Katherine Oakes Cox became the President of the Lincoln Memorial University Alumni Association and its 40,000 graduates on October 11 during LMU Homecoming.
Kathy, as she is best known, grew up in Claiborne County, but chose Union County as her home. She never envisioned herself as the LMU Alumni Association president when she graduated from the Harrogate campus in 1978. But a phone call from her high school buddy and college roommate Nancy Neely Whitaker set her journey in motion. Nancy asked Kathy to accompany her to the LMU Homecoming. Of course, Kathy agreed, even though she had not returned to the campus in more than 20 years. Her friend Nancy had been diagnosed with cancer and it would be a chance to reminisce and share memories with her while enjoying the Railsplitter activities.