Unknown (Redemption Press, 2025), shares her journey of faith through decades of disability from a rare health condition. When not writing, Megan enjoys horseback riding, reading, Bible study, and games with family. Megan's book is available on Amazon and the Redemption Press Online Bookstore, and for order wherever books are sold. |
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Shanreca Crawford-Benjamin '19 (S. L. Crawford) has a love for learning, philanthropy and being a grandmother with a desire to prepare children with the financial knowledge and tools to become master over their money manifested into the Kids Love Money series. These resources are appropriate for ages 5-15 and exposes them to all things money before they need it. Books include Kids Love Money: They Just Don't Understand It, Kids Love Money: Savings Edition, and Kids Love Money: Money Management (coming soon). www.kidslovemoney.shop |
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Marcellus and Valerie Bonner, co-authors of Together Forever: Unveiling the Keys to Lasting Marriage Connection, bring a wealth of personal and professional experience to their writing. Marcellus, a seasoned marriage coach, has dedicated over a decade to guiding couples and individuals through meaningful coaching sessions that strengthen relationships.
His background includes a BA in Accounting and Business Administration and an extensive retail management career. He specializes in relationship and conflict resolution and has completed financial coaching training through Ramsey Solutions. As a certified facilitator at the Marriage Dynamics Institute and Prepare-Enrich, Marcellus has worked with diverse couples, from newlyweds to those navigating long-term relationships. His practice focuses on Christian married couples, integrating effective communication, emotional intelligence, and biblical principles into his sessions.
Valerie Bonner, Marcellus's wife of 40-plus years, contributes her reflections in the book, offering insights from their enduring marriage. Their shared mission is to guide couples in treasuring their marriages as sacred gifts from God, inspired by Matthew 6:21: 'For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.' They believe investing time, love, and faith into marriage provides biblical wisdom, practical tools, and compassionate support to help couples strengthen their bond and grow in Christ.
Their book addresses common challenges and misconceptions about marriage, offering biblical wisdom and practical guidance for overcoming obstacles and building a strong foundation for lasting love. Readers will discover the importance of purpose, the power of forgiveness, and the joy of serving God together as a united team.
Available on amazom.com and barnesandnoble.com. |
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Wanda Suttle Duncan '81 is the author of Cracker Gothic: A Florida Woman's Memoir. Duncan descended from dragon-slayers and swamp-dwellers and is a seventh-generation Florida Cracker. In the book, she reveals some of the treasures of her hometown, stories of snakeskins and gravestones, Spanish moss and sacred sulfur water, horses on broken sidewalks and dead goats on ice. |
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Julia Taylor Ebel '72 of Jamestown, N.C., dubs herself a “keeper of stories.” She is the author of numerous children's books, many inspired by her love of the North Carolina mountains and their people. Titles include, “Hansi and the Iceman,” “The Picture Man,” “Walking Ribbon,” “Orville Hicks: Mountain Stories, Mountain Roots,” and “Mama's Wreaths,” to name a few. Her books are available on her website at www.JuliaEbel.com. |
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Craig Eckert is the author of Rocks, Roots and Rattlesnakes, available at rocksrootsandrattlesnakes.com, Amazon, B&N, etc. Craig is a retired Geoscience Advisor since 2017, following a 38-year career in the petroleum industry. He worked for the last 18 years of his career for EQT Production Company in Pittsburgh, PA. He has more than 30 years of seismic interpretation and prospect generation experience in the petroleum industry, having worked both domestic and international plays. Graduating with a BS in Geology from WVU in 1979, Craig began his career with Consolidated Gas in WV, and then went on to work for CNG Development Company, Ashland Exploration, and EQT, as well as several smaller independents. In his career he has drilled over 1000 wells, made significant discoveries, and was responsible for the first horizontal well drilled in Virginia, as well as the first horizontal well drilled by EQT. He is an active member of AAPG, AIPG, SEG, GSA, is a Certified Petroleum Geologist (AAPG/DPA), and Certified Professional Geologist (AIPG). He is past-President of Eastern Section AAPG, Geophysical Society of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Geological Society. He served on the AAPG Advisory Council and is the recipient of numerous ES-AAPG awards, including the Ralph L. Miller Best Paper Award (2003), Distinguished Service Award (2016), and Presidential Award (2018). |
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Six years after Gregory Epley '86 went blind in 2000 due to complications from necessary eye surgery, his sighted wife suggested that he try writing a book. With other demands competing for his time, it took him until October 2022 to complete his first manuscript and a few months to manage the cover design before he self-published his book, A-Ware: Derivation, Book 1 of the A-Wareverse. Gregory's book is available at https://books2read.com/u/bxrvxd. |
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Sylvia Stephens Grooms '86 recently wrote her first book titled “Do It Now Anytime, Anywhere.” The Christian book is available on Amazon. |
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The Rev. Galen Hahn '69 of Thomasville, N.C., has written a book in his retirement, “Finding My Field,” that he published in September of 2018. The book is based on Hahn's summer experiences as a Catawba undergraduate student who ministered to migrant farm workers who came from Belle Glade, Fla., to Frederick, Md., to help harvest and process peas, beans, and corn. Copies of his book are available by contacting him directly: |
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Elizabeth "Liz" Ballard Hamm '07 is the co-author of "The Great Big Ark in the Sky," a children's book that explores where beloved pets and animals go when they pass on. Since graduating from Catawba where she studied Theatre Arts and Dance, Liz has enjoyed work as a performer, artist, and writer, appearing on stage and in film and television. Today, Liz is a student at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing. She lives in Richmond, VA with her husband, Andrew Hamm; their children, Ruby and Gabriel; their dog Boba; and their cats, Rosalind, Henry, and Hermione. The Hamm's book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Read more at greatbigark.com. |
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Tim Hawley '00 has released his new book, Fixing American Healthcare, on Amazon, listed in March 2023 as the #1 selling book in in two categories: Health and Risk Management. Hawley collaborated with several top benefits consultants and leading business strategists on the work, which outlines how companies may access better quality healthcare for their employees at lower costs in the healthcare and health insurance system. |
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Sandy (Ramseur) Hicks '80 attended Catawba from 1976-1980, where she majored in Early Childhood Education. Following graduation, she earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction/Reading Instruction at NC State University. She taught grades K-9 during her 39 year teaching career, most of which spent teaching first grade. Hicks found that grade to be her favorite because she loved teaching students to read. After retiring in 2021, she recently published a book of some of the hilarious things her first graders said and did. Author Released (books): My Boots Are Making Me High (And Other First Grade Funnies) Where/Available: Amazon.com |
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Tara Hill-Starks '96 is the author of the children's book, Grandma, I Got This! This book, inspired by and written in memory of the author's late grandmother, shows the love and compassion between a grandparent and grandchild and the life lessons shared from generation to generation. Hill-Starks is Director of Testing Services at Horry Georgetown Tech College in South Carolina. The book is available on Amazon. |
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Vaughan Earle Justice '72 graduated from Catawba with a degree in Theatre. She worked in the film business in Charlotte as a location scout for TV commercials. Her most recent position included an executive producer for TV commercial film company shooting all across the USA. She worked on a memoir, Repercussions My Sister's Story, for several years before reaching the final edit and publishing stage. |
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George R. Kuper '65 (aka Uncle Pappy) has published a juvenile fiction book, “Christmas Secrets,” the first in a series of Christmas books that reveal the secrets of Santa Claus. This first 32-page book sold through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, explains how Santa delivers toys to all the children of the world in just one night. Future books in the series explain what Santa does with all the milk and cookies, how he fits down the chimney, and other secrets that adults and children will want to know. George is a retired executive in the consumer- packaged goods industry. He, his wife, children, and grandchildren currently live in California, but have resided in numerous states and traveled throughout the world. His book is available on Amazon. |
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Julie Ramseur Lewis '84 is the principal author of the North Carolina Defender Manual, Volume II Trial. The manual is part of the North Carolina Indigent Defense Manual Series and is published by the UNC School of Government. Lewis has served as an assistant public defender in Charlotte since 1993. The majority of her practice is in the state appellate courts. She has also practiced in district and superior court, and she provides trial support for the Office of the Mecklenburg County Public Defender. Prior to serving as an assistant public defender, Lewis worked for two years as a judicial clerk for Chief Judge R.A. Hedrick of the North Carolina Court of Appeals and thereafter for three years as a staff attorney for the North Carolina Court of Appeals. During that time, she also served as an adjunct professor of Legal Research and Writing at the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. Lewis earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Catawba College and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Author Released (books): North Carolina Defender Manual, Volume Two, Trial Where/Available purchasing: The University of North Carolina Press |
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Jubilee (Meehan) Lipsey '13 is a freelance author, speaker, and blogger who specializes in teaching believers to uncover the treasures of their victorious identity in Christ through sharing breakthroughs. The unique personal voice she brings to biblical fiction invites readers into a deeper experience with the unchanging God and timeless truths of Scripture. Her books include My Brother the King, My Rival the King, My Father the King, My Brother the King Bible Study, and Of Sheaves and Stars. |
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Andrew Teague McCollister '15 published his first novel in March 2018 entitled “Beneath the Surface.” The thriller/suspense, available on Amazon, follows the fictional character Conner Mills, a scholar and champion swimmer, just as he begins to realize there may be more beneath the surface than even he could possibly comprehend. McCollister, a member of the swim team at Catawba, majored in Writing. After Catawba, he attended graduate school at Northeastern University in Boston and earned two master's degrees – one in accounting and the other in business administration. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio, and works as an accountant. Andrew's books are available on Amazon. |
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Dr. Carey (Buc) Pahel '72 had a long career as an audiologist and owner of Pahel Audiology and Hearing Aid Center. Post retirement he partnered with his daughter Emily to establish Pink Bull Press Inc. and has written and published four children’s books appropriate for early readers. His books include Rufus the Mild Mannered Bull (Rufus Saves the Day), Illust., Martha Young; I Wish I Had an Otter, Illust., Harry Blair; Papa Says, Illust., Blair, Pahel children and grandchildren; Rufus the Mild Mannered Bull (Follow That Star). Available from Pink Bull Press.com, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other bookstores. |
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Patrick Parr '03 graduated from Catawba with a B.A. in Literature and Creative Writing in 2003. Parr currently lives overseas with his wife and works as an author and lecturer. |
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Parr recently released his new book, Malcolm before X. This first-rate biography looks at Malcolm Little before and as he became Malcolm X. Much of it focuses on his six-and-a-half years of incarceration (1946–52), during which he converted to Islam, changing the trajectory of his life. This is one of the great conversion stories of modern history: a young man mired in crime raises himself up and, through self-discipline, becomes an explosive spokesperson for Black Americans. Drawing on little examined prison records, Parr (writing, Lakeland Univ.; The Seminarian) asks slightly new questions but doesn’t, of course, displace Malcolm’s posthumously published Autobiography; rather, he adds to the history, refining Malcolm’s after-the-fact recollections of his earlier life with substantiated evidence. By the end of Parr’s account, readers understand how Malcolm Little becomes Malcolm X, ready to fight for Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam. He only had 13 years left to live, but what years they were. |
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Denisa Parsons '13 has published several ebooks including The Labyrinth of Jessie, The Savage World: A Narrative of Poems, and others available on Amazon. |
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Dr. Ralph Perrino '71, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Northern Virginia Community College, has authored a book titled Issues, Strategies, and Concerns in Education Today – A Collection of Essays. This compilation of essays is the culmination of twenty-four years as a business owner and thirty-five years in the classroom. Perrino has seen first-hand the confusion parents and students experience as they proceed through the K-12 and college years. He and his wife, Denise Nuzum Perrino '74, collaborated on several of the essays in the book and have a combined seventy years experience in the field of education. Perrino's book is available on Amazon. |
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Virginia "Ginny" L. Summey '04 is a historian of the U.S. South and founder of The Source Historical Consulting. Her research and areas of expertise include North Carolina history, political and legal history, African American history, and Women's history. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Catawba College, her M.A. in History and post-baccalaureate in Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Montana, and her Ph.D. in U.S. History and post-baccalaureate in African American and African Diaspora Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Author Released (books): The Life of Elreta Melton Alexander: Activism within the Courts (University of Georgia Press, 2022). Available at The University of Georgia Press, Amazon, or ordered anywhere books are sold. |
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Angela L. Vann '81 has published three eBooks. Her latest, “Spring 2018 Ready-To-Wear Fashion Shows Are Over! Now What?”, was published in January 2018. She is employed as a personal development trainer and coach, online stylist, blogger and accessories designer. |
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Johnny Wagoner '77 is the author of Always a Prayer: Two Hundred Prayers for Any Day, available on Amazon.com.
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Adis Ziga '11 is a Bosnian-American author and professional currently residing in Charlotte, North Carolina. Born in Žepa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adis survived the Bosnian War as a child before immigrating to the United States in 2000. Prior to his departure, he achieved a significant athletic milestone, setting the Bosnian National Record for younger juniors in decathlon as a member of Athletic Club "Bosna". Upon arriving in the US, Adis pursued his education at Catawba College, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. |
