Bighams

Wanda and Bill Bigham recently returned to Murray State University to join their 1956 classmates to commemorate their 50-year reunion.

The couple, who met at Murray while music students, both agreed that choosing Murray State was the best decision they made. “I can’t begin to imagine how my life would have turned out without Murray State College,” Bill said. “Probably the two most important decisions a young man can make are whom he will ask to marry him and what his life’s work will be. Both decisions would have undoubtedly been different without Murray State .”

A Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia alumnus, Bill said he was actually in the presence of his future spouse at least twice before he actually met her during his freshman year with the Murray State band “It reminds me that you can find something in common with just about anyone you meet, and often through a college connection,” he said. “I played for the dedication of the new Ballard Memorial High School when Wanda was a senior and again as the dance band for her senior prom. ”

A 1988 Distinguished Alumnus r ecipient who has served as president of two colleges , Wanda agrees with her husband that their MSU experience has continuously provided them with life-long opportunities. Bigham relates her MSU experience to a story she remembers a key-note speaker relayed to the audience during a former professional conference she attended. “During the story the speaker spoke of a turtle being seen at the top of a fence post and we were reminded the turtle didn’t get there by itself because someone put it there ,“ she said. “Her main concluding point was that each of us has been helped by someone else. Many of those people who helped me are people I met at Murray State .“

A former high school music teacher, Wanda said there were many MSU mentors including the late Price “Pop” Doyle who built her confidence and encouraged her to expand her horizons. “Through the various choir trips, Campus Lights performances, as well as the array of campus opportunities including drama productions, athletic events and dances I obtained a great experience at Murray ,” she said. “There were many other faculty who also provided a nurturing, yet challenging environment in those developmental years.”

A former high school band director who served at Morehead State University as an instructor and also as chair of the music department, Bill also remembers his strong MSU mentors. “Price Doyle, Richard Farrell, Robert Baar, and Chuck Simons, (his brother-in-law) were very influential to me while at Murray ,” he said. “Chuck remained mentor, role model, and friend through all the succeeding years until his death in 1993.”

The former president of the Kentucky Music Educators Association, Bill now plays clarinet with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. “I can list 12 colleges where some member of my family has worked or attended, but my heart is first and foremost at Murray State . This is home to me.”

The assistant general secretary for schools, colleges and universities for the United Methodist Church , Wanda said her professional career has always led her to many circles of professional college graduates. “At a recent conference, someone asked me where I live. After telling her that I’m now a Tennessean, I added that wherever I actually live, I am always a Kentuckian. I’m also always a Murray State graduate and proud of it.”