Somerset Community College announces eight inductees for Hall of Honor

Published on Sep 9, 2024

Eight individuals will be recognized at the SCC Foundation Hall of Honor Dinner & Auction on September 24 at The Center for Rural Development. The event will pay tribute to individuals who have made a lasting impact on Somerset Community College and the communities in which they live.

Inductees include Dr. Rodney Casada, Phillip Duncan, Mark Haney, Marlon Hargis, Lawrence Kuhl, Katie Gregory Slone, Joanne Story (in memoriam), and RC Story.

Cindy Clouse, SCC vice president of advancement and executive director of the SCC Foundation commented, "This will be a wonderful event and a great way to recognize alums of SCC and community leaders who have made a difference in SCC over the years. Each person being honored has been successful in their career field and has contributed greatly to the success of SCC. We are proud to call them SCC Alumni and Friends!"

Dr. Rodney Casada is from Somerset, Kentucky and is a retired doctor of chiropractic. Dr. Casada attended SCC during the 1972-1973 school year and played basketball for the SCC Cougars before transferring to Lincoln Memorial University to play basketball and baseball. He received his Bachelor of Science from LMU and attended Palmer College of Chiropractic where he received a Doctorate of Chiropractic. Casada is a charter member of Lake Cumberland Friends, Inc. which is a non-profit to help people in Pulaski County with catastrophic illnesses. He is also past chairman of the Pulaski County Democrat Party, past member of Somerset Rotary Club, Cumberland Valley National Bank Advisory Board, and past board member of the SCC Foundation, Inc. Casada is married to Connie Casada, and they have two daughters Whitney Casada Wilburn (Ben), and Casi Casada, and three grandchildren, Maddie and Charlie Wilburn, and Jackson Casada.

Phillip Duncan is from Monticello KY and is the plant manager of John Sherman Cooper Power Station. He attended SCC from 1986 until 1988. Duncan is currently serving as pastor of the Pleasant View Church in Monticello, vice-chair of the SCC Board of Directors since 2016, and vice-chair of the Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital Board of Directors. He served on City Council for the City of Monticello for 12 years and also co-chaired the Lake Cumberland Slaves Memorial Association which commissioned artwork honoring the lives of enslaved Americans. This sculpture is located on the SCC Somerset Campus, outside of Meece Hall. Duncan is married to Nancy Duncan and they have three children, Tyler, Tiara, and Kalen, and two grandchildren, Zavia, and Zhuri.

Mark Haney is from Nancy, Kentucky and is co-owner of Haney’s Appledale Farm, a five-generation farm and the oldest business in continuous operation in Pulaski County. Haney attended SCC in 1968 and also in 1970-1971.  Haney recently retired from serving 15 years as the Kentucky Farm Bureau president and another 10 years as the organization’s vice president. He is the past president of Pulaski County Farm Bureau, past board member of Monticello Banking Company, past board member of First & Farmers National Bank, and currently a member of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Horticulture Council, and a deacon at LIFE Church. Haney and his wife, Marlene, have three children, Neal, Davis and Laura, and have three grandchildren, Haney, Willie, and Morgan.

Marlon Hargis lives in Nashville, Tennessee, but grew up in Pulaski County.  He attended Pulaski County High School and then SCC from Fall 1968 through the Spring 1970 before transferring to the University of Kentucky. Hargis is Exile's keyboardist and band member, which formed in 1963 while playing small clubs in Richmond, KY. They managed to top both the pop and country charts during their 60-year-long career. The most successful hit, “Kiss You All Over” spent four weeks at the top of Billboard’s pop chart in 1978. In the early 1980’s, Exile started to focus on country music and had ten No. 1 singles including “I Don’t Want To Be A Memory”, and “Give Me One More Chance.” The band continues to tour with around 100 concerts per year. Hargis and his wife Vickie, have one daughter, Cressa Collier, and one grandson, Thomas Collier.

Lawrence Kuhl lives in London, Kentucky, and has been actively involved in the community for 60 years. When someone thinks about the progress of Laurel County over the years, Lawrence Kuhl is one of the major players. He has been a teacher, coach, school administrator, executive vice president and trust officer for Cumberland Valley National Bank, and retired bank president of PNC Bank. Kuhl was later elected as the Judge Executive of Laurel County for eight years, from 2003 until 2010. Kuhl was the driving force that helped establish the SCC Laurel Campus in 1999 and served as chairman of the capital campaign which raised the funds to purchase the property where the Laurel Campus is now located. Kuhl and his wife Donna, have two sons, Larry and Rodney, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Katie Gregory Slone is from Somerset, Kentucky, and has served as the District Court Judge for the 28th Judicial District since 2005, which includes Pulaski and Rockcastle counties. Judge Slone attended SCC from 1988 through 1990 before transferring to Eastern Kentucky University.  She then attended Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University and graduated in 1995. Judge Slone is very active in the Somerset community and serves as a member of the Somerset Business and Professional Women’s Club and Somerset Junior Woman’s Club, teaches Sunday School at First Baptist Church, speaks to various local elementary, middle, and high school students, and attends SCC events when the schedule allows. Judge Slone is married to Kevin Slone and she has one son, Tyler Wood.

Joanne Story (in memoriam) and RC Story. Joanne was a 40-year employee of Somerset Community College from 1970 until her passing on March 17, 2017. She was a Professor of Psychology and served on many faculty and college committees including faculty council, faculty promotion and tenure, student appeals board, and student advisory committee. Story was also an active member of the Business & Professional Women’s Club serving locally as president and other offices, and on the state level as chair of their scholarship board, vice president, and south-central regional director. Story’s passion was to assist traditional and non-traditional students realize their goal of obtaining a higher education degree and recognizing that they could succeed. While an SCC employee, Joanne and her husband, RC Story, anonymously assisted many students who needed extra help, and RC continued that mission by establishing the Joanne Story Student Emergency Fund. To date, the fund has changed 57 student lives with emergency assistance which could include tuition assistance, books, testing fees, and transportation needs.

Presenting sponsors for the event include First National Bank of Russell Springs, Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, and Gary Napier & Associates, PSC. Silver sponsors are South Kentucky RECC, Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority, and CHI Saint Joseph Health London. Bronze sponsors are Citizens National Bank, D.C. Trimble, Inc., First & Farmers National Bank, Ford Brothers Auctioneers, Gatormade Trailers, Cheryl Greene, Kentucky Farm Bureau-John VanHook, Merrick Hardwoods Inc., Outdoor Venture Corporation, Somerset 106/WTLO, and Southern Petroleum.

For more information about the event or for ticket information, please contact Cindy Clouse, SCC Foundation Executive Director, at (606) 451-6618 or cindy.clouse@kctcs.edu.