Date: 9/25/2006
Contact: Janice Cowen at 505.562.2125

PORTALES—Eastern New Mexico University presented its Alumni Association Awards during the ENMU Foundation 31st Annual Homecoming Breakfast on Saturday, Sept. 30.

Johnny Cope of Hobbs and Jana Stanfield of Nashville, Tenn., received Outstanding Alumni Awards; Laraine Scott of Albuquerque and George and Leone Reynolds of Portales received Distinguished Service Awards; and Randy Harris of Clovis received the Honorary Lifetime Alumni Award.

The following are profiles of each of the recipients:

Outstanding Alumni Award

Johnny Cope
Johnny Cope of Hobbs graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1971 with a bachelor of business administration degree in finance and accounting. He is the majority owner of numerous business entities in Lea, Eddy and Roosevelt counties. His business interests have made a major impact in the areas of oilfield servicing, environmental services, electrical contracting and real estate development.

As chairman of the New Mexico Transportation Commission, Cope helps to establish the necessary policies to achieve affordable transportation modes available to citizens, tourists, and businesses of New Mexico. Multimodal transportation choices invigorate the economy and connect people in small towns and cities and facilitate transportation of goods and people to other states and nations.

He has contributed his time and expertise to many worthy organizations including the Hobbs Boys and Girls Club, Lea County United Way and the Lea County Economic Development Corporation. In addition, Cope is an executive board member of the New Mexico Amigos - "New Mexico's Official Goodwill Ambassadors."

Outstanding Alumni Award

Jana Stanfield
Jana Stanfield, of Nashville, Tenn., is a motivational performer who developed a reputation for herself with her "keynote concerts" aimed at meeting planners who want to open or close their event with an energizing performance. Stanfield's music is both entertaining and encouraging. In addition to her keynote concerts, she also teaches half-day life-skills workshops and records albums.

Her clients have included such notable companies as Tupperware and Lucent. She has received standing ovations on such world-famous stages as Nashville's Grand Ole Opry and New York's Carnegie Hall. She is a certified speaking professional who delivers an interactive experience through music, humor and wisdom. Her message is designed to increase productivity and profitability. She has delivered keynote concerts in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, England and Thailand. Wherever Jana travels, she is looking to volunteer her time, energy and money.

On a tour to Bali in 2004, she spent time at a girls' orphanage and paid for one year of education for each girl. One of her songs, "What Would I Do Today If I Were Brave," has helped raise money for the Girls Scouts, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and other charitable organizations. As a recording artist, Stanfield's success includes a gold album for composing "If I Had Only Known," the theme song for the movie "8 Seconds," sung by Reba McEntire.

Distinguished Service Award

Laraine Scott
Laraine Scott's personality and lifestyle personifies the act of service - serving as a substitute teacher, being involved extensively with the Air Force community and volunteering for the Red Cross.

Her message to alumni emphasizes the need and importance of giving back to help educate youth. As president of the Albuquerque Alumni Chapter, she reconnected many alumni to Eastern and organized scholarship fund-raising events to help Albuquerque students attend ENMU. Not only her words, but her actions, have encouraged others to "re-think" their commitment to the University.

From 1996–2006, Scott was a member of the ENMU Alumni Association Board and was elected president of the organization from 2002–2004. As president, she served on many committees, including the ENMU Alumni Legislative committee and as a representative on the Eastern Foundation Board.

Distinguished Service Award

George and Leone Reynolds
George Reynolds is a legend in the minds of many Eastern alumni. In 1940 he volunteered for the Army and spent five years in the service. While in the Army, he worked as a military policeman in the first organized group of MPs. In 1959, Reynolds was hired by the ENMU Physical Plant to work 12 hours a day as a security patrol. The campus police department was organized by John B. O'Leary in 1964, and officers were commissioned by the City of Portales so they would have arresting power.

There is not a job or assignment that Reynolds has not handled: parking cars, working at ball games, dances and concerts, transporting students to the hospital, working with parents and issuing citations. He was appointed as ENMU Chief of Security in 1972. Until his retirement in 1986, Reynolds enjoyed working with students and went above and beyond the call of duty to assist and be a friend to every student and employee at ENMU.

Leone Reynolds was hired as a librarian's assistant at Eastern in 1979. She worked in Special Collections and Archives at Golden Library for 10 years and then transferred to Circulation. She held that position until she retired in July of 1992. After five years of retirement, Reynolds offered to return to Eastern as a volunteer in the library, working six hours a week. She has spent over 2,800 volunteer hours compiling a media history of Eastern New Mexico University spanning from 1927–2006.

Honorary Lifetime Alumni Award

Randy Harris
Randy Harris was born in Ruidoso and moved to Clovis over 35 years ago where he graduated from Clovis High School in 1974. After graduating in 1979 from West Texas State in Canyon (now West Texas A&M University), he went to work for Joe Sisler at the Clovis National Bank and nine years later became the president and CEO. Harris has made a reputation in Clovis of building teams of professionals committed to taking time to take care of customers and Clovis.

In 2000, he started a new home team of professionals called The Bank of Clovis. Throughout the 35 years, he has worked for Clovis in many ways. He has been chairman of the Bi-State Livestock Association and Curry County United Way, a strong supporter of the Chamber of Commerce, served on the board, chaired Pioneer Days, sponsored the Great Race, Clovis Music Festival, and Clovis Leadership, the balloon jubilee, and, most recently, he was the chairman of Operation Keep Cannon.

Harris has served as chairman of the Clovis Committee of Fifty and Washington Committee where he has worked with community leaders, U.S. and State Senators and Representatives, Air Force leadership at Cannon Air Force Base, Pentagon and the Department of Defense to promote Cannon.

He is responsible for work with the New Mexico Environmental Department to establish Cannon as a leading example for federal installations in New Mexico. In 2004, Harris was appointed by the governor to the Military Base Planning Commission. The governor also appointed him to the New Mexico Finance Authority where he was involved in helping finance needed projects for communities throughout the state, including the state's largest ever bond issue and financing of over $1 billion in Department of Transportation Bonds for the future of New Mexico.