Outstanding Scots honored at Wooster’s Reunion Weekend celebration
The College of Wooster honored six alumni with awards at this year’s Outstanding Scots Ceremony on June 8, during the 2024 Alumni Weekend celebration. The honored alumni include Sandeep Bhatia ’89, who received the John D. McKee Alumni Volunteer Award, Kelley Johnson ’13, who received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and Jane Welton Yamazaki ’64 and the late Russell Yamazaki ’64, who received the Sara L. Patton Stewardship Award. This year’s Distinguished Alumni Awardees include Robert Hetherington ’74 and James Maiwurm ’71. Wooster’s Advancement staff and members of the Alumni Board selected the recipients in recognition of their professional achievements and philanthropic efforts.
Bhatia came to Wooster from Kolkata, India in 1985 and earned his degree in economics. His career has been in IT and business consulting with utility industry clients across the U.S. Previously working at PwC, Arthur Anderson, and Bearing Point, Bhatia is now the President of OM Consulting Group. He is the immediate past president of the Alumni Association, has served on Wooster’s Board of Trustees, is a reunion advocate, an admissions advocate, and served on the Presidential Search and Inauguration Committees for President Anne McCall.
Johnson is the director of brands at Wasserman, managing several partnerships across the sports and entertainment industries. She earned her Master of Business Administration and Master of Sports Administration degrees at Ohio University. At Wooster, Johnson was an outstanding student-athlete. She has served the College as a reunion advocate, hosted several I.S Monday Happy Hours, and has participated in fundraising efforts for The Wooster Fund.
While attending chemistry classes at Wooster, Jane Welton and Russell Yamazaki became friends, fell in love, and then married in 1966. Both Jane and Russell earned doctoral degrees and maintained successful careers in higher education, teaching Japanese history and pharmacology, respectively. Together, Jane and Russell enjoyed playing and singing choral music, spending time at their home in Northern Michigan, and traveling the world. Their love of travel, history, art, and culture led them to establish the Yamazaki Experiential Travel Fund in celebration of their 50th reunion at Wooster. The fund supports learning experiences in the form of off-campus study.
Hetherington is professor emeritus of theatre & dance at The University of Memphis, from which he retired after fifteen years as department chair. During his tenure, Hetherington implemented several firsts in the department, including international exchange programs, and community partnerships with neighboring theatres. Hetherington has directed over sixty professional productions for various universities. He spent five seasons at The Stratford Festival of Canada, twice earning Guthrie Awards from the Festival. This fall, Hetherington will begin a three-year term as a member of Wooster’s Alumni Board.
Maiwurm is the former managing partner, chief operating officer, and Chairman of the global legal firm Squire Patton Boggs. Maiwurm served as chair and CEO and led the restructuring of a prominent international engineering firm. Maiwurm has served on the boards of multiple publicly held companies, as well as serving Wooster as a member of the Alumni Board and Board of Trustees. Maiwurm is currently involved with the Board of Directors of the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation, which promotes the role of public service and pro bono work in the field of law and the development of public policy.
The awardees were recognized at the Outstanding Scots Ceremony on Saturday, June 8 in the Scheide Music Center at Gault Recital Hall. Also recognized at the ceremony were Jennifer Haverkamp ’79, named a distinguished alumna in 2023, and Laura Tunnerman ’88, receiving the John D. McKee Alumni Volunteer Award in 2023, who were not able to attend last year’s ceremony.
The four-day Reunion Weekend celebration June 6 through 9 was filled with events including reunion celebrations, campus tours, the Parade of Classes, and other fun and educational activities. See photos and find more about the event here.
Featured image: Pictured are awardees Robert Hetherington ’74, Sandeep Bhatia ’89, Jennifer Haverkamp ’79, Kelley Johnson ’13, James Maiwurm ’71, Laura Tuennerman ’88, and Jane Welton Yamazaki ’64.
Posted in News on June 11, 2024.
