The Elon Alumni Association will honor five distinguished alumni and friends of the university with this year’s association awards. The awards will be presented at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Homecoming Reunion Weekend alumni awards brunch in McKinnon Hall, located in Moseley Center on campus.
Lowell L. Thomas of Blowing Rock, N.C., is the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. A 1965 graduate of Elon, he has distinguished himself in the banking profession and as a member of the North Carolina State Board of Education. Senior vice president of Bank of America for a number of years, Thomas presently serves as a member of the Town of Blowing Rock Board of Adjustments. He is also a board member for the Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE), a division of the U.S. Department of Education.
Troy P. Senkiewicz of North Hollywood, Calif., will receive the Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Senkeiwicz, a 1998 graduate, is being honored for his outstanding work in the movie entertainment industry and his generous assistance with career advice to Elon communications majors. He works for Dream Works as a facility coordinator and is the owner of DigiMax Production, an independent digital video production company.
The Distinguished Service Award is presented to the Alamance Regional Medical Center, Burlington, N.C., in recognition for outstanding service in the establishment of the Master of Physical Therapy program at Elon. Tom Ryan of Alamance Regional Medical Center will accept the award.
J. Fred Bowman of Burlington, N.C., will receive the Alumni Service Award. A 1951 graduate of Elon, Bowman is recognized for extraordinary service to Alamance County, N.C. Bowman served five terms as a member of the N.C. House from 1985 to 1993. Bowman has been a dedicated contributor to the growth and development of Elon for a number of years.
Laurinda M. Hafner of Cleveland, Ohio, was selected for the Service to Church and Society Award. She is a member of the class of 1976. Hafner’s unique ministry as senior pastor of Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ demonstrates service to church and society.
Elon University is a dynamic private, co-educational, comprehensive institution located on a beautiful campus in North Carolina’s Piedmont region, midway between Greensboro and Research Triangle. Founded in 1889, it is building a national reputation for distinctive academic programs. U.S. News & World Report ranks Elon University ninth among 130 Southern universities in the 2002 America’s Best Colleges guide. This is Elon’s highest ranking ever, and positions Elon as the top-ranked North Carolina university in the regional category for master’s level institutions. Elon’s approximately 4,300 students, who come from 43 states and 37 nations, enjoy the opportunities of a university in a strong community atmosphere.
The Alumni Association promotes active participation in university events by its approximately 21,000 members. The association is governed by a national executive board, which is composed of 60 members who each serve three-year terms.