WKU News

An award-winning journalist and educator, a visionary health advocate, and a political psychologist and professor will join WKU’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni this fall.

Al Cross, Joy Hamilton Marini and David C. Wilson will be inducted during WKU’s 2024 Homecoming Celebration.

The 33rd class of noted alumni will be inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni during the Hilltopper Excellence Awards on Thursday, Nov. 14 at WKU’s Knicely Conference Center. Presented by Franklin Bank & Trust, the Hilltopper Excellence Awards will include additional recognitions for alumni and supporters of WKU. 

• Alumni achievement: Three individuals will be recognized for alumni achievement at the Hilltopper Excellence Awards. Corey Johnson will be honored for Young Alumni Achievement, and the Hon. Walter D. “Jody” Richards and Neva Richards will receive the designation as Honorary Alumni. (Read the full story)
• Service: Two WKU alumni will be recognized for their service to the University and the community at the Hilltopper Excellence Awards. The Hon. Ronald “Ronnie” W. Clark will receive the Distinguished Medal of Community and Public Service, and Barry Williams will receive the Distinguished Medal of WKU Service. (Read the full story)
  
• Philanthropist of the Year: The Jerry E. Baker Foundation, established through the estate of generous, longtime supporter Jerry E. Baker, will be recognized as WKU’s Philanthropist of the Year, which honors the generosity, leadership and commitment of the recipients, at the Hilltopper Excellence Awards. (Read the full story)

For more information, contact the WKU Alumni Association at (270) 745-2586.

Al Cross (’75)

Alvin Miller “Al” Cross (’75) has devoted his working life to providing good journalism to citizens to help them better exercise their roles in a democratic society

Al is a Professor Emeritus in the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media and was Director of its Institute for Rural Journalism for 19 years. He was the longest-serving political writer for the Courier Journal (1989-2004). His coverage ranged from presidential to local elections and all facets of state government. Before joining the Louisville newspaper in 1978, he edited and managed papers in Monticello, Russellville and Leitchfield. Al has been a political commentator for KET and other news outlets, a role he continues for KET’s election coverage.

When he arrived at WKU in 1971, he planned to continue in broadcasting, which he had done in Albany, Ky. A basic journalism course changed his trajectory, and his first salaried journalism position was as a Copy Editor at the College Heights Herald. He was the last person to be both Editor (1974) and Advertising Manager (1972-1973) of the Herald, the latter post allowing him to serve as an Academic Council representative in student government.

He was on a C-J team that won a Pulitzer Prize, which cited its “exemplary initial coverage” of the 1988 Carrollton bus crash. He has held various leadership roles in the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), including President from 2001 to 2002—the only Kentuckian to date to hold the position. In addition to many state and national awards, he joined the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2010.

At a SPJ conference, he said, “Journalism has a special mission; it is more than a job, it is a calling; it is more than a business, it is a form of public service that has some special obligations to the public and to itself.”

Al received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from WKU. He still writes an occasional political column that appears in several Kentucky newspapers, and he is working on a biography of the late Earle Clements of Morganfield, who was a Congressman, Governor and Senator.

Joy Hamilton Marini (’83)

Joy Hamilton Marini (’83) served as a Global Director of three divisions of Johnson & Johnson over time, including Global Community Impact, Global Public Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer. Her strategic focus area was maternal and infant health, violence against women and gender inequality. She is one of 100 Save the Children U.S. Changemakers for Children, and she was recognized by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities as a UNFPA Icon and Activist. 

At Johnson & Johnson, Joy led teams driving global health insights, evaluation and advocacy, which supported health workers on the front lines of delivering care for vulnerable people in more than 30 countries. She designed and led partnerships with governments, United Nations organizations, international non-government organizations and community-based entities. These collaborations measurably improved the health of women and children by strengthening the health workforce, including clinical skills, leadership, health equity and clinician empowerment.

Joy’s work at Johnson & Johnson furthered the company’s vision of a world in which women, newborns and children can survive and thrive wherever they live. Joy developed public-private partnerships including Born on Time with Global Affairs Canada and the governments of Mali, Bangladesh and Ethiopia as well as the 15-year China Neonatal Resuscitation Program with the Chinese Ministry of Health, which is now scaled to more than 90% of maternity facilities throughout China. 

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Joy was in clinical practice as a Physician Assistant in family medicine and geriatrics. She held sales, marketing and medical education roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb and public relations divisions of Omnicom and Grey Advertising. In addition, she served on boards of the Global Health Council and GBCHealth.

Joy received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Animal Science from WKU. During her time on the Hill, she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi, the Panhellenic Association, the Equestrian Team and the inaugural class of Spirit Masters. She was Greek Woman of the Year in 1983. She holds additional degrees from Rider University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

David C. Wilson (’93)

David C. Wilson (’93) is Dean of the Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy and Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

David is a political psychologist with expertise in survey research, public opinion and political behavior. His research examines how individuals formulate their political preferences through broader survey response behaviors. His scholarship explains how different forms of survey data affect public opinion findings, how minor changes in question wording and order affect support for different policies, and how the public thinks about laws related to voting and groups of voters. He is the co-author of the 2022 book Racial Resentment in the Political Mind with the University of Chicago Press.

Prior to joining the Goldman School, David was Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Delaware and a Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. David has also held senior positions with the Gallup Polling Organization in Washington, D.C.; the SPSS Statistical Software Corporation and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. In his first position after graduating from WKU, he was a legislative aide for the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission that helped to create what is now the MLK National Day of Service.

David holds life memberships in several organizations including the American Statistical Association, the American Association for Public Opinion Research, the American Political Science Association, the International Society for Political Psychology and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated. David is also a military veteran with 19 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserves including service for operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. 

David received a Bachelor of Arts in Government from WKU. While at WKU, David was a sports columnist for the College Heights Herald, and he received a prestigious Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. He also holds a Master of Arts in Political Science, a Master of Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Political Science, all from Michigan State University.

Note: Photo of Al Cross (’75) by David Stephenson (’92). 

Contact: Anthony McAdoo, (270) 745-2586

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Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.