FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (1/05)
Contact: David Henington, Director of Alumni Relations, 318-869-5151, or Lynn Stewart or Jennifer Hayes, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120

Centenary to Award its Highest Alumni Honor to Dr. Charles Knight, Recognize Gretchen Crow & Bonnie Watkins at Feb. 17 Banquet

SHREVEPORT, LA -- Charles Knight, a retired surgeon and member of the Centenary College Board of Trustees, is the 2005 inductee into the Centenary College Alumni Hall of Fame. The award is the highest honor given by the Alumni Association and it recognizes Centenary graduates who have distinguished themselves in both their profession and in service to others as well as the college.

In addition, the Alumni Association will also present its Honorary Alumna designation to Gretchen Crow and its Alumni Loyalty Award to Bonnie Watkins, both members of the Women’s Endowment Quorum at Centenary and longtime Shreveport civic leaders.

Dr. Charles Knight, Alumni Hall of Fame

All three honorees will be recognized at the Centenary Alumni Awards Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in Centenary’s Bynum Commons South Dining Hall. The event is a highlight of the College’s annual homecoming, held this year on Feb. 17-20.

Alumni Hall of Fame: Charles D. Knight, M.D.

A 1941 graduate, Dr. Knight has been a member of the Centenary Board of Trustees for 41 years. During his career as a surgeon, he also taught at Louisiana State University and served as a president of the Shreveport Medical Society and member of the Southern Surgical Society.

After retirement from active practice, he served as the medical director of Highland Hospital in Shreveport. He and his wife, Dot Knight, are active members of Noel Memorial United Methodist Church.

	Gretchen Crow, Honorary Alumna

Honorary Alumna: Gretchen Crow

Honorary alumna Gretchen Crow has been a member of the Centenary Board of Trustees since 1998. She is also a member of the Women’s Endowment Quorum and is actively involved with Centenary’s Annual Scholar Weekend.

She is active in the First Presbyterian Church of Shreveport, where she has served as an elder.

Bonnie Harrel Watkins, Alumni Loyalty Award

Alumni Loyalty Award: Bonnie Harrel Watkins

Bonnie Harrel Watkins, a member of the Class of 1957, is a former member of the Alumni Board and has hosted numerous class reunions. She is a current member of the Women’s Endowment Quorum and the Centenary Muses, organizations that support student and college projects, and is a licensed professional counselor.

She and her husband, Dr. Juan Watkins of the Class of 1957, are active members of the Noel Memorial United Methodist Church.

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