George B. Beasley of Fort Payne, Kathy S. Campbell of Tuskegee and Sarah Fanning of Huntsville will be inducted into the Alabama Educational Leadership Hall of Fame at Troy University during a ceremony on Nov. 18.
The ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. and will take place in Jack Hawkins, Jr. Hall on the Troy Campus.
Established in 1982, the Hall of Fame is a cooperative effort of Troy University, the Alabama Association of School Boards and the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools to recognize and honor the achievements of outstanding leaders in education within the state. The first induction ceremony was held in April 1984. Portraits of inductees are displayed in Hawkins Hall, home to Troy University’s College of Education.
“Troy University’s College of Education is honored to host the Alabama Educational Leadership Hall of Fame on our Troy Campus,” said Dr. Lance Tatum, interim dean of the College of Education. “Since 1982, the Hall of Fame has selected and inducted individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of education; to not only the state of Alabama, but also at the regional and national level. This year’s induction class is no exception, and their selection speaks volumes to the outstanding leadership each has provided over their careers.”
Beasley’s 52-year education career began in 1956 at his alma mater, Etowah High School. During the course of his career, Beasley served as a high school math teacher, a high school coach and eventually a high school principal. In addition to Etowah High School, Beasley taught at Cherokee, Albertville and Haleyville high schools and served for 15 years at principal at Fort Payne High School. He was also twice named high school Coach of the Year (1961, 1965).
Beasley held various positions in the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals, including president of the organization in 1981-82. He also served as a board member for the national Association of Secondary School Principals and president of the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools in 1985-86. In 2004, AASSP honored him with the establishment of the G.B. Beasley Leadership Award. He is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, a former member of the Fort Payne Board of Education and a member of the Alabama Retired Teachers’ Association board.
Campbell is immediate past president of the Alabama Association of School Boards and a past president of the Alabama Parent-Teacher Association. She also is founder and manager of Katy Smith Campbell and Associates, P.C. A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Campbell worked for more than 24 years in research and medical technology. She received her Juris Doctorate Degree from Jones School of Law in 1992, while employed as hematology supervisor at East Alabama Medical Center. In 2007, she became the first recipient of the Jones School of Law Black Law Students Association’s Outstanding Leadership Award, and she is a member of the Leadership Alabama Class XXVI.
Campbell has been an instructor for paralegal studies at Selma University; adjunct hematology instructor at Tuskegee University; and, adjunct hematology instructor at Sullivan County Community College in New York. In addition to being past president of the AASB, Campbell is an integral member of the Alabama Trust for Boards of Education Board of Trustees, the Legal Assistance Fund Board of Trustees and the Alabama Council of School Board Attorneys. Campbell was appointed by former Governor Don Siegelman to serve on the Commission on Instructional Improvement and Academic Excellence, and was appointed by Governor Bob Riley to the Governor’s Congress on School Leadership. In 2015, the Alabama House of Representatives issued a resolution commending Campbell for “her tireless dedication and monumental contributions to education.”
Fanning is instructional assistant principal at Buckhorn High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and her master’s and AA Certification from Alabama A&M University. She formerly served as a teacher and English Department chair at Madison County and Buckhorn high schools. She has served in her current position since 1996. Fanning is one of three to lead the Council Leaders of Alabama Schools’ Credentialing Instructional Leaders in Alabama.
Fanning received Athens State University’s Collaborative Partnership Award in 2004; the International Reading Association’s Exemplary Reading Program Award in 2006; the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Alabama Assistant Principal of the Year award in 2008 and was one of three finalists for the National Assistant Principal of the Year. In addition, Fanning was honored by the Capstone Education Society at the University of Alabama with the Outstanding Contribution to Education Award in 2011-2012, and was named the Professional Developer of the Year in 2012 by Learning Forward Alabama.
