UK Professor Jeffrey Okeson and Alumnus Tom Hammond Honored
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 13, 2013) ― A University of Kentucky alumnus and a UK dental professor are among five distinguished alumni and faculty honored by the postsecondary education community at a luncheon held today during the 2013 Annual Governor’s Conference on Postsecondary Education Trusteeship. The awards followed luncheon remarks by Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson.
Council President Bob King said, “Today we celebrate Kentucky’s outstanding alumni and faculty, two of our state’s greatest assets. We congratulate our alumni for achieving national stature in their chosen careers and our outstanding faculty for leading the way to greater excellence in teaching, service and innovation.”
Recipients of the Oak Award presented to outstanding alumni include:
• Thomas T. Hammond, 1967 University of Kentucky graduate and longtime NBC sportscaster.
• Virginia Gaines Fox, 1961 graduate of Morehead State University and former executive director of Kentucky Educational Television and former secretary of the Kentucky Education Cabinet.
• Dreama Gentry, 1989 Berea College graduate and executive director of Partners for Education at Berea College.
The Acorn Award goes to outstanding faculty at Kentucky’s colleges and universities. Recipients include:
• Jeffrey P. Okeson, professor and chair, Department of Oral Health, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry.
• William J. Loftus, psychology professor, Big Sandy Community and Technical College.
The Oak and Acorn awards are sponsored by the Council on Postsecondary Education and Kentucky’s colleges and universities.
Faculty honorees are chosen based on recommendations by faculty and students, as well as self-written essays about their philosophy of teaching. Recipients receive a $5,000 honorarium.
More on the UK awardees:
Tom Hammond is one of the most recognized sportscasters in the South and the nation. Known for his excellent play-by-play coverage, Hammond’s achievements include college and NBA basketball games, college and NFL games, thoroughbred horse racing and coverage of the Olympic Games.
Hammond was the recipient of the annual Outstanding Kentuckian Award, as well as several Emmy Awards. He is a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, and has an award named after him: the Tom Hammond Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting, given by the Bluegrass Sports Commission. He is the grandson of Thomas Poe Cooper, a former dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky, who also served a short stint as acting president.
Dr. Jeffrey Okeson is chair of the Department of Oral Health Science at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and director for the college’s post-graduate program in orofacial pain. A member of the faculty at UK for 39 years, Okeson has written more than 220 peer-reviewed articles, and is the author of two textbooks, which are in their seventh edition and are considered standard in most dental schools.
Okeson was awarded UK’s “Great Teacher Award,” the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the UK College of Dentistry, and the “International Dentist of the Year,” the highest award recognized by the International Academy.