PJC to induct four into Academic Hall of Honor

Published or Revised October 28, 2014

As part of the 90th Homecoming at Paris Junior College on Nov. 8, four former PJC students will be inducted into the PJC Academic Hall of Honor: Don Haley (1948-49), Perry Hill (Class of 1973), Camellia St. John (Class of 1962) and Ray Moran (1953-54). Hill will also be inducted into the PJC Sports Hall of Fame. Inductees will be honored Saturday, November 8, at 2:30 p.m. in the McLemore Student Center Ballroom. Everyone is invited to take part in this special ceremony. “Each recipient has distinguished themselves in their chosen career and in doing so, they bring honor to Paris Junior College.” said PJC President Dr. Pam Anglin. “We hope that members of the community will join us that Saturday to help celebrate their accomplishments.” Don Haley is cofounder and CEO of Haley-Greer - Curtain Wall and Specialty Glass Contractors in Dallas. He was inducted into the PJC Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 as a member of the 1948 PJC football team. H-G has repeatedly been recognized for their expertise, receiving in 2009 the Community Honor Award and Artist/Craftsman of the Year from the AIA Dallas for their work on the Windspear Opera House, now known as the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The company also received the Associated Builders and Contractors Pyramid Award in Other Specialty Construction Over $1 million as part of ABC’s Excellence in Construction Awards, and the American Subcontractors Association 2013 Excellence in Ethics Award. Proving no job was too big, H-G was engineer and project manager tackling one of the highest profile construction projects in the U.S. with their part of the Dallas Cowboy Stadium’s 320,000 square feet of glass, including a 900 foot wide by 30 foot tall clerestory glass wall between the upper seating and the roof’s edge, making it the only all-glass stadium ever built. Previously a deacon with the First Baptist Church of Dallas, he currently serves on the Shepherd Council at the Journey Church of Gainesville and the Think Twice Ministries board of directors. He is president of Revival In Our Time Ministry. A native of West Paris, Ray Moran lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife, Mary. He has played a key role in the development of broadcast media in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Starting as a television weatherman, he began selling advertising for New Mexico radio stations, quickly rising to serve as general manager for two Albuquerque radio stations, growing them to industry prominence. In 1981 he started his first television station in Lubbock. Today, Ramar Communications has 16 radio and television stations in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. Ramar was selected as one of the stations with the rights for Texas Tech Red Raiders Sports Network. He has been active with the Boy Scouts, United Way, the Texas Tech School of Media and Communications Advisory Council and been president of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and the Albuquerque Little Theater. The Boys and Girls Club of Paris recognized Moran on their Alumni Wall of Honor in recent years. In 1993 Moran was inducted into the Texas Tech College of Media and Communication Hall of Fame and awarded the Lubbock Advertising Silver Medal Award. Camellia St. John is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, School of Health Professions at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston. Following graduation from PJC, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree as a medical technologist from Texas Women’s University and her Masters of Education from Prairie View A&M University in education and guidance counseling. She is board certified as a Registered Medical Technologist and Registered Specialist in Blood Banking, and has been working on her doctorate from the School of Public Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She has been a medical instructor since 1973 and conducted research in adverse medical events, web based and interactive distance learning courses, and been an advisor to medical technologist students. St. John served as Secretary and President for the Texas Society of Medical Technology, and was a member of both the Texas and American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. She was honored with creation of the University Federal Credit Union’s Endowed Scholarship in 2005, the SAHS Alumni Award in 1998, and received awards for Faculty Excellence, School of Allied Health Sciences in 1989 and 1994, and for Outstanding Teacher in the Department of Medical Technology in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992 and 1994. In addition, she worked as an ASCP consultant on curriculum development in clinical laboratory science for faculty working in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania and developed training materials for African countries. Currently the first base coach for the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team, Hill was a former all-conference selection at PJC and later attended the University of Texas Pan American. He also played in pro ranks in Mexico, then began working with the Texas Rangers’ Class A team in 1984, working his way up by 1992 to become the infield and first base coach. After three years as third base and infield coach with the Detroit Tigers, who he took from worst to first in fielding percentage, he spent the 2000-01 season with the Montreal Expos in the same role. The then worked for the Florida Marlins from 2002-07, years that included their World Series win. He briefly retired in Nov. 2008, but was coaxed to return to the Marlins. With over 30 years in professional baseball, he is best known for his infield teaching skills having trained seven “Gold Gloves” between 2000-2007 as the best in the league at their particular position. Among those he is credited with helping to attain that success is three-time winner Derrek Lee. He was inducted in to the H-E-B Hall of Fame in 2002. A fellow PJC alumni and member of the PJC Sports Hall of Fame, Marty Scott, serves as the Vice President of Player Development for the Marlins, reuniting the two former teammates. The PJC Academic Hall of Honor was established in 1995 to honor alumni, former students and friends of the College for the affects they have had directly and indirectly on the vision and mission of the institution. The PJC Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1990 by former PJC Athletic Director Don Wilhelm to honor outstanding athletic alumni and friends of PJC. A portrait of each member of the Hall of Honor is featured in the hallway of the McLemore Student Center. Portraits of Athletic Hall of Fame members adorn the walls of the Hall of Fame room in the Hunt Center.