by Emily Snell | Dec 5, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
I’ve known Pdub now for about nine years. We were pledge brothers and college roommates. We have remained close friends ever since. Paul truly is one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever known. He may be the only friend that I’ve never had a dispute with. Just always laid back and willing to do whatever to ensure those around him are enjoying themselves. Even on his wedding day seven weeks ago… we finished playing golf at Country Hills in Hendersonville, and his new father-in-law Luther, offered to take the groomsmen out for lunch. When he asked Pdub where he would like to eat, he looked at us and said, “It’s up to these guys.” Always wanting to make those around him happy and keep the spotlight off himself, even on his wedding day. He loved music. And it runs in his blood. Named after his grandfather Paul Warren, the great fiddler, as well as his father Johnny Warren who is another talented fiddle player, Pdub had a gift when it came to music. I have been playing guitar since middle school. Paul picked up the guitar around the time we started college. I showed him a few riffs, and within two years, he had blown past me and continued to improve. In fact, we played “Free Bird” for the 2005 Cowboy Show our senior year. Our preparation in large part consisted of Pdub sitting in our den, listening to the guitar solo and picking out the proper notes. Then he would show me how to play that segment. As he played up the neck, he...
by Emily Snell | Dec 3, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Paul Warren’s friends and coworkers shared their thoughts with Lumination about the loss of an “outstanding individual.” Warren, a 2006 Lipscomb graduate, was killed Thursday morning when his car rear-ended an 18-wheeler on Vietnam Veterans Parkway. The wreck, caused by fog and an icy road, was part of a chain-reaction accident involving more than 50 vehicles on the Korean War Veterans Bridge. Aaron Flener, a 2005 Lipscomb graduate, was on the golf team and in Tau Phi with Warren. “I was immediately drawn to him because of his joyful nature,” said Flener. “I liked to surround myself with people that didn’t complain, and I was drawn to him because he was so happy.” Warren graduated from Lipscomb with a marketing degree and then worked as a graduate assistant coach for the golf program during the 2006-07 season while pursuing his master’s degree. Flener said Warren was a very talented golfer and guitarist but always maintained a humble attitude along with a great sense of humor. “If I ever wanted to feel good about myself, I would go tell Paul something…he would always laugh,” Flener said. “He would always make you feel like you were hilarious. I don’t think he realized how funny he was to everyone else.” Flener said Warren never spoke ill of people he knew. “He never had anything bad to say about anyone,” Flener said. “I consider myself a pretty good person, but I never heard him say anything bad about anyone. Not even behind their back.” Warren was employed at Volunteer State Bank, where he worked as relationship manager at the Shackle Island branch in...
by Hunter Patterson | Dec 3, 2011 | News Slider
A life celebration service for Paul Warren, the Lipscomb alumnus who died in the 50-car pileup Thursday in Hendersonville, will be at Hendersonville First Baptist Church on Monday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. Warren was killed Thursday morning when his car rear-ended an 18-wheeler on Vietnam Veterans Parkway. Channel 4 News is reporting that a second person has died because of injuries suffered in the crash. The victim was pronounced dead on Dec. 5 at 11:30 p.m. The wreck, caused by fog and an icy road, was part of a chain-reaction accident involving more than 50 vehicles on the Korean War Veterans Bridge. Warren was pronounced dead at Hendersonville Medical Center shortly thereafter. Hendersonville Police told Reuters reporter Tim Ghianni that 17 other people were transported to hospitals after the accident, which took place around 7 a.m. Many others were expected to go to the hospital on their own. A 2006 Lipscomb graduate, Warren was a member of Tau Phi social club as well as of the golf team. Golf coach Buddy Harston selected Warren as his graduate assistant the year after he graduated. “He was a great guy,” Harston said. “He did everything I asked him to do and more; then he went on to Vol State Bank. He did a good job there. I am friends with the president, and he was always talking about him and how great he was doing. “It’s a major loss for Lipscomb and the golf community.” Warren earned a graduate degree in business from Lipscomb in 2007. He later became assistant vice president of Volunteer State Bank and an active member of the Hendersonville...
by Crystal Davis | Mar 30, 2011 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s communication department prepares its students to be successful professionals, which is evident in Jenny Barker, APR– a Lipscomb alum and public relations practitioner who headed up Gaylord Opryland’s post-flood public relations campaign. On Monday, March 28, the communication department held its regular COMMA (Communications Majors and Minors Association) meeting with Lipscomb alum Jenny Barker as the guest speaker for the night. Barker majored in public relations here at Lipscomb and was a part of the 2004 graduating class. She started her career at Atkinson Public Relations working in crisis management positions. Barker finally landed at Centennial Medical Center where she stayed comfortably as Director of Public Relations until a rare opportunity came her way. In October 2010 she got a call from Gaylord Opryland to assist them with PR in the aftermath of the May 2010 flood. Barker saw this as a “once in a career opportunity” to work with a company in this type of crisis. At the COMMA meeting Barker gave detailed background information about the hotel during the flood and its resurgence. “The biggest fear was that the hotel would lose power,” Barker said. Hotel workers feared that the “miles of tunnels under the hotel that contained the IT and the power supply” would fill up with water and the main power source for the hotel would be lost. Before power was lost, and before water even reached the building, the hotel decided to activate the Alert Pyramid for Gaylord Opryland, a plan set in place in case of some kind of evacuation emergency. Hotel officials realized the severity of the situation and decided to...
