Ouachita Stories

Judy Duvall was recently named Female Clark Countian of the Year in the Arkadelphia Daily Siftings Herald’s 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards.

Readers of the newspaper are invited to vote each year on their top three choices in a variety of categories, including businesses, restaurants and community leaders. Arkadelphia Mayor Chuck Hollingshead was named Male Clark Countian of the Year.

Duvall, assistant director of Ouachita Baptist University’s Elrod Center for Family and Community and coordinator of ElderServe, is a 1982 Ouachita graduate. She works with students and faculty on volunteer projects and campus-wide events such as Tiger Serve Day and Healthy Relationships Week, allowing her to serve many people in the community.

“Through my job at the Elrod Center at OBU, I get to meet many people in the community and I love that,” said Duvall.  “I have to say though, the OBU students who volunteer out in the community, many times out of the spotlight, are the ones who deserve the recognition. I have the distinct privilege of placing them with people and non-profits in the community.  They are an amazing group of students who love to serve and meet needs. I'm super proud of each of them.”

Other Ouachita staff members honored in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards include Garry Crowder, head women’s basketball coach, who was named the No.1 college coach in Arkadelphia, and Todd Knight, head football coach, who was named the No. 3 college coach.

Crowder, a graduate of Henderson State University, has served at Ouachita since 1995. In addition to coaching women’s basketball, he is an instructor of kinesiology and leisure studies.

Knight, a 1986 Ouachita graduate, has served as head football coach since 1999. He led the Tigers to the Great American Conference’s inaugural conference championship this past year.

By Breanne Goodrum