We are revisiting our 5th edition of the Legacy Ledger and are celebrating the incredible achievements of two of our esteemed alumni, Wesley Jenkins and Dr. Jessica Pugh.
Wesley Jenkins, NAHS Class of 2005, took his passion for costume and design from the NAHS Theatre Department to the national stage. From the Los Angeles Opera to Walt Disney World, Wesley’s journey is a testament to his talent and dedication. 🎭✨
Dr. Jessica Pugh, FCHS Class of 1995, grew up watching her father help patients see clearly and now runs Dr. Black’s Eye Associates with her husband. Her dedication to optometry and humanitarian work has made a significant impact on the Southern Indiana community. 👓❤️
Join us in celebrating Wesley and Jessica’s incredible contributions and their inspiring journeys.
Excerpt from the January 2021 Legacy Ledger (Issue 5):
NAFCS are nationally known for their outstanding performing arts departments. New Albany and Floyd Central have produced performers, technicians, and artists who continue to create, entertain, and inspire all around the world, including Wesley Jenkins. He’s always had a knack for costume and design originating with his time spent in the NAHS Theatre Department.
After graduating from NAHS in 2005, he attended Otterbein University where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre design/technology. He continued to hone his passion for costuming through an internship at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and also earned his Masters of Fine Arts at Lindenwood University. After grad school, he worked as a costumer at such prestigious institutions as Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Los Angeles Opera, Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Utah Festival Opera, and most recently as a designer at Walt Disney World. Wesley is currently partnered with the parks merchandise team where he designs and develops products sold at theme parks and resorts around the globe.
In 2019, his love for Disney led him to participate in the national Her Universe Fashion Show. Finding yourself as a designer in this national competition is a true honor. It speaks to the level of talent Wesley holds. But Wes says it was more than just a competition. “The community of designers born from that event is incredibly tight-knit, and I think finding a supportive community of like-minded people is important.”
He credits his success, in part, to his roots and the community he found in the NAHS Theatre Department. “I was incredibly lucky to have had the experience I did at NAHS. I was able to develop costuming skills that gave me a head start when I got to college and beyond. Going to the International Thespian Festival was also hugely important. It introduced us to a community of theatre artists who would ultimately become our peers and coworkers.”
Helping patients See Life Clearly is in the blood of Dr. Jessica Black Pugh, a proud member of the FCHS graduating class of 1995. Her father, Dr. Brad Black, started an eye care practice in Jeffersonville when Jessica was in the 1st grade and she grew up watching him take care of patients in the Southern Indiana area. During her senior year of high school, a volunteer trip with her father to Honduras with the Indiana VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) greatly impacted her future as she saw how helping patients improve their vision greatly improved their quality of life.
Following high school graduation, Dr. Jessica Pugh went on to graduate from Butler University in 1999 with a B.S. double major in chemistry and Spanish. By 2003 Dr. Jessica Pugh had completed her secondary education from the Indiana University School of Optometry where she was also awarded the Dr. Henry W. Hofstetter Award for Outstanding Achievement, Leadership to her class, and Service to her patients in addition to the Bennett Humanitarian Award for Distinguished Contributions in Service to Humanity. Her journey to becoming an Optometrist came full circle when she served as President of Student Volunteers of Optometric Services to Humanity (S-VOSH) from 2002-2003, the same organization that had sponsored the Honduras trip her senior year of high school. Shortly after graduating, Dr. Jessica Pugh married her husband, Dr. Kris Pugh, whom she met while at Butler University.
In 2007, the couple joined Dr. Black’s Eye Associates team of talented physicians. Dr. Jessica Pugh quickly found passion in caring for patients following their cataract surgeries, particularly those having a hard time adjusting to the changes in their vision. This naturally turned into a passion for diagnosing and treating dry-eye, a field that has developed into a busy dry-eye center where she now specializes in helping patients find relief after years of suffering from severe symptoms.
In 2017 Dr. Jessica Pugh’s father made the decision to retire and Drs. Jessica and Kris Pugh took over the family business. Today, Dr. Black’s Eye Associates is one of the few family-owned and operated practices still serving the Southern Indiana/Kentuckiana area with 10 locations and specialists in all areas of eye care. They are proud to operate a practice that truly puts the needs of the patient first.
Drs. Kris and Jessica Pugh are not only excellent doctors and business partners but busy parents as well. Daughters Emma and Hadley are both currently attending Floyd County High School and sons Callum and Boden are both in attendance at Saint Mary of the Knobs Catholic School. When not helping patients with their vision needs or spending time with family, Dr. Jessica Pugh is a Board Member of the NAFC Education Foundation, where she has been hugely instrumental in the success of the annual Gala, the Education Celebration.
Dr. Pugh says “The solid educational background that FC provided prepared me both for my undergraduate studies as well as optometry school. Additionally, the opportunity for advanced classes and exposure to hands-on demonstrations within the science program at Floyd Central was instrumental in helping me discover where my interests and passion were that ultimately guided me into the medical field. I had so many teachers that were dedicated to the betterment of their students and I am so grateful for that. I can still hear Mr. Krammes encouraging all of the females to find their passion and prepare themselves for independent adult life in calculus (female empowerment in a time that it wasn’t a hot topic), I remember Mr. Weatherholt calmly encouraging us to get our hands dirty in labs while firmly encouraging us to be the best we could be in his classes which translated to later learning and life, and I vividly remember all of the life lessons that I utilized my whole life and I am now passing onto my highschoolers that Ms. Fischman taught us in government class. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities that were provided to me by NAFCS and enjoy assisting our current educators and staff in continuing that tradition via the Education Foundation.”
Read the entire January 2021 Legacy Ledger (Issue 5).