Best-Selling Author Ruth Coker Burks to Speak at Lyon College Convocation Series in Batesville

The Lyon College Convocation speaker series in Batesville, Arkansas, will continue on Thursday, April 11. Best-selling author Ruth Coker Burks will present 'My Life as the Cemetery Angel' at 4 p.m. in the Nucor Auditorium of the Lyon Business and Economics Building. The event is open to the public. Burks is recognized for her work during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, caring for many AIDS patients who were neglected by their families and healthcare providers.

In her early 20s, Burks began caring for these patients, despite lacking medical training. Over the past 40 years, she has cared for over 1,000 people, often arranging their burials in her family cemetery. In 2017, the National AIDS Memorial honored her with the Thom Weyand Unsung Hero Award. A film about Burks' life and work, 'The Book of Ruth,' is currently in production.

The article also mentions Cathy Drew, a Batesville resident, who has been with the Ozark Gateway Region since 1990. Drew has played a key role in promoting tourism in the region, meeting marketing goals, and distributing their magazines. She initiated the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic in 2016, which has grown annually.

Drew's responsibilities at Ozark Gateway include ad sales, magazine editing, office operations, trade show representation, and magazine distribution. She ensures the region's presence in Arkansas and southern Missouri. Drew has been recognized in local and statewide publications and has received several awards.

Drew also serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is a past president of the Batesville Rotary Club, and currently chairs the Rotary Clubs’ publicity. She is an Independence County election commissioner and co-election coordinator, managing voting equipment, election deadlines, and poll worker training. In 2018, Drew was inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her service to the tourism industry.

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