JSU's 2007 Outstanding Alumni Award Honorees
Homecoming 2007

The Jacksonville State University Alumni Association will present its annual Outstanding Alumni Awards during halftime ceremonies of the 2:30 p.m. Homecoming game with Tennessee Tech on Saturday, 20 October at Paul Snow Stadium. Recipients of JSU's 2007 Outstanding Alumni Awards are cited below.

The honorees this year are Dr. Syble H. Brindley, Alumna of the Year; Mr. Timothy C. Tyson, Alumnus of the Year; Dr. Kelly Brooks Friery, Young Alumna of the Year; Dr. Sarah V. Latham, Outstanding JSU Faculty Member of the Year; and Col. Stephen K. West, Military Alumnus of the Year.

Dr. Syble H. Brindley, Alumna of the Year. The 2007 Alumna of the Year graduated from JSU in 1964 with majors in biology and health, physical education and recreation.  Dr. Brindley pursued her graduate study at the University of Alabama where she received a master's and a doctorate in Health Education.  As a student, Dr. Brindley was recognized for her outstanding academic study in graduate school at the University of Alabama where she was named the most outstanding graduate student in her discipline. 

Brindley spent her primary career teaching at every level of education, and retired as Professor/Department Chair of Kinesiology at the University of Montevallo (1997).  During her tenure, she was recognized numerous times with outstanding teaching awards.  Among those were the Presidential Award of Excellence in Teaching, the University of Montevallo Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award, the first recipient of the Ernest Award, the College of Education Outstanding Teaching Awards, and many Favorite Professor Awards.

In addition to her teaching career, Dr. Brindley also served in numerous professional leadership positions at the state, regional, and national levels in her service as health educator.  She was largely responsible for several notable initiatives in the state in HIV/AIDS education, in the establishment of the Alabama Coalition for School Health, and the Health Educators Association of Alabama.

Following her retirement from the University of Montevallo, she embarked on a career in public service as Projects Coordinator and Grants Writer for several non-profit organizations in Montgomery and the state. She served as Projects Coordinator, for the Gift of Life Foundation established in 1988 to provide prenatal and obstetrical care for low income women in 20+ counties in Alabama through funding from Medicaid. She served as the University of Montevallo legislative liaison, the only female legislative liaison in the regional university group.

Her achievements are further evidenced by her inclusion in the following notable listings: Who's Who Among America's Teachers (1997), Who's Who in American Education, and Outstanding Young Women of America; Personalities of the South; World's Who's Who of Women.

She and her husband, Dr. Joe Brindley, reside in Oneonta.

Timothy C. Tyson, Alumnus of the Year. The 2007 Alumnus of the Year is President and Chief Executive Officer of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and is a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to joining Valeant, Mr. Tyson was a member of the executive management team at GlaxoSmithKline where he ran multiple divisions.

During his 14-year tenure at GlaxoSmithKline, Mr. Tyson served in a variety of roles with broad international and domestic responsibilities, including significant management experience running two divisions: Glaxo Dermatology and Cerenex Pharmaceuticals. He also was responsible for managing all sales and marketing for the U.S. operations, where he launched 32 new products, eight of which became blockbuster drugs.

Prior to his tenure at GlaxoSmithKline, Mr. Tyson held a number of executive positions at Bristol-Myers Company. Prior to serving at Bristol-Myers, Mr. Tyson was a manufacturing manager for Proctor & Gamble and also served as an officer in the United States Army.

Mr. Tyson is a member of the Board of Directors for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing Association (PhRMA); the CEO Roundtable for the University of California at Irvine; the Health Sector Advisory Board at Duke University; the S.O.S. Board of Directors (a non-profit organization), and the International Leadership Forum of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers.

Mr. Tyson received a Master in Business Administration and Master in Public Administration from Jacksonville State University in 1979 and 1976, respectively. Mr. Tyson is a 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

He and his wife, Amy, reside in Newport Coast, California.

Dr. Sarah V. Latham, Outstanding JSU Faculty Member of the Year. Dr. Latham was named Dean of JSU's College of Nursing and Health Sciences in November 2005. Dr. Latham began serving as acting dean in May 2004, when the former dean Dr. Martha Lavender took administrative leave to work with a consulting firm at McClellan’s Center for Domestic Preparedness.

Dr. Latham studied nursing at the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Nursing (UABSON), where she obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees; she taught undergraduate nursing at UAB from 1975-1978. Dr. Latham began her career at JSU in 1982 as an assistant professor of nursing and was awarded a one year leave of absence from 1983-1984 to pursue her doctorate in nursing at UAB.  This leave of absence was funded by a federal grant because of the paucity of doctorally prepared nurses.  Upon completion of her Doctor of Science in Nursing in 1985, her dissertation received the UABSON award  for “Most Significant Research by a Doctoral Student.”

Dr. Latham has taught across the curriculum in nursing from foundations to critical care. She has been involved in the traditional nursing program, the RN to BSN program (STEP) and the MSN program. Although her specialty is critical care, she has participated in the graduate epidemiology course and research. Dr. Latham has been invited frequently to make presentations related to physiology (such as cardiac output and congestive heart failure), patient assessment and interpretation of lab values, and complex nursing care of critically ill patients.

From 1987 to 2003 Dr. Latham served as coordinator of student services and was involved in recruitment for both JSU and the nursing program.  She has worked on numerous committees at the college and university levels including institutional effectiveness, program review, SACS self study subcommittee, JSU mission and goals, and is a faculty director of the JSU Foundation. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, the Alabama State Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society.

Dr. Latham was a co-recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award given by JSU in 1999-2000 and was the recipient of the Lamplighter Award 1995 given by the Alabama League for Nursing. She was the Alternate Outstanding Educator in 1999 of the Women Committee of Excellence program presented by the Cottaquilla Council of Girl Scouts.

She and her husband, Joel, reside in Cedar Bluff, Alabama.

Kelly Brooks Friery, 2007 Young Alumna of the Year. Dr. Friery graduated from JSU (2001) summa cum laude with a B.S. in Education and concentrations in Physical Education and General Sciences earning the distinction Top 5 Graduate of her class. After receiving a master of science degree with major in Physical Education - Sport Science from JSU, Dr. Friery then completed her doctoral studies at the University of Alabama in 2005 and was awarded a Ph.D. in Human Performance - Exercise Physiology.

Dr. Friery is currently an Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She serves as the Director of the Exercise Physiology Lab at ULM which is conducted by graduate students. This office is responsible for carrying out numerous studies and presentation of their results in publications. Dr. Friery is also presently conducting research through two major studies. One area of research is a nationwide study related to her doctoral dissertation in Human Performance, "Long-Term Impact of Athletic Participation on Physical Capabilities" and is being conducted in conjunction with her UA Dissertation Director, Dr. Phillip A. Bishop. The research entails locating former athletes and control alumni from universities across the country to survey. Their results will be posted on a Web site currently under construction. Findings from prior published research in this area indicate that athletes are having significantly more limitations (5 times more) in their activity and in their daily lives than alumni who were not competitive college athletes.

Dr. Friery herself falls into the competitive college athlete category being a former member of JSU Varsity track and cross-country teams. She served as team captain of the JSU Cross-Country and Track Team (1998-2000), where she earned the distinction of TAAC All-Conference Outdoor Track 10K (1998), Academic All-Conference 1997, 1998. Other honors/distinctions included JSU Cross-Country Highest Athlete GPA; JSU Gamecock Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame (3 years); JSU Physical Education/Health Department's Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Graduates; College USAA All-American Scholar Athlete (4 yrs.); National Dean's List (4 yrs.); National Collegiate Physical Education and Health Award (3 yrs.); National Collegiate Education Award (3 yrs.); JSU President's List; Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges (3 yrs.); Pi Lambda Theta International Education Honor Society; Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society; and Phi Delta Kappa.

Kelly is married to Dean Friery, a Special Education teacher. The couple has one daughter. Dean is the son of Drs. Rodney and Kathleen Friery, who are both established JSU professors. The family resides in Monroe, Louisiana.

COL Stephen K. West - Military Alumnus of the Year.   COL Stephen K. West graduated from Jacksonville State University in 1978 as a Distinguished Military Graduate and began his military career as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery. During his distinguished career, COL West has held a variety of troop and staff positions, both in the United States and overseas.   In 1979, he was assigned to G Battery, 29th Field Artillery, 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas where he served as a Radar Platoon Leader. In, 1980, Colonel West was assigned to the lst Battalion,78th Field Artillery, 2nd Armored Division.  He served as a FIST Team Chief, B Battery Executive Officer, and Brigade Fire Support Officer.

In 1984,Colonel West was assigned to the 1st Battalion 333rd Field Artillery, 42nd Field Artillery Brigade in the Federal Republic of Germany.  He served as the Battalion Adjutant and Commander of A Battery until his departure to V Corps Artillery in February 1988. As a member of the V Corps Artillery Staff, he served as a Target Analyst and Aide-de-Camp to the V Corps Artillery Commanding General.  In 1989, he assumed duties as the Field Artillery Branch Representative at Sill, Oklahoma.  He served as Chief of Rocket Missile Division Gunnery Department for 7 months before departing Fort Sill for the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1991.

Following Command and General Staff College, Colonel West was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

He served as Battalion Operations Officer and deployed with Task Force I-64 to Somalia for Operation Provide Hope.  Colonel West then transferred to Operations Group, Fire Support Trainers, Fort Irwin, California, where he served as a Reinforcing Battalion Trainer and 53 Combat Trainer from 1994 through 1996.

In 2001, Colonel West was assigned to United States Army Europe, ULCC, Incirlik, Turkey, where he assumed the duties as the Chief of Staff/Deputy Commander of Operation Northern Watch.  While serving as Chief of Staff/Deputy Commander of Combined Task Force/Operation Northern Watch, COL West molded a diverse combined and joint staff into a cohesive task force.  His leadership successfully enforced a no-fly zone over hostile air space of northern Iraq under continuous combat conditions even with a 900 percent annual personnel turnover.

In 2003, COL West assumed command of the 4th Brigade of Eastern Region Cadet Command, United States Army Cadet Command.  During his time as Brigade Commander, he trained and directed 160 Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) and civilian staff of the Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) program across l9 battalions that prepared over 2400 cadets at 54 colleges and universities in North Carolina and Virginia and commissioned over 1400 in the three years as commander. In 2006, COL West returned to the Air College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama to assume duties as an Instructor for the Department of International Security Studies and as Seminar Director for Seminar 13, currently holding the highest combined GPA for AY07.

COL West's awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster and Global War on Terrorism Service.

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