The North Greenville University (NGU) Alumni Association will honor three alumni at an annual Alumni Awards and Half-Century Reunion Luncheon during Homecoming on the Tigerville Campus on Saturday, October 17. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. in Moore Hall of NGU’s Hayes Ministry Center.
“Alumni awards emphasize the high ideals of NGU. They are given to recognize certain character traits, values, and accomplishments that show the discovery, development, and realization of personal potential, as found in Christ,” said Lamont Sullivan, NGU director of alumni engagement.
This year, the Alumni Association will present two alumni awards: The Distinguished Alumni Award and the Alumni Service Award. The 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to Jayne Lyons McCall from Greenville and Dr. John J. McGraw from New Market, TN, both are in the Class of 1970. The Alumni Service Award will be presented to Carmen Knight from Campobello, a member of the Class of 1993.
Jayne Lyons McCall, Class of 1970
Jayne Lyons McCall is vice president of Hughes Development Corporation, located in Greenville, SC, where she has worked for 38 years in commercial real estate development. She has led a division managing more than two million square feet of office, retail, and medical office space. In recent years, she led development and construction of the Veterans Administration Out-Patient Clinic and Clemson University School of Nursing in Greenville, SC, and an REI Co-Op at BullStreet District in Columbia, SC.
Jayne is a 1970 graduate of North Greenville Junior College and a 1972 graduate of the University of South Carolina, with a degree in Journalism. She is an active member of Berea First Baptist Church, and is involved in the Woman’s Missionary Union, supporting Southern Baptists’ International Mission Board through an annual Lottie Moon Tea, and serving as a Mission Friends teacher. In 2018, she was selected as a recipient of the Women of Influence in Real Estate Forum magazine’s 25th-anniversary edition, and honored with the Career Advancement for Women by CREW Upstate. She is a board member of Judson Community YMCA, a delivery volunteer with Meals on Wheels, and a graduate of Class 41 of Leadership Greenville.
She has two children and five grandchildren (need to clarify who are the children and who are the grandchildren); Ashley, Ryan, Zane, and Reeves Blackstone; Justin, Conny, Leon, Charlotte, and Madeleine McCall.
Dr. John J. McGraw, Class of 1970
Dr. McGraw joined the Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic in 2003, after more than 14 years of practice in Laurel, Mississippi. McGraw anchors the KOC Jefferson City (TN) office, where he sees patients exclusively, and performs surgery at Tennova/Jefferson Memorial Hospital. He has served in multiple medical staff positions, including Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery and on the Board of Directors.
McGraw and his wife Ann make their home on a cattle farm in East Tennessee. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. He is co-owner of WJFC AM/FM in Jefferson City and received the Community Patriot Award from Jefferson County High School in 2010, where he serves as Team Orthopedic Surgeon. He continues to help the KOC physicians that serve as team doctors for the Tennessee Smokies baseball team. He also supports student-athletes at Carson Newman University.
As a student at North Greenville, McGraw was Freshman Class President, a band member, singer in the Tigertones, BSU President, and a member of the Drama Club, Choir, and Civitan Club. He also was the SGA Sophomore Class Representative, and was a Who’s Who award winner two times.
Carmen Knight, Class of 1993
After graduating from North Greenville, Knight continued her studies at the University of South Carolina – Spartanburg, and Converse College. She has been an educator for more than a decade. Since 2016, she has served as a Special Education Teacher at Swofford Career Center in Campobello.
“Knight defines what alumni service is all about,” said Sullivan. Since she graduated from NGU, Knight has personally referred over 90 students to NGU. Twenty of her referred students are currently enrolled including her son Clay, a junior youth ministry major and member of the cross-country team.
As a student, Knight served as a resident assistant and campus ambassador. She and her husband, Robbie, live in Campobello. In addition to her son, she has a daughter, Kara, who is a junior at Landrum High School.
Along with honoring these alumni, the NGU Alumni Association will induct the Class of 1970 into the university’s Half-Century Club. The event also will include remarks from NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. Cost for lunch is $15 per person and is open to all NGU alumni and friends. Online registration is available at ngu.edu/homecoming, or contact Sullivan at