Three Catawba College alumni were honored as recipients of the College's Distinguished Alumnus Award during a barbecue luncheon held Saturday, October 18th in the Goodman Gymnasium of the Abernethy Physical Education Center before the football game against Tusculum College.
Alumni Joey Popp '77 of Charlotte, Sally Whitney '77 of Mooresville, and Bill Hall '66 of Salisbury were recognized with these awards which are made annually at homecoming by the Catawba College Alumni Association to individuals who have served their community, distinguished themselves in their profession, and served the College community.
Joey Popp '77
Joey Popp, a 1977 Catawba College alumnus, is a broadcast veteran known throughout Charlotte for his television appearances, radio work, documentaries, and marketing projects. He is seen each week on WTVI, the local Public Broadcasting Service station, hosting "HealthWise," a medical interest broadcast that is widely viewed in the Charlotte area. On the radio, Joey can be heard hosting "Weekend Edition" on WFAE-FM every Saturday morning.
Joey serves as a media specialist for numerous corporations and nonprofits and has contributed articles to The Charlotte Observer. He and wife Catherine operate Marketing & Media Resources/Joey Popp Productions.
He has served as emcee for countless galas and fundraisers for groups such as Hospice at Charlotte, Leadership Charlotte, and the Dowd YMCA. He emcees Catawba College's Distinguished CEO Lecture Series, sponsored by the Ketner School of Business, and Catawba's Business Hall of Fame. He chairs the Business Advisory Board for the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business.
Sally Whitney '77
A native of Lancaster, Pa., Sally Whitney graduated in 1977 from Catawba with a bachelor of arts degree in accounting, economics and business. She played two sports, basketball and volleyball, while she was a student at Catawba.
The year she graduated was the year she began her career with Duke Power Company. Since landing her initial job at Duke Power which is today known as Duke Energy, Sally has held a variety of leadership positions in information technology and information management, and helped develop and support computerized applications for areas including human resources, financial and materials management.
She directed Duke Energy's enterprise-wide Year 2000 Program, which was designated "best-in-class" in independent reviews. In that assignment, she was responsible for matrix management of more than 20 projects throughout the world to assure Duke Energy's systems were Y2k ready. A certified public accountant in North Carolina, she holds her master's of business administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is also certified as a project management professional from the Project Management Institute of which she is a member.
Currently, Sally serves as the senior vice president for financial re-engineering and financial information technology for Duke Energy. In this role, she directs the major finance process improvement initiatives and associated revamping of the supporting information systems. A resident of Mooresville, Sally serves on Catawba College's Board of Visitors.
Bill Hall '66
Rowan County native, Bill Hall graduated from Catawba College in 1966 after he majored in health and physical education and minored in history. He went on to UNC-Chapel Hill the next year to earn a master of arts degree in teaching.
Thereafter, he came back to Catawba to work as an Admissions Counselor under the late Chub Richards. That first job at Catawba led to others on campus for Bill. He served as Director of Student Activities, Dean of Students and then Dean of Admissions. After leaving Catawba, Bill went to work for Jostens Yearbook Sales Division in 1983, where he has spent the last 26 years, winning numerous awards for his outstanding job performance.
Bill was awarded Jostens Sales Achievement Awards in 20 out of the last 25 years. In 2006, he was inducted into Jostens' Master Club and the Ace Club. He has also been honored by his fellow sales reps at Jostens with the Service Award, given to the sale representative whose peers feel has given the most back to others at Jostens and to the community.
Today, although Bill no longer is employed by Catawba, he still "works hard" for the institution – serving on the Chiefs Club Board, twice as its president, and supporting many of the efforts to enhance the athletic physical plant and the newly renovated library. Bill and wife Rosemary make their home in Salisbury and love cooking for and tailgating at Catawba football games. Last year, the couple established an endowed scholarship at the institution.
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PHOTOS: 2008 Distinguished Alunni Awards
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