• "Whenever They Call and Need Help, I Say Yes": Dartmouth Alumni Award Winners Lead the Way

    Tuesday, August 21, 2012

For nearly 60 years, the Dartmouth Alumni Award has recognized graduates who have given their all to their alma mater. From serving on reunion committees to interviewing prospective applicants, they volunteer in almost every way imaginable. Alumni are eligible for the award following their 25th class reunion, and are chosen by an Alumni Council committee comprised of past winners. Recipients of the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award (founded in 1990) are eligible for the honor within 15 years of graduating and are also selected by a committee composed of past honorees.

Meet the winners of the 2012-13 awards.

Dartmouth Alumni Award Winners

PrestonKelsey100Rev. Preston T. Kelsey II '58 majored in economics during his time at Dartmouth, where he was also a manager for the football team and a member of Delta Tau Delta. After graduation, he headed to Berkeley, California, earning an MDiv from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 1961. An ordained Episcopal priest, Kelsey has served posts all over the country and the world, from San Mateo, California, to Yorkshire, England. In 1984, Kelsey was named the executive director for theological education at the Episcopal Church headquarters in New York City. With a desire to stay involved with the school that two of his children, his father, and his brother attended, Kelsey has volunteered with Dartmouth in a number of different posts through the years. He has been a two-term class secretary and served on the President's Advisory Committee, the 40th and 45th Reunion Committees (he was chair of the 50th), and the Alumni Council. "Volunteering allows me to keep in touch with the school," says Kelsey, who lives in Lake Fairlee, Vermont, and Hanover with his wife, Virginia.

Dougwise100Doug Wise '59 has served the College in a multitude of ways. After majoring in history at Dartmouth, he spent three years in the military. He earned an MBA in marketing at Columbia and began a career in advertising, including 30 years with The Interpublic Group of Companies. In 1993, Wise launched his own consulting firm, The Wise Associates. He has served his class as vice president, secretary, webmaster, class agent, and chair of its 35th, 40th, 45th, and 50th reunions. A resident of Grantham, he has consulted to Dartmouth on brand development; served as an alumni career advisor; co-founded Dartmouth Partners in Community Service; and hosted international students with his wife, Joanne. For Wise, the biggest thrill in staying close to the College is being involved with students. "These kids are so talented," Wise says. "It's so much fun watching them develop as they prepare to become tomorrow's global leaders."

TomDaniels100Tom Daniels '82 was an everyman during his time at Dartmouth, enjoying activities from rugby and debate to photography and fraternity life. An Asian studies major, Daniels went to the University of Chicago for his MBA and spent more than 20 years in banking. Eight years ago, he switched careers and entered the field of executive search at Spencer Stuart in New York City. A married father of two, Daniels began volunteering for Dartmouth "out of the box." He has been a class president, reunion coordinator, class agent, alumni interviewer, district enrollment director, and member of the Alumni Council, where he served on the Executive Committee, headed the Honorary Degrees Committee, and chaired the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee for two years. During his past two class reunions, he has moderated panels for those who have made or may be thinking about career or lifestyle changes. Daniels says, "One of the best parts about being a Dartmouth alum is that although we all started with a common experience and people took different paths afterwards, we keep coming back to each other, which is inspiring."

Garry_leigh_smLeigh Garry '84 studied government and political science. She went on to St. John's Law School and has been in private practice since 1994. Married to Bob Garry '80 and a mother of three--including a rising Dartmouth senior--she is very active in her local community of Mamaroneck, New York, where her accomplishments include co-founding one of the country's largest youth lacrosse leagues, chairing the board for the Windward School, and serving as president of the Episcopal Church Women for St. John's Church. Her desire to help others benefits her alma mater as well. "I try to help in any way they ask me to," she says of her relationship with Dartmouth. Garry has been president of her class and presided over its newsletter, conducted more than 300 interviews for admissions, and has been on every reunion committee. She was also recognized at Dartmouth's 25th reunion as one of the winners of the Participation Award for Reunion Giving. "For me, going to Dartmouth was a blessing and I'm really thankful for my education. Whenever they call and need help, I say yes."

AndreaLordan100Andrea Lordan '86 is a Renaissance woman when it comes to volunteering for Dartmouth, helping out with everything from admissions to communications. A computer science major, Lordan worked for Bank of Boston (now Bank of America) after graduating. These days, she is an early elementary math specialist at The Advent School in Boston. Married to Hugh O'Reilly '86 and mother of three boys, Lordan has been active with Dartmouth on many fronts during the past two decades. She has served as a district enrollment director in the Boston area for almost 20 years. She has also been a member of the Alumni Council, chair of the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, chair of the Admissions Committee, president of the Dartmouth Club of Greater Boston, and treasurer of the Class of 1986, to name just a few posts. "I bleed green," says Lordan, a one-time recipient of the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award, "and volunteering has allowed me to meet people from the College I wouldn't typically get to meet."

ToddCranford100Todd Cranford '85 was a government major during his time at Dartmouth, in addition to being chairman of the Afro-American Society, a member of Palaeopitus, a former DJ for WDCR, a member of the Gospel Choir, and a finalist for the Dean's Prize. He attended Columbia Law School and has enjoyed a successful legal career that has taken him from clerking for a U.S. District Court judge to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to his current position as counsel for Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C. Even with such a busy life, Cranford finds time for his alma mater. He has served on the board of directors for both the New York and Washington, D.C., clubs, as cochair for two class reunions, and as president of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association. Cranford is a Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award winner and currently serves on the Rockefeller Center Board of Visitors and the Alumni Council's Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. "I've loved Dartmouth ever since the day I received my acceptance, and I'm very happy and privileged to be able to serve here," says Cranford. "Fortunately, I have known a number of alumni who have set great examples for me when it comes to being involved with the College."

Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award Winners

StinaBrock100E. Stina Brock '01, '02Th was very busy during her undergraduate days, involving herself in soccer, intramural ice hockey, Alpha Xi Delta, and World Affairs Council, among other activities. These days she is the director of product management at Sunverge, where she oversees product development and design for the company. Brock holds an AB and BE in engineering and economics from Dartmouth, and has stayed involved with the College since graduating. She's been vice president of the Dartmouth Club of Western Washington, a member of the Alumni Council, and on the fifth and 10th reunion committees. She is currently based in San Francisco with her husband, Sean Stauth, who is also a member of the Class of 2001.

DavidWagner100David Wagner '99 spent his years at Dartmouth as an ancient history major in the classics department, his free time divided among the crew team, The Dartmouth, as a DJ for WFRD, and volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters through the Tucker Foundation. Wagner is also a member of AXA fraternity and worked at the Hopkins Center box office. During sophomore summer he met his wife, Adrienne Wilson '99. Not long after graduation, the pair moved to her native Dallas, where they have lived since 2003. These days, Wagner works for Rent-A-Center, where he focuses on the company's international expansion initiatives. The father of two (with one more on the way) has remained active in the Dartmouth community. He has been the president of the Dartmouth Club of Dallas, a member of the Club Officers Executive Committee, an Alumni Council representative, and involved in the planning for his fifth and 10th class reunions. "My experience at Dartmouth was fantastic and influenced who I am today," Wagner says. "Volunteering gives me the opportunity to give back to the College."

-Andrew Clark