Clarksville, Ark. ---Johnson County residents Dr. Rickey Casey and Susan (Edens) Dorney will be among the alumni honored by the University of the Ozarks' Alumni Association during the university's Alumni Weekend 2002, scheduled for April 19-21.
Casey, a resident of Hagarville and 1979 graduate of Ozarks, will be honored with the 2002 Alumni Achievement Award, which goes to an alumnus who achieves recognition in his or her chosen profession. Dorney, a resident of Hartman and a 1992 Ozarks graduate, will receive the 2002 Young Alumni Award, which is given to a graduate 35 years of age or younger who has been active in alumni activities and who has demonstrated loyalty to the university. ??? Both awards will be presented during the Alumni Weekend Awards Luncheon on April 20 in the Seay Student Center. ??? Casey is the director of the international studies office and an associate professor of business at Ozarks. After earning a degree in accounting and business administration at Ozarks, he went on to earn an MBA at the University of Central Arkansas and a doctorate in business administration from Nova Southeastern University. ??? Casey, who has directed the university’s Walton Central American Scholarship Program since 1987, was the recipient of the Ozarks Bagwell Outstanding Faculty Award in both 1989 and 1999. A member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors since 1979, he has served as president and vice-president of the Alumni Board. Casey is also a member of the Johnson Regional Hospital Board of Directors and the Johnson County Multicultural Committee. ??? "It’s a tremendous honor to be selected to receive the Alumni Achievement Award from my alma mater," Casey said. "Anything I’ve been able to accomplish was made possible by the educational foundation I received at the University of the Ozarks. I’ve been associated with Ozarks as either a student, Alumni Board member or faculty member for almost 30 years and it has been a big part of my life. To be recognized by the university in this way is the ultimate honor." ??? Casey and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters, Sarah, 15, and Kayla, 11. ??? Dorney, who graduate with a degree in communications, is the assistant director of admissions at U of O, where her responsibilities include marketing the university and recruiting students. A former radio news reporter and talk show host, Dorney is a member of the Ozarks Alumni Board as well as a board member for the Ozark Rape Crisis Center. Dorney said that as a student at Ozarks, "the faculty and atmosphere lit a fire under me that made me want to learn and grow." ??? "As an alum and recipient of this wonderful award, I want to urge everyone who graduated from here or who is about to do that, to be as proactive for Ozarks as possible," Dorney said. "I am so proud of my alma mater and we can make the school even better by financially supporting her and by giving our time and energy when possible. The award for me is icing on the cake. Getting to work with current students and being on the campus makes for a job worth coming to every day." ??? Dorney is married to Jimmy Dorney, a 1994 Ozarks graduate. ??? Other 2002 alumni award recipients include, Dr. John T. Douglas of Jonesboro, a 1950 graduate and retired pharmacist, who will receive the Alumni Merit Award; and Edna Bowman of Fort Smith, a 1928 Ozarks graduate and retired college librarian, who will receive the first Alumni Legacy Award. The new Legacy Award will be given to honor an alumnus who has given unselfishly of his or her resources to support Ozarks and its mission during his or her lifetime. ??? Tickets to the Alumni Weekend Awards Luncheon are $13 each and can be purchased by calling the Alumni Office at (479) 979-1234.
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