The 2017 HHS Distinguished Alumni Award recipient is Dr. Jerry Tolley. Dr. Tolley received a Doctor of Education in Physical Education in 1982, under the guidance of the late Dr. Gail Hennis.

By then, he had already established a successful career as the football coach at Elon University where he enjoyed an unparalleled record, with his teams winning four conference titles and back-to-back national titles. He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame including the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the National Football Hall of Fame, and Elon and East Carolina Universities Halls of Fame.

Dr. Tolley has also enjoyed a successful career at Elon in Development. He spent 12 years with LabCorp first as Associate Vice-President of Training, and later Associate Vice President of Community and Public Affairs. The programs he developed there helped establish LabCorp as one of the premier companies in North Carolina in the area of community responsibility.

He is an accomplished sports author, having published six football books which have been sold throughout the US and in more than 25 countries.

Dr. Tolley is currently serving his fifth, four-year term as the Mayor of Elon, making him the longest serving mayor in the history of the town.

He has received the highest honors that are given to North Carolinians having received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Governor Hunt in 1997 and the Old North State Award in 2007 from Governor Easley, in recognition of this community and civic service and exceptional dedication to the State of North Carolina.