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In 1971, the Nineteenth Century Club of Troy nominated three women to be featured in the Outstanding Young Women of America program. Other women mentioned in this article were also among the nominees.

The Nineteenth Century Club of Troy is one of the nation’s clubs participating in the Outstanding Young Women of America program.  The program, conceived by the leaders of the nation’s major women’s organizations, recognizes young women between the ages of 21 and 25 for their contributions to the betterment of their communities, professions, and country.  The three nominated by the Nineteenth Century Club to appear in the seventh edition of Outstanding Young Women of America, a volume composed of biographical sketches of young women, are Danice Heartsill Costes, Carolyn Gibson, and Helen Leverette.  Others from this area selected are Mary Boutwell Grant, Glenda King Stokes and Jessica Fleming Wilson.

Danice Heartsill Costes

Mrs. Costes, the daughter of Mrs. James Heartsill and the late Mr. Heartsill of Fort Deposit, is a graduate of Greenville High School.  She received her B.S. Degree from Troy State University, where she graduated Magna cum laude.  She received her M.S. Degree from Auburn University and her Ph.D. from North Carolina State, where she won the National Science Foundation Traineeship; Comparative Morphological Study of Five Tribes of Ceropinae (Hemiptera Ceropidae) was the title of her doctoral thesis, her major field of study, Entomology.

Her honorary societies include Kappa Delta Pi, Sigma XI and Phi Sigma and she is a member of the Alabama Academy of Science, the Association of Southern Biologist, Entomological Society of America, North Carolina Entomological Society and the American Association of University Women.

Mrs. Costes is a member of the Methodist Church.  She is married to Nicholas G. Costes, an instructor in the Physical Education Department at Troy State University.  They have a daughter, Pamela Eve, aged nine.  They live at 312 Homewood Avenue.  Mrs. Costes is an Assistant Professor in the Biological Science Department at Troy State University.  Her future plans include teaching and research in Entomology.

Carolyn Hussey

Gibson

Mrs. Donald J. Gibson is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hussey of Route One, Elba.  She attended Elba Elementary School, and in graduating exercises at Zion Chapel High School, she received the Outstanding Senior Award, the Good Citizenship Award, and the Betty Crocker Homemaker Award.  She graduated from Massey-Draughon Business College of Montgomery, where she was included on the honor roll.  She is also a graduate of Nancy Taylor Modeling and Charm School, modeling in Montgomery while she was in school.

Mrs. Gibson, a member of the Baptist Church, is a former Sunday School teacher for the Junior class.  She also served as sponsor for the Girls Auxiliary, better known as the G.A.’s.  She is a former member of Troy’s Business and Professional Women’s Club.  She is a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma Chapter, the chapter on the Troy State University campus.  She is a member of Troy State University’s Faculty Wives Club and has served as Corresponding Secretary and Reporter for this club.  She is the president of The Dardante Junior Woman’s League, the newest women’s organization in Troy, and the Alabama Federation of Women’s Clubs.

Mrs. Gibson is an Assistant to the Registrar at Troy State University.  One of her main responsibilities is the handling and processing of all applications for readmission to the University.  Her other duties are many and varied.

Her hobbies and favorite past times are reading, cooking and attending football games, especially those at Troy State University.  Mr. and Mrs. Gibson raise Toy poodles and have two as pets at their lovely home, 108 Dale Drive.  Mrs. Gibson plans to continue her education and complete requirements at Troy State University for a degree in her major, Business Education.  Mr. Gibson is Dean of Student Affairs at Troy State University.

Helen Motes Leverette

Helen Motes Leverette is married to Kyle R. Leverette, President of the First National Bank in Brundidge.  They and their two children, Laura, aged four, and Matt, eighteen months old, make their home at 327 Homewood Avenue in Troy.  She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I. J. (Jepp) Motes.

A graduate of Troy High School, she received her B.S. Degree from Troy State University and her Master of Education from Auburn University.  She was on the Dean’s List and was elected to Kappa Delta Pi, Honorary Fraternity for Education Majors.  She attended the Enterprise Economics Workshop at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, in the summer of 1965.

Mrs. Leverette taught at Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery from 1959-1968, serving as Guidance Counselor from 1968-1970.  She is presently Assistant Registrar and Schedule Coordinator for Pre-College Counseling at Troy State University.

Mrs. Leverette is a member of the Troy Church of Christ and of Alpha Delta Kappa International Honorary Sorority for Women Educators.

Glenda King Stokes

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Claude King of Troy, Glenda King Stokes, was born and reared in Pike County.  She graduated from Pike County High School, where she was a member of the Student Council, vice president of the Beta Club, was selected as “Good Citizenship Girl,” and one year, received an award for having the highest scholastic average of any student in the high school.  She graduated Cum Laude from Troy State University with a degree in Business Administration.  She was a charter member of the Gavel Club and held the office of Administrative vice-president.  She was nominated to “Who’s Who” Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, was selected as “Outstanding Senior” by the Faculty Wives Club, was secretary of the Senior Class, a member of Iota Mu, the Troy State Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, a national honorary society in history.

After graduation, she worked for The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mobile for fourteen months.  In the fall of 1965, she joined the faculty of Bellview Junior High School in Pensacola, Florida, and remained there until the end of the school year 1971, during these years, she earned another full year of college credits in mathematics, psychology, and professional education at Pensacola Junior College, The University of West Florida and Florida Atlantic University.  She was chairman of the math department at Bellview, secretary and treasurer of Escambia County Council of teachers of math, treasurer of the Bellview Parent-Teacher Association, and she coordinated the workshop which developed guidelines for the mathematics curriculum so that math instruction would be consistent throughout Escambia County.  She, with two other teachers, wrote the county school system’s objectives for math instruction stated in behavioral terms; she was one of five teachers in Florida to participate in a pilot program that sought to develop new techniques for teaching through instruction individualized for each student.  She was a sponsor of the Student Council for three years and co-chairman of the school’s observance of American Education Week, a member of the Escambia County Textbook selection committee, which makes recommendations for the state adoption of textbooks.  In 1970 she was selected as Escambia County’s Teacher of the Year for 1970-1971.  She was declared by her principal as a “Totally Dedicated Teacher.”

She is married to Jerry Stokes, a native of Mobile, who is also a graduate of The University of West Florida where he received a degree in accounting.  After completing the 1970-71 school year they have moved to Atlanta, Georgia where Mr. Stokes is employed as an Auditor for Gulf Oil Corporation.

Mary Frances

Boutwell Grant

Mrs. Calvin Grant, the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Carl Boutwell, was nominated by the Troy Branch of the American Association of University Women.  She and her husband, and their daughter, Carole, reside on Elm Street Road in Troy.

Mrs. Grant received a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Troy State University and her M.A. degree in Special Education from the University of Alabama.  She was employed as a Special Education teacher by the Andalusia School System in Andalusia and the Troy City School System and as a Special Education Teacher and Coordinator by the Pike County School System in 1969.  She has worked with the physically handicapped as well as the mentally retarded child.  She will begin work with the State Department of Education in August and she will serve as Consultant with the Program for Exceptional Children and Youth or Southeast Alabama.

Mrs. Grant is a member of the Troy Branch of the American Association of University Women, having served as co-chairman of Higher Education, a member of the Alabama Education Association, Council for Exceptional Children, Kappa Delta Pi, Pike County Association for Retarded Children, Kappa Delta Pi, Pike County Association for Retarded Children, Troy Charity League, Gamma Sigma Chapter, Alpha Gamma Delta, National Rehabilitation Association.  She served as County Coordinator for Alabama Special Olympics and is a member of the Calvary Baptist Church.  She served on the Special Education Teacher Committee for the State Department of Education in 1971.

Mrs. Grant has little time for hobbies with her full schedule but she enjoys playing the piano and sewing and working with children, especially exceptional children.

     All of these articles can be found in previous editions of The Troy Messenger.  Stay tuned for more.  Dianne Smith is the President of the Pike County Historical, Genealogical, and Preservation Society.