Thursday, September 16th, 2010

As part of the annual Homecoming celebration October 1-3, West Virginia Wesleyan will bestow awards upon six deserving recipients. Three alumni will receive awards for their achievement, while two alumni will be honored for service to the College. In addition, one college employee will receive the Friend of the College/Extra Mile Award.

Brooks Jones ’62 will be presented with the Alumni Service Award in recognition of his years of dedication to the College. A native of Parkersburg, Jones began his work for Wesleyan as a student, when he was a member of Community Council, Kappa Sigma Kappa (now Theta Xi), and the Concert Chorale, and was a charter member of the Wesleyan Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa. Following graduation, Jones continued his education in graduate programs at Emory University and West Virginia University. After working as Wesleyan’s Director of Alumni Relations from 1968-1972, Jones continued his career in educational fundraising with great success, working with several different institutions. However, his heart was never far from his home among the hills. Since his undergraduate years, Jones has worked tirelessly for the betterment of the College. For more than two decades, Jones worked in a variety of alumni relations and fundraising positions. Although Jones retired in 2005 from his position as director of gift planning, his dedication to his alma mater continues. He currently serves as an advisor to the Office of College Advancement and as Director of the Bobcat Pride Club. Jones and his wife, Josette Holtzworth Jones ’63 have been married for 47 years, and have three children and four grandchildren. They reside in Buckhannon and enjoy spending time traveling.

Both the Honorable Robin Jean Davis ’78 and Carol Duffield ’99 will receive Wesleyan’s Alumni Achievement Award. A native of Boone County, Davis currently serves as Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Following her graduation from Wesleyan, Justice Davis earned her law degree as well as a master’s degree from West Virginia University in 1982. She worked as an attorney in private practice from 1982 to 1996. She was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Law Examiners in 1991, and two years later became the first lawyer in the state to be inducted into the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Davis was elected to fill an unexpired term on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 1996, and was re-elected to a full, 12-year term in 2000. As a Supreme Court Justice, Davis has initiated a number of programs that have allowed the Court to improve its work with children and families and to stay current with technology. Author of several West Virginia Law Review articles, Davis received the Distinguished West Virginian Award in 2000, and in 2008 she received the Graduate of Distinction Award from the West Virginia Education Alliance. She and her husband, Scott Segal, have one son, Oliver.

Carol Duffield has touched the lives of many, not only at Wesleyan, but also in the Upshur County community and across the state of West Virginia. As Director of the Upshur Parish House for more than a decade, Duffield devoted significant time, energy and kindness to the community, as well as to the students at Wesleyan. She vastly expanded not only the programs offered by the Parish House, but also the physical space. Duffield guided the Parish House through this growth to its current incarnation, offering a food pantry, clothing vouchers, utility payment assistance, help with home repairs, after school programs and more. Many Wesleyan students – Bonner scholars, interns, community engagement students and others came to know Duffield’s kindness through their own work and interactions at the Parish House. Generous of heart and spirit, Duffield came to parish ministry as an adult. She pastored churches in McDowell County before coming to serve churches on the Upshur/Barbour County line. In the mid-1990s, Duffield began her studies at Wesleyan as a non-traditional student. She graduated from Wesleyan in 1999, and since 2000 has been ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church. In June, she and her husband, Doug, moved to Ohio to be closer to family.

This year’s Young Alumni Service Award will be presented to Peter Galarneau, Jr. ’98. Galarneau began his time at Wesleyan in 1996, when he joined the Sports Information staff. In 1998, he finished his communication studies degree at Wesleyan and became the College’s first webmaster. In 2003, Galarneau earned his master’s degree in organizational communication from West Virginia University and became an instructor of communication at Wesleyan that fall. Galarneau is now an assistant professor in the department of communication, with concentrations in media studies and public relations. Already the author of two published works of fiction – The Cubit (2008) and The Djed (2009), Galarneau is currently working on his third novel, O-Time. While recognized for his works as both a professor and author, Galarneau may be best known as an avid Bobcat sports fan. He has devoted much of his time to promoting the teams and preserving their athletic endeavors in writing, photographs, and video. He is often found announcing game play, running a time clock or keeping statistics – whatever needs to be done. His service to Wesleyan and the Department of Athletics in particular is exceptional.

The honor of the Young Alumni Achievement Award will be bestowed upon Allison Quinn Guido ’02 this year. Named one of Cape & Plymouth Business Magazine’s 40 under 40, Guido serves as General Manager/Partner of Almar Building and Remodeling Co. in Randolph, MA. After graduating from Wesleyan in 2002 with a B.A. in Arts Management, Guido earned her Massachusetts Construction Supervisors License in 2003, and was named 2004 Rookie of the Year by the Builders Association of Greater Boston. As an owner of Almar, Guido joined her father, Terry Quinn and her husband, Craig Guido ’00 in accepting Remodeling Magazine’s Big 50 Award in 2005. South Shore Living Magazine has featured Guido in their “Women in Business” features, and she is currently working with Better Homes & Gardens online as one of their “Ask the Pros” contributors. As a student at Wesleyan, Guido was active in the community through Zeta Tau Alpha and the Theatre Department. Her service to her community continues today. Through her roles as Secretary for the Baystate Alumnae Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha, and President of the Alumnae Association for Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Mass., Guido has worked with both of those organizations to adopt two families for Christmas and gather gifts for them. She has volunteered at the Survivors Tent at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Boston, and is on the Survivors Tent planning committee for the 2010 event. Since 2004, Guido has coordinated a team for the American Lung Association’s annual Asthma Walk. Guido is also active in the local business community, serving as a member of the South Shore Business Roundtable, South Shore Young Professionals, and South Shore Women’s Business Network. In her free time, Guido enjoys the two book clubs in which she takes part, and traveling with her husband.

This is not the first time that Alisa Mauk Lively has been honored by the Wesleyan community. Lively will add her 2010 Friend of the College/Extra Mile Award to the Staff Person of the Year Award that she received in 2007, an honor determined by the votes of the students. Currently the Director of Campus Life at Wesleyan, Lively has worn many hats in serving her campus community. Since 1987, she has worked in the areas of Housing, Summer Conferences and Campus Activities. In 2008, she added a few more caps by supervising the areas of Housing, Residence Life, Campus Activities, Summer Conferences, Outdoor Recreation and Judicial Affairs. Lively is currently the chairperson of Staff Council, a member of the West Virginia Wesleyan Board of Trustees, co-chair of the Facilities and Equipment Task Force, member of the Strategic Planning Committee, advisor to several Student Senate Committees, member of the Family Weekend, Orientation and Risk Management Committees, and a Collegiate Habitat Trip Leader, among other roles. In the Buckhannon community, Lively has served as President and Executive Officer of the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, and has worked as a member of its Board of Directors for ten years. She was Director of the Upshur County Special Olympics for five years, and has worked with many local school committees and booster organizations. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Upshur County Work Adjustment Center, the Create Buckhannon Committee, several Chamber of Commerce event committees and in various volunteer roles. Lively’s professional affiliations include the Mid-Atlantic Association of Chief Housing Officers, the National Association for Campus Activities, the Association of College Personnel Administrators, the West Virginia Association of Arts Presenters, and the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities. A graduate of Marshall University with a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in counseling: student personnel in higher administration, Lively is the mother of two daughters, Megan, 24 and Hannah, 22, who will receive her B.A. and M.Ed. from Wesleyan in 2011.

The honors will be bestowed upon these deserving recipients at the Alumni Banquet on Saturday evening, October 2.