Mr. Lairy W. Nofsinger, Class of 1958
Lairy Nofsinger retired from a long and distinguished career as a teacher in the Hopkins County School System in 1994. Later that year he got his second calling in life and returned to his alma mater to help recruit students.
Lairy began teaching at Madisonville Seminary Junior High and moved to Earlington High School, Madisonville North Hopkins and spent his last four years teaching at South Hopkins High School. He also started successful swim team programs at both Madisonville North and South Hopkins. He was honored as the 2011 Madisonville Lions Club Man of the Year. Lairy was also a member of the Hopkins County Board of Education, chair of the Hopkins County Red Cross and a swimming instructor for over 50 years
For 17 years, Lairy served as a part-time member of the Kentucky Wesleyan College Admissions Office, but was always full-time in his love and devotion to Kentucky Wesleyan and the important task of recruiting students.
Lairy’s recruiting area included most of Western Kentucky.
When a student from the Madisonville, KY area expressed an interest in attending Kentucky Wesleyan College, Lairy Nofsinger was quick to respond. So quick, in fact, he often showed up on their front door. Lairy was well known for recruiting students of high character as well as high academic achievement, many receiving the James Graham Brown Scholarship – the top scholarship awarded by Kentucky Wesleyan College. Lairy lost his long fought battle to cancer in 2012.
His wife, Jean and her family established the Lairy Nofsinger Memorial Scholarship, making sure a scholarship existed to help a student who exhibits the spirit of Lairy Nofsinger at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Mr. Jack Wells, Class of 1977
Jack Wells began his long term care career at age 15, working in the laundry for $1.30 an hour at The Hermitage on Parrish Avenue. He would later purchase that facility and build the largest long-term care company in Kentucky, owning and managing 45 centers with over 3,500 employees.
His other business ventures include assisted living centers, apartment complexes, numerous properties in Florida and the Dominican Republic, the 4th largest retail center in Louisville – Springhurst, pharmaceutical distributions, and respiratory and medical supply distribution companies. In 2010 he purchased the Canteen Franchises in Owensboro, Bowling Green, Evansville, Elizabethtown and Louisville and surrounding counties, and Southern Indiana, becoming the largest Franchise owner in Kentucky.
Jack has served on the Kentucky Wesleyan Board of Trustees since 1994 and served as Chair of the Board from 2001 – 2005. He has served as Board Chair of Hospice and Palliative Care of the Ohio Valley, the Elizabeth Mundy Senior Center and Kentucky Health Care Association.
Jack is a substantial donor to numerous charitable organizations in our area and has been fund raising chair for Girls Inc., and the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, as well as the Daviess County Chair for the KWC Capital Campaign. In 1992, he was named the Owensboro Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year. Just outside of this room is the Wells Courtyard – so named in recognition of Wells generous support of Wesleyan.
Jack received the IRA O Wallace Award – the most prestigious award for outstanding leadership in the long term care profession. This year he received the Heritage Award from the Greater Owensboro Realtor Association for unselfish personal contributions and civic pride for Owensboro. Jack was presented the Outstanding Alumni Award in 2011.