ATU to induct three into Hall of Distinction

Don Daily Jr. of Atkins, Lou Nell McCraw Davis of Lamar and Jayne Jones of Pottsville have been selected for the highest honor Arkansas Tech University may bestow upon an individual.

They will be inducted into the ATU Hall of Distinction during spring 2024 commencement this May in Russellville. Daily will enter under the Distinguished Alumnus category, while Davis and Jones will be inducted under the Distinguished Alumni Service category.

Established in 1964, the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction recognizes the accomplishments of Arkansas Tech alumni and friends in five categories: Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna, Distinguished Alumni Service, Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna, Distinction in Intercollegiate Athletics and Distinguished Service (non-alumnus).

Nominations for the Arkansas Tech Hall of Distinction may be made by any graduate of Arkansas Tech, any current or former member of the faculty or administration of Tech, any currently enrolled full-time student at Tech or any member of the Hall of Distinction. Nominations may not be made by a family member of the nominee. The nomination deadline is Oct. 1 of each year. Honorees are selected by the ATU Board of Trustees.

Don Daily Jr.
Daily has been an NCAA Division I basketball official for 25 years and is in his second term as president of the Southeastern Conference Basketball Officials Association. As the organization’s leader, Daily works with the SEC on issues affecting officials such as compensation and performance reviews.

A former Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys basketball player, Daily has been selected to officiate in the NCAA Tournament 16 consecutive years and he was on the crew that called the 2023 National Invitation Tournament championship game. Once each season is over, Daily invests much of his free time during the summer growing the next generation of basketball officials by instructing at camps and serving as a mentor.

Daily graduated from Arkansas Tech in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He owns and operates Don Daily Shelter Insurance in Atkins. He provides a scholarship to local high school graduates through his business and has given of his time to benefit the Lions Club, the Pottsville Community Scholarship committee, Picklefest and the Bank of Atkins Board of Directors.

Lou Nell McCraw Davis
Davis coordinates a scholarship award from the Caraway Hall Girls, a group that centers around alumnae who lived together on the third floor of Caraway Hall during the 1950s. Their friendships were rekindled by a 50-year reunion in 2009 that Davis helped organize.

In 2013, the Caraway Hall Girls started their annual scholarship to benefit a female student at Arkansas Tech. Almost every year since, typically around Homecoming, the Caraway Hall Girls have surprised the scholarship recipient by coming to one of her classes and making the presentation. Most often, the recipient is a student with grit and determination reminiscent of a certain group of female Tech students more than 60 years ago.

A retired music teacher with the Russellville School District, Davis earned her bachelor’s degree in music from ATU in 1959. Fifty years later, she was part of an effort by the Tech Class of 1959 to purchase the electronic carillon bell system that chimes from the top of Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center.

Jayne Jones
One of the longest-tenured employees in ATU history, Jones gave 46 years of service to her alma mater. She advanced from an entry-level secretarial position to become the first female vice president in ATU history and her leadership helped the ATU Foundation develop into an essential support resource for the university’s mission of student access and success.

Jones joined the ATU staff on Jan. 5, 1976, under the supervision of Gerald Edgar in the Arkansas Tech news bureau. Soon after receiving her bachelor’s degree in business administration from ATU in May 1988, Jones’ career began to accelerate. She became director of student accounts in 1989, business manager in 1993 and was shortly thereafter promoted to associate vice president for administration and finance. In that role, Jones provided leadership for the construction of Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center, Doc Bryan Student Services Center and Nutt Residence Hall.

Jones became a Certified Public Accountant and began taking classes toward a master’s degree in instructional technology, which she obtained from Arkansas Tech in May 2001. A few months later, then-ATU President Dr. Robert Brown offered her an opportunity to become vice president for development. When Jones took office as vice president, the ATU Foundation portfolio stood at approximately $7.5 million. When she retired from the ATU Division of Advancement two decades later, that figure was in excess of $50 million.