amanda.ryker@daily-tribune.com
Cartersville's Georgia Highlands College community was rocked Friday, Feb. 17, when a beloved professor and friend passed away after a battle with cancer. While she may have left the physical world, though, Dr. Nancy Hague's legacy and the many programs she helped begin will live.
"At one point, she was a Phi Theta Kappa adviser," colleague and friend Teresa Hutchins, associate professor of political science at GHC, said. "PTK is the honor society for two-year colleges and she certainly helped launch some of the activities that we're involved with today, including the Give a Kid a Chance [program]."
Hutchins also said that Hague was actively involved in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life campaign and, after her diagnosis in June 2011, the GHC team put all of their efforts that year into honoring Hague.
"We made t-shirts for her that we all wore and put on there 'GHC walks for Dr. Hague,'" Hutchins said. "We all made teal ribbons and some of us had buttons that had her picture on it. We had the luminaries for her in a row with a sign on the fence behind them."
Born Jan. 24, 1957 in DeLand, Fla., Hague attended Stetson University and later the University of Tennessee, where she earned her doctorate in psychology before working for Cherokee Health Systems in Talbott, Tenn., and later teaching at Kennesaw State University and finally joining the GHC team in 2003.
"She was a very good teacher who challenged her students to excel, but was always willing to go out of her way to help when needed," Donna Mantooth, friend and associate professor of psychology at GHC said. "Nancy cared about her students, not only that they perform well in her classes, but also that they had the tools they needed to succeed in life."
Ovarian cancer sent Hague into hospice care in Atlanta before her battle ended this month as she was surrounded by immediate and extended family. In lieu of flowers, Hague's family requested that a donation to the American Cancer Society be made in her memory, as she was extremely passionate about the organization.
"Dr. Hague will truly be missed," April Wilson, GHC alumna and former PTK officer said. "I cherish the times we spent together working on Phi Theta Kappa projects, most especially our Relay for Life team and tents. She had a kind heart and a genuine dedication to her students and their endeavors."