MAILED: May 7, 2001
EAU CLAIRE— The UW-Eau
Claire Alumni Association will present awards to five alumni or friends of the
university at a special dinner and ceremony May 18.
Clark
Williams, a 1989 UW-Eau Claire political science graduate, will receive the
Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award, which acknowledges special achievements and
great promise of alumni who are within 15 years of their graduation from
UW-Eau Claire.
Williams, who
earned a master of social work degree from New York University’s Ehrenkranz
School of Social Work, is former executive director of You Are Never Alone (YANA)
in Baltimore, Md. YANA is a nonprofit social service organization dedicated to
providing comprehensive health services to women involved in prostitution.
Williams has also worked as a mental health therapist and clinical director
for YANA; a psychotherapist in the sex crimes unit of the Brooklyn, N.Y.,
district attorney’s office; a social worker with the AIDS center of St.
Vincent’s Hospital in New York City; and a bereavement counselor in Long
Island College Hospital’s labor and delivery unit.
“Clark has
truly been a tireless worker who has dedicated himself to providing social
work and mental health services to the most vulnerable people in our
society,” said John Bachmeier, UW-Eau Claire director of alumni relations.
“I am
humbled beyond words to receive such a prestigious award from my alma
mater,” Williams said. “UW-Eau Claire has graduated so many alumni who
have dedicated their lives to improving their communities, so I am very
honored to be selected for particular mention.”
Carol Gabler
will be one of two recipients of the President’s Award, which recognizes
unusual professional or personal achievements or service to UW-Eau Claire.
Gabler, who earned her master’s degree in teaching from UW-Eau Claire in
1980, is an employee of Chippewa Valley Technical College and has been
assigned as executive director of Literacy Volunteers of America-Chippewa
Valley since 1989.
LVA-CV
provides one-to-one tutoring, citizenship preparation, literacy services at
job sites and jails, computer labs, adult basic education, family programs,
and book groups in Eau Claire, Chippewa, and Dunn counties. The number of
students served annually has risen 140 percent since the program was founded.
“Carol has
meant so much to the adult and family literacy program in the Chippewa
Valley,” Bachmeier said. “I can’t imagine where it would be without her
dedication.”
“I really feel
like I am one member of a great team doing our jobs in the area of literacy,”
Gabler said. “This award needs to be shared with all the people I am lucky to
work with each day. The literacy program in Eau Claire is stronger because of
the contributions of students, faculty, staff and alumni from UW-Eau Claire.”
Daniel Hauge
also will receive the President’s Award. Hauge, a 1983 UW-Eau Claire
management information systems graduate and Pigeon Falls native, is manager of
information management data center operations for United Space Alliance, which
handles all aspects of the space shuttle program for the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration. Hauge, who also earned a master’s degree in business
administration from the Florida Institute of Technology, has worked with the
space shuttle program at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center since 1985.
“As a child,
Dan dreamed that someday he would be involved with the country’s space
exploration program,” Bachmeier said. “Today he’s an integral part of
NASA’s space shuttle program at the Kennedy Space Center.”
“Thank you to
everyone at UW-Eau Claire,” Hauge said. “This university is all about
excellence in preparing its students for the challenges they will encounter. I
have always had great pride in being a UW-Eau Claire alumnus and in my degree
programs and career preparation at UW-Eau Claire.”
Henry Lippold,
UW-Eau Claire professor of communication and journalism, will be one of two
recipients of the Honorary Alumnus Award, which is presented to non-alumni who
have demonstrated great love and service to UW-Eau Claire. Lippold established
the university’s broadcast journalism program in 1972 and is retiring this
month. He has trained a legion of radio and TV journalists across the country
and has received numerous local, regional and national awards for his
outstanding contributions and service in broadcast journalism.
While serving as
acting chair of the journalism department from May 1992 to August 1993, Lippold
played a significant role in the merger of that department and the department of
communication arts to form the current department of communication and
journalism. During his tenure at UW-Eau Claire, Lippold served on numerous
university committees and was campus chapter adviser for Kappa Tau Alpha, the
national journalism honorary society, and for the Society of Professional
Journalists. He was also a cofounder of the Western Wisconsin Press Club.
“Henry Lippold
has been a staple at UW-Eau Claire for a long, long time,” Bachmeier said.
“The impact he has had on the lives of his students has been tremendous. His
work ethic is unmatched.”
“This is a
signal honor,” Lippold said. “I'm proud to be a part of a university that
blends the liberal arts with professional programs as this one does. Certainly,
this is a signal school — distinguished from the ordinary. Now I'll be linked
to it forever. What could be better?”
The Rev. Donald
Wisner also will receive the Honorary Alumnus Award. Wisner is the pastor of
University Lutheran Church, a special mission congregation of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America’s Division of Higher Education and Schools. The
congregation, which includes many people from Eau Claire and its surrounding
communities, serves students and staff at UW-Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley
Technical College. Wisner, who has more than 30 years of campus ministry and
teaching experience, has been pastor of University Lutheran Church for 17 years.
Wisner also has
served a number of university, community and church organizations. He is a
member of the university’s Forum Series Advisory Board and National Youth
Sports Advisory Committee; a former member of the university’s Hunger
Awareness, Wellness and Diversity committees; past dean of the Chippewa Valley
Conference of the ELCA’s Northwest Synod of Wisconsin; a member of the L.E.
Phillips Senior Center board of directors; and a member of the Eau Claire Parks
and Recreation Half Moon Lake study group.
“Don Wisner is
a leader who contributes to so many important efforts in the Chippewa Valley,”
Bachmeier said. “He’s a wonderful example of how an individual can
contribute to making our community a better place to live and work.”
“I’m
honored, humbled by this award,” Wisner said. “In a sense, I feel like this
is honoring the contributions of campus ministry. I will be accepting this on
behalf of a whole community of people who really care about the church’s
presence in higher education.”
The reception
and dinner honoring the five award recipients will be at 6 p.m. in the Council
Fire Room of Davies Center. The awards ceremony will follow the dinner. Tickets
for the event are $9 and must be purchased in advance. For additional
information or to purchase tickets, call the Alumni Association at (715)
836-3266.
-30-
JP
[Administrative Offices]
[News Bureau]
Janice B. Wisner
UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
Schofield 201
(715) 836-4741
newsbur@uwec.edu
Updated: May 7, 2001
|
