News from Lindsey Wilson University
Lindsey Wilson celebrates its first Homecoming Weekend by honoring four, holding inaugural Alumni Fine Art Exhibition, crowning a new queen and king.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (10/26/2025) The past connected with the future Saturday morning, Oct. 25, at Lindsey Wilson University.
The school, which became Lindsey Wilson University on July 1, celebrated its first Homecoming Weekend as a university on Oct. 23-25.
But at the Alumni Awards Breakfast, held Saturday in the Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center, the Lindsey Wilson community honored three alumni and named an honorary one for what was accomplished while the school was Lindsey Wilson College for most of its first 122 years.
“This is a new chapter of hope, promise and a world of possibility,” said Lindsey Wilson Director of Alumni Relations Allison Cross ’09. “No matter what name is on our logo, we remain true to our mission of serving every student, every day.”
Also over the weekend, the Bonner Scholar Program celebrated 20 years of service, the inaugural Alumni Fine Art Exhibition was opened in the Lucretia C. Begley Gallery, fungo golf and ping tournaments were held, the football team played Faulkner (Alabama) University, and a new Homecoming king and queen were crowned.
Emily Cox ’27 of London, Kentucky, who represented the women’s basketball team, was crowned Homecoming queen, and Cody Shepherd ’27 of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, who represented the Lindsey Wilson Student Government Association, was crowned king.
‘The heart of Lindsey Wilson’
Lindsey Wilson National Alumni Association President Tanner Strein ’14 said events such as the annual Alumni Awards Breakfast are a reminder that while some things have changed at his alma mater, “the heart of Lindsey Wilson” has remained the same.
“It’s the wonderful students we get to interview every year who we award scholarships to, it’s the wonderful professors who continue to motivate us and help us grow, it’s the staff and everything else,” said Strein.
Dr. Neil Farris of Louisville, Kentucky, who was named an Honorary Alumnus, said that he’s impressed with how Lindsey Wilson develops productive citizens and “prepares students for a complex, crazy, diverse world.”
One of those students was Kayla Jones ’19 of Sunnyvale, California, who received the Outstanding Young Alumna Award for her work as an oncology research nurse and is part of early drug development.
“Lindsey Wilson University developed me into someone who views every patient as worthy of and equal of the same care, and views every neighbor as her brother and sister, and a nurse who realizes how sacred and rare the opportunity to live, love and care for people really is,” said Jones, who is an Adair County native.
‘Academic Excellence and Opportunity’
Another Adair County native, Pamela Hoots ’75 of Columbia, received the Distinguished Service Award for her work as Columbia’s three-term mayor. Hoots said that what she enjoys most about working with her alma mater is the relationships she’s developed with the students.
“A lot of these students have become just like kids to me,” she said.
Lindsey Wilson professor Benson Sexton ’04 was a Lindsey Wilson student whose career “started for me on this hill.”
Sexton — an Albany, Kentucky, native, who now lives in Greensburg, Kentucky — said he is “living proof” that Lindsey Wilson plays a vital role in the region.
“People say that our region faces unique challenges, like limited access to resources, and people like us just don’t get those opportunities,” said Sexton, who is a communication professor and dean of the Lindsey Wilson School of Business and Communication. “But I am here to tell you that I am living proof that Lindsey Wilson has been shattering those myths for decades. This place proves that academic excellence and opportunity belong everywhere — on quiet country roads just as much as in bustling cities.”
Sexton said that he and his Lindsey Wilson faculty colleagues are “planting seeds of confidence and possibility in students, who will, in turn, change classrooms, clinics, board rooms, congregations, governments from now until the end of this world.”
The Lindsey Wilson University National Alumni Association honored four individuals at the Alumni Awards Breakfast, held Saturday, Oct. 25, at Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center. From left: LWU President William T. Luckey Jr.; Kayla Jones ’19 of Sunnyvale, California, Outstanding Young Alumna; Benson Sexton ’04 of Greensburg, Kentucky, Distinguished Alumnus; Dr. Neil Farris of Louisville, Kentucky, Honorary Alumnus; Pamela Hoots ’75 of Columbia, Distinguished Service; and LWU Director of Alumni Relations Allison Cross ’09.
The Lindsey Wilson University 2025 Homecoming Court was crowned during halftime of the LWU-Faulkner (Alabama) University football game on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Parnell Family Stadium. Emily Cox ’27 of London, Kentucky, who represented the women’s basketball team, was crowned Homecoming queen, and Cody Shepherd ’27 of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, who represented the Lindsey Wilson Student Government Association, was crowned king. From left: LWU mascot Blue Raider Bob; first runner-up queen Kiara Collins ’26 of Columbia, representing Lindsey Wilson Singers; first runner-up king Seth Ousley ’26 of Lancaster, Kentucky, Lindsey Wilson Singers; Cox; Shepherd; Sadie Kemp ’26 of Columbia, SGA; Trey Blanton ’27 of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Black Student Union; and LWU President William T. Luckey Jr.
The Lindsey Wilson University 2025 Homecoming Court was crowned during halftime of the LWU-Faulkner (Alabama) University football game on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Parnell Family Stadium. Emily Cox ’27 of London, Kentucky, who represented the women’s basketball team, was crowned Homecoming queen, and Cody Shepherd ’27 of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, who represented the Lindsey Wilson Student Government Association, was crowned king. From left: LWU mascot Blue Raider Bob; first runner-up queen Kiara Collins ’26 of Columbia, representing Lindsey Wilson Singers; first runner-up king Seth Ousley ’26 of Lancaster, Kentucky, Lindsey Wilson Singers; Cox; Shepherd; Sadie Kemp ’26 of Columbia, SGA; Trey Blanton ’27 of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Black Student Union; and LWU President William T. Luckey Jr.
Lindsey Wilson University President William T. Luckey Jr. crowns Emily Cox ’27 of London, Kentucky, the 2025 Homecoming queen during halftime of the LWU-Faulkner (Alabama) University football game on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Parnell Family Stadium. Cox, who is a political science major, represented the women’s basketball team.
Lindsey Wilson University Cody Shepherd ’27 of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, receives a hug from 2024 Lindsey Wilson Homecoming king Zachariah Lawson ’26 of Williamsburg, Kentucky, after being crowned 2025 Homecoming king during halftime of the LWU-Faulkner (Alabama) University football game on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Parnell Family Stadium. Shepherd, who is a business administration major, represented the Student Government Association.
Lindsey Wilson National Alumni Association President Tanner Strein ’14 flips the coin to determine which team will receive the kickoff to start the LWU-Faulkner (Alabama) University football game on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Parnell Family Stadium. Tanner is a former Blue Raider football player.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)