Spring 2006 Alumnae Quarterly Web Extra
2006 Medal of Honor Citations
The Alumnae Association medal of honor, given for outstanding service to the association and Mount Holyoke College, was presented to five alumnae during the 2006 reunion weekends.
To read the citation explaining why each woman was chosen for this honor, please click on the names below.
› Judith Shepherd DeBrandt ’66
› Suzanne P. Franchetti ’91
› Cerise Jalelian Keim ’81
› Ellen Hyde Pace ’81
› Sunny Park Suh ’91
JUDITH SHEPHERD DEBRANDT, class of 1966, you have been a credit to the College and the Alumnae Association for thirty years. During your three decades as one of Mount Holyoke’s most dedicated alumnae, you have served as director on the Alumnae Association Board, as president of the Westchester club, and as reunion program chair for your class. You have contributed to the College’s stability and success by volunteering for key fundraising positions over the years, including class agent, reunion gift chair, and Cornerstone representative.
You have also recently served as Program Committee chair and Ad Hoc Committee member for the Alumnae Association, assisting with a successful relaunch and lending your wisdom and expertise to committee members. Your leadership and dedication has made you an integral member of our alumnae community—a role model, a loyal friend, and an inspiration to us all.
For this, and your countless contributions over the years, the Alumnae Association is deeply proud to honor you with the Alumnae Medal of Honor.
SUZANNE P. FRANCHETTI, class of 1991, you chose Mount Holyoke, in part, because you were attracted to the mutual lifelong commitment of the College to alumnae and alumnae to the College. In your first year, you spent January term working on the phone bank for the Sesquicentennial and found you enjoyed talking to alumnae. This marked the beginning of your interest in and success at fundraising.
In the 15 years since you graduated you have served as a class agent for your second reunion, and head class agent and reunion gift chair for your 5th and 10th reunions. You were an admissions representative for the Long Island clubs and a Program Committee member of the New York club. In recognition of your leadership in fundraising, you were asked to serve on the Alumnae Development Committee, and then to chair the Annual Funds Committee. Currently you are a member of the Steering Committee, Campaign 2011.
In your various leadership roles, you have encouraged young alumnae to explore ways to stay connected to Mount Holyoke through participation as volunteers for the Alumnae Association and for the College. In a purposeful way you have worked to fulfill the vision of service to the College that you had as an applicant.
For this, and your many contributions, the Alumnae Association is proud to honor you with the Alumnae Medal of Honor.
CERISE JALELIAN KEIM, class of 1981, we honor you today, on your 25th Reunion, for your many years of devotion to the College and the Alumnae Association. For so many years a leader in the Boston club, you are legendary for your organizing skills. The Boston club is now widely known as the home of the Christmas Vespers program you founded with choral director and professor of music, Cathy Melhorn, to provide a large New England audience with enjoyment once available only to those in the New York area. When deep snow prevented you from getting to Vespers last December, Boston alumnae were able to carry on by relying on your detailed instructions.
A frequent visitor to campus, you have served a three-year term on the Clubs Committee and are currently director for clubs on the Association Board. This weekend you co-chair the 25th reunion of the Class of 1981.
For these and your other contributions, we are proud to honor you with the Alumnae Medal of Honor.
ELLEN HYDE PACE, class of 1981, your commitment to Mount Holyoke and the Alumnae Association has been admirable. For over 15 years you have been a class leader in fundraising as Cornerstone representative and chair, reunion lead gift chair and head class agent. You served on the New York City Special Committee for the Campaign for Mount Holyoke College: Advancing Our Legacy of Leadership, and with distinction on the Alumnae Development Committee. In addition, you have served on Program and Communications Ad Hoc Committees and as director-at-large on the Alumnae Association Board where your expertise as communication specialist was very important to the success of the board in its task of “relaunching” the Association.
You have been a model for working mothers and an Alumnet participant, living as well as speaking about uncommon women and positioning Mount Holyoke College in today’s world.
For these and other demonstrations of your exceptional loyalty, the Alumnae Association is proud to present you with its Medal of Honor on this, your 25th reunion.
SUNNY PARK SUH, class of 1991, we salute your commitment to Mount Holyoke and your unwavering dedication to its alumnae community. For over a decade, you have served the College in a number of capacities, including many active years of volunteering as an admissions representative. Bringing your expertise in the field of education and your experience as a Mount Holyoke graduate, you have raised awareness of the College in the world and played an important role in bringing talented young women to the campus. As membership chair, vice-president, and president of the New York Club, you have strengthened the alumnae body and helped sustain your club as a key part of the extended Mount Holyoke community.
You have also served the College as a member of the New York City Celebration Committee for the Campaign for Mount Holyoke College: Advancing Our Legacy of Leadership, as a head class agent and, most recently, as a reunion gift chair for your class. Your tireless efforts in support of the College and its vision for the future have contributed to Mount Holyoke’s vitality, and have earned you the gratitude and admiration of many.
For these and your many other expressions of loyalty, the Alumnae Association is proud to recognize you with the Alumnae Medal of Honor.
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Everything you need to take the next step is already in your life, if you will but look carefully for it. — Penny Gill, Mary Lyon Professor of the Humanities and professor of politics, baccalaureate address, 1993 |
