Rick Rader

Rader to serve on Special Olympics committee

Dr. Rick Rader, director of the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center at Orange Grove, has been asked to serve on the Special Olympics International Global Medical Advisory Committee.

The committee is comprised of physicians from around the world who have distinguished themselves in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. They set medical policy, guidelines, ethics, address research goals, medical training recommendations and meet with other medical bodies. They also provide guidance in health and medical topics to the Special Olympics board of directors

Rader specializes in predicting the future medical problems of people with neurodevelopmental disabilities. He is cross-trained in internal medicine and medical anthropology and is editor-in-chief of Exceptional Parent Magazine.

Community colleges win first Legacy Award

Representatives from Chattanooga State and Cleveland State community colleges accepting the Legacy Award are, from left, J. Noah Brown, president and chief executive officer of the Association of Community College Trustees; Carl Hite, president of Cleveland State Community College; Karen Wyrick, Math Department chairwoman at Cleveland State Community College; John Squires, head of the Math Department at Chattanooga State Community College; Dale F. Campbell, director of the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida.

A joint program between Chattanooga State Community College and Cleveland State Community College has won the first Community College Futures Assembly Legacy Award. "Do the Math: Solving the Nation's Math Problems" was the winning program.

The Association of Community College Trustees sponsors the Legacy award. Thirty applications were entered, and the 10 finalists gave presentations at the assembly on Jan. 25 in Orlando, Fla.

Two colleges win 2013 Tree Campus honor

Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tenn., and Berry College in Rome, Ga., have been honored with 2013 Tree Campus USA recognitions by the Arbor Day Foundation for their commitment to effective urban forest management.

"A comprehensive tree management plan has been put together by Berry College that outlays tree health, tree planting and an overall canopy management plan for the campus," said Eddie Elsberry, director of Berry's agriculture operations.

"TWC is a vital part of the Athens' urban canopy and it is exciting to be a part of enhancing its vitality," said Mike Ingram, Tennessee Wesleyan director of physical plant services.

Big Brothers, Sisters honors 4

Four volunteers were honored as "Bigs" of the year at the recent Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga's Mentor Appreciation Party at The Chattanoogan hotel. They were Barret Albritton, Chris Trimmier, Chris Whitehead and Melissa Cairns.

Students win chess tournament

Several Hamilton County students participated in the Tennessee Scholastic Regional Chess tournament held recently in Crossville, Tenn. Hamilton County students competed in Region 2, which covers 25 counties.

Two Hamilton County middle-school students tied for first place in the junior high section, winning four out of five games: George Andreescu, a seventh-grade student at Signal Mountain Middle/High School, and Suhas Gummadi, a sixth-grader at East Hamilton Middle/High School.

Suhas and George qualified to represent their region in the state tournament, which takes place Saturday in Cookeville, Tenn., on the campus of Tennessee Technological University. The top eighth-grader or below at that tournament will represent Tennessee at the national Tournament of Champions at the U.S. Open in St. Louis.