A president of a college, a chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a state supreme court justice are a few of the alumni who received awards during homecoming weekend.
The college hosted its 62nd annual alumni awards banquet on Sept. 27, giving awards to six people, most of them alumni who had achieved distinction in their fields.
This year, a new element made the ceremony special: each of the alumni was introduced by a faculty or staff member with whom he had developed a personal relationship during his time in college.
Grigor Hasted, director of alumni relations, and the man who organized the event, said the banquet this year was especially nice, largely due to the way the awards and recipients were presented.
“There was something about the chemistry of this particular group that, in combination with the connection with the presenters, made for a very special banquet,” he said.
College President Larry Arnn introduced Ryan Walsh `09 with the Graduate of the Last Decade award. Walsh, who was president of his class, is now a clerk for U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia.
Walsh said in an email that he was happy to hear Arnn would be introducing him.
“I knew he’d make it funny,” he said. “I also knew I was in for a bit of a roast, which promised to be amusing.”
Journalism Program Director John J. Miller introduced Thomas H. Cobb, who received an honorary alumnus award for his exemplary service and loyalty to the college. A graduate of Michigan State University, Cobb is the founder of the Cobb Shotgun Team Scholarship and the Thomas H. Cobb Endowed Scholarship in Objective Journalism.
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen introduced John Lauria, who is completing his term as president of the Alumni Executive Board and received the Tower Award.
“Having Dean Petersen introduce me brought tears to my eyes,” Lauria said. “Aaron and I have known each other since third grade. He knows my life story as well as I do.”
Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science Jack Reinoehl introduced Troy VanAkin `89, who received the Excellence in Education award. VanAkin is the president of Thiel College in Greenville, Penn.
“We were kind of lucky with Van Akin,” Hasted noted. “Jack’s the only one in the math department who was here when VanAkin was in school.”
Reinoehl was VanAkin’s adviser during his time at the college.
David Viviano ’94 received the Distinguished Alumnus award after being introduced by Professor of History Tom Conner. A justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, Viviano had Conner as a history professor when he attended Hillsdale.
Stephen Van Andel was unable to attend the banquet, but also received the Distinguished Alumnus award. Van Andel is the Chairman of Amway, a direct-selling company, and recently became chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Van Andel received his award the Wednesday after the banquet, when he spoke about principled leadership at a “Food for Thought” luncheon.
Members of the Alumni Executive Board, the alumni office, and the president’s office work together every year on deciding who should receive the awards, Joyce Curby of the alumni office said. She said recipients are usually involved in business, politics, or the arts, and awards are often given following a significant event in someone’s life.
This year, Lauria received his award at the close of his term as president of the Alumni Board,and Van Andel received his after being appointed to the Chamber of Commerce chair.
Lauria said even though he was president of a board that was involved in deciding who received awards, he was not involved in any of the discussions.
Hasted said it was good to see current students, faculty, staff, and alumni all come together to celebrate at the banquet.
“I love the interaction that you have when an alum comes back who’s obviously achieved a lot in their lifetime and the professor who knows them is still there,” Hasted said. “That’s a special thing to see.”
