Huntington announces 2007 honorary degree recipients
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, April 26, 2007
Huntington, Ind.-Huntington University will award four honorary degrees at its 2007 Commencement Exercises on May 19. The exercises will begin at 3 p.m. A Doctor of Divinity degree will be awarded to the Rev. Roger L. Skinner, USA executive director of OMS International. Mr. Homer F. and Mrs. Marjorie L. Hiner each will receive a Doctor of Commercial Science. Mr. Hiner served as the CEO and president of Hiner Transport, Inc., from 1967 to 1999 while Mrs. Hiner was the owner and CFO of the company from 1972 to 1999. The Doctor of Humane Letters degree will be awarded to Dr. Carol A. Clark who practices obstetrics and gynecology in Anderson, Ind.
The Rev. Roger L. Skinner will be honored for his long-term enablement of missionaries to serve around the world. In his role for OMS International, located in Greenwood, Ind., Skinner serves an organization that ministers in more than 40 countries throughout Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.
Skinner holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Huntington University.
He and his wife, Mary Lou, served in Ecuador from 1973 to 1995 as missionaries with OMS International. First assigned to evangelism and church planting, the Skinners were involved in many aspects of the OMS work in Ecuador. During their 22 years in Guayaquil, the Rev. Skinner directed and taught at the Evangelical Bible Seminary and served as pastor of the Christian Bible Church.
The Skinners returned to the U.S. in 1995 and began work at the OMS International World Headquarters in Greenwood. The Rev. Skinner served as the director of recruitment for four years, and on September 1, 1999, accepted the assignment of USA Executive Director.
His honors and awards include being named Huntington University Alumnus of the Year as well as being inducted into the Huntington University Athletic Hall of Fame and receiving a Huntington University centennial medallion.
The Skinners reside in Greenwood and have four adult children-Marc, Andrea, Steve and Laura.
Mr. Homer F. and Mrs. Marjorie L. Hiner will be honored for their entrepreneurial success and devoted community leadership.
Mr. Hiner is a graduate of Lancaster High School (now Huntington North High School) in Huntington, Ind. Prior to his role as CEO and president of Hiner Transport, Inc., he was a driver for North American Van Lines from 1957-1967. In addition to his membership in Kiwanis, Mr. Hiner serves on the committee for small carriers of the American Trucking Association as well as the boards of directors for the Truckload Carriers Association and the Indiana Motor Truck Association.
He has been honored by the Sports Hall of Fame in Huntington and was named Business Associate of the Year by the American Business Women's Association.
Mrs. Hiner earned a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Ball State University. Before serving as the owner and CFO for Hiner Transport, Inc., she was a teacher at Maconaquah High School in Bunker Hill, Ind., and a continuity editor for WBST-TV in Muncie, Ind.
Her community involvement includes membership in the American Business Women's Association and the Ball State University Fellows Society as well as serving on the boards of directors for Parkview Health, Parkview Huntington Hospital, the Dan Quayle Commemorative Foundation and the Huntington County Community Foundation.
Mrs. Hiner has been named the American Business Women's Association's Woman of the Year and Huntington County Citizen of the Year. She also has been recognized with the Ursa Major Award from the Alpha Phi Fraternity, the Mayor's Award from the city of Huntington and the Ball State University Award of Distinction from the School of Business.
The Hiners reside in Huntington and have three children, two step-sons, five grandchildren, eight step-grandchildren and five step-great grandchildren.
Dr. Carol A. Clark will be honored for her medical career, pro bono work and leadership on Huntington University's board of trustees. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Huntington University.
Clark has practiced medicine at Obstetrics and Gynecology in Anderson since 1985. In addition to her role on the Huntington University board, she serves on the Gateway Association's board of trustees and is a commissioner and troop treasurer for the Boy Scouts of America. Clark attends the First United Methodist Church in Anderson.
She resides in Anderson with her husband, Dr. Chris Melin. They have two sons, Kurt, a student at Hanover College, and Dan, a student at Anderson High School.
Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S.News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
