November 2, 2004

Troy to honor 3 alumni, one honorary alumnus at Homecoming

Troy University will honor three graduates and one special friend on Saturday, Nov. 6, during the Homecoming game against Florida Atlantic University .

The Distinguished Alumni of the Year awards and Honorary Alumnus of the Year award will be presented during halftime by Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., chancellor, and Sammy Carr, president of the National Alumni Association Board of Directors. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium.

The recipients are Dr. Leon G. Davis of Montevallo, Amy Smith Parrish of Destin, FL, and Harrel McKinney of Montgomery . Joe Thomas Malugen of Dothan is this year’s recipient of the Honorary Alumnus of the Year award, which is given annually to a non-alumnus supporter of the University.

Award recipients are chosen annually by a vote of the National Alumni Association board, which solicits nominations from TROY alumni and the general public.

Dr. Leon G. Davis of Montevallo, retired from the University of Montevallo in 1991 after 28 years of teaching and service to the athletic department. He helped to establish the basketball program at Montevallo, then known as Alabama College , in 1963 and served as the team’s head coach through its first five seasons before resigning the position to become director of athletics. During his tenure, Davis also served as coach of the Montevallo tennis and golf teams and taught in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Davis served on several National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics boards and committees and was the association’s national president in 1982-83. In 1984, he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service. Davis graduated from Troy University in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education and recreation.

Amy Smith Parrish of Destin , FL , is vice president of wealth management, private client group for Colonial Bank. She previously served as vice president of corporate cash management sales for Colonial Bank in Andalusia from 2002-2003. Parrish also served in various capacities with SouthTrust Bank from 1995 to 2002 and as an evaluator in the U.S. General Accounting Office in Atlanta from 1991 to1995. A 1991 honors graduate of Troy University with a degree in banking and finance and business administration, Parrish is a former homecoming queen and varsity cheerleader at TROY . Parrish is an active member of the Destin community, serving as an ambassador with the Destin Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Destin Seafood Festival Committee, a board member of the Northwest Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross and a member of the Destin United Methodist Church .

Thomas Harrel McKinney of Montgomery currently serves as chair of the Troy State University Foundation Board of Trustees. McKinney was instrumental in the renovation of the new Alumni House at TROY . McKinney graduated from TROY in 1962 with a degree in medical technology and after serving for 10 years as laboratory manager for Pathology Laboratory in Montgomery , co-founded the Alabama Reference Laboratories, Inc. In an effort to help students pursue their education, he established the Harrel McKinney Medical Technology Scholarship. McKinney also is director of the McKinney Family Partnership, a real estate and investment firm, and established the McKinney Family Foundation. He currently serves as a trustee of the Alabama Baptist Children Homes and Family Ministries and is a former director of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the Montgomery Committee of 100. He has received an honorary doctorate degree from Troy University , as well as being honored by the National Alumni Association with the Distinguished Leadership Award in 2003

Joe Thomas Malugen , a Bonne Terre , MO , native, is the 2004 Honorary Alumnus of the Year recipient. In 1985, Malugen co-founded Movie Gallery, Inc. in Dothan . He has served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer since that time. The company owns and operates 2,400 video stores in 50 states, Canada and Mexico and is the second largest video specialty retailer in the United States in number of stores. Fortune magazine recently named Movie Gallery No. 45 on the list of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S. for 2004. Malugen was selected 1995 Retail Entrepreneur of the Year in the Southeast United States by Ernst and Young, Merrill Lynch and Inc. magazine. He serves on the board of directors of the Helen Keller Foundation and on the dean’s advisory board of Cumberland School of Law. He also serves on the dean’s strategic council at New York University School of Law. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration form the University of Missouri , a law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and a LL.M. degree in taxation from New York University School of Law. Movie Gallery is a corporate partner of Troy University athletics.