PANOLA COLLEGE HONORS RETIREES

Panola College honored three retiring employees and presented service awards to 14 other members of the faculty, staff and board of trustees in a luncheon ceremony Wednesday, May 5. Charlcye Robertson, Wanda Gaines and Betsy Wheat are retiring this year after devoting a total of 85 years of service to Panola College. 

Charlcye Robertson ends a 22-year career at Panola College where she worked in a variety of positions including administrative assistant to President Gregory Powell. Honoring her was Bill Gullette, former Dean of Occupational Education, who retired in 1988. Gullette said Robertson was an excellent employee and a good will ambassador for the college during the years they worked together. 

Honoring Wanda Gaines, who is retiring from her position as counselor and testing coordinator, was Jessica Proctor, a former Panola College student. Proctor expressed love and admiration for Gaines whose thoughtfulness and caring impacted the lives of so many students over the course of her 26-year career at the college. 

Van Patterson, Director of Institutional Advancement, honored Betsy Wheat, who is retiring from her position as Dean of Student Services after a 37-year career with Panola College. In his presentation, Patterson read excerpts from a scrapbook of letters, quotes, poems and pictures contributed by friends, employees and co-workers.  

Among the quotes was a letter from College President Dr. Gregory Powell who said, “Betsy Wheat has played an active role in shaping Panola College for fully two-thirds of the college’s existence. She knows our policies (after all, she wrote many of them) and procedures better than anyone, bar none. It has not escaped my attention that many times other colleges are calling us to learn Dean Wheat’s solution for a new state mandate. She has truly served as a statewide model. How do you replace someone who has been so integral to the development of this college? The answer is you don’t. You will be greatly missed.” 

Dr. Lillian Cook, Dean of Instruction, presented the service awards including Vicki Dickerson, 30 years; Liz Hedges, 25 years; Jeff Brooks, 20 years; Dr. Dennis Golden, Johnny Johnson, Charlene Johnson, Don Clinton and Derek Adams, 15 years; Mike Edens, Thomas Johnson, Freddy Mason, Dr. Jeanne Scott and Barbara Tipton, 10 years. In addition, Dr. Cook presented a service award posthumously for the late Brent Gee, former campus police chief, who was killed in a plane crash last fall. Accepting the award was his sister, Shelley Caraway, who is employed by the Panola College Workforce and Continuing Education Department.