APRIL 28, 2015
Jeremiah L. Maynard of Louisa will be the student speaker at ACTCS Graduation Ceremony
ACTC Graduation is May 8
Ashland Community and Technical College will recognize a record number of 680 students at the Graduation Ceremony on Friday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Paramount Arts Center.
The students to be honored are August and December 2014 graduates, and May and Summer 2015 graduation candidates. Many have earned more than one degree, diploma or certificate, and nearly 1,700 credentials will be awarded.
ACTC alumnus Richard W. “Sonny” Martin will be the keynote speaker, and Jeremiah L. Maynard will be the graduating student speaker. Ann Perkins, Executive Director of Safe Harbor and owner of Second Hand Rose Consignment Shops, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
The Paul G. Blazer Junior ROTC, under the direction of Command Sergeant Major, Paul D. Royster will be the color guard, and ACTC student Ciera James will sing the national anthem.
The Graduation Ceremony is free and open to the public. The Ceremony will stream live beginning at 7:20 p.m. at www.greenupbeacon.com and www.greenupbeacon2.com.
Louisa Resident Is ACTC’s Graduation Student Speaker
Jeremiah L. Maynard will be the student speaker at the Graduation Ceremony May 8. He is graduating with an Associate in Science Degree with Distinction.
Like many ACTC students, he is working on a new career. Originally from Louisville, he served in the Marine Corps after high school and then ran a landscaping business with his brother for several years.
Looking for a new perspective on what he could achieve with his life, he moved to Louisa and met his wife Anna. He worked as a truck driver while his wife completed the RN program at ACTC and then it was his turn to go to school. With his wife working in the ER at Three Rivers Hospital, he started at ACTC.
“I came to ACTC because it was relatively close to home and affordable. This was a good way to get my feet wet in the academic world.”
“Once I started classes, I realized my strengths were in math and science, and I chose engineering as a field,” Maynard said. “I decided to complete the general education, math and science courses needed for transferring to the University of Kentucky Mechanical Engineering Program.”
He credits ACTC’s faculty and staff for helping him earn his associate degree. “Dr. James Schmidt taught me my first chemistry course, and his wealth of knowledge and teaching style were very motivating. As a result, I began to push myself as hard as possible.”
“Math Professor McCumbee was one of the most accommodating professors I have ever or will ever have in my academic career.” She allowed him to bring his children to class when childcare was unavailable and provided extra time for assignments when his third daughter was born.
Of all his positive experiences at the college, the two that stand out are Supplemental Instruction and Student Support Services.
As a math Supplemental Instruction (SI), he had a chance to mentor students and increase his own math skills at the same time. Becky Gehringer and Chrisha Spears on the SI staff helped him develop mentoring and leadership skills. Student Supports Services advisor Megan Horne helped streamline his courses while motivating him to keep a positive attitude.
Maynard will start this fall on his mechanical engineering bachelor’s degree at UK, with a goal of employment in aerospace, aeronautical or renewable technologies. After that, he hopes to be able to pursue further degrees. “I don’t know that I could have come this far without ACTC, and I know my experiences here will carry me into the future,” he said.
He and his wife have three girls, with another child due next fall. “We’re juggling everything as best we can, as we always have,” Maynard said. “Everything will work out.”
Graduation Keynote Speaker
RichardW. “Sonny” Martin will be the keynote speaker at ACTC’s Commencement Ceremony. He is the Senior Partner of Martin & Vincent, PSC in Ashland and has been City Attorney for the City of Ashland since 1978.
An Ashland resident, heattended the Ashland Center, University of Kentucky, an ACTC predecessor, from 1962-64 and transferred to UKwhere he received a BA degree in English. After receiving his JD degree from the UK College of Law in 1969, he was a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for several years, receiving commendations from three FBI Directors. He returned to Ashland to practice law in 1973.
Since then he has been admitted to practice before the Kentucky State Courts, U.S. Eastern District of Kentucky, 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and U. S. Supreme Court. He has served twice as a Special Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court and has been a Certified Mediator for the Mediation Center of Kentucky since 2000 and a Court of Justice Mediator since May, 2013.
He served on the Kentucky Crime Commission Executive Board from 1993 to1995 and the Board of Overseers Executive Committee of the Kentucky Municipal Law Center at the Northern Kentucky University from1986 to1992.
Martin is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, American Bar Association, Kentucky Defense Counsel and Municipal Attorneys Association. He has served on several Kentucky Bar Association committees, has mentored young lawyers and has spoken at KBA supported continuing education programs.
His volunteer legal work has included representing the Boyd County Library District since 1980, the Boyd County 911 and the Ashland Boyd County Catlettsburg Emergency Management since their formation. He incorporated and provided legal assistance for a number of years to the Tri-State Fair & Regatta, now called Summer Motion. In 1982, he assisted the downtown churches in forming the United Ashland Ministries which operates the Unity Square elderly housing units and the Community Kitchen.He also formed the corporation that operates the grade school Ashland Instructional Basketball League.
His involvement in community activities has included serving on the Boards of Directors of Hack Estep Boy’s Farm, King’s Daughters Medical Health Foundation, Ashland Instructional Basketball League, Ashland Cemetery and Community Hospice. He is currently a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board.
He served on the Ashland Community College Board of Directors from 1989 to 2006 and was named the college’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2003. He is married to Frances Martin, an ACTC Associate Professor in Math and they have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Summer Classes Start May 18
Currently-enrolled ACTC students can still register for Summer Session classes that start May 18. Many online classes still have openings. The class schedule is online at ashland.kctcs.edu. To register, see your advisor or come to the Advising Center in Room 224 at the College Drive Campus or Room 157 at the Technology Drive Campus.
