April 21, 2016
MILWAUKEE — Marquette University will honor 50 accomplished alumni and friends during Alumni National Awards Weekend, April 28-30, for their personal achievements and support of the university.
Short profiles of the honorees, including Alumni of the Year Margaret and Richard Sibbernsen, are available on the Alumni National Awards website. The site allows individuals to send a congratulatory message or make a gift in honor of an award recipient. Event registration information for any of the 13 college-specific events during the weekend is also available online.
Alumni of the Year Award: Margaret Conway Sibbernsen and Richard D. Sibbernsen
The Sibbernsen's don't let geography stand in the way of their work and volunteer activities. Their home base is in the Chicago suburbs; Dick teaches at business schools on three continents; they have dual U.S. and Australian citizenship; and both volunteer extensively — working every day to Be The Difference.
In retirement, when they are not spending time with their five grown children and 11 grandchildren, Dick and Meg find that sense of purpose through a variety of volunteer activities. Meg provides free tax preparation assistance for low-income individuals and families through Moraine (Ill.) Township. She is also involved with Project Linus, knitting new handmade blankets for children who are ill, traumatized or in need.
Dick serves his local community through the Ignatian Volunteer Corps of Chicago, with which he connected in 2009 at the recommendation of Marquette's 22nd president, Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., now the university's chancellor. Dick teaches a "rethinking your thinking" course to inmates of the Lake County Jail in Waukegan, Ill., and provides pro bono legal services to low-income Hispanic individuals and families there.
The couple has supported its alma mater in various ways and most recently committed resources to support scholarships for women in technology. Through the giving of their time, talent and resources, Dick and Meg are living the Marquette-instilled values of Ignatian spirituality: learn, earn and return.
Professional Achievement Award: Donald A. McGovern, Jr.
A missed opportunity led Donald A. McGovern to find his professional calling. After earning his Marquette degree in history, he thought he would go to law school, but the admissions deadline passed him by. So he did something practical while waiting to apply for the following year: He took an undergraduate accounting class.
Shortly after he discovered his accounting ability, his wife, Irene, Arts '72, entered a graduate program at Northwestern University and the couple moved to the Chicago area, where McGovern earned his M.B.A. at DePaul University. Eventually, Irene also earned her M.B.A. there. After DePaul, McGovern joined PwC, rose through the ranks during his time in Chicago and, in 1987, was offered a partnership in the firm, which relocated him to San Jose.
Retired since 2013, McGovern remains active in business as a member of three corporate boards. He enjoys biking, has taken up golf and is appreciating the time retirement allows him to spend with his young grandsons.
Service to the Community Award: Veronica Zeps Pruhs and Ronald J. Pruhs
For Veronica (Ronni) and Ronald (Ron) Pruhs, service work in the neediest areas of the world is a spiritual calling. Throughout their lives together, they have channeled their compassion and devoted their time and talents to medical missions around the globe.
The couple met in 1960 and married in 1962 while Ron was studying at the School of Dentistry. In the mid-1990s, the Pruhs began focusing on Haiti, traveling at least annually to provide pediatric dental care in an orphanage. They eventually established a dental clinic at St. Damien's Children's Hospital near Port au Prince. Their sons, Matt, Dent '99, David, Law '91, and Martin, Law '95, now also make annual trips to Haiti.
Although their more recent trips have presented some challenges for this couple in their mid-70s, the Pruhs recently returned from Haiti in early February. They transported a year's worth of supplies for the St. Damien's clinic and screened 450 children in the orphanage, referring those needing dental treatment to the clinic.
Service to Marquette Award: Louis J. Andrew, Jr.
Louis J. Andrew is humble about his work on behalf of his alma mater, preferring to share credit with others. But his energy, advocacy and ideas have without question advanced Marquette, and the Law School's gleaming Eckstein Hall is visible evidence of his ability to get things done.
Andrew, who has practiced real estate law in his hometown of Fond du Lac, Wis., for close to 50 years, began assisting with Law School fundraising more than two decades ago, offering to help former dean Howard Eisenberg, who saw room for improvement in the funds being raised to support the school. The two began to strategize over lunch and soon established the Law School's first Advisory Board, which Andrew chaired for 15 years. He says he and Howard met every month until the dean's unexpected death in 2002.
When it became clear in the early 2000s that the Law School needed a building to reflect and advance its world-class education and distinctive sense of community, Andrew's work as a member of the Law School Building Committee kicked into high gear. He researched fundraising approaches, led strategy development for the building's campaign and helped advancement leaders network with and cultivate donors.
Spirit of Marquette Award: Dr. Shital Chauhan Vora
While on a mission trip to Honduras in 2003, Shital Vora was moved by the extreme poverty and captivated by the spirit of the villagers she served. Her desire to create a more sustainable way to help led her to co-found Global Brigades, now the world's largest student-led international development organization.
The 450 university chapters of Global Brigades are in six countries. They deploy more than 7,500 students annually to Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua and Ghana to provide medical care, advance public health and economic development, address environmental issues and champion human rights.
Vora formed the first Marquette Medical Brigade not long after her initial Honduras trip, rounding up about 25 Marquette classmates and two health care professionals for a 2003–04 winter break mission. By 2005, there were nearly 80 chapters at campuses across the country.
Today, she is based in Chicago and runs Global Brigades with co-founder Steven Atamian and a leadership team that includes her husband, Pallav Vora.
Friend of the University Award: Burke Foundation, Inc.
Dick Burke, Bus Ad '56, believed that "If you are fortunate enough to gain resources in this world, you have a responsibility to give back to society." He amassed significant resources as the founder of Trek Bicycle Corp., which grew from humble beginnings in Waterloo, Wis., to become the world's premier bicycle company. The entrepreneur's namesake foundation has given $15.7 million to Marquette to support undergraduate and graduate-level scholarship programs that incorporate volunteer service as a key component.
Burke, who passed away in 2008, served as a Marquette trustee from 1996–2005 and was elected a trustee emeritus. He was recognized as a distinguished alumnus in 1995 and received an honorary doctorate of letters from the university in 2006. He established his foundation in 1995. Originally called the Trinity Foundation, the Burke Foundation works to make a positive difference in the lives of children and youth with a focus on education access, as well as the character and intellectual development of youth and future leaders.
The foundation has established two scholarship programs at Marquette for students who display special talents for public service and leadership in the tradition of Catholic, Jesuit higher education.
Each college will honor outstanding alumni at events throughout the weekend. The names of the alumni who be honored are below. Visit the Marquette University National Alumni Awards website for additional information on each award winner.
Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – Dr. Herman J. Viola, Falls Church, Va.
Professional Achievement Award – Jay O. Rothman, Whitefish Bay, Wis.
A Person for Others Award – Richard C. Shadyac, Jr., Memphis, Tenn.
Young Alumnus of the Year Award – Seth T. Gurgel, Beijing
Association of Marquette University Women
Mary Neville Bielefeld Award – Mary J. Weller, Elm Grove, Wis.
College of Business Administration
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – George H. Juetten, Boise, Idaho
Professional Achievement Award – Robert M. Bordeman, Hinsdale, Ill.
Entrepreneurial Award – Mark S. Rampolla, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Young Alumna of the Year Award – Karin Synold Morris, Highland Village, Texas
William and Mary Diederich College of Communication
Communicator of the Year Award – Len J. Kasper, Glencoe, Ill.
By-Line Award – Michael C. Hiestand, Ferndale, Wash.
Professional Achievement Award – Katherine Kuehl Burgess, Green Bay, Wis.
James T. Tiedge Memorial Award – Brian C. Wensel, Simi Valley, Calif.
Distinguished Alumnus in Dentistry Award – Patrick M. Lloyd, D.D.S., Columbus, Ohio
Outstanding Dental Service Award – Robert P. Kustra, D.D.S., Franklin, Wis.
Young Alumnus of the Year Award – Ryan T. Braden, D.D.S., Lake Geneva, Wis.
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award – Dr. Donna Knipple Hargens, Louisville, Ky.
Educational Policy and Leadership Achievement Award – Dr. Mark T. Joerres, New Berlin, Wis.
Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Achievement Award – Julian M. Swartz, Memphis, Tenn.
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – Edward G. Parrone, East Rochester, N.Y.
Entrepreneurial Award – Mark A. Gehring, Monona, Wis.
Professional Achievement Award – Adonica Henley Randall, Oconomowoc, Wis.
Young Alumnus of the Year Award – Jason A. Schoen, Seattle
Professional Achievement Award – Dr. Paul F. Reuteman, La Crosse, Wis.
Service Award – Janice Robinson Moreland, Las Vegas
Young Alumna of the Year Award – Dr. Amy E. Liepert, Madison, Wis.
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award – Dr. Anne M. Hanneken, La Jolla, Calif.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Thomas M. Braatz, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Young Alumna of the Year Award – Kareeda Chones-Aguam, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
M Club Hy Popuch Memorial Service Award – Michael P. Sucharda, Racine, Wis.
Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award – Charles J. Lyon, St. Charles, Ill.
Alumna of the Year Award – Hon. Diane Schwerm Sykes, Mequon, Wis.
Lifetime Achievement Award – L. William Staudenmaier and Mary L. Staudenmaier, Wauwatosa, Wis. and Marinette, Wis.
Howard B. Eisenberg Service Award – Bernard J. Westfahl, Jr., Fox Point, Wis.
Charles W. Mentkowski Sports Law Alumnus of the Year Award – Brent C. Moberg, South Bend, Ind.
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award – Janice Hudson Ancona, Racine, Wis.
Service Award – Dr. Darlene Thier Weis, Pewaukee, Wis.
Young Alumna of the Year Award – Dr. Jamie J. Skipper, Bowie, Ph.D.
Friends of the College of Nursing Award – Stacey Stocker Glowinski and John J. Glowinski, Carol Stream, Ill.
College of Professional Studies
Spirit of the College of Professional Studies Award – Rosemarie E. Meagher, Elm Grove, Wis.
Leadership Excellence Award – Inspector Jutiki C. Jackson, Milwaukee
Alumni Association Board of Directors
Pedro Arrupe Award – Jayger McGough Tomasino, San Salvador, El Salvador
Les Aspin Center for Government
Distinguished Alumnus Award – John K. Wilson, Brookfield, Wis.
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