Alice Lloyd College Hosts Twenty-Sixth Annual Alumna and Alumnus of the Year Banquet

On Friday, September 20th, Alice Lloyd College hosted the Twenty-Sixth Annual Alumna and Alumnus of the Year Banquet. This year, ALC honored Class of 1985 graduates Alumna Kathy Ellen Stumbo and Alumnus Dr. Anthony Clark Stumbo, the first married couple to be honored together.

The program began at 6:00 PM in Cushing Hall with a welcome by Dr. Chuck Stamper, Alumni Association President and Class of 1991 graduate. Following the welcome, Mrs. Margo Sparkman gave the invocation. Mrs. Brittany Lyons (Class of 2007) provided entertainment for the evening, and Pioneer Food Services provided a buffet dinner for the attendees.

After dinner, Dr. Stamper welcomed ALC Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Class of 2015 graduate Dr. Allison Holbrook Southard, who gave her remarks and introduced Mr. and Mrs. Stumbo. Dr. Southard said, “Tony and Kathy have lived out the Purpose Road Philosophy in their lives and careers and continue to give back to our region and our students here at ALC.”

Mrs. Lloyd and Miss June began their work on Caney Creek over one hundred years ago. They started educating children, establishing the Caney Creek Community Center in 1917 and then a high school. When they began, there wasn’t even a high school in Knott County or several surrounding counties. Mrs. Lloyd is credited with starting over a hundred one-room schoolhouses in Eastern Kentucky.

Mrs. Lloyd and Miss June never intended to start a college, but that changed in 1918 with the Spanish Flu Pandemic. The region lacked doctors, nurses, and medicine. Mrs. Lloyd recognized a glaring problem and said, “The only way we’re going to get doctors here is to home-grow them,” which is where the idea from the college grew.

Tony and Kathy are evidence of Mrs. Lloyd’s vision coming full circle. After receiving their degrees from ALC, they both went on to the University of Kentucky and returned to help advance and provide healthcare within the mountains. Kathy is a distinguished healthcare executive with over thirty years of experience in the industry. She has served in leadership roles within St. Joseph Health System and Appalachian Regional Healthcare. She also served at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lexington and as CEO of Our Lady of the Way Hospital in Martin for 21 years. She is a member of the Kentucky Hospital Association Board of Trustees.

Tony has served Eastern Kentucky for over thirty years as a doctor of internal medicine at his private practice and Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center in Prestonsburg, KY. He has held multiple leadership positions, including Highlands Chief Medical Officer and Director of HRMC Cardiac Rehab. In 2019, he was named Appalachian Regional Healthcare Medical Officer for the Big Sandy Region, serving five ARH facilities in this capacity.

In addition to their contributions to healthcare in the region, Tony and Kathy have supported outstanding senior students at ALC who are entering the medical field. In 2005, the family established the Dr. Anthony and Kathy Stumbo Pre-Med Award, which has been an excellent addition to ALC’s Honor’s Day ceremony.

Congratulations, Dr. Anthony and Mrs. Kathy Stumbo, and thank you for your contributions to healthcare in Eastern Kentucky and to Alice Lloyd College’s student leaders.

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