Stan McDougal, a December graduate, went straight to Lexington Theological Seminary and missed Transylvania University’s spring commencement.
That was 1971.
Last month, the Rev. McDougal finally got to don a gown and join the procession down the center aisle, sitting with his wife Linda in a reserved section behind the Class of 2026.
“It felt good,” said McDougal, whose daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter are also Pioneers. “It was a good experience.”
Earlier this year, McDougal received an email invitation to participate in the new Barr Society tradition for alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. “I thought, ‘Wow, I want to do that because I didn’t do it back in the day,’” he said. “I immediately texted back and said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be part of it.’” He and others in the Golden March wore red gowns and black and yellow sashes to mark their half-century milestone.
McDougal was ordained as a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister after graduating from LTS in 1973. Over the decades, he pastored churches in Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi and Arkansas. He also served 20 years as an Air Force Reserve chaplain and earned a doctorate from Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary in Evansville, Indiana.
His granddaughter Kailey Koger is a rising senior neuroscience major at Transylvania and deeply involved in campus life. The William T. Young Scholar has served as an RA, participated in organizations like the Student Activities Board and recently completed an internship at the University of Louisville.
Koger’s mother (and McDougal’s daughter), Melissa ’00, majored in education at Transylvania and later became a reading specialist. She married psychology major Matt Koger ’00. (Read a Third & Broadway feature on the couple.)
McDougal originally wanted to be an architect, but after deciding to go into the ministry — and having grown up in the DOC in Frankfort — his path naturally led through Transy and LTS.
With all the new buildings, the Transylvania of 2026 looks a lot different than it did in the late 1960s and early ’70s. “Of course the campus has totally changed,” he said. “Morrison, Haupt [now Carpenter] and Mitchell are about the only ones remaining from when I was there.”
He and his wife returned to Frankfort after decades away. Getting back in touch with his alma mater has been meaningful, especially with a granddaughter now on campus — he’s cheered on the women’s basketball team in Beck and caught a play in Little Theater, for instance.
“We only moved back five years ago, so I didn’t have that many connections. It’s nice to be able to reconnect — especially with family ties still here,” he said.
