Jackie Ard-Barclay (‘85), of Gulf Breeze, Florida, and Johnny Cook (’64), of Ridgeland, were selected as Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s 2025 Alumni of the Year, and Stone Clanton (‘19), of Meadville, was selected as the 2025 Young Alumnus of the Year. They will be recognized during Homecoming on Thursday, Oct. 23 at the Alumni Association Awards Reception at 3:15 p.m. in the Thames Center on the college’s Wesson campus.
Jackie Ard-Barclay
Barclay graduated from Co-Lin in 1985, where she served as vice president of both the Trailblazers and the Student Government Association. She was also a member of the President’s Council, and was voted Miss Co-Lin, a campus favorite, and Homecoming Queen. She was selected to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges and was a member of the women’s basketball team, which finished with a record of 30-2, and was second in the nation her sophomore year.
After Co-Lin, Barclay earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern Mississippi and later pursued a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She was instrumental in the founding of The Blake, a senior living concept that grew into a nationally recognized model for hospitality-centered assisted living and memory care communities. She remains involved through her continued affiliation with the development company Quality Senior Living and its management entity QSLM Management. Barclay has also provided consulting services to hospitals and healthcare organizations.
Barclay is a member of numerous community and philanthropic initiatives, including IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area. She is a member of First Baptist Church of Pensacola, where she actively participates in mission trips. Her commitment to medical mission work has taken her to South Sudan, rural India, and Iran.
Barclay and her late husband, Glenn, have one son, Blake, whose name continues to honor the spirit of the communities they helped create. Blake graduated from Harvard and currently attends UCLA Law School.
Johnny Cook
Cook graduated from Co-Lin in 1964 where he was a member of the men’s basketball team and voted class favorite. After Co-Lin, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Millsaps in 1967, where he continued his basketball career and was a member of the M Club. He received a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1973 from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Government Administration and a Master of Public Administration both in 1976 from Georgia State University.
Cook’s career for the State of Mississippi included time as the director of the Social Security Disability Determination Services, commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitation Services, interim executive director of the Department of Human Services, director of Legislation and State Agencies in the Governor’s Office, and executive director of the Department of Finance and Administration. He served as director of finance and chief of staff for the Mayor’s Office in Jackson, and he was appointed to a senior officer position within the United States Department of Treasury. He retired fromgovernment service in 1993.
He went on to have a career in the private sector, where he was the executive director of government programs in Mississippi for United Healthcare Insurance and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. He eventually became the divisional director of governmental programs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama until his retirement in 2009. He then started his own business, New Capital Consulting, where he worked with businesses and large healthcare companies pursuing federal and state contracts.
During his long career, he was selected as National Rehabilitation Director of the Year, National Disability Services Director of the Year, and received Outstanding Leadership awards from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Social Security Administration. He is a member of First Baptist Church of Madison and formerly served as a volunteer fundraiser for the ACCESS Program at Mississippi State University.
He and his wife, Linda Ruth Lester Cook (’64), have one daughter, Angela Randle, and her husband, Andy, and three grandchildren, Dr. Hope Randle Goad, Mary Grace Randle, and Andrew Randle.
Stone Clanton
Clanton graduated from Co-Lin in 2019, where he was the president of the Centurions History Club, as well as secretary and chairman of the College Republicans. He was a member of PTK and the BSU. After Co-Lin, he received a Bachelor of Science in political science and history from Mississippi College, where he served as the vice-chairman of the College Republicans and was a member of the Rotaract Men’s Service Club, serving as merch chair his senior year. He also served as secretary of the Mississippi Federation of College Republicans during the 2019-2020 school year and was a member of the History Club, Students for Life, and the BSU. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in government at Regent University.
After short stints at the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State and the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, he began working for Americans for Prosperity in early 2022 as a Grassroots Engagement Director, working in economic policy, foundational education policy, regulatory policy and healthcare policy. In 2024, he was promoted to Director of Grassroots Operations,where he leads the community engagement team in education and grassroots lobbying.
He serves on the UMMC Community Advisory Board and is the executive director of the Mississippi Federation of Young Republicans. He was a member of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Class of 2023. Clanton is currently a member of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Rotary Club and Bude Church of God.