Pelphrey named first recipient of newly established Cathy Goble Gullett Memorial Scholarship
The Morehead State University Foundation has announced the establishment of the Cathy Goble Gullett Memorial Scholarship, a fund to benefit Morehead State University students. The scholarship’s first recipient is McKenna Pelphrey, a graduate of Johnson Central High School (JCHS) in Paintsville, who plans to major in education.
“There are no words to describe how much this means to me because Cathy was such a positive influence in so many lives. Luckily our family has been on the receiving end of her love and support for as long as I remember,” Pelphrey said. “I am grateful and honored to receive this scholarship and hopefully, I will be able to impact many young people in the future.”
The Cathy Goble Gullett Memorial Scholarship was established earlier this year to support students from Johnson Central High School who plan to study to become teachers. This scholarship was created in memory of Cathy Goble Gullett (74). Gullett began her college career at Prestonsburg Community College before enrolling in the University of Kentucky. She earned a master’s degree from MSU in 1974. She started her teaching career at Porter Elementary School before moving on to Johnson Central High School. It was there she finished out her teaching career before officially retiring in 2004.
Gullett was involved in a variety of activities at Johnson Central. She taught freshman English, journalism and was actively involved in the school’s newspaper “Eagle’s Cry” and its radio program “The Golden Touch.” She also volunteered in numerous roles for Johnson Central athletics for sports, including football, swimming, basketball and cheerleading. Most notably, she became the girl’s golf coach and had several runners up and regional golf championship winners. In addition to coaching JCHS Eagle golfers, Gullett also worked with local youth at summer golf camps at the Paintsville Golf Course and was on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Golf Board.
Gullett, along with her husband Nelson, spent over 20 years volunteering with the MSU Dr. Rex Chaney Golf Academy and was a faithful supporter of the program. Cathy passed away in March 2019.
Scholarship criteria include being a graduate of Johnson Central High School majoring in an education program with aspirations to become a teacher and a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Students interested in applying for this scholarship, along with other privately funded scholarships managed by the MSU Foundation, should visit the online scholarship application at moreheadstate.awardspring.com.
For more information on this scholarship, or to establish your own, contact MSU’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 606-783-2033, email giving@moreheadstate.edu or visit alumni.moreheadstate.edu.
MSU’s Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education offers a reduced tuition rate on graduate courses to all Kentucky schoolteachers and other educators enrolled in courses within the college. To learn more, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/kyeducators.
Photo, pictured left to right: Nelson Gullett, husband of the late Cathy Goble Gullett (74), pictured with McKenna Pelphrey, the first recipient of the newly established Cathy Goble Gullett Memorial Scholarship.
