Hillsdale College Honors Four Alumni at 70th Annual Alumni Awards Banquet
Hillsdale, Mich. — Hillsdale College presented four distinguished alumni awards for outstanding achievement in various post-graduate work at its 70th annual Alumni Awards Banquet on Sept. 24. The banquet was one of many of the College’s fall Homecoming events and took place at the Searle Center. All four recipients said a few words.
“It was a joy to hear these alumni discuss their time at Hillsdale College and how that time impacted their careers in positive ways,” said Colleen McGinness, executive director of Alumni Relations. “Alumni Relations looks forward to this event every year. Our alumni are always welcome back to campus.”
Among those honored were:
- Howard Smith, ’68, who received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Management/Marketing. Smith began his career serving his country in the U.S. Coast Guard. Following his time with the Coast Guard, he went on to work for the Wilson Bohannan Lock Company — the family business of his late wife, Pam. Throughout Smith’s 48-year career with Wilson Bohannan, he started in the accounting department and worked his way up to president and CEO. At Hillsdale College, Smith majored in history and was a member of the football and track teams.
- Jared Veldheer, ’09, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Athletics. Veldheer is a retired NFL offensive tackle and was a four-year starter at Hillsdale from 2006-2009. He was drafted in the third round by the Oakland Raiders (69th overall) in the 2010 NFL draft. He went on to spend most of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, but played also for the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and the Indianapolis Colts. During his time at Hillsdale, Veldheer led the Chargers to their first NCAA Division II playoff berth in 2009, the same year he earned All-American honors by the American Football Coaches Association. Veldheer, who was a biology major, now serves as a director of health and wellness for Strategies Wealth Advisors.
- Joy Pavelski Pullmann, ’09, received the Distinguished Alumna Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Journalism. Pullman graduated from the Hillsdale College honors program with an English major and journalism concentration. She received statewide collegiate honors for her reporting and commentary and is currently a research fellow on education policy for the Heartland Institute as well as managing editor of online magazine The Federalist. Pullman has been published by The New York Times, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Times, The Salt Lake Tribune, Washington Examiner
- Ronald C. Gladnick, ’83, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Entrepreneurship/Leadership. Gladnick is a former defensive lineman for the Chargers who played on the 1980 and 1982 GLIAC Championship teams and was named All-American. He spent time working as the defensive line coach for the Chargers and worked in the Corporate Development Office before moving to San Diego in 1991. In San Diego, Gladnick established Apical Industries, which was responsible for 90 percent of the market share of helicopter flotation systems. Currently, he is the head football coach at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California, and has turned the failing program into a championship team.
Find photos from the event here.