Our Highlanders are using their education to do extraordinary things. In this column, we highlight some notable mentions from local, regional, national and international news media. Whether our students, alumni, faculty and staff are featured as subject matter experts in high-profile stories or simply helping make the world a better place, we’ll feature their stories.
Making an impact
A pair of Radford University coaches were recognized for their accomplishments during the 2026 NCAA Honors ceremony, held Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C.
Former women’s basketball coach Charlene Curtis ’76, who died in 2022, was the posthumous recipient of this year’s Gerald R. Ford Award, which the NCAA said is meant to honor individuals who have provided “significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics throughout the individual’s career.” As a ball player for Radford starting in 1972, Curtis marked the school’s first 1,000-point scorer; she later returned to Radford and coached the women’s team for six seasons, from 1984 to 1990, during which time she won two conference titles.
In a video produced for the ceremony, former Radford women’s basketball star Stephanie Howard ’89 said of Curtis, “She was a small woman in stature, but she was large in heart,” and she added that, because of the award, “now you all get to know what I knew, and what so many other people knew, about Coach Curtis.”
You can also watch the speeches made by Curtis’ loved ones as they accepted the award in her honor.
Alex Guerra ’11, Radford’s baseball coach, received the NCAA Award of Valor, presented to “an individual who, when confronted with a situation involving personal danger, averted or minimized potential disaster by courageous action or noteworthy bravery.”
In September 2024, Guerra was walking along a trail beside the New River with his fiancée when he rushed to assist a student who had fallen into the water. “The student was later hospitalized but made a full recovery, thanks to Guerra’s heroic actions,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Guerra himself tells the story of what happened in this NCAA video.
“I would like to think that everybody would react in a very similar way,” he said. “I’m just happy that when the good Lord put me in a position to be able to make an impact.”
According to the NCAA, the honors ceremony is held to recognize “extraordinary current and former student-athletes, coaches and administrators whose achievements exemplify the spirit and value of collegiate athletics.”
Some “Assembly” required
On Jan. 14, the 2026 session for Virginia’s General Assembly commenced in Richmond, Virginia, and later that same day, WDBJ-7’s afternoon show “Here @ Home” welcomed an expert to help interpret potential legislation – Chapman Rackaway, chair of Radford’s Department of Political Science.
We’ve told you in the past about Rackaway’s expertise on the subject of politics, and he frequently serves as a source of information and analysis for local news outlets.
During his appearance on WDBJ-7, Rackaway spoke of the effect that incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger could have on the state’s General Assembly agenda.
“The affordability of day-to-day life for everyday Virginians has been [Spanberger’s] top campaign promise and everything that she has been building her administration around,” he told the show’s hosts, “so I think that we’ll be hearing a lot about that, and we should see legislation that follows along with that coming out of the 2026 session.”
Other pending issues Rackaway touched on include childcare costs, the state’s minimum wage and adjusted grace periods for late rent payments, as well as such motoring concerns as road improvements, unlicensed teen driving and the prospect of a Super Speeder law – which increases financial penalties for various types of reckless driving, similar to one that now exists in Georgia.
“There’s a lot of bills that have been pre-filed so … they’re going to get to work on these right away,” Rackaway said.
The current General Assembly session is set to conclude by March 16.
Shelter from the storm
A freshman who majors in business management, Connor Worthington, recently made the news through volunteer efforts that reach beyond the New River Valley.
Worthington donates time at the Warming Center of Martinsville and Henry, which provides a meal and a warm, dry place to stay to those in need.
The only overnight shelter in that area, the facility recently broadened its threshold – opening on nights when temperatures dip below about 50 degrees, whereas it previously offered services on nights when the thermometer measured less than 30 degrees.
In a WDBJ-7 story about that change, which ran Jan. 6, the center’s manager, Nancy McMillan, said the goal is for the shelter to expand to full time and to find a space that can accommodate more than 35 guests, its current capacity.
The news station also spoke to Worthington, who started volunteering at the center during his breaks early last year as a way to give back to Martinsville, his hometown.
“I’m really just a runner, whatever they need me to do. I’m helping to serve food or any heavy lifting,” he told us. “Anything that gives the workers more freedom to do their jobs.”
Worthington has another connection to the center – after dropping out of high school and traveling as far as Texas and Oklahoma, he returned to the Martinsville area and stayed at the facility for a while during his teens. He credits the staff with helping him on his path to higher education.
“They were beside me every step of the way,” he said. “They helped me get back into school and helped me apply for financial aid.”
To volunteer time or donate resources to the warming center, visit https://warmingcentermhc.org/.