2026 Waggener Hall of Fame – WHS Alumni Association

The 2026 Waggener Hall of Fame Inductees were recognized and celebrated at a fabulous event held on Thursday September 10, 2026 at Big Spring Country Club.

VIDEO CHAPTERS

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PRELIMINARY COMMENTS PLACEHOLDER

INDUCTEES

INDUCTEE COMMENT LINKS PLACEHOLDER

Inductee Profiles

JEANETTE CASWELL NUNNELLEY (1960)

Jeanette Caswell Nunnelley was a shining light at Waggener, excelling in music, speech, drama, and journalism — and leaving perhaps her most enduring mark by composing the lyrics to the school’s alma mater. After earning her bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing pathology from the University of Kentucky, she went on to receive a Master’s and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Louisville. Jeanette dedicated her career to teaching hearing-impaired young children in California, New York, and Louisville, and later served as a full professor at Indiana University Southeast, retiring as professor emeritus in 2007. She was honored with the University of Louisville Alumni Fellows Award in 1996. A passionate advocate for social justice, education, and young women’s opportunities, Jeanette lived by her favorite motto — “Live, Love & Laugh” — every single day.

TED PAUL WITTE (1963)

Ted Witte made his mark at Waggener as a champion diver, winning the Kentucky State Diving Championship in both his junior and senior years — outscoring his closest competitor by more than 60 points in his final season. His athletic excellence earned him a four-year scholarship to Florida State University. After a successful career in tech, including co-founding Protogate, Inc., a computer communications company that grew from a $6,000 investment into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, Ted returned to the sport he loved. He won gold medals at both the U.S. and World Masters Games and was inducted into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014 as an Honor Masters Contributor. Ted has also given back to the Waggener community by building and funding the Class of 1963’s website, helping keep classmates connected for decades.

PATRICIA RUTH HATLER (1972)

Pat Hatler was a standout student-athlete at Waggener — a National Merit Finalist, field hockey co-captain, and Beta Club member — whose drive and work ethic set the stage for a remarkable career. She earned her B.S. with honors from Duke University and her J.D. as a Hardy Dillard Fellow from the University of Virginia School of Law. Pat rose to become Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Governance Officer at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, a Fortune 100 company, where she led six divisions and a staff of 1,400. She was recognized as Chief Legal Officer of the Year and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Business First of Columbus, as well as the Transformative Leadership Award from Inside Counsel for her trailblazing mentorship of women and minorities. She served as Board Chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel and is currently “Of Counsel” at the international law firm Squire Patton Boggs.

MICHAEL MCCONNELL (1973)

Michael W. McConnell is the Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. From 2002 to 2009, he served as a Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican, and confirmed by a Democratic Senate by unanimous consent. McConnell has previously held chaired professorships at the University of Chicago and the University of Utah, and visiting professorships at Harvard and NYU. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He teaches courses on constitutional law, constitutional history, First Amendment, and interpretive theory. His book, “The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution,” was published by Princeton University Press in 2020, based on the Tanner Lectures in Human Values, which he delivered at Princeton in 2019. His book, co-authored with Nathan Chapman, “Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience,” was published by Oxford University Press in 2023. He has also co-written casebooks in Constitutional Law and Religion and the First Amendment. McConnell has argued sixteen cases in the United States Supreme Court, and was counsel of record for the private plaintiffs in the recent challenge to the legality of President Trump’s tariffs, Learning Resources v. Trump. He earned his B.A. from Michigan State University and his J.D. from University of Chicago, and has received honorary degrees from Notre Dame University and Michigan State. He served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. and D.C. Circuit Chief Judge J. Skelly Wright. He has been Assistant General Counsel of the Office of Management & Budget, Assistant to the Solicitor General of the Department of Justice, and a member of the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board. He is Senior of Counsel to the law firm Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, and is a member of Meta’s Oversight Review Board, serving as co-chair from 2020-2025.

MARSHA DAVENPORT (1973)

Marsha Davenport arrived at Waggener as a force of nature — a National Merit Semi-Finalist, state debate champion, basketball player, National Honor Society member, and Kentucky’s first official female baseball umpire. She won first place at the 1972 Kentucky Junior Science Symposium and participated in the International Science Fair. After graduating cum laude in Biology from Harvard University, she earned her medical degree with distinction from the University of Kentucky and completed her fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at UNC-Chapel Hill. Marsha went on to become a full professor of pediatrics at UNC and a nationally recognized expert in Turner Syndrome, directing the UNC Turner Syndrome Clinic from 1991 to 2014. She has been named to the Best Doctors in America list multiple times and received the prestigious Mallinckrodt Scholar Award. Off the clock, she has been a tireless civic advocate for civil rights, environmental justice, and voting rights.

BILL SENG (1977)

Bill Seng spent four years at Waggener on the football field, the track, and in student council — building the foundation of a lifetime of public service. After earning dual degrees in Criminal Justice and Fire & Safety Engineering from Eastern Kentucky University, he joined the St. Matthews Fire Protection District, where he would eventually serve as Fire Chief for 30 years, retiring in 2022. Under his leadership, the district grew from 17 to 96 employees, expanded from two to four fire stations, became the first fire department in Jefferson County to equip apparatus with AEDs, established one of the county’s first joint EMS responses, and introduced the first new ambulance service in the county in over 30 years. Bill’s career exemplifies the values of dedication, community, and service that Waggener has always instilled in its students.

TIM BARNETT (1992)

Tim Barnett was a three-sport standout at Waggener, earning All-District honors in both football and basketball and leading the state in interceptions with 15 during his senior season. His basketball talents earned him a scholarship, and he went on to win a conference championship and compete in the NIT tournament at the University of Nevada, Reno. After his playing days, Tim channeled his gifts into uplifting his community. He founded F.O.C.U.S. Training Academy, a Louisville institution for over 20 years that develops young people’s character, confidence, and life skills alongside athletic training — now reaching students across 15 area codes. In 2018, Tim founded the Jesse E. Barnett Jr. Enrichment Center, named for his late father, providing free educational support, mentoring, and a safe environment for the next generation of Louisville leaders.

SOCIAL HOUR SLIDESHOW

Inductee Introduction Ceremony

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Social Hour and Groups