GCU TODAY • 2 3
G
one but not forgotten. It’s an overused
expression, but it never fit anyone
better than it does Samantha Murphy,
arguably the best student-athlete in Grand Canyon
University history.
Fewhave distinguished themselves on the
basketball court as she did, scoring 2,147 points in
four years as an Antelope and leading the team to
a 29-3 record in 2010-11. During that memorable
senior season, the fiercely competitive 5-foot-8
guard averaged 24.6 points andwas namedNCAA
Division II Player of the Year. The retirement of her
No. 20 at GCU is a foregone conclusion.
In the classroom, shewas no less of a star,
making straight A’s as an Academic All-American
before going off toMidwesternUniversity and the
goal of becoming a physician assistant.
Murphy is this year’s athletics nominee for the
University’s Hall of Fame. Shewill be honored
alongwith six other GCU alumni at a campus
induction ceremony on Saturday, March 1. The
other inductees are:
Stephen Barnes
Ken Blanchard
College of Business,
Class of 1981
Stephen Barnes
has been in the financial
services industry for 30 years,
thriving through four major
market declines. A chartered
financial analyst and certified
financial planner, he owns
Barnes Investing Advisory Inc.,
Phoenix, where he specializes
in portfolio management and
supervision. Barnes writes about
and discusses financial topics for
media outlets and professional
associations, and is a member of
the Desert Schools Federal Credit
Union Board of Directors, the
CFA Institute and the Financial
Planning Association.
D. Samuel Coffman
College of Arts and
Sciences,
Class of 1980
Samuel Coffman,
an employment law attorney
at Dickinson Wright/Mariscal
Weeks of Phoenix, uses his
degree to help those who cannot
afford or otherwise cannot
access legal services. He is
a longtime board member of
two nonprofits: Uplift Ministry,
providing free Christian
counseling to teens and at-risk
families, and Helping Hands
for Single Moms, helping
single mothers obtain financial
independence through college
education. Coffman has been
recognized by Best Lawyers in
Arizona, Best Lawyers in America
and Arizona’s Finest Lawyers.
Michelle Gilman
College of Nursing
and Health Care
Professions,
Class of 1984
Michelle Gilman has contributed
significantly to regional
programs focusing on improved
patient outcomes through
innovative delivery systems.
Gilman is director of education
and founder of the Learning
Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital
and Medical Center, Phoenix. Her
background is in intensive-care
nursing, organ-donor recovery,
hospice and adult education.
Gilman was instrumental in
implementing the first Arizona
nursing education/practice
partnership model with GCU and
currently leads development of
a nursing simulation center and
American Heart Association
training center.
Nick Halonen
College of Fine Arts
and Production,
Classes of 2004
and 2008
Nick Halonen believes God has
called him to be a role model
for teenagers. For 10 years,
he has been the choir director
at Phoenix’s Trevor Browne
High, a socio-economically
disadvantaged school, where he
also offers emotional support
and encouragement. Students
chose Halonen as 2013 Teacher
of the Year, and staff named him
Employee of the Year in 2009.
He is an assistant director of the
Phoenix Children’s Chorus and,
with his wife, GCU alumna Keslie
Kattau Halonen, leads worship
at Spirit Song United Methodist
Church in Peoria.
Dr. Paul F. Kinnison
College of Theology,
Class of 1978
Dr. Paul Kinnison
has done some
grand things in his life: He was
pastor of Grand Canyon Baptist
Church in Grand Canyon National
Park and has taught at GCU.
Today, as associate pastor of First
Baptist Church, Sun City West, he
focuses on Christian discipleship,
pastoral care and mission
ministries. A graduate of three
institutions of higher learning,
Kinnison has studied the needs of
people in physical, emotional and
spiritual crises, and worked with
families grappling with domestic
violence, grief and death.
NatalieWilcox
College of Education,
Class of 1988
Natalie Wilcox
learned to care
for the heart of every child in
her sphere of influence during
her education at GCU. Wilcox,
principal at Echo Mountain
Primary School in Phoenix, has
worked with orphans in Mexico
and Romania, and is involved in
programs that meet the needs
of less-fortunate children. She
has been a principal for 14 years
and previously taught grades
5-8 for 10 years. Wilcox was
named Arizona’s Gifted Principal
of the Year in 2006, and has
taught at GCU and Arizona
State University, among other
institutions.
GCUHall of Fame Class of 2014
SamanthaMurphy heads group of seven to be honored
