ACHIEVEMENTS
Dr. Harold Moses, ’58, wins Distinguished Alumni Award
By Lindsay Roe, ’14
At the 2011 Berea College Homecoming celebration, Dr. Harold “Hal” Moses, ’58, earned the Distinguished Alumni Award in honor of his extensive work in cancer research and contributions to the education of future medical professionals.
After graduating from Berea, Dr. Moses earned his M.D. from Vanderbilt University and entered into the fields of pathology and clinical research. In 1993, he founded the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee—one of only 39 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-accredited comprehensive cancer centers in the United States—which integrates cancer research, patient care, and education. He has also served as President of the Association of American Cancer Institutes and Chair of the NCI Cancer Centers Review Panel.
As Director Emeritus at Vanderbilt, Dr. Moses continues to serve as supporter, administrator, and researcher. He is currently researching epithelial cancers and is best known in the medical community for his discoveries in the “growth-factor beta” family of growth regulatory peptides. These helpful proteins, if properly harnessed and utilized,
may prove to be beneficial in the control of cancer cell replication.
In order to give back to Berea College, in March 2011 Dr. Moses helped to establish an internship program which gives promising biology students from Berea the opportunity to study at Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine. Consistently impressed by Berea’s interns, he calls them “highly motivated, hardworking, intelligent, and well-prepared.”
Larry Woods, ’75, retired school superintendant and president of the Berea College Alumni Executive Council, met Dr. Moses at the Awards Ceremony this November. Woods remarks that Moses was a strikingly family-oriented man, surrounded by support, pride, and love from friends and family members as he received his award. “Many Berea College graduates are very distinguished,” Woods says, “but Dr. Moses was exemplary; he was a very distinguished man.”
Berea College is proud to call Dr. Moses an alumnus, and we congratulate him for his accomplishments, as well as thank him for his contributions to Berea.
Patrick Napier, ’49, wins Distinguished Alumni Award
By Lindsay Roe, ’14
Reverend Patrick Napier, ’49, was given the Distinguished Alumni Award in honor of his commitments to service and to the preservation of Appalachian culture.
Napier is best known for his work with the Christmas Country Dance School (CCDS), a five-day dance class designed to show participants, first-hand, the value of Appalachian culture and heritage. He has served as a caller for the CCDS since 1949. Filled with passion for Appalachian dance, he has only missed one session of the CCDS: when he was called for military service during the Korean War.
During World War II, Napier served as a Staff Officer in the Merchant Marines. In this position, he was responsible for both the lives and morale of his crew. He called square dances from the decks of freighter ships, creating an atmosphere of Appalachian optimism among the waves and gunpowder.
After military service, Napier began his 32-year career as a teacher and school administrator. Since 1998, when he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister, he has preached in numerous churches. In addition, he has been a vivacious teller of traditional Appalachian tales. In recent years, he has retired from the CCDS due to leg problems, but he has continued to support his “dance family” by selling homemade candy and donating the proceeds to CCDS scholarship funds. He is even taking physical therapy in hopes of regaining his ability to dance. Inspired by his dedication, Berea College is certain that Reverend Napier will not be finished dancing, telling stories, or serving Appalachia for many years to come.