May 17, 2006

Edna Railey wins May McKinley Award at Troy University

TROY, Ala. – Edna Railey, departmental secretary for Troy University’s Information Technology Department, has won the University’s Vergil Parks McKinley Award for May.

Railey, who has been a member of the University staff since 1993, received the award during a ceremony on May 17 in the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor on the Troy Campus. Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., chancellor, presented the award to Railey, who was nominated by Greg Price, the University’s chief technology officer.

The McKinley Award is the highest honor that Troy University gives to a non-faculty staff member. It is presented monthly to an employee who has demonstrated outstanding attitude, innovation and work ethic. The award was established by former Texaco CEO John McKinley in honor of his father, Vergil Parks McKinley, who was a Troy University professor during the early 20th century and was key to the development of the university’s athletic program. Winners of this award receive an engraved clock and a $350 stipend.

In a letter of nomination, Price called Railey an “irreplaceable component of the information technology system.”

“For the 10 years that I have worked with Edna, I have enjoyed her upbeat charisma and seemingly inexhaustible love of the University and her co-workers,” Price said in his letter of nomination. “A mass of communications are routed superbly by Edna through a dense network of unique IT personalities. A weak soul would never survive the wide range of duties that are routinely managed by Edna. And yet, I have never heard a single complaint. Very simply, Edna is diligent, efficient and dependable – a true asset to information technology and Troy University.”

Railey, who will retire in July, was shocked when her name was announced as the winner. “This is really a big surprise,” she said. “Thank you for this honor.”

###