Campbellsville University vice president to receive Distinguished Alumni Award from Fort Gay High School

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Dr. Keith Spears

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (08/12/2013)(readMedia)-- Dr. Keith Spears, Campbellsville University's vice president for graduate and professional studies, will be honored for his career achievements and dedicated public service with the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award from Fort Gay High School in Fort Gay, W.Va.

Spears, a 1966 graduate of Fort Gay High School, will be honored at the annual Fort Gay High School Alumni Association banquet in Louisa, Ky. on Aug. 30.

Spears is also an alumnus of Marshall University, Central Michigan University and West Virginia University. He is a graduate of Harvard University's MLE Post-doctorate Institute in Lifelong Education and Duke University's Governor's Center for Strategic Leadership.

In 1973, while teaching at Fort Gay High School, he established one of the state's first public radio stations, WFGH-FM. The station is still on the air and is a vital resource to residents of Wayne County, W.Va. and neighboring Lawrence County, Ky.

He also spent 28 years as a member of the faculty and administration of Marshall University where he served in a number of positions, including vice president for communications. In this position, he oversaw the development of the award-winning "We Are...Marshall" branding and served as MU's chief consultant when Warner Bros. made the motion picture, "We Are Marshall."

Spears later directed a number of endeavors promoting public broadcasting, state museums, libraries and festivals while serving as director for special projects at the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts.

Since 2009, he has served at Campbellsville University, where he oversees education centers in Louisville, Somerset and Hodgenville.

"Keith is one of many graduates of Fort Gay High School who have distinguished themselves in the workplace and their communities," Richard Plymale, chairman of the FGHS Alumni Association, said.

"He is a deacon in his church and a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He and his wife, Rita, are deeply rooted to Fort Gay. He is deserving of this recognition."

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.

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