Bridgewater College honored three alumni on Saturday April 9 for their achievements and humanitarian service.
The 2022 West-Whitelow Humanitarian Service Award went to Darean Talmadge of Hampstead, Maryland, class of 2017; the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2022 was awarded to Jeffrey Bourne of Harrisonburg, Va., class of 1981; and the Young Graduate Award 2022 was awarded to Daryl Funk of Front Royal, Virginia, class of 2004.
In addition to the 2022 winners, British Columbia recognized the 2020 and 2021 winners, whose respective ceremonies have been postponed due to COVID-19.
The 2021 West-Whitelow Humanitarian Service Award went to Kristi Titus of Leesburg, Virginia, class of 1994; the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2021 was awarded to Chris Lumsden of South Boston, Virginia, class of 1980; and the Young Alumna Award 2021 was awarded to Jennifer Murray of Fairmont, W.Va., Class of 2004.
The 2020 West-Whitelow Humanitarian Service Award went to Bradley Hallock of Frederick, Md., class of 1986; the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2020 was awarded posthumously to Richard Claybrook Jr. of Harrisonburg, Va., class of 1974; the Young Alumna 2020 prize was awarded to Farmer Laura Boyd of Roanoke, Virginia, class of 2003; and the 2020 Phillip Stone Award for Exemplary Service to the College was awarded to G.Benjamin Wampler and Sherrie Wampler of Nokesville, Virginia, classes of 1982 and 1985, respectively.
About the 2022 winners
Darean Talmadge, West-Whitelow Humanitarian Service Award 2022
After earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bridgewater, Talmadge began working for a community service organization, Casa de Esperanza de los Niños, in Houston. It provides social services for children of drug addicts, children infected with HIV/AIDS and other difficult circumstances. Human Resources Coordinator at Casa de Esperanza since 2019, she has dedicated herself to community development through her work.
Jeffrey Bourne, 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award
After graduating from Bridgewater College with a BS in Business Administration in 1981, Bourne earned his Masters in Education and Sports Management at Virginia Tech in 1994. He is also a 1994 graduate of the Sports Management Institute Executive Program from the University of North Carolina. and the University of Southern California. He held several positions in the athletics department at Virginia Tech from 1986 to 1997 and was senior assistant athletic director at Georgia Tech from 1997 to 1999. Bourne was named athletic director of James Madison University in 1999, a role in which he oversaw unprecedented levels of growth and success across 18 sports, including JMU’s recent move to the Sun Belt Conference and FBS level in college football. Bourne lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia with his wife, Mary Lou ’83.
Daryl Funk, 2022 Fresh Graduate Award
After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bridgewater College, Funk earned her law degree from the University of Baltimore in 2009 and worked in private practice for several years. He was elected clerk of the Warren County Circuit Court in 2016 and in 2021 was chosen by the Virginia General Assembly to be a district judge for the 26th Circuit Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court (JDR), serving as a judge president for Warren and Clark counties. He also held various positions with his local Lions Club. Funk lives with his wife, Noelle ’07, and daughter, Marie, in Front Royal, Virginia.
About the 2021 winners
Kristi E. Titus, 2021 West-Whitelow Humanitarian Service Award
Titus graduated from Bridgewater College in 1994 with a BA in English. She has spent her career as an English teacher in Loudoun County public schools, while devoting significant time as a volunteer to animal rehabilitation.
She volunteers Saturdays at the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Boyce, Va., booking more than 675 hours in 2019 to help treat all kinds of wildlife native to Virginia. She also rehabilitates a large number of small mammals in her home, including bats, chipmunks, squirrels, opossums, flying squirrels, mice, and rabbits.
A dedicated “Dr. Doolittle” of animal rehabilitation for Loudoun County, Titus lives in Leesburg, Virginia.
Chris A. Lumsden, 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award
Lumsden made a significant impact in the field of health care as a longtime hospital administrator. He served as CEO and Trustee of Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital in South Boston, Virginia for 30 years before becoming President and CEO of Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy, North Carolina in July 2018. Throughout his career , he has served in numerous leadership positions and has received several distinguished awards, including being named one of the 20 Most Admired CEOs in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area by the Triad Business Journal.
He has served as chairman of several Virginia economic development and higher education organizations and currently serves on the boards of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce and the Surry County Economic Development Partnership, as well as several boards associated with the North Carolina Healthcare Association. He graduated with honors from Bridgewater College and earned his master’s degree with honors from George Washington University in 1983. Lumsden and his wife, Linda ’80, have two children: Jessica and Nicholas.
Jennifer Murray, 2021 Young Graduates Award
The Cooperative Extension Service at West Virginia University (WVU) played a huge role in Murray’s life. From age 10 to 21, she participated in the 4-H program through which she learned practical communication and leadership skills. At Bridgewater College, where she majored in biology, she spent her summers traveling across the state of West Virginia as a 4-H camp counselor. After completing her master’s degree in agricultural and extension education at WVU, the WVU extension service hired her in 2008 as a county 4-H extension worker. She has held various positions in the Extension Office, including tenure and was promoted in 2014 to Assistant Professor of Extension in 4-H Youth Development at WVU.
In 2017, she became a 4-H Program Extension Specialist serving the 4-H program in the state of West Virginia. Murray served as the 2019 National Association of Extension 4-H Conference Chair and received the Achievement in Service Award in 2012 and the Distinguished Service Award in 2017, both from the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents.
About the 2020 winners
Dr. G. Benjamin Wampler and Dr. Sherrie K. Wampler, 2020 Phillip C. Stone Award for Exemplary Service to the College
The two fourth-generation Bridgewater College alumni, Drs. Ben and Sherrie Wampler have been linked to the College all their lives. Ben, the son of Dr. J. Paul Wampler ’54 and Priscilla Wakeman Wampler ’54, graduated from Bridgewater with his BA in General Science and received his MD from the Medical College of Virginia in 1986. Sherrie, the daughter of Jerry Wampler ’59 and Janet Wampler, earned a Bachelor of Education from British Columbia and went on to earn a Masters in 1989 and Ed.D. in 1996 from West Virginia University.
Ben is a surgeon with Surgical Specialists of Northern Virginia, while Sherrie is a volunteer with a passion for education. Ben has served on the Bridgewater College Board of Trustees since 2012. Sherrie was President of the BC Alumni Association from 2015-2017 and a BCAA Board Member from 2010-2019. She continues to serve on the Board of administration of the BCAA as Past President. They have held alumni events and send-off parties for incoming freshmen and return to campus often.
The Wamplers have four children, all of whom attended Bridgewater as well: Katelyn Wampler ’14, Matthew Wampler ’17, Sarah Wampler ’20 and Joseph Wampler ’23.
Bradley S. Hallock, 2020 West-Whitelow Humanitarian Service Award
Hallock has dedicated his life to service through his involvement with Frederick Church of the Brethren and Bridgewater College. Since 2014, he has been a mission team leader for annual mission work trips to the community of La Florida, Cañete, Peru, through the Fuller Center for Housing Global Builders in partnership with Frederick Church of the Brethren. The program operates on the same model as Habitat for Humanity, and volunteers help families living in structures made of reed boards and dirt floors build modest homes of brick and concrete floors. Hallock serves in a variety of leadership roles in his church, including as a member of the leadership, financial management, and world missions leadership teams.
At Bridgewater, he currently serves as Chairman of the Bridgewater College Alumni Board, is a member of the BC Family Council, and often volunteers at reunions and move-in day. Hallock, who majored in business administration at Bridgewater College, received his MBA from James Madison University in 1991 and works as a corporate controller/financial manager for Equipment Development Co. in Frederick, Md. Hallock, sa wife, Karla ’86, and their two children, Katelyn ’16 and Jenna ’20, are all graduates of Bridgewater College.
Richard A. Claybrook Jr., 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award
Claybrook, who died November 16, 2021, is remembered as a dedicated public servant. He graduated with honors after majoring in history at Bridgewater College and received his law degree from the University of Richmond in 1977. After working for Governor John Dalton and two other political jobs, he began practicing law in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He served as Deputy Commonwealth Attorney with David Walsh, then went into private practice on his own. He then served as Deputy Commonwealth Attorney with Marsha Garst.
On March 13, 2009, he was sworn in as the 26th Judge of the District General Court of Virginia. After retiring in 2015, he served as a deputy judge until 2020. His experiences as a prosecutor and defense attorney contributed to his impartiality while serving on the bench. He was known for continually working on ways to improve the justice system to make it more accessible to the public.
Dr. Laura Boyd Farmer, 2020 Young Graduates Award
Dr. Farmer majored in psychology at Bridgewater College and played volleyball for all four years. After realizing she wanted to help people heal from trauma, she graduated from James Madison University in 2007 with a master’s degree in community counseling and an education specialist certification.
She attended Virginia Tech to earn her doctorate. in counselor training, graduated in 2011, and was an assistant professor at East Tennessee State University for two years and at Virginia Tech for five years.
In 2019, she decided to leave teaching and devote herself fully to her independent practice as a licensed professional counselor, specializing in therapy for LGBTQ clients. Dr. Farmer and her husband, Will, live in Roanoke, Virginia with their three children, Violet, Autumn and Cooper.
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