Rebecca Clouse, community health program manager for West Virginia University Medicine, speaks to a crowd estimated at 250 during Butler County Community College’s Oak Hills Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Founders Hall on the college’s main campus in Butler Township. Clouse attended BC3 from 1999 through 2002 and was recognized during the event with the late Glenn T. Miller as 2026 BC3 distinguished alumni.

Alexandra Wimley

The past, the present and the future of Butler County Community College gathered once again on its main campus for the college’s annual Oak Hills Celebration on Saturday.

Those recognized as distinguished alumni at the event were the late Glenn T. Miller, who had served as a member of the college’s board of trustees for 28 years, and Rebecca Clouse, who has worked as a community health program manager for Independence Health System since February 2022.

Clouse and the the family of Miller, who died on Jan. 27, gathered for the event. Also attending was his longtime friend Brian Opitz, who spoke about Miller.

Opitz said Miller was instrumental in work over the last two decades to design and build a “state of the art” campus for the college’s community.

A portion of a crowd estimated at 250 is shown during Butler County Community College’s Oak Hills Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Founders Hall on the college’s main campus in Butler Township. The college during the Oak Hills Celebration recognized the late Glenn T. Miller and Rebecca Clouse as its 2026 distinguished alumni.

Alexandra Wimley

“I’m reminded of how many lives one good man can touch,” said Opitz. “Glenn Miller wasn’t just part of BC3. He helped shape it.”

Megan Coval, BC3’s president, referred to Miller as “one of the college’s greatest champions.”

Clouse, in her role at Independence Health System (now WVU Medicine), oversees programs that establish processes to make sure all patients have their health-related needs identified and addressed.

“Becky exemplifies what we celebrate, taking the education and foundation she received here at BC3 and building a life centered on service, leadership and making a difference in the lives of others,” Coval said.

Clouse was introduced by Ken DeFurio, the outgoing president and CEO of Independence Health System. DeFurio called Clouse a rare person with an “innate understanding” of the social determinants of health, which are non-medical factors that impact health and quality of life.

“Whether you were a patient who couldn’t get home from a doctor’s appointment, a patient who couldn’t get to a doctor’s appointment, a patient who didn't have good food or any food, a patient who was struggling with rent, any member of the community with these issues — Becky touched their lives,” said Defurio.

A photograph of Glenn T. Miller, who served 28 years as a Butler County Community College trustee, is shown Wednesday, March 4, 2026, during a college event in Founders Hall on BC3’s main campus in Butler Township. Miller, of Butler, a 1981 graduate of BC3 who passed away Jan. 27 at age 66, was recognized Oct. 3 as a 2026 BC3 distinguished alumni. Submitted photo.

Miller and Clouse’s addition brings the total recipients of the BC3 Distinguished Alumni Awards to 62.

Recipients of a record 166 scholarships awarded for the 2026-2027 academic year were also honored at the luncheon.

Kimberly D. Geyer, a Butler County commissioner and ex-officio member of Butler County Community College’s board of trustees, is shown in a crowd estimated at 250 during BC3’s Oak Hills Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Founders Hall on the college’s main campus in Butler Township. Geyer is a 1984 BC3 graduate and a 2018 BC3 distinguished alumni. The college during the event recognized the late Glenn T. Miller and Rebecca Clouse as its 2026 distinguished alumni.

Alexandra Wimley

Denver Ott, a second-year student at BC3 and the student speaker, voiced gratitude for donors who make the scholarships, and said his own scholarship has reduced stress for him as he pursues his studies.

“Without the commitment of donors like you, many of us might not have the opportunity to be sitting here today,” Ott said.

Several new scholarships have been created in the past year, according to Mikayla Moretti, executive director of BC3 Education Foundation.

“We have so much to be proud of here at BC3, but we have so much more work ahead of us,” Moretti said. “And I think it’s an important reminder: the best way that we can celebrate BC3’s past is by investing in its future.”