2008 Alumni Awards

 

Distinguished Alumni Award

Tom Bernardin, '76 TKE

As Chairman and CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide, comprising the Leo Burnett brand agency and marketing partner Arc Worldwide, Tom Bernardin is responsible for the global operations of one of the largest communications companies in the world.  During his tenure at Burnett, Bernardin led the most significant restructuring the company has ever undergone.  Chief among the changes he implemented was officially aligning Burnett and Arc together under the global Leo Burnett Worldwide umbrella at the end of 2006.

During his 30-plus years in the industry, he has worked in several countries directing the development of brands including Verizon Wireless, Bank of America and Jeep, among others.  Throughout his career, he has focused relentlessly on strong creative teams and the value of powerful ideas.  This spirit continues to inspire teams at Burnett for world-class clients such as Philip Morris, General Motors, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg's, Samsung and McDonald's.  Previously, Bernardin was chief executive officer of Lowe New York, the flagship office of Lowe Worldwide.  He was also president and chief executive officer of Bozell.

Bernardin serves on the Executive Committee for the Advertising Hall of Fame and is a trustee for The Foundation Fighting Blindness.  He is also a board member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, a member of the Ad Council, and involved with numerous other charitable organizations.

 

Distinguished Alumni Award

David Crane, '58

David Crane is a private practicing psychiatrist and medico-legal consultant.  A Chemistry major, Crane also participated in football, swimming and track while at Hillsdale.  He earned his M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1962, his J.D. from Indiana University School of Law in 1969, and a master's degree in bioethics from Trinity International University in 2005.  Crane served as a field psychiatrist in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star.  In addition to his private practice, Crane worked as an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine for 20 years.  A nationally known forensic psychiatrist, Crane testified in the Lt. William Calley trial and has appeared on numerous TV shows, including the Dick Cavett Show where he debated Jane Fonda, Mark Lane and Gore Vidal.

Crane and his wife, Joan, have four sons - John, Doug, Ethan and Stephen - and seven grandchildren.

 

Distinguished Alumni Award

David Pringle, '65, DTD

David Pringle is president of Luminys Systems Corporation and chief technology officer of Imagility, Inc. and its subsidiaries, one of thich is Luminys.  His compoany produces highly specialized lighting devices for the entertainment industry.  A business administration major at Hillsdale, Pringle jumped into the motion picture industry immediately after graduation, working as a camera assistant in Italy.  Service as an Army liuetenant in Vietnam followed, where he continued to develop his skills while making artilllery training films.  In the late 1970s, Pringle returned to the United States and pursued a career as an independent film producer.  He started his own lighting company in the mid-1980s after realizing the opportunities for doing work with specialized lighting.  He has developed numerous patents and has won two Academy Awards and one Emmy Engineering Award for his work.  Ninety percent of motion picture lighting is done with Pringle's fixtures, and his equipment has been used around the world for concerts, television shows and commercials as well.

Pringle and his wife, Charlene, are the parents of infant twins, Jason and Lisa.

 

Tower Award

Joanne McCray Wexler, '51

Joanne Wexler grew up in Detroit and Darborn, Michigan.  While at Hillsdale College, she enjoyed acting and was a charter member of Alpha Psi Omega dramatic fraternity.  She especially remembers the lasting friendships she made and Dr. Trueblood's psychology classes.  He encouraged her to add a psychology major to her education major.  Following graduation, Wexler taught elementary education in Redford Township, Michigan, and in Grafton, Wisconsin.  She pursued graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, UCLA and Pepperdine University.  In addition to teaching, sha has also worked as a business development manager and a professional travel planner.

Wexler is a deacon in her church, a member of the American Association of University Women and a number of local clubs.  Her most rewarding experience was serving on the Executive Board of Mental Illness of Los Angeles, California, where she focused on educating the public on mental illness and eradicating the stigma that exists regarding mental illness.  Joanne Wexler is married to Norman Wexler and has two sons, Richard and Jeffrey Jones, and two grandsons, Jason and Chris Jones, who she hopes will attend Hillsdale College.  The Wexlers reside in Oceanside, California, and are members of The President's Club.

 

Tower Award

Linda Allen Pavich, '61, PBP

Linda Pavich majored in English and Spanish and minored in social studies, journalism and French at Hillsdale.  She participated in Pi Beta Phi sorority, the yearbook and newspaper staffs, and Model United Nations.  She earned a master's degree from Central Michigan University and also did graduate studies at Wayne State University and Marygrove College.  She began her teaching career at Southwestern and Northern High Schools in Detroit, followed by three years at Roeper City and Country School in Bloomfield Hills.  Since 1984, Pavich has taught English and Spanish at Troy High School.

In addition to teaching, Pavich has served as a consultant for the Collge Board, a state coordinator for national Spanish examinations sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, an advisor to several student clubs, a writer of student handbooks and curriculum, and a member of several district committees in Troy.

In the summer, Pavich has volunteered her time as an assistant coordinator for the Interplast Program for Reconstructive Surgery in Honduras, making housing arrangements for visiting American doctors in Honduras and raising money and making arrangements for patients traveling to the U.S. for treatment.  She continues her involvement with Pi Beta Phi as publicity chairman for  the Bloomfield Hills Alumnae Club.

Pavich and her husband, Robert, have two children, Nina and Nicholas, and two grandchildren, Chloe and Xander.

 

Graduate of the Last Decade Award

Diana Higbee, '96, KKG

Diana Higbee was born in New York City bus has lived most of her life in Paris, France.  While at Hillsdale, she belonged to Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and participated in many music and theatre activities.  Although she took piano and voice lessons as a child, she never intended to make a career out of those talents until she began to develop those skills further at Hillsdale.  She graduated with a music major and continued her studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she earned a master's degree in music.

Upon returning to France, Higbee joined a young artists' program.  She held a variety of jobs and taught voice lessons before her breakthrough performance in the Handel opera Athalia, which was filmed for international television.  Soon afterward, she began receiving offers for roles and began working with an agent.

While she performs mostly in France, Higbee has sung in Germany, Portugal, Holland, New Zealand and China.  She tours six months out o f the year performing opera and sings 20 to 30 concerts a year.  She conitnues to give voice lessons as well.  Recent and upcoming roles include Countess in Marriage of Figaro, Rosalinda in Fledermaus, her debut in Vienna's Kammeroper as Zélide in Le Zephyr, Diane in LaGuirlande, and her debut a the Opera of Madrid (as first witch) in Dido and Aeneas.

 

Graduate of the Last Decade Award

Pamela "PJ" Osgood, '95, CO

Pamela Osgood graduated from Hillsdale with a major in international business and a minor in Spanish.  In 1997, she became the youngest vice president ever of a little known company called It's Just Lunch!, a premier dating service for busy professionals that specializes in low-pressure dates for high-achieving professionals.  It's Just Lunch! has since been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and on Oprah.  Osgood, who serves as part-owner and has been essential in growing the company to over 100 locations, was herself featured on the Today show.  She has also been a regular commentator for FOX News and has published The Guide To Dating In Chicago.  Osgood has been, and continues to be, a major player in an almost one-billion dollar industry.

 

Honorary Alumni Award

Ray Johnson

Ray Johnson served as a chemistry professor at Hillsdale College for 32 years.  A native of LaGrance, Ohio, Johnson received his B.S. with honors in chemistry from Kent State University and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Ohio University.  He completed his doctorate with the assistance of an Atomic Energy Commission research grant.  In 1969, he came to Hillsdale from a position as senior research chemist at PPG Industries.

Johnson taught successfully at all levels of student preparation in chemical science.  He had a strong impact on upperclass majors in research projects and carefully directed their progress.  To support his teaching, Johnson regularly advanced his knowledge of his subject.  He was also active outside of his formal area of academic training, most notably in the area of computers.  He developed a course to teach applications of computers in chemistry.  He studied electronics in a self-study course that is also made available to students.

In 1991, Johnson became chairman of the Chemistry Department.  Under his leadership, the department doubled the size of its faculty and increased its course enrollments and number of majors.  He also served as acting division chairman of the natural sciences for three years.  Upon his retirement in 2001, Johnson was named Emeritus Professor of Chemistry.

Johnson and his wife, Penny, have retired to The Villages, Florida, where they enjoy golfing and traveling.

 

Teacher/Coach Award

John Quaderer, '76

John Quaderer graduated from Hillsdale with a bachelor of science degree in biology and a minor in health and physical education.  He played football for the Chargers, earning all-district honors as a kicker.  In addition, he wrestled and played baseball while at Hillsdale.  He has been employed by the Chesaning Union Schools in Chesaning, Michigan, since 1976.  He taught science classes until last year, when he began teaching health and physical education.  Quaderer coached football for two years but has really made his mark as a wrestling coach, with stints at both Chesaning High School and New Lothrop High School.  His teams have won five state championships, and he has coached 23 individual state champions and 55 state placers.  Quaderer has been recognized for his achievements by being named Michigan Wrestling Association coach of the Year four times and Michigan High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year three times  In 1995, he was named Region 4 Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association.  Last November, Quaderer was inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame.  He is married to Rita and has one son,  three step-daughters and one step-granddaughter.

2007 Alumni Awards

Distinguished Alumni Award

Walter "Trip" Howell III

Walter "Trip" Howell III, '80, is regional director for the Washington, D.C., operations of Jones Lang LaSalle, the largest commercial real estate firm in the world.  A business major at Hillsdale, Howell also belonged to Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.  He participated in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program (WHIP) his junior year, which led him to return to Washington following graduation.  He worked for two different senators and the governor of Iowa over the course of the next few years before switching to a career in real estate.  Additionally, Howell has been active in re-establishing a school in Alexandria, Virginia, for children with learning disabilities that was on the verge of shutting down due to financial difficulties.  The school, reconstituted as the Commonwealth Academy, has flourished in recent years and plans to expand its student body.

Howell and his wife, Christine, have three children - Brady, Ian and Suzie.

 

Distinguished Alumni Award

Howard E. Mudd Jr.

(Awarded May 2007)

Howard Mudd, '64, is in his tenth season as offensive line coach of the 2007 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts, and his 34th consecutive season as an NFL offensive line coach.  His tenure of consecutive seasons as an NFL assistant coach ranks first in the league.  He previously served in the same capacity with Seattle, Kansas City, Cleveland, San Francisco and San Diego.  Mudd was a starting guard and team captain for the Charger football team.  He holds a bachelor's degree in biology and is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame.  He had an eight-year NFL playing career with San Francisco (1964-69) and Chicago (1969-71).  Mudd was a three-time Pro Bowl starter (1966-68) and twice earned first-team All-NFL honors (1967-68).  He was named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 1960s and was a member of the 49ers' All-Golden Era Team (1946-70).

A native of Midland, Mudd and his wife, Shirley, have three children - Ami, Adam and Darren.

 

Distinguished Alumni Award

Edward Peper Jr.

Ed Peper, '84, was appointed Division General Manager of Chevrolet in March 2005.  Previously, he was regional general manager for General Motors Northeast Region since February 2004.  He also previously held the position of vice president of sales for Saab Cars, USA.  Peper joined General Motors in 1984 as a Cadillac sales representative.  Throughout his 23-year career, he has held many different field sales and marketing management positions with Cadillac Motor Car Division.  Prior to taking the Saab position in February 2003, he held the positions of Chevrolet regional divisional marketing manager and regional sales manager for the GM Northeast Region.

A native of Detroit, Peper received his bachelor of arts degree in English.  He also holds a master of business administration degree from the University of Chicago.

Peper is a member of the Detroit Economic Club, is a Safe Kids Worldwide corporate advisory board member, and a member of the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame.  He and his wife have one daughter, Emma.

 

Tower Award

Philip and Lilian Rick, '45, '42

Lilian Libby Rick was born and raised in Maine, but she traveled to Michigan to attend Hillsdale at the suggestion of her grandfather, 1887 alumnus and past secretary/treasurer of the College Lorenzo E. Dow.  She majored in English and Spanish and belonged to Chi Omega sorority.  Lilian also met her future husband, Philip, while at Hillsdale. She graduated in 1942 and taught high school for one year in Maine before enrolling at the University of Michigan, where she earned a master's degree in 1944.  She began teaching at Macalester College in Minnesota that fall.  When Phil, a music major, returned from two years of service in the Navy, they married and took up residence in Hillsdale, where Phil joined his father in the automobile business.

Lilian began teaching Spanish at Hillsdale College in 1946, taking a few years off after the births of their two sons, Jonathan and Doug.  In 1969, she began doctoral studies at Michigan State University, earning her Ph.D. in 1973, an accomplishment she says was made possible only through Phil's constant aid and encouragement.  Her dissertation on Jovellanosa, a writer and thinker of the Enlightenment, was published by the Center for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of Oviedo, Spain.  In 1991, Lilian retired from full-time teaching but continued teaching an advanced seminar in Spanish for several years.

Phil and Lilian have traveled extensively around the world, especially in Spain and Latin America.  They participate in a wide variety of civic, charitable and church activities.  They established the Lilian Libby Rick Foreign Study Scholarship at Hillsdale College to assist students studying abroad in Germany, France or Spain.

 

Honorary Alumni Award

ConnaRose "Connie" Bricker

Connie Bricker served as director of Financial Aid at Hillsdale College from 1972 until her retirement in June 2005.  During those 33 years, the Financial Aid Office grew from a quiet two-person operation to a busy hub of activity with nine employees administering more than 600 scholarships and numerous grants, loans and work-study programs for over 90 percent of the student body.

When Hillsdale made the brave decision to find replacement money for all federal taxpayer-subsidized financial aid, Bricker sought creative ways for Hillsdale to remain competitive.  One of the largest and most successful programs has been the Hillsdale Tradition Award, a half-tuition scholarship that assists "B" average students who demonstrate financial need and must commit to a work and volunteerism component.  In 2006, Bricker was inducted into the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame for her work in helping hundreds of student-athletes afford a Hillsdale education.

Since her retirement, Bricker has written and published one "coming of age" book, and is currently working on a collection of children's stories yet to be published.  She is the mother of two children, Larry and Lisa, both Hillsdale College alumni, and the grandmother of four.  Two granddaughters, Chelsea and Ashley, are currently students at Hillsdale College.  She lives in Jonesville with her husband, John.

 

Honorary Alumni Award

Dan Joldersma

Dan Joldersma grew up in the Holland, Michigan, area.  He graduated from Calvin College with an A.B. in English in 1966.  He worked weekends and summers during college at the Holland Evening Sentinel and met Barbara Jean Granberg, whom he married in 1967.  He taught English and journalism at Whitehall High School from 1966-1970.  From there, Joldersma went to the University of Michigan, earning a master's degree in library science in 1971.  He worked as the librarian at the University of Michigan School of Public Health from 1972-1977 before accepting the position of Mossey Library director at the College.

Under Joldersma's leadership, Mossey Library doubled its staff and size.  He oversaw the addition of the Leighton/Taylor Wing in 1994.  The library's collection increased from 50,000 to 350,000 books.  In 2001, he relinquished the director's reins and took on the role of reference librarian, a role that allowed him to teach students how to use the library's collection better.  He retired in 2005 after 38 years of service to the College and the capture of 14 bats in the library.

Joldersma and his wife, Barbara, returned to their native Holland to a home 200 yards from Lake Michigan.  Their son Dirk and his family live and work in Washington, D.C., while son Kevin and his family live and work in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.  They have four grandchildren.

 

Honorary Alumni Award

Paul Lucas

Paul Lucas joined the Hillsdale College Physics Department in 1977, after teaching at Heidelberg College for several years.  A native of Holland, Michigan, Lucas earned his bachelor's degree from Hope College, his M.S. from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University.  He retired in 2006 after 29 years of service to Hillsdale College.

In addition to his duties in the classroom, Lucas supervised the Physics Department's portable StarLab planetarium, which is used by local schools.  As an accomplished pianist, he was as much a fixture in the Music Department as in the sciences, providing accompaniment for numerous student recitals at the College and at Hillsdale Academy.

In 2001-2002, Lucas and his wife, Kristin, took a year-long sabbatical and traveled to Bratislava, Slovakia.  She taught English at a bilingual high school run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Slovakia, and he found himself an "unofficial teacher" of a science and religion class while also researching a physics project and playing the organ for Sunday services.

Lucas and his wife have three daughters - Karin, Anne and Mary - and one grandchild.

 

Honorary Alumni Award

Don Toczek

Don Toczek joined the Hillsdale College Biology Department in 1967.  He earned his bachelor's degree in entomology in 1961 from Purdue University, followed by master's and doctoral degrees in entomology from North Dakota State University in 1963 and 1967, respectively.  During his 38 years in the classroom he saw significant development in the Biology Department, such as a doubling in space, a huge advancement in science equipment, an expanded curriculum and opportunities for studying different concentrations in biology through off-campus research in northern Michigan, Florida and South Africa.

In addition to his teaching duties, Toczek served as advisor to Beta Beta Beta biology honorary, the Catholic Student Council and Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.  He was voted Professor of the Year in 1972 and in 2005.  Since retirement, he has enjoyed traveling around the country and working on projects around his home.

Toczek and his wife, Sandra, have three children - David, Rebecca and Michael - and two grandchildren.

 

Honorary Alumni Award

Dr. John Willson

Dr. Willson taught more than 30 different history courses at Hillsdale College in 30 years, retiring in 2005.  Prior to coming to Hillsdale, he taught at St. Louis University, State University of New York - Courtland, Syracuse University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1969, and Perry High School (New York).  During his years at Hillsdale, Willson was named Professor of the Year three times, won the Daugherty Award for Teaching Excellence, and was named one of "Four Terrific Teachers" in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press in 1986.  He introduced the current required freshman history sequence and was one of four main authors of the Hillsdale College core curriculum in the early 1990s.  Willson estimates that he has taught over 12,500 students in 44 years, ranging from high school sophomores to senior citizens.

In addition to his College teaching duties, Willson has also lectured for Hillsdale Hostels, Center for Constructive Alternatives seminars and numerous other College and community groups.  He authored the We the People series, short books on the American Founding, for Hillsdale College Press.  At various times, he has served as an assistant coach for the Charger football team.  He was inducted into the Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.  He has also given over 250 sermons, homilies and adult lessons at Christ Church, Hillsdale, and other churches since 1987.

Willson enjoys golf and gardening in his retirement.  He and his wife of 46 years, Helen, have three daughters - Julianne, Laura and Amy - ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

 

GOLD Award (Graduate of the Last Decade)

Abigail Gebfert Butler

Abigail Butler, '97, earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry with a minor in biology.  As a student, she belonged to Pi Beta Phi sorority and was a cheerleader.  Following her Hillsdale graduation, she attended Michigan State University - DCL College of Law.

Butler joined the Fort Wayne office of Baker and Daniels law firm in 2000.  She concentrates her practice in intellectual property and product liability litigation.  She has litigated matters involving a wide variety of medical devices and consumer products, and she has extensive experience in managing issues that often develop during complex patent litigation.  She also is licensed to practice in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and has represented clients in the preparation of patent applications and prosecution of patent matters.

In 2004, Butler was featured on the cover of Working Mother magazine after its editors selected her essay as the winner of its "Why do you work?" contest.  She and her husband, William, have a daughter, Lauren.

GOLD Award (Graduate of the Last Decade)

Jessye Wright

Raised in Bowling Green, Ohio, Jessye Wright, '96, was named after acclaimend opera singer Jessye Norman, which, according to Wright, "sealed her fate" as a singer.  She began taking piano lessons at the age of four and gave her first theatrical performance in a third-grade musical.  At Hillsdale College, Wright majored in Christian studies and French with a minor in music.  When she landed a summer role at the Aspen Opera Theater Center in Colorado her senior year, Wright realized that she wanted a career in opera.

Wright made her Carnegie Hall debut in a performance featuring solos from the Messiah with Maestro Jonathan Griffith.  Recent engagements also include the title role in Carmen at Ravinia Music Festival with Opera Theatre North; Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Chattanooga Opera; an opera gala performance for Toledo Opera; and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra.  Additionally, Wright has performed at her alma mater several times, including the role of Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus and a performance at the Founders Campaign Gala.

A past national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, Wright received the Ardis Krainik Memorial Prize in Voice from Chicago's National Bel Canto Foundation, and won second place in the 2005 International Classical Singer Competition.  In 2005, Symphony magazine named Wright an "Upwardly Musical Artist on the Move."

 

Teacher/Coach Award

George Porritt

George Porritt, '79, is the athletic director and head football and basketball coach at Orchard Lake St. Mary's Preparatory.  He graduated from Clarkston High School in 1975.  An All-State quarterback, he went on to play football at Hillsdale College, where he was captain of the Chargers his senior year.  He came to St. Mary's Preparatory in 1986 as an assistant football coach under Rob Hager.  In 1989, Porritt took over as the head football coach of the Eaglets.

Since Porritt has been head football coach, his Eaglet teams have complied an impressive record, which includes eight league championships, nine Prep Bowl victories, five district titles, six regional titles, one semifinal appearance (1993), two state runner-up spots (2001, 2004) and three state championships (1994, 1999, 2000).

Porritt's teams have also had three perfect 9-0 regular seasons (1993, 1994, 1997).  His Eaglets had a string of 23 consecutive regular season victories and were ranked 14th in the final USA Today poll in 1994.  His record now stands at 161 wins and 38 losses.  He is the all-time winningest football coach at St. Mary's Preparatory.

In his tenure as head basketball coach of the Eaglets, Porritt has won nine league championships, five Catholic league titles, two Detroit city titles, seven districts, two regionals and one state title.  His coaching record is 219 wins and 89 losses.

Porritt was also the head lacrosse coach in 1997 and 1998, and his Eaglet teams won two state titles.

Porritt and his wife, Terry, live in Clarkston and have three children - Kenneth, Marilyn and Mason.