The Elon Alumni Association will honor three distinguished alumni and friends of the university with this year’s association awards. The awards will be presented at 10 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Alumni Association gathering in Whitley Auditorium on campus.
Don E. Bolden of Burlington, N.C., will receive the Distinguished Service Award. A lifelong resident of Alamance County, Bolden was founding chair of the Elon University School of Communications Advisory Board. He began his journalism career as a high school student and rose through the ranks at the Burlington Times-News. He served as executive editor of the Times-News from 1989-2000 and wrote four books on the history of Alamance County. Bolden was named Alamance County Citizen of the Year in 1990 and the Boy Scouts of America’s Alamance County Man of the Year in 2003. He is a past president of the North Carolina Associated Press News Council and served on the boards of Elon Homes for Children and the Alamance Chamber of Commerce. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Eddie C. Bridges of Greensboro, N.C., is the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. A 1957 Elon graduate, Bridges lettered in football and track before receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology. He has been a leader of private initiatives for wildlife and environmental conservation on the state and national level. He was a founding member and chief executive officer of the North Carolina Wildlife Habitat Foundation and has served as a national trustee of Ducks Unlimited. His visionary programs in support of wildlife conservation, including North Carolina’s income tax refund check-off for non-game species and the Wildlife Endowment Fund, have resulted in almost $75 million in endowment for conservation and environmental awareness.
The Young Alumna of the Year award will be presented to Elizabeth “Betsy” Spain Cooper, a 2002 graduate. Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude with a double concentration in marketing and management information systems and administration. She was a founding member of Creative Resolutions, Elon’s graphic arts and design club, and developed and maintained a freelance business in graphic design while an undergraduate. She serves as communications coordinator at the University of Florida, Gainesville, where she handles internal communications to faculty, students and staff, news releases and special publications. Cooper also offers her design skills pro bono to worthy community groups such as the Gainesville Community Foundation and the Gainesville Community Board.
The Alumni Association promotes active participation in university events by its approximately 23,000 members. The association is governed by a national executive board, which is composed of 60 members who each serve three-year terms.
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