SMC Alumni Association
Alumni Notes

We want to know what has happened to you since you left Southwestern Michigan College. Have you found an exciting career? Did you continue your education? Did you move away, stay in the area or move back? Are you starting or already raising a family? The Office of Alumni Affairs is trying to catch up with you. Please share the events in your life with other SMC alumni by submitting the What’s New with You Form to the Office of Alumni Affairs.

Leonard Smith (’83) wrote that he was surprised to read in the Summer 2007 Alumni Newsletter the article on Dr. C.H. Ott. “He was one of my favorite teachers when I was at SMC from 1981-83 (AAS Accounting/Data Processing). I really appreciate the good foundation in accounting I received in his classes. It’s nice to know he is still around.” Smith added he hasn’t been in Michigan much since he moved away in 1983 but said he enjoys receiving the newsletter.

Rebecca Harris Burns (’87) wrote that she and her husband, Tim, are the proud parents of new baby Mackenzie Rae born April 15. The couple, who live in Howell, MI., has a four-year-old son, Luke.

Hope Shaw Eck (’90, ’96, ’01) graduated this past April Summa Cum Laude from Bethel College with a bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. In 2005, Eck earned a Certification in Nursing Home Administration from Michigan State University in East Lansing. She is a three-time graduate of SMC.

“I am praying as God seems to be pulling me back to school once more to pursue a degree in Elder Law,” Eck wrote. “I received the Alumni Newsletter recently and had to smile for all my memories both as a young college student at the age of 17 and again as a ‘nontraditional’ student in my late 20s.”

While Eck and her family currently live in Indiana, they are planning a move back to Michigan and her Southwestern roots. “I am thankful that SMC remains a top-notch school and we are fortunate to have SMC literally in our back yards,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the day that my children take their first tour of SMC though I am beginning to feel a bit antique at the very thought.”

Debra Jeffries (’95, ’97) recently moved to Ann Arbor. She graduated from the University of Michigan School of Nursing in December 2006 and is employed at the U of M Cardiovascular Center.

Jeremy Bayles (’00) realized his dream of starting his own business in his hometown of Niles with the opening of Wings, Etc. The restaurant and pub, located at 2008 S. 11th St. across from Lowe’s, is a franchise. Bayles, who graduated from SMC with an associate degree in business administration, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and international business from Ferris State University.