The Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) is presented annually at Alumni Weekend in June to two or three alumni who have distinguished themselves in the following areas:
- Professional Career
- Service to Humanity
- Service to Wooster
DAA honorees must exemplify Wooster’s dedication to excellence and commitment to service. Any Wooster staff, faculty member, or alumnus/a can submit nominations for the DAA, and each year’s honorees are selected by a subcommittee of The Alumni Board.
Questions should be directed to the Office of Alumni & Family Engagement at alumni@wooster.edu or 330-263-2533.
The Nomination Process
To nominate an alumnus/a to be considered for the Distinguished Alumni Award, please complete the form linked below. In addition, please provide:
- A personal letter of recommendation, and
- Supporting materials, such as links to online articles or websites about the nominee.
All nominees will stay in the pool for five years and are selected approximately one year before they will be recognized.
Nominations and supporting materials can be sent via email to alumni@wooster.edu or mailed to the Gault Alumni Center, 1012 Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691.
Download Form (.doc)Previous Distinguished Alumni Award Winners
| Name | Class Year | Date Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Warren P. Spencer+ | 1919 | 1962 |
| Anne A. Davis+ | 1915 | 1963 |
| John McSweeney+ | 1912 | 1965 |
| George A. Mosel+ | 1916 | 1966 |
| Wilson M. Compton+ | 1940 | 1967 |
| Waldo H. Dunn+ | 1906 | 1967 |
| Albert I. Good+ | 1906 | 1968 |
| Gideon D. Hatfield+ | 1909 | 1970 |
| Donald A. Lowrie+ | 1940 | 1971 |
| Charles E. McDermott+ | 1924 | 1961 |
| Lewis F. Mayer+ | 1920 | 1961 |
| Charles A. Dilley+ | 1930 | 1961 |
| Paul C. Hawk+ | 1925 | 1962 |
| William M. Alrich+ | 1939 | 1962 |
| Francis P. Twinem+ | 1917 | 1963 |
| John C. Johnston+ | 1938 | 1963 |
| Ruth (Wylie) Eschbach+ | 1939 | 1964 |
| George L. Dixon+ | 1922 | 1964 |
| Lister O. Weiss+ | 1920 | 1964 |
| Edna (Fetzer) Weiss+ | 1927 | 1964 |
| Robert L. Myers+ | 1939 | 1965 |
| William M. McCulloch+ | 1923 | 1965 |
| Robert G. Bone+ | 1928 | 1966 |
| Alma E. Gault+ | 1916 | 1966 |
| Edwin M. Wright+ | 1918 | 1967 |
| Helen (Harrington) Compton+ | 1912 | 1967 |
| John R. Milligan | 1949 | 1968 |
| John D. McKee+ | 1917 | 1968 |
| Eva (Castner) Swan+ | 1918 | 1969 |
| Howard F. Lowry+ | 1923 | 1969 |
| David A. Redding+ | 1946 | 1969 |
| Alfred W. Swan+ | 1917 | 1969 |
| Carl M. Toensmeier+ | 1931 | 1969 |
| Esther (Lane) Toensmeier+ | 1930 | 1969 |
| David A. Cort+ | 1932 | 1970 |
| J. C. Wynn+ | 1941 | 1970 |
| Robert G. Wilder+ | 1942 | 1971 |
| Clara (Gharber) Lewis+ | 1933 | 1971 |
| G. Ernest Wright+ | 1931 | 1972 |
| William H. Havener+ | 1944 | 1972 |
| Jeanne Christy+ | 1926 | 1972 |
| John F. Boyd+ | 1942 | 1973 |
| William R. Schultz+ | 1933 | 1973 |
| Jane (Cotton) Boyd+ | 1942 | 1973 |
| James M. Dawson+ | 1939 | 1973 |
| Charles B. Moke+ | 1931 | 1974 |
| Dwight C. Hanna+ | 1944 | 1974 |
| Alfreda (Gabriel) Campbell+ | 1941 | 1974 |
| Ernest Y. Campbell+ | 1940 | 1974 |
| Sanford P. Lehman+ | 1928 | 1975 |
| Juliet (Stroh) Blanchard+ | 1924 | 1975 |
| Lucy L. Notestein+ | 1911 | 1976 |
| Shannon McCune+ | 1935 | 1976 |
| Scott Craig | 1956 | 1976 |
| James V. Neel+ | 1935 | 1977 |
| Donald W. Raley+ | 1927 | 1977 |
| James A. Miller+ | 1928 | 1977 |
| Carolyn (Gustafson) Dix+ | 1932 | 1977 |
| Jerrold K. Footlick | 1956 | 1978 |
| Harriet (Painter) Hopkins+ | 1932 | 1978 |
| Viola (Startzman) Robertson+ | 1935 | 1978 |
| W. Dean Hopkins+ | 1930 | 1978 |
| Sherman A. Wengerd+ | 1936 | 1979 |
| John J. Compton+ | 1949 | 1979 |
| John Exter+ | 1932 | 1979 |
| Marion (Fitch) Exter+ | 1933 | 1979 |
| Donald B. Register | 1959 | 1980 |
| Helen (Murray) Free+ | 1945 | 1980 |
| John E. Wallace+ | 1912 | 1980 |
| William F. Kieffer+ | 1936 | 1981 |
| Erma (Wooding) Foley+ | 1938 | 1981 |
| Frank W. Notestein+ | 1923 | 1981 |
| Lowell B. Bourns+ | 1927 | 1982 |
| William McAfee+ | 1932 | 1982 |
| Mary (Courtney) Bourns+ | 1927 | 1982 |
| James C. Mikkelsen+ | 1942 | 1982 |
| Stanley C. Gault+ | 1948 | 1983 |
| H. Alberta Colclaser+ | 1933 | 1983 |
| Robert R. Cadmus+ | 1936 | 1983 |
| Ernest M. Hole+ | 1918 | 1984 |
| Russell H. Seibert+ | 1930 | 1984 |
| Catherine (Compton) Chase+ | 1944 | 1984 |
| Edward B. Westlake+ | 1925 | 1985 |
| John W. Pocock+ | 1938 | 1985 |
| Catherine B. Hess+ | 1937 | 1985 |
| James R. Baroffio | 1954 | 1986 |
| Betty (Dickens) Neuhart+ | 1945 | 1986 |
| Stanley R. Welty+ | 1924 | 1987 |
| Jon R. Waltz+ | 1951 | 1987 |
| Ralph A. Young+ | 1929 | 1987 |
| Dorothy McCuskey+ | 1929 | 1987 |
| George W. Thorn+ | 1927 | 1988 |
| Henry C. Miller+ | 1944 | 1988 |
| Stephen R. Donaldson | 1968 | 1989 |
| Lois (Barr) Cook+ | 1945 | 1989 |
| Erie Mills | 1975 | 1989 |
| Robert S. Laubach+ | 1941 | 1989 |
| Eric H. Boehm+ | 1940 | 1990 |
| Marguerite (Lane) Bowden+ | 1940 | 1990 |
| Christine Camp+ | 1951 | 1990 |
| Catherine A. Tisinger | 1958 | 1991 |
| James N. Wise+ | 1941 | 1991 |
| G. T. Smith | 1956 | 1991 |
| James R. Blackwood+ | 1941 | 1992 |
| Robert H. Atwell | 1953 | 1992 |
| Ralph W. Schreiber+ | 1964 | 1992 |
| Alice (McGrew) Hawk+ | 1926 | 1992 |
| David D. Dowd+ | 1951 | 1993 |
| John P. Papp+ | 1960 | 1993 |
| William R. McGraw+ | 1952 | 1993 |
| Priscilla (Miller) Hart | 1951 | 1994 |
| Merton M. Sealts+ | 1937 | 1994 |
| Timothy P. Smucker | 1967 | 1995 |
| Ruth (Frost) Parker+ | 1945 | 1995 |
| Susan Q. Stranahan | 1968 | 1996 |
| Earl W. Wendell | 1950 | 1996 |
| Lois (Lyon) Neumann | 1949 | 1996 |
| Charles E. Rath | 1940 | 1997 |
| Norvin J. Hein+ | 1937 | 1997 |
| Dorothy (Robins) Mowry | 1942 | 1997 |
| William J. Yoder | 1963 | 1998 |
| Donald L. Kohn | 1964 | 1998 |
| Lee (Eberhardt) Limbird | 1970 | 1998 |
| John C. Buechner+ | 1956 | 1999 |
| Paul L. Kendall | 1964 | 1999 |
| Solomon Oliver | 1969 | 2000 |
| Molly (Fritz) Miller | 1969 | 2000 |
| David L. Beveridge | 1959 | 2001 |
| Edith (Bender) Seaton+ | 1947 | 2001 |
| Ronald S. Seaton+ | 1947 | 2001 |
| James F. Leckman | 1969 | 2001 |
| Edward McCreight | 1966 | 2002 |
| Maurice E. Hole | 1956 | 2002 |
| Lois (Black) Bing+ | 1931 | 2002 |
| Lynne (Cherry) McCreight | 1966 | 2002 |
| Tom M. Johnson | 1956 | 2003 |
| Lawson W. Stoneburner+ | 1937 | 2003 |
| Eugene C. Bay | 1959 | 2003 |
| W. Lee Culp+ | 1941 | 2004 |
| John E. Smeltz+ | 1944 | 2004 |
| Scott L. Behoteguy+ | 1939 | 2004 |
| Edward C. Arn+ | 1931 | 2005 |
| Miriam R. Pride | 1970 | 2005 |
| Joan P. Carter | 1965 | 2005 |
| Richard S. Foster | 1971 | 2006 |
| Denise (Ducharme) Reilly | 1975 | 2006 |
| Niall W. Slater | 1976 | 2006 |
| James A. Fletcher | 1967 | 2007 |
| Joseph J. Catino | 1974 | 2007 |
| Linda (Marsch) Saif | 1969 | 2007 |
| Alpha V. Alexander | 1976 | 2008 |
| Katharine (Doob) Sakenfeld | 1961 | 2008 |
| Gary W. Reichard | 1965 | 2008 |
| Cynthia S. Tice+ | 1958 | 2009 |
| Wayne A. Cornelius | 1967 | 2009 |
| Jay R. Gates | 1968 | 2009 |
| Alvin J. Van Wie+ | 1952 | 2010 |
| Jane (Morley) Kotchen | 1960 | 2010 |
| Dale M. Swift | 1980 | 2010 |
| Angene (Hopkins) Wilson | 1961 | 2011 |
| Clarence R. Williams | 1963 | 2011 |
| David A. Dunlop | 1973 | 2011 |
| Jack A. Wilson | 1961 | 2011 |
| Irwin L. Reese | 1975 | 2012 |
| Thomas K. Welty | 1965 | 2012 |
| Ronald C. Hughes | 1970 | 2012 |
| James T. Clarke | 1959 | 2013 |
| Diane K. Jorkasky | 1973 | 2013 |
| Kenneth C. Fischer | 1966 | 2013 |
| Carl W. Cotman | 1962 | 2014 |
| Z. Mike Chirenje | 1977 | 2014 |
| James A. McClung | 1959 | 2014 |
| David R. Hopkins | 1970 | 2015 |
| Barbara (Frajola) Atkinson | 1964 | 2015 |
| Elizabeth A. Eaton | 1977 | 2016 |
| Lucius F. Ellsworth | 1963 | 2016 |
| George H. Davis | 1964 | 2016 |
| T. William Evans | 1960 | 2017 |
| Judith (Mack) Patterson | 1963 | 2017 |
| Laurie S. Priest | 1977 | 2017 |
| David W. Douglas | 1971 | 2018 |
| Richard A. Kerr | 1968 | 2018 |
| Macharia Kamau | 1982 | 2019 |
| Patricia J. Vittum | 1974 | 2019 |
| Brenda N. Major | 1972 | 2020 |
| Larry A. Jones | 1975 | 2020 |
| Walt P. Hopkins | 1966 | 2021 |
| Katharine (Rhodes) Henderson | 1978 | 2021 |
| Sara L. Patton | 1967 | 2022 |
| Jim DeRose | 1972 | 2022 |
| Ed Gilbert | 1973 | 2023 |
| Jennifer Haverkamp | 1979 | 2023 |
| Robert Hetherington | 1974 | 2024 |
| James Maiwurm | 1971 | 2024 |