Coach Rod Drake ’84: An Unstoppable Journey of Resilience and Inspiration
by Brandon Cox ’10
Rod Drake’s journey began in Owensboro, Kentucky, where he was a standout player on Owensboro High School’s 1980 State Championship basketball team.
Originally set to play for Murray State University, fate had other plans. After returning from an official visit to MSU his senior year of high school, he learned that the Racers coach was interviewing for other jobs.
Soon after, Drake attended a Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) game at the Sportscenter. There, he met Coach Mike Polio and legendary broadcaster Joel Utley ’74, who painted a vivid picture of life at KWC and beyond.
“It turned out almost exactly how he predicted it,” Drake recalls with a smile. (more…)
Written by Dr. Jackie Fischer ’89
Most of us are familiar with Kentucky Wesleyan College’s history geographically; at the very least, we know that the College relocated to Owensboro in 1951 from Winchester, Ky. But…how many of us can say that we had family members employed at the Winchester campus?
Dr. Cassandra Best, a 2013 KWC graduate, has family roots running deeply back to KWC’s Winchester campus. Her Great Grandma Jackson and her daughter, Cassandra’s great aunt, both served as cooks on the Winchester campus. And the impact of the women in her family did not stop there.
Cassandra was raised by her single Mother, Pam Best, and her grandmother, Sandra (Jones) Parker, in a three-generation home near Fort Knox. They settled on Fort Knox, as many of her family members served in the military. She shares that she has always looked up to her mom and grandmother, who both stressed the importance of church, school, and education. “They worked hard to provide opportunities for me and I owe so much of my success to their willingness to ensure that I had the best possible experiences.” (more…)