UNCP celebrates Alumni Awards recipients, Hall of Fame inductees

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Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings presents a plaque Larry Rodgers recognizing his induction into Class of 2020 Hall of Fame
Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings presents a plaque Larry Rodgers recognizing his induction into Class of 2020 Hall of Fame

UNC Pembroke recognized its outstanding alumni and former standout athletes at the 53rd annual Alumni Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony on Friday, October 22.

The ceremony combined recipients from the last two years after the 2020 event was placed on hold due to COVID-19 safety concerns.

Ronnie Sampson was presented with the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Service Award. He completed Air Force ROTC and received an officer’s commission upon graduation in 1987. He spent his career employed in counseling with the state Vocational Rehabilitation Services and later at Robeson Community College.

Floyd Locklear, a 1986 graduate, is the recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Alumnus Award. He worked as an aging specialist with the Lumber River Council of Governments and coordinated the Meals on Wheels program services. He has extensive community service and volunteer experience.

The 2020 Hall of Fame inductees are Teresa Carl, Johnny Dial, Larry Rodgers, Greg Shealy and the 2004 Men’s Soccer Team.

Carl was the women’s basketball program’s first all-American, an NAIA All-District and All-Carolinas Conference performer. A two-time NAIA All-District and All-Carolinas Conference honoree, Dial helped lead the baseball program to winning records in each of his two seasons with the Black & Gold.

Rodgers, a standout member of the cross country and track & field programs from 1969 to 1973, also served as the head coach for both programs from 1995 to 2011. He earned all-America honors as a member of the 440-mile relay.

Shealy, a four-time NAIA All-District performer for the wrestling team from 1976 to 1980, earned all-America honors as a senior with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

The 2004 Men’s Soccer team—paced by a quintet of all-region standouts, including all-American Sascha Gorres—registered a 16-3-0 record on the way to earning a trip to the NCAA Final Four.

Jordin Dickerson was honored as the 2021 Young Alumna of the Year. A 2016 graduate, Dickerson was heavily involved with Model United Nations and served as student body vice president. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and currently serves as an assistant public defender in Robeson County.  

Dr. Ramon Jacobs-Shaw, the recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Service Award, is a senior medical director, primary care physician and care transition expert at Oak Street Health in Chicago. Jacobs-Shaw graduated summa cum laude from UNCP and UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine with honors. He is a Fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians and the New York Academy of Medicine.  

Col. Carl E. Mason Sr.was presented with the 2021 Outstanding Alumnus Award. After serving with the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry Regiment, Fort Kobbe, Panama, he was commissioned a second lieutenant through the ROTC program at UNCP. In 2019, he was selected as the 407th Army Field Support Brigade commander.

The 2021 Hall of Fame inductees are Lindsay Bartholf, Sam Council, Damon Green, Caylon Hann and Randy Ledford. Bartholf played in 104 games from 2003 to 2006 and scored 1,129 career points to cement herself among the most prolific scorers in the women’s basketball program history.  

Council, a six-time All-Carolinas Conference honoree from 1978 to 1981, earned all-America accolades in both the 400-meter Run and again as a member of the Mile Relay squad. He is the owner of a 33-year-old school record in the 400-meter Run.

Green, an NAIA All-America pick from 1990 to 1991, currently ranks 11th on the men’s basketball program’s all-time scoring list with 1,555 career points from 1987- 91.

Hann earned the football program’s first all-America laurels in 2008 after ranking third nationally with seven interceptions while also posting 51 tackles and 10 pass breakups.

Ledford, a legendary high school baseball and football coach at South View High School, began his athletic prowess on the baseball diamond, where he was a two-time all-district and 1975 all-America selection.