NAC Names Award Winners
he National Alumni Council's Nominating and Awards Committee selected seven to receive the Benezet, Worner and Riley Awards. Commemorating past college presidents, these awards recognize those with accomplishments and a personal commitment to higher education.
The Louis T. Benezet (CC president from 1955 to 1963) award is given to alumni who have made major contributions in their professional field, especially by improving lives and exemplifing the values of a liberal arts education. Bob Rawlings '47, Richard Green '59 and Solomon Nkiwane '64 have been singled out for their work in journalism, telecommunications and education.
With a B.A in economics, Rawlings is the publisher and editor of The Pueblo Chieftain and the president of the Star-Journal Publishing Corporation. Climbing the ladder of success slowly but surely, Rawlings began in advertising sales, was appointed general manager in 1963 and became publisher in 1980. In 1994, The Pueblo Chieftain and the Robert Hoag Rawlings Foundation provided more than $500,000 in grants to the community.
After CC, Green received his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Washington. He currently is the president and chief executive officer of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs), a nonprofit, research-and-development consortium. He has authored more than 55 technical papers on topics ranging from TV production to electro-optical and laser research. Most recently, he was voted CED's "Man of the Year" and was selected by Electronic Media as one of the 12 people to watch in the U.S. media.
Nkiwane attended CC as one of two participants in the African Scholarship Program of American Universities, administered by the Africa America Institute. A professor of political science and deputy dean of faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe, he has a Ph.D. in international relations from McGill University in Montreal. A visiting professor at CC since 1971, Nkiwane joined the University of Zimbabwe in 1982.
The Lloyd E. Worner Award, named after a 1942 graduate who was a past faculty member, dean then president of the college from 1964 to 1981, is given to alumni who support the college and harbor concern for students and the quality of teaching and learning. This year, the honorees are Robert '61 and Joyce Archer '62 Selig.
These award recipients have generously given their time and resources to spur growth of alumni and development programs. Bob, who has served two consecutive terms on the NAC, has been an alumni trustee candidate while Joyce has served as vice president of the CC Bay Area Alumni Chapter. Together, they have worked in campaign development and reunion planning, as well as hosted receptions, metro events and student activities.
The Gresham Riley Award is presented by alumni to faculty, administrators and staff who have made a significant difference in the CC community. Named after the 10th president of the college (1981-1992), this year's award winners are Barbara Neeley Yalich '53 and Martha Jane Cauvel.
Yalich has served in a variety of positions at the college, including alumni trustee, director of Alumni Support, director of Alumni Affairs, director of Development, and vice president for Development and College Relations. She was honored for maintaining the school's traditions and effectively creating financial stability for the college.
Cauvel, professor emerita of philosophy, received her Ph.D. in historical and systematic philosophy at Bryn Mawr College. She has played a major role in the development and expansion of Asian Studies at the college and has served on several faculty committees. After retiring from the philosophy department in 1994, Cauvel remained as President Kathryn Mohrman's special faculty assistant until 1996, capping 36 years of dedicated service.
The annual process of selecting award honorees begins when CC alumni nominate candidates. Information about the nominees is sent to the Tutt Alumni Office and evaluated by the NAC Nominating and Awards Committee. Each committee member researches the candidates, interviews peers and reviews articles and other published works by the candidates. The full committee then regroups and votes.