ETSU honored its 18th annual selection of Notable Women, Sarah Melton and Lynn Williams, in the Reece Museum on Nov. 6, celebrating the women and their accomplishments.
ETSU President Brian Noland opened the ceremony with powerful words for the remarkable women being awarded that evening, as well as the women of ETSU’s history.
“As I walked the campus today, I saw a campus adorned with names,” Noland said in his opening speech. “Names such as Yoakley, Ross, Culp, Stone and Clement. These women were [foundational] to our university. They were among the first undergraduate students to desegregate what was then East Tennessee State College. They served on boards of educations; they were our university’s first lady. Each of them, in their own unique and distinctive ways, by this institution, are part of the fabric of the university, and they inspire. Through our history, our examples of notable women have had a profound influence on this institution, on our colleges and on our campus, and that is why this colloquium is so important.”
Lynn Williams received her award and began her presentation through the form of pictures. She shared her story called “An Uncommon Path,” beginning as a child in West Virginia through her journey of many notable accomplishments.
Williams is the associate dean of the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. Many of her accomplishments involve speech-language pathology. She has developed a widely used method of speech therapy and an assessment model of speech disorders.
“I think it’s just a wonderful celebration that women have done notable things,” Melton said. “And that other women can look to us as examples and as mentors to know that you can do great things, especially with good help along the way. “
Awarded next was clinical pharmacist and professor at the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy Sarah Melton for her work as an addiction specialist to reduce drug abuse in Appalachia. She was awarded other prestigious awards recognizing her community service and contribution to health and welfare of patients in southwest Virginia.
“I focus in my talk about being an agent of change, and I challenge the audience tonight to be a changed agent for something,” Melton said. “So maybe a difference in your community because all of us can do that. That’s what I hope, is that our generation understands we have a lot of challenges that we need to address, that we can do it together, and we can do it individually, but it’s a lot better if we do it as a team.”
