Co-Lin Band and Colette Alumni Chapter to Honor Huffman, Different at Homecoming

The Band and Colette chapter of the Co-Lin Alumni Association will induct Zoula Hennington Huffman of Wesson into its Hall of Fame and will honor Andrew Different of Brookhaven as the Stanley Stewart Outstanding Young Alumni recipient during Homecoming festivities on Saturday, Oct 28.

Huffman is a 1960 graduate of Co-Lin High School and a 1962 graduate of the college where she was a Colette during high school and college, serving as head Colette her sophomore year, and was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame.

She received a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from the University of Southern Mississippi and was board certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathology. She also received master’s and specialist degrees from USM. She became the first full-time medical laboratory instructor and program director at Co-Lin in 1972 and was named assistant dean of Vocational-Technical Education (now known as Career Tech) in 1984. She worked for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MSGCC) for five years before retiring as central office dean of academic instruction and student services.

Huffman is a past president of the Mississippi State Society of Medical Technology, served on the board of directors of the American Society of Medical Technology, and has been awarded with numerous honors such as MSSMT Technologist of the Year, Theta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Honor Society, a citation for distinguished service in industrial education, central office administrator of the year at MSGCC, and was named Co-Lin’s Alumna of the Year in 1976 and Co-Lin’s Vocational-Technical Instructor of the Year in 1982. She is a past president of the Co-Lin Alumni Association and is a life member of the Band and Colette Alumni Chapter, in which she is a past president, and was instrumental in the publication of the organization’s history book. She is a member of Beauregard United Methodist Church where she serves on the social committee and is president of the women’s group. She is married to Dr. George Huffman and they have four children, Eric Strong, Dena Owens, Dr. George “Bo” Huffman, and Darla Goolsby, eleven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

Andrew Different of Brookhaven is a 2011 graduate of Co-Lin where he was a member of the Blue Wave Show Band, the basketball pep band, and the jazz band.  He received a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was a member of the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band as well as the concert band and a saxophone quartet.

He currently serves as assistant band director at South Pike School District and teaches music. He is a member of the Ole Brook Wind Symphony where he plays the saxophone. He plays lead guitar in the Charlie Hewitt Band and is a member of the worship team band at First Baptist Church in Brookhaven. He was recently featured in the singer/songwriter night at Brookstock and enjoys performing his original pieces. He is married to the former Kayla Furlow.

Huffman and Different will be honored at the Band and Colette Chapter’s annual meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Taylor Chapel on the Wesson campus, and again at the Alumni Association’s awards luncheon at 11:00 a.m. in the Henley Cafeteria. For more information on Homecoming events and activities, visit www.colin.edu/alumni-foundation/alumni-association/homecoming/ or call (601) 643-8498.