HANNIBAL – Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) will soon lose two of its high-profile faces: Tom and Rhonda Hufty.
Tom has served at HLGU as vice president for collegiate affairs and assistant to the president since 1998. He has accepted the call to pastor First Baptist Church, Maryville, Ill. The church was thrust into the spotlight March 8, 2009 when its pastor, Fred Winters, was killed at the pulpit. Tom has been serving as interim pastor there since Oct. 2009.
Rhonda has led the public relations department since 2003. She helped see the school through marketing updates and totally revamped the school’s magazine, Reflections.
During his tenure at HLGU, Hufty led the school to be a leader in student mission involvement. The school has been among the top three schools since 2007, and was the top school in 2010 as ranked by the North American Mission Board. This year Hufty led students on trips to Texas, Canada and Europe and helped organize trips to Haiti and other nations.
Their last day at HLGU was Dec. 20.
“We are humbled and blessed by the generous people of First Baptist,” Rhonda said. “They have opened their hearts to us in a supernatural way—as only God can do!”
BRIAN KOONCE / staff writer
bkoonce@mobaptist.org